Ayush - is the prayer -(7)

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"jayasartn" <jayasree_saranathan

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Thursday, November 10, 2005 2:52 AM

Ayush - is the prayer -(7)

 

 

SRIMATHE RAMANUJAYA NAMAHA.

 

Continuing from part 6, the yajnas at every level right from the

Brahma deva onwards are being done, so that Creation can go on and

mankind can go on.

 

For the yajnas at man's level, namely the pancha yajnas (Brahma,

deva, pithru, bhootha and manushya), what is aimed at is sustenance

and continuation of man kind . At the individual level, what the doer

(of yajna) gets is long life!

 

Food is eaten and water drunk, mainly to keep up the life in the body

going.

 

"The prana said: "What will be my food?"

They answered: "Whatever food there is-including that of dogs and

birds."

The Upanishad says: All that is eaten is the food of the ana. Ana is

his (i.e. the prana's) direct name. For one who knows this, there

exists nothing which is not food.

 

He said: "What will be my dress?"

They answered: "Water." Therefore when people eat they cover him (the

prana), both before and after eating, with water. Thus the prana

obtains clothing." (Chandogya)

 

The above passage is explained in other upanishads too in the context

of why people sip water during various kriyas, like in the middle of

some mantras, before eating food etc. The prana is satisfied then and

the Auyush is extended by such mantras-related - water-sipping.

 

But why should prana, the vital breath be nurtured? Why should one

seek to live in this mortal body? The answer is this:

 

(1) It is for realizing that deity whom he worships. If he worships

prana as Brahman, then It is Brahman. He attains Brahma hood.

 

"Now there is this verse (sloka):

The gods observed the vow of that from which the sun rises and in

which it sets. This vow is followed today and this will be followed

tomorrow. The sun rises verily from the prana (the vital breath in

its cosmic form) and also sets in it. The gods even today observe the

same vow which they observed then.

 

Therefore a man should observe a single vow-he should perform the

functions of the prana and apana (respiration and excretion), lest

the evil of death should overtake him. And if he performs them, let

him try to complete them. Through this he obtains identity with that

deity, or lives in the same world with it." (Brihadaranyaka -Part 1

chapter 3 - verse 23)

 

There are many verses from different Upanishads, which glorify Prana

as Brahman.

 

(2) Long life is needed to perform the various karmas and for

supporting other components of Creation.

 

It is like continuing in the same sthithi or state at the optimal

level. A man is born in this world, then it is necessary that he

makes use of the birth to the maximum level possible. This can happen

only if he lives long. Longevity can be possible only if he is

disease-free. The rishis did not think of having diseases and

managing them in order to live long. Longevity happens if one remains

disease-free. Therefore almost every action that man did had this

component of doing something for disease-free life which means

ensuring longevity.

 

The nithya karmas were designed precisely for this.

 

The sandhya vandana mantras for Sama veda upasakas are more explicit

in asking for long life than the manthras for other Vedas, though

they too are designed for the same purpose.

 

On seeing the sun every day, the man realizes that a day in his

life is gone. So his prayer is for -`may I see you for a hundred

years.' This is explicit in noon- vandana for all, whereas in the

twilight vandana, the Sun Himself and the Lord who is in the Sun

Himself blesses the worshipper with a hundred years.

 

Again it is because the sun moves to a new position with reference to

other celestial beings, once after every 60 years (due to the

completion of one wobble every 60 years), does the man who has lived

to see the Sun for 60 years, finds himself `born again' and prays for

another round of life on his 61st birth day.

 

A man can live long only when he is free of diseases and lives long

when he is not afflicted with sins. That is why this component of

removal of sins is also included in sandhya vandana.

 

The Pancha yajnas also have laid down that when one eats after having

made the oblations to the 5 people, he can not be said to have sinned

or robbed his food from Nature. Since food and water are the two main

components that make the prana or vital air go on, these two are

offered in the pancha yajna and in nithya karmas.

 

"Some say that food is Brahman; but this is not so, for food decays

without the vital breath (prana). Others say that the vital breath is

Brahman; but this is not so, for the vital breath dries up without

food. These two deities (food and the vital breath), when they become

united, attain the highest state (Brahmanhood). Thus reflecting,

Pratrida said to his father: "What good, indeed, can I do him who

knows this and what evil can I do him either?"

His father answered, stopping him with a gesture of his hand: "Oh,

no, Pratrida; for who would attain the highest merely by being

identified with these two?"

Further, he (the father) said to him this: "It is vi; food is verily

vi, for all these creatures rest (visanti) on food. It is ram; the

vital breath is ram, for all these creatures delight (ramante) in the

vital breath." All creatures rest on him, all creatures delight in

him, who knows this." (Brihada)

 

Thus man's long life is needed for others also who depend on him. Of

the 4 ashrama dharmas, the importance of the Grihastha is stressed

precisely for this reason. The entire Nature around him depends on

him and therefore he needs to live long.

 

The devas need him for mutual help. The living beings need him for

their sustenance. And pithrus need him for their own betterment and

for the sake of well-being of future progeny. (details in a future

post).

 

That is why in every day life, we find many instances when elders or

others around us bless us with long life.

 

( A list of this found in Shanti parva, MB chapter 191)

 

When some sneezes, we have to invoke the power of our speech to

guarantee that the person's life is not lessened by the disturbance

to his prana (in inhalation and exhalation). We say `Dheergaayushmaan

bhava'. When he sneezes again, we make our vow strong by blessing

him `sadhaayushmaan bhava'. There are other times too when others in

the vicinity must ensure that a person is blessed with long life.

 

Bheeshma lists those occasions as

 

-when one sees another taking bath (because by bathing, it means a

day in his life is gone and another day has arrived.)

 

-when one sees a person in ill-health.

 

- when one sees a person shaving (even now we can hear some old

timers say that they are going for `aayush-karma' while going to

have a hair-cut) (I leave the implication to the interpretation of

the readers).

 

During all these instances, one must say "aayushyam".

 

Again one when one offers food to someone, he must say "sampannam" -

`wealth' - may this food give him the wealth of aayush. (because

food nurtures prana)

 

The receiver of the food must in turn say, `su-sampannam' - good

wealth -as a mark of acceptance and also to bless the giver that he

too gets better wealth of longevity (by this offer of food) (because

he is not robbing the Nature by not having the food for himself alone

but by giving someone else what he has received - this is yajna which

was discussed in the previous post).

 

And now most of you would be surprised to know what one must say when

one offers water to some one.

 

It is `tarpaNam'!!

 

The receiver of water must return the wish `su-tarpaNAm'.

 

The food goes to nourish one's self. The water also goes to nourish

one's self or prana or vita air.

 

But water has another unique purpose too.

 

The water goes to nourish `them'.

 

For, tarpaNam means `tasmai arpaNAm' - offering to `him' (or someone

else who is not there.) (This is used in neuter gender also)

 

When we offer something to God in the course of our regular puja, we

just say, `samarpayaami'- I am offering to you.

 

But when the offering is made to someone who is not present in front

of us or who is not directly receiving the offer from us, it is

tarpaNam - offered to someone in 3rd person.

 

And this tarpaNam is always of water!! When we offer water to the

thirsty, we also pray `let this reach them'

 

And the receiver also acknowledges `let this be su-tarpaNam - good

tarpaNam'.

 

 

 

What a wonderful way of thinking, talking, doing and offering that

has been bequeathed to us!!

 

So may we all live long to preserve and transfer this knowledge to

posterity!

 

What a wonderful way of mutual dependence that this dharma has given

to us!!

 

So may we all live long to render our squirrel's contribution in this

Grand design of the Lord starting from Brahma deva onwards!

 

What a wonderful way of living that has been taught to us, so that

we don't sin, but always pay back whatever we have received from

others, so that we can be debt-free!! (this is what tarpaNAm is all

about - details in another mail).

 

So may we all live long enough to shed all our karmas and become

eligible to be embraced by Brahman!

 

The Peace Chant

Om. May the different limbs of my body, my tongue, prana, eyes, ears

and my strength and also all the other sense-organs be nourished!

All, indeed, is Brahman, as is declared in the Upanishads. May I

never deny Brahman! May Brahman never deny me! May there never be

denial on my part! May all the virtues described in the Upanishads

belong to me, who am devoted to Atman! Yea, may they all belong to me!

Om. Peace! Peace! Peace!

 

Appendix:-

 

(Brihadaranyaka upanishad -Part 5 -Chapter XIII)

 

Meditation on the Vital Breath

1

 

One should meditate on the vital breath as the Uktha. The vital

breath is the Uktha, for it raises up (utthapayati) all this

universe. From him who knows this there is raised a son who is a

knower of the vital breath and he wins union with and abode in the

same world as the Uktha.

 

2

 

One should meditate upon the vital breath as the Yajus. The vital

breath is the Yajus, for all these beings are united (yujyante) with

one another if the vital breath is present. All beings are united to

give eminence to him who knows this and he wins union with and abode

in the same world as the Yajus (vital breath).

 

3

 

One should meditate upon the vital breath as the Saman. The vital

breath is the Saman, for all these beings meet (samyanchi) if the

Saman (vital breath) is present. For the sake of him who knows this

all beings are united and they succeed in giving him eminence; and he

wins union with and abode in the same world as the Saman.

 

4

 

One should meditate upon the vital breath as the Kshatra. The vital

breath is the Kshatra, for the vital breath protects (trayate) the

body from wounds (khanitoh). He who knows this attains the Kshatra

(vital breath) which needs no other protector and he wins union with

and abode in the same world as the Kshatra.

 

(To be continued)

 

Regards,