The different steps in a Homa and their significance - Part Two

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The different steps in a Homa and their significance

 

 

During a homa, various rituals are performed successively in order

to activate various energies and to also develop the right emotion

to perform the homa. Some of these rituals are common and must be

observed before every homa. After these rituals are performed, the

main homa would begin wherein the rituals differ depending on which

deity you invoke. The common rituals for every homa are as follows:

 

Pavitra Dharanam & Prarthana

At this time, the performer as well as the other persons who are

participating in a homa pray for the cleansing of their hearts and

seek divine blessings of their ancestors and other divine beings.

Having prayed thus, they wear a ring made of Darbha grass, which is

known to repel negative energies, on the ring finger of their right

hand.

 

 

Achamanam & Siromarjanam:

Specially made copper vessels called Panchapatras are kept filled

with water. (Note: during a homa, iron or steel vessels are not used

because of their low spiritual energies. Silver, copper, bronze,

brass or clay is preferred.) Water is taken with the left hand with

a special copper spoon called udraneeya on to the cavity of the

right palm and sipped three times chanting the names of Lord Vishnu.

This procedure is to cleanse our body and mind & is followed by

siromarjanam wherein the performers take water in the udraneeya and

sprinkle water on their heads with their right thumb. The mantra

chanted here means, ` whatever be the condition of my body, sacred

or unsacred, by the very chanting of your divine names, I sanctify

this body of mine in order to receive auspicious energies.'

 

 

Sthala Shuddhi

This is a ritual wherein the performer takes water unto his right

palm and chants a mantra which says, ` all you negative spirits who

are trying to hinder our spiritual practices, immediately be gone

and give way for the auspicious energies to enter our lives.

Thereafter, the water is sprinkled all around to ward away these

evil forces. Then the performer takes a vessel filled preferably

with turmeric water and chants mantras inviting higher beings and

sages and simultaneously sprinkles the water with mango leaves or

Darbha grass in all eight directions. Sthala shuddhi is a

purificatory rite.

 

 

Mahaganapati Pooja

In the Hindu scriptures, the elephant headed God, Ganesha is always

worshipped in the beginning of any ritual, for his blessings ensure

that the whole procedure would move smoothly unhindered by any

external obstacles at any stage. Lord Ganesha is invoked into a

conical figure made by mixing turmeric powder and water. Turmeric is

considered very auspicious and is therefore used to represent Lord

Ganesha. Thereafter, a method of worship involving sixteen steps is

performed to please Lord Ganesha. This is called Shodashopachara

Pooja. All these steps are symbolical representations of the various

forms of expressing reverence like offering the deity a golden

throne to be seated, washing his feet, washing his hands, offering

him water to drink, ceremonial bathing with sacred waters, offering

new clothes, anointing him with sandal paste and other perfumes,

adorning of jewels, worshipping with flowers, offering of fragrant

incense, lighting the lamp, offering food, fruits and sweet drinks,

chanting his praises, offering Arati and finally prostrating to him

and seeking his blessings. This Shodashopachara Pooja is done to all

the important deities in every homa.

 

 

Kalasha Pooja

This is a very important step in the homa for it is here that we

invoke the main deity of the homa. If it is a Gayatri homa, Goddess

Gayatri is invoked; in a sudarshana homa, Lord Sudarshana is invoked

and so on. The deity is invoked and worshipped in the Kalasha, which

is a copper pot filled with water. A coconut is placed over the

mouth of the Kalasha and the coconut is surrounded by five or seven

mango leaves. This kalasha is further decorated with flower garlands

and a cloth is draped over it. The Kalasha is placed at the North-

Eastern corner of the Homa kunda or the sacrificial pit.

Shodashopachara Pooja is performed to the respective deities in the

kalasha. Yet another significance of the Kalasha is that it absorbs

all the positive energies generated during the homa and hence the

divine water in the Kalasha is sprinkled upon and distributed to the

participants at the end of the homa. This water becomes charged with

all the divine energies and has immense healing powers.

 

 

Sri Bhagavati Bhagavan Pooja

All the homas performed by the members of the Golden Age Foundation

are guided by the divine energies of the divine avatars, Sri Kalki &

Amma and therefore Shodashopachara Pooja is performed to them

seeking their blessings.

 

 

Agni Pratishtapanam, Dhyanam & Agni alankaranam

Here, the sacrificial pit or Homa kunda is sanctified by chanting

mantras, before the fire god Agni is invoked. Sticks from select

trees are only used for homas. Mostly, the stisks of the Pipal tree

are used. They are called Samidh in Sanskrit. Samidh is burned in a

vessel till it is red hot and then the main performer goes to the

south eastern corner of the homa kunda and slowly pours the red hot

samidh into the kunda over the pile of samidh and darbha grass which

is already placed inside. Then, amidst chantings, the performer

gently blows the red-hot samidh and the fire rises up. Thereafter,

ghee is offered and the participants meditate upon Agni. The success

of a homa very much depends upon how the participants relate to the

fire god Agni , because he serves as the medium between this mortal

world and the other mystical worlds. After agni dhyanam or

meditating on Agni is done, the fire god is decorated by placing

flowers on the eight corners of the homa kunda amidst chantings.

Water is sprinkled on all the four sides of the kunda and thus Agni

becomes ready to accept the offerings offered to him.

 

 

Sankalpam:

This is like the heart of the homa. The entire homa depends upon the

Sankalpa or the strong will of the participants. Each homa is

performed for a definite purpose and it is this purpose that the

performer and participants clearly hold within their hearts as they

take Sankalpa. The Sankalpa mantra itself is a very clear

declaration stating ` According to the Indian Solar Calendar, in

this particular year named thus (Indian astrology considers a cycle

of sixty years with sixty distinct names), in this month, in this

season, on this day of the brighter/darker phase of the moon, at a

time when this particular constellation is ruling (each day is

supposed to be ruled by one of the twenty seven important stellar

constellations called Nakshatras); I am performing this particular

homa to invoke and please this deity under the guidance of Sri Kalki

& Amma for this individual/family, who is/are born under this sign

of the zodiac and ruled by this Nakshatra.'

 

 

Pradhana homa

Pradhana homa means `the main homa'. This is when the main mantra

pertaining to the Pradhana Devata or the main deity is chanted 108

times continuously. Along with the chanting of the Moola mantra or

the main mantra, various Ahutis or offerings like nine grains,

medicinal herbs, dry fruits, rice cooked in ghee, cooked rice mixed

with jaggery, silver flowers, gold flowers, black sesame seeds and

various others are offered into the fire. The offerings are never

the same and differ from homa to homa because each deity responds to

a particular offering. All these details about the various ahutis

for various homas are already stated in the Indian scriptures and

have been followed meticulously over the ages by people. The common

offerings for every homa are Samidh and ghee. In the scientific

sense, each of these ahutis generate energies or vibrations of a

particular frequency and in that frequency, that particular deity

becomes accessible. So one must not mistake that how can this food

be transported via fire to the deity. It is the vibrations generated

that help us communicate to the deities.

 

 

Jayadi homa:

The name itself suggests that this homa is for victory; for the

success of all that we have done so far. During this procedure,

mantras are chanted to appease the various forces of nature like

wind, sun, moon, earth, rains, oceans, etc. the performer also

expresses gratitude to all these forces of nature for it is with

their cooperation that the homa has been possible.

 

 

Purnahuti homa

The name itself speaks `complete offering', meaning complete

offering away of oneself. The participants are here made to feel

deep within their hearts as to how finally what they seek for must

come as the Divine blessing. They can only put efforts to a certain

extent in the physical realm but beyond that things have to just

happen and they must only surrender to the divine will and wait in

gratitude. Externally, this feeling is symbolized by the final ahuti

which includes dry coconut, nine grains, nine gems, five metals

(silver, gold, copper, zinc & brass), betel leaves, betel nuts, dry

fruits, medicinal herbs, sandal wood sticks, saffron and any other

particular ahutis wrapped up in a silk cloth. The colour of the silk

cloth again varies from homa to homa. Like for Gayatri, sudarshana,

durga homas, the colour used is red. For, vidya homa, rudra homa

etc., it is white and for Kubera Homa, it is green and so on. This

bundle of offerings is drenched in ghee amidst vedic chantings and

then offered into the Homa kunda. The offering of the Purnahuti

marks the completion of the homa.

 

 

Pradakshinam, Namaskaram & Prasthanam:

Thereafter, the performers and participants get up and go round the

homa kunda three times in the clockwise direction and prostrate

before the homa kunda. Thereafter Prasthanam is done which is the

ceremonious send-off for all the higher beings and deities who have

graced the homa. Mantras expressing gratitude are chanted here and

the deities are requested to return to their respective abodes.