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The Vedangas are the limbs of Vedas which led the development of Vedic language. The Vedangas or auxiliaries to the Vedas are of six disciplines. These are Shiksha – Euphony & Pronunciation, Vyaakarna – Grammer, Chhandas – metre, Nirukta – Etymology, Jyotisha – Astronomy, Kalpa – Ritual & Traditions.
Foundation of Vedangas – As a part of evolution (Shiksha), the culmination of language as rhythms and meters (Chhanda), the realization of the causation (Karana) language systems as a deeper system of consonants, vowels, syntaxes and semantics (Vyakarana), the collapse of all that to a larger embedded pool of conscious flow of interdependence and etymons (Nirukta) leading to a Universal in a nutshell or seed Logos integrating time (Kalpa) and diverse manifestation (Jyotisha) is the whole foundation of Vedangas. Importance of the Vedangas - After thoroughly understanding of extensiveness and intensiveness of Vedangas, it can easily be concluded that Vedic language was developed to its pinnacle a few thousand years before Christ which even most developed & modern languages cannot touch upon. The Vedangas played an important role in maintaining the purity and integrity of the Vedic tradition. For centuries they taught and continue to teach Vedic students how to recite the Vedic hymns, understand their meaning and perform the various rituals and ceremonies strictly according to the established procedures. Their study inculcates among its students a sense of discipline and respect for tradition and helps them conduct themselves in society as upholders of the Vedic dharma and traditional family values. Shiksha – Education – Nose & Lungs of Vedas - Of the six organs of Vedas, the most primary Anga is Shiksha. Shiksha composed for pure pronunciation of Vedic Chants. It has focussed on Sanskrit letters, accent and melody. Just as the nose enables us to breathe which, in turn, sustains the life force, Shiksha is the life breath of the Veda mantras. It represents the study of sounds and pronunciation associated with each syllable that constitute the mantra. The Shiksha Shastra says that 51 syllables of Sanskrit language represent the various parts of Parashakti’s body and even define which syllables represents which part. Mantras can result only if the requirements of syllable and tonal purity is fully satisfied. Sounds of various languages have various effects. Unless Sanskrit language, the efficacy of sound of mantra is lost. Shiksha is driven by the phonetics and the phonology of pronunciation, as a process of internalization. The focus of Shiksha is on understanding the range and deep taxonomy of Sanskrit alphabets. Each letter of the Veda mantra must be uttered correctly within duration of time, as laid down. This is called Akshara Shuddhi – syllable purity. In addition to the time duration, there are rules as to the pitch of sound – high, middle or low. This is called Swara Shuddhi – tonal purity. Phonetics are most important in the case of the Vedic language, because we see that change in sound leads to change in results and effect. Hence, Shiksha which is Vedic Phonetics has been regarded as the most important of the six Angas (organs) of Veda Purusha. Lastly, duration (Matara) of sound – short and long, is important. Matters such as how to pronounce compound and compounded words without splitting them into syllables and certain guidelines necessary for those learning to chant Vedas are contained in the Shiksha Sastra. However, minor variations are permissible in tone and pitch. Chhandas – Metric Composition – Feet of Vedas - Chhanda represents the next step. The simple word analogous to Chhanda is chant. Chanda bounded all the rhymes and rhythmic system of Vedic chants properly. It has focussed on the poetic meters. With Chhanda, the Yogi gets an access to the mastery of rhyme and meter of the mantras. Vedas are mostly in verse-form (Chhandas). A verse has to have a specified ‘metre’ and number of letters in it, to obtain a good fit. All the Veda mantras in the form of poetry are ‘Chhandas’. The others, i.e. those which are not part of Vedas are called ‘Slokas’. Prose is called ‘Gadya’ and Chhandas (Poetry) is called ‘Padya’ in Sanskrit. Indra Vajra, Upendra Vajra, Sragdhara etc. are some of the many metres used in strotras and kaavyas. Eight syllables – Anushtup; Nine Syllables – Brhatee; Ten – Pagati; Eleven – Trishtup; Twelve – Jagati; twenty-six – Udkrti (Bhujanga Vijrmbhitam); Beyond twenty-eight – Dandakam. The letters in a certain metre go leaping like a tiger. This is called ‘Sardola Vikreeditam. The metre which sounds like a creeping snake is called ‘Bhujanga Prayatam’. The Soundarya Lahari of the Adi Shankaracharya is in the ‘Sikarini’ metre. Here each pada has 17 syllables. If the 17 syllables are split into 6 & 11, it is called ‘Sikharini’. In some poetic hymns, the 24-syllable Gayatri metre is split into four padas with six letters in each. Each mantra is dedicated to a Devata. Therefore, each mantra has a presiding deity. There is a chhandas especially for it and there is a rishi who gave it to the world. The rishi who brought it to the knowledge of the world is the rishi of the mantra. When one touches his head on repeating the name of the rishi, before starting the mantra, it is symbolically placing the feet of the sage on one’s head as a mark of reverence, because the mantras were made available to us only through sages. Vyaakarana – Grammer – Mouth of Vedas – Grammar simplified the usage of Vedic Chants and decoding their roots of words. grammar and linguistic analysis. It has focussed on grammatical rules. It also analysis the linguistics to establish the words and sentences form to express properly. Vyaakaraṇa means “separation, distinction, discrimination, analysis, explanation” of the constituent mantra. It is language analysis, which augments a writer or a composer to express his or her creative will be based on the norms of the Cosmic Word, and help a reader discriminate accurate language, from disjointed and disorganized ones. Language system therefore evolves to express the transient material world first. Thereafter, the objective is to express the subtle and the psychic feelings, which is next; and finally, to arrive at the flux of causation (Karana) by which the eternal human desire for understanding the full meaning of life and its position in the universe, are best targeted. Vyaakarana propounds the ‘Shabda Brahma Vaada’ – the theory that sound and infinite are inter-linked. When the sounds are properly understood and used as speech, we can not only communicate our thoughts but also strive for self-purification. Nataraja gave fourteen different beats or rhythmic sounds. With the aid of the fourteen sounds that were produced (on the damaru) at the time of the conclusion of the cosmic dance, Lord Shiva laid the foundation of the Vyaakarnas Sutras. The fourteen sutras were committed to the memory by Paanini and on that basis he wrote the basic text called ‘Ashtaashyaayi’ so called because it contains eight chapter. Niruktam – Etymology – Ears of Vedas Each sound has its root too. In English, only verbs have roots, not nouns. But in the Sanskrit, all words have roots. Nirukta break up each word into its component roots and analyses its meaning. Nirukta means “a system of expression which is uttered, pronounced, explained, expressed, defined, and made loud, with full awareness of its origin and the purpose of going away from that origin. It is like a movement from a Tree to its fruits, and the seed, from where the next Tree is re-sprouted. Thus, death and resurrection of a vegetation or agrarian cycle are also evident in the rules of the Cosmos. Jyotisha – Astrology – Eyes of Vedas Modern science merely indicates the planetary positions at various points of time. The science of astrology in conjunction with and based on astronomy, deals with the questions such as “How does it affect us”. On earth, the fate of man changes in the same way as the movement of planets. Lean times, prosperous periods, misery, happiness, high position, fall therefrom – such are the changing fortunes of man. Such changes are not confined only to man. Institutions and even countries have their run of good and bad times. The planetary disposition is determined by earlier karma. Disease appears and the mind is disturbed. Psychic forces also prevail. All these are the results of a single karma. This can be proved on the basis of each one of the causes attributed to the mishap. But the method of calculation used in planetary movements is the easiest. A sacrifice performed on the basis of the injunctions in regard to the proper structure and construction of the Yajna Vedi yields favourable results. So, it became necessary to accurately calculate these requirements to conform to specifications. On this account, mathematics has been developed as an auxiliary organ (Upaanga) of Vedas which contains Arithmetic, Geometry & Algebra. The origin of creation timed through astronomical calculations (Jyotisha) is said to near about the same time as what is arrived at by modern research. The Kaliyuga has 4,32,000 years. The Dwaperyuga has twice (8,64,000) years. Tretayuga has thrice (12,96,000) years. Kritayuga has four times (43,20,000) years. All the four together, called a Mahayuga, has 43,20,000 years. The duration of the reign of a Manu is called “Manvantaram”. A single manvantra has 71 chatur Yugas. One thousand such Mahayugas make the period of the reign of the fourteen Manus. Fourteen Manus constitute a day (which does not include his night). In other words, 86400 lac years constitute one year of Brahma. 365 such days constitute one year of Brahma. On this basis his life span is 100 such years. The duration of this Universe is the same. Kalpa – Rituals & Traditions – Arms of Vedas Kalpa focused on ritualistic events of life and discussed about different stages of life. It has standardized procedures for Vedic rituals. Specially for life events like birth, wedding and death in family. Kalpa has also discussed about different stages of his life. Kalpa became the most important Sanskrit word as it forwards a long scheme of the temporal scale of the Vedic time, scale and gravity. The wheel of Time is a system that is “proper, competent, and therefore sacred over time”. The dynamics of evolution and involution and the interrelationship between the two as the microcosm (pinda) and the macrocosm (Brahmanda) provides the causation of the ceremonial and the manifested over time. The chain of four quadrants, or the 12 suns or the signs of Zodiacs, represent the Shrauta sutras in Kalpa Shastras. Kalpa deals with matters such as how should a particular ritual be done; what functions or karma should be performed by man of each caste or verna or ashrams; which ritual involves which Mantra, which materials, which Devata; how many Ritviks (Priests) should be employed; what vessels of what shape and size should be used. The Kalpa Sutra detail the forty samskaras and eight Aatma gunas. Barring the fourteen Havir-Soma Yajnas, the remaining 26 are mentioned in the Grihya Sutra. The eight Aatma gunas are – compassion (daya), patience (Kshama), absence of anger & envy (Anasuya), cleanliness (Soucha), absence of obstinacy, sweet nature, lack of greed and absence of desire. Kalpa teaches us every job. How he should sit, how he should eat, how he should wear his clothes, how houses to be built and where agni to be lit for Homa. Reference - The Vedas – by Pujasri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi
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Hinduism has eighteen fundamental knowledge sources (Vidyas). Of which are four Vedas, six Vedangas, four Upangas and four upvedas. The original author and direct prophet is the Trident-handed Shiva. These are -
The Vedas are the revelations, also called Shrutis (heard through Guru-Disciple tradition). The Dharma Shastras are called Smritis (remembered & expounded by the several rishis) and are the Institutes of sacred law. Before Upanayana and study of Vedas, Dharma Shastra should be taught and also Yama & Niyama be followed. Yama - not killing, veracity, not stealing, continence and not coveting. Niyama - Religious observances are purification, contentment, austerity, prayer and persevering devotion to the Lord. Dharma shastras alone make Vedic sutras understandable and explain beyond doubt. The role of the Dharma Shastras is to analyse and explain in great detail the Vedic injunctions which are to some extent codified in the kalpa. If kalpa talks namely of the area of the sacrificial site, house plan etc. the Dharma Shastra lays down the code of conduct for man covering all aspects of life. Maharishis who have mastered the Vedas have written what are called “Smritis”. Smriti is Dharma Shastra. Smritis teach people how they have to spend their whole life. The Smritis prescribe certain acts and prohibit some others for a Hindu, according to his birth and stage of life. The object of the Smritis is to purify the heart of man and take him gradually to the supreme abode of immortality and make him perfect and free. These Smritis have varied from time to time. The injunctions and prohibitions of the Smritis are related to the particular social surroundings. As these surroundings and essential conditions of the Hindu society changed from time to time, new Smritis had to be compiled by the sages of different ages and different parts of India. The good and evil acts — dharma and adharma— lawful and unlawful deeds, constitute the seed or Karma, from which grow the three-fold results, namely, high or low birth, long or short life period and happiness or sufferings. The five pains are Ne-science, Egoism, Love, Hatred, and Death Terror. The Ne-science is false belief, taking the impure for pure, the non-eternal for eternal, the sorrowful for bliss, and the non-Self for the Self. The God whose form is invisible, who is comprehended only through love, who is pure Intelligence, is designated by “OM”. Contents of Dharma Shastras – Dharma Shastras contain the Dharma which are the codes of law i.e., the duties associated with the four castes / professions; procedures for performing 16 Sanskars from birth to death, various rituals & worship systems (containing Sankalpa, Worship of deities, Pranayama, Nyasa, Dhayana, Avahana, Mantra, Naivedaya & Prayer), guidelines for personal purity & conduct, householders, women, donations & gifts, four stages of life, family, society etc. and prohibitions such as not taking wine in food habits. There are six topics of Dharma of which the Smritis treat.
Exponents of Dharma Shastras – Manu (200-300 CE), Parasara, Yajnavalkya (300-400 CE), Gautama (600-400 BC), Harita, Yama, Vishnu (700 CE), Sanka, Likhita, Brihaspati, Daksha, Angiras, Prachetas, Samvarta, Asanas, Atri, Aapasthamba (450-350 BC), Satatapa – these 18 Maharishis had grasped the contents of all the Vedas through their superhuman powers and have given us their compilation in the form of Dharma Shastra.
List of Smritis - Devala gives the following list of the Dharma-Shastras: — 1. Mann, 2. Yama, 8. Vasistha, 4. Atrl, 5. Daksa, 6. Vishnu, 7. Angira, 8. Usana 9, Vakpati, 10. Vyasa, 11, Apastamba, 12. Gautama, 13. Katyayana, 14. Narada, 15. Yajnavalkya, 16. Parashara, 17. Samvarta, 18. Sankha, 19. Hairita, 20, Likhita. In this list Narada is an addition, while in the Yajnavalkya's list we have Satatapa instead. There are also opinions that Smritis or Dharma-Shastras are 36 in number or 24 in number. In Angiras we also find Upa-Smritis (jabali, Nachiketa, Chbandas, Laugaksi, Kashyapa, Vyasa, Sanat Kumara, Satadru, Janaka, Vyaghra, Katyayana, Jatukarnya, Kapinjala, Baudhayana, Kanada and Visvamitra). In Hemadri Dana Khanda the following more are enumerated. Vatsa, Paraskara, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, Risyashringa, Atreya, Babhru, Vyaghra, Satyavrata, Bharadvaja, G§,rgya, Karsnajini, Laugaksi, and Brahma-Sambhava.  Ved means knowledge. Vedas contain not just spiritual wisdom, but sufficient insight in practical life. Vedas propound the concept of universal brotherhood.
Vedas are eternal and without beginning and end are the laws laid down by God. We are the subjects; He is the king. He has appointed many officials. The task of administering the entire creation has been entrusted to many Devatas such as Indra, Vayu, Varuna, Agni, Yama, Easaana, Kubera, Nivruti etc. They must have a code of laws to govern all the beings in the fourteen worlds. This is contained in the Vedas. On analysing the Vedas, we can determine how we should conduct ourselves and how the Devatas enforce the rules. In our work-a-day world, the resolution of mundane disputes is done by judges. The lawyers analyse the issue involved as per the law of land and the judges give the decision. Likewise, Jaimini has determined the meaning and implications of the Vedic laws which govern the actions of men. Vedas believe in non-violence and prohibit all kinds of animal killings and appeal for compassion for all living beings. Vedas are first and most vocal advocates of green technology and save environment. Why Vedas are called oldest - Vedas contain oldest knowledge provided to the humankind by the Bharat. As per the estimates by the historians, Vedas trace back at least a few thousand years before the birth of Christ. The language of Vedas is highly developed as these were revealed at the time when humankind has been in the early ages. Why Vedas are called Divine – Vedas have been heard during deep meditation by the enlightened rishis (ancient Hindu scientists) from the Supreme Being. Hence the Vedas are called Shruti (heard) and Aporushyeya or of divine origin. As modern scientists have only discovered laws of nature. Likewise, ancient rishis and seers have discovered the Vedas and mantras. The Vedas also contain certain great truths or ‘Paramataatparya’ which have to be accepted in toto. Why Vedas are called comprehensive Manual of life - The Vedic laws regulate the social, legal, domestic and religious customs and rites of the Hindus even to the present day. Vedas guides the actions of the person from the moment of the birth to the moment he breathes his last and thereafter to ensure his salvation. It does not stop at individual salvation. Vedic codes guides about the conduct to various sections of society, the king, women etc. All the Vedas have a common goal, viz. to ensure the well-being of the universe and to help everyone towards material and spiritual progress. Mention is also made of how the soul enters the body, what happens eventually to the body, how the soul enters another body again etc. Further, the Vedas also deal with various kinds of medical treatment to ensure bodily health, and methods to pacify enemies and to avert the harm contemplated by them. What are the methods of Vedic Worship – Apart from yajnas and method of worship, the Vedas also mention many methods of meditation and prayer (Upasana), of Dhayana or meditating in solitude etc. Even one mantra is sufficient for an evolved soul to realise the truth. But a normal common soul has to resort to a multitude of karmas, observances, chanting and meditation to reach that state. Each mantra has a special requirement for itself. If this is not followed the potency of the mantra so far as that person is concerned become weak. If a mantra is recited during eclipse, for example, its potency is said to increase. An entire Saakha of the Vedas has been devoted for spelling out the nature and effect of mantras and for the ‘Vedavit’ i.e. one who is proficient in the Veda, to attain self-realisation. Which are the Vedic Gods - Vedic Gods belong to the three regions. Agni, Apah, Prithivi and Soma belong to the terrestrial region. The Gods belonging to atmospheric region are Indra, Vayu, Rudra, Marut, Parjanya. The Gods of celestial region are Surya, Mitra, Varuna, Dyuh, Pushan, Savita, Aditya, Ashvins, Ushas and Ratri. The hymns of the Rigveda were almost all composed in praise of the Vedic gods. The gods here are however personalities presiding over the diverse powers of nature or forming their very essence. They have therefore no definite, systematic and separate characters like the Greek gods or the gods of the later Indian mythical works, the Puranas. The powers of nature such as the storm, the rain, the thunder, are closely associated with one another. In the Puranas the gods lost their character as hypostatic powers of nature, and thus became actual personalities and characters having their tales of joy and sorrow. The Vedic gods may be contrasted with them in this, that they are of an impersonal nature, as the characters they display are mostly but expressions of the powers of nature. How is the Vedic Worship done - In Vedas, Yajna or fire worship and not idol worship is done. Fire stands for the awakening the soul. Thus, the supreme importance of all the Vedas is to make us realise by our own experience that all is Brahman and thus lead us to a state of bliss. Yajna or performance of Vedic ritual is one of the most important of the Vedic injunctions. Yajna is offering oblations to various divinities instead of to one God, but ultimately, surrendering the fruit of the action to one God. Serving the divinities who are amongst God’s creations by yajna earns for us God’s grace. God manifested through many divinities to regulate the management of universe. Performance of Yajna without the expectation of personal reward would lead to clarity of vision and purity of the mind. The chanting of mantras in a yajna is like writing the address on the postal envelope. Only if oblations are made with the chanting, would Agni carry the message to the Devas. Mantras are the forms in sound (Shabda Roopa) of the Devas. The sacrificial fire converts the oblation to a subtle state before carrying to Devas. This transformation is due to the power of the mantras. For each ritual, there is a separate mantra, Devata, sacrificial object, time etc. The Devas do not have physical bodies and hence can’t consume material food. In mantras, there are what are called “Beej Aksharas” (Seed words). Just as a huge tree is contained in a small seed, these Aksharas are packed with limitless power. If these Aksharas are repeated several hundred thousand times with single minded concentration, we can absorb and feel the great power what it contains. Devata in return of Yajnas performed grant well-being. But no bliss is equal to what the Atman experiences. Veda (karma Kanda) exists for the sole purpose of preparing one for Vedanta (Upanishads or Jnana Kanda). By the process of systematic purification through Veda Karmas, he attains a state where he can seek and tread the path of Vedanta which leads to ‘Mukti’. Therefore, first comes Karma. Devata worship is certainly necessary in the beginning to get material benefits. But it should be understood that this is only the first step towards the realisations that Devata that is worshipped and worshipper are not essentially different. If karmas are performed without expectation of results and solely for the glorification of God, it gives mental purity and leads to a place beyond the reach of three gunas (attributes). The performance of sacrifice, doing penance, giving in charity, renovating temples, digging wells for supply of water, social service, marriage rites and such duties are meant to lead to mental purity (Chitta Shuddhi) and study the wavering mind (Chitta Virtti Nirodha). The aim of the Vedas is to help one obtain Moksha whilst living in this world itself. What are the steps in Vedas - First is the study and recitation of the Vedas, then the yajnas and other rituals which he has to study and perform and the mantras relating to these. Next comes an enquiry into the purpose of yajnas and lastly, an enquiry into the Parmatama Tatva and bringing it within the range of actual experience. It is called ‘Vedanta’ because it contains the conclusion of the various metaphysical truths, viz. the realisation of the self which is the purport of the Vedas. In other words, it is the end of the Veda’s quest. It also appears at the end of the Vedas. What are the Sections of Vedas – Vedas have four parts – Samhitas, Brahmanaas, Aranyakas and Upanishads. If the Samhita is likened to a tree., the Brahmanaas are its flowers and Aranyakas are its fruit, in an unripen state, the Upanishads are the ripe fruits. Rig Veda and Sama Veda are wholly in verses. Although Yajur Veda has mantras in prose, they come interspersed with verses.
What contain the Vedas -
Reference - The Vedas – by Pujasri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi During the 7-8 chapters Section 7.1 of Vayaviva-saṃhita of Shiva Purana, Shiva informed about the glory of time. Role of Time - The universe is under the control of Kala. Kala is under the control of Shiva. Shiva is not subject to its control. Nobody is beyond death. Neither nobility of birth, nor good conduct nor strength nor skill is of any avail. Kala is unthwartable. No one dies or is born before time. No one flourishes well before the proper time. No one is happy or miserable before the time for it arrives. There is no object which is untimely. Kala is the cause of all births. Nimesa to Year - The basic unit of life is Nimesa. The time taken for the winking of an eye is Nimesa. Fifteen such Nimesas constitute one Kastha. Thirty such Kasthas make one Kala. Thirty Kalas make one Muhurta. Thirty Muhurtas make one day. Thirty days constitute one month of two fortnights. A month constituting the bright and dark halves is one day of the manes. Six months constitute one Ayana. Two Ayanas make a year. One human year constitutes one day and night for the celestials, Uttarayana being the day and Dakṣiṇayana the night. The divine month like the human month constitutes thirty days. The year of the gods constitutes twelve months. Three hundred and sixty human years make one divine year. Yuga to Kulpa - There are four Yugas. The first Yuga is Kṛta, then comes Treta. Dvapara and Kali are the other Yugas. Four thousand years constitute the Kṛtayuga. The period of four hundred years constitutes the intervening junction and a hundred-year period constitutes Sandhyaṃsha (a subdivision of the junction). In the three other yugas, their Sandhyas and Sandhyaṃshas the thousands and the hundreds become reduced by one. Thus, the twelve thousand years and the surplus period constitute a Caturyuga. A thousand Caturyugas constitute a Kalpa. Seventyone Caturyugas constitute a Manvantara. In a Kalpa there are fourteen such Manvantaras. In this order, hundreds and thousands of such Kalpas and Manvantaras have passed by this time. A Kalpa constitutes a day of Brahma. A thousand Kalpas make a year of Brahma. Eight thousand Brahma years make one Brahma Yuga. A thousand Brahma Yugas make one Savana of Brahma. Three thousand and three Savanas make the life time of Brahma. A day of Brahma’s life constitutes the life of fourteen Indras, a month of his life constitutes a four hundred and twenty Indras; a year of his life five thousand and forty Indras; his whole life five hundred and forty thousand Indras. A day of Vishnu is the life-time of Brahma. A day of Rudra is equal to the life-time of Vishnu. A day of Shiva is equal to the life-period of one Rudra. A day of Sadashiva is the life-period of Shiva. A day of Sakṣat Shiva is the life-period of Sadashiva. The life-time of the latter is equal to the life-period of five hundred and forty thousand previous deities. Parameshvara’s night shall be known to extend so long. His day is the period of creation. His night is the period of dissolution. But understand that he has neither day nor night as we conceive them. The subjects, the Prajapatis, the three deities, gods, Asuras, the sense-organs, the sensual objects, the five great elements, the subtle and gross elements, the cosmic Intellect, the deities, all these abide during the day of the self-possessed Parameshvara. They get dissolved at the end of the day. At the end of the night again begins the origin of the universe. Nakshatra (Constellations) & Zodiac
The Nakshatras are the fixed stars, asterisms or ‘lunar mansions’ in the zodiac. The term “Nakshatra” is a combination of two words – ‘Naks’ meaning sky and ‘Shetra” meaning region/area. Nakshatras (or Constellations) are ruled by the moon which is associated with our intellect, intuition, emotions & mind. In Vedic astrology, the zodiac of 360 degree has twelve rashis (signs) with 30-degree sections and is marked by 27 constellations or Nakshatras with 13.2 degree each. Both, signs and constellations start from the same point viz. the zero degree of the zodiac (Aries) and the first point of Ashwini. Moon shifts the houses approx. 2.3 days, means in 28 days all the signs in zodiac. Each sign is named after some animal. Each Nakshatra has resemblance to some shape (animal or others). They are assigned many different characteristics that include ruling planets, gender, temperament, symbols, deities, animal symbols and also syllables. Characteristics of Nakshatras:
Attributes of Nakshatras:
The chapters 2 to 7 in Section 7.2 of Vayaviya-saṃhita of Shiva Purana informed about Pashupata knowledge.
The teaching of the Pashupata system is for the total annihilation of all kinds of sorrow. When the disciple follows the ascetic practices recommended by the Lord, he attains liberation through His grace. Whereas the doctrine of karma propounds the theory of rebirth based on karmic account. But as per the Pashupata-sutra, liberation comes directly from the grace of Shiva. The word pashu is connected with the word pasha, which means “cause and effect”, and is technically also called kala. All animals are thus bound by cause and effect, the sense images and their objects, and become attached to them. Pashu, Pasha & Pashupati - Owing to ignorance, living beings are entangled in a circle of life and death. Every conscious being beginning with Brahma is called Pashu. Shiva, the lord of the gods and also known as Pashupati, binds the Pashus through the Pashas (strings or bonds) of dirt. The twenty-four principles, Maya, Karman and the three Guṇas are called Vishayas. These are the Pashas that bind the Pashus. After binding the Pashus, lord Shiva makes them do their respective duties. Shiva alone can cut off these bonds. That is the reason why He is called Pashupati. Generation of Pashas - At his behest Prakriti generates Buddhi befitting the Purusha. Buddhi (cosmic intellect) generates Ahankara (Ego). The ego generates the eleven sense-organs (five organs of knowledge, five organs of action and mind) and five Tanmatras. At his bidding the Tanmatras too, create the great Bhutas entirely in their order; the five Bhutas (earth, water, fire, air and space) create the physical bodies of all beings from Brahma to the grass. Intellect determines and resolves. Ego feels pride in and identifies with what is possessed. Consciousness observes and becomes conscious of things. Mind conceives and imagines. The organs of knowledge apprehend the objects separately. Shiva, the universal sustainer & destructor - It is only at the behest of the lord Shiva all Bhutas & deities perform their duties. Ether pervades all, yields space to the elements. The wind sustains the entire universe, internal and external, under different names of Praṇa, etc. The fire god bears offerings to the gods and oblations to the Pitrs. It facilitates cooking etc. The waters enliven all. The earth holds up the universe for ever. Indra protects the gods, kills the Asuras and guards the worlds. Varuṇa rules over the waters and binds those who are to be punished, by means of his noose. Lord of wealth, the lord of the Yakshas, distributes wealth to the living beings in accordance with their merit. Ishana bestows knowledge on the intelligent ones and affords them riches, and curbs the evil-doers. The earth is supported by Shesha. The Raudri and Tamasi form of Vishnu brings about destruction is created by the four-faced lord. At his behest, Shiva through other forms of his own, he protects the universe and annihilates it in the end. He protects, creates and devours the universe through his own three bodies. At his bidding alone Rudra annihilates the universe in the end. The Shiva, Atman of the universe, assuming three different forms creates and protects too. Time creates, protects and destroys at his behest. At his bidding with the three parts of his splendour, the sun supports the universe, commands the shower and rains in the heaven. At the behest of the moon-crested lord, the moon nourishes the plants, delights the living beings and is imbibed by the gods. Adityas, Vasus, Rudras, Ashvins, Maruts, heaven-walkers, Sages, Siddhas, Serpents, human beings, beasts, animals, birds, worms, immobile beings, rivers, oceans, mountains, forests, lakes, Vedas with their ancillaries, the scriptures, the compendiums of mantras, sacrifices, etc., the worlds beginning with Kalagni and ending with Shiva and their over-lords, the innumerable Brahmanḍas (galaxies), their coverings, the past, present and future, the quarters, interstices, the different units of time, Kala etc.—all these, whatever is seen or heard in the world, are presided over by the order of Shiva. It is through the power of his order that the earth, the mountains, clouds, oceans, luminary bodies, Indra and other gods, the mobile and immobile beings, sentient or non-sentient are sustained. Shiva, the Five Murtis - These shall be known as his Murtis whereby this universe is pervaded viz: —Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra, Maheshana and Sadashiva. Shiva, the Five Brahmans - There are Panchabrahmans viz. Ishana, Purusha, Aghora, Vamadeva and Sadyojata. Ishana, presides over the individual soul the enjoyer of Prakriti and the presiding deity of the ear speech, sound and the all-pervasive ether. Purusha presides over the unmanifest which is worthy of being enjoyed and which is in the form of the support of the Gunas and the presiding deity of the skin, hand, touch and Vayu. Aghora, of the trident-bearing lord, presides over the principle of cosmic intellect consisting of eight parts of Dharma etc and the presiding deity of the eye, leg, colour and fire. Vamadeva as the presiding deity of Ego and the presiding deity of the tongue, anus, taste and the waters. Sadyojata is the presiding deity of the mind and the presiding deity of the nose, sexual organ, smell and the earth. Shiva, the cause – The godhead is called Brahman because it is immense and it expands. There are two forms of lord Brahman viz. Vidya & Avidya. Vidya is Cetana (consciousness) and Avidya is Acetana (insentience). The universe too is in the form of Vidya and Avidya. Since he is the lord of the two, Shiva is called the lord of the Sat and Asat. Some say that he is in the form of Kṣara and Akṣara. The living beings are called Kṣara. Beyond the two is Shiva the quiescent. Shiva the great cause is the cause of both the universal and the individual. Eight Munis - The universe consists of eight Munis, of the primordial lord of the gods, which are Sarva, Bhava, Rudra, Ugra, Bhima, Pashupati, Ishana, and Mahadeva. The earth, waters, fire, wind, ether, souls, the sun and the moon are presided over by them respectively. Shiva, the possessor Shakti - This universe of the mobile and immobile beings is the cosmic body of the lord of the gods. The entire universe of the mobile and immobile beings is full of Shakti. Kala, the greatest Shakti of the great Atman, is called Para Shakti. Lord Shiva is Shaktimaan possessing the three Shaktis of knowledge, activity and wish. He pervades the universe for ever and stays. Shakti of knowledge is in the form of Buddhi and it determines its effect, instrument, cause and purpose factually. Shakti of activity in the form of conception formulates and evolves the effect—universe, in the manner wished for and in the manner determined. All men are identical with Shiva. All women are identical with Maheshvari. Hence all men and women are their exalted superhuman power. Goddess Maheshvari holds all objects of reflection. The reflector is the all-pervading Lord himself. Shiva, the Pradhana-Purusha-Vyakta-Kalatman - Shiva is also called Pradhana-Purusha-Vyakta-Kalatman. Pradhana is Prakriti. Purusha is the individual soul. The twenty-three principles constitute the Vyakta (manifest) Prakriti. Kala is the sole cause of the transformation of the effected creation. Hiranyagarbha is the cause of the worlds, Brahma etc., Viraṭ is the cosmic form or being. The sages are unable to determine the true nature of the lord due to the presence of different ideas and beliefs. When the seer sees the maker, the lord, golden in colour, the Purusha the origin of Brahma, he shakes off both merits and sins and becomes unsullied. He attains the great equality or union with the lord. Shiva of unmeasured brilliance there is no Kala or Kala; no Vidya or Niyati; neither lust nor hatred. He has no keen desire. He has neither happiness nor unhappiness; neither Karmans nor their after-effects; neither pleasure nor misery as a result of those Karmans. He has no cause or maker; he has no beginning no end nor the intervening space. He has no activity or instrument. He has neither birth nor death; neither expectation nor disinclination. He is not subject to injunctions or prohibitions; he has neither liberation nor bondage. Presiding over everything by means of his Shaktis, he is stationed without dropping his intrinsic nature. Hence, he is known as Shiva. Since the universe consisting of the mobile and immobile beings is presided over by Shiva, he is known as omniformed. In the beginning he was the instructor of the scriptural texts to the Brahmans born during the period of re-creation. He is not conditioned by time. He is the lord of all. He is the preceptor of all the preceptors, subject to the influence of Time. Shiva, the Pranava - Pranava is the greatest symbol of Shiva. The great Siddhi can be acquired by meditation on Pranava. The letter “A” is the Rigveda; “U” is the Yajurveda; “M” is the Samaveda and the Nada is the Atharvaveda. The letter “A” is the great Bija, Rajas and the creator, the four-faced lord. The letter “U” is Prakriti, the womb, Sattva and the protector Vishnu. The letter “M” is Purusha, the seed, the Tamas and the annihilator Rudra. Nada is the great Purusha, Isha, Shiva, devoid of Guṇas and activities. Realisation of Shiva - Though the Atman is sentient and experiences happiness and misery yet it is incapable of ruling. After these reflections those who meditate can realise the Shakti of the lord. Through this Shakti when their binding cords are cut, they can see the Shaktiman, the cause of all causes, through their divine eyes. He is incomprehensible and through this Shakti he presides over all causes, including the Time-soul. Through his grace, the great Yoga and the path of devotion they can attain the supreme divine goal. Their devotion is due to their grace and the grace is a result of devotion in view of the difference in states. Service with or without the ancillaries is called devotion. It is threefold due to the three means of mind speech and body. The meditation on Shiva’s form is mental service. Repetition of mantras is verbal service. The rites of worship constitute the physical service. This threefold service is called the holy rite of Shiva. It is of five kinds as explained by Shiva the great Atman. In brief they are penance, holy rites, repetition of mantras, meditation and knowledge. An intelligent man seeking welfare shall avoid too much adherence to sensual objects and increase devotion towards Shiva, the great cause. Story of Indra’s pride - After conquering the Asuras in the war formerly, the gods including Indra began to argue with one another “I am the victor, I am the victor”. Then lord Shiva assumed the guise of a Yaksha and stood in their midst devoid of his characteristic features in the limbs. He set a blade of grass on the ground and told the gods, “He who can deform this grass is the conqueror of the Daityas.” On hearing the words of the Yaksha, the thunderbolt-bearing consort of Shaci became infuriated. Smiling a little he attempted to take up the grass. When he could not lift it up, he hurled his thunderbolt at it in order to cut it. The thunderbolt coming into contact with the grass appeared to clash with a steel and fell aside. Then the guardians of the quarters and the worlds, of great strength exerted themselves and hurled thousands of their weapons at the grass-blade. The great fire blazed, the fierce wind blew and the lord of the waters swelled as if the hour of dissolution had arrived. Thus, everything initiated by the gods strenuously against the grass was a flop. It was due to the power of that Yakṣa alone. Then the infuriated lord of go is asked the Yaksha, “Who are you, sir?” Then even as they were watching, the Yaksha vanished. In the meantime, the goddess Haimavati bedecked in divine ornaments, appeared in the sky smiling and shining brilliantly. On seeing her the wonderstruck gods, Indra and others bowed to her humbly and asked, “Who is this uncommon Yaksha?” The goddess smiled and said — “He is invisible to you. He is the lord by whom this wheel of the world including the mobile and immobile beings, revolves. In the beginning the universe is created by him, and it is annihilated again by him. There is none to control him. Everything is controlled by him”. After saying this the great goddess vanished there itself. The surprised gods bowed to her and went to heaven. Story of Krishna’s son - Sri Krishnaa performed the Pashupatavrata and attained perfect knowledge. Sri Krishna of great prowess performed penance for the attainment of a son with Shiva and Parvati as the deity aimed at. Due to that penance, at the end of a year, lord Shiva, equipped with great splendour and accompanied by his Gaṇas and Parvati appeared there. Krishna eulogised him with palms joined in reverence. He obtained his son Samba of good qualities bequeathed by Shiva who was delighted by his penance. Since it was Shiva accompanied by Amba, who blessed him with a son, he named Jambavati’s son Samba. During the 1-13 chapters Section 7.1 of Vayaviva-saṃhita of Shiva Purana, Shiva informed about the philosophy on evolution and creation of living beings.
Shiva rules over all the worlds through the Jivas. He is the sole lord of infinite Shakti who presides over all causes and is released from Time—Death. He is the cause. He has no beginning, no end. His body is not the creation of Prakriti. He is both the liberated and liberator. He is not influenced by Time. Karma is merit and sin. The fruits are happiness and misery. The great Atman is comprehended only by the enlightened mind. It is neither woman nor man nor a eunuch. It is neither above nor below nor in the sides. It is nowhere. The Purusha becomes happy, miserable or deluded on becoming associated with the body. Cause of Evolution – Kapila discovered that when the unintelligent inert (Jada) i.e. unconscious Prakriti comes in contact with the intelligent conscious Purusha, evolution of the universe begins. Prakriti is illumined by a spiritual light of the Purusha, it becomes conscious, and that state is described as Mahat, the first state before the evolution of the phenomenal objects. Evolution of Physical World – The God Brahma created the Brahmaṇḍa, the cosmic egg. Vishnu broke it and the upper portion became the sky, the lower portion the earth and the netherworlds. Each Brahmaṇḍa is said to encompass fourteen realms or Lokas. Of these, the eighth from the bottom, called Mṛtyuloka, relates to the earth, where humans inhabit. Above Mṛtyuloka, the higher realms (jointly called ‘svarga’) are inhabited by devatas, seers and higher beings, while the lower regions (called ‘patala’ as a group) are inhabited by Daityas, nocturnal creatures, and lower beings. Individually, fourteen-realm Brahmaṇḍa is stated to have eight sheaths. These material components refer to, in ascending order, pṛthvi, jala, teja, vayu, akasha, ahaṃkara, mahattattva and prakṛti (i.e., both Pradhana-Prakriti and Mula-Prakriti). Evolution of Deities – The Shruti says that Shiva is superior to all; he creates Hiraṇyagarbha (Vishnu) the first among the deities. The Maya of Shiva is the unborn mother of the universe. By means of the fourteen attributes of the Atman Purusha pursues worldly activities. From Vairaja Purusha originates Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesha. Then from Brahma extends the rest of the creation for jivas (souls). Marichi, the first son of Brahma, and others like him who supervise the procreation and protection of life, and hence are called Prajapati (literally, ‘lords of the people’). Finally, from them are formed Indra and other devatas (divinities), Daityas (demons), humans, animals, vegetation, and all other moveable and immovable life-forms. Evolution of life elements – Brahma is the first embodied soul, called Purusha. He is the first creator of living beings. Brahma thus existed in the beginning. From him was born the cosmic intellect, the cause of virtue and prosperity, with the characteristics of wisdom and detachment. When cosmic intellect was agitated the ego was born. The ego was split into three. The ego split into the gross and subtle elements and the sense-organs. When the ego had the Sattva predominant the Satvik creation took place. The secondary creation took place simultaneously. Unmanifest becomes manifest through Kalas (Time). Briefly the unmanifest with its ramifications is as follows: —five subtle, five gross elements, five sense-organs of activity and the set of four, viz. Pradhana, intellect, ego and mind. When it is in the state of a cause, it is unmanifest; when it is in the state of an effect such as the body, pot etc, it is manifest. The five sense-organs, the five organs of activity and the eleventh the mind, originated. The mind is both an organ of knowledge and of activity. When the ego becomes associated with Tamas, the Bhuta tanmatras are born. Since it is the cause of Bhutas it is called Bhutadi. From this is born the Shabda tanmatra, from this the ether. From the ether the Sparsha tanmatra, from its Vayu, from Vayu the Rupa tanmatra, from this the Tejas, from Tejas the Rasa tanmatra is born. From Rasa the water; from this the Gandha Tanmatra is born, from this the Prithivi, from these elements the mobile and immobile beings are created. Since they are presided over by Purusha and blessed by Avyakta the principles beginning with Mahat and ending with Visheṣa generate the cosmic egg. Dissolution of universe takes place when there is equilibrium of the Guṇas (Satva, Rajas & Tamas). When this is upset, creation takes place. In each day in the life of Brahma, the fourteen Manus come and go. Creation through sexual means – Brahma could not create many living beings through asexual means. Hence, he made great penance of Shiva with the holy and excellent hymn “Ardhanarishvara Stotra” to create living beings through sexual means. Shiva granted the desire of Brahma. The excellent lord created Shakti, the goddess from a part of his body. At the instance of Brahma, she became the daughter of Daksha. From the woman-half was born Shatarupa. The man-half created Viraja, called Svayambhuva Manu, the first creation. They had two sons, Priyavrata and Uttanapada. She bore two daughters (Akuti and Prasuti). Lord Manu gave Prasuti to Daksha. Brahma gave Akuti to Ruci. Lord Daksha begot of Prasuti, the daughter of Svayambhuva, twenty-four daughters called the mothers of the world. Lord Dharma took thirteen of his daughters as his wives. They were Shraddha, Lakshmi, Dhrti, Puṣhti, Tushṭi, Medha, Kriya, Buddhi, Lajja, Vapu, Shanti, Siddhi and Kirti the thirteenth. The other eleven were Khyati, Sati, Asambhuti, Smrti, Priti, Kṣama, Sannati, Anasuya, Urja, Svaha and Svadha. The sages Bhṛgu, Sarva, Marici, Angiras, Pulaha, Kratu, Pulastya, Atri, Vasiṣṭha, Pāvaka and the Pitṛs married them. Thirteen sons beginning with Kama and ending with Yashas were begotten by Dharma of Śraddhā and others happy and conducive to happiness. Nikṛti and others were begotten of Hiṃsa by Adharma. They bore the traits of Adharma and were conducive to unhappiness. This is the creation of the sages. It is impossible to mention this in detail. Karma & Liberation - Sacred rites, charitable gifts, penances and observances, these are advocated by people for the purity. Devotion is the result of grace and grace is the result of devotion. Virtue and holy rites constitute the means for the attainment of grace. Contact with grace yields excellence of Dharma. After attaining this excellence, the sins of the individual decline. When his sins decline through succession of births the devotion to Sarveshvara and Amba is generated along with knowledge & awareness. The grace of the lord varies in accordance with the purity of emotions. As a result of the abandonment of the desire for the fruits of holy rites, the auspicious Shaivite virtues are attained. When Bhava is attained the man becomes more inclined towards meditation than towards rituals. A man endowed with knowledge and meditation becomes engaged in Yoga. Through Yoga arises the great, devotion and then grace of God. By means of the grace the creature is liberated and becomes equal to Shiva. Some soul is liberated even while in the womb; another even while being born; a third whether he be a boy or a youth or an old man. A soul born as a lower species, a soul undergoing torture in hell, a soul achieving a heavenly region may be liberated when the tenure is over. Hence, in order to win his grace, you shall avoid verbal and mental defects; meditate on Shiva. The chapter 11 in Section 7.2 of Vayaviya-saṃhita of Shiva Purana informed about the various duties.
Shiva has explained the succinct account of perfect knowledge, duties and traits. The succinct account of perfect knowledge contains the six topics, viz., Jnana, Jneya, Anustheya, Adhikara, Sadhana and Sadhya. If one has the knowledge of the epitome of the six topics one has attained omniscience.
Daily bath thrice, rites in the holy fire, worship of the Linga, charitable gifts, pious feelings Mercifulness, truthfulness, contentedness, belief in scriptures and God, non-violence to all living beings, bashful modesty, faith, study of scriptures, Yoga, imparting of knowledge to others, commenting on scriptures, celibacy, listening to spiritual topics, austerities, forbearance, purity, wearing of the sacred thread, upper garment and turban, growing the tuft, not resorting to forbidden things, smearing and dusting with Bhasma, wearing Rudrakṣha. The worship on festival occasions especially on the fourteenth day. Avoidance of the Shraddha food offered for the propitiation of the manes, avoidance of wine and of the rice in all sacred rites, stale rice and rice gruel. The devotee shall eschew in order the external and internal worships. Traits of Yogi - The traits of Yogis are ten viz: — forbearance, quietude, contentment, truthfulness, non-stealing, celibacy, my knowledge, non-attachment to worldly objects, using Bhasma and refraining from too much adherence to all. Duties & Traits of King - The following are the duties and traits of kings—protection of the people of all castes, slaying of the enemies in battle, chastisement of the wicked and hunting of harmful birds and animals, distrusting everyone everywhere but belief in the Yogis, maintenance of armies, keeping themselves well informed about the activities of the people through spies spread everywhere always, wearing weapons, armour dusted with Bhasma. Duties of Woman - The duty prescribed for women is service to their own husbands. The eternal Dharma of widows are - Holy rites, charitable gifts, penance, purity, celibacy, bath, quietness, silence, forbearance & self-composure. In the chapter 12 & 13 in Section 5 of Kailash-saṃhita of Shiva Purana, Shiva informed about the procedure of Sannyasa & renunciation.
Shiva is declared as the purport of the Pranava; from whom this entire universe, beginning with Brahma, Vishnu and Indra is born at the outset with the groups of sense-organs and elements; who is worthy of being meditated upon by those who are desirous of salvation; he who is the cause of welfare; who is in the middle of the firmament; who is omnipresent, whose soul is light, who is in the form of splendour, knowledge and consciousness; whose splendid Shakti is comprehensible only through emotion and who is both Nirguna and Saguna, unsullied and auspicious. Three types of his form—gross, subtle and causal shall be meditated upon by those seeking salvation. He the ancient lord has Ishana for his coronet; Purusha for his face; Aghora for his heart; Vamadeva for his private parts and Sadya for his foot. He is both Sakala and Niṣkala. The six Shakti, omniscience, etc. constitute his six limbs. He is bedecked on his left by Manonmani, his own Shakti. The Shruti says that the sages are satisfied by Brahmacharya; the gods by sacrifice; and the Pitrs by progeny. Freed from this threefold debt and entering the Vanaprastha stage the devotee shall bear both pleasure and pain, chillness and heat; shall subjugate the senses, control the diet. He shall practise restraint and other means of Yoga so that the intellect becomes stable and unswerving. He becomes pious and free from activities. The ascetic shall approach a preceptor who knows the principles of sacred scriptures and has mastered the Vedantic knowledge. Permitted by the preceptor he shall subsist on milk diet and perform rites for twelve days. On the fourth or the tenth day in the bright lunar fortnight he shall take his early morning bath. With pious mind, he shall perform his routine. He shall invite the preceptor and begin the Nandi Shraddha. Nandi is worshipped to attain happiness joy and content in life. Nandi shraddha are performed with recitation of specific mantras for success of a ceremony. After completing Nandi mukha shraddha, he shall propitiate the leading brahmins. He shall recite Shrirudra, Camaka, and Puruṣa suktas duly. After meditating on Sadashiva, he shall repeat the Japas of the five Brahmans. At the end of the meal, he shall recite Rudra Sukta. He shall ask forgiveness of the brahmins. After food he shall offer water. Washing his feet and performing the Achamana he shall approach the Piṇḍas. Facing the cast, he shall sit silently and perform Praṇayama thrice. “I shall perform the rite of offering the Piṇḍas as an ancillary to the Nandimukhashraddha.” After deciding thus, he shall draw nine lines from south to north. He shall place twelve Darbhas with their tips to the east over the lines. These are the five places for the gods Daksha and others. In these places the aksata grains and water shall be offered silently. In the other places he shall sprinkle water with the mantra “Atra Pitaraḥ”, and offer the Aksata grains and water for worship. The names of different gods shall be mentioned with the dative case ending. Three Piṇḍas shall be offered to each in the five places. The Piṇḍas shall be given separately along with Akṣatas for the full efficacy of the Pitrs as explained in the Gṛhyasutra. He shall meditate on lord Sadashiva in the lotus of the heart reciting the verse. By remembering his lotus-like feet he shall give fees to the Brahmins according to his ability. He shall ask forgiveness and bid them farewell. He shall give Piṇḍas to the cows or cast off into running water. After performing “Punyahavacana” he shall take meals with his kinsmen. After getting up early in the morning next day the devotee shall perform his routine. He shall observe fast, shave hair except in the armpits and the private parts. He shall cut the moustache, the nails and shave his head. He shall take bath and wear a washed and dried cloth. He shall be pure in thought and body. Silently he shall perform Achamana twice and apply ashes duly and perform the Puṇyahavacana. He shall make gift to brahmins especially to devotees and to Shiva in the form of preceptor. He shall prostrate before him. He shall take the loin-cloth, its string, staff and the articles for homa—sacrificial twigs etc. He shall go to sea-shore or a mountain or a river-bank or a Shiva temple or a forest or a cow pen. He shall sit on a good place and perform Acamana. He shall make his mind pure like a flower bunch. He shall repeat Vedic mantras along with Oṃ and recite “Namo Brahmaṇe” etc. thrice. Then he shall repeat the mantra “Agnimile purohitam”, perform the great rite and repeat. “Agnirvai” “Iṣe tvorje tvā”, then repeat the Mantras” Agna ayahi vitaye”, “shanno devirabhiṣṭaye” along with Ma, Ya, Ra, Sa, Ta, Ja, Bha, Na, La, and Ga. This shall continue for five years. This is the tradition. Then he shall repeat the text of grammar, Mimaṃsa and Vedanta. He shall repeat the names of the gods as well. He shall perform the Japa of Brahma, Indra, Sun, moon, Prajapati Jnanatman and Paramatman with Pranavain the beginning, namaḥ in the end using the dative case. He shall take some flour of fried grain, cat it with Praṇava, perform Acamana twice, wash his hands, repeat the mantras mentioned hereafter. He shall repeat the names of Atman, Antaratman, Jnanatman beginning with Pranavaand ending with Namaḥ. After repeating the mantra of Atman, he shall repeat the mantra of Prajapati. He shall then perform the Japa ending with Svaha. Repeating Pranavahe shall take in milk, curd and ghee separately thrice and perform Acamana twice. With the mind steady he shall sit firmly facing the east and perform pranayama thrice in accordance with the rules. The Procedure of Renunciation: Then at midday he shall take bath. With the mind fully controlled he shall gather materials for worship such as fragrant flowers, Akṣatas etc. With the mantra, “Gaṇanam tva” he shall as enjoined invoke lord Gaṇapati worshipped by the gods. He shall worship him in the south-west. He shall worship him at dusk and offer Naivedya. After propitiating and bowing to him he shall pray for warding off evil. After offering the Purnahuti with the three Ṛks “Bhuh Svaha and concluding the rites he shall repeat Gayatri assiduously till late in the afternoon. He shall perform the evening prayers after bath and the sacrificial rites and inform his preceptor accordingly. After offering the Caru therein e shall perform Homa with different faggots of sticks, cooked rice and ghee repeating Rudrasukta. He shall conceive Lord Shiva in the fire along with Amba and the five Brahmans—Sadyojata etc. He shall remember Gauri and perform homa with the mantra “Gaurirmimaya etc. He shall perform sacrifice, repeat the mantra “Agnaye sviṣṭakṛṭe svaha” and then show mystic gestures. Being of steady mind he shall sit on the seat of cloth, deerskin or Darbha grass to the north of the fire and perform the Gayatri japa silently till the brahma muhurta. He shall then take bath. He shall perform the Japa of the Vyahṛtis, Rudra Sukta and the five Brahmans. He shall fix his mind in the lotus-feet of Shiva. He shall perform the Japa of Prajapati, Indra, Vishvedevas and Brahma also, with dative case-endings. Pranavaand other mantras shall be repeated ending with Svaha. He shall perform Puṇyahavacana, say Agnye svaha, show mystic gesture in front of the fire. Then he shall repeat Pranaya svaha and offer five Ahutis to Svistakrt fire. He shall repeat Rudrasukta, the five Brahmans, the Caturvyuha mantras, Homa and mystic gestures in accordance with his Vedic branch. The same procedure he shall adopt for the other gods, along with their ancillary rites. After these rites beginning with the fire, the Viraja homa of the Atman shall be performed for the purification of the self in the form of twenty-six principles. After Svaha” he shall say “Na mama” (not to me). By this, renunciation of motive is indicated. In the mantras “Vividya” “Kaṣṭapota” after the word Vyapakava the word Paramatmane shall be used. The words “Shivajyotis” “Vishvabhuta” and “Ghasanotsuka” shall be mentioned in dative ease. After mentioning the god by name the word Devaya shall be uttered. After “Vishvarupaya” in the mantra “Uttiṣṭhasva"’ the word “Purusaya” shall be uttered and the words “Om Svaha” shall be added. At the end of the word “Lokatraya” the words “Vyapine Paratnatmane Shivayedam Na Mama” shall be added. He shall conclude the rite according to his own branch of the Veda. He shall eat Caru mixed with ghee and then give fee of gold etc. to the priest. Alter the ritualistic dismissal of Brahma he shall perform the morning worship. He shall recite the mantra “Saṃ maṃ sincantu Maruta.” He shall warm his hand over the fire repeating the mantra “Ya te Agne” and superimpose the fire in his own Atman, abode of the universal soul. He shall perform the morning prayers and pay respects to the sun. He shall enter water upto the navel, perform the Japa of the mantras with pleasure, devotion and steadiness. The devotee who had been maintaining sacrificial fires regularly shall perform the Prajapatya rite in the sacrificial fire and give his entire possession as gift. The devotee shall perform the Japa of Gayatri. Pranava is the initial of all mantras of the Vedas. It expresses Shiva. It is the emperor of all mantras. It is the great Bija, the greatest mantra. After dissolving Gayatri in the Pranava identical with Shiva he shall recite the hymn “ahaṃ vrksasya reriva.” He shall repeat the hymn beginning with “Yaḥ Chandasam Ṛṣabhaḥ” and ending with “gopaya.” After muttering the Preṣa mantras with attentive mind he shall say “Let all living beings have fearlessness from me, Svaha.” He shall take water in the cupped palms and pour it to the east. He shall uproot the tuft and take out the sacred thread. Taking the two in the cupped palms along with water he shall say Om Bhuḥ “Go thou to the ocean” after uttering Suaha. Along with the water in the palms he shall put the two in the water uttering Presa mantras. After performing Acamana thrice he shall come to the bank and cast off all the clothes. He shall then foot a short distance more than seven paces facing north or the east. Then the preceptor shall ask him to stop saying, “for your stay and activity in the world, O holy one, accept this loin-cloth and staff.” He shall hand them over to him with his own hands. After giving the loin-cloth with its string, and the ochre-coloured robe he shall ask him to wear them. After performing Acamana twice he shall tell the disciple thus “You are the thunderbolt of Indra.”. After praying and saying “A good companion”, he shall take up the staff. He shall approach the preceptor remembering the lotus-like feet of Śiva and fall at his feet thrice with fully restrained mind. Before the rites are begun, he should collect cowdung and make them into balls of the size of a myrobalan fruit and dry them in sunshine. The balls shall be placed in the sacrificial fire at the advent of homa. At the conclusion of the homa the ashes shall be collected and preserved. The preceptor shall take the white ashes of the Viraja fire. Repeating the mantras “Agniriti Bhasma” he shall apply the sacred ashes over the body of the disciple from head to foot. Repeating the five mantras “Ishana” Tryayuṣa” “Tryambakam Yajamahe he shall apply the Tripundra marks too beginning with head. Then the disciple shall meditate devotedly on Shiva, the consort of Uma in the lotus of his heart. Putting his hand on the head of the disciple the preceptor shall utter the Pranava thrice into the right ear of the disciple along with the names of the sage etc. The excellent preceptor shall be sympathetic and explain Pranava with the knowledge of the six-fold topics. The disciple shall make obeisance to the preceptor by prostrating twelve times. He shall remain subservient to him always. He shall not do anything else. The preceptor shall make the disciple perform all the rites in the morning up to the Japa including the practice of hearing etc. The disciple shall perform the worship in the maṇḍala Kailasaprastara as enjoined by Shiva. If he cannot worship the deity worshipped by his preceptor, he shall take up Shivalinga of crystal along with the pedestal. The disciple shall take vow in the presence of the preceptor which he shall repeat thrice with a steady mind - “I shall rather cast life and cut off my head than take meals without worshipping Śiva.” Thus, the disciple shall worship Lord Shiva every day with devoted and diligent mind, following the path of five Avaraṇas. Punya and Paap are the seeds of future pleasure and pain, the former, which sows merits, exhausts itself only through pleasure and the latter, which sows demerits, exhausts itself only through pain; but liberation from rebirth is the end of all karmic debts consisting of and signified by these two dynamics.
In the chapter 5 & 6 in Section 5 of Uma-saṃhita of Shiva Purana and in discourse 11, section – 6 of Manu Smriti, different types of sins are enumerated. There are twelve types of Maha-Paap:
The following six are the great sins attended with endless evil results, viz: —censure of Shiva, censure of the preceptor, censure of Shiva’s perfect knowledge, misappropriation of the wealth of the lord, destruction of the wealth of brahmins and the foolish stealing of the sacred text of Shiva’s perfect knowledge. Those who do not take delight on seeing a well-arranged worship of Shiva, who do not bow to or eulogise it on seeing his phallic image that is worshipped, those who do not scrub, clean and sanctify the spot of worship during festival days; those who do not duly cooperate with the preceptor in their sacred rites; those who misbehave as they please, play about mischievously and do not render service in front of Shiva or in the presence of the preceptor; those who eschew Parvati course of conduct and discipline, those who hate Shiva’s devotees; those who begin to study or write about Shiva’s knowledge without worshipping; those who give without justice or justification; those who listen or recite indiscriminately; those who sport about covetously; those who pursue false knowledge or do not have proper rules and regulations; those who lie down and sleep in dirty uncleaned spots; he who abuses Śiva’s story and knowledge and begins to expatiate on other things; he who does not speak the truth; he who does not make gifts; he who is bodily impure and begins to explain or listen to Shiva’s story in an unclean place; he who begins to listen without worshipping the preceptor; he who does not render service to him or pay heed to his behests with devotion; he who does not support the preceptor’s statement; he who retorts to his preceptor; he who conveniently ignores the most difficult task of his preceptor; he who deserts his preceptor when he is in distress, or when he is unable to maintain the disciple, or when he has gone abroad or when he is attacked by enemies; he who treats with contempt the teacher of virtuous activities and ability to discourse; he who disrespects the teacher’s wife, son or friends. The murderer of a brahmin, the addict to wine, the habitual thief, the defiler of the preceptor’s bed and he who associates with these is the great sinner fifth in all.
Paap listed in Manu Smriti -
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