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August08,2010
The9thverseofthethirdChapteroftheSrimadBhagavadGitaisveryrelevantin
the context of Yagna.Krishna tells Arjuna toWork for Yagna i.e. toWork in a
detachedmode for the sake ofMahaVisnu.YagnameansVisnu. Thequestion
comesthatonemaynotbeabletoactinthismannerallthetime.Willanybody
WorkinofficeforamonthanddonateagreatpartofittothewelfareofKrishnas
temple?Thisisseeminglyimpossible.Itisalsoapparentthathumanbeingstake
birthinanattempttofulfilltheirpendingdesiresthathavebeencarriedforward
birthafterbirth.WhentheLorddisseminatestheknowledgeoftheGitaoneshouldunderstandtheLord isaveryunderstandingandcompassionateLord.TheLord
has identified all the levels and consciousness of people and to that extent
entailedactivitiesforthem.Byengaginginactivitiesinagradientasordainedby
theLordonecanmethodicallyadvanceinspirituallife.TheLordanswerssome
intriguingquestionsthatrelateto fulfillingmaterialdesiresandatthesame time
progressin spiritual lifewhichofcourseisproclaimedbyHimtobethehighest
goaloflifeandtheultimategood.
The10thversebeginswiththeelucidationoftheabovequestion.Ifonedesiresto
fulfillonesdesiresoneneedstoperformYagyasorYagnas.Oneneedstooffer
thisYagnatotheprimordialParajapatiorthefirstcreator.ThisisnoneotherthanLordKrishnaHimself.Itisevident thatLordKrishnaisthesourceofallCreation
includingLordBrahmawhoishailedasthecreatorofthisparticularuniversein
whichwebreathe.TheuniverseiscalledBrahmandawhichisintheshapeofan
egg.TheLordenteredtheuniverse in the formofacolossal incarnationwhois
calledKshirodakasayiVisnu.FromVisnusnavelsproutedabeautifullotus.From
the top of the Lotus the first living being Brahma was born. Hence Visnu or
Krishnais theoriginalParajapati.Brahmawas thesecondaryParajapatiandhe
created the four Kumaraswho were Sanaka,Sanatana, Sanandan andSanat.
These Kumaras always remained as five year old kids and never grew to
Science of Yagna
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adulthood though they were established in perfect knowledge. After theywere
created Brahma instructed them to further procreate and populate the world.
HoweverthesesonsofBrahmawereleastinterestedinprocreationandoptedto
be mendicants. Brahma was upset with the behavior of his first created and
therefore he created further 10 children. Vasistha, Dakhsha, Bhrigu, Kratu,
Pulastya, Angiras, Atri, Marichi, Pulaha and also many others. These were
ManasaputrasorchildrenbornoutofthemindofSriBrahma.Dakhshahadmany
sons and daughters. His daughters got married to the rishis like
Kashyapa.KashyapahadthefamouswivesAditiandDiti.Aditischildrenbecame
the Adityas or the demigods and they were given various departments of the
universetomanage.ThedepartmentsoftheuniverseareliketheWind,Water,Rainfall,Temperature,Light,Heatandothersuchareas.
ThesonsofDitiweretheAsurasorDemonsorthetransgressorsofnature.There
was a clashalways between the demigods and the asuras.Because of the 33
croredemigodsthereisalwaysaconfusioninSanatanaDharmaastowhoisthe
SupremeLord.Howeverthereisnoquestionofsuchconfusion.Thereisonlyone
SupremeGodandHeisVisnuorSriKrishna.AllelsewascreatedbyVisnu.An
allegorycanbedrawnofthatofacountryhavingaPrimeMinisterandacabinetof
500ministers.ItisjustnaturalthatnocountrycanhavemultiplePrimeMinisters.
Similarlytherecanbeonlyonecontrollerofallsentientandinsentientthingsand
thatisSriKrishnaasconfirmedbytheVedas.The33croredemigodsarelikened
tobethemembersoftheparliament.Onehas topay fortheamenities thatwe
availinahousingcomplexlikelightcharge,watercharge,laundrychargeetc.Now
there are various governmental departments and departmental heads that are
taking careof these amenitiesandwho are in charge of collecting funds. In a
similarfashionLordSriVisnuhascreatedthe33croredemigods,appointedthem
as various department heads in the arrangement of mother nature and has
designedtheprocessofYagnabywhich the livingentitiesespeciallythehigher
formsofcreationlikethehumanbeingscanpaybacktothedemigodsthefacilities
thattheyhaveavailedfromthem.
Itisbutnaturalthateverylivingbeingespeciallyhumanbeingsshouldbeinvolved
with the process of Yagna and repay to the demigods. The Supreme Lord is
actually the Pati or husbandofeveryone.He is the all Supreme.There isan
episodeinthelifeofSrilaPrabhupadawhereapersonaskedhimHowSriKrishna
could afford to dance with the Gopis of Braja who were actually married to
somebodyelseintheVrindavanaLila.TowhichPrabhupadaanswereditisthe
otherwayround.ActuallyallthemenandwomenarethepropertyofSriKrishna.
HencetechnicallyspeakingHeisthehusbandofallmenandwomen.Henceina
directsenseTheGopisofBrajawereinfactthepropertyofSriKrishnaandthe
menofBrajahadseeminglytiedtheknotstothewivesofSriKrishna.Bhagwan
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Krishna isLokPati.ItisnotaquestionofwhySriKrishna isdancingwithother
peopleswivesbutthequestioniswhyareotherpeopledallyingwithSriKrishnas
wiveswhoareactuallyallthewomenofalltheuniverses.Whenpeoplefollowthe
prescribedprinciplesoftheparticularVarna,youacceptauthority.When asoul
arrivesinthismaterialworld,itwantstobeindependent.Howeverbyperforming
Yagna,onefeelsobliged.WhenaYagnaisperformedasonerecitesthemantras
foraparticulardemigod,hesays,thisparticularoblationisnotmineitisforsoand
sodemigod.Onerealizesintheprocessthatonesenjoymentofmaterialnatureis
dependent on the satisfaction of a particular demigod. This is the authorized
processofregulatingourlifeandgraduallymakesprogress.Asoneunderstands
theprinciplesoftheSastrasonerisesabovetheanimalisticwaysofliving.
IfArjunaabandonedthebattlefield,hewouldhaveresignedtotheforest.Sincehe
wasnotanadvancedyogihewouldhaverequiredfoodforhissubsistence.Now
thequestionarisesastowhowouldprovidefoodgrains.Thefoodgrainsarenot
manufacturedinfactoriesbutareproducedbyrains.Rainsareinturnproducedby
Yagna.Yagnainturnisperformedbycarryingoutonesprescribedduties.Hence
it is obvious that instead of retiring to the forest Arjuna should fight on the
battlefieldwhichishisprescribedduty.UltimatelythegoalofallYagnaistoplease
Visnu since he is the ultimate deity. It has been discussed in the Srimad
BhagavathamthatwhentheBrajwasiswereabouttoperformoblationsforLord
IndrasothatrainsshouldblessVrindavana,theLordinhistinyformorderedthe
Brajwasis to perform the sacrifice for Mount Govardhan and not offer to Lord
Indra.ThisepisodeismorepopularlyknownasGovardhanLeela.Thereappears
to be a contradiction in this episode as demonstrated by the Lord. Here He
discouragessacrificesofferedtoLordIndraandestablishessomethingelse.The
higherprincipleshouldbeappliedwhenthesituationdemands.Inthiscasethe
GovardhanMountwastheformoftheLordHimselfandthustheUltimateYagya
Patishouldbesatisfiedandthesubordinatesshouldbegivenlesserpreference.
Thereisanother leelain thetenthCantooftheBhagavathamthatwhenKrishna
and the cow herd friends went cow grazing they approached a group of
Brahmanasforsomefoodstuffbecause theywerehungry.TheBrahmanaswere
soengrossedinsatisfyingthedemigodsbywaysofsacrificesthattheyturneda
blind eye to the SupremePersonalityofGodheadwho had come inperson to
acceptfood.Howeverwhenthecowherdboysapproachedthe illiteratewivesof
theBrahmanas theynot onlywereready tooffer foodstuffbut they ran toLord
KrishnaandofferedthemselvestotheLord.Thesacrificeofthewomanfolkwas
much exalted as compared to the petty sacrifices which their husbands were
offering.TheessenceofallYagyaistopleaseSriKrishnaonly.
When theDemigodsare pleasedby Yagya theyprovideall that is required for
subsistence of the personsperformingYagya. In the scriptures it isstated that
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peopleused tostayin theopen;on the banksoftheriver,on the shore ofthe
ocean.Theyneverbuilthouses.It issaidthatinthosedaystheclimatewasjust
perfectandtherewasnodisorderofanysorts.Therewerenorainsasheavyas
whatitisnowadays.InSatyugaeverybodyusedtoperformtheirdharmaperfectly
anddidperfectYagya.Nobodybotheredabouttheirbelongings.Itwastakencare
bynatureandthepeopleduringthosetimesweretruthful.Lifetodayisnotbased
on truth because people have stopped performing their prescribed duties and
thereforethereisutterdeteriorationofDharma.AdvancementofCivilizationisnot
dependent on how many nuts and bolts we manufacture in factories but is
dependent on the degree to which one performs Yagna as prescribed in the
SastraswhichisordainedbytheSupremeLord.
GDPandGNPofnationsdefinitelydonotdeterminetheadvancementofanation.
Peace and prosperity flourishes as one performs ones duty. Eating, Sleeping,
Matinganddefendingisnotrelevant.Equivalenttoonefourthofthepopulationof
India thereare demigods.From blinking of the eye toCreating rains and food
grains there aredemigods.Natural calamitiesare unimaginable andcannotbe
compared to man-made destruction. Statistics show that the total number of
peoplewhohavediedinthewarsofallofthetwentiethcenturyisnowhereclose
tothenumberofpeoplewhohavediedofmalariain thewarcampsduring the
same period. When the demigods come down to creating havoc, it is
unimaginable.
Apersonwhodoesnotperformhisprescribeddutiesistermedasathiefinthe
Gita.Athiefcanneverbehappyandwouldbeconstantlyagitated.Inthematerial
worldwhenone enjoyscredits frombankanddoesnot bother topayback the
bank, there are recovery officials who recover the money from the borrower
.Recovery officials are in fact hooligans appointed by the bank to extract the
moneyfromtheborrowerbyhookorcrook.Asimilararrangementexistsinnature
andthemiscreantswhodonotobservetheregulationslaidforthemaresuitably
punished by the demigods. The ultimate recovery official for the better
managementoftheaffairsofthematerialworldisLordYamawhoisthedemigod
ofDeath.Theultimatequalification forapersontohaveavisionoftheLordof
Deathistodisbelieveinthescripturalinjunctionsandtheconceptofpunishment
afterdeath.
Althoughtherearemanypeoplewhomayvisittemplesbuiltfordemigods,noneof
themareactuallyawareastohowserviceistobeofferedtothepresidingdeities
ofnature.The visits totemplesbymillions of people are onlyaccompanied by
theirmyriadsofwisheswhichtheywantthedemigodstofulfillandinreturnthere
isnothingofferedtothemwhichaddtothewoesofpeople.
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Onecan,onceinawhile,getawaywithcheatingmortalshoweveronecannotget
away from cheating LordYamaand the YamaDootaas.One cannot bribe Lord
Yamaorhisattendants.Thoughapparentlyitlookstobedifficulttocarryoutones
prescribeddutiesyetitisobligatorytocarrythemout.
OfferingfoodstufftotheLordandconsumingitisrecommendedintheSastras.By
Consuming food offeredto theLord isYagna.Thiswouldrelieveusofallsins.
Otherswho consumefoodwithoutoffering food totheLordeat sin only.Some
peopleareoftheopinionthatoneneednotfeedtheLordsincetheLorddoesnot
actuallyneedourfoodandthatHeisselfsufficient.Oneactuallyneedstooffer
foodstuffto theLordsothatthepersonwhooffersactuallybenefits.Thiscanbecomparedtoanexamplefromdaytodaylife.Asmallboywaitsforhisfatherat
homefordinnerasthefatherarriveshomeatnight.Nowthesondemandsthathe
wouldnotdineunlesshisfathersatanddinedwithhim.Hisfatherchangesinto
hiscasualsandsitsalongwithhissontodine.Thesonfeedsthefatherwithhis
ownhandsandthefatherfeelselatedtoeatfromthetinyhandsofhisdearson.
Now the question may arise; was the father incapable of eating or was he
dependentonhissonforprovisionoffoodstuff?Nowwhopreparedthefoodstuff
andwhoprovided themeansforfoodstuff. inanyof theprocessesthe tinyson
wasnotinvolved.Foodwaspreparedbythemotherandthefundstoprovidefor
foodstuffwasfurnishedbythefatherandstillthefatherwhoisthesourceofall
thingsinahomeisstilleatingfromthehandsofhistinysonwhocannotevenhold
themorselsproperlywithhistinyfingers.Thepointhereisthatinallthisthefactor
that holds highest importance is the lovewithwhich the son offers food tohis
father. Inthesameway theSupremeLord ishungry for our Love andHeonly
appreciates the love with which we offer Him food and being very happy on
receivingitfromusheredeemsusfromallmiseriesandrelievesusfromoursin.
Whenweoffervariousservicesforthetemplelikeraisingfunds,it isnotthatthe
LordisinneedforthesefundshoweverbyofferingatangibleservicetotheLordit
helps us to express our hidden love for the Lord and this helps in our inner
purification.Generallypeopletodayhavebecomeoutrightungrateful.Childrenare
ungratefultowardstheirparentsandmanhasbecomeungratefultowardssociety
in general. When we go out for collecting donations for the temples we feel
hesitantconsideringthefactthatwhatwouldhappentoourprestigeifpeopleturn
us down. This is indicative of our false ego and the process of donation and
collectionhelpsusminimizeoursenseoffalseego.Thefalseegoistheonlywall
that separates us from the Supreme. When we beg for the Lord, one should
realizethatweareactuallybeggingfor ourselvesand this processis actually a
sacrificeatthelotusfeetoftheSupremewhereweofferourfalseego.
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A person who donates for the pleasure of the Lord purifies his wealth and
becomesfreeofsinthatheaccumulatesintheprocess.
In the Srimad Bhagavatham it ismentioned that if someone honors prasadam
unknowingly,sinfulreactionsof 7 lifetimesarecounteracted.If someonehonors
prasadamknowingly,sinfulreactionsof1millionlifetimesarecounteracted.Visnu
Puranamstatesthatapersonwhohonorsprasadamgetsthebenefitoffastingfor
6months.BrahmaVivartaPuranamstatesthatapersonwhowalksonearthafter
consumingPrasadam,hefreesmotherearthofsins.Whensuchapersonvisits
holyplaces,hepurifiestheholyplacesalso.Whensuchapersontouchesanother
person,hepurifies theotherperson.Apersonwhoconsumesprasadamwouldget the benefits of conducting 1000 Ashwamedha Yagna. There is a jail in
BangaloreknownasPrapannaAgrahaarjailwhichhas4,700 inmates.Although
thecapacityofthejailisonehalfthepopulationinthem,inmatescontinuetoenjoy
theirstayintheprison.Thereasonisthattheydonotwanttoforsakethepleasure
ofconsumingprasadamservedbythedevoteesofBangaloreIskconthere.Itisso
muchconvenienttoconsumetastyprasadamandstayintheprisonascompared
tocomingoutofprisonandcommittingsins.
TherewasaMuslimwomaninMayapurwhowasblindandhermotherhadtried
all typesof treatmentsbut was unsuccessful.She was directed by one of her
acquaintances that going to Jagannath Puri temple and consumingMahaprasadamandCharanamritamcouldcurethegirlandgetbackhereyesight.
ThiswasexperimentedbytheMuslimfamilyandtheresultsindeedshowed.The
Muslimgirlgothereyesightback.ThusYagnaisallbeneficialaslaiddowninthe
SastricInjunctions
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