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Bhagavata Yajna

Swami Prembhava SaraswatiOn the 2nd of January 2006, the devatas, divine powers, were invoked to bless,

guide, protec t and watch over the seven days of the Bhagavata Yajna. This was

only an enormous event in itself, but a powerful energy field of transformation,

upliftment, faith and joy. The field was Yoga Vidya, adjacent to Ganga Darshan,

home of Bihar School of Yoga and Bal Yoga Mitra Mandal (BYMM). All who entered

field were uplifted by this energy, and taken on a seven day journey of 

transformation.

The samskara of the ancient land of Ganga Darshan provided the perfect environ

for the Bhagavata Yajna. This hill and the land surrounding it was once the seat o

King Karna, also known as Danavir, the great giver, of Mahabharata fame, who

practised tapasya here. The ancient history combined with the recent history of

School of Yoga all created the required ingredients for the yajna to take seed, gr

blossom and produce the fruits and blessings for thousands of people in the prese

time and for years to come. The people of Munger and the children of BYMM hold

these same samskaras within them, which are expressed through their faith and

devotion. Absorbing and blossoming, as the land itself, they were drawn by the

thousands to the land of Ganga Darshan to be a part of Bhagavata, the story of 

Krishna, the poorna avatar.

The yajna was initiated in Jyoti Mandir, the temple of the eternal flame, which ha

been burning steadily and unceasingly for over twenty years. This is a space of p

and introspection, and it was here that the pandits created the environment requ

for the invocation of the gods, traditionally named the ‘moola’, which is the base

foundation of the yajna. Jyoti Mandir became the place of invocation of the ancie

Sanskrit mantras and pooja. It was the centre from where all the creative energie

began and continued to feed, sustain and nourish the yajna, like a generator of p

After the pandits invoked the energy of Krishna in Jyoti Mandir, the murti was ca

down to the site of the Bhagavata katha, on the field of Yoga Vidya, by an

international procession. Lord Krishna was installed upon the dais, with the blowin

the conch and chanting of Vedic mantras. From there, he presided over and bles

the huge congregation of bhaktas, who came to hear his divine stories.

The Srimad Bhagavata is an incredible compendium on creation, dimensions of 

consciousness and yoga philosophy woven into the format of stories. The teachinof spiritual life give primacy to bhakti or full surrender to the diine will. Intermingli

their eloquent presentation with beautiful kirtans and bhajans, Dr Akhilananda Sh

and his daughter, Bhakti Kiran, from Varanasi made the mythology come alive by

correlating it with situations from daily life.

Traditionally, a yajna involves the process of generation, distribution and enjoym

Such an event as the Bhagavata Yajna gives us the opportunity to experience th

power of this process in its purest form. A yajna is also comprised of certain

components, which include: pooja, invocation of the deity, chanting of vedic man

satsang, kirtan and daan/bhet. In this yajna, the pooja, invocation of the deity a

the chanting of mantras took place in the Jyoti Mandir, while the satsang in the f

of Bhagavata katha, kirtan and daan/bhet took place on the field of Yoga Vidya.

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Yajnas have been performed since ancient times, and are still performed today w

the same simplicity and beauty. The ancient rishis, seers and sages heard the

mantras and visualized the yantras, forms of the devas, which are integral to yaj

The rishis were the scientists of their time. They studied the world around them,

planets, stars, moon and sun, and the changing influences these had on their live

internally as well as externally. They understood the nature of their world, the cli

and changing seasons, and how to live in harmony with them. They considered e

aspect of this world as divine and treated everything with the same devotion and

respect. In this way they were able to connect the material with the spiritual in

life, and the rituals and ceremonies they performed, such as yajna, reflect this

celebration of life in all dimensions of existence.

The pooja, and mantras performed during the Bhagavata Yajna are the same as t

performed thousands of years ago. Daily worship was offered to the gods and to

forces of nature, such as: planets, sun and moon, plants, land, elements, climate

(wind, rain), feminine and masculine nature, and the generating, sustaining and

destructive aspects of creation. It is this worship of the natural forces that make

the yajna such a powerful event. All the forces of life are invoked and awakened

which contributes to the process of purification, growth and transformation of na

The pooja area for the Bhagavata Yajna contained three vedis, which were small

representations of the cosmos and the divine forces. Radha and Krishna formed t

central vedi. The left vedi contained the shaktipeetha, the creative and dynamicforces of nature in the form of the sixteen matrikas, or little mothers, and the Sa

Bhadra, the yantra representing auspiciousness to all beings. This vedi also includ

Gauri-Ganesha and Varuna, the Lord of the waters, controlling weather, oceans,

and rivers. The third vedi, on the right, represented the energies of the navagrah

nine planets, in the form of yantras, along with Indra, Lord of the Devas, and Rud

the destructive/transformative energy of creation. During the pooja, the worship

pustaka, the ancient books, in this case the Srimad Bhagavata, which hold the

knowledge and power of the spiritual teachings over thousands of years, was

observed. Tulsi Devi, the holy plant of healing, and the guiding inspiration of guru

were also included in the pooja and offerings. The worship went on daily through

the seven days, and the Sanskrit mantras of the Srimad Bhagavata were chanted

maintaining the sanctity of the entire program and all its activities.

Throughout the yajna, the pooja was performed with pure and natural materials,

same simple clay pots, natural grains, oil, ghee, flowers, dhoop and camphor whic

were used 5,000 years ago. Each item has its own scientific properties that purify

uplift both the individual and the environment. Simultaneously, the Bhagavata ka

was told on the field of Yoga Vidya to the thousands of people, who were inspire

enthralled by the pervasive spirit of satsang, kirtan, seva and joy, which continu

seven days. The beauty of it was that nobody consciously even knew it was

happening, but this yajna definitely changed the direction of their lives and the w

which they relate to themselves and the world around them.

The human race has been the cause of unprecedented change and destruction oearth’s ecosystems and environment. We take, enjoy and destroy, without

distribution, without sharing or giving anything back. Nature has become a utility

the satisfaction of our pleasure and greed, without consideration or respect. By t

performance of yajna, however, we can generate a new awareness whereby all t

forces of nature are respected and invoked. In this way, we align ourselves and o

environment with the positive energies of creation, which are generating, sustain

and transforming. During yajna, the environment is purified by the vibration of ma

that permeate the air all around. This also affects our inner environment; the

thoughts and feelings are harmonized and become clear, pure and inspirational.

The seven day Bhagavata Yajna culminated in a havan, fire ceremony, which invo

the ancient energies of the land and paid respect to them, offering peace and

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gratitude to all the aspects of nature responsible for the successful culmination o

historical event. Agni, the Lord of fire, was first invoked in Jyoti Mandir through

mantras and the rubbing together of aranya, fire sticks. Within minutes Agni aros

his full glory, without fuel, matches or chemicals of any kind. Just as Lord Krishna

been carried down to the field in a procession on the first day, Agni was carried f

the moola of Jyoti Mandir to the site of the havan. This symbolized that the proc

of transformation was being completed. Just as Shakti passes through the seven

chakras and merges with Shiva in sahasrara, the energy generated in the moola

throughout the seven days was transported to the field, where thousands were

awaiting it. With guru as the witness, all could feel the power of inspiration and g

When you can experience the power of the divine and the forces of nature aroun

and within you, the essence of yajna becomes real to you. The Bhagavata Yajna

a time of great unification and inspiration, reaffirming our faith and purpose in spi

life and strengthening our dedication to continue on the path towards our goal.

 

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