AvaNi avittam Sankalpam and few other items

[Guest guest]

Dear BhakthAs :

 

I deeply appreciate the posting of Sri Vijay Srinivasan

providing additional important details on the UpAkarmA .

Thanks , Sri Vijay Srinivasan . The unique strength of this

group is that we learn so much from each other .

 

Although number of you have sent me your fax numbers as per

my suggestion , it is probably safer and surer to send it on-line .

Hence I am sending the sankalpams as a separate posting .

 

Could Sri Varadhan of Albuquerque and Sri Velugaleti

Raghava Charya to send me their e-mail addresses , since

the notes that I sent them came back . Many thanks .

 

Regarding the dates , there have been different opinions

expressed by different Ahnika grantha karthAs like Vaidhika

Saarvabhoumain his work ( darsanirNayee ) and others .

The best determination out of these debates have been made by

the article that appeared in the 1970 June issue of Nrusimha

PriyA . For Yajur Vedis , Sri Sannidhi sampradhayam has

established that August 18 is the UpAkarmA day and the next

day is for Gaayathri Japam for yajur Vedis ; for Saama

Vedis , Gayathri japam is not on the day after UpAkarmA .

It is on the prathamai subsequent to SrAvaNa PourNami of

BhadrapAtham . Dear Sri Rangaswami , Please correct me

if I am wrong on this point . My paternal grand father learnt

Saama Vedam at the age of 70 to serve as a Brahaspathi

to the Saama Vedis as well and my recollection goes back

to those far off days . feel comfortable in following the

recommendation of August 18/19 for Yajur Vedis .

 

The tarpaNam done on UpAkarmA day is Rishi TarpaNam and

not pithru tarpaNam . Hence no fasting is needed on that day .

The one meal and the raathri palAhAram on UpAkarmA day

is in preparation for the next day's Gayathri japam .

 

mantra Japam is performed after snAnam,

pratha: SandhyA and SamithAdhAnam ( if a bachelor ) .

New YajnOpaveetham has been recommended either before

the start of Japam , if the YajnOpaveetham is not in good shape.

Manthra Japam is followed by UpAkarmA that Sri Vijay Srinivasan

is going to write about . it is common practise to eat Idly and Appam

after manthra Japam . Our achAryAs do not recommend wearing new

pUNal and tarpaNam and Adhyayana Homam after such heavy eating .

They recommend that the sequence is (1) sananam (2)prAtha:

SandhyA (3) YajnOpaveetha DharaNam , if needed (4) KamOkArsheeth

Japam by 1008 times . All of these to be done before six naazhikais

after sunrise like all other prAyascchittha karmA . This japam is

done as indicated by Sri Vijay Srinivasan for not performing the

VedOthsarjanam in Thisha PowrNami ( Thai month Full moon day ) .

 

The day ( 30 Naazhikais from sun ise to sunset ) is split

in to two parts ( purvAhNam and AparAhNam) for us .

KaamOkArsheeth Japam is to be done in the PurvAhNam

and the UpAkarmA is to be done in AparAhNam after

MaadhyAhnikam , bhagavadhArAdhanam , vaisvadEvam .

Then one retires in the villages to the bank of a river or

Swami PushkaraNI and jointly undertake the sankalpam

with adhyAya upAkarma KarishyE ; as a part of that w esay,

" Tadhangam Yajnopaveetha DharaNam karishyE and

follow it with Tadhangam SnAnam karishyE and after snAnam ,

make the next sankalpam , " KhAnDa rishi tarpaNam karishyE .

with wet cloth , Achamanam is performed , face north ,

wear the pUNal as maalai , hold it with both thumbs and

perorm tarpaNam with water containing rice(tandulam )

and Sesame seed in the standard manner .

 

After that change into dry clothes and initate Adhyayana

Homam prior to VedhArambham ( UpaakarmA ) . Adhyayana

Homam is vital for the observance of UpAkarma , since

the VedhArambham done at homa kaalam is why this ceremony

is called UpAkarmA . Sri Vijay Srinivasan will be covering this

aspect of the observance . Even in India , many do not perform

adhyayana homam , which removes the significance of

UpAkarmA . Here , the best approach may be to join in a homam

at the local temple .

 

Now is the time to be rewarded with the feast of Idly and appam et al .

 

V.Sadagopan

P.S : I will post the sankalpams next .

 

Gayathri japam .