Homam in Tantragni

Homam in Tantragni Performing homam in vaidika agni requires us to adhere to strict rules regarding purity of the location, time, and the person performing the homam This may be difficult to follow these daysTantragni provides greater flexibility in this regard It can be performed anywhere even outside India, at any time, and by anyone However, the performer and observers should not be ritually impure at the time the homam is being performed Rules of impurity apply in case of birth or death among relatives in the past few (usually 10) days (see http://www.celextel.org/mantrasandrituals/samkshepadharmashastra.html?page=4 for details)They also apply to ladies four days in a month

Background2Homams can be performed in either vaidika style or tantric styleWe describe homam in tantragni, but use vaidika tradition for other aspects, as far as possibleFor example, the tantric style usually includes lots of bijaksharas which we dont chant in vaidika styleThe invocation of agni in the tantric style is simpler and requires less restrictions, and so we use that style to invoke agniWhile a homa can be quite elaborate, we describe a simple procedureHomam StylesHoma kundam a container for holding the fireA small plate in which to bring agniA little sand, to place in the agni kundam16 Darbhas A samit (twigs of certain trees) or darbhaTwo pieces of samitGhee (clarified butter) and a container to hold itTwo dharvis (ladles) to offer ghee into the fireAkshata raw rice with turmeric powder mixed in itWater in a small container (pancha/kula patram) FlowersCoconut, dried fruits, and cloth for purnahuti

Required MaterialThe following convention is used to express mantras in English (obvious ones are not given below)Transliteration Schemei: as i in bitee: as ee in feetu: as u in pute: as a in lateai: as i in biteau: as ou in doubtR: it is pronounced as ri by some and ru by othersExample: RShi (rishi)H: visarga (: in devanagari script)A consonant followed by h denotes aspirationExample: bh as in bhaktiCapitalized letters are retroflexT: as t in tigerD: as d in dogN: as n in vishnuS: as s in vishnujna: a nasalized gnya-like sound, as jn in jnanaThe visarga (H) is pronounced in different manners depending on the context.Pronunciation TipsIf it is at the end of a sentence and preceded by a or aa, then it is pronounced as hanamaH at the end of a sentence is pronounced namahaIf it precedes sh, then it is pronounced as shnamaH shivaaya is pronounced namash-shivaayaIf it precedes s, then it is pronounced as sbhuuH svaahaa is pronounced bhuus-svaahaaIf it precedes p, then it is pronounced as fpuShpaiH puujayaami is pronounced puShpaif-puujayaamiEach deity has a mula mantra which is chanted at specific times in the homamGanapati: om gam gaNapataye namaHDurga: om dum durgaayai namaHSharavanabhava: om hreem vreem sharavaNabhavaaya namaHKrishna: om kleem kRShNaaya namaHRama: om ram raamaaya namaHLakshmi: om shreem mahalakShmyai namaHHanuman: om rudraatmakaaya hanumate namaHSarasvati: om aim sarasvatyai namaHMula MantraGanapati: Durga: Sharavanabhava: Krishna: Rama: Lakshmi: Hanuman: Sarasvati:

Mula Mantras in Devanagari8Alternatively, we can use the following mula mantrasom namaH shivaaya for homam to Shiva family Shiva, Ganapati, Durga, Sharavanabhavaom namo naaraayaNaaya for homam to Vishnu family Vishnu, Rama, Krishna, Lakshmi, HanumanMula Mantra AlternativePlace some sand in the homa kundam.Sit on the ground or on a mat or on a wooden plank, to the West of the kundam, facing East.Place all the remaining material close to you, so that you can reach them easily.SetupEastYouHoma kundamChant gaNanam tva .Step 1Chant the mula mantra while looking at the homa kundamDo prokshanam (sprinkle water) to the homa kundam and say phaT () at the end, hitting the fingers of the right hand against the left palm while saying itHit the homa kundam with a set of 16 darbhas, while chanting the mula mantraThese darbhas can be reused if we live in a place where they are difficult to obtainAvakuntanamSay hum () while snapping fingers of both your handsKeep fore fingers of both hands together, fingertips facing down, East of the homa kundam and draw a circle around the homa kundam in the air with these fingers, as shown in the next slideThis invokes divine powers in the area enclosed by the circle

Step 2Drawing a Circle for AvakuntanamEastYouHoma kundamLeft handRight handStart hereDraw three lines in the sand in the homa kundam with a samit or darbha as follows (see next slide for details)Draw three lines from west to east, each line to the north of the previous lineDraw three lines from south to north, each line to the east of the previous lineThen sprinkle akshata at the middle of each line chanting mantras shown later, one mantra for each line, in the order in which they are drawnStep 3The arrows should not be drawn; they are just meant to show the direction in which the lines should be drawnThe numbers should not be written; they are just meant to show the order in which the lines are to be drawnFigure for the Lines453621Eastom brahmaNe namaH om yamaaya namaH om somaaya namaH om rudraaya namaH om viShNave namaH om indraaya namaH Mantras for AkshataChant each of the following mantras while performing the specified action with your right hand fingersom sahasraarchiShe hRdayaaya namaH Touch the center of the chest, at the height of the heart, with the tips of the fingers excluding the thumbom svasti puurNaaya shirase svaahaa Touch the front of the head, just above the forehead, with the tips of the fingers excluding the thumbom uttiShTha puruShaaya shikhaayai vaShaT Touch the back of the head, two inches above the neck, with the thumbStep 4: Shadanga Nyasa -- 1om dhuumavyaapine kavachaaya hum Touch the left soulder with right palm and right shoulder with the left palm. The left hand should be over the right hand. Both elbows should face the ground.om sapta jihvaaya netra trayaaya vauShaT Touch the top of the left eye lid with the tip of the ring finger, top of the right eye lid with the tip of the thumb, and middle of the forehead with the middle finger.om dhanurdharaaya astraaya phaT Snap the fingers of your right hand and move your palm in a clockwise direction around the head (along a horizontal plane).Shadanga Nyasa -- 2Sprinkle akshata in the homa kundam edges at the locations specified on the next page for each mantra.om sahasraarchiShe hRdayaaya namaH om svasti puurnaaya shirase svaahaa om uttiShTha puruShaaya shikhaayai vaShaT om dhuumavyaapine kavachaaya hum om sapta jihvaaya netra trayaaya vauShaT om dhanurdharaaya astraaya phaT Step 5Locations for Placing AkshataEastYou165432666Chant the mantra once, while placing akshata in four places, for mantra #6Draw agnichakra in the sand of the homa kundam using a samit or a darbhaIt consists of the following figures, drawn over each other; details are given in the next few slidesAshtakona an 8-cornered figure consisting of two squaresShatkona a 6-cornered figure consisting of two trianglesTriangle

Step 6: Draw AgnichakraAshtakona18765432The numbers should not be written; they are just meant to show the locations for some offeringsEastShatkona123456The numbers should not be written; they are just meant to show the locations for some offeringsEastTriangle9The number should not be written; it is just meant to show the location for an offeringEastAgnichakraFirst draw the ashtakona. Then draw the shatkona inside it. Finally draw the triangle inside the shatkona.EastDraw an imaginary agnichakra in the air while reciting the mula mantraTake your right hand near your nose and check which nostril gives more air; keep the corresponding palm below the other palm, both palms facing down, and use the ring finger of the lower palm to draw the agnichakraAssume that there is a square around the triangle in the agnichakra (dont actually draw this square) as shown belowChant the mantras given on the next page, and for each, place akshata in the location mentioned in the figureStep 7East679284531This is called peeTa shaktiThis figure shows relationship of the peeTa shakti to the triangleom peetaayai namaH om shvetaayai namaH om aruNaayai namaH om kRShNaayai namaH om dhuumraayai namaH om teevraayai namaH om sphulinginyai namaH om ruchiraayai namaH om jvaalinyai namaH Mantras for Step 7Place akshata at location 9 of the agnichakra triangle, with each of the following mantrasom tam tamase namaH om ram rajase namaH om sam satvaaya namaH om aam aatmane namaH om am antaraatmane namaH om pam paramaatmane namaH om hreem jnanaatmane namaH Step 8Bring agni (fire) in a small plate and place it, along with the plate, in the southeast corner of the homa kundamBurn the tip of a darbha or samit in agni, say phat (), and discard it in the southwest direction, in order to remove any negative energy from agni Look at agni and chant the mula mantraSprinkle water on agni and say phat () or astraaya phat ( ) while hitting the homa kundam with the darbha setThis removes defectsSay hum () and snap fingersStep 9: Samskara ChaturthyamChant the following mantraom ram vaishvaanara jaataveda ihaavaha lohitaakSha sarva karmaani saadhaya svaahaa Imagine the divine agni going up through all the chakras of the spline, then coming out through the forehead, and joining the physical agni in the agni platePlace agni, along with the plate, on the agnichakraStep 10Say kavachaaya hum ( ) and place two samits in agniStand and meditate on agni chanting the mantra:om agnim prajvalitam vande jaatavedam hutaashanam. svarNa varNam amalam samiddham vishvato mukham Sit and chant the following mantrasom uttiShTha puruSha harita pingala lohitaakSha sarva karmaani saadhaya me dehi taapaya svaahaa om chitpingala hana hana daha daha pacha pacha sarvajna aajnaapaya svaahaa Step 12Move agni in a clockwise direction around the homa kundam three times, chanting hreem () once each timeStep 13Place akshata on agni with each mantras on the next pageIn the namakaranam step, name the agni after the deity to whom homam will be performedFor example, Ganapati iti namakaranam kalpayami for GanapatiGanapati replaces mentioned on the next pageAfter the samskaras are over, sprinkle water in a clockwise direction around the outside of the homa kundam, chanting the mula mantra Do this three timesStep 14 Samskarasom garbhaadaanam kalpayameeom pumsavanam kalpayameeom seemantonnayanam kalpayameeom jaatakarmam kalpayameeom iti naamakaraNam kalpayameeom annapraashanam kalpayameeom chaulam kalpayameeom upanayanam kalpayameeom godaanam kalpayameeom vivaahaadi karmaaNi kalpayameeMantras for Samskaras Samskara Mantras in DevanagariMeditate on agni while chanting the followingtriNayanam aruNaa baddha maulim sushuklaam shukam aruNam anekaakalpam ambhoja samstham abhimata varashaktim svastikaabheeti hastam namata kanaka maalaa alankRtaam sam KRshanum

Step 15Add askhata (a couple of grains each time) with the following mantras, in the locations specified on the ashtakona of the agnichakraom jaatavedase namaH om saptajihvaaya namaH om havya vaahanaaya namaH om ashva udraaya namaH om vaishvaanaraaya namaH om kaumaaratejase namaH om vishva mukhaaya namaH om teva mukhaaya namaH Step 16Add askhata with the following mantras, in the locations specified on the shatkona of the agnichakraom sahasraarchiShe hRdayaaya namaHom svasti puurNaaya shirase svaahaaom uttiShTha purushaaya shikhaayai vaShaTom dhuumavyaapine kavachaaya humom sapta jihvaaya netra trayaaya vauShaTom dhanurdharaaya astraaya phaTStep 17 Step 17 Mantras in DevanagariPlace akshata in location 9 of the triangle of the agnichakra while chanting the following.om vaishvaanara jaataveda ihaavaha lohitaakSha sarva karmaani saadhaya svaahaa Step 18Cover the utensil containing ghee with the right hand and chant the mula mantra eight times.Step 19: Ajya SamskaramPurify the dharvis (ladles) by showing them over agniSprinkle water on the dharvisOffer ghee to agni using the smaller dharvi (known as shruk) while chanting the mantras on the next page, in the locations specified below inside the homa kundamThis substep is called agni jihva (tongue)The numbers are not actually written in the homa kundamStep 20East6724531om hiraNyaayai namaH svaahaa, hiraNyaayaa idam namamaom kanakaayai namaH svaahaa, kanakaayaa idam namamaom raktaayai namaH svaahaa, raktaayaa idam namamaom kRShNaayai namaH svaahaa, kriShNayaa idam namamaom suprabhaayai namaH svaahaa, suprabhaayaa idam namamaom atiraktaayai namaH svaahaa, atiraktaayaa idam namamaom bahuruupaayai namaH svaahaa, bahuruupaayaa idam namama

Agni Jihva Mantras , , , , , , , Agni Jihva Mantras in DevanagariOffer ghee to agni three times with each of the following mantras om vaishvaanara jaataveda ihaavaha lohitaakSha sarvakarmaaNi saadhaya svaahaa, agnaya idam na mamaom uttiShTha puruSha harita pingala lohitaakSha sarva karmaani saadhaya me dehi taapaya svaahaa, agnaya idam na mamaom chitpingala hana hana daha daha pacha pacha sarvajna aajnaapaya svaahaa, agnaya idam na mama

Step 21 , , ,

Step 21 Mantras in DevanagariMeditate on the deity for whom homam is being performedChant his mantra, such as gananam tva for Ganapati and prano devi for SarasvatiExhale (through the nose) on to a flower or akshata and place that in agniStep 22Invoke the deity by chanting the following mantrasom lam prithivyaatmane gandham kalpayaameeom ham aakaashaatmane pushpaiH puujayaameeom yam vaayavaatmane dhuupam kalpayaameeOm ram agnayaatmane deepam kalpayameeom vam amRtaatmane amRtam mahaanaivedyam kalpayaamee (offer ghee to agni with this)om sam sarvaatmane sarvopachaaraan kalpayaameeStep 23: Panchopachara Puja Step 23 Mantras in DevanagariPerform the main homam by offering ghee chanting appropriate mantras for the deity with each offering and saying svaahaa () at the end of each, followed by the name of the deity and idam na mama ( )For example, gaNapataye idam na mamaWe can use either vedic mantras, puranic mantras, bija mantra, or mula mantraPurusha suktam can be used for any deityWe can sprinkle food with water while chanting the mula mantra and offer it in agniFood has to meet the usual requirements for offering to agni, such as no onions, etcOthers can also offer ahuti, with ghee, nowStep 24: HomamSit and perform mahavyahriti homam using mantras of the 4th prashna of the mahanarayana upanishad, offering ghee in agni with each mantraThese mantras are in the last paragraph of vyahruti homa mantras, page 40, of the Mantra Pushpam book by Ramakrishna Mutt Exclude svadhaa pitRbhya If you dont know the above mantras, then at least offer ghee with the following mantrasom bhuuH svaahaa om bhuvaH svaahaa om suvaH svaahaa Offer all the ghee with om bhuur-bhuvas-suvas-svaahaa ( )

Step 26: Mahavyahruti HomamPlace dry coconut and dry fruits in a clothHold the above with the big dharvi (ladle) below and the small dharvi aboveChant the mula mantra or vedic mantra for the deityThe mantra puurNamidam can be chanted, alternativelyOffer the cloth, including its contents, in agni, saying vauShaT ()Step 25: PurnahutiChant the mula mantra or yajnena yajnam ayajanta devaH sadhya santi devaH from the purusha suktamTransfer the divine energy from agni to the whole cosmos, or to yourself, or to all who have come for the homamIf you had invoked the deity separately in a kalasham, then you can transfer it to the water in the kalasham.MeditateChant some shanti mantras, such as tachchham yoraavriNeemahe or perform arati to bhagavanGive prasadam to allStep 27: Samyojanam