Sri:
Dear AasthikAs :
Back in January 1996 , I posted a
short article on Kalpa
SoothrAs dealing with the prayOgam and
anushtAnam of
Kalpa Soothrams used in our ancient SamskArAs
.
That is attached for your
perusal.
During August 2004 , adiyEn had the privelege
of
sponsoring a day long meeting on SamskAraas at
West Mambalam
Samskrutha VidhyAsAlaa . The occasion was the
Golden
Jubilee Celebrations of
that School founded by Sri OzhapakkAm
RaajagOpAlaAcchAr Swamy
with the blessings of Sri SrinivAsAcchAr Swamy
and withfurther
links to Maharishi VaasudEvAcchAr Swamy
.
A series of lectures by
authorities in this field along with
TadhiyAradhanam for
approximately 300 attendees and sambhAvanais
for the scholars were covered
by adiyEn in the context of the centennial
anniversary of my dear father
, PoundarIkapuram Bruhaspathy
Vaikunta Vaasi Sri
VaradAcchAr Swamy . This is the second event in
a series of planned
sponsorships , participation in Kaimakryams from
now on
for adiyEn's revered father's anniversary that falls on
Iyppasi Mrugaseersham in
the year 2005 C.E.
The first event in
this commemorative events fro
adiyEn's father was the release of
the ThrikAla SandhyA
Vandhanam discs for Rg, Yajur and Saama Veda
SaakhA adhyAyees with the
blessings and direction of PoundarIkapuram
SrImath Andavan Swamy .Other
events like support for the release
of Swamy Deikan's
SthOthra granthams edited by U.Ve Dr.V.N . VedAntha-
Desikan Swamy at the
niyamanam of HH SriMath Poundarikapuram
Andavan , Support for
NithyAradhana Kaimkaryam at ThUppul Swamy
Desikan Sannidhi are in plan
.
AdiyEn had requested the
organizers to capture the day long sessions
in the form of DVD
Discs to preserve them and make them
available to those , who
could not be physically present at West Mambalam
on that day as the
participants in this high calibre sessions on the
important
Hindu SamskArAs
. adiyEn thanks Sri Srinath , the Secretray
of the Samskrutha VidhyAsAlA's Golden Jubilee celebrations
committee for acceding to my request and sending me the discs .
Great authorities like
SoorAdhyAyi , GanapAti PazhavEri
SaThakOpAcchAr
Swamy , Sri
SthalasayanAcchAr Swamy ( Sri Kaaryam Swamy of
Ahobila Matam ) ,
GanapAti Vijaya RaaghavAcchAr Swamy ,
Head of the School for
the Vedic SamskArAs at Srirangam and additional
scholars took part
during the day long sessions at West Mambalam .
They covered topics
from
Upanayanam to VivAham/Pumsavanam ,
TarpaNams / SrArddham
and all the way to apara kriyaa with
Vedic PramANams and
profuse quotations from the Kalpa SoothrAs .
Each one of them could have
carried on a whole day's discussions.
That was the depth of their
scholarhip ! It is an amazing experience to
recall the content of the
day's presentations .
One thing became crystal clear ,
when one listens to these 5 DVD
discs on SamskArAs . That is the
mantra lObham and KriyA lObham
by many of the modern day
Bruhaspathys and the aasthikAs
rushing the Bruhaspathis to
compress these sacred observances
to suit their time
pressures while performing these ceremonies .
The great scholars on the Sadas
took us thru some of
the SamskArAs and related manthrAs
in great detail including
the recitation of Veda Manthrams
with the correct Svarams .
My revered father used to insist on
the correct pronunciation
and uccharaNam of these manthrAs
along the lines of
his forefathers , who were
Bruhaspathys . adiyEn is gald to realize
that such scholars do exist
amidst us and are still
training a few
future Bruhaspathis in
the sampradhAyic manner .
Our thanks are to
the West Mambalam Sanskrit
School Trustees for
choosing
this topic to remind us of the
need to protect and
preserve
the inspired gifts from Maharishis
like Aapasthambhar
and other Kalpa SoothrakArars for
the different Veda SaakhAs .
adiyEn has these five discs with me
now and will look into
ways to disseminate them soon to the
community of aasthikAs
in consultation with the West
Mambalam Sanskrit School .
NamO Veda PurushAya
Daasan , Oppiliappan KOil
VaradAchAri Sadagopan
An excellent article on the West
Mambalam School ,
the key people
and its history can be accessed at
the following URL:
Aapasthamaba Sutraas & other Kalpa SutrAs
***************************************************************************
Two of our members had asked for Information on these Sutras. I had written about them earlier in a special issue of Tattvaloka Journal on the 40 Hindu Samskaras. Here is an elaboration on that article focussing more on the Sutras as opposed to the Samskaras they deal with. The Sixth limb (Anga ) of the Vedas is Known as Kalpam. It is considered as the Hands of the Vedas, since it deals with doing Karmas prescribed by the Vedas. Those Karmas and the fruits thereof should be offered to the Supreme being at the end of their performance. The Kalpams provide details on who should do what and at what stage of one's life. They elaborate on the mantras to be recited, the Samagriyas to be assembled,the Rtviks to officiate at these rituals and prescribed functions. The Kalpa Sutrams have been given to us by various Sages . In the south, Krishna Yajur Vedam is dominant or popular. Six rishis -- Aapasthambhar, BodhAyanar, VaigAnasar, SatyAshaadar,Bharadvajar and Agnivesar-- have written Sutras for the practioners of Krishna Yajur Veda Saakhaa. These Rishis have written both the Sroutha and Gruhya Sutrams for the Saakaas. Two sages have written Sutras for Rg Vedam. The popular one is by Asvlaayanar. The other not so prevalent is that by SaankAyanar. Sage Kaatyayanar has written Sutras for Sukla Yajur Vedam For Sama Veda Saakas, Laatyayanar has written for Kouthuma Saakaa. For RaaNaaaneeya Saakaa , Diraahyayanar has written Sroutha Sutrams. The Grihya Sutrams for this Saakaa has been written by Gopilar . Sage Jaimini has written sutrams for the Talavakaara Saaka of Sama Vedam. Atharva Vedam is not so prevalent. No Kalpa Sutram is available today. >From Garbha Dhanam (placement of the seed) to Antimeshti (Ultimate Ishti or Yaga , the cremation ceremony in which the body is offered as Havis in the Sacred fire),there are 40 Samskaras for a Hindu. There are a subset for women among the 40. For instance, they do not have the Upanayanam ceremony. Either the Sroutha or the Gruhya Sutra covers these 40 ceremonies. Among the 21 Yajnas -- 7 Paka, 7 Soma, 7 Havir Yajnas--, Sroutha Sutras cover the 7 Soma and 7 Havir Yajnas. The Gruhya Sutras cover the 7 Paka Yajnas and the rest of the 19 Samskaraas. Gruhya Yajnas/Samskaaraas are smaller in scope than the Sroutha Yajnas, which need major effort. The former are done at home mostly (Gruham).Theothers are done at special sites outside the home. When we say Abhivaadhanam, we referer to the Sroutha Sutram associated with one's Veda Saakaa.Aapasthabhar has written Sroutha and Gruhya Sutras. Hence we recite Aapasthambha sutra: Yajussaakaadhyaayi, there is no complication. In contrast, One who belongs to RaaNaaneeya Saakaa of Sama Veda can not quote Gopilar in his Abhivaadhanam, but has to mention the sage Diraahyayanar alone. Latter wrote the Sroutha Sutram and Gopilar wrote only the Gruhya Sutrams for this Saakaa. There is a subdivision of Sroutha Sutras known as Sulpa Sutras. These deal with more details on Yajnas. Kaatyayanar, Hiranyakesar and Bodhaayanar have given us these Sulpa Sutras. In addition to the ways of conductance of the Samskaras and Yajnas, these Kalpa Sutras also decribe the Sikhai (Urdhva Sikhaior Poorva Sikhai ) , Pundram to be worn and other details on Karmaanushtaanam. My father was an expert on Apasthambha Sutras and I have some moth eaten remnants of Apaasthambha Prayogas that are interesting to say the least to study. Kaanchi Periyavaal has commented extensively on Kalpa Sutras in the chapters on Vedas and their Six Angaas. Sadagopan
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