Dharbai and Radiation

தமிழில் படிக்க இங்கே கிளிக் செய்யவும்.

As we are aware, our traditional practices involve several rituals for which we utilize many products of nature including herbs, animal products (honey, milk, ghee), earthen products (vessels, stoneware) etc. One of the key ingredients in these rituals is Dharbai or Kusha grass (Scientific name: Desmostachya bipinnata). This plant is mentioned in the Rig Veda for use in sacred ceremonies and also as a seat for priests and the gods (dharbaasana). Dharbai is specifically recommended by Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita (chapter 6) which stipulates that covered with a skin and a cloth, it is the ideal seat for meditation. There is also a full verse allocated for Dharbai in the Upanishads called ‘Durva Suktham‘. Dharbai grass is also used in Ayurveda as a medicine to treat dysentery and menorrhagia and is used as a diuretic.

Dharbai is extensively used during chanting of vedic mantras, performing religious rituals including ceremonies related to death (like amavasya tharpanam, pithru pooja etc), auspicious routines, conducting homams and for prayers in temples. It is also believed that wearing or sitting on dharbai will prevent the energy generated during meditation from being discharged through our body into the ground. Priests dip the tip of dharbai in water and sprinkle all over to purify the place. During fire-rituals (Homam), dharbai is placed on all four sides of fire to help block all negative radiations. During eclipses, dharbai is placed on vessels containing water and food.

The question arises – ‘What is so special about a grass plant that grows like weed? Is this merely a superstition of our ancestors?’. The response to this arrives in the form of an interesting research finding from the joint study conducted by CeNTAB (Centre for Nanotechnology and Advanced Bio materials) and CARISM (Centre for Advanced Research in Indian System of Medicine). In this study, several grass species were picked such as Dharbai, Lemon grass, Bermuda grass, Bamboo etc for comparison based on different levels of antibiotic properties and hydrophobicity (property of a molecule that is repelled from water). On studying the effect of various grasses on curd, dharbai grass alone was found to attract enormous number of bacteria responsible for the fermentation of curd.

Also, during the time of eclipse, the blue and ultraviolet radiations which are known for their natural disinfecting property, are not available in sufficient quantities. This leads to uncontrolled growth of micro-organisms in food products thereby rendering them unsuitable for consumption. Dharbai was the only grass that could be used as a natural disinfectant during these occasions, the research concludes. It has been observed that dharbai or kusha grass has been observed to block X-Ray radiation. Further, scientists say that dharbai could be used as an eco-friendly food preservative in place of harmful artificial chemical preservatives.

As science unearths more and more truths such as this, we stand vindicated in the use of such natural products (turmeric, betel leaves, basil to name a few) that originally seemed merely superstitious to the uninitiated. There is a strong need upon us to practice our rituals proudly and righteously until the time the world realizes and lauds us for our advanced spirituality.

References
http://cpreecenvis.nic.in/Database/Kusha_grass_989.aspx
https://gyanopadesam.wordpress.com/2017/06/14/dharbai-and-its-significance-to-hindus/
https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Tiruchirapalli/darbha-grass-a-natural-preservative/article7000098.ece