The Five Debts
Pancha Maha Yajnas
Human birth occurs due to the karmas or actions that we have done in previous lives. It is the cause of pleasure and pain and the cause of good and evil. The world is made of karma or the actions of various individuals. We know that the world is permeated by Brahman or the Supreme Divine. It is equally permeated by karma. Creation itself is the outcome of action. The human being as a part of creation is also a product of this process. The body of the human being is the result of the karma or actions of a previous life. Inside this is encased the jivatma or the divinity which is the same as Brahman. All activities associated with the body, speech, and mind are known as karma. In the performance of karma, five factors are involved: the body, the agent or doer, the sensory organs, and the actual actions. However, there is also a fifth principle which is the common factor in all actions and that is the principle of divinity. We forget this important fact and attribute all actions to the body and sense organs. Hence, we are always engaged in actions for which we expect certain desired results. If these results don’t come in this lifetime, we are reborn in order to reap the results which we have desired. This is how we are caught up in the cycle of birth and rebirth.
We are continually worried about what may happen in the future. But what we don’t realize is that this future is in our hands and is actually the result of the actions that we are doing in the present. All that we do in the present has its consequences in due course. Every action has its equal and opposite reaction. This is the 3rd law of motion in physics. Hence, we must engage ourselves in good actions to ensure good results later. Even in these actions, there are three categories: satvic, rajasic, and tamasic. Satvic actions are those which are done without any selfish or egoistic motives, with no demand for personal gain and are an offering to the Divine. All actions done out of self-interest and conceit for the sake of the rewards are said to be rajasic. Most actions done by common people in ordinary daily life belong to this category. Almost everyone in the world indulges in rajasic actions. One must strive to convert this into satvic actions. The third type of action is called tamasic. They are deeds done out of selfish motives, causing harm to others and inflicting pain on them. They lack compassion and are impelled by narrow-mindedness and stem wholly from self-interest. In the ordinary course of life, the human being indulges in many actions which, wittingly or unwittingly, cause harm to other beings. To atone for such actions, five yajnas—propitiatory rites—have been prescribed by the sastras. These are called the Pancha Maha Yajnas or the five debts which all human beings owe to the divine, to nature, and to other human beings. It is incumbent on every human being to repay these five debts during his lifetime. These debts are not plainly delineated in other religions but in Hinduism, they are very clearly given in our shastras.
The Sanatana Dharma gives the four-fold way of life known as ashramas. These are Brahmacharya, or the life of a student; grahastha, or the life of a householder; vanaprastha, or the life of a recluse; and finally, sannyasa, or the life of a monk. All religions tend to eulogize sannyāsa, the life of total renunciation and dedication to God, as being the best. However, the Hindu scriptures and the Bhagavad Gita, in particular, have boldly declared that the gṛhastha, or householder, is the pivot of the whole society since the members of all the other three ashramas depend upon him for their sustenance.
The life of a householder is itself a yajña or a sacrifice for the good of the whole society. As a reminder of this, the householder is asked to perform five yajnas on a daily basis, collectively called ‘pañcamahāyajñas’. These are rishi yajna or Brahma yajna, devayajña, pitṛuyajña, bhūta-yajña, and manushya yajna. The inner significance of each of these Yajnas should be clearly understood by everyone.
Rishi or Brahma Yajna: Considering human birth as a precious gift, the ancient sages provided principles through the scriptures, the Upanishads, Dharma Sastras, and Puranas, guiding our life so that we can attain the true goal of life, namely Self-realisation. They laid down the four Purusharthas - Dharma, Artha, Kama, and Moksha - as guidelines for humanity. These are not applicable to animals or birds. They have been prescribed for the human being alone because we are the only ones who have been given the powers of discriminating between right and wrong. All laws and sastras are intended only for us. Paapam (sin), punyam (merit), and srapam (curse) are meant for the human being. The rishis are the ones who gave us the path out of this mundane existence into the divine, which is our birthright. The only way we can show our gratitude to them is by meditating on them and offering worship to them by reciting the Vedas and other Puranas that have been given to us by them and by living according to the rules given by them. We should also teach this to our children.
Deva Yajna: In numerous daily activities like walking, breathing, eating, etc., people unconsciously cause the death of many creatures like ants, insects, and micro-organisms. To atone for these sins committed unknowingly, Deva Yajnas, to propitiate various deities, have been prescribed. The deities are present in our bodies in the form of the essence or the subtle fluid in our limbs. Hence, these deities are called Angirasas (the presiding deities of the angas or limbs). Because these deities in their subtle form protect the organs concerned, gratitude has to be expressed to them in the form of Deva Yajnas. During states like sleep, these deities take care of the body. As the body has been given to us for the performance of our duties, we should show gratitude to the deities who protect it. The body is essential for the fulfilment of dharma. So, we are asked to meditate on these gods and express gratitude to them. Worship of these gods through pujas or yajnas is indispensable for our physical well-being.
Pitru Yajna: When a branch is broken, a flower is plucked, or a tree is cut down, many small creatures may be losing their lives. Recognizing one's responsibility for this loss of lives, one should perform Pitru Yajna (sacrifice to the manes) by way of atonement. We should always remember that we owe our body and all that it contains, as well as the food that has nourished us in childhood, to our parents. As long as they are alive, it is one's duty to serve them and keep them happy. The obsequies and ceremonies that are performed after their death are given to us to honor their memory. By performing Pitru Yajnas, the ancestors are propitiated. Pitṛu yajña or sacrifice to the manes (the forefathers) consists of offering rice balls (called piṇḍa) and water (arghya). By this offering, they are satisfied and bless their descendants who are performing this sacrifice. For this, we have been given a whole week known as “Mahalayapaksha” in which we can make offerings to the ancestors (please check the blog on 1st October).
Bhuta Yajna: This is the offering of food to all living beings including ants, dogs, worms, etc. It extols the important teaching of Sanatana Dharma – sharing what one has taken from nature with other living beings in nature. This is the debt we owe to nature and everything in it – the soil, the rivers, the plants, and so on. We owe a great debt to nature since our very existence depends on her. This we repay by looking after the land, the trees, the rivers, birds, and other animals. One of the things in the daily routine of a Hindu is to water the plants, give food and water to the birds, and feed some animal before taking one’s own food. When we take a bath or wash our clothes, or sweep the house, many living creatures may be losing their lives. To atone for the death of such creatures, Bhuta Yajnas (offerings to the Bhutas or elements) have to be made. This practice has come down from the times of ancient sages. The rishis used to maintain deer, cows, and other animals in their ashrams and look after them with loving care as an expression of their love for all living beings. Following their example, people scatter sugar or flour near anthills for feeding the ants. To offer the remains of one's food after a meal to cows or dogs or other creatures is also a form of Bhuta Yajna. Even today, many people keep dogs, parrots, or other pets at home. By showing love towards living things in this way, some atonement is made for the unconscious harm done to various creatures in daily life. This is Bhuta Yajna or homage to all creatures living on the planet including the earth. We can also worship them by doing a small havan in the house. We can offer uncooked rice, ghee, and twigs into the fire.
Manushya Yajna: Finally comes the debt we owe to humanity. We are part of this social milieu, and we are bound to give charity to as many people as we can at all times. Hence, in India, the guest, especially the uninvited guest, is to be treated like a god and always given food, water, or whatever they need. This is homage to all mankind, especially when it is given to uninvited guests, mendicants, and poor people. There is no higher dharma than compassion. The practice of absolute non-violence, that is, causing no harm to any living thing, is impossible in daily life because unconsciously many micro-organisms are being destroyed even in the processes of breathing, walking, talking, or eating. What should be avoided is consciously causing harm. The price has to be paid for conscious offenses by suffering and retribution. There is no escape from the rule: As you sow, so shall you reap. The results of your past deeds, good or bad, will bind you like a chain. It is to atone for all such actions that worship of the three principal deities during dawn, noon, and evening has been prescribed. At dawn the Sun represents the form of Brahma. At noon he has the form of Eswara. In the evening he represents Vishnu. The performance of sandhya vandana or worship of the sun in the morning, noon, and evening thus becomes worship of the Trimurthis (Brahma, Siva, and Vishnu). Very few are aware of the significance of these rituals.
These five types of yajnas must be performed every day to atone for the sins committed in the course of daily activities. There is no need for any elaborate arrangements to perform these yajnas. If you carry out the behests of your parents, meditate on the deities, offer food to the animals in the house or outside, or at least give alms to a beggar, you can propitiate the divine and redeem your life. You would do well to remember that there is no greater gift than the gift of food to the hungry; there are no greater gods than one's parents; there is no higher dharma than compassion; no more profitable acquisition than the company of the good; no worse enemy than anger; no worse disease than debt; no worse death than infamy; no higher merit than remembering the Lord. It is futile to expect that merely by reciting a few mantras one can atone for one's sins. Only through right action can expiation take place. Without a clean heart, all worship is useless. Without spiritual purity, religious observances are valueless. How can you have pure food if the cooking utensils are unclean? People indulge in high-sounding talk about spiritual matters, but without application in practice, such talk has no meaning.
By performing these five daily sacrifices, the householder is actually repaying his debts to the divine beings and society, from whom he has received help and sustenance. They also help him in offsetting the sin he or she may have committed (unknowingly and unwillingly) while using the five implements in his house like the pestle and mortar, domestic fire, grinding stone, and the violence perpetrated on life through the killing of ants, worms, mosquitoes, and so on.
These debts are incumbent on every human being, but in Hinduism, they are made a part of our religion so that we never forget them.
Hari aum tat sat!