Invitaion to take part in the Dhanyadivasam rites as a part of Prahtishtai for Moolavar , Lord RanganAthA at the Pomona Temple , NY : April 6 ,2001

[Guest guest]

Dear BhakthAs : Please plan on attending the first

of the special Aagamic/Vedic rites (DhAnyAdhi Vaasam )

that precede MahA samprokshaNam at Lord RanganAthA's temple

at Pomona . A small essay on this important ceremony

and its significance from a Vedic Point of view

on DhAnyAdhi Vaasam is included here .

 

Daasan , V.SatakOapn

 

DhAnyAdhi Vaasam and other Agamic Rites

****************************************

Prior to Pratishtai of a Vigraham for worship

as ArchA Moorthy , Sri Vaishnava Aagamams

require three specific purificatory rites :

(1) DhAnyAdhi Vaasam (2) JalAdhi Vaasam and

(3) SayanAthi Vaasam . Agamams are closely

tied with VedAs and their Vedic links have been

defended by Swamy AlavandhAr and Swamy Desikan

in their Sri Sookthis .The PaancharAthra Agamam

used in most of the Sri VaishNavite temples is

particularly lauded because Sriman NaarAyaNan

Himself instructed His worshippers and promulgated

the rules for His worship ( NaarAyaNa MukhOdhgitham ).

These instructions of the Lord deal with absolute and

exclusive Bhakthi towards a concrete iconic (Archaa)

manifestion of BhagavAn. Just as the milk in a cow's body

is all over the body of a Cow and yet it flows readily

through the udder , the all pervasive Lord (VishNu BhagavAn)

makes Himself readily available to us in His consecrated

iconic forms worshipped at His temples.

 

Padma Samhitha of PaancharAthra Agamam deals extensively

with the necessary steps (rituals) for the consecration of

an Archa Moorthy for worship by the BhakthAs and conductance of

His nithya , paksha , maasa , samvathsara uthsavams for

invoking peace in this world and for the removal of

anishtams(worldly sorrows).

 

Among the four sections of PaancharAthra Agamam

dealing with CharyA, KriyA , Yogam and Jn~Anam ,

the KriyA section deals extensively with practises

and processes , mantrAs , rituals , mudhrAs regarding

the worship of ArchA Morrthys at the temples.This is

known as Agama SiddhAntham and is backed up by

manthra SiddhAntham , Tanthra SiddhAntham and tanthrAnthara

SiddhAntham as well as Vaasthu Saasthram.The sthapathis

involved in temple and iconic image construction are expected

to be conversant in VedAs and Saasthrams as experts in

Vaasthu Saasthram (SilpAth PrathimA: JaayanthE).

 

Three consecration ceremonies as a part of Prathishtai

******************************************************

Prior to the consecration ceremonies associated with

MahA samprOkshanam , three sacred rituals are to be

observed along with NethrOnmeelaNam (Opening of the eyes of

the Lord with diamond-pointed needle).These are :

(1) DhAnyAdhi Vaasam (2) JalAdhi Vaasam and (3) SayanAdhi

Vaasam. We will briefly relate them to their Vedic significance

using the manthrams of MahA NaarAyaNopanishad manthrams.

These ceremonies and the SamprOkshaNam are done for embodying

the Brahman in the ArchA form and to stimulate one's

adoration of the Lord ( TasyAn Brahma SAMAAROPYA , manasA

tanmayO bhavEth ; Thaamm archayEth , ThAmm praNamEth ;

ThAmm yajEth ; ThAmm vichinthayEth) .One should worship ,

salute, serve and contemplate on that consecrated ArchA

form of the Lord and cast aside all dhOshAs and treat

that ArchA form as The Visible Image of Brahman ,

the Supreme Being. The Lord enters the consecrated

form (Samanupravishtam) and accepts the worship offered

by His BhakthAs.

 

DhAnyAdhi Vaasam

*****************

Here , the image of the Lord is immersed completely in

dhAnyams or if the iconic form is huge , the immersion

is upto the legs or the anklets. The immersion is done

for 45 days or for a subset of that time frame.Anna Maya

aarAdhanam (offering ) is done through this ritual

 

Bhagavan is saluted through this ritul as the Visva-bhuk

( Isa: Sarvasya Jagatha: Prabhu preeNAthi Visva-Bhuk:

manthram 128, MahA NaarayaNOpanishad). This manthram

recogniizes the Lord as " the Controller and Master of

all this Universe and as the very consumer of

the entire universe " and begs Him to be pleased

with this gesture of PrANAgnihOthram.The previous

manthram prays to Him for causing satisfaction

(to the prANAs )through that annam/dhAnyam .The manthram

prior to this identifies the offerer as a faithful

one ( SraddhALunA maya) and states that the offered food

is the form of nectar and is oblated unto Brahman as

surrender of the Aathman unto ParamAthman( BrahmaNi ma

Aathma-amruthatvAya). This ritual is linked finally to

the Vedic prayer :

 

annamaya prANamaya manOmaya vij~nAnamaya aanandhamayaa

mE sudhyanthaam JyOthiraham virajA vipApmA bhUyAsagam svAhA

 

(Meaning according to Dr.N.S.AnanatharAngAchArya Swamy):

"May the Annamaya, PrAnamaya , ManOmaya ,Vij~Anamaya

and Aanandhamaya related to me be purified! May I , who am of

the nature of self-luminous knowledge be divested of

Rajas and Tamas and become sinless.SvAhA !"

 

This is the prayer of the One , who wishes to qualify

himself to perform the Bhagavath AarAdhanam for

the consecrated ArchA Moothy.BhOgyathvam of the Lord

is also propounded by the term "annam " in the 59th manthram

of MahA NaarAyaNopanishad (BhUrannamagnayE pruthIvyai SvAhA).

 

JalAdhi and SayanAdhi Vaasam

******************************

The archA Moorthy to be consecrated is immersed completely

or partially in water and in a reclining form . This is

to recognize the Centrality of the water (Aapa:) tatthvam

in VedAs.Selected passages of Surya NamaskAra Prasnam

alos celebrate this tatthvam .

 

The abhimantraNam of water in all its forms is an

important Vedic concept and many upAsana manthrAs address

this need. The 105th manthram of MahA NaarAyaNopanishad

refers to it tersely: " aapO jyOthirasoamrutham

Brahma BhUrbhuva:ssuvarOm" (" That is Brahman.That is

verily water.Water is the essence of the JyOthi or

the light. That is Brahman, BhUh,Bhuvah and Suvah").

This section is celebrated as part of the Gaayathri

Siras manthram.

 

The 112th manthram of MahA NaarAyaNopanishad is an

abhimanthraNa manthram celebrating the centrality

and greatness of the Waters( aapO vaa idhagum Sarvam..).

This manthram states: " All this is verily waters .

All the entities are waters. The vital airs are waters.

The animals are waters.Waters are nectar.Food is waters;

waters shine out brilliantly.Waters shine out by themselves.

Waters are not having anyother one ruling over them .

The VedAs are waters.The luminary bodies are waters.

Truth is waters. All gods are Waters. BhUrbhuvassvAhA ".

The sections of the manthram salutes the Lord as

"SamrADApO , VirADApo". SamrAD has been described as

the master of All (ananyAdhipathi) and VirAd is recognized

as the VirAd Purushan saluted by the Purusha Soktham.

It is in this context , we have to understand the JalAdhi

Vaasam ritual.

 

The SayanAdhi Vaasam is but natural to Lord RanganAthA

at Srirangam and at the milky ocean. Lord's Yoga Nidhrai

for Jagath RakshaNam has to be linked to SayanAdhi

Vaasam . The ArchA Moorthy is placed in a reclining

pose in this ritual and invoked as ThiruppArkadal Nathan.

FIFTY ONE Paasurams of TEN AzhwArs salute this KshIrAbdhi Naathan

(Sri RanganAthan) along with Kadal MahaL NaacchiyAr

in the VyUhA form in milky ocean under AshtAnga VimAnam .

 

We conclude this essay with prayers to Sriman NaarAyanan

to bless us as His BhakthAs to complete His MahA SamprOkshanam

in the traditonal manner prescribed by the VedAs and Aagamams.

 

"NaarAyaNa Param Brahma Tatthvam NaarAyaNa: Para:

NaarAyaNa ParO JyOthirAthmA NaarAyaNa: Para:"

 

" NaarAyaNa is the Supreme Brahman. He is the Supreme

Reality. He is the Supreme Light . The very same NaarAyana

is the Supreme Self".

 

NaarAyana , NaarAyaNa , NaarAyaNa !

Daasan , V.SatakOpan

[Guest guest]

Sri:

 

 

Namaskaram

 

Is anyone planning to drive from Wash D.C to Pomona ? I was wondering if I

can get a ride ?

 

Rajeev

 

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