Happenings Ashram lifestyle

we will look at how asanas work from a deeper viewpoint of subtler energies that are in dynamic motion and govern all physical and mental processes. 

 

Our first cow Surabhi gave birth to tiny little calf- Nandini. Nandini now hops all over the ashram keeping us all engaged.

Another significant event is the bhumi pooja of the upcoming Dharma Gurukulam. Dharma School, which is a Gurukulam and a residential home school, is designed with the holistic physical, mental, intellectual and spiritual development of students in mind. Focusing on Indian sciences, the Gurukulam aims at reviving Indian knowledge: para and apara vidya (scientific and spiritual) and creating a thirst for local knowledge and traditions. Students of Dharma school will be rooted in Indian sciences and values and can interact seamlessly on global platforms.Yajna is any action done with the intention for a larger benefit. As an act, it purifies the doer, the receiver and the environment. In the Bhagavad Gita, Bhagavan Shree Krishna explains the philosophy and different kinds of yagna. One hears of the famous ashwamedha yagna performed by Shri Ram as well as in the Mahabharata or the putrakameshti yagna performed by Maharaja Dasharatha for obtaining a son.

In this article we explore about the Yagnas and look at their role in purification of water. The word yagna comes from the Sanskrita root yuj which means to unite referring to the union of an individual soul with the Supreme soul. The vedas describe yagna as a means to fulfil one’s desires, attain happiness through health, wealth, peace, strength, fame and protection from natural calamities, diseases, and all unforeseen events. The vedas give different kinds of yagnas for fulfilling the various needs and desires of beings.

The most common form of a yagna that one would have seen is a homa (a havana) where offerings are made to agni in a kunda/vedi. Festivals and auspicious occasions in Sanatana Dharma have involved the performance of a yagna. Be it Vastu homa for a new house, Ayushya homa for health and well being, Ganapati Homa for Lord Ganesha, the daily Agnihotra homa, the Chandi Homa in the navaratris or Rudra homas during Shravana maas, one finds numerous opportunities and occasions to participate and soak in the energy and bliss of the yagnas. The Sanskrita term for environment is paryavarana meaning that which encircles us. In Atharvaveda, other terms with similar meanings (vritavrita, parivrita) are used.

Yagnas have been described as great purifiers of the environment and all the beings in them (both sentient like humans and other living organisms and insentient including air, water, earth). The rishis continuously kept the yagna fire burning which purified their environments.

Seeing the benefits of yagnas, these have been adopted on large scales by several countries like Peru, Colombia in South America to solve their farming and agriculture issues, in Europe and Asia for solving environmental issues, coping with radiation effects and for human health and wellbeing.

The homa is performed with raw materials from nature with minimum processing. The wood used in the havan is called samidha and should be dry, free from dust, insects and worms. Wood from certain trees (mango, palasha, sandalwood, deodar, peepal, bilva, banyan, shami, gular) is cut into smaller pieces and arranged in a manner to ensure proper airflow to aid combustion. The offerings made are called samagri.

The physical process of yagna including the nature of offerings, chanting, design of the yagna kunda and the photochemical processes involved is a topic of active research and interested readers can find a good number of research articles online. 

 DR BALANDU MISHRA (Ph.D. BHU UNIVERSITY}

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