Queries on Tarpana

[Guest guest]

Namaste,

 

My sincere apologies for not replying earlier. Was busy when you sent mail and forgot later. I am sending this to after deleting your name in the mail.

 

(1) The word rakshas means a guardian spirit. The plural form is "rakshaamsi". For example, the dikpalaka (direction ruler) of the southwestern direction, Nirriti, is a demon. But he is fulfilling an important role. These guardians are clubbed with gods in tarpana.

 

(3) Nakshatra birthday is important for the matter of health and longevity. Suppose you want to do a Mrityunjaya homam at the start of what you suspect will be a bad year for health and longevity. Then use nakshatra birthday. Tithi is important for overall sense of well-being and prosperity.

 

Both birthdays are important. People advocate what they are used to. Both have their relevance.

 

(4) Using only one darbha is a problem. Whether you use 2 oe 3 is not a big deal in my view. Do as you please. But it should be more than one or just skip darbhas.

 

(5) Yes, it is covering this janma also. But you are satisfying only the souls that are in need of satisfying by svadhaa, as indicated by the word svadhaayin. You need not worry about messing up anything with respect to those who are alive.

 

(6) Good suggestion. I will definitely try.

 

(7) Those who believe they can do a good translation are welcome to translate. Our effort has barely started. If She wants, She will send those who will do what is needed to spread this further. What I am doing is just planting a few seeds as asked by my guru who in turn was commanded by the Mother. Many more people will have to come and play their roles when the time comes, for this to become what the Mother said.

 

(8) It will. When you make offerings to Agni, Prajapati etc in the external fire, the internal fire (bhutagni) carries those to the Agni and Prajapati within. As the identification with the external fire becomes stronger, bhutagni becomes stronger and purifies more. But calling *some* deity in the fire and making some offerings is better than simple agnihotra.

 

(9) A by-birth brahmana who wears a sacred thread but does not do any sadhana has no use for the sacred thread. Someone of any caste, if he doing some spiritual sadhana, can benefit from wearing a sacred thread.

 

In fact, one who is interested in spiritual progress, doing Gayatri mantra everyday or doing homam on a regular basis or doing some other sadhana, automatically becomes a brahmana after a while.

 

Sacred thread acts as a grounding wire in an electric circuit. Until energy starts flowing in the body when mantra is chanted, it has no use. Once energy starts flowing, it regulates the flow when worn to be in touch with the spine.

 

If you are chanting Gayatri mantra and doing homam, it is a good idea to wear a sacred thread.

 

(10) No view.

 

* * *

 

When I made homam manual, I had done homam many days in row, knew several things about homam practically and had a good insight into it. When I made the tarpana manual, I did not have much practical experience and insight. I was following my guru's command.

 

On the day I was to publish the tarpana manual, I went to the Mahalakshmi idol next to my homa kundam and prayed to Her, "O Mother, I am not really an authority on tarpana. But, with the intention of people benefiting from it, I made this manual as asked by my guru. Please bless this effort. I will perform a tarpana now strictly following this document. Please give me a visible sign if you are blessing this effort and giving a go ahead". I sat down to perform tarpana. The moment I called gods and rishis into kalasam, there was a really heavy wind. It was sunny that whole morning with not many clouds. It had not rained for a few days. But the moment I made the second tarpana and said "om vishnuh tripyataam", suddenly it started raining. It was not heavy rain, but light rain with really large drops of rain water that slowly turned into a regular rain and continued for the rest of the day. Rain with large drops is considered auspicious in tradition. Like this, the Mother gave me some good signs and gave me confidence that Her blessings were with us on this effort.

 

Obviously, She wants some people to benefit from the practice of tarpana and homam. That is why She is doing all this through us.

 

Best regards,NarasimhaDo a Short Homam Yourself: http://www.VedicAstrologer.org/homamDo Pitri Tarpanas Yourself: http://www.VedicAstrologer.org/tarpanaSpirituality: Free Jyotish lessons (MP3): http://vedicastro.home.comcast.netFree Jyotish software (Windows): http://www.VedicAstrologer.orgSri Jagannath Centre (SJC) website: http://www.SriJagannath.org

 

-

Ramakrishna

Narasimha P.V.R. Rao

Thursday, October 23, 2008 11:29 AM

Re: Queries on Tarpana

 

 

 

 

Dear Narasimha Rao garu,Can you please clarify these questions.Regards,Ramakrishna--- On Sun, 10/12/08, <deleted> wrote:

<deleted>Re: Queries on Tarpana"Narasimha P.V.R. Rao" <pvrSunday, October 12, 2008, 11:19 AM

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Narasimha Rao garu,

 

Namaste.

 

Here are the other doubts that I had earlier, but did not ask since I wanted to check with you only on the absolute must for performing tarpana on that day. Can you please clarify them ?

 

[some of them are not related to Tarpana, but I thought instead of sending a different mail, I will ask all of them in one]

 

1) In Deva tarpana, I see we are offering tarpana to pisaachas (and I see a word "rakshaamsi" - assuming it is for raakshasas). Why are we offering tarpana to the bad souls ? Even if we offer them say out of pity or so, should we be giving them so much importance that we are offereing them along with Devas and before rishis and our own pitris ?

 

2) What is the significance of not doing tarpna on the specific days with specific thithis. (This is just out of my curiousity, if you feel it needs a lot of depth, please ignore)

 

3) You mentioned that we should not perfrom tarpana on our Birthday. I am thoroughly confused on when we should celebrate our Birthday. Tamils and Karalites celebrate based on their birth star. One priest told me Andhra and Karnataka people celebrate as per thithi. So I chose thithi. But some other priest told me tithis should be used only for observing deaths not for births.

 

Which one should I follow (I'm from Andhra Pradesh) ?

 

4) A local priest told me that we should be holding two darbas and not three. I'm assuming this is just a difference on the tradition and no harm with 3 either.

 

5) For the obvious traditional beliefs, all the priests here strongly discouraged me from doing pitri tarpana (they are okay with Deva and Rishi tarpana) since my parents are alive. However my father was convinced with the explanation you gave in the doc and gave his consent. So I proceeded.

 

But I still have some slight discomfort. The Mantra says 'Sarva Janmeshu ....' Is n't this covering this Janma also ?

 

6) It would be good if you could make a video of the presentation and upload. I was confused about how to hold the darbas and did in the way I understood. Actually this is one request I have for your homa too. Some times we interpret the statements incorrectly and sometimes when we start following the doc, we get a different doubt. With the video, it is clear.

 

This is one of the reasons why I wanted to meet you when you were in India, so I can learn doing homa directly under you. But for some reason it did not work out. If you could make a video, that would help people like me a lot.

 

7) How about making translations of your Homa and Tarpana in different languages ? For example my father does not know english and all of sudden, he wanted to perform agnihotra after hearing about it by someone that it purifies atmosphere. Luckily I had a book on agnihotra by the Akkalkot ashram in Telugu and mailed him.

 

Similarly when I told him about Mahalaya Amavasya, he wanted to perform tarpana but no manual for him.

 

8) What is the role of Agnihotra ? Will it too purify out bhootagni or it is just for offering food to Agni, Surya and Prajapati ?

 

9) What is the significance of the sacred-thread ? What is your opinion on non-brahmins wearing that ? If am already chanting Gayatri mantra(as per your procedure - Om Bhur.. one time, and ensclosing 'tat savi..' in Om at beginning and end every time we chant), do you think I will get additional benefit in wearing the sacred thread and getting initiated in to Gayatri. (the person who is initiating is most probably not a sadhaka and I don't think will be giving me any part of his mantra sidhi. Plus he is a simple priest and I have no plans to treat him as my Guru and so I do not want to take his power even if he is willing to give me)To me he is just a qualified person to give sacred thread with a liberal view towards it.

 

10) Finally, there is a belief that marriages should not be performed till 1 year where there was a death. Somewhere I read that after 10 (or 11) days the soul leaves the place and begins its journey. So I don't see why this rule was there. Can you please let me know your view on this ?

 

Thanks and Regards,

<deleted>