Kusa Grass - An essential for rituals

 

 

# Know Your Dharma

Content Courtesy – Ganesh Kalyan #ganeshamarkalam

Darbha

A Brahmin cannot perform his rituals without first making himself pure and protected. Darbhai (kusa grass) enables that. Many brahmins as well as others know the significance of darbhai. Why is this humble kusa grass so important in our rituals?

Darbhai grass is mentioned in several places in the Vedas. Brahma lives at the root of the Darbha grass, Keshava is in the middle and Shankara at the tip. If you wear the pavithram (a ring like contraption that your priest normally makes out of the kusa grass) made of darbhai on your right ring finger what more can you ask for?

Dried kusa grass is darbhai. It grows 2ft tall and sharp at the tip. It grows like a bush of grass, needs saline areas to flourish. It is found mostly at estuaries – places where the river meets the ocean.

Legend has it that darbhai came to be from the hair off the dorsal side of Tortoise that scattered, gathered near shoreline. The tortoise was Lord Vishnu during Koormavadharam as he gave his back to place the upturned Mandara Mountain with which Deva’s and Asuras used to churn the Sea during the Samudarmanthan. Some of the amirdham produced spilled on the grass too. Darbhastami is celebrated in Northern India.

It is sold in front of some south Indian temples. Nowadays shops that sell traditional medicines stock kusa grass as it is used in certain unique country medicines.

Dharbai is used medicinally in Ayurveda to treat urinary diseases, diabetes, epilepsy, piles, dysentery, etc. Darbhai is used to improve complexion and treat wounds.  There is a lot of literature available on the medicinal uses of this wonder grass.

As per tradition, a Brahmin needs a darbhai mat (darbhasana) on which a deer-skin is spread for him to sit. That isn’t possible today. Instead, just place a blade of kusa grass and that will do.

Darbhai is used for all Vedic rituals. You are required to use 1, 2, 3 or 4 blades together depending on occasion. Darbhai ropes are worn as a belt for protection.

The most relevant is the pavithram. What an apt name! A pavithram is preferably not made by person who is going to wear it. At all times he keeps it dry. A Brahmin wearing one is pure, protected and full of tejas.

Pavithram is the ring that is made of Dharba or Kusha Holy Grass. 

Darbhai is mandated for Brahmin rituals for other reasons too. It has properties that shield us from toxic radiations and negative energies while amplifying spiritual energies we need for performing karma. It amplifies phonetic waves and thus required to be around while chanting mantras, as a result helps quickly channelize them to the realm of the Devas.

At some point in rituals the pandit may ask the wife to stand behind the man or the kartha performing the ritual and touch him with a bunch of darbhai. That is to ensure an energetic connect between kartha (the one who performs the rituals) and his wife (who stands by him in fulfilling spiritual vows during grihasthasram).

Kusha grass is put on all edible things at home to shield them from harmful radiations during an eclipse.

There are do’s and don’t’s about Darbhai. Always keep the tip intact. Do not use nails to cut it. Collecting them from river-beds must be done with the chanting of certain mantras. You do not store it beyond 6 months.

Darbhai is never reused and discarded at places nobody is likely to walk or mistakenly stomp on it.

“Eragrostis cynosuroidesai” is the botanical name for darbhai. Darbhai is not available as grass grown anywhere else in the world except in India. It is thus a unique gift to us, us only. It must be revered as such.