ATHIRATHRAM

Bird (Garuda) Shaped Altar

It was a bright morning today. Everything was happening as it was supposed to happen, but still I was feeling a headache. I had a bad dream yesterday night. Only thing I could recollect from it was fire. I have no idea why I’m trying too much to remember that dream. I’ve found no luck till now, but that has resulted in my headache. It was a regular day in office till I just walked past my colleague who was in her notice period. She was reading something and I casually asked about it. She was so pumped up and told me she was reading about Athirathram, one among 7 somayagam (Starts with fire and ends with fire). She told me that it is again happening in Panjal, a small village in Kerala. She told that last time it happened in 1975 at the same place and this place was selected again due to its perfect geographical location. Athirathram is for universe peace. There are only two people in Namboodiri Brahmins community who knows how to perform this ritual. Both of them are aged more than 75. She was giving me more and more details like that, but some how I couldn’t give much ear to her. I have an aggregated headache now, I could see fire all around, I was sweating, I felt like a very bright flash of light getting into my eyes. I almost lost consciousness and some how I found a chair nearby and sat there. I had some water and I’m feeling good now. I just have no idea what was wrong with me, but I was visualizing something and I could correlate the same with the dream I was trying to memorize. I’m still sweating and decided to take a half day off and go home. Once I reached home first thing I did was switch on my laptop and read more about Athirathram.

I knew, Athirathram had something to do with my dream. I never believed in re-birth or something like that. I read a lot about Athirathram to be conducted in Panjal (April 4^th-15^th 2011). Did I read too much about it and fell asleep? I might be, that is why I’m visualizing the same dream again. Yes! this is the same old man whom I saw in my dream last night. Oh! God this man is talking to me. If I’m not dreaming, then I’m living my dream. I suddenly felt fire all around my flat and I closed my eyes and opened it, in order to prove myself that I’m not in a dream. I may not be in a dream but there is an Old man standing next to me just wearing a white dhoti. What is this man who speaks Malayalam doing in my Mumbai Flat? He told me that, he had a story to be told to the world. Ok fine, then why are you here? Go call a press conference and talk to them and for God’s sake get out of my apartment. My shouting had done no good. He just sat besides my bed; he told me to be relaxed and will go away once he was done with his story. I just looked at this man. He was leaner than Gandhiji. Kareena would have envied him for his size zero. He was in his 70s and his white hair was neatly oiled and combed. I didn’t know why I was doing, I offered him a drink and he just told me to be seated and just listen to his story. Every word that came out of him was so expressive and I just could visualize what he was speaking. Story expressed in his words.

My name is Shivshankaran and this is the story that changed my life or destroyed my life. This incident happened in 1975. I was working in Mumbai then. When I heard Athirathram is happening in my home town and this time it will be filmed and studied by scientists all over the world. I was so excited and wanted to study how it rained in the end. I was sure that Rain in Kerala that too in April is never happening. I interrupted him and asked why are you telling me all these things, he only answered that our frequencies match. He told me that that he tried doing the same yesterday night when I was asleep and didn’t work the way it was supposed to happen. I was in my thoughts, which mean this old man was in my room yesterday and was talking to me and I was not dreaming about it. He asked me not to interrupt and listen to him and ask my doubts in the end. He continued his story.

When I reached my home town to volunteer for the function I was so excited and happy to get this chance. After working for entire night for preparing the bird shaped Altar for the Yaga, I took a shortcut to my home to catch some sleep. I had to walk by a haunted house before I reach my home and I saw some light and heard some one talking inside. I decided to decode what was happening there and slowly moved towards the house and put my ears over the gap between the window panes. It was surprising to know that it was a team of scientists planning for an artificial rain to promote the Yaga. They just wanted to prove their point of coming here from their respective countries spending lot of money. I couldn’t digest the fact that these bustards are here for the sake of science and have no belief in our rituals and is planning something like this. I just broke open the door and went inside and kicked the table in which they have kept their drinks and was discussing. That was the last time my memory was stable, I felt as if something hard hitting back of my head. I fell down and lost consciousness. When I got back my consciousness, I was in a lab like setup tied to a pillar. I saw few white guys busy in some scientific experiments. The fumes of chemical experiments were getting deep into my nose. I tried hard to get myself free and may be God was in my side, I was successful in getting my left hand free. I just checked the date in my newly bought watch. Oh God I was laying in this state for last 3 days and the Ahirathram has already reached its third day. Suddenly I saw a man standing in front of me with a syringe and he just injected some drug into me. I again lost my consciousness. They gave me food and I was their prisoner for next few days. I cried shouted and tried all my luck to get out of this house or get some help. It looked as if my fate was already sealed and nothing went my way.

I wanted to stop these people from creating artificial rain. It was the D-day when all were ready to do their experiment and create an artificial rain. I got some consciousness and to my surprise I couldn’t see anyone in the lab. I tried to extend my legs as much as I can and I started kicking a table nearby. This helped me to break some test tubes and beakers and it has created a fire with some unknown chemical reaction. Slowly and suddenly the entire room was in fire. I was going to die here burning, but I was happy I derailed the plan of artificial rain. I tried hard and some how managed to get my hands free. I scrolled out of the house just before the house collapsed and was completely eaten up by fire. That was the 12^th day (last day) of Athirathra and I could see smoke going up the sky as the result of burning the Yagasala to mark the end of the ritual. I was lying down unable to move and saw an eagle with white ring around its neck flying over the fire. It was a clear sky. I was successful in derailing the project for artificial rain, but what will happen to the belief of the fellow citizen who was expecting down pour. The sky was so clear that for next one month it is not going to rain. It was paining too much and I tried to stand up and suddenly I felt darkness all over. What is happening where did these dark clouds come from? It started raining like rainy season. I just lay down there and enjoyed every bit of the rain. I tried to keep my eyes open but I couldn’t.

I just couldn’t believe any of this what this old man just told me. I stood up and started making tea for us. Now what do you want me to do? He smiled and told me it was 35 years back now it’s your turn, come to Panjal in April 2011. What the Fuck? I just turned around and couldn’t believe myself. There was no one around and I was all standing alone in my kitchen. I was speechless and couldn’t wait till April and I booked next flight to Cochin and reached panjal which was 110 Km away from the Airport. With the little details I had, I zeroed down on Shivsankaran’s house. When I reached there, his daughter welcomed me in and offered me coffee. Her husband asked me why I wanted to meet his father-in-law. I had no answers and just told that he was my grand father’s friend. Even though he was not convinced he took me inside his house. He led to a room where there was a bed-ridden old man. This is the same man who was talking to me in Mumbai few hours back. His daughter told me, he was bedridden after a fire accident 35 years back. He is in coma and cannot talk. Doctors say he can understand what we speak and he can only move his eye lids.

I had no idea what was happening and what did he mean by matching frequencies. Was he talking to me through telepathy or was it just a dream and a mere coincidence? I have no answers to these questions and would have to wait till April 2011 till I get some clue.

Facts About Athirathram

I started collecting details about athirathram and I have just collated the details which can be used for your reference. They say if you copy from one it is Plagiarism, but mine is called research as I’ve copied from many.

The most important concept of human race, when it all started was Hunger. That hunger for food developed mind in human race. Then it became life and words. Explosion of words became the universe. Vedas are written with the letters of this cycle of events which contribute the creation of life. Vedas are the science of Nature and source of Dharma. The God who lives in us will know the effect of veda recitation. The one who knows this will have no difference between me and the one who is not me. With these precise Mandra’s perfected voice we present the offerings to Agni which we have woken up to perfection, these will energise the veins of nature. Mahershis found out this and named it Yaga. Athirathram is one among the 7 somayagam. Some hidden stars have made this place so perfect for the yaga, Suka Maharshi (Suka Jathi Sthri), the son on Vyasa have meditated in this very place. Thus Panjal has and will witness many more maha yagas like this.

Wikipedia suggests the following explanation about Athirathram.

The Atiratra Agnicayana (ati-rātrá agní-cayana)( "the building up of the fireplace performed over-night") or Athirathram (Malayalam: അതിരാത്രം); the piling of the altar of Agni is a Śrauta ritual of the Vedic religion, the predecessor of modern day Hinduism which is considered to be the greatest ritual as per the Vedic ritual hierarchy. It is also the world's oldest surviving ritual. Its mantras and theological explanations in the Brahmana texts are first attested in the Yajurveda Samhitas (Taittiriya, Kathaka; Vajasaneyi). The practice of this ritual was generally discontinued among Brahmins by the late Vedic period, during the rise of Jainism and Buddhism in India. Nevertheless, a continuous, unbroken 3,000 year tradition has been found to exist among a few Nambudiri Brahmin families in Kerala, South India.

The entire ritual takes twelve days to perform, in the course of which a great bird-shaped altar, the uttaravedi "northern altar" is built out of 10,800 bricks. The liturgical text is in chapters 11 to 18 of the White Yajurveda; the corresponding exposition of the ritual is in Books 6 to 9 of the Shatapatha Brahmana. The original essence and purpose of the ritual is not correctly known. But, the immediate practical purpose of the Agnicayana is to build up for the sacrificer an immortal body that is permanently beyond the reach of the transitoriness, suffering, and death that, according to this rite, characterize man's mortal existence.

The ritual emerged from predecessor rituals, which were incorporated as building blocks, around the 10th century BC, and was likely continuously practiced until the late Vedic period, or the 6th century BC. In post-Vedic times, there were various revivals of the practice, under the Gupta Empire in the north (ca. 4th to 6th century), and under the Chola Empire in the south (ca. 9th century), but by the 11th century, the practice was held to have been discontinued; except for the Nambudiris of Kerala.

To observe the ritual, goat sacrifice is essential. Since, animal sacrifice is frowned upon by the Hindu society since the end of Vedic age and is a punishable offense in modern India. All documented Agnicayanas have been performed without this and may be deemed incomplete.

In 1975 Indologist Frits Staal documented in great detail the performance of an Agnicayana conducted performed by Nambudiri Brahmins according to Samaveda tradition at Panjal, Kerala. The last performance before that had been in 1956, and the Nambudiris were concerned that the ritual was threatened by extinction. It had never before been observed by outsiders. In exchange for a financial participation of the scholars towards the cost of the ritual, the Nambudiris agreed that it should be filmed and recorded. The ritual was performed from 12 to 24 April 1975. An effigy was used to symbolize the goat sacrifice. Staal (1989) bases a general analysis of the similarities of grammar and ritual on this performance.

The preparation for Athiratram takes about six months, and involves making a large number of mud vessels and wooden items. Athirathram is performed by one person, while 40 others assist him.

Panjal Athirathram 2011 will be led by Puthillathu Ramanujan Somayajippadu as 'Yajamanan' and Dhanyapathanadi as 'Yajamanapathni' and marked by the participation of hundreds of vedic scholars from all around the country.

Interestingly this ritual will be performed after 35 years and involves the chanting of selected mantras from three vedas -- Rig veda, Yagur veda and Sama veda, the last three days of the rituals will go on non-stop for 72-hours, with each priest getting a break of barely 30 minutes.

The Yajurveda and Samaveda practices that precede the Athirathram have begun at the Panjal Thottathil Mana and Kavupra Maarath Mana. Preparations for the Panjal Athirathram 2011 began after obtaining consent from Shukapuram temple, as called for by tradition.In 1975 Athirathram, a 12 day ritual was performed at Panjal(the same location), Kerala by Namboothiri Bramhins according to Samaveda tradition.

After a gap of 35 years, Athirathram will be held at the sleepy hamlet of Panjal in Thrissur district of Kerala, in April 2011.The choice of Panjal as the venue for Athirathram 2011 is also in line with geographic and vaastu principles. The yagnashala (where the ceremonies will be performed) is uniquely positioned to imbibe the energy of the sun, which has made Panjal the venue for almost all key yagnas held in Kerala in the past. The rituals will begin every day with the vedic chantings and homas. On the last four days, the rituals would be held throughout the day and night without any break.The expenses are estimated to touch Rupees 10 million and the organisers are expecting at elast 15,000 people to witness the rituals daily.People of all religious belief can participate in the Athirathram .The organisers are also planning to approach the scientific community to study the various effects of the ritual on the atmosphere and the surroundings.1975 Athirathram performance was instigated by the Indologist Dr. Frits Staal of the University of California and by Mr. Robert Gardner, with support from several international agencies.

The official website on Athirathram described that, the Vedic rituals have come down to human beings in two broad types-the Grhya and the Srauta. The former is concerned with rites of an individual, such as the Upanayana or Marriage. The later on the other hand, is solemn and exalted, show casing in oral tradition the great learning of the Sruti literature, comprising, in other words, the three Vedas- Rig, Yajur and Sama and their ancillary texts. The Grhya system is still in existence almost all over India, whereas, the Srauta type has survived in only few isolated pockets of Brahman groups.

The two Vedic Scholars primarily responsible for the 1975 performance were Brahmasree Muttathukattu Mammunnu Itti Ravi (undisputed master of the Jaiminiya Samaveda) and Brahmasree Cherumukku Vaidikan Vallabhan Somayajipad or CV (occupies a central position in the ritual realm of the Rig-Veda and Yajurveda). Frits Staal who is currently Emeritus Professor of Philosophy and South and Southeast Asian Studies at the University of California, Berkeley succeeded in preserving this ritual. He was responsible for organizing and recording the ritual in detail with the help of grants and donations from Harvard, the Smithsonian Institution, The Rock Foundation and others. Seventeen priests are required for performing the `Agni`. The course of time is 12 days.

The First day begins with the Yajamana and his priests entering the ritual enclosure carrying three sacred fires in pots. The main ritual vessel is prepared from clay. A symbolic animal sacrifice would be performed for Vayu. After selection of five chief priests fire is produced by friction. This is followed by tying a turban around the head of Yajamana. He is protected by a golden breast plate, is given a staff and closes his fists and deprived of speaking (except for recitations), from bathing etc. The Yajamana picks up the main ritual vessel filled with fire, and takes three steps with it. On the Second day another ritual pot, also made of clay is prepared. A sacrificial pole is made on the Third day. The measurements of the Mahavedi and of the bird-shaped offering altar are laid out. On the Fourth day among others, the Indra God is invited to attend the ritual. Seeds are sown in the plowed ground and the main ritual vessel of the first day is buried. Construction of the bird shaped altar is started. From Fifth day to Seventh day, after the morning activity, subsequent layers of the altar are laid on each day. The evening activity follows. On the Eighth day in addition to the normal ritual of the day, the fifth layer is laid. Then the Yajamana wishes the bricks to turn into cows. Offerings are made to Rudra. On the Ninth day, the implements used in the process are putdown on the new altar in the shape of a man .The Agni from new domestic altar is installed on the new offering altar. Long continuous oblation of ghee is made followed by other oblation and offerings. The hall of recitation is made .The symbolic animal sacrifice is performed. The ceremonies from Tenth day up to the dawn of twelfth day will continue throughout out the next two days and nights. On the tenth day some priests including Yajamana crawl in snake like procession on to altar for offering. Numerous rites are performed simultaneously. Fires are installed in hearths in the recital hall also. Symbolically eleven animals are sacrificed. On the twelfth day the Yajamana and his wife take “Avabhratha bath” followed by a symbolic sacrifice of goat. The Yajamana installs three fires on his home after returning to the home. He perform morning and evening Agnihothra for the rest of his life. Each day, the rituals vary. The major offerings to the sacrificial fire are Somarasa, the juice of Somalatha, an herbal plant plus dozens of other herbs. The fire is created by rubbing two pieces of wood, as detailed in ancient Vedic scriptures. No modern prop is used.

Athirathram is now being revived through a grand public event by “Varthathe Trust” formed by a group of like-minded individuals from India and abroad, cutting across different professions such as financial services (banking), advertising and law. Preparations are currently on for Athirathram. The Trust is based in Ottapalam, Palakkad district, Kerala. The Trust has been formed to serve the society at large by imparting and disseminating ancient Indian scientific and philosophical knowledge towards attaining unity, peace, prosperity and ultimate wisdom.

Athirathram is planned in Panjal from April 4-15, 2011. The training and rehearsals for the ritual are on-going. The Yajamana of the 2011 Panjal Agni will be “Putillattu Ramanajan Somayaji”. The ritual will be performed just as it was done 4000 years ago, with wooden vessels and bricks. No use of metal will be made. The Yajamana or the main conductor of Athirathram has gone through rigorous preparation prescribed for performance of Athirathram. The Adhvaryam of the Yajurveda in the ritual and the heaviest load will be borne by the Kapra family, the Hautram of the Rig-Veda is led by the Naras family and the Audgatram of the Samaveda in the ritual by Tottam.

Lakshmi Narayana Temple, Panjal, Thrissur, Kerala, India.

References: -

http://www.athirathram2011.com

http://www.hindu.com/2011/02/15/stories/2011021559340300.htm

http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=6625

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnicayana

http://manamlagaru.com/columnists.php?col_id=335