To Chris and Srini about Use of Swaha (was Prana Pratishta)

[Guest guest]

Dear Chris and Srini ~ thank you for all this information. I am still

confused. How do I differentiate when it is okay to say Swaha and when it is not

supposed to be used, for example, when reciting the Chandi or the Advanced Shiva

Puja, or the shorter Ganesha Puja contained within? Is there a particular

rule that guides this, or do you just have to know every case? Even though I

love to say Swaha (who wouldn't?), I am reluctant to use it at all without

knowing what is proper.

 

And to Chris ... the mantra you posted is so beautiful. I would love to use

it. Do you know the translation? I always like to know the translation of

whatever I am reading or saying in Sanskrit. Thank you again, and for any

additional clarity you can offer ~ Linda

 

Chris wrote to Srini:

 

> I don't want to engender confusion here, but I think Linda may have

> been thinking that one never says "svaha" at the end of any mantra

> unless one is at the fire.

>

> You correctly said the when offering various mantras at the fire one

> substitutes "svaha" for "namaha", and the opposite, "namaha" for

> "svaha" when not at the fire. But there are some mantras that, as far

> as I know, are intended to end in svaha, whether at the fire or not.

>

> I think there is a need to differentiate between mantras for the

> offering, and mantras for the ceremony or kushandika (the mantras for

> the puja that is introductory to the offering, ie., path or homa).

>

> One of my favorites, for instance is, "Om, aksha mala dhipataye

> susiddhim dehi dehi sarva, mantrartha sadhini sadhaya sadhaya sarva

> siddhim, parikalpaya parikalpaya me svaha."

>

> This is part of the prayer to (as I conceive it) the consciousness of

> shabda (the Power of subtle sound) to open all the mantras to me.

>

> "Svaha" is supposed to be part of this mantra.

[Guest guest]

Linda,

 

I thought you might've been confused.

 

You will find the mantra on the top of page nineteen (in my edition).

It follows all the mantras (incl. gayatri) for the aratrikam, and is

the last of three to the subtle form of mantra.

 

As to your main question, I would rather that Swamiji, or someone with

more experience than I would answer, but I will try. As I mentioned in

my previous post, we can distinguish between the mantras which are

part of the preperatory puja, and those which are actually offered to

the fire, or, if there is no fire, offered to the divine.

 

It might be easier if you had found your Chandi Path...If you have any

of your other pujas, excepting the beginning Shiva Puja, please

compare the mantras of that/those puja(s) with the mantras in The

Advanced Shiva Puja, from the beginning (after the sadhana pancakam)

to the start of the Ganesha Puja (pg. 43 in my edition). You will see

that, with certain exceptions, notably the dhyanams, and the mula

mantras, the mantras are the same. These mantras comprise (as I

understand) this tradition's basic puja, minus the offerings.

 

As Nanda explained two years ago, when we went through the Chandi on

line, this part is known as the kushandika, but I no longer remember

what kushandika means (help here?). Following these mantras the Chandi

(the offering) begins.

 

Similarly, though the Advanced Shiva Puja contains more than one puja

(so it's less cohesive), it is the same. Before we even light the

fire, the introductory puja is done. Then the fire is lighted, and

then the offering is made.

 

An easy way to think about it is that the offering is usually

something "extra", or something "added on" to the beginning puja. It's

usually something like the offering of a certain number of malas of a

mantra, the recitation of the names of a diety (thousand names), or

the recitation of a scripture.

 

As you spend more time with these pujas and paths I think the

distinctions will become more clear to you. In the meantime, perhaps,

unless you are actually at the fire, just say them as they are written

in the books and you'll be alright.

 

If I seemed unclear about this, it's because I don't have a firm

grasp, myself, on the intricacies of puja. I just hope I haven't

confused you even more.

 

Jai Maa!

Chris

 

, nierika wrote:

>

>

> Dear Chris and Srini ~ thank you for all this information. I am still

> confused. How do I differentiate when it is okay to say Swaha and

when it is not

> supposed to be used, for example, when reciting the Chandi or the

Advanced Shiva

> Puja, or the shorter Ganesha Puja contained within? Is there a

particular

> rule that guides this, or do you just have to know every case? Even

though I

> love to say Swaha (who wouldn't?), I am reluctant to use it at all

without

> knowing what is proper.

>

> And to Chris ... the mantra you posted is so beautiful. I would love

to use

> it. Do you know the translation? I always like to know the

translation of

> whatever I am reading or saying in Sanskrit. Thank you again, and

for any

> additional clarity you can offer ~ Linda

>

> Chris wrote to Srini:

>

> > I don't want to engender confusion here, but I think Linda may have

> > been thinking that one never says "svaha" at the end of any mantra

> > unless one is at the fire.

> >

> > You correctly said the when offering various mantras at the fire one

> > substitutes "svaha" for "namaha", and the opposite, "namaha" for

> > "svaha" when not at the fire. But there are some mantras that, as far

> > as I know, are intended to end in svaha, whether at the fire or

not.

> >

> > I think there is a need to differentiate between mantras for the

> > offering, and mantras for the ceremony or kushandika (the mantras for

> > the puja that is introductory to the offering, ie., path or homa).

> >

> > One of my favorites, for instance is, "Om, aksha mala dhipataye

> > susiddhim dehi dehi sarva, mantrartha sadhini sadhaya sadhaya sarva

> > siddhim, parikalpaya parikalpaya me svaha."

> >

> > This is part of the prayer to (as I conceive it) the consciousness of

> > shabda (the Power of subtle sound) to open all the mantras to me.

> >

> > "Svaha" is supposed to be part of this mantra.

>

[Ramayogi]

is it pronounced "svaha" or "swaha"?