Yagnya are a means to nourish the devas, a direct interaction with devlok and the forces that run this creation. Today Yagnya have become synonymous with soot that makes the eyes burn, incense that chokes and sing-song mantras that are more a test of patience rather than invocation of the Divine. The result? Just look around...we have reached the zenith of negativity and chaos.
A Yagnya is a medium to interact with gods and goddesses. The practice involves making oblations to fire along with specific chants. The fire having the ability of transformation can transform the physical into the subtle and the mantras have the ability to manifest the ability and power of devas in the physical world and also have the power and ability to control nature and normal human physical lives.
A Yagnya performed under the sanidhya of a Guru, with purity of thought, ingredients and the correct chants, has the effect of completely changing the environment - the weather changes, air becomes fragrant, birds perch on the trees around, there is peace and stillness within and outside. These are all indications of the invocations being heard and responded to by the devs.
Puranas are abound with descriptions of Yagnya performed by rishis, munis, tapasvis and sadhaks. Ram and Lakshman went with Vishvamitra to protect one such Yagnya. Another famous Yagnya was conducted by Janmajeya to exterminate Takshak and the entire clan of nagas to avenge the killing of his father Parikshit. At the completion of all such Yagnya, devs and devis would appear to bless the Yagnya. These are not things of the past, even today, divine manifestations are reported at the time of purna-ahuti in genuine Yagnya.
Sadhaks who have been seriously practicing the various mantra siddhis, have had physical manifestations of the various gods. When they did the Ganpati mantra siddhi and did its Yagnya, the complete form of Ganeshji was created in the kund. This is how manifestation happens when you do mantra sadhna. Lord Ganesh, the master of ridhi and sidhi, resides at the Mooladhar chakra and is the guardian of the doorway to higher loks. During a Yagnyawhile doing mantra uccharan for Ganeshji, the energy in the Sushumna nadi rises upwards.
At the beginning of a Yagnya, a sankalp is made which indicates the purpose for which the Yagnya is conducted. Then the aahvan (invocation) of specific devs and devis is done requesting them to bless the Yagnya. When conducted in a proper manner, these devs and devis reveal their form in the Yagnya-agni at the time of purna-ahuti.
If you want to know whether the Yagnya was performed properly or not, just watch the Yagnya-agni at the time of purna-ahuti. You will able to see the form of dev/devi if the invocations were successful. But don’t get attached to manifestations, focus should be on the Yagnya.
Since the puranic times, asurs have been known to disrupt Yagnya and create obstruction in the invocation of devic forces. That is the nature of an asur. The nature of a human being is to aid the positive forces, the devs and devis, by protecting the Yagnya for the peace and prosperity of one’s home, surroundings and creation at large.
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