The Sacred Duty of Offering: The Vedas and Yajna
Hinduism is the religion of those humans who create, perpetuate, and transform traditions with legitimizing reference to the authority of the Veda.
— Brian K. Smith, a western scholar of Hinduism
When I wake up in the morning… I touch the floor twice with my hand, and bow and address the earth, saying, “You are so great. The ocean is your cloth, the treasures within the ocean are your gems, the mountains are your breasts, and all of their streams are your tributaries. All of the gods and goddesses serve you. With great gratitude I put my feet on you.” So in this way, each day I honor the earth before I step on her broad face.”
— Vivek Godbole, a Brahmin priest, translating a Vedic prayer
We will begin our study of the philosophy of yoga by learning about Vedic religion, the ancient antecedent of what we now call Hinduism. The Vedas are an enormous compendium of hymns and rituals that have been passed down orally since at least 1500 BCE through generations of brahmin priests. The ritual practice at the heart of this tradition is the yajna, a fire ceremony in which pure substances (harvested grain, clarified butter, and even precious gems) are offered to the gods through the medium of sacred fire.
Required assignments:
Read “A Day in the Life of a Vedic Priest“ by Peggy Bendet: A contemporary journalist writes about her visit to a Vedic priest’s home and shala, or school.
Read “Whatever You Do, Perform It As Sacrifice“ by Gurumayi Chidvilasanda: A contemporary Indian guru teaches on the spiritual practice of offering.
Experiment with the practice of offering: As American citizens, we are often described as “consumers”, and our way of life is based on ever-increasing consumption. What if we instead saw ourselves as “offerers”? You can experiment with this mentally, offering the outcome of a particular action to someone or something. Or you can give things to people, to animals, to the earth… the only limit to this practice is your own imagination.
Thou Art That 