Religion, customs and traditions???- Mantras Part 2

In my last post I had given a few hymns and slokas that could be recited every day.whenever we attend a pooja in the temple or at home it is customary to recite manthra pusham, or a short version of it.Often we offer flowers to the deities at this time making some people to think that this something to do with the flowers(pushpam)

The verses of manthra pushpam is given in yajurveda.It is actually a recitation about the origin and evolution of the natural forces like water,air,fire,earth,sun and the stars and not praising God.

Here it is:

1. Yopam pushpam vedha-pushavan prajaavan

pasuman bhavathi

chandramapa va apam pusham-pushavan prajaavan

pasuman bhavathi

ya yevam vedha- yopaam-aayathanam vedha -

aayathanavaan bhavathi

2. Vaayorvaa apaam-aayathanam-aayatha-navaan bhavathi

yo vaayor-aayathanam vedha -

aayatha-navaan bhavathi

aapovai vaayor-aayathanam-

aayatha-navaan bhavathi

ya evam vedha - yopaam- aayathanam vedha -

aayathanavaan bhavathi

3. A sovvaitha pannapaam-aayathanam-

aayathanavaan bhavathi

yo mushyathapa -thaayathanam vedha -

aayathanavaan bhavathi

aapovai amushyathapa thaayathanam-

aayatha-navaan bhavathi

ya evam vedha-yopaam aayathanam vedha -

aayathanavaan bhavathi

4. Chndramaava apaam-aayathanam-

aayathanavaan bhavathi
yachchandramasa -aayathanavaan bhavathi
aapovai chandramasa-aayathanam-

aayatha-navaan bhavathi
ya evam vedha-yopaam aayathanam vedha -

aayathanavaan bhavathi

5. Nakshathraanaa appam-aayathanam-

aayathanavaan bhavathi
yo nakshathraanaa apaam-aayathanam vedha -

aayathanavaan bhavathi
aapovai nakshathraanaa aayathanam-

aayatha-navaan bhavathi
ya evam vedha-yopaam aayathanam vedha -

aayathanavaan bhavathi

6. Parjanyovaa apaam-aayathanam-

aayathanavaan bhavathi
yaf: parjanyasy -aayathanam vedha -

aayathanavaan bhavathi
aapovai parjanyasy-aayathanam-

aayatha-navaan bhavathi
ya evam vedha-yopaam aayathanam vedha -

aayathanavaan bhavathi

7.Samvathsarovaa apaam-aayathanam-

aayathanavaan bhavathi
yassamvathsars yaayathanam vedha -

aayathanavaan bhavathi
aapovai samvathsars yaayathanam-

aayatha-navaan bhavathi
ya evam vedha-yopsu naavam prati thishti tham vedha -prathyathi thishtathi.

The meaning of the verse is as follows:

The world is all madeup of water and is the basic of everything and is worthy of our prayers.As water cools so also the moon is cool like a flower in the water.He who understands this gets all prosperity.Fire is also a producer of this water and the air is a producer of fire.as the sea water rises as vapor to the clouds and falls as rain to give us the warmth and prosperity,the sun is related to thewater.as we see the star through astrological position which determines the rain and prosperity,we see the relation of stars for all this prosperitythrough water.each year,as we get the rainy season to get our rains,the year around seasons gets importance.on this water the world revolves around like a boat sailing in the ocean and he who understands this gets all the prosperity.

It is so amazing that the people in the vedic period knew about the water cycle, the birth of the star and the importance of sun in the water cycle.The vedas provide an insight into the life of these people and also tells us that the vedic scripture embraces science and I think it is the first and the only religion which has done so.our ancestors considered religion and science as their two eyes and that is why they didn't differentiate it but intertwined both of them, teaching the world the art of living.