“
Every human creates his own imagined version of the world, and of himself. Every human is therefore Brahma, creator of his own aham. Aham Brahmasmi, I am Brahma. Tat tvam asi, so are you. We knot our imagination with fear to create aham. Tapasya and yagna are two tools that can help us unknot the mind, outgrow fear and discover atma, our true self.
”
”
Devdutt Pattanaik (Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana)
“
Yagna is the outer journey, while yoga is the inner journey that Arjuna has to undertake.
”
”
Devdutt Pattanaik (My Gita)
“
We knot our imagination to fear to creat aham. Tapasya and yagna are two tools that can help us unknot the mind, outgrow fear and discover atma, our true self.
”
”
Devdutt Pattanaik
“
Arjuna, ignore the onslaught of external stimuli and focus between your eyebrows, regulating inhalation and exhalation at the nostrils, to liberate yourself from fear, desire and anger, and discover me within you, I who receive and consume every offering of your yagnas.—Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 5, verses 27 to 29 (paraphrased).
”
”
Devdutt Pattanaik (My Gita)
“
human can also sense another’s hunger and produce food through yagna to satisfy another’s hunger. That is also the distinguishing feature of humanity,’ said Shakti. ‘When tapasya is done without yagna, solitude thrives, no relationships are established and society collapses. You become the destroyer.’ Shiva then said, ‘When yagna is done without tapasya, we exploit other people’s hunger to satisfy our own. Thus a corrupt society comes into being.
”
”
Devdutt Pattanaik (Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana)
“
To do yagna is to recognize that we live in a sea of assumed expectations and obligations. You and I can hoard, grab, give in order to get, get before giving or simply withdraw from the exchange. We can act out of desire, duty or care. We can choose to expect or control outcome, or not.
”
”
Devdutt Pattanaik (My Gita)
“
While rituals helped man cope with the many material challenges of the world, they did not offer man any spiritual explanations about life. For that stories were needed. And so, during yagnas, and between them, bards were called to entertain and enlighten the priests and their patrons with tales. In due course, the tales were given more value than the yagna. In fact, by 500 CE, the yagna was almost abandoned. Sacred tales of gods, kings and sages became the foundation of Hindu thought.
”
”
Devdutt Pattanaik (Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata)
“
We know that Ram fell in love after he saw Sita in a garden immediately before the swamber. The love’s visibility was so obvious that even Lakshman could gauge it and felt that Sita would be his Bhabi/Mata. Now
”
”
Kulbhushan Singhal (MAHARISHI VISHVAMITR AND HIS YAGNA REQUIRING RAM AND LAKSHMAN)
“
Ram fell in love after he saw Sita in a garden immediately before the swamber. The love’s visibility was so obvious that even Lakshman could gauge it and felt that Sita would be his Bhabi/Mata. Now
”
”
Kulbhushan Singhal (MAHARISHI VISHVAMITR AND HIS YAGNA REQUIRING RAM AND LAKSHMAN)
“
A Siddha must be differentiated from a Rishi. A Rishi obtains his power from the Devas by chanting the appropriate hymns and making the appropriate offerings during yagna. Siddhas bypass the Devas and go directly to God to get their powers.
”
”
Devdutt Pattanaik (Myth = Mithya: A Handbook of Hindu Mythology)
“
Arjuna, way back, Brahma created humans through yagna and declared that yagna will satisfy all human needs. Use yagna to satisfy the other and the other will satisfy you. If you take without giving, you are a thief. Those who feed others and eat leftovers are free of all misery. Those who cook for themselves are always unhappy. Humans need food. Food needs rain. Rain needs exchange. Exchange needs action. Exchange began with divinity, that primal spark of humanity. Those who indulge themselves, those who do not repay it backwards, as well as pay it forward, break the chain, are miserable and spread misery.—Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 3, verses 10 to 16 (paraphrased).
”
”
Devdutt Pattanaik (My Gita)
“
yagna, which involved exchange, giving in order to get,
”
”
Devdutt Pattanaik (My Gita)
“
Without food, the kingdom burns; without Mantra, the priest; without charity, the patron; thus, there is no enemy like a Yagna.
”
”
Rajen Jani (Old Chanakya Strategy: Aphorisms)
“
Churn the milk of the mind, yourself the churner
Locate the Primal Point and Sound,
break it down with meditation
Heat the butter of knowledge
Spirituality empowered, you will find the ghee
With these ingredients, a yagna I perform
Offering the oblation of my own limbs.
The flames that rise are your own effulgence
In them my essence revealed,
I stand as myself, finally.
~ Rupa Bhavani (1625-1721)
”
”
Neerja Mattoo (The Mystic and the Lyric: Four Women Poets from Kashmir)