Sri Sadhguro Pahimam Parama Dayalu Rakshamam

[Guest guest]

Dear Members

" Hindu Dharma " is a book published by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan which contains

English translation of two volumes of the Tamil Book " Deivatthin Kural " ; which

is a collection of invaluable and engrossing speeches of Sri Sri Sri

Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi MahaSwamiji.

 

http://kamakoti.org/hindudharma/part5/chap21.htm

 

Rites for Celestials and Rites for Fathers

 

The rites meant for the deities must be performed with devotion and those meant

for the pitrs or fathers must be performed with faith. What is done with

devotion is yajna and what is done with faith is sraddha. While performing the

former, the sikha must be gathered into a knot and the sacred thread must rest

on the left shoulder, and while performing the latter the sikha must be worn

loose and the sacred thread must rest on the right shoulder.

The sikha and the sacred thread are meant for these two purposes. Sannyasins

do not have either. When they renounce the world they also renounce the rites

for the fathers and cease to worship a number of deities. They adore the

Paramatman directly without any worldly desire in their hearts. The followers of

other religions too wear neither a sikha nor a sacred thread and they worship

the Supreme God directly [that is without going through the stages in which the

various deities are worshipped].

Let me tell you about the two positions of the sacred thread while performing

the rites for the celestials and the fathers. We must face the east as we

conduct various rituals. The north is the direction in which we make the passage

to the celestials. This path is called " " uttarayana " . Our departed fathers

reside in the south. The saint-poet Tiruvalluvar calls them " tenpulattar " , those

dwelling in the south. " Dakshinayana " is the way to the world of the fathers.

Bhagavan Krsna speaks of the two paths in the Gita.

When we sit facing the east to perform rites for the pitrs, which shoulder is

to the south? The right one. So the sacred thread must rest on it.

To do " pradakshina " means to go facing the south. (In majority of temples the

raja-gopuram-the main entrance tower -is in the east. When you enter it and

start circumbulating you will be facing the south. )

When we sit facing the east to perform rites for the gods our left shoulder

is to the north. So the sacred thread must rest on it. When we are not engaged

in either of these two rites- that is when we are doing our office work or

something else- the sacred thread must not rest on either shoulder and must be

worn like a garland. (No one seems to observe this rule in practice now. Except

during the rites for the fathers, most people have their sacred thread resting

on their left shoulder.)