kANDa r^iShi-s and their significance

[Guest guest]

Respected members,

I received this very informative and illuminating article on kANDa

r^iShi-s and their significance from an esteemed member who wishes to

remain anonymous.

He has requested that I post this to the group on his behalf. I am

very grateful for his detailed discussion of my various questions on

this topic.

 

With namaskAram-s to all vedAbhimAnI-s,

Ramesh

---------

 

Sri:

asmath gurubhyO namaha

asmath parama gurubhyO namaha

asmath sarva gurubhyO namaha

 

Dear Sri Ramesh and other aasthikas,

 

adiyen would like to offer a few more points to the discussion.

 

Readers will be more familiar with the divison of the

samhita-bhagam of the Krishna Yajur Veda (KYV)

into Seven kANDams as follows:

 

I Darsa-Purna-Maasa

II Pasu Vidhanam

III Neuna Karma-Vidhanam

IV Agni-Chiti-Anga Mantra-Patha-Abhidhanam(Agni-Chayana Mantras)

V Ukhya-agni-kathanam

VI soma-mantra-brahmana-nirupanam

VII AshwamEdhA-gata mantrAnam abhidanam

 

The other classification, followed by Bodhayana, Hiranyakesin

and Apastambha mahArishi-s, is the ArshEya-pAtA-kramam.

 

This classification, splits the text of the Samhita/Bramhana/Aranyaka

into Five kANDA-s - each kANDA named after the rshI who played the

major role in the collection of the MantrAs and BrahmanAs - prajApati,

Soma, Agni, Visvedeva and Svyambhuva.

 

Five KhAndA-a of ArshEya-pAtA-kramam of KYV, along with the

"subjects" covered:

 

I prAjApatyAnI:

1.paurodasika

2.yAjamAnA

3.hOtArah

4.hautrA

5.pitra-mEdhA

 

II saumyam

1. AdhvaryAva

2. grahAh

3. dAkshinAnI

4. samishta-yajugaMshI

5. Avabhrta-yajugMshI

6. vAjapEya

7. SukriyAni

8. savAh

 

III Agneyam

1. agni-Adheya

2. agnihOtrA

3. agni-upasthana

4. agni-chayanA

5. sAvitrA

6. nAchiketA

7. chatur-hOtrA

8. vaisva-srjam

9. arunA-kEtu-chayanA

 

 

IV vaisvadEvam

1. rAja-sUyA

2. pasu-bandhA

3. ishtyAha

4. nakshtra-isthI

5. Diva-syEnayah

6. apAgha

7. sattrAyanA

8. upa-homAh

9. sUktanI

10. aupAnuvAkya

11. yAjyAh

12. ashwamAdhA

13. purusha-mEdhA

14. sautrAmanI

15. achidrAni

16. pasu-Hautra

17. upanishadah

 

V svyambhuvam kANDam

1. svAdhyAyA brAmhaNa

 

 

---The sUtrakArA-s of KYV - Bodhayana, Hiranyakesin and

Apastambha rishi-s have all addressesed the

upakarma/utsarjana ceremonies in varying levels of detail-

 

---Apasthambha-grhya-sUtram III.8:

upAkaraNe samApanE cha rishiryah pragyAyatE (1)

sadaspatir-dvitIyaha(2)

 

---hiraNyakEsin-grhya-sUtram Prasna I, patala 2, Section 8:

In the context of the vratha-s observed by the

bramhachArI-student at the beginnig and completion of

the study of a kANDA:

 

"… na tvEvavrathah syath| kANDopakaraNE kANDa-visargE cha|

sadasaspathimadbhutahm priyam-indrasya kamyam |

sanim medhA-mayA-sisham | svAhA | iti kANDa-rshIr-dvitIyah…"

 

 

---hiraNyakEsin-grhya-sUtram Prasna II, patala 8, Section 18:

"aThAth upakaraNothsarajanE vyAkhyAsyAmaH...."

 

The rishi recommends the fortnight that precedes the Sravana

full-moon, under Hasta nakshatra or on the full-moon

day itself for the annual course of opening ceremony of study.

 

vyAhritI oblations are to be made to the rishi-s of the kANDAs,

or to the names of the kANDAs, to the sAvitrI (gAyatrI mantrA),

to the rg-vEda, to the yajur-vEda, to the sAma-vEda, to

the atharvana-vEda, and to sadaspati:

 

"…agnimupsamAdhAya vyahritiparyantam krtvA kANDa-rshI juhOti|

prajApatyE kANDarshayE svAhA| sOmAya kANDarshayE svAhA|

agnayE kANDarshayE svAhA| visvEbhyo devEbhyah kANDarshayE svAhA|

svaymbhuvE kANDarshayE svAhA| iti kANDarshayah kANDanAmAni

vA sAvitrI rg-vEdam yajur-vEdam sAma-vEdam-atharvana-vEdam

sadasaspathimiti|"

Having thus offered oblations, one should repeat the

first three anuvAkA-s, or the beginnings of all kANDA-s.

 

hiraNyakEsin goes on to describes the time and procedure for the utsarjana ceremony.

 

Regarding the position on the yagnopvitham while offering rshI tarpanam:

 

"…niVItin uttharat udIchin-pravaN udakagrairdarbhai:

prAgapavargANyAsanAni kalpayanti visvAmitrAy jamadagnyE bharadvAjAy

gouthmAyAtraAyE vasishTAya kashyapAy.."

 

 

---bodhAyanA-grhya-sUtram Prasna III, adhyAyA-s I and II are on

similar lines to the description given by hiraNyakEsin, but much more

elaborate, This is very similar to that description given by

hiraNyakEsin. Oblations to yagnIkI-devatA, sAmhtI-devata,

vAruNIa-devata are specifically mentioned in this text. The

ArshEya-pAtA-kramam listed out above, is also found here.

 

The shikshavalli that expounds samhitopasana is called "sAMhitI", the

anandavalli and bhriguvalli are called "vAruNI" as the were taught by

varuNA. The mahAnArAyanOpanishad is well known as "yaajniki upanishad"

– Bhagavan Narayana, well known by the name Yagna, is the seer,

and this upanishad expounds the "yagna" of the form of the worship of

the Supreme Lord.

 

[wrt to the question on placement of the yagnopavitham while offering

libation, Prasna II, AdhyAyA II of bodhAyanA-grhya-sUtram says

… aTha vai bhavati nivItammanushyaNAM prachInAvItaM pitrnAM

upavItam dEvanAM iti| ...]

 

 

The kANDa rshI tarpana varies according to the shAkhA. For the KYV,

there are 4 kANDa-rshI-s, 3 upanishad devatas, 1 svAdhyAyA brAmhaNa,

1 Lord of the assembly (sadaspati) – a total of 9 tarpanas are

to be offered.

 

The sAma-vEdins offer around 275 tarpana-s – including the

sapta-rshI-s, the teachers of the sAmA, pravachana kartArA, sacred

rivers, the vamsa-brAmhaNa, devataa-s, and pitarah.

This lineage of rshi-s through whom the sAma-vEda has ben passed is

dealt with in the vamsa-brAmhaNa of the sAma-vEda. The vamsa-brAmhaNa

says that brAmhan learnt the sAma-sampradaya from none because he is

"svyambhU", ie. SvayambhAtavidyA, as Sayana explains – the

knowledge revealed itself to Him.

Perhaps, this explanation can be applied to the svyambhuvam kANDam

(svAdhyAyA brAmhaNa) of the KYV as well.

 

At the conclusion, adiyen would like to reiterate this sentence from

Sri Vijayaraghavan Swamin's article,

(http://www.ramanuja.org/sv/rituals/upakarma/significance.html)

 

"The main purpose of the Upakarma function is to offer prayers and

express our gratitude to those rishis who gave us the Vedas -- the

rishis through whom the Vedic mantras were revealed."

 

The compassionate rshi-s and acharya-s (at the behest of the most

merciful Lord Sriman Narayana) have combined, compressed, and

shortened many of the mandatory karmas just for our "convenience".

UpAkarmA and UtsarjanA signify the beginning and conclusion of the

study of one's shAkhA of the Veda. The veda-adhyAyanam is the most

important part of the ceremonies. Yet, we teach our children that

upakArmA just means "thread-changing ceremony", that reciting veda is

only for "vadyars" and not for us "highly-educated professionals" and

thus totally abandon the study of Veda.

 

Let us take a resolution during this upAkarmA/utsarjanA day as well as

on gAyatri-japam-day that within the next year each one of us will

attempt to learn atleast one sooktam or even one anuvakam of our own

shAkha from a qualified teacher! Purusha-suktam, upanishad,

vedaarambham, veda-sattumurrai, tamil vedam are all great to start

with.

munnivvulaguezhum irul mandiyunna munnivarodu daannavargaL thisaippa

- vandhupannulagai naal-veda porulai-yellaam parimugamaay aruliya

emparaman kaanmin,

(Periya Tirumozhi 7.8.2)

 

All errors above are due to adiyEn's ignorance.

 

srimate sri lakshmi-hayavadana parabramhane namaha!

ramanuja dasan.