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----- Original Message ----- 
From: "jayasartn" <jayasree_saranathan@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <Oppiliappan-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, November 10, 2005 2:52 AM
Subject: Ayush - is the prayer -(7)


SRIMATHE RAMANUJAYA NAMAHA.

Continuing from part 6, the yajnas at every level right from the 
Brahma deva onwards are being done, so that  Creation can go on and 
mankind can go on.

For the yajnas at man's level, namely the pancha yajnas (Brahma, 
deva, pithru, bhootha  and manushya), what is aimed at is sustenance 
and continuation of man kind . At the individual level, what the doer 
(of yajna) gets is long life!

Food is eaten and water drunk, mainly to keep up the life in the body 
going.

"The prana said: "What will be my food?"
They answered: "Whatever food there is-including that of dogs and 
birds."
The Upanishad says: All that is eaten is the food of the ana. Ana is 
his (i.e. the prana's) direct name. For one who knows this, there 
exists nothing which is not food.

He said: "What will be my dress?"
They answered: "Water." Therefore when people eat they cover him (the 
prana), both before and after eating, with water. Thus the prana 
obtains clothing." (Chandogya)

The above passage is explained in other upanishads too in the context 
of why people sip water  during various kriyas, like in the middle of 
some mantras, before eating food etc. The prana is satisfied then and 
the Auyush is extended by such mantras-related - water-sipping.

But why should prana, the vital breath be nurtured? Why should one 
seek to live in this mortal body? The answer is this:

 (1) It is for realizing that deity whom he worships. If he worships 
prana as Brahman, then It is Brahman. He attains Brahma hood.

"Now there is this verse (sloka):
The gods observed the vow of that from which the sun rises and in 
which it sets. This vow is followed today and this will be followed 
tomorrow. The sun rises verily from the prana (the vital breath in 
its cosmic form) and also sets in it. The gods even today observe the 
same vow which they observed then.

Therefore a man should observe a single vow-he should perform the 
functions of the prana and apana (respiration and excretion), lest 
the evil of death should overtake him. And if he performs them, let 
him try to complete them. Through this he obtains identity with that 
deity, or lives in the same world with it." (Brihadaranyaka -Part 1 
chapter 3 - verse 23)

There are many verses from different Upanishads, which glorify Prana 
as Brahman.

(2) Long life is needed to perform the various karmas and for 
supporting other components of Creation.

It is like continuing in the same sthithi or state at the optimal 
level. A man is born in this world, then it is necessary that he 
makes use of the birth to the maximum level possible. This can happen 
only if he lives long. Longevity can be possible only if he is 
disease-free. The rishis did not think of having diseases and 
managing them in order to live long. Longevity happens if one remains 
disease-free. Therefore almost every action that man did had this 
component of doing something for disease-free life which means 
ensuring longevity.

The nithya karmas were designed precisely for this.

The sandhya vandana mantras for Sama veda upasakas are more explicit 
in asking for long life than the manthras for other Vedas, though 
they too are designed for the same purpose.

On seeing the sun every day, the man  realizes that a  day in his 
life is gone. So his prayer is  for -`may I see you for a hundred 
years.' This is explicit in noon- vandana for all, whereas in the 
twilight vandana, the Sun Himself and the Lord who is in the Sun 
Himself blesses the worshipper with a hundred years.

Again it is because the sun moves to a new position with reference to 
other celestial beings, once after every 60 years (due to the 
completion of one wobble every  60 years), does the man who has lived 
to see the Sun for 60 years, finds himself `born again' and prays for 
another round of life on his 61st birth day.

A man can live long only when he is free of diseases and lives long 
when he is not afflicted with sins. That is  why this component of 
removal of sins is also included in sandhya vandana. 

The Pancha yajnas also have laid down that when one eats after having 
made the oblations to the 5 people, he can not be said to have sinned 
or robbed his food from Nature. Since food and water are the two main 
components that make the prana or vital air go on, these two are 
offered in the pancha yajna and in nithya karmas.

"Some say that food is Brahman; but this is not so, for food decays 
without the vital breath (prana). Others say that the vital breath is 
Brahman; but this is not so, for the vital breath dries up without 
food. These two deities (food and the vital breath), when they become 
united, attain the highest state (Brahmanhood). Thus reflecting, 
Pratrida said to his father: "What good, indeed, can I do him who 
knows this and what evil can I do him either?"
His father answered, stopping him with a gesture of his hand: "Oh, 
no, Pratrida; for who would attain the highest merely by being 
identified with these two?"
Further, he (the father) said to him this: "It is vi; food is verily 
vi, for all these creatures rest (visanti) on food. It is ram; the 
vital breath is ram, for all these creatures delight (ramante) in the 
vital breath." All creatures rest on him, all creatures delight in 
him, who knows this." (Brihada)

Thus man's long life is needed for others also who depend on him. Of 
the 4 ashrama dharmas, the importance of the Grihastha is stressed 
precisely for this reason. The entire Nature around him depends on 
him and therefore he needs to live long.

The devas need him for mutual help. The living beings need him for 
their sustenance. And pithrus need him for their own betterment and 
for the sake of well-being of future progeny. (details in a future 
post).

That is why in every day life, we find many instances when elders or 
others around us bless us with long life.

( A list of this found in Shanti parva, MB chapter 191)

When some sneezes, we have to invoke the power of our speech to 
guarantee that the person's life is not lessened by the disturbance 
to his prana (in inhalation and exhalation). We say `Dheergaayushmaan 
bhava'. When he sneezes again, we make our vow strong by blessing 
him `sadhaayushmaan bhava'. There are other times too when others in 
the vicinity must ensure that a person is blessed with long life.

Bheeshma lists those occasions  as

-when one sees another taking bath (because by bathing, it means a 
day in his life is gone and another day has arrived.)

-when one sees a person in ill-health.

- when one sees a person shaving (even now we can hear some old 
timers  say that they are going for `aayush-karma' while going to 
have a hair-cut) (I leave the implication to the interpretation of 
the readers).

During all these instances, one must say "aayushyam".

Again one when one offers food to someone, he must say "sampannam" -
 `wealth' - may this  food give him the wealth of aayush. (because 
food nurtures prana)

The receiver of the food must in turn say, `su-sampannam' - good 
wealth -as a mark of acceptance and also to bless the giver that he 
too gets better wealth of longevity (by this offer of food) (because 
he is not robbing the Nature by not having the food for himself alone 
but by giving someone else what he has received - this is yajna which 
was discussed in the previous post).

And now most of you would be surprised to know what one must say when 
one offers water to some one.

It is `tarpaNam'!!

The receiver of water must return the wish `su-tarpaNAm'.

The food goes to nourish one's self. The water also goes to nourish 
one's self or prana or vita air.

But water has another unique purpose too.

The water goes to nourish `them'.

For, tarpaNam means `tasmai arpaNAm' - offering to `him' (or someone 
else who is not there.) (This is used in neuter gender also)

When we offer something to God in  the course of our regular puja, we 
just say, `samarpayaami'- I am offering to you.

But when the offering is made to someone who is not present in front 
of us or who is not directly receiving the offer from us, it is 
tarpaNam - offered to someone in 3rd person.

And this tarpaNam is always of water!! When we offer water to the 
thirsty, we also pray `let this reach them'

And the receiver also acknowledges `let this be su-tarpaNam - good 
tarpaNam'. 

 

What a  wonderful way of thinking, talking, doing and offering that 
has been bequeathed to us!!

So may we all live long to preserve  and transfer this knowledge to 
posterity!

What a wonderful way of mutual dependence that this dharma has given 
to us!!

So may we all live long to render our squirrel's contribution in this 
Grand design of the Lord starting from Brahma deva onwards!

What a  wonderful way of living that has  been taught to us, so that 
we don't sin, but  always pay back whatever we have received from 
others, so that we can be debt-free!! (this is what tarpaNAm is all 
about - details in another mail).

So may we all live long enough to shed all our karmas and  become 
eligible to be embraced by Brahman!

The Peace Chant
Om. May the different limbs of my body, my tongue, prana, eyes, ears 
and my strength and also all the other sense-organs be nourished! 
All, indeed, is Brahman, as is declared in the Upanishads. May I 
never deny Brahman! May Brahman never deny me! May there never be 
denial on my part! May all the virtues described in the Upanishads 
belong to me, who am devoted to Atman! Yea, may they all belong to me!
Om. Peace! Peace! Peace!

Appendix:-

(Brihadaranyaka upanishad -Part 5 -Chapter XIII) 

Meditation on the Vital Breath
1

One should meditate on the vital breath as the Uktha. The vital 
breath is the Uktha, for it raises up (utthapayati) all this 
universe. From him who knows this there is raised a son who is a 
knower of the vital breath and he wins union with and abode in the 
same world as the Uktha.

2

One should meditate upon the vital breath as the Yajus. The vital 
breath is the Yajus, for all these beings are united (yujyante) with 
one another if the vital breath is present. All beings are united to 
give eminence to him who knows this and he wins union with and abode 
in the same world as the Yajus (vital breath).

3

One should meditate upon the vital breath as the Saman. The vital 
breath is the Saman, for all these beings meet (samyanchi) if the 
Saman (vital breath) is present. For the sake of him who knows this 
all beings are united and they succeed in giving him eminence; and he 
wins union with and abode in the same world as the Saman.

4

One should meditate upon the vital breath as the Kshatra. The vital 
breath is the Kshatra, for the vital breath protects (trayate) the 
body from wounds (khanitoh). He who knows this attains the Kshatra 
(vital breath) which needs no other protector and he wins union with 
and abode in the same world as the Kshatra.

(To be continued)

Regards,

 

 

 
 

 










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