17 Dec 2019
Shri Balaji asked: What are the five sacrifices (pañca yajñas)? If a person misses the Satguru, who is to be worshipped in the first Brahma yajña? Should he perform it or not? If the real Satguru is not available, will the performance of these five sacrifices take the soul to the highest step?
Swami replied: In fact, there are seven sacrifices (sapta yajñas) in which seven different entities are worshipped by offering food to them. They are as follows: 1) Brahma yajña, in which the contemporary Human Incarnation of God or the Satguru is to be worshipped. 2) Deva yajña, in which devotees are to be worshipped. 3) Ṛṣi yajña, in which scholars preaching deep spiritual knowledge are to be worshipped. 4) Pitṛ yajña, in which the elders in the family are to be worshipped. 5) Manuṣya yajña, in which ordinary human guests are to be worshipped. 6) Bhūta yajña, in which hungry soft-natured animals and birds are to be worshipped. 7) Ātma yajña, in which one’s own life is to be protected and maintained by consuming food.
This list of seven sacrifices is shortened to five by clubbing Ṛṣi yajña with Deva yajña and by neglecting the last sacrifice to oneself, since a person will naturally do it, in any case.
You have asked if one can neglect the performance of the first sacrifice, if the Satguru is not available. It is alright provided the person is sure of the non-availability of the Satguru. But note that a Human Incarnation of God comes in every generation since He is not partial to any generation and wants to grant the fortune of His physical presence to each generation. If one is not sure whether the Satguru is available or not and thinks that some Guru himself is a Satguru, one can perform the first sacrifice by worshipping that selected Guru.
The highest step is the achievement of full grace of God. The performance of these five sacrifices is certainly a very high step. But only when the first sacrifice is done to the actual Satguru, is the highest step achieved. The Satguru is not only your Guide, but also the very Goal of your effort. The recognition of the Satguru itself is very difficult and the worship of such a Satguru is very very difficult. The main reason for the difficulty is the repulsion between the common human media of God and the soul. The recognition of the Satguru with real theoretical love that is proved in practice through service and sacrifice is the highest step, required to attain His full grace.
| Shri Dattaswami | yajna yajnaa yajnas yajnaas rushi manushya pitru Bhuuta Aatma pancha
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