Know Your Heritage - 02

A very important concept in our heritage is Yajna or Sacrifice. Immediately we should not imagine a fire-lit centre around which people sit and pour something into the fire. We must look into the symbolism and the dynamic concept that is behind. 

A Yajna or a sacrifice consists of certain elements. In a sacrifice there is somebody with an intention and a purpose. And there is something poured into the fire. And it is believed what one wishes for even though not visible gets formed to be delivered to the sacrificer in the future. What comes out of the sacrifice is the transformed and materialised wish. It may look something odd. 

But let us think about how we act in the real world. We are aware of some present conditions. We want to change the present to a more agreeable future. For that we take all the steps. Say, the roads are damaged by rains. Transport is difficult. So people inform the departments and also take some steps in the meanwhile to ease the passage of vehicles and beings. We put in our time and energy by cooperation. Where? Into the locus of the problem, partly visible partly invisible. By collected efforts some result comes about. It has become more pliable. In the meantime people from the department also reach the spot and the road is made perfect. 

Our Sastras ask us to view all these activities in terms of Yajna - somebody having the intention, some efforts are put into, some results are reaped. The visible-invisible locus where what tangibles we sacrifice into gets transformed into what we want, that locus is Agni. Fire. Our Sastras say even in nature there are series of such Yajnas taking place to vouchsafe continuity and prosperity. The rains from the sky are the oblations poured on the parched earth, soil is drenched, all the beings and vegetations get their water and rejuvenate. This is one Yajna. 

The Sun's rays fall on the earth. Water gets evaporated and as if poured into the rays. Vapour goes to the sky and clouds are formed to migrate to the places panting for rain. Again a Yajna. In society we change an old order; bring something new to suit our needs. In technology we change our gadgets, instruments according to the growing necessity. 

Nature is controlled by blind cause and effect. But in social decisions, if what we bring in is not in tune with the general good, then our sacrifices have not been deivic but asuric. That is not benevolent but malevolent. Deivic is godly. asuric is demonaic. If our choices as individuals or as society go in tune with the overall good, long range, then we are doing the Yajna in the divine way. If not in the demonly way. We can correct ourselves. This point is beautifully illustrated in our mythology by stories of demons doing Yajna in a highly selfish and short-sighted way. Whereas Devas do it only in line with the cosmic good. 

Srirangam Mohanarangan 

***