SIKSHAVALLI 4th ANUVAKA

                                                                                                                                            

                                                                     

Mantra: yas chandasa mrishabho viswarupaha….

After prescribing in the first two anuvakas santhi and siksha respectively, the  preceptor  presents the mantras to be recited by the medhakama—the aspirant of medha or buddhi. The mantras for srikama or the aspirant for wealth are also described. These mantras have to be recited while performing homas. This anuvaka is in praise of “ Pranava” which is the quintessence of the three Vedas.

The gist of the mantras: Let this Pranava which is the form of Paameswara make me medhavanta- full of buddhi! “O Pranava! Let me absorb Brahma Jnana which is ‘ Amruta Swarupa’ the form of divine nector!”

Where is the need for prayer for medha? Unless one is blessed with buddhi he cannot assimilate what the teacher has taught. Brahma Jnana cannot occur without the assimilation of the teachings of the preceptor. Therefore the mantras for medhakama are totally relevant.

    “ Let my body be hale and healthy! Let my tongue speak sweetly! Let my ears be sound enough to hear clearly! O Pranava! You reside in the sheath of Parabrahma.” In other words common folk cannot understand the importance of Pranava. As such kindly protect the knowledge of the atma gained through my hearing. Protect me from being affected adversely by emotion, vengeance or by forgetfulness of the essence of teachings.

Comments: If the body is not hale and healthy it will be unfit for attending classes and lectures. If the tongue is harsh it will induce the preceptor too to be harsh. Jnanopadesa too will be affected. If the ears are affected you cannot hear properly. In short, all the organs of the body should function with absolute perfection. These two mantras should be recited by medhakama as well as deharogya kama-one who desires wellness of the body. Prosperity without medha will end in extravagance and evil ways. So riches should be granted only after granting medha. Without riches sacrifices and yagas required for purification of heart will not be possible Therefore the prayer is to bless one with medha first and riches and prosperity next.

 Next, the mantras for homa to be recited by srikama are presented: Meaning: O Pranava! After blessing me with medha and sound body, bless me with food and drink, cows and clothing and multiply them and let them remain for long time. Let celibate aspirants for  education  come seeking me. Let them come for knowledge leading to Swarga as also moksha. Let me have a congregation of people. Let me be renowned and respected more than the mighty and the rich. Then the preceptor pleads for unity with Omkara. “ O worshipful Pranava! I enter into you who shines  as the sheath of Parabrahma! You shall also enter into me. Let the ignorance of people who think both of us are separate and different be totally rooted out. O Pranava! You are like the neighbouring house for those who chant your name repeatedly and always.

The aim of speaking about Srikama in the vidyaprakarana is only to stress on money or riches. They are intended for actions ordained by the Sasthras. These vihita  karmas shall wash off sins accrued already. After the sins are washed off there will be occasion for the arrival of Jnana according to sri Adi Sankaracharya.

“ Jnana muthpadyathe pumsam kshayath papasya karmanaha” (Mahabharatha Mokshaprva—204-8) 

TAITTIRIYA UPANISHAD----SIKSHAVALLI

                                                                            

                                                                        

                                                                           
 

I have in my possession a very old edition of one of the most important UPANISHADS—TAITTIRIYA UPANISHAD. The beauty of the book is that it is in Telugu language with each and every word meaning as well as the gist of the individual mantras in the Upanishad. The author of this classic is one Sri Kanuparthi Markandeya Sarma, a great Telugu scholar and researcher. My interest in Philosophy and the Upanishads took me through this book and I was very much impressed with the meanings, explanations and references given by the renowned author. I felt that it is a treasure house of knowledge that every student of the Vedas and the Upanishads should be familiar with.

      In these days of mere bookish knowledge and parrot learning where mantras are recited mechanically without understanding their meaning and significance, the explanations given by the editor are an eye opener to the readers. In an attempt to enlighten the readers who do not know the Telugu language, I have taken the onerous responsibility of giving a simple translation of the  mantras  and their meaning in English, chapter or ‘ anuvakawise’. The idea is to bring the Upanishad to the door of the common reader who generally thinks that the Upanishads are abstruse and cannot be read or understood. I will be writing on some of the important anuvakas in Taittiriya Upanishad which every one of us is expected to know and understand. Having completed my Blog series on the Bhagavadgita it is a wonderful   opportunity  for me to render this service to the readers interested in the Vedas, the Upanishads and spirituality

      My purpose will be served if at least a few readers are able to understand and appreciate the meaning and significance of these mantras.

     Upanishads---Definition.

“ Upanishaditi  Brahmavidya”

According to the school of vaiyakarana three definitions are given.

1         The word Upanishad means Brahma Vidya. It is called so because it destroys the karma and the cycle of birth and death of vidwans or learned people.

2          It is called Brahma Vidya because it totally annihilates the cycle of birth and death.

3          It is also called Brahma Vidya because it enables man to attain the Brahman.

There are four types of Karma.

1 Vihita Karma----Ordained or allowed

2 Kamya karma---Expecting some reward

3 Prayascittha karma-----atonement

4                                  (Continued)

Nishiddha karma-----prohibited

HOW TO LIVE HAPPILY

                                                                          

“ Man is love, peace, joy and truth. Man is but the reflection of God”   says  Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Then why should man suffer? It is because he is enveloped in maya  or illusion otherwise called ignorance. The inner enemies are a stumbling block to his progress and self realization. Life is not a bed of roses, it is a bed of thorns, people say. But it is in our hands to make it worth living. We are the architects of our own destiny. We should have a positive perspective and should not become gloomy and pessimistic. This life of ours,” Samsara”, a  shoreless  sea, is in a cycle of birth and death. It is an eternal cycle from which we cannot escape.  Knowing full well the vicissitudes of such an existence we have to seek steps to make our lives as happy as possible.

      What exactly is happiness? Does it mean having a good wife, children, property and all the modern necessities of life?  But we find many who in spite of having these amenities are not happy. These  modern amenities and luxuries are generally confused with Real HAPPINESS. These are only pleasures that one enjoys for the time being. “ Happiness  of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts!” says Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Man suffers mainly because of his desires. According to Swami “ Desire is storm, greed is whirlpool, pride is precipice, attachment is avalanche and ego is volcano. Discard this and you will be liberated.” Real happiness does not relate to the physical satisfaction of the senses. It is related to the soul and has to be everlasting and eternal. Modern facilities just satisfy our senses temporarily. Hence to remain happy one has to control his senses and put a ceiling on his desires!

       Contentment is another requisite for perfect happiness. Hankering after pleasures endlessly makes life miserable. Man should be satisfied with what God has given. Unfortunately, there is no contentment in man. He is too ambitious to succeed in his efforts and blames God for his failure! It is said in the Neeti Sasthra that a brahmin is undone if he is not contented with what he has! But a king is undone if he is contented! If one leads a life within his limits he shall be happy. Man has to develop the qualities of Viveka or discrimination between the good and the evil, the right and the wrong, the eternal and the transitory. Otherwise his life will be unhappy. He will take wrong decisions and suffer. Vairagya or lack of interest in worldly things is also essential. Man has to cultivate dispassion and non involvement in mundane affairs. Too much of attachment on anything is dangerous. You have to discharge your responsibility up to a point only. Not more, not less!                                                                                                                                                                               

        Other tenets that make man happy are love, selfless service or nishkama karma—service without reward and compassion to all creatures in the world. “Compassion”, says Swami, “ is the reflection of love; love is energy; love is power; love is bliss; love is light; love is God. “ Sage Vyasa says “ paropa karartha midam sareeram”- This body is for helping others. The quintessence of his 18 Puranas is the saying: “Paropakaraya punyaya papaya para peedanam” Helping others is punya, holy deed, hurting others is sin or papa. By resorting to these principles, man derives total satisfaction of the soul which is real happiness. Thus man develops  spirituality and recognizes the self same soul manifest in every living creature in the universe!

         The atma or the soul embedded in our body is “ ananda swarupa” the embodiment of  bliss or ananda. The purpose of man is to enjoy this real and eternal happiness! How can he do it? It is through a continuous process of meditation and concentration on the Divine. This will lead to what we call Self Realization—a firm belief that we are nothing but the atma or soul---blissful, eternal, indestructible, omnipresent and omnipotent as the great Sankara calls it ‘ Chidananda rupa Sivoham, Sivoham’ Like the ants that are attracted to honey are merged into it and the firefly attracted to light falls into it, the individual soul has to merge into the Absolute soul or Paramatma that is eternal bliss or ananda!

          “ Anando Brahmeti vyajanath” says the Taittiriya Upanishad! Ananda—Bliss-real Happiness is Brahman itself! Bhrigu, son of God Varuna wants to know the Brahman and is directed to perform tapas or penance. He mistakes annam-food, prana- breath,manas-mind, vignana-knowledge for Brahman and finally realizes that ananda—bliss as the Brahman! Hence material satisfaction and worldly pleasures cannot constitute happiness! Real Happiness is spiritual and everlasting!

NAMASANKEERTAN-- CHANTING HIS GLORY

                                              

The old order changes yielding place to new! Krutha, Thretha, and Dwapara yugas are gone and we are in the middle of KALI YUGA which compared to the others is the worst for mankind! The ages of performing tapas or penance,  yagnas or sacrifices have vanished. Spiritualism and a desire for the welfare of humanity are no longer present. Selfishness,  countless desires, yearning for that elusive money and material prosperity have usurped the time old ideals. Man has no time to think of God or utter his name. Every second is sought to be encashed for selfish benefit. Is this right? Introspection, at times, is frightening. The very purpose of man’s existence is forgotten. He has to realize himself and understand that he is the indestructible atma or soul—a chip of the self same God that has created him!

       Man cannot go any more into the wilderness of the forest to perform tapas nor can he perform yagnas like ‘putrakameshti and Aswamedha’done during the Ramayana and the Mahabharatha periods. He has no time to stand and stare in this busy materialistic world. At least he can think of God and chant His name at any time, place or moment. Namasankeertan or singing the Glory of God is the panacea for all the ills of society! Does God reside in his grand and luxurious Vaikunta, kailasa or Brahmaloka?  Not at all. Lord Vishnu tells sage Narada, his great devotee, “ naham vasami Vaikute na yogi hrudayairapi mad bhaktya yatra gayanti thathra thishtami Narada”—Oh Narada! Neither do I reside in Vaikunta nor in the hearts of great yogis but I seat myself wherever my devotees sing My  glory. Puranas and sasthras proclaim that the only way for salvation in Kali Yuga is namasankeertan—singing the glory of the Lord! “Kalau kalmasha chittanam papa dravyopajeevinam vidhi kriya vihinanam gatirGovinda keertanam” How truly said! Our hearts are full of defects and dirt. We earn money in devious ways. We are corrupt and the money is tainted. We have violated all the religious Vedic and spiritual mandates. For us there is no other alternative except Namasankeertan! Every second we are nearer to death!

          Yama, Lord of Death has no mercy or compassion! “ kalakshepo na kartavyaha ksheena mayur kshane kshane yamasya karuna nasthi  Karthavyam Hari keertanam” Providence has given this body to serve Him. Every thought, word and deed should be turned towards God! But we do not. We don’t go to temples, never attend religious and spiritual discourses, talk all nonsense and think of unholy and ugly things! How can we get salvation? Sri Kulasekhara  Azwar  orders every part of the body to turn to the service of the Lord! “ Jihve keertaya Kesavam Muraripum cheto bhaja Sridharam--------“ Oh Tongue! Sing the glory of kesava and the enemy of the demon Mura! Oh Manas, worship  Sridhara and his lotus feet! Oh Ears! Listen to his glorious stories! Oh Eyes, feast on His grand indescribable form! OH feet, enter His temples! Oh Nose, smell the fragrance of the water of His holy feet and Oh Head,  prostrate  before God and be fulfilled!”

         Goddess Parvati asks Lord Siva to inform her of one name equal to the thousand names of Lord Vishnu! Lord Siva replies that the repetition of the single name ‘ RAMA” is equal to reciting His thousand names! ( sahasranama) “ Sri Rama Rama rameti rame rame manorame sahasranama thath thulyam Ramanama varanane” ( Sri Vishnu Sahasra Nama Sthotram) The story of a robber chief is very interesting to note! He instructed his gang thus: “ vane  charamo vasucha haramo nadistharamo  vachnam smaramaha”---Go to the forest, plunder wealth, cross the river, mind my words! It is said that the chief got salvation because he inadvertently repeated the name of Rama four times! Bhagavata  Purana points out that the sinful Brahmin Ajamila attained mukti since he uttered the name ‘ Narayana’ though it was his son’s name! A disciple advised  a  devotee to chant the name RAMA thrice to be free from troubles and worries. His Guru admonished him by saying that chanting the name of Rama once is enough to ward off all sins, worries and troubles!

            Namasankeertan has  its  advantages. No special time or place is needed for it. No money is needed . You can chant the name of the God of your choice. It grants you peace of mind and calmness. You forget your worries, stress and strain. It gives you good company when you chant or sing with others! Slowly but surely you develop  devotion  and transform yourself spiritually. In the ecstasy of hearing  the  divine name people forget themselves and start dancing. Why not we practice this total free gift that God has bestowed on us and get salvation?