[world-vedic] Vedic holidays and yagyas

[Guest guest]

Dear friends, dear Jan,

 

I was browsing through old messages of Vediculture and thought to have

also something to contribute to your request on holidays and yagyas.

 

First let me congratulate you for taking up the study of Vedic

Astrology. Vedic astrology is nowadays often called Maharishi Jyotish

in honour of His Holiness Maharishi Mahesh Yogi who brought in recent

times the entire Vedic Science, including Jyotish, on a reliable and

scientific level from which it can be explained even to Westeners in

their own modern scientific language.

 

The experience of our daily lives show that we are repeatedly

confronted with unforeseen and often unwanted trends and events. To

avert any danger before it may arise, Maharishi Jyotish uses the

technology of Maharishi Yagyas. Yagyas are Vedic performances that

create life-supporting effects in order to amend or avoid any unwanted

tendency before it manifests. Based on Janma Kundali (birth horoscope),

Maharishi Yagyas are recommended by a Maharishi Jyotish expert, taking

into account the expressed desires of the individual for improvement in

specific areas of life.

 

In the Vedic Civilisation Yagyas were part of the regular routine of

individual and public life. They are repeatedly mentioned in the

ancient Vedic texts. For example, the Vishnu Purana says: "Performance

of Yagyas day by day is beneficial to man and bestows peace." (1:6:28)

 

The correct performance of a Yagya from the level of pure consciousness

(Atma) by properly trained Vedic Pandits (experts) is essential. Only

Maharishi Vedic Pandits have been thoroughly trained in India under

Maharishi's guidance to be deeply grounded in the Vedic Tradition and

perform from that silent level of expanded consciousness which will

ensure the most powerful and correct results.

 

And now to the "Vedic/Indian Holidays" as you called it:

There are special days, on which specific Laws of Nature (or Devas -

intelligences guiding and ordering the whole universe) are more lively

and accessible than usual - they were part of common knowledge in

ancient Vedic times. The Vedic calendar of the performance of specific

Yagyas follows this tradition. A Maharishi Yagya performed on such a

day will restore balance in the functioning of these Laws of Nature

effectively and more comprehensively.

 

One such special day, for example, is called "Maha Shiva Ratri" - the

day of Shiva, associated with the quality of silence. Maharishi Yagya

performances on this day enliven the spiritual as well as the material

values in one's consciousness and promote progress in all areas of life.

 

Another special day, called "Maha Lakshmi", represents wealth.

Maharishi yagya performances on this day help to bring prosperity,

growth, and good fortune.

 

"Akshaya Tritiya" is a special day for lasting achievements. "Ekadashi"

is another famous special day - every 11th day of the moon - very

favourable for spiritual activities.

 

Vedic Calendar

Each day of the Vedic Calendar has a different quality and so is

especially favourable to enliven a specific quality of Natural Law. The

Vedic Calendar is NOT man-made. It is based on the functioning of the

Laws of Nature. It is more than just a tool that helps us to keep

proper records for the past and to make appointments for the future (or

celebrate some kind of illusory millenium). It brings the order of

Natural Law into our life. It gives us knowledge about the Laws of

Nature. It tells us on which day a specific Law of Nature is more wide

awake than usual and can be approached with more benefits for our own

life.

 

Through the Maharishi Yagyas we approach and nourish the Laws of

Nature. The Vedic calendar tells us about the rhythms of nature. When

Maharishi Yagyas are performed in accordance with the rhythms of

Nature, our personal life remains in tune with all the Laws of Nature.

In Vedic Civilisation life is lived in uninterrupted spiritual

progress, success, wealth and prosperity.

 

The Vedic texts speak of the 16 digits of the moon. These 16 digits

comprise full moon, new moon and the 14 intervening moon phases (14

days during waxing and 14 days during waning moon). The qualities of

the different days (thitis) are called e.g. New Moon for Pitris, first

day of the moon is Agni, second Ashwini, third day Gauri, fourth day

for Ganesh, fifth Sarpa, sixth Karttikeya etc. etc. ending with

fourteenth day for Shiva, and Full Moon for Soma.

 

(Virtually every day of the Vedic Calendar is a Holiday!!) Every day of

the Vedic Calendar is different from every other day and has its

special flavour. Since the universe is very big and complex, everyone

of the sixteen principal Laws of Nature has many functions. For each

function the respective Law of Nature received a different name.

 

After the creator had finished his creation, the sixteen principal Laws

of Nature took over the administration. Based on the power they had

received, they created further days of the performance of special

Maharishi Yagyas, making sometimes a single day special for several

Devas.

 

Re. your mentioning about the religious festivals: No, the yagyas

performed on these Vedic holidays are not religious in the Christian

sense. As anything that is Vedic, they are scientific procedures and

holistic in their nature. As mentioned above, Vedic Calendar is based

on nature's functiong, not on a human concept, and therefore the Vedic

Sanatan Dharm (Vedic way of life) is an all-encompassing reality. Veda

is nothing religious, esp. not in the narrow Christian sense. Veda

means pure knowledge which forms the basis of all life, whether

scientific, religious, economic, or any other.

 

Here some of the coming special days according to the Vedic Calendar:

14 August 1999 Madhushrava Tritiya (3. thiti - Day of Mother Divine)

14 August 1999 Suvarna Gauri Vrata (3. thiti - Day of Mother Divine)

15 August 1999 Vinayaka Shri Ganesh Chaturthi (4. thiti - Day of Ganesh)

16 August 1999 Naga panchami (5 thiti - Day of Adi Shesha)

16 August 1999 Kalki Jayanti (Day of Vishnu)

19 August 1999 Durga Ashtami (8. thiti - Day of Mother Divine)

22 August 1999 Putrada Ekadashi (11. thiti - Day of Vishnu)

24 Aug (Monday) Bhauma Pradosh (Day of Shiva)

and so on...

2 Sept. 1999 Shri Krishna Janmashtami (Birthday of Krishna)

13 Sept. 1999 Birthday of Ganesh (Day of Maha Ganapati)

 

(Taken from a publication of Maharishi Jyotish and Yagya Programmes,

Postbus 271, 6300 AG Valkenburg, Holland, where you can get a whole

Vedic Calendar)

 

Wishing you all joy and success in Maharishi's Third Year of Global

Administration through Natural Law (Global Vaidic Prashasan).

 

Jai Guru Dev

 

 

Sasha