HOW TO PERFORM BHISHMASHTAMI TARPANAM ?

Ratha SaptamI is for invoking Sun God.

TarpaNam to SrI BhIshma has to be offered on BhIshmAshtamI which is normally the day next to ratha saptamI.


Procedure:

(a)On BhIshmAShtamI day morning, perform sandhyA vandanAdi nitya karmas.

(b)Be seated facing East .

(c) Say the sankalpa " BhIshmAshtamI puNyakAle BhIshma TarpaNam karishye"

(d) Having YajnopavIta in NivIta mode, offer Arghyam by both hands in pure water without mixing tila by chanting the following Slokas:

1. bhIshmah SAntanavo vIrah satyavAdI jitendriyah !
AbhiradbhiravApnotu putrapautrocitAm kriYAm !!

bhIshmAya namah idamarghyam !

2. vaiyAghrapAda gotrAya sAnkritya pravarAya ca !
aputrAya dadAmyarghyam salilam bhIshma varmaNe !!

bhIshmAya namah idamarghyam !

3. gangAputrAya SAntAya Santanoh AtmajAya ca !
aputrAya dadAmyarghyam salilam bhIshma varmaNe !!

bhIshmAya namah idamarghyam !
anena arghyapradAnena bhIshmah PrIyatAm !

In fact all BrahmaNas should necessarily offer their respects to SrI BhIshma pitAmaha. In my humble view, he alone deserves the first praise of honour by all vipras as he considers them dearer than his own father.

My respectful salutations to SrI BhIshma.

WHAT ARE THE VARIOUS FORMS OF SRADDHAM?

The subject of SrAddha is vast like an ocean.

There are two basic forms of SrAddha. One is known as PArvaNam and the other is called as Ekoddishtam.

SrAddha can be broadly classified into three categories nitya, naimittika and kAmya.

There are 12 types of SrAddhas:

(1)Nitya SrAddha
(2)Naimittika SrAddha
(3)KAmya SrAddha
(4)NAndI SrAddha
(5)sapiNDIkaraNa SrAddha
(6)PArvaNa SrAddha
(7)gaushtha SrAddha
(8) Suddhyartha SrAddha
(9)karmAnga SrAddha
(10)Daivika SrAddha
(11)YAtrA SrAddha
(12) Pushti SrAddha


PratyAbdika SrAddha especially for one's father or mother has to be necessarily performed as anna SrAddha only. No substitute is allowed in the form of Ama SrAddha or HiraNya SrAddha.

In other cases, if anna SrAddha cannot be performed, it can be done as Ama Sraddha under certain conditions.

If Ama SrAddha cannot be performed, it can be done as HiraNya SrAddha under certain conditions.

If HiraNya SrAddha cannot be performed, under extreme conditions beyond one's control, one can give grass or piNda to cow/perform tila tarpaNam/ undertake upavAsa/chant the SrAddha Mantra.

Kindly note the compassion of dharma SAstras towards all under varied circumstances.

HOW TO CHANT OM ?

It is advisable that the praNavopAsana is learnt directly from the Masters. PraSnopanishad Section V deals with meditation on "OM" .

When we chant "OM" as part of the Vedic Mantras whatever MAtra and Svara is prescribed in that context has to be followed.

Before reciting the Vedas one has to start with : Harih Om
( 4 MAtras)
On concluding the Vedic recitation one has to end with : Harih Om ( 3 MAtras)

GAyatrI Mantra Japa has to be recited mentally as per Vedic svara as ordained in one's SAkhA.

For Mantra japa involving praNava there is no svara but it goes by certain conventions.

For OmkAra Meditations , there are many ways of reciting "OM" which have to be learnt directly from the Yogic Master.

SOME THOUGHTS ON KARMA PHALAM

The subject of Karma is very vast , complex and it has multiple dimensions.
"gahanA karmaNo gatih."

I am presenting certain thoughts on the same:

(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.

(11) Whether destiny is responsible?

(12) Whether it happens by chance?

(13) Whether KAla is responsible?

(14) The ultimate solution is to follow the Scriptures and do PrAyascitta to mitigate the grave sins.

prAyascittAnyaSeshANi tapah karmAtmakAni vai !
yAni teshamaSeshANAm KrishNAnussmaraNam param !!

WHETHER THERE IS ANY IMPACT OF TIME FACTOR IN FOLLOWING DHARMA?

The concept of "dharma" gets influenced by the factor "KAla". That is why with each passing Yuga there is a decline in the practice of "dharma."

While one follows whatever dharmAnushthAna is possible by him in this Kali yuga, there is no need to condemn others who do not follow it totally.

The following quote from ParASara is worth remembering in this regard:

yuge yuge ca ye dharmAs tatratatra ca ye dvijAh !
teshAm nindA na kartavyA yugarUpa hi te dvijAh !!

WHETHER VANAPRASTHA ASRAMA IS PERMITTED IN KALI YUGA ?

According to dharma SAstras, VAnaprastha ASrama is prohibited in Kali Yuga.

ayam ca VAnaprasthASramah "devareNa sutotpattir VAnaprasthASramagrahah " iti kalau nishiddah.

MAmsa dAnam tathA SrAddhe VAnaprathASramas tathA !

imAn dharmAn kaliyuge varjyAnAhur manIshiNah !

WHETHER SRADDHAM CAN BE PERFORMED BY BRAHMANAS ABROAD?

Those who have mastered dharma SAstras are of the opinion that SrAddham (annual pitru ceremony) should be performed only in karma bhUmi (India). If a person has gone abroad, he should perform the prAyascitta and then do the SrAddham every year in karma bhUmi (India) .

A kartA who is abroad cannot avoid performance of SrAddham . He cannot ask somebody else to do the SrAddham in India instead of him and fast there.

1. yasmin deSe mrgah krishNah tasmin dharmAnnibodhata ! (YAjnavalkya)

2. svabhAvAt yatra vicaret krishNa SArah sadA mrugah !
dharma deSah sa vijneyo dvijAnAm karma SAdhanam !!
(Samvartah)

3. CAturvarNya vyavasthAnam yasmin deSe na vidyate !
tam Mlechha deSam jAnIyAt AryAvartAdanataram !! ( VyAsa)

4. na mlecchadeSe SrAddham kuryAt !
na gacchen mleccha vishayamiti ! (VishNu)

5. adharma DeSa madhye tu krtvA kratuSatAnyapi !
na gacchati dvijaSreshTa svargamArgam mahAnapi !! (Aditya purANam)