Respected friends,
It is quite natural Mr Rajaram responds in the manner to Mr Narayanaswamy. His
copy paste does not contain any modern practices , if he follow modern
marriages. If the person followed old practices, tying thali is not included.
He simply copy paste irrelevant matters without writing it is a c p wasting
valuable space.
Except Mr Narayanaswamy no body points out the mistakes, so he simply abuse him
and continue his copy paste. Since I have responded today, I am sure Mr Rajaram
will shower abuse on me calling peon in BSNL. He forgets he was a daily wage
worker cleaning toilets in the income tax office.
I expect a reaction from him starting with- Enda Gopala.....Matapayale, Nee
yarta enne kelvikekka?
I am ashamed a U P S C selected former IRS writing in an uncultured manner
abusing, if anyone pointing out his mistakes.
Gopalakrishnan
On Sunday, 23 June, 2024 at 05:56:20 pm IST, Rajaram Krishnamurthy
<[email protected]> wrote:
Narayana clay matter is out of bounds today. Enda are you the only brahmin cum
melecha so a non brahmin? Sanatana is not exclusively only for one,narayana
moodane. AKM forever. How did you grow like this all these years.? Your
menace is not controllable even by your friends and relations. Useless on this
earth
On Sat, 22 Jun 2024 at 23:42, Narayanaswamy Iyer <[email protected]> wrote:
Dear folks
Incorrigible uneducated uninitiated heathen savage K RAJARAM ex-IRS 22624 23624
who has never ever attended any veda-class, or paata-shaala, nor had upadesham
in spiritual matters under any guru, now spouts what Gujarathis and shoodran
Svaami Narayan followers do.
What he writes has little if anything to do with how South Indian Braahmanas
conducted and still conduct vivaaham and anthiyeshti samskaarams.
He has scraped the bottom of rubbish bins and garbage dumps for tainted offal ,
and has come up with nonsense and junk for the amusement and entertainment of
his readers.
Just delete his blabbering outpourings as untenable fabrications born of
abysmal ignorance and a diseased mind.
S Narayanaswamy Iyer
On Sun, Jun 23, 2024 at 10:15 AM Rajaram Krishnamurthy <[email protected]>
wrote:
SANATANA DHARMA PART 59 KRAJARAM IRS 22624 23624
KR The samskaras were presented in differentcultures; but except
criticism, unaware of North culture is now beingexhibited, there were no query
so far; that meant people can understand thecauses of the reptations under the
samskaras and the distinction between southand north. Almost a major area has
been carved out. Many doubts may only risehereafter. Sanatana dharma will take
a break here to continue later
The Marriage Ceremony
(i) Haridralepan
On the day before themarriage, a creamy paste of turmeric and oil is smeared
over the bride's body.This is known as pithi cholvi in Gujarati and
haridralepan in Sanskrit. Thesymbolic sentiment is that if the bride is of a
dark complexion, this cosmetictreatment will endow her a lighter hue.
Prior to the marriageceremony, Ganapati (Ganesh) is worshipped at the bride's
home as an auspiciousbeginning of the rituals, since Ganapati is the deity of
auspiciousness.
(ii) Var Prekshan (Welcomingthe bridegroom)
The bridegroom is welcomed atthe entrance of the bride's house or marriage
hall. The bride and thebridegroom place garlands over each other under the
marriage canopy (mandap).
A vow is then recited,"In following my duty, in our financial matters, in
fulfilling my canopy physicalthirst, I will always consult you, take your
consent and act upon it."This is known as the Pratijna Svikar.
(iii) Madhu Parka (Offeringhoney)
The bride welcomes thebridegroom and gives him honey, yoghurt and ghee
(clarified butter), suggestingthat she will always please him with the
sweetness of her behavior. There isalso a sour tinge to the mixture, which
symbolises the
bitterness that life cansometimes bring.
(iv) Pani Grahan (Profferingof the bride's hand) The parents of the bride
proffer her hand to thebridegroom and request him to accept their daughter as
his wife. The bridegroomaccepts the bride as his wife and presents her with
clothing and jewellery.
(v) Vaivahik Homa (Invokingthe sacred fire)
The sacred fire is invoked andofferings are poured into it. Agni (fire)
represents the mouth of Lord Vishnuand symbolises illumination of the mind,
knowledge and happiness and LordVishnu serves as a divine witness.
(vi) Shilarohan (Stepping onthe stone)
The bride places her rightfoot on a stone. The bridegroom tells her to be as
firm as the stone in hishouse so that they are able to face problems with ease.
(vii) Laja Homa (Offeringparched rice into sacred fire)
Four offerings are made to thesacred fire. The brother of the bride places
parched rice into the bride'shands, half of which is meant to fall into the
bridegroom's hands.
Mantras are chanted. The brideprays to Yama, the God of Death, that he grants
long life, health, happinessand prosperity to the bridegroom.
(viii) Saptapadi (The sevensteps) The bride and the bridegroom take seven steps
around the sacred fire. Ateach step
they invoke the blessings ofGod. As the couple walk the seven steps they pledge
the following seven vows:
1. Let us take this first steptowards food and the necessities of life.
2. Let us take this secondstep towards strength and vigor.
3. Let us take this third steptowards wealth and prosperity.
4. Let us take this fourthstep towards obtaining happiness around the household.
5. Let us take this fifth stepfor progeny.
6. Let us take this sixth stepto act according to the six seasons and time.
7. Let us take this seventhstep to believe in the same religion and lifelong
friendship.
(ix) Agni Parikrama(Circumambulation of sacred fire)
The bride and the bridegroommove around the sacred fire four times. On the
first three rounds the brideleads the bridegroom and on the fourth the
bridegroom leads the bride. Beforeeach round an offering is made. This part of
the ceremony is known as themangal phera in Gujarati.
(x) Saubhagya Chinha (Blessingthe bride)
The bridegroom blesses thebride by putting kumkum (vermillion powder) or sindur
at the parting of herhair or on her forehead and by giving her a mangalsutra
(sacred necklace).
(xi) Surya Darshan (Looking atthe sun)
The bridegroom accepts thebride as his wife in the presence of the sun deity.
If the marriage isperformed at night, he tells her to look at the Dhruva star
(star of steadfastness)and at the star of Arundhati (star of devotion). The
bridegroom tells her to befirm in her love and duty, and to be devoted to him
like Arundhati was to Sage Vashishtha.The bride tells the bridegroom that she
will follow their example and remaindevoted.
(xii) Hruday Sparsh (Touchingof hearts) The bridegroom and bride touch each
other's hearts. The bride tellsthe bridegroom, "I touch thy heart unto mine.
God has given thee as myhusband. May thy heart be mine now. When I talk to
thee, please listen to mewith perfect attention." The bridegroom repeats the
vow to the bride.
(xiii) Annaprashan (Feedingthe bridegroom)
The bride feeds the bridegroomand tells him, "By feeding you this sweet food
(traditionally kansar -made of wheat flour, sugar and ghee) I shall bind thy
heart with the thread oftruth and sincerity and love. My heart will be thine
and thy heart will be mineforever."
(xiv) Purnahuti (Completion ofceremony)
After the final offering ismade to the sacred fire, the priest blesses the
bride and bridegroom. Flowerpetals and rice are distributed to the guests, who
shower the bride and thebridegroom. With their blessings the marriage ceremony
is completed. The brideand the bridegroom are no longer separate entities but
an integrated personalitywho will share their lives in every way.
The Sixteen Samskaras Part - 4
samskara - antyeshti -describing the
death rites.
(16) Antyesthi (Death rites)
The rishis and Dharma Sutraswere at a consensus regarding the final goal of
life, which they enjoined inthe four ashrams - stages of life. The stalwart
poet Kalidas in his classic,Raghuvansha (1-8) stipulates:
"Shaishaveabhyastavidyãnãm yauvane vishayaishinãm;Vãrdhakye munivruttinãm
yogenãntetanutyajãm."
"One studies duringchildhood (brahmacharya ashram), fulfills his desires during
youth (gruhasthaashram), renounces worldly activity for silent contemplation
during old age(vanprastha ashram) and then endeavors for God-realisation, after
which he leaveshis body."
Antyeshti is the finalsamskara in a Hindu's life. Yajur Veda regards vivaha as
the sixteenth samskarawhile Rig Veda considers antyeshti. Though performed
after the death of aperson by his relatives, it is of importance because the
value of the next worldis higher than that of the present. The final rituals
are performed with meticulouscare with the help of Brahmin priests.
The first ritual after deathis to place a few tulsi leaves and a few drops of
water in the mouth of thedead person. It is then laid on the floor which has
been purified by applyingthe sacred cowdung. The old clothes are removed and
the body is bathed withsanctified water. The body is then covered with one
piece of a new,
unbleached, uncut cloth(kafan). It is then laid on a bier (nanami) made of
bamboo canes tied with jutestrings. The underlying message in removing the old
clothes can be gleaned froma Sanskrit verse:
"Dhanãni bhumaupashavashcha goshthe,
Nãri gruhadware sakhãsmashãne,
Dehashchitãyãm paraloka mãrge,
Dharmãnugo gachhati jivaekaha."
"Wealth will remainburied, cattle will remain in the pen, (his) wife will
accompany (him) to thedoorway, friends will accompany him to the crematorium,
the body will come tillthe funeral pyre, but on the path to the next world, the
jiva goes alone (with hiskarmas)."
In the Swaminarayan Sampradaythere is a special ritual. Where possible the
sadhus are called, who then dopuja of the deceased with vermilion powder. A new
kanthi and flower garlandsare placed around the neck. The sadhus and the
nearest relatives then do arti,followed by pradakshina. Everyone present chants
the Swaminarayan mantra. Thesadhus then leave after delivering a consolatory
This rite performed by sadhusremains unique to the Swaminarayan Sampraday. It
infuses spiritual strength andthus considerably offsets the grief and hurt
suffered by the relatives of thedeceased.
The family members then takethe body to the cremation pyre, all the while
chanting the Lord's name. 'Rambolo bhai Ram' is the most commonly uttered
phrase. In Bengal it is 'Hari bol,Hari bol.' In the Swaminarayan Sampradaya the
Swaminarayan dhun is chanted.After the body is laid on the funeral pyre, ghee
is poured over it and the firekindled by the nearest relative. Sesame seeds are
also sprinkled onto the fire asa form of puja. The latter two steps are
obviously not possible where anelectric kiln is used for cremation. The fire
lighted in the vivaha ceremonywas later, by tradition, taken to the house and
kept kindled in an altarthroughout life. This signified that married life was
to be lived throughlife's vicissitudes, together. When one of the spouse died,
the agni (fire) wastaken in a crucible or pot to the crematorium, where it was
used to light thepyre. This symbolized the end of Vivaha and the beginning of
agni (antyeshti)samskara.
The rituals and observanceswhich then follow vary in different groups and parts
of Gujarat.Gujarat Bycremation, the body's five basic components - known as
panch bhuts – Prithvi (earth),jal (water), tej (fire), vayu (wind) and akash
(space) are returned to those ofthe universe, thus maintaining the cosmic
equilibrium. All the samskaras are spirituallyoriented. However, some directly
benefit the environment in one way or another.
Scientists in the past decadehave begun to realize this. They have pointed out
that cremation, for example,is the best, most effective and environmentally
prudent method for disposing ofthe dead. Burial leads to enormous problems of
space and groundwatercontamination. Corpses infected with plague and slow virus
diseases infectvectors which directly feed on them. This ultimately affects
humans. Recently inEngland, the wisdom of cremating even diseased cattle has
been realized, especiallythose afflicted with mad cow disease.
Asthi Sanchayan
After cremation, the ashes andresidual bones (asthi) are collected in an urn.
In some communities it iscustomary to wash them with milk and sanctified water.
The urn is then taken toa sacred river such as Ganga, Narmada or to the sacred
confluenc e of the threerivers Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati in Allahabad, known
as the Triveni Sangam.The Swaminarayan devotees also sprinkle the ashes in the
sacred river Ghela, inGadhada and the river Gondali in Gondal. During the
ritual a
Brahmin priest utters Vedicmantras and performs the final rites for the
salvation of the deceased. Theashes are then sprinkled into the river. Sutak
(Ashauch) – Impurity This is aperiod of ten to thirteen days during which the
nearest family members do notperform their personal daily religious rituals
such as puja, arti and thal.Their personal puja is given to a friend to perform
on their behalf. The familymembers can visit the andir for darshan.During this
period, religious scriptures and devotional
songs are recited and sungrespectively, for the attainment of Akshardham by the
deceased.
On either the eleventh,twelfth or thirteenth day, the relatives offer thal
(food) to the Lord in thelocal mandir to repay pitru (ancestral) debt.
The general Hindu belief isthat as soon as the soul leaves the body, it adopts
another body whose limbsgrow day by day. On the tenth day after death this
'interim' body growscompletely. The son of the deceased offers the pindas –
food balls made fromwheat flour and water - to the growing limbs, either
day-to-day or all tentogether on the tenth day. It is believed that, upto this
day, the deceasedstill continues his relation with this world. Therefore the
deceased is termedpreta, which means one who has departed, but who has not yet
reached the otherworld.
On the eleventh day, Brahma,Vishnu, Rudra and Yama are invoked, with Vishnu as
the special witness. Intheir presence the deceased is offered pindas. On the
twelfth day the departedsoul is given away to the other world, where he then
resides with hisforefathers. As soon as he reaches the other world he is
released from hispreta body.
The relatives are then freedfrom the sutak and can then perform their daily
puja. These rites are alsosamskaras on the soul to lead it to God.
An associated rite aftercremation, generally practiced in India, is for one or
more male members of thedeceased to shave their heads. This is rarely observed
by Hindus abroad. Somecommunities eat only simple foods for a fixed number of
days.
Sajjaa
In Gujarat the family membersthen perform the sajjaa ritual. In this, they
offer a cow a cot, utensils, foodgrains, a set of clothes and footwear and
anything else that the deceased usedto a Brahmin. The Brahmin performs a ritual
and takes the objects, symbolicallyto send them to the deceased for his use in
the next world. In the SwaminarayanSampradaya the belief is that the Atma, who
is then termedkshar mukta, isreceived by Shriji Maharaj, Gunatitanand Swami
and PramukhSwami Maharaj and taken toAkshardham. Therefore, this akshar mukta
does not need any material offeringsin his next life.
But if it is a family or castetradition to perform the sajjaa, this can be done
at the nearest mandir and theobjects are offered to the Lord Himself.
Another alternative which isbecoming popular is the jivitkriya. It is the same
as the sajjaa, except it isperformed by a person while alive - as the name
implies. During this ritual thecentral sentiment uttered is, "I am performing
this ritual to please BhagwanSwaminarayan and Pramukh Swami Maharaj." The
jivitkriya imbues a feelingof contentment in the individual since he/she
witnesses it.
Conclusion
Samskaras like ours have theirparallels in the world's other religious
denominations - baptism, confirmation,holy matrimony in Christianity;
barmitzvahs, and circumcision in Judaism;navjot in Parsis; and circumcision in
Islam. These have significance in theirown way in the lives of the members of
these religions.
In the past the sixteen Hindusamskaras formed an integral part of Hindu life.
Today, with the encroachmentof modern living, especially in urban India, only a
few of them have survived:chaul, upanayan, vivaha and antyeshti. Yet these
samskaras, with theirspiritual import, holistically 'samskarize' (edify) all
aspects of anindividual's life.
Since each samskara ritualmakes the individual the focus of the occasion,
he/she is psychologicallyboosted. This strengthens the individual's self-esteem
and enriches interactionwith those around. The samskaras bring together family
members, close relativesand friends, hence increase the cohesiveness of the
family unit. Therein the unitharmonizes and strengthens the social structure.
The consequence of this is a healthysociety with a strong cultural identity
which easily refines, boosts and perpetuatesits traditional beliefs, customs,
morals and values. This has been one of thekey reasons for the Hindu Dharma
withstanding the rigors and onslaughts of foreignincursions and upheavals
through the ages.
The ancient rishis and sages enjoinedthe sixteen samskaras for the eternal
benefit of mankind through their directexperience with the Divine. They wove
them as into the fabric of daily life ofthe Hindu. They are 'outward acts,'
from pre-birth to post death,for inward orspiritual grace. Today, the key
samskara which will determine the cohesion andperpetuation of Hindu traditions
anywhere in the world is vivaha, if observedsincerely with its pristine and
lofty sentiments.
Source References:
Pandey, Rajbali. The Sixteen Samskaras. NewDelhi: Motilal Banarsidas,rpt., 1993
Shelat, Bharati. K., Bharatiya Samskaro.Amdavad: University Book
Production Board of Gujarat,1983
Shrutiprakashdas, Shastri, Shastri ParmanandDave & Shastri Ghanshyam Shukla.
Naimittikkarmaprakashaha. Gandhinagar:AARSH, Akshardham, 1998
Vivekpriyadas, Sadhu. Apano Samskrutik Varaso,Part 2. Amdavad:
Swaminarayan Aksharpith,1998
Gnaneshwardas, Sadhu. Dharmik Vidhano aneBhavana. Amdavad:
Swaminarayan Aksharpith, 1993(Translated as Hindu Rites & Rituals)
K RAJARAM IRS 22624 23624
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