thrissur: Ancient Vedic ritual - April 2011, Kerala gets ready for Athirathram peace yagna

jan 7th, 2011

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From: sri 
Date: Wed, Jan 5, 2011 at 10:44 AM
Subject: Ancient Vedic ritual - April 2011, Kerala gets ready for Athirathram peace yagna
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Stoking a Vedic fire Ranjeni A Singh, Jan 3, 2011 http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/spirituality/faith-and-ritual/Stoking-a-Vedic-fire/articleshow/7209980.cms#ixzz1A8Hz9tmM Stoking a vedic fire Panjal in Kerala is getting ready to host Athirathram, perhaps the world's oldest known ritual. Ranjeni A Singh speaks to Sivakaran Namboodiri, who first participated in the ritual 35 years ago The Pooram festival of Thrissur — with its gold-caparisoned elephants — has always figured prominently in Kerala Tourism's glossy posters. But in April 2011, Thrissur will hit the headlines for another unique reason. Panjal, a sleepy village in this district will be the venue for Athirathram, perhaps the oldest Vedic ritual in the world. The ritual invokes Vedic mantras to usher in universal harmony and to cleanse the atmosphere. The last time the village hit global headlines was 35 years ago in 1975 when the yagna or fire ritual was performed here, partly sponsored by the American Harvard and Berkeley universities and Helsinki University, Finland. Prof Frits Stall of the University of California, credited with reviving the near-extinct ritual, had spent a year in Panjal supervising preparations and studying the effects of the ritual. He also recorded the melodious chanting of Vedic hymns during the ritual. Prof Stall came out with a two-volume tome titled Agni that said it all. Yagna for peace Athirathram 2011 will be hosted by the Varthathe Trust, from April 4-15. "The trust was formed by like-minded community members of Ottapalam village to revive and preserve some of India's old Vedic rituals and culture. "Our aim is to familiarise the common man with ancient Indian scientific and philosophical knowledge. People in the Vedic era used this wisdom to attain unity, peace and prosperity with no distinctions of caste, creed, colour, community, gender or religion," says Sivakaran Namboodiri, who participated in the 1975 ritual and who is a key member of the trust. For the trust, organising the Athirathram was the best way to begin its activities as it matched their objectives. Namboodiri, who is an ayurvedic doctor says, "Athirathram is relevant in today's discontent, violent and strife-torn world. There's an urgent need to promote universal harmony, peace, solidarity, prosperity and spiritual enlightenment." Cosmic connection Athirathram is one of the Somayagas and is traditionally performed only by Namboodiri Brahmins of Kerala. The 12-day yagna is performed in three agnikunds or fireplaces made of bricks. The main fireplace is built in the shape of a bird using over 1,000 specially designed bricks, with priests chanting mantras while it is being constructed. Explaining the significance of the fire ritual, Namboodiri says, "The Sun is the main source of energy, and fire represents Sun's energy. According to ancient texts on the yagna, any offering to fire as a god, is actually an offering to the Sun. Such offerings cleanse the environment of all negative energies and protect it too. Ascribing divine attributes to these rituals induces people to practice them. Our scriptures proclaim that such vaidika karmams are result-oriented, and are meant to lead to sreyass or spiritual attainment." Each day, the rituals vary. The major offerings to the sacrificial fire are somarasa, the juice of somalatha, a herbal plant plus dozens of other herbs. The fire is created by rubbing two pieces of wood, as detailed in ancient Vedic scriptures. No modern prop is used. Performing the Athirathram ritual is not for the fainthearted. Namboodiri says, "For one, only those who have performed the somayaga can perform the Athirathram. The one who leads the ritual is called the yajaman or leader. The yajaman — whose wife is an equal participant in the ritual — must observe strict austerities both before and after the yagna. Apart from the yajaman, about a dozen vedic scholars and experts, too, participate. Chanting of mantras by them with accurate intonation is a significant aspect of the ritual." Somayaga, also known as Agnisthomam, is a six-day ritual for the welfare of all and is meant to maintain equilibrium in the environment. Like Athirathram, Somayagam is also a fire ritual performed in a brick-lined fireplace. In full swing "Preparations for the Panjal Athirathram 2011 began after obtaining consent from Lord Dakshinamurthy of the Shukapuram Temple. We sought the deity's blessings by reciting slokas and prayers," says Namboodiri. The Yajurveda and Samaveda practices that precede Athirathram have already begun at Panjal. Traditional craftsmen are busy making the innumerable clay and wooden utensils that will be utilised during the ritual. The choice of the venue is also in accordance with geographic and vaastu principles. Namboodiri says, "The yagnashala or the spot of the yagna is uniquely positioned to imbibe the sun's energy — the primary reason why Panjal is the chosen venue for almost all key yagnas held in Kerala in the past." Once the yagna is over, the yajaman has to take home some burning embers from the sacred fire and feed it as long as he lives. After the yagna, the yajaman is conferred a title — Agnisthomam or the basic Somayagam makes him a Somayaaji, and Athirathram bestows on him, the title of Akkithiri or Agnihotri. Namboodiri says the whole event is expected to cost over Rs 1 crore and the organisers expect 15,000 people to daily witness the ritual. The trust will also be including scientists in the exercise to study the effects of the ritual on the atmosphere and surroundings. Will we ever know if the ritual has been conducted precisely in accordance with the Vedas? "Spotting of a solitary eagle flying in the sky above the yagnashala and a heavy downpour are indications that the gods are pleased with the ritual," says Namboodiri. In 1975, for instance, it rained! __ In the family of religions, Hinduism is the wise old all-knowing mother. Its sacred books, the Vedas, claim, 'Truth is one, but sages call it by different names.' If only Islam, and all the rest of the monotheistic 'book' religions, had learned that lesson, all the horror of history's religious wars could have been avoided. Which other religion has its God say, as Krishna does in the Bhagavad Gita, 'All paths lead to me.' - Robert R. C. Zaehner (1913-1974) British historian of religion.