A very short remark on svasti puņyāhavāchanam. This is a preliminary ritual done before Main rituals, where an even number of brāhmaņas are invited, a kalaśa is installed with due decoration, water is filled, perfumes, gems, gold, herbs, and seeds are added.
Varuna is invoked in the kalaśa. A japa of various mantras (typically around the themes of purification and auspiciousness) is done. I've examined prayoga manuals of all the 4 vedas as well as the vasudeva puņyāhavāchanam of pāñcharātrikas. Only in the pancharatra deployment,
Sudarshana is invoked and the chakra mudra is shown on the kalasha. A long shloka to vāsudeva and other pāñcharātra deities replace the vedic mantras, though the vedic śānti mantra tacChamyo is recited in the end.
I used to think this is the sectarian tendency reshaping a preexisting ritual. However, atharva vedīya prayoga bhānu, a smārta AV prayoga text has a curious remark: some invoke viṣņu in the kalaśa.
The viṣņu shlokas don't overlap with vāsydeva puņyāha material. So the ritual evolution is tentatively like this: first stage - varuņa in kalaśa -> second stage viṣņu replacing varuņa in some smārta circles -> third stage sectarian solidification in vāsudeva puņyāha.
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A thread on the evolution of Hindu kavacha literature:
Typical characteristics of a kavacha are as follows: 1. They are shlokas invoking various names of the deity. 2. Each name is invoked for protection. 3. Typically protection is sought in various directions (East, West,...)
And on various parts of the body. 4. Simply reciting is sufficient to obtain protection (though the kavachas occurring in tantric literature are accompanied with a ritual deployment).
This literature is voluminous. Collating all material from itihasa-puranas, tantra/agamas
Would be a research endeavor for a PhD student. Some typical samples below -
Drawing from my own tradition, dvAdashanAma panjaram is popular among vaiShNavas - It begins with "purastAt keshavaH pAtu" - 12 forms of viShNu starting with Keshava are invoked for protection in all
A note on mantras. There was an offline conversation with an acquaintance regarding whether mantras should be kept secret or be open sourced for anyone to open and study. While, obviously the outcome was a stalemate, one thing became clear. It's actually hard to define a mantra
While an H has an intuitive grasp of what it is, describing it is another story. I was reflecting on this briefly. One can go via the etymological route - *men -PIE to think. However, Avestan has the cognate manthra (mãthra actually with ã being a nasal vowel).
Looking at how manthra is understood can actually throw good light on what a mantra is on our side. The implications and all the nuances of the word actually goes at least back to IIr. Let's start with Airyama-ishyô.
A sampler of vratas to keep while learning certain samavedic mantras. The upanayana ceremony confers basic eligibility to start learning the veda. The student keeps the usual austerities while living with teacher - moderation in food, fasting, obeying teacher,
Sleeping on the floor. This list is long and well documented in dharma shastras regarding the rules of veda vrata. Now, certain higher mantras require even higher austerities. For e.g. performance of āditya-vrata makes the student eligible to learn shukriya mantras.
Nothing should come between the sun and the student during the day. The student wears a single cloth. He doesn't enter the water more than knee-deep. After one year, he can learn the shukriyas.
Subaqueous fire problem: A reflective thread.
In the past I've tweeted on this topic which is essentially a highlight of textual evidences and my opinion and let readers draw their own conclusions. In contrast, this thread is an attempt at my reasoning in the form of FAQ.
1. What is the subaqueous fire or "fire in the water" problem?
Rigveda talks about fire that's from waters in numerous instances. "apsu antar" - inside waters; "agnim samudra vāsasam" - agni, having ocean as clothes.
A conception of fire inside the water is strange and there has to be a reason for this conception. Finding a satisfactory reason for this reason is what I call the "fire in water problem".
A short note on "Purusha" - the cosmic "Man". For vaiṣṇavas, the deity of puruṣa sūkta is none other than nārāyaṇa.
This hasn't stopped shaiva leaning post vedic texts to appropriate the hymn for themselves.
The emergence if the figure puruṣa nārāyaṇa in śukla yajurvedic texts sort of favors the vaiṣṇava view. Also, by the time of yajurveda, uttaranārāyaṇa portion had appended itself and the wives of purusha being Lakshmi + hrī/shrī favor the vaiṣṇava view again.
Was the original purusha of RV an independent figure later appropriated by vaishnavas? I was agnostic for a long time. Currently I tentatively posit no. The mantras of RV hymn appear with variation in other vedas.
Two tales of 'magick'.
Note: I'll try to be vague to keep the identities of concerned parties.
First:
There was this vaidika and a vidvān. He had a set of students learning śruti from him. All of a sudden, one of his student went incommunicado. The vaidika paid him a visit.
It turned out the student developed white kuṣṭha and became depressed. Medications weren't working.. It was so worse that he quit his job and rarely came out of his room.
The student asked "Guruji, you often say śruti has solutions for laukika problems. Is there no remedy for me?"
The vaidika remembered a prayoga given in vidhāna of indra specifically for this issue. The procedure itself is simple (relatively speaking). It involves doing the japa