What is Purascharana and how is it performed.

Invariably, many people enter the blog with a question (google search) of purascharana. We will see in this blog what it is and how it is done.

Purascharana means pura charati iti, that means, that which is performed before or prior. Before the deity or prior to the mantra siddhi. We will come to the q what is mantra siddhi later. Now, what should be done before or prior to complete a purascharana.

Purascharana means repeating a mantra for a particular number of times and for a period of time. This is the first and important part of the purascharana. There are five parts / limbs to a purascharana, 1. Mantra japa (repetition of mantra) 2. Homa (fire obulation using the mantra) 3. Tarapana (water obulation using mantra) 4. Marjana (ritualistic sprinkling of water) and 5. Bhojana (feeding of Brahmins / Sadhus).

Japa – repeating the mantra for a specified number of times. This is normally n Lakh times, where n stands for the number of characters / alphabets in the mantra. If the mantra is a very big one, than, it is also accepted as 1 lakh repetition. And, at the beginning of the japa everyday, the puja should be performed to the mantra deity or the yantra for the particular mantra.

Homa – after performing the reqired number of japa. The Homa should be performed using the same mantra adding a “swaha” to it. And the number of times the homa should be performed is 1 / 10^th of the Japa. Likewise, the later stages in the purascharana is 1 / 10^th of the former stage. The obulation material or the material for the offering in the fire is generally Ghee (clarified butter), but sometimes, may vary according to the purpose of the pursacharana.

Tarpana – water mixed with milk or jiggery etc. is used to perform tarpana. In this, the water is taken in a spoon and it will be poured through the palm, leaving the thumb. This too should be done using the mantra and a “tarpayami” added to it.

Marjana – the water is taken in a bowl and a small piece of ginger it tied to the tip of it, through which the water is sprinkled on oneself or the yantra. The sprinkling should be done using the mantra suffixed with a “marjayami” to it.

Bhojana – number equal to 1 / 10^th of the number of marjana should be fed, as the last part of the purascharana.

This completes one round of purascharana. In kali age to attain mantra siddhi one should perform four purascharana using a mantra. Manra siddhi generally means attainment of the complete control of the mantra, for using it in a way desired. But, for a sadhaka, it means the blessing of the deity. It could be felt by the peace one gains after the purascharana.

If for some reason, one is not able to perform the above other limbs, than it can be substituted with four times japa (four times of the 1 / 10^th of the previous limb).

Grahana Dos and Donts.

What should one do or not do in Grahana (Eclipse)

According to the Shastra, Grahana is a very different auspicious period. Very different means, on the auspicious hour all that we do is not done, but at the same time, during this period one performs spiritual karmas and avoids doing wrong karmas.

It is accepted, we get many-fold results for the karmas performed during this period.

There are different aspects which are seen during a grahana period. First is called Sutak period (theetu in tamil). This period differs for a solar and lunar eclipse. For solar this period is 12 hours before and for lunar it is 6 hours before the ecplise. After the start of this period, norlmally, no solid food is consumed. And temples are closed during this period, till the end of grahana.

The grahana period is itself of three periods, the start, middle and the end (called sparsha, moksha and nivrtti in sanskrit). Before the start and end of the grahana, one takes bath. Sometimes, there are people who do bath during the middle of the grahana, moksha period. After the grahana, the house should be washed or atleast water should be sprinkled.

During the grahana, chanting of mantras, slokas and even tarpanas (obulation to the ancestors) is performed. We avoid doing puja, homa and also any other inauspicious activities.

                                                                                                                                       

When we do a mantra japa, normally we do achamana (sipping of water), sankalpa, rishyadi nyasa, anga and kara nyasa and dhyana as a part of the japa (we will see this in a different blog later and also the method of doing a purascharana). But, during the grahana we need not perform all this, but just do the rishyadi nyasa before the japa..

If one is initiated into many mantras, this will be the period to just, as to say, charge the mantras. But, one should the main mantra, one regularly chants for the maximum period.

After the grahana, after taking the bath, one should should chant the mantras again for a small period. In the day time, it is also a practice to change the yagnopavita (sacred thread).

What is Guru Poornima / Vyasa Poornima ?

This is a long pending question. What is Vyasa Poornima/ Guru Poornima Puja.

We have to understand the difference between the Guru Puja and Guru Purnima Puja first. Guru Puja, nor mally in south, is one celebrated on the day of the Samadhi of the Guru, otherwise called as Varshika. Whereas, Guru Purnima Puja is celeberated for the Gurus in the Sampradaya / Parampara / Tradition.

This is normally celebrated by the Sannyasins. This is also an important day, as it is the day of the beginning of the Chaturmasya. (See - Chaturmasya Nirnaya page in the blog). We should remember, the puja a parahamsa sannyasi performs on this day too, is only Manasa Puja or Mental worship and not a Physical worship.

In this five peoples belonging to five groups are worshipped along with ones own, Guru parampara.

Firstly, in the Center of all the group, Lord Krishna, who is nothing but the Paramathman (Self) himself and Jagat Guru, is worshiped. Around him are worshiped the other forms of Sri Krishna, Sri Vasudeva, Sri Sankarshana Sri Pradyumna and Sri Aniruddha, are worshipped. The position is Sri Vasudeva in the left top, Sri Sankarshana in the right top, Sri Pradyumna in the right bottom and Sri Aniruddha in the left bottom.

Then, in the right side of Sri Krishna, Sri Vyasa Maharishi is worshiped. Around him are worshiped his four maharishi disciples, Sri Sumanthu, Sri Jaimini, Sri Vaisampayana and Sri Paila. In the same order as previous (LT, RT, RB and LB).

To the left of Sri Krishna, Bhagawan Bhashyakara Sri Shankaracharya. Around him are worshiped his four disciples, Sri Padmapadacharya, Sri Sureshwaracharya, Sri Thotakacharya and Sri Hastamalakacharya.

Above Sri Krishna, Devarishi Sri Sanaka is worshiped. Around him, Sri Sanandana, Sri Sanatana, Sri Sanatsujata and Sri Sanatkumar.

Below Sri Krishna, Sri Dravidacharya is worhiped. Around him, Sri Gowdapadacharya, Sri Govindacharya,  Sri Vivaranacharya and Sri Sankshepakacharya (Sri Sarvagatma muni).

In front of all these people, Sri Guru is worshipped alongwith, Parama Guru, Paramshti Guru, Parapara Guru should be wordhiped. Since we have already worshiped Sri Krishna, Maha Guru worship is already done. Here, we can worship all the other Acharyas of Brahmavidya, like, Sri Vacaspati mishra, Sri Vidyaranya, Sri Madhusudhana Saraswati, Sri Sadhashiva Brahmendra, Sri Appayya Dikshitendra, Sri Chandrashekara Bharati, Sri Chandrashekarendra Saraswati and other Acharyas one has great respect for.

Around these group in the eight corners we should worship, Indra etc. devatas, as worshipped in a Yantra or Mandala.

 It is a day for the disciples to worship their Guru. Guru too, himself being a disciple of some Guru, worships him.

Is Vaimanika Shastra a Myth?

Somebody who is interested in Vaimanika Shastra asked me the veracity of it.

Let us understand this very clearly. The rishis were not just people who defined code of conduct for this world and gaining the other. But, they had a very great scientific understanding also.

But, this unlike the current scientists is not totally based on the study of the proof, but through their intuition. Bose speaker’s inventor Mr. Bose conceded that, most of his invention was based on intuition, rather than purely understanding. Not to say about Mr. Steve Jobs of macintosh / iphone / ipod. Or more importantly, the famous man who ran naked on the streets shouting “eureka”.

In Malayalam there is a saying, a man who knows mantra is Tantri and a man who knows Tantra is Mantri. (Mantra – Sacred chants, Tantri – Superior Preist, Tantra – techniques, Mantri – Minister)

What is the truth about the flight and missile technology of the yore. Like we have a different mantra today called programming. The old days Rishi too used a code called Mantras. If it is coded as “dam dim doom” or “bam bim boom” etc, we called it bijakshara in shastras and superstition in science.

But, let us take any one character and add an “m” to it and chant it for some time (like, kam kham, kim khim, kum, khum etc.). If we are not initiated in that mantra, we may have some temporary physical difficulties.

Let us come to the present discussion. If the code is “start, if … than …, else, for … to, return, goto end etc. or push, pop etc., then again this is not a understandable language for a common person as well as the computer. This is going to be converted to a 0 or a 1 by the system to understand, but still, for the people at large this is a mysterious mantra.

We can’t SEE, does not mean it does not exist.

The Vaimanika shastra is written by the great rishi Shri Bharadwaj. whose name many carry as their Gotra.