Vedic Culture

Atiratra Yaga 

The Atiratra Yaga is the world's oldest surviving ritual worship of the God of fire,Lord Agni.In this blog I am going to discuss in detail the various facets of the ritual and its importance in modern India.To begin with, this ritual firmly establishes the fact that the so called Indus Valley Civilization was nothing but Vedic Civilization and modern day Hinduism is a continuation of the same Vedic culture.The Atiratra Yaga was performed numerous times on the banks of the Saraswati river as mentioned in the Holy Mahabharat.

The Atiratra Yaga is performed for faster germination of seeds, increasing productivity of the soil,purifying water and the environment - basically sustaining the Civilization itself.

The following link opens the Alter of Fire documentary about an actual Atiratra Yaga performed in 1975.
Please watch the video carefully to understand what you are about to read.

https://youtu.be/RYvkYk7GvJ0

There is no doubt about the honest intention of the director but the documentary suffers from prejudice against ancient Indians which is typical of any westerner. The first line of the documentary is faulty as it refers to ancient Indians as nomads. Let me tell you that our ancestors were not nomads and there was no " Aryan Invasion ".It is very difficult to grasp the reality of ancient India - the great Bharat Varsha, as our country has lost 80% of her former territory and wealth.The Holy Ramayan and Holy Mahabharat are the most credible sources of information on ancient India, much more than any western research as they are all prejudiced against ancient India.The area that is regarded as the homeland of the so called Aryans is said to be modern day Central Asia from where the Aryans supposedly invaded India. But that area was called Uttar Kuru in ancient times as mentioned in the Holy Mahabharat and it was an integral part of India - not a foreign land.

The Arkaim archaeological site in Russia.The wide open plains with river flowing through is conducive to Vedic rituals like the Atiratra Yaga

Lake Baikal or Vaikanasa Teertham of Holy Ramayan.

Votive offerings tied to sacred trees - just like we do in India

Totem poles displaying flags - just like the Dhwaja Stambh in our temples.The remnants of ancient Vedic culture can clearly be seen in and around Lake Baikal.

Recent archaeological excavation in Arkaim,Russia has unveiled a massive Vedic Mandala - the type used in Vedic rituals like Agnihotra and Atiratra Yaga. Numerous figurines and relics has been unearthed that you only associate with Sanatana Dharma. It proves beyond doubt that the entire Central Asia and Russia was once under the sway of Sanatana Dharma and formed integral parts of Bharat Varsha. Lake Baikal in Russia has been mentioned in the Holy Ramayan as Vaikanasa Teertham - the vivid description in the Holy Ramayan unquestionably proves the fact.The present day Russian indigenous Shamans still regard Lake Baikal as a sacred water body as they carry on the legacy of the ancient Dharmic tradition.Similar archaeological evidence has been found throughout Central Asia and Russia to prove that there was no Aryan Invasion,instead our ancestors were present in important locations throughout the world and they brought civilization to the world. I have mentioned in the beginning that the Atiratra Yaga or any other Vedic ritual for that matter is meant to control the forces of nature for sustaining civilization.

The Holy Rigveda identifies the forces of nature as Gods & Goddesses and prescribes sacred Mantras or sound vibrations to control them and manipulate them for the welfare of humanity.The rituals mentioned in the Holy Rigveda and the other three Vedas - SamaVeda,YajurVeda and AtharvaVeda are all about creating the right sound vibrations and chemical reactions to manipulate the forces of nature - Earth,Water,Fire,Air and Akasha (The empty space inside Atom that contains energy ).The Atiratra Yaga is one of longest rituals that the Holy Rigveda prescribes - continuing for 12 days and nights. The usefulness of the ritual is likewise huge - it creates Amrita or the Elixir of Immortality both physically and spiritually. The Holy Mahabharat mentions the creation of Amrita several times.One of the most famous occasions was the birth of the Alchemical Magic Child Karna born of Princess Kunti in her maidenhood under the auspices of Lord Surya.Lord Surya gifted the child an armour and earrings made of Amrita.Here Amrita in its physical form is a metal alloy of Gold and Silver that can protect a warrior from radiation during nuclear warfare with Brahmashtra,making him invincible and hence immortal. Interestingly Central Asia is one of the richest sources of Gold ore and Gold pyrite that was useful for creating Amrita, the Alchemical metal,through the Atiratra Yaga.

Modern scientists continuously monitor the Yaga to understand its ancient mysteries.

On a spiritual level the Atiratra Yaga can raise the Kundalini Shakti of a Yogi to the highest plain - Shahashrara Chakra inside the brain and give the Yogi miraculous powers or Shiddhis.The Holy Mahabharat and Holy Ramayan mentions several Yogis who attained such powers - Sage Vedavyas,the author of the Holy Mahabharat was one.Other physical benefits of the Yaga includes rainfall at will and faster seed germination - Sage Rishyashringa,the brother in law of Lord Ram was an expert in this Yaga.The Yaga also purifies water and cleanses the environment from bacteria and harmful particles.Much of the reputation of the Holy river Sarashwati was on account of numerous Atiratra Yagas performed on its banks.During the Vedic civilization Sarashwati was the holiest river in the world, not Ganga. The mighty river Sarashwati dried up because of tectonic shift on the earth's crust blocked the Himalayan glaciers that fed it.The Holy Mahabharat mentions the drying up of the Sarashwati river with Lord Balaram diverting its aquifers through an underground channel towards the Ganga river near Prayag.That is why Prayag is called Triveni Teertham - the meeting place of three rivers - the Ganga,the Yamuna and the Anthahsalila Sarashwati.Anthahsalila means water beneath the surface of the earth.Kumbhmela, world's largest pilgrimage is organised in Prayag to commemorate the event and worship the Holy rivers along with Lord Surya.The drying up of the Sarashwati river created the Indian desert and wiped out the greatest civilization the world has ever seen. The cities of Harappa and Mohenjodaro became desolate and the people scattered all over the world. One such clan settled in the modern Indian state of Kerala,known today as the Nambudiri Brahmins.One such Nambudiri clan living in the village of Panjal, Kerala,performed the Atiratra Yaga in 1975 and it was shot live by Frits Staal and released as the documentary Alter of Fire.The documentary somewhat pessimistically says that the Yaga was performed perhaps for the last time, but thank God,the Yaga is being regularly performed to this day, not only in Kerala but also in the neighbouring state of Andhra Pradesh. I believe one day the Atiratra Yaga will be performed in every Indian state because modern fertilizers cannot germinate the seeds faster or increase productivity of the soil, only the Atiratra Yaga can. If every region of India performs the Atiratra Yaga annually, food production will increase and India would be able to export more food & beverage to western countries.

The scale model of the Garuda or Syena alter and the necessary articles are prepared before the Atiratra Yaga

Let me tell you about the rituals involved in the Atiratra Yaga step by step.First of all a wide open land close to a pond or river is necessary to set up the alter.The alter is in the shape of Garuda or Syena, the mount of Lord Vishnu. A pyramid shaped thatched roof is first constructed using bamboo and Kusa grass and then the Garuda alter is constructed beneath the pyramid. The thatched pyramid is not just for giving shade, its primary purpose is to maintain a proper energy field in and around the alter - Kusha grass being an absorber of radiation. The alter is made with specially designed burnt clay bricks to conform to precise geometric proportions. This geometry is Vedic science and most calculations are done in the brain without using pen & paper. This is called the Shruti tradition where the scientific knowledge is memorised and passed on from Guru to pupil, father to child.The Vedic Sages had great memories owing to their raised Kundalini Shakti and practising Yoga was compulsory for the pupils from an early age. Therefore writing was considered unnecessary and risky most of the time. That is why you see cryptic symbols on the Harappa and Mohenjodaro seals, meant only for the adept and not the general public.The seals are all written in Vedic Sanskrit and that is why it is so difficult to decipher them - only a Kundalini Shakti awakened Yogi with thorough knowledge of the Vedas can decipher them ( Yes,you read it right ).

The 'D' shaped alter in question

The articles necessary to perform the Yaga are made of wood and burnt clay.Three additional alters are also made from clay apart from the main Garuda alter.Each alter has its specific function and they are set up in three cardinal directions and consecrated.
If you notice carefully you will find that one alter is circular,one is square shaped and another one is semicircular 'D' shaped.The photo below shows the same 'D' shaped alter - the only difference is that the photo below is from a site in the Indus valley-more than 5000 years old.This is clear indication that the Atiratra Yaga was once regularly performed in the Indus Valley.What you see below is a Brahmin's house where he kept the three sacred fires burning in the alters,all his life.

This recent photo shows the arrangement of the fire alters - please notice the striking similarity with the 5000 year old archaeological site in the Indus Valley shown below.

Another house from the Indus Valley site of Kalibangan, India where you can see the circular,semicircular and square altes - all of them meant for ritual worship of the fire God - Lord Agni.

This picture from the Indus Valley site of Harappa clearly shows a Vedic fire alter but western scholars pass it off as a well. You tell me, what kind of well is just 1 foot deep ?

Do you think that in this recent photo the priest is performing Vedic rituals inside a well ?

A circular fire alter of recent times.It must be a well of fire - isn't it ?

These two photos from the Indus Valley site of Harappa clearly shows circular Vedic Mandala or alters meant for Yaga on a massive scale just as mentioned in the Holy Mahabharat,but western scholars pass it off as grinding stones. We know what a grinding stone is,threfore we don't need to believe in the Aryan Invasion Theory of foreign scholars.You can have tons of scholarship without an ounce of truth. All the evidence I have presented undoubtedly proves that the Indus Valley Civilization was nothing but Vedic Civilization and the cultural continuity has remained intact albeit a few variations.

A Vedic Yaga in progress in recent times - do the alters look like grinding stones  ?

Burnt clay pottery used in the Yaga - please notice the circular protruding design carefully and then compare it with the mysterious unicorn seal of Indus Valley. The object in front of the animal is a Soma press meant for the Atiratra Yaga and the animal is Ekashringa Varaha ( Single horned animal ) as mentioned in the Holy Mahabharat.The cryptic symbols are written in Vedic Sanskrit.The seal was Totem symbol meant for the participants in the Atiratra Yaga.

The participants in the Atiratra Yaga were many and they came from various backgrounds and territories. There were Brahmins for reciting the Sanskrit mantras,artisans for making the pottery and other articles and traders bringing in the Soma from far off places. Soma had two forms - one was Gold pyrite for creating the Alchemical metal Amrita,the other was a hallucinagenic mushroom Amanita Muscaria for raising the Kundalini Shakti of the priests.The hallucinagenic mushroom stimulated the Pineal gland of the priest and it secreted the Elixir - DMT which caused the Kundalini Shakti to rise to the Shahasrara Chakra,caused an altered state of consciousness and gave miraculous powers to the priest. In the documentary however an alternative plant Somlata was used instead of Amanita Muscaria. In ancient times merchants from the Gandhar kingdom of  Holy Mahabharat fame  ( Modern day Kandahar,Afghanistan ) used to bring the mushroom for selling in cities like Harappa and Mohenjodaro.Similarly merchants from the Uttar Kuru kingdom of Holy Mahabharat fame ( Modern day Russia ) used to bring Gold pyrite and other metal ores to those cities for selling.The Soma buying ritual seen in the documentary towards the 10 minute mark is a symbolic representation of the ancient custom of buying Soma. The next important thing is making fire with a wooden drill as you can see below.

The reason for using the special apparatus is very simple - it is made from the trunk of a sacred tree and is exclusively used for religious purposes. In Vedic culture purity is very important, whether physical or spiritual. The building of the Garuda alter begins on the third day.

First of all the ground is ploughed ritually by the priests. The Holy Mahabharat mentions several times that Lord Balaram walked with a plough - it simply means that he performed several Atiratra Yagas.

The cart with wheels proves beyond doubt that the wheel was invented in ancient India

Thereafter seeds of food grains are placed in burnt clay pots,consecrated with mantras and then buried beneath the surface to germinate as the Yaga proceeds further.The first layer of specially designed burnt clay bricks are laid conforming to the precise geometric shape of Garuda.One layer is laid each day - in all over 1000 bricks are used. The priests wear a ring made of Kusha grass and hold Kusha grass in hand while uttering sacred mantras to invoke the Gods. It is interesting to note here that Lady Sita always took up a Kusha grass stalk in her hand every time king Ravan came to threaten her, as mentioned in the Holy Ramayan. The mystery behind the Kusha grass is that it absorbs radiation and negative energy and so king Ravan was never able to disturb her aura or energy field arising out of her Kundalini Shakti. The priests in the Yaga use Kusha grass for the same reason.

Once the Garuda alter is constructed the three sacred fires are carried in burnt clay pots and placed over the alter and the main ritual begins on the 10th day. Soma plants are pressed and the juice is collected in wooden vessels. The priests crawl over the alter symbolising the journey of life - the priests are reborn with their ethereal bodies. Soma is poured over the burning fire as oblation and the priests drink Soma - each from his own wooden cup.Then follows 2 days of nonstop chanting from the Holy SamaVeda. If you listen carefully you will realise that the chants have the hidden OM sound that stimulates the Pineal gland and creates altered state of consciousness. The sacred vibration of the OM sound does the real magic as it appeals to the subconscious mind. On the 12th day the priests take bath and then carry the three sacred fires to their homes.

The last ritual involves setting the alter and Kusha grass pyramid roof on fire. The documentary shows the spiritual form of the Yaga as the knowledge of the physical form or Alchemy has been lost. I hope and pray that it will be rediscovered soon.

The famous bath of Mohenjodaro was clearly a Pushkarini attached to a temple built as per Vastu Shastra but western scholars pass it off as a pond.

The Pushkarini at the famous Madurai Meenakshi temple bears a striking resemblance to the Mohenjodaro structure. We all know that a Pushkarini is used for bathing the temple Deities - that is why it is called Holy Pushkarini. Do you really think that this is a pond  ?

The pyramid roof made of Kusha grass concentrates the energy produced by the rituals and directs it to the main Garuda alter for magical effect.Something similar is achieved by the Agnihotra Homam only this time with an inverted pyramid made of copper.

The Agnihotra Homam inverted pyramid

I must explain here the reason for setting the alter and the pyramid alter on fire on the last day of the Atiratra Yaga.It is done for two purposes - one spiritual and one physical. The spiritual purpose is to bring rain - the chemical reaction of the Soma plant extract and fire attract rain clouds and causes rainfall as per Vedic science. That is why Lord Indra,the presiding Deity of the Yaga is called the rain God who wields the Vajra or thunder.In Vedic times the Holy Trinity were Indra - Mitra - Varuna, the God of thunder, sun and water respectively. The physical purpose is to galvanise the metal ores with high temperature to produce the Alchemical metal Amrita.But the knowledge of Vedic Alchemy has been lost as I already said.

I urge the Indian scientists to rediscover the Alchemical formula as soon as possible at any cost - it is a question of India's future.


My next blog on Soma is a companion piece to this blog.

In the end I just like to say that we need the Lord more than ever before. Five thousand years have passed since the end of the Kurukshetra war and our country has lost 80% of her territory and wealth. Only the Lord can make Bharat Varsha great again in the form of Kalki Avatar.

Come back O Lord and save us. 

NB : For more information on Vedic culture please follow the blogs by the brilliant researcher Srinivasan Kalyanaraman

http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.com/2017/12/soma-is-yajnasya-atma-rv-9210-968.html?view=timeslide

For more information on Vedic Civilization please follow the blogs by the brilliant researcher Ajit Vadakayil

http://ajitvadakayil.blogspot.com/2011/01/mother-of-all-civilisations-saraswati.html

All the photos and videos used in this blog are copyrighted materials taken from YouTube and other sites.