VI madhyamaà srathäya

athaù viñëo vrate vayaà

tava anägasaù çriyai syäma

“Slip the noose of Varuëa, the impediments in life, from the upper part of my body, from the lower part of my body and from the middle. Then let us, free from sin, be fixed in performing service to You, for the welfare of all.”

The äcärya should throw the student’s daëòa into the fire.

The äcärya should perform Vyasta Samasta Mahävyähåti Homa and should throw ghee-soaked wood of prädeça length into the fire silently.

He should perform Ñäöyäyana Homa, Vämadevya Gäëam and the other rites of Udicya Karma

The brahmacäré should feed the assembled vaiñëavas, then he should take a meal himself.

Shaving his head and face, cutting his nails, he should then bathe, put on two pieces of new cloth and ornaments.

He should put on two yajïopavétas, saying:

oà sanandana åñiù

gäyatré chandaù

çré hariù devatä

samävartane yajïopavéta-dharaëe viniyogaù

oà yajïopavétaà asi yajïasya tvä yajïopavétena upanahyämi

“You are the thread for yajïa. I bind you with this thread for performing yajïa.”

He should put on a garland saying;

oà karabhäjana åñiù

gäyatré chandaù

çré bhägavaté devatä

srag bandhane viniyogaù

oà çréù asi mayi bhägavaté ramasva

“You are prosperity. Establish that in me.”

He should put on shoes, saying:

oà jamadagni åñi

Viräò gäyatré chandaù

çré upendräcyutau devate

upänata-paridhäne viniyogaù

oà netrau stho nayata mäm

“You are my eyes. Please lead me to the Supreme Lord.”

He should receive a bamboo daëòa of his own height saying:

oà parameçvara åñiù

gäyatré chandaù

çré keçavo devatä

daëòa-grahaëe viniyogaù

näräyaëasyas tvaà vihito gandharvo’si upamä ava

“You are made by Näräyaëa. You are the revealer of truth. Please be favorable to me.”

He should place (tie) his deerskin and old yajïopavéta on the daëòa.

He should go and look at the äcärya, saying:

oà sanandana åñiù

triñöup chandaù

çré éçvaräcäryo devatä

äcäryapariñad békñaëe viniyogaù

oà yakñam iva cakñusaù priyo vo bhüyäsam

“Let me be graced by you, by your glance upon me.”

He should sit beside the äcärya and place the fingers of his right hand in front of his mouth, so that the breath touches his hand. He should say:

oà karabhäjana åñiù

sävitré chandaù

sanätano devatä

mukhya-präëa-sparçane viniyogaù

oà oñöhäpidhänä nakulé danta parimitaù pariù

jihve mä vihvalo väcaà cäruà ädyeha vädaya

“Oh tongue, covered by fickle lips and surrounded by teeth, do not stray, speak sweet words for me here today.”

The äcärya should worship the graduate by washing his feet etc.

The graduate should approach a cart yoked with two cows. He should touch the two poles which fix the yoke to the cart and mount the car, saying the three lines of the verse:

oà närada åñiù

anuñöup chandaù

çré viñëuù devatä

rathäbhimarñaëe viniyogaù

oà vanaspate védvaìgo hi bhüyäù

asmatsakhä prataraëaù suvéraù

gobhiù sannadho’si véòayasva

“Oh Lord of the forest, be steady. Oh friend to us, yoked to the cows, full of strength, you lead us to the Lord. Impart strength to us.”

He should sit on the cart saying the last line of the verse:

oà parameçvara åñiù

gäyatré chandaù

çré viñëuù devatä

rathäbhimarñaëe viniyogaù

oà ästhätä te jayatu jetväni

“May he who has mounted you (the cart) conquer the enemies.”

Driving the cart to the East or North he should go some distance, then turn to the right and return towards the äcärya.

The äcärya should worship him again with footwash etc.

The father (of the graduate) should offer the äcärya and vaiñëava brähmaëas dakñiëä. Everyone should be fed. To allay any offenses, the participants should perform Kåñëa Näma Japa and pay obeisances to Kåñëa and the Vaiñëavas.

This is the Samävartana rite.

Thus ends the book “Sat Kriyä Sära Dépikä”.

GLOSSARY:

Agnikona - the South-East corner.

Ahuti - the oblation offered in the sacrificial fire.

Akñata - unbroken rice grains mixed with tumeric, used in the svasti väcana.

Caru - oppulent, thick sweet-rice cooked with rice, milk, ghee, raisins, cashews, sugar, etc.; used as oblations in the yajïa. Before offering, plenty of warm ghee should be poured on the top.

Dakñiëä - the donation offered by the yajamäna to the priests who perform the sacrifice.

Dürva - a type of grass that is considered sacred and is praised throughout the Vedas and Puräëas.

Éçänakona - the North-East corner.

Khadéra - jackfruit wood.

Kuça - a sacred grass used in Vedic ceremonies. The Puräëas mention that kuça is the bodily hair of Yajïa-Varäha.

Kuçandikä - the opening rituals of a yajïa.

Pradeça - a measurement of twelve fingers (aprox.nine inches) measured from the tip of the small finger to the tip of the thumb of the out-stretched palm.

Prokñana - païcarätrika method of purifying objects by sprinkling with sanctified water.

Saìkalpa - a vow or determination to please the Lord by the performance of a ceremony, in which the reciter promises to complete on a certain month, tithi, day, etc.

Udicya karma - the closing rites of a yajïa.

Viniyoga - when uttering any vedic mantra, as a rule one should first identify it by the åñi who preserved it, by the chandaù (metre), by the Deity being invoked in the mantra, and by the present application of the mantra. The purpose of this system is to guarantee that one understands the meaning, function, heritage and correct intonation of the mantra. This use of the viniyoga is optionally chanted during a ceremony, however, it will not be recited during performance of a yajïa according to the Näräda Saàhitä.

APPENDIX I

Yajïa And Its Origins

“Yajïa” is the Vedic method of worshipping Viñëu by offerings of ghee, grains, spices, fruit, etc. into the sacred fire accompanied by the chanting of mantras. According to the Amar-koça, the word “yajïa” is derived from the Sanskrit root “yaja” - to worship. In the Puruña Sükta (Åg Veda 10.19.16), we read that when the demigods, after being created by the Lord, desired to worship Him through the system of yajïa. By their will and contemplation, they offered the Lord Himself as the first oblation for the creation of the universe; this was the first yajïa (“yat puruñena haviñä devä yajïam atanvata”) and from it emerged the first elements of life (“täni dharmäni prathamän yä san”). Furthermore, the Puräëas describe how all yajïas have their basis in the Supreme Lord; “yajïa varähasya çaréram yajïatam ägat”, all varieties of yajïas emerged from the body of Yajïa-Varäha.

The Fire

Yajïa involves the installation and worship of the fire-god, Agni. The first mantra of the Åg Veda addresses him as “Hota” or “the chief sacrificial priest”. It is his service to act as the mouth of Viñëu, the consuming agent, who carries the offerings to the Lord. It is thus described, that the wood of the fire is Agnideva’s ears, the smoke his nostrils, the small flames his eyes, the coals his head and the fully blazing flames his tongue. Thus, the best offering is to Agni’s tongue.

The fire for the yajïa , may come from a brähmaëa's house (meaning from his daily household yajïa), from the lamp in the Deity-room, produced by the chanting of mantra, churned from the araëi sticks or by placing camphor on a pure bell-metal plate and igniting it by the use of a magnifying glass directing light from the sun.

During the kuçandikä rites, for various ceremonies and saàskäras, different forms of Agni are called to carry the oblations to the Lord -