Flame of Peace at ‘Homa Yadnya’: Jimbaran, Bali

By Barrie | April 19th, 2007 | No Comments

Thousands of people from all over the globe gathered at dawn on April 14 at Jimbaran’s Garuda Wisnu Kencana cultural park (GWK) to witness the lighting of a sacred flame which, according to Hindu beliefs, is said to create harmony and peace among mankind. The celebration was presented by the Indonesian chapter of The Art of Living Foundation, an international spiritual awareness and social welfare organization founded by renowned humanitarian His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar from India, who had traveled to Bali to lead the day’s events. Trisha Sertori explains further.

The celebration, known as the Light of Peace, or Homa Yadnya, was last performed in Bali in the 14th century. It was introduced to the island at Gianyar in the year 999 to bring all Balinese together under one God — the tripartite Brahma, Vishnu and Maheswara — also known as the Samuan Tiga.

The event was a coming together of the ancient Indian and the Balinese Homa Yadnya, which has not occurred in Bali for hundreds of years.

Despite torrential rains then scorching sun, thousands of people flooded into the GWK to join Shankar, a spiritual teacher with more than 20 million followers around the world, and almost 50 of Bali’s most esteemed Hindu priests including Sanskrit scholar Empu Nabe Acarya of Padang Tegal, to pray for peace in Bali and throughout the world.

The local government also attended through representatives of Bali governor Dewa Beratha.

The Homa Yadnya was also observed in hopes that it would assist Balinese communities to find their place in the modern world — one that, according to Indonesian follower William Wiriawan, Bali has been struggling to come to terms with in the religious and social contexts.

“Homa Yadnya is a revival of a 1,000-year-old legacy with the spirit of the world we live in today,” William writes in the Light of Peace booklet prepared for the event. “With the august presence of our Guru HH Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, we are prayerful that we will unite as a One World Family, just as the Samuan Tiga gathering has brought Bali together.”

World peace and the coming together of man as a single family across the globe is the primary aim of the celebration. According to Shankar, it is believed the ritual will be felt in waves around the world — like the proverbial butterfly’s wing beating in a Kalimantan jungle — particularly as Saturday was one of the most auspicious days in the Hindu calendar.

“Saturday was the start of the Solar New Year in the Hindu calendar and also the day offerings were made to Saraswati, goddess of knowledge, so it is a very auspicious day to hold this celebration for world peace and harmony,” said Shankar at a pre-event press conference.

The ancient celebration demands a range of specific rituals that have not changed in thousands of years, he added, and pandit — Hindu priests advanced in Vedic Hindu religious laws — traveled to Bali to carry out the Indian segment of the Homa Yadnya.

Accompanied by the chanting of a thousand voices, the pandit fed sandalwood and mango wood to the sacred flame, also called the Light of Peace. Meanwhile, Balinese priests prayed nearby as the five elements of the universe were brought together during the ritual.

It has only been since the advent of commercial aviation that pandit could observe the Homa Yadnya outside of India, said Shankar.

“In the past, pandit were banned from leaving India. Maybe that was because of a feared brain drain — intellectuals were also banned from leaving the country,” Shankar said. “But there were also oceans to cross. Pandit need to bathe daily to adhere to the rituals that was not possible in sailing ships. With airplanes there is the opportunity for them to fly here within a matter of hours, so they were able to come to Bali for the Light of Peace celebration.”

For those Balinese attending the event, the day held great significance. Dewi brought her children from Denpasar to celebrate the Homa Yadnya.

“I feel very good. This is a special day in Bali and I believe our prayers will help bring peace to Bali and the world,” she said.

Her feelings were echoed by Nyoman, also from Denpasar, who said he believed bringing the Homa Yadnya back to Bali would strengthen local communities and send positive energy to the rest of the world.

The weather itself seemed to be active in the celebrations, sending forth torrential rain at the beginning of the prayers for peace, seemingly to wash away the common sins of humanity.
The crowd of devotees and priests, drenched to the skin, continued their prayers unabated.

Then the sun emerged and with it a rainbow, its colors reflected in the diversity of the crowd, in Balinese dancers’ costumes, in strings of orange marigolds and in the blue smoke rising to the heavens from the sacred flames of the Light of Peace.