KNOW ABOUT YOUR CULTURE
Sanatana dharma ,
otherwise also called as
Hindu Dharma is being
followed in various yugas. Dharma and how to adopt in practical is
limited to human race only. Brahmins by birth and living conditions are
adopted to follow strictly the sanatana dharma. Brahmin has to live and
follow the life for others only and not for themselves. In ancient days
the veda adhyayana is imposed for all the three varnas viz., bramha,
kshatriya and vaisya. But in the days to come due to livelihood pattern,
kshatriya and vaisya catagories slowly withdrawn themselves from veda
adhyayana. Though they are eligible for adhyayana, their reluctance made
them to loose the adhyayana status. Hence it has become prime
importance for the Brahmin to study the Vedas and follow for himself and
for the sake of others. But, it is pity to observe that today, many of
the Brahmin families who wanted to live a luxurious way of life and
enjoy the facilities on par with others, are neglecting the adhyayana of
veda but also totally restrained to follow any of the sanatana dharma
imposed to them.
AUTHORITY FOR DHARMA IS VEDA.
It is also termed as
SRUTI. The Srutis are called the
Vedas, or the
Amnaya. The Hindus have received their religion through
hearing (karna), the Vedas. These are direct intuitional revelations and are held to be
Apaurusheya
or entirely superhuman, without any author in particular. The Veda is
the glorious pride of the Hindus, nay, of the whole world! The
term Veda comes from the root
Vid, means
know.
The word
Veda means
knowledge.
When it is applied to
scripture, it signifies a
book of knowledge.
The Vedas are the
foundational scriptures of the
Hindus.
The
Veda is the
source of the other five sets of
scriptures,
why, even of the secular and the materialistic. The Veda is the
storehouse of Indian wisdom and is a memorable glory which man can never
forget till eternity.The
Vedas are the eternal truths
revealed by God to the great
Rishis . The word
Rishi means a
seer, from
DRIS(drushti),
to see. The Rishi is the Mantra-Drashta, a seer of Mantra or thought.
The thought was not his own. The Rishis saw the truths or heard them.
Therefore, the
Vedas are what are
heard (Sruti).
The Rishi did not write.
He did not create it out of his mind. He was the seer of thought which
existed already. He was only the spiritual discoverer of the thought. He
is not the inventor of the Veda.The Vedas represent the spiritual
experiences of the Rishis of yore. The
Rishi is only a medium or
an agent to transmit to people the intuitional experiences which he
received. The truths of the Vedas are revelations. All the other
religions of the world claim their authority as being delivered by
special messengers of God to certain persons, but the
Vedas do not owe their authority to any one.
They are themselves the authority as they are eternal, as they are the
Knowledge of the Lord.Lord Brahma, the Creator, imparted the divine
knowledge to the Rishis or seers.
The Rishis disseminated the knowledge.
The Vedic Rishis were great realised persons (souls) who had direct
intuitive perception of Brahman or the Truth. They were inspired
teachers. They built a simple, grand and perfect system of religion and
philosophy from which the founders and teachers of all other religions
have drawn their inspiration.
The Vedas are the oldest books in the library of man.
The truths contained in all religions are derived from the Vedas and
are ultimately traceable to the Vedas. The Vedas are the fountain-head
of religion. The Vedas are the ultimate source to which all religious
knowledge can be traced. Religion is of divine origin. It was revealed
by God to man in the earliest times. It is embodied in the Vedas.The
Vedas are eternal without beginning or end. An ignorant man may say how a
book can be without beginning or end. .
Vedas came out of the breath of the Lord.
They are the words of God. The Vedas are not the utterances of persons.
They are not the composition of any human mind. They were never
written, never created. They are eternal and impersonal. The date of the
Vedas has never been fixed. It can never be fixed.
Vedas are eternal spiritual Truths.
Vedas are an embodiment of divine knowledge. The books may be
destroyed, but the knowledge cannot be destroyed. Knowledge is eternal.
In that sense, the Vedas are eternal.
The Four Vedas And Their Sub Divisions:The Veda is divided into
four great books:
1. The Rig-Vedam.
2. The Yajur-Vedam.
3. The Sama-Vedam.
4. The Atharva-Vedam.
The
Yajur-Vedam is again divided into
two parts:
1. The
Sukla Yajur-Vedam.
2. The
Krishna Yajur-Vedam.
The
Krishna or the
Tattiriya is the older form and the
Sukla or
Vajasaneya is a later revelation to
Sage Yajnavalkya from the
Sun-God.
The
Rig-Vedam is divided into
twenty-one sections, the
Yajur-Vedam into
one hundred and nine sections, the
Sama-Vedam into
one thousand sections and
Atharva-Vedam into
fifty sections.
In all, the whole
Veda is thus
divided into one thousand one hundred and eighty recensions.
Each Vedam consists of four parts:
1. The
Mantra-Samhitas or hymns.
2. The
Brahmanas or explanations of Mantras or rituals.
3. The
Aranyakas (philosophical interpretations of the rituals).
4. The
Upanishads (The essence or the knowledge portion of the Vedas).
The division of the
Vedas into
four parts is to suit the
four stages in a
man’s life.
The
Mantra-Samhitas are hymns in praise of the Vedic
God for attaining material prosperity here and happiness
hereafter. They are metrical poems comprising prayers, hymns
and incantations addressed to various deities, both subjective and
objective. The Mantra portion of the Vedas is useful for the
Brahmacharins (celibate; one who belongs to the first of the four
Asramas or orders of life; one who lives in purity and studies the Vedam
; the first 25 years of life).
The
Brahmana portions a guide for people to perform
sacrificial rites. They are prose explanations of the method of using
the Mantras in the Yajna or the sacrifice. The Brahmana portion is
suitable for the householder (Grihastha; one who belongs to the second
of the four Asramas or orders of life; from 25 to 50 years of age).
The
Aranyakas are the forest books, the mystical
sylvan texts which give philosophical interpretations of the Rituals.
The Aranyakas are intended for the Vanaprasthas or hermits who prepare
themselves for taking Sannyasa. (Vanaprastha = one who leads the third
stage of life; from 50 to 75 years of age).
The
Upanishads are the most important portion of the
Vedas. The Upanishads contain the essence or the knowledge portion of
the Vedas. The philosophy of the Upanishads is sublime, profound, lofty
an soul-stirring. The Upanishads speak of the identity of the individual
soul and the Supreme Soul(jeevatma and paramatma). They reveal the most
subtle and deep spiritual truths. The Upanishads are useful for the
Sannyasins. (Sannyasi or Sannyasin = a monk; one who has embraced the
life of complete renunciation ; one belonging to the fourth or the
highest stage of life; from 75 to 100 years of age).
[
Note: Although the division of the Vedas into four
parts is to suit the four stages in a man’s life, the study of the four
Vedas is done by Brahmacharins or celibate students and the knowledge
thus acquired serves as the basis of the goal of life through all the
four stages of life. The studies of the Vedas continue throughout one’s
life. ( for Dharma, Artha, Kama & Moksha). Thus the knowledge of the
Upanishads is not to be confined to the last stage of life. The mind of
the Sannyasin is intensely focussed upon the teachings of
the Upanishads.]
The
subject matter of the whole
Veda is divided into:
1.
Karma-Kanda
2.
Upasana-Kanda
3.
Jnana-Kanda.
The
Karma-Kanda or Ritualistic Section deals with various
sacrifices and rituals.
The
Upasana-Kanda or Worship-Section deals with various
kinds of worship or meditation.
The
Jana-Kanda or Knowledge-Section deals with the
highest knowledge of Nirguna Brahman. (Nirguna = without attributes or forms. Brahman = the Supreme Reality).
The
Mantras and the
Brahmanas constitute
Karma-Kanda (rituals).
The
Aranyakas constitute
Upasana-Kanda (worship).
The
Upanishads constitute
Jnana-Kanda (knowledge).
We can see how our scriptures are made available for our use.
VEDAS:
The holy scriptures of India, as is well known, consist of the Rig
Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda and Atharva Veda, and the exegetical texts,
the Vedangas which are six viz., Siksha, Vyakarana, Nirukta, Chandas,
Jyotisha and Kalpa; and their four supplements viz., Purana, Nyaya,
Mimamsa and Dharma Sastra.
UPANISHADS:
- Isa,
- Kena,
- Katha,
- Prasna,
- Mundaka,
- Mandukya,
- Aitareya,
- Taittiriya,
- Chhandogya,
- Brihadaranyaka,
- Kaushitaki, and
- Svetasvatara and Maitrayani (The twelve principal Upanishads)
VEDANGAS: The Vedangas (limbs of the Vedas) are six –
- Siksha (phonetics),
- Kalpa (Pronunciations and the usage of the Mantras),
- Vyakarana (grammar),
- Nirukta (etymology of words),
- Chandas (prosody),and
- Jyotisha (astrology and astronomy).
PURANAS : Puranas are eighteen in number.
1.Vishnu Purana,
2.Naradiya Purana,
3.Srimad Bhagavata Purana,
4.Garuda (Suparna) Purana,
5.Padma Purana,
6.Varah Purana,
7.Brahma Purana,
8.Brahmanda Purana,
9.Brahma Vaivarta Purana,
10.Markandeya Purana,
11.Bhavishya Purana,
12.Vamana Purana,
13.Matsya Purana,
14.Kurma Purana,
15.Linga Purana,
16.Siva Purana,
17.Skanda Purana and
18.Agni Purana.
Of these,
six are
Sattvic Puranas and glorify Vishnu;
Six are
Rajasic Puranas and glorify Brahma;
six are
Tamasic Puranas and glorify Siva.NYAYA (Logic) VAISHESHAKA (also logic)
MIMASA (Mimamsa Sastra is of two kinds: the Karma or
actions(or Poorva) Mimamsa and Sharirika (or Uttara) Mimamsa or Vedanta
or knowledge)
BRAMHA SUTRAS [The object of Mimamsa Sastra
(including Brahma Sutras) is to explain the process of realising the
identity of Jiva (individual soul) with Brahman (Supreme
Reality)]SANKHYA (The goal of life according to this Sastra is to get
absolute freedom from the three kinds of miseries) YOGA(The Yoga system
explains the practical side of Sankhya. Sage Patanjali is the author of
the text on this branch. Control of Character by control of body, mind
(emotions), intellect etc., forms the subject matter of the eight-fold
steps taught in this Sastra. It is also known as Raja-Yoga.)DHARMA
SASTRAS (These are in the nature of texts prescribing or codifying
social and religious norms during different stages of evolution of our
society.Dharma Sastras or Smritis, are the fourth supplementary Anga of
the Vedas. A number of Smritis are known to exist.Some of them are the
Manusmriti, Vishnu, Angirasa, Daksha, Shatatapa, Gautama, Yagnavalkya,
Yama, Vasistha, Samvarta, Parasara, Shanka etc.Although popularly known
as epics, the Ramayana of Valmiki and the Mahabharata of Vyasa may be
classified under the head Dharma Sastras for the purpose of this survey.
The famous Bhagavad Gita is a portion of the Mahabharata.) THE UPA
VEDAMS (They are four in number. Ayurveda, Dhanurveda, Gandharva-Veda
and Artha Sastra.Ayurveda Ayurveda,is the science of life and health,
including medicine. Dhanur Veda is the science of archery. Gandharva
Veda deals with the science of music and dance.Arthasastra dealing with
the acquisition of material things like wealth by righteous means. Under
this head, Nitisastra, Shilpasastra, the sixty-four Kalas and also
other physical and metaphysical subjects are included.
Two special items: Pashupata Yoga. Here, the Jiva or
effect is called Pashu and God or Karana, Pashupati.Panchratra Tantra
deals with the worship of Vishnu. THE KAALASThe first that calls for
mention is the encyclopaedic Sastra which goes by the name of
Akshara-laksha. All kinds (325 to be exact) of mathematics including
modern geometry, algebra, trigonometry, physics or applied mathematics;
minerology, hydels; the method of measuring air, heat and even
electricity; geography etc.are said to have been treated.
The next science of importance is
Sabda Sastra. It
deals with sounds, echoes of moving and non-moving objects in creation.
It also deals in five chapters with capturing or mechanically
reproducing sounds, measuring their pitch, velocity, etc.Lakshana
Sastra, or the science of determining the sex in animate and inanimate
creation.
Shilpa Sastra consists of 22 chapters. 307 varieties
of Shilpas including 11 types of constructions like temples, palaces,
halls etc., Supa-Sastra deals with the science of cooking.
Malinee Sastra consists of flower arrangementsThe
science of Kala or Time was written by Lord Karttikeya. Its division
into definite periods, their classification into
auspicious and
inauspicious moments
1.Palmistry
2.Science of Alchemy
3.Science of Poisons
4.Fine Arts
5.Science of Gymnastics
5.Parakaya Pravesha i.e., entering into one body
from another bodyscience of horses and ElephantsRatna Pariksha or
testing of gems (precious stones). His analysis shows 24 characteristics
of gems Mahendrajala or the science of magic.
Artha Sastra consisting of three chapters, in which
he teaches 82 ways of earning money, even while leading a righteous
life.Shakti Tantra consisting of eight chapters in which Mulaprakriti,
Maya etc., and 64 kinds of external Shaktis of bodies like those of the
Sun, Moon and Air, Fire etc., are explainedscience called Soudamini Kala
by which all phenomena could be attracted through shadows and even
ideas.
In a work on Yantras by Bharadwaja, he explains about 339 types of
vehicles useful in travelling on land, 783 kinds of boats and ships to
be used on water and 101 varieties of airships.
VEDIC SAKHAS AND HOW IT DECENDED. The Vedic
literature that has come down to our times is attached to various
traditional schools of recitation and ritual called the ‘shakhas’. All
the four Vedas have more than one shakha extant. In the past, the number
of shakhas studied was many times more.
According to the
Mahabhasya of Patanjali, there were
21 shakhas of Rigveda, 9 of Atharvaveda, 101 of Yajurveda (86 of
Krishna Yajurveda and 15 of Shukla Yajurveda, according to later
authorities) and a 1000 varieties of chanting of Samaveda. Maybe, the
number 1000 for the Samaveda merely refers to ‘ ananta’. Nevertheless,
although only 20 or so Shakhas of the Vedas are extant now, we do
possess names of most of the lost Shakhas of the Rigveda, Yajurveda and
Atharvaveda. Fragments of many of the lost shakhas are also available as
quotations in ancient works. For the Samaveda, we do not have more than
40 names extant.
Two different Vedic shakhas might share one or more texts amongst
themselves. Conversely, the distinction between two shakhas of the same
Veda might result from the use of a different Samhita text, and/or a
different Brahmana text, and/or different Kalpasutra text and so on. For
e.g., the Baudhayana and the Apastamba shakhas use the same Taittiriya
Brahmana, Taittiriya Samhita and Taittiriya Aranyaka but follow
different Kalpasutras. On the other hand, the Shankhayana and the
Kaushitaka shakhas use the same Samhita and Shrauta Sutra but their
Brahmanas have slightly different readings and their Grhyasutras are
quite different.
A group or a community of people who study a particular shakha in its
entirety (Samhita + Brahmana + Aranyaka + Kalpasutra + any additional
texts) and perform its ritual constitute a ‘sutra’. For instance,
Brahmins who study the Taittiriya Samhita/Brahmana/Aranyaka together
with the Kalpasutra of Apastamba say - “I follow the Apastamba sutra. In
certain cases, we have instances of ‘mixed shakhas’. For instance, the
followers of Shakala shakha have adopted the Kalpasutra of Ashvalayana.
The Ashvalayana shakha, which had the now well-known Ashvalayana Sutra,
has in turn lost oral traditions of its Samhita. Likewise, the
Kaushitakins of Kerala often use the Samhita of Shakalas.
The various shakhas of the Vedas were, at one time, spread throughout
South Asia. Their geographical location has not been constant down the
ages, as communities of Brahmins professing a particular shakha migrated
from one part of India to the other, or adopted another shakha when it
became impossible for them to sustain the tradition of their own
shakhas.
It is quite certain however, that the tradition of recitation of the
Vedic texts originated in north India, and this region was the area
where almost all the shakhas originally arose. From various sources, we
can determine the following geographical distribution of Vedic Shakhas
at various intervals of times, and their present state of survival :-
•
Shakala rig veda : Thrives in Maharashtra,
Karnataka, Kerala, Orissa, and Tamil Nadu and to some extent in Uttar
Pradesh. Might have existed in Punjab. Nambudiris of Kerala recite even
the Brahmana and Aranyaka with accents. Accented manuscripts of Brahmana
and Aranyaka are available to this day.
•
Shankhayana Rigveda: Gujarat and parts of
Rajasthan and Maharashtra. Oral tradition extinct, only manuscripts of
Samhita are extant. Ritual lives in a very fragmentary condition
•
Bashkala rig veda: Claims have been made about its
existence in Kerala, Rajasthan, Bengal and Assam as a living tradition,
but have never been verified. The Samhita exists in manuscript.
Nambudiris of Kerala are said to follow this Shakha of RV as far as the
Samhita is concerned but studies of their oral tradition do not seem to
bear this out.
•
Ashvalayana rig veda: Manuscripts of the Samhita
have been found in Kashmir, Maharashtra (Ahmadnagar) and Patna (Bihar).
In parts of central and eastern India, Shakala RV texts are often
attributed to Ashvalayana. For instance, the Aitareya Brahman is often
called Ashvalayana Brahmana in West Bengal. Oral traditions extinct
although the followers of Shakala Shakha in Maharashtra often term
themselves as Ashvalayanas because they follow the Kalpasutra
(Shrautasutra + Grhyasutra) of Ashvalayana.
•
Paingi rig veda: Exited in Tamil Nadu, in and around Andavan. Oral traditions lost but Brahmana texts rumored to exist.
•
Mandukeya rig veda: Magadha and eastern and
central Uttar Pradesh. Possibly lower Himalayas in Uttarakhand and
Himachal Pradesh. No text or oral tradition extant although the
Brhaddevata and Rigvidhana might belong to it.
•
Shaunakiya atharva veda: Gujarat, Karnataka,
Rajasthan, Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Avadh region in Uttar Pradesh,
Himachal Pradesh. Only Gujarat has maintained the oral traditions, and
the shakha has been resuscitated in recent times in Tamil Nadu,
Karnataka and in Andhra Pradesh.
•
Staudayana atharva veda: According to Majjhima
Nikaya, followers of this shakha lived in Koshala (central and eastern
Uttar Pradesh). The shakha is completely lost.
•
Paippalada atharva veda: Followers are currently
found in parts of Orissa and adjacent areas of Bihar and West Bengal and
recite the Samhita in ekasruti (monotone syllable). Epigraphic and
literary evidence shows that they once thrived in Karnataka, Kerala,
Maharashtra, and parts of Gujarat, East Bengal and in Tamil Nadu as
well.
•
Devadarshi atharva veda: According to literary
evidence, followers of this Shakha once lived in coastal Andhra Pradesh.
Other AV shakhas said to have been prevalent in that region were
Shaulkayani and Munjakeshi. The shakha is completely lost.
•
Charanavaidya and
Jajala atharva
veda: Perhaps existed in Gujarat, Central India and adjacent parts of
Rajasthan. According to the Vayu and Brahmanda Puranas, the Samhita of
the Charanavaidya shakha had 6026 mantras.
•
Mauda atharva veda: According to some scholars, they existed in Kashmir
•
Madhyandina yajur veda: Currently found all over
North India- Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh,
Rajasthan, Gujarat and even Maharashtra (up to Nashik), West Bengal,
Assam, Nepal. Along with Taittiriya Yajurveda, it is the most prevalent
Vedic shakha. Followers of this school were found in Sindh (Pakistan) in
the 19th century but became extinct after Hindus were ethnically
cleansed by the Muslim majority after 1947.
•
Kanva yajur veda Currently found in Maharashtra,
Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh. In Orissa, the followers of this shakha
follow a slightly different text. Epigraphic evidence shows that they
were once present all over India, as far as Himachal Pradesh and
possibly in Nepal.
•
Charaka yajur veda: Interior Maharashtra, adjacent
parts of Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh. Followers of
this shakha now follow the Maitrayani YV shakha, having lost their own
texts.
•
Maitrayani yajur veda: In Morvi (Gujarat), parts
of Maharashtra (Naskik/Bhadgaon, Nandurbar, Dhule). Earlier, they were
spread all the way east up to Allahabad and extended into Rajasthan and
possibly into Sindh.
•
Kathaka yajur veda The oral traditions became
extinct possibly a few decades ago. They were found in central and
eastern Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, possibly west Punjab and NWFP. In
later times, they got restricted to Kashmir, where all their extant
manuscripts have been unearthed. Recently, the entire Hindu minority was
cleansed from the Kashmir valley by Islamists, and so the shakha might
be deemed extinct completely now.
•
Charayaniya Katha yajur veda: Existed in Kashmir.
•
Kapisthala Katha yajur veda: Found in West Punjab
around the time of the invasion of Alexander. Also in parts of Gujarat.
Only a fragmentary Samhita and Grhyasutra text exist, and followers of
this shakha are said to exist at the mouths of Narmada and Tapi rivers
in Gujarat.
•
Jabala yajur veda: Central India, around the
Narmada region. In Maharashtra, there still exist Shukla-Yajurvedin
Brahmins who call themselves ‘Jabala Brahmins’, but there is no
knowledge of the existence of any texts of this shakha.
•
Taittiriya yajur veda: Buddhist texts and some
versions of Ramayana attest their presence in the Gangetic plains but
currently they are found all over Southern India. The Taittiriyas are
themselves divided into numerous sub-schools. Among these, the followers
of Baudhayana and Apastamba were found all over South India (including
Maharashtra), while the Hiranyakeshins were found mainly in Konkan and
Western Maharashtra. The Vaikhanasas have a more eastern presence-
around Tirupati and Chennai. The Vadhulas are present currently in
Kerala and earlier in adjacent parts of Tamil Nadu. The Agniveshyas, a
subdivision of the Vadhula immigrants from Malabar, are found around
Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu. The Apastamba, Hiranyakeshin, Vaikhanasa and
Baudhayana schools have survived with all their texts intact. The
Vadhulas survive, with most of their texts while the Bharadvajas and
Agniveshyas are practically extinct as a living tradition although their
fragmentary/dilapidated texts survive.
•
Kauthuma sama veda: Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil
Nadu (tradition revived with the help of Brahmins from Poona), Kerala,
Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar (tradition revived a century ago), West
Bengal (tradition has been revived recently). There are numerous
varieties of Kauthuma chanting. This shakha is the most vibrant
tradition of Samaveda.
•
Ranayaniya sama veda: Orissa (manuscripts
available, status of oral tradition not known), Maharashtra, Karnataka
(the Havyak
community for instance), Uttar
Pradesh (till recently in Bahraich and Mathura), Rajasthan (till
recently in Jaipur). The existence of this shakha was endangered till
recently, but it has been strengthened with the help of institutions
like the Kanchi Kamakoti Matham.
•
Jaiminiya/Talavakara sama veda: Two distinct sub
streams- the Namudiri recitations in Central Kerala, and the recitations
of Tamil Nadu Brahmins in districts adjacent to Kerala and in and
around Srirangam. The survival of these schools is endangered.
•
Shatyayaniya sama veda: Said to have been prevalent in Tamil Nadu and parts of North India. The shakha is no longer extant.
•
Gautama sama veda: Said to have been prevalent in
Tamil Nadu and in Andhra Pradesh till the 17th cent. C.E. Many followers
of the Kauthuma school in Andhra Pradesh still call themselves
‘Gautamas’.
•
Bhallavi sama veda: Said to have been prevalent in Karnataka and parts of North India.
•
Other Shakhas of yajur veda: A text called
‘Yajurvedavriksha’ gives the geographical distribution of more than 100 Shakhas of Yajurveda. This description is being left out for brevity.
Extant Vedic Texts
The Vedic texts were traditionally transmitted orally (or at least
predominantly without the aid of manuscripts, which might have been used
sparingly as memory aids). This was essential because the texts were
‘accented’, or in other words the different words or letters therein
were recited according to different pitch/tones. Very elaborate mnemonic
devices were developed to preserve the texts with great fidelity, and
harsh divine vengeance and evil repercussions were promised to those who
deformed or mutilated the text in any manner. As a result, several
Vedic texts were indeed transmitted over several millennia with utmost
fidelity, together with accent. The texts that are used for aiding the
memorization and recitation of the Vedas with utmost fidelity, are
called ‘Lakshana Granthas’. These texts include Padapathas, Ghanapathas,
Kramapatha and other Vikrtis or modifications of the root text,
phonetic treatises like Sikshas and Pratisakhyas and so on.
In some cases however, the accents were lost with time and the texts
had to be recited without the Vedic accents. For instance, the Brahmanas
of the Samaveda lost their accents even as early as the time of
Kumarila Bhatta (7th century C.E.). Similarly, the Paippalada Samhita is
recited by its followers today without the Vedic accents (i.e., in
ekasruti).
The Rigveda Samhita: This is the oldest Vedic text,
as also the largest. It comprises of 10552 mantras in 1028 hymns
(=Suktas). The hymns are divided amongst 10 books called the ‘mandalas’.
Mandala 9 has 114 hymns address to Soma. Mandalas 1 and 10 are
considered later additions, for most part. The Rigveda Samhita is often
also divided into 8 parts called ‘Ashtakas’ which are further divided
into 8 chapters each. Thus, there are 64 chapters according to this
classification, which is later than the Mandala scheme. . The hymns are
altogether attributed to 407 Rishis, or Sages, of which 21 are women
Sages ( = Rishika). The Sages belong, in general, to 10 families, each
of which has a special hymn (=Apri Sukta) associated with them. Mandalas
2-8 are family mandalas since each of these mandalas contains hymns
predominantly from 1 major family of Vedic rishis. These families
subsequently gave rise to most of the Brahmin communities of the Hindu
society. Mandala 2 is associated with Gritsamadas, Mandala 3 is
associated with Vishvamitra and his lineage, 4 with Vamadeva and related
Rishis, 5 with Atri, 6 with Bharadvaja, 7 with Vasistha. Mandala 8 has
numerous hymns by Kanva while Mandala 9 has several hymns by Kashyapa
Rishis. The mantras are composed in 7 major and dozens of minor prosodic
meters.
Yajurveda Samhitas: As stated earlier, the
Yajurveda has two main divisions – Shukla Yajurveda and Krishna
Yajurveda. In the former, the mantra and Brahmana portions are collected
in separate texts, whereas in the later, the two portions are found
interspersed. The extant Shukla Yajurveda Samhitas are Madhyandina and
Kanva. The extant Krishna Yajurveda Samhitas are Kathaka, Maitrayaniya,
Taittiriya (also called ‘Apastamba’ Samhita), Kapishthala (fragmentary)
and possibly Charaka. Of the extant Yajurveda Samhitas, the two major
ones currently are the Madhyandina and the Taittiriya. The great sage
Yajnavalkya is said to have collected and edited the Ur-Shukla Yajurveda
Samhita, called the Vajasneyi Samhita. The Madhyandina Samhita
comprises of 1975 kandikas or 3988 mantras (the prose kandikas are split
up into several mantras) arranged into 40 chapters according to the
order of performance of Vedic sacrifices. All but the last chapter
(which is called the Ishavasya Upanishad) are employed in the Vedic
ritual. The Yajurveda is largely prose, with about 700 verse mantras,
most of which are directly borrowed from the Rigveda. The Yajurveda
therefore is a liturgical text, but also contains sacrificial formulas
to serve the purpose of ceremonial religion (yaju is derived from the
root “yaj” – to sacrifice). Coming to the Madhyandina Samhita
specifically,
• Chapters 1-2 deal with Darsapurnamasa rites,
• Chapter 3 with sacrifices performed in the morning and the
evenings, sacrifices performed every four months at the start of the
three seasons
• Chapters 4-8 with Soma sacrifices
• Chapters 9-10 with Rajasuya and Vajapeya
• Chapters 11-18 with construction of altars for yajnas
• Chapters 19-31 with Sautramani rite
• Chapters 22-25 with the Ashvamedha
• Chapters 26-29 give material supplementary to earlier chapters
• Chapters 30-39 contain mantras for novel and unique rites like the Purushamedha, Sarvamedha, Pitrmedha and Pravargya
• Chapter 40 is the Isavasya Upanishad Very popular in South India,
the Taittiriya Samhita deals with detailed descriptions of sacrifices
like Agnishtoma, Jyotishtoma, Vajapeya, Rajasuya, etc It is divided into
7 kandas which are further divided into 5-8 Prapathakas each. The
Taittiriya Brahmana, the Taittiriya Aranyaka and the Taittiriya
Upanishad are associated with this Samhita. In the Yajur Veda, Vishnu
becomes more important. Shiva is also mentioned. Prajapati, the creator
of the world, is identified with Vishvakarman. Brahman comes to signify
the creative principle of the world. In general, the contents of this
Samhita parallel the Shukla Yajurveda Samhitas although exotic and
special rites like the Purushamedha are absent here.
The Samaveda Samhitas and Melodies: It is purely a
liturgical collection that comprises of 1875 Rks, of which all but 75
Rks are traceable to the published Shakala Samhita of the Rigveda. The
rest are all said to occur in the Shankhayana Samhita of the Rigveda.
All these verses are set to melodies, called the Samans. The origins of
Indian classical music lies in the Sama Veda. The Samhita is divided
into two broad divisions- Purvarchika, on which the Gramageya and the
Aranyaka samans are set, and the Uttararchika, on which the Uha and the
Uhya chants are set. The ganas (=samans) of Gramageya and Aranyageya
form the basic collection called the Prakritigana or the archetypes of
ganas, to which the Uttaragana based on the Uttararchika is adapted. The
marked difference between the melodies of Purvarchika and Uttararchika
is that the former is constituted on a single verse basis while the
latter on units of three verses. The Uttaragana is divided into two
sections known as the Uha and the Uhya or Rahasya: the first is adapted
to the Gramageya while the second to Aranyageya. Thus the Uttaragana
closely follows the Purvagana in its structure, divisions and notations
including the melodic notes. While Purvagana forms part of the Swadhyaya
or daily recitations, like the Samhitas, which are considered to be
apaurusheya, meaning thereby that they were not composed by the Rishis
but revealed to them by Brahma, whereas the Uttaragana was believed to
have been composed by the acharyas for liturgical purposes by adapting
them to the Purvagana. Hence, they are called Uhaganas, adapted
melodies. The Uha and Uhya ganas of Uttararchika are divided into seven
divisions namely Dasharatra, Samvatsara, Ekaha, Ahina, Sattra, Kshudra
and Prayaschitta, clearly indicating the class of sacrifices at which
they are generally executed. The Ranayaniya Samhita is not published yet
but appears to be materially identical to the Kauthuma Sahmita,
although its Samans are quite different. The root text of the
Jaiminiyas, on which their melodies are based, is the Jaiminiya Archika
Samhita. This text runs parellel to the Kauthuma Samhita of Samaveda,
available in easily accessible editions. The Samhita has approximately
1650 mantras and its Saman tradition is quite different from the main
Kauthuma tradition. The Jaiminiya chants can be subdivided into 3
variations:
1. The Nambudiri chants,
• Thanjavur/Thiruchi districts in Tamil Nadu
• Tirunalveli district and the area close to Palaghat (Kerala) in Tamil Nadu
Atharvaveda Samhita: It is often said that the
Atharva Angirasa was originally not given the status of a Veda, but
seems to have been later elevated to the position. The main theme of the
Atharva Veda is cure for diseases, rites for prolonging life and
fulfillment of one’s desires, statecraft, penances, magic, charms,
spells and sorcery. While the Gods of the Rg Veda are approached with
love, the Gods of the Atharva Veda are approached with cringing fear and
favor is curried to ward off their wrath. Homage is paid to them to
abstain from doing harm. Sophisticated literary style and high
metaphysical ideas mark this Veda. The two extant Samhitas of
Atharvaveda are Shaunakiya and Paippalada. The former has 5977 mantras
arranged in 20 books called ‘kandas’ while the latter has approximately
7950 mantras arranged in as many kandas. This Veda offers a better
insight into the actual culture and life of the Vedic society, because
of its significant ‘popular’ content – hymns connected with wedding,
agriculture, battle, medicine, domestic ceremonies, coronation and so
on. Significantly, dozens of hymns are also devoted to Hindu
spirituality, and are often at par with the Upanishads.
The Atharvaveda has numerous names –
• Bhrgvangirasa Veda – because of association with Bhrigus and Angirases
• Atharvangirasa Veda – Because of association with Atharvana and
Angirasa priests, and because of a dual nature (sorcery as well as
‘shanti-pushti’ rites)
• Kshatraveda – because it has several hymns dealing with war, rites of coronation and so on.
• Brahmaveda – because it has several hymns dealing with spirituality
SAMSKARAS
Let us suspend knowing about the Vedas for sometime. Now we should
know what is samskarams. Samskarams of two types i.e. the samskarams
initiated by Vedas are SROUTHA KARMAS and karmas initiated by smriti are
SMARTA KARMAS.
Next in importance to the Sruti are the Smritis or secondary
scriptures. These are the ancient sacred law-codes of the Hindus dealing
with the Sanatana-Varnasrama-Dharma. They supplement and explain the
ritualistic injunctions called Vidhis in the Vedas. The Smriti or Dharma
Sastra is founded on the Sruti. The Smritis are based on the teachings
of the Vedas. The Smriti stands next in authority to the Sruti (Vedas).
It explains and develops Dharma. It lays down the laws which regulate
Hindu national, social, family and individual obligations.
The works that are expressly called Smritis are the law books, Dharma
Sastras. Smriti, in a broader sense, covers all Hindu Sastras
(scriptures) save the Vedas. The laws for regulating Hindu society from
time to time are codified in the Smritis. The Smritis have laid down
definite rules and laws to guide the individuals and communities in
their daily conduct and to regulate their manners and customs. The
Smritis have given detailed instructions, according to the conditions of
the time, to all classes of men regarding their duties in life.
The Hindu learns how he has to spend his whole life from these
Smritis. The duties of Varnasramas (the four stages of life) are clearly
given in these books. The Smritis describe certain acts and prohibit
some others for a Hindu, according to his birth and stage of life. The
object of the Smritis is to purify the heart of man and take him
gradually to the supreme abode of immortality and make him perfect and
free. These Smritis have varied from time to time. The injunctions and
prohibitions of the Smritis are related to the particular social
surroundings. As these surroundings and essential conditions of the
Hindu society changed from time to time, new Smritis had to be compiled
by the sages of different ages and different parts of India. Hindu
society is founded on, and governed by, the laws made by these three
great sages. The Smritis are named after them. We have Manu Smriti or
Manava Dharma-Sastra (Laws of Manu or the Institutes of Manu),
Yajnavalkya Smriti and Parsara Smriti. Manu is the greatest law-giver of
the race. He is the oldest lawgiver as well. The Yajnavalkya Smriti
follows the same general lines as the Manu Smriti and is next in
importance to it. Manu Smriti and Yajnavalkya Smriti are universally
accepted at the present time as authoritative works all over India.
Yajnavalkya Smriti is chiefly consulted in all matters of Hindu Law.
Even the present day Government of India is applying some of these
laws.
The Laws of Manu are intended for the Satya Yuga; those of
Yajnavalkya are for the Treta Yuga; those of Sankha and Likhita are for
the Dvapara Yuga; and those of Parasara are for the Kali Yuga. Sruti is
direct experience. Great Rishis heard the eternal truths of religion and
left a record of them for the benefit of posterity. These records
constitute the Vedas. Hence, Sruti is primary authority. Smriti is a
recollection of that experience. Hence, it is secondary authority. The
Smritis or Dharma Sastras also are books written by sages, but they are
not the final authority. If there is anything in a Smriti which
contradicts the Sruti, the Smriti is to be rejected
The
18 smrities available to us are:
- Angirasa smrtiti,
- vyasa smriti,
- apastamba smriti,
- daksha smriti,
- Vishnu smriti,
- yangya valkya smriti,
- likhita smriti,
- samvarta smriti,
- sankha smriti,
10. brihaspati smriti,
11. atri smriti,
12. katyayana smriti,
13. parasara smriti,
14. manu smriti,
15. aushashana smriti,
16. harita smriti,
17. Gautama smriti,
18. yama smriti.
Apart from above there are
18 upa smrities are also available i.e.
- Kasyapa smriti,
- Pulastya smriti,
- narada smriti,
- viswamitra smriti,
- devala smriti,
- markandeya smriti,
- rishyasrunga smriti,
- aswalayana smriti,
- narayana smriti,
10. bharadwaja smriti,
11. lohita smriti,
12. vyagrapada smriti,
13. dalbhya smriti,
14. prajapati smriti,
15. shatapata smriti,
16. vadula smriti,
17. gobhila smriti, and
18. baudhayana smriti.
There are
16 samskarams prescribed for everyone i.e. from birth to death. They are called
- Garbha dana
- pumsavana
- seemantonnayana
- jaata karma,
- naama karana,
- annaprasana,
- chowlam,
- karna veda ,
- vidyaramba,
- upanayana ,
- vedaram,
- keshanta or ritu suddi,
- samavarthana,
- vivaha ,
- antyesti. In the days to come we can know one by one samskara how to do and why to do.
1. GARBHADANA SAMSKARAM:
Out of 16 samskarams, garbhadana is the
first and
foremost samskara and antyesti is the final samskara. Of all 16
samskarams, upto vivaha samskaram, the parents will perform and after
that individual has to do the balance samskarams.Sankara bhagavadpada
clearly states that PUNARAPI JANANAM PUNARAPI MARANAM PUNARAPI JANANI
JATHARE SAYANAM, IHA SAMSARE BAHU DUSTARE KRUPAYA PARE PAAHI MURARE.
i.e. our main aim is not to have birth and death in rotational without
knowing the paramartha of life. Garbhadana, pumsavana and
seemantonnayana are pre-natal samskarams. Ayurveda has clearly
emphasises that one drop of semen is the extract of 80 drops of pure
blood. The main purpose of the garbadana samskara is to place the pure
safeguarded semen into the yoni of wife, who will bear the same and
transform it to a child for upholding the Dharma, artha,. Our scriptures
has clearly emphasises that this samskara is to done with care,
devotion and bhakti to uphold the status of our pitaras i.e.
forefathers. In olden days i.e. before 100 years marriages are made to
women before attaining the puberty i.e. typical kanyadana. So, this
samskara is performed only after attaining puberty by the wife after
marriage. Until such time, our scriptures clearly states that both
husband and wife should observe bramhacharya.
Our
scriptures/smritis has also specified, that from the 5th day to 16th day
after monthly periods of woman, the couple has to join with the
following rules strictly observed:
1. Avoid chaturti, (4th day) sashti, ashtami, ekadasi, trayodasi, chaturdasi, amavasya and pournami. And masa samkramana.
2. Avoid Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.
3. Avoid stars rohini, uttara, uttarashada, uttarabhadra, hasta, swati, anuradha, moola, sravana, sathabhisha and revati.
4. Vrushabham, meenam, katakam, kanya, tula, dhanus, kumbham meena lagnas.
5. If female child is desired the couple should join on odd days and for male issue on even days.
The main aim of our smrities is that we should have
children to upkeep our dharma only and not for sexual pleasure.On the
day of Garbhadana, the couple has to do punyaha vachana, nanadi
(abyudayika) sraadha, oupasana homa, and after raising agni , one ahuti
for prajapati, (prajapatenatwadetananyo), vishnur yonim sukta (5
mantras) with ajyam.After this, the wife should be seated facing west
and the husband should seat facing east and keep his hand on the head of
the wife and recite the two suktas i.e. agnistu viswarupa and suryono
divaspat iti.Then few drops of aswagandha rasa to be poured into right
nostril of wife by filtering it from a new cotton cloth.The santi to be
done for the woman i.e. the status and color of clothes she wore at the
time of 1st puberty.After this, the bramhins should be give Matulingam
(danimma) narikela(coconut) gavva(jama/goyya), kharjuram and naaranaga
phalam with dakshina and have food along with Brahmins and
relatives. After night meals, the couple be asked to have bath and wear
clothes not of any colour specifically pure white with border, and the
girl should comb her hair neatly and adorn with flowers with
fragrance.They should be allowed to enter the bedroom after 2 hours of
night meals. The dampati should sleep facing east or south only. The
room should contain balakrishna photo predominantly hanged behind the
bed. The couple should chew the tambula before entering the bed
room. Before the sangama, the male should pray to lord Vishnu to offer
him a son to safeguard the dharma and to raise the status of his
pitaras. The prayer is suktas of Garbham dehi sinivali, and vishnur
yonim kalpayatu etc.There are many more things to be observed as per our
scriptures which we can share in public.
2. PUMSAVANA SAMSAKRA: literally it is meant that
puman asavana (begetting the male child).After the conception was
ascertained, the child in the garbha was consecrated by the Samskara
named Pumsavana. By Pumsavana was generally understood "that rite
through which a male child was produced." Vedic hymns recited on this
occasion mention Puman or Putra (a male) and favour the birth of a son.
In veda and – Brahmana we have prayers for male children. This
samskara is to be done before the fetus in the garbha starts to move.
This samskara needs to be performed on a male nakshatra day i.e.
mrigasira, punarvasu, pushyami, hasta, moola and sravana. It is more
auspicious to perform on Pushyami nakshatra day. There are different
opinions of performing this samskara as to perform for the first child
only but many smrities specified this can be done on every pregnancy.
The main prayers in this samskara is whether it is boy or girl, it
should follow the dharma and to raise the pitaras of their vamsa to
swarga. The jeeva or atman who enters into the garbha of a mother still
have purva janma gyana and the mantras prayed remind him to be dharmic
in life so that he will get to achieve the means of manushya janma. .
Thus the main features of the Samskara is found in the Vedic period.
.The significance of the Samskara consisted in its main features. It
should be performed when the moon was on a male constellation. This time
was regarded as favourable for producing a male issue. Inserting the
juice of the banyan tree was a device meant for preventing abortion and
ensuring the birth of a male child. In the opinion of Susruta the banyan
tree has got the properties of removing all kinds of troubles during
pregnancy, e.g. excess of bile, burning etc. further , "Having pounded
with milk any of these herbs, Sulaksmana Batasunga, Sahadevi and
Visvadeva, one should insert three or four drops of juice in the (right)
nostril of the pregnant woman for the birth of a son. She should not
spit the juice out." Insertion of medicine into nostrils is a common
thing in the Hindu system of treatment, therefore, it is evident that
the ritual prescribing it was undoubtedly founded on the medical
experience of the people. Putting a dish of water on the lap was a
symbolical performance. A pot full of water denoted life and spirit in
the would be child. Touching the womb emphasized the necessity of taking
every care by the expectant mother, so that the fetus should be healthy
and strong in the womb emphasized the necessity of taking every care by
the expectant mother, so that the pinda should be healthy and strong in
the womb and abortion may not take place. The hymn "Suparna etc." or
"of beautiful wings" expressed the wish that a handsome child should be
born. This mantra is to be recited by husband by keeping his palm in the
heart of his wife.
3. SEEMANTAM SAMSKARA: Literal meaning of Srimantham
is "parting of the hair" to assure safe delivery of the child. The
parting of the hair of the expectant mother is ceremoniously performed
by her husbandAccording to the Grhya Sutras, the proper time to perform
this saṃskāra is the fourth or fifth month of pregnancy but according to
the smrtis and the astrological works, the period can be extended up to
the eighth month or even till the birth of the child. The authorities
are not unanimous whether this saṃskāra should be performed at each
pregnancy or it should be performed only during the first conception.
According to Ashvalayana, Baudhayana, Apastamba, Paraskara, Harita and
Devala it should be performed only once. But other authorities think
that it should performed during every pregnancy. The elaborate ritual
performed as per vedic rites with recital of veda mantras prescribed for
the occasion, involves seating the pregnant woman on a chair or padded
stool, facing east. Then a specially prepared kurcha (dharba grass of
three strands gathered together), denoting prosperity and growth, are
moved over the parted hair of the pregnant woman by her husband,
starting from the fore head to the nape of the neck. After performing
this act the Dharba stambam is thrown behind her back. Special
invocations are made to the " rakaa", the deity of full moon , seeking
blessings for the couple, and particularly seeking the birth of a son
who will have all qualities of nobility and high intellect. Appropriate
mantras are recited by the priest and musical instruments are also
played on the occasion. This is followed by symbolically placing a
package containing sprouted grains tied with a thread on the head of the
pregnant lady. She is then advised to keep silent till the next day.
The following morning she has to see a cow with a calf and give gifts to
Brahmins
However, according to the Parasara Gryha Sutra, at the beginning of
the ceremony, the pregnant wife is seated on a soft chair, the husband
parts her hairs upwards from the forehead three times, first with a
bunch containing an even number of unripe udumbara ( paalasa fruits and
three bunches of darbha grass, next with a porcupines quill having three
white spots and finally with a stick of the Viratara wood and a full
spindle, chanting each time three Mahavyahrtis Bhur, Bhuvah and
Svah.according to parasara (I.15.6), after the partition of the hair,
the husband ties the udumbara branch round her neck with a string of
three twisted threads with the words, "Ayaṃūrjjāvato vrikṣaḥ urjjīva
phalinī bhava" (meaning: "Rich in sap is this tree; like the tree rich
in sap, you be fruitful"). But according to Baudhayana, barley-sprouts
instead of udumbara branch are used. This rite is performed during day
time as prescribed in the vedic scriptures with homa, presided by a
Brahmin priest, and is followed by a food feast. However, during the
present times, this rite is combined with Srimantham and the two
together is called the Pumsavana Srimantham and is performed during the
day time, before noon, which is followed by a luncheon feast.In the
evening the womanfolk will perform valaikappu and poochudal i.e. putting
bangles and adorning the garbhini stree with flowers. There is no
reference for this ritual in veda or smriti but being performed as
sampradaya/achara. The parents of the girl child will present golden
bangles to girl, along with silk saree. She will be presented with 5 or 9
varieties of sweets, fruits, sweets and the same is being distributed
among the woman who arrive to grace the function. After wearing the new
saree, first the mother will wear two gangles made of vepa (neem stem)
this is mainly because to avoid getting contact with bacteria from
different people who will insert bangles and apply chandan and kumkum to
the girl. The seniority will be from the senior most sumangalies to
latest married women. After completion of this function harati is taken
and the girl child normally taken back to mother house until child
birth. The three pre natal samskaras is to have a child with dharmic
nature to uplift the pitaras of his vamsa. i.e. Jatakarma to clean the
garbha, pumsavana to beget a dharmic child and sreemanta to safeguard
both mother and child in the garbha.
Samskarams to be done from birth to first year:
4. JAATA KARMA: On hearing the birth of a child, the
father of the child has to go to tataka i.e. river/tank/well and have
to jump into the same from height with clothes adorned. The water
splashed to such height will mark the happiness of generations previous
to him i.e. the pitru loka devatas also share the joy of new born. The
father of the child will have no jaata asoucham on that day. After the
bath he has perform nandi abyudaika sradha if he is well versed with
procedure or at least he has to perform the same either by hiranya or by
ama (hiranya means giving money as daanam, ama dana is giving rice,
vegetables etc as danam) to please the pitru devatas. While a child is
being born in our vamsa, our forefathers will eagerly await for the
birth of the child and shower their asirvadams to the new born in
happiness as some in the family has born to uplift their status in pitru
loka. Even if one more child is born within 7 generatiions of your
gotra in father side, there is no asoucha till he performs the jaaata
karma. Only exception is if marana asouch is there, this jaata karma has
to be performed on completion of asoucha. Phyisically, jaata karma is
nothing but to greet the pitaras of our vamsa and praying them for
upliftment.
5. NAAMAKARANA: This is to be done on 11th day or
29th day or after that within one year completion. This samskara is only
to name the child according to vedic rites so that the same name will
be referred even after his death in all samskarams. On this day, the
father has to perform punyaha vachana, naandi abyudaika sradha, graha
devata puja and homa without fail. During this time if the child is born
in stars that will harm for the health of the child also to be
performed the santhi compulsorily. Naming is to be performed by keeping
rice in a big plate and three lines to be drawn in it, maasa namna,
nakshatra namna and vyavaharika namna is to be written by the father
three times. Maasa namna is the name assigned to each month and we have
to choose on which month the child is born according to chandramana, 27
nakshatras also have individual vedic names and we have to write the
particular nakshatra name in which the child is born, then the vyavahara
naama is nothing but as per our kulaachara the kuladevata name+elders
name+the name we choose to call him along with sarma in case of
Brahmins, varma in case of kshatriyas and gupta in case of vysyas. The
vyavahara namam should not be shrinked and to call him as your desire.
In our sanatana dharma, the naming of child with god names except, names
of rivers, tulasi etc for women and we have to call them with full name
always. Naming the children with patrivara names, river names or tulasi
etc and calling them peeda, daridram, munda etc will cause innumerable
sin to us. Thus the god names will register in our minds in such a way
so that at the time of pranotkramana, even if we do not call the god
name but if we call our children name (adoned with god name) the person
in death bed will get good lokas after death. Example for this
ajaamilopakhyana. The vedic way of naming child name should be the total
of letters in even number for males and odd numbers for females.
6. KARNA VEDAM: Piercing of ear is to be done when
the tooth grow to child or the child independently moves to his/her
mother’s lap. Normally it is not more than before 6 months. This
function is to be performed on chaitra, karthika, pushya and phalguna
(in tamil chitrirai, karthikai, thai, panguni) sukla paksha. Normally,
ear piercing is done in the kula devata sannidhi or in temples. There is
no vedic samskara to this. This is done to activate the child’s mental
energy. (accupunture way of treatment).
7. NISHKRAMANAM: normally when child is born, the
child will not be brought out for 10 days from the prasuti gruham . In
old days a separate room is segregated for child birth in the house and
that room will not get either sun rays or other light energies other
than the oil lamps lit in the room. The main purpose is to avoid
bacteria from nature as well as the child is in the mother’s garbha for
nine months without light and it should come to normalcy to accustom
with light of nature. Taking out of new born from the prasuti gruham on
the 12th day is called nishkaramanam. During the 3rd month the child is
brought to other areas of the house and early morning sun light is
subjected to the child’s body to get vitamin D. After one month the
child is subjected to have moon rays also and after that the child will
be taken to temple first before visiting to other places. This is
prescribed in the sanata dharma but due to development of science in
leaps and bounds our generations is not following the procedure.
8. ANNAPRASANA: This samskaram is to be done either
in the sixth or eigth month when the child able to digests the hard
items from liquid and semi liquid items. It is seen, many parents are
performing this function of the first birth day itself along with ear
piercing to avoid expenditure. But before that we have to keep in mind
that the child should not be allowed to consume the hard substances from
each and every one’s plate. Nowadays it has become a fashion and
culture to have food from other man’s plate. The child should be made to
consume curd+honey+ghee mixture initially from mother only.
9. ABDAPOORTHY/1ST BIRTHDAY: This function is to be
done on the same nakshatra the child born year before (same month and
nakshatra) On this day, the parents has to do punhyaha vachana, nandri
abhyudaika sraadha and graha vedika puja and perform navagraha homa and
also perform ayushya sookta homa. Many of the parents are joining the
ear piercing and anna prasana function also with this but it is not
correct to mix all those functions with abdapoorthy. Care should be
taken that cake cutting and putting of candles by the new born is not
our custom and we should not practice the same to children. How we show
the way by adopting by ourselves, the children will follow us. Hence it
is our utmost duty to live with eticasy and dharmic way so that the
children will also follow us. The same this is being observed even every
birthday of the child even in 60th, 70th, 80th and 100th birthdays
also. We should not leave our customs and adopt the foreign culture and
spoil our children.
10.CHOWLA SAMSKARA: This samskara is to be done with
mantrapoorvakam. At the commencement of third or fifth year this
samskara i.e. keeping sikha (shaving on all foursides of head) is to be
performed. This he has to keep through out his lifetime. When mother of
the child is pregnant this samskaara is to be postponed till delivery of
the mother. Tuesday, Saturday, Prathama(padyami), chathurti, navami,
chathurdasi, janma nakshatra, bharani, krithika, poorvabhadra,
uttarabhadra are to be avoided.Aswani, mrigasira, punarvasu, pushyami,
hasta, chitra, swati, sravanam, dhanishta, revaty are best suited
nakshatras to perform this function.Girl children are also eligible for
these samskarams and it should be done without fail. For girl children,
marriage is being done in place of upanayana samskara for male
children. It is more appropriate to perform all these samskaras in the
prescribed age for both boys and girls.
11.AKSHARABHYASAM SAMSKARAM: On completion of chowla
samskara, the boy or girl is becomes eligible for aksharaabhyasa
samskara i.e. learning of education. At the age of five, during
uttarayana, except magha masa (tamil masi) and also avoiding Tuesday,
Saturday, prathama(padyami), chaturthi, sashti, ashtami, navami,
chaturdasi this samskaara is to be performed.Best suitable nakshatras
are are punarvasu, pushyami, hastam, chitra, swati, jyeshta, anuradha,
sravanam, dhanishta and satabhisha are most suitable for performing this
samskaara.Mahavishnu, lakshmi, saraswati, parvati and individual
sutrakara (in case of rig vedi aswalayana and in case of yajur vedi
apastama/bodhyana etc) and your kula deivam are to be worshipped. The
boy or girl is to seated facing east and the teacher i.e. the father
should sit opposite to child facing west, the alphabets are to be
taught. Initially in the plate filled with rice, the hand of the child
is to be kept and made to write OM NAMASIVAYA, SIDDAM NAMAHA and then
the letters are to be written in the plate.Anadhyana dhinas Padyami,
ashtami, chaturdasi, amavasya and pournami are to be avoided.Till
performing of upanayana samskara, there is no restriction in ahara yet
as we have to keep mind and body in proper way we have to inculcate the
habit of food habits to the children.
12.UPNAYANA SAMSKARAM: Though we have born from
mother’s garbha, this is the second birth to have dwijatwam. This
samskara is to be done after completion of 7th year i.e.(normally it is
stated as ashtavarsheth i.e. 8th year hear we have to take into
calculation of period in the mother womb also)Best period to perform
this samskaram is vasanta rutu, magha, phalgunam, pushya and jyesta
masas. If the boy is of 1st issue then jyeshta is not good. Gurubalam
should be in favour. Jupiter is head for rig veda, sukra for yajurveda,
angaraka for sama veda and mercury for Atharvana veda. According to
veda, the head of veda should bestow best aspects from lagna to 4, 7 and
10th houses. During Maudyam period this samskaram should not be
performed. This samskaram should also not to be performed on anadhyana
days Padyami, ashtami, chathurdasi, purnami and amavaasya, chaviti,
saptami, navami, ekadasi and thrayodasi days.This samskaram should be
performed before attaining the
age of 16 maximum.
Beyond this age, this samskara will not give fruitful results. Upanayana
means to take the person nearly i.e. to take the person to Guru to
bestow bramha gyana. That is why after this samskara, the asrama is
called
bramhacharya ashrama.
i.e. bramha means veda and paramatma, charya implies way of adoption
i.e. learning the vedas ashis life goal and understanding the parabramha
tatwa. The first part of the upanayana samskara is adorning with sacred
thread called yagyopaveetam. The sacred thread should be woven by
vedadhyana bramhana, sumangali or kanya or widow who follows the achara.
This should be worn from left shoulder to navel.The boy will be offered
with dandam made of palasa, ravi or atti tree, agina i.e. small piece
of stag skin and mounji a rope woven with dharba to wear on navel. He
should compulsorily wear koupina. For gayatri maha mantra upadesa father
along with mother, guru will do collectively. On the day of upanayana
the vatu should obtain bhiksha from his mother first then mothers
sisters and fathers sisters will offer.First three days he has to obtain
ama (rice biksha) from fourth day he has to obtain anna bhiksha only
till complete of gurukula vaasa. The households should not threaten the
vatu. He should obtain only to his requirement only and he should show
it to his guru and consume. He should not obtain the bhiksha in the guru
house or from his relatives house or vatus relatives house. This will
bestow patience and perseverence and avoid ahankara.From the afternoon
of upanayana day he has to start performing sandhyavandana through out
his life. From next day he has to start doing bramha yagyan He has also
do samida danam i.e offering samit to agni both in morning and evening
without fail. During this time his lineage will be introduced i.e.
pravara, sutra which he belong and to follow and his name initiated in
the namakarana samskara. In total the pravara contain the rishi lineage
to whch he belongs, the sutra which he follows and with name followed
with abhivadaye. Whenever he meets with elders he has to close his both
ears bow down from hip level and the chanting should be heard to the
person whom he offers his namaskaram.
The important aspects of upanayana:
1.If the mother of the boy is pregnant with more than 5 months this samskaara should not be done until delivery.
2. If mother is out of door during this period also not to be done.
3 If father is not alive, grand father, elder brother or brother’s of father can do bramhopadesam.
4.If mother is not alive then father is not competent to offer bramhopadesa.
5. At no time, brothers should be offered bramhopadesa except in case of twins by birth.
6. If the children born to first and second wife, then the vedi and nandi performer should be separate.
7. impotant, blind, deaf, invalid and those who do not effectively
speak in those cases the father should repeat the mantra on behalf of
them but the samskara should not be avoided to them.
8. If anyone wanted to have sweekara of child that should be done before the upanayana samskara.
13.VEDADHYANAM: vedadhyana for the vatu starts from
the upakarma day only. On that day he has to offer puja to veda vyasa,
kanda rushies then tarpana to them and after that vedadhyana to be
started from guru. From that day upto uttarayana punyakala he has to
learn the vedas and during the dakshinayana punyakala period he has to
make abhyasa i.e. remembering what guru taught. No new lessons duirng
this period.Those follow rig veda will perform upa karma on sravana
nakshatra day, Sama vedies on hasta nakshatra day, krishna yajurvedies
will do on pournami thithi on morning time in sranavana masa. Sukla
yajurvedies will perform on sravana pournami day. During this day the
upanayana boy should replace the upaveetam, mekhala, ajina and dandam.
14.SAMAVARTANAM – VEDA VRATAM: This is the completion of bramha charya asrama. For enabling this vrata the bramha chari has to compete
minimum 12 years in Gurukula vasa for
completion of his veda along with angas. After performing this vratam,
he is eligible for gruhastasrama i.e. to marry or he can contrinue as
bramhachari or become sanyasi. Choosing the asrama is of his
decision.Initially, he has to offer guru dakshina according to his
status. Guru will never ask for any dakshina from his sishyas. Normally
according to sastras we have to give salankruta godana. Then samavartana
homa to be performed and offering to surya and agni is to be given with
ghee. Then to do prayaschitta for various ill acts committed in
bramhacharya ashrama. After performing this he can wear normal dhoti. He
can have kumkum on his forehead, he can wear gold and have danta
dhavanam. He can also keep kajal to his eyes and use slippers and
umbrella. All these actions are now performed on the day of marriage but
critically it is not the time to perform this function on marriage
day. On completion of this vratam, he has to pray to elders of his
family and friends to choose a suitable girl to marry him.
That
girl should not be of his own gotra and also she should not be connected
to 7 generations of his father and 5 generations of his mother.
Moreover she should not have same pravara of boy. She should
not be elder to him.After chossing the girl, the relatives of the boy’s
side visit the family of the girl on a suitable day with flowers,
fruits, betel nuts and other mangalam items and request the girl’s
parents to give the girl to their ward by telling three generations of
the boy and their characteristic details. Then the girl parents with
their relatives promise for kanyadanam by chanting their three
generations. This is what we are doing in marriage day duirng the gouri
puja as kanya varanam.
15.VIVAHA SAMSKARA
This is one of the most important samskara in human life and it is to
be done with AGNI SAKSHI. This samskara makes a person a gruhasta
and he has to safeguard all other varnas and creatures.
In this ashrama he has to perform pancha yagyas i.e. desva yagya,
rushi yagya,pitru yagya, manushya yagya and buta yagya. In this
ashrama both husband and wife are equally responsible in performing all
the yagyas and without each other it can be performed.
According to vaideeka vidhi marriage vidhana starts as under:
1. Boy enters the bride’s home along with relatives
and offers new saree to the bride by chanting the mantra to accompany
in his life till the end with pride and prosperity. This we call now as
madhu parka saree.
2. The bride’s father invites the groom and treat
him as maha vishnu and offer madhu parka (made with ghee, milk and
honey). His feet is washed with water kept ina plate by brinde’s
parents. Then the groom is offered with 2nd set of yagyopaveetam and
new madhu parka dhoti to wear. This dhoti is of 2 nos of untorn 8
moora dhoti symbolically he should not tore his better half in life.
3. After this both elders of the bride and groom
will invite the bride to the vivaha vedika and in the meantime a 8
moora dhoti is kept as screen in between the boy and girl so that they
should not each other until the sumuhurta period. The bride should
made to sit facing west and boy facing east. The present day system of
writing in the screen is totally forbidden.
4. Now the bride’s parents do maha sankalpa and
chanting the pravara for 4 genrations including the bride and groom and
give salankruta kanya danam to groom by keeping bride’s hand over
groom’s hand with coconut in hand and pour water symbolically, the
parents fully agreeing to loose all rights over the daughter and
offering to the groom to upbring his family and traditions. Now, the
bride’s father ask the groom to promise him that the he will take care
of his daughter for undertaking dharma, to cherish the wealth, to
fulfil his gruhasta dharma and finally to attain moksha and the groom
in return has to promise thrice that he will safeguard her in all walks
of life. This is actual vag danam in marriage ceremony. (DHARMECHA,
ARTHECHA, KAAMECHA, MOKSHECHA NAATI CHARAAMI, NAATI CHARITAVYAM)
5. Then Jeera mixed with bellam (jeelakarra
bellam) paste is given to both bride and groom. Now the priests wait
for sumuhurta and until then they will chant mangala slokas with ending
SUMURTE SAAVADHANA, SULAGNE SAAVADHANA, LAKSHMI NARAYANETI SAAVADHANA.
When the specific muhurta period arrives, the jeelakarra bellam paste
to be put on the centre part of the head of each other and they have
to see each other centre place of the eye brow only. During this time
the priest will chant mantra AGHORA CHAKSHU available in rig veda 10th
mandala. According to vaideeka vidhi the both bride and groom has to
see each other now only and not before. Keeping of the jeelakarra
bellam on the centre head is to pass the electrical energy of each
other into others soul. The mixture of jelakarra bellam can not be
separataed once it is mixed and like that the husband and wife should
mix in the life and live upto the traditions respecting each other’s
values.
6. Next
akshataropanam. Akshatas
for this purpose is made separately i.e. segragating the full rice
without any borken ends, mix haldi i.e. pasupu with ghee and mix
throughly. In some regions instead of akshatas made with haldi they
will add a little bit chuna also to make it rose color. Now the
akshatas is poured into the palm of the bride kalasa with water is kept
in the palm. Similarly the akshatas are also kept in the palm of groom.
The bride after chanting the mantras by the priest and removing the
kalasa will pour the akshatas into the head of groom without bringing
her palm outside of boy’s hands. After this the boy will pour the
akshatas into the girl. This is done thrice. But nowadayas, we are
seeing paper balls, chamkies, flowers and what not including the foam is
also used which is not allowed in vaideeka vivaha.
7. After this kankana dharana is to be done. If
the groom is of Rig vedi, then both parents and elders of the families
in pairs will assemble in round making the couple to stand in middle
and two sets of the threads will be prepared by chanting the SURYA
SAVITRI SUKTA CONTAINING 47 mantras highlighting the values of
marriage. If the groom is of yajur veda this is not being done but the
priest will prepare at the mandapa and get it. Then the kankana
dhaarana is being done to safe guard both bride and groom. After this
the groom will tie the mangalya into the neck of girl to show his right
over the girl. This is not available in vaideeka maarga only neela
mani bandhanam is allowed at the time of nagavalli programme. That is
why there is no mantra for this ritual but only a sloka MANGALYAM
TANTUNANENA MAMA JEEVANA HETUNA, KANTE BADNAMI SUBHAGE TWAM JEEVA
SARADASSATAM.
IF the groom is of yajur veda, nutadi it is sanskrit name for
plough, nowadays the priest keep a ruler with holes on both ends, keeps
over the head of bride and one is kept by groom and in the second end
the mangalya inserted and the water in the kalasa will be poured in
drops so that it will pass through the hole of nutadi as well as
mangalya fall over the head of bride with mantra purvakam. This is one
type of promising by groom to bride that for plough two bulls are
required and i will be the one and i invite you to the other so that
both of us will uplift the family tradition and pitaras in a dharmic
way.
8. Then The couple has to raise agni and with agni
as sakshi, laaga homa is performed to please gandhaaravas, pusha and
sun god then both will go round the agni promising to lead dharmika
life only to uplift the pitaras of both side and perform all the vaidic
yaagas specified in the sutra. Then the boy will adore metti (mettelu)
to wife praying to divine for 7 times keeping her steps each time
reciting one manthra on a grinding stone. Symbolically, it is promising
each other that they will remain together like the stone. Each of the
step is being done by going round to agni. This is called sapta padi.
There is a saying in telugu
YEDU ADUGULU KALISI NADISTE VALLU VEELLAI POTARU.
With this the marriage ceremony is over and the husband and wife
status is attained to groom and bride. Now the bride is termed as
sumangali.
16. ANTYESHTI SAMSKAARAM:
Antyeshti is an important samskaram. We are doing
many samskarams to have a child i.e from joining of male and females
first time to till birth and after birth also doing many of the
samskarams. Like the same way after departing of a soul from the human
body, the body should be disposed with same respect and honour.
For this our rishies has given clear directions in smrities. But now
today everything has been commercialised and people have no respect
towards this samskaram. The priests/purohits are now interested in
undetaking the samskara as a contract only so that they can put back
large amount of money into their pockets. Moreover, once they accept to
do the samskara, and receive the advance, they will not send the same
person for all days but keeping on change the purohit so that everyday
the people will be behind them and will not concentrate on the ritual.
The charges collected by the purohits for first two days are around 8000
and for performing the ritual from ninth day, dasaaham, yekoddistam,
shodasa sraadham on eleventh day and sapindeekarana on twelvth day they
collect minimum of 15000 to 20000 without any hesitation but are not
performing the ritual according to sastra imposed.The most important
thing in doing the samskaram, the priest has to ask for the people about
to which veda shakha they belong and to perform the ritual according to
their sakha but as our people do not have knowledge about their veda
sakha, the purohits are combining all and simplified the ritual and run
like anything and confuse the people and finish the same as they know
only.
People should be aware that even if you perform any mistakes or
ommissions in the other samskarams that can be correctted with
prayaschitta but in antyesti samskara there is no prayaschitta and we
have to suffer for the mistakes committed knowingly or unknowlingly. If
we do this samskara without the prescribed ritual, we will have direct
suffering by having spastic children or children with mental illness or
children without proper studies and growth up. Hence it is requested to
perform the antyesti samskara with full devotion and knowing fully well
about the samskara so that our future generations will have blessings of
our elders who are the first gods to us. Nowadays you can see in the
market that there are so many books sold in the name of
APASTAMBA APARAA PRAYOGA written
by many people but you should know that those are not genuine one. Sage
apastamba has not given in his smriti, dhama sutra or sulba sutra or
srouta sutra about the antyeshti.
The yajurveda prayoga was given to us by bharadwaja rishi in BHARADWAJA SMRITI in the name of PAITRUMEDHIKA PRAYOGA.
For Rig vedies sage aswayalayana and Sankhyaana has clearly given in
their smrities.As in andhra pradesh many of the people are following
Yajus Sakha, they should not be mislead by the apastamb a apara prayoga
books printed and sold in the market. Now we can see what is
paitrumedhika and and how it should be done one by one.
Normally every person who is on the death bed will know that he is
going to die and there are some symptoms are visibly experienced by the
person. The symptoms are
a) He can not find his head when viewed his shadow.
b) He will experience unknown fear which can not be explained
c) He will have the knowledge about his previous birth,
the deeds he committed but he can not explain to others. Even when a
child is born i.e. in the mother’s womb during the 8 and 9th months the
child will have knowledge about its previous birth’s deeds and weeps in
the womb and prays the god to push him/her outside at the earliest
times. When once he/she comes out from the mother’s womb after attaining
ten days life, all the knowledge about the previous birth deed’s will
vanish from memory.
Only the persons who are seriously ill and are put on ventilators,
and people who goes in coma will not have this experience. We even can
experience the agony experienced by them when we are with them during
the last days. When It is confirmed that he will be no more, the person
should be immediately removed from the bed and made to lie on the ground
by keeping the Dharbas ends facing south side.
He should me made to listen the Vishnu Sahasranama or rama naama
bhajans so that his mind does not concentrate on the local relationships
etc. Sufficient care should be taken that people should not weap who
are around him. The family priest should be summoned immediately.
Immediately the eldest son, of the person has to take bath and do
SARVA PRAYASCHITTAM i.e. to pray god for the misdeeds he has done during
the lifetime and perform some kruchhams i.e to pay fine to brahmins.
More so, he has to offer one cow as daana to a brahmin. Nowadays we can
find out the cow immediately, hence we can offer the cow with calf
pratima in Silver to the brahmin to get rid of the sins he has uttered
during the lifetime.
We have to wait with patience until the prana leaves the body and we have to continuously chant the rama nama or govinda nama.
After the prana is left the body, we have to note down the thithi,
vaara and nakshatra of the day separately so that if any santhi is
required to be done can be verified with family purohit.
We have to summon our family doctor and obtain the death certificate,
which is very much essential in the burial ground as well as to obtain
the death certificate from the corporation authorities for all
purposes.
All the daayaadis/gnyaaties to be informed. It is very much important
that we have to inform to some and ask them to inform to others about
the death.
It is very much essential to get the freezer box immediately and keep
the body inside so that the people who are visiting the dead can not
get contaminated.
Both the thumbs of hands and legs are to be tied with small rope so
that the legs and hands tightening can be avoided.Put some rice with
husk (vari/nellu/vadlu) or if not available keep some rice on the floor
and lit lamp on mud pramitha/agal vilakku with thil oil and see that the
lamp is continuously glow by adding oil then and there and the same is
to be kept near the head of the deceased person.
Next main problem arise in many of the houses is who has to perform
the final rights because the deceased may have only daughters and the
daughters having male child, in that case the dharba can be obtained
from him and the final rites can be done by others, if the child is less
than three years and no jaata karma is done also is eligible to perform
the final rites orHaving only daughters and they have again only
daughters, or
Have no male issue at all in this case wife can do the samskaram by
giving dharba to other and pay some fees to the third person to do the
samskaaram on her behalf orHave more than two wives and the first wife
have male child but younger when compare to other two wife’s male issues
and so on like this. (the eldest among the sons only eligible in this
case.)For this our saastra has given clean direction
who are eligible to perform the final rights by a person in the order of seniority. They are
first
parents, step mother, mother’s mother, father’s mother, grand fathers,
mother side father and their mother, own wife, son, brother, father’s
elder or younger brother, metarnal uncle and his wife, daughter, , grand
son, mother’s brother son, son in law, sister’s husband, daughter in
law, father in law, brother in law, mother in law, teacher and anatha.In
some cases, parents i.e. not by birth but by virtue of brought up from
young are also eligible to perform the final rights by a person. Care to
be taken that the stove should not lit in the family where the deceased
is placed i.e. we should not cook or even to prepare coffee etc. Our
saastras has clearly states there is no sutaka or maila till first 90
minutes from the death of the person so that we can do some of the
prayaschittas and pouring ganges water with tulasi leaves in the mouth
and so on. Same is the case during the child birth also i.e. before the
navel is cut (separated from mother to child) there is no asoucha to
father and he has to do jaata karma immediataely by doing snanam and
small amount of honey and ghee mixed is to be put on the child mouth and
pray some of the suktaas near the child ears. The honey with ghee will
make the child’s stomach clean and activates the blood circulation
scientifically.
