jnAnayagna

[Guest guest]

namaste.

 

In my studies of last night, I came across what is called

jnAnayagna, the full description of which is said to be

given in Taittiriya upanishad. Briefly, jnAnayagna is

described as the following. The highest sacrifice a human

can make is the ego (of himself) and this yagna, where the

sacrifice is in this highest form is called jnAnayagna.

The analogy here is strikingly beautiful.

 

First, in any sacrifice (yagna), there should be a performer,

and he should be a gr^ihastha, i.e., one living with his

wife. A particular ground should be selected for the yagna,

cleaned, and decorated and the sacrificial fire should be

set up and fed with the fuel of ashwattha tree and ghee.

The animal for sacrifice should be tied to a pole and

made to die, not by slaughter, but by the force of mantra.

There should be three brahmins reciting the R^ik, sAma and

yajur vedA-s and another brahmin representing the prajApati.

The performer should wear diksha, drink soma juice and

distribute offerings (dakshiNa).

 

In the jnAnayagna, the performer is the Atman, the pure jIvA.

Shraddha, the deep faith in the scriptures and the guru is

the wife. The breast is the sacrificial ground. Tapas

- the destroying of even a germ of desire in the light of

the Knowledge that brahman alone is real - is the fire.

The ghee that is poured in is the attachment. The body

is the sacred fuel for the fire. Krodha, or anger, is the

animal to be sacrificed. The pole to which the animal is

tied is the heart. The force of mantra that kills the animal

is the nidhidhyAsana. The mouth is the ritvik (the brahmin

reciting the R^igveda). The prAna, the life, the breath

is the udgata (the brahmin reciting the sAmaveda). The

eyes (and the other sense organs) is the brahmin reciting

the yajurveda. The mind is the prajApati. The sacrifice

and the diksha last as long as the prANa lasts. Whatever

is eaten and drunk by the performer has the virtue of

soma juice. The offerings made is sAma, the wisdom that

all that exists is brahman.

 

This analogy is beautiful with yagna taking place in the

human body itself and is the highest teaching. I tried to

find the reference in the Taittiriya upanishad which was

quoted as a basis for this. However, I could not find this

analogy in the Taittiriya upanishad. In Chandogya upanishad,

in the early part, I found bits and pieces of this analogy.

I wonder if knowledgeable members can point to me the right

and exact reference in the upanishads where this is presented.

 

 

Regards

Gummuluru Murthy

--------------------------------

[Guest guest]

Namaste Murthygaaru,

 

I found one reference in Brihadaranyaka Upan.:

III:i:3-10.

 

The most concise statement occurs in the Gita XVIII:70 -

 

adhyeshhyate cha yaH ima.n dharmya.n sa.nvaadam aavayoH .

 

j~naa-ya~nena tena aha.n ishhTaH syaam iti me matiH ..

 

And he who will study this sacred dialogue of ours, by him I shall

have been worshipped by the sacrifice of wisdom, I deem.

 

Regards,

 

s.

 

 

 

advaitin, Gummuluru Murthy <gmurthy@m...> wrote:

>

> namaste.

>

> In my studies of last night, I came across what is called

> jnAnayagna, the full description of which is said to be

> given in Taittiriya upanishad. Briefly, jnAnayagna is

> described as the following. The highest sacrifice a human

> can make is the ego (of himself) and this yagna, where the

> sacrifice is in this highest form is called jnAnayagna.

> The analogy here is strikingly beautiful.

>

> First, in any sacrifice (yagna), there should be a performer,

> and he should be a gr^ihastha, i.e., one living with his

> wife. A particular ground should be selected for the yagna,

> cleaned, and decorated and the sacrificial fire should be

> set up and fed with the fuel of ashwattha tree and ghee.

> The animal for sacrifice should be tied to a pole and

> made to die, not by slaughter, but by the force of mantra.

> There should be three brahmins reciting the R^ik, sAma and

> yajur vedA-s and another brahmin representing the prajApati.

> The performer should wear diksha, drink soma juice and

> distribute offerings (dakshiNa).

>

> In the jnAnayagna, the performer is the Atman, the pure jIvA.

> Shraddha, the deep faith in the scriptures and the guru is

> the wife. The breast is the sacrificial ground. Tapas

> - the destroying of even a germ of desire in the light of

> the Knowledge that brahman alone is real - is the fire.

> The ghee that is poured in is the attachment. The body

> is the sacred fuel for the fire. Krodha, or anger, is the

> animal to be sacrificed. The pole to which the animal is

> tied is the heart. The force of mantra that kills the animal

> is the nidhidhyAsana. The mouth is the ritvik (the brahmin

> reciting the R^igveda). The prAna, the life, the breath

> is the udgata (the brahmin reciting the sAmaveda). The

> eyes (and the other sense organs) is the brahmin reciting

> the yajurveda. The mind is the prajApati. The sacrifice

> and the diksha last as long as the prANa lasts. Whatever

> is eaten and drunk by the performer has the virtue of

> soma juice. The offerings made is sAma, the wisdom that

> all that exists is brahman.

>

> This analogy is beautiful with yagna taking place in the

> human body itself and is the highest teaching. I tried to

> find the reference in the Taittiriya upanishad which was

> quoted as a basis for this. However, I could not find this

> analogy in the Taittiriya upanishad. In Chandogya upanishad,

> in the early part, I found bits and pieces of this analogy.

> I wonder if knowledgeable members can point to me the right

> and exact reference in the upanishads where this is presented.

>

>

> Regards

> Gummuluru Murthy

> --------------------------------