KathaUpanishad

The Soul lives in two worlds. It was created when God breathed into the material body.
Thus it has equal access to the world of matter through the five senses and the world of
the Spirit. A part of the Paramatma resides besides the soul. But it is the freedom of
the Jivatma to exercise the faculties of knowing from the world or the spirit. Jivatma can
feed and know only on the material world thus stifling the Spirit within. On the other
hand Jivatma can feed and know the Spirit within him to open up the world of
Paramatma. This is the only way to know Paramatma.
The Soul that closes the senses within that opens into the spirit realm eventually dies,
because life is sustained by the Spirit world.
The five sacrificial fires
Hindu scriptures say the householder must perform Pancha Mahaayajnas (five great
sacrifices). People in other three stages of life – Brahmacharya, Vanaprastha and
Sanyasa – depend on the fruitful completion of Pancha Maha Yagna by Grihastha. The
five yagnas are Brahmayagna, Pitruyagna, Devayagna, Bhutayagnam and
Manushayagna. The Pancha Maha Yagna is also known by the names of Ahutam,
Hutam, Prahutam, Brahmahutam and Prashitam.
.In the Manusmriti (3/70) it is said:
"Adyaapanam brahmayajnah pitriyajnastu tarpanam|
homo daivo balibhootee nriyajnoe atithi poojanam||
In the famous “five-fire doctrine” of Chandogya-upanisad 5,1Gautama, the father of
Svetaketu is being taught that the journey of the self after death is told that even the
cosmos is really five great sacrificial fires in which the gods make a series of offerings.
The gods offer “faith” inthe “heaven” fire in order to produce soma, then soma in the
Parjanya fire to produce “rain,” then rain in the “earth” fire to produce “food,” then food in
the “man” fire to produce “semen,”and finally semen in the “woman” fire to complete the
journey with a new embryo. This final ritual product, the garbha, will be born some ten
months later and, Gautama is informed, will live until it makes its appointment with the
(funeral) fire “from which he came.”
The production of a new being is the matter of five sacrificial fires in the right series. In
other words, these five fold fires are the regular dharmas that maintains life and
cosmos. It should be satvik karmas (righteous duties) without regard to avanthara
phala (eventual consequences).
Among the 40 Samskaras for a house holder there are five Mahaayajnas which are:
• Brahmayajna, teaching of Vedas; chanting of Vedas and teaching them
• Pitriyajna, devoted to forefathers (tarpana, pindadaana, shraaddha);
• Bhootayajna, devoted to charity;
• Devayajna, devoted to the Gods (Yaaga, havan, homa) sacrifices and Pooja:
and,
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