Post by Kanchi Periva on Aug 17, 2012 16:49:43 GMT 5.5
We are posting here a multi-part series of messages on "Mahalaya Paksha" which are forwarded to us through email by Shri G Balasubramanian.
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Food served during annual ceremony will be as per family tradition. For Mahalaya Sraddham, the practice in vogue is to offer uncooked Rice, dal, raw banana and any other traditional vegetable of Indian origin, besides appropriate Dakshina for Mahalayapaksha Sraddham.
This is called Hiranya Sraddham, i.e., Sraddham where Dakshina only is offered and not meals.
If one wants to offer meals to Brahmanas he can do so, provided the Brahmanas have the time and are willing to eat. It goes without saying that the food served should be satvik in nature. Items like garlick, onion etc, should never be used in food served to Brahmins.
In USA,of course, the Purohits/archakas are paid employees of temples. The temple website gives a list of articles to be brought by a Grihasta to the temple for performing Hiranya Sraddham. That list includes milk, curd,ghee, tamarind, 3 types of vegetables, 3 types of fruits etc. etc.These are offered to the priest as a part of the Sraddha ritual.
Generally we observe the usage of Dharbha in rituals,particularly, while performing any homa/yagna/havan or Pitr karyam. It is said that without this there is no sanctity in the rituals performed. Brahmins always keep some stock of Dharbha grass in their houses.
It is used for purification in all kinds of ceremonies. Dharbha is also known as Kusa in Samskrit language and it is related to Kusala, meaning sharp in the sense of keen intelligence(because of the sharp tips of the grass).
In the Puranas it is said that the Kusa grass was formed when the hairs on the Kurma Avatar of Mahavishnu got loosened during the churning of the ocean and got washed away to the shore of the ocean to form Kusa grass. Since some drops of nectar (Amrita) fell on the grass, it is sanctified and has acquired healing properties.
That is why, in the formal hair-cutting ritual of boys(choula samskaram), the hair is touched with Dharbha grass before hair is cut.
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Food served during annual ceremony will be as per family tradition. For Mahalaya Sraddham, the practice in vogue is to offer uncooked Rice, dal, raw banana and any other traditional vegetable of Indian origin, besides appropriate Dakshina for Mahalayapaksha Sraddham.
This is called Hiranya Sraddham, i.e., Sraddham where Dakshina only is offered and not meals.
If one wants to offer meals to Brahmanas he can do so, provided the Brahmanas have the time and are willing to eat. It goes without saying that the food served should be satvik in nature. Items like garlick, onion etc, should never be used in food served to Brahmins.
In USA,of course, the Purohits/archakas are paid employees of temples. The temple website gives a list of articles to be brought by a Grihasta to the temple for performing Hiranya Sraddham. That list includes milk, curd,ghee, tamarind, 3 types of vegetables, 3 types of fruits etc. etc.These are offered to the priest as a part of the Sraddha ritual.
Generally we observe the usage of Dharbha in rituals,particularly, while performing any homa/yagna/havan or Pitr karyam. It is said that without this there is no sanctity in the rituals performed. Brahmins always keep some stock of Dharbha grass in their houses.
It is used for purification in all kinds of ceremonies. Dharbha is also known as Kusa in Samskrit language and it is related to Kusala, meaning sharp in the sense of keen intelligence(because of the sharp tips of the grass).
In the Puranas it is said that the Kusa grass was formed when the hairs on the Kurma Avatar of Mahavishnu got loosened during the churning of the ocean and got washed away to the shore of the ocean to form Kusa grass. Since some drops of nectar (Amrita) fell on the grass, it is sanctified and has acquired healing properties.
That is why, in the formal hair-cutting ritual of boys(choula samskaram), the hair is touched with Dharbha grass before hair is cut.