Yajna

[Guest guest]

Dear Family,

 

At Devi Mandir, Shree Maa and Swamiji are performing a beautiful

tapasya for the benefit of the Universe. Integral to the Tapasya is

the Homa - the offering of mantras and oblations at the sacrificial

fire . The Fire is always burning and mantras and oblations are being

offered with feeling of pure devotion.

 

Sometimes I feel what is the benefit of this Homa? These doubts arise.

It makes me still, but how does the world benefit, I ask myself.

 

Here is a beautiful article on the Homa and Yajna by Sri Sankaracharya

of Kanchipuram, a great votary of Yajna. It gives meaning to my life.

Hope you like it!

 

Love

srini

 

 

Briefly told, a yajna is making an oblation to a deity in the fire

with the chanting of mantras. In a sense the mantras themselves

constitute the form of the deities invoked. In another sense, the

mantras, like the materials placed in the fire, are the sustanence of

the celestials invoked. They enhance their powers and serve more than

one purpose.

 

We pay taxes to the government. However, the various imposts -

professional tax, land tax, motor vehicles tax, and so on - are

collected by different offices. There are also different stamp papers

for the same. Similarly, for each karma or religious work there is an

individual deity, a separate mantra, a particular material, etc, but

the ultimate goal of all these is dedication to the Supreme God. We

know that different departments are meant for the same government.

Similarly, we must realise that the sacrifices performed for the

various deities have behind them one goal, the Paramatman.

 

The king or president is not personally acquainted with us who pay the

taxes. But Paramesvara, the Supreme Monarch, knows each one of us

better than we know ourselves. He also knows whether we pay the taxes

properly, the taxes called sacrifices. Paramesvara cannot be decieved.

 

As mentioned before, for each sacrifice there are three essential

requirements: the mantra, the material for oblation, and the deity to

be invoked, the three bringing together speech, hand [body] and mind.