April 2007 - Vishnu, Sita, and Ganga Yagyas

What a month it has been! Our growth over the past year has made it possible to hold many more yagyas than ever before. Now that we have added a second set of priests in Varanasi we can take advantage of the many different temple and festival days there. Of course Kanchipuram is still the site of the 10 day series each month.



Since February is so focused on Shiva with the Shivaratri celebrations, we wanted to enjoy some Vishnu Yagyas in April particularly because there were a number of special days for Vishnu this month.



We began the month in Varanasi With Akshaya Tritiya, followed by Ganga Saptami, Bagalamuki Jayanti, and Sita Jayanti. These events were followed at the end of the month in Kanchipuram with a 3 day Satyanarayana Yagya.

The first yagya took place on Akshaya Tritiya; a special day when both the Sun and Moon are exalted astrologically making this a special day of strength. Traditionally this is considered to be the day of the first yagya ever performed. We sponsored a yagya for all the 10 different avatars of Vishnu.







As always the puja decorations were stunning. Such beautiful flowers!




Of course all yagyas include the homam; a fire ceremony which enlivens and strengthens consciousness.







This Vishnu temple features a reclining Vishnu (Ranganatha), as he rests on the cosmic snake Adishesha.





Ganga Saptami

This day celebrates the descent of the River Ganga from heaven to earth, as it wends its way through Shiva's hair to soften the impact. The yagya started early in the morning just as the Sun was rising.




Even though it was early, there were already many people bathing in the river and performing their own pujas.




The banks of the Ganges are such a public place that everyone was able to enjoy the yagya.



And of course, pujas are not such an unusual event, so some people ignored the proceedings and went about their own activities.



Symbolically the Ganga is an important aspect of our consciousness as she represents the spinal fluid which supports the functioning of the nervous system in the same way the river supports a sizable portion of India.



And of course the yagya included the fire ceremony, although for that they had to move back to the top of the stairs.







Bagalamuki Jayanti

Bagalamuki is the form of the Divine Mother who is most protective. She gives strength and protection from others who speak against us and helps us to develop self-control. Her yagyas traditionally take place from 11 PM to 3 AM and photographs are not allowed.

Jayanti means birthday, and this yagya celebrated Bagalamuki's birthday.





Sita Jayanti

Sita is Rama's wife and her story is told in the epic Ramayana. The vedic tradition honors the feet both as a gesture of respect and humility. So the first puja that was conducted in the Sita temple is to the feet of Rama



The temple is located about 70 km from Varanasi and is of relatively recent construction. It is filled with beautiful mosaics and Sita looks very elegant.





After the introductory pujas were completed, our priests moved outside to perform the fire yagya (homam). You can see the temple in the background. Note the architecture is of the north indian style which is very different from the more square gopurams seen in the south.






Anadanam

The vedic tradition places a strong emphasis on feed those who are less fortunate as an integral part of every yagya. We always feed the priests after each yagya performance and when finances permit, we provide food for all at one of the ghats on the banks of the Ganges in Varanasi. This month it took place at night.







Generally a meal for 200 people is provided.




There is always something left over for the Ganges Geese!



Mrytunjaya Yagyas


Because Varanasi is Shiva's city, it is a particularly good place to have mrytunjaya yagya performed both for those who are ill or who may have passed away, and also just for progress towards enlightenment.




We are fortunate to have access to some beautiful temples with extraordinary Shiva lingams.



The mrytunjaya yagya is very purifying and after the abishekam the whole temple radiates freshness.



Always lots of flowers!



Mantra japa...



And homam...

Durga Yagya - March 2007 - Ramnagar

March is the month of Vasant Navaratri - the spring-time celebration of the divine feminine. The puja.net group sponsored a special Chandi Homam (fire yagya) in both North India, Varanasi, and South India, Kanchipuram on Monday, March 26th.

In Varansi,the yagya was held at a beautiful Durga temple in the Ramnagar Fort across the Ganges from the main city. The fort itself is abandoned but the temple is still in use.



The introductory pujas were performed in a shaded area in front of the temple.





Final puja offerings of flowers.



In the most traditional style of yagya performance, the fire must be started without the use of matches...friction must be used! Here you see the priests starting the fire.






Soon the yagya fire is roaring and offerings are being made.





This portion of the yagya is being performed in a portico in front of and under the main temple.



Final offerings are being made into the yagya fire.



I have always been impressed with the sincerity of the priests as they offer their prayers for the well-being of the yagya sponsors and the world at-large.



Final aarti (puja) being performed with the yagya fire visible on the lower level and the temple above it.

Spring Navaratri - March 2007 - Kanchipuram

In the vedic tradition, the goddesses are seen as the source of all prosperity and so there are Navaratri celebrations in the spring at the beginning of the growing season and the fall at the time of harvest. During these times the major forms of the goddesses (Lakshmi, Durga, Saraawati) are honored with 9 nights of pujas and yagyas.

At the beginning of the spring Navaratri (Vasant Navaratri) we performed 4 days of Lakshmi and Ganesha yagyas. Two of those days took place in local Kanchipuram temples.



The temples tend to be very crowded at this time of year, so our abishekams are performed in the evening.

Here we see the Lakshmi temple as we are ready to begin. Note the fresh malas on the left ready for the final decorations.



In most temples there is a dark granite deity as seen in the rear of this photo. It is never moved from the temple. In the front of the photo you see an uttsava (festival) form of the deity which can be taken out of the temple for various pujas and festivals. The uttsava deity is usually made of brass.

The abishekam form of yagya involves the pouring of liquid items over the deity; water, milk, sandalwood paste, etc. Here you see the abishekam begin with milk being offered.






The sandalpaste is scented and the smell is absolutely amazing!



At the end, Lakshmi is dressed in a new silk sari and fresh flower malas. They look very festive! It is also worth noting that we make a point of performing our temple yagyas in smaller, less wealthy temples, so it is a special occasion when the deities are dressed so beautifully. The elaborate abishekams that we perform don't happen often in the smaller temples because of the cost, so it is an inspiration and a treat for those in the local community who visit the temple.

Shivaratri Yagya Series - February 2007 - Varanasi

For the past 4 years, we have sponsored a Maha Rudra leading up to the annual Shivaratri celebration. This yagya requires that 11 priests perform Rudra Abishekam 11 times each day with 11 different ingredients followed by a complete Rudra Homam. The last day they do a big Rudra Homam and then go to a local Kanchipuram temple to help perform the all night Shivaratri yagya.

This year for the first time we have added a special ekadasa rundra yagya in Varanasi; the city of Shiva. The yagya was held on Tuesday, Feb 6th. Our priests got up early and at 4 AM crossed the Ganges.



Prior to the yagya they had made 11 large Ganges-clay lingams which were ready and decorated as the sun rose.



Even in India, it gets cold in the morning this time of year, but nothing can beat the sight of the Sun rising over the Ganges. Is there any more beautiful or more timeless view? How many thousands of years has Shiva been honored here?



All set for the pujas to begin.



Each lingam is elaborately decorated with flowers and colored rice flour, with all 11 traditional ingredients prepared and ready.



All the priests begin the pujas with the recitation of the sponsor's names and begin chanting Rudram. The famous ghats of Varanasi are seen in the background on the other bank of the Ganges.



In the north of India, they use a special buffalo horn based instrument called a shringi, to offer the water over the lingam.



The pujas continue with additional offerings; cloth, flowers, yogurt curd, sandal paste, bilva leaves, etc.



After the pujas and abishekam is complete, the homam fire is lit and offerings are made into the fire.




One of the attendees made a beautiful watercolor of the homam.



Yagyas complete!



In the afternoon, after an enjoyable day of yagyas, the group returned to Varanasi.