*"Probably *on account of this Vedic Brahmins performed Samidadanam by
youngsters after Upananyanam and Oupasanam after marriage by elders
and Oupasanagni
kept lit till antheyshti.
Rivers were given status of Gods and many temples they *were installed/*
carved in the entrance to the temple. Gopalakrishnan"
I am happy the comment above at least made some sense, though his
great adorer of Singapore denied it long ago against my article on Agni. If
that man is going to approve now, one may easily understand the knowledge
of him. And I did not understand the meaning for, RIVER INSTALLED AND
CARVED IN THE ENTRANCE TO TEMPLE? River was installed or did we install
along with the river path? Temple on the banks of the river or temple and
river were carved out? Knowledge is not showing to the dust bin but reading
even from the dust bin. Or may refrain from writing as if they knew a lot.
Again, I am happy that we began our thinking.
SAMITHADHANAM' is a "SUN WORSHIP”! (in the day with or without agni;
without agni Sun becomes Agni) This is continued till his marriage. It is a
kind of worship, offering prayer to the FIRE GOD or SURYA i.e. Sun. This
prayer offer in itself is an environmental cleansing act.
1. Usually, a four-sided elevated platform is created (Bricks
model)
2. While chanting the mantras, the sticks (from branches) of the Peepal
Tree (Arasa-Maram or Ashvatha-Tree) are placed on the fire accordingly.
3. Sticks will get burnt and the residue (Ashes) of the pooja is kept on
the forehead, shoulders, throat ....
4. This is regarded as a purification process, not only for the person who
is performing it, but also for the environment!!
Why are Peepal tree's branch sticks being used?
Peepal tree has its significance not only mythologically but also
scientifically! Traditionally, people are of the belief that even Goddess
Lakshmi dwells in the tree on Saturdays. Women who are not blessed with a
child tie a red thread around the trunk or o its branches asking the
deities to bless her and fulfil her desire. Scientifically, this tree has
the power to purify the human body system - especially NERVOUS System.
Peepal tree is of great medicinal value. Its leaves serve as a wonderful
laxative as well as tonic for the body and as a cure for about 50 types of
disorders including Asthma, diabetes, Diarrhoea, Epilepsy, Gastric
problems, inflammatory disorders. It is especially useful for patients
suffering from Jaundice. The leaves of Peepal are highly effective in
treating heart disorders. It helps to control the palpitation of heart and
combat cardiac weakness. Ayurveda makes extensive use of the leaves of
Peepal due to the numerous benefits it provides.
Does this smoke while performing Samithadhanam cause pollution?
The smoke when the branch sticks of Peepal are burnt during SAMITHADHANAM
performance is a kind of BIO-Fuel when burnt, and the release of smoke from
it is said to be of a medicinal purification process (specifically for
Nervous Systems), and might just create a minute CO (Carbon-monoxide) which
is a gas that is required to maintain a balance in the atmosphere!
Samitha Daanam, is a concept to balance the nature and the health
of the body and the mind, starting through a 7-year-old Brahmachari.
Sandhya vandanam is important from that angle which contains the samitha
Daanam. And the agni either SUN or fire started helps the existence of the
balance in nature. That fire created as a brahmin, on his first samitha
dhanam, must be maintained wherever he goes including his education; but it
is impossible for any 7 year old to 2 3years when he returns back from his
schooling, when as a Grihastha-married, must start protecting, himself, his
family and the society, a heavy responsibility, till his end. Till then,
samitha dhanam afresh every day, must be carried out. The Anyeshti of a
brahmachari is totally different from that of a grahastan and a sanyasi.
There is no fire, daily maintained, to burn his dead body as bachelor.
*Aupasana* homa starts on the evening of the marriage
and *continues
for a lifetime*. It is an ordained karma and duty of all
Grihastha-Brahmins. Sastra has not changed. There are still many Brahmins
who do Aupasana homa regularly. There are also several Agnihotris ( it is
truth backed up process) {however one who takes the Aupasana Agni on the
date of marriage, maintaining it, daily, continuing the Aupasana till
death, which agni is used for the cremation} today who do Agnihotra
regularly using 3 agni.
1. It is started on the evening of the marriage and is done for 4 days
after which Garba dana ceremony is done. It is done twice a day after
morning and evening Sandya Vandana.
2. It should be continued for the lifetime and the same agni is used at the
antyeshti also. (But it is not done these days, even if one does
sandhyavandanam, and Bragg as a Brahmin}
3. The Aupasana agni has to be alive (burning) all the time. If it goes
out, a small vichinna-homa can be performed and it can be restarted. {But
not repeatedly permitted to do again and again. That is not Agnihotram;
hence only Brahmin and an Agnihotri was prevented from crossing the sea.
And if one crossed the sea, he may lose the right to be an Agnihotri}
4. Wife is compulsorily necessary for its performance. Without a wife being
present in the house, Aupasana cannot be done. (Even during rajaswala
period of wife, husband can do it) {Thus, sumaṅgalī death will prevent the
continuance of the Agnihotram; hence only 2nd marriage was made necessary
for those Brahmin-Agnihotris; but brahmins remarried showing this as a
cause and later became as permitted under the sastra}
5. Wife can also do Aupasana in the absence of the husband for up to 5
times (2 and half days).[Hence only women are said to have the Agni with
them] She chants very few mantras and puts rice two times on fire. Note:
Wife can do Aupasana without husband and not vice-versa! Beyond 5 times
vichinna home is needed by the husband.{ So brahmin woman is allowed to do
Aupasana and allowed Yagnopaveetham also about which I already showed a lot
of evidences}
6. If the couple has to go to another place for a few days, then the
Aupasana fire can be transferred to a samittu by a (samittaropana) mantra
and only the samit-containing-the agni alone, needs to be taken to the new
place where it can be ignited; and restart the Aupasana there. {Again, the
agni must travel as a sample and continue within the time frame; and every
day sandhyavandanam at every place performed, must continue and again that
agni shall be carried out through samit}
7. If there is a break in Aupasana for a long time, a simple homa called
vichinna Aupasana homa is performed. Then Aupasana can be started from
ordinary fire. This is what is done every time we perform shraddhas in our
house as Aupasana has to be done before the shraddham is started.
{Maha Periyava on this:” I (Maha periyava) said [in an earlier talk]
that *members
of all castes must perform Aupasana*. The husband and the wife must do it
together. Even when the husband is away the wife must perform it by
offering unbroken rice grains in the sacrificial fire. The Vedas themselves
have given women such a right.
Aupasana is the only Vedic right that a woman is entitled to perform on her
own. Of course, there are so many pauranic vratas and pujas that she can
perform according to the sastras, but these belong to a different category.
Besides, she naturally has a share in all the works of her husband. Apart
from caring for the household, she does not have to perform any rite (other
than Aupasana). Even if she does, it will not yield any fruit, for such is
the rule according to the Vedic dharma sastras
We hear people talk of "rights". It is my wish to create an awareness among
women about their right, the right to Aupasana. I should like every home to
become bright with the sacred Aupasana fire. Women should fight for this
right of theirs and impress upon their husbands the importance of
performing Aupasana; women should tell their husband. "As for me I have had
no upanayana, nor am I entitled to mutter the Gayatri. If at all I have any
right according to the Vedas, which are the *source not only of our
religion but of this world and* of creation itself, it is this Aupasana,
Aupasana is indeed their one great Vedic "property".
Women must bear in mind the importance of Aupasana and agnihotra (like
Aupasana, agnihotra must also be performed twice a day. By not performing
Aupasana we will extinguish that fire which was witness to our marriage."
{Divorce once neglected?}
The sacred fire must be kept burning by adding rice husk to it now and
then. In many ways it is advantageous to pound rice at home for, apart from
the husk, we will have nutritious hand-pounded rice to eat. Also the poor
labourer who does the pounding will get a little cash or a few handfuls of
rice for his or her sustenance. (For the unbroken rice grains offered in
the fire the housewife must pound the rice herself. This is a piece of work
done to the accompaniment of mantras).{Thus Antyeshti agni is obtained}
The Aupasana fire will keep away all evil spirits and afflictions of all
types. Many Brahmins today have exorcist rites performed by others with
neem leaves or bamboo sticks. They go to a mosque for relief, or they come
to me praying for help. Aupasana is a remedy for all ills and wearing the
Aupasana ashes is a great protection. ("Hindu Dharma" speeches of Sri Sri
Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi MahaSwamiji (at various times during the
years 1907 to 1994).}}}KR IRS 13 1 24
8. In cities the problem is to obtain simple materials like cow dung cake
and rice thavidu (rice bran) and a well-ventilated room to keep the
Aupasana agni which may emit a small amount of smoke.
9. Aupasana requires only about half a fistful of (raw) rice in two parts.
No ghee or (cooked) anna is needed. It takes only 10 minutes to perform it.
Getting the fire ready may take some more time.
10. This simple Aupasana homa gives all benefits to the family of the
person performing it. Agni is a very powerful God and gives benefits
directly. Even if benefits are not desired, it gives a lot of spiritual
peace and elevation.
12. Many details and mantras can be found in the book "Homa Vidhanam" by
Anna and other books available in most religious book shops
K Rajaram IRS 13124
On Sat, 13 Jan 2024 at 17:57, 'gopala krishnan' via iyer123 <
[email protected]> wrote:
> Dear Mr Sekar,
>
> Thank you for the response with additions about water and fire.
>
> Probably on account of this Vedic Brahmins performed Samidadanam by
> youngsters after Upananyanam and Oupasanam after marriage by elders and
> Oupasanagni kept lit till antheyshti.
>
> Rivers were given status of Gods and many temples they were installed/
> carved in the entrance to the temple.
> Gopalakrishnan
>
> On Saturday, 13 January, 2024 at 04:56:57 pm IST, 'N Sekar' via
> KeralaIyers <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
> Thanks.
>
> Q 2
>
> Although strictly not related to the question, still it is worth
> recalling:
>
> Civilizations developed around the places where rivers were. Water is
> called in Tamizh " Prana Nadi" meaning without water there is no life.
>
> Agni and Water are indispensable for many of our rituals.
>
> N Sekar
>
> Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android
> <https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&af_sub1=Acquisition&af_sub2=Global_YMktg&af_sub3=&af_sub4=100000604&af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_>
>
> On Sat, Jan 13, 2024 at 12:52 PM, 'gopala krishnan' via iyer123
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> *CULTURAL QA 01-2024-12*
>
> *All the BELOW QA are from Quora digest to me on 13-01-2024.*
>
> * Quora answers need not be 100% correct answers *
>
> *.Compiled* *and posted by R. Gopala krishnan, on 13-01-2024*
>
> *Q1 Do you know a joke about a fishing licence?*
>
> *A1 Andras Lu,14h*
>
> *A man is in his boat out on the lake with a bucket full of fish that he
> had just caught. A wildlife officer spots him and pulls his boat up
> alongside. Seeing the bucket of fish in the man's boat, the wildlife
> officer asks to see his fishing license.*
>
> * The man tells the officer that he doesn't need a fishing license. The
> wildlife officer looks down at the bucket and says: *
>
> *"You definitely need a license to be catching fish, I can see that you've
> been fishing today. You have live fish right there!"*
>
> *The man says: "Oh no, those are my pet fish. I just brought them out here
> for the day to enjoy the lake."*
>
> *"Pet fish?" Replied the wildlife officer. "Oh absolutely, I let him out
> of the bucket and they swim around and play, but when I whistle they all
> jump right back in. They are very well trained." *
>
> *The wildlife officers scratches his chin, then says: "I've never heard
> about trained pet fish. Well I've got to see this."*
>
> *The man dumps the bucket of fish into the lake, then calmly turns and
> looks at the wildlife officer.*
>
> *The wildlife officer says: "Well, call them back."*
>
> *The man says: "Call who back."*
>
> *The wild life officer says: "Your pet fish."*
>
> *"What pet fish?" Replied the man.*
>
> *Q2 What are some interesting facts about water?*
>
> *A2 Deepaktopzone, Dec 6*
>
> *There are two kinds of water: salt water and fresh water. Salt water
> contains—you guessed it—large quantities of salt, while fresh water has a
> dissolved salt concentration of less than 1%. Only fresh water can be used
> as drinking water.*
>
> *Americans use five times the amount of water that Europeans use.*
>
> *A small drip from a faucet can waste as much as 75 litres of water a day.*
>
> *Frozen water is 9% lighter than water, which explains why ice floats.*
>
> *Water is the only substance on earth that is found naturally in three
> forms: liquid, solid and gas.*
>
> *A trillion tons of water is evaporated every day by the sun!*
>
> *If you ever catch a fever, be sure to drink lots of water—it regulates
> your body temperature.*
>
> *In Canada, there is more water underground than on the surface.*
>
> *Most of the water found on the earth's surface is permanently frozen or
> salty.*
>
> *Less than 1% of the water supply on earth can be used as drinking water.*
>
> *More than 90% of the world's supply of fresh water is located in
> Antarctica.*
>
> *The earth is a closed system that rarely loses or gains extra matter.
> Essentially, this means that the same water that existed on earth millions
> of years ago is still present today.*
>
> *Pure water has no smell and no taste. It also has a **pH level of around
> 7.*
>
> *Canada is home to 25% of the world's wetlands. In fact, it's the largest
> wetland area in the world.*
>
> *Our bodies are 60-70% water; our brains are 75% water; our lungs are
> nearly 90% water; and our blood is about 82% water.*
>
> *Q3 How is serfdom any different from slavery?*
>
> *A3 Claire Jordan,Worked at National Health Service (NHS)15h*
>
> *In most places in Europe serfs were only like slaves in that they
> couldn’t change their location or job without their lord’s permission. They
> were basically employees with a rather restrictive contract, not property.*
>
> *They had legal protection from cruel treatment, against sexual assault
> etc. and they and their lord were legally bound to protect *each other* -
> it wasn’t just one way.*
>
> *They could marry whomever they pleased.*
>
> *Their children weren’t sent away from them against their will, and though
> it was normal for children to go away to new jobs quite young, there were
> networks in place for parent and child to keep tabs on how each other were
> doing, visit each other at Easter etc.*
>
> *They had a *lot* of holy days off - some sources say 150 a year.** Of
> course they still had to feed and milk their beasts, but other than that
> they spent the day watching religious playlets, dancing etc.*
>
> *In England, at least, they usually had comfortable two-storey houses and
> could afford good kitchenware and the occasional flagon of wine.*
>
>
>
> *Although they were required to work the lord’s land as a form of rent in
> exchange for their own land, they had a *lot* of land for themselves as
> well - not the occasional small garden patch that slaves got, but a whole
> small farm’s worth of fertile strips to raise wheat and barley, turnips,
> pigs and chickens, and they could sell their surplus produce.*
>
> *There was no literal slave-driver standing over them and forcing them to
> do things *his* way**: they had work that needed to be done, but it was
> up to them to do it in their own way, so long as it got done.*
>
> *Any infractions, such as failing to do their share of the work on their
> lord’s fields, were punished with fines, **not whipping.*
>
> *Having said that, serfs in Russia *were* effectively slaves until the
> early 19thC, and could be put up as stakes in card games and sold away from
> their families against their will.*
>
> *Q4 What are some unknown facts about Srirangam?*
>
> *A4 Dev Kumar, student Wed*
>
> *Srirangam was attacked by the Delhi Sultanate during the Tamil month of
> Vaikasi**. Nearly, 12,000 residents of Srirangam island had laid down
> their lives fighting to protect the temple. The forces attacked the temple
> and Lord Ranganatha's jewels and the temple gold were taken away.*
>
> *The forces also wanted to seize the murti of Vishnu. They searched for
> the murti but the Vaishnavite Acharya, Pillailokacharya had taken the murti
> away and fled to Madurai. (The murti of Vishnu, called Namperumal that left
> Srirangam in 1323 returned back only in 1371).*
>
> *Unable to locate the murti, the Sultanate forces killed the temple
> authorities and later launched a massive hunt for Pillailokacharya and
> Namperumal.*
>
> *Fearing that the forces would capture the Acharya and the image, Vellayi,
> a temple dancer ( devadasi ) performed a dance before the commander of the
> forces thus gaining time for Pillailokacharya to escape with the image.*
>
> *Her dance lasted for hours together and finally she took the commander to
> the eastern gopuram and pushed him down.* *After killing him, Vellayi
> jumped to her death from the tower of the eastern entrance chanting the
> name of Ranganathar.*
>
> *Hailing Vellayi's sacrifice, the chief of Vijayanagara forces, Kempanna,
> who drove away the Sultanate forces, named the tower after her**. *
>
> *The gopuram continues to be painted white in her memory and now called as
> Vellai Gopuram.*
>
> *Q5 What are some of the greatest examples of presence of
> mind?*
>
> *A5 Ashwin Amar, Works at Students6y*
>
> *This is about the most loved and intelligent Cheif Minister of Tamil
> Nadu.He is none other than the renowned scholar C.N. AnnaDurai.*
>
> *During 1968,Anna made his debut visit to USA to attend a** conference at
> Yale University. In order to judge his English skills ,a student asked him
> to tell ten words in English which doesn't have alphabets “A,B,C and D” in
> them within a minute.*
>
> *Little complex right?*
>
> *Nope.Anna replied with 100 words within a second.*
>
> *He said “one,two,three…..ninetynine”.Suddenly he said “STOP”. *
>
> *If you notice you would understand that no word has letters “A,B,C and D”
> in one to ninetynine. The crowd was flattered by his presence of mind.*
>
> *erase most of the traces of asteroid collisions.*
>
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