[Advaita-l] idam na mama

[Satish Arigela]

>So,till one obtains Jnana he should continue pouring ghee and other things meant 
>
>for others  into the fire.!


I get the impression that you are intentionally trying to trivialize this 
perhaps to make it look silly. Any Hindu practitioner knows that, this is not 
the attitude or the spirit with which homa is done.

So first, let us avoid these tricks.

Ask any learned person in this list or the AchArya-s, and they will confirm that 
till a stage is reached on the path to brahma jnana, one needs to perform 
various rituals. And by the way, oblations are made as per the shAstra either 
with any desire in mind or without and that decides what should be offered. Of 
course desired phala comes only to one who pratices/understands the ritual 
system properly and not by blindly lighting some fire and pouring ghee into it 
-- This does not become homa, this is just setting fire to things :-)

Homa-s, yAga-s etc are performed with money/objects that are properly 
earned/received, not with other's money.

>Who said one should perform "Yagna'or homa for knowledge to descend?

Same again - trying to make it look silly. Nobody said  performing a homa to a 
certain devata  automatically grants brahma jnana. It is one of the many things 
that help remove obstacles on the path.

There are many practices meant to remove those obstacles, performing japa or 
homa to a devata is just one of them and the most efficient & popular in the 
Indian context.

>These boats which aim to cross the aspirant of the samsara are not strong.
>It further criticises with the words,"Ashtadashoktamavaram eshu karma"it 
>requires 18 priests along with the Yajamana and his patni,this is the most 
>lowest(avaram"of the karmas.

I will not go into this as this might require spending quite a bit of time 
examining/studying. But for now I feel that you are either missing the 
context/spirit or not considering to whom(or to what kind of people) is this 
upanishadic advice meant for. 


The other reason I will not continue much further is because, observing your 
previous mails shows that for whatever reason you are not really in the mood to 
listen to anyone anyway.... so why would I or anyone put too much effort into 
this :-))