Durva grass or Arugampul is believed as a holy grass in India. It is religious for Hindus as they worship Lord Ganesha with durva grass. Durva grass or Arugampul is also called Bermuda grass, Bamaha grass, Devil’s grass, Scutch grass and Dog’s tooth grass. Do you know the durva grass juice can be called as green amrith? Arugampul or durva grass is scientifically named as Cynodon dactylon, is a precious herb known for its amazing healing properties.
DURVA
The word Durva comes from the words duhu and avam. Duhuavam means that which is far away and brought closer. Durva brings the faraway pure divine particles of God near to the devotee. The durva grass has three blades which mean the three principles of the Shiva, Shakti and Ganesha. The middle leaflet of durvan attracts the Principle of Primal Ganesh and the other two leaflets attract Primal Shiva and Primal Shakti Principles. However the Sanskrit literal explanation of Durva is ‘which is cut or eaten by animals’.
DURVA GRASS – THE FIRST HERB ON THE EARTH
Yogis believe that Durva grass was the first herb to grow in the world. Arugampul is one of the well-esteemed plants used in herbal medicine. An ancient literature book ‘Pattinapalai’ says that Arugampul is the only living plant that has dwelled from the origination of the world and a type of grass that can live for years.
ARUGAMPUL IN AKANANOORU TEXT
A classical Tamil poetic work of Sangam period, written by Mamulanar, ‘Akananooru’ refers about Arugampul as ‘Payambu Amal Arugai (Arukan)…’.This Sangam age poetry portrays the quality of the grass as nourishment for herd, its recovery after rains, and its abundance that sprouts far and wide.
People who perform rituals such as homa, a sacrifice to fire, generally wear rings made from durva grass. The minimum number of Durva to be offered to Sri Ganesh is 21.
DURVA SUKTAM
Durva Suktam is a part from the Taittiriya Upanishad of Krishna Yajur Veda that narrates the power of the durva grass which is used in worshipping the Lord Ganesha. Durva holds a sacred place in the vedic culture. Durva Suktam denotes the very sound form of Kundalini energy (shakthi) that leads to enlightenment through the chakras. It is believed that frequent recitation or listening of this mantra gives prosperity in life by erasing our sins.
The durva grass resembles the spinal cord and Kundali Shakthi. Lord Ganesha is the controlling divinity of the Muladhara chakra(root chakra). Kundalini awakening is originated with the activation of the muladhara chakra forms the foundation for the entire system. This is why Durva are used to worship Lord Ganesha.
VERSE FROM DURVA SUKTAM:
Sahasraparama devi satamula satankura
Sarva haratu me papam durva dus svapna nasani
Translation : Let the Durba, who represents the divine spirit,who is superior to a thousand purifying agencies, who has innumerable nodes and sprouts and who destroys the effects of evil dreams, remove all of my impurities.
STORIES FROM HINDU MYTHOLOGY
There are several stories of the lord Ganesha and Durva Grass. Some of them from Hindu Mythology…
-The lord Ganesha swallowed demon Analasura to protect the world and devas which resulted in a burning sensation in the lord Ganesha’s stomach. Nothing helped him to stop his suffering. It was then that 88,000 sages performed Archana to Lord Ganesha with 21 Durva grass each and then Lord Ganesha was cured of his stomach ailment. Thus Lord Ganesha is worshipped with 21 Durva Grass on Ganesha Chaturthi day.
– Once there lived a most beautiful Apsara who was a devotee of the lord Ganesha. She chanted and prayed so that she could marry Ganesha. Ganesha too liked her. But Ganesha’s mother, Parvathi was not keen in this marriage. She made Apsara to become a simple grass form on the earth where nobody would look at her. But Apsara begged for pardon. Parvati did forgive her and blessed her that even as a grass she would be durva and loved by Ganesha.
– This story of Sage Kaundinya was relating the importance of Durva and Ganesha to his wife Ashraya who had doubts about this grass. Sage Kaundinya gave her bunch of 21 Durva and told her to get the gold equivalent from Lord Indra . Ashraya approached Lord Indra and asked about gold but he in turn sent her to Kubera who is the treasurer of Gods. But the scales were not balanced. Even all the other Gods like Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva arrived and sat on top of the gold. The scales were in favor of durva. This perplexed everyone and all Gods approached sage Kaundinya at his ashram to solve this. Kaudinya said that Ganesha being the king of all states, there could be no one superior.
– The texts in Bhavishya Purana says that Durva came out from Lord Vishnu’s hair on his hand and thighs while he supported mount Mandara during the Samudra Manthana. (during Kurma Avatar). Then the hair fell and touched by amrita to become sacred durva.
DURVA JUICE
-Take a handful of washed Durva grass, add 4-6 black pepper,quarter teaspoon cumin grind them all with some water. Filter it and drink it on an empty stomach.
-Make sure to wash the grass properly. Even though there are a lot of methods to prepare this juice, this is one of the effective and easy ways.
HEALTH BENEFITS OF DURVA GRASS
- Arugampul juice is best for blood cleansing. In addition to increase the red blood cells in the blood, the juice controls anemia and blood pressure. Hence the juice can be called ‘green amrith’ that remove toxins from the body.
- This aids to mitigate fatigue,brain disorder, flatulence, stomach disease, hemorrhoids, memory loss, blood boils, heat diseases, cuts, headaches, asthma, leg pain caused by dietary deficiency.
- In ancient Indian medicine it is a body coolant, balances the Pitta and Kapha dosha, healing acidity, excessive fat and boosting immunity and curing gum problems.
- Research says that it reduces swelling and inflammation in the joints. It is also found that the juice is used to increase sperm count and sperm mobility.
- The durva grass helps to maintain the level of blood sugar and prevent diabetes-related diseases.
- Durva grass juice is also used to treat prolonged menstrual durations, eye infections, body heat and urinary irritation.
- The plant is favourable in the treatment of epilepsy and hysteria and in treating ailments due to vata dosa.
THE TAKE AWAY
The anti-microbial properties in durva grass juice acts as an immunity booster and fights against diseases. Arugampul can sustain any famine and it is an essential food for cattle which gives them more energy to run fast. The grass plays a vital role in eliminating illness for both humans and animals. Durva juice acts as a blood purifier and regulates blood pressure, weight loss and skin ailments. It is believed that it cures many diseases due to its extraordinary medicinal benefits. It sprouts back soon enough after being plucked and thus is a powerful symbol of regeneration, renewal, rebirth and fertility. Durva or Arugampul has a great capacity of attracting the original Shiva, Shakti and Ganesha’s aura.