Munja, Kush and DUrvA grass in Hindu religion

[gira...@juno.com]

August 15, 2011

 

 Respected Scholars, Namaskar!

 

Significance of Munja grass, Kusha (Darbha) grass and DUrvA grass in Hindu religion

 

August 13 was ShrAvaNa PorNimA-ShrAvaNI  day. A girdle of Munja grass is made for a Brahmin boy in his Upanayan ceremony. Pavitrakas (rings) of Kush grass are used in religious ceremony. And DUrvA is used in worship of Shri Ganesha. There are many competent Vaidika scholars on this list. Could anybody kindly explain to us reason and significance of use of these in Hindu religion please?  How old are these customs? Does Munja grass has any connection to Munjavata mountain from northwest region of the subcontinent? Thanks. N.R.Joshi

 

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[subrahmanyam korada]

Namo vidvadbhya.h

Mu~nja , Kus'a and DUrvA  in SanAtanadharma

(please note - dharma is not religion - because back translation fails , i.e. religion = matam / is.t.am , dharma is universal - satyam vada etc. , matam is the one liked by a group ) .

Origin -- Yajurveda , Kalpa and Manusmr.ti

How old are these customs ? - since time immemorial or as old as Veda .

Munjavata Mountain -- not known . But in  BhAgavatam 10 Skandha - PUrvArdha - 19 - Mu~nja.tavI . In Andhra Pradesh it is available in plenty in S'reekAkulam District .

Kalpa -- Upanayanam - Mau~njI mekhalA  and Ajinam --

as'mani sthApito yena vAso'pi paridhAya ca I
mekhalAmajinam caiva yAvadas'mAnamAcaret II

mau~njyajinAvasthApanaproks.an.Ani tu I
samantrametAnAcArya.h pUrvam kr.tvAtha vAcayet II

iyam duruktAditi dvAbhyam paridIya vAcayet --

Mau~njI(Mantra.h) -- iyam duruktAtparibAdhamAnA s'armavarUdham punatIva AgAt I prAn.ApAnAbhyAm balamAbharanti priyA devAnAg'm subhagA mekhaleyam IIr.tasya goptrI tapasa.h parasvI ghnatI raks.assahamAnA arAtI II

Meaning -- BrahmacArI , while putting on the girdle of three strands and made of munja grass says --
this girdle destroys the defects in our conversation , while purifying our house it has come to us , it provides strength to PrA.na and ApAna , it is liked by gods , beautiful , protects Satyam and Tapas completely , kills RAks.asas'aktis , insults enemies . O! MekhalA ! by you are auspicious and by wearing you ,we will be in a position to run this As'rama  with more caliber and as per the S'Astra .

Kus'a -
Manusmr.ti (3-235)--

treen.i s'rAddhe pavitrAn.i dauhitra.h kutapa.h tilA.h I
treen.i cAtra pras'amsamti s'aucamakrodhamatvarAm II

Pavitram ( not pavitrakam - ka pratyaya is not necessary - in svArtha it is a right word though) - is made of Kus'a .

KutapakAla is the the eighth part of the day which is divided into fifteen and it is the right time for S'rAddha .

DUrvA --

Mantra.h - Ayanete parAyan.e dUrvA rohantu pus.pin.I.h I hradAs'ca pun.d.arIkAn.i samudrasya gr.hA ime II

DUrvA is considered as the  thing liked mostly by Gan.es'a .

dhanyo'smi

2011/8/15 gira...@juno.com <gira...@juno.com>

--
अथ चेत्त्वमिमं धर्म्यं संग्रामं न करिष्यसि।
ततः स्वधर्मं कीर्तिं च हित्वा पापमवाप्स्यसि।।
तस्मादुत्तिष्ठ कौन्तेय युद्धाय कृतनिश्चयः।
निराशीर्निर्ममो भूत्वा युध्यस्व विगतज्वरः।। (भ.गी.)

--
Prof.Korada Subrahmanyam
Professor of Sanskrit,
CALTS,
University of Hyderabad 500046
Ph:09866110741(R),91-40-23010741,040-23133660(O)

[subrahmanyam korada]

Namo vidvadbhya.h

in the earlier mail I inadvertently quoted Manusmr.ti for Pavitram .

'pavitram pavayis.yan pUto medhya.h ' - etc. Mantras support the practice of Pavitram -- pavitram dhr.tvA .. (Kalpa)

dhanyo'smi

2011/8/18 subrahmanyam korada <kora...@gmail.com>

[Usha Rani]

नमो विद्वद्भ्यः। मम कश्चन सन्देहः। अनयोः द्वयोः श्लोकयोः द्वितीयपादौ ज्ञातुमिच्छामि। 1. प्रयोजनमनुद्दिश्य न मन्दोपि प्रवर्तते। 2. शिशुर्वेत्ति पशुर्वेत्ति, वेत्ति गानरसं फणिः। एतौ श्लोकौ कस्मात् ग्रन्थात् उद्धृतौ? कृपया वदन्तु। -विनीता -उषा

[Sri Raghava Kiran Mukku]

नमांसि उषाभ्यः

शिशुरादिः श्लोकोऽयं मयैवं श्रुतः। "शिशुर्वेत्ति पशुर्वेत्ति वेत्ति गानरसं फणिः। को वेत्ति कवितातत्त्वं शिवो जानाति वा न वा।।" द्वितीयपादपठनादेवमवगम्यते यत् श्लोकेऽत्र शिशुः कुमारो वा गणपतिर्वेति पशुर्नन्दीश्वर इति फणिश्च वासुकिरिति। श्लोकस्यास्य मूलग्रन्थं न जाने।

श्लोकान्तरस्य द्वितीयपादमितःपूर्वं न श्रुतवान्। तथाऽपि मया स्मर्यते श्लोकवार्तिकान्तर्गतोऽयं श्लोकः। "सर्वस्यैव हि कार्यस्य कर्मणो वापि कस्यचित्। यावत् प्रयोजनं नोक्तं तावत्तत्केन गृह्यते।।"

सुधीजनविधेयो राघवः

[narayanan er]

महत्यै नमः।

शिशुर्वेत्ति पशुर्वेत्ति वेत्ति गानरसं फणी।

साहित्यरसमाधुर्यं शङ्करो वेत्ति वा न वा।।

प्रयोजनं संप्रवृत्तेः कारणं फललक्षणम् ।

प्रयोजनमनुद्दिश्य न मन्दोऽपि प्रवर्तते ॥

[Usha Rani]

धन्यास्मि

[Jagannatha s]

prayojanam anuddhiSya na mando'pi pravartate //

 

iti padyasya pUrvArdham  evamasti-

 

prayojanam sampravr.tteh. kAran.am. phalalaks.an.am /

 

idam. padyam  AdiSan=karAcAryaviracitatvena prasiddhe

 

sarvavedantasiddhAntasArasan=grahe

 

prathamAdhyAyasya ekAdaSam padyam

iti jagannaathah.

2011/8/18 Usha Rani <usha_s...@yahoo.co.in>

धन्यास्मि

[Jagannatha s]

anuddhiSya ityatra anuddiSya iti

 

pat.hanIyam / pramAdo vis.Adyate / 

2011/8/19 Jagannatha s <jgra...@gmail.com>

[Ashok Aklujkar]

On 2011-08-18, at 8:28 PM, Jagannatha s wrote:

prayojanam anuddiSya na mando'pi pravartate //

 

iti padyasya pUrvArdham  evamasti-

 

prayojanam sampravr.tteh. kAran.am. phalalaks.an.am /

 

idam. padyam  AdiSan=karAcAryaviracitatvena prasiddhe

 

sarvavedantasiddhAntasArasan=grahe

 

prathamAdhyAyasya ekAdaSam padyam

Probably an older source is Kumaarila, ;Sloka-vaarttika, Autpattika-suutraadhikara.na, Sa.mbandhaak.sepa-parihaara, verse 55: 

prayojanam anuddiśya na mando `pi pravartate

 evam eva pravṛttiś cec caitanyenāsya kiṃ bhavet ||

 

a.a.

 

[Jagannatha s]

Thank you Dr. Ashok Aklujkar for this information.

2011/8/19 Ashok Aklujkar <ashok.a...@ubc.ca>

[SAGARIKA NANDA]

Sir,

Pranam, kindly give its' reference.

Thanking you.

2011/8/18 narayanan er <drerna...@yahoo.com>

--

अथ चेत्त्वमिमं धर्म्यं संग्रामं न करिष्यसि।
ततः स्वधर्मं कीर्तिं च हित्वा पापमवाप्स्यसि।।
तस्मादुत्तिष्ठ कौन्तेय युद्धाय कृतनिश्चयः।
निराशीर्निर्ममो भूत्वा युध्यस्व विगतज्वरः।। (भ.गी.)

--

Dr.sagarika Nanda

Counsellor

Career Counselling Cell

R.S.V.Tirupati.

[narayanan er]

Madam,
The following verse is from the सर्ववेदान्तसिद्धान्तसारसंग्रहः. It is the 11th verse under the साधनचतुष्टयम्।

प्रयोजनं संप्रवृत्तेः कारणं फललक्षणम् ।

प्रयोजनमनुद्दिश्य न मन्दोऽपि प्रवर्तते ॥ ११।।

But I don't have any source for the following verse, though I quoted from my memory, as memorized while I was attending the sixth standard in school, way back in the year 1980 :

शिशुर्वेत्ति पशुर्वेत्ति वेत्ति गानरसं फणी।

साहित्यरसमाधुर्यं शङ्करो वेत्ति वा न वा।।

 Regards,

Narayanan

---

From: SAGARIKA NANDA <sagari...@gmail.com>
To: bvpar...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Friday, 19 August 2011 1:21 PM
Subject: Re: {भारतीयविद्वत्परिषत्} श्लोकपादौ

[kosalendra das]

अत्यन्तं शोभनं श्लोकद्वयं ..............

 

Shastri Kosalendradas

---

From: narayanan er <drerna...@yahoo.com>
To: "bvpar...@googlegroups.com" <bvpar...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Friday, August 19, 2011 2:23 PM

[S P Narang]

Like the assumption that Munja may be related to Muujavat mountain, Kush may be related to Kushaavarta. It is interesting that in Panjab,  Kushala gotra is sometimes used for the anonymous gotra. their smartness and exactness is expressed in the word Kushala which was later associated to laati. their impact may be traced in a number of similar words. Regards, spnarang --- On Mon, 8/15/11, gira...@juno.com <gira...@juno.com> wrote:

[gira...@juno.com]

August 23, 2011

 

 Thanks to Prof. Narang, Prof. S.Korada for contributing to my inquiry about holy grass-Munja, Kush etc. I suggest Dr. Yadu Moharir to contribute to this thread from the medical uses of these plants. Many times we use certain plants in our religious life without knowing their utility other than their auspiciousness. Kushaagra Buddhi perhaps means intellect as sharp as tip of Kush grass. N.R.Joshi

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