Parishechanam

PARISHECHANAM

Prologue
(“Thai poranthaal vazhi porakkum” is a saying known to almost every household in South. How true! Whew!! Last month has been particularly hectic. What with all those Poonals, Gruhapravesams, Kalyanams, and Sapthaahams each followed by a feast, we (read ‘I’) haven’t found the need to cook any more at home. On these special occasions I make the most of the opportunity by latching on either to the cook or the priest (Vaadhyaar) not necessarily in that order. So it was last week, I got sandwiched between a keen youngster and this highly learned scholarly Vaadhyaar during a sit-down-on-floor lunch.
“Why do we do this Parishechanam, sir?” asked this youngster struggling to fold his legs, thanks to his tight stone-washed Jeans!
I pretended to concentrate on that initial ‘drop’ of Paayasam not to allow that to mix with Paruppu which gets served in a hurry on the plantain leaf.
“Parishechanam???....This sprinkling of water? Oh! It is to keep the insects and ants away from your leaf.” volunteered another young one. That was followed by a loud laughter.
“………..amrutatwaayaa. May be we could get to know the significance from the erudite scholar Vaadhyaar himself after lunch” I suggested in that practised tone of issuing words of command in Parades during my soldiering periods.
All went quiet.)

Cut to Vetila-paakku session later

The next few minutes of explanation from Vaadhyaar held the audience spell bound. The discussion went off something like this. Hopefully I got him right!
“There is actually philosophical significance to the parishechana and prANAhuti mantras.
1) Parishechana: After we sit down for our meal, we say the mantra:
Satyam tvartena parishinchAmi (O Food! You are True. I encircle you with divine righteousness.) and we circumambulate our food with a sprinkling of water. This sprinkling of water is known as "parishechana". At night, this mantra is 'Rtam tvA satyena parishinchAmi', transposing the 'Rtam' and 'satyam'. "Satya" means that which is real or true. "Rta" is a notion of the Divine Law or moral principle. The term "Rta" is often found in the Rig Veda, and it is from this that the idea of "dharma" later evolved.
From this we can gather that the parishechana mantra is sort of a formulaic "protection" for the food we are about to eat.
2) PrANAhuti -- the offering to the vital breaths: The next step is the part of greater philosophical significance. Recall that in the Vedic tradition, every act eventually becomes an act of worship, an act of recognition of the pervasiveness of the Supreme Brahman and Its power. When we eat, we nourish our bodies. Food is therefore essential
for bodily sustenance. Within our body is the "ana" or vital breath. The "ana" has five activities or "prANa-s". The five prANa-s represent the various bodily functions that are
critical for survival. They are considered a manifestation of the power of the Supreme in the bodily plane.
[It is almost a universal cultural idiom to recognize breath as the vital force
behind life. In English, when someone dies they are said to have "breathed their last". In Tamil, the word "ushir" or "uyir" can mean both breath and life. ]
The idea is that by first making an offering to the prANa-s, we pay homage to their life-giving power by virtue of their performing the bodily activities that are crucial to our survival. In this way, this ritual recognizes that not only is food important to survival, but the very bodily functions that we take for granted are essential, and we
owe all of this to the Supreme, who sits as the superintending power behind all bodily activity, no matter how mundane.
The vital breaths or "prANa-s" are five in number. The latter four are derived from the first. They are: prANa -- the principal breath
apAna -- responsible for excretory activity
vyAna -- responsible for circulatory activity
udAna -- respiratory activity
samAna -- responsible for digestive activity
This act of thanksgiving to God who through these bodily functions sustains life is done by saying the following mantras, and eating a little bit of rice and ney (ghee) without chewing it (because, after all, the food is an offering, not meant for personal consumption):
om prANAya svAhA
om apAnAya svAhA
om vyAnAya svAhA
om udAnAya svAhA
om samAnAya svAhA
om BrahmaNe svAhA

om brahmaNi ma AtmA-amRtatvAya
The last line means, "May my self be united in Brahman (the Supreme), so that I may attain immortality."
Eating, then, is a profound act of worship which sustains the body so that we may further worship Brahman. Before and after eating the meal, water is sipped, once again with a mantra. The rishis of yore found this aspect of the ritual so important that they mention it in both of the largest Upanishads, the Brhadaranyaka and the Chhandogya, in virtually identical terms: Realized people, while eating, do as follows: before and after their meal, they "dress up" the prANa with water. The prANa receives clothing in this manner, and does not remain naked.
-- Chhandogya 5.2.2 & Brhadaranyaka 6.1.15
OTHER DETAILS
First you address the food "Namaste Anna. AsmAkam nityam astu Etat"
1. Om Bhurbhuvasuvaha: Sarva sAdhArana Prokshana Mantram for purifying the
food
2. Satyam tvA ruthEna ParishinchAmi: Here the food is addressed as satyam.
I encircle you with 'rutham'. These two words are often used in vEdAs. For eg. Brhma Yagnyam etc., In the evening the address is reversed.
3. amruta upastaranam asi; Be a 'lining' to the amrutam (i.e. the food)
4. amruta abhidAnam asi: Be a 'lid or cover' to the amrutam. (At the end of the meal)”

“I am not quite sure”, continues Vaadhyaar “why ‘clothing the prANa’ with water is so important, but both Sankaracharya and Ramanujacharya write that meditation on prANa having water as its garments is very important. It does make some sense, however, from other angles. Water is a purifier and drinking water before and after (Acamanam) is a purifier and sustainer of the body. Furthermore, the yoga shastras recommend that we eat food to fill only half our stomach; one half of the rest, i.e., one quarter of the stomach we should fill by drinking water. The rest should be air. This is supposed to be the ideal proportions for spiritual and bodily health. The mantras recited when sipping water before and after imply this as well:”
AmRtopastaraNam asi -- Oh water! You are the seat of immortality.

“In continuation now we will see Chandhogyopanishad.

Thath yadh Bhakthan prathamamaagachchEth thadhDhomeeyam!
Sa yaam prathamaam aahuthim juhuyaath praaNaaya svaahEthi!
PraaNasthrupyathi!
PraaNE thrupyathi chakshus thrupyathi!
Chakshushi thrupyathyaath aadhithyas thrupyathi!
AadhithyE thrupyathi dhyous thrupyathi!
Dhivi thrupyanthyaam yath kincha dhousva aadhithyaschaath adhithishtatha:
thath thrupyathi!
Thasya anuthrupthim thrupyathi prajaya pasuBhir annaadhyEna thEjasaa
brahmavarchasEnEthi!

Meaning: The person while eating makes the first offer of annam, and that first offer of annam becomes the oblatory instrument. That satisfies the praaNa. So the eating has to be done as a homam. When he does that at first praaNa gets satisfied. In the satisfaction of praaNa the eyes gets satisfied. When eyes get satisfied the Sun gets satisfied. When sun is satisfied the heavens are satisfied. When heaven is satisfied all those in heaven gets satisfied. When all get satisfied like this the people and the cows etc get the Tejas (halo??) and the power of brahma.

May be in short the offer of food has to be as homam.

My wife with the folded vetila in her hand addressed me thus, “Enna? Veettukku poka udhesam unda illayaa?” Now y (ears) of experience has taught me to recognize the tone and tenor of my wife as an order from Marshall rather than as a suggestion. I gathered my angavastram hastily and moved out not before thanking the Vaadhyaar profusely. I came home wiser.
“We didn’t know there is so much to eating though!” admitted the two youngsters.


V V R
15th Feb 07