Daily Sacred Rituals of Hindus Hindu Rituals Visited in Light of Ancient Mantra, Brahmana and Kalpa Authorities

By Book rivers and Hardev Thakur

I am excited to bring out this book which I seriously see as ultra-science. Need for writing the book stemmed from my own need for clarity around universal Dharma, which remains shrouded in the esoteric term Yajña. Yaksha in the Mahabharata checked with Yudhishthira, namely:  How a man enjoying objects, intelligence, respect and esteem in the worlds—breathing—still does not live! 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Book rivers
• Release date: Apr 11, 2024
• ISBN: 9789358426465

Book preview

Section 3.1  Significance of the ordinance 7

Chapter 4 Yajña 9

First (Original) and Fundamental Dharma

Chapter 5 Svadhyaya 11-78

Private Recitation of the Veda

Section 5.1 Pre-eminence of Svadhyaya 12

Section 5.2 Precepts on Method, Offence & Penance 16

Section 5.3 Starting & Resuming Recitation with Om 22

Section 5.4 Purification & Sipping of Waters 24

Section 5.5 Water-sprinkling, Vyahritis, God Savitri &

Pranayama 27

Section 5.6 Recitation Content 36

Birth of Prana (or Indra)  37

Section 5.7 Concluding with Upasthâna (Worship) 58

Section 5.8 Summing up Svadhyaya with Manu Smriti 74

chapter 6 Deva Yajña 79-116

Propitiating Gods with Fire Ritual

Section 6.1 Agnyâdhâna (Establishment of Fire) 81

Section 6.2 Agnihotra (i.e. Offering to Fire) 82

Section 6.3 Bare Minimum Fire Ritual 85

Section 6.4 Some Additions & Options 91

Section 6.5 Upasthâna (Worship) 102

Section 6.6 On Blemish of Animal Sacrifice 105

Section 6.7 Similarity of Svadhyaya and Fire Ritual 111

Tarpana (Satiation) of Gods, Rishis & Pitris

Chapter 7  Bali Vaisvadeva Yajña 117-120

Sanctifying Food for Beings (General Feast)

Chapter 8 Pitri Yajña 121-130

Feeding Brahmins on New Moon Day

In Honour of Manes

Chapter 9 Atithi Yajña 131-133

Hospitality toward Learned Guest

chapter 10 Epilogue 135-140

Section 10.1 Householders Form Pivot of Society 135

Section 10.2 Recitation, Burnt Oblation & Charity 136

Section 6.2 Clarification on Charity & Accepting Gifts 137

Index and Gloss 141-144

Foreword

I am excited to bring out this book which I seriously see as ultra-science. Need for writing the book stemmed from my own need for clarity around universal Dharma, which remains shrouded in the esoteric term Yajña. Yaksha in the Mahabharata checked with Yudhishthira, namely:

How a man enjoying objects, intelligence, respect and esteem in the worlds—breathing—still does not live!

The reply given by Yudhishthira was reiteration of the Manu Smriti verse (3.72).[1] This book centres on that verse only.

All of us cherish the Bhagavad Gita (or the Gita) as a great book that has inspired and transformed thousands of people over time. But do we really appreciate her true significance? When we scratch ourselves a bit deep, we find to our horror that we do not. The Gita has extolled Karma Yoga and Yajña. The third chapter of the Gita revolves around Karma Yoga only and prescribes Yajña as sole means to salvation. Not only that, for Prajapati (Creator), the creation course itself is designated as Yajña. Prajapati ordained Yajña for created beings to observe for their well-being (3.9-16 passim.). Verse 18.5 (ibid.) admonishes us that the triad Yajña-Charity-Tapas[2] are never to be neglected; these are declared as obligatory, indispensable. However, we in our naivety summarise teaching of the Gita as Do your duty. But hardly we know what to do and how! This difficulty is not unique to laypersons like us, but to learned as well—this has been particularly pointed out in verse 4.16 ibid.

We do not know duty because we do not understand Yajña. Another error that we commit is we try to choose duties—such belief is rejected by the Gita every now and then. Duties are called there as ordained (niyata[3]). Again, the Brahmanas and the Vedas (sacred text) and Yajñas are categorically referred to as enjoined (vihita) by Supreme Brahman long ago, at creation.

[4]

So Yajñas or duties need to be well understood before we contemplate their undertaking.

Actually, we have muddled the simple message of the Gita in our own stories to the point that we have gone tangentially off the Gita (and Vedic scriptures). We hear that Lord Krishna (krsna) lifted Govardhana mountain on his finger in a showdown against god Indra. No doubt, he would have done that as part of Dharma or duty to save villagers from deluge. But we miss out on how deep down the Lord saw things. He is seen as the greatest or as Avatar, but he himself extolled the indivisible, seamless unity as vision of the wise and as knowledge of Sattvic (real, liberating) quality.

[5]

Then how can he see, and how can he be seen by us, in degrees like greater or greatest, in the face of ‘no second’ (Advaita) reality? His fight or rivalry with god Indra too becomes a mortal viewpoint, a drama, or dream. This view has the support of the Rig Veda (10.54.2).

[6]

In chapters 9 and 10 of the Gita, the Lord uses a range of Vedic terms to describe Self. Those terms should particularly be heeded to arrive at his true, cherished perspective. The Lord says:

I am Kratu; I am Yajña; I am Svadhâ;

I am (nourishing and healing) herb;

I am Mantra (sacred Vedic text);

I am sacrificial butter; I, the Fire;

I, the object of Yajña (i.e. huta). ... I am worth-meditating, purifier and sacred syllable Om;

And the Rik, Sama and Yajur (verses).

[7]

Among the Vedas, I am Sama Veda.

[8]

Among the Sama songs, I am Brihat Sama;

Among (holy) metres/verses, I am Gayatri.

[9]

Here Lord Krishna calls himself the Vedas; among Vedas, the Sama Veda; among Sama songs, the Brihat Sama. What that Brihat Sama is!

When in naivety we evade such details, we miss out on the mystic meaning. Below is given the Brihat Sama. It comprises of two verses:

त्वा꣡मिद्धि हवा꣢꣯महे सा꣣तौ꣡ वाज꣢꣯स्य का꣣र꣡वः꣢।

त्वां꣢ वृ꣣त्रे꣡ष्वि꣢न्द्र꣣ स꣡त्प꣢तिं꣣ न꣢र꣣स्त्वां꣢꣫ काष्ठा꣣स्व꣡र्व꣢तः॥809

स꣡ त्वं न꣢꣯श्चित्र वज्रहस्त धृष्णु꣣या꣢ म꣣ह꣡ स्त꣢वा꣣नो꣡ अ꣢द्रिवः।

गा꣡मश्वँ꣢꣯ र꣣꣬थ्य꣢꣯मिन्द्र꣣ सं꣡ कि꣢र स꣣त्रा꣢꣫ वाजं꣣ न꣢ जि꣣ग्यु꣡षे꣢॥810

What must be noted here is that the Sama is addressed to and is in praise of god Indra, so he showers blessings on the chanter. Once again, how can the Lord who loves this Sama as his soul harm or subdue Indra? This should be enough to shake our delusions and fancies off.

A disturbing concern of present times is that we have become libertine and unscrupulous. We do call ourselves religious but lack in appreciation of underlying principles and falter in practice. Former Acharyas (kind teachers and commentators) honestly and selflessly captured and communicated the ancient tradition so we could carry that on in the best possible manner. But today the tradition is in danger of fading out. Standards are being compromised in the name of simplification, modernity or rationality and/or from lack of insight. People who are conversant with the sacred tradition would accept that Veda mantras were used to be chanted with intonation (svara[10]). Most publications when quoting sacred text skip this aid. There are resources made available in the present digital age on how to chant mantras with intonation, but keenness for learning and preserving in practice that art is becoming rare. What to speak of svara notation, people now even avoid Devanagari script. Mantras are transliterated in English, without following transliteration scheme developed by meticulous scholars. When we are not keen to preserve the tradition, it will vanish, and it is we who will suffer. The same is the case with practice—we have started skipping them or abridging them. But why this is wrong!

According to the Gita (3.14-16), life is centred and rooted in Dharma/Yajña, and not vice versa. When we toy or trifle with Dharma or when we twist it to suit ourselves, for whatever reason, whether convenience, greed, laziness or ignorance, that is not ideal. the Gita (16.23-24) admonishes in very categorical terms that disregarding of scriptural injunctions certainly works to our detriment. It leads to: neither success nor happiness nor future good. Such departure from scriptures is explained to be driven by Rajasic or Tamasic impulses. A Yajña-centred alone is Sattvic; and not Yajña-compromising.

In spite of the foregoing neglect going for howsoever long, scriptures still promise hope and redemption to one who commits to rediscover, grasp, and carefully practise this ancient wisdom (underlying the terms: Yajña, Dharma or Rta) for which the Bhagavad Gita, the Manu Smriti, the Brahmanas (and the Upanishads) and the Vedas become aids and gates to go beyond mortal existence. For grasping the truths of scriptures, an exceptional synthetic and analytic approach is also expected.

As already noted, I was inspired to write this book from my own quest for clarity and then from desire to share with those on similar journey. I have been lucky to have access to resources of a long tradition of great Acharyas (author-teachers and commentator-teachers)—ancient, medieval and modern. On their authority and immaculate evidence, I was convinced to call Yajña as science and this book as Science of Daily Yajñas too. In the book is presented the scriptural text in original Sanskrit, supported by English translation. Sanskrit text and translations of most of the scriptures is, thankfully, available in digital form—made available by generous websites like Maharishi University of Management, archive.org, Sanskritweb.net, sacred-texts.dom and many others. The Sacred Books of the East[11] published under the editorship of Friedrich Max Müller provide insightful and meticulous translations of a number of books on the subject. In particular, English translations of the Satapatha Brahmana (vols. 12, 26, 41, 43 & 44, by Julius Eggeling), the Dharma Sutras (vols. 2 & 14, by Georg Bühler), the Grihya (Domestic) Sutras (vols. 29 & 30, by Hermann Oldenberg), the Manu Smriti (as Laws of Manu, vol. 25, by Georg Bühler), and the Upanishads (vols. 1 & 15, by Friedrich Max Müller) serve as authoritative sources for the subject matter of this book.

In this book are taken up only the daily Yajñas from the perspective of householders. Daily Yajñas are five in number but these are extolled as meritorious for the reasons of their lifelong observance (day after day). The book tries to look into the principles behind Yajña and link them to daily rituals. The Vedas and the Upanishads particularly laud knowledge (theology) and practice. Some people who from studentship enter the order of hermits mistakenly leave