Pancha Maha Yajna

JIVA YATRA is a beautiful text written by
Swami Jnanananda Bharathi. Everyone
wants to live happily and comfortably and
this is taken as the destination of life. This
text shows how to reach that destination.
Kathopanisad gives an analogy of travel in
a chariot. Jivatma is compared to the Master
of the chariot, buddhi is compared to the
driver of the chariot, physical body is
compared to the chariot, sense organs are
compared to the horses, sense objects are
compared to the road, mind is compared
to the reins and Moksha is compared to
the destination.
One should understand the
limitations of material pursuits
as bandhakatvam (leading to
emotional dependence),
atriptikaratvam (never
satisfying), and dukha-
misritatvam (mixed with pain).
We can take Nachiketas as our
role model for remaining
detached.
Regular performance of
pancha maha yajna leads to
spiritual growth. They are:
Deva yajna (daily prayers for the welfare
of all living beings), pitru yajna (respecting
and serving parents and elders) , brahma
yajna (learning the Vedas and handing over
to the next generation), manushya yajna
(serving fellow human beings) and bhootha
yajna (taking care of the environment).
The path to reach the destination can be
summarised as follows: One should first
have sraddha in the Vedas. After doing
karma and upasana, one should study the
vedantic scriptures from a Guru. Grasping
the central message of “Brahma Satyam,
Jagat Mitya and Jivah Brahmaiva na
aparah” is sravanam. Getting intellectually
convinced about this teaching is mananam.
Removing the habitual ways of thinking
that one is a helpless jiva is nididhyasanam.
When one follows this path, the destination
of moksha can be comfortably reached.
Swami Paramarthananda’s Jnana Yajna 10 Arsha Vidya Newsletter - May 2013
BHAGAVAD GITA teaches the essence of
Upanishads. Sankaracharya’s commentary
is essentially the interpretation of Gita
verses as per upanishadic teaching. Chapter
XVIII is a summary of all the other
chapters. Gita discusses four topics: karma
yoga, upasana yoga, jnana yoga and daivi
sampath.
Karma yoga is proper action with proper
attitude. Proper action is doing nitya,
naimittika karmas including pancha maha
yajna. Actions are done with Iswara arpana
bhavana. The results are accepted with
prasada bhavana, understanding that the
results are based on laws of karma. Karma
yogi has reduced - anxiety about the
future.
Upasana yoga is meditation on Iswara. The
entire universe is meditated as
manifestation of Iswara. This process dilutes
one’s ahankara and mamakara. The family,
body and mind are offered to Iswara. As
a Trustee one takes care of the family and
body without any worry.
Jnana yoga is systematic study of vedantic
scriptures for a length of time under the
guidance of a competent Acharya.
The five capsules of Vedanta are:
1. I am of the nature of eternal and all
- pervading consciousness
2. I am the only source of permanent
peace, security and happiness
3. By my mere presence, I give life to
the material body, and through the
body, I experience the material
universe
4. I am not affected by anything that
takes place in the material world and
in the material body.
5. By forgetting my nature, I convert life
into a burden and, by remembering
my nature, I convert life into a
blessing.
Lord Krishna tells that sannyasa and thyaga
are one and the same and it is of three
types. Similarly jnanam, karta, karma,
buddhi, drithi (resolve) and sukham are of
three types, namely sattvic, rajasic and
tamasic. By following the sattvic type one
attains Moksha.