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AvaNi avittam Sankalpam and few other items

From the Bhakti List Archives

V. Sadagopan • August 14, 1997 


Dear BhakthAs :

I deeply appreciate the posting of Sri Vijay Srinivasan
providing additional important details on the UpAkarmA .
Thanks , Sri Vijay Srinivasan . The unique strength of this
group is that we learn so much from each other .

Although number of you have sent me your fax numbers as per 
my suggestion , it is probably safer and surer to send it on-line .
Hence I am sending the sankalpams as a separate posting . 

Could Sri Varadhan of Albuquerque and Sri Velugaleti 
Raghava Charya to send me their e-mail addresses , since
the notes that I sent them came back . Many thanks . 

Regarding the dates , there  have been different opinions
expressed by different  Ahnika grantha karthAs like Vaidhika 
Saarvabhoumain his work ( darsanirNayee ) and others .
The best determination out of these debates have been made by 
the article that appeared in the 1970 June issue of Nrusimha 
PriyA . For Yajur Vedis , Sri Sannidhi sampradhayam has 
established that August 18 is the UpAkarmA day and the next
day is for Gaayathri Japam for yajur Vedis ; for Saama 
Vedis , Gayathri japam is not on the day after UpAkarmA  .
It is on the prathamai subsequent to SrAvaNa PourNami of 
BhadrapAtham . Dear Sri Rangaswami , Please correct me 
if I am wrong on this point . My paternal grand father learnt  
Saama Vedam at the age of 70 to serve as a Brahaspathi 
to the Saama Vedis as well and my recollection goes back 
to those far off days .  feel comfortable in following the 
recommendation of August 18/19 for Yajur Vedis . 

The tarpaNam done on UpAkarmA day is Rishi TarpaNam and 
not pithru tarpaNam . Hence no fasting is needed on that day . 
The one meal and the raathri palAhAram on UpAkarmA day 
is in preparation for the next day's Gayathri japam . 

mantra Japam is performed after snAnam, 
pratha: SandhyA and SamithAdhAnam ( if a bachelor ) .
New YajnOpaveetham has been recommended either before 
the start of Japam , if the YajnOpaveetham is not in good shape.
Manthra Japam is followed by UpAkarmA that Sri Vijay Srinivasan
is going to write about . it is common practise to eat Idly and  Appam 
after manthra Japam . Our achAryAs do not recommend wearing new
pUNal and tarpaNam  and Adhyayana Homam after such heavy eating . 
They recommend that the sequence is (1) sananam (2)prAtha: 
SandhyA (3) YajnOpaveetha DharaNam , if needed (4) KamOkArsheeth
Japam by 1008 times . All of these to be done before six naazhikais 
after sunrise like all other prAyascchittha karmA . This japam is
done as indicated by Sri Vijay Srinivasan for not performing the 
VedOthsarjanam in Thisha PowrNami ( Thai month Full moon day ) . 

The day ( 30 Naazhikais from sun ise to sunset ) is split 
in to two parts ( purvAhNam and AparAhNam)  for us .
KaamOkArsheeth Japam is to be done in the PurvAhNam 
and the UpAkarmA is to be done in AparAhNam after 
MaadhyAhnikam , bhagavadhArAdhanam , vaisvadEvam .
Then one retires in the villages to the bank of a river or 
Swami PushkaraNI and jointly undertake the sankalpam 
with adhyAya upAkarma KarishyE ; as a part of that w esay,
" Tadhangam Yajnopaveetha DharaNam karishyE and 
follow it with Tadhangam SnAnam karishyE and after snAnam ,
make the next sankalpam , " KhAnDa rishi tarpaNam karishyE .
with wet cloth , Achamanam is performed , face north ,
wear the pUNal as maalai , hold it with both thumbs and 
perorm tarpaNam with water containing rice(tandulam ) 
and Sesame seed in the standard manner .

After that change into dry clothes and initate Adhyayana 
Homam prior to VedhArambham ( UpaakarmA ) . Adhyayana 
Homam is vital for the observance of UpAkarma , since 
the VedhArambham done at homa kaalam is why this ceremony
is called UpAkarmA . Sri Vijay Srinivasan will be covering this
aspect of the observance . Even in India , many do not perform
adhyayana homam , which removes the significance of 
UpAkarmA . Here , the best approach may be to join in a homam
at the local temple .

Now is the time to be rewarded with the feast of Idly and appam et al .

V.Sadagopan
P.S : I will post the sankalpams next .     
 
Gayathri japam .