kAThaka purUsha suktaM

purUsha suktaM is one of most celebrated vedic hymn employed densely in any vedic ritual . It is recited in almost all Vedic rituals and ceremonies. The purUsha suktaM is an important part of the rig-veda (10.7.90.1-16). It also appears in the taittirIya Aranyaka (3.12,13), the vAjasaneyI samhitA (31.1-6), the sAmaveda samhitA (6.4), and the aTharvaveda samhitA (19.6). An explanation of parts of it can also be found in the shatapaTha, taittirIya , and shvetAshwatara brAhmana. Like any other veda shAkhA , kAThaka shAkhA too have purUsha suktaM. This sukta is housed in purUshamedhaM of kAThaka shAkhA.The sukta is in anushtuba and trishtup meters , vishvAtma purUsha ( virAta purUsha , vishvarUpa ) is deity and nArAyana is rishI.( kAThaks first recite meter then deity and then the seer of any mantra , this is standard format of viniyoga for them ).Like any other veda shAkhA it is one of important suktas of kAThaka shAkhA. In srauta context it is used in  purUshamedhaM .In grihya context it is used as  UpasThana sukta in sandhyA , also employed in devtArchana and abhishekaM of any male deity. First published edition of kAThaka purUsha suktaM was in ‘kAThaka samkalan’ of suryakAnta.

Footnotes

1) ्ं  /gum/ is missing in the text , neither marked nor recited in modern recitations.

2) purUshmedhaM is not found in samhitA portion ( probably in kAThaka brAhman which is lost. )

3) svars were lost at early stag so it is recited in ekashrutI mode.

Source

Handwritten sandhyA manual of swAmI lakshman joo.( His handwriting )

Animesh’s Blog

laghu rUdra sukta of kAThaka yajurvedins

The land which once was  enchanted with mantras of four vedas ( rigveda shAkal ,yajurveda kAthaka ,sAmaveda kauThuma and atharvaveda paippalAda shAkhA ), 84 Agamas and many  sAkta tantras is barren from  sound of namakaM and chamakaM.Ancestors of present kashmIrI pandits were chaturvedIs, with time only largest following shAkhA( i.e. kAthaka shAkhA with laugAkshI sutra ) remain preserved.Due to decline in tradition all groups of kashmIrI brAhman adopted it . As for as my knowledge one of such group have bhava-kapishThala gotra and they are originally follower of kapishThala shAkhA but lately adopted kaThaka shAkhA .Today land of kashmIra lacks even a single samhitA pAthI of kaThaka shAkhA .Due to practical use only rituals and ritual manuals of kaThaka shAkhA remain preserved .Unfortunately due scarcity of time, sake of bred and butter , malecchAs and lost interest this rituals and ritual manuals ( prayoga pustakas ) are also dying . As told to me by an old kashmIrI priest on telephonic conversation ” from last 150 years rituals and ritual manuals are continuously getting shortened , Those manual that we were taught was about 90-100 pages and our forefather’s handwritten manuscripts were about 150-200 pages ,different ritualas take 4-5 hours. Now rituals manuals are shortened to 30-45 pages and don’t consume much time ( only about 1:30 to 2 hous ) , the rituals which previously performed for 40 days are now performed for  15 days .”
In such transition period ( where shortening of prayoga pustaka was taking place ) kAThakas evolved a laghu rUdra suktA which was an easy substitute to bulky rUdraM .In case of time’s devil , generally (in north ) first sixteen mantras of namakaM are recited .Peculiarly kAThakas evolved a unique laghu rUdra sukta.
A pseudo dhyAna mantra is  recited in beginning by kAthakas and then last 11 mantras of namakaM with two additional mantras , first of them is tvarita rUdra mantra and second is vedic aghor mantra , are recited .This 14 mantras in total makes laghu rUdra sukta.( 14 mantras flashes back my memory to  14 mantramaheshvaras in trika system )

Footnotes

1) Aghor mantra  have pAtha bheda from standard mantra.

Source

Ritual manual of satIsara vidvAns

६(︶︿︶)३

kAThaka tarpaNa prayoga

Earliest description of tarpan in vedic literature comes from srI suktaM ” आर्द्रां ज्वलंतीम् तृप्ताम् तर्पयन्तीम् “ meaning
“One who is satisfied and who satisfies those who offer Her tarpaNa”. It is a vedic practice  in  which offerings are made to divine entities ( devtA , pitrU , rishIs ). Following is tarpaNa prayoga for kAThaka shAkhA , the prayogaM is prevalent among the kashmirI panDitas .Although prayogaM have instructions in hindI bhAshA but , nearest translation is given below .[ mUla prayoga with full mantras is in final section ]
” After bath (snAna ) person should sit facing north /east direction. Reciting sAvitrI thrice he should wash his yagnopavItaM ( while keeping it in between right and left thumbs ) , then he should recite यज्ञोपवीतम्० mantra and wear yagnopavItaM , after wearing he should say यज्ञोपवितमसि०.Then he should perform vinIyoga and nyAsa  of Asana mantra पृथिवी त्वं०.After saying mantra he should offer two flowers / dharbhaM to earth, then namaskAra to earth is performed. Using mantra तीर्थे०
he should sprinkle water on himself and using mantra  वसोपवित्रमसि० he should wear pavitrakas .By आत्मने० mantra he should wear tilaka.Now he should worship lamp ( ratna dipa ) by स्वयंप्रकाशे० mantra and incense (ratna dhupa ) by वनस्पतिरसो ० mantra. Then arghya to surya bhagvAna is made by नमो ० mantra then this arghya water is removed from pAtra by mantra यात्रास्ति० .Now the actual process of tarpan starts .He should recite ॐ नमो ब्रम्हणे नमो  ०.( In tarpaNa pAtra he should make a shatakoNa structure ) By savyaM  he should offer waters to gods using mantra नमो देवेभ्य:०
and by kanThopvitI to rishIs using mantra स्वाहा :ऋषिभ्य: ०
and to pitrUs in apsavyamM  by reciting samkalpa vAkya ॐ तत्सत्० then he should pour water in a pAtra .Then gratitude is offered to lord ”

Footnotes

1) Those who don’t known their gotra can use bhArgava gotra .

2) Those who don’t know nakshtrA can use rohiNI nakshatrA .

3) Those who don’t know date of death , srAddha can perform tarpaNa/ srAddha on any amAvasya .

Source

Ritual manual of satIsara vidvAnas.