‘It’s an inner call’

The 12-day mother-of-all fire ritual in Kodakara, Thrissur, slated for March 2012, promises to be a unique event, reports Ranjeni A Singh.
The mysteries of ancient rituals have always fascinated modern-day scientists and scholars. No wonder, there is a renewed interest in Vedic fire rituals, especially among the Namboothiri Brahmins of Kerala. After the successful conclusion of Athirathram, the 5,000-year old yagna, or fire ritual in Panjal village in Kerala’s Thrissur district early this year, yet another Vedic scholar has decided to conduct a 12-day mother-of-all fire ritual in Kodakara, again in Thrissur from March 23 to April 3, 2012.
Astrologer Kaimukku Mana Raman Adithiripad will be the Athirathram yajaman or master of rituals. The event has the nod of the deity of Koodalmaanikya Temple at Irinjalakuda in Thrissur. According to traditions, the consent of family’s presiding deity has to be obtained before starting preparations.
Rigvedic and Yajurvedic ritwiks or assistants of the yajaman are being trained at the yajaman’s Vedic school and at various other places. Potters and carpenters are busy making special clay and wooden utensils, and the 1,110 bricks required to make the bird-shaped fire altar.
Unlike the Panjal Athirathram which was a sponsored affair and where the sponsors chose the yajaman and ritwiks, the 2012 Athirathram will be a traditional one in which the yajaman himself has made an initial investment of Rs 5 lakhs. Some of his family members have also contributed. An expenditure of Rs 80 lakhs is expected and the yajaman is optimistic of getting a major part of this from donations.
Asked why he has taken on this yagna, Raman Adithiripad said it was an “inner call”. “In my previous birth, I had participated in Somayagas, a six-day smaller version of the yagna. Since I could not perform a Athirathram then, I decided to perform it in this birth,” he said. He emphasised that this Athirathram is a rare one. Rigvedic Brahmins in India follow different sub-sects of Rigveda, which is either Aaswalaayana or Kausheetaka recensions. Yajurveda and Samaveda followers, too, are categorised into different recensions.
Many Vedic scholars are expected as this Athirathram is believed to be a rare combination of Boudhaayana- Aswalaayana recensions and the last time an Athirathram of such a combination was performed was 112 years ago. The intonations of hymns are different in the recensions. Researchers from the US and Europe have confirmed participation in the yagna being organised by the Threthagni Foundation, a non-profit organistion that preserves Vedic rituals.
Finian Gerety, a Samaveda expert from Harvard University is already here and is following up the ritwiks’ training activities.
Explaining the benefits of the yagna, Raman Adithiripad said: “All yagnas help preserve the flora and fauna of the area by energising them and bringing a balance in the environment.
The sun is the main source of energy and agni or fire is considered a representation of solar energy. The offerings made to the fire destroy the undesirable elements and rejuvenate desirable powers through the transfer of positive energy.
The ultimate aim of all Vedic rituals is the well-being and spiritual uplift of mankind.
“The yagna symbolises the immense regard and co-operation that man and nature should have for each other and which could ultimately lead to the betterment of the place we live in,” says Adithiripad.
ranjeni.singh@timesgroup.com