pRANAM AGNI
The first word of the universe Agni; the letter was AUM; Agni melee purohitam Rig vedam 1.1.1.Yagnam started from then onwards; darkness was driven out by the light SUN that had the Agni; Cause and effect of the yagnam is derived by three words Agni, mele, purohitam; fire giving the individual and the surroundings the blessings. (Sraadha has to be conducted in the oupasana .fire is a new information to me). Panigrahana, mangalya-dharana, saptapadi and other rites are performed on the day of the wedding. *Aupasana begins with marriage and is performed every day until one becomes a sannyasin or until one's death*. ( KR: someone laughed at when I wrote the same long ago in the same forum) The sacred fire that is witness to the marriage is preserved throughout and aupasana performed in it every day. " Agni is the Vaivashnara, the center of all people ... He is in the sky as well as at the center of the earth." Agni is depicted with two heads, long flowing hair, a pot belly, six eyes, seven hands, four horns and three legs. His seven hands represent the seven flames and the three legs represent the three worlds which he reigns. His pot belly denotes his love for rich oily food. His consorts are svaha and svadha. Being a dhoomaketu, smoke is his banner. The Ram is his vehicle, and the ram being a typical sacrificial animal, his association with it denotes his connection with sacrificial rituals. The sacred fire has an important place in the Vedic religion. The student-bachelor performs samidadhana twice a day offering samidhs (sticks of the flame of the forest or palasa ) in the fire. This rite is not continued after his marriage. When a person becomes a householder he has a number of rites to perform in the sacred fire. In place of samidadhana he now has the aupasana. The latter word is derived from "upasana" which term is used in the sense of puja, chanting of mantras, meditation, etc. But, according to the Vedas, aupasana is a rite performed in the sacred fire by all Hindus. Though members of the fourth varna do not wear the sacred thread they have the marriage samskara and, along with it, aupasana. Dharmasastras like the Vaidyanatha-Diksitiyam describe how sudras are to go through the jatakarma and namakarana ceremonies. The work deals with how the fourth varna should perform puja, the sraddha ceremony and apara-karma (obsequies). Reformers ignore all these and allege that members of the fourth varna have no "right" to any rituals. Instead, they must try to persuade people of this varna to perform the rites they are enjoined upon. Aupasana is one of the "rights" of this caste and it is to be conducted every day with the recitation of certain verses. (HINDU DHARMA BY MAHA PERIAVA KANCHI MUTT). KR IRS 29521 On Sat, 29 May 2021 at 11:40, 'gopala krishnan' via Thatha_Patty < [email protected]> wrote: > *DIVINE INFORMATION PART 19* > > Dear friends, > > While going through one of my external memory device, I came across some > good information from Kanchi Sankara Matam. I thought of sharing > interesting ones from them as a series. > > In part 19 , I am starting with 74th item in this posting. > > Sincerely, > > Gopala Krishnan 29-05-2021.In72 > > > *74 Agni and the Vedic Religion (HinduDharma: Grhasthasrama)* > > The householder has the duty of performing a number of rites in the sacred > fire. Aupasana is the first of them. > > Agni is of the utmost importance to the Vedic religion. This deity is > called *"Agni-Narayana".* The hymns to Rudra also show that he has a > connection with the god of fire. > > *In Tiruvannamalai (in Tamil Nadu ) Isvara revealed himself as a mountain > of fire.* > > In Kerala there is the custom of worshipping Amba [the Mother Goddess] in > the form of light (in the flame of the lamp); the idol or yantra is not > important. > > The goddess is invoked in the lamp itself. > > We speak of Subrahmanya who originated from Siva's third eye as fire > incarnate. Thus Agni is of great importance to us. > > According to researchers, the term Aryan means fire-worshipper. Fire > worship is the dominant feature of the religion of Zoroastrianism which is > a branch of Vedism. > > The sacred fire should keep burning and glowing in home after home. Ghee, > milk and other oblations offered in it will produce the aroma that will > bring health and mental uplift to all. > > *I have already stated that whatever the deity invoked in a sacrifice, the > oblation must be placed in the sacred fire.* > > 75 Sacrifices-(OUpasana etc. ) > > Four hundered yajnas or sacrifices are said to be mentioned in the Vedas > <http://www.kamakoti.org/hindudharma/part19/referp19.htm#.....MENTIONED%20IN%20THE%20VEDAS> > . > > Of these, aupasana alone is to be performed by all the four varnas. > > Though the first three varnas have the right to all the other sacrifices, > in practice these were performed mostly by Brahmins and Ksatriyas only. But > later Ksatriyas too neglected to perform them. There are yajnas to be > conducted specially by them to earn physical strength, victory in war, and > so on. > > Sacrifices like rajasuya and asvamedha were performed by imperial rulers. > > There are yagas that have to be performed by Vaisyas for a good > agriculture yield, for wealth, etc. > > *As mentioned before, the yajamana of a sacrifice may be a Ksatriya or a > Vaisya **but the four priests must be Brahmins.* > > *(The idea behind itis that if members of these two castes were to > prticipate directly in the sacrifices their duties like protecting the > country and looking after agriculture would suffer. )* > > *Not all sacrifices need be performed by all Brahmins.* A number of them > are meant ot serve one specific purpose or another. For instance, you must > have heard of the putrakamesti in the Ramayana, the sacrifice performed > to beget a son. > > Any rite meant to fulfil a wish is "kamya-karma" and it comes under the > optional category. > > Then these are rites that are obligatory on your part to conduct for the > good of your Atman as well as of the world. They come under the category OF > "NITYA-KARMA", > BUT THE WORLD"NITYA" HERE DOES NOT DENOTE "DAILY". > > In the category of nitya-karma there are 21 sacrifices. There is no > compulsion with regard to the rest of the 400. > > But the 21, included in the forty samskaras, must be performed at least > once in a life time. > > As we have seen, these are divided into groups of seven - *pakayajnas, > haviryajnas and somyajnas*. > > Marriage is conducted with offerings made in the fire, is it not? Aupasana, > which must be performed every day, is commenced in this fire and it must be > preserved throughout one's life. > > * The seven pakayajnas, rites like upanayana and sraddha must be conducted > in the aupasana fire. * > > *My Note- Sraadha has to be conducted in the oupasana .fire is a new > information to me* > > The son lights his aupasana fire during his marriage from his father's > aupasana fire. The son's aupasana fire, like his father's must be mantioned > throughout his life. Thus, without any break, tjhe sacred fire is kept > burning in the family generation after generation. > > *My note- If father has already died before son’s marriage ? **His > father’s oupasana fire is used for his antheyshti is my assumption**. > Learnt readers can write.* > > All rites in which the aupasana fire is used and pertain to an individual > and his family are *"Grhyakarmas*". The seven pakayajnas also belong to > this category. They are related exclusively to the family and are not very > elaborate. Even so they are conductive to the good of the world outside > also. *Grhyasutras deal with such rites. They belong to the Smritis and > are called "Smarta-karmas". * > > The elaborate works that are espicially meant for the well-being of > mankind are called "Srautakarmas". They are so called because their > procedure is directly based on the authority of Sruti or the Vedas. The > sastras dealing with them are "Srautasutras". > > I told you, do you remember, that there was no question of Sruti being > superior to Smrti or *vice versa? *Similarly, the Srautasutras and the > Grhyasutras are of equal importance. In the sanatana dharma that goes > under the name of Hinduism both are to be cared for like our two eyes. > > 75 Oupasana fire > > The aupasana fire (lighted at the time of marriage from that of the > groom's father) is divided into two in a ceremony called "agniyadhana". > > One part is called "grhyagni" or "smartagni": it is meant for rites to > be performed at home. The second part is srautagni and meant for srauta > rites. These two sacred fires must be preserved throughout. > > Grhyagni is also called aupasanagni since the daily rite of aupasana is > performed in it. This is the fire contained in one "kunda" and so it is > called "ekagni". Rites conducted in the family are included in the > chapter called "Ekagni-kanda" in the Apastamba-sutra. > > The samskaras and other rites I have so far mentioned are mostly in > accordance with this work *since the majority of Brahmins in the South > are Krsna-Yajurvedins following this sutra*. > > *Rigvedins and Samavedins who constitute a minority follow the Asvalayana > and Gobhila-sutras respectively*. > > These differences, however, relate only to the rites performed at home. > There are no differences in the srauta rites with regard to the different > Vedas. > > *75a Srautagni* > > Srautagni meant for the srauta rites is in the form of three fires burning > in three mounds. So it is called tretagni. The section in the > Apastamba-sutra dealing with rites performed in it is called > "Tretagni-kanda". > > One who worships the three Agnis is called a "tretagni" or "srautin" and, > if he worships the srauta and grhya fires, he is called an "ahitagnin". > > *One who performs an elaborate sacrifice like a somayajna is called a > "yajva", "diksita" or "makhin".* > > *And one who conducts the greatest of the somayajnas, vajapeya, is known > as a "vajapeyin".* > > Sacrifices are called variously "kratu", "makha", "isti", "stoma", > "samsta". There are some difference between these. Ancient Tamil works > contain references to "mutti" (tretagni or srautagni). > > 75 b Tretagni and Dakshinagni > > One of the three sacred fires, one of the tretagni, is called "garhapatya" > and it belongs to the master of the household. *It must be kept burning > in the garhapatya mound which is circualr in shape*. > > In this no oblations are to be made directly. Fire must be taken from it > and tended in another mound for the performance of rites relating to the > fathers (this is different from the usual sraddha and is ritual performed > to the manes every new moon) and also for certain deities. > > *This mound is in the south, so it is called "daksinagni"* *and it is > semicircular in shape*. Offerings to deities are made generally in a > third fire in the east called "ahavaniya" and it is also to kindled from > the garhapatya fire. > > 76 Agni hotra > > In the North any yaga or sacrificial If auspasana is a grhyakarma, > agnihotra is a srauta ceremony and it too must be performed twice a day. > > Agniyadhana mentioned before and agnihotra are the first two of the seven > haviryajnas. Those who perform agnihotra are called agnihotrins. > > (Nowadays smoking is referred to as agnihotra and going to the races as > asvamedha. Such references are intended to be humorous but are indeed > blasphemous. ) > > If the agnihotra fire is extinguished for whatever reason, it must be > kindled again through a new adhana > <http://www.kamakoti.org/hindudharma/part19/referp19.htm#ADHANA> > > Reference for 0 from the Chapter "Grhasthasrama", in Hindu Dharma > > DOUBLE SACRED THREAD : What is called the 'sacred thread'or yajnopavita > has three strands that are knotted toget... > <http://www.kamakoti.org/hindudharma/part19/referp19.htm#ADHANA> > > > (agniyadhana) ceremony. The same applies to the auspasana fire. > > Now in the majority of houses neither the aupasana nor the agnihotra fire > burns. > > I have mentioned here how these fires can be renewed since most of you > perhaps must not have kept them after your marriage. > > In aupasana unbroken rice grains are offered in the fire and in agnihotra > milk, ghee or unbroken rice grains. (It has become customary now to offer > milk in the agnihotra. ) > > These are discourses by maha periyaval > > *I will continue in next posting* > > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Thatha_Patty" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/1960439972.1022900.1622268629903%40mail.yahoo.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/1960439972.1022900.1622268629903%40mail.yahoo.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/CAL5XZorgGvYfOHcJQnOb4JHW21_fXpRdzSewgU%3D4ma0TJxBjPQ%40mail.gmail.com.
