Manual for the Performance of Planetary Sacrifice

Ko. 192

While the chanting is being performed, the primary ritual is the HomaA fire sacrifice where offerings are poured into a consecrated flame. numbering ten million oblationsOfferings, typically of ghee or grain, cast into the fire., ending with the final offering. The procedure is as follows:

For the syllable Om, the RishiA "seer" or sage to whom a specific mantra was originally revealed. is the Lotus-born Brahma; the Deity is the Supreme Soul; the Meter is the Goddess GayatriOne of the most sacred and common meters in Vedic poetry, consisting of 24 syllables..

For the "Great Mystical Utterances" (Maha-vyahritisThe sacred sounds 'Bhur', 'Bhuvah', and 'Svah', representing the earth, atmosphere, and heavens.), namely Bhur, Bhuvah, and Svah: the Seers are Jamadagni, Bharadvaja, and Bhrigu. The Deity is Prajapati (the Lord of Creatures). The Meters are the Goddess Gayatri, Ushnik, and TrishtubhSpecific rhythmic structures used in Vedic chanting..

For the verse beginning "The Head..."original: "Murdhanam...": the Seer is Bharadvaja; the Deity is AgniThe god of fire and the mediator between gods and humans.; the Meter is Trishtubh. This is the ritual application (Viniyoga).

Having understood the meter, seer, deity, and application in this way, the twenty RitvijasTrained priests who perform the various roles in a Vedic sacrifice. should offer fifty oblations each into the previously mentioned fire pits, using the complete mystical utterances beginning with "Om" and ending with "Svaha": "Om Bhur Bhuvah Svah Svaha." They should offer the YajusSacrificial formulas or prose mantras..

Then, using clarified butter taken four times in a ladle, they should offer three final oblations in a continuous stream into each fire pit once, using the mantra "The God, the messenger..."original: "Devo aratim...". The priests should perform the sacrifice in all the fire pits in this manner repeatedly until the count of ten million is completed. The Mukhya AcharyaThe head preceptor or lead priest who supervises the entire ceremony. 13 shall stand as the overseer of the sacrificial acts.

Every single day, before the sacrifice performed by the Acharya, there must be worship of the Sun and the other planetary deities with offerings such as sandalwood paste and other materials. Daily, for the priests, sipping water twice for purification (Achamana) at the start of the sacrifice and the chanting of the declaration of an auspicious day (Punyahavachana) are mandatory. A sacrifice to GanapatiGanesha, the remover of obstacles, traditionally worshipped at the start of any Hindu ritual. also takes place there.

The count of the offerings must be performed with a very attentive mind, using the beads of a rosary provided by the YajamanaThe patron or host who sponsors the sacrifice.. They should also perform the sacrifice for the Graha YajnaA ritual dedicated to the nine planets (Navagraha) to ensure their favor..

Among the twenty priests, if any one of them must leave his fire pit to answer the call of nature or for any other reason, the sacrifice in that specific pit must pause until his return. Upon the completion of every thousand oblations, the procedure for a final offering (Purnahuti) is carried out for each pit.

Until the ritual is finished, the patron and the priests must adhere to the primary discipline: eating only HavishyaSimple, pure food fit for a sacrifice, usually avoiding salt, spices, and meat. and maintaining BrahmacharyaA state of ritual purity and celibacy.. Until the completion of the work, the Acharya should daily provide food and gifts, and distribute meals to the blind and the needy.

Then, on an auspicious day after the completion of the counts for the fire pits (starting from the east), the Acharya should offer a single oblation in the head preceptor’s pit using sesame seeds mixed with astringent decoctions, in the name of the deities of the Sarvatobhadra MandalaA "perfect-on-all-sides" sacred geometric diagram used to invoke a host of deities..

Then, in all the fire pits, they should perform the household sacrifice using sesame mixed with barley, amounting to one-tenth of the total count. Following this, the nine-oblation atonement sacrifice (Prayashchitta Homa) and other acts according to one’s own Vedic branch (Shakha) are performed. For the established deities...