Somayagam is an important Vedic ritual and it will be conducted
in 2014 by the Kasyapa Veda Research Foundation at Kozhikode
in Kerala. Somayaga will be held from February 13 to February 19, 2014.
Somayagam is a vedic ritual which is more than 6000 years
old and the sole purpose of the yajna is the welfare of Mother Earth and all
living beings.
Acharya M R Rajesh, founder of Kasyapa Veda Research
Foundation, talks about the yajna in The New Indian Express
So, what in general is the purpose of conducting a Somayagam? ‘’Somayagam is one of the most important constituents of the spiritual practices of the Vedas. The yagam is a demonstration of the fundamental laws of the universe. The yagasala is conceived to be the body of both the human being and the universe. It has been taught and prescribed in the Vedic texts by Vedic scholars that the yagasala has several parts representing the different parts of the body. The yagam is an offering for the entire good of this body or rather for the well-being of the entire universe. Plus, this is also an attempt to experiment and learn more about the pre-historic ritual,’’ says the acharya, adding that irrespective of caste or religion, the entry to the yagasala is open to all.
Going by the ancient belief, soon after the conclusion of a yagam, there will be a heavy downpour in the area as a sign of blessing from heaven. But the acharya says that it’s just nature’s play which is purely coincidental and that the intention of conducting Somayagam is not to bring changes in the climate! ‘’How can we humans control climatic cycles. There might have been instances when there was heavy downpour after the yagam. But I wish to say that Somayagam is not a ritual conducted to bring in rain. If it is only to bring in rain, I believe we should take this custom to far off deserts where the inhabitants get to see a drop of rain water only once or twice a year. So it’s high time we ruled out such misconceptions,’’ he says.
“Somayagam was started in the Vedic age and even today the practice is continued on grounds of ushering in prosperity and well-being. Some people might be looking forward to attending the Somayagam with hopes of getting good marriage proposals, highly placed jobs or progeny. But let me tell them, Somayagam is not a wish-fulfilling tree or a magic genie,’’ he winds up.
You can find more details about the Somayagam here.