Dear AasthikAs :
SrI VaishNava Kendram Deevalur N.V.SrinivAsAcharyiar Swamy is
posting the original Text in Tamil of the 1937 monograph by SrI Mutthuswamy Iyer
for our benefit . adiyEn offered to translate this valuable information into
English for the benefit of those , who may not be able to access the Tamil Text
.
Before adiyEn gets on with the main text of Sri
Mutthuswamy Iyer , let me include here some preliminary remarks about Dharma
Saasthrams . These have their roots in the VedAs . It has been stated therefore
: " VedhO akhila dharma moolam ". Vedic Rishis like Manu , AapasthambhA
,
Gauthama , AasvalAyana and Yaajn~avalkya have
blessed us with Dharma Saasthrams for
enhancing our Vaidhika SrI thru the knowledge
about and practise of the tenets of Dharma Saasthram . Their works are
hence saluted as " Krupayaa Muninaa krutham " . These are largely a set of Dos
and Don'ts . These are dharma Saasthrams to which the Lord invites our
attention in Srimad Bhagavath GitA : " TasmAth Saasthram PramANam tE
KaaryAkaarya Vyavasthithou ".
There are many kinds of dharmams which these
Saasthrams cover : Pravrutthi roopa dharmam for householders , Nivrutthi roopa
dharmam for sanyAsis , Sthree dharmam for women , Sva dharmam and Para dharmam
for different varNams and Aasramams . SrI GeethAchAryan instructs us all on
Sva-dharmam and Para-dharmam using Arjuna as a vyAjam in the battle field of
Kuru KshEthra .
We will now cover the
Dharma Saasthram monograph of Sri R. Mutthuswamy Iyer released in
1937.
1. VedAs , their divisions
and Soothrams
* VedAs are four in
Number : Rg, Yajur, Saama and Atarva Vedams .
* The two Soothrams for Rg
Vedam are: AasvalAyanam and Koushitheekam .
* Yajur Vedam divides into
KrishNa and Sukla Yajur Vedams .
* There are Five Soothrams
for KrishNa Yajur Vedam : BhOdhAyanam , Aapastampam
,
BhArdhvAjam , SathyAshAdam
and VaikhAnasam .
* Sukla Yajur Vedam has only one soothram : KaathyAyanam
.
* Saama Vedam has two Soothrams : DhrAhyAnam and Jaimineeyam
.
2. VarNam
* There are four VarNams : Brahma ,
Kshatriya , VaiSya and Soodhra ,
3.
YugAs
* There are four Yugams :
Krutha , TrEthA , DhvApara and kali Yugams .
* In Kali Yugam , ParAsara
Smruthi is the most important .
4. Kali Yuga Nishiddha
Dharmams ( Prohibited Dharmams in Kali Yugam )
4.1 : If a Brahmin
bathes in well water for 12 years , he loses his BrAhamaNyam
.
4.2 : Other prohibited
items in Kali yugam : Giving JyEshta Paakam , entry into sanyAsam on their own ,
minimizing theetu (asoucham) , Being a Bachelor for a long time , Married
persons going on theertha yaathrai to distant lands , SanyAsis staying at
gruhasthar's house during Saayam sandhyA Kaalam ( evening
sandhyA) , Brahmins going to far off lands and undertaking sea journeys (
crossing oceans) .
5.
Restrictions on Directions while performing a Vaidhika
karmaa
* If
there are no specific instruction , one should use East , North or
North East .
* If
there are no ispecific instructions on sitting or Standing , while
doing Vaidhika karmaas ,
One
should be seated to engage in that
karmaa.
6.
BrAhmaNa Dharmam(6) :
6.1 : Undertaking Adhyayanam (Learning) of
Vedam as a student
6.2: Performing adhyayanam (Teaching) for
a student
6.3: Performance of Yaagams
6.4: Assisting others in the performance of the
Yaagams
6.5: Giving DhAnams
6.6: Recieving DhAnams .
7. Agni Hothram
If the Father and the elder brother do not
perform Agni hOthram , then the youngster has no fitness ( adhikAram) for
performing Agni hOthram .
If the elder Agni hOthri brother permits , the
younger one can perform . One should not perform Agni hOthram even if the
non-performing Father gives permisison .
8. Adhyayanam ( recitation ) of Vedams
8.1 : One should not learn and recite Vedam other than one's
own . After learning of one's own Vedam , the student can initate adhyayanam of
other Vedams .
8.2: One should not sleep after getting up and reciting VedAs at
dawn .
8.3: One should not recite VedAs within earshot of those , who are
not adhikAris for learning
VedAs .
9. UpAkarmam
9.1: UpAkarmA should not be performed during
the times of eclipses ( grahaNams) and during the time of the birth of a new
month ( SankramaNam) . Yajur Vedins should perform upAkarmA during udhaya
VyApi parvam ( Soorya Udhayam on a PourNami day ) , Rg Vedins udhaya VyApi SraVaNa
nakshathram day and Saama Vedins during the
Hastha Nakshathram .
9.2: The boy who has undergone upanayanam
should not shave himself before the passage of six months . If upAkarMaa
happens before six months , then he can shave himself on the day of
UpAkarmaa .
9.3: If Sraaddham and UpAkarmA falls on the
same day , Sraaddham should be done after upAkarmaa . BrahmachAris should shave
on that day. Many hold the view that Sraaddham should proceed upAkarmaa . For
Saama Vedins , Sraaddham comes first .
10 . Anadhyayanam ( Times
when Vedam can not be taught : No adhyayanam)
10.1 On Prathamai . ashtami
, Chathrudasi , AmAvAsai and PourNimi tithis , Veda can not be taught.
Same rule
for the evening preceding these tithis .
10.2 No adhyayanam on GrahaNam and during the junction of ruthus (
Ruthu sandhi).
10.3 No adhyayanam on
days of NimintharaNam ( BrahmaNArtam ) and Prathigraham ( day in which dhAnam
was recieved ) .
10.4 No adhyayanam on days
of dhvajArOhaNam and avarOhaNam ( Flag raising and lowering days of an uthsavam
at the temple ).
10.5 No adhyayanam on Mahaa
Navami , SravaNa dhvAdasi , Akshaya Trutheeyai , raTa sapthami, Mahaa BharaNi ,
YugAdhi and manvAthi dinams .
11.0 Aapath Vruthti Krushi for
Brahmins
11.1 Bulls used in ploughing ( for veda karmAs)
can be engaged only during the first half of the day for farming .
Once the ploughing is completed ,
the bulls have to be bathed .
11.2 Males should not marry after fifty
years in age . They should also not engage in nimintharaNam in Sraaddham after
50 years of age .
12.0 There are 40
SamskArams for BrahmaNAs
12.1 The soothrAs
relevant to their VedAs prescribe 40 or more samskArAs .The most important among
them are thsoe upto Upanayanam .Rest can be done as desired . The reason is that
one can accept SanyAsam from Brahmacharyam . SanyAsa Aasramam has no agni
kaaryams .
12.3 The fourty samskArams
are : 14 SmArtha KarmAs and 26 Sroutha KarmAs .
12.3.1 SmArtha KarmAs
are : GarbhA DhAnam , Pumsavanam , Seemantham , Jaatha Karmam , Naama KaraNam
, Anna PrASanam , SouLam , Upanayanam , PrAjApathyam , Soumyam ,
AagnEyam,
VaisvadEvam , SnAnam and
VivAham . The last four from PrAjApathyam to snAnam are part
of
VivAha KarmAs
.
12.4 Sroutha KarmAs : Five
dEva Yajn~ams , 7 Paaka Yajn~ams ,7 Havir Yajn~ams , 7 Soma samsthais
.
12.5 Five dEva Yajn~ams :
(a) dEva yajn~am (b) Pitru Yajn~am (c) Manushya Yajn~am (d)BhUtha Yajn~am and
Brahma Yajn~am .
12.6: Paaka Yajn~am : Seven
are Ashtakai , STAli Paakam , Maasi Sraaddham , SrAVaNee , AagrahAyaNee ,
Chaithri and AaSvayuji .
12.7 Seven Havir Yajn~am :
AgnyAdhAnam , Agni HOthram , DarSa PoorNa mASam ,
AagrayaNam,
ChAthurmAsyam , NirooDa
PaSu Bandham , SouthrAmaNee
12.8 Soma Samsthais: Seven
are : AgnishtOmam , athyagnishtOmaam , Ukthyam , ShOdasee , VaajabhEyam ,
athirAthram and abnOryAmam.
12.9 Some say that the
total of SmArtha-Sroudha KarmAs as 44 based on adding chandra and Soorya
darsanam ; others add prEtha karmam and SapiNDeekaraNam
.
13.
Ruthu Kaalam ( Veettu Vikaku kaalam:
Bahishtai)
There
is a great DhOsham if the husband does not unite with his wife during Ruthu
Kaalam
except
for the first 4 days . From the first day of Bhishtai to the 16th day
is called ruthu kaalam .
Amongst
the allowed 12 days , Ashtami, YekAdasi , TrayOdhasi , chathurdasi ,
AmAvAsai , PourNami , chathurthi and Shashti have to be avoided for union.
Among the days of ruthu kaalam,
Thursday , Saturday , Wednesday , specific nakshathrams ( SravaNam
, RohiNi , Hastham , Anusham , SvAthi , Revathy , Moolam , Utthiram , Satayam )
and specific laganams( Vrushabham ,
MiTunam
, KaDakam , Kanni , TulAm , Danus , Kumbham , Meenam are superior for
NishEkam
(Saanthi MuhUrtham) . Kettai , Mrugaseersham Punarpoosam are
middling . During the Ruthu Kaalam , even numbered days would yield a boy and
odd numbered days would lead to the birth of a girl
.
Please direct your questions on areas that need
clarification to Sriman Vaasu VaadhyAr
( vaideekam@gmail,com) and look for the
tamil version of these postings at
NamO
Veda PurushAya ,
Daasan
, Oppiliappan Koil V.Sadagopan
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