Devapriyaji - True History Analaysed

3 The Form of Agni

After this purification of the verbal hymns and seeking the divine approval, the performer now meditates on the form of Agni (dhyānam). As in the case of mūrti dhyāna in iconography of sculpture, this is the dhyana śloka of Agni in fire. (F.C. 1, 2 & 4)“Agni has four horns, three legs, two heads and seven hands. Tied in three forms, this Great Fire god, Mahadeva, the Bull, roars (ṛṣabho roravīti) and enters the human beings (mahādevo martyān āviveśa). He is a self luminary and shines in all directions; he is the first born who enters the womb. He enters in diverse forms and is to be born as beings. He is looking inwards and looks outwards all around; Oh East facing Lord Agni be pleased to face me.”This is indeed a great prayer “the face of Agni” called agni-mukha. The four Vedas are like the four summits (catvāri-śṛngas) of Fire, that are the flames on top of it, through which one can recognize his real form. He has three legs or stands (trayo asya pādās). According to the commentators the three legs are the morning sacrifice, (prātaḥ savana), the mid-day sacrifice (madhyāntina savana) and the evening sacrifice (tritīya savana). (It may even be the earth (pṛthvī), outer space (antarikṣam) and heaven (divam) or the three strides of the Sun morning, mid day and evening (sūrya-nārāyaṇa). He has two faces “dve śīrṣe” the inward and the outward faces; the inward representing the inward energy and outward representing consuming or illuminating outward objects. Seven are the seven colours or rays of the God.Agni is bound by hymnsThe invocation of the god is controlled (spoken of as bound (baddha)) by Mantra, Brahma, and Kalpa. The fire when fully lit roars like a Bull (Vṛṣabha). This God, a self luminary is adored by all the learned men (or is it that he entered all men as an illuminating entity.) He spreads in all directions (viśvato mukhas). As he exists already he is spoken of as the first born. It is the heat energy that enters the womb to be born and is born in different forms and will also be born in different forms in future. He is both inward looking (antar-mukha) and outward looking (bahir mukha). The prayer now is that this luminary should face the performer to receive the offerings.Worship of AgniFollowing this prayer Agni is decorated and saluted along with directional deities, the Yajamāna (performer), the Brāhmaṇas and all the people. Having adored the fire the bundle of twigs is taken in hand and with the approval of the Brahmā priest, is consigned to the fire. (F.C.4) The ghee is poured into the fire with the secondary ladle from the south western corner towards north east, invoking Indra. Then the ghee is offered in the centre of the fire invoking Agni and Soma. Finally another offering is made with the chant that it is an expiatory offering for any deficiency that might have occurred in the ritual during its performance from the beginning to the end. This offering is called “all expiatory rite” sarva prāyascitta.“”All the rituals done so far are called the initial rites. Any offering in the sacrificial fire is called “homa”. This is followed by the required specific homas like viccinna sandhānam (reestablishing broken thread), aupāsanam, (Fire worship), navagraha homa (Offerings to the nine planets) etc (F.C.7). There are different kinds of homas each meant for a particular prayer. After the specific homas are performed there is a concluding homa common to all that is performed. The concluding homa has three parts a) Offering of fruition (Jayādi homa); b) Offering of expiation (sarva prāyaścittam) and c) chants of blessings (Asirvāda). With this end the initiatory rites of Fire.

CHAPTER-4The Face of Agni: Agni Mukham

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Agni MukhamThe Hindus are followers of Vedic Religion which emphasizes all forms of worship with Fire offerings - called Agnikārya. The invocation of Agni and offerings marks the beginning of all rituals.The “kindling of fire” and initial offerings to Agni is called the “face or entry of Agni” (Agni-mukha). All invocations to fire offerings begin with the preparation of an altar and kindling the fire in that altar with Vedic chants.Preparation of the AltarThe following is the ritual connected with it:The ground where the altar is made is cleaned, and a square spread of white rice is made about a span in measurement (nine inches square). With one dharbha grass three lines from west to east are drawn on the rice spread and with another grass three lines from south to north are drawn. (This would divide the square into a grid of nine equal sub-squares. This gave rise to what is known as Vāstu-pada vinyāsa in temple architectural lay out.) Then symbolically touching water (as a mark of purifying hands) the dharbha grass is thrown in the south western direction of the square and then water is touched again to clean the hand.Coming of the fireUsually the wife or the mother of the performer brings the fire from the domestic kitchen. The fire is power and it is always the women who maintain Agni. This fire is tended in the kitchen by the wife or mother of the performer in an unbroken succession and represents the family fire that has come down from generation to generation. The presence of married woman is always required for performance of fire offerings which shows the importance of woman in Hindu rituals. The plate in which the fire is brought is sprinkled with water and rice to cool the plate and make it auspices.The fire is established in the altar with the chant “bhūr, bhuvaḥ, suvaḥ om” to indicate that the fire is three fold in nature namely the terrestrial fire, Agni, and the celestial fires the sun and the moon. The invocation is to the three forms of fires which is now established in the altar and the offerings made is for all the three fires.Pure water in a small pot is placed in the east. The fire is kindled with twigs and the fire is encased with darbha grass beginning from the east. The eastern and western grass should have their points facing north. The northern grass should face its points to east while the southern one should have its points facing west. No point should face south. This encasement is like a fortification for the Agni.Utensils and their purificationThe following utensils are used in the offerings. One principal sacrificial ladle called śruk and another secondary ladle called śruva, a bowl for water, another bowl for worship (praṇītā) and dry wooden palāsa twigs and hundred and eight dharbha grass are the instruments and sacrificial material. Two rings are made out of dharbha grass, one worn by the worshipper in his right ring finger and the other purified sacred grass (pavitra). All the material used in the worship are touched with the pavitra grass before use as a mark of purification.Water bowlsThe bowl meant for sprinkling water is taken and placed to the west of fire and later placed between the worshipper and the fire. It is filled with water and rice (akṣata). Then all the articles used in the worship are sprinkled with this water and the bowl with water is placed to the right of the worshipper.Invocation of Lord VarunaThe other bowl is now taken and placed in front of the performer and this bowl is now filled with water and a small quantity of rice. The water from this bowl is sprinkled three times towards east and then the bowl is held nose high of the performer and then installed to the north of Agni. Then the bowl is covered with dharbha grass to cover the waters. This water is now invoked as Lord Varuṇa and adored with all pūjā -worships. By this action the Lord Varuṇa gets invoked.“”Invitation to superviseThen the performer requests a Vedic Brahmin to act as “the Brahma” for the whole ritual, saying “I salute you and invite you to be the Bramha” for this ritual “brahmaṇam tvām vṛṇimahe”. The invited Brāhmaṇa should respond saying “Let it be so” (tatā-astu). (This is to ensure that a knowledgeable priest supervises the proper performance of the ritual.)The GheeThe fire worship mainly consists of pouring melted ghee into the fire. The ghee melted else where is poured into a bowl and a dharbha grass is placed on the ghee. The grass is the purifying agent for all actions. The bowl with ghee is placed to the north of the Agni on a hot ember as a symbol melting the ghee initially.A dharbha grass is lit in the fire and shown around the bowl of ghee as a mark of purification after which the burning grass is thrown in the south western direction. Three pointed ends of grass are thrown into the bowl of ghee. Again a lit grass is shown around the bowl of ghee and thrown in the northern direction. Now the bowl is moved from the hot coal and the ember is thrown into the fire.The bowl of ghee is placed in front of the performer, and the ghee is stirred three times with the purified grass (pavitra). After this the knot of the pavitra is untied and the grass is thrown into the fire with its point facing east.All these exercises are to get the ghee ritually and physically melted, purified and got ready for the sacrifice. As a mark of this purification the bowl of ghee is shown in the fire and kept before the performer.Purification of Sacrificial ladleThe next ritual is purifying the sacrificial ladles which are always made of wood. The principal and secondary ladles are purified by showing them in fire, cleaned with ghee (a mark of conditioning the wood of the ladle). Again they are shown in fire and sprinkled with waters and kept. The grass used in purifying the ladles is thrown into the fire.Encircling the fireThe next ritual deals with Agni. The sanctified waters are poured as streams around the fire with the prayer :- (F.C. 4)Oh Goddess Aditi, be pleased to approve.Oh Goddess Anumati be pleased to approve andOh Goddess Sarasvati be pleased to approveOh Lord Savita be pleased to create.South — oṃ adi̱te'nu̍manyasvaWest — oṃ anu̍ma̱te'nu̍manyasvaNorth — sarasvate'nu̍manyasvaAll sides — deva savita̱ḥ prasu̍vaThis prayer is first addressed to Aditi, the Goddess Earth; the second to the celestial Goddess, Anūmati and the third to Sarasvati, the Goddess of poetic hymn that will be recited in the process and finally to the God Savita, who is the creator. The prayer to the Goddess earth is addressed to approve the lighting the fire on earth. The celestial Goddess is invoked as the offering is meant to reach the celestial sphere. Goddess Sarasvati is invoked to make the recited word-sounds perfect without blemishes. The Vedic tradition attaches great importance to correct pronunciation for bearing full results and it is Sarasvati who would make it so. The God Savita stimulates intellects and so is addressed to give clarity of mind for performing the sacrifice.

CHAPTER-5Fire Offering: Agni Karya - Homa

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Four Brahmin priests are invited to officiate as Ṛtviks, to perform the Vedic chants. The performer now seeks the approval of these Bramaṇa priests and with their approval, gets the purificatory chants recited. The priests are expected to give their approval by loud acceptance which is given in the following manner. The performer will say let there be peace “śāntiḥ astu” and the Brahmin priests will say let it be so “astu”. The following are the requests so made:

1.      Let the day be declared auspicious for this ritual: the priests will say let it be so.

2.      Be pleased to pronounce thy blessings on all the acts performed in this ritual with purified material : let it be so.

3.      Let everything performed in this ritual be complete without any shortcoming. Let it be so.

4.      Let this day be auspicious on all counts: let it be so.

5.      Let the ritual be auspicious: let it be so.

6.      Let there be peace everywhere: let it be so.

7.      Let there be good health everywhere: let it be so.

8.      Let there be happiness everywhere: let it be so.

9.      Let there be prosperity everywhere: let it be so.

10.    Let there occur no impediment: let it be so.

11.    Let there be full life everywhere: let it be so.

12.    Let there be healthy body everywhere: let it be so.

13.    Let any sin that remains be extinguished: let it be so.

14.    Let there be wealth everywhere: let it be so.

15.    Let there remain all auspiciousness: let it be so.

The Brahmin priests pronounce all these requests will be fulfilled.It is seen these prayers are general in nature and are sought after for the whole community and not for any individual. That shows there was a stronger concern for communal health, prosperity, wealth, life, knowledge and happiness. It is also noticed that all the material used in the ritual should be pure and great care was taken not only to collect pure material but also attention to see that they are made pure. It also suggests that health, long life, wealth, knowledge and peace were emphatically prayed for all and in this sense there seems to have been a universal outlook permeating the Vedic society. The individual is only a part of the society and the happiness of the society is vital for individual happiness.