Veda Dharma

Friday, July 27, 2007

Vaikhanasa Agama( Alaya nirmana vidhi)

According to the Vaikhanasa agama, before the main temple is built a temporary temple should be built and the Lord should be worshipped there. This is called " Taruna Alaya". It is important to build a Tarunalaya first and worship the Lord there for for sometime before the main temple is built. The main temple is known as "Baala Alaya". Now onwards whenever we refer to the main temple let us use the word "Balaalaya". When the Baalaalaya is built without a tarunaalaya it is called "Harakam". When the balaalaya is built after tarunaalaya it is called "samrutam" . Vaikhanasa agama strongly suggests that a tarunalaya should be built first. ( The rules and worship for tarunalaya are not very complicated. This technique helps in gathering spiritual power slowly and then after substantial amount is collected then the installation of the power into the main idol an be easily done. It also helps in understanding and settling all temple administration issues.) And Vimanarchana Kalpa by Marichi says that the tarunalaya should be built in the north-east/north-west/indra direction of the main temple site in the same premises. The size of this temple can be found from the agamas.(Not very big and is generally around 10 sq feet, I guess )

The images of the Lord can be made in three ways: Sthanaka, Asana and Sayana postures. Vimanarchana Kalpa gives the importance of using suitable architecture for the vimana consistent with the type of image viz. sthanaka/asana/sayana. We will talk about the different types of Vimanas in later posts. Sthanka is the standing posture whereas asana and sayana are sitting and reclining posture respectively. (Examples are Tirumala Venkateswara for sthanaka, Ahobila Narasimha for asana and Ananta Padmanabha of Trivandrum/Ranganatha of Srirangam for sayana) In each of these styles, the Lord can exhibit different bhavas like Yoga/Bhoga/Vira. Some scriptures divide Vira further into Vira and Abhicharika.
In the yoga sthanaka posture, the right hand will show either abhaya/varada posture. The left hand can be in kati posture.( This is from Atri Samurtarchanadhikarana chapter 20 whereas marichi gives abhaya for right and varada/kati for left. Both are acceptable) Also the Lord will be accompanied by Brahma,Sankara,Pujaka and sages in appropriate directions as mentioned by the agamas. Building without sankara,brahma is mediocre and building without pujaka,sages is least desirable. (Not prohibited though). It is important to note that Lord is not accompanied by devi in the yoga posture. In addition right upper hand will hold chakra and left upper hand will hold sankha and the Lord is made in black colour.
In the bhoga sthanaka posture, the lord has the same posture but he is acompanied by Sridevi on the right side and Bhudevi on the left side. Sridevi holds a lotus in her left hand and leaves her right hand free. She should also have a slight side glance towards the Lord. She bends her left leg little bit and keeps her right leg straight. Bhudevi stands on the right side and has to be made in the reverse manner to the above. Any mistake in the hands/feet posture is very dangerous. Similar rules for other parivara like Brahma, Iswara are given and in addition there are others like Narada, Vidyadharas,Tumbura, Sanakadi rishis, Surya and Chandra etc accompanying the Lord with all paraphernalia. I will not describe the Vira/Viraha/Abhicharaka which are minor variations and the devis do not accompany the Lord in these postures. Also viraha postures constitute of Lord without sankha and chakra. Abhicharika postures resemble some vamachara kind practises and are used only for destruction of enemies and so on. Lord may hold a mace in Vira postures.
The asana postures are similar to the above sthanaka postures in terms of who the Lord is accompanied by and other such details. The Lord remains seated with his right leg folded and left leg left hanging. The hands can show either Varada/Abhaya postures or can remain on the knees as if meditating. In yoga postures they generally remain on the knees( Anka posture). In bhoga postures if seated along with devis then he may show abhaya/Varada postures. In yoga postures sometimes he might not even hold sankha and chakra. (As mentioned in Vimanarchana) . In bhoga postures devis will remain seated and fold one of their legs depending on which side they are seated.( Sridevi on the right folds her left leg and holds lotuses in both the hands. One can easily form rules for Bhu devi similarly) . In the Vira asana postures Lord is without devis and holds sankha and chakra. Other details can easily be inferred from above. There is also mention of simhasana, Padmasana, Bhadrasana, bhadrasimhasana in Vimanarchana Kalpa. Similar details can be found about the different ways of making sayana postures images can be found easily from the Vaikhanasa scriptures. One point to note is that if the Lord is in standing posture then the parivara devas should be made in standing posture. If the Lord is in sitting posture then the parivara devatas can be made in standing/sitting postures. But sayana is an exception and the parivara devas will have to be made in sitting/standing postures. These rules are very important and any violation might spoil the servant-master relation between the Lord and His servants and might cause negative results. But the only exceptions are Vishwaksena, Vignesa, Jyestha, Matara and Rohini who should always be made in sitting posture. (These details are available in Bhrigu's kriyadhikara) . After discussing the various postures let us understand the effects of these. Yoga images should be worshipped for yogic perfection whereas bhoga images should be worshipped if materialistic prosperity is desired. Vira and other images are worshipped if courage/valour are desired.
I have read in some website that the image in the Tirumala does not confirm to the Agamas as it is a swayambhu. I do not think it is true as from the above description one can clearly see that the Lord of the seven hills is a classic example of a Yoga Sthanaka posture. But there is something very special about this Lord that makes Him grant bhoga also. This is the presence of Mahalakshmi on his heart on the right side which gives Him a tinge of Bhoga posture attributes viz. bestowing prosperity. ( I am not talking about the Swarna Sri and Bhu images he wears on His heart but I am talking about the carved image of Sri on the Sila on the right side of His bosom) Thus an analysis of Agamas reveal that the Lord of seven hills may grant His devotees bhoga when they are in initial stages but will ultimately grant moksha as that is the very nature of a Yoga sthanaka image. More details on the Vaikhanasa agamas in teh next post.

Vaikhanasa Agamas ( Sthala Nirnaya and Bhu Pariksha)

Vaikhanasa agamas specify very clearly which kind of places are suitable for building a temple of Vishnu and which are not suitable. The agamas clearly specify the characteristics of nine different kinds of places which are Vishnu sthalam, Brahma sthalam, Rudra sthalam, Indra, Garuda, Bhoutika, Pisacha, Rakshasa, Asura . Not all of the above places are suitable for building a temple of Vishnu. The classification should be done based on which direction the land is sloping, colour and smell of the land, kinds of trees, animals, birds found in the place. Vishnu sthala is characterised by sloping down towards the east, whitish colour of the land, presence of trees like tulasi, kusa, aswatha etc, animals like sardula, vrishabha, suka, hamsa etc, lakes filled with lotuses etc. Brahma sthala is indentified by its westward sloping, reddish colour. Rudra sthala is identified by its black colour, southward sloping. Similar attributes can be used for other places also as mentioned in Kasyapa Jnana Kanda( Chapters 11 onwards). Different results are given for different lands. Vishnu sthala gives intelligence and sattva, brahma sthala gives sattva, brahminical splendour,wealth, rudra sthala(tamas) is suitable only if courage and strength are desired. Similarly garuda sthala gives strength, courage and wealth, indra sthala gives rajas, abundant food and wealth, bhautika sthala gives prosperity. All the above sthalas are ok whereas pisacha, asura and rakshasa sthalas should be avoided in any case as they will result in destruction and inauspiciousness. After the land is identified and chosen properly, a test of the soil should be done as follows:
Dig a hole of at least of the width,length and depth of an arms length( some works talk about a circular hole but the logic remains the same). After digging the hole, refill it with the soil taken out in the previous step. If the pit is filled and the soil is left then the place denotes growth, if no soil is left then it is just ok and if the pit is not completely filled then it should be avoided.

(Many of us might feel how a land might effect the construction of a temple. The ancient sages were so divine that not only did they see the presence of Supreme consiousness in everything animate and inanimate but they could also find out the characteristics of different objects. The way a devotee prefers staying in good company and a non-believer prefers staying in bad company, animals,trees also grow in the place suitable for their tendency. Hence one can clearly say that the presence of a given animal or a tree gives hints about the nature of the place. This kind of intuition is heavily used by Vedic sages in all the different sciences as it can be used by even people of mediocre intelligence. One need not have the intuition to look at a place and decide which category it belongs to. Non-believers of vedic dharma cannot see through this dense forest like logic and superficially conclude that Vedic worship is superstitious and baseless. My aim is not to criticize other faiths but only to show my Hindu brothers how deep and insightful is Vedic tradition and to stop them from getting attracted to other faiths.)

Vaikhanasa Agama( Antaryaga vs Bahiryaga, Amurta and Samurta aradhana)

According to the Vaikhanasa agamas, worship of the lord can be done either internally ( antaryaga) or externally(bahiryaga). A person who is interested in doing antaryaga should get up before sunrise by gaining mastery over sleep. After that he should finish his morning cleaning rituals facing east or north. He should clean his toungue, teeth and take bath and become clean. After that he should wear the urdhva pundra of the Lord. After that anganyasa and karanyasa ( any of the variations can be followed) should be done by reciting the appropriate mantras. He should seat himself in front of the Lord by either facing east or north. Atma suktam should be recited carefully and the sadhaka should identify himself with the Supreme soul. Pranayama should be done with all its limbs like rechaka, puraka and kumbhaka after this. After this he should think of a 16 petalled lotus in his heart and write all the necessary beejas in all the sixteen petals. Otherwise an eight petalled lotus can be meditated upon by writing the eight sacred letters. ( Like the eight letters of the ashtakshari " Om Namo Narayanaya"). Inside that lotus, the fields of Sun, Moon and Fire should be meditated upon. In the core of the fields, one should meditate upon the Supreme Lord Vishnu in the form of the letter "Om". The Lord should be thought of as same as the sound "Om". The Lord should be thought of as this single letter "Om" as mentioned in the sruti vakyam "sa brahma ...." . ( "The Pranava om is verily Brahma, it is verily Siva, it is verily Vishnu and it is the Supreme Lord" is the gist of that sruti vakyam for those who havent heard this). The Lord should be meditated upon incessantly depending on one's sradha for as much time as possible as "Om" which is in the form of a flame of length one inch. Thus one should merge himself in that flame, which is verily the Supreme Lord Vishnu, who is same as the pranava. This kind of worship is not easily accessible to lesser intelligent people. Now follows the bahiryaga.
Bahiryaga is very simple and is easily doable by anyone. The Lord should be installed in the form of an Archa image by installing the Bija(om can be used if one is not initiated) in the heart of the image first. He should then be worshipped using the regular ways like offering flowers, giving food, reciting stotras etc. That Lord who is thus worshipped everyday is verily the Eternal one and fulfills all the desires of His devotees. The gist is that worshipping Lord in the form of an external image is very useful when one is not in an advanced spiritual stage.
As far as the temple worship is concerned, the Vaikhanasa agamas prescribe two ways of worship. Amurtam (without form) - this is that part of worship where the Lord is worshipped in the Vedic fires / Sun / Heart / Water / Earth through offerings of ghee etc. Samurtam - This is the worship that is done to the Lord in the form of an archa image in the temple. In any Vishnu temple which follows the Vaikhanasa style both amurtam and samurtam are used in the right mixture.
(This is not specific only to Vaikhanasa agamas but is seen in other agamas like Sakti etc. The general opinion that Vedic followers do not understand formless worship is very false. The meditation based on Agni, Soma and Surya mandalas is very extensively used in Sakti worship based on Kundalini. Sakti worshippers divide the spiritual centres into Agni( bottom two chakras), Surya(next two till heart) and Soma( the next two) . But Vaikhanasas put all the three mandalas in heart itself? Is one of them wrong? There is no contradiction here as the meditations are not related to the physical body and are really meant to meditate on the Agni,Surya and Soma mandalas one after another. One can clearly see that both the Vaikhanasa and Sakti styles achieve the same result. Another interesting observation. The Supreme has created this Universe in such a way that what is inside is replicated in a macro scale outside. See for example Fire gives energy to Sun, who in turn makes the moon shine. )

Friday, July 13, 2007

Annamacharya about Tirumala hills!

Annamacharya was one of the greatest saints, who sanctified this earth with his devotion towards the Supreme. He wrote and sang 360000 songs describing the glory of the Lord of seven Hills. It is very interesting to see that Annamacharya wrote many songs explaining the glory of Tirumala. The following is the vision annamacharya had about Tirumala.
"The seven hills of Venkatadri are verily Adisesha's thousand hoods. The hill venkatadri is indeed Vaikunta on the earth. One cannot explain the glory of Tirumala even in thousand verses. The eternal vedas have taken the forms of various stones in Tirumala. Great sages have incarnated themselves as trees in the forrests of Tirumala to liberate themselves. This is to say that one should have done so much punyam even to become a tree in sacred tirumala. The streams that flow in the hills of tirumala are a sum total of auspicious acts of all devotees. Even divinities like Brahma consider living in Tirumala a great fortune. Great divinities roam in tirumala disguising themselves as animals and wait for a chance to worship the Lord. Divine lakes like Ksheera sagara(milk ocean) in Vaikunta verily became the ponds in tirumala. There is nothing that one cannot achieve by worshipping the Lord in tirumala. If one desires wealth, food, progeny, power or moksha let him reach Tirumala as soon as possible and meditate on the Lord, who is the master of Maha Lakshmi. When one takes refuge at the feet of the Lord, whom the Goddess Sri serves with great humility, is there anything impossible? Even the divine mother Sri decided to stay at His feet though He had given her a place in His heart. The reason is too obvious . Let us meditate on His feet and only His feet! This is sufficient to cleanse us of all our sins accumulated from endless births and give us liberation."
narayana smaranam.

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Vaikhanasa Agama ( Sila lakshanam and sangrahanam)

Let us see the different ways of making the image of the Lord. This is one of the most important steps in building a temple as any mistake in making the image of the Lord might make the temple useless or even dangerous in some cases. The agamas Vasadhikara, Vimanarchana Kalpa, Prakeernadhikara are used for understanding the science of stone selection for the image.
The image of the Lord can be made using one of the following: Stone, Wood, Gems, Metals or Mud. (Technically these are known as Silajam, Darujam, Ratnajam, Dhatujam and Mrinmayam). The stone based images can be divided based on the colour like Sweta(white), Rakta(red), Peeta(Yellow) and Krishna(black). When the image is made of a white stone it gives results like all attractiveness etc. Similarly a red stone gives victory whereas a yellow stone gives wealth,abundant food and pleasures. A black stone gives all perfections and protects the people in the country. Similarly people with different dispositions like Brahamana, Kshatriya, Vaisya and Sudra are advised to worship the different stones. Similarly an image can be made of any of the following seven precious gems like manikya, vaidurya, pravala, pushyaraga, sphatika, marakata and neela. All the above give results like wealth, attractiveness etc.(List can be found in prakeernadhikara by Bhrigu). Similarly metals like gold, silver, copper, bronze etc can be used for making the idol. But using lead, tin or iron might be harmful. A golden idol gives wealth whereas silver and bronze idols give power and progeny respectively. An idol can also be made from the wood of the following trees: Devadaru, Pippala, Sami, Chandana, Asana, Khadira, Vakula, Mayura etc. But following four trees should be avoided as they are considered as of a lower quality: Nimbuka, Anjanika, Plaksha, Adumbara. When an idol is made of mud only unbaked mud should be used as it bestows all perfections. Using baked mud will result in destruction and hence should be avoided in any case.
When stone is used for the making of images of the Lord it can be retrieved either from earth(Bhumija) or from mountains(Girija) or from rivers(Varija) . One retrieved from earth is the best, from the hills is mediocre and one retrieved from rivers is the least preferred. One should find out the face of the stone using the guidelines given in agamas( Kasyapa Jnanakanda chapter 28). An east facing stone bestows victory, a west facing one wealth, south facing one protection and a north facing one prosperity. The gender of the stone should be ascertained by the expert silpi using the standard techniques like relative sizes of the base and top, vibration emanated from the stone when hit by the chisel( sound of a bell, vessel or a low sound) etc. Analysis of the characteristics will result in the classification of stone into male, female or neuter. Male stones should be used for making the images for masculine forms of the Supreme, whereas female stones should be used for the feminine forms. Neuter stones should be used for building Prakaras etc. in the temple. A stone should be rejected when a frog is found inside or when it is hollow or when inauspicious lines/marks are found on the stone. (Use Silpa sastra for more details). Transgressing these rules might result in great calamities and hence the rules should always be followed strictly.
After carefully selecting the stone thus, the stone should be brought using proper ritualistic techniques. The ritual of bringing the stone is known as Sila sangrahanam. Almost all the Vaikhanasa agamas mention the same ritual for this event. First an auspicious muhurtam should be seen for the bringing of the sila. The yajamani should worship the Lord along with His saktis and garuda on the auspicious day.After that having received auspicious omens(like hearing of a good news, sight of a full pot, horse, elephant, group of brahmins etc) the dharmakarta ( Yajamani ) along with the acharya and the sculptor should reach the place taking with them the materials needed for a homam. If inauspicious omens are seen then one should understand that the journey will prove futile and might result in dangerous results. After reaching the place, Vastu homam should be done and then purification using paryagni and pancha gavya should be done. Then food,flower,water and sandalwood offerings should made to various beings using the proper ritual(To the deities of the forest, Nagas,yakshas, rakshasas, gandharvas, eighteen ganas etc.). After that the sila is given a bath using fresh water(using Vaishanava, Purusha, Sri and Bhu suktams) and the acharya should face the north and do pranayama and recite atma suktam and mahi suktam carefully. He should recite the mantra that says that this is verily Vishnu by meditating on the Supreme Lord and touch the stone with his hand and thus collect it. After that the sila should be tapped using the chisel on the top, sides and bottom along with the recitation of Vishnu gayatri and the mantra "Chitram devanam". The sila should then be transfered carefully onto a cart/vehicle and then should be brought to the Karma mandapa in the temple. Some works say that the sila thus brought should be taken in a pradakshina way around the village. After this the sila will be carved into a beautiful image of the Lord using the principles of Sipla sastra. In the next post we will discuss the different ways of carving the image of the Lord in detail( more from a Vaikhanasa perspective though).

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Vaikhanasa Agama ( Archavatara Visesham)

In this post, let us talk about the greatness of archavatara and the various kinds of temples. Scriptures like Ananda samhita( Sage Marici) and Prakeernadhikara(Sage Bhrigu) are used for this purpose. Of all the forms of worship, worshiping Vishnu is the best way for salvation. Worshiping Vishnu in any way is a desirable thing to do. Worship of Vasudeva either in home ( for benefiting one self) or in a temple ( for the benefit of the world) is infinitely auspicious. Worshiping Vishnu in the house benefits the people in the family whereas worshiping Vishnu in the temple benefits the whole world. If a worship is done in a temple built for the village it benefits the village whereas worshiping the Lord in a "Swamvyakta" kshetra sanctifies and protects the whole world.
In the Vaikhanasa philosophy, the Lord is thought of in five different ways( known as five swarupas).The first in the five swarupas is known as Para which performs the acts of creation. The second is known as Vyuha which causes all the animals to move, eat etc. and is also the controller of mind etc. Similarly the vyuha form is worshipped in five different murtis known as Vishnu, Purusha, Satya, Achyuta and Anirudha. Vibhava form is the one responsible for the destruction of demons like Ravana etc in various avataras like Matsya, Vamana, Kurma etc. Antaryami form is the one which resides like the Self in all jeevas. The last but the most easily accessible is the Archa form, the form which protects the devotees and eliminates their sorrows. This is verily the form that is worshipped in the temples.
The para and vyuha are not easily comprehensible and can be accessible only after long sadhana of eight limbed Yoga. Hence it takes considerable time to get moksha using para and vyuha. But the archa form gets pleased with plain worship using flowers, tulasi etc or even with a single salutation to the firm with devotion and faith. Hence moksha is easier to achieve through the worship of the archa form. As mentioned above one can see that Para and Vyuha are accessible only to the liberated and eternal ones. Vibhava form is accessible only to those fortunate ones who lived during the times of these avataras. Anataryami form is again not easily accessible to normal people but is perceived using yogic vision by the advanced yogis. Thus archa form is the most easily accessible and everyone in this universe has the right to pray to it and thus achieve moksha irrespective of caste, creed, gender etc.
Drinking anything in a village or a house where the Lord is not worshiped is equivalent to drinking liquor. Eating anything from such places is equivalent to eating cow's meat. All the people in the village get the benefit equivalent to that of the performance of many fire sacrifices if Vishnu is worshiped in a temple. In a village, where there is no temple worship of Vishnu even house hold worship doesnt give any fruit. It is like a tree which has lost its roots. Hence in all circumstances temple worship should be performed for the benefit of everyone in the village.
The archavatara of the Lord can be broadly classified into five categories: Swayamvyakta, Deva, Arsha or Sidha, Pauranika and Manusha. The difference is based on who installed the deity in a given temple. The images installed by divinities like Brahma, Indra etc are known as Deva sthala. Similarly, images installed by great sages are known as arsha sthala and by sidhas are known as Sidha sthala. Images installed in the ancient days and are mentioned in the epics are known as Pauranika sthala. Images installed by the devout human beings are known as Manusha sthala. (Names are for the kshetras not for the images) Places where the Lord manifests on His own because of His infinite mercy and out of a desire to save the devotees are known as Swayamvyakta. These are the most powerful places of spirituality and are also known as Maha kshetras or the greatest kshetras. Disciples of Sage Vikhanasa worshiped the Lord in these kshetras. Atri worshiped the Lord Srinivasa in Tirumala and Marici worshiped the Lord in Mandhara kshetra. Rituals like Karshanam, Bimba Sudhi etc are not necessary for the images in swayamvyakta kshetras. Worshiping the archa form of the Lord can purify even people belonging to the lowest birth.( People who are born from the limbs of the Lord viz. brahmanas from the face, kshatriyas from the shoulders, Vaisyas from the thighs and sudras from the feet are recognised by Vedas as of higher births. These people are born when the parents desired progeny for the continuation of dharma. But progeny which is born out of pure lust on part of parents are equal to animals and are classified as those of low birth.) One should not treat a devotee of Vishnu like a normal mortal. Devotees of Vishnu are verily devas who came to earth after their punya balance is over.
Manusha sthala sanctifies a region of one yojana around it whereas Pauranika, Arsha and Deva sthalas sanctify a region of approximately three, five and ten yojanas respectively. Swayamvyakta sthala sanctifies the whole universe for sure and the Lord therein bestows His grace on everyone in the world. In all the places, it is desirable to worship the archa form of Vishnu using the principles of Vaikhanasa or Pancaratra(as told by Sage Katyayana). In any case worship has to be performed somehow irrespective of the availability of priests knowing the right sutras(Vaikhanasa or Pancaratra). The agama also says that sometimes one might find a temple which is not built according to the shilpa sastra rules of Vaikhanasa Agama, still it is preferrable to follow the vaikhanasa style of worship. A village where Vishnu's worship is not done is equal to a graveyard and a house without Vishnu worship is like a funeral pyre. One who doesnt perform the worship of Vishnu due to laziness is equal to a pig and will surely go to hell after his death. Dont eat food in a house where the worship of Vishnu is neglected as it will be equivalent to eating shit. Hence in any case perform the worship of Vishnu in the home and also make sure that Vishnu is worshiped in the village temple. Doing this one will surely get rid of his sins, get all his desires fulfilled and obtain moksha after his death. Drinking the teertha from the Lord's feet and eating the remnants of food eaten by the Lord will surely destroy the sins of anyone and grant him moksha.
narayana smaranam.

Vaikhanasa Agama( Sukta details)

In the vaikhanasa style of worship, various suktams from the vedas are widely used. Depending on the ritual being done various number of suktams are recited. In the previous posts we have seen mentions of panca suktam or a set of five suktams. Below is a given list of suktams used in vaikhanasa style of worship .
Vishnu, Purusha, Narayana,Sri and Bhu suktams are called "Panca suktam"
(Or)
Vishnu, Nru, Sri, Bhu and Ekakshara suktams are also known as "Panca suktam"

Rudra, Dhruva, Durga, Ratri, Saraswatam, Viswajit, Purusha, Aghamarshana, Godana and Atma suktams are known as dasa suktam

Dasa and suktam and Panca suktam together form Panca dasa suktam.

Vaikhanasa agama ( Samprokshana Vidhanam)

Jala samprokshana has to done in the following manner: Vastu homa and Punyaha should be done in the place either by using sand or bare ground to get the place purified. Also panca gavya should be used for sanctification. The image of the Lord should be given bath using kalasa reciting purusha sukta. Paddy equal to six dronas should be filled in 5 pots and they should be wrapped by a pair of cloth. The images of the Lord should be kept between them. Then the five murtis should be invited and worshipped using five suktas and a fire sacrifice. The sacrifice should be done using the 88 mantras along with panca varuna mantra and with maha vyahritis. And then the sanctified water should be sprinkled along with the necessary mantras. Sanctified thus, the image of the Lord will again retain the power of the Supreme without fail.
Laghu samprokshana has to be done in the following manner: More or less same as the above except the scale and the extra ritual. Ankurarpana should be done three or two days in advance. All the things mentioned above will be done. Lord should be given bath using 108 kalasas. 32 pots should be decorated with white threads and filled with water. Paddy equal to six bharas should be used as mentioned above. In the kumbha, nine gems should be put. (Or gold can be used). After the kalasa is worshipped with sandalwood, flowers etc 12 suktas should be recited. (Saraswata, swasti, Dik, Aushadhi etc.) After that Mula, Kushmanda, Panca Varuna, Dhata and Paramatmika homas should be done. The same 88 (Ashtasiti starting from "Eem") mantras mentioned above should be repeated 108 times or at least 28 times. Vishnu gayatri should also be used 108 times for homa( Lotuses or Bilwa leaves can be used). After that the acharya, after being decorated by fine silks and ornaments should carry the Kumbhaon his head and should do a pradakshina of the temple accompanied by sacred nadaswara and enter the sanctum and sprinkle the sacred water on the Lord's image and all the mandirams. The mantra to be used for this purpose is "Suchi vo havya...." and at the end ask for the forgiveness of the Lord. After that 1000 brahmins should be fed and then the daily worship can be carried as before. Doing laghu samprokshana guarantees reaching the abode of Lord after death for sure. It removes the defects due to impurities and then makes the country prosperous.
Maha samprokshana is much more complicated than the above two and is almost synonymous with re installation( Punah Pratishta) and hence will not be treated here. In the next post I will talk about the different kinds of Vishnu temples and their details.

Monday, July 09, 2007

Vaikhanasa Agama( Samprokshana Vidhanam)

The great sage Vikhanasa is the first one to expound the vaikhanasa agama system of worship. Sage Vikhanasa is considered as an incarnation of Brahma and he taught this system of worship to His four disciples Atri, Bhrigu, Marici and Kasyapa. Though my knowledge of Vaikhanasa agamas is almost zero, I will try to take some interesting portions from these agamas. These are not meant for the Archakas but for the sadhakas who are interested in understanding the various rituals in the Vikhanasa agama and thus benefit from them by doing arjitham through the Acharya (Acharya mukhena). The reasons for writing about the Vaikhanasa agama are two fold: The first one is about me being a servant of Lord Venkateswara and the second one is about the lack of knowledge about Vikhanasa agama among devotees. Many of them confuse it with other Vaishnava agamas like pancaratra which are different from the Vikhanasa agama.
One of the rituals that one often comes across in agamas is "Samprokshana". Samprokshana is a way of purification. Samprokshana is done when different kinds of impurities happen in the temple. According to Sage Bhrigu in "Prakeernadhikara" samprokshana is done in three ways viz. Jala samprokshana, Laghu samprokshana and Maha samprokshana. These three different samprokshanams are done depending on the level of impurity, maha samprokshanam being done for the worst of impurities.
Jala samprokshanam is done when any of the following happen: Delay in worship, Missing worship of the Lord once, Impure people or animals like dogs, pigs and donkeys entering into the temple( into the prakara), Inauspicious happenings in the prakara, Non-believers of vikhanasa faith entering the temple, when rain droplets touch any of the images. In all the above cases jala samprokshana should be done in order to keep the power of the Lord in the image.
Laghu samprokshana is to be done in case of impurities more severe than above. Examples are: Animals entering the sanctum sanctorum, Impure people entering the sanctum sanctorum, When worship is not done for three days, When worship is not done according to Vikhanasa agamas, When a thunderbolt strikes the sanctum sanctorum, When the deity stays in another village for a night or When no deepam was lit for three days .
Maha samprokshanam should be done for catastrophic failures in the worship of the Lord. This is very different from the previous two and is done only in the case of extreme impurities. When maha samprokshanam is done a re-installation of the deity (Punahsthapana) and maha santi is done before samprokshanam. Examples are : When a brahmin dies inside the sanctum, when any of the festivals are done without Garuda dhwajarohana ( hoisting the flag of Garuda), When the deity is not worshipped for more than 12 days to one year, When an earth quake moves the deity , death of animals inside the sanctum sanctorum, when the asta bandha is disturbed, when fire touches the image by mistake , when the image is hidden in the earth due to any calamity, when an anthill is found in the garbha griha and when the image stays in another village for three nights.
Thus one can see that the power in the image of the Lord in the temple is maintained with utmost purity and great care. The image of the Lord in the temple is not a mere stone but a concentrated mass of spiritual energy. Only by following all the rules laid down by the great acharya vikhanasa can one benefit from the grace of the Lord. In the next post I will discuss the details of performing Samprokshanam.