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DASAMAH VIDY
EPILOGUE - What is the
im portance of these ten
akti-s? Why the Divine
dynam ic energy is projected
in different form s w ith
different attributes? Why
they are m ostly r...
5 weeks ago
TOPICS
astrology (3)
Bhagavad Gita (180)
Prakti has two aspects, combined or samai, the aggregate aspect of my and individual or vyai,
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Prakti has two aspects, combined or samai, the aggregate aspect of my and individual or vyai,
the partial aspect of my on an individual soul. When an individual soul interacts with primordial prakti,
when all the three gua-s remain in equal proportion, the equilibrium gets disturbed and creation
commences. The equilibrium gets disturbed, only when a soul conjugates with prakti, and the creation
comes about in prakti, the womb of all creations. Every creation is born only out of prakti which is
fathered by purua. Hence, Ka says that He is the father and Prakti is the mother of the universe.
Soon after a form is created, it begins the process of evolution, undergoing modifications. During the
process of evolution, one of the three gua-s alone become prominent and accordingly, the character of
a person is determined. Sattva gua means the quality of purity and knowledge. The presence of other
two gua-s is not very prominent in sattva gua as this gua is endowed with the highest purity. Rajo
gua is the activity of passion. Tamo gua is inertia or ignorance. These two gua-s have higher trace of
other gua-s. Gua-s are the inherent qualities of Prakti. Ego and intellect originate from gua-s that are
present in all the evolutes of prakti, but distributed in unequal proportions in each individual. The
predominant gua that prevails in an individual is reflected through his thoughts and actions. Gua of a
person is susceptible to changes, based on his thought process.
Ka says that gua-s are the cause to bind a soul, because creation happens due to the disturbance in
the equilibrium of the three gua-s that happens in prakti, due to the conjugation with a soul.
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Ka said: I will again discuss about that supreme knowledge, the knowing of which, sages have
attained the final perfection. The one who follows this knowledge merge into Me, are not born at the
commencement of a new cosmic cycle, nor disturbed at the time of annihilation. My primordial nature,
known as the Brahman (Brahma, Lord) is the womb of all beings, where I placed seed of all life. The
creation follows from the union of Matter and Spirit.
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Vijnana Bhairava (30)
Vishnu Sahasranama (107)
Will You Comeback Guruji (1)
Though, gua-s have been touched upon in the earlier chapters, Ka says that He is going to explain in
detail about the gua-s, again in this chapter. Gua-s determine the nature of a person. There are three
types of gua-s, sattva, rajas and tamas. When sattva gua is predominant in a person, he follows the
path of goodness and remains virtuous. In whom, rajo gua is predominant, he becomes passionate.
Tamo gua means ignorance and the one with tamo gua is sluggish and remains in darkness. The
gua-s are further elucidated in subsequent verses.
A thorough understanding of gua-s is essential to pursue the path of liberation, as one has to transcend
the gua-s. For transcending anything, one needs to have the knowledge of the object that is to be
transcended. Unless the force of the water current is understood properly, one cannot reach the other
side of the bank safely. If the whirlpool is too powerful, he has no option, except to get sunk. Therefore,
unless the nature of gua-s are thoroughly understood, it is not possible for an aspirant to move beyond
gua-s. If gua-s are not important while pursuing spiritual path, Ka would not have chosen to explain
about the gua-s again. The Lord further says that saints and sages have perfected their knowledge for
final liberation, only by thoroughly understanding the three gua-s. A spiritual aspirant can move to the
status of a saint, only if he thoroughly understands the implications of the three gua-s inherent in Prakti.
The one who thoroughly understands the intricacies of gua-s are eternally liberated and he is not
disturbed even at the time of creation and dissolution of yuga-s (the long mundane period of years).
The primordial nature of the Brahman is called mlaprakti. Prakti at best can be explained as Nature. It
can also be called as my. Prakti in combination with the individual soul, mind, intellect and ego form
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the creation. In fact, soul has to depend on prakti to manifest. Prakti holds the three gua-s or qualities,
sattva, rajas, and tamas and three types of creative actions icch, jna, and kriya (desire, wisdom and
action). At the time of manifestation of origin of life, the prakti beholds the individual soul by its sheer
enticing powers of the gua-s and creative actions (the powers of my or illusion), makes the soul to
manifest. The soul on its own is passive in nature and has to purely depend upon the prakti to get the
karma-s embedded in it to unfold.
Prakti is said to be the kinetic form of energy. This is also known as my or the Brahman with
attributes. Apart from playing a significant role in creation, the prakti plays a vital role in sustaining the
creation. At the time of origin of the universe, the Supreme Self alone prevailed. When the origin
manifests into creation, it first becomes space then air, fire, water and earth. From earth plants, animals,
man etc unfolded. Prakti in its un-manifested form is called avyakta. This is the state of prakti where all
the three gua-s are found in equilibrium. Any change in this equilibrium of gua-s in prakti leads to
desire, wisdom and action. This in combination with ego and intellect give rise to further creation.
Therefore, prakti is the root of all creations. This is also known as the Brahman with attributes or sagua
Brahman. The Brahman is the root of all creations as there in nothing beyond that.
The prakti is potentially a powerful tool that binds the soul to manifest in the form of bodies discussed
above, just to manifest and unfold the karma-s embedded in the soul. When the soul is under the lustful
embrace of prakti, the soul that was part of the Supreme Brahman forgets its own nature, and identifies
itself with ego. The deceptive and illusionary nature of prakti engulfs the soul with all sorts of addictions,
afflictions and confusions and makes the soul totally discombobulated. The subtle body consisting of the
five vital forces, the mind, the intellect and the ten organs is produced from the five basic elements. This
paves the way for the soul to experience the result of actions or in other words it causes karma-s. The
subtle body is of two kinds, superior and inferior. The superior one is the subtle body of hirayagarbha
and the inferior is the subtle body of living beings. The subtle body of hirayagarbha is called as mahat
or the cosmic intellect and the subtle body of living beings is called ego.
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BHAGAVAD GITA.
CHAPTER XVII.
11 - 13
BHAGAVAD GITA.
CHAPTER XVII. 8
- 10
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BHAGAVAD GITA.
CHAPTER XVII. 5
-7
BHAGAVAD GITA.
CHAPTER XVII. 1
-4
BHAGAVAD GITA.
CHAPTER XVI. 17
- 24
BHAHAVAD GITA.
CHAPTER XVI. 13
- 16
BHAGAVAD GITA.
CHAPTER XVI. 7 12
BHAGAVAD GITA.
CHAPTER XVI. 4 6
BHAGAVAD GITA.
CHAPTER XVI. 1 3
BHAGAVAD GITA.
CHAPTER XV. 18
- 20
BHAGAVAD GITA.
CHAPTER XV. 15
- 17
BHAGAVAD GITA.
CHAPTER XV. 11
- 14
BHAGAVAD GITA.
CHAPTER XV. 7 10
BHAGAVAD GITA.
CHAPTER XV. 3 6
BHAGAVAD GITA.
CHAPTER XV. 1 2
BHAGAVAD GITA.
CHAPTER XIV. 19
- 27
BHAGAVAD GITA.
CHAPTER XIV. 14
- 18
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Brahman to get absorbed again into the Brahman during the annihilation of the universe. Ultimately, it is
only the soul that becomes responsible, to cause actions, when manifested through a gross form. Men
bound by ignorance fail to realise this truth and consider, that the body is responsible for all the actions.
Due to delusion, they tend to forget the source for all the actions of the body. Though, the soul is the
cause for all the actions, it is only in the prakti, all the actions take place. Therefore, all the actions are
done only by prakti, deriving energy from the soul. No actions take place in a soul, who is majestically
seated as witness watching the unfolding actions. Ka says that the one, who understands this,
becomes one with the Brahman.
Irrespective of the nature of actions, either good or bad, a soul is not affected in any way. It remains the
same, births after births and at all the times. A soul can be explained as the Brahman Himself or a direct
representative of the Brahman. An individual soul is in no way different from the Brahman, in confirmation
of the theory of His omnipresence. Because of the subtle nature of the Brahman, He remains
omnipresent and is able to pervade every nook and corner of the universe. Even in a physical body, He
pervades everywhere, in every blood cell, every neuron, etc. Only for the purpose of easy understanding,
it is said that He is seated in heart. If He is seated only in the heart, His omnipresence nature becomes
disputable. Ka draws comparison to the sun. Like the sun illuminating the entire galaxy, the soul
infuses energy to the entire body.
A soul gets liberated only if it does not unite with the prakti, because, all the actions take place only in
the field of prakti. When a soul merges into the Brahman ahead of annihilation of the universe, is known
as liberation. When a person understands the difference between purua and prakti; and ketraja and
ketra, based on the above discussions, he gets liberated from the afflictions of prakti and his soul
goes back to its source of origin, the Lord. The source of his understanding could be meditation,
knowledge or devotion. When one purses the path of devotion, he automatically attains knowledge, as a
true devotee becomes very dear to the Lord, who becomes his spiritual master.
CHAPTER XIII OF BHAGAVAD GITA IS CONCLUDED
- 18
BHAGAVAD GITA.
CHAPTER XIV. 9 13
BHAGAVAD GITA.
CHAPTER XIV. 4 8
BHAGAVAD GITA.
CHAPTER XIV. 1 3
BHAGAVAD GITA.
CHAPTER XIII. 29
- 35
BHAGAVAD GITA.
CHAPTER XIII. 24
- 28
BHAGAVAD GITA.
CHAPTER XIII. 19
- 23
BHAGAVAD GITA.
CHAPTER XIII. 12
-18
BHAGAVAD GITA.
CHAPTER XIII. 7 11
BHAGAVAD GITA.
CHAPTER XIII. 4 6
BHAGAVAD GITA.
CHAPTER XIII. 1 3
BHAGAVAD GITA.
CHAPTER XII. 17
- 20
BHAGAVAD GITA.
CHAPTER XII. 13
- 16
BHAGAVAD GITA.
CHAPTER XII. 10
- 12
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BHAGAVAD GITA.
CHAPTER XII. 6 9
BHAGAVAD GITA.
CHAPTER XII. 1 -
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Some look for the Self within through meditation, some through jna yoga
and some through karma yoga. Those who are ignorant of these three
paths, merely worship the Brahman by listening to others by considering
Him as the ultimate sanctuary. All of them cease to transmigrate. Arjuna, all
that exist, both movable and immovable, emanated from the union of ketra
and ketraja. One truly realizes the Brahman, only when he perceives Him
as the Imperishable, present in all, that is perishable. He, who thus
perceives the Brahman dwelling equally in all the beings, cannot obviously
destroy Self with the self. He therefore, transcends death.
There are various means to liberation. Though one can pursue any spiritual path, the ultimate is the
realisation of the Brahman. Ka refers to three types of path - the path of meditation using ones
purified mind; the path of wisdom through skhya yoga philosophy; and the path of karma, renouncing
the fruits of actions. All the three types of paths have been elaborated by Ka in the previous chapters.
Those who pursue any of these paths are bound to get liberation, either in this birth or at least in future
births, depending upon the intensity of practice and consequent experience. But, majority of the men do
not follow anyone of these paths with sincerity and dedication. Treading all the paths is equally difficult,
as liberation does not come easily. One has to really struggle hard against the highly potent waves of
materialistic life. One has to have necessary patience, dedication and perseverance to enter the state of
perpetual bliss, before his soul makes its final exit. One can easily realise the state of bliss by himself
from his elated mood.
There is another category of men who are not aware of any of these spiritual paths. They blindly worship
the Lord by listening to what others say, or follow what others do. Interestingly, the original doer himself
may not know the significance of his actions, but he still does it out of absolute faith. The one who listens
to or follows others resolves that it is better to be a spiritual infant rather than to be a spiritual ignorant.
Therefore, he simply follows what others say or do. Even such spiritual infants become eligible to get
liberated, says Ka. This category of men considers Him as the ultimate resort. They merely know that
He is the ultimate sanctuary and their blind faith in Him impresses the Lord. It is not the path that really
matters, but the mind that surely matters. Ka had earlier said that He is more than satisfied with a leaf,
a flower, a fruit and water as offering. Ka only reaffirms His earlier saying here. The Lord makes every
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CHAPTER XII. 1 5
BHAGAVAD GITA.
CHAPTER XI. 47 55
BHAGAVAD GITA.
CHAPTER XI. 35 46
BHAGAVAD GITA.
CHAPTER XI. 32 34
BHAGAVAD GITA.
CHAPTER XI. 14 31
BHAGAVAD GITA.
CHAPTER XI. 10 13
BHAGAVAD GITA.
CHAPTER XI. 5 9
BHAGAVAD GITA.
CHAPTER XI. 1 4
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a flower, a fruit and water as offering. Ka only reaffirms His earlier saying here. The Lord makes every
attempt to stress the importance of purity of mind alone, while seeking Him.
It is not the path that matters, but it is ones faith, perseverance, dedication and religious simplicity that
matters for the Lord. In whatever way He is sought, with utmost sincerity, the seeker gets liberated. It is
only the thought process that matters. Ka further says, all that exists in the universe, arise out of the
union of ketra and ketraja that have been discussed by Him in the earlier verses of this chapter.
Ketra is the field or prakti and ketraja is the knower of the field or purua and their union gives rise to
the phenomenal universe comprising of both animate and inanimate. A person is said to be a Selfrealized person only if he understands His omnipresence. The shell or body undergoes constant
changes. The law of changes and modifications applies only to the external shell forming as a covering
to the soul. The soul within does not undergo changes along with the body, as the soul is beyond
modifications as it is eternal. This can be compared to gold ornaments that have different designs, but
the source of all the ornaments, the gold, always remain the same. A soul or purua is a direct
representative of the Lord. Only the soul infuses the necessary energy to the body to sustain. But at the
same time, without attaining a body, an independent soul cannot function. This is the theory of
interdependency in spirituality.
Ka says that one who understands that the Brahman pervades all the beings, be it animate or
inanimate is truly a realised person. Those who fail to understand this undergo repeated births and
deaths.
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...
MAHA SHODASHI MANTRA
EXPLAINED
Mahoa mantra is
formulated like this. First line:
om - r - hr - kl - ai sauh (
r...
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Purua in a body is the Brahman and is being spoken of as the witness, guide, the sustainer, the
experiencer and the Supreme Self. He, who thus realizes Purua and Prakti along with the three
gua-s are liberated and not to be born again.
After having explained about knowledge and later about the Brahman, Ka now proceeds to explain
the difference between Purua (soul) and Prakti (Nature). The following explanation is based on
Skhya philosophy.
In the creation of God, there are countless souls (Purua-s) that manifest as the living beings. These
souls do not undergo any changes at any point of time. They do not have energy and will and are passive
in nature. Since it is said to be smaller than an atom, it is not visible even under a powerful microscope.
Though clinically the presence of soul has not yet been established, sufficient research is underway to
interpret the phenomenon. As the soul is considered as the divine secret, the ultimate result of any
clinical study is doubtful. However, elaborate non-clinical studies more or less describe the soul in a
unified voice. Soul is considered as the reflection of the transcendental essence of the Brahman. This
goes to prove the statement that souls do not have energy and will of their own. This phenomenon of the
Brahman soul concept can be explained like the moon deriving its light from the sun. The light of the
moon is illusionary making one to believe that the moon has its own light. However, the fact is that it gets
reflected by the light of the sun. Moon is not self illuminating. So, by and large, the soul and the Brahman
are not different, though there are certain subtle differences. Probably, the one main difference is the
karma. The Brahman is not bound by karma, whereas the individual soul is bound by karma-s. There is
another school of thought (The second and most important part of the Mms or third of the three
great divisions of Hindu philosophy called Vednta either as teaching the ultimate scope of the Veda or
simply as explained in the Upaniad-s which come at the end of the Veda), which advocates that the
Brahman takes the form of Purua or the individual soul, enabling the individual beings to act, but
remains unconnected to the actions or to the results of actions.
Purua is the term used by Skhya school of thought (one of the three great divisions of Hindu
philosophy and so called either from, discriminating in general, or, more probably, from reckoning up or
enumerating twenty-five tattva-s twenty three of which are evolved out of Prakiti the primordial essence
or the first-producer viz. buddhi (intellect), ahakra (ego), the five tanmtra-s, the five mahbhta-s (air,
fire, etc)and mind and the twenty fifth being Purua) and tman is the term used by the Vedntic school
of thought. Both these terms refer to the individual soul. The soul continues to exist in a gross body as
long as the body functions. Once the gross body ceases to function after death, the soul also leaves the
body along with pra which is also known as the vital force. The fate of the soul after death is
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determined by the law of karma that remains embedded in the soul, wherever it goes. Karma is like a
voice recorder in an airplane, where in the results of all the actions and thoughts are recorded. If
someone believes that he is doing an action unaware to anybody, he should always bear in mind that his
actions are recorded in his karmic account. It is to be understood that karma is the result of various
decisions made by the mind that ultimately determines the destiny of the soul after death. That is why
pursuing spiritual path and firmly establishing spiritual progress are considered as essential factors in
reducing the impact of karma. Karmic account is not only historical but also contains long forgotten
evolutionary aspects as well. Therefore, ultimately the soul unfolds its actions in a physical body
depending upon its karmic account. In such a situation, the soul does not undergo any change or
modification based on the fact that it is a mere reflection of the Brahman or the Supreme Spirit. The soul
can manifest only if it is associated with Prakti.
The soul or Purua can manifest only if it interacts with Prakti, which is also known as the Nature or
creative self-unfolding act. This interpretation itself will explain the nature of Prakti. It is only the Prakti
that unfolds the act of creation. When the soul is associated with Prakti, the latter unfolds first into the
subtle non-materialistic form and later into the gross form. The gross form can be identified under three
broad classifications such as sthla (gross), skma (subtle), and kraa (casual). A comparison can be
drawn between an automobile tyre and the three types of bodies. An automobile tyre has an outer
portion made up of rubber, beneath that lies the tube that holds the air inside. A car cannot run without
the effective and coordinated functions of all the three. The outer tyre is the gross body, the tube holding
the air is the subtle body and the air that is the inner most and invisible is the casual body. Similarly,
without these three forms, existence is impossible. These bodies, in reality, are the reflections of the
levels of consciousness. The respective bodies can be recognized only if the consciousness level is
modified, refined and purified. Purer is the level of consciousness higher is the level of spirituality and
finer is the type of body. These three types of bodies are the reflections of the Prakti and this reflection
is known as my or illusion.
The gross body reflects the materialistic world, the subtle body reflects the world of vitality and the casual
body reflects the casual world. These three stages are realized in the three states of awake, dream and
deep sleep. The gross and subtle bodies are the effects of the casual body. The basis of these types of
bodies is the casual body, or the casual manifestation of consciousness. In certain schools of thoughts, a
reference to another state called the fourth state or turya state is mentioned. In fact, this turya state is to
be accepted by all. Only in this state, where the consciousness transcends all bodily afflictions gets
purified and becomes fit enough to be called Cit (the Absolute or the foundational consciousness). The
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Self in turya state is the purest form of consciousness. In this stage, the consciousness remains all alone,
without any affiliations.
The Prakti is potentially a powerful tool that binds the soul to manifest in the form of bodies discussed
above, just to manifest and unfold the karma-s embedded in the soul. When the soul is under the lustful
embrace of Prakti, the soul that was part of the Supreme Brahman forgets its own nature, and identifies
itself with ego. The deceptive and illusionary nature of Prakti engulfs the soul with all sorts of addictions,
afflictions and confusions and makes the soul totally discombobulated. This particular stage of the soul is
said to be ignorant or the state of avidy contrary to vidy or knowledge. The pure soul now stands
veiled by the effects of Prakti called my or illusion.
There are three types of gua-s. Gua-s mean qualities or attributes, which form the inherent nature of
prakti. The three gua-s are sattvic or sattva, rajas or rajo and tamas or tamo. In each of these gua-s,
the other two gua-s are also present. Sattva gua is where quality and purity of knowledge attains the
highest level, with the least presence of other two gua-s. This is where spiritual growth begins to bloom.
Rajo gua is predominant when action and passion are predominant. It is associated with earthly plane
and mundane knowledge. It involves higher passions with worldly pursuits. This is where goals are set
and in order to achieve the set goals, attachment, self-conceit, arrogance, unjustness, contempt, slander
and consequent sorrow and miseries are felt. This is the stage where major portion of the karmic
account builds up. Tamo gua is inertia and ignorance. This is associated with much lower planes than
earth. Illusion and ignorance are predominant here. Sluggishness, infatuation, confusion, stupidity,
aversion, recklessness, vulgarity, grief, pain, anxiety, hatred, violence are some of the predominant
qualities of this gua.
Therefore, it is basically the gua that determines the character of a person. A persons character is
determined at the time of birth itself,. If ones karmic account is extremely bad, he will have no liberation
in vicinity and has to undergo repeated transmigrations. Till the entire bad karmic account is exhausted,
he continues to be born to those who are hardcore criminals. One gets confused, whether the person is
a born criminal or a metamorphosed into a criminal. It is neither. It is his karmic account that makes him
to be born in the family of criminals. Karmic account gets embedded as genes at the time of birth. This
also goes to prove the existence of group karma. Group karma is passed on as genetic and hereditary
factors.
Ka says that the one who understands the Lords play gets liberated. Lords play can be realised
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through knowledge and once the knowledge is complete, bliss, realization and liberation follow one after
another paving the way for the final exit of the soul for good.
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or prakti are the same. When the matter and energy merge together, this combined energy merges with
its origin, the pre Big Bang time or pre-cosmic explosion, which is known as the Brahman. Therefore, the
Brahman is not someone who is merely conceptualized, but a reality of existence. For understanding
and knowing this reality, knowledge discussed in previous verses is required.
The Brahman is both Sat and Asat. Sat means existence or real and Asat means non-existence or
unreal. Asat is also known as my or illusion. My is the power of autonomy of the Lord, without which
existence is not possible. Therefore, both Sat and Asat form two different and opposite aspects of the
Brahman and their independent existence forms the essential nature of creation and sustenance. He has
many faces, hands, etc means His subtle and omnipresent existence. He is the cause for senses which
is in accordance with His creative and sustenance abilities. But the Brahman is beyond senses.
Whenever the senses are active, one is bound to have desire, attachments and associated miseries.
But the Lord is beyond all this and obviously, He is beyond sensory afflictions. Though He is the creator
of senses, he merely witnesses sensory afflictions in the minds of the ignorant. Sensory inputs do not
cause any impressions in the mind of the wise. The Lord never interferes with unfoldment of ones
karmic law and He merely witnesses the karmic law taking its own course in all the beings. He neither
takes pity on those who suffer not gets elated when others seek Him with staunch mind and dedication
by totally ceding their ego. Irrespective of ones knowledge, He continues to sustain everyone by His
automated mechanisms. For example, the same is air inhaled by both by ignorant and wise. As an
embodiment of compassions, the Lord never discriminates.
When evolution of a being takes place, one of the three gua-s become predominant. Gua-s are
constituents of Prakiti viz. sattva, rajas, and tamas or goodness, passion, and darkness. Though these
gua-s originate from Him, He is not affected by gua-s. This is in confirmation of the principle that the
Lord remains immutable under all circumstances. If He becomes mutable, in the whole of universe, only
confusion and disorderliness alone will prevail. Consequent upon His omnipresent and subtle nature, He
prevails both inside and outside of all beings. Realizing Him within is Self-realization and worshipping
Him as different from ones self, thereby creating a distance with Him, is ritualistic form of worship. The
former is the expression of love for Him and the latter is expression of obeisance. Obviously, lover is
more powerful than obeisance. The Lord is always an embodiment of love and compassion. He does
not want to be treated as a stranger. He is always ready to be a friend, philosopher and guide. Ka
assumes all these roles for the sake of Arjuna.
All the existences are nothing but the reflections of the Lord. The beings are perceived as different from
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the Lord due to His illusionary aspect, which is also known as my. When one is able to transcend
my, he realizes the Self-illuminating Brahman. Transcending my is nothing but looking beyond the
beings, their source of origin. Men get deluded by His magic power of my. My is a gauging
instrument in the hands of the Lord, to test ones true spiritual aspirations. If one decides to transcend
my, he has to have perseverance, dedication, unfaltering faith, ability to sacrifice, etc. If one lacks in
any of these primary qualities, he cannot understand the true nature of my, to transcend it. Everything
and everyone originates from Him and ultimately dissolves into Him to reappear again due to His
compassion. This primordial energy, which we call as the Lord of the Brahman, is the source of light.
Brahman alone is Self-illuminating and all other luminaries derive their light from Him only. For example,
the sun draws only a miniscule of His light to sustain our galaxy. Light is always associated with
spirituality as a sincere practitioner is able to realise Him only as Effulgence. If someone is a Selfrealized person, he is also known as an illuminated person. The ultimate end of spiritual path is
illumination, when one leaves behind the darkness of materialistic life.
Knowledge is yet another factor in realizing the Brahman. This knowledge can be attained only through
personal experience. Study of scriptures and listening to lectures alone do not help. They are
undoubtedly the source of knowledge without which, Brahman cannot be understood. Brahman is the
embodiment of knowledge and in fact He is the embodiment of anything that exists. When a person
makes sincere efforts to realize Him, it means the aspirant is moving closer to Him. When the aspirant
moves closer to Him, he automatically derives His qualities. It is like walking towards the other end of the
tunnel, where the rays of light begin to fall on him. Realizing this illuminating Self is attainment of
knowledge. This knowledge alone leads a person to look for Him within. A person who is devoid of this
knowledge continues to search Him in far-off places, wasting his precious time. Spiritual ignorance is
the cause for looking for Him by wasting ones energy, time and money. He is available for free to
everyone and at all the time. He is majestically seated in the heart of all beings, always laughing and just
enjoying the egoistic actions of everyone. He laughs at the ignorance of men for unlawfully taking credit
for the actions executed by them, the source of which is the Lord, who is seated in their hearts.
Ka concludes this section by saying that the above discussion constitutes the true spiritual wisdom
and the one who acquires this Supreme wisdom merges with Him forever, not to be born again.
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SHIVA SUTRAS
V RAVI
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Simplicity, sincerity and non-violence, patience; uprightness which arises out of conducting oneself in
righteous manner; service to ones spiritual preceptor this does not merely mean assisting him in all
his religious activities. Being inattentive to the teaching of guru, unnecessary questions to guru,
unnecessary and unwarranted wastage of his time during assembly, etc are considered as disservice to
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ones guru. Purity of mind and body produces more positive energy within. When the mind is clouded
with too many thoughts and their consequent impressions in the mind, the mind becomes compressed,
leaving no room for generation of spiritual energy. The Lords playground is the mind. When it is fully
afflicted, the Lord would never like to be present there. The Lord is the symbol of utmost purity. Two
opposite poles cannot join together, hence the purity of the Lord and impurity of the mind cannot exist
together. Steadfastness is nothing but the inner resolutions made in the mind. Firmness, determination,
faith and repeated positive affirmations are capable of leading a person to the ultimate goal of liberation.
When a goal is set, one may have to face innumerable hurdles in order to achieve the goal. Without
mental stamina, willpower and optimism, it is difficult to cross testing times and hurdles.
Renunciation is spoken of as another important aspect of attaining the Lord. If one is attached to his
family, the primary concern would be their interest in his mind, forcing the eternal connectivity with the
Lord to be relegated to the second place. In the case of such attachments, the tendency is to show
concern for them as they are before him in flesh and blood. On the contrary, though he has understood
that the Lord can be attained only by submerging in His thoughts all the time, not giving rise to any
secondary thought process, in reality the aspirant inherently thinks about something that is before him in
flesh and blood.
Renunciation of sensory objects is the toughest challenge which ultimately may not even be possible.
Vision, sound, smell, taste and touch consume major part of ones life. The lush greenery, the rising sun,
the smell of the rain, etc are bound to affect ones mind as the respective sensory organs provide them
to the brain and this natural process cannot be stopped. There is no other way except to live amidst
Nature. What the Lord says here that one should not get attached to the sensory inputs. One can
continue to see the beauty of the Nature, but one should not get attached to it. Whether it rains or shines,
one should not change his mind-set. One has to consider the sensory organs as the Lords gift and
should use them only for realizing the Lord. It is possible to turn the sensory organs to look within. For
example, listening to the subtle sound that emanates within, the vision through third eye, taste of the
ambrosia, etc.
One should ask within who am I? Until one gets an answer for this question, one should continue to ask
this question. This is what is known as internal search or internal exploration. This happens as a
consequence of turning the sensory organs to look within. When one begins to ask this question to
himself, it implies that he is becoming devoid of egotism. If he is an egocentric person, he will not raise
this question and instead say I am.
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Pains and pleasures of life are realised only through mind. Having born, one has to undergo both
pleasures and pains. There are two factors that cause pleasure or pain. The foremost among them is
ones thought and the second one is his karma, the former leading to the latter. These pleasures and
pains are inherent in a birth. There is none who is devoid of these dyads. Elation at the time of pleasure
and dejection at the time of pain is a normal human process. If one develops a stable mind, he becomes
devoid of emotional swings. Pleasure and pain directly influence the mind and if ones mind is fully
occupied by the Lord, where He alone plays, inputs of pleasure and pain cannot be passed on to the
mind, as the mind is preoccupied. When the whole mind is filled with Lord Consciousness, there is no
place in the mind for other thoughts to get generated.
Devotion is the foundation for higher spiritual practices. When devotion turns into love for Him, the actual
spiritual practice begins. To consolidate his love for the Lord, he has to continue the rest of his life in
solitude. Isolation from the humdrum of life enables the mind to have better focus on the Lord. The level
of concentration is very important to realise Him. When one continues to live a worldly life, his mind gets
preoccupied on commitments as a result of which, the perpetual connection with the Lord is lost. In
social gatherings and religious festivities, absolute joy prevails, where everyones mood is highly
charged with emotions and sentiments, which do not have a place in spiritual pursuit. When one
partakes in such occasions, the lingering moments of joy lasts for a long time and it is difficult for the
mind to get restored to its original sheen. During this interim period, the connection with the Lord also
gets depleted to a great extent. With a weaker connection with the Lord, the mind becomes susceptible
to sensory afflictions, because of its inherent nature.
Ka subtly conveys through these verses, that He can be realized only through ones mind, when the
mind is isolated from other activities. In the present scenario, the teaching of Ka is equally relevant, if
viewed from the angle of mind alone. If one has the capacity to control the mind and isolate it, realization
of the Self is sure to happen. However, this becomes possible only when one has developed a
tremendous willpower, determination and dedication and supplemented with longer durations of
practice. The ultimate result of all this is the pure knowledge, by which alone, the Lord can be realized. It
is also to be understood from Kas sayings, that one should mentally explore the all pervading Lord
within and not otherwise.
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LALITA SAHASRANAMA
V RAVI
The concept of ketra and ketraja has been explained differently by sages.
This has also been explained by different Vedic verses. Brahmastra-s have
conclusive proved this with logical reasoning. The five elements, the ego, the
intellect, Unmanifest, organs of perception, organs of action, the mind and the five
underlying subtle elements (tanmtra-s), desire, aversion, pleasure, pain, the
gross body, consciousness, tenaciousness....
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Ka says that sages have explained about ketra and ketraja in different ways.
The fundamental principles of these two however do not change. Gabriel Pradpaka
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has explained this as Ketraja literally means knower (ja) of the field (ketra),
i.e. the individual soul. It is not wisdom except in a symbolic way. This has also been explained through
Veda-s and their denotations, the Upaniad-s. In fact, the entire Upaniad-s are nothing but the
compendium of teachings of knowing the Brahman. Upaniad-s are the source of acquiring the pure
knowledge to pursue the spiritual path with confidence. Though different Upaniad-s advocate different
paths, ultimately, they all explain the formless nature of the Brahman. Bhagavad Gita unravels the
Brahman, through different paths and hence Gita is also considered as an Upaniad. What Ka says
is that understanding of ketra and ketraja are absolutely essential for realising the Self and hence,
these have been praised by the sages and saints through Vedic hymns and elucidated through
Upaniad-s.
Ka, apart from referring to Veda-s and Upaniad-s, also refers to Brahmastra-s. There are three
texts available to the students of Vednta. They are Upaniad-s, Bhagavad Gta and Brahmastra-s. The
last one, the Brahmastra-s was scripted by Bdranrayaa in 555 aphorisms. This ancient scripture
explains in detail about the Brahman and the means to realise Him. This is one of the authentic texts with
exhaustive analysis about Self-realization.
Now Ka proceeds to explain about the Brahman through the next few verses. The five elements are
ka (ether), air, fire, water and earth. Ka calls them as the great elements. Ka begins with these
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five elements as they form the basis of creation. These five elements and their modifications, both gross
and subtle along with internal tools cause a creation. The five basic elements give rise to organs of
perception (jnendriya-s: ears, skin, eyes, tongue and nose), organs of action (karmendirya-s: mouth,
feet, hands, organ of excretion and organ of procreation), cognitive faculties (tanmtra-s: sound, touch,
sight, taste and smell) and action faculties (speech, movement, holding, evacuation and reproduction).
Thus, twenty principles arise out of the five great elements or basic elements. These twenty principles
along with mind, intellect, consciousness and ego give rise twenty four principles that are generally
discussed in creation, particularly in Skhya philosophy (discussed in chapter II of Bhagavad Gita).
Ka chooses to refer to these twenty four principles while expounding creation.
Ego is the worst enemy to Self-realization. Ego is primarily responsible for functioning of gross body and
mind. Ego is the cause I ness. Ego is the deterrent factor to accept the Lord as the creator and the
sustainer. An egoistic mind thinks only about the self and self alone. Ego is to be surrendered to the Lord
for knowing the Self. With egoistic mind, the Lord can never be realised. As already discussed in the
previous chapters, there should not be any secondary thought process in the mind to realise the
Brahman and the ego is the deterrent factor to achieve this goal.
Intellect is the result of ones knowledge and ability. Without intellect one cannot differentiate between the
real and unreal. It is the cause for discrimination. Intellect is a vital component in realizing the Self within.
Only intellect is capable of informing the mind about the Self and enables the mind to pursue the spiritual
path to its logical conclusion. In this context, intellect refers to the capacity to discriminate between the
perishable and the Imperishable.
Unmanifest is also known as avyakta. Prakti in its unmanifested form is avyakta, where, all the three
gua-s lie in equal proportion. It is the first stage of the Brahman that cannot be explained. Brahmastra
(III.ii.23) explains this by saying, that Brahman is unmanifest.
Ka then proceeds to discuss on desire, aversion, pleasure, pain, the gross body, consciousness and
tenaciousness through verses. Desire is the root cause of all the pains as one continues to remain
unsatisfied, as desire is an addiction and longs for more and more. Behind every movement, there is
desire. Desire causes lasting impressions in the mind and prevents the mind from exploring the Self
within. These impressions become so powerful over a period of time and enter the subconscious mind.
When the subconscious mind is affected with impressions, it is staggeringly difficult to come out of its
clutches and the man begins to sink like a ship in the deep sea, without recourse to endurance. Desire,
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beyond ones capacity is all the more dangerous, which induces a person to satiate his desire even by
foul means. This is where the crimes originate.
Like and dislike is another factor that affects the mind and cause significant impact in life. It leads to
hatred and antagonism that affect the mental peace. Pleasure and pain is primarily responsible for
subversion of otherwise a peaceful mind. When there is pleasure, there is bound to be pain and this
alternates in ones life. Pleasure leads to addiction and pain leads to frustration. Addiction and
frustration cannot keep the mind in equanimity. Without a calm mind, spiritual pursuit is impossible.
The gross body arises out of conjugation of soul with nature, also known as prakti. Consciousness is the
essential factor of creation. Consciousness with its infinite potency manifests as matter. According to Dr.
David R. Hawkins, the important statement about the infinite field of consciousness is that it represents
the Absolute by which all else can be calibrated as to degrees of being relative to it. The Self, indicative
of the presence of the Divine as immanent, is sometimes referred to in classical literature, as Universal
Mind. By transcendence, the ego-self is replaced by the non-ego Self. This phenomenon has been
traditionally termed Enlightenment.
Tenaciousness is explained further in later chapters. Tenaciousness is another modification of the mind
depending upon the evolution and predominance of a particular type of gua in a person. Ka
continues to explain Creation in the next few verses.
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Purua continues to be a witness, comfortably seated within, watching the activities of the body and
consequent accrual of karmas arising out ignorance and ego. As long as one does not realise the
Brahman, one continues to be bound by duality and bondage. Knowledge does not actually modify an
object. It only removes the ignorance relating to that object. Realization of the Brahman alone leads to
becoming Brahman.
Ka says that one who understands this process of creation and evolution is ketraja, who is nothing
but the Lord Himself. Understanding this process is also known as wisdom, which leads to realising the
Self. With these preliminaries, Ka now proceeds to go into the details.
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equal and he always comes forward to help those, who are in distress. His heart is filled with
compassion and kindness. During his normal actions, someone could appreciate him and someone
else could disgrace him. He will not be enthralled by those appreciative words and he will not be
disgraced by anguishing words. This is because he has surrendered his ego to the Lord. He has no I
consciousness. Further, his equalitarian attitude does differentiate organisms as friends or foes. His
mind has undergone complete transformation, as s result of which he does not think about any dyads.
The calmness of the mind is directly related to slow breathing. If ones mind is agitated, one can observe
that his breathing becomes faster. A person who has destroyed I me mine is absolved of fear. Fear
is yet another factor that affects the mind. It is said, be not afraid of the universe. As long I ness
prevails, fear also prevails.
Yet another factor of the mind is silence. It is said that silence is golden. Spiritual illumination occurs only
when one is able to feel the pure awareness of stillness and vastness of the Supreme Silence. During
the period of silence, ones perception gets transformed and his mind gets cleansed and he becomes
gradually aware of the inner transformation that unfolds intimately and empathetically. It is said that all
final spiritual reference is to the silence beyond sound...It can be spoken of as the great silence, or as
the void, or as the transcendent absolute. The inner silence automatically happens during intent
meditation. During the inner silence, the aspirant finds his mind and body wiped out of existence and he
becomes awakened.
When one gives importance to I me mine, the quality of the ownership also prevails. This is home is
mine, this is my car, this land belongs to me, that property is mine, etc. are the resultant factors of
ownership. Once a property is owned, the human tendency is to multiply it. Then the mind becomes
seriously engaged in planning and gives no room for spiritual aspiration. A true spiritual aspirant does
not need a place of his own. He becomes a vagrant going from one place to another. Spirituality does
not exist in palatial places, lawns and grounds. Spirituality does not exist in huge gatherings. Spirituality
does not exist in dance and music. Spirituality exists within, that can be realised in a few minutes of
solitude and silence. Spirituality does not exist in a group of minds, but in an isolated mind. Spirituality
cannot be bought or sold. It is not a commercial venture. Spirituality is a benevolent attitude, where ones
purified consciousness alone should rule.
Ka completes this chapter by saying that one should repose complete faith in Him. One should not be
concerned with the fruits of his actions, as the fruits of actions are surrendered to the Lord. The Lord
says that true devotees are very dear to Him. Concern to fruits of actions gives rise to egoism
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selfishness. This chapter exclusively deals with the purification of mind, where true devotion begins to
dawn. It is up to the aspirant to follow the spiritual path to its logical conclusion, the final liberation. All the
pleasures of the body are only temporary. The ignorant ones indulge in all sorts of evil thoughts and
actions as a result of which they are not able to redeem themselves from the pains of transmigration.
CHAPTER XII OF BHAGAVAD GITA IS CONCLUDED
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LALITA SAHASRANAMA
V RAVI
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He who does not hate anyone, who is friendly and compassionate to all, who
does not change with pleasure or pain, who is forgiving by nature, who always
remains contended, who has mentally united with Me, who has subdued his mind,
senses and body, who has a firm resolve and has surrendered his mind and
reasoning to Me, who always stays calm and unconcerned with circumstances,
who is devoid of fear, who needs nothing, who is pure in thoughts and actions, who
is devoid of distractions, who is devoid of egoistic attitude, that devotee is dear to
Me.
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Emotion is the root cause for bondage and attachments. Pleasures and pains are parts of ones life.
Everyone has his own tales of pleasures and pains. If one changes his mental outlook according to the
circumstances he is in, it is a clear sign of mental perturbation. A perturbed person can never
concentrate. For him, the mind swing is high leading to lack of concentration. Another fact is desire or
wants. If one develops desire, it is very difficult to come out of it. First, the mind will aim for a single
object. When he gets that object it will look for another. If he is not able to get what he has desired, it
leads to anger and frustration. Beyond a point, he may not be able to withhold his anger. When the
threshold limit is crossed, his mind becomes totally out of control and paves the way for his downfall. The
union with the Lord is possible only if the mind is calm. Agitated mind can never attain spiritual
perfection. Therefore, subjugation of the mind is important, as every thought originates in the mind. If the
mind is turbulent, it smites the senses directly prompting the person to indulge in evil activities. Mind is
the ultimate cause to control senses and the body. Throughout Bhagavad Gita, Ka repeatedly talks
about the mind, as the whole of spirituality happens only in the arena of mind.
Another requirement in spirituality is positive affirmation. Repeated positive affirmations lead to firming
up of resolutions. Since the concept of surrender has to happen through the mind, repeated positive
affirmations make things happen. That is why, Ka wants minds of His devotees to be surrendered to
Him. If surrender is made in true sense, the Lord will ensure that His devotees minds do not waver. True
surrender means surrendering ones intellect also to the Lord. After surrender is complete in all respects,
one does not need to think about anyone else apart from the Lord. Whatever the actions a surrendered
devotee performs, the results go to the Lord. Fruits of actions accrue, only if ego prevails. Obviously, ego
cannot exist in such devotees, because he does not have any room in the mind to think about anything
else apart from the Lord. His entire mind is pervaded by the Lord and Lord alone.
Pleasures and pains are part of ones life, which is determined by ones own actions. Whatever is sown
today is reaped tomorrow, is the principle of karmic theory. When one surrenders to the Lord
consciously, he is not bound by karmas. Pleasures and pains are only for the body. When mind is
imbibed with the thought of Lord, mind cannot entertain either pleasure or pain. Such a person
experiences both happiness and sadness without differentiation. Happiness and sadness arise only if
one gets attached to the fruits of his actions. Further, his mind is not with him as he has already
surrendered his mind to the Lord who is beyond all the dyads. Such a person does not fear for anything
or anybody. The qualities of the Lord have already pervaded him. He is like the Lord, but not the Lord.
iva Stra describes this state of the aspirant as he appears like iva. For him, there are no
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requirements, as he remains in the state of perpetual bliss. Such a person cannot think abominably, as
he has surrendered his free will to the Lord. For him, there is no distraction of mind, as his mind is not
with him; it is with the Lord.
Ka says such a person, who has truly surrendered unto Him, is very dear to Him. Who will not love this
person who always helps others, does good to others, does not require anything for him, compassionate
and cheerful all the time? After all, the Lord is the embodiment of all these qualities.
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his spiritual journey, the aspirant puts in his best efforts as a result of which he moves closer to the Lord,
in stages. When someone is closer to the Lord, naturally, His qualities begin to dominate in him. This
can be explained as the difference in temperature at the base of a mountain and its peak at a high
altitude. When one approaches the peak, he begins to feel the biting cold that prevails at the peak. In the
same way, one begins to feel the effulgence of the Lord, when he moves closer to Him. At this point, an
unsteady aspirant becomes deluded by the subtle changes that takes place in him and fails to pursue
the path to its logical conclusion. He pulls himself backwards, becomes more egocentric, misguides the
society and ultimately ends up in catastrophe. Surrender is not a ritual, but a contemplation that has to
happen in a serene mind. Ritualistic surrender is only a formality and could possibly infuse the concept of
surrender in ones mind. It is also wrong to say that one should not continue with his routine life after
surrendering to the Lord. After surrender, any action performed by the aspirant becomes the act of the
Lord as a result of which he is not affected by karma. Probably, this saying of Ka also conveys that
karma is the criteria to decide on ones liberation. The results of surrender is closeness to the Lord that
ultimately leads to an understanding that the aspirant is nothing but a tool in the hands of the Lord. The
purpose of surrender can be explained as a process to transcend the innate evolutionary limitations of
ego. The end result of surrender may seem to be slow, but the endeavour of the thought process never
becomes futile.
Surrender is a precondition to renunciation. In fact, renunciation begins when the concept of surrender is
perfected. Most of the times, renunciation is an automatic evolution of surrender. Most of the aspirants
are always under confusion whether to follow this process or that process. They switch from one spiritual
preceptor to another. They tend to believe that whoever draws a better crowd is the best spiritual master.
An unstable mind is an indication of lack of self-confidence and faith. Wandering mind can never pursue
the right spiritual path. With an unstable mind, proper meditation cannot be pursued. Without a proper
meditation, the concept of renunciation will not be complete as meditation leads to proper inner
exploration. If everything is renounced, nothing is left for egotism. The proper way to liberation is
knowledge, meditation and renunciation one after another. If the aim for liberation is true and conclusive,
one has to be a patient and be a silent observer, as the eternal peace is the logical derivative of this
process, which ultimately leads to bliss and the ultimate liberation.
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enough to understand this difference as Infinite is not objective and cannot be seen. To understand the
Infinite and subtle, one needs to have knowledge much beyond the ordinary perception. This Supreme
knowledge is called intellect. Intellect has the capacity to discriminate between the Lord and His my.
My is also Lords play and He uses this tool to evaluate a person. Intellect also manifests faith, which
is yet another tool for Realization. If one is not able to fix his mind on the Lord all the time, the Lord says
that this can be surely achieved by persistent practice. Practice always leads to perfection.
Ka says that path pursued is not important, but the goal is important. The path may be devotion,
austerities, meditation, etc, but ultimately the aim of an aspirant is to get liberated by merging with the
Brahman. Liberation is important, because the existence is always painful.
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something by which one keeps distance from the Lord. The love for the Lord has to blossom within the
heart and mind leading to perpetual thought about the Lord. There are instances where devotees drape
winter clothing to the idols of the Lord, thinking that the biting cold could affect the Lord. Their mind is so
engrossed with the Lord as a result of which they tend to forget that the Lord is beyond all this. This is a
typical case of devotion, transforming into love. The other option is to control the mind and meditate on
the formless Brahman. This is more difficult than the path of devotion, primarily because one is going to
visualize the formless form. One needs to have a thoroughly cleansed mind that is devoid of any
secondary thought processes. The inherent nature of the mind is to go after the senses and one has to
have strong will power to subdue the mind.
In both the paths, one has to surely tread the spiritual path with utmost care. The main drawback while
pursuing the path of simple devotion is its wrong understanding. It is not spending only a limited time
before the form of the Lord and during rest of the time never even think about Him. This is not considered
as devotion but a routine ritual for the sake of it and does not serve any useful purpose. Ka had
already said in the previous chapters, that what He needs is only pure devotion. He is not concerned with
materialistic offerings.
Between the two options to worship the Lord in a manifested form with steadfast mind and faith and
the second one is to meditate on the Lord as Unmanifest. In the second option, apart from faith and
steadfast mind, one needs to have absolute self-control, treating everyone alike, and concern for all the
beings. In the second option, ones wisdom and intellect play an important role in realization. This is
because one needs to have firm faith and understanding of the omnipresence nature of the Brahman.
When the Brahman exists everywhere, why search for Him elsewhere, when one can explore Him within
own self. Ka says that mere devotion with steadfast mind is sufficient to attain Him, than fighting
against the inherent nature of the mind. Ka also says that as long as one attaches importance to his
physical body, he may not be able to attain the Lord that easily, basically because his mind is also
concerned with his body. His mind gives rise to secondary thought process. The Lord alone does not
occupy this mind, but also his body, thereby making the realization process complicated.
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Kundalini Unravelled
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Sajaya said, Having spoken to Arjuna thus, Vsudeva (Ka) showed Arjuna,
His gentle form and consoled the frightened Arjuna.
Arjuna said, Ka, seeing You in this gentle form, I have regained my composure.
Ka said, The form of Mine that you are seeing now (Viu form) is extremely difficult to see and
even gods are longing to see this form. Neither study of Veda-s, nor penance, charity, and rituals will
help in seeing this form of Mine. Only by single-minded devotion, I can be seen in this form and even
merge into My form. The one who performs all his duties for My sake, absolutely depending upon Me,
devoted to Me, free from attachments, free from maliciousness attains Me.
The Brahman cannot be attained by study of Veda-s. The essence of Veda-s is highly disguised and
extremely difficult for normal human understanding. Upanishads (Upaniad-s) play a vital role in making
a person to understand about the Brahman. Upaniad-s are explained as setting at rest ignorance, by
revealing the knowledge of the Brahman. Even Upaniad-s can only impart knowledge about the
Brahman but, they by themselves cannot reveal the Brahman. Even ones spiritual preceptor cannot
show the Brahman. It is only the mind of the aspirant that can realise the Brahman. Brahman can be seen
only by the spiritual eye and not by the biological eyes. Rituals and gifts and charities are introduced in
later times only to develop positive attitude. They do not mean anything beyond laying the most needed
strong spiritual foundation. It is essential to have a purified mind. If the mind is afflicted, it originates
different thoughts. Mind by nature cannot be made without thoughts. Whatever one thinks, let that thinking
be about the Lord. If thought of the Lord is made perpetual, the ego gets dissolved. This is called
devotion. This is the love for the Lord. Even astral beings are deluded by my. The cosmic form of the
Lord is nothing but my of the Lord. With His my form, the Lord loves to play with His devotees. A
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Lord is nothing but my of the Lord. With His my form, the Lord loves to play with His devotees. A
typical example of the Lords play is cowherdesses of Vindvana, companions of Ka's juvenile
sports.
Bhagavad Gita is the only treatise where the Lord Himself criticises unfounded rituals. Rituals beyond
ones capacity begin to cause negative impact on the aspirant. Rituals have too many rules and
regulations that are to be strictly adhered. Rituals cannot be simplified and modified so as to suit to
modern times. At the same time, rituals are not a precondition to know the Brahman. Some aspirants
become ritual addicts. They will not be able to even begin their spiritual journey. Without traversing the
spiritual path, liberation cannot be attained. Brahman can be realised both in comfort and in discomfort.
It is not the place and mantra that matters in spirituality. Primarily it is the knowledge that is important
followed by ones ability to purify his mind. Ka says that not only one can envision His auspicious
form, but also merge into it. Vision of the Divine is a myth, whereas envision of the Divine is a reality.
The whole of chapter XI is be looked as the Lords play, also an indirect reference to the doctrine of
analogy. Ka tests Arjunas capabilities by roasting him in His fire of my. The test is a prelude to
what Ka is going to say to Arjuna in the closing chapters of Bhagavad Gita. As Arjuna is a seasoned
student of Ka, he was able to pass the test. Arjuna remained un-afflicted by the cosmic form of the
Lord, though he was afraid and recovered later and Ka therefore decides to impart the ultimate
knowledge through the closing chapters of this timeless epic.
THE END OF CHAPTER XI
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of time, Arjuna had the opportunity to have Vivarpa darana of the Lord. This had become possible for
Arjuna because of his unshakable faith in the Lord as his spiritual master. Even a perfected student like
Arjuna could not withstand the grandeur of effulgence of the Lord, nothing need to be said about other
aspirants. The blinding effulgence of the Lord can never be seen directly through biological eyes. That is
why scriptures never talked about appearance of the Lord in His primordial Self illuminating form. Even
for Arjuna, the Lord did not show His Self illuminating form. Vivarpa form of the Lord is basically His
mighty my form. Had Ka chosen to reveal His Self radiating form, the whole world would have been
burnt to ashes.
Arjuna was so scared of the cosmic form of the Lord, he pleads with the Lord to appear in His original
Viu form. The form of Viu is always considered very auspicious. After witnessing the cosmic form of
Ka, Arjuna longs to see the auspicious form of the Lord, with which he is very familiar. Arjuna knows
pretty well, that if he continues to have this kind of mind set, he cannot win the battle. Arjuna wanted a
calm mind to win the battle. An agitated mind never offers solution and on the contrary gives more
trouble, as an agitated mind loses its capacity to think properly to arrive at the correct decision.
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planes. When one goes still further, one day of earth could be one minute and one second, etc. Only the
Lord is beyond time. Those who are bonded by time are bound to die at some point of time. That is why,
scriptures determine the time period even for the creator god, Brahm. Only the Brahman alone is
beyond time, as time also, like the rest, originates from Him. Brahman is the Reality that cannot be
controlled by anything else, basically because, everything else only originates from Him and sustained by
Him. Brahman is called compassionate because, He not only creates, but also sustains what is created
by Him. He sustains all His creations with great love and care. If His love is reciprocated, the award is
liberation.
The next statement of Ka is very significant. Arjuna while witnessing the cosmic form of the Lord had
said that he saw his spiritual masters and preceptors entering into the ghastly mouth of the Lord with
their cadavers. What Arjuna saw inside the cosmic form of the Lord was the omen of death of these
warriors. Therefore, it implies that the Lord is aware of what is in store for the future of every single
being. It also means that the Lord is so compassionate by taking care of every single individual. The
Lord makes a reference to only four of the warriors, who are closely associated with Arjuna. Ka says
that the time had come to end the lives of the four along with many other soldiers who took part in the
battle. Arjuna is being used by the Lord only as a tool to slain them. If it was not Arjuna, the Lord would
have used someone else in his place. Their life span will not cross that particular time limit, irrespective
of who is going to slain them. In a war like situations, for example floods, volcanoes, draught, etc we see
many people die at the same time. When many are killed at the same time, not only their individual
karma-s manifest, but their group karma-s also manifest in causing huge causalities. Arjuna was not
aware of these facts at that time, as Ka had not told Arjuna all this in detail before unraveling His
cosmic form.
Since the time to shed their gross bodies had already matured for these warriors, Ka says that
Arjunas karmic account will not affected by killing his preceptors, gurus, relatives, etc. It is always
considered that killing ones own guru attracts the severest punishment under karmic law. Ka says
that Arjuna is not going to kill them in this battle, as their time of death has already been decided by their
karmic account and at the appointed time they have to necessarily die. Hence it is believed that the Lord
acts through someone to execute all His acts. On the other hand, if Arjuna takes credit for killing his
masters and relatives, he will be bound by karma, as he takes unlawful credit. All the credit should go to
the Brahman is one of the foundational principles of spirituality.
Jayadratha was married to the only daughter of Dhtarra. The latters sons were engaged in the battle
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with Arjuna and his brothers. Jayadratha kidnapped their wife, when Arjuna and his brothers were away.
However, she was safely rescued and as a punishment, he was tonsured and let out with a stern warning
by Pava brothers.
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eyes, I am frightened, lost my self-control and find neither peace nor courage. Your faces are
frightening because of the teeth that flare like fire at the time of annihilation of the universe. I am
totally confused and find no solace. Please be kind to me, O, Lord of gods.
All those sons of Dhrtarra3 along with some other kings are entering You. Bhma, Droa and
Kara4 with many other warriors on our side also rushing headlong into Your dreadful mouth. Some
got struck between the gaps of Your teeth and were crushed. Like rivers entering sea, these warriors
enter your flaming mouth. Like moths rushing towards flame and get themselves burnt to death, these
people enter your mouth and get destroyed. You consume all beings with Your fierce mouths,
encasing the entire universe within your splendid effulgence.
Lord, tell me who You are with such a terrible form? I offer my obeisance to you; be kind to me. I am
eager to know You, but, I am unable to comprehend Your actions.
The whole narration of Arjuna is self explanatory.
1
Sdhya-s: They were twelve in number and were born to Dakas daughter Sdhya, the consort of
Dharma. The names of Sdhya-s differ between pura-s. Commonly known names are Manas,
Anumant, Pra, Nara, Apna, Bhakti, Bhaya, Anagha, Hasa, Nryaa, Vibhu and Prabhu.
2
Vivedeva-s: They were ten in number and were born to Dakas daughter Viva, wife of Dharma.
Their names differ according to Manvantra-s. Sometimes Vivedeva-s is used to mean all the gods.
According to Manu, offerings should be made to them daily - these privileges having been bestowed on
them by Brahm and the Piti-s, as a reward for severe austerities they had performed on the Himlaya.
3
Dhrtarra: The blind king of Hastinapura and their hundred sons are known as Kuru-s, against whom,
the battle is waged by Arjuna. Please refer chapter I for more details.
4 Bhma,
Droa and Kara: The patriarch Bhma and the master Droa are the common preceptors of
both Pava-s and Kaurava-s. These two were the greatest warriors on Kauravas side. Kara is the
elder brother of Pu princes (Arjuna and his brothers), being the son of the god Srya by Pith or
Kunt, before her marriage with Pu. Afraid of the censure of her relatives, Kunt deserted the child and
put it in the river, where it was found by a charioteer named Adhiratha and nurtured by his wife Rdha.
Hence Kara is sometimes called Staputra or Staja, sometimes Rdheya, though named by his foster
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parents Vasuea.
When Arjuna sees in the cosmic form of the Lord, the entry of these men headlong, it is meant to mean
the entry of their dead bodies into the Lord. This also means that what is to happen in future is already
stored within the Lord. When Arjuan says that he has seen ancestors within the Lord, it means that the
past is also within the Lord. It is also important to note that everything happens within the cosmic form of
the Lord and no action takes place and nothing exists outside His cosmic form. The whole of creation,
sustenance and dissolution and the three factors of time, past, present and future also happen within His
cosmic form. The Brahman or the Lord encompasses the entire universe.
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