|
A common question posed by the moderns is whether the outer yajňa
yields the benefits mentioned by Sāyaņa. We have to recognize that
the final result of any action is really the outcome of a variety
of forces with various intensities. One can cite specific
instances like the result in a written or oral examination, result
of a plan for doubling the sales, recovery from an illness or
surgery etc. In each case a variety of forces are involved. For
instance, in the case of healing, the faith of the patient,
physical condition of the patient, the psychological and technical
competence of the physician, the physical facilities and medicines
etc., release their own forces which combine in an unknown way to
yield the final result. This applies to yajňa also. The result of the yajňa is the result
of the play of forces introduced by the performer yajamāna, the
priests, the power of the mantrās and the power of the rite
involving various steps, and finally the faith of the persons who
are witnessing the rite. Even then the successful performance of a
rite yields only one type of force, even though it may be potent.
No yajňa even if done correctly can cure a person if he/she
persists in the mode of life which lead to the disease. In the
same way, Vijayanagar empire in which Sāyaņa was a minister did
not achieve much success in battles during the latter part of its
life, inspite of the performance of rites which supposedly
guarantee victory.
There are several books in English, Kannada, Sanskrit and other
languages which recount the instances of healing and other helpful
actions performed by spiritually advanced persons i.e., persons
who have done tapas by means of blessings alone or by the
use of mantrās. Bhavabhūti the famous playwright and Bhartŗhari,
the famous grammarian have written extensively on the power of the
potent word mantra. Interested persons can refer to the
essay entitled, "the Vāk of the Veda and the throb of the tantra''
by Sri Kapāli Sāstry in his Collected Works [Vol. 1]. The
biography of the famous poet, freedom-fighter and spiritual
personality, Vāsişhţha Gaņapati Muni who lived in the twentieth
century gives many instances of the help rendered to both
individuals and communities placed in difficult circumstances by
using mantrās from Rig Veda. Consider for example the releasing of
rain. It is accepted in the Hindu tradition that yajňa
causes rain; see for instance Bhagavad Gīta (3.14). Kāņda 2
has several brāhmaņa passages dealing with the release of
rain. The book by Ārya recounts the experiments in releasing the
rain and also stopping the rain by performance of yajňa under
specific circumstances; in, the revered H.H. Kanchi Swami explains
why the performance of Varuņa japa does not yield the
desired result of rain in the neighbourhood. The book details a
simple version of a rite agnihotra to purify the
environment used in parts of USA. The purification was also
achieved in areas of Eastern Europe which were intensely
contaminated by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. In other words
faith and sincerity of the persons chanting the mantra and
performing the rite are more important than the mechanically
"correct'' performance of the yajňa, i.e., the rite and chant
should be done in a meditative mood. But the books detailing the
rites like the Brāhmaņa books or shrauta sūtra books
never mention the necessity of faith and sincerity.
Summing up, the mantra chant can be effective if the following
five steps are observed scrupulously:
- correct chanting: committing errors in chanting implies that
the chanter is not serious about his goals or the efficacy of
mantra;
- meaning of mantra, i.e., not only the meanings of the words
in the mantra, but the meaning of overall appropriateness of the
mantra for the occasion;
- faith in the mantra and in the directions given by the
teacher,
- sincerity or transparency, i.e., you feel that you are
talking to the cosmic power;
- unselfishness: the performer should pray that all should
benefit from the yajňa.
|
