[Advaita-l] Putra Kameshti Yagnam

[KAMESWARARAO MULA]

Dear Members,                          It isbelieved that if a couple remained childless or doesn't have a male child,performing Putra Kameshti Yajna will result in producing offspring, especiallya male offspring. It is also known as Santana Gopala Yagna i.e a Kaamya Karmafor the purpose of having a male child.  It is dedicated to pleaseLord Maha Vishnu. Maha Vishnu bestowed the knowledge of this homa toSanatkumara. Sanatkumara explained  this yagna knowledge to sageBodhayana. In Ramayana, sage Vashishta recommended this yagna to kingDasharatha. Dasharatha under the supervision of Rishishringa muni, who was anexpert in Yajurveda. Rishyashringa performed theholy sacrifice and the final day of the event, a dark skinned fire god appearedfrom sacrificial altar and handed over a vessel of payasam to Dasharatha and by this Dasharathahave been blessed with four male children Sri Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata andShatrughna. Kaamya karmas are to those Karma or Rituals whichare performed with a specific objective. Unlike Nitya Karma,  the shastras do not require daily or regularobservance of these rituals. They are generally performed for the sake of theirintended results.  Kaamya-karmas includes Putrakameshti,Agnistoma (AtiRatram) and Agnicheyanam which involves pasubandha.



IIअथ यद्यज्ञ इत्याचक्षते ब्रह्मचर्यमेव  तद्ब्रह्मचर्येण ह्येव यो ज्ञाता तं 
विन्दतेऽथ यदिष्टमित्याचक्षते ब्रह्मचर्यमेव तद्ब्रह्मचर्येण ह्येवेष्ट्वात्मानमनुविन्दते II
What is commonly called Yajna is really the chaste life of thestudent of sacred knowledge,for only through the chaste life of a student doeshe who is a knower find that, What is commonly called Istam (sacrificial offering) is really thechaste life of the student of sacred knowledge, for only having searched with chastelife of a student does one find ATMAN  (Soul, Self) according toChandogya 8.5.1.Vedic Upanishads explains about Yoga is a form of Yajna (sacrifice). The shvetashvatara upansihad (1.5.14) expalins Idealogy of Yajna materials by the means to see one'ssoul and God, with inner rituals and without external rituals. It states, "by making one's ownbody as the lower friction sticks, the syllable OM  as the upper friction sticks, thenpracticing the friction of meditation, one may see the God who is hidden.

Vedicyajnas which Shrautas (Shrauti: Whoperforms that) are typically performed by four priests of the experts in Vedas are the hotar, the adhvaryu, the udgatarand the Brahmin. The major functionsassociated with the priests were.The Hotri recites invocations and litanies drawnfrom the Rigveda. The Adhvaryu is the priest's assistant and is in chargeof the physical details of the ritual like measuring the ground, building thealtar explained in the Yajurveda.The adhvaryu offers oblations.The Udgatri is the chanter of hymns set tomelodies and music (saman) drawn from the Samaveda.  The udgatar, like the hotar, chantsthe introductory, accompanying and benediction hymns. The Brahmin is the superintendent of the entireperformance, and is responsible for correcting mistakes by means ofsupplementary verses. Kalpa Sutra’s give the various types of Yagna’s.The Pakayajnas : which are the aṣtaka, sthalipaka, parvana, sravaṇi, agrahayani,caitri and asviyuji. These yajnas involve consecrating cooked items. SomaYajnas: Agnistoma, atyagnistoma, uktya, shodasi, vajapeya, atiratra andaptoryama. Havir Yajnas: They are the agniyaadhana, agni hotra, Darśsa-Purṇamasa,agrayana, caturmasya, niruudha pasu bandha, sautramaṇi. These involve offeringhavis or oblations.The five panca maha Yajnas: Vedavratas, which are four innumber, done during Vedic education. The other sixteen Yajnas, which areone-time samskaras: garbhadhana, pumsavana, simanta, jatakarma, namakaraṇa,annaprasana, chudakarma/chaula, niskramana, karnavedha, vidyaarambha,upanayana, keshanta, snataka and vivaha, nisheka, antyeshti. 
 Learned members please put your views.
Sri Guru Padaravindarpana MastuKameswara