MahA samprOkshanam : why do we Homams ?: Part II

[Guest guest]

Dear BhakthAs :

 

The Sarvahuth Yaagam described in Purusha

Sooktham is about the MaanasIka AarAdhanam

for PurushOtthaman, Sriman NaarAyaNan .

This Purusha Sooktham finding its house

in all the Four VedAs is considered

the essence of all Sruthis(Vedams).

 

Two great BhAshyakArAls (Commentators) have

blessed us with detailed commentaries for

Purusha Sooktham . One of them is Saayana ,

who was one of the greatest Vedic Scholars of

Vijaya Nagaram Empire and the other is Periya

Jeeyar or Sri RanganAtha Muni . Sri V.Sundar

has an elaborate posting on Purusha Sooktham ,

which is archived in Sri VaishNavA Home pages (Feb 1995)

maintained by Sri Mani VaradarAjan under the section ,

" The VedAs " . Please refer to that outstanding

essay by Sri V.Sundar .

 

The Sarvahuth Yaagam ( the offerings of All) is

the Aadhi Yaagam done by BrahmA for the creation

of the Cosmos and its beings .ChEthana-AchEthana

Prapancham was created from that Maanasa Yaj~nam .

 

This Yaj~nam is an AarAdhanam for the Parama Purushan.

Brahma performed this Yaj~nam using his VirAt SarIram

given by the PurushOtthaman . BrahmA's Indhriyams ,

the DevAs , served as the Rthviks officating at the Yaj~nam.

In that Yaj~nam , the Spring Time was the Ghee (aahUthi),

Summer was the Samith ( sacred sticks for kindling the Fire ),

Autumn was the Havis (sacred offerings)and Parama

Purushan served as the Agni receiving that Havis.BrahamA

sacrificed himself as the PoorNAhUthi (Final Offering at

the end of the Yaj~nam).After the Sarvahuth Yaj~nam ,

Brahma instructed us to perform all Yaagams/Homams similar

to the Sarvahuth Yaagam , where one sacrifices all

including themselves at the feet of the Lord and

end up gaining all they wished as Phalan (SarvAbhIshta

Siddhi from the Boon giving VaradharAjan).

 

In our MahA samprOkshaNam for Lord RanganAthan ,

we have to sacrifice all (ego, possessions known

as MadhIyam) and regain all (apunarAvrutthi with

the anugraham of our AchAryAs )from the most

merciful Lord , the Parama DayALu.

 

Homams at the samprOkshaNam are done or should be

done in this spirit . In this contxt ,an important

step in the MaanasIka AarAdhanam known as BhUtha Suddhi

( Cleanising of One's Prakruthic body to qualify

oneself for the performance of BhagavathArAdhanam)

comes to my mind . The sankalpam for BhUtha Suddhi is:

 

" Sri Bhagavath-Aj~nyayaa Sriman NaarAyaNa Preethyartham

Bhagavadh-AradhanE YOGYATHAA SIDDHYARTHAM BhUtha Suddhim

KarishyE "

 

In BhUtha Suddhi,the blemishes of the body arising from

the sambhandham with Prakruthi and the 24 tattvams associated

with it are dried and burnt and reduced to ashes thru

appropriate manthrams and that ash is soaked in the sacred

GangA waters that flows out of the Lord's scred feet

to produce a divine sarIram fit for engagement in

the Bhagavath AarAdhanam.There are lots of steps in

performing BhUtha Suddhi that we will not get into here.

This Hruth Yaagam (Maanasa AarAdhanam ) of which

BhUtha Suddhi is an esential part is considered far

superior to the external AarAdhanam (BhAhyArAdhanam).

We perform the Homams in a spirit reminiscent of

BhUtha Suddhi . Aalaya Suddhi arises form these

Homams . PerumAL feels joyous to enter such Temples

consecrated by Homams in His Suddha Sathva Svaroopam .

During the course of the year ,our RajO and TamO guNams

create blemishes in AarAdhanam and the Sannidhyam of

the Lord is affected .To restore the Sannidhyam,

PavithrOthsavam is done and Homams are an essential

part of such annual consecrations .

 

MahA SamprOkshaNam has many such Homams for the consecration

of the Home for the Lord , the ThripAdhUrthva Purushan saluted

by the Purusha Sooktham. Periya Jeeyar's commentary on

the glories of this PurushOtthaman , with one part below

in Prakruthi MaNdalam and the rest of the three parts

in Parama Padham is a marvellous one :

 

{{achinthya VibhavOdhathim , anantha sakthim ,SarvEsvaram ,

SarvAnandha Sampoornam , SarvaJ~nam , SarvAnukoolam ,

SarvAdhAram -- vrutthi-kshaya vivarjitha Vigraham ,

SvAdhIna-nikhila chEshtam , Jagath-udaya-vibhava-laya-

leelA-vilAsinim , SvAthmArAmam , Svathruptham , JyOthirmayam ,

apramEyam , Sarva-pramANa -kOcharam , asEsha jagadhEka-

kaaraNam , Vaangh-manasAdhitha-Vaibhavam , SthOthum

asakthA: Sruthaya: " ThvamEva thvAm vEttha yOasi sOasi " ,

kO attha: Vedha ka iha pravOchEth , sO anga Vedha yathi na

Vedha: " ithyAthi vadhanathi }}.

 

Here , Periya Jeeyar extolls the anantha-klayAna Gunams

of the Parama Purushan and says that Vedhams stumble in

their efforts to describe Him as of this nature or that

nature . They say that He alone knows about Himself.

Some times even they wonder whether He Himself fully

knows the extent of His Vaibhavam.

 

We salute this ThripAthudhaith Purushan in our Homams

and beseech Him to enter into our HrudhayAkAsam and

occupy the seats that we adoringly prepare Him for

residence in the temples consecrated for Him .

 

Srimath Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SatakOpan