Hidden Secrets in the Gita

   As we have noticed in the previous blogs, the Bhagavad-Gita is full of secrets that will not be understood by ordinary readers. Bhagavan Himself says, "guhyatama guhyamam pravashyami, shrunomi | What is that secret" If Bhagavan says it is a secret can we, mortals ever understand it?  Arjuna is perplexed, so are we! We can never understand these secrets until our inner eye opens to the 'true self' by 'Atma bodha', Knowledge of the Self. 'Atma jnyan' is very important. It is essential to have the basic understanding of 'Who am I" to know what is this creation and who is the creator. It is almost impossible to know all these without a 'guru', an attained person, who will impart this to us. But why one should take the trouble of teaching us when we are not at all interested in going to him? It is by our earnest prayer to the Lord, that a guru is sent to us and we don not ask for one? Why should one bother about the other world when we are happy enjoying the sensuous world? We do not bother to hear the warning of the great sages like Ashtavakra, Avadhoota, or Raikva. They all warn that we are rejoicing when the poisonous snake of unending desires has bitten us and the poison is rising! Well, it is left to the sweet will and pleasure of the seeker?

   Now, the secret knowledge imparted to Arjuna is very important. The Blessed lord imparts the knowledge of 'brahmn', the ultimate seat, param pada. It is brahm vidya and yogopanishad. One can attain supreme bliss by acquiring the knowledge of the Self, Atma-jnyan, practicing yoga and pranayama.   

'Margashirsha'

   The month of 'Maharashtra' of the Hindu Calendar (panchanga) is a very auspicious month and Bhagavan Shree Krishna says, "I am Margashirsha'." The term 'marga-shirsha' is a sign board at cross roads and it points to the right path desired by the traveler, path-seeker! It is celebrated as Gita jayanti days, Gita abhiyana period, when the Bhagavad-Gits parayana is carried out.For a sincere seeker, the entire year is marga shirsha!

 Now, it is time to think of salvation. It is almost the end of Vaivasvata manvantara. Kali yuga is coming to a close sooner or later. The humanity is at cross-roads. There is viplava, confusion, turmoil in the weather conditions, restlessness in the minds of the people and people are revolting against the system everywhere. The Gita shows the path of redemption. Now it is absolutely essential for all to think of the 'purpose of life', 'purushartha', rather than go in mad pursuit of sensuous worldly attainments. Nothing counts at the end!
   The beauty of the Gita is that it shows not just one, but several paths of salvation. Every type of jiva is addressed here- tamasic, rajasic, sattvic, and it is not even necessary to do anything for this purpose of redemption!

  

Descent and Ascent of the Jiva

   As humans, we are endowed with certain intelligence, discerning, disseminating and discriminating ability. This inherent faculty can help us to understand how the jiva is a product of assimilation of many invisible gaseous elements shaped by forces that we may never know! For instance, our physical body is made up of Hydrogen and Oxygen that makes up water (almost seventy percent of our body!) and carbon, calcium, etc! These are almost invisible and appear gross in their appearance, but yet subtler! There are many other forces that constantly keep us moving, grow up, procreate and feel as if we are the real ones. Alas, these can die out, decay, disintegrate and disappear altogether!

   But, then, what is the reality of our existence? In fact, it is 'nothing'; nothingness is the reality! Nothingness appear as something only to disappear as is nothing. Someone asked, 'where do the ants come from when some sweets are kept in the open'? The answer is very simple. 'These ants were already there in the sweets in an invisible form as a part of the sweets! The scripture give details of creation, sustenance, dissolution and merger. Accordingly, the first emanate of 'brahmn' is space (Akasha). From Akasha emanates air (vayu) and subsequently, from both these emanate fire (agni); so also, the water and the earth emanate from combination of all these emerged elements. Thus all are part and parcel of the first emanate 'brahmn' which is nothingness for all practical purposes!

   Now, all that exist here on earth is just the combination, compounds, of simple elements! The body is made up of cells, tissues, and organs. The body disappears as and when the parts depart or disappear! However, the soul that enabled the body to live and work accumulated memories, experiences, fruits of action (karmaklesha), nature or qualities of the earth- of the food, water, and all sorts of desires, etc. condemns the jiva to struggle life after life without redemption, liberation, mukti, moksha, break off shackles or chain of births and deaths and rebirths, or release from eternal bondage! The soul gets enmeshed, tainted, or burdened with the loads of karma!
   The Rk Veda describes the nature of existence in the Mandala X. 'Purusha' is the person who occupies the body (pura). The human body is a physical entity made of flesh, bone and blood. But the life-force, prana, enters it to make it a living organism. The life-force is the oxygen derived from air is gross but the real energy aspect (entity?) is a 'non-entity'. It is a stellar dust particle, an ion, a photon, an unimaginably intelligent, self-effulgent, eternal, unborn, and undying aspect, The soul is the 'purusha', the intelligence aspect of the ignorant aspect- body entity! To expect the ignorant gross entity (borne out of the earth) to revert to the subtle-most intelligence aspect of the heavens is a tall order!

    Thus, the secret of the nature of our existence is revealed! We all are elemental bodies.We appear and disappear. The descent of the jiva is explained as the spiritual component and the body is the composition of the earthen material. The jiva is elemental at the gross level and spiritual at the core. The physical body may disintegrate but not the soul. The ascent of the jiva to its original natural non-elemental or spiritual state needs a concerted effort through practice of yoga. Ultimately, the jiva has to revert to its natural spiritual state. This is not an easy one. 

Origin of the Sound and Mantra

   A 'Seer', a 'Rishi', is a mantra drushtara' who receives and, thus, knows where the mantra originates! shabda (Sound) is the tanmatra of Akasha. Sound moves in space. May be, wind carries sound like it carries fragrance. But, where does the sound originate? Normally, sound is generated by vibration, flow or movement. Any vibration due to compression, expansion, and / or friction creates sound. Air, fire, water,  earth and all the moving objects on the earth cause sounds of various frequencies ranging from very feeble, almost inaudible, to extremely strong like thunder or blasts in mines! Apart from these external sources, the origin of the sound is traced to the internal function of ourselves. The air we breathe, the food we eat and all other internal and external activities create sounds of all sorts! Thus, it is fair enough to state that the primordial sound has emanated from the flow of Light, radiation of electromagnetic waves! Om is said to be the first sound emanated from the sound and is still found in the sky (space).  This sound is said to be sacred and called the pranava mantra.

  Almost all sounds that are emanated from the natural elements are capable of inducing emotions of different kinds in us. These are also the basic expressions of all living creatures that may disturb us, or make us glad, angry, amused, get frightened, etc. Thus, human emotions of different types are stirred by sounds of different types. But, the basic factor that create sound within us is theair we breathe in and breath out! These are life-force, pranic waves described as five major- prana, vyana, apana, udana, and samana and five minor ones- naga, kurma, kukrura, dhanajaya, and devadutta. All these sounds are caused by circulation of air within our body. 

  The sounds that are deciphered as alphabets under the category of vowels and consonants originate within our body. The vowels (svara) starting from a, A, i, I, u, oo (U), ru, Roo, lRu, lRoo, ye, ai, ou, aou, am aH, All these are powerful sounds that possess power of creation (srushti), sustenance (sthiti) and dissolution (laya) and merger (vilya)! All the consonants (vyanjana) starting from 'ka' varga (class) to 'pa' varga (class) have the powers to create the universe starting from space, air, fire, water and earth as well as food, and organs of living beings of all sorts!
ka-varga: Create five elements (pancha bhuta) such as space, air, fire, water and earth;
ca-varga: Create the tanmatra of panchabuta such as sound, touch, form, taste and smell;
Ta-varga: Create the five sense organs (jnyanendriya) to experience the tanmatras as above;
ta-varga: Create the five karmendria to work out the five indriya, such digest, excrete, etc;
pa-varga: stand for the powers of creation, sustenance,dissolution, appear and disappear at will
                (tirodhana) and grace of the Lord;
ya, ra, la, va stand for the powers of the five elements such as earth, water, fire, air, etc.
                These are also chakras (turning wheel with blades like that of a Fan) within us from
                 muladhara to sahasrara producing energy;
Sha, sha, sa, ha, stand for the powers behind our existence such as the activity of breathing, sound of our uchvas (in-breath) or srushti, and nihshvas (out-breath) dissolution;
ksha stands for the gradual decline (kshara)
   Thus every syllable from 'a' to 'ksha' that contain the power of Creation 'ra' is called akshara
  These alphabets, varnakshara possessing power of creation, sustenance, dissolution and merger, and protection is called a mantra (tarayate iti) ! Any sound shabda of an alphabet (akshara) that is capable of protection, ward off obstacles, save us, or help us in anyways is called a mantra. And, the surprising thing is that these originate no where else but within us only!    

    

   

Gayatri Mantra (contd.)

Gayatri mantra (contd.)

   'Geeyate', 'gaayanti' , 'gee' , etc denote singing. The mantra is that which protects, 'trayate iti'. The mantra is actually the divine sound that protects us. The sound emanates in the sky, akasha. The 'tanmatra' of akasha is shabda. It is the first emanate as the guna, quality, essence of the sky. The space provides a media for transmission of sound, light, waves, vibrations and create wonders! Light, for instance contains seven colors, three basic ones such as black (tamas), White (sattva), and red (rajas); other colors are just the shades and mixtures of these! Now the vibration of sounds in different intensity, wavelengths, and frequencies create wonders of creation! So also, the sounds of different decibles create emotions in mind and many are so intense that they create lot of problems. Besides these, there are many other complex waves such as alpha, beta, teta, gamma, etc and the alphabets of different sounds emanating within our own body such as stomach, heart, neck, tongue and lips! There is no end to these.

   The Gayatri mantra is the beginning of these sounds of different frequencies and vibrations that create the very paraphernalia of the physical, material, objective world! Each and every quality is represented by a goddess and her mantra (body) with a core (Atman) as the Bija (akshara) The following are the bijakshara and mantra of the twenty-four devatas of Gayatri mantra envisioned by the Rishi, drushtara Vishva Mitra in the Metre of Gayatri of 4 feet (pada) of 24 letters by the grace of paramatma Narayana.

    There are twelve vaidiki and twelve  tantriki devata as shown below 

   __________________________________________________________________________

  

     Vaidiki              bija      mantra   adhyatma shakti   Tantriki   bija   mantra   adhyatma shakti  

____________________________________________________________________________

   Adhya shakti-    Om         tat          prajnya              Savitri          jnye     sva   Brahmavidya jnyan      

   Brahmi               hrIm       sa           shruddha          Saraswati      Em      dhee     ulhaas

   Vaishnavi           Nam       vi           nishtha              Lakshmi       Shreem  ma     tarini

  Vedamata            Om          vam      smruti              Mahakali       klIm      hi   bharga /kalmasha nasha

  Devamata            lRu        re           divya                 Kundalini     lam       dhi     dhruti

  Vishvamata         Ni          sRIm      viraTa               Pranagni        ram       yo      svaha / pushti

  Rutambhara        tRum      yam       satya                 Bhuvaneshvari  kham  yo    gouri .kirti 

  Mandakini          um          bha        nirmala             Bhavani          hum    nah     dhruva sankalpa 

  Ajapa                  yam         rgo       shanti                Payasvini        vam     da      svadha /sneha       

  Ruddhi               gam          de        tushthi               Annapurna     am      pra      trupta  

  Siddhi                kSham       va       tanmayata          Mahamaya     ham    cho     medha /tattvadrushti     Shambhavi       sham         tu         mukta                Tripura           treem    yaat    tridha

_________________________________________________________________________________     

  Every letter of the Gayatri mantra tat saviturvarenyan bhargo devasys dheemanhi dhee yo yo nah prachodayat and its devata are given in the above with other details. It is very important to note each and every devata of the Gayatri mantra and the powers vested in them in order to attain success. Further, one can stress on any one of these or any number of them while chanting in order to ward of the ailments of the body and mind. Gayatri mantra is the most  powerful tool in meditation and it is actually a medicine- medi tat (shakti) i on (concentrate on)!

   Shruddha and bhakti and total faith are very important for success.

Shakti Worship, Gayatri, and Abiding Dharma

     India has diverse culture and religious faiths based on the level of understanding of the followers or devotees. There is a tradition (parampara) of Guru-shishya (teacher-student) that has come from times immemorial! The guru dictates certain dos and don'ts and the students follow it devotedly. There are certain cults that are prohibited in Vedic culture (veda bahira). The scriptures prescribe certain conditions, methodology, shastra, achara samhita, rules and regulations. All these have faded out in modern days and the youngsters question the validity of these! It is difficult to explain these to young minds that question rationality in everything. How else can the subtle forces that operate on our mind, thoughts, and ideas be explained to illiterate? But one thing is certain. The youngsters these days have no time for all these scriptural studies and have no patience to carefully think and understand them. it is also certain that the consequence is frightening!

   Shakti cult has spread along the coastal India from Kerala to Assam. Here Kali, Durga, Kamakhya and other Shakti devata are worshiped, some as vamachara taking recourse to sex, animal sacrifice,  alcoholic drinks and other indulgences prohibited by the Scriptures. There are practices approved by the Scriptures such as worship of Kamakshi, Meenakshi, Padmavati, Mahalakshmi, Saraswati, Durga during Nava Ratri and Deepavali. The daily rituals include Gayatri japa and Pranayama together, in a set order (Gayatri pranayame viniyogah). Gayatri Mantra is only a mantra set to the Metre of its name of four line of 23, 23 and a half, or 24 letters! Little do we know that the actual mantra is only tat savitru varenyam bhargo devasys dhee mahi dhee yo yonah prachodayat. This is the third line, pada. The first line is 'Om' and it stands for A U M -the first alphabet of Rk, Yajus, and Saman Veda. The second line is that of Seven Realms (sapta vyahruti) indicating the level of existence from 'Bhu' or earth to heavens, the 'Svar'! The last line, pada is a prayer requesting the devi to activate these powers that are already within us! The 23 or 24 letters of the Gayatri stand for 12 mantra devata- each with its own shakti, yantrakshara, bijakshara, and adhyatma and loukika nature and phalaprapti and phalashruti. The first twelve devata are of mantra devata- adhya, brahmi, vaishnavi, shambhavi, vedamata, devamata, vishvamata, rutambhara, mandakini, ajapa, ruddhi and siddhi. These are vaidiki devata. and each has a mandala. and a mantra to propitiate the devata. then, the twelve other tantriki devata are savitri, saraswati, lakshmi, duega, kundalini, pranagni, bhavani, bhuvaneshwari, annapurne, mahamaya, payasvini and tripura. These devata have their own bijakshara, mantra and `loukiki' and 'paramarthiki shalkti' giving bhukti and mukti. When practiced with breath control chanting the mantra in the ratio of 1:2:1  or 2:4:2 or 4:8:4 - puraka, kumbhaka and rechaka will give the desired results. These are to be chanted 108 times with total concentration and keeping the meaning and purpose in mind. The minimum is eleven and mere chant is of no use!
  Thus, these are for different types of japa and tapas. letters However, there is no proper explanation given for these in order to convince the younger generation. Actually, these worship of devi and devata is symbolic expression of our obeisance to the powers that control our thoughts and actions. It is re-affirming our faith in ourselves and nothing else! Each devi is shown with a number of hands and armaments and mudra as symbol of power. There is need for proper understanding of the evolution of mankind here. 

   The present day generation suffer due to ignorance of this basic knowledge. There are numerous problems in society today due to negligence of dharma! There is influx of large population from other non-Hindu countries that has complicated the problems further. These immigrants do not respect, rather hate the Hindu faith and belief system. This has added to the problem, further. Our young minds fall prey to the teachings detrimental to Hindu culture and civilization.

   The result of neglect of Hindu dharma  has  brought large scale promiscuity and sex offences, children and young girls are exploited and sexually abused. There are births of mentally retarded and physically ill-developed organs. There is growing poverty due to greed, avarice, and selfishness. a strict way of Hindu dharma world have solved many of these! In fact, children and women are respected almost as Gods in Hindu culture. 

   This dharmic way of life, god-fearing, abiding dharma, and righteous living are given up today, even by the Hindus, due to the influence of Western culture. The consequences are there to see. There is no solution to this problem unless the Hindu society is well organized and boycott and shun Western culture. 

Festival of Lights- Deepavali

   Come 'Deepavali', also known as Diwali, the entire country rejoices celebrating the festival of Lights. The festival has significance in that "the evil is warded off, ignorance is cleared, and darkness ends"! This is the day of worship of machines, tools, and weapons that produce, protect, and help us to preserve ourselves. Naraka chaturdashi, Bali padyami are significant in that Vishnu and Lakshimi are worshiped. Vishnu came as, Vamana, a dwarf brahmin boy and asked three feet of land from the arrogant King Bali (of Indonesia?). His pride was annihilated when he gladly acceded to His request and offered him three feet. To his astonishment, one foot covered heavens, the other earth and the third one had no place but the head of King Bali. Thus, King Bali's pride ended!  In fact these three paduka, feet are there even today- one in Bali Is., one in Gaya and, the third one under the Kaba in Mecca, the ancient site of Vishnu pada!

   This has a good lesson for us, too. Our ignorance is cleared by knowledge,darkness is cleared by Light, and pride by sacrifice.