Deva Tarpanam – Cosmic forces our ancestors
Background
I suspect many of the puranic lores are actually a way of understanding of particular real events. These puranic lores were morphed forms of knowledge that was associated with Vedic revelations.
While Vedic revelations were preserved by recitation, as they were considered key, the sources of the puranic lores were not preserved. They became stories that anyone can easily understand and propogate.
Hence many of the Puranic lores have some element of truth in them, but not in the way they directly convey.
Argyam and Tarpanam – The difference
Paying obeisance to ancestors or remembering thm is part of all religions and cultures. It is a humane act. In the Sastras of Sanatana Dharma, we pour water, every time we offer something to someone.
When we give “Argyam”, we cup our hands, fill it with water, raise it and pour it, as we give it to a guest, if we give him water to drink. Argyam is offering water to a guest. Hence it is understandable that we pour water and invite Savitr to come into us as our guest.
When we give ‘Tarapanam’ we make the water roll down on our palm, as we hold our hand pointed towards earth. Tarpanam is offering our respect and memories to ancestors. Why should we pour water in this occasion..?
Why water completes an offering..?
In the sastras, anything that needs to be offered to someone, it is said to be offered, not when we place that thing on their hands or before them, but when we pour few drops of water around it or on it. This is the completion of that offering.
Hence even when we offer our respect or memories, we are supposed to pour water and complete that offering.
This is done because, though a person ‘A’ offers something to person ‘B’, mortals are not ultimate owners of anything. Person ‘A’ and ‘B’ are temporary custodians and ‘conduits’ for the flow of that ‘something’. By pouring water, we are mimicking that flow from A to B. That some thing is carried from A to B by the water.
Person A did not own it. He did not give it to person B. Water, which is the representation of that Apa, moved it from A to B. So A should not have any false-egos about that movement. Person B need not have to loose confidence for that movement.
Tarpanam – Offering our obeisance without ego
In Tarpanam, we offer our memories and obeisance to our ancestor who made us. This is done in all cultures of the world. But here when we offer our memories, we complete it by pouring water and making it roll down to earth. By this we are indicating we are doing it without any ego of the 'self'.
Hence in Deva Tarpanam we pour water on our palms and make it roll down as we recite the name of the Deva that evolved us to pay our obeisance without any 'ego' in that offering.
Deva Tarpanam – Establishing that we are part of Evolution
As we finished the bath, we invoked the savitr as Self-Confidence and felt ourselves capable of creating and evolving and saw ourselves as a continuum of the evolution.
So now we offer obeisance to the evolution that brought us out, so that we really are part of the evolution.
*Deva Tarpanam
- The Mantra part*
Sit facing east during pratha sandhya, facing north during madhyannikam, and facing east during sayam sandhya , take water in the hand and pour it out through its tips after each manthra .Take care to take water separately each time.
Aadithyam tharpayami
Somam tharpayami
Angarakam tharpayami
Budham tharpayami
Brahaspathim tharpayami
Shukram tharpayami
Sanaiswaram tharpayami
Rahum tharpayami
Kethum tharpayami
Kesavam tharpayami
Narayanam tharpayami
Madhavam tharpayami
Govindam tharpayami
Vishnum tharpayami
Madhusoodhanam tharpayami
Trivikramam tharpayami
Vamanam tharpayami
Sreedharam tharpayami
Hrishikesam tharpayami
Padmanabham tharpayami
Damodharam tharpayami
I offer my obeisance and dedication to Aditya, Soma, Angaraka, Budh, Brhaspati, Shukra, Shani, Rahu, Ketu, Kesava, Narayana, Madhava, Govinda, Vishnu, Madhusudhana, Trikvakrama, Vamana, Sreedhara, Hrshikesa, Padmanabha and Damodhara.
Deva Tarpanam – Tantra part
From ‘Aditya’ to ‘Ketu’ what is referred is the Planetary evolution as well as the Biological evolution. In fact this is the basis of astrology, where Planets are linked to biological factors.
From ‘Kesava’ to ‘Damodhara’ what is referred is the matter evolution from primordial matter and the Atma.
Obeisance to Biological evolution
The Biological evolution happened in seven steps. Probably that’s where the Book of Genesis in old testament also says that God created man in 7 days (seventh day he took rest).
Adityam
The first step is Adityam. For life on Earth, Sun’s light is Adityam or the point of origination. It is the Sun’s UV that triggered the chemical and biological reactions that were needed for life.
Somam
The second step is Somam, where compounds of acidic nature (essentially chemical compounds of proton donors, electron acceptors) get formed. Soma is one of the vasus (Biological factors for life). Acidic compounds serve as the ‘cup’ that holds life in them. They provide the energy for all biological life.
Angarakam
The third step is Angarakam, where the base (alkaline) medium in which the genetic information is encoded, is formed. Angarakam means burnt out, ashed, charcoal in Sanskrit. Alkaline also means burn out ashes. It is derived from al qalīy = the calcined ashes.
Budham
The fourth step is Budham, where ‘awakening’ of biological forms from chemical elements happened. I map this to the ‘oligomerization’ process that created the primitive RNA. Science says life awakened when RNA that could replicate itself was formed. Science also says Iron, which is the last element obtained in nucleo-synthesis in stars plays an important role in this awakening of life as we know it today.
Brhaspatim
The fifth step is Brhaspatim, where biological forms acquire a stabilizing structure and metabolism. Brhaspati means a Large companion or a Large leader, in particular one who provides stability. Brhaspati in general mean a large person sitting in the middle of it all, providing stability. I map it to to large DNAs that formed in the center, creating the first-ever Prokaryotic beings. The DNA are not hidden (prokaryotes lack cell nucleus) and are expressed outside.
Chukram
The sixth step is Chukram, in which organisms evolve with membranes that ‘hide’ the DNA. They are eukaryotic beings. ‘Shukram’ means ‘swift order’. When the DNA gets hidden inside membranes in eukaryotic beings they become Shukram. Shukram means a sperm that floats in a semen.
Saneeswaram
The seventh step is ‘Saneeswaram’ in which organisms of ‘low level intellect’ are formed. ‘Sani’ means ‘one with lower level of intellect’ or ‘one that is slow moving’.
Rahum
The eighth step is ‘Rahum’, in which organisms of ‘Higher level intellect” are formed. But Rahu represents growth of consciousness in terms of senses, but not in terms of ‘self-realization’. Beings of this intellect have knowledge, but do not have light of ‘self-realization’ in them. These are beings that have senses, instincts, emotions, but not the higher level, the sixth sense.
Ketum
The ninth step is Ketum, in which organisms of ‘Highest level intellect’ are formed. These are beings with sixth sense, the capability to ‘self-realize’ and utilize their intelligence towards the higher pursuit of self-realization.
How Biological evolution maps to Planets
Why Sun is called Aditya
Since the UV light of Sun is the primary source of life, Aditya for biological evolution is the Sun. Adityam is the light and Sun is the source of this light.
Why Moon is called Soma
Vedas call the Moon as Soma. Science says that Moon has huge amount of acidic water in it. Vedas say Moon is the ‘Cup’ that contains the ‘Soma’.
Why Mars is called Angaraka
Planet Mars is a planet with high alkalinity in its soil. It is called Angaraka the burnt out one, as it is a planet that has really been burnt out and has become ashed and charcoaled.
According to the lore, when Lord Shiva (which I map to the force of dark matter) had a perspiration drop fall on Earth (which I had mapped to Alkaline/Apa), which the Bhumi Nurtured and grew as her Son. When the Son grew (the part of primitive Earth that was alkaline), he did a great amount of tapas( huge heat got generated) and with blessings of Lord Siva (due to influence of ‘dark matter’), got placed in the current orbit.
I map this to Mars at some point of time in the very early evolution of Solar System being a part of Earth in which alkaline elements evolved and then got separated into a different orbit, due to mass accretion (probably not a meteorite impact). That’s why Angaraka is called Bhauma.
Current Science says Mars formed along with Earth, but not exactly same as in here.
Why Mercury is called Budha
Planet mercury seems to be the core of a planet that got blasted out, according to science.
According to the lore, One of the moons of Brhaspati (Planet Jupiter that has the largest number of moons) called Taraka, ran away to Chandra (Moon) and they had a Son, Budha.
I map this to a moon of Jupiter leaving its orbit, impacting on a much larger Moon and in that process creating the planet mercury. Hence planet mercury remains largely a core.
It is also possible that this Moon of Jupiter called Taraka, had the right chemical environment for life or life itself. In its impact with Chandra, it might have created the primitive life that got transplanted to Planet Earth to survive and nurture.
Science says that life on the moons of Jupiter is extremely possible. Romans called Planet Jupiter as the ‘Dyaus Pita’ or the ‘Heavenly Father’, probably for this reason.
Science says that Moon has been impacted by something. If our lore is to believed it is impacted by Moon of Jupiter. Science is not so clear on the formation of Mercury and awakening of life at that point of time. It is my mapping.
If our lore is to believed, then life in planet Earth awakened when moon of Jupiter hit the moon and created the mercury. Since creation of Mercury awakened the life, it is called ‘Budha’.
Why Jupiter is called Brhaspati
Brhaspati is known as the ‘Guru’ of Devas. In general Devas are forces that are expressed outside and Asuras are forces that are hidden inside. Brhaspati is the ‘Guru’ of forces that are well-expressed.
Planet Jupiter is said to have formed first from the Aditya (gas-cloud that produced Sun) prior to all other planets and has helped other planets to be in their orbits due to its massive size. It is the largest planet of the solar system.
Since Jupiter sits in the middle of solar system, massively and probably oldest, it is the Brhaspati of the Solar System.
Why Venus is called Shukra
Shukra is known as the the ‘Guru’ of Asuras.. In general Asuras are forces that are hidden inside.
Planet Venus is named ‘Shukram’ as it’s surface is completely hidden. As the DNA becomes membrane bound and gets hidden, Venus’s surface is bound by clouds of gases that cover the surface like a membrane. Hence Venus is called Shukra.
Why Saturn is called Saneeswara
Planet Saturn is called ‘Sani, as of all the observable planets it is the slow-moving one.
Why North (head) of Eclipse is called Rahu
As the consciousness evolves on biological beings, they go through a ‘dark phase’. They have instincts and emotions. They go through the pains and sufferings. But they do not have capabilities to react and control their environment. They have limited options to control their sufferings.
Rahu thus represents the biological beings that have senses and emotions, but not the sixth sense and thus a ‘dark-phase’ of the biological evolution. It is equated to the phase of eclipse that covers the sun or moon. In other words it is equated to the north or head of that phase.
Why the South (body/tail) of Eclipse is called Ketu
As the consciousness fully develops, the biological beings come out of the dark-phase. They have developed the sixth sense, the sense of ‘self-realization’. With this sense, they are able to control their instincts and emotions. Using their brain-power they are able to acquire control over the nature and their surroundings.
Ketu thus represent the biological beings that have the sixth sense. It is the bright phase of biological evolution, when superior biological beings have formed. It is equated to the uncovering phase of solar or lunar eclipse. In other words it is equated to the south or tail of the eclipse phase.
Obeisance to Matter evolution
We then pay obeisance to the ancestor of biological evolution, which is the matter evolution in the same way.
Ready to invoke that consciousness
With these we have become part of the Universe, feel part of the Universe and are supposed to feel having mixed up with the elements of the Universe.
We are ready to do a continuous Pranayama to tame the body completely. We are ready to do a Gayatri Japa to tame the mind completely. With these two we have invoked the consciousness deeply embedded inside us.
With that consciousness, we would be ready to see the different forces that act on us and dedicate our actions to that Supreme Atma, that consciousness, that is deeply embedded inside us. We will see these in the next few blogs
-TBT
No reflections yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!