Burning camphor is an important feature of Hindu pujas and
worship. The use camphor in prayers and ritual is symbolic. Camphor represents
the human personality with Vasanas or attributes.
When physical desires represented by solid camphor is burnt and evaporates, the essential fragrance emerges leaving no residue – symbolically it shows the merging of individual soul with the supreme soul.
When physical desires represented by solid camphor is burnt and evaporates, the essential fragrance emerges leaving no residue – symbolically it shows the merging of individual soul with the supreme soul.
Atman plus vasanas plus the mahabhutas constitutes human
beings. The Vasanas are burnt symbolically. This leaves behind the
self-effulgent Atman.
The burning produces light too, which represents the
destruction of avidya, which bind us to the objects of desire.
Source - Saptagiri December 2005 issue - article titled Rituals by Velandy Manohar
Source - Saptagiri December 2005 issue - article titled Rituals by Velandy Manohar