Dear Respected Vadyar's and other learned members,
Namaskaram.
I have learnt reciting Rudram all by myself by reading and playing audio simultaneously and have been successfully reciting it at home on monday's while doing rudra abhishekam for the past several months. Now, i am interested in doing Rudra-Homam at home on Maasa-shivratri days (Monthly - Shivratri day). I have found a place where i can order Homa Hundi, Base, Sacred Wooden sticks etc and other items required for homam.
However I would like to learn the proper and sequential way of performing the homam. I understand this could be a very long answer, but I have no avenues to learn this. Any help or guidance is much appreciated. I understand that the steps are below briefly (I found this on internet), i am looking for the mantras and procedures in each step.
1. Havan Kund
[FONT=arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif]
[/FONT]
2. Pavitra Dharanam & Prarthana
Darbha grass , ring...
3. Achamanam & Siromarjanam
Usage of water to cleanse... (need mantras).
4. SthalaShuddhi
This is a ritual wherein the performer takes water unto his right palm and chants that, ' all the negative spirits who are trying to hinder our spiritual practices, immediately be gone and give way for the auspicious energies to enter our lives. Thereafter, the water is sprinkled all around to ward away these evil forces. Then the performer takes a vessel filled preferably with turmeric water and chants mantras inviting higher beings and sages and simultaneously sprinkles the water with mango leaves or Darbha grass in all eight directions. Sthala shuddhi is a purificatory rite.
5. Mahaganapati Pooja
In the ancient Hindu scriptures, the elephant headed deity, Ganesha, is always worshipped in the beginning of any ritual. With his blessings ensure that the whole procedure would move smoothly unhindered by any external obstacles at any stage.
Ganesha is invoked into a conical figure made by mixing turmeric powder and water. Turmeric is considered very auspicious and is therefore used to represent the deity. Thereafter, a method of worship involving sixteen steps is performed to please him. All these steps are symbolical representations of the various forms of expressing reverence like offering the deity a golden throne to be seated, washing his feet, washing his hands, offering him water to drink, ceremonial bathing with sacred waters, offering new clothes, anointing him with sandal paste and other perfumes, adorning of jewels, worshipping with flowers, offering of fragrant incense, lighting the lamp, offering food, fruits and sweet drinks, chanting his praises, offering Arathi and finally seeking his blessings. This ritual is done to all the important deities in every Havan.
6. Kalasha Pooja
This is a very important step in the Havan for it is here that we invoke the main deity of the Havan. If it is a Gayatri Havan, Goddess Gayatri is invoked; in a sudarshana Havan, Sudarshana is invoked and so on. The deity is invoked and worshipped in the copper pot filled with water. A coconut is placed over the mouth of the pot and the coconut is surrounded by five or seven mango leaves. This is further decorated with flower garlands and a cloth is draped over it. It is placed at the North- Eastern corner of the Havan kund or the sacrificial fire. Shodashopachara Pooja is performed to the respective deities in the kalasha. Yet another significance of the copper pot is that it absorbs all the positive energies generated during the Havan and hence the divine water in the Kalasha is sprinkled upon and distributed to the participants at the end of the Havan. This water becomes charged with all the divine energies and has immense healing powers. Shodashopachara Pooja is performed to Sri Amma and Bhagavan seeking their blessings.
7. Agni Pratishtapanam, Dhyanam & Agni alankaranam
Here, the sacrificial fire or Havan kund is sanctified by chanting
8. Next , what? Can i start reciting Rudram...with Swaaha at the end instead of namah?
Sir,
Rudram chanting has been very helpful for me personally in several aspects. Your help in this process can be a good guide for many people like me, so if you have a few minutes please help. If the mantras are in any particular chapter or verse please let me know and i will google it. I can even give you a phone call (where ever you are). I can speak Telugu, Tamil, Hindi and English languages. I can read Hindi and Telugu.
Thanks
-Anand Aiyer.
Namaskaram.
I have learnt reciting Rudram all by myself by reading and playing audio simultaneously and have been successfully reciting it at home on monday's while doing rudra abhishekam for the past several months. Now, i am interested in doing Rudra-Homam at home on Maasa-shivratri days (Monthly - Shivratri day). I have found a place where i can order Homa Hundi, Base, Sacred Wooden sticks etc and other items required for homam.
However I would like to learn the proper and sequential way of performing the homam. I understand this could be a very long answer, but I have no avenues to learn this. Any help or guidance is much appreciated. I understand that the steps are below briefly (I found this on internet), i am looking for the mantras and procedures in each step.
1. Havan Kund
[FONT=arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif]
[/FONT]
2. Pavitra Dharanam & Prarthana
Darbha grass , ring...
3. Achamanam & Siromarjanam
Usage of water to cleanse... (need mantras).
4. SthalaShuddhi
This is a ritual wherein the performer takes water unto his right palm and chants that, ' all the negative spirits who are trying to hinder our spiritual practices, immediately be gone and give way for the auspicious energies to enter our lives. Thereafter, the water is sprinkled all around to ward away these evil forces. Then the performer takes a vessel filled preferably with turmeric water and chants mantras inviting higher beings and sages and simultaneously sprinkles the water with mango leaves or Darbha grass in all eight directions. Sthala shuddhi is a purificatory rite.
5. Mahaganapati Pooja
In the ancient Hindu scriptures, the elephant headed deity, Ganesha, is always worshipped in the beginning of any ritual. With his blessings ensure that the whole procedure would move smoothly unhindered by any external obstacles at any stage.
Ganesha is invoked into a conical figure made by mixing turmeric powder and water. Turmeric is considered very auspicious and is therefore used to represent the deity. Thereafter, a method of worship involving sixteen steps is performed to please him. All these steps are symbolical representations of the various forms of expressing reverence like offering the deity a golden throne to be seated, washing his feet, washing his hands, offering him water to drink, ceremonial bathing with sacred waters, offering new clothes, anointing him with sandal paste and other perfumes, adorning of jewels, worshipping with flowers, offering of fragrant incense, lighting the lamp, offering food, fruits and sweet drinks, chanting his praises, offering Arathi and finally seeking his blessings. This ritual is done to all the important deities in every Havan.
6. Kalasha Pooja
This is a very important step in the Havan for it is here that we invoke the main deity of the Havan. If it is a Gayatri Havan, Goddess Gayatri is invoked; in a sudarshana Havan, Sudarshana is invoked and so on. The deity is invoked and worshipped in the copper pot filled with water. A coconut is placed over the mouth of the pot and the coconut is surrounded by five or seven mango leaves. This is further decorated with flower garlands and a cloth is draped over it. It is placed at the North- Eastern corner of the Havan kund or the sacrificial fire. Shodashopachara Pooja is performed to the respective deities in the kalasha. Yet another significance of the copper pot is that it absorbs all the positive energies generated during the Havan and hence the divine water in the Kalasha is sprinkled upon and distributed to the participants at the end of the Havan. This water becomes charged with all the divine energies and has immense healing powers. Shodashopachara Pooja is performed to Sri Amma and Bhagavan seeking their blessings.
7. Agni Pratishtapanam, Dhyanam & Agni alankaranam
Here, the sacrificial fire or Havan kund is sanctified by chanting
8. Next , what? Can i start reciting Rudram...with Swaaha at the end instead of namah?
Sir,
Rudram chanting has been very helpful for me personally in several aspects. Your help in this process can be a good guide for many people like me, so if you have a few minutes please help. If the mantras are in any particular chapter or verse please let me know and i will google it. I can even give you a phone call (where ever you are). I can speak Telugu, Tamil, Hindi and English languages. I can read Hindi and Telugu.
Thanks
-Anand Aiyer.
