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Panigrahana, mangalya-dharana, saptapadi and other
rites are performed on the day of the wedding. Aupasana begins
with marriage and is performed every day until one becomes a
sannyasin or until one's death. The sacred fire that is witness
to the marriage is preserved throughout and aupasana performed
in it every day.
The
sacred fire has an important place in the Vedic religion. The
student-bachelor performs samidadhana twice a day offering
samidhs (sticks of the flame of the forest or palasa ) in the
fire. This rite is not continued after his marriage. When a
person becomes a householder he has a number of rites to perform
in the sacred fire. In place of samidadhana he now has the
aupasana. The latter word is derived from "upasana"
which term is used in the sense of puja, chanting of mantras,
meditation, etc. But, according to the Vedas, aupasana is a rite
performed in the sacred fire by all Hindus.
Though
members of the fourth varna do not wear the sacred thread they
have the marriage samskara and, along with it, aupasana.
Dharmasastras like the Vaidyanatha-Diksitiyam describe how sudras
are to go through the jatakarma and namakarana ceremonies. The
work deals with how the fourth varna should perform puja, the
sraddha ceremony and apara-karma (obsequies). Reformers ignore
all these and allege that members of the fourth varna have no
"right" to any rituals. Instead they must try to
persuade people of this varna to perform the rites they are
enjoined upon. Aupasana is one of the "rights" of this
caste and it is to be conducted every day with the recitation of
certain verses.
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"Hindu Dharma" is a book
which contains English translation of certain invaluable and
engrossing speeches of Sri Sri Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi MahaSwamiji (at
various times during the years 1884 to 1994).
For a general background, please see here
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