Divine qualities-yajna

February 15, 2010

Dandavat pranams to all!!!

We now come to the sixth named quality, yajna (sacrifice), the third in the group which Swami Chinmayananda placed together in his commentary along with daana (charity) and dama (control of the senses). Relinquishing the sway of the senses over the mind, relinquishing the sway of the idea that anything is mine, one should practice with the spirit of yajna in all things.

Chapter 16- Verse 1...the divine qualitiesThe Yoga of the Division Between the Divine and the Demoniacal

Sri Bhagavaan Uvaacha: Abhayam sattwasamshuddhih jnaanayogavyavasthitih; Daanam damashcha yajnashcha swaadhyaayastapa aarjavam. (BG 16.1)[Declaring the first attributes of the list of the divine qualities, ] The Blessed Lord said: Fearlessness, purity of heart, steadfastness in Yoga and knowledge, alms-giving, control of the senses, sacrifice, study of scriptures, austerity and straightforwardness

In his Shankara Bhashya, Swami Gambiranda wrote: "yajnah, sacrifices-Agnihotra etc. sanctioned by the Vedas, and sacrifices in honour of gods and others [Others: Those in honour of the manes, humans and other beings. Brahma-yajna, the fifth sacrifice, is referred to separately by svadhyaya.] sanctioned by the Smrtis: svadhyayah, study of the Rg-veda etc. for unseen results."

Swami Chinmayananda wrote: "In the Vedic period, SACRIFICE (Yajna) was the day-to-day devotional ritualism that the average man of spiritual seeking diligently practised. Without this regular prayer-cum-puja --- which is the substitute for Yajna available for us --- control of the sense-organs will be impossible, and without this control, the spirit of charity cannot come. In the absence of both daana and dama, spiritual experience of the Self, recognition of the Divine within us, is impossible. It is interesting to note that each subsequent term in this list is logically connected with the one indicated immediately before."

And Swami Sivanananda defines it thus:

6. Sacrifice (Yajna): "The fire worship (agnihotra or havan) and the like enjoined in the Vedas and also the sacrifice to the gods (deva-yajna) or worship of the gods, Pitr-ajna, Bhuta-Yajna, Manusya-Yajna and Brahma-Yajna enjoined in the scriptures (smrtis)."

Even a cursory online glance at the specific ritualistic ceremonies outlined in the commentaries above reveals why, in that form, they are limited to a very few individuals falling into very specific categories, of which most of us are not members. But to think that for one minute the Lord would limit the meaning of yagna to so narrow a scope is to have no faith in His mercy. As Swami Chinmayanandaji points out in his commentary, prayer and puja is for our time (Kali yuga) the subsitute for the sacrifice of the Vedic period. This is why it is helpful to attend puja or abishekam rituals, not for the mundane, samsara extending, purpose of seeking rewards, not for the useless purpose of show or for the mere sake of ritual, but for the purification of the heart and mind, sattwasamshuddhih. The root "yaj' means to worship. When yajna is performed with a spirit of yajna, Divinity dances in the heart.

Since that which is offered into the fire is believed to reach Divinity, I view the aarati as a yagna of sorts. When one waves the aarati plate of fire before the deity, the whole purpose of it is to do so in a spirit of surrender of the ego to the fires of Truth and knowledge represented by that form, the giving up of the illusion of "I and mine" to the glory of the Self. But this yajna is not something to be limited to a ritual performed in the temple or at one's personal pujya (altar). Yajna should pervade every moment, every action, every thought in constant remembrance of the Lord...

In BG Chapter 3, Lord Krishna tells Arjuna:

Yajnaarthaat karmano’nyatra loko’yam karmabandhanah;Tadartham karma kaunteya muktasangah samaachara.The world is bound by actions other than those performed for the sake of sacrifice; do thou, therefore, O son of Kunti, perform action for that sake (for sacrifice) alone, free from attachment! (BG 3.9)

Karma brahmodbhavam viddhi brahmaakshara samudbhavam;Tasmaat sarvagatam brahma nityam yajne pratishthitam.Know thou that action comes from Brahma, and Brahma proceeds from theImperishable. Therefore, the all-pervading (Brahma) ever rests in sacrifice. (BG 3.15)

Mira Bai was the embodiment of true yagna in her actions, all of them dedicated to Lord Krishna. Her poetry and her bhajans are ever a source of inspiration on the true spirit of devotion and sacrifice. Permit me to share this poem which was sent to me today...

Do not mention the name of love,O my simple-minded companion.Strange is the pathWhen you offer your love.Your body is crushed at the first step.If you want to offer loveBe prepared to cut off your headAnd sit on it.Be like the moth,Which circles the lamp and offers its body.Be like the deer, which, on hearing the horn,Offers its head to the hunter.Be like the partridge,Which swallows burning coalsIn love of the moon.Be like the fishWhich yields up its lifeWhen separated from the sea.Be like the bee,Entrapped in the closing petals of the lotus.Mira's lord is the courtly Giridhara.She says: Offer your mindTo those lotus feet.

Hare Krishna!!!

February 24, 2010

Someone posted this excerpt over at Harsha's sangha, and it struck me as quite relevant to the spirit of yajna in the Gita. What exactly is it we are sacrificing? One can write endlessly about the mind and how it works, and creation and how it never happened, but can one give up all of this and sacrifice the mind and the endless chatter that goes along with it? There is so much talk about negation. It is just as important to affirm the all-pervading Brahman. And much easier if done with a sense of surrender, but that surrender cannot come as long as the mind is busy creating all sorts of logistics and concepts and primrose paths :-)

THE ESSENCE OF RIBHU GITAThe following verses constitute the teachings of Siva to Ribhu,who in turn transmits those teachings to his disciple Nidhaga Rishi.The treatise goes by the name Ribhu Gita.The Videha Mukta23. Anything seen as other than Brahman-Self is bound tocause fear and trouble. Therefore, it behooves one to stick to thesingle attitude that everything sensed is Brahman-Self alone. Indue course even this one thought must be given up, in order toabide firmly in the free undisturbed blissful state of the soleBrahman-Self. (Ch.15, v.5)24. The total discarding of the mind is alone victory,achievement, bliss, yoga, wisdom and liberation. The sacrificeof the mind is, in fact, the totality of all sacred sacrifices.(Ch.15, v.7)25. The firm denial of the existence of the mind and thefirm belief in the existence of Brahman-Self, is the sure way tothe conquest of mind, leading to the experience of the soleeffulgent Self. (Ch.15, v.11)

February 24, 2010

In advaitin , " Radhe " <shaantih wrote:

>

> ...What exactly is it we are sacrificing? One can write endlessly about the

mind and how it works, and creation and how it never happened, but can one give

up all of this and sacrifice the mind and the endless chatter that goes along

with it? There is so much talk about negation. It is just as important to

affirm the all-pervading Brahman. And much easier if done with a sense of

surrender, but that surrender cannot come as long as the mind is busy creating

all sorts of logistics and concepts and primrose paths :-)

>

Dear Radhe, Namaskar

I hope you will receive this observation on your recent posting with a

constructive spirit.

Although it sounds " correct " what you are suggesting, if one tries to go " behind

the words " of your posting we can feel a very judgmental attitude towards other

beings whose primary means of investigation of their real nature, or, the

connection with Bhagavan, is primarily via the intellectual inquiry and

philosophical discussion. It is a pattern of the mind, that very same kind of

mind (ego) you are suggesting to surrender, to judge the actions of others from

the vantage point of view of what " we " feel is the righteous way to approach the

Path.

Surrender not only implies to know deeply " what " we are surrendering but also to

" whom " we are surrendering it.

Heart and intellect should work together in this endeavor, and not overriding

each other.

When Ribbhu Gita speaks about surrendering the mind, it is clearly talking about

that mind that feels separate from the whole, the sense of self-centeredness,

and the consequent fear that arises when our world is challenged due to that

same sense of separation from Bhagavan. It has nothing to do with the " buddhi " .

My Guruji, Bhagavan Ramana also used to launch merciless attacks on the " pandit

mind " and the useless discussions that sometimes take us out of direction, but

it was always aimed to specific individuals that came to challenge him under the

umbrella of " I know what I'm talking about, now let's see what you know! " . He

also had a deep " experiential " knowledge of the shastras and could discuss at

eye-level with any pandit of any " denomination " crossing his way. His heart was

soaked of Arunachala, his intellect soaked of Pure Advaita Vedanta. He is the

example I try to follow.

Ultimately, one can only speak for oneself, because in the final analysis,

" others " , are just part of it.

Yours in Him (whatever that means),

Mouna

February 24, 2010

Dear Mouna, dandavat pranams to you!!!

I am sorry you did not take my posting in the spirit in which it was intended :-)

Please accept my apologies if I offended you.

Radhe

-

carlosartista2000

advaitin

Tuesday, February 23, 2010 8:29 PM

Re: Divine qualities-yajna

In advaitin , "Radhe" <shaantih wrote:>> ...What exactly is it we are sacrificing? One can write endlessly about the mind and how it works, and creation and how it never happened, but can one give up all of this and sacrifice the mind and the endless chatter that goes along with it? There is so much talk about negation. It is just as important to affirm the all-pervading Brahman. And much easier if done with a sense of surrender, but that surrender cannot come as long as the mind is busy creating all sorts of logistics and concepts and primrose paths :-)> Dear Radhe, NamaskarI hope you will receive this observation on your recent posting with a constructive spirit.Although it sounds "correct" what you are suggesting, if one tries to go "behind the words" of your posting we can feel a very judgmental attitude towards other beings whose primary means of investigation of their real nature, or, the connection with Bhagavan, is primarily via the intellectual inquiry and philosophical discussion. It is a pattern of the mind, that very same kind of mind (ego) you are suggesting to surrender, to judge the actions of others from the vantage point of view of what "we" feel is the righteous way to approach the Path.Surrender not only implies to know deeply "what" we are surrendering but also to "whom" we are surrendering it. Heart and intellect should work together in this endeavor, and not overriding each other. When Ribbhu Gita speaks about surrendering the mind, it is clearly talking about that mind that feels separate from the whole, the sense of self-centeredness, and the consequent fear that arises when our world is challenged due to that same sense of separation from Bhagavan. It has nothing to do with the "buddhi".My Guruji, Bhagavan Ramana also used to launch merciless attacks on the "pandit mind" and the useless discussions that sometimes take us out of direction, but it was always aimed to specific individuals that came to challenge him under the umbrella of "I know what I'm talking about, now let's see what you know!". He also had a deep "experiential" knowledge of the shastras and could discuss at eye-level with any pandit of any "denomination" crossing his way. His heart was soaked of Arunachala, his intellect soaked of Pure Advaita Vedanta. He is the example I try to follow.Ultimately, one can only speak for oneself, because in the final analysis, "others", are just part of it.Yours in Him (whatever that means),Mouna

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