The Kanda
Rishis and their Significance
We saw that the "kAmo''karshIt manyur akArshIt" japam
is done with
a sense of contrition. Who else but Vasudeva can bear the burden of
our acts of omissions and commissions with regard to shastras? SAstramayena
sthira pradIpena -- Daya Devi (compassion of the Lord personified) lights the
lamp of shastras so that the jiva can find its way to its home in the Absolute.
After the kamo''karsheeth japam, we proceed to perform
the Upakarma function. It is done after mAdhyAhnikam and bhagavad-ArAdhanam
(ijyA). The main purpose of the Upakarma function is to offer prayers and
express our gratitude to those rishis who gave us the Vedas -- the rishis
through whom the Vedic mantras were revealed. These rishis are known as "kaanda
rishis". There are different rishis for the different Vedas. We are expected to
worship those rishis who belong to our shakha or branch of the Veda, one of
Yajur, Rk, Samam etc. The Yajur Veda consists of 4 kaandams. These are known as
1. prAjApatya
kaandam 2.
saumya kaaNDam 3. Agneya kaaNDam and
4. vaishvadeva kaaNDam.
These kaandams are named after those rishis who first
taught the Vedas, viz., Prajapati, Soma, Agni and Vishvadeva. Subsequently we
also offer our prayers to the Upanishads saamhiti, yaajniki, and vaaruni, and
finally to Svayambhu and Sadasaspati, through whom the Yajur Veda came down to
us.
The sankalpam is mainly taken for performing the
Upakarma Homam. Then we say tad angam snAnam karishye, tad angam
yajnopavIta-dhAraNam karishye, tad angam kANDarshi
tarpaNam karishye -- which
implies that all other activities like snaanam, yajnopaveeta dhaaranam, tarpanam
etc., are only performed as an ''angam'' or subsidiary to the Upakarma Homam
(which is the angi or primary).
In the Upakarma Homam as well as in the tarpanam, the
offerings are made to the kaanda rishis. In fact this tarpanam is so important
that it is included as part of our nitya karma-anushthaanam, our daily worship.
There are other minor points that are worth noting: 1. Brahmacharis
should wear maunji (belt made of sacred grass), ajinam (deerskin) and dandam
(stick made of palaasa wood) after they wear the poonool (sacred thread). There
are separate mantras for each. 2.
It is said that: purAtanAn parityajya which
implies that you should wear a new set of clothes (veshti and uttarIyam) before
the tarpanam and homam. 3.
It is also said that: kAndarshi tarpaNa-kAle
punaH snAtvA Ardra vastra eva tat kuryAt, i.e, before performing the kaanda
rishi tarpanam you should once again take a dip in the water and do it with wet
clothes. 4. The rishi tarpanam is done with the poonool in the nivita
position (like a garland) and the water along with rice and sesame seeds should
leave the root of the small finger. 5.
In some traditions you fast on the Upakarma
day or at least fast till the end. 6.
In some traditions a general pitr tarpanam
is also done. (a) On the UpAkarma day,
strictly speaking, the rule is to eat only after bhagavad-ArAdhana and
the homam. If done properly this lasts well into the afternoon. Because
of the length of the procedure, young brahmacharis and those others who
are absolutely unable to bear their hunger are permitted to eat before the
homam itself. The typical meal consists of idli and appam, but usually
excludes rice. Complete fasting is observed after this through the night,
in preparation for the next day''s gAyatrI japam. In some traditions one
meal is eaten during the day and phalAhAram is oat
night.(b) The mantra for the kAmo''kArshIt japam is "kAmo''kArshIt manyur
akArshIt". Most authorities end with this, and do not follow it by
anything else. However, in some traditions, the mantra is "kAmo''kArshIt
manyur akArshIt namo namaH".(c) Some people also change their
yajnopavItam before the kAmo''kArshIt japam, in addition to the changing
done for upAkarma itself. It should be remembered that the changing
before upAkarma is the more important one, and if one only wants to
change once, the upAkarma changing is preferred.