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Written by Swami Chandrashekarendra
Saraswati |
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The concept of yajna or sacrifice is not present in other systems of
worship. There is a big difference between our religion, the "Vedic mata",
and other faiths. Religions like Christianity and Islam speak of one
God.
The Vedas too proclaim that there is but one God and that even an
ordinary mortal is to be identified with him. This Paramatman, this
Godhead, is to be realised as an experience by constant inquiry
conducted with our inner being. It needs much wisdom and maturity to
attain this state. When we unite with this one and only Reality, all
those
world disappears for us.
How do we prepare ourselves for such a state? The answer is: now itself,
when we are deeply involved in worldly affairs. In the very midst of our
mundane existence we must live according to the dictates of dharma and
the teachings of the sastras. In this way our consciousness will be
purified. We will become mature within and will be severed from the
world. The duties and rites that will take us to this goal are enshrined
in
the Vedas. The most important of the rites is yajna. There is a very old
Tamil word for it - "velvi". In yajna, offerings are made to different
deities
instead of to the one and only Paramatman. This sacrament is unique to
our religion.
In a yajna we are enjoined to offer various materials in the sacred fire
with the recitation of mantras. Making such offerings in the sacrificial
fire
is called "homa". Though the materials are placed in the fire it does
not
mean that they are necessarily offered to Agni. Only such materials as
are
placed in the fire with the chanting of mantras invoking Agni himself
are
meant for that deity. But the oblations meant for other deities like
Rudra,
Vishnu, Indra, Varuna, Matarisvan (Vayu), and so on are also made in the
holy fire. Agni conveys them to the deities invoked. Just as letters
addressed to various people are put in the same letter-box, the
oblations
meant for various deities are conveyed through one devata, Agni.
An important difference between the Vedic religion and other faiths is
this: while followers of other religions worship one God we worship many
deities and make offerings to them in the sacrificial fire.
We often say, don't we, that the Lord is pleased if we keep helping one
another? Reformists forsake puja and ritual, saying, "Serving people,
serving the poor, is as good as serving God". We will receive the
Paramatman's blessings if we serve the devas also through sacrifices,
for
they too are His creation.
The Vedas proclaim that the one Brahman, call it the Truth or Reality,
is
manifested as so many different devatas or deities. Since each devata is
extolled as the Paramatman we know for certain that monotheism is a
Vedic tenet. It is wrong to believe that the Vedas subscribe to
polytheism
merely because they speak of many deities. In doing so they mean that
the one and only Brahman is revealed as many deities. It is for the
conduct of the affairs of the cosmos that the Paramatman has created
the various divine powers. These (divinities) dieties are also in charge
of
the forces of nature, the feelings and urges of man. The Supreme
Godhead has created them in the same way as he has created us. He
fashioned us out of himself - which means that he is that came to be so
many human beings also.
This is the reason why non-dualism proclaims that the Paramatman and
the jivatman (the individual self) are one and the same. In the same
way,
it is he who is manifested as the many deities. However, until we are
mature enough to recognise the truth of non-dualism and realise it
within, and until we reach the state in which we realise that we are not
separate from the Paramatman, we have to perform rituals and help one
another. In the same way the deities are also to be looked upon as
separate entities and are to be worshipped through sacrifices. This is
the
law of the Vedas.
If we and all other creatures are to be happy in this world, we must
have
the blessings of the deities who govern the cosmic forces. It is for
this
purpose, to propitiate and please them for their grace, that the Vedas
impose on us the duty of performing sacrifices.
If we attain jnana, the wisdom to realise within the oneness of all,
there
will be no need for these deities. We may worship the Paramatman
directly. However, so long as we make efforts to find release from this
pluralistic cosmos, we have to worship the deities as separate entities. |
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