BPHS Ch.86 Amavasya Birth Shanti, Karma Transfer via Dakshina & Priest Spiritual Caliber
BPHS Chapter 86: Amavasya birth dosha primarily causes parents to suffer poverty and hardship ("mata pitro daridhrata"). Shanti procedure: (1) Kalasha in southeast (Agneya) corner with leaves of five sacred trees + pancharatna (5 gems) + two cloths (yellow on top, red on bottom); (2) sanctify water with three Vedic mantras (Sarvesha mudra, Apohishta, Varuna mantra); (3) install gold/silver/copper idols of Sun AND Moon (Amavasya = Sun-Moon angle = zero); invoke with Apyayasva + Savitr mantra; 16 services; (4) Homa with darbha grass + wheat kheer (Sun) + rice kheer (Moon), mantras 108 times each; (5) Abhishekam — parents hold baby while priest pours charged water; (6) Dakshina = black cow + gold + silver; feed brahmanas. Timing: ideally 21st day after birth; valid at any age. Karma transfer teaching: dakshina given to priest physically transfers some of the baby's karma to the priest — a spiritually advanced priest can burn it through sadhana; a commercial greedy priest takes the karma but cannot burn it = ineffective puja. Finding a good priest: "Does not run after money — considers money trivial." Red flag: "Only MY priest can do this" = business deal between priest and astrologer. Self-puja with devotion may be more effective than hiring a commercial priest. "Water absorbs energy from mantras — Vedic consciousness has known this for thousands of years."
"The brahmin taking the dakshina is taking some karma on himself. If he is a Tom, Dick and Harry who takes the dakshina, he is in trouble — and the puja may have limited effect. Devotion counts more than price."
— P.V.R. Narasimha Rao
Shani Trayodashi — Special Observance
Shani Trayodashi = when Saturday (Shani Vara) and the 13th Tithi (Trayodashi) coincide:
- Particularly powerful for Saturn worship
- Krishna Paksha Shani Trayodashi = even more powerful than Shukla version
- Mantra on this day = equivalent to 1000 × normal count
- Saturn's preferred prasada: black sesame seeds (black til) + urad dal + rice cooked together
"If you do any Shani mantra on this day, it is equivalent to 1000 times 1000 times the count compared to normal times."
BPHS Chapter 86 — Amavasya Birth: Result and Shanti
Result of Amavasya Birth
— PVNR"Mata pitro daridhrata" — the parents will suffer poverty/hardship.
- Primary effect: parents suffer (not the native)
- Poverty here = deprivation of all that is valuable — wealth, happiness, health
- "Amavasya Dosha is particularly bad for parents rather than the child"
If parents are already suffering financially or in other ways, this dosha may be the root cause. If parents are well-off, the dosha is still present — do the Shanti to prevent future hardship.
Shanti Procedure (BPHS Shlokas)
Step 1: Kalasha Sthapana
- Establish a Kalasha (metal bowl with water + coconut on top)
- Place in the Agneya (southeast) corner of the puja area
- Note: Parashara says "vahnikona" = Agni angle = southeast; some translations wrongly say southwest
- Add to the kalasha water:
- Tender leaves (pallava/chuguru) from: udumbara, vata (banyan), ashwatha (peepal), chota, nimba (neem)
- Bark and roots of the same trees (Santhanam's translation only mentions "fresh leaves" — this is incomplete per PVNR)
- 5 gems (pancharatna) — select 5 from the Navaratnas; if expensive ones unavailable, use cheaper gems
- Wrap kalasha with two cloths — yellow on top, red on bottom (standard tradition)
Step 2: Sanctify the Kalasha
- Chant three Vedic mantras over the water:
- Sarvesha mudra
- Apohishta (Apohishta mayova chant)
- A third Varuna mantra (unspecified; priest should know it)
Step 3: Install Idols of Sun and Moon
- Deity of Amavasya = Sun and Moon (Tithis are based on Sun-Moon angle)
- Idols made of gold, silver, or copper
- Invoke with: Apyayasva mantra (Moon) + Savitri/Savitr mantra (Sun)
- Perform Shodasha Upacharas (16 services) for both idols
Step 4: Homa
- Use samidhas (darbha grass/dry sacred grass) + charu (cooked offering — wheat kheer for Sun; rice kheer for Moon)
- Mantras: Savitri mantra + Soma Dhenu mantra
- Counts: 108 times each (or minimum 28 times; always choose 108 if possible)
- If possible, add extra Surya and Chandra mantras from Rig Veda
Step 5: Abhishekam
- After completing the homa and udvasana (disinvoking)
- Have parents sit with baby in their laps; priest pours charged kalasha water over all three
- If child is grown: all sit together; priest does abhishekam
Step 6: Dakshina and Brahmana Bhojana
- Give priest: black cow + gold + silver
- Feed brahmanas (learned, spiritually calibrated people) with food — given with a pleasant, generous heart
Timing: Ideally on 21st day after birth; can be done at any age.
Karma Transfer via Dakshina — Key Teaching
Why the priest must have spiritual caliber:
- When a baby has Amavasya Dosha, it carries bad karma
- The dakshina (donation) given to the priest transfers some of that karma to the priest
- If the priest is spiritually advanced, he can burn that karma through his own sadhana
- If the priest is just a commercial/greedy person → he takes the karma but cannot burn it → disaster for him, and possibly limited effectiveness of the puja
"The brahmin who is taking the dakshina — he should be capable of taking some karma on himself. If he is a Tom, Dick and Harry who takes the dakshina, he is in trouble."
On finding a qualified priest:
- Real sign: does not run after money — considers money a trivial thing
- If a priest says "only MY priest can do it, not you or anyone else" → red flag; business deal between priest and astrologer
- Even one mantra by a highly calibrated priest = more effective than 1000 by a commercial one
- "If you have devotion and do it yourself, you may do a better job than hiring a fake priest for 25,000 rupees"
- Water absorbs energy from mantras (PVNR cites Japanese crystal structure research as supporting evidence from a Vedantic consciousness framework)
Self-performance: If no good priest available, doing the puja yourself with devotion is legitimate and valid.