Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Vedic concepts - I

Agni and Water are man and woman. The havan kunda is the house. The result of the yajna is the progeny from their union. Hence,water is invariably placed by the side of Agni while yajna is performed. This water is placed to the north of the havan kunda because the natural sleeping position of the wife is to the left of the husband.

The water pot should be placed just at the border of the havan kund - neither far away nor too close. Nobody should go between them because it is inappropriate to go between a man and woman in union. 

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Man by nature is untruthful !!

When getting ready to perform yajna, on the previous day the performer takes the vow of truth. Satapatha brahmanam says there are only two states - of truth and untruth ( the white lie or the apparently innocent lie is not accepted as something in the middle). Man by nature is untruthful and gods by nature are truthful. The main purpose of performing yajna is to attain heaven or become a God. Veda says -इदम‌ह‌मनृतात्सत्यमुपैमि - moving from untruthfulness to truthfulness thereby becoming God from man.

All acts of the performer of yajna imitate those of Gods and they reiterate his movement from manliness to Godliness.

Hence the vow to truthfulness.

To be untruthful is to be man and to be truthful is to be God.

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Sambhashana Sandesha website

Excellent site for Sanskrit enthusiasts -

Rule while prostrating before brahmins in Yajnasala etc.

सभायां यज्ञशालायां देवतायतनेषु च |
प्रत्येकं तु नमस्क‌ारो हन्ति पुण्यं पुरा कृतम् ||
सभासु चैव सर्वासु यज्ञे राजगृहेषु च |
नमस्कारं प्रकुर्वीत ब्राह्मणं न पृथक् नमेत् ||

When more than one brahmin is present in yajna sala, assembly, temple etc. the prostration should be done once only for all of them together, not individually. Otherwise, punya acquired thus far will be lost.

See Hindi version here