PROLOGUE BY SUNDHARA
Homa ritual could be either Vedic or Tantric. In the late 1980s Aiya mentioned of an evolved tantric, of Islamic religious traditions, imparted him the intricate homa vidhanam that entails multiple positive effects.
Aiya, in his compassion to satisfy the request of his disciples, checked with the MOTHER what he could do to satisfy the disciple and SHE, the Avyaja Karuna Moorthy in compassion, prompted him the “Yagna Pala Stothram”, which will entail similar benefits as that of the original, to be taught to the disciples who wished to learn it and reap the multiple positive effects it entails.
The subtle connotations are exemplary. The first lines in the dhyana sloka start with caitanya amṛta (meanings are explained in the text below). However, the reader may now want to view the last line and it has amṛta caitanya. The beginning two words and the end two words are reversed. So, what are the connotations? This implies the Stothram is also an astram (weapon). Very effective process to rid of the sadaka's karmic burdens. Similarly, the sadaka would find, with more practice, other subtle meanings/effects rendered by this sthotram.
The intriguing sequence to this is SHE had also revealed to Aiya that SHE has given the Volume 1 of the Stothram and would reveal the Volume 2 at the appropriate time in the future!
INTRODUCTION BY HARAN AIYA
When the Devi gives you something, it is called Siddha Vidyā. And if She gives you something, it will remain fresh in your mind for dvi-muhurtam. That means for three hours it will remain fresh in your mind. After that it will begin to fade, so you have to write it down quickly.
I am now 66. When I was a kid, about 22 years old, I had gone to the Eastern part of Sri Lanka to find out some details about Ravana’s temple on the orders of my Guru at that time. At the office, I met up with a Muslim gentleman whose name was Bodiyar—he’s the one who taught me how to do homam. A Muslim—he taught me prayoga homam and how to use mantras from the Atharvana Vedam to achieve certain things.
He also told me that I was not supposed to release this information to anybody because he himself had learned this from a Nambūdiri in Kerala. Now, if you know anything about the Nambūdiri, they are the most ultra-orthodox Brahmins in India… even if you accidentally touch them, they’ll go and bathe. So for a Nambūdiri to give it to a Muslim, he must have recognized some very great quality in him.
When I met Bodiyar, it was 40 years after he had received this knowledge from the Kerala man. He told him, “You’re not supposed to tell this to anybody, except for one person. As soon as you see the person, you’ll feel like giving this knowledge to him.” So then Bodiyar kept the information for over 40 years. And because he learned this type of thing, he was kicked out of the Mosque… but he remained a Muslim and a pure vegetarian, of course.
He lived in a small village and people came to him with their troubles. If they said, “Aiya, my son is sick…” or something like that, he would do the homam and they would get the benefits. He never took money so people would give him fruits or betel leaves if they wanted.
So when he saw me, I was actually filling in the application form to get records from the government archives. I was writing and he kept looking at me; when I looked back he would turn somewhere else. After 10 or 15 minutes, he slowly came up to me and said whatever I was looking for was not there. He said all the information on the ancient temples had been destroyed by the government—then I got scared. I had not spoken to anyone there… how could he know this?
When I asked him, he said, “I not only know this, I know so much information about you.” At 22 you’re a little feisty, you know? So I said, “Right, you know about me? So tell me all about me!” But he actually started telling me, “Your older sister married here, your father is from there, your mother is from here…” And then I got really scared! I asked how he could possibly know all that?
We got talking and he said that there was no record of the things I was looking for because since the late 1890s, the government had gradually been destroying all records of these temples… they didn’t want anyone to know these places existed. But I went ahead anyway and saw that many pages were ripped out of the official Government Diaries.
Just before I left, I turned to thank Bodiyar and told him I should have listened to him before. In solid English, he said, “Experience is the best teacher.” Then he told me to visit him at his house the next evening.
Now, the town I was from had a reputation for mantrikam—if you sit on a mat, you’ll get stuck to the mat; you won’t be able to go! As if he read my mind, he said, “Just come to my house, I won’t put a spell on you!” I brought my two friends and we went to his house… he gave us tea. Just as I was thinking about drinking the tea, he said, “Go ahead and drink it! You won’t get stuck to the mat!”
He told me to come back the next day, but to come alone. I was thinking that was it for me, but he told me he had to teach me something. So I bathed and went. He gave me three songs in Tamil—each song had some 16 lines. He told me to memorize these songs… after I learned them from the paper, I was to burn the paper.
And he told me, “Just like my Guru told me, I’m telling you this information is not to be taught to anybody, except one person. As soon as you see that person, you will feel like teaching him. If you don’t meet that person, take it with you to the grave. But you cannot teach it to the wrong person, because in there are mantras that can kill people if you chant them while doing a homam.”
He told me I could go. At that time I had enough sense to touch his feet. Many years later I came here and one day I was sitting with all my kids just like this. I casually told this story and next thing I knew every second person was asking, “Can you teach me, can you teach me?!” But in the last 44 years, I haven’t met anyone I wanted to teach this to—if I did, I would teach them the moment I first saw them.
But people kept bothering me. About four days after I asked the Mother what I should do, She appeared to me and said not to give these songs to anyone. She would give me 14 stanzas straight from Her grace that I could teach to anyone. And she proceeded to tell me in clear Sanskrit…whatever I wrote, I wrote only from listening to Her dictation at two o’clock in the morning.
I didn’t understand what it was; I just wrote it down and in the coming weeks asked people who were fluent in Sanskrit what the different lines meant. Then I pieced together the meaning of the whole thing—that’s the story of the Yajna Phala Stotram.
NYĀSAM
asya śrī yajña phala stotramāla mahāmantrasya
caitanya amṛta ṛṣaye namaḥ śirasi
That’s what She gave. There are always two meanings: This stotram is a mala mantram. It has flown out of the consciousness of Caitanyam—of pure consciousness—and it has been bathed in nectar. The second meaning is, it has flown from the pure consciousness of Caitanyānanda and Amṛtānanda.
avyakta gāyatrī chandase namaḥ mukha vṛtte
śrī lalitā mahā-tripurasundarī devatā namaḥ hṛdaye
The Gāyatrī this is pointing to is not clear, or avyaktam. And the deity for this stotram is Lalitā herself.
aiṁ bījam the seed here is Saraswatī Herself
klīṁ śaktiḥ the power for this comes from the bījakṣara klīṁ, representing Lakṣmī
sauḥ kīlakam it is secured and anchored on kīlakam
śrī lalitā mahā-tripurasundarī prasāda siddhyarthe jape viniyogaḥ
to get the grace of Śrī Lalitā, this stotram is being done.
I won’t go into the aṅga-nyāsam and kara-nyāsam, because it is the ṣaḍaṅga-nyāsam that we should all be familiar with by now.
aiṁ aṅguṣṭhābhyāṁ namaḥ
klīṁ tarjanībhyāṁ namaḥ
sauḥ madhyamābhyāṁ namaḥ
aiṁ anāmikābhyāṁ namaḥ
klīṁ kaniṣṭhikābhyāṁ namaḥ
sauḥ karatala-karapṛṣṭhābhyāṁ namaḥ
ka e ī la hrīṁ hṛdayāya namaḥ
ha sa ka ha la hrīṁ śirasē svāhā
sa ka la hrīṁ śikhāyai vaṣaṭ
ka e ī la hrīṁ kavacāya huṁ
ha sa ka ha la hrīṁ nētratrayāya vauṣaṭ
sa ka la hrīṁ astrāya phaṭ
bhūḥ bhuvaḥ suvaḥ oṁ iti digbandhaḥ
DHYĀNAM
pratidine trikāle trikoṇa śikhara nilaye
Everyday, three times a day—after the last triangle, what is there? The bindu. She’s indicating what is above the last triangle on top of the mountain (the Meru) without saying it outright.
svaprakāśa vimarśa nirmala ākāśe |
Here, there’s a double meaning: She’s talking about something self-effulgent in Svaprakāśa, but it is also the name of my Parama Guru. She’s saying this stotram is coming from Svaprakāśa’s effulgence. His express, unblemished words are coming from his internal space.
amṛta māṅgalya jīva mantra ābharaṇe
This refers to how the mangalyam in the old days did not hang like a chain, but was worn tight around the neck like a choker. Jiva is life, and the life-force is present like the mangalyam at the throat. But what is She really telling you? Concentrate at the Viśuddhi chakra in your throat during this dhyanam.
maṇibhūta sura siddha āvāhana muhūrte ||
Mani is a gemstone and bhuta refers to the elements—but what She is indicating here is the Maṇipūra chakra at the diaphragm. And what is the element there? Fire! As you’re chanting this, do the homams there, at your Maṇipūra. You are installing the suras and siddhas (the devas and holy men), but what time do you do this? At usha-kaalam, which is dawn! That is the ideal time of day to chant this.
jñānājya ānanda dravya vairāgya haviragne
Your realization (jñāna) is the ghee you are doing this homam with, the bliss you feel (ānanda) is your homa-dravyam, and your detachment (vairāgya) should be the havis (cooked offerings).
patirādi sapta graha subha nitya yajñe |
The pati is Brihaspati—She’s telling you to begin this on his day, Thursday. For the remaining seven days, do this homam, which is auspicious. That’s just a way to tell you to chant it daily.
maheśārdha jyoti praṇava vāmāṅga bīje
What is ardha? Half! And who is the one who occupies half of Maheśa? The Devi! She is the effulgent (jyoti) and She’s on the left side of the essence of the praṇavam, which is Parameśvara.
mantra japa homa yajña śrī prāsāda hetu ||
You can do this as a mantra japam, or a homam (for you), or a yajñam (for the whole world). If you do this, it becomes the cause (hetu) for Śrī Prāsādam—you will get Devi’s blessings if you do this!
STOTRAM
śuddhikaram param jñānam sarvopadrava nivāraṇam |
sarvavyādhi praśamanam sarvābhīṣṭa pradāyakam |
caturkoṇa madhyastam vahnidevam āvāhanam || [1]
For purification (śuddhikaram), internal realization, to ward off all difficulties, to cure all diseases, and to fulfill all desires, install Agni deva in the middle of a square, or homakuṇḍam.
pṛthvī loka trikuṇḍam tāmrā mañca vilepanam
triguṇa pīṭha ārohaṇam vāyu koṇa samsthitam || [2]
She’s talking about using a metal homakuṇḍam that comes from the earth. Then She says what the metal should be—tamra is copper, and mañca is a bed. The homakuṇḍam is Agni’s bed. The specification is that you should sit in the northwest and do the homam.
tantra mārga puruṣottamam dharmiṇī sahita yajamānam |
japa dhyāna ārādhanam nityā yajana madhikāram || [3]
Now she’s talking about who’s qualified to do the homam—a puruṣa who’s following the path of tantra should do the homam in the company of his wife (dharmiṇī). Not only that—he should be doing japam, dhyānam and puja every day. But what is nityā yajana? Nityā refers to the Nityā Kala Devis in the Śrī Cakra, and to do yajana to the Śrī Cakra, a person must at least have the Pañca-daśakṣari mantra. See the depth? With just word She has told you what you need.
guruvāra jñāna sādhanam somavāra gaṇa vasīkaram |
ahaṅkāra śamana aṅgārakam sarva śatru vināśanam || [4]
Now She’s telling you what the homams are about—if you do this homam on guruvāra, or Thursday, you’ll get realization. If you do it on Monday, all the gaṇas will be attracted to you. If you want to neutralize your ego, do it on a Tuesday. It will also destroy your enemies, both internal and external.
rātri muhūrtā rādhanam śukravāra paramuttamam |
sarvābhīṣṭa vara pradam sakala loka kalyāṇam |
śrī ṣoḍaśākṣara siddhitam bhukti mukti pradāyakam || [5]
If you do the homam at night on a Friday, at least for one muhūrtam (about 1.5 hours), it is best. All your desires will be fulfilled, and all of creation will be taken care of if you do puja in your house on a Friday night! If you don’t have Ṣoṣaśi mantra, she will come to you. Liberation and all the auspicious things will come to you.
bhānu putra mevalam lavaṅga pīta samarpaṇam |
nārī narā karṣaṇam bhava bandha vimocanam |
madhu lavaṅga sāmantam rājayoga varapradam || [6]
Who is Bhānu’s putra? Śanīśvara! And lavaṅga? Through mis-usage, it has come to be known as cloves, but it is really cinnamon. She specifically told me she means cinnamon, no matter what is written in the Sanskrit dictionaries. Pīta is referring to yellow silk. So if you offer yellow silk into the fire with a cinnamon stick and ghee, what will you get? Both men and women will be attracted to you, but you will still be detached. Next, She says to dip the cinnamon in honey and also offer chrysanthemums. If you put these three in the fire, you’ll get the boon of rāja yoga.
deva kinnara vaśamanam śaśiputrā dina pūjanam |
kali kalmaṣa nāśanam haridrānna pañcākṣaram || [7]
The devas and divine musicians will be attracted to you when you do the homam on the day of Śaśi’s putra—Budhan, which is a Wednesday. Haridra refers to yellow rice. If you offer that into the fire with Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya mantra, all the sins and shortcomings due to the spirit of Kali in this Yuga will be destroyed.
sarva mṛtyu nivāraṇam śarkarāditya tarpaṇam |
sapta jihvāti pūritam madhuvājya laghu ṣoḍaśam || [8]
If you offer pure sugar into the fire on Aditya’s day (Sunday) and then do tarpaṇam with it after the homam, untimely death will be avoided. Saptajihva (or Agni) will be pleased if you mix honey and ghee together and offer that into the fire with the Laghu Ṣoḍaśi mantra.
sundarī bījākṣaram trijanmāṛṇa vināśanam |
madhuvājya samakaram kaivalya mokṣa siddhitam || [9]
Very interesting—why does he say Sundarī’s bīja in the singular? It refers to the bījakṣara for all of Śrī Vidyā, which is Hrīṁ. If you do the homam with just that, whatever debts you have incurred over the last three lifetimes will be destroyed. Next, if you mix havan samagri (samakaram) with honey and ghee, and offer that into the fire, you’ll get kaivalya mokṣa.
sarva pāpa samhāram ṛg vedājya jīrakam |
trikāla karma nivāraṇam caturājya madhu saṅgamam || [10]
All your sins will be destroyed if you offer jīra with lines from the Ṛg Vedam. If you don’t know much from the Ṛg Vedam, what can you use? Śrī Sūktam! That’s where it’s from. Next, all the karmas from your past, present and future (trikāla) will be destroyed if you use the four oils along with honey. What are these oils? Almond oil, sandalwood oil, mustard oil and sesame oil.
astrā hari samarpaṇam samasta vighna nivāraṇam |
dakṣināmūrti darśanam suvarṇa ramā āliṅganam || [11]
What is the weapon Hari (Viṣṇu) has in his hand? The Sudarśana chakra. If you offer homam ahutis with the Sudarśana mantra in the form of a weapon, all obstacles will be removed. Not only that, Śiva in the form of the guru will appear to you— Dakṣināmūrti will give you his darśan. This is if you haven’t found your Guru yet. And after that? A golden Lakṣmī will appear for you, making you rich.
indra rājya darśanam apsarāsura siddhitam |
nava dhānyanna viniyogam navagrahārcita śataphalam || [12]
You will have a vision of Indra’s kingdom of heaven and gain control over all the devas and apsaras (celestial dancers). I actually tried this and saw Urvaśī Amma—her beauty is enough to make you go mad so you have to be able to handle this. So to get this siddhi, you must cook the nine pulses with rice and do annadhanam. Why must you feed people like this? To do a homam in the stomach of each person you feed! And you must also do 100 archanas to the Navagrahas.
navamājya śukla sangamam gandhadravya vilepanam |
pāyasānnā samarpakam ardhanārī navārṇavam || [13]
With the nine types of oils for the Navagrahas, plus elaku, offer them all in a payasam into the homam. If you do this with the right mantra, you will get the effect of doing a Navāvaraṇa puja!
rakta pītā yajñamam cakra-rājya samyuktam |
mahāvākya pūrṇāhutam unmattānanda sāyujyam || [14]
Yellow and red pieces of cloth must be taken for the yajñam. Cakra-rāja is the Śrī Cakra. So you must offer ahutis with the Mahāvākyam mantra—She’s indirectly saying you must have full pūrṇa dikśa to do this homam because you will get the blessings of Dattātreya (Unmatta).
yajñaphala midam stotram caturdaśam ekakālam |
yaḥ paṭhet amṛta caitanya loka mavāpnuyāt || [15]
Now comes the phala śruti. This stotram has 14 stanzas. If you chant them once a day, you will attain pure consciousness and you will be in bliss in Samadhi.
