Camphor       

Camphor is a very unique chemical that will vaporize directly from solid to gaseous state even without undergoing the intermediate state of liquid state. Camphor also has a unique smell or Vasana. Vasana in Sanskrit and Tamil languages also mean impressions of the mind. In the section Vasana we discussed that the impressions in the mind has to be cleared to attain free from the ever ending cycle of births and deaths.

      This is symbolically done in all rituals as the burning of camphor is the fire of knowledge. The fire for extinguishing the vasana  is the knowledge about the Self. Unlike burning other materials  camphor does not leave any trace of it in the form of ashes. It completely vaporizes and so should be of mental impressions that should be extinguished even without expressing it (liquid form) and leave no trace of it, which means no identity about our Ego.

             In almost all Vedic rituals this burning of the camphor is performed as a ritual in the culmination of events and the image of the God is shown when the camphor burns to symbolize that the Self is revealed in the light of extinguishing camphor. Without extinguishing even traces of mental impressions of desires there is always a return to the cycle of death and birth.

    
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