Monday, July 29, 2013

WHETHER PREGNANT WIFE HAS TO SIT BEFORE AGNI WHILE PERFORMANCE OF SIMANTA RITUAL?

According to Apastamba, the pregnant wife must sit to the west of the Agni , facing east for performance of sImanta.
 
parishecanAntam krtvA apareNagnim prAcIm upaveSya treNya SalalyA tribhir darbha punjIlair SalAlupsenetUrdhvam sImantam unnayati vyAhrutribhiruttarabhyAm ca !
-- Apastamba Grhya sUtra

Sunday, July 14, 2013

UNIVERSAL EXCELLENCE THROUGH RIG VEDA

स॒मा॒नी व॒ आकू॑तिः समा॒ना हृद॑यानि वः|
स॒मा॒नम॑स्तु वो॒ मनो॒ यथा॑ वः॒ सुस॒हास॑ति||

Rg Veda x- 191-4

The aforesaid Mantra is the last Mantra of Rg Veda samhitA.

The context is regarding a common and harmonious resolution, heart and thought among the Ritvigs (Priests who conduct the sacrifice) while performance of the Yajna.

This talks about seamless integration among intellect, mind and heart for bringing out unity and harmony.

There is always a dichotomy between the head and the heart. The head goes for a particular path. The heart says it may bring problems to others and let us not take undue advantage. Let us be fair and equitable to all.

This means that perfect harmony among the stakeholders leads to managerial excellence.

Excellence is achieved by harmonious resolution (intention), harmonious heart (wishes) and harmonious thought. This is important for achieving Unity and peaceful co-existence in a collaborative manner. This principle of holistic Vedic harmony can be applied at an organizational level or societal level or national level or Universal level.

Friday, July 12, 2013

SINS AND THEIR IMPACT

We need to understand clearly that it is very difficult to explain or understand fully the concept of Karma and Karma phala 
KarmaNohyapi boddhavyam boddhavyam ca vikarmaNah !
akarmaNasca boddhavyam gahaNa karmaNo gatih !!
--- Bhagavad GItA
As per Dharma SAstras, there are different types of Sins classified as mahApApa, PAtaka, anupAtaka, upapApa, atipAtaka, mahApAtaka, upapAtaka, jAtibhramsakara, SankarIkaraNa, apAtrIkaraNa, malAvaha, PrakIrNaka and so on.
Just like a drop of oil  spreading over water, the sin gets transmitted from one person to another by association with a sinner.
sankrAmanti hi papAni taila bindurivAmbhasi !
cAndrAyaNam Yavakam tulA purushairiva ca!
--- ParASara smrti
One who blesses the sinner gets infected by the sins of the latter.
Kurvantyanugraham ye tu tat pApam teshu Gacchati !
SarIrasyAtyaye prApte vadanti niyamam tu ye !!
--- ParASara smrti
Through DakshiNa the sins get transferred to the BrAhmaNa and through the recitation of the Vedas, the pApas of the BrAhmaNa get nullified.
DakshiNAnAm BrAhmaNena BrAhmaNasya chandobhi:chandaSam svAdhyAyenapahata pApmA......
---- TaittirIya AraNyaka
Karma Phala
(1)In the case of a realized person, whatever karma he does after realization gets distributed to those who praise and follow him and also to those who find fault with him. The former gets his puNya phala and the latter the PApa , if any. He experiences the prArabdha karma while his Sancita karma gets neutralized.
(2) Like a young calf which recognizes the mother cow amidst thousand other cows, the karma done by a person follows him meticulously.
(3) Like the tree which yields flowers and fruits at the appointed seasons, the fruit of action also manifests at the proper time.
(4) When there is great natural calamity like famine etc, all the people including great Rishis by-pass the dharma and adopt what is known as the Apad dharma.
(5) If a person cuts trees with an axe, then the person who cuts incurs the sin and not the Axe nor the maker of the Axe.
(6) For one's action Supreme is not responsible.
(7) There is the Supreme who by his Laws dispenses the Karma Phalam.
(8) Good and bad deeds rotate like a wheel.
(9) Karma done without the sense of doership and offered at the feet of the Supreme does not bind one.
(10) The Supreme intervenes in the case of a very select few (who deserve) and neutralises their karma due to his divine grace.
prAyascittAnyaSeshANi tapah karmAtmakAni vai !
yAni teshamaSeshANAm KrishNAnussmaraNam param !!
Karma Yoga
By doing prAyascitta as per dharma SAstras, one’s sins get destroyed.
prAyascitta Sabdah pApakshayArthe naimittike karma viSesha rUdah !
--- vijnAneSvarah
JnAna Yoga
Regarding distribution of Karma of a Self-realized person, Atma bodha explains that the critics share his sins and the followers share his puNyas.
Ye jnAninam nindanti, dvishanti, du:kha pradAnam kurvanti tAnprati jnAnikrtam sarvamAgAmi kriyamANam yadavAcyam karma tatpApAtmakam gacchati !
---Tatva Bodha
Bhakti yoga
BhagavAn KrshNa assures that He would deliver one from all sins if one unconditionally surrenders to Him. Hence there is no sin which the Supreme cannot nullify.
Sarva dharmAn parityajya mAmekam SaraNam vraja !
Aham tvA sarva pApebhyo mokshayishyAmi Ma Sucah !!
--- Bhagavad GIta
kalau kalmasha chittAnAm pApadravyopa jIvinAm 1
vidhikriyA vihInAnAm gatir govinda kIrtanam !!
natAvat pApamedheta yannAmnA na hatam hare: !
atireka bhayAdahu: prAyascittAntaram vrthA !!
--- Yoga YAjnavalkya:
sakṛdeva prapannAya tavAsmIti ca yAcate |
abhayaṃ sarva bhUtebhyo dadAmi Etat vratam mama ||
--- VAlmIkI RAmAyaNam
Summary:
(1) Depending on the gravity and intensity of the sins, it can affect only the doer or along with him his wife or son or daughter or any one associated with him or  some or all of them together at any point of time.
(2) The Sins can be destroyed by following Karma yoga, jnAna yoga or Bhakti yoga as aforesaid. Else it may affect the person and his family depending on the severity of the Sins committed.
(3) Unconditional surrender to the lotus feet of the Supreme by following Bhakti Yoga will definitely nullify all sins and one will get released. This is applicable to all.
(4) All the lineal descendants including sons , daughters, grand sons and grand daughters may get impacted depending upon the severity of the Sin. The extent and nature of the impact is very difficult to predict.


It is not possible to draw a matrix of all the sins in the world and then say who are all will be affected, to what extent, when ( whether in this birth or later), in what sequence, why and how.

Thursday, July 11, 2013

DISTRIBUTION OF THE EFFECTS OF SINS

A person can escape punishment of  sin if due prAyascitta is done as per dharma sAstra or if he is a Self realized person or if he unconditionally surrenders to KrshNa.

If the gravity of the Sin is so powerful the entire generation can get affected.  It has to be kept in mind that a person who has to experience the agony based on his sins alone would be born as son and hence it gets transmitted to the right person only. There is no discrimination. 

RAjA shares the sins of his citizens, RAja purohita shares the sins of the  RAjA. The husband shares the sins of his wife.  Guru shares the sins of his disciples. The pApa done by a self -realized person gets distributed to his critics and the PunYa to his followers.

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

LAST DAY OF SRI RAMANUJACARYA

On the last day of Sri RamanujAcArya, his head  turned towards the SrIrangam temple and rested on the lap of  EmbAr.His lotus feet was placed on the lap of vatu  pUrNa ( Andhra  pUrNa). Brahma Valli and Bhrgu Valli  Vedic recitation was done on one side and Divyaprabhandham on the other side.
His PrANa departed  through the crown of his head.
All Vedic rituals and Internment were solemnly done as prescribed for a sanyAsi.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Monday, July 8, 2013

WHICH PURANAS MENTION ABOUT SRI VENKATESA PERUMAL OF TIRUPATI?

SrI VenkateSa PerumAl (SrInivAsa) of Tirupati has been referred to in many PurANas. These include Padma PurANa, MArkaNdeya PurANa, Bhavishyottara PurANa, Skanda PurANa, vAmana PurANa, VarAha PurANa, GAruda PurANa, BrahmAnda PurANa, Brahma PurANa and so on.

Sriyah kAntAya kalyANa nidhaye nidhyerthinAm !
SrIvenkatanivAsAya SrinivAsAya mangalam !!





WHETHER THE SINS COMMITTED BY A PERSON WOULD AFFECT HIS PROGENY ?

According to Smrutis, the effect of the adharma done by a person attacks the doer slowly and cuts off the roots of the perpetrator. The  punishment for  the  sins will fall on him, if not on his sons  and  if not on his grandsons.  Thus a person's entire family is  impacted adversely by the sins committed by a person and the perpetrator   is bound to reap the fruit of his sins.

nAdharmaScarito loke sadyah phalati gauriva !
sAnairAvartyamAnastu kartur mUlAni krntati !!
yadi nAtmani putreshu  na cet putreshu naptrushu !
natveva tu krutozdharmah kartur bhavati nishphalah !!

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

UPANAYANAM

Apastamba dharma SUtra prescribes upanayana samskAra only for the first three VarNas.
For BrAhmaNa eight years  from conception during  vasanta Rtu 
For Kshatriya eleven years from conception during   GrIshmaa Rtu
For VaiSya  twelve years from conception during   Sarad Rtu

vasante brāhmaṇam upanayīta grīṣme rājanyaṃ śaradi vaiśyaṃ
garbhāṣṭhameṣu brāhmaṇaṃ garbhaikādaśeṣu rājanyaṃ garbhadvādaśeṣu vaiśyam !

------ Apastamba dharma sUtra 19