Jagadguru Shankaracharya Sri Sri Bharati Tirtha Mahaswamiji recounting a magnificent & divine incident from the life of the 16th-century saint-intellectual giant, Sri Appayya Deekshita :

Jagadguru Shankaracharya Sri Sri Bharati Tirtha
Mahaswamiji recounting a magnificent & divine incident from the life of the 16th-century saint-intellectual giant, Sri Appayya Deekshita :

"Whenever acts of Dharma have been performed, there has always been a set of people that state that all such acts are pointless. There have always been people who have questioned why various offerings are being made into the sacrificial fire.

We, as Astikas, have firm faith in the Shrutis (Vedas), Smritis and Puranas and act in accordance to the Dharma expounded therein. We have always been following what our Shastras state. We do not perform a Yaga with the feeling of putting these objects into the fire. We perform the Yaga with the pure feeling of performing a humble offering to Bhagawan who is the Support of the entire Universe.

Once when Sri Appayya Deekshita, renowned for his scholarship, a Aahitaagni and a devotee of Bhagawan Shiva, was rewarded with a shawl by the king of the land, he offered it into the sacrificial fire. Coming to know of this, the king became angry and came to Sri Appayya Deekshita and questioned, “O renowned scholar! How is it that you have taken the impunity to offer the shawl that I had so respectfully awarded, into the sacrificial fire?”. Sri Dikshita in turn asked the king to come along with him to the #Nataraja temple in #Chidambaram. When the king did so and arrived at the temple, he saw to his amazement, that the shawl was clad around the Vigraha of Bhagawan Nataraja! The king then prostrated to Sri Appayya Dikshita and begged his pardon.

This true incident points to the fact that what we offer to the Lord via the sacrificial fire indeed reaches the Lord. courtesy ahambrahmaasmi. org Our Shastras state –
अग्नौ प्रास्ताहुति: सम्यगादित्यमुपतिष्ठते |
आदित्याज्जायते वृष्टिर्वृष्टेरन्नं तत: प्रजा: ||

It is also said that just as the Sun draws water from the earth in summer and returns it manifold by causing rain – सहस्रगुणमुत्स्रष्टुमादत्ते हि रसं रविः – so too do the performance of such Yagas please the Lord and bring about manifold benefit to one and all.

#SanatanaDharma #Hinduism #Yagna #Yaga #Havan #SanatanDharma #Sringeri #Shringeri #Shankaracharya #HinduTemple #Dharma