The Vedas tell us how the star Uttara Bhadrapada (Uttarattadi) should be propitiated. The deity for this star is Ahirbudhnya, said V.S. Karunakarachariar, in a discourse. The Veda mantra says that Ahirbudhnya meditated on Himself, keeping the star Uttarattadi in focus. The purpose of this yaga to honour Uttarattadi is to obtain lasting fame. Usually, in a yaga, purodasa (the offering made of rice flour), is placed on a piece of baked clay, before the yaga proper commences. But for the yaga prescribed for Uttarattadi, the purodasa is placed directly on the ground. It is said that even if one knows about this yaga, one gets the benefits of performing it! The mantra says worship through this yaga is offered to Ahirbudhnya and to the star Uttarattadi, over which Ahirbudhnya presides. For any yaga, before the purodasa is set up, a puronuvakya is recited. It is like an announcement that the yaga is about to commence. Once the yaga is completed, there is another mantra that is recited.
If one looks at the puronuvakya and the concluding mantra, one gets an idea of the significance of Uttarattadi. Ahirbudhnya is a name that is an amalgam of two words — ahih and budhnyah. Ahi means one without blemish, and is a reference to Lord Narayana. The next word budhnyah means the One who is the foundation of everything. So Ahirbudhnya is none but Lord Narayana Himself. The mantra says He is the best among all devatas. Yet He took avataras and lived amongst mortals. Tondaradippodi Azhvar praises His rushing to the aid of the elephant Gajendra, who called out to Him as ‘Adimoola,’ the One who is at the root of everything. Siva, Brahma, and the celestials marvelled that He, who was the object of the tapas of sages, had come to the aid of an elephant.
