Offering
May 31, 2007
“Desiring success, the sacrifice to the Gods with ritual actions,
for from such actions success comes quickly in the world of men.
Liberation achieved, attachments gone, with a mind fixed on knowledge,
man’s whole action becomes a sacrifice, his deeds melt away entirely away.”
…
“Whoever offers to me with devotion and purity of heart
leaf, flower, fruit, or water – that offering of love I accept with joy.”
Spoken by Krishna to Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita
Vastra danam
May 30, 2007
In the vedas it says many times, that a part of every yagya is honoring brahmin priests through gifts (dakshina) of food, cloth and in this case a silver cup for the puja set. It is a way of honoring and preserving the vedic tradition, and besides all the priests have families and have to make a living! Of course in the “old days” the gifts were cows and gold…but then again the yagyas were pretty much only for the wealthy.
Agni – Rig Veda
May 29, 2007
“If we have sinned, awake, asleep,
knowing, unknowing, or through evil nature,
may Agni banish far from us
all such hateful wicked deeds!”
-Rig Veda
“Open yourself, create free space;
release the bound one from his bonds!
Like a newborn child, free from the womb,
be free to move on every path!”
-Atharva Veda
True Yoga
May 28, 2007
“Having laid hold on Reality he avers it
a matchless prize.
Established therein, he is unmoved even by
direst sorrow.
Let that be known as true yoga.”
-Bhagavad Gita
Abishekam
May 27, 2007
When one thinks of a vedic ritual, it is usually the fire yagya called homam, but there is another class of yagyas called abishekam where the offerings are mostly liquid and are poured over the murti…in this case the Shiva lingam.
This is at the beginning of the abishekam when just a little water has been poured over the lingam and some flower are offered on top. The thread is a yagna pavitram; the sacred thread that is worn by bhahmins, and of course Shiva is a brahmin.
In the containers you can see milk and yogurt. Other offerings are sandal, sugar, turmeric, cocount juice, etc.
During the abishekam, Sri Rundram and Chamakam from the Yajur Veda are chanted. This brass vessel is filled with whatever liquid is being offered; milk, water, etc. and it drips onto the lingam in a continuous stream.
And of course the bells are great.
Finding peace
May 26, 2007
From the Bhagavad Gita:
“A man of faith, absorbed in faith,
his senses controlled,
attains knowledge, and, knowledge attained,
quickly finds peace.”
Night
May 25, 2007
There is a great hymn from the Atharva Veda on the night (Ratri):
“Oh Night, for our safety,
make the snake blind,
scorch him, behead him!
Gouge out the eyes
of the wolf and entrap
the thief in a snare!
…
As a millet seed, blown by the wind
is scattered beyond finding,
so blow him far, Oh night,
they who wish us ill!
…
Oh resplendent Night,
May you lead us sinless
to dawn, from dawn to day,
and from day back to you!
Yagya beginning
May 25, 2007
From the Rig Veda:
Ready for the kindling of the sacred fire,
we sing for you our verses, hoping to
invoke your powerful grace.
In your praise, Oh Lord, who reaches the highest heaven,
we compose our song, eager to obtain
the divine treasure of your grace.
Nandi, Shiva’s Bull
May 24, 2007
Shiva rides on a bull by the name of Nandi and every Shiva temple has a Nandi which sits accross from Shiva always looking in his direction. I’ve produced a podcast (#37) with stories of Nandi, some of which are quite amusing.
My favorite is once Parvati got really mad at Shiva for calling her as dumb as a fisherman’s daughter. To spite him, she left to go live in a fishing village as a young girl. Shiva missed her terribly and wanted to get her back but didn’t know how. So Nandi turned himself into a huge shark and terrorized the villagers, so that Shiva cold come and drive him off, save the village, and impress the girl (Parvati) so she would marry him and ultimately return to the mountains!
This Nandi is found in a 500 year old temple Shiva temple in Varanasi.
As a part of the yagya process, the Nandi is honored with pujas and lots of flowers. The red powder you see on his nose is kumkum which is associated with Lakshmi and represents purity and prosperity.
Even though this temple is quite small, there is room for Nandi on the left and the Shiva lingam, now covered in flowers on the right.
The Last Mantra
May 23, 2007
The last of the 10,000 verses of the Rig Veda is:
samani va akutih
samana hrdayani vah
samanam astu vo mano
yatah vah susahasati
“United be your resolve, united be your hearts,
may your spirits be as one,
that you may long together dwell
in unity and accord!”