S: Pranam Swamiji!!Is it possible that the garbhadan sanskar can be performed by normal yagyan.or it has to be performed in the prsence of a yogi.swamiji pls advice if i want to do garbhadhan sanskar here in london is it possible.? I want to do it but my wife is not convinced or she does not take these things seriously…swamiji pls advice how do i go about this?
Swami Ram Swarup: My blessings to you. Garbhadhan sanskar can be performed by any arya samaj Purohit, who can be located locally in an arya Samaj mandir. Especial ved mantras are recited and aahutis are offered.
R S: My father passed away last year. Recently it was his 76th birth anniversary. I want to know that according to the Vedic tradition what should be done on this day. Thanks
Swami Ram Swarup: I am sorry to hear about your loving father’s demise. May God give peace to the soul. On the said occasion, only a yajyen with ved mantras should be performed. You can take help of a purohit in this matter who will recite the ved mantras. Shradh etc., cannot be performed according to Vedas. In this connection, I paste my article –
Shradh
The alive parents are to be served faithfully. Everybody knows that a person who is alive takes food, water, puts on clothes etc. After death body is burnt. Now how the parents will be able to take food. They according to the karmas get next birth too. So shradh is against the Vedas’ philosophy.
Are path,Yagya, havans etc., after death of a person or tarpan shradh etc., of any beneficial to departed soul?
Soul is dependent and therefore cannot do any deed etc., without senses, perceptions, mind and body whereas, God is independent. He is Almighty and needs no help from anybody to control the universe. So He never takes any assistance/help like of any human body or of bow-arrow, gun etc., to kill anyone. At the time of death, soul goes out of the body and body with mouth, ear, eyes etc., is burnt. Thirty-ninth chapter of Yajurveda throws light that at this stage, soul remains in sushupt stage i.e., like in coma, because the soul has no assistance like mouth, ear etc., so she cannot take in food, drink water, do any thing. After thirteen days the soul based on his previous lives’ deeds enters the womb. Therefore neither soul can be ghost nor can he take food etc. So according to Vedas, shradh, tarpann cannot be done.
No doubt, soul has to face his karmas-both karmas i.e., pious as well as sins. Please refer to the article on three types of karmas. Vedas as well as yog shastra 2/16 states “Heyem Dukham Anagatam” that present sins/bad deeds as well as previous lives’ sins can be burnt with the help of present pious kriyamann karmas like paath, yajyen, havan mainly listening of Vedas, name jaap of God, learning of yoga philosophy from a true acharya (who is learned of Vedas) and its practice there of etc. Benefit of the same worship is awarded when soul remains in body. Soul leaves the body to take rebirth based on sanchit karma i.e., benefit of the worship had already been awarded by the God. If soul is really interested to get salvation, then he contacts with an acharya to learn the said worship and may be able in this birth or in the future births to get salvation. But in no case, the real worship based on Vedas goes in vain. This is also stated by Shri Krishna in Bhagwad Geeta shloka 9/31.
