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MahA samprOkshanam : why do we Homams ?: Part II

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sadagopan • April 30, 2001 


Dear BhakthAs : 

The Sarvahuth Yaagam described in Purusha
Sooktham is about the MaanasIka AarAdhanam 
for PurushOtthaman, Sriman NaarAyaNan . 
This Purusha Sooktham finding its house 
in all the Four VedAs is considered 
the essence of all Sruthis(Vedams).

Two great BhAshyakArAls (Commentators) have
blessed us with detailed commentaries for 
Purusha Sooktham . One of them is Saayana ,
who was one of the greatest Vedic Scholars of
Vijaya Nagaram Empire and the other is Periya
Jeeyar or Sri RanganAtha Muni . Sri V.Sundar 
has an elaborate posting on Purusha Sooktham ,
which is archived in Sri VaishNavA Home pages (Feb 1995)
maintained by Sri Mani VaradarAjan under the section ,
"The VedAs". Please refer to that outstanding
essay by Sri V.Sundar .

The Sarvahuth Yaagam ( the offerings of All) is
the Aadhi Yaagam done by BrahmA for the creation
of the Cosmos and its beings .ChEthana-AchEthana
Prapancham was created from that Maanasa Yaj~nam .

This Yaj~nam is an AarAdhanam for the Parama Purushan.
Brahma performed this Yaj~nam using his VirAt SarIram
given by the PurushOtthaman . BrahmA's Indhriyams ,
the DevAs , served as the Rthviks officating at the Yaj~nam. 
In that Yaj~nam , the Spring Time was the Ghee (aahUthi), 
Summer was the Samith ( sacred sticks for kindling the Fire ), 
Autumn was the Havis (sacred offerings)and Parama
Purushan served as the Agni receiving that Havis.BrahamA 
sacrificed himself as the PoorNAhUthi (Final Offering at 
the end of the Yaj~nam).After the Sarvahuth Yaj~nam ,
Brahma instructed us to perform all Yaagams/Homams similar 
to the Sarvahuth Yaagam , where one sacrifices all
including themselves at the feet of the Lord and 
end up gaining all they wished as Phalan (SarvAbhIshta
Siddhi from the Boon giving VaradharAjan). 

In our MahA samprOkshaNam for Lord RanganAthan ,
we have to sacrifice all (ego, possessions known
as MadhIyam) and regain all (apunarAvrutthi with
the anugraham of our AchAryAs )from the most 
merciful Lord , the Parama DayALu.   

Homams at the samprOkshaNam are done or should be
done in this spirit . In this contxt ,an important  
step in the MaanasIka AarAdhanam  known as BhUtha Suddhi 
( Cleanising of One's Prakruthic body to qualify 
oneself for the performance of BhagavathArAdhanam) 
comes to my mind . The sankalpam for BhUtha Suddhi is:

"Sri Bhagavath-Aj~nyayaa Sriman NaarAyaNa Preethyartham
Bhagavadh-AradhanE YOGYATHAA SIDDHYARTHAM  BhUtha Suddhim
KarishyE " 

In BhUtha Suddhi,the  blemishes of the body arising from
the sambhandham with Prakruthi and the 24 tattvams associated 
with it are dried and burnt and reduced to ashes thru
appropriate manthrams and that ash is soaked in the sacred
GangA waters that flows out of the Lord's scred feet
to produce a divine sarIram fit for engagement in 
the Bhagavath AarAdhanam.There are lots of steps in
performing BhUtha Suddhi that we will not get into here.
This Hruth Yaagam (Maanasa AarAdhanam ) of which 
BhUtha Suddhi is an esential part is considered far 
superior to the external AarAdhanam (BhAhyArAdhanam). 
We perform the Homams in a spirit reminiscent of
BhUtha Suddhi . Aalaya Suddhi arises form these 
Homams . PerumAL feels joyous to enter such Temples
consecrated by Homams  in His Suddha Sathva Svaroopam . 
During the course of the year ,our RajO and TamO guNams 
create blemishes in AarAdhanam and the Sannidhyam of 
the Lord is affected .To restore the Sannidhyam, 
PavithrOthsavam is done and Homams are an essential 
part of such annual consecrations . 

MahA SamprOkshaNam has many such Homams for the consecration
of the Home for the Lord , the ThripAdhUrthva Purushan saluted
by the Purusha Sooktham. Periya Jeeyar's commentary on
the glories of this PurushOtthaman , with one part below
in Prakruthi MaNdalam and the rest of the three parts 
in Parama Padham is a marvellous one :

{{achinthya VibhavOdhathim , anantha sakthim ,SarvEsvaram ,  
SarvAnandha Sampoornam , SarvaJ~nam , SarvAnukoolam , 
SarvAdhAram -- vrutthi-kshaya vivarjitha Vigraham ,
SvAdhIna-nikhila chEshtam , Jagath-udaya-vibhava-laya-
leelA-vilAsinim , SvAthmArAmam , Svathruptham , JyOthirmayam ,
apramEyam , Sarva-pramANa -kOcharam , asEsha jagadhEka-
kaaraNam , Vaangh-manasAdhitha-Vaibhavam , SthOthum
asakthA: Sruthaya:" ThvamEva thvAm vEttha yOasi sOasi ",
kO attha: Vedha ka iha pravOchEth , sO anga Vedha yathi na
Vedha: " ithyAthi vadhanathi }}. 

Here , Periya Jeeyar extolls the anantha-klayAna Gunams
of the Parama Purushan and says that Vedhams stumble in
their efforts to describe Him as of this nature or that
nature . They say that He alone knows about Himself. 
Some times even they wonder whether He Himself fully 
knows the extent of His Vaibhavam.

We salute this ThripAthudhaith Purushan in our Homams
and beseech Him to enter into our HrudhayAkAsam and
occupy the seats that we adoringly prepare Him for
residence in the temples consecrated for Him .

Srimath Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,
Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SatakOpan    


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