Petty Ego Trip

People who visit Himalayas for the first time or umpteenth time, claim this ‘I feel my ego is reduced to nothing when I stand in front of the gigantic mountains or when I sit for meditation (!) in front of the Ganges’. This is so hollow as their claim. Why? I ask why, when you visited the nearby ocean or the mountain or river you did not feel anything.

And for me, the annihilation of the ego need not be gained by a trip. When we stand in front of the big mass of people in the city or town, one comes from, do we not feel anything. Everyone in the group wants to make a name for himself / herself. And what greater folly can there be than this.

When people come to me, I ask a simple question – whether they have any idea who Sri Shankaracharya is (though I always refer to him as bhagavan bhashyakara, other cannot remember this great ones name, leave alone the reference to him through His life). If they are in the path of spirituality, they will claim to know about him, claim? Let me explain, now we follow the path of this great one, nut know nothing about him, and again claim to follow him J or L. Ask about His parents, or the place of His birth. Many a time, you will receive a blank stare, displaying the great ignorance of what we ‘believe’ in. (for the ones who want to know His father’s name is Sri Shivaguru (son of Sri Vidhyadhiraja) and mother’s name is Smt Aryambha (daughter of Sri Magapandita).

Now tell me, when we do not know or care to know somebody of such a great stature, is it not utter foolishness to think that people will remember us. All our ego trips, to establish a name of / for oneself, is nothing but making a greater fool of ourselves. This I am not talking about the “naïve” householder but the “learned” Sadhus too. What not they do to establish themselves in a greater pedestal than the other famous swami, of equal or unequal stature. They establish Ashramas and places for living for the disciples, for both one following the sadhu life and the householder life. And run from pillar to post to expand or maintain it, being afraid till the end of their life, about the security of even their stay in the ashram, such a pity. And what happens after, there will be a power-play, to usurp the power, by the trusted trustees or the disciple who has completely surrendered himself to the Guru.

And even after all this, who will remember him. At the most, the one who was able to wrest the power, and mist often than not, scolding the founder of the ashram for every problem, real or imaginary, he faces. And at the most, as the history of the ashram, in the third generation. And after that, no one really cares or bothers about him. At least, for the householder, in a family which performs the shraaddha (ancestoral worship), they do remember till the great-grand father stage.

But, we may argue, we will be remembered by the people of our times, rightly said, but who are they, they too fall in the same circle of people who are not note worthy in the aftermath.

Smart Mauni speaks “The bright side - If people forget great men, and if they forget us too, we are great men”. 

Shankara Jayanti

Today is a day of Great Joy for all of us. It is the day of the Great Acharya, Bhagavan Bhashyakara Sri Shankaracharya incarnating in this world, to save us from the Samsara.
As Shankara Dig Vijaya clearly says, Shambo murti charati shankara rupa - Shiva himself came into this world in this form as Shankaracharya.

The strange thing is that Acharya, unlike anyother, not just preached a time-imemorial philosophy, but lived it too.

The crux of the teaching, the world is illusory. This is very well established, as we see the fight going to establish the date of his Birth, whether it is AD or BC. Where He attained Samadhi, is it in Kedharnath or is it in Kancipuram.
The only thing for sure is he was here to solve OUR problems. As the teaching says, the world is pratitimatram. just a transient existence.

Problems and Solutions - in Purascharana

 After seeing a large number of people interested in knowing about the purascharana, i thought to write some of the “problems” on may face in the period of purascharana.

The most important of all the other problem one faces during one starts a purascharana is the increase of ‘heat; in the body. People who are familiar with this concept can easily understand what i mean, but this has no equivalent term in the allopathy, at best, we can translate this phenomenon as biliousness (bile). Majority of the people who do a lot of sadhana, including purascharana, face this. I tried many forms of remedy, but the best i found is what is given here :

1                  1.       Eating a small ball of butter. For those who worry about their cholesterol level, there are other methods. But, this is the best treatment i found handy during the purascharana.

                    2.       Drinking jeera (Tamil – jeeragam, English – cumin seed) water, better if the jeera is roasted a little. Boil water with jeera and drink it throughout the day.

                    3.       Roast methi seed (Tamil - vendhayam, English - fenugreek), soak some 10/12 seeds in a glass of water in the night and drink and eat it in the morning.

                    4.       When during this period, for lack of following the above methods, if i get ulcer in the mouth, i used to take B-complex capsules for 3/4 days.

                    5.       But if one has an excessive amount of bile, causing heavy head, nausea etc this is the best treatment – take a mixture of some raisins (dry grape), ginger, jeera and sugar.

The next important problem is concentration. After a period of time, if we are not used to meditating for a longer period, the eyes automatically open. The best thing to do during this time is, let it be in that state (open) for some time before closing it again.

The mind will start to wander, mostly thinking about the long period of time we are meditating, in reality it will only be less than an hour, again, chant the mantra in soft tone (murmur), before continuing with the meditation in mind.

After completing the chanting for the day, do not get up immediately, for this will cause temporary or permanent cramp in the legs. Just let the blood flow through before stretching the legs completely. In case we get some cramps etc, use salt water fomenting for some time.

Whatever problems you may face, never give-in to your weakness, because the whole point of doing the purascharana is to strengthen your will-power, therefore challenge the weaknesses as and when one arises.

Sannyasa - The Renunciation

Though, we have done a series of lecture on sannyasa, still though it better to put it in a blog (in writing).

I was in Sringeri, when a boy commented upon the sannyasis those who were there as “they are no sannyasis, but have donned ochre robe”, this comment was uncalled for, but they are not far away from the bull’s eye.

People who now aspire to become a sannyasi after reading some books or hearing some off-shoot lectures do not understand –

1.       Who is eligible for Sannyasa and who is not.

2.       What is sannyasa and what is not.

3.       What should one do before and what after.

4.       How should you take it and how you should not.

5.       From whom should you take it and from whom not.

6.       When..........

We will answer some of here in a lucid and short way.

According to Bhagavan Bhashyakara (Sri Shankaracharya) in his Brihadaranyaka Bhashya, only Brahmins are eligible to give and take Sannyasa. Though Bhagavan Vartikakara (Sri Sureshwaracharya) differs in who should take citing the eligibility for the karmas for all the three varnas (order of life), still accepts that only Brahmin is eligible in initiating. And by this it is made very clear, only men are eligible (take it or leave it, it is shastra, no compromise)

Sannyasa is not an easy lifestyle to earn an easy living, but a difficult one for the difficult pursuit of the human birth.

Before taking sannysa one should perform all the karmas properly, so as to have no residue of desire in performing these karmas later. This residual desire is the cause for the people to takeup the different form of practices like medicine, astrology and even performing puja etc, which are a complete no for them. Puja of any type or mantra of other deities (except Omkara / Pranava) is negated, strictly. Since these fellows without any eligibility criteria enter sannyasa life, they get attracted to these different things, and especially Sri Vidya (there is nothing personal here, this is the teaching of the shastra). Then what should one do, it is said “sannyasya shravanam kuryat” (after sannysa one should study scriptures), therefore we should spend the time in studying the scriptures, and once it is done, should spend the rest of the life in contemplating on its meaning. This practice of Puja is allowed for the pontiffs of Mathas (only shankara Math) as they are guiding the people in dharma (definitely only these paraphernalia attracts the people).

 It is sometimes more than a week for the elaborate karmas to be performed; at the least it will take 3 days to perform the karmas, including the tarpana, viraja homa etc. And definitely not a day, as performed by people, which is less of a sannyasa and more of a shaving / tonsuring act (as the tuft is removed by the Guru, this makes these “Guru’s” look like a barber).

Once should take sannyasa from a learned person, who has invested his life in the study and meditation of the Truth. And not definitely from these “tom....” types, who have nothing to give other than their own ignorance. And, definitely cannot proclaim to be a sannyasa, if one just takes the ochre cloth in front of the photo, image, sacred river or other places, though it can be called at the best “athura sannyasa”, should definitely be followed by a proper initiation.

Doing service to the society, opening schools, old age homes, orphanage etc is very good, and for this you DO NOT NEED to be a sannyasi.

Smart Mauni says “This practice was there even before the Acharya, which prompted him to say “udara nimittam bahu krta vesham” (for the sake of stomach, all these different make-ups, or dramas)”.

Pitru Karma

As we know, I give much importance to these karmas, Sandhya, Kula devata (family deity) worship and Pitru karmas. (We will devote a separate blog for the others, too).

The need for writing about pitru karmas now is, just two days ago a boy from Tamilnadu, who had lost his father had come to meet me. His father had taken sannyasa, just two years ago and now recently left his mortal coil. He was a very earnest disciple, even in his old age, stayed alone outside of the village, and had for his company my lectures (his own words). According to his very early wish of leaving his body in Ganges, his son brought the body to Rishikesh.

If I was asked, my answer would have been a NO. Once we leave the body, and that too after sannyasa, there is no need for all these DRAMA. (Whatever convenient arrangement possible locally, is good enough).  Since he had already decided and had made arrangements with people for immersing it in Ganga, called Jala Samadhi, I conceded.

After the karmas, in the evening he came to meet me, I told about the importance of the Karmas, which needs to be performed, even for the sannyasi father.

Now, if one of the parents is no-more, it is the duty of the son to perform not only the last rites but also the pitru karmas, as done in one’s family. Normally, in the Brahmins household it is performed for thirteen days, and only after performing the thirteenth day karma, is that family eligible to visit the temple, until then it is accepted as impure period.

But, here the father has taken sannyasa, where he has given up all the attachments to the karmas, therefore there is no need for performing any karmas, is the perception of many a people, which is wrong. Because, it is correct that the person’s father had taken sannyasa, but not the son. Therefore, it should be performed. And not just that, the pitru karma that one starts is not only for the father, it also is for the three forefathers in the lineage, namely, father, grandfather-grandmother, great-grandfather-grandmother. They should not be deprived of the food and water, that one provides in the pitru karma, and in-turn receive their blessings.

There are some Ashrams which does these karmas, receiving money as corpus. But the best I have seen in this is the Madhya Kailash Temple in Chennai, they receive money for some years, don’t know how long, and perform it very properly.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madhya_Kailash

Smart Mauni speaks “according to IPC (Indian Personal Conduct and not Indian Penal Code) Ancestors Action 2 (Pitru Karma, where Action 1 is for Devata and 3 for this Loka and where the other IPC has its jurisdiction) everyone should perform this Karmas in accordance with their tradition”.

Vrata – Fasting --- how, why, who...

There are different forms of Upavasa Vratas (Fasting Penance), 1. Nirjala, 2. Nirahara, 3. Phalahara and for those for us who find it difficult but still want to participate in the vratas, ofcourse there is, the kind of food (vrata bhojana) one can take especially on the vrata days.

We can take up these vratas on Chaturti for Ganesha, Shashti for Kartikeya, Ekadashi for Vishnu, Triodashi (prodosha) for Shiva and Poornima and/or Amavasya for Shakti and some do it on the tithi or day of the Samadhi of their Guru.

First of all we will see the general rules for the vrata and then enter into the specifics.

Nirjala vrata – during the period of vrata the one who takes it should not EVEN drink water, though this is a tough form of vrata, there should not be any difficulty to perform it when doing vrata for one day.

Nirahara vrata – one can take water and should not take any type of food.

Phalahara vrata – for those who are not physically or psychologically fit to perform any of the said vrata, this is the option, where one eats fruits and nuts instead of cooked food. And here too, one should remember that we are not replacing the food with the fruits, because i have seen some people eating large quantities of fruits than that of the food they normally consume.

Vrata bhojana – the cooked food of some special type of cereals etc are used for this. Normally Sabhudhana (sago), Kuttu (buckwheat),  Moongphali (Groundnut) are taken. For cooking this, generally groundnut oil is used or ghee (clarified butter). Though we use salt for cooking, it is not the general salt we use for this but Saindha namak (rock salt). Rice is a definite no in both south and north, but in south they take wheat during these days but in north wheat etc is not taken as vrata food.

Ganesha vrata is done on chaturti (fourth) of both shukla and Krishna paksha (waxing and waning of moon). Normally on this day the first and foremost predominant thought should be of Lord Ganesha. The vrata is broken on the next day.

Shashti vrata is done in the sixth day of both paksha for Lord Kartikeya. And there is also the special occasion of Skhanda Shashti, from the pratama (first day) to the sixth day immediately after deepawali festival. During this whole period the vrata is undertaken.

Ekadashi vrata is performed on the eleventh day of both pakshas for Lord Vishnu. On this day the vrata is taken and is completed on the next day morning. There is one ekadeshi which is specifically Nirjala Ekadeshi too, once in a year.

Pradosha vrata is performed generally on the thirteenth (and sometimes it comes on the twelfth day, please refer to the calendar to be particular). The vrata starts on the morning of the day and is completed in the evening after the darshan (vision) of Pradosha Puja )a special puja is performed in the Shiva temples from 4.30 – 6.30 pm). If this is difficult, at least the darshan of Shiva image is good enough. Special Shiva vrata is performed on Shivaratri, that starts from the early morning of the first day to the end of the next day.
The vrata for devi is generally performed on Amavasya or Poornima (new moon or full moon). Some people takeup this vrata on every Tuesday too. The most elaborate and lengthy of this vrata is performed on the Navratri (both devi navaratri and rama navami).

How necessary is it to perform these vratas?  As the name both in Sanskrit and English suggest, from “vrtu vartane” – to exist, and Fast-ing, it is good for speeding up the process of mind purification and strengthening the will power.

Who should perform? Anyone interested in the grace of the Iswara. This is also taken by the yogis as a method of cleansing the body.

Smart Mauni speaks : “I remember the monkey which decided to do vrata, thought it will be weak after the vrata, so first plucked some bananas, after that thought it will be weak to peel so did it, then thought it will be weak to chew and later thought it will be weak to gulp it an thus completed the vrata”

Fate Vs Freewill

This is a very strange debate going on from time immemorial. The famous Saint Bhartruhari in one of the Shatakas (one hundred verses) has written supporting both the views.

Bhagavan Ramana when asked about the life being predetermined, if moving from one room to another is also predetermined, Bhagavan said, even the blinking is predetermined.

But the same Bhagavan in another place says “therefore it is wise to be silent (inactive)”. But this is strange coming from Him, who came from his home after liying to them. And in a different situation when the Sarvadhikari (the Ashram Incharge, His younger brother) decided to stop the afternoon Narayana Seva (food for the sadhus and poor) decided to leave the Ashram saying, at least they own something whereas I only have this kaupina (loin cloth). And in another instance he Decided against the wishes of the others to let His mother stay with Him. There maybe other similar events in His life.

And Ramakrishna Paramahamsa supports freewill liking it to a cow tied to a rope, one has freewill only as far as the noose string, whatever that may mean.

But then, is it better to “remain silent (inactive)” as Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi says, if be asked, it is very difficult, though on retrospect one may feel one could have remained silent. Bhagavan Sri Krishna in Gita says “it is difficult for anyone who is born to remain devoid of any activity “(na jatu thishtati akarmakrt).

So then, is there no freewill, then why do we need a term, or when should we apply our freewill and when to leave it to fate, is a million “whatever currency” question.

For our spiritual growth whatever is prone to be a hindrance should be avoided using freewill and whatever is conducive should be accepted using freewill.

What about our material growth, If one is in the path of renunciation he should leave all the worldly “growth” in the hands of fate. But if one is in the worldly path desiring the worldly growth, he should use freewill for attaining it.

But sometimes even after trying hard, we don't succeed in attaining the desired or avoid the non-desirable, and other-times even without an iota of effort the same is achieved or avoided. So still this Fate – Freewill remains a mystic mystery.

Whatever it maybe, it is easy to lead the life is we understand, for all that is past is because fate, both good and bad. And whatever is to take place is because of the Freewill.

Smart Mauni says “But it is always freewill of someone to write and fate for the other to read it”.

Egotistical Brahmins

In one of our earlier blogs I had promised to write about the egotistical Brahmins, and what better time to choose, than now, just fresh from the visit to Sringeri J

Though being a Brahmin myself, I chose to write on this topic, to show the mindset of majority of them, who are shallow and hollow (incidentally I was one of them J or should it be L). This may open a can of worms.

I call them egotistical because, many of them don’t even know what the system they follow is called. What is sanatana dharma, or for that matter, why do they wear the angavastram (the upper cloth) leaving the right shoulder open (called yoga vastram J, and this many, I am sure, don’t know), when we meet the Acharya, enter the temple or while performing a karma. It is not the ignorance that I am driving at, though a point is made here with reference to it; it is the ego in spite of it (ignorance) which we are talking about here.

How many of them perform the sandhya vandana that is supposed to be a nitya (daily) karma, and not performing it over a period of time, actually disqualifies one from Brahmin-hood. and this is the minimal karma which gives the eligibility for one to perform the other karmas, or even to chant other mantras.

What one is supposed to do as a Brahmin, what is his life style supposed to be, what is that he is gifted with.

When asked about the religious text of Christian, Muslim or the other not very well known religions, they have the right answers. How many of us even know that the primary religious text of Hindus is not Bhagavad Gita, which is shown in the movies for the Hindus to swear upon, but the Vedas.

How many of them know what a Veda is. How many of them know how many Vedas are there, how many of them know what constitutes a Veda.  How many of them know what an Upanishad is, and why are they different from the other section of the Vedas.

How many of us, talking about the one who is eligible, perform the karmas for the pitrus (ancestors), or do we at the least know, there are karmas to be performed for them.

How many of us know how many samskaras (and this is not a greek or latin word) are there, that one has to undergo, or has undergone in a life time.

It is very pathetic, to call one a Brahmin, and not even know the meaning of it (what or who is a Brahmin).

The list of ignorance is not limited to this. And by writing this I am not sponsoring or supporting a Brahminical vision. As Bhagavan Bhashyakara says “brahmanatvasya hi rakshane rakshita syat vaidiko dharma, tadadhinatvat varna-ashrama-bhedanam“ (only when the Brahmin-hood is well preserved, the Vaidic dharma is also nicely maintained, because the different castes and lifestyles are dependent on that).

Smart Mauni says “The one with the said knowledge will have no Ego, and the one who has Ego, definitely does not possess the knowledge”.

EkaVakyata - Two to Sync

EkaVakyata

We earlier said about Ekavakyata, and its two types Padaikyavakyata amd Vakyaikyavakyata. People often mistake, even without knowing about ekavakyata, during decoding the Vedic statements. So, understanding this is of great importance.

Pada-eka-vakyata – when the whole statement is boiled down to a word, and if that word to fulfill the expectation of another statement is brought in sync with it, it is called padaikyavakyata. In the statements of Arthavada in the form of praising, the derivation is for praise. In the case of “he cried” in the form of condemning, the derivation is for condemning. Since the words in the Arthavada statements are accepted to be implying the praise etc, when through that one word itself there is a possibility of knowledge, the other words will be useless. Similarly, the knowledge of form of praise as expected by the injunction, the whole of the Arthavada statement is condensed in a single word, there is a synchronization of the word (of the form of praise or condemn) with the injunction. Thus, the Arthavada statements are in synchronization of the word (Padaikavakyata).

Arthavada-vakya - The statements in the scriptures, which have no use directly in the sacrifice, but helps in praising the act or denouncing the act, is called Arthavada.

The statement “the prajapati tore open his own stomach” has no eligibility (yogyata) therefore was understood to be a statement in praising of the sacrificial animal.

The statement “he cried”, is a statement which says the story of Rudra, he cried therefore he is called rudra. Now this has no relation to the sacrifice. Therefore, the statement is connected with the injunction “barhishi rajatam na deyam” (should not give silver in the sacrifice of barhi). This is because, the teardrops of rudra became silver, and therefore, the silver is negated as the gift in the barhi sacrifice.

Vakya-eka-vakyata – If two statements reciprocally fulfill the expectation and come in sync it is called Vakyaikyavakyata. Wherever, with the two statements which have different connection to different meanings due to the expectancy, gives sensible meaning as a unified statement. For example, in the statements “let one who desires heaven perform darsha-purnamasa sacrifice” etc and “he performs sacrifice with samid (twigs)” etc, each have an expectancy of the part and the whole (the subsidiary and the main), fulfill by being a unified statement. This is said by the Bhataapada, “The statements which give a complete meaning by itself, when come together to fulfill the expectancy of the part and whole is called vakyaikavakya”. Thus, the two types of word meanings (literal (expressed) and derived (implied)) are explained.

Mahavakya – normally translated as ultimate sentence (some translate it as great sentence). Here in this place is translated as unified statement, because, with respect to Vedanta, Mahavakya means “akhandartha bodhaka vakhyam” (the statement which gives the non-dual identity between the individual self (jiva) and the Self (Brahman)). Here, they come together because of some expectancy of the part or of the whole.

Avantaravakhyam – the statement which deals with a single aspect of the discussion. In Vedanta, the statements which discuss only about the jiva, jagat or the Brahman is called avantaravakhyam

Anga and Angi – The statement which is the primary injunction gives the knowledge of the sacrifice to be performed. This statement is construed as a Bhavana by the purva-mimamsa. A Bhavana is a desire which takes place for the eligible (bhavitu bhavana-anukula bhavayitu vyapara). And this bhavana is of three parts 1. Kim Bhavayet (what should be desired), 2. Kena Bhavayet (through what should it be desired) and 3. Katham Bhavayet (how should it be desired). The first bhavana is taken care of by the statement by saying, “desire heaven”. The same statement gives the knowledge of the second also, by saying “through the darsha-purnamasa sacrifice” and the third is taken care by the auxiliary statement “through the twigs”.

“samidho yajati” is one of the five subsidiary sacrifices the others are “ido yajati”, “barhir yajati”, tanunapatam yajati” and “svahakaram yajati”.

Smart Mauni Says “I failed in math because the Teacher was ‘jealous’ of my knowledge that I knew more than him. Sample this: in one book the formulae was (x + y)² = x² + y² + 2xy and in the other it was (a + b)² = a² + b² + 2ab. When asked the value of (x + y)², I wrote, because I know ekavakyata, x² + y² + 2ab.”

Lord Ayyappa

Swamiye Sharanam Ayyappa.

There is this question often asked about the Lord of Shabarimala (mountain Shabari), what is the story related to his birth all about.

The story of Ayyappa is, the king of Pantala in south of India, now Kerala (erstwhile Chera kingdom), had no progeny. When he visited the nearby forest for hunting, found a small baby boy, who was left in the wild forest. Finding no one (parents) around, brought the kid home and accepted him as his own adopted son. Soon after this, the queen also became pregnant and gave birth to a baby boy.

As would any mother, she wanted all the attention and love of her husband for her son and not the adopted son. Though she had a lot of love for the adopted boy, she and the people around her became the nimitta (instrumental cause) for bringing out the greatness of the adopted boy.

As it is the normal conditioning of the Indian mind, therefore it always wants to see the exalted sage as an Avatar (incarnation) of some or other deity. We find the Lord Ayyappa being associated with both Shiva and Vishnu, and thus was named Harihara-putra.

If it be asked, why as the son of Vishnu and Siva, the only logical answer can be, why not. We have people who are seen as the Avatar of Kartikeya (son of Shiva) etc, and maybe there during the time (and sure it was) due to the constant fight between the Shiva and Vishnu worshippers, it seems logical to have a common god, which is of the form of both.

But still, why as a son, and not as an Amsa (part) of the two Greats, if be asked, it is always easy to accept it in this form than as an Amsa d both, which many will feel as farfetched.

His whole life is full of riddles, like 1. Being the son of harihara 2. Having a friend in Babar, a Muslim 3. Having an attire that suits Siddha (and some feel the buddhistic touch) and preaching “tat tvam asi”, based on the scriptures 4. Slaying the demon Mahishi as it is generally felt to be unworthy of a warrior to kill a woman, 5. Being called Ayyappa, for both Ayya and Appa are synonyms for father etc.

Smart Mauni says, “let us pray the Lord, whose life is full of confusion (riddle) to remove the confusion in our life”.

The Middle Path Extremes

We often see people who have ‘fairly’ little or very little knowledge of Zen Buddhism talk about this middle path buzz word. For them mostly the Zen revolves around the humour-less stories of the Buddhas or the un-intelligible kwans (quans – a kind of riddle) which the Master poses to the disciple, and when answered will do something really funny like tweaking the nose.

Here I am in no way ridiculing the Zen, but the “self” styled practitioners (for once we do not have self styled gurusJ).

The logician will ask when he is told to follow the middle path or not the extremes, does the ‘middle path’ path apply to the middle path and is it not the comment, “do not be an extremist”, also an extreme.

But we can do better, we say, we follow the path. There is no extreme or middle path, because, these terms at best are relative. If you want someone to follow the middle path, show him the extremes. If you say, somebody is following the extreme, show him from which middle or the other extreme one measure.

Because for this fellow, one who he is preaching these to have no brains of their own. Therefore, the preacher has the liberty to unload his own ignorance on them. Today the truth will be like this, but if one asks him, but you told yesterday something else, the answer will be, You are right (I know for, you follow Shastra and not the dummies), this is the truth of today. The truth is not constant and it is ever varying. Now, if this be so, why do we need you, they do not possess this wit to ask the preacher.

If Truth is ever varying, then how can one come to the conclusion of understanding the Truth? Moreso, why do we need such a Truth?

Smart Mouni says “What is middle path, not the extremes. What is extreme, not the middle path”

Meaning of Gayatri Mantra

Om – That ultimate Self

Bhu Bhuva Suva – the three vyhartis, these denote the three worlds. Bhu - this world, Bhuva – the world in-between and Suva – the higher world, Svarga – heaven (In north india they pronounce this suva as sva)

Tat Savitu – That sun, the directly perceived deity, this denotes the Self. Though the Self is self-effulgent, and sun is illumined by the Self, therefore non-self-effulgent. Still, from the worldly view, Sun is seen as self-effulgent.

Varenyam – Greatest.

Bargho – shining / illumining

Devasya  - of that iswara / lord / deity

Dimahi – let us place (pray) in our heart / intellect / mind

Diya Na – our intellect.

Pracodayat – let Him illumine. One, who illumines everything, let Him illumine.

Let us pray the greatest, that self-effulgent deity Sun, the Self, one who is all these three worlds, through whose effulgence let our intellect / heart too become illumined.

If we stay close to fire, the nature of the fire to illumine and give heat, due to it we also become illumined and gain some heat. Similarly, the inherent nature of the Self is “Satyam Gnanam Anantam” (absolute Existence, absolute Knowledge and absolute Bliss), meditating on whom we also will be associated with / be of that nature.

The Myth of Philosophy - 2

Now after explaining the stories as just that, from the stand point of advaita, of course.

Now the others who are the major, whom the advaitins call dvaitins, will stand-up with a thousand objections (no matter whether they are quarter, half or three-quarter or even 99.99 % dualists J). Now, they also being Shastra should be taken care in a proper way.

Therefore, to complete the explanation, we start again.

From the advaitic standpoint of view, even the hymns sung by the great Acharya (ofcourse, it is Bhagavan Bhashyakara) also falls under this category, without any doubt. Is it not a blasphemy, as once you yourself accepted so, somewhere (speaking against the Acharya), if be asked, this will be accepted by the great Acharya Himself, very gladly.

As rightly any person with even little knowledge will understand, and you people who have come to Shastra, definitely posses more punya and more sharp wit, will ask, what about the others ? what others J

OK, from the standpoint of vyavahara, you also should have to accept, some reason. If I can exist, why not He or She.  As I had said in the previous blog, until one has the identification with the body – sense organ complex, all this is true, from that point, all that also can be true too.

Even the advaitins in the transactional plane, do accept, for different reasons, best known only to Them, when explaining about the gnanis (realized), as incarnation of A, B or C, where A, B or C can be any one of the deities from the pantheon of deities accepted.

If it is not a Sri Krishna, it is the Guru who is instructing Sri Arjuna, the Disciple and vice-versa.

If a person who does not accept these deities, he does not become less of a Sananta Dharma follower, than the one who accepts, one or more of the deities.

And this is why, when a person accepts one  Baba or any other Baba, still is a Practicing Hindu, by which we mean Sanatana dharma follower.Whichever way, the siddhis are not a quotient, but the knowledge of the Truth, in accepting the Babas, even for them.

Sanatana Dharma is an ocean which caters to people of different sections, therefore, the very same explanation of the philosophy becomes a very valid proof for the existence of their (!) God.

Smart Mouni Says “whether you believe or no believe OR know or no know, you are a Sanatana dharma follower, the moment you accept the Existence”.

The Myth of Philosophy

This is a question I was asked eons ago J, why is all our philosophy entangled with mythology.

For too long I have been dodging this question, now no more.

The question should be seen the other way; because, it is the mythology which is based on the philosophy, really.

As we discussed (in a independent lecture on Ramayana, available in the site), the whole of Ramayana is a quest of jiva, the Rama for the attainment of the moksha / vidya, the Sita. Because of the ego or ignorance which is the Ravana, the jiva has lost the Vidya. For this we have the viveka (discrimination) and vairagya (dispassion). Lakshmana, Ramas brother is the knowledge and Hanuman, is the dispassion. The monkeys along with the bali is the shamadi shatka sampatti, the six pre-requisites of the jiva required for the moksha. Shama etc, the control of mind – shama, control of the sense-organs – dhama etc.

Mahabharata, the pandavas as a whole is the jiva with the five members as the five koshas (sheaths) – namely Annamaya, pranamaya, manomaya, vignamaya and the anandamaya (the food sheath, vital air sheath, mind sheath, intellect sheath and the bliss sheath),  which wants to gain the supremacy over the demons. Duryodhana and the other kauravas are the vasanas, where the karna is one’s own mind who plays a major part on the other side. Here Bhima is the annamaya, Yudhishtira is the anandamaya, the other two nakul and sahadeva are the pranamaya and the manomaya (since the mind and the prana start from the same place), Arjuna is the vignamaya. Both karna and arjuna are the different facets of the same antakarana (inner organ), whereas arjuna is the sat-tarka (discrimination based on the scriptures) and Karna is the dus-tarka (the erroneous logic not based on the scriptures). The intellect is aided by the Guru called Sri Kirshna to gain the knowledge of victory or kingdom (svarajya).

With this the worldy knowledge of other things are sprinkled. Right from the psychology of different types, economy, politics. Romance, warfare etc. and most importantly the knowledge of the Self.

It is easy for us to show a human like or superhuman like figure to undergo all the similar troubles, for the ego of the ‘simple’ person getting satisfied

So, if I don’t believe in these myths, nothing lost, until one understands the purport for them, and the real knowledge behind them. Sanatana Dharma, is not based on these myths, but they serve the purpose as the ‘the ghost sitting atop neem tree’ J From the standpoint of the Self knowledge, even the vedas are deemed as non-real by the mundaka upanishad.Therefore, until one beleives in the body-sense complex, one has to accept the 'Myths' and the related karmas, like the Agni devata - fire god and Agni karma - the fire oblation.

Smart Mouni says, “is the story of Mario Puzo’s Godfather too based on this scheme” J.

How to perform Purascharana

After knowing that people are interested in knowing about purascharan, see many visiting what is purascharana page, thought of writing a blog on how to do apurascharana.

The first and foremost requirement for doing a purascharana is Mantra. By mantra what we mean is the one initiated by a Guru and not just picked up from a book, due to infatuation or fantasy or the fun of it. Most of the time the mantras, which one is not initiated if put to use, gives a lot of trouble (have myself experienced and seen with others), and this is from a person who did not believe in mantras.

After deciding on the mantra. One should have a proper blessing and guidance of the Guru to perform the purascharana. Without this there is no point in doing it.

After performing the daily oblations, particularly if one is initiated into the sacred thread, should perform the sandhya-vandhana. Without sandhya-vandhana, for the initiated, any number of chanting will only be giving partial or no result. So, I prescribe, atleast for a short period before doing a purascharana, one take up chanting the gayatri mantra along with the sandhya, to gain focus.

After bath, and applying the forehead marks (bhasma, kumkum or whatever one is used to), start with the achamana, ritualistic sipping of water with the mantra initiated (from here on mantra is only the mantra of purascharana). Worshiping of the deity in the form of a yantra or statue is also accepted as a part of the purascharana.

If one is going to use an yantra, it should be the one for the deity of mantra, and should be drawn by the competent person, and if is bought from the shop, should be purified and initiated before the puja. Initiation of the yantra is the pranaprathishtha which a competent Guru should be able to do. Statue puja doe not involve te complexities of the yantra puja. In the yantra puja, one is required to invoke the deities in each portion of the yantra (this is a matter for another blog).

After performing the puja. The mantra should be chanted. These are the angas (limbs) one has to perform before starting the chanting of the mantra – 1. Rishi-chandas-devata nyasa, 2.Anga and Kara nyasa, 3. Devata dhyana (with sloka), 4. Devata dhyana (with the gayatri mantra for the devata), this is optional, 5. Mantra chanting. (may write a different blog for each one of these, in detail)

1. Rishi-chandas-devata nyasa – Rishi - each mantra has a Rishi, who is the one who saw the mantra with the deity associated e.g. ganaka, vamadeva, dakshinamurthy etc, Chandas – the meter in which the mantra is strung e.g. gayatri, pankti etc, Devata – the deity associated with the mantra. There are two more parts in this, the keelaka and the shakti, which is like the key and the power to the mantra. As it is considered each mantra has a shapa (curse) or so, this becomes important.

2.Anga and Kara nyasa – the mantra Shastra says “deva bhutva devan apyeti” (becoming the deity, worships the deity). This is done here. Sometimes the mantra is broken into different portions or it maybe altogether different associated deities, whicb is placed in different parts of the body. In the case of

a. Anga nyasa – the different parts of the mantra are placed or invoked in 1. heart, 2. forehead, 3. Tuft area, 4. Shoulders, 5. Eye triads (including the third eye) and 6 which creates a layer of protection from the unwanted disturbances from the other elements.

b. Kara nyasa – the same different parta (generally) as used in the anga nyasa is used in 1. Thumb, 2.first finger, 3. Middle finger, 4. Ring finger, 5. Little finger and 6. the palm and backside of the palm

3. Devata dhyana (with sloka) – each deity has a different form, shiva in the form of dakshinamurthy is different from the natraja (or if you like, lakshmi is different from saraswati or shakti). And different dakshinamurty or laksmni or ganesha have different froms. The form is for and of the mantra. Should chant this sloka and meditate on the deity in that particular form.

4. Devata dhyana (with the gayatri mantra for the devata) – as said already, this is optional. Not all the deities have gayatri mantra and not all the tradition follow this.

5. Mantra chanting – again and again, I am not tired of saying, chant only the mantra one is INITIATED bu a proper Guru. The deity is of the form of mantra. Fix the number of repetition, in malas or in numbers, per day. And follow the routine. The mantra chould be chant in the morning and the evening. Though in the evening there is no need for the puja as done in the morning. Otherwise, all the other steps explained above should be performed.

If the competent Guru prescribes a path, which overrides all the above, follow the Guru.

The 'other' Pramana

There are three accepted pramanas (other than the perception, inference, verbal testimony etc), 1. Shruti (Vedas), 2. Smrti (recollections) and 3. Yukti and 4. Anubhava (experience).

1.       Shruti – is the ultimate pramana, ehrn compared to all the other pramanas.

2.       Smrti – is the second most important pramana, in the absence of an equivalent shruti. If the shruti and the smrti statements contradict, then the shruti is accepted to be the pramana. The smrti statements supported by the shruti and the statements which are non-contradictory is pramana.

3.       Yukti – normally translated as logic. With reference to the shruti and smrti it also is expressed as nyaya. Here it does not only mean the normal logic, of worldly and logic school, but it means the conclusions of the topics in the Brahma Suta.

4.       Anubhava – the experience with reference to the shruti is the pramana, and not an independent experience. We have the expereice of pot etc objects of the world, they are not paramarthika (ultimate reality), as they make us believe, but vyahavarika (transactional reality) as accepted by the shruti. Therefore the statement “anubhava avasana hi brahmavidya” (brahmavidya (knowledge of the Self) is complete only with the experience of the Self).

Dharma Connections

Many a time it is dangerous to interpret the Shastra verbatim. That is why we always give importance to the tradition. There is a statement which says Brahma does not grow due to merit or decrease due to demerit – “na dharmena vardhate nadharmena kaniyan”.

The statement seems to be a very harmless statement, at face value. And the interpretation given above fits the bill, and is what is generally given by the lecturers.

But, for someone who has studied tarka or has a little logical sense this statement interpretation will be one of the ‘foolest’ way of interpreting.

Foolest ? ok, we can understand Brahman does not grow because of punya or decrease because of papa. But, what about the inverse or vice-versa. That is, will Brahman grow because of adharma and decrease because of dharma. That is not the case, too.

The primary idea of the scripture is to tell us that punya and papa cannot bring about any change in the Brahman. Because it is not a samskaarya or aapya or utpaadya or vikaarya (purify, gain, create or transform). The four modes of attainment through karma.

So, the interpretation should be, Brahman does not grow or decrease of punya and papa.

What is Purascharana and how is it performed.

Invariably, many people enter the blog with a question (google search) of purascharana. We will see in this blog what it is and how it is done.

Purascharana means pura charati iti, that means, that which is performed before or prior. Before the deity or prior to the mantra siddhi. We will come to the q what is mantra siddhi later. Now, what should be done before or prior to complete a purascharana.

Purascharana means repeating a mantra for a particular number of times and for a period of time. This is the first and important part of the purascharana. There are five parts / limbs to a purascharana, 1. Mantra japa (repetition of mantra) 2. Homa (fire obulation using the mantra) 3. Tarapana (water obulation using mantra) 4. Marjana (ritualistic sprinkling of water) and 5. Bhojana (feeding of Brahmins / Sadhus).

Japa – repeating the mantra for a specified number of times. This is normally n Lakh times, where n stands for the number of characters / alphabets in the mantra. If the mantra is a very big one, than, it is also accepted as 1 lakh repetition. And, at the beginning of the japa everyday, the puja should be performed to the mantra deity or the yantra for the particular mantra.

Homa – after performing the reqired number of japa. The Homa should be performed using the same mantra adding a “swaha” to it. And the number of times the homa should be performed is 1 / 10^th of the Japa. Likewise, the later stages in the purascharana is 1 / 10^th of the former stage. The obulation material or the material for the offering in the fire is generally Ghee (clarified butter), but sometimes, may vary according to the purpose of the pursacharana.

Tarpana – water mixed with milk or jiggery etc. is used to perform tarpana. In this, the water is taken in a spoon and it will be poured through the palm, leaving the thumb. This too should be done using the mantra and a “tarpayami” added to it.

Marjana – the water is taken in a bowl and a small piece of ginger it tied to the tip of it, through which the water is sprinkled on oneself or the yantra. The sprinkling should be done using the mantra suffixed with a “marjayami” to it.

Bhojana – number equal to 1 / 10^th of the number of marjana should be fed, as the last part of the purascharana.

This completes one round of purascharana. In kali age to attain mantra siddhi one should perform four purascharana using a mantra. Manra siddhi generally means attainment of the complete control of the mantra, for using it in a way desired. But, for a sadhaka, it means the blessing of the deity. It could be felt by the peace one gains after the purascharana.

If for some reason, one is not able to perform the above other limbs, than it can be substituted with four times japa (four times of the 1 / 10^th of the previous limb).

Grahana Dos and Donts.

What should one do or not do in Grahana (Eclipse)

According to the Shastra, Grahana is a very different auspicious period. Very different means, on the auspicious hour all that we do is not done, but at the same time, during this period one performs spiritual karmas and avoids doing wrong karmas.

It is accepted, we get many-fold results for the karmas performed during this period.

There are different aspects which are seen during a grahana period. First is called Sutak period (theetu in tamil). This period differs for a solar and lunar eclipse. For solar this period is 12 hours before and for lunar it is 6 hours before the ecplise. After the start of this period, norlmally, no solid food is consumed. And temples are closed during this period, till the end of grahana.

The grahana period is itself of three periods, the start, middle and the end (called sparsha, moksha and nivrtti in sanskrit). Before the start and end of the grahana, one takes bath. Sometimes, there are people who do bath during the middle of the grahana, moksha period. After the grahana, the house should be washed or atleast water should be sprinkled.

During the grahana, chanting of mantras, slokas and even tarpanas (obulation to the ancestors) is performed. We avoid doing puja, homa and also any other inauspicious activities.

                                                                                                                                       

When we do a mantra japa, normally we do achamana (sipping of water), sankalpa, rishyadi nyasa, anga and kara nyasa and dhyana as a part of the japa (we will see this in a different blog later and also the method of doing a purascharana). But, during the grahana we need not perform all this, but just do the rishyadi nyasa before the japa..

If one is initiated into many mantras, this will be the period to just, as to say, charge the mantras. But, one should the main mantra, one regularly chants for the maximum period.

After the grahana, after taking the bath, one should should chant the mantras again for a small period. In the day time, it is also a practice to change the yagnopavita (sacred thread).

What is Guru Poornima / Vyasa Poornima ?

This is a long pending question. What is Vyasa Poornima/ Guru Poornima Puja.

We have to understand the difference between the Guru Puja and Guru Purnima Puja first. Guru Puja, nor mally in south, is one celebrated on the day of the Samadhi of the Guru, otherwise called as Varshika. Whereas, Guru Purnima Puja is celeberated for the Gurus in the Sampradaya / Parampara / Tradition.

This is normally celebrated by the Sannyasins. This is also an important day, as it is the day of the beginning of the Chaturmasya. (See - Chaturmasya Nirnaya page in the blog). We should remember, the puja a parahamsa sannyasi performs on this day too, is only Manasa Puja or Mental worship and not a Physical worship.

In this five peoples belonging to five groups are worshipped along with ones own, Guru parampara.

Firstly, in the Center of all the group, Lord Krishna, who is nothing but the Paramathman (Self) himself and Jagat Guru, is worshiped. Around him are worshiped the other forms of Sri Krishna, Sri Vasudeva, Sri Sankarshana Sri Pradyumna and Sri Aniruddha, are worshipped. The position is Sri Vasudeva in the left top, Sri Sankarshana in the right top, Sri Pradyumna in the right bottom and Sri Aniruddha in the left bottom.

Then, in the right side of Sri Krishna, Sri Vyasa Maharishi is worshiped. Around him are worshiped his four maharishi disciples, Sri Sumanthu, Sri Jaimini, Sri Vaisampayana and Sri Paila. In the same order as previous (LT, RT, RB and LB).

To the left of Sri Krishna, Bhagawan Bhashyakara Sri Shankaracharya. Around him are worshiped his four disciples, Sri Padmapadacharya, Sri Sureshwaracharya, Sri Thotakacharya and Sri Hastamalakacharya.

Above Sri Krishna, Devarishi Sri Sanaka is worshiped. Around him, Sri Sanandana, Sri Sanatana, Sri Sanatsujata and Sri Sanatkumar.

Below Sri Krishna, Sri Dravidacharya is worhiped. Around him, Sri Gowdapadacharya, Sri Govindacharya,  Sri Vivaranacharya and Sri Sankshepakacharya (Sri Sarvagatma muni).

In front of all these people, Sri Guru is worshipped alongwith, Parama Guru, Paramshti Guru, Parapara Guru should be wordhiped. Since we have already worshiped Sri Krishna, Maha Guru worship is already done. Here, we can worship all the other Acharyas of Brahmavidya, like, Sri Vacaspati mishra, Sri Vidyaranya, Sri Madhusudhana Saraswati, Sri Sadhashiva Brahmendra, Sri Appayya Dikshitendra, Sri Chandrashekara Bharati, Sri Chandrashekarendra Saraswati and other Acharyas one has great respect for.

Around these group in the eight corners we should worship, Indra etc. devatas, as worshipped in a Yantra or Mandala.

 It is a day for the disciples to worship their Guru. Guru too, himself being a disciple of some Guru, worships him.