kANDa r^iShi-s and their significance

[Guest guest]

SrI:

 

Dear Sriman Ramesh Srinivasan :

 

Thanks very much for the most informative article on kANDa r^ishis " .

 

This year , we are blessed to recieve insightful articles on the true

significance of UpAkarma .

 

I will try to assemble all these interconnected articles

under one roof in the Sadagopan.org web pages soon

in the Vaidhika anushtAnam section of Sadagopan.org

for ready reference :

 

http://www.sadagopan.org

 

Our collective thanks are to your knowledgable friend .

 

There is another important posting on the true significance of UpAkarma

from Dr. Sridhar that arrived today . I will post it also for the enjoyment of

readers .

 

NamO Veda PurushAya ,

V.Sadagopan

 

 

 

-

Ramesh Srinivasan

Oppiliappan

Cc: ;

Tuesday, August 16, 2005 3:06 AM

kANDa r^iShi-s and their significance

 

 

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.

 

 

 

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