September 24th, 2006
“Yagna”
OM…OM…OM…
Sai Ram
With Pranams at the Lotus Feet of our most beloved Bhagavan,
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I was thinking about how to prepare ourselves for Dasara, and especially the
performance of yagna. Last week we dealt with the details of what a yagna is
and what it is all about. The talk is there on the website and I don't want to
repeat myself again. But certain things were not dealt with already, and I
would like to draw your attention to those today.
YAGNA is a combination of Ritual elements,
inner WISDOM and Devotion
With every spiritual activity, we have three aspects. First, there is the
ritual aspect, karma kanda. Second is jnana, the inner significance, and the
third element is the connecting link, bhakti, or devotion.
All of the materials and men involved in the performance or observance of the
event is called karma kanda, which means the ritualistic aspect of the
spiritual activity. In order to do karma (action) with sincerity, with
steadfastness, with determination, with all its purity and with all the
austerities that must go into it, the process requires bhakti (devotion). To
perform any action, we need devotion. Supposing I don't have bhakti while
performing yagna, it will be mechanical, useless, meaningless, and
purposeless. If one has no devotion, why should they perform any yagna? Unless
there is bhakti, no one would perform any yagna or yaga. Therefore, the
underlying current behind this karma kanda is bhakti.
Karma is one aspect; the second is the jnana — the inner significance — which
has to be realised in every spiritual activity in order to experience the
blissful part of it. To illustrate: I eat, and we can call that action karma
kanda. When I draw energy out of the food I eat, that energy may be called
jnana kanda. Eating by itself is not enough if I don’t get energy from it; and
I can't get energy without eating. Karma and jnana are equally interlinked,
intertwined, interwoven, intimately associated, and interdependent.
We do karma kanda with full understanding of the inner significance (jnana
kanda). Bhakti is necessary for jnana, for karma, and in order to be sincere
about any ritual. Bhakti will help me to do it sincerely and to acquire jnana
— wisdom in all humility, in all its reverence — because jnana requires
humility, reverence, receptivity, and sensitivity. A bhakta or devotee must be
very humble, prepared to acquire knowledge, and ready to receive the inner
significance of every ritual.
Therefore, my friends, yagna is the combination of these three: karma (the
ritual); jnana (the inner significance of every ritual); and the connecting
link or underlying current for both of these — bhakti (devotion). That is the
first and foremost point to which I want to draw your attention this morning.
yagna is for universal welfare, peace, and happiness
As we are going to witness a yagna quite soon, we must understand that it is
an activity that represents three aspects in one: Karma, bhakti, and jnana in
one — that is yagna. (These are certain things that we should know in order to
appreciate the process. If we just sit watching the yagna without any
awareness or any understanding of the basics, well, we will simply be
spectators, like the white wall over there or like any pillar. Let us
appreciate, and therefore be effective, enthusiastic, and active participants,
if we know at least some fundamentals regarding these things.)
Yagna aims at universal peace and universal happiness, loka kshema. Loka
(universe) kshema (welfare). Loka (universe) shanthi (peace). Yagna is for
establishing peace in this world; it is a prayer for the welfare, prosperity,
safety, and security of the entire humanity. If we mistakenly believe that we
are doing this for our personal profit, for personal gain, or for personal
favours, then we will not be performing a yagna at all. Yagna’s aims are not
personal. A yagna is a collective event; it is for the establishment of
universal peace. That is the second point to which I want to draw your
attention.
Also, the basis for the performance of yagna is righteousness (dharma).
Meaning, I cannot be unrighteous and start a yagna. An unrighteous man is not
eligible to perform any yagna. So, the foundation of every yagna is dharma, or
righteousness.
Yagna requires a specific procedure
There is also a definite procedure to yagna. I cannot say, “I want to do yagna
this way and that way.” No. You cannot be independent. There is a way. There
is a procedure. Why?
You may say, “We are in a democracy. We have free will. Why? Why act according
to what you are saying? Why should I not act the way I like?”
My friends, in order to do any experiment in the laboratory, there is a
procedure. Why? So that you may return safely out of the laboratory! Or else
you will be finished in the lab. That is why every experiment requires a
definite procedure to be followed. If you want to question — alright, you may
do so at your own cost, at your own risk. Just write down on a paper
beforehand, "No one is responsible for anything that may happen to me."
(Laughter)
A procedure is also necessary for every karma or spiritual activity; and this
procedure is laid out in our Vedas. Vedas speak of the procedure to be
followed while performing yagna. A simple example: chemistry students have a
qualitative analysis book. It describes how to do an experiment, such as
volumetric analysis or qualitative analysis. These are all practical guides
that tell you how to do an experiment. Similarly, the Vedas tell you how to
perform yagna, when to start, what to do, how to do it, how long, how many
items, what is to be offered; everything is clearly stated. It is something
like a recipe. These Vedas give you the procedure, the way it is to be done.
The Vedas fulfil and explain the procedures of yagna
I would like to draw your attention to just some of the basic points about the
Vedas, if not all. The first purpose of a Veda is yagna siddhi: to realise the
purpose, or to fulfil the objectives, of every yagna. Siddhi is fulfilment. It
is realisation, successful completion, or fulfilment of the objectives.
The second purpose of a Veda is yagna sthithi. Yagna sthithi, meaning the
procedural aspects.
(My friends, these are all the points collected from Sai literature. Being a
teacher, I was able to collect those points, put them one after one for us to
easily grasp and get ourselves ready for the yagna in full spirit. When you
can understand it, you can enjoy it. It is similar to the technique used by
the entertainment industry, where even before the release of a film, the
soundtrack is released. You will come to the movie to hear those songs. When
the picture is released, you will enjoy it more because you have heard the
songs before. It is the same with some ads. So, similar to something like an
incentive or advertisement or a pre-released soundtrack, my introductory talk
to you is a preparation for that yagna.)
We know there are four Vedas: Sama Veda, Yajur Veda, Rig Veda, and Atharvana
Veda. Which of the four Vedas speaks of yagna? It is Yajur Veda that speaks of
yagnas. All sacred rituals have been dealt with in Yajur Veda.
I do not know how many of you know this, because I, too, came to know very
late: The residence of Swami is called “Yajur Mandira”. “Yajur Mandira” is the
name of His residence. The name of His residence in Kodai Kanal is “Sai
Sruthi”. Sruthi means Veda. (We should have some quizzes like this!
(Laughter)) Clear?
The name of the residence of Bhagavan in Brindavan is “Thrayee”. Thrayee means
three. Though it is said that the number of Vedas is four, one Veda, Sama
Veda, speaks of music — it is full of music! Minus that one, the actual number
of Vedas is three or thrayee. So, “Thrayee” is the name of the residence of
Bhagavan there in Brindavan, Bangalore.
The name of the residence here in Prashanti Nilayam is “Yajur Mandira”. Yajur
Veda speaks of procedural aspects of all yagnas and yagas. This is one
important thing to which I want to bring to your attention.
The first branch of Yajur Veda speaks of yagna’s timing
What is the meaning of Yajur Veda? Yaju, yaj, is the etymological, or
original, word from which Yajur is derived. The original word yaj means
“worship and meditation”. So, the very meaning of Yajur Veda is worship and
meditation. It speaks of the fundamental aspects of spiritual life.
And then Yajur Veda speaks of, or gave birth to, three important branches of
science. These three areas lay down the principles for the successful
conducting of a yagna. What are those three branches? The first branch of
science speaks of the time when you should start yagna; the second speaks of
the place; the third of intonation.
The time, auspicious moment, and duration is what you call jyothisha. (My
friends, people say ‘astrology’ is the English translation for the word
jyothisha, which it is not. Jyothisha and astrology are not the same. People
say, including me occasionally, that ‘righteousness’ is the translation for
the word dharma, which it is not. Dharma is dharma. There is no equivalent
English word. For karma, we say ‘action’ in English, which is not correct. But
somehow I have to translate; so with an apology, I use these words. But
because they are such words that have different meanings depending upon the
context, we have to first understand the context.)
Therefore, Jyotish Sastra is the first branch of science which originated out
of Yajur Veda. It relates to the time and the duration factor of every yagna.
The second branch speaks of yagna’s space
The second aspect is this: where to perform yagna. You cannot perform yagna on
a railway platform, in the airport, or at a five-star hotel. (Laughter) You
cannot do that! There is a place where it must be performed.
Certain things have to be built there. There is the altar, or yagna gunda, the
central place. It contains the fire. This is where the sacrificial fire (agni
gunda), to which all important offerings are made, or the altar (yagna vedika)
is. Where is it to be constructed? What are its dimensions? What shall be its
length and breadth? How many steps should there be? In which direction should
it be raised? These are all very important questions.
Take, for example, a telescope, stethoscope, or microscope. There is a scope
to make use of these things. (Laughter) You cannot put a stethoscope to your
knees and observe your heartbeat. You cannot put a thermometer under your
feet! You cannot put a microscope to your back! (Laughter) There is a way. The
microscope has to be kept at a particular distance; a telescope has to be
viewed in a particular direction. Similarly, there are specifications for the
placement of things in yagna.
The place where the yagna vedika (the altar) should be raised, where it is to
be kept, in what dimensions it should be built — that is all dealt with by the
second branch of science that we call Vasthu Sastra. It is the science that
speaks of dimensions, the area, and the place where this agni gunda (the
sacrificial fire) is to be kept. You cannot keep it just anywhere.
For example, you have a house plan. All of our houses are built according to a
plan. I don't think that you can have a room just anywhere and everywhere.
There is a building plan such that breeze flows freely, and so that there is
enough light. Isn't it so? Just as you have a building plan, there is a plan
where the yagna is to be held, where this agni gundam needs to be kept. This
is what we call Vasthu Sastra, the second branch of science.
We should be able to explain yagna
Then there is the third branch of science. (These are very necessary!)
I tell you, my friends, by reading these aspects I am learning more. If it
weren’t for this lecture, I wouldn't have read about them. Many Indians,
including me (or starting with me), take things for granted. We think that we
know. Most unfortunately, we do not know that we do not know! (Laughter) But
we think we know. That is the worst tragedy out of which nobody can help us.
But there is some reason for this problem. I cannot blame everybody like this
without reason.
The reason is that it is in our blood. Therefore, one feels he knows. All
these things have been observed; all these things have been followed over the
ages, generation after generation. He finds his father attending yagna; he
sees his grandmother listening to a spiritual discourse and singing some poems
from epics. “So, I know,” he says.
“Could you tell me?” you might ask.
“Meet me tomorrow.” (Laughter)
“Would you say why you do it?”
“My grandmother did it. That’s all.”
“Why do you go to the temple?”
“My father asked me to go.”
“What is the meaning of this story?”
“Not necessary. I know the story.” (Laughter)
This is how we are. But times have changed. You may get along with the
temperament now, but your children will pull your collar. They will ask you
“Why, why, why?” and you cannot put them to bed. (Laughter)
People, too, are distributed all over the world now; it is indeed a global
village. Every house, every family has one person staying abroad.
Our children belong to the computer age. They belong to the space age, the age
of science and technology. Your child asks, “Why, Daddy, why yagna?” You
cannot say, “You will be blind if you ask a question like that.” He will say,
“Let you be blind.” (Laughter) The boy will say it openly.
In the past, people were afraid to face their fathers. The earlier generations
didn’t speak to their fathers. But in our generation, they speak freely. In
the next generation, they pull their fathers’ collars, they question; they
doubt also. It is science, you know. Therefore, let us be prepared. We cannot
silence our children. No!
Though people may not admit it openly, this is true in every family. The
neighbour knows it very well because of the daily ‘Korean war’ they hear next
door every day. (Laughter) Every house seems to be a house of parliament:
opposition and ruling parties! (Laughter) People question. So let us be ready
to face this parliament. Children ask "Why, why?" So we should explain these
things.
The third branch speaks of yagna’s intonation
The third branch of science born in this Yajur Veda relates to the manthra
aspect of it. Manthra: how it has to be uttered. How it has to be spelt out.
How it has to be pronounced. The pronunciation aspect of it, of manthra,
that’s what you call Vyakarana Sastra. (As I find some of our friends noting
down, I am reading out the spelling. “Vyakarana” is the exact intonation.)
You see, every language has its own pronunciation and accent. You cannot speak
as you like. The spelling may be similar, but you must speak correctly or no
one will understand you. If it is spelled b-u-t, it is “but”. If it spelled
p-u-t, it is “put”. You cannot say “boot” and “puht”. (Laughter) No. But is
“but” and put is “put”. That is “but”; this is “put”. That’s all.
I am Anil Kumar. You cannot say, “A-Nil Kumar”! (Laughter) The meaning is
gone! In fact, I am “nil” — that is true! But you cannot openly say that in
front of everybody! (Laughter) My bank account agrees to that. It tallies with
your observation. (Laughter) But you cannot openly say that, you know.
Similarly, every manthra has to be pronounced in a specific, definite way.
Every name, every word, has got beauty in its accent and in its pronunciation.
The spirit is lost when it’s mispronounced.
We in India were trained by the British, so English is spoken all over the
country. But every state regionalised it. If you go to one state, they don't
say “terrible”, they will say, ”terriBRL”. They don’t say “horrible”; they
say, “horriBRL”! (Laughter) The tongue goes on rolling inward. Why? We have
regionalised English.
In some areas, they don’t say "wa" with a “w” sound, they say "ba" with a "b"
sound! “Bhy are you bandering in the beranda?” meaning, “Why are you wandering
in the veranda?” (Laughter)
We have regionalised the language. And for us Andhra Telugu people, the Telugu
language has got more stress in it — there are stressed words and unstressed
words.
In English, stress comes on certain syllables, like in the word “ability,” the
stress is on the letter B, also in nobility; and on the letter P in capacity,
and responsibility. Stress is on certain letters, and not on others. (Of
course, I know this is not an English class!) But in Telegu, there is more
stress, so as we speak English, we stress certain syllables unnecessarily, and
make you feel stressed. (Laughter) There’s stress on every word! So you have
to listen to us carefully and ask us to repeat ourselves a number of times.
Therefore, every manthra has to be pronounced and uttered in a definite way.
And that branch of science which relates to pronunciation is what we call
Vyakarana Sastra.
To review, my friends, these are the three branches of science: 1) Jyothisha
Sastra, which decides when to start yagna and how long it is to be held. 2)
Vasthu Sastra, which dictates how to organise things there: where to perform
yagna, how to raise the altar, and so forth. 3) Vyakarana Sastra, which
describes how to make offerings, how to repeat manthras, and how to invoke
God’s blessings. These are all explained by Bhagavan.
THREE TYPES OF YAGNAS FOR THE THREE CLASSES
OF PEOPLE WHO PERFORM THEM
The yagnas again may be split into three categories, this time for the people
who may perform them.
Not everyone can perform all yagnas. In cities like Bombay, they don't have
enough places to live. Where is the place for yagna? They cannot stretch their
feet! Oh, Bombay! Very small rooms, very costly, and rents are mounting.
Sometimes people there have to pay advances, which could never be cleared in
their lifetimes. That one city is very costly! So, what yagna you could do
there? There is none. “Thank God, without yagna, I am more comfortable!”
(Laughter)
It is not possible for everybody to do every kind of yagna, so there are three
types of yagnas for three categories of people. (The scripture is so
compassionate. That’s why it is called Veda Mata. Veda is mata, the mother —
compassionate, considerate, kind, concerning, caring, and loving, with the
spirit of accommodation.)
The first category of yagnas is for intellectuals and the priestly class —
those who are committed to it. The rest of us have no time to commit totally
like they do. We don’t belong to that priestly class. We may give priestly
talks, but we cannot perform priestly acts. It will be too ghastly to live in
society that way. So, the first category of yagnas is meant for the priestly
class.
There are also three kinds of yagnas for the priestly class. The first is
Avihavirva yagna. The second is Soma yagna. The third one is Paaka yagna. So,
these three are for the priestly class, whose members can spend maximum time
and have dedicated their lives to yagnas and whose job is to perform yagna.
It’s not for everybody.
The second class is for rulers and kings. Those yagas we common-folk also
can't do, because we need space—palaces and such, so many horses and chariots.
But we don’t have space, not even car parking space! (Laughter) How about
horses and elephants?
So, the second category is for kings and rulers, and for them, also, there are
three yagas. One is Aswamedha yaga. The second is Raja Sooya yaga. The third
is Sarvamedha yaga.
And the third category is for the rest of us, the householders—for every one
of us here. For those who are middle-class, upper-class, lower-middle class,
and classless!
Yagnas for householders
These are the yagnas to which I would like to draw your attention, which are
observed by everyone. It is most necessary to mention: they don't cost you
anything. Because people always want to know, “How much should I spend? I am
ready with my checkbook.” No, not necessary. These yagnas also do not need any
priest to be invited.
There are no priests available in cities like Calcutta. But in America, there
are priests now! They fly to your place by helicopter. They fly, finish off
the job there, and fly somewhere else. Here, no one cares about them. Watching
the priestly class in America, I felt had I been born there, I would have had
a better career! (Laughter) Because — I can explain — they simply chant! Of
course, it’s too late to be a priest now. Too late! Better luck next time.
(Laughter) An ‘intercontinental’ priest. I would’ve had a privately owned a
helicopter to go place to place. Why not? These priests are in great demand.
(Laughter)
But you don't need any priest for these yagnas. You don't have to spend money.
You don't need any specific place, any specific thing at all. You only need
your mind to do it. You need a good temperament. You need a positive attitude.
What are the yagnas to be performed by every one of us? The first one is Deva
yagna, an expression of gratitude to God. Why gratitude?
We usually don't feel like expressing our gratitude, as long as we are
comfortable. But if you come across a blind man, you will understand the value
of your eyesight. If you come across a deaf person, you will understand the
value of your hearing. When you come across a dumb person, you will understand
the value of the gift of speech and communication. We don’t understand the
value of the heart unless it shows fluctuations in ECG. But because we are
busy, unless an ECG tells us there is a problem, we don’t understand the
heart’s value.
My friends, we don't need to be millionaires or billionaires. No, no, no! With
millions and billions, only a number of diseases follow.
How to calculate the value of a human body
I was just talking to my friends, the students. (Students gather round me
wherever I go. I feel very happy in their company. They are quite young boys.
We can tell them what to be. We can tell them what dynamism is. Above 60,
there is nothing to tell a person! They don’t know what they don’t know. But,
happily, being a teacher I have the opportunity of interacting with youngsters
all the time.)
I told them just an hour ago, "My dear boys, if you worry too much about
money, what will happen? After getting the money that you want, you cannot eat
anything. Hard foods you cannot eat, because of a blood pressure problem. You
cannot eat sweets because of a sugar problem. You cannot happily laugh or
bitterly cry if you want to, because of hypertension. So, you must live on
bread and check on your passbook (bank account) entries every morning; plus
your children will be counting the days until you kick the bucket!" (Laughter)
Because, being healthy, you are not prepared to give your children any money.
That’s the reason why, when you ask an adult, “How is your father?” He says,
“Ah . . . going.” He is not happy to say, “He is fine, sir.” He won’t say that
because his father has not handed over the property yet. (Laughter)
So, my friends, he for whom money has the only value, for whom money is the
only criterion to a good life — take it from me — is a very cheap fellow who
doesn't enjoy anything! Not dancing or music or jokes or life; merely passbook
entries and the calendar which tells him when he finishes off his life-cycle
here.
Therefore, my friends, let us be grateful to God for this good body given to
us: perfect eyesight, perfect hearing capacity, perfect speaking ability,
perfect understanding, perfect intelligence, perfect intellect, good health.
You can walk and you can work. You can talk and walk. What more you want?
Do you know the cost of my body or anybody’s body? What is the cost of your
body, do you know that? We don’t know! But you know the amount in the bank
account. Bank accounts you know. We know them even more these days because of
credit cards and other cards like that. One time, a bank manager asked me,
"Anil Kumar, do you want some credit cards or perhaps some bank cards?" I
said, "I require them only if money is in my account." But for Anil Kumar,
it’s nil balance, so I don’t need any card! (Laughter) Not necessary.
We know our bank balances, but we don’t know our own value. Just ask any
fellow who is suffering from kidney problems and needs a kidney transplant; he
will tell you. A kidney transplant is three lakhs. (One lakh is 100,000.) We
have two kidneys, valued at three lakhs each = six lakhs! (Laughter) You
already have six lakhs!
Heart transplant: five lakhs. We have got a good heart, so why not? Six plus
five equals eleven lakhs. And then any amputation, legs or hands or something
like that, each costs about 25,000 rupees. Two hands and two legs, four times
twenty-five — Hari Om! One more lakh! (Laughter) If you calculate eyes and
ears and every limb of your body at the open market price, share market price,
or foreign exchange value, everyone is a Bill Gates! (Laughter) Why not? We
are so rich, we just don't know it.
Therefore, my friends, we have to be very grateful to God for this beautiful
gift of life; for this beautiful, handsome personality. Each one is handsome.
No one should feel that he alone is handsome. If you think like that, it is
very ugly. Everyone is handsome in one’s own way. Some people are very fine,
but they don't smile, and it is so awful to look at them. So, being handsome
does not mean complexion alone, no. Therefore, let’s be very happy for this
most natural gift. We thank God because we have not asked for this body. You
did not submit any request or tender or application. God gave you this body.
expressing our thanks to god is Deva yagna
To say thanks to Him is what we call Deva yagna. Deva yagna is an expression
of thanks to God for this beautiful gift of life, body, and health.
Let me tell you this point also: Baba says that it is God who makes every limb
of your body effective and functional. If God is withdrawn from my eyeballs, I
cannot see, though I have eyes. When Divinity is withdrawn from my ears, I
have ears, but I cannot hear. It is similar to the situation when there is a
power-cut and you have a fan, but it does not rotate.
Power-cuts are daily experiences, as most of you know; and more so in the
evening hours, with dancing, musical mosquitoes. (Laughter) Mosquito music, it
is very famous, you know! Michael Jackson is nothing compared to mosquito
music. Particularly after 7 o’clock when there is a power-cut and mosquitoes
try to land on our bodies! (Laughter) The body becomes something like Chicago
airport, full of mosquitoes landing on the airport of our body. Add to that
the threat of chikungunya (a mosquito-borne illness)! Some of them don’t land
and go. They leave behind their footprints in the form of body pains to
follow. (Laughter) We don’t need any jokes! We can laugh at our own life! At
our own life, we don’t need any third agency! Not necessary!
Baba says, "There is Divinity in every limb of our life.” Anga means limbs or
parts of our body. Rasa means Divinity. Angi rasa means the Divinity in every
part of our body is responsible for its effective functioning. So we should
thank God for that.
following the teachings of our prophets is rishi yagna
The second yagna that we should all do is Rishi yagna. Rishis, or prophets,
like Prophet Mohammad. Prophets gave us various holy scriptures. Prophets gave
us most of our valuable doctrines. They gave us a dictate; they gave us our
scriptures. We are very grateful for this heritage, the legacy, passed on to
us. Without the scriptures, we would have been nowhere.
So, rishis — the sages, saints, seers, and prophets — gave us the scriptures;
so we should say thanks to them. How do you thank them? Shall I take my
photographs of prophets and dance around them? How do you thank a rishi, how
do you thank one?
We can thank a rishi or a prophet by acting according to the scripture. A
scripture is given to you by sages. Living according the scripture is an
expression of thanks. How can a student thank me? Not by carrying me on his
shoulders or by hugging me. A student can thank me by reading what I want him
to read, and by getting the grade I want him to get: ‘O’ grade (Outstanding).
That’s the way of thanking me. So, the way to thank a rishi is to act
according to the scripture given to us by him. This is what we call Rishi
yagna.
pleasing our parents is pitru yagna
And third, Pitru yagna, means expressing thanks to our parents. How do you
thank your parents? By praising them? “Father, you are very great! Nobody on
earth can beat you! Oh, Mother, you are the personification of love”? She will
say, "Stop that nonsense. Stop that! What’s wrong with you? Useless fellow!
Has Anil Kumar taught you this? Let me speak to him now.” (Laughter) So, my
friends how do you thank your parents? So, not by flattering.
Baba said one time that two speakers preceded His talk and they both competed
with each other in their praises of Him. Swami got vexed with those praises
and said, "Enough, enough, bas, bas, bas!" These two fellows must have thought
that He would praise them, but Baba is really unique. He got up and said, "I
hate praises of this type." That was His first sentence.
Then Swami said, "You can praise a person who doesn’t belong to you. But I am
your Father; I am your Mother; you and I are One." Do you go and tell your
mother, “Mother, I would not have been there without you. You have been so
great”? Artificial! Therefore, my friends, how do we thank our parents? By
trying to please them.
Let us try to please them. Let us serve them. Let us live up to their
expectations. Let us make them feel proud of us. If anyone says, “Your
daughter is bad and your son is a louse,” you just watch the face of any
parent and you will know how important it is to please them! (Parents always
want their children to be praised by a third person. But no parent in India
praises his own child to his face. I am yet to meet a person who says, "My
son, you are a fantastic person; humanity has not yet seen such a good
fellow." It is insanity — no father praises a son to his face. That isn’t the
style here.)
So how do we express our gratitude to our parents? By living up to their
expectations, by obliging them, by following their command, by serving them,
by looking after them in their old age. This is what we call Pitru yagna.
serving our fellow man is manushya yagna
The fourth householder yagna is Manushya yagna. Manushya means human being. As
a human being, we have to perform this yagna.
We should first be humans. But we are not humans. If you see any newspaper,
some of the groups these days are named ‘Tiger Association’ or ‘Tamil Tiger
Elam’. “Oh, you are tigers! You don't belong to the category of human beings?”
I am afraid of my fellow humans, let alone tigers. But some people also have
animal names, wild animals! Meaning, “Please keep yourself away from us, a
respectable distance.” Let us be human first.
Because of this genocide, mass killings, and total selfishness, we are proving
that we are not humans. Even animals feel insulted by our actions. Animals are
leading better lives than human beings. Therefore, my friends, let us be
human.
So, what is Manushya yagna? It implies two things: 1) Being a human by
acquiring human values; and 2) Serving the fellow men. Service to man is
service to God. This is Manushya yagna — service.
Consideration for other creatures is bhutha yagna
The fifth yagna is concern for other beings, like cats, dogs, squirrels, pets,
birds, rabbits, ants, trees, and flowers. Just some consideration for our
fellow creatures.
Today, in the name of deforestation, we are uprooting all the trees. There is
no wildlife; there are no forests left anymore. What do we have today? Only
tsunami, hurricanes, and earthquakes. Why? We have no respect for our fellow
beings. We have no respect for our fellow creatures. Therefore, we must do
Bhutha yagna, meaning being considerate to plants, animals, birds, and beasts,
by feeding them, by not denying life to them. Just as I have the right to
live, an animal has an equal right to live. Just as no one has any right to
kill me, no one has the right to kill any bird or animal.
Therefore, my friends, we the householders are supposed to perform these
yagnas: Deva yagna, thanks to God; Rishi yagna, following the prophets’
commands; Pitru yagna, gratitude to parents; Manushya yagna, service to fellow
men; and Bhutha yagna, consideration to other beings.
two schools of thought in yajur veda
I should also draw to your attention that Yajur Veda has two aspects. Because
this will help all of us as we participate in the yagna. That’s the reason why
I am bringing all these points for your notice.
Yajur Veda has two schools of thought. One is followed in the north of India.
One is followed in the south. That which is followed in the north is what
called Sukla Yajur Veda. The other one, followed in the south, is Krishna
Yajur Veda. Are they two parties? Are they rivals? Are they enemies to each
other? No. They are complementary; they are supplementary. They are not
contradictory.
Krishna Yajur Veda and Sukla Yajur Veda were created in a series of
particularly funny situations. Here in India, Vedic knowledge is passed on
from one generation to another. Not through media or the Internet; only
through verbal communication. To begin, Veda Vyasa communicated all these
Vedas to his next, immediate disciple by the name of Vysampayana. This second
guru, Vysampayana, taught all this knowledge to Yagna Valkya, the third
generation.
Yagna Valkya, in due course of time, full of this knowledge in his head,
became a head-strong, egoistic, self-praised bragger! Then what happened?
Immediately, he was humiliated and questioned. So Yagna Valkya said, "Alright,
all the Vedic knowledge that I acquired, I will give back to you.” So he
vomited up all that Vedic knowledge.
He could not tolerate the humiliation; he could not tolerate the insult. So,
he vomited, meaning he dropped all his knowledge. And this knowledge was
picked up by a particular variety of birds called thithiri birds. They could
catch this knowledge because they partook from all that was sent out by Yagna
Valkya’s mouth. The birds repeated it all, and it became Thithi Upanishad. The
school of thought that follows Thithi Upanishad is called Brahma Samskara.
Brahma Samskara is the first branch, or the first school, adopted in South
India under the name Krishna Yajur Veda.
Then came next phase: The same Yagna Valkya felt highly repentant. He
regretted his arrogance; he felt very sorry. So he prayed to God again. God
came, and taught everything to him again. All of that knowledge falls under
the second school of thought, Aditya Samskara, and is called Sukla Yajur Veda,
followed in North India.
So, Krishna Yajur Veda is Brahma Samskara; Sukla Yajur Veda is Aditya Samskara,
both by the same Yagna Valkya. Now you can understand its continuity. That’s
what Veda is.
Baba explains the three branches of vedas in a modern way
There are three main branches, as Baba has said, of Vedas. The first branch is
what you call Koudhuma branch, followed in Gujarat. The second branch is
Ranayani, in Maharashtra; and the third one, Jaimini, is followed in
Karnataka. (All of this is from Sai literature, my friends! These are all by
Bhagavan. Long ago, forty years ago, He said this. I can even give you the
date.)
Swami explained what Koudhuma means in this way: It has got both long sounds
like “aaaaaaaaah” and “ooooo,” and short sounds like “ah“ and “oo”. Hrasva
means short; deergha means long. These two sounds are there in Koudhuma.
Whereas the second one, Ranayani, which is followed in Maharashtra, has got
hrasva (“ah”), that’s all. The third one is Jaimini, from Karnataka, which is
full of music, full of music!
four types of music
And this music, Baba said, is of four types. (See that? Bhagavan, the
ultimate. Who will say these things other than Swami, such that the modern
generation can easily follow the concepts? If you ask any Vedic scholar to
explain these things, well, you will feel like ending your life! He will make
it so complicated that you will decide not to go to any temple, and not to go
to any priest for a hundred lives to come! (Laughter) Because they make you
totally mad. But Baba explains in a modern style, because He is a modern God.
He knows what modernism is. His is such a simple style.)
Music is of four types: The first music is folk dance. Folks and villagers
have their own music, their own style. Since I am not a musician, I cannot
give a demo. You are fortunate. (Laughter) Lucky enough! Some folk songs tell
the story of epics, such as the Ramayana. Folk songs are called grameena,
village folk songs.
Second, we have aaranyaka gana, Nature’s music. The fluttering of the leaves
amounts to a drumbeat; the movement of the flowers adds some kind to rhythm,
and the blowing of the wind is also a melody. This is a second sort of music
where Nature is the orchestra.
The third one is ooha gana. Ooha means imagination. A simple example: a film
heroine is crying. (Naturally she has to cry because she is paid for it.
(Laughter) We also cry to pay for it! One is paid and others pay! (Laughter)
Both cry for money only!) But she doesn't cry ordinarily. Because she is a
heroine, she sings as she cries. It is a tragic song because of separation
from the hero, or because of denial at the hands of the hero. So, she cries
and sings. But she is very keen to convince us how sincerely she is crying.
(One can cry, but there should be some show of sadness also.) So while crying,
she makes some small noises. (Anil Kumar demonstrates. Laughter) We say, “Oh!
She is crying well enough.” (Laughter) Or, when we’re in a jolly mood, we have
some laughter or some smile. So, expression in support of the feeling of the
music is ooha, as we see in dramas and cinemas.
The fourth one is oohya, oohya gana, meaning empathy or identification. As
they watch someone else cry, some people cry more genuinely than the affected
people. Yes, because they identify with them. You can see this in cinemas or
in front of the TV, when some people start crying. They start identifying with
the heroine; they step into her shoes and start crying.
I remember very well: Long back my grandfather used to tell me about a time
when a Harischandra drama was enacted. (In Harischandra, there is a character
named Visvamithra, who goes on goading a fellow named Harischandra.) Well, in
that drama, when Visvamithra was goading Harischandra, a fellow from the
audience got up, and shouted, “Are you mad, fellow? How long are you going to
torture him?” (Laughter)
And the actor said, “It is a drama, sir. Why are you going on like this?” And
he said, “Just don’t man-handle him like that.” (Laughter) He couldn’t
separate reality from fiction. Some people are like that; they identify with
the drama. So, oohya gana means to identify with the spirit of music.
My friends, as the time is up, I don’t want to delay any further. These are
the few points to which I wanted to draw your attention, so that we can enjoy
this yagna totally.
OM…OM…OM…
Om Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu
Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu
Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti
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Prof. ANIL KUMAR
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AUDIO Of Prof. ANIL KUMAR SATSANG Sunday
Satsang at Prashanti Nilayam.
