Tuesday, 29 September 2015

The True Importance Of Brahman Bhoj

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The True Importance Of Brahman Bhoj ~
Brahman Bhoj is the ritualistic feeding of Brahmins in order to get their blessings which can have powerful effect on the lives of devotees. Brahmins are associated with the performance of all the Vedic rituals. It is said that Brahmins have taken birth from the mouth of Lord Brahma. They are highly knowledgeable about Vedic texts. It is said that unless a Brahmin prays to the Gods through chants, God cannot come and attend the puja rituals of men. Hence, donating or feeding Brahmins is considered very fruitful. Brahman bhoj is considered highly auspicious. Brahman Bhoj is practiced on diverse occasions such as child’s birth, upanayana(the sacred thread ceremony, pitrupaksh, marriage and even Death. The purpose of Brahm-bhoj is to get their blessings, gain punya and satisfy the souls of forefathers.
One legend points out the significance of feeding Brahmins. It's mentioned in Mahabharata, Karna donated a lot of material wealth as charity to the poor and downtrodden. But he had never offered food to them. When Karna had gone to heaven after his death, he was offered many riches and unbound materialistic pleasures. But he did not get any food. He understood the cause of this and prayed to Yamraja to go back to earth for a fortnight, in order to donate food to Brahmins and the needy.
These 14 days were known as Pitru Paksha and was an auspicious time for charitable donations to Brahmins. When Karna returned to heaven he was greeted with abundant food and he was quite grateful. Thus in order to gain fulfillment and spiritual peace in the afterlife, Brahman bhoj is an effective ritual. Brahmins or the messengers of God were born from Lord Brahma’s mouth. Pleasing them can please the souls of our ancestors and gain salvation or mukti for them. These ceremonies are usually performed at holy locations like Kashi, Bodh Gaya, Dakshineshwar, Kalighat and Haridwar; as they are the most effective sacred places.
Significance Of Brahman Bhoj During Shradh Ritual
1. Shradh is an important Hindu ritual performed by individuals in order to ensure salvation for the souls of one’s departed ancestors.
2. Family members of a dead person pay their respects to the dead person’s soul and offer prayers in order to liberate the departed from the cycle of life and death.
3. According to the Bhagavad Gita, all souls undergo this endless cycle of life and death, until they attain salvation or Moksha and ultimately unite with Brahman or the supreme soul.
4. Shradh removes Pitra Dosh or the absolution of sins that a soul might have committed during its past lives. This is very crucial in order for a departed soul to gain complete peace and liberation.
5. Shradh is also important in order to seek the blessings of our ancestors and remove any harmful karmic influences that might be harming their souls.
6. With the assistance and under the guidance of Brahmin priests, the relatives of a person are able to connect to the wandering souls of their dearly departed and wish their final goodbyes.
Om Namo Bhagwate Vasudevaya Namah ~ Om Namah Shivaya!

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