Śrīrāma Jaya Rāma Jaya Jaya Rāma
Emulating Śrī Rāma's Deeds in the Rāma Rājya: Observance of the Pauṇḍarīka Yāga for Prosperity
Explaining the Context forCaturthāgni yukta Samūḍha Pauṇḍarīka Yāga
March 16 – April 22 2024 CE at Pedavadapalli, near Kovvur (West Godavari Dt.)
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Development, Prosperity and Abundance through Vaidika Soma Yāgā-s
Caturthāgni yukta Samūḍha Pauṇḍarīka Yāga
March 16 – April 22 2024 CE at Pedavadapalli, near Kovvur (West Godavari Dt.)
A version of this write-up is published here.
“Our aim is not building Ram Mandir alone. Our priority is establishing Rāma Rājya”1
"If the country has to turn into a ' Rāma Rājya (welfare state), every citizen should turn into Lord Ram. If we adhere to ideals of Rāma, 'Rāma Rājya' will materialise automatically,"2
HH Śrī Śrī Viśvaprasanna Tīrtha Svāmī-jī,
of Pejāvara Adhōkṣaja Math, Udupi &
Member, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust
We are living in momentous times in the wake of the historic installation of <i>Balak Rāma </i>in the Mandir made for Śrī Rāma Lalla Virājmān at the Śrī Rāma Janmabhūmi in Ayodhya. This is only a beginning for ushering in the reign of Rājā Rāma – the 'Rāma Rājya' - the best polity that ever existed where every person had all their four pursuits of life – the puruṣārtha-s – Dharma, Artha, Kāma and Mokṣa – fulfilled.
Rāma is Dharma-personified. The aspiration for prosperity is found across the board in our country today. What means did Śrī Rāma use in the 'Rāma Rājya' for attaining prosperity, development and abundance that includes the heart to give aplenty (the word for prosperous in our tradition being – subhikṣa ) in all His people? One insightful response that we learn from the Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa (Śloka 6.128.95) is by looking at the yajña-s observed by Him. Of the many yajña-s, some of which were performed many times over, three of the Soma Yāga-s are specifically named: 1. Pauṇḍarīka 2. Aśvamedha 3. Vājapeya. While Aśvamedha is known to fulfil all desires including that of prosperity and victory in an all-conquering conquest (Āśvalāyana Śrauta Sūtra [3] 10.6.1) and Vājapeya is observed by one who is desirous of lordship [ādhipatya] (Āśvalāyana Śrauta Sūtra 9.9.1) – there is little public memory of Pauṇḍarīka mentioned first in the list of yajña-s named by Vālmīki. Pauṇḍarīka is observed with the desire for ṛddhi (prosperity, abundance – of all eight forms of wealth (aṣṭaiśvarya)) (Āśvalāyana Śrauta Sūtra 10.4.1).
As a nation desirous of being prosperous and developed in the best sense imaginable and with an abundance that comes with a heart to give aplenty, we are fortunate that there is a living tradition of Āhitāgni-s (those Brāhmaṇa-s who do the upāsana (worship) of the three Vedic fires – gārhapatya – dakṣiṇa – āhavanīya - by keeping them alive perpetually in their family) who carry the know-how of observing the Pauṇḍarīka Yāga to this day. In the Andhra country, it is said that one of the most remarkable re-invigoration of the observance of Pauṇḍarīka Yāga happened in the 1960s when Brahmaśrī Dendukūri Veṅkaṭappa Yajñanārāyaṇa Somayājin (Kṛṣṇa Yajurveda Sāṅga-Salakṣaṇa-Sarahasya Ghanānta Svādhyāyi) who also learnt the mantra-bhāga of Ṛg Veda as well as Sāma Veda (Kauṭhuma Śākha) for the observance (anuṣṭhāna) of Pauṇḍarīka yāga as well as the entire procedure for the same by studying various texts – including the ŚrautaSūtra-s of Ṛg Veda (Āśvalāyana), Kṛṣṇa Yajurveda (Āpastamba) and Sāma Veda (Drāhyāyana) - and having made a due assessment of the relative differences in them – he prepared hand-written copies of the entire Kalpa (manual/procedure) for the observance of both forms of Pauṇḍarīka yāga – Vyūḍha and Samūḍha. It is recalled even to this day with great wonderment about the glorious manner in which the Vyūḍha Pauṇḍarīka yāga was observed by him in the year 1966 CE as the Yajamāna. on the banks of River Krishna in Krishnalanka, Vijayawada [some may recall that the food shortage in India was overcome in the subsequent years] and despite severe rationing elsewhere, Anna Samārādhana happened without any hindrance as the local authorities also believed in the successful conduct of yajña to result in abundance in future. This Vyūḍha Pauṇḍarīka yāga saw Dendukūri Veṅkaṭeśvarlu –(the Yajamāna for the current Caturthāgni yukta Samūḍha Pauṇḍarīka Yāga) – a 13 year-old then – as a Ṛtvik for the first time – as a Prastota (one of the four Ṛtvik-s of the Audgātṛ varga (Sāma Veda)).
Brahmaśrī Dendukūri Veṅkaṭappa Yajñanārāyaṇa Pauṇḍarīka Yājin paved the way for the observance of several Vyūḍha Pauṇḍarīka yāga-s in the Telugu country. In the year 1994 CE, he got his second son Brahmaśrī Dendukūri Veṅkaṭeśvara Dīkṣitulu to observe the Vyūḍha Pauṇḍarīka yāga under his supervision and also desired that the Pauṇḍarīka yāga of the Samūḍha form – which is indicated as the primary form of Pauṇḍarīka yāga in the Āśvalāyana Śrauta Sūtra be observed by Brahmaśrī Dendukūri Veṅkaṭeśvara Dīkṣitulu (Vyūḍha Pauṇḍarīka Yājin). It was however not to be. After a few years, with the passing away of his wife, Brahmaśrī Dendukūri Veṅkaṭappa Yajñanārāyaṇa Pauṇḍarīka Yājin took sannyāsa with the name Svāmi Jñānānanda Tīrtha. He attained siddhi soon after.
This year happens to be the Birth Centenary Year of Svāmi Jñānānanda Tīrtha, and despite being seventy plus – we are fortunate that the able and scholarly Brahmaśrī Dendukūri Veṅkaṭeśvara Dīkṣitulu (Vyūḍha Pauṇḍarīka Yājin) - has resolved to fulfill the desire of his father and Guru - Svāmi Jñānānanda Tīrtha - by observing the Samūḍha Pauṇḍarīka yāga.
How are we fortunate? Soma Yāga-s, by their very nature, are observed only for the sake of the well-being of the entire world. This particular Soma Yāga is particularly meant for our collective prosperity. There is something more to it also. There is an adage in Sanskrit - एक क्रिया द्व्यर्थि करी बभूव - that all the Vaidika Karma-s have a simultaneous benefit - one which is visible (dṛṣṭa) and the other, invisible (adṛṣṭa) and long term. It is also asserted: अत्युत्कटैः पुण्यपापैरिहैव फलमश्नुते - that is, anything done so exceptionally, whether it is for merit (puṇya) or demerit (pāpa) – the fruit of it shall be obtained in this world itself.
The proper performance of the Yāga calls for yajña sāmagri from all kula vṛtti-s indicating how it is yajña that unites all the people belonging to various jāti-s with varying kula vṛtti-s. The visible fruit of the conduct of the yajña is in the material benefit and livelihood (or wealth re-distribution as some economists would like to call) to all the people, who while working on their own expertise, also beget the invisible fruit of being part of the yajña (apūrva phala). How do we reap the benefit of the invisible fruit? It is said in the Mahābhārata –
न देवा दण्डमादाय रक्षन्ति पशुपालवत् । यं तु रक्षितुमिच्छन्ति बुद्ध्या संविभजन्ति तम् ॥
Soma Yāga-s please the Devatā-s because Soma-juice is the food for them. When they are pleased, and they decide to protect us – they do not do it the way a cowherd/shepherd protects the cows/sheep by driving them away from danger using a stick. They do it by giving us a proper sense of discernment (viveka/buddhi) to do our things better and thereby prosper. This is still focusing only on the individual benefit. But the most important part is the collective benefit accrued when persons in a position of power who shape the destiny of the rest of the people because of the policy measures brought in by them are indeed bestowed by the proper sense of discernment to choose the right policy that ensures true development that leads to abundance and prosperity as described above. It is to this that the Soma Yāga can lead us to.
Yajña invokes the entire cosmos into the substance that we work with. And everyone part of it has an equal share as is urged:
कर्ता कारयिता चैव प्रेरकश्चानुमोदकः । सुकृतेदुष्कृते चैव चत्वारः समभागिनः ॥
The doer, the enabler, the promoter as well as the endorser – each one has equal share in the conduct of both good deeds as well as the bad.
This is an invitation to all those who believe in the above to join and ensure the proper observance of the Caturthāgni yukta Samūḍha Pauṇḍarīka Yāga on our path towards realizing Rāma Rājya.
1, https://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay?newsID=800038
2. https://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay.aspx?newsID=738278
3. https://gretil.sub.uni-goettingen.de/gretil/1_sanskr/1_veda/5_vedang/1_srauta/asvss_u.htm
Appendix
About Yajamāna
“Śrauta Prayoga Ratna” Brahmaśrī Dendukūri Veṅkaṭeśvara Dīkṣitulu (Ghanāpāthi, Paunḍarīka Yāji) hails from one of the very few families in India that have preserved the Veda Vedi (Vedic fire altar) uninterruptedly since times immemorial. Born to Śrī Rājyalakṣmī Somapīthinī & Brahmaśrī Dendukūri Veṅkaṭappa Yajñanārāyaṇa Salakṣaṇa Ghanāpāthi Paunḍarīka Yāji seventy years ago, Brahmaśrī Dendukūri Veṅkaṭeśvara Dīkṣitulu (Paunḍarīka Yāji) has performed several Soma Yāga-s including: Agniṣṭoma (1977,1990), Paunḍarīka Yāga (1992), Āptoryāma (1998), Ṣoḍaśī (2002), Dvisahasra Atirātra Mahāgnicayana (2004), Atyagniṣṭoma (2005), Triṣāhasrāgni yukta Mahāvrata Yāgam (2022), apart from several Haviryajña-s including Cāturmāsya, Darśapūrṇamāsa, Vārṣika Nirūḍha, Āgrayaṇeṣṭi.
About Caturthāgni (Garuda/Śyena Citi)
Brahmaśrī Dendukūri Veṅkaṭeśvara Dīkṣitulu (Ghanāpāthi, Paunḍarīka Yājin) has already performed Agni Cayana on the fire altar in the eagle shape (Garuḍa/ Śyena Citi) thrice. This current Samūḍha Pauṇḍarīka yāga will be his fourth Agni Cayana on the Garuḍa/ Śyena Citi. The Garuḍa/ Śyena Citi looks like an eagle with opened wings that is ready to fly. The iṣṭaka-s (bricks) are made keeping the height of the Yajamāna in mind. When the Agni Cayana is done for the first time, it is done on a fire altar built with a thousand (1000) bricks – and is called Prathama Sāhasram. These thousand bricks are to be arranged in five equal layers in the shape of the Garuḍa upto the height that is approximated to the knee-length of the Yajamāna. When performing Agni Cayana for the second time, it is done on the fire altar built with two thousand (2000) bricks – and is called Dvitīya Sāhasram (Dvisāhasra). The bricks are to be arranged in a similar manner as above approximated to the height of the navel of the Yajamāna. From the third time onwards, up to any number of times (101 is stated) one performs the Cayana, the fire altar is to be built with three thousand (3000) bricks and the height of the fire altar is approximated to the neck of the Yajamāna. The fire on the fire altar made of the three thousand bricks is called Triṣāhasrāgni. When it is done for the fourth time, it is Caturthāgni and so on.
The principles of geometry applied in the construction of these fire altars is a matter of great wonderment and they can be known from the study of Sulba Sūtra-s. The following fire altar was made for the Triṣāhasrāgni by the Yajamāna - following Āpastamba Sulba Sūtra-s:
Indra - has another name – Śatakratu – and that is so because he is said to have observed 100 kratu-s on the fire altars like the above.
In the Caturthāgni, the Śyena Citi – the total wing-to-wing length for the Yajamāna is expected to be 8.5 metres. The Sulba Sūtra-s indicate the extent of the increase in the size of the Śyena Citi as one goes on to perform further Agni Cayana-s.
About Soma Yāga
Soma Yāga is the process of offering the Soma rasa (juice of a special creeper named Soma lata) as an oblation in sacrificial fire unto the Devata-s through a prescribed procedure in the Veda-s as specified in the Śrauta Sūtra-s. This is done, among other things, primarily to strengthen the life forces of Mother Nature. There are primarily seven kinds of Soma Yāga-s: (1) Agniṣṭoma (2) Atyagniṣṭoma (3) Ukthya (4) Ṣoḍaśī (5) Vājapeya (6) Atirātra (7) Āptoryāma Soma Yāga-s are again divided into four types basing on the time for which Soma rasa is offered as an oblation: (1) Ekāha (One Day) (2) Sadyaska (~Fresh/Immediate Kind)(3) Ahīna (2-12 days) (4) Satra (More than 13 days)
From amongst these, the performance of Satra Yāga is prohibited in Kali Yuga. Pauṇḍarīka yāga is an Ahīna- Yāga (11 nights) – and is arguably the most elaborate of the Soma Yāgā-s that can be performed in Kali Yuga.