QUES ANSW DIVINE2-2022-11
Dearfriends,
Theseare information posted by members compiled as QA by me in 1998’s-2004’s
andstored in my computer. At this date I have no information of the
membersposted.
BEING COMPILATION THERE MAY BE ERRORS.
Sincerely,
R. Gopalakrishnan, 78, dated 12-02-2022
Q1 Donampoothiries are having the oupasanam like iyers? Do they keep it sacred?
A1 For such Grihasthans, the first and primaryritual after "Sandhyaa vandanam"
is "Oupaasanam Veli".
The fire (Agni) used during the marriage ritual iskept burning and is called
"Oupaasanam" or "Oupaasanaagni".
Each Grihasthan will have an "OupaasanaKundam" in the ritual room (usually the
Vatakkini). If the fire per chanceextinguishes, there is a prescribed Vedic way
of rekindling it.
A "Homam" called "OupaasanamVeli" is to be performed every day after the
morning and evening Sandhyaavandanam.
Most people, except the veryfastidious ones, used to skip the evening Homam,
and instead, it is repeated inthe morning
It is to be performed by the husband, but if he isabsent or sick, thewife can
do it, and if she is also unable to do it for any reason, other Namboothiris or
Brahmachaarismay do it in order to keep it uninterrupted ( I recollect about
theKanchi kamakoti comment on Oupasana panai at this context least people
amongiyer understand about it at all….)
Q2Which are the directions permitted to sit for taking food?How food should
betaken especially among nampoothiries?
A2 While eating meals, sit facing east or west,south is permissible if
unavoidable, but north is taboo!
Serve all therequired food in the beginning itself, since serving again to
polluted leaf is considered bad.
Any meal (even snacks) with hand-mouth contact needsthis procedure.The whole
mouth (lips, tongue, teeth,saliva,spit, etc.) isconsidered polluted ("Asudhi"
or "Echil").
Anything coming in contact with these or theleaf, and leftoversafter meals,
gets polluted and in turn pollutes others on touch. Allsuch things or body
parts have to be washed in water before re-use.
Such pollution does not exist in the case of children under three, and with
childrenbetween three and five, parents are exempted from pollution.
My note- Nowadays such strictness is not seen generally.Among Kerala iyers
also including srardha 2nd serving is done, butin srardha, the remaining should
not be eaten by any member. So a specifiedquantity is taken out from cooked
items to serve to Bhokthas. The remaining is called Pithrusesham.
Q3Why do the words Agni, Vaya, Indra, Ashvi, Saraswati, etc. occur in the
Vedasin certain order?
A3 They are arranged in a certain order with a view to show the
inter-dependence andinter-relation of the sciences and also to describe the
primary and essentialand the secondary and incidental effects of each
individual science.
Theword Agni is taken in two senses, viz., God and material fire. It signifies
theattributes of knowledge and pervasion, etc. of God
Fireis created by God and is of primary importance and use in mechanics, etc.
and hence it isgiven the first place in the order of enumeration.
Theword Vayu denotes the divine attributes of all-sustainingness andinfinite
power. As in the physical and mechanical sciences we find air helpingfire and
as it affords support to all embodied objects and is connected withthem we take
the word Vayu in the sense of air, and as God is thesustainer even of air we
take it to mean Him also.
The word Indra connotes the quality of gloriousness of God, and asmen derive
great power with the help of air we take in that sense also.
In mechanics water, fire, metals and light are necessary for the knowledge of
the theoryand practice of moving cars, they being direct and indirect causes
thereof.
Theword Ashvi has been used in the Vedas for these things after Agniand Vayu.
by the word Saraswati the Vedas signify such attributes of God asHis possession
of infinite wisdom, the instruction of the relation between thewords and their
meaning by means of the Vedas.
It also means the manifestations and uses of speech.For these reasons thewords
Agni, Vayu, Indra, Ashvi and Saraswati have been used inthe above order in the
Vedas.
In a similarmanner, all men should understand the meaning and application of
the Vedicwords in all other places also.
There is, therefore, no harm in taking theword Agni in the dual sense of God
and fire. Otherwise, it would beabsolutely impossible to reduce all knowledge
to writing even in billions of Shlokasand thousands of books
Q4 Whatis the importance of studying Vedas fully understanding the meaning of
it andreciting with correct pronounciation ?
A4 In the same manner it is incumbent that inreciting the Vedas the vowels and
the consonants should be pronounced with dueregard to the organs and methods of
pronunciation otherwise the pronounced word wouldbe unpleasant and meaningless.
As a man or an animal carrying a burden doesnot use it and ghi, sugar, musk,
saffron, etc., which he is carrying, areenjoyed by some other lucky man, so a
man, who reads (a book) without understanding itsmeaning is like the carrier of
a burden.
A man, who reads the Vedas without understanding their sense and simplyrecites
them, gets no illumination. Just as in a place devoidof fire even dry fuel,
ready to catch. Page439 Fire, does not burn and produce heat and light, so the
mere reading withoutunderstanding the meaning does not produce the light of
knowledge."Nirukta. I. 18.
Q5 Whatis the interesting quote about a Young woman beautifying for the husband
toldin the rig veda?
A5 As a wife desiring thefavor of her husband puts on beautiful garments and
displays the beauty of herperson to her lord, similarly, the learning i.e., the
knowledge of things fromGod to earth, reveals her form to the man who reads the
Vedas with a full grasp.Page440 of their meaning. Rig X. 71.4
Q6.Why are the Vedas divided into 4 parts?
A6 In order to impart knowledge of differentsciences.
Q7 Whatis the object of arranging the Vedas into four Samhitas?
A7 The object is to arrange the mantras dealing withthe same class of subjects
according to the context and their relation with themantras that precede and
follow them so that the information contained in themmay be grasped easily
Q18.Whyis the Rig Veda counted as the first, the Yajur Veda as the 2nd, the
Sama Vedaas the third and the Atharva Veda as the fourth?
A18 Unless and until one acquires direct knowledgeof the relation of a
substance with its qualities it is not impressed on themind, nor does one
acquire a liking for it.
Without these two no one can have a desire topossess a thing. Without desire
there can be no happiness.
The Rig Veda ought to be counted as the first Veda as it deals with theabove
mentioned subject.
The Yajur Veda ought to be counted as the second Veda in as much as it
dealswith the subject of doing good to the whole world by bringing the objects
intopractical use and deriving benefits there from after knowing their qualities
The Sama Veda is counted as the third Veda because it deals with such questions
as howfar the knowledge, action and worship portions can be improved, and what
istheir ultimate result?
The Atharva Veda is counted as the fourth Veda because it teaches to
preserveand complete the knowledge contained in the other three Vedas.
The order of enumeration of the Vedas as the Rig,Yajus, Saman and Atharvan is
due to the fact that the knowledge of the qualitiesof things, their application
to practical ends, spiritual knowledge, and theirprogress and preservation are
related with one another in the same order, theone following depending on the
one preceding it.
Thereason why they are so called is also the same because Rik means to define
andYaj to respect the learned, to associate with them, and to combine objects
andto make a gift, Sama comes from 'sho" to do a final act' and means
toconsole. Atharva comes from 'Atharva' to doubt and means the absence of doubt
because'a' (not) is added to it.
Vedas are counted in this order according tothe meanings of the roots from
which their names are derived. Nirukta. XI. 18.
It should be understood that no human being is the author of the Vedic
mantras.The rishis, whose names are written over them are only those
whodiscovered and published their meanings. Similarly, the subject of which a
mantratreats is called its devata so that its so that its purport may be
knowneasily.
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