PERFORMING THE YAJNA

 

                                                  YAJNA PERFORMING

                     MANY PRELIMINARY STEPS OF A YAJNA ARE EXACTLY THE SAME AS THE ONES YOU DO BEFORE YOU START YOUR JAPA. I AM LISTING THOSE STEPS HERE:

                    1. BATHE

                        IF YOU ARE PERFORMING YOUR YAJNA IMMEDIATELY AFTER YOUR JAPA, YOU DON'T HAVE TO TAKE A BATH. BUT, IF YOU DID JAPA IN THE MORNING BUT ARE DOING YAJNA IN THE EVENING (OR VICE-VERSA) FOR EXAMPLE YOU WILL HAVE TO BATHE BEFORE MAKING FIRE OFFERINGS.

                   2. PUT ON FRESH CLOTHES

                       ONCE AGAIN, IF YOU ARE DOING IT IMMEDIATELY AFTER YOUR JAPA, YOU CAN WEAR THE SAME CLOTHES, OTHERWISE, PUT ON FRESH ONES.

                 3. KEEP A SMALL POT OF WATER IN FRONT OF YOU (OR YOUR RIGHT SIDE) FOR PURIFICATION.

                 4. A SMALL CONTAINER WITH GHEE (CLARIFIED BUTTER) WILL BE REQUIRED. YOU CAN ANY SPOON TO MAKE THE OFFERING IN THE FIRE OR IF YOU WANT TO DO IT THE TRADITIONAL WAY, USE A WOODEN SPOON. THE TWO WOODEN SPOONS ARE CALLED SRUKA AND SRUVA THAT ARE USED TO MAKE GHEE OFFERINGS IN FIRE. KEEP YOUR POT OF GHEE TO YOUR RIGHT.
                

               5. KEEP THE POT WITH THE INGREDIENTS (CHARU) FOR FIRE OFFERINGS IN FRONT OF YOU. INGREDIENTS FOR YAJNA VARY FROM SADHANA TO SADHANA. FOR ALL THE SADHANAS LISTED IN THIS BOOK. I'VE SPECIFIED THE INGREDIENTS NEXT TO THEM.

              6. PURIFY THE SURROUNDINGS (PAVITRIKARANA)

                                             

   

              7. SELF-PURIFICATION (ACHAMANA)

              8. WASH YOUR HANDS (HASTA PRAKSHALANA)

              9. LIGHT THE LAMP (IN ADDITION, YOU CAN ALSO LIGHT INCENSE AT THIS LAMP (IN ADDITION, YOU CAN ALSO LIGHT INCENSE AT THIS STAGE IF YOU LIKE, BUT IT'S OPTIONAL.)

            10. INVOKE GANESHA

            11. SHOW THREE HANDLOCKS FOR GANESHA (GANESHA MUDRA)

            12. CHANT THE VEDIC HYMN OF AUSPICIOUSNESS (SVASTIVACHANA)

            13. MEDITATE ON YOUR GURU (GURU DHYANA)

            14. CHANT YOUR GURU MANTRA (GURU MANTRA JAPA)

            15. MEDITATE ON YOUR DEITY (ISHTA DHYANA)

            16. OFFER OBEISANCE TO ALL SIDDHAS    

                    

            17. PLACE YOUR FIREWOOD IN THE FIREPIT AND LIGHT IT. YOU CAN USE THE SAME MANTRA TO LIGHT THIS AS YOU DO FOR LIGHTING A LAMP. YOU CAN LIGHT CAMPHOR OR A WICK DIPPED IN OIL TO IGNITE THE FIRE. SIMPLY PLACE IT ON ONE OF THE WOODEN CHIPS AT THE BASE AND LIGHT I (CAMPHOR OR WICK IN OIL). START ARRANGING FIREWOOD AROUND IT KEEPING SPACE FOR THE AIR TO FLOW.

           18. ONCE THE FIRE STARTS, YOU ARE READY TO MAKE FIRE OFFERINGS. AN IMPORTANT POINT TO REMEMBER IS THAT EVERY OFFERING MADE IN THE FIRE MUST END WITH THE WORD "SVAHA". THE SANSKRIT WORK SVAHA MEANS TO BURN COMPLETELY AND IT IS USED TO BURN ALL OUR AFFLICTIONS. SVAHA IS THE HINDU TRADITION IS THE ENERGY ASPECT OF FIRE. IT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR TAKING THE FIRE OFFERING TO ITS DESTINATION. MAKE THE FOLLOWING OFFERINGS WITH GHEE ALONE. EVERY TIME, YOU SAY "SVAHA" POUR GHEE USING YOUR SPOON (OR WOODEN SPOON). ALL OFFERINGS ARE MADE WITH YOUR RIGHT HAND ONLY.

          19. MAKE THE FOLLOWING OFFERINGS (AHUTI) WITH THE INGREDIENTS (CHARU) OF YAJNA. (NOT GHEE UNLESS THE SOLE INGREDIENT BEING USED IN YAJNA IS GHEE) ALL OFFERINGS ARE ALWAYS MADE WITH YOUR RIGHT HAND IN A YAJNA. THE QUANTITY IN EACH OFFERING IDEALLY SHOULD BE NO MORE THAN A TEASPOON. HOLD IT BETWEEN YOUR THREE FINGERS AND THUMB (KEEPING THE INDEX FINGER AWAY) ANY OFFERINGS AND THUMB (KEEPING THE INDEX FINGER AWAY) ANY OFFERING IN THE FIREPIT SHOULD BE MADE WITH A SENSE OF OFFERING IN THE FIREPIT SHOULD BE MADE WITH A SENSE OF REVERENCE. YOUR PALM SHOULD BE FACING UP WHILE MAKING THE OFFERING.

                20. NOW YOU ARE READY TO MAKE OFFERINGS WITH GAYATRI MANTRA. AN IMPORTANT PRACTICAL ASPECT TO MENTION HERE IS COUNTING. SINCE NOW YOU ARE MAKING OFFERINGS WITH YOUR RIGHT HAND, YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO DO THE COUNTING WITH BEADS. IN THAT CASE, YOU HAVE TWO OPTIONS TO CHOOSE FROM. YOU CAN CHOOSE WHICHEVER ONE YOU ARE COMFORTABLE WITH.

                 ( A). USE COUNTING BEADS. YOU CAN KEEP LOOSE BEADS OR PEBBLES ON THE SIDE AND MOVE A PEBBLE WITH YOUR LEFT HAND EVERY TIME YOU MAKE AN OFFERING WITH YOUR RIGHT ONE.

                 (B). SIMPLY SEE HOW LONG IT TAKES YOU TO CHANT YOUR MANTRA USING A TIMER. ADD 20% TIME TO IT CATER FOR SLOW CHANTING AT TIMES. FOR EXAMPLE, LET'S SAY YOU HAVE TO MAKE 100 OFFERINGS. IF IT TAKES YOU 10 SECONDS TO CHANT YOUR MANTRA. IT'LL TAKE YOU 1000 SECONDS TO CHANT IT 100 TIMES. ADDING 20% WILL MAKE IT 1200 SECONDS OR 20 MINUTES. WHEN YOU COME TO THIS STEP, SET ASIDE 20 MINUTES TO MAKE FIRE OFFERINGS WITH YOUR MANTRA. IT IS OKAY OF OFFER A BIT MORE THAN REQUIRED SO DON'T BE WORRIED IF YOU ARE OVERDOING IT. THE MAIN THING IS TO NOT DO IT LESS THAN THE MINIMUM NUMBER REQUIRED.

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                     IF AT ANY TIME, YOU FEEL THE FIRE IS EBBING IN THE PIT, POUR MORE GHEE AND /OR PLACE MORE FIREWOOD. WHENEVER YOU POUR MORE GHEE, DO IT WITH YOUR MAIN MANTRA AND DON'T FORGET TO ADD "OM SVAHA" IN THE END.

              21. NOW MAKE THE FOLLOWING FIVE OFFERINGS AGAIN WITH GHEE.

              22. MAKE THE OFFERINGS BY PLACING THE DRY COCONUT (FILLED WITH YAJNA INGREDIENTS AND A BIT OF GHEE) IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FIREPIT. DO THIS CAREFULLY AS THERE CAN BE A FIRE HAZARD. CHANT THE FOLLOWING MANTRA WHILE YOU DO THE FINAL OFFERING (PURNA-AHUTI).

                

                                     * OM PURNAMADAH PURNAMIDAM PURNAT PURNAMUDACYATE PURNASYA PURNAMADAYA PURNAMEVAVASISYATE

                                    * OM SANTIH SANTIH SANTIH.

                                    

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