[Advaita-l] Agni Chayanam

[KAMESWARARAO MULA]

Dear Friends,                          My childhood life  was spent under the nurturing of my grand father and I always used to listen & learnt many things from him that Agni Chayanam/ Agni stomam were performed in that village when I was infant. There used be a person named 'Shrauti' in that village whose son performed the agni chayanam. I never knew even these words, but my ears are always filled  with these skilled yagna's. Several people told several times about this and which made me an inner incliantion to know about that what it is.
'Shrauti' literally means who performed Shrauta Yagam and its details can be found at this link: https://manasataramgini.wordpress.com/2012/01/01/the-shrauta-animal-sacrifice/Agnichayana/agniShToma: The main Oblations to prajApati vishvakarman are made. The adhvaryu carries forth the fire in the eastern direction (agni-praNayana). The ritual was done once an year on the new moon or full moon day in the rainy season . The ritualist should collect the following: 1) pine tree firewood 2) paridhi-s of kArshmarya wood (Gmelina) 3) guggulu resin 4) sugandhitejana perfume 5) a wad of white wool 6) two threads respectively with two and three strands 7) two vapAshrapaNI forks with one and two prongs respectively for offering the omentum 8) a spike for impaling the heart of the animal during the offering 9) a daNDa for the maitravaruNa reaching to the height of his mouth made of the udumbara fig tree wood 10) a twig of the plakSha fig tree, the wooden plank known as the iDasUna, barley flour to make the barley water in prokShaNI vessel 11) barley flour for the offering 12) curds.The Purnahuti Mantra Says:
sapta te agne samidhaH sapta jihvAH saptarShayaH sapta dhAma priyANi ,sapta hotrAH saptadhA tvA yajanti sapta yonIr A pRiNasvA ghRitena Swaha
That is: 1) 7 fuel sticks; 2) 7 tongues of agni; 3) 7 RiShi-s 4) 7 dear abodes of agni 5) 7 oblations 6) the 7-fold worship of agni 7) the seven sources of agni, which are filled with ghee.
This association of 7 with agni is often referred from RV itself.Some times the Sri Guru to test his disciple he gives his 7 as one samidha, one Jihwa, one Rishi, one dhama, one hota, one dhatu and one yoni. A sincere disciple should always reach his guru's feet by combining all these things.
1.Samidha:Arka(Jilledu),Palasa(Moduga),Khadira(NallaTumma),Apamarga(Uttareni) Aswattha, (Raagi),Audumbara (Juvvi),Darbha

2.Jihwa:Kali,Manojava,Sulohita,Sudhumra,Spulingini,Viswaroopa,Karalika

3.Rushi:Atri,Bhrugu,Kutsa,Vasista,Gowtama,Kashyapa,Angirasa,

4.Dhama:Earth,Plants,Water,Stones,Men,Cows,Steeds(Horse)

5.Hotra:Deva,Asura,Gandharva,Apsarasa,Yaksha,Rakshasa,Manushya

6.DhatvA:Rasa(Fluid),Rakta(Blood),Mamsa(Muscle),Medas(Fat),Ashti(bone),Majja(Marrow),Sukra(Semen)

7.Yoni:Ahavaneeya,Garhapatya,Dakshina,Sabhya,Asadabhya,Davanalaya,Ratnagni



Sri Guru Padaravindarpana MastuKameswara