Monday, March 14, 2011

If I do all these what do I get?

Looking at the lengthy list, one might start wondering how all these things are going to help us go towards God or any spiritual elevation.
Performing these ceremonies in one's lifetime will give one what is called atma gunas. This means virtues that qualify an elevated soul. All karmas lead to the purification of mind and intellect such a mind is capable of receiving godliness. This will lead to revelation of the true nature of the man.
We are all born with three runas -debts. Runam a something like money borrowed, which needs to be returned.
The first is what we owe to devas. According to the legends God created devas and mankind and told them to help each other. The devas hold control over the natural forces like sunshine, rain. They make rains and we reap the harvest. This food sustains us. So we need to pay back the devas. This we do by performing rituals which please them like Pooja homa etc.
The second is what we owe to the risis. The risis obtained the Vedic mantras and gave them to us. We are using this mantras in conducting rituals mentioned above. Therefore we owe them. This we can pay back by helping the sustenance of Vedas. We can do this by reciting the Vedas if we qualify for that, or by helping those who are learning, teaching Vedas. This help can also be by bodily effort or by donation of money or kind to vedic schools.
The third is what you owe to our forefathers. I want to stress this here as we see many people suffering a lot, not knowing what the cause is. Almost throughout the world there are rituals to appropriate the Manes. Agnihotram thathacaryar has complied a huge book on this subject that is yet to see the print..
We must strive to pay back these debts in our lifetime.

Okay. Enough of preamble . Let us get to the classification of karma.
There are actions which need to be done daily, and these are called nitya karma. The examples are the daily bath, Pooja, et cetera.
There are actions which need to be done on occasions and these are called naimitya karma. Examples are rituals concerned with our birthday, marriage anniversary, et cetera.
The actions that may be done to get something that we desire and these are called kaamya karma. Examples are plenty right from the need to get out of debts to desiring a progeny.
The list of daily actions is a long one, starting from early morning, eight o'clock. We will see them on by one in the coming posts.

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