औपासनम्

परिचयः

• भावः
  • विवाहस्य साक्षी यो ऽग्निः, +++स एव+++ विवाह-साक्षी भवति खलु दम्पत्योर् नित्यम् उपास्यः!
  • तेन विवाहे गृहस्थाश्रमे सर्वोत्तमे च श्रद्धा वर्धते, तयोस् सामरस्यञ्च। विशिष्य यदि दम्पती स्मरतो विस्मयेन सौन्दर्यांशम् इदम्।
• स्रोतांसि
  • धर्मसिन्धाव् अत्र ।

होमक्रमः

• तण्डुलम् अपक्वम् यवधान्यानि वा हविः
• हस्तेन दानम्

आपन्नियमाः

यजमानः

यजमानविषये विशेष उक्तस् तत्रैव +++(मदनरत्ने)+++ गदाधरभाष्ये “यजमानं विना नान्यो जुहुयात् प्रातराहुतिम्" इति ॥ होमञ्च स्वयमेव कुर्यात्, आशौचादिप्रतिबन्धे ऋत्विगादिभिः कारयेत्।। ऋत्विगादीनाह दक्षः-“ऋत्विवपुत्रो गुरुद्घता भागिनेयोऽथ विदपतिः। एतैरेव हुतं यत्तु तध्दुतं स्वयमेव तु” इति ॥ विट्पति- र्जामाता ॥
ऋत्विगादिभिः करणे त्वयं विशेषः- “असमक्षन्तु दम्पत्योर् हातव्यं नर्त्विगादिना । द्वयोरप्य् असमक्षं चेद् भवेद्+हुतम् अनर्थकम्” इति ॥

(बोधायनब्रह्मकर्मसमुच्चये विस्तारः।)

कामं गृह्ये ऽग्नौ पत्नी जुहुयात् सायम् प्रातर् होमौ - गृहाः पत्नी, गृह्य एषो ऽग्निर् भवतीति

• गोभिलगृह्ये

• “स्त्रिया ऽनुपेतेन क्षार-लवणावरान्न-संसृष्टस्य च होमं परिचक्षते” इत्य् आपस्तम्ब-गृह्यसूत्रस्य व्याख्यानानुसारेण हरदत्त-सुदर्शनयोर् मतय् औपासने वैश्वदेवेऽय् अयम् प्रतिषेधः।

“पाणिग्रहणादि गृह्यं परिचरेत् - स्वयं, पन्त्य् अपि वा पुत्रः कुमार्यन्तेवासीव”
(आश्व.गृ.१-९-१.)

तन्त्रेण नित्यहोमः

वैद्यनाथीयाह्निककाण्डे बृहस्पतिस्मृतेर् उदाहरणम्।

सायम्प्रातस्तनौ होमाव्
उभौ सायं समस्य तु।
आपन्नो जुहुयात् तस्य
समिधेकाथवा द्वयम्॥

My current understanding of the last part - having performed the combined aupAsana, one can add a samit or two (presumably as prAyashcitta for havis-samsarga / oblation-mixture).

The combination itself, I presume, can happen by the following sequence: agnaye svAhA, sUryAya svAhA, agnaye sviShTakRte svAhA surrounded by parishechanas, and perhaps with an upasthAna.

बोधायनब्रह्मकर्मसमुच्चये विस्तारः।

FAQ

The below is copied from other sources - does not necessarily reflect a particular person’s opinion fully.

Duration

• Once you are used to the procedure and have the constituents handy, it should not take more than 20 min per kAla. -V

Travel

yajamAna-substitute

• If patni is not travelling, she can continue to the aupasanam till you return back, but that should not be beyond one sthalipaaka kalam. Including gauna kaalam it comes to a month. If one round of sthalipaaka (purnamasa and darsha) is missed the agni becomes laukika. Another view is that the wife can do aupasana only for 5 kaalams in the absence of husband.
• A vadhyar or one’s son who has had upanayanam etc can also maintain the agni - subject to the patni being at home.
• More in baudhAyana-brahma-karma-samuchchaya here.

Maintenance without homa

• If patni is just maintaining the Agni, then she should just remove the ash, put new viratti, thavidu etc and keep back the Agni. For Agni rakshanam there is no need to offer two handfuls of taNDulam.
• Also there is a paddhati where the karta is away and patni cannot do aupasanam due to Asoucham etc, and other male members are not available. In such cases one’s married daughter or even a neighboring Maami can do Agni rakshanam for 7 kaalas - just removing the ash, keep new viratti and thavidu, so that the Agni is kept live (pure Agni rakshanam), without offering taNDulam. Once the karta returns, he has to give the taNDula ahutis for each of the past kaalas, missed. In case of patni doing aupasanam, the karta is not required to repeat the past kaalas…indicating what patni offered was an Ahuti.

Breakage

• 3. Incase of travel how long can we go without aupasanam
  • If agni is not maintained as above you and patni can be away indefinitely and then restart with a vichinnagni sandhanam.

vichChinnAgni-sandhAnam

• Will take max 15-20 min.

Menses

• Aupasanam should continue. During such occasion patni saannidhya is not mandated. SthAlipakam /Vichinnagni has to be done only after bahishta period.

kAla

• Roughly 3 hours (10 and 9 ghatikas) after sunrise and sunset is mukhya kaalam. Gauna kaalam is till next aupasana mukhyakaala.

samit-samAropaNam

• One has to do avaropanam for aupasanam of the next kaala, but can be stretched till the 3rd kaala using the gauna kaala of the second aupasanam.

समन्त्रा बोधायनोक्तयो ऽन्यत्र ।

Atma-samAropaNam

• Lot of restrictions, generally not to be done for aupasana agni.

जीर्णस्याशक्तस्य चाग्निहोत्रचेष्टायाम् आत्मन्यग्निसमारोपणं विद्यत इत्य्
आत्मनि समारूढेष्वग्निषु न खादेन्न पिबेन्नोपरि शय्याँशयीत नाप्सु निमज्जेन्न मैथुनं व्रजेत्, कामं खादेत्कामं पिबेत्कामं त्वेवोपरि शय्याँशयीत - नैवाप्सु निमज्जेन्न मैथुनं व्रजेदिति

When the fires are consigned within oneself, one should not eat, nor should he drink, nor should lie on an upper bed, nor should dip into water, nor should have copulation. One may eat, drink, lie on upper bed; but he should not dip himself into water and should not have copulation.

vivAha-type

• Best case: ensure you have a 4 day wedding, with pravesha homa, followed by 3 days vratam, followed by sesha homa, agneya sthAlipaka, and completing the first round of purnamasa - darsha sthAlipakams without break in mukhya kaala (prathama) which will ensure agni siddhi.