pancha_maha

PANCHA MAHA YAJNA
(The Five Great Daily Sacrifices)

There exists a Law of Yajna (Sacrifice) and man's glory is to voluntarily work with it. Let us concentrate on the 5 great sacrifices only for the time being:

The Sacrifice to Rishis or Vedas
The Sacrifice to Devas
The Sacrifice to Pitrus
The Sacrifice to Men
The Sacrifice to Bhutas

Each of these has an outer form and inner meaning. Let us try to understand both:

Sacrifice to	Outer form	Inner meaning
Rishis or Vedas	Study and teaching Study some sacred book daily. Share the knowledge with others "Adhyapanam Brahmayajnah"	All study should be a sacrifice, learning in order that we may teach
Devas	Homa Recognition and repayment "Homo Daivo"	Realization of the relations Inter-dependence of the worlds Harmony with nature
Pitrus	Tarpana to the older generations of our family to our ancestors "Pitruyajnastu Tarpanam"	Recognition of the great debt we owe to the past who occupied the earth before us their posterity
Men	Hospitality Feed someone poorer "Narayajno Athithi Pujanam"	Serving and helping humanity Feeding the hungry Clothing the naked Sheltering the homeless Comforting the sad Rich are the stewards of the poor
Bhuta	Feeding the creatures (Bali) Feeding poor, animals, birds "Bali Bhauto"	Caring those who are beneath us in human and lower kingdoms Recognizing our debt to them for their services to us Showing kindness and consideration towards them

Thus the five great sacrifices teach man his relations, with all around him, with his superiors, his equals and his inferiors. They establish the harmonious relations on which the happiness and prosperity of families and of nations depend. They turn the wheel of life in accord with the will of Ishwara, and so help on the evolution of the worlds. They teach each individual that he is not an isolated unit, but a part of a great whole.

The law of sacrifice lifts a man upwards and enables him to reach union with the Divine. All the world is bound by a law of interdependence. You cannot live alone in a world of forms. All lives are bound by a golden chain-law of sacrifice. We should do the Pancha Maha yajna every day.

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