DIVINEINFORMATION PART 44 There are 1519 words in this posting counted bythe computer. Approximately 151sentences Respectedfriends, While going through one of my external memorydevice, I came across some good information storedfrom websites. I thought of sharing interesting ones from them as aseries. In part 44, I am starting with 153TH item in this posting. Kindly note the series is a compilation. Sincerely,
Gopala Krishnan 28-6-21 153 SNAKE)POOJA TO REMOVE SNAKE CURSES The Sarpa Pooja removes malefic influences from snake energies whethercoming through Rahu, Ketu or other negative karma created with snakes. Enhancespositive blessings of Rahu and Ketu and activates the power of snake'sassociation with enlightenment as well as protection of one's treasures. This elaborate ritualinvolves a live snake and all the ritual elements of pooja with special mantrasby priests. This ritual is very important for people who may be confrontingchallenges from either Rahu or Ketu, the two "snake" planets. The snakecan be either poisonous or powerful, and the Sarpa Pooja is always done withgreat respect. In ancient times, snakes were sometimes used asguardians of great treasure. The snake isoften used as a symbol for the rise of kundalini energy. The positive energiesof Rahu can bring great energies of innovation and new ideas. The positiveenergies of Ketu can bring great motivation for liberation and enlightenment. Our astrologershave identified the following persons will especially benefit from this SarpaPooja: Personswhose current main or minor planetary influence is Rahu or Ketu Persons withbirthstar of Aslesha (often symbolized by a snake) Persons withbirthstars of Aswini, Magha or Moola (which are ruled by Ketu) Persons withbirthstars of Arudra, Swati or Satabishek (which are ruled by Rahu) Since this Pooja is done to neutralize the negative energies related to'snake' planets, No Prasad is shipped with the same. Who Can Benefit from this Sarpa Pooja? Anyone who has killed a snake in thislife or has had powerful dream with a snake may wish to participate. Anyone who has been told they have Kala Sarpa Yoga (all planets in theirbirthchart between Rahu and Ketu so that all planets are "bounded" bythe snake planets) will benefit. 154 The Vedic marriage ceremony *Vedic Marriage Ceremony* *By S. N. Sastri* "Wherewomen are honoured, there the gods are pleased; where women are not honoured,there all worship of gods is futile." - Manusmriti, 3.56 "Wherethere is mutual affection and regard between husband and wife, there alone willthere be happiness and welfare". - Manusmriti, 3. 60 the Hindureligion, or, to use its original name, Sanaatana Dharma, lays down acomprehensive scheme for the spiritual development of the human being. Theultimate goal of human life is liberation from the repeated cycle of births anddeaths. All the rites laid down in the Vedas have, as their ultimate purpose,the attainment of this goal. The essential requisite for progress towards thisgoal is purity of mind. The Vedas,supplemented by the Dharma Sastras, prescribe a series of samskaras or sacraments to be undergone byDvijas (Brahmanas, Kshatriyas and Vaisyas) at various stages of life.These sacraments have, apart from their immediate objective, the effect ofpurifying the mind and making the person fit for spiritual progress andultimate liberation. Some of theimportant samskaras are jaatakarma (performed immediately after the birth ofthe child), naamakarana (naming ceremony),, annapraasana (first feeding ofrice), upanayana (investing with the sacred thread) and vivaaha (marriage). Of all the sacraments marriage is the mostimportant. Our scriptures accord a very high place to the Grihastha or householder.Those belonging to all the other three orders, namely, Brahmachaaris,Vaanaprasthas and Sannyaasins, depend on the householder for their sustenance. Manusmritisays:" Just as every creature lives by air, so the other orders of lifeare sustained by the householder". After completing his studies under a guruthe Brahmachaari is enjoined to enter Grihastha-asrama in the normal course. (It isonly for those very rare individuals who have attained total detachment towardsworldly affairs that Sannyaasa directly from Brahma-charya is prescribed). One of the mantras in the marriageceremony says that the purpose of marriage is to beget virtuous progeny. Onlya Grihastha is entitled to perform the rituals prescribed in the Vedas,including Sraaddha to ancestors. There is an anecdote in the Rigvedadescribing the origin of the institution of marriage. A god byname Soma desired to get married and sent the two Aswinidevas to Savita, thefather of a girl named Sooryaa, to ask for her hand. Savita agreed to give hisdaughter in marriage to Soma. Then the bridegroom Soma went to Savita's houseand was received there with honours. Sooryaa was given in marriage to Soma withthe god of fire as the witness. Our marriages have been modelled on this episode from time immemorial. There is oneitem in the marriage ceremony, known as Vara-preshanam, which is reminiscent of this episodeand re-enacts it by the chanting of mantras implying the sending of two or fourBrahmanas by the prospective bridegroom to seek the consent of the father ofthe prospective bride. In ourtradition, marriage is not merely bringing about the relationship of husbandand wife between a man and a woman. It is the union of two families,who merge as one. Marriage is considered to be the gifting of avirgin girl by her father or guardian to a deserving boy. This gift, calledKanyaadaanam, is considered to be the most praiseworthy of all gifts. In one ofthe mantras in this ceremony the father (or whoever is giving the girl inmarriage) prays to Lord Mahavishnu that, by this gift, his own generation andten generations before him as well as ten generations after him may be blessedwith supreme bliss in Brahmaloka. He thenworships the feet of the bridegroom, looking upon him as Mahavishnu Himself. Inall Vedic ceremonies dakshina to the officiating priests and 'daanam' or thegifting of cash and various useful articles to the priests and other Brahmanaspresent forms an important ingredient. This should not be looked upon as merecharity intended to benefit the recipients. The mainpurpose of these gifts is to help the spiritual progress of the giver. Thetendency to accumulate wealth and cling on to it is natural in every humanbeing. The Upanishads declare that as long as thistendency remains in the mind, there is no hope of spiritual progress for theindividual. A hymn in the Saamaveda exhorts every oneto counter this tendency by giving freely of one's wealth to others. In theBrihadaaranyaka Upanishad Brahma, the Creator, instructs human beings to give'daanam' liberally, in order that they may get rid of the defect of greed whichis a serious obstacle to spiritual progress. TheBhagavadgita says that greed is one of the gates to hell. It is therefore inthe interest of the spiritual development of the giver that the institution of'daanam' has been built into every religious ceremony. Giving of gifts during ceremonies such asmarriages has thus a two-fold objective, namely to earn merit (punya) as wellas to facilitate spiritual progress towards the ultimate goal of liberation. The importance of dakshina is brought out in thefollowing extract from the Bhashya (commentary) of Sri Sankaracharya on theBrihadaaranyaka Upanishad: "The yajna (sacrifice or any other Vedicritual) rests on the dakshina to the priests. The fruit of the Vedic riteaccrues initially to the priests who actually perform it. It has to be acquired by the yajamaana (theperson for whose benefit the ritual is meant) by paying dakshina to thepriests. The dakshina rests on faith because when a man has faith he givesdakshina to the priests; if he has no faith, he does not give it. 'Faith'implies liberality--- faith in the Vedas coupled with devotion". The mantraschanted during the marriage ceremony were handed down to posterity thousands ofyears ago by our ancient sages who 'saw' them in their state ofsuper-consciousness or communion with the divine. The mantras express loftyideas and have great spiritual potency. Thevibrations set in motion by the chanting of the mantras purify the marriagehall as well as all those present there. The persons belonging to the bride'sparty and the bridegroom's party should listen to the mantras with devotion andfaith so that the maximum benefit may be derived. Thebridegroom's father, the bridegroom and the bride's father should, when theyperform the various rituals, repeat the mantras after the priest with devotionand faith (Bhakti and Sraddha). Devotion and faith are very important. Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavadgita that heaccepts even insignificant offerings, such as a leaf, flower, fruit or evenjust water, so long as they are made with devotion. He furthersays that any yajna, daanam, austerity or any other rite performed withoutfaith does not benefit the person either in this world or in the next. The Chaandogya Upanishad makes it clear that chanting mantraseven without knowing their meaning does confer benefit, though the benefit willbe greater if the person chanting knows the meaning also. Marriage is not merely a joyous occasion,but, more than that, it is essentially a religious function with great sanctityattached to it. The guests who attend the marriage ceremony willcontribute greatly to the lasting welfare and happiness of the bride andbridegroom if they observe silence, listen to the mantras, and keep mentallypraying to God to bless the couple, instead of merely engaging in conversationwith others. Nowadays the decibel level in a marriage hall goes upso high that the chanting of the mantras cannot be heard. We, theeducated elite, should bring about a wholesome change in this situation so thatthe sanctity of the marriage ceremony may be maintained and the full benefit ofthe mantras may be derived. Another point to be stressed here is thatno one should shake hands with the bride or bridegroom until the marriageceremony is completed It would beadvisable if the invitees wait till the end of the marriage ceremony to offertheir presents to the bride and bride-groom. It must bepointed out here that there is no sanction whatsoever in the scriptures for thedemand or acceptance of dowry in cash or in kind. This is an evil which hascrept into the society and which deserves to be eradicated. It will also be seen from the episode ofthe marriage of Soma to Sooryaa narrated above that it is the prospectivebridegroom who has to take the initiative in searching for a bride and not theparents of the bride as has become the practice now. 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/462090114.3491302.1624844577465%40mail.yahoo.com.
