Yaksha Prashnam Questions 80 - 84

Continued From: http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2013/03/yaksha-prashnam-questions-76-79.html

What is considered to be direction? What is water? What is food, poison? When is the best time to perform Shraddham?

What is considered to be direction?

The way indicated by Sat is known as direction.  Wherever a Sat person is found that direction is considered to be good direction; Sat is the name given to a person who has realized God. Sat is not a person who just believes in God but the name Sat is conferred upon those who realize God as the only saviour, full of compassion and as the means as well as the end. Usually Acharyans are considered to be sat since they show us the way to reach God. While prostrating before them to offer our obeisance we need not check to see if the direction they are facing is good/bad. Any direction they face is considered to be good. The prayer room in our homes can be located facing any direction since Lord Vishnu will face all direction. But, while bathing in a river a person must face the water flow but in stagnant water bodies a person must either face North or East direction. A person can eat facing any of the four cardinal directions; but a person must not eat while facing the intercardinal directions (NE, NW, SE, SW).

A person who has the thirst to reach Lord Vishnu suffers like a person who has been blindfolded and left alone in a forest. If a person was blindfolded and their hands tied by some kidnappers that person is incapable of effecting escape. If the kidnappers abandon the person in the middle of a dense forest the person will cry for help hoping that someone will come to his/her aid. Eventually a passerby might notice the abandoned prisoner and remove the blind fold and untie the bonds. The passerby will then show the prisoner the path to exit the forest.  The prisoner will not be able to grasp the complete direction but will remember only the initial path. The prisoner will then traverse this initial path and at every village will verify by asking the villagers if he/she is on the right path. Eventually the path will lead to the major city the prisoner wanted to reach. Similarly we are lost in this forest of samsara. If we cry for help, we might attract the attention of an Acharyan who will show us the right path to exit the forest. Once on the right path we must keep checking that we are on the right path by listening to religious discourses to ensure that we do not stray away from it. If we follow this procedure we will eventually reach God. Hence, the way shown by a sadacharyan is the correct direction.

What is water?

Yudhishtirar answered that the sky is water. The Yakshan asked Yudhishtirar, ‘what is udagam?’ Udagam refers to the water offered as oblation to Pitris. Yudhishtirar’s answer could be explained as Udagam is water or as water is water. Tarpanam is performed by adding black sesame seeds to water offered as oblation. If black sesame seeds are not available, tarpanam could be performed with plain water. Keeping this in mind, Yudhishtirar answered that water is water.

His original answer that sky is water indicates the sky as the best source of water. A gardener looks forward for rainy weather. Plants do well when it rains. Even if we pour the same amount of water using a garden hose, plants spring to life only when it rains. Hence, the sky is considered to be the best source of water as it carries the rain bearing clouds.

The Vedic manthram recited by the groom during wedding declares that if he the groom is the sky then the bride is the Earth.  The purport of this manthram is to show that the Earth is very happy when rain waters fall on her. The sky is perceived to shower love and affection in the form of rain on the Earth. Similarly the groom promises to shower love and affection on his bride.

What is food?

Yudhishtirar answered that a cow is the best food. By cow he did not mean beef. Only the food items which are the source of all essential nutrients are considered to be good food. A cow gives us milk which supplies us with all the essential nutrients and replaces mother’s milk. Thus a cow is the best food. The Yakshan asked, ‘which is the best annam?’ Annam in Sanskrit means that which is qualified to be eaten. Only food which is offered to Lord Vishnu is qualified to be eaten. The Sanskrit word “Gau” means cow as well as good word. Only food which is offered with love without any expectations in return from the eater is considered to be good food. Food must be served with maternal affection; only food served with affection after offering to Lord Vishnu is considered to be good food.

What is poison?

Taking items which belong to a Brahmin is poison. In the story of Lord Garuda, as soon as Lord Garuda incarnated as Vinata’s son he was feeling very hungry. He requested his mother to direct him towards his natural food source. After consulting with his father Sage Kashyapa, Vinata directed Garudan to feed on a tribe of hunters who resorted to immoral activities. She instructed him that at any time if he felt a burning sensation in his throat upon swallowing anyone, he must recognize that person as a Brahmin and must release the Brahmin. According to his mother’s instruction, Garudan started to consume the tribe members. All of a sudden he felt a strong burning sensation in his throat. Recalling his mother’s words, he realized that he had swallowed a Brahmin. He called out to the Brahmin and asked him to come out. The Brahmin replied that he would come out only if Garudan permitted the Brahmin’s wife who belonged to the tribe of huntsmen was also granted freedom. Garudan agreed to the Brahmin’s request and freed the couple. Thus taking the things that belongs to a Brahmin is poison. During Yagams and Shraddhams the dakshina set aside for a Brahmin must be given to them. A part of the dakshina must not be skimmed by the host as it is a poison which will destroy the host’s entire clan.

When is the best time to perform Shradham?

Shradham should be performed only after the land is warmed up by the Sun. This is usually in the afternoon. This is the only time when the pitris feel hungry and will accept food offered as oblation. They also like hot food hence food should not have gone cold because it was cooked very early. Hence, rites like tarpanam, Shradham etc., which are done for the pitris should not be performed in the morning. Afternoon is called as “kuthapa kalam” in Sanskrit but Yudhishtirar answered the Yakshan as Brahmana kalaha.  Brahmana kalam refers to a special Shradham performed when the host of the Shradham meets a learned Brahmin. The host on seeing a learned Brahmin wishes to perform Shradham even though it is not the tithi to perform Shradham for his ancestors. To indicate this Special shradham as the best Shradham Yudhishtira answered Brahma Kalaha.

Continued On: http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2013/03/yaksha-prashnam-questions-85-88.html

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Based on, Yaksha Prashnam - A discourse in Tamil by Sri U.Ve. Karunakaran Swamy
(Any errors or inconsistencies in the following series are due to the mistakes I made while taking notes. ) 

Copies of the CDs can be obtained from Sri Karunakaran Swami’s website http://www.nadadoor.org/ . This series is for the benefit of people who do not understand Tamil. Those of you who understand Tamil very well must definitely obtain a copy of Swami’s Upanyasam. You can do so by contacting Nadadoor.org. Swami also renders discourses in English but I am not sure if Yaksha Prashnam discourse is available in English.  The experience of listening to Swami’s upanyasams could never be obtained by reading the following series. I have done my best to take notes with due diligence. I apologize for any errors that I have made while writing this series.

Yaksha Prashnam Questions 76 - 79

Continued From: http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2013/03/yaksha-prashnam-questions-72-75.html

When is a person who is alive but dead? When is an entire nation dead, a Shradham dead and an yagnam dead?

When is a person who is alive but dead?

A person suffering from poverty is considered to be dead. No one likes to go near a corpse similarly everyone avoids a homeless person.

When is an entire nation dead?

A country without a proper leader is considered to be dead.  Lack of strong leadership destroys the morals of a nation and leads to looting and pillaging.

When is a Shradham dead?

A Shradham is dead if it is not performed properly. If we pay money to have it performed in a common hall because we don’t want our home to be dirtied by the smoke from the fire the Shradham becomes dead. Pithris are very sensitive and shy. They expect cleanliness and will not accept items which have been consumed by others prior to offering in the Shradham.

The procedure for Ashwamedha Yagam is complicated. The king becomes tired while performing this Yagam. To rejunavate the king a short break is incorporated in to the Yagam in the form of a debate between the Hota and Brahma. The same set of questions is also chanted as manthram by Brahmins during the Shradham ritual. Typically the manthram should be chanted as soon as the Brahmins enter the home but now a days it is chanted before they consume the offerings from the Shradham. By chanting the manthram the Brahmins confer blessings on the general public as well as the host. The manthram is in the form of question and answers. The answers are the blessings conferred upon the public.  If the offerings are consumed by the Brahmins without chanting the manthram then the Shradham is dead. The following are the questions & answers which are part of the manthram.

Question 1: Kigiswid dasit poorvachitihi? What is essential for everyone?

Answer 1: The sky is essential for everyone as it carries the rain bearing clouds to shower rain to make the Earth prosperous.

Anyone who listens to this question will not be affected by famine in the region they live.

Question 2: Kigiswid dasit brhatdwayaha? Who is very old?

Answer 2: Ashwa vai brhatdwayaha. Ashwa is very old. The word Ashwa is normally used to refer to a horse in Sanskrit but it is also a name for Lord Narayana. The word Ashwa means that which spreads everywhere. As the horse travels with great speed it looks to spread everywhere. Hence a horse was called as Ashwa but it is the name of Lord Narayana to indicate his omnipresence. As He is eternal with neither beginning nor end He is the most aged person in this Universe.

Anyone who listens to this question will develop the thirst to attain the Lord’s divine feet.

Question 3: Kigiswid dasit pishangila? Who is pishangila?

Answer 3: Ratri is pishangila. Pishangila means that which hides defects. Ratri is the name of night. At night defects are hidden and not visible to our eye. Ratri means that which gives us pleasure.

Anyone who listens to this question will always be happy.

Question 4: Kigiswid dasit pilipila? Who is pilipila? Pilipila means that which makes things shine.

Answer 4: Money is pilipila. Money helps us to afford good food and other products to rejunavate our body thus making it shine with good health.

Anyone who listens to this question will be able to enjoy food without any negative impact on their health.

Question 5: What is that which that travels alone?

Answer 5: The Sun travels alone. Earlier the Yakshan had asked, “who travels with Adityan (Sun)?” to which Yudhistar answered that the Devas accompany the Adityan in his travel. If we take Adityan to be the Sun then the Devas are as follows.

There are in total 12 Suns known as the 12 Adithyas one Adithya for every month.

The Sun is accompanied by 1 rishi every month. The rishi keeps the Sun company by chanting Vedas. There is also a Gandharva who plays music to entertain the Sun. The Sun’s chariot is drawn by 7 horses. A Yakshan travels with the Sun to control the horses. To protect the Sun, a Rakshasha travels with the Sun (not all Rakshashas are bad; this is a good Rakshasha like Vibhishnazhwar and different from the Rakshashas who wage war with Sun). The Sun is also accompanied by a Naga. Apsaras entertain the Sun by dancing. Lord Vishnu has twelve forms. The Lord accompanies the Sun every month in one of His twelve months.

Yudhishtirar now answered that Surya (Sun) travels alone. It seems that he contradicted his earlier answer but here by Surya Yudhishtirar refers to Lord Vishnu. Even when amongst the company of others, Lord Vishnu shines brilliantly appearing to be alone. When Lord Vishnu is present, even the Sun disappears in His brilliance.

Anyone who listens to this question will become brilliant and shine amongst other people.

Question 6: What is that which is reborn after its birth?

Answer 6: The moon is reborn after its birth. This answer refers to the different phases of the moon. The moon takes birth as the Full moon and slowly decays till it appears to disappear on New moon day only to appear the following day as a crescent which grows slowly till it is re-born as the Full moon. We find the lunar phase interesting. We see the same Sun every single day but the moon changes every day. Change is interesting and prevents boredom.

Anyone who listens to this question will make other people find their company to be interesting.

Question 7: What is the remedy for frost (fog)?

Answer 7: Agni (fire) is the remedy for frost (fog). Frost as well as fog hides everything from our view but the fog referred to in this question is ignorance. As we are covered by the cold grasp of ignorance we do not realize our true self. An Acharyan is called as Agni since he leads us along the spiritual path. Agni is used to refer to people who lead others along a path. An Acharyan through his teachings melts away the frosty ignorance clouding our knowledge.

Anyone who listens to this question will lead a good life in this world and enjoy the bliss enjoyed in Sri Vaikuntham in this world itself.

Question 8: What is the Earth’s limit or which is the largest field?

Answer 8:  the place where Lord Vishnu is worshiped is the largest field.

Anyone who listens to this question will become good orators. People will raise them on a pedestal and listen to their words.

Question 9: Which is the hub for Earth? Central point or hub is that location from which all the different types of wealth is obtained.

Answer 9: Yagnam is the hub of Earth.

Anyone who listens to this question will obtain the Yagnam, Lord Narayana.

Question 10: Which is that horse which rains? What is its veeryam?

Answer 10: Yagam or Lord Narayan is the horse that rains blessings on us. The veeryam is the soma juice used in Yagnam which is nothing but the holy water with tulasi leaves offered to the Yagnam called Lord Vishnu.

Question 11: What do all the words in this world refer to?

Answer 11: All the words refer ultimately to Lord Narayana who is the Parabrahmam.

Anyone who listens to all these questions will obtain the fruit received by performing the Ashwamedha Yagam as  well as Shradham.

It is very difficult to perform Shradham which is typically performed only after the Earth has warmed up. This is usually around 11:25 am in India. Traditionally the Brahmins chant the above question and answer as soon as they enter their host’s home for performing Shradham. It could also be chanted by them prior to eating the offerings from the Shradham. If these questions are chanted by them properly then the sportsmen born in that country will always win the gold medal, the soldiers will be brave and victorious, cows will give plenty of milk, the oxen will be very strong and bear load efficiently, vehicles will perform without accidents, horses will always travel with great speed, all girls born in that country will be very beautiful like a “dream girl”, the host performing the Shradham will get a good son who will be intelligent, brave, youthful , courteous and this son will keep only good company, It will rain only when the people of the country wish for rain thus preventing crop damage from heavy as well as scanty rainfall. They finally confer Yoga Shemam on the public. Yogam is the accumulation of new items. Shemam is the proper functioning of the purchased item. A couple used their bonus to buy a brand new refrigerator. The following year they again spent their bonus on a brand new refrigerator because the refrigerator purchased during the previous year stopped working. If the couple had Yoga Shemam then the refrigerator from the previous year would function properly enabling them to spend their bonus on purchasing some other item. Overall world peace and prosperity will be attained.

When is a yagnam dead?

A Yagam is considered to be dead if dakshina (donation) are not offered according to the laws of the Yagnam. The sins affecting the Yagam are disposed of safely by giving Dakshina to Brahmins.  There are certain hazards associated with every occupation. Similar to a doctor running the risk of contracting infectious diseases from the patients they treat, a Brahmin runs the risk of contracting the sins of their hosts when they receive dakshina. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) like gloves is used by medical practitioner to protect themselves against infectious diseases. The regular practice of Vedic Manthrams and the Vedic Manthrams themselves are the PPE used by a Brahmin to protect themselves from the sins contained in a dakshina.

The following story illustrates how the Vedic manthrams protect a Brahmin.

Once the Devas decided to perform a sacrifice but the fire would not burn properly as it was afflicted by sin. It is prohibited to perform sacrifices if the fire smoulders. The Devas went to get ghee to make the fire burn properly but the ghee solidified as it was affected by sin. It is not allowed to pour solid ghee into the fire. They were then instructed by Lord Brahma to give dakshina (donations) to people to transfer the sin to other people. No one wanted to receive the dakshina as they did not want to get the sins. Lord Brahma then asked the Brahmins to take the dakshina but they too refused. Lord Brahma then asked them to get the dakshina by wearing protective gloves so that the sin will not stick to them. This protective glove is the recitation of the Vedic mantras.

The Vedic mantras are never affected by sin as it is the nature of the Vedic mantra to repel sin. When we eat greasy food with our hand, the grease sticks to our hand. We scrub our hand to remove the grease but it is not necessary to scrub our tongue. Even though our tongue comes in contact with the greasy food, the grease does not stick to the tongue as it is the nature of the tongue to repel grease. Similarly by practicing at least one chapter from the Vedas, sins from the dakshina do not affect the Brahmins. If it is not possible to practice one chapter every day, the Brahmins must at least chant Purusha Suktam or at least chant the Gayathri Manthram ten times every day. A Brahmin who does not do any of the above (chant 1 chapter from Vedas or Purusha Suktam or Gayathri manthram for 10 times) which are known as Brahma Yagnam for more than three days, is no longer considered to be a Brahmin.

The host who requested the Brahmins to perform the yagnam should not haggle over the dakshina. The host must offer as much as possible to the Brahmins. The host should make sure that all the Brahmins who participated in the performance of the Yagnam receive dakshina. If the dakshina is given to only one Brahmin then too the Yagam is considered to be dead.

Continued On: http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2013/03/yaksha-prashnam-questions-80-84.html

*****************************************************************************************

Based on, Yaksha Prashnam - A discourse in Tamil by Sri U.Ve. Karunakaran Swamy
(Any errors or inconsistencies in the following series are due to the mistakes I made while taking notes. ) 

Copies of the CDs can be obtained from Sri Karunakaran Swami’s website http://www.nadadoor.org/ . This series is for the benefit of people who do not understand Tamil. Those of you who understand Tamil very well must definitely obtain a copy of Swami’s Upanyasam. You can do so by contacting Nadadoor.org. Swami also renders discourses in English but I am not sure if Yaksha Prashnam discourse is available in English.  The experience of listening to Swami’s upanyasams could never be obtained by reading the following series. I have done my best to take notes with due diligence. I apologize for any errors that I have made while writing this series.

Yaksha Prashnam Questions 72 - 75

Continued From: http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2013/03/yaksha-prashnam-questions-68-71.html

What is this world surrounded by? Why isn’t light emitted by this world? Why do people who reside in this world abandon their friends? Why do the residents of this world go to hell instead of heaven?

What is this world surrounded by?

The world is engulfed by the darkness of ignorance called as “agnanam”. It is impossible for anyone to know everything. If we have expertise in one area it means that we do not have knowledge in other areas. A learned Pundit was approached by a common man. The man had been given a piece of paper by his master and instructed to deliver items to the address on the paper. Unfortunately the man was an illiterate. He requested the Pundit to read the address for him. The Pundit made fun of the man because he couldn’t even read a simple address. A few minutes later the Pundit was a witness to a car accident. The police asked the Pundit if he had information about the car’s number plate. The Pundit answered that the license plate was in a language he did not understand and hence he was unable to provide this information. The common man who had earlier asked the Pundit to read the address was also present nearby. He in turn pointed out the Pundit’s inability to read the car license plate.

We can never obtain complete knowledge in this world. Swami Vedanta desikan suggested that we should try to gain only essential knowledge in this world; we should realize that the purpose of our birth is to strive to attain the Lord’s feet, we must abandon negative feelings of anger, lust and greed, we must do what we think and preach. By following Swami Desikan’s advice we can attain Sri Vaikuntham. Only after reaching Sri Vaikuntham we will be freed from the dark fog of ignorance.

Why isn’t light emitted by this world?

The world does not emit light due to laziness. The world’s light is the self-illuminated knowledge of its residents. Our laziness prevents us from attaining knowledge. The wrong type of food we consume make as lazier. Thus it is essential to eat only the prescribed food. It is said that anyone who consumes food before taking a shower in the morning is considered to be eating feces. A person who eats without meditating upon the Lord is eating blood and the person who eats without offering the food to God is consuming dung of animals like horses and elephants. Such wrong practices of consuming food prevent us from obtaining knowledge.

Why do people who reside in this world abandon their friends?

We abandon friends because we desire the things they possess. This leads to anger and jealousy which in turn makes us abandon our friendship.

Why do the residents of this world go to hell instead of heaven?

The people in this world go to hell instead of heaven because they keep wrong company. There are five major sins as listed below.

1. Lying
2. Coveting the other’s spouse
3. Using drugs and alcohol which numb our senses
4. Hating someone without reason
5. The fifth sin is remaining the friend of a person who does all of the above sins.

Thus by abandoning Asat-Sangam we can attain heaven. By heaven the Yakshan is referring to Sri Vaikuntham which could only be attained by developing Sat-Sangam.

Continued On: http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2013/03/yaksha-prashnam-questions-76-79.html

*****************************************************************************************

Based on, Yaksha Prashnam - A discourse in Tamil by Sri U.Ve. Karunakaran Swamy
(Any errors or inconsistencies in the following series are due to the mistakes I made while taking notes. ) 

Copies of the CDs can be obtained from Sri Karunakaran Swami’s website http://www.nadadoor.org/ . This series is for the benefit of people who do not understand Tamil. Those of you who understand Tamil very well must definitely obtain a copy of Swami’s Upanyasam. You can do so by contacting Nadadoor.org. Swami also renders discourses in English but I am not sure if Yaksha Prashnam discourse is available in English.  The experience of listening to Swami’s upanyasams could never be obtained by reading the following series. I have done my best to take notes with due diligence. I apologize for any errors that I have made while writing this series.

Yaksha Prashnam Questions 68 - 71

Continued From: http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2013/02/yaksha-prashnam-questions-64-67.html

Why do people donate to Brahmins? Why are donations made to artists, servants and royalty (modern day Government officials)?

People donate to learned Brahmins to attain higher worlds. Donations made to people who are not Brahmins should be called a “gift” and not a “donation”.

In order to attain fame people gift large sum of money to artists. Organizers of events pride themselves when famous artists participate in their event. The organizers shower expensive gifts upon these artists as a free advertisement to show-off their event’s success to everyone. The people who attend the event also praise the organizers for making it possible for them to spend some time with the artists. Thus the organizers obtain fame.

We give small incentives to servants to make them happy so that they stay loyal to us and do not leave our employment.

We give gifts to authority figures out of fear. We are afraid that authority figures may misuse their powers to persecute us. To avoid their persecution we give gifts to them.
Continued On: http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2013/03/yaksha-prashnam-questions-72-75.html

*****************************************************************************************

Based on, Yaksha Prashnam - A discourse in Tamil by Sri U.Ve. Karunakaran Swamy
(Any errors or inconsistencies in the following series are due to the mistakes I made while taking notes. ) 

Copies of the CDs can be obtained from Sri Karunakaran Swami’s website http://www.nadadoor.org/ . This series is for the benefit of people who do not understand Tamil. Those of you who understand Tamil very well must definitely obtain a copy of Swami’s Upanyasam. You can do so by contacting Nadadoor.org. Swami also renders discourses in English but I am not sure if Yaksha Prashnam discourse is available in English.  The experience of listening to Swami’s upanyasams could never be obtained by reading the following series. I have done my best to take notes with due diligence. I apologize for any errors that I have made while writing this series.