Mantra Japa
April 21, 2007
As a part of every yagya there is a section where mantra japa (repetition) is performed for the deity that is being honored. Interestingly, the tradition is that the number of mantra repetitions is counted on a small rosary (called a mala), but that it must be hidden from view. So, as you see here, the priests have a special japa bag for this purpose. The obvious question is why and I have to admit that I don’t know!
Puja Coconut
April 20, 2007
This image shows the beginning of a Shiva Puja with the lingam on the left and on the right a kalasha pot with coconut on top. All traditional yagyas begin with a Ganesha puja followed by kalasha puja. The kalasha puja honors the seven sacred rivers of India and invokes the god of water, Varuna to bless and purifies the water within by converting it to Ganga water.
The green leaves are traditionally mango leaves and both the coconut and lingam are decorated with dots of sandal powder and red kumkum as a traditional symbol of purity.
Final aarti
April 19, 2007
At the end of a yagya there is one final segment when the last mantras are being chanted and little chunks of camphor are burned and waved in front of the deity. It is a nicely dramatic moment and only take a couple of minutes. Afterwards the still burning aarti plate (seen below) is passed around and participants wave their hands over the flame to “take the blessings”. It is a fun part of the vedic traditions.
Before and After
April 18, 2007
Pujas and Yagyas are very precise procedures and yet…there is something gloriously chaotic about them as the following photos demonstrate.
Before a Navagraha Yagya:
And after a Navagraha Yagya:
In the Middle of the Ganges
April 17, 2007
Our September trip to Varanasi will include special pujas that are supposed to take place while standing on one of these little islands in the middle of the Ganges river. It is timeless and beautiful.
Vibhuti - Sacred Ash
April 16, 2007
Vibhuti is the sacred ash associated with Shiva and every now and then at the end of an abishekam it is sprinkled over either Ganesha or a Shivalingam. Note that the priests have carefully cleared away Ganesha’s eyes, so that he can “see”. Notice that they have also added a dot of red kumkum on his forehead. Next in the abishekam process they will offer a couple of pieces of fruit and burn some camphor while chanting a few mantras. Then the vibhuti will be rinsed off.
One of the reasons that I love this photo is that it looks like Ganesha is covered in snow.
More Purnadhuti
April 15, 2007
The final offering in a yagya is called, as you saw in my previous post, purnadhuti. It is a mixture of various ingredients that is offered into the yagya fire at the end of a yagya. It is usually accompanied by special mantras and frequently, loud music when musicians are present. In looking through my collection of yagya photos, I came across several of the final offering and you can see the variety of ingredients.
In this first one, the offerings include a silk sari inside which are a variety of nuts, and herbs, bark, leaves, spices, etc.
This photo shows puffed rice, some dark brown dates, a dried coconut, some green betel leaves, and sesame seeds. These will be wrapped in the silk and offered as seen in the photo above.
The following photo gives an idea of how varied (and mysterious) the offerings can be! Other than the fruit I can’t really identify any of what is being included, but the priests go to great lengths to obtain every required ingredient and spend quite a bit of time and money to do so.
Once all this has been offered into the fire, they usually add quite a bit of wood and pour in the last but of ghee to make quite a blaze (as you can see below). Then the fire is very carefully tended to let itself burn out. The priests say “Agni is eating!” Once the fire is completely out, the ash is carefully saved as it is considered to retain much of the positive energy of the yagya.
Elaborate Offerings
April 14, 2007
During the March yagya series, our priests performed a yagya called Chandi Havan. This yagya is based on the use of Chandi Path as the source material for the mantras. Chandi Path is 700 verses long and tells the story of the Divine Mother in the form of Durga.
This yagya is much more elaborate than most and requires special training on the part of the priests. At the end of each verse, the priests offer a sweet rice mixture called sacra pongal into the yagya fire as seen here.
At the end of each section of verses, a special offering is made into the fire of cloth and very specific kinds of herbs, bark, roots, wood, leaves, spices, nuts, etc. The following photo will give you an idea of how extensive the list of ingredients are:
All these are used to create a series of offerings, the completed version is seen below. The main collection of offerings are placed on the different colored cloth and are all the same. But the the baskets arranged along the wall are all different and are offered in a specific order.
Here you see one of the offering cloths having been placed in the yagya fire. Because of all the sweet rice and cloth being offered into the fire, the areas gets very smokey and the yagya is a real challenge to sit through. I really don’t know how the priest manage to do it, particularly because it takes about four hours to complete!
Purnadhuti - the final offering
April 13, 2007
At the end of the yagya performance, there is a section called Purnadhuti where the final offering is made in to the yagya fire. There are special mantras that are chanted at that time and frequently special offerings as well. In the first photo, you see a small yagya, and the offering is appropriately simple, a dried coconut filled with ghee, some yagya herbs (called samagri), and a flower.
The following photo was taken at the conclusion of a large yagya at a temple and the offering plate is filled with many
more ingredients; white puffed rice, several dried coconuts and a fresh coconut filled with ghee, different kinds of wood and bark, dried herbal leaves and fresh grass (for Ganesha), yellow tumeric powder, all wrapped in a colorful piece of silk.
Raksha - Armor
April 12, 2007
In the temples that I have visited in Tamil Nadu, the deities all have sometimes elaborate sets of silver or gold armor (called “raksha” in sanskrit). I suppose it is symbolic of their strength and invincibility.
In the photo above you see Ganesha riding on Mushika, his mouse and both are clad in their raksha.