DEIVATHIN KURAL # 105 (of Vol 2) Dt 06 May 2008

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 105 (of Vol 2) Dt 06 May 2008

(Continued from Deivathin Kural # 104 (of Vol 2) of 02 May 2008. These are translations of talks given by Periyaval of Kanchi Kamakoti peetam, over a period of some sixty years while he was the pontiff in the earlier part of last century. These have been published by Vanadi Padippagam, Chennai, in seven volumes of a thousand pages each, as Deivathin Kural. To day we are proceeding ahead of Page 802 of the Tamil original. )

32. The Names of the Samskaras. To cleanse the Jeevatma forty samskaras are there. They are, Garba Danam, Pumsavanam, Seemantham, Jatakarma, Nama Karanam, Anna Prasanam, Soucham, Upanayanam; Prajapatyam and three more Vratams to be done in Guru Kula Vasam, Snanam to be done at the end of those four Vratas; then Vivaham that is marriage. Then there are five nitya karmas that the Grahasta is required to do. These add up to 19. Then the house holder / grahasta is required to do seven bhaga yagnas, seven havir yagnas and seven soma yagnas, that add up to 3 x 7 = 21. Thus the 19 + 21 make 40 samskaras.

33. Anvashtagai, Stalibhagam, Parvanam, Sravani, Agrahayani, Chaitri, Asvayuji are Bhaga Yagnas. Agniyadanam, Agnihotram, Darsapoornam, Agrayanam, Chaturmasyam, Niroodapasubandam, Southramani are the seven Havir Yagnas. Agnishtomam, Atyagnishtomam, Uktyam, Shodasi, Vajapeyam, Adiratram, Abdoryamam are the seven Soma Yagnas. Out of these forty, some are to be done every day. Some are to done on occasions. Some are to be done one in a life time.

34. Out of the daily samskaras, the five most important ones are known as ‘pancha maha yagnas’. Better than karyas without mantras, are doing them with mantras. When the simple action or karya is done with mantra, it becomes samskara.

Pancha maha yagnas are, Brhma yagnam, Deva Yagnam, Pithru Yagnam, Manushya Yagnam and Booth Yagnam. Chanting the Vedas/Adhyayanam is Brhma Yagnam. Yaga and Pooja is Deva Yagnam. To do tarpanam for the manes is Pithru Yagnam. To take care of the visitor with kindness and hospitality is Manushya Yagnam. To take care of birds and animals is Butha Yagnam!

Like these five daily yagnas, Oupasanam and Agni Hotram are also to be done daily. The Oupasanam is a Bhaga Yagnam, not included in the seven Bhaga Yagnas. Agnohotram is one of the seven havir yagnams. Darsa Poorna Masam is one of the havir yagnas done every fifteen days. The other five havir yagnas and seven soma yagnas are done once a year or at least once a life time. Parvani Srardam and Sthali Bhagam(done on the first day of moons fortnight) are to be done every month. Rest of the five Bhaga Yagnas are done only once a year.

35. Let me put this across differently. The five pancha maha yagnas, Agnihotram and Oupasanam are to be done daily. Darsa Poorna Masam and Sthali Bhagam every fortnight, Parvani every month; all others of the forty are either once in a life time or some of them once a year, if you can. That is, Nama Karanam for example, can only be once in a life time, when you are named, where as the Soma Yagnas may be done at the least once in a life time and once a year, if you can afford to do so!

36. There are lands which depending on the rains may give you one harvest only a year. Some lands may give you a mixed harvest every four months. Some plants need to be irrigated daily, while need water every alternate day. These are all Samskaras only. Much depends on the plant, availability of water and other resources. So also the samskaras concerning human beings differ in their periodicity.

37. Samskaras to be done by the Parents. Starting from Garbaadanam, that is, from the moment the life is formed in the Mother’s womb, samskaras commence. The very human body is intended to be formed pre-guided by the Mantras! Garbaadanam, Pumsavanam and Seemantham; are wrongly thought to be meant for the well being of the Mother. It is mainly meant for the Life Form coming into being. As it is intended for the child yet to be born, the elders have a great responsibility. If it is meant for oneself, you may have the freedom to forego the same. As it is meant for a yet to come into being life form, it is presumption to let the function go by default. Garbaadanam is known as Santhi Kalyanam these days. This and Seemantham are being not done on the grounds of being embarrassing! They shamelessly adopt western customs and fashions in dressing and in the relationship between the two sexes, where they should feel embarrassed!

38. Garbaadanam, Pumsavanam and Seemantam are three samskaras done before the child’s birth. The union of male and female should be done as a noble act of participation in creation, rather than animal coupling! Thus a mere act of nature is raised to sanctity. Instead to feel that we have foregone an uncivilized ritual is tantamount to committing a sin! It is madness to do so and claim that we do not stand on mere formalities! If you are feeling embarrassed, you may not have much of a gathering for Santhi Muhurtham. But the Karma should be sanctified with proper chanting of necessary mantras, within the close circle of the family. Now everything has gone by default. Nitya Oupasanam is never heard of. Four days and five days marriages are no more. Without even a Sesha Homam, without any mantras, the nuptials are done more like they depict in the cinemas! It is natural that animal coupling leads to further animalization of generations yet to be born!

39. Garbadanam is done before the physical union of male and female. Pumsavanam is done in the third month of pregnancy. Seemantham is done in the eighth month. Now-a-days they make a mix of the two, call it what you may! The moment the baby is born, Jaatakarma is done when the horoscope is cast. Presents are given to poor people as a Daanam. Eleventh day is the Naamakaranam. Even this naming ceremony is an act of cleansing for the new born. For a particular star galaxy under which the child is born, the name given should be suitable for that Star and Raasi. The name were invariably the name of a divinity that whenever you call that child, you are uttering the name of God! We did not believe in names such as, ‘Longfellow, Brown, White, Stone, Rodham, Wood, Ford, Bush’ and so on. The trend now in our midst too, is to name the children with meaningless monstrosities like, Anaika and such.

40. In the sixth month after the child’s birth, Annaprasanam is done when the child is introduced to food other than the Mother’s milk. Up to this are the samskaras, for which the mantras are chanted by the parents for the sake of the yet to be born or new-born child. The mantra is chanted by the father, in annaprasanam for the child to start eating. We practically see that, the child’s health is dependent on the Mother’s till it is breast-fed. Similarly it is also true that, the child’s entire personality is dependent on the parent’s mental make-up and attitude. To keep it sacred, divine and noble is the duty of the parents, for which the help of the suitable mantras should be taken through these samskaras.

(To be continued.)

Sambhomahadeva.