[Advaita-l] Pitru Paksha Questions

[Venkata sriram P]

Namaste,
 
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Gaya/or Kasi srardhas may be performed in addition only 
and they are not once for all times to come.Ofcourse now a days these 
ceremonies are getting difficult to perform as suitable qualified Brahmins 
are not available and the samabhavanas
 
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Geographically, gaya has special significance.  Vishunu pAda & gaya symbolically
represent the 3rd step of Aditya or Vishnu which is mOkSha-prada.
 
The 3 steps of adtiya have a significance in exapanse of kAlachakra.  
 
The 1st step of adtiya is pUrvAnhna kAla (forenoon) which represents rg veda;
the 2nd step of aditya is mAdhyAhna (noon) which represents yajurveda;
the 3rd step of aditya is aparAhna kAla which represents sama veda. 
 
shAkapuni explains this 3rd step of aditya as sUrya astOnmukha kAla (aparAhna samaya)
which is the time span where sun starts it's journey to set in towards the west.  
This journey towards the sun-set starts at gaya during aprAhna kAla and the shruti
extols this aprAhna kAla to be the 3rd stride of vishnu (aditya).  The vishnu pada symbolically represents this 3rd stride of trivikrama rupa vishnu aka aditya.  
This 3rd stride is the vishnu pada that confers liberation to mortals (ref: tad viShNOH paramaM padaM sadA pashyanti sUrayaH...).
 
Now, the adhishtana devatas of pitr are vasu, rudra & aditya and the ancestors
are the medium of worship.  It is through pitrus, vasu, rudra & aditya achive the tripti
with the help of "svadhA".  Here, "svadhA" is the parAshakti which is the brahma mAya
which nourishes the vasu, rudra & aditya and thereby liberate the ancestors.  
 
Even in the pitru kArya, there are advaitic references where the yajamAna says 
"annaM cha brahma" "bhOkta cha brahma" etc.  And the bhOktAs in whom the 
vasu, rudra & adityAs are invoked were asked to repeat "ahaM brahma asmi".
 
Not knowing this, half-baked ignorants under the garb of neo-vedanta, try to make mockery of our sanAtana dharma.  
 
Their criticism towards this kArya shows how much they respect their parents which is a sheer violation of the arsha vAkya "mAtru dEvO bhava; pitru dEvO bhava".  When the 
dharma itself is wobbling which is the base of puruShArtha chaTuShTaya, there is no 
use in studying volumes of vedanta & shastras.
 
my 2 cents.
sriram