Sudarshana Homam.

 Attended Sudarshana Homam in Bangalore.It was conducted by the owner of a house  who was highly relived and thankful that his tenants who refused to vacate the premises several years after the tenancy agreement was over .had finally quit it after a long legal battle .He wanted to occupy the said premises hence he performed Sudarshana homam before doing so.

A huge square was made in the drawing room with bricks stacked one over the other It had a thick layer of sand at its bottom that covered the tiled floor.These bricks were decorated with small lines of  kumkum and turmeric powder.

I was taken aback by the size of the homa kund.I have seen only seen small portable cement bowl being used in here at Chennai in all  functions for homams ,whether big or small. ranging from marriages conducted in huge halls  to Davasams performed at homes,like we have at home[the annual homam propitiating pitrus via deceased anscestors].

I was even more surprised to see huge logs instead of the usual small twigs stacked in a corner.The Agni viz the fire would be a roaring one .! 

This was the first time that i was attending a Sudarshana Homam.

A tastefully drawn Rangoli in myraid of colours depicting the Sudarshana Chakra the powerful weapon of Vishnu/Narayana occupied a fair share of the dining room .It faced the inset puja room.An attendee commented that it looked like the map of India.Yes from a certain angle it did look like one!

Soon the whole house was over run by  Saivaite brahmin priests getting ready to perform the Homam.There wasn't even a single Sri Vaishnavaite brahmin priest though the homam was conducted by Sri Vaishnaviate owner for his daughter and son in law .a young Sri Vaishnavaite couple.!

The couple were asked to sit before the huge kund and a Brahmin Siva acharya sat by their side.They sat thus for 3 hours !I thought that since Smartha or Saivaite Brahmins are very thorough in Shastras and Vedas and Vedic rituals they were really were going the full hog .But others who have attended this homam earlier said that it does take 3 hours,irrespective of any Brahmin of any sect  presiding over  it.!

First the woman was asked to do archana of a small Ganesh idol placed at front of her near the homa kund with flowers so as to commence and conduct the homa without any obstacles.

Then the acharya chanted mantras that were aimed at driving wicked thoughts  evil spirits and disease that could be pervading the house.He chanted the mantras so lucidly that though i haven't learnt Sanskrit I could understand it.

He then asked 2 elderly married women who are not widows to drop the lit camphor burning brightly on the brick wall of the homa and not directly into it .I was asked to do it along with another woman.Unlike other homas where women directly drop the burning camphor into the kund and ignite the twigs here another priest pushed the camphor into the kund .and the mega homam commenced .

The husband was asked to repeat  the mantras recited by the head priest, on and off .His main ritual was to pour ghee into the kund.and to keep the fire alive.The acharya and all other priests chanted mantras in unison in loud voice non stop for nearly two and a half hours .Remarkable  memory and energy.None of them fumbled .

The head priest then invoked each of the  Nava Grahas like Surya etc requesting them to shower the couple and the house with auspiciousness.

Then he invoked Sudarshana by first praising him with innumerable Mantras from Vedas and then requesting him to drive away all beings inimical to the well being of the couple and the house .He sought this powerful weapon of Vishnu's to constantly protect the couple and the house.The Agni leapt .high!

Then some cooked rice was fed to the raging Agni .There was hardly any smoke !

The head priest took a small break to tell us few stories from Mahabharat relating to Sri Krishna and his weapon 'the Sudarshana Chakra.He spoke in Kannnada and requested that it be translated to those who didn't understand that language.Barring me and two others every one in that room knew Kannada as they were all born and bred there.

But I  could understand easily .First I knew all those stories.Second Kannada is similar to Tamil.Third he was telling it slowly and clearly.Finally in my distant distant past i had learnt Kannada in a primary school in Mysore as it was a compulsory then to learn it by all.

After completion of chanting Mantras a gong was struck repeatedly, hand held bells were chimed whilst the the husband showed camphor Arti to the Homam and then to the pictures of  deities in the puja room.with all of us standing with palms joined together in supplication .

The striking of the gong and chiming of the bells  amidst the aromatic flames leaping to the ceiling and the Aarti created a terrific effect and the atmosphere became electric with cosmic vibrations.

The Agni kindled in that homa kund would take two full days to cool!

And then i finally heard all the priests and the couple chant Narayana several times and then the Homam ended. Hearing  the  mantra Narayanaya  was nectarine.I felt deeply satisfied with my whole being suffused with delight . This was the desert , the icing .A delicious one.

Moments of humour through out the Homam  was the insistence of a elderly Iyengar woman.She asked the Acharya to recite Sudarshana ashtakam of Desikan or allow her to recite it .The head priest ignored her requests and went on with rituals and Vedic recitals.She sat at his front glowering at him with her big eyes smouldering like the Agni in the Kund  through out the 3 hours ritual.

It is the norm to start all homas in Sri Vaishnavaite-vadagalai sect functions to first pay homage to Swamy Desikan our Acharya, by chanting few Sanskrit slokas praising him.But this was  a  out and out  Saivaite show and the owner himself had organised thus , so how can one expect the contrary?So i found her insistence out of place and funny .

This Sudarshana Ashtakam are eight sanskrit slokas on Sudarshana Chakra written by Swamy Desikan  750 years back which is recited in Sri Vaishnavaite [Vadagalai] house holds by men and women to ward of disease and enemies.

According to some elders it was written by Desikan to  cure villagers near Kanchipurum of the mysterious disease stalking them and on invoking the Sudarshana Chakra they were cured of thier disease,Few other elders are of the view that Swamy Desikan invoked the Sudarshana Chakra with these slokas to help him to win a philosophical debate with Advaitins in Thituheendrapurum.[TN] and he won and established the primacy of VisishtaDwaita philosophy.

Most Iyengars recite this sloka and several others without knowing thier meanings and the context at which it was written .Hence her insistence and persistence to make that Siva acharya  to recite it  or allow her to recite it during the homam amused me .

Finally when the homam was formally concluded the head priest acceded to her request and she chanted the Astakam loudly to her hearts content along with us and few others.