Wednesday, April 10, 2013

(Apr 10, 2013) Spiritual Message of the Day: Pancha Mahayajna – The Five Great Sacrifices


Pancha Mahayajna – The Five Great Sacrifices
(Love rules the cosmos)
From Divine Life Society Publication “Discourse 4: Commentary on the Bhagavadgita” by Swami Krishnananda

A person is good to the extent that he is able to recognize the Universal in the particular. A person is divine only to the extent he is able to recognize universal principles in particular individuals.
- The essence of svadharma.

In India there is a great injunction called pancha-mahayajna – the five great sacrifices which every householder has to observe.

First is deva-yajna, the acceptance of there being superior divinities that control our destiny. Therefore, the worship of the divinities, the gods, is a pre-eminent duty of every person.

We have to be grateful to our teachers, our great rishis and masters, who have enlightened us; whose pronouncements come to us as scriptures - the Vedas, Upanishads, etc.

There is also a necessity to be grateful to the people who permit us to exist as individuals in the same way as others exist as individuals. There is a mutual sacrifice among ourselves. It is not possible to have a conflict as an individual. Everybody has a desire to exist in a state of harmony. This necessity to maintain harmony among human beings demands a consideration and a humane attitude among people. We cannot suddenly get into a fit of anger. We cannot condemn, criticize or subordinate people. No person is a tool in our hands, and we cannot exploit anybody. Nobody is a servant in this world; everybody is a master and, therefore, we have to treat everybody with respect.

Manushya-yajna is the respect of athithis – guests – and people generally.

We also have to be considerate to living beings who are not able to speak, such as animals: bhuta-yajna.

That is to say, these pancha-mahayajna, or the five great sacrifices enjoined upon every person, imply that we are in a world of divinity with life pervading everywhere and love ruling the cosmos. Hatred is not the rule; love is the rule. There is a power of attraction which is seen in every little atom and in every molecule, in every component of every molecule, in every organism, and even in the whole solar system. The attraction that one exercises on others is physically known as gravitation. Biologically it is known as health, psychologically it is called sanity, rationally it is called logic, and spiritually it is called Universality.

Continue to read:
Advice to Householders” by Swami Sivananda

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