SATSANG VOL. 37NO. 6

NEW ERA 67 JANUARY & FEBRUARY, 2010

SOMAYAG 2010

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Cover:A few scenes from Somayag. (Clockwise from

left) Explosive flame after offerings of cow’s milkand goat’s milk; Somayagi Hari Bhau Apte carry-

ing the box containing fire from Tretagni; severalpundits.

NEW ERA 67 JANUARY & FEBRUARY, 2010 VOL. 37 NO. 6

Editor:Lisa PowersPublisher:Fivefold Path Inc.Parama Dham(House of Almighty Father)278 N. White Oak Dr., Madison, VA 22727 USAPublished seven times yearly.

Please direct all Satsang correspondence to the Editor.Opinions expressed by contributors are notnecessarily those of Satsang.

Reproduction by permission only.ISSN 0735-1321

Satsang is available on the Internet at:http://www.agnihotra.org/satlist.htm

Hard copy of Satsang is also available from FivefoldPath Inc. at the above address. We request a dona-tion of $16.00 for a one-year subscription to ad-dresses in the U.S. and Canada.

Perform Agnihotra Heal The Atmosphere

CONTENTS

What is Somayag? ................................................................................................ 3Somayag 2010 ..................................................................................................... 5Orion on Somayag ............................................................................................... 6Somayag III: The Aftermath................................................................................. 7Scenes from Somayag 2010................................................................................. 9Brahmacharya (Patterns of behavior for the unfoldment of the Divine) ............ 11A Child’s Wisdom ............................................................................................... 15

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What is Somayag?

What is Somayag?Yajnya is the science of purification of theatmosphere through the agency of FIRE. Thisscience is as old as creation. There are vari-ous types of Yajnyas for fulfillment of variousobjectives.

Basic YAJNYA is AGNIHOTRA tuned to thebiorhythm of sunrise/sunset. A small fire isprepared in a copper pyramid of fixed size.Dried pieces of cowdung, clarified butterfrom cow’s milk and a few grains of unbro-ken, raw rice are the materials used in thisprocess of offering to the fire.

In all ancient civilizations of the world,cowdung, i.e. dung from male or femaleprogeny of a cow, was considered as animportant medicinal substance for treatmentof various human diseases. Ancient sciencedescribes sunrise thus:“At sunrise the many fires, electricities, ethersand more subtle energies emanating fromthe sun extend all the way to the Earth andproduce a flood effect at those coordinateswhere the sun is said to rise. It is awesome.The flood enlivens and purifies everything inits path, destroying what is impure in itswake. This torrent of life sustaining energiescauses all life to rejoice. At sunrise that musiccan be heard. The morning Agnihotra Mantrais the essence of that music. It is the quintes-

sential sound of that flood. At sunset theflood recedes.”

The offerings to fire are done with the accom-paniment of Mantras.

What is Mantra? Definition of Mantra: Thereare vibrations that exist everywhere. It is onlyvibrations when you go into it. Where thereis vibration there is also sound. When we dothese Mantras, the sounds we utter activatethese special vibrations that will create cer-tain atmosphere of effects. Then the desiredresults are realized. These vibrations exist foreverything, so anything can be activated,controlled or changed by Mantras.

When one with a pure mind utters the Man-tra into the Agnihotra pyramid at Agnihotratime, the ash retains that energy and thehealing properties of the ash become morepowerful.

The effects of Agnihotra atmosphere andAgnihotra ash for growing healthy crops in ashorter period are well documented [pleasesee: www.homa1.com]. Agnihotra ash medi-cines are used by thousands of people withgreat benefit to themselves.

Agnihotra is to be performed DAILY at sun-rise and sunset to keep the Nature’s cycles inharmony.

Vasant Paranjpe

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At the junction of two seasons there is likeli-hood of epidemic; hence, several medicinalHOMAS are prescribed with different sets ofMantras.

Then there are special HOMAS for gettingrains, for getting a male child or a femalechild. This forms part of biogenetics.Bigger Yajnyas (HOMAS) like SOMAYAG,AGNISHTOMA, JYOTISHTOMA are done forpurification of the environment, reducingthe burden on the mind, making mind fullof LOVE.

In such Yajnyas chanting of Mantras andofferings to fire goes on for several days. InSomayag there is one process where first allthe surrounding area is charged with Mantrasand their vibrational effects. Then cow’s milkand goat’s milk are obtained while chantingcertain Mantras. These two are then mixedwhile chanting certain Mantras. Then simulta-neously Mantras from SAMAVEDA and otherVedas are uttered. This energizes the wholearea. When the mixture of these two milksand ghee (clarified butter) are offered to thefire a flame shoots up, up to ten meters highand the effect goes up to the biosphere.

By using this supertechnology we can eradi-cate pollution factors on a large scale.

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Atyagnishtoma Mahasomayag was held fromJanuary 26-31st at the Homa TherapyGoshala in Maheshwar, Madhya Pradesh,India, under the technical guidance of Five-fold Path Mission. This was the third in aseries of seven such Somayags which are tobe held at the Homa Therapy Goshala.

Somayag is a special medicinal Yajnya to beperformed based on astronomic conditions.It would take an intelligent young personabout twelve years to learn this techniquewith proper Mantra chanting. The person hasto follow strict disciplines. This Yajnya iscalled Somayag because SOMA juice is usedas the main oblation. Soma is called the kingof medicinal herbs. This special Yajnya pro-vides a powerful boost of healing energy forthe whole world. The beneficial effect of eachof these Homas lasts for many years.Somayags make the atmosphere medicinal,nutritious and disease-free.

Generally speaking, Somayags are for thewelfare of all, to bring balance to Nature andthe elements.

The specific purpose of each of the sevenSomayags is as follows:

AGNISHTOMA--for the atmosphere

ATYAGNISHTOMA--for water

JYOTIRUKTA--for food

SHODASHI--for health

ATIRATRA--longevity of life

APTORYAM--well-being, prosperity of thewhole society

Somayag 2010VAJAPAYEE--peace ofmind

These seven thingscomprise the essen-tials for all livingthings.

The purposes of theSomayags are inter-related. For example,the JYOTIRUKTASomayag is for food,but this also includesatmosphere and water.

In watching the performance of Somayag,one is struck by the precise teamwork of theSomayag performers. Countless tasks andexact procedures are involved in preparingthe altar areas, assembling and preparing themany tools and materials, and chanting andmaking offerings to fire.

Each pundit has specific responsibilities.Humorously, Somayagi Hari Bhau Aptecommented, “Fire is a rich man. [The punditwho makes the offerings] is his cook. I am hischauffeur. And these [the rest of the pundits]are his personal assistants.” The varied dutiesare carried out in a spirit of devotion, unityand joy--an example to us all.

Ed.

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February, 3, 2010 MaheshwarYes. Yes. Sublime energy vortex cre-ated here. Lines of energy are emanat-ing from this vortex on the sacred landby the River Narmada. These linesintersect around the globe.

Much power has been released here. Itwill facilitate not only the goal ofUNITY, BROTHERHOOD, SISTERHOODand the universal goal of PEACE, but itwill transform each and every beingwho attended this event with intention.

With intention. It is important that youstate your intention and that you stayfocused upon it. Catalytic events likethis SOMAYAG on sacred ground can-not “happen” without sincere intent bythe human element! So you, each ofyou, have an active--not inactive--roleto play in manifesting the intention.This year there was an overwhelmingcall for UNITY. As the great Master hadspoken. UNITY is the result.

Continue, all of you, to manifest UNITY.This is the energy required now toeffect MASS HEALING on a world scale.Yes. And it is time for it.

For more information, visit:http://www.oriontransmissions.com

Orion on Somayag

(Bottom photo) Some attendees from Kharag-pur, India, the birthplace of Shree GajananMaharaj, and Baltimore Homa Community.

received by Parvati Rosen-BizbergWysoka, Poland

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As the book closes on Somayag III, I wantedto put pen to paper—finger to keyboard,actually—and record some thoughts andfeelings before the mind moves on to othermatters.

As in prior years, you could see the changesfirst on the faces, as nervousness and stressfrom international travel melded into calm-ness and synchronicity.

Then as we watched the complexity of thesix-day Fire unfold, one thought could notescape: what a blessing that we were givensimple sunrise/sunset Agnihotra as a micro-version, in a sense, of the Tretagni Fire per-formed constantly by the Yajaman, the leaderof the Somayag, the embers of which ignitedthe Somayag.

We are thus able to get an effect twice dailywithout having to commit fully our lives asdoes a performer of Tretagni. As the topic of“effort” is thus highlighted, I am reminded ofhow at times, the simplicity and comparative“effortlessness” of Agnihotra could possiblylull some of us into a false sense of security.The point here is that the Fivefold Path doesnot begin with the number “5” withoutmeaning.

Were this the Onefold Path, then perhaps wecould be excused for putting all of our eggs

into this basket. This not being the case, wewould be wise to leave some room in ourbaskets for Daan, Tapa, Karma andSwadhyaya.

It was explained to us once that Yajnya, firesperformed for purification of mind andatmosphere, comprises 40% of the FivefoldPath. Doing the math, that would lead us tothe conclusion that the other 4 aspects com-prise a full 60%! Wow! If I could just re-member this daily, and inculcate this knowl-edge into my repertoire, how much happier,holier and healthier might I be? And howbetter might I serve my brothers and sistersinhabiting this troubled planet?

If we recall that Agnihotra is a “tool”, wemight make an analogy to a different kind oftool and assess a situation whereby I amgiven a hammer after which I sit and ponderthe beauty of this implement, its shape,color…. If, however, I fail to cease my pon-dering and not pick up this marvelous inven-tion and proceed to hammer some sense intolife and into the nail before me, what goodhave I done?

So it more than likely is with the FivefoldPath. If Yajnya opens the door to peace ofmind, harmony of the spiritual and thematerial and overall improvement in virtuallyany parameter one can bring to the table,

Somayag III: The AftermathBarry Rathner, Ph.D.

Bhrugu Aranya, Wysoka, Poland

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how silly would it be to admire the openeddoor and fail to take the steps required toenter the room waiting for us on the otherside of that door?

The 12-Step program of Alcoholics Anony-mous is fond of labeling its program “simple,but not easy.” I say similarly about theFivefold Path that it is simple, but not easy. Isay this especially about steps 2 through 5.Daan may not be so foreign to many of ussince the concept of “charity” is fairly well-known in many societies. There are ofcourse some differences between the twoconcepts; nonetheless, sharing our assetsfeels good and many of us have experiencedthe joy and non-attachment that results.

Tapa, however, (self-discipline basically) runssomewhat counter to the “Eat, Drink and BeMerry” and extreme consumption attitudesthat seem to pervade many Western societiesand now, thanks to globalization, much of therest of the world as well. Monks, nuns andyogis excepted, discipline is not an easy sellin our push button, touch button I-world.Surfing the Net, e.g., is so, so easy, at timesone may wonder why it is necessary to everleave the computer monitor. Some don’t.

"Unless the trouble from these crocodiles isreduced, we are not going to be happy," weread in "Light Towards Divine Path." The

crocodiles,--passion, anger, greed, attach-ment, pride and envy--lurk everywhere, andwithout Tapa, it is likely that our serenity willbe in danger.

Concerning Karma, Shree Vasant continues inthe same book, "Your current circumstances,apparently pleasant or unpleasant, are theresult of your past actions. This clearly meansthat your efforts in the present momentdetermine what you will be in the future."Wow! Again, simple, but not easy.

Then Swadhyaya: (Self-Study)--"Will thesearch for happiness through outside objectsever land us in bliss? Pondering over this isSwadhyaya," LTDP continues, "Is there any-thing that will always make you happy? Yes.It is the Light that shines within you and it isnot dependent on anything outside. Searchfor this Light is the Divine Path. This isSwadhyaya."

So here we are, holding the tools for happi-ness, enlightenment, spiritual evolution andbalance in our hands and minds, challenged,in a sense, to use them over and over, for,"Swadhyaya knows no vacation," and Daan,Tapa and Karma don't take long holidayseither.

The Fivefold Path, not the Onefold Path. Atleast it's half as difficult as the Ten Com-mandments......

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Scenes fromSomayag 2010

Footage and photos of Somayag 2010will be posted by March 4th, 2010 atwww.somayag.org.

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Commandment 7:Brahmacharyena tapasa raja rashtramvirakshatiAcharyo brahmacharyenabrahmacharinamichhati-Atharva Veda II-5-17

Purport: Wisdom dawns by penance ofbrahmacharya. A nation sustains by pen-ance of brahmacharya.

Commentary:Brahmacharya is commonly understood ascelibacy or sexual continence. The rootmeaning of the Sanskrit word connotessetting up a pattern of behavior in conso-nance with the harmonious unfoldment ofthe Spirit within. The aim of all endeavor is,"Not my will but Thy will be done."

Celibacy results in conservation of Prana (LifeForce) for more fruitful purposes, providedmind is trained to cooperate. Brahmacharyameans control of sexual lust, avoidance ofoverindulgence in sensuality and conse-quently attempting to rid oneself of hatred,envy, greed, fear and anxiety. Agnihotra, thefirst aspect of the Fivefold Path of the Vedas,is a potent material aid to bring about thetransformation of the mind.

Celibacy brings about immense resilienceand we experience an influx of energy at all

levels. Conservation of sexual energy contrib-utes to spiritual regeneration and we delvedeep into subtle tiers of consciousness. Theflow of energy which was drained off to-wards the sexual function can be channeledtowards the higher task of Self realization.

It is not possible to control sex withoutsimultaneously exerting control over allsense organs. To achieve this state we mustfirst learn the "why" of it. How does it con-cern me? Why should I take the trouble toundertake this penance? Is it going to benefitme in my worldly life? This is part ofSwadhyaya, the fifth aspect of the FivefoldPath. We soon realize that we must learn toexert control over our thoughts. Practice ofthe previous six commandments leads topurification of the intellect and sublimationof thought. It is a matter of experience thatcontrol over the palate helps a good deal tocontrol sex. We then learn to distinguishbetween hunger and appetite.

The Brahmacharya way of life is a gift fromthe ancient Vedic seers. All your hiddentreasures will be unsealed by its practice.Egotistic pattern of behavior is blasted bypractice of Brahmacharya. Everyone wants tocommand but none wants to obey. Resuscita-tion of Brahmacharya way of life will teach usto be humble as little children and the gatesof "The Kingdom of Heaven" will be thrown

Brahmacharya(Patterns of behavior for theunfoldment of the Divine)

fromTen Commandments of Parama Sadguru

Commentary by Vasant Paranjpe

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open. Brahmacharya way of life rids us of allmisery that is our desert. It is the only way toput an end to all misery.

Modern medicine has failed to rid humanityof misery for the simple reason that it doesnot take into account man in his totality, i.e.body, mind and soul. Daring attempts aremade by modern psychiatry to bring happi-ness to the corporeal frame by manipulatingpsychological channels. But again they do notgo beyond body-mind complex and hencethe supreme necessity of spiritual disciplineto lead a happy life on earth. The FivefoldPath ushers you into Brahmacharya way oflife. The first two aspects of the Fivefold Pathare material aids to the process of spiritualunfoldment .

Man is not a simple contraption which re-sponds to stimulus inputs. Biopsychologicaloperants need to be considered by therapeu-tic psychiatry if it aims at bringing peace tomankind. Brahmacharya way of life, theFivefold Path, has to be imprinted uponchildren in their most impressionable period.Behavioral patterns have to be stamped evenbefore kindergarten age if education aims toevolve Self culture.

Our happiness depends upon our way of life.Action and intellect act and react. GoodKarma sublimates the intellect. Purified

intellect exerts control over sense organs.This leads to imperturbability of the mind,indifference to the duality of pleasure andpain and happiness is ushered in like a ripefruit falling in your lap. If mind is overruledby senses, the intellect gets disfigured andbad action follows. If mind joins the intellectin its power to choose between right andwrong, senses are compelled to submit. Thisis how the spiritual discipline works.

Psychiatry engineers artifacts which areexternal. Psychiatry is administered whilespiritual practice is volitional. Brahmacharyabrings about changes in the will power. Itteaches us to be best managers of our energypotential. The drain on energy is plugged.Targets of primary importance are stressedso that we come to know for ourselves whatis necessary and right for us.

Let us learn that objects are mere symbolswhence desire is triggered. Control of senseorgans may be restrictive in the beginning.Anything that is restrictive may be disagree-able but in due course of time the burden isredeemed and there is nothing but joy. This isthe process of Tapa (self-discipline), the thirdaspect of the Fivefold Path.

"The journey of life can be safely conductedand the Supreme world of Vishnu reached bykeeping a watchful eye over the senses. The

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body is a chariot to which the senses areyoked like horses. The charioteer, under-standing, holds the horses in check with reinsthat are mind. The soul occupies the chariot;the world of objects is the path over whichthe senses move. If the reins are not heldwisely the senses will go out of control andthe chariot will not reach the destination.Wise man controls the mind and his sensesare like good horses.” --Kathopanishad III-3,4, 5, 9

"(It can be accomplished) by practice anddetachment."--Bhagavat Geeta 6-35

Let us organize our tomorrow by self-disci-pline today. Let us not defile the bodily taber-nacle and turn it into a den of thieves. Thethieves are passion, anger, greed, temptation,pride and jealousy. Let us learn to exertcontrol over sense organs. It cannot be doneovernight. It can neither come by merewishful thinking or through listening tointellectual discourses. It comes only in thecompany of saintly persons. Let us imbibethe spiritual discipline in our lives as house-holders. Let us inculcate in our children bypracticing what we preach.

From a painfully restrictive society of medi-eval times we have rocketed ourselves intoexuberance of permissiveness. Neither isconducive to freedom. We behave like freed

people and not free people. Freedom impliesfreedom from worry, tension, anxiety, misery.This involves discipline. The words discipleand discipline stem from the same root.

The younger generation is brought up withjet planes, TV., spaceships, mass communica-tion media, instant foods and psychothera-peutic operants. They refuse to put faith inmerely action-oriented legalistic moral codeof institutionalized religions. They are alsofamiliar with the instability, insecurity, voidand tension syndrome of which they arehapless victims. They try to seek relief indrugs, sex and hippy non-conformism withno success. They are at the crossroads ofdestiny. It is either perish en masse or livetogether in tune with the Divine blueprint.Accentuated intellectual faculty no morepermits them to adhere to hypocritical make-believe morality. Attenuated mental facultyputs heavy obstacles in the determination topractice the spiritual path. Under such condi-tions only the package deal of the FivefoldPath of Vedic wisdom, grounded in scientificfoundation of revealed knowledge, will pullus up from the abysmal state. All messengersof God, all prophets have stressed the samemessage of the Fivefold Path in their revela-tions in words suited to their times. In thescientific society that we live in we have torevert to the ancient language of Vedic wis-dom. This is the Fivefold Path.

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Brahmacharya way of life is character build-ing in the light of scientific knowledge. Man isconsidered in his entirety as body, mind andsoul and evolution proceeds with thispremise. There are fixed natural laws in thephysical realm; this is borne out by methodsof experimental science. There are fixed lawsin the mental and the spiritual realm also.While dealing with human happiness it is notenough to consider only the psychosomaticman. Sealing off the threshold at the endo-crine or psychosomatic level will never leadus out of misery. Let us repeat: man is body,mind and soul. Let us pay heed to the spiritthat unfolds within. Practice of Tapa (self-discipline) of Brahmacharya alone will bringus out of misery and land us in the eternal"Kingdom of Heaven" which is our birthright.

Our daily actions are the warp and the woofof the pattern of life we create for ourselves.It might be useless to talk about the spiritualpath if it does not benefit us in the workadayworld. By observing the commandments webecome more equipped to face our worldlyproblems. Practice of Brahmacharya makesus a different person. Our attitudes changeand the world is different. We must try tounderstand why this mode of life is a neces-sity for happy living and then we must, withdetermination, take steps to tread the Five-

fold Path. This is the essence of the messageof all prophets.

Continence, with full cooperation of mindand intellect, is the cornerstone of a happylife as a householder. It blesseth both our-selves and society.

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One evening, we all sat for Agnihotra to-gether as a community, in our small medita-tion room. One person did Agnihotra in thefire temple and the rest of us gathered formeditation. Earlier that day, we’d had somedifficulty with a neighbor’s teenage son whowas causing disturbance. So, we all decidedto call on higher forces of the universe tostrengthen us and keep us calm and peaceful.

During the meditation, as the flamesflickered softly in the setting sun, Leela (myfive-year-old granddaughter) called to Shreewith the following words:

“Please Shree, give us the Heart, the Powerand the Pyramid!

“Please Shree, let us have the Devas and letthem send Love.

“Forgive our hearts and LOVE.”

In her simple innocence, Leela inspired us allto look at ourselves and realize what wehave, this truth and strength already withinus.

Children reflect what still remains of wonderand sweetness in our world.

As the calm peace of the fire spread over uslike a comforting blanket of love, we all sangtogether in serenity.

A Child’s Wisdom

Leela Sawyer, above, and with Patty Powers(left) and Angela Fields on a boating trip downthe Narmada River at Somayag.

Parvati Rosen-BizbergWysoka, Poland

Fivefold Path Inc.278 N. White Oak Dr.Madison, Virginia 22727 U.S.A.Address Correction Requested

Website: http://www.agnihotra.orgEmail: info@agnihotra.org

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1. Perform AGNIHOTRA for purification ofthe atmosphere which leads to automaticpurification of mind.

2. Practice DAAN (sharing of assets in a spiritof humility to reduce attachment to worldlypossessions).

3. Practice TAPA (becoming better managersof our energy expenditure by training thebody and mind to react to all circumstancesin life with Total Love).

4. Perform KARMA (every action for selfpurification only and thus no expectationswhich bind us to the material world).

5. Practice SWADHYAYA (Self-study) forliberation. Who am I? Why am I here? Mywork on this planet is to learn to react withtotal LOVE with each opportunity given tome.

This is the Fivefold Path for happy living onthe planet. By practicing the Fivefold Pathyou become better members of your society,group, religion, community, etc.

FIVEFOLD PATH for Happy Living