Yajna Restores Nature

Satsang by Swami Satyananda

There is a mysterious side to man, a dimension of sound, colour, light and image that communicates with nature at all times and at all levels. If you want to be totally in tune with nature, you have to tap that dimension. Nature is not static; movement is inherent in nature. The Sanskrit word for nature is prakriti. Pra is a prefix denoting constancy or intensity and kriti means creation and movement. Through the constant movement of this great energy known as prakriti, a sort of spandan or vibration emanates which is heard as sound, seen as light and colour, and touched as form.

Nature does not merely mean the mountains and rivers, plants, birds and animals; that is its manifest form. The sun, moon, stars, planets, seasons are the manifest nature. But there is an unmanifest form of nature too, which is both macro cosmic as well as microcosmic. In its microcosmic form, the unmanifest nature is entrapped within matter, and in its macrocosmic form it is the various forms of energy abounding in the universe, whether material or non-material.

The basic principle of yajna, which can be traced back to the core of tantric and vedic philosophy, is the profound idea that man is a microcosm of the macrocosm that is the universe. Whatever formed entities are in the universe, the same are here in the human body and vice versa. As such, each and every human being is equal to the entire universe.

Both man and the universe are controlled by the sun and moon. Agni and soma tattwa sustain the universe and in the human body too they control our physiological and psychological activities through the harmonious flow of ida and pingala. So they are called Agnishomoyama, the noble concept of sustenance. The experience of energy, whether microcosmic or macrocosmic, needs to be awakened within each and every individual if we wish to rise above the gross mundane experience and enter subtler realms of that tremendous force of prakriti. Yajna aims to establish this experience. As the rites and rituals of yajna strictly adhere to the laws of nature and do not oppose them in any way, it is most effective in achieving this aim.

Yajna uses the principle of sound through the constant intonation of mantras, which creates a powerful field of energy for the descent of a magnetic force that is the deity of the mantra. Light, form and colour contribute magnificently to build the ambience for this subtle energy to manifest itself into a feast for the senses! Thus the most important part of a yajna is the mantra (sound). This more than the mechanics of the ritual is what makes the yajna efficacious. It is through the mantra that the perfected being or deity of the yajna is worshipped. It is the mantra that awakens and communicates the power of the chosen deity.

Yajna restores the balance in nature. The ingredients offered in yajna are all drawn from nature without the least trace of chemical, toxic or artificial elements. The water is brought from the purest source of all the rivers in India and the herbs and grains offered are not chosen at random, but are those specifically prescribed for that particular yajna. Today, more than ever before, restoration of the balance in nature has become absolutely essential, as nature is being stripped and shorn of its dignity by modern civilization. Today we will have to resort to the invocation of divine forces to descend and fill our hearts with peace so that agitation, disharmony and imbalance disappear and our lives may prosper.

Harmony is only possible if nature is happy. If nature is sick, ailing and disturbed by the actions that oppose and destroy its balance, it will certainly rebound onto us, and that is what we are experiencing today. The air is sick, the water is impure, the rains do not come on time, the heat is excessive, the winters are harsh and severe. Insects, flies and mosquitoes are increasing rapidly, virulent diseases are spreading without any check. In short, the harmony is disturbed.

Yajna makes nature happy, and this in turn is communicated to the environment and the people who inhabit it. Tantra describes the yajnasthanam as a place where the heart is spontaneously filled with peace and totally attuned to nature or prakriti. It is in these peaceful moments of harmony and balance that the universe and subsequently man is rejuvenated and restored. Thus yajna serves as an antidote to the effects of widespread pollution all around us, whether it is air, water, noise, light or even thought pollution that is invading us from all sides.

In the 21st century, when we are surrounded by artificial products that may serve our purpose very well, but have made us strangers to the nature which creates, nourishes and sustains us, it is this simple ceremony of yajna alone that can once again forge the link between us and Mother Nature. Yajna is an ancient practice shrouded in antiquity but as relevant to modern man as it was to the rishis and munis of the vedic era, who conceived the spirit of yajna to express their love, respect and reverence for Mother Nature.