“Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.14)

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सततं कीर्तयन्तो मां
यतन्तश् च दृढ-व्रताः
नमस्यन्तश् च मां भक्त्या
नित्य-युक्ता उपासते

satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ
yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ
namasyantaś ca māṁ bhaktyā
nitya-yuktā upāsate

1. Location

The event has to take place in a specific location. It is an event, after all. There are marriage halls for a reason. There might even be a corresponding season in which most marriages in the area take place. The event planners understand that this will be their busy time of the year. The nice weather makes for beautiful scenery, for memories to last a lifetime and pictures to decorate the home. In the original tradition, marriage is itself a yajna. It is a ritual in the sense of formal entry into the ashrama known as grihastha. It is a serious business, and so the change in circumstances cannot be done on a whim or only as a potential idea resting within the mind.

2. Officiating priest

Someone has to be in charge. Someone should be an expert on the subject. Otherwise, everyone gathers at the location with nothing to do. They would stand around, waiting for someone to take the lead. There are many religions in the world and thus many different ways for a religious observance to take place, but there is always a guiding authority.

3. Preparation

The people involved in the yajna might have to prepare beforehand. Sometimes, there is a fasting period. No eating or drinking for hours prior to the event. From the Ramayana, we have the preparation from the Divine couple, Sita and Rama, sleeping on the floor in anticipation of the ceremony which would install Rama as the new king of Ayodhya. In most circumstances, the preparation involves decorating the area of the yajna and gathering the appropriate materials.

गते पुरोहिते रामः स्नातो नियतमानसः
सह पत्न्या विशालाक्ष्या नारायणमुपागमत्
प्रगृह्य शिरसा पात्रीं हविषो विधिवत्तदा
महते दैवतायाज्यं जुहाव ज्वलितेऽनले
शेषं च हविषस्तस्य प्राश्याशास्यात्मनः प्रियम्
ध्यायन्नारायणं देवं स्वास्तीर्णे कुशसंस्तरे
वाग्यत स्सह वैदेह्या भूत्वा नियतमानसः
श्रीमत्यायतने विष्णो श्शिश्ये नरवरात्मजः

gate purohite rāmaḥ snāto niyatamānasaḥ
saha patnyā viśālākṣyā nārāyaṇam upāgamat
pragṛhya śirasā pātrīṃ haviṣo vidhivat tadā
mahate daivatāyājyaṃ juhāva jvalite ‘nale
śeṣaṃ ca haviṣas tasya prāśyāśāsyātmanaḥ priyam
dhyāyann ārāyaṇaṃ devaṃ svāstīrṇe kuśasaṃstare
vāgyataḥ saha vaidehyā bhūtvā niyatamānasaḥ
śrīmaty āyatane viṣṇoḥ śiśye naravarātmajaḥ

“After the priest had departed, Rama, having bathed and with a disciplined mind, approached Lord Narayana along with His large-eyed wife (Sita). Then, carrying the vessel of sacrificial offerings on His head, He poured clarified butter into the blazing fire for the great deity, according to the prescribed rituals. And after consuming the remainder of that offering and praying for His own well-being, He meditated upon Lord Narayana while lying on a well-spread bed of kusha grass. Remaining silent and disciplined in mind along with Vaidehi (Sita), the son of the best of men (Rama) slept in the glorious temple of Lord Vishnu.” (Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kand, 6.1-4)

4. Fire and offerings

The materials gathered are necessary for the offerings. The officiating priest knows the appropriate words to say. In the Vedic tradition, the words are mantras. They are sort of like prayers. The priest is kindly calling upon the higher forces. The people participating in the yajna drop offerings into the fire at the appropriate times. Fire is the witness. Fire is also the conduit. It carries the offerings from the hands of the individuals to the objects of interest, with the process empowered by the priest.

श्री-भगवान् उवाच
अनाश्रितः कर्म-फलं
कार्यं कर्म करोति यः
स सन्न्यासी च योगी च
न निरग्निर् न चाक्रियः

śrī-bhagavān uvāca
anāśritaḥ karma-phalaṁ
kāryaṁ karma karoti yaḥ
sa sannyāsī ca yogī ca
na niragnir na cākriyaḥ

“The Blessed Lord said: One who is unattached to the fruits of his work and who works as he is obligated is in the renounced order of life, and he is the true mystic: not he who lights no fire and performs no work.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 6.1)

5. Purpose

What is everything for? Why is someone going to the trouble? We had the example of the marriage, but a yajna could also fulfill other purposes. Perhaps it is the beginning of life, celebrating the birth of a child to first-time parents. The other side is the end of life, in performing rites for the departed. Someone might decide upon a yajna to bless a new means of transportation, such as an automobile. There is a yajna asking for blessings in a new and difficult endeavor. There are even yajnas for the overall purification of the environment, by a leader who is looking for auspicious conditions.

In this light, someone might ask the following questions, when invited to chant the holy names or participate in a satsanga program:

“Okay, that sounds great. Count me in. I will be there. What do we need to do to prepare? Where will it be held? Is there anything that we need to bring? More importantly, what is the purpose? In other words, what are we doing this for? I am sure you are aware that there is some inconvenience involved. Don’t worry, we are ready to make the sacrifice, but it would be nice to know the reason.”

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, in keeping with the tradition of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, teaches, implements, and wholeheartedly recommends the sankirtana-yajna. This is the sacrifice of chanting the holy names of God in the company of others. The purpose of this yajna is to thank God, to pray to Him for continued service, and to always think of Him. Though not as readily identifiable as compared to other kinds of yajna, we find direct recommendations for the same in Bhagavad-gita. This work is spoken directly by Shri Krishna, who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Krishna says that the great souls, the mahatmas, are always chanting His glories. Their worship is steady. The Sanskrit is nitya-yuktā upāsate. This means that the cause is immaterial. If someone is always worshiping, it means they do not mind the direct outcome. Whether something good happens or there is a downfall in the immediate aftermath, the worship will continue. They can officiate over the proceedings since they have learned the art from their spiritual master, the guru. The preparation is attention to the process. The fire can be something as simple as a ghee lamp offered in a reverential manner, moving around the object of worship.

Who would actually sign up for this? Who would ever want to participate, given the lack of immediate and identifiable gain? Those who are always thinking of God, who always appreciate Him, and who love Him no matter what. Such yajna is available to them, and they consider it the greatest fortune to be able to make everything that they do an offering unto the Supreme Lord.

यत् करोषि यद् अश्नासि
यज् जुहोषि ददासि यत्
यत् तपस्यसि कौन्तेय
तत् कुरुष्व मद्-अर्पणम्

yat karoṣi yad aśnāsi
yaj juhoṣi dadāsi yat
yat tapasyasi kaunteya
tat kuruṣva mad-arpaṇam

“O son of Kunti, all that you do, all that you eat, all that you offer and give away, as well as all austerities that you may perform, should be done as an offering unto Me.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.27)

In Closing:

Though of sankirtana name,
A yajna all the same.

Even corner of room could make.
Prerogative of mahatmas to take.

With pure consciousness prepare,
Focus on place of offering there.

Holy names always to chant,
Unbreaking connection to grant.

Categories: the five

Tags: dailyprompt, hare krishna, hinduism, poem, poems, poetry, worship