KARMIC BAGGAGE

  'Karmic Baggage' is what they say? Each and every living being (jiva) comes here on earth with a purpose! The purpose of life, in fact, is the same for all? Wein India, 'Bharata varsha yoga bhumi' is the land of great sages, Rishi Muni and we all belong to one clan led by a great sage ('gotra' named after a Rishi). Hence, we are endowed with certain spiritual powers. It is in our blood, our genes. Even our elders and parents gave us names after devi and devata with a purpose. It is their wish that we should emulate the ideals of great sages and attain to the highest spiritual state! However, the historical misadventures of the invading tribes tried to erase our cultural tradition and imposed their way of life, language and culture to the detriment of ours. In fact, we should have resisted, but none cared? Even now it is not too late to retrace or steps.

     The scriptures advise us  to follow certain rules and regulations. These are not that difficult to follow. But, there are many attractions and distractions that divert our attention and force us without our knowledge to take to diversions! These are the real stumbling blocks. These are materialistic and worldly interests that are like holding carrot before the horse! Following these attractions, the jiva first dreams, develops aspirations and slowly works very hard to achieve the goal. Sadly enough, these dreams and aspirations lose their glamor and value by the time the jiva really attains them! Time eats away the charm and joy of attainments. Many a great achievers, rich and famous, powerful and impressive have died miserably disappointed! Nobody is happy even after getting what one wants? The reason is very simple. It is just the transient nature of the world!

     Only a few blessed jivas keep the spiritual goal and strives to attain it. But, this is not that easy! It requires the guidance of an attained person. Sometimes, even a sentence in a good book can change the life of a person. It is just the divine grace. Some times, one is prone to think "It just happens". May be, it is true. It happens! But it is due to a number of factors, such as, purva punya, carry-over of the past actions. the blessings of the elders and adrushta (luck). Divine grace (daiva anugraha)  does the trick! The jiva is redeemed. It realizes its ultimate goal.

CONVICTION

'Etymology' is a very interesting science that deals with the origin of the words. Those who are interested in the study of the structure of language take to philology. However, not all know the real origin of the sound, alpha and beta of the languages! The ancient scriptures numbering more than two hundred Samhita of Agama shastra give more details about all these subtler aspects! Srividya is full of these secrets! The sounds emanate from the elements due to the friction, vibration and movement of molecular functions. Each and every element has its subtler and most subtle state states that create vibration due to the molecular movements. The sounds emanate from sky, air, fire, water and earth and all that are associated with these! For humans, the sense organs are the recipients. The order of creation depicts how the human beings are structured. The elemental body develop the sense organs to see, hear, smell, taste, and feel! The mind is closely associated with these. However, what we do not understand here is the way these sounds are created within our own physical self! The air we breath create the sounds. the fire and water create sounds within us. These are the functions of the life-force, 'prana'. Thus what is outside is also within us!

   Now, as regards this term 'conviction', it is interesting to find that the humans are endowed with the power of analysis, discern, dissect, discuss, and divulge! We can think and understand the secrets of creation. One such discovery is that "we are all born free but always in bondage!" This bondage is the trick (con) of knowledge (sci).We exclaim! We are Conscious! Con, sci, O, I, us  (am tricked into bondage)! This bondage is eternal. We, the humans are tricked into eternal bondage due to our insatiable desires, dreams and aspirations and unfulfilled tasks! We take repeated births to complete the unfinished tasks and acquire desires again and again an thereby face endless bondage. Each death is like a repeated attempt towards the fulfillment! This is how we become 'convicts', victims of the trick of knowledge. It is actually, ignorance, knowledge covered by desire, that makes us convicts, prisoners! This is the secret of our life. This is simply expressed in the words like Conscience, Consciousness, convicts, etc.!  

 Th same is true of the Samskruta bhasha. The words like ja, jnya, pra, prajnya are all beautiful! They convey us secret knowledge of creation. For instance, 'ja' means 'birth'. Here 'janya' means 'of birth'. the term 'pra' means 'prior'. Thus, 'prajnya' means 'prior knowledge of birth'!  In fact, 'prajnya' means, 'consciousness' (prajnya), 'conscience' (prajnye),  meaning, 'the trick of knowledge that creates'! This is what the great Acharya Shankara, an intellectual, deciphered and stated it as the doctrine of  'jagat mythya/. Al that is created here is an illusion! As our conscience, prajnya, declines, we forget 'who we are, the true self'?

Vasana

   Vasana governs the life. This mortal life is all about 'vasana'. The term 'vasana' (Samsk.) has a hundred connotations! The jiva, living being is drawn, dragged, drowned in vasana. It is instinctive life for all animals. The same continues even when the humans live and work with the help of  inner instruments, antahkarana- buddhhi, manas, chitta and ahankara. There are desires, memory, dreams and aspirations that drive the jivas towards a whirlpool,  abysmal ignorance and the consequent misery! The jiva never understands this. It runs as dragged by the senses, vasana, trail left by traces of memories of past experiences? Ultimately, all these are not going to help the jiva. Each and every sense organ has traces of memories of experiences of all the previous births! For a simple example, we have tasted a delicious dish sometime long ago at a certain restaurant. The taste lingers in the memory and the taste buds crave for repaeated experience of that, but, als, all in vain! By the time we visit that restaurant again, neither the management is the same nor their preparations! We feel immensely disappointed! This happens even with regard to the smell, sight, sound, touch and we feel disappointed when we don't get what we desired! We will never realize or  understand how time (kaal) has devoured everything. Everything changes with time! With the movement of time, ageing process, everything deteriorates and we never notice this! 

   Is there a remedy? No. Yea, there is no remedy for this passing 'Time'. Time is a concept which can never be understood by us! Only a jnyani, a yogi, who transcends this magical element 'Time' will ever know this! Such a realized person will not be affected by Time and the worldly aspects governed by it! tasmaat yogirbhavaarjunaa | is the advise given by the Lord in the Gita.

   The Jiva should realize the fact that it is this 'vasana' that is causing eternal bondage and the repeated births and deaths. The firs task of the jiva is to erase these traces of vasana in order to get released from bondage. Each and every trace of the vasana is a seed for the next birth. How to erase the traces? Trace elements are beyond the control of the jivarashi and, hence the jiva suffers! The Grand Sire Bhishma pitamaha gives a very valuable advise in this regard. Utter the name of the Lord, a vasana is erased! A million utterances of the Lord will erase a million traces and thereby save the tormented jiva! Chant the name of the Lord. It is the only remedy for all the problems of the jiva. It is a panacea. Hence, great sages have taken to dhyana, japa and tapas to get themselves redeemed!  

 

TOTAL EMANCIPATION (Jivanmuktata)

  The living beings (jiva rashi) seem to be the end products of the processing mill where the  raw materials are the five basic elements, the qualities of nature found in combination of the three gunas- sattva, rajas, and tamas, and a number of other factors, such as, the inner instruments (antahkarana) like the mind (manas), intellect (buddhi), ego (ahankara).  desires and aspirations, and so on. The jiva gets so entangled in the mire that it gets lost in wilderness! Suddenly, one day, a jiva here and a jiva there, realizes the mistake of the embodiment and its consequences and craves for release! This craving is so feeble as the inner voice of the soul (Atman) that the jiva does not hear it in its hussle buzzle of daily life. However, it hears this inner voice of intent desire and craving for total emancipation when it sits calm and quite after a long journey! Thus the process of return journey starts and the jiva seeks a guide to help him/her. When the jiva cries intently for this redemption, the supreme Lord may take pity and send a guru. There is no alternative but to seek a guide here, and the easiest way o find one is the supreme Lord Sri Krishna Himself in the Gita!      

   The living being (jiva) craves for total emancipation (moksha). 'Gajendra moksha' episode is an example. The crocodile is holding the leg of the elephant king, Gajendra. The elephant appeals to the Lord for liberation from the clutches of the crocodile. The croc. is the symbol of worldly mundane existence here! The Jivatman exemplified by the Elephant-king seeks redemption! Lord Vishnu comes to the rescue of Gajendra here. It is absolutely essential that the jivatman craves for redemption. Otherwise, the question of redemption  does not arise! 

    There are different types of liberation, redemption, emancipation, mukti or moksha. The jiva gets relieved of its mortal existence when the body deteriorates and is cast away. This is not total emancipation since the jiva looks for another suitable body to fulfill its unfinished jobs and desires. It may take any form of living beings to suit its requirement and  thus again runs the mill. It craves for total emancipation only when it is tired of repeated embodiments. However, it is not assured of that!

     There is another type of redemption. Here the jivatman wants to prolong its journey on this living planet, Earth, but does not want any sufferings! The supreme Lord is so gracious that He blesses the jiva with whatever its wish it craves for. Thus, there are great sages who enjoy princely life untouched by the blemishes and sufferings of worldly existence. This is Raja Yoga. We have examples of persons living in palatial buildings attended by devotees! some of them go to remote forest and hill-sides and get what all they need without effort. This is really astonishing! But this also is not total emancipation.

     The real emancipation comes only when the jiva asks for mukti or moksha of the highest type. Here the jiva surrenders to the supreme Lord, totally abdicating his/her self! There is no desire or craving for fulfillment here. The jiva takes the advise as stated in the Gita and surrenders! The Lord asks the jiva to join Him, merge his ego and all that he/she possess in Him. He says, "manmana madbhava madhyaji namaskuru || He says maam upetya sarva papebhyo mokshayishyami .. ma shuchaa | He even assures punar janma na vidyate | Thus, the jiva is redeemed and total emancipation ensues!   

     The most interesting point of this 'total emancipation' is that "It is experienced by the jiva while it is still engaged in the worldly existence, not after death, discarding the body it inherited! Such a person is called jivanmukta, the most blessed guy, Indeed!

TraiguNya viShaya

 TraiguNya viShayaavEda nistraiguNyObhavaarjunaa | [Gita Ch.2. Verse 45]

   There are Veda mantra that are meant for invoking Gods like Agni, Rudra, Varuna, Maruta and others to protect us and fulfill our wishes. We conduct yajnya, yaga to propitiate Gods and request them to grant us wealth, children cows, servants, and the like. These wishes are fulfilled and we live a sensuous life and we forget the larger more important purpose of life.  Hence, the Lord asks us, through Arjuna, to give up these worldly aspirations. He even asks us to take to nirasakti yoga, not to aspire for anything that lasts for only short time. The jiva must strive for eternality, immortality? Hence the advise nistraigunyobhava.

  The Veda is said to be 'knowledge' concerning the three aspects of nature- prakRuti guNaih. It is the combination of Tamas, Rajas, and Sattva. These qualities of nature decide the nature of our existence. These imbalance in the three qualities create dominant characters that we see in this world. Bhagavan Sri Krishna advises Arjuna to be bereft of the three gunas, conquer the qualities of nature, and become a yogi, This is the most beautiful advise given by the supreme Lord for all mortals to attain to the highest seat, param padam. One should overcome these three powerful qualities of nature and this includes, not surprisingly(?), the sattva guna, as well! To be good is not enough! All the dualities are created by the qualities of nature and, as such, one has to overcome these completely. In fact, by doing good, one may acquire the good fruits of action (punya phala) and the jiva has to take birth again to experience or enjoy this! But this is not emancipation, liberation from the cycle of repeated  births and deaths. The purpose  is to break the shackle, the chain. Hence the Veda will not help; at best, the veda will get good fruits of action. The jiva should strive for total emancipation.   

Ganapati bappa Moraya

    It is traditional, rather, customary to say Ganapati bappa Moraya while bringing Ganapati to our homes and add come again next year (in Marathi) while sending Him off. Many wonder why Moraya is used here along with Ganapati bappa. Gana mean elements that include us, pati means the Lord and Moraya by Ganapati is the name of Moraya Gosvami of Chinchwad near Pune. He was n ardent devotee of the Lord. He prayed  that his name be eternal and the Lord blessed him! Hence, his name is used here along with that of the Lord.

    Ganapati is the Vedic God. As the scriptures explain the creation, the first creation is the Deity of the elements. Ganapati is the first manifest aspect of Chaturmukha Brahma. His first brain-child is Atharvan, Ganapati. The other manifest aspects are Sanaka, Skanda, Sanatkumara, Sanatsujata, and Narada.All these are the pure sattva aspects, unblemished with Gunas (qualities). All these are names are associated with the scriptures (Samhita) named after them! They are embodiment of knowledge, jnyan and, as such, there was no creation further! Brahma was perplexed since his function stopped and there was nofurther creation. He looked to the supreme Lord for guidance and he was directed to create using the three gunas, sattva, rajas, and tamas. Thus appeared the great Sages or Rishivaryas,  Devi-Devata, and the animals including humans! Ganapati is the Lord of all these creation!

    However, one curious aspect of the face of many of the Devata, including the elephant face remain unanswered! For sure, we do not know. We have the Varaha (Boar), Gajanana (elephant), Hayavadana (Horse), Narasimha (Lion), Matsya (Fish), etc. In one sense, it may be presumed that each and every level of creation ends with a deification indicating that every creature can attain the highest state of pure consciousness Brahmn, and thus deified! But why half man and half animal face remains a question? The Sphinx statue in Egypt has the body of lion and the face is here in our Narasimha deva! Who transfixed this is a mystery! As reagards, Ganapati, the story goes that Shiva cut the original head and repented and soon ordered any face of the one sleeping with head northward? How far this story is authentic is not known!

     The scriptures state that Devi Parvati created Ganesh from Her body indicating that the child is creted from the Mother! Here, Mother Parvati is the daughter of the Himavan, the King of the Himalaya Region! Shiva was the King of Kailas who married the daughter of this King Himavanta! In the strict sense of the terms we are all creatures of the earth. symbolically represented by Himavanta, Shiva, and Parvati. In this sense of the term, we are all Ganapati in one way or the other. This is based on the principle of 'tattvamasi', (Thou art That) 

   Ganapati is the Lord of Basal plexus, muladhara prajnya. It is the basic level of existence governed by air, water, soil (food), fire and space. This is the 'Gravitation force' in the scientific form of explanation! This is the first to operate in the universe and everything is moving and working around this force!  

Gouri-Ganesha Festivities

     August is the month of festivities. After Sri Krishna janmashtami, we have the Gouri-Ganesh festvals when we invoke the Divine Mother and the Lord of the Elements to protect us. Gouri is the Shakti of Shiva. The Shiva Purana gives more details. It is very important to keep in mind the three different levels of understanding the writings available to us, such as, the ancient Indian history, mythology and the symbolism or the spiritual aspects involved in all these names. forms and functions. the absolute becomes concrete, the formless assumes form and inert becomes moving and sound comes out of silence. This is how the un-manifest becomes the manifest and the One absolute becomes many varied and diversified!

  Who is Shiva? As the scriptures reveal, Shiva is known as Shamkara, Sham Bho, Shivashankara, Mahadeva, Ishvara, Maheshvara and, each name has something more than what just it normally indicates. So also, Gouri; Gouri is Shive, Maheshvari, Ishvari, Devi Parvati, Parameshvari. This is the same as regards Ganesha, who has a hundred different names! Gajanana, Gana-adhipati, Ganapati, Vinayaka, etc.

   The ancient history of India dates back to One million years when the Himalayas had not appeared, as it appears now! Some geological evidence show that the Himalaya Mtn. has risen from the floor of the Sea of Tethys, the remnant of which is the Mediterranean Sea. This Sea separated the southern Landmass of Gondavana and the Northern Landmass called Pangaea. The erosional remnnants such as sand, silt and loams deposited in the Sea layer by layer developed and pushed up in layers of stratified rocks constitute the long stretch of Himalayas from Hindukush to Arunachal. It is said Shiva and Parvati  ruled the Kailas Mountain area 500 000 years ago! People called King as God and the tradition is still there.

   Gouri we worship today is the Devi who is eulogized in the Veda as the supreme Creatrix. (see Devi Sukta). The trinity- Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshvara are the trio who are entrusted with the task of creation, sustenance, and dissolution, respectively by the supreme Lord Sri Hari Narayana! Hence there should be no doubt as to whom we are worshiping today. It seems Brahma is not worshiped by all and the Brahma temples are rare! Pushkar, Rajasthan, is the one famous Brahma shrine. On the other hand, Vishnu and Shiva temples are found all over India. Starting from Badrinath and Kedarnath in the North, to Rameshvaram and Tiruvanantapuram in the South, Shiva and Vishnu Temples are everywhere. The Shaivaites worship Shiva in the form of Lingam, symbolic presentation of Energy! Lingaraj Temple at Bhabaneshwar is the famous shrine in Orissa and Somanatha Temple in the West are famous shrines.

  Let's not dwell into the stories associated with these Vedic deities and mix it up with the folklors, and puranic stories. Devotion (Shruddha-Bhakti) is important in the worship.  

    As to Ganesha, Isha, the Lord of Ganas, group of elements (pancha mahabhuta) is sthe Vedic Deity, Ganapati is eulogized in the Veda. The Ganapati is the Lord of all that is power, 'Knowledge'. We worship the Lord Ganapati today as the Vighneshvara, the Deity who wards off all obstacles that may come in our way in our effort to fulfill, achieve our desires.