Gita chapter 17- three types of faith, food, sacrifices, austerities and gifts

 Hari Aum.

In this chapter, Lord Krishna tells Arjuna about how there are three types of faith, food, sacrifices, austerities and gifts based on which of the three gunas (sattva, rajas and tamas) predominates in people.

(As a reminder, sattva represents goodness, purity, truth, light and love. It represents good-heartedness towards others and devotion to God. Rajas represents cravings, agitation of the mind by desires, restlessness, passion, selfishness and pride. Tamas represents ignorance, foolishness, mistaking wrong for right, harming oneself and others).

Krishna tells Arjuna that faith plays a very important role in a person's character and entire life. 
"As a man's faith is, so is he" says Krishna.

He describes the characteristics of sattvic, rajasic and tamasic people based on their type of faith, their worship/sacrifices, their preferences regarding food, the type of auterities they conduct, and the attitude with which they give gifts to others.

Krishna says that-

i) Sattvic people: 

-worship God.

-like to eat food which nourishes the body and promotes health, strength, joy and long life.

-perform sacrifice in accordance with the scripture, with a sense of duty, without expectation of any reward.

-perform physical austerities including: worship of God and rishis (self-realised sages), being physically clean, practicing celibacy/control of the senses, practice of non-violent and straightforward behaviour (free of cunningness/crookedness).

-perform austerities of speech including: speaking in a way that is truthful, pleasing and beneficial to the listener, which causes no agitation in the mind of the listener, and study of the Vedas.

-perform mental austerities including: peacefulness of mind, control of the senses/self-control, purity, and goodheartedness (doing good to others)

-the above austerities are performed without a desire for reward

-give gifts at the right time, to the right person, with the right attitude i.e. as a duty, with no desire for reward

-Utter 'Om Tat Sat' when performing the above actions as this phrase represents God/Brahman and is the origin of the wise, the Vedas and sacrifices. (Thus sattvic people perform all actions of mind, speech and body as worship of God).

ii) Rajasic people:

-worship Yakshas and Rakshasas (demonic beings)

-like to eat food which is hot, sour, salty, dry, burning and pungent, and which produces disease, pain and suffering.

-perform sacrifice to get something in return and for the sake of impressing others.

-perform austerities to get praise from others, with hypocrisy; this is unstable and transitory according to Krishna.

-give gifts to get something in return, give these unwillingly

iii) Tamasic people:

-worship ghosts and nature spirits.

-like to eat food that is decaying, stale, tasteless and impure.

-perform sacrifice against the advice of the scriptures, without faith, without mantras or gifts or distribution of food.

-perform austerities with foolish ideas, to destroy themselves and others

-give gifts at the wrong time, at the wrong place, to wrong people (immoral people who would misuse the gifts), without respect, with insult

Krishna says that people who perform terrible austerities not advised by the scriptures that involve torture of themselves, also torture Him who is present in them. Such austerities are performed with pride and are motivated by strong material desires. He calls these demonic austerities. He concludes by saying that any act of sacrifice or austerity that is performed without faith in God, is termed 'asat' (false) and produces nothing of value either here while one is alive, or after death, in the afterlife.

Thus concludes the seventeeth chapter of the Gita.

To be continued.....

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya.

Hari Aum Tat Sat

Mother Kali worship

 Hari Aum.

I am writing this post in honour of Mother Kali. For those unfamiliar with Kali, She is a form of the Divine Mother, of fierce appearance, who destroys all negative forces-- both inside us and in the outside world. She appears in the famous Devi Mahatmyam, the great prayer that describes the glories of the Divine Mother (I will aim to write another post about Her divine actions/ Lilas sometime).

Like many people, I have had my share of challenges during this pandemic. Recently, things were particularly difficult for various reasons. It has been a struggle to continue the daily mantra japa and I have been just about managing (9 malas daily of the ashtakshara mantra at present). Other aspects of life, including at home and at work, have also been challenging.

I am not a person who normally worships Mother Kali. I have great respect for Her-- She is a manifestation of my favourite form of the Divine Mother, i.e. Durga. In addition, She is the family deity on my father's side of the family (generations of ancestors have worshipped Her, including by conducting regular worship at the small family temple dedicated to Her at my father's ancestral home in Kerala). However, I have never been really drawn to worship Mother Kali-- that is until now. 

Three nights ago, I had a dream in which my husband and I were at some sort of Ashram where worship of Mother Kali was being conducted. We were participating in the chanting of various mantras and prayers to Her. In the dream, She Herself was present. I cannot remember much more than this, except that it all seemed perfectly natural. When I woke up, I remember feeling happy that She had appeared in the dream. That morning, my father surprised me by saying he was going to arrange a Kali puja at the family temple to celebrate my upcoming birthday-- I was glad to hear this.

Since the dream of Mother Kali, I have been feeling significantly more peaceful. I felt that Her appearance in the dream was Her saying that She is there for me no matter what happens, whether 'good' or 'bad'. In Her honour, I feel like conducting some worship specifically for Her. Due to issues with lack of time, it has to be a simple worship. I have decided to chant Her mantra 108 times daily for one month, in addition to the Narayana mantra that I recite daily. I consulted a senior Swami and mentor from my Guru Sivananda's tradition for guidance on this -- she advised me to practice the mantra with 'complete humility' as she said Kali allows no space for any ego manifestation. 

I do have my individual sense of self, the ego (this exists until one attains the spiritual goal which I am yet to attain). Also, like most people, I have a mixture of qualities, both good and bad. Therefore, I cannot perform any perfect, completely flawless worship. I am of the view that one can please God only by the grace of God. Despite one's imperfections and flaws, He/She is kind and merciful to us.

Therefore, I can only say to Kali-- let me worship You, in the way You wish to be worshipped. Allow me to do so. All the good and all the bad in me, this I offer to You (as Ramakrishna advises)-- as You alone are the origin of all beings and things.

I have commenced the one month of simple worship of Mother Kali. The purpose of the worship is for health and peace, for myself and for all beings, as we are all children of the One Mother.

I was reflecting that the One Divine Mother has so many forms, some have a sweet and charming appearance, such as Mother Lakshmi. Others have a fierce and dramatic appearance such as Mother Kali.

But, no matter what the external appearance, the Mother is the Mother. She has the same heart inside. She is the embodiment of love, kindness and compassion regardless of the external activities She is engaged in-- whether it is giving Her children the spiritual and material gifts they ask for, or whether it is the complete destruction of all negative forces (within and without us). 

Whether She appears as Lakshmi or Kali, in reality, She is the same Mother. And a Mother loves Her children, nourishes them and does what is best for them. We can trust Her to do this for us, no matter what form of Hers we worship. She is always there for us, She is always on our side, our greatest well-wisher, our most reliable friend. Life after life, She is always our mother. Biological mothers perform the role She assigns to them-- regardless of whether or not these earthly mothers fulfil their roles in our lives, our Divine Mother is always there for us, watching over us, taking care of us silently. 

Even as Kali, She is Lakshmi inside. Even as Lakshmi, She is Kali inside. She is One. We need not fear our Mother, no matter what form She takes. We can trust Her completely to do what is right for us. Through Her grace alone, we can conquer all negative forces (including anger, fear and other lower emotions) and emerge triumphant in the battle of life, and finally attain the supreme spiritual goal.

Glory to the Divine Mother, the embodiment of love, who has many wonderful forms, including Kali and Lakshmi. 

Prostrations to Her, who delights Hari in the form of Lakshmi, and who delights Hara in the form of Kali or Durga.

Om Shri Mahalakshmyai Namah.

Om Shri Mahakalikayai Namah.

Hari Aum Tat Sat

P.S. In general, according to my Guru Sivananda's tradition, one should seek advice from one's Guru or some senior person in one's lineage before embarking upon Kali worship in particular (this is also advised, but not an absolute must, in the worship of gentler forms of the Divine, such as Lakshmi, Parvati, Narayana or Shiva, where the purification is more gradual). This is because Kali worship can  produce rapid purification of the mind and this may involve having to face some seemingly challenging situations in life. Therefore, performing this type of worship under spiritual guidance is advised. 

P.P.S. For those unfamiliar with Sanskrit/Indian languages, please note that the name of Mother Kali is not to be confused with 'Kali yuga', the age of quarrels. 

In English, Kali is spelt the same in both, but in Sanskrit and Indian languages they are written and pronounced very differently. 

Mother Kali's name is pronounced as Kaali in Sanskrit (with a long 'a', rhymes with the Indonesian island 'Bali'). In contrast, the negative energy, 'Kali', associated with the current age, is pronounced with a short 'a' (somewhat like the 'culi' in 'culinary'). 

In summary, the two words confusingly written the same way in English as 'Kali', are completely the opposite in meaning (one is positive/Divine Mother, the other is negative) and pronounced differently. Hope this makes sense.

Devi kavacham, Navarna mantra and Saptasloki Durga

 Hari Aum.

A very happy Navaratri to all. In celebration of this auspicious period dedicated to worship of the Divine Mother, I would like to share some beautiful prayers.

First is a beautiful rendition of the Devi Kavacha (please see below). 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWK9-Ztl5j8

This famous prayer is said to grant the listener/reciter the blessings of the Divine Mother in the form of health, wealth, protection from negative forces, peace, wisdom and bliss.

Second is the great Navarna mantra of the Mother, namely Om Aim Hrim Klim Chamundayai Vicche. This mantra contains the energy of the three aspects of the Divine Mother, namely Saraswati, Lakshmi and Kali, and is dedicated to Chamunda, the evil-destroying aspect of the Mother.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Tmv_ureBqY

Third is the Saptasloki Durga which is said to be a condensed version of the great Devi Mahatmyam prayer and which grants the devotee the blessings and protection of the Divine Mother.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AG-AU3t87uw

Prostrations again and again to Jagadamba, the Mother of the universe, and the mother of every one of us. May She bless us all with peace, prosperity, wisdom and bliss.

Hari Aum Tat Sat

The true relative

 Hari Aum.

As part of my Sanskrit classes, we sometimes study 'Shubhashithas' (wise sayings in Sanskrit). Many of these are very interesting. One that I would like to discuss today is as follows (I have presented it without 'sandhis' or word combinations to make it easier to read):

Paro api hitavan bandhu,
Bandhu api ahita parah,
Ahita dehaja vyadhi,
Hitam arunyam aushadham.

Meaning:
A stranger (non-family person) who wishes us well is a (true) relative,
A relative who wishes us ill is a stranger.
A disease in the body, though close to us, is harmful,
A medicinal herb in the forest, though it grows far from us, is beneficial.

The meaning of the above verse is clear. Those who wish us well, who bring positivity and joy into our lives, who inspire us to be good and do good-- these are our true relatives. The verse above compares them to a healing medicine.

In contrast, those who harm us (mentally/physically/spiritually), those who bring discord and suffering into our lives, they should be treated as strangers (i.e. one should keep distance from them), even if they are members of our own family. The verse above likens such persons to diseases within the body.

Many of us may have experienced the truth of the above verses. It is likely that some, if not all of us, have some relatives who are virulently opposed to our spiritual lives. Equally, we may have a few good friends who wish us well in our spiritual lives, and who even walk the spiritual path with us (at least in some way).

The true relative and friend is God. In our past life, we had a family-- there was a mother, father, maybe siblings and children, perhaps aunts, uncles and cousins. In this life too, we have parents and various other relations. In our next life too (if we do not attain God in this lifetime, then there will be another birth at some stage), we will again have a host of relatives.

In each lifetime, there would be some relatives who are helpful and some who are harmful. Some who like to bicker and fight all the time, and others who are peaceful. Considering that we are currently in Kali Yuga, the 'age of quarrels', it is statistically likely that most relatives will be of a worldly and spiritually unhelpful nature. That is the sad fact.

Therefore, in the midst of all family activity, it would be wise to remember that these relatives are for this lifetime only. In the next life, there will be another set to deal with. So why not focus on the one relative who is always with us, life after life, and who always wishes us well? That relative is God. (This obviously does not mean that we should shun our family duties. It means that we should perform all duties, to family and society, as worship of God, our true relative).

Unlike our worldly relatives who often drag us down spiritually, God and our Guru always lift us up. They encourage us to come out of suffering and to find the way to lasting peace, wisdom and bliss.

The true relative who wishes us well is God (and Guru-- they are one). Hence the famous Sanskrit prayer that goes as follows:

Om.

Tvameva mata, cha pita tvameva,

Tvameva bandhush-cha sakha tvameva,

Tvameva vidya, dravinam tvameva,

Tvameva sarvam, mama deva deva.

Meaning:

Om.

You alone are mother, and You alone are father,

You alone are relative, and You alone are friend,

You alone are wisdom (knowledge), You alone are wealth,

You alone are everything, O God of gods.

During this pandemic, many of us are spending more time at home than ever before. Our ability to go out and physically meet other like-minded people who share our interests is more limited. Instead, we may find ourselves spending more time than we would like with relatives and get caught up in bickering with them. At challenging times like this, it is useful to remember the above subhashitham and prayer and try to connect with our true relative, God.

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

Gita chapter 16- divine and undivine qualities

 Hari Aum.

In this chapter, Lord Krishna tells Arjuna about the various qualities of the human mind-- those that are divine (which lead us towards liberation) and those that are undivine (which bind us to samsara, the cycle of birth and death).

In the first three verses of this chapter, Krishna describes divine virtues that He says people should cultivate. These virtues are as follows (translations as per my Guru, Sivananda):

Verse 1:

-fearlessness (courage)
-purity of heart

-steadfastness in Yoga and knowledge
-alms-giving
-control of the senses
-sacrifice
-study of scriptures

-austerity
-straightforwardness

Verse 2:

-harmlessness (ahimsa, non-injury to other beings, including animals, insects etc)

-truth

-absence of anger

-renunciation

-peacefulness

-absence of crookedness

-compassion towards beings

-uncovetousness

-gentleness

-modesty

-absence of fickleness

Verse 3:

-vigour

-forgiveness

-fortitude

-purity

-absence of hatred

-absence of pride

How shall we summarise the above to make them easier to remember? Note- these reflect the well-known 'yamas' and 'niyamas' (yogic ethics).

Broadly, all of the above virtues collectively aim to do the following: 

1. Enable us to control our minds (rather than be controlled by our minds)

2. Direct our minds to God (rather than to sensual objects)

3. Cultivate goodwill towards all other beings 

After this, Krishna describes in detail the undivine qualities within our nature that we must overcome if we are to succeed in spiritual life. These negative qualities pull us down. They cause suffering to us and to those around us while we are alive. They also cause suffering in our future life after Earth (negative karma). 

The undivine qualities that Krishna describes are:

-hypocrisy

-arrogance

-self-conceit

-harshness

-anger

-ignorance

-lust

-greed

Note- He particularly says that uncontrolled desire/lust for sensual objects, anger and greed are the 'triple door to hell' and that one should abandon these three. Greed increases desires. When desires are not fulfilled, anger arises. When anger arises, we perform negative actions that harm ourselves and others. These negative actions produce negative karma that leads to suffering in the future (this can be called 'hell').

The undivine qualities described by Krishna above mirror the six enemies of liberation as per the yogis-- these are lust, anger, greed, hatred, jealousy and ignorance.

After describing the divine and undivine qualities, Krishna states that there are two types of people on Earth-- the divine and the undivine (He uses the word 'demonic'). He then tells Arjuna that He has already described the divine in detail and that He will now tell him more about the nature of undivine people.

(Most people have a mixture of divine and undivine qualities. In some, the divine predominate, in other they may be roughly 50-50, and in some, the undivine qualities predominate.)

Krishna says that undivine people regard life as originating entirely in matter (without any divine Intelligence being involved), and that they think it is to be lived for sensual pleasure alone. He says that undivine people reject the idea of God within them and others. In fact, He says they have hatred for Him within themselves and others. 

Krishna states that such individuals are filled with pride, anger, falsehood and hypocrisy. They desire only material gains and wealth (not spiritual wisdom or peace). He says they do not know the difference between right and wrong.

He describes them as cruel to others. If they give charity, it is only to acquire name and fame (boost the ego). He says the minds of such people are filled with endless desires that only end with their death. 

He declares that these beings, who are filled with cruelty, take lower rebirths suited to their nature. Such beings do not attain Him.

Krishna concludes His teaching on the divine and undivine by telling Arjuna to use the scriptures as a guide when it comes to deciding what to do, and what not to do (He also tells Arjuna not to worry as he has divine qualities!). This is a useful instruction for us (one of the best scriptures to use as a guide is of course the Gita itself).

To be continued....

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Hari Aum Tat Sat

P.S. On the subject of sadhana, the sacred lunar month known as 'Purushottama masa' or 'Adhik masa' has just started. This is supposed to be a very good time to do any type of spiritual sadhana, charity etc as the positive effects are said to be much more than at other times. 

I am continuing my daily japa at this time, and am also reading the Bhagavatam. In addition, I have started writing a small book on the Vamana avatar of Narayana (as described in the Bhagavatam). It is taking some time to write due to my work and home responsibilities but I hope it will be ready at some point in the coming 2-3 months and I will make it available online then.

Gita chapter 15- the Peepul tree and the Purushottama

Hari Aum.

So far in the Gita, Krishna has taken Arjuna on a great voyage of learning covering many spiritual topics.

He has told Arjuna about the jiva, the individual soul trapped in the illusion of samsara (the cycle of birth and death). He has explained Ishwara (Personal aspect of God) and Brahman (Impersonal aspect of God). He has discussed Purusha (the witnessing aspect of God) and Prakriti (God manifest as Nature, the material universe).

He has told Arjuna how to go from samsara to self-realisation/spiritual liberation-- these are the various yogic paths, which include cultivation of virtues, selfless service of other living beings (while seeing God in them), cultivation of devotion to the Personal God, meditation on God (Personal or Impersonal aspect, depending on the preference of the spiritual seeker) and utilisation of the intellect in contemplating spiritual questions (such as 'Who am I?', 'What is the purpose of life?' and so on).

Now, Krishna continues His teaching to Arjuna by using a beautiful analogy-- the analogy of the 'Peepul' tree (this tree grows in Asia and has been regarded as sacred by mystics of the East for centuries).

In the fifteenth chapter of the Gita, Krishna tells Arjuna that this world of samsara/Maya (illusion) is like a Peepul tree. The roots of this tree are actions (performed with egoism and without knowledge of one's divine nature). The branches of the tree are nourished by the gunas (qualities of Nature, i.e. sattva, rajas and tamas-- discussed in previous chapters). Objects that are dear to the senses are its buds.

This Peepul tree is a symbol of the Maya of the Lord-- it is a mystery. We do not know its origin or its end. This tree of Maya, which binds the jiva to the miseries of samsara, is to be cut with the 'strong axe of non-attachment' says Krishna.

Having described the illusory tree, Krishna advises Arjuna to seek the origin of the tree, the Supreme Being, the Purusha.

"Tatah padam tat parimargitavyam, Yasmin gata na nivartanti bhooyah;
Tameva chadyam Purusham prapadye, Yatah pravrittih prasritaa purane."

Translation (as per my Guru, Sivananda):

"Then that goal should be sought after, whither having gone none returns again. Seek refuge in that Primeval Purusha whence streamed forth the ancient activity or energy."

He then summarises the way to attain that Purusha:

"Nirmanamoha jitasangadosha, Adhyatmanitya vinivrittakamah;
Dwandwairvi-muktah sukha-duhkha-samjnair, Gacchantyamoodhah padamavyayam tat."

"Free from pride and delusion, victorious over the evil of attachment, dwelling constantly in the Self, their desires having completely turned away, freed from the pairs of opposites known as pleasure and pain, the undeluded reach the eternal goal."

Krishna then reminds Arjuna once again that this whole universe is nothing but His own manifestation. He is the jiva, He is samsara, He is Ishwara/Brahman, He is Maya and He is Moksha (liberation).

He tells Arjuna that His Supreme Abode is self-effulgent, self-luminuous. It is not illuminated by the sun, moon or fire (the natural light sources that we experience). On the contrary, He tells Arjuna, that it is His light that manifests in the sun, moon and fire.

"That light which residing in the sun, illumines the whole world, that which is in the moon and in the fire—know that light to be Mine."

He then says:

"Permeating the earth I support all beings by My energy and, having become the watery moon, I nourish all herbs."

As the digestive fire and pranas (life energies), He nourishes us and provides us with energy:

"Having become the fire Vaisvanara, I abide in the body of living beings and, associated with the Prana and Apana, digest the fourfold food."

(It is a good idea therefore, to have the feeling when we eat, that we are offering all food we consume to Him. Whether we know it or not, we are literally offering Him whatever we eat, like a yajna/sacred fire ritual, as He is the digestive fire within us as He states here.)

Then, He makes a great declaration, telling us that He is present in the hearts of all beings:

"Sarvasya chaham hridi sannivishto, Mattah smritir jnanam apohanam cha;
Vedaischa sarvairahameva vedyo, Vedantakrid vedavid eva chaham."

"And, I am seated in the hearts of all; from Me are memory, knowledge, as well as their absence. I am verily that which has to be known by all the Vedas; I am indeed the author of the Vedanta, and the knower of the Vedas am I."

This is a really important statement and worth reflecting upon. If God says that He resides in the hearts of all beings, then we need to train our minds to remember this and treat all living beings with respect and love.

This chapter concludes with Krishna telling Arjuna that He is the Purushottama (the Supreme Being) who transcends both the perishable and imperishable aspects of the created universe (including that which we experience). It is He who is praised in the Vedas (the eternal scripture, said to be 'breath of God').

To be continued....

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Hari Aum Tat Sat

P.S. I would like to share a famous true story told by my Guru Sivananda that demonstrates the importance of training the mind to see God in all beings. This ability is vital if we wish to attain God.

Some centuries ago, in South India, there lived a sadhu (holy man/monk) who was a great devotee of Lord Shiva. One day, he decided to go on pilgrimage to Varanasi (also known as Kashi), which contains a famous Shiva temple and is strongly associated with devotion to Shiva. It took him several months to make the pilgrimage on foot.

After spending some time there worshipping Shiva, he decided to travel back to South India and visit Rameshwaram, another great city which has a famous Shiva temple (where Sri Rama is said to have worshipped Shiva before embarking upon the battle with the demon, Ravana).

He decided to carry water from the sacred river, Ganga, at Varanasi and take this to Rameshwaram and offer it to Shiva present within the great temple there.

When he finally arrived at the Shiva temple at Rameshwaram after a long journey, he was delighted. As he was about to enter the gates of the Shiva temple, he suddenly noticed a very old and emaciated donkey that was lying on the ground in the intense heat. The donkey appeared to be very thirsty but was unable to get up to drink. Seeing the unfortunate condition of the donkey, the sadhu decided to give the sacred Ganga water to the animal, and to regard this as worship of Shiva within it.

As soon as the sadhu gave the water to the donkey with this divine feeling of worship, it is said that Lord Shiva Himself appeared before him and blessed him with spiritual liberation.

My Guru, Sivananda, says that this true story highlights the importance of seeing God in all beings including animals and treating them with the reverence and love they deserve as manifestations of God.

Sivananda, like many other yogis, states that God is pleased when we worship Him in all beings (not just in temples and in other places of worship, though He is also present there) and within our own hearts where He resides. He also says 'Search for God within your own heart. If you do not find Him there, you will not find Him anywhere'.

Happy Janmashtami

Hari Aum.

A very happy Janmashtami to all readers. This day is Krishna's birthday and is celebrated today or tomorrow, depending upon the country that you live in (based on astrological calculations and the lunar calendar). May He bless us all with renewed vigour in our sadhana, with devotion, virtues and spiritual bliss.

As some of you may be aware, in the past couple of years, I had written some books on the life of Lord Krishna as described in the sacred scripture, the Srimad Bhagavatam. These have been published on Amazon as Kindle books (two are also available as in paperback form).

As in previous years, I am making these books available for free download in celebration of Janmashtami. There are four books each describing a different stage in the life of Lord Krishna, namely, Balakrishna, Dwarakanatha, Janardana and Yogeshwara.

You need the free Kindle app on your phone/tablet/computer to be able to download and read the books. The books are available for free download from August 11- 15 inclusive (from midnight PDT).

Please see below for the link for the books:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vishnupriya-Devi/e/B07B95YQCV/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2?qid=1520954376&sr=1-2

Hope you enjoy the books and that they inspire you in your sadhana. The fourth book, Yogeshwara, contains the Uddhava Gita, which describes a number of beautiful spiritual teachings given by Krishna to His great devotee, Uddhava (similar to the Bhagavad Gita).

Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya.
Om Namo Narayanaya.

Hari Aum Tat Sat

Gita chapter 14- the three gunas (qualities) of Prakriti (Nature)

Hari Aum.

In the previous/13th chapter of the Gita, Krishna had explained the two manifestations of God that make up the universe, i.e. Purusha (consciousness/soul) and Prakriti (Nature).

He had also mentioned that there are three key 'gunas' (broadly translated as 'qualities') of Prakriti. He had stated that when the soul/Purusha becomes attached to these three gunas, then the soul becomes trapped in the cycle of samsara (worldly existence including birth and death).

Since attachment to the gunas is what binds us to samsara, it is very important to understand what the gunas are. We must understand what chains us to samsara in order to be able to successfully break our chains and become free (attain realisation of our true immortal nature).

The gunas are described by Krishna in the 14th chapter. Let us look at what He says here.

Krishna begins by declaring that those who grasp His teaching and attain the state of one-ness with Him (our original, natural state) are not born when creation occurs, and are not disturbed during the cosmic dissolution (when creation is withdrawn into the unmanifest state of God).

He then states that He alone is the origin of all that exists. As we are embodied human beings, He uses language that we can understand by saying that He is the 'womb' and the 'seed-giving father' of all beings. 

He then declares that it is the three gunas of Prakriti that bind the soul and gives us a description of each of these.

The three gunas of Prakriti are called sattva, rajas and tamas. Krishna describes each of them as follows:

He says:

All human beings contain all three gunas; nobody is free from these. At different times, different gunas predominate in our nature/mind.

All three bind the soul. How?

Krishna says:

Sattva is luminous and healthy.  It leads to knowledge. However, it binds by attachment for knowledge and happiness.

Rajas is characterised by cravings for sensual pleasure and actions (to acquire objects of sensual pleasure). It produces desire (and hence anger, when the desire is not met) and also greed. It leads to restlessness of mind and forces us to perform actions to fulfil our desires. It binds us through attachment to action.

Tamas is characterised by ignorance, delusion, darkness, carelessness, laziness, sleep and inertness. It binds us by attachment to carelessness and laziness.

The results of the three gunas, He says, are different:

Sattva leads one forwards on the spiritual path; it produces purity. It leads towards God (but ultimately one has to go beyond sattva too to attain God). It can help us to attain God in this lifetime. 

If we are unsuccessful in attaining God in this lifetime, if we die while sattva predominates in our nature/mind, we will reach higher realms in the afterlife (before attaining a favourable rebirth to continue our journey).

Rajas keeps us in the same place, we go neither up nor down spiritually. Krishna says it produces pain. Krishna says that one who dies when rajas is dominant in the mind, is reborn amongst those attached to action.

Tamas pushes us downwards in spiritual life; it produces ignorance. One who dies when tamas dominates in one's mind, is reborn in lower births (below human beings; those species that lack human intelligence).

Krishna then states that those who are self-realised recognise that their true nature is different from the gunas. Such beings clearly see the workings of the gunas everywhere and are not disturbed by them. They have reached a state higher than the gunas. 

Krishna describes such people as follows:

"Alike in pleasure and pain, who dwells in the Self, to whom a clod of earth, stone and gold are alike, to whom the dear and the unfriendly are alike, firm, the same in censure and praise"

"The same in honour and dishonour, the same to friend and foe, abandoning all undertakings—he is said to have crossed the qualities (gunas)."

He then says:

"And he who serves Me with unswerving devotion, he, crossing beyond the qualities, is fit for becoming Brahman."

"Brahmano hi pratishthaa’ham, amritasya-avyayasya cha;

Shaashwatasya cha dharmasya sukhasyaika-antikasya cha."

"For I am the abode of Brahman, the immortal and the immutable, of everlasting Dharma and of absolute bliss."

So how does all this apply to us as spiritual seekers in practical terms?

Our diet, our sleep, the company we keep, the sadhana we do-- pretty much everything we expose our minds and bodies to, lead to some shift in the balance of the three gunas within us. 

Sometimes we are more sattvic-- we are disciplined, punctual, devoted, ethical, hard-working, intent upon God-realisation.

At other times, we feel cravings, anger (when we don't get what we want, or get something we don't want).  Sometimes we want more of something that what is good for us (we can be greedy). Then we are being rajasic.

And then again, there are times when we feel lazy and dull, when we don't have the energy to do sadhana, when we don't care about our sadhana. At these times, we are being tamasic.

We will experience all three of the above gunas (as Krishna says, nobody is free of these-- at least until we become self-realised) but the key is which guna dominates our nature most of the time.

We basically need to cultivate sattva, by allowing our mind and body to experience mostly sattvic things. 

But let's be honest-- for most of us, our mind will rebel terribly if we suddenly remove all rajasic and tamasic things from our lives. 

Suppression of our rajasic-tamasic nature is therefore not the answer. We need to gently and gradually transform our mind/body into a more sattvic form. 

(For example, I had a relatively sattvic meal recently consisting of some freshly cooked pasta and vegetables. However I then ate two pieces of dark chocolate (a rajasic food!)-- I do quit chocolate from time to time for a few days/weeks to gain some control over my desire for chocolate but haven't yet given it up completely.)

By the way, recitation of the names and mantras of the Supreme are said by the yogis to be one of the most powerful sattva-generating forces. Some daily japa will therefore go a long way in helping us overcome rajas and tamas in our nature and thus experience more sattva, and finally to go beyond sattva too and realise our true, immortal nature.

It is a long road no doubt, but we can succeed. In fact, we are born to. God gave us this human birth which is a 'moksha dwar'-- door to liberation-- so that we can succeed. In this, let us take His/Her help by reciting any Divine name or mantra that we like.

Om Namo Narayanaya. Om Namo Narayanaya. Om Namo Narayanaya.

To be continued....

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

Comments by readers on this site

Hari Aum.

I would like to let readers know that, for the past two years (!), for some mysterious reason I did not receive any notifications when you have posted comments on my blog posts and therefore unfortunately I did not see any of them. I just updated the blog settings to the new one recommended by the website and then came across a whole page of your comments ('awaiting moderation')-- I am now in the process of replying to each of them.

In the meantime, I would like to say the following:

To those of you who have posted kind words of appreciation and encouragement to me in my spiritual and life journey, I want to express my heartfelt thanks. Your words help me to keep going and I am grateful for them. Thank you and God bless you.

To those who have posted questions, especially wanting some form of advice, I would like to express a sincere apology for only having seen your question now. I am in the process of publishing your comments with a reply.

To those who have posted spam messages and advertisements, I would like to politely request that  you refrain from doing so.

To all readers and spiritual seekers, I wish you the very best in your sadhana. May God bless us all so that we may attain the goal of spiritual life in this very lifetime.

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Hari Aum Tat Sat

Ashtakshara mahatyam-- the glories of the Ashtakshara mantra

Hari Aum.

I recently came across a very interesting document called the 'Ashtakshara mahatmyam'. This involves a wonderful conversation between two rishis (sages)-- the great Vyasa (incarnation of Vishnu Himself and composer of the Mahabharata and  Srimad Bhagavatam) and his equally great son, Shuka (who narrates the events of the life of Krishna within the Bhagavatam).

In this conversation, the father, Vyasa, tells the son, Shuka, about the glories of the Ashtakshara mantra-- Om Namo Narayanaya. 

(Note: For those unfamiliar with Sanskrit, 'ashta' means eight, and 'akshara' means syllable. Actually 'akshara' literally means 'imperishable' or 'undecaying' or 'eternal'. So ashta+akshara= ashtakshara means 'eight syllables' i.e. the eight syllable mantra. These syllables are discussed below as part of the the translation of the Mahatmyam.)

The Mahatmyam begins with Shuka asking his father, Vyasa, to tell him about a mantra that will relieve people of all suffering and grant them the highest bliss.

Vyasa responds by telling him about the Ashtakshara mantra. He tells Shuka that one who recites this mantra gets everything there is to get-- both material and spiritual.

This mantra, he says, grants the four great goals of life, namely-- dharma (goodness; the basis of the other three goals), artha (material wealth), kama (pleasures/enjoyment in life) and the greatest goal of all, moksha (liberation from all suffering; realisation of one's true immortal nature).

I have been studying Sanskrit for about a year and a half and have a decent basic grasp of the language (though there is still plenty to learn and therefore I am still very much continuing my studies). Nonetheless, I now feel I am able to enjoy reading some of our scriptures in the original and also begin to grasp the meaning better.

I have not been able to find a decent translation of the Ashtakshara mahatmyam anywhere online to share with you. I am therefore attempting to share a translation to the best of my ability with you (using my trusty Sanskrit-English dictionary as an aid of course!).

The Mahatmyam is lengthy (36 slokas) and my Sanskrit knowledge is not perfect so I will not provide a full translation of the entire document here.

I will, however, provide you a translation of some of the key verses and ideas described in the Mahatmyam. The reason for this exercise is simple-- inspiration. I have found it greatly inspiring to read this document myself. It provides a number of excellent reasons to chant the ashtakshara mantra of Narayana. I hope that those of you who are also interested in this mantra will find this Mahatmyam inspiring.

(As Sivananda says, all mantras of the Supreme Being are equally great. The Ashtakshara mahatmyam describes the glory of one such great mantra of the Supreme.)

Please see below for a link to a website which contains the entire Ashtakshara mahatmyam in Sanskrit and some Indian regional languages.

https://stotram.co.in/om-namo-narayanaya-ashtakshara-mahatmyam/

The link below is to the document in Sanskrit (which I have used as a reference for the translation below):

https://sanskritdocuments.org/doc_vishhnu/OMnamonArAyaNAyaaShTAksharamantramAhAtmya.pdf

So let us begin.

Om Namo Narayanaya. Salutations to the great Lord Narayana.

The Ashtakshara mahatmyam-- Glories of the Om Namo Narayanaya mantra.

Shri Shuka said to sage Vyasa:

1. "Kim japan muchyate tata, satatam Vishnu tatparah;
samsara-dukhat sarvesham hitaya, vada me pitah"

 "By the recitation of which mantra O father, do those who are always intent upon attaining Vishnu, obtain liberation?  Tell me that which relieves all the pains of samsara (worldly existence; the cycle of birth and death) and which is for the good for all."

Rishi Vyasa replied:

2. "Ashtaksharam pravakshyami, mantranam mantram-uttamam;
yam japan muchyate martyo, janma-samsara-bandhanat."

 "I will tell you about the eight-syllabled mantra, the best among mantras. By chanting this mantra, mortals attain freedom from the bondage of the cycle of birth and death."

3. "Having placed the wielder of the discus, conch and mace (Vishnu) in the lotus of the heart (anahata chakra), the twice-born (meaning those reborn to spiritual life) should meditate upon Him with one-pointed mind while repeating this mantra."

4. "In solitude, in a place without others, in front of Vishnu or at a place near water (e.g. river bank), one should recite the eight-syllabled mantra while fixing the mind on Him."

5. "The eight-syllabled mantra has Narayana Himself as the seer (rishi), the metre is the Goddess Gayatri and the deity is the Supreme Being."

Vyasa now goes on to describe the colours associated with each of the eight syllables of the mantra. It is said that Sanskrit syllables are associated with forms and therefore colours. There may be further esoteric hidden meanings of these slokas that will become clearer to us when our minds are purified by recitation of the mantra.

The syllables of this mantra are eight as follows: Om, Na, Mo, Na, Ra, Ya, NA, ya. Note there are two types of N sounds-- Na and NA. This is described further in my previous post here: https://mantrayoga.blogspot.com/2017/12/how-to-pronounce-ashtakshara-mantra-of.html)

6. "Of white colour is the syllable “Om”, the syllable “Na” is said to be red in colour. The syllable “Mo” is said to be black in colour, the syllable “Na” is red in colour."

7. "The “Ra” syllable is the colour of vermilion, the “Ya” syllable is yellow. The syllable “NA” is the colour of collyrium, and the “Ya” syllable is of many colours."

8. "The Om Namo Narayanaya mantra allows one to achieve all the goals of life. When recited with devotion, it grants one heaven and liberation. It is an eternal perfect mantra containing the Omkara of the Vedas."

9. "Destroyer of all sins, most auspicious, this mantra is the best of all mantras. While remembering Lord Narayana, one should recite this eight-syllabled mantra."

10. "One who chants this at the transition period between day and night (dawn and dusk; known as ‘sandhya’ in Sanskrit), and at all times, is completely freed from all sins. This alone is the highest mantra, this alone is the highest austerity."

I have provided a translation of the first ten slokas (out of 36) of this Mahatmyam-- this has been done by painstakingly checking the dictionary and using my pre-existing Sanskrit knowledge. I have attempted a draft of the rest of the document but it is not perfect (I am not sure of the exact meaning of some words) so I cannot give you a full translation of the rest.

I can however grasp the meaning of many of the words of the rest of the document (even if not all of them) so I can give you a gist, an idea, of the meaning of these.

After the above discussion, Vyasa tells Shuka that this mantra is grants heaven and liberation, it is the secret of the Vedas.

He then says:

One should repeat this mantra after bathing/becoming physically clean and this will lead to one becoming free of all sins.

One should recite this mantra before and after all actions.

Even great sins are erased by this mantra (i.e. the karmic effect is erased as the name of God purifies our mind and recitation is a form of penance for past misdeeds).

Vyasa then gives a description of the results obtained after chanting the mantra 1 lakh times, 2 lakh times, 3 lakh times, 4 lakh times, 5 lakh times, 6 lakh times, 7 lakh times and finally, 8 lakh times. (For those who may be unfamiliar with the term 'lakh', this refers to a number within the Indian system of counting and represents the number 100,000 i.e. one hundred-thousand).

In a nutshell, he says that after the:

1st lakh: the soul is purified
2nd lakh:  pefect intelligence is attained
3rd lakh: the soul acquires enough spiritual merit to attain heaven (the realm of the demi-gods)
4th lakh: one acquires closeness to God
5th lakh: one acquires pure wisdom
6th lakh: the mind becomes established in God
7th lakh: one obtains the form of one's ishta devata (swaroopam, a lower form of samadhi/realisation)
8th lakh: one obtains liberation, experience of God, realisation of one's God-nature

In effect, therefore, Vyasa describes the effects of the japa component of a purascharana of the ashtakshara mantra.

(Note- Sivananda says that, in this Kali yuga, one may have to do many lakhs (not only eight) or purascharanas of this or any other mantra of God to attain liberation as a lot of mental purification is needed.)

Vyasa then says that recitation of this mantra protects one from all sorts of negative things in the world including thieves, snakes, bad dreams and negative spirits. He says it frees one even of the fear of death (as one realises one's true immortal nature).

He then explains that this mantra grants all material fortune including long life, wealth, children, wisdom and fame.

He emphatically declares that this mantra grants the four great goals of life-- dharma (goodness; the basis for the other three goals), artha (wealth), kama (pleasures/enjoyment in life) and moksha (spiritual liberation).

He concludes by exhorting his son, Shuka, to recite this mantra and attain all that he has described above.

"Ashtaksharam-imam mantram, sarva-dukha-vinashanam;
Japa putra maha-buddhe, yadi siddhim-abhipsasi"

"This ashtakshara mantra destroys all suffering;
Recite this O my son of great intelligence, if you desire to attain perfection".

So there we have it.

Sage Vyasa himself, the great rishi, advises his own beloved son, the noble Shuka, to recite the ashtakshara mantra to attain perfection.

Those of us who like this mantra may therefore take inspiration from this discussion between this father and son. Let us follow Vyasa's advice and recite the Om Namo Narayanaya mantra many many times to attain perfection.

On that note I will mention that I am plodding along with my fifth purascharana. It is no easy task-- due to work and childcare responsibilities, I have been doing 12 malas daily (more than my previous 11, but not the 15 malas I had originally wanted). Anyway, something is better than nothing, and at this rate, I will complete the purascharana at the end of next year.

Om Namo Narayanaya.
Om Namo Narayanaya.
Om Namo Narayanaya.

May Narayana bless us all.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

Mukunda mala

Hari Aum.

I recently discovered an extremely beautiful Sanskrit hymn to Narayana/Krishna called the 'Mukunda mala'. Mukunda is one of Krishna's names which meaning 'giver of moksha' (liberation).

This hymn was composed many centuries ago by a saintly king of Southern India known as Kulashekhara. The verses are beautiful and poetical and filled with great devotion. They praise the Supreme Being in the form of Narayana/Krishna as an embodiment of compassion, who removes the suffering of all beings who take refuge in Him. As a great saint and devotee, the king also gives us advice on how we too can become true devotees of God.

With regard to sadhana, the saint Kulasheshara advises us to concentrate our minds on God. He specifically recommends recitation of the holy names of God as the way to attain salvation. Interestingly, he also mentions the 'Om Namo Narayanaya' mantra, declaring that this is an effective remedy for the poison of worldly suffering.


I am posting some links related to this  hymn below:

Sanskrit tranliteration and English translation:

http://www.hindupedia.com/en/Mukunda_Mala

Some slokas from the above link's translation of the Mukunda Mala are as follows:

"Nathe dhathari bhogi-bhoga-sayane narayane madhave
Deve devaki-nandane sura-vare chakrayudhe sarangini
Lilasesha-jagat-prapancha-jathare visvesvare sridhare
Govinde kuru chitta-vrittim achalam anyais tu kim vartanai."

"Never forget Hari who sleeps on the (celestial) serpent,
And who is also called Narayana and Madhava,
Who is the darling son of Devaki,
Who is venerated by Devas,
Who has the holy wheel and the bow Saranga as weapon,
Who holds the world as if it is a play,
Who is the Lord of the universe,
Who is the Lord Sridhara.
Who takes care of cows (all living beings; Govinda also means 'master of the senses'),
And make your mind unwaveringly firm on him,
For what else can you gain by any other way?"

"Namami Narayana-pada-pankajam
Karomi narayana-pujanam sada
Vadami narayana-nama nirmalam
Smarami narayana-tattvam avyayam."

"I prostrate on the lotus feet of Narayana,
I always do worship of Narayana,
I recite the pure names of Narayana,
And I meditate on the truth behind Narayana."

"Narayanaya nama ity amum eva mantram
Samsara-ghora-visha-nirharanaya nityam
Srinvanthu bhavya-matayo yatayo anuragad
Ucchais taram upadisamy aham urdhva-bahuh."

"The hearing of the mantra “Om Namo Narayanaya”
Is the panacea for the every day dark poisonous material life,
With compassion I utter this to the sages who have renounced the world,
And shout this at the top of my voice and with raised hands."


Hymn written in various Indian scripts including Sanskrit:

https://stotram.co.in/mukunda-mala-stotram/


Finally, a musical rendition of this beautiful prayer:

Part 1:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fp5WJRz8AFY

Part 2:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qj07wWRoISM

May the saint Kulashekhara bless us all so that we too may attain true devotion to God.

Om Namo Narayanaya.
Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

Gita chapter 13- Purusha (soul) and Prakriti (Nature/matter)

Hari Aum.

We are now two-thirds of the way into the Gita. In the past 12 chapters, Krishna has covered a number of topics. He has introduced Arjuna to the idea that he is consciousness (soul) in reality, not the body-mind complex. In addition, He has provided Arjuna numerous ways to attain the direct experience of this truth, i.e. the various paths of yoga, the key elements of which are selfless action, control of the senses, cultivation of virtues, spiritual intelligence (the ability to distinguish the real from the unreal) and devotion to the Divine.

After explaining to Arjuna about His own nature as God, He revealed His cosmic form to him and explained that devotion in particular was key to spiritual development.

Now, in the 13th chapter, Krishna paves the way for the final six chapters of the Gita which centre around the subject of spiritual wisdom.

In this chapter, Krishna discusses the reality of the world around us. Generally people believe the world is made up of matter alone-- a variety of elements and compounds that have combined in various ways to produce the world around us.

Krishna however states that it is not quite so simple. Yes, undoubtedly, a sort of 'matter' exists. But it is not what it seems. Appearances are deceptive.

He states that two principles exist in this world. Both have been created by God out of His/Her own Being. One principle is the world that can be perceived by the senses and that can, to some extent at least, be grasped by the mind and intellect-- this is 'Prakriti'. The other principle is invisible but present everywhere, in every bit of matter--- this is the Spirit, known as 'Purusha'.

As Sivananda says, "Matter is spirit cognised through the senses". There is, in reality, only God alone everywhere. There is nothing but God-- so say the yogis. Purusha and Prakriti are two manifestations of that One Supreme Being.

The world is the result of an interweaving of Purusha and Prakriti-- everything that exists contains them both. These are two aspects of the One Divine, the One God.

Krishna also refers to Purusha and Prakriti as the 'knower of the field' and the 'field' respectively in this chapter. The 'field' here represents the body; the 'knower of the field' is consciousness (or the soul) dwelling within the body.

Krishna says that (all translations here are as per my Guru, Sivananda):

The 'field' or Prakriti consists of the following foundation (Sivananda says the 'world of forms' is built upon these):

-egoism
-intellect
-mind
-body
-ten organs (five of perception and five of action)
-five types of sensual objects
-desire (liking)
-hatred (disliking)
-pleasure
-pain
-intelligence
-fortitude
-Five great elements of creation (space, air, fire, water and earth)
-unmanifested Nature (mula Prakriti)


Krishna then states that knowledge consists of the following (He also says that the opposite of these constitutes ignorance):

-Humility
-unpretentiousness
-non-violence
-forgiveness
-uprightness (being straightforward)
-service of the Guru/teacher
-purity
-steadiness
-self-control
-indifference to sensual objects
-absence of pride/egoism
-perception of the misery of birth, old age, disease and death
-non-attachment
-non-identification of the Self with family, home and the rest
-constant even-mindedness on attaining both desirable and undesirable objects
-unswerving devotion to God
-not feeling separate from God (i.e. feeling one with God)
-going to solitary places
-distaste for the company of worldly-minded people
-constancy in Self-knowledge
-perception of the end of true knowledge

In summary, true knowledge or wisdom according to Krishna involves the cultivation of qualities and performance of actions that lead us to liberation (realisation of our true spiritual nature as one with the Supreme Being). (Equally, that knowledge, no matter how clever it seems, that binds us to the notion that we are merely body and mind, that is ignorance.)

Having described the two principles in the universe, and the path of wisdom, Krishna now describes the Supreme Being, the origin of Purusha and Prakriti, He who transcends them both.

Krishna introduces this topic by saying:

"I will declare that which has to be known, knowing which one attains to immortality; the beginningless supreme Brahman, called neither being nor non-being."

Then, He says:

"Sarvatah panipadam tat-sarvatokshiriromukham;
sarvatah shrutimalloke sarvamavritya tishtati"

"With hands and feet everywhere, with eyes, heads and mouths everywhere, with ears everywhere, Hr exists in the worlds enveloping all".

and

"Shining by the functions of all the senses, yet without the senses;
unattached and yet supporting all; devoid of all qualities, yet their experiencer."

(Sivananda says that "Brahman sees without eyes, hears without ears, smells without the nose, eats without the mouth, feels without skin, grasps without hands, walks without feet". He is free from the qualities (gunas) of Nature (Prakriti) and yet He is the enjoyer of the qualities. As the Brihadaranyaka Upanisad says, "He is the unseen seer, the unheard hearer, the unthought thinker. He is the Self, the Inner Ruler, the Immortal.")

"Without and within (all) beings, the unmoving and also the moving; because of Its subtlety, unknowable; and near and far away is That".

"And undivided, yet It exists as if divided in beings; It is to be known as the supporter of beings; It devours and It generates."

"Jyotisham-api tajjyotis-tamasah param-uchyate;
Jnanam jneyam jnana-gamyam, hridi sarvasya vishthitam."

"That, the Light of all lights, is said to be beyond darkness;
knowledge, the knowable and the goal of knowledge, seated in the hearts of all."

I find the above sloka very beautiful-- this describes God as the Supreme Light, the source of all lights, beyond all darkness, the light of consciousness that illumines everything else.

Krishna then says that:

-Purusha and Prakriti are both beginningless.

-Prakriti generates desires and thus actions, both good and bad. Purusha (the soul) then experiences the results of those actions, i.e. pleasure and pain.

-Attachment of the soul/Purusha to the gunas (sattva, rajas and tamas) born of Prakriti, is the cause of its birth in good and evil wombs (meaning higher and lower births as various species and in different circumstances, with joy and suffering).

-All things, both moving and unmoving, contain both Purusha and Prakriti.

(Note- This means that there is no such thing as 'dead matter'. Even stones contain spirit, Purusha. As the yogis say, the Atman/soul is the same in a stone, an animal and in a person-- it is ever pure, ever divine and not affected by Nature. But the degree of manifestation of the Atman/Purusha in Nature is different, depending upon the type of existence).

-God in the body is the spectator (who sees all our thoughts, words and actions). It is He who allows the mind and body to function, who supports their existence and who enjoys their activities. He is the Supreme Being, the great Lord.

He then states that those who know the truth about Purusha and Prakriti (through intuition), they are not reborn.

Then He makes two statements (which sound quite beautiful):

"Samam sarveshu bhuteshu, tishthanta Parameshvaram,
Vinashyastv-avinashyantam ya pashyati sa pashyati."

"He sees, who sees the Supreme Lord, existing equally in all beings, the unperishing within the perishing."

and

"Samam pashyanhi sarvatra, samavasthitamishvaram;
Na hinastyatman-atmanam tato yati param gatim."

"Because he who sees the same Lord equally dwelling everywhere does not destroy the Self by the self; he goes to the highest goal."

Krishna concludes this chapter by stating that Prakriti is ultimately the force behind all actions/karma, while the Higher Self merely observes these. He states that as the sun illumines the whole world, God illumines all of Prakriti/Nature (i.e. He is the force behind the mind/intellect/body/elements/the entire material creation).

In summary, this chapter states that:

1. Everything in the world is made up of a union of two components of the Divine-- Purusha (spirit) and Prakriti (Nature/matter).

2. The ability of the mind to recognise the presence of God in all creation, including in the hearts of all beings, leads one to liberation, i.e. realising the state of one-ness with God.

Om Namo Narayanaya.

To be continued...

Hari Aum Tat Sat

Gita chapter 12- devotion to God

Hari Aum.

At the end of the 11th chapter, Krishna declared to Arjuna that those with devotion to Him would come to Him, thus paving the way for a discussion on devotion to God (which is the theme of this chapter).

The 12th chapter begins with a question from Arjuna on the best path of yoga, the best way to attain God. This is an important question for us as spiritual aspirants. Arjuna asks Krishna which people excel in yoga-- those who worship Him with name and form (the 'personal' God) or those who worship Him without name and form (the 'impersonal' formless God).

Krishna gives the answer. He says:

"Mayyaveshaya mano ye mam, nitya-yukta upasate,
Shraddhya parayo-petastey me yuktatama matah"

"Those who, fixing their mind on Me, worship Me, ever steadfast and endowed with supreme faith, are the best in Yoga in My opinion" (all translations are by my Guru, Sivananda).

He then goes on to say that one can attain God by worshipping Him with form or without form. Both are valid spiritual paths. However, He states that the worship of God without form is very difficult for human beings. Why? Because the human mind struggles to grasp that which is without form. The mind thinks in names and forms. It is very difficult to contemplate something which has no name and has no form.

Krishna describes the formless God using terms such as "unthinkable" (achintyam), "indefinable" (anirdeshyam), "unmanifested" (avyaktam) as well as eternal, imperishable, immovable and omnipresent. How can the human mind think of the "unthinkable" and the "indefinable"?

Thus He states:

"Greater is their trouble whose minds are set on the unmanifested; for the goal, the unmanifested, is very hard for the embodied to reach."

So what about the alternative, the worship of God with name and form? This is the path that Krishna recommends for most people (the majority of saints of past and present attained God through this type of worship; a few also attained Him through worship of the formless but these are relatively few).

In fact, another advantage of the worship of God with name and form, aside from the fact that the mind can focus better in this path, is that Krishna promises that He Himself rescues those who turn to Him with devotion. He says:

"To those whose minds are set on Me, O Arjuna, truly I become before long the saviour out of the ocean of samsara".

Therefore, He advises:

"Mayyeva mana aadhatsva, mayi buddhim niveshaya,
nivasishyasi mayyeva ata oordhva na samshaya"

"Fix your mind in Me only, your intellect in Me,
(then) you shall no doubt live in Me alone hereafter"

But fixing one's mind constantly on God is difficult for us. So what is the alternative?

Krishna says:

"If you are unable to fix your mind steadily on Me, then by the yoga of constant practice, seek to reach Me, O Arjuna".

"If you are unable to practice even this (abhyasa yoga mentioned above), then be intent on doing actions for My sake; even by doing actions for My sake, you shall attain perfection".

"If you are unable to do even this, then, resorting to union with Me, renounce the fruits of actions with the self controlled".

Krishna thus gives us two broad types of sadhana to attain Him here:

1. Think of Him constantly (or at least try our best to think of Him as much as possible)

If we can't do this, then He says we should:

2. Do actions for His sake (while renouncing selfish desires for the fruits of action)

Sivananda advises that we do both. Do all actions as His worship while thinking of Him.

Krishna then describes the qualities that He likes in His devotees. He says:

"He by whom the world is not agitated, and who cannot be agitated by the world; who is freed from (worldly) joy, anger, fear and anxiety-- He is dear to Me."

"He who is free from wants, (one who is) pure, expert, unconcerned (with worldly things), and free from pain, renouncing all (selfish, worldly) undertakings and commencements-- he who is thus devoted to Me, is dear to Me."

"He who neither rejoices (when he gets desirable objects), nor hates, nor grieves, nor desires, renouncing (worldly) good and evil, and who is full of devotion, is dear to Me."

"He who is the same (well-wisher) to both enemy and friend, and also in honour and dishonour, who is the same in cold and heat, and in pleasure and pain, who is free from (worldly) attachment".

"He to whom abuse and praise are equal, who is silent, content with anything, without a home, of steady mind, and full of devotion-- that man is dear to Me."

"Those devotees, who truly follow this immortal path/dharma as described (above), filled with faith, regarding Me as their supreme goal, they are very dear to Me."

So to summarise, Krishna says He loves those who are:

1. Balanced-- when facing worldly opposites such as pleasure and pain, joy and sorrow, cold and heat, praise and blame, honour and dishonour, friends and enemies, good and evil. Also not agitated by others, and not causing any agitation to others.

2. Free from negativity. This includes freedom from the desire for selfish worldly gains, from selfish actions, from negative feelings towards others (including hate, anger) and negative emotions (fear, anxiety, grief, pain)

3. Filled with positive qualities including contentment, silence and importantly, faith and devotion to God, while seeing Him as the supreme goal.

It is particularly interesting to read this chapter now, at the time of the pandemic. The world is facing a significant health and economic crisis. Almost everyone of us is affected in some way or another-- on a personal or professional level.

Many of us are worried about the safety of our loved ones and ourselves, our work and also about society (risk of social unrest etc; some worry whether these events can even lead to war between countries).

In short, these are challenging times. Fear, anxiety, grief, pain-- all of the things Krishna says we should try to be free of-- these negative feelings arise in us.

At the same time, our faith and devotion to God is being tested severely.

In a nutshell, for spiritual aspirants, this feels like serious spiritual test. Our faith is being tested, our devotion is being tested. Our ability to stay calm (at least mostly calm, we can be forgiven for having some moments of anxiety) is being tested, our ability to withstand uncertainty is being tested.

We hear about the death of thousands on a daily basis; this news may fill us with grief and throw our mind out of balance-- our ability to rebalance our mind and stay calm despite all this is being tested.

I was reflecting recently that it really is a case of 'sink or swim'. We have a choice. We can either let fear, anxiety and worry overwhelm us and sink into misery and depression. Or alternatively, we can hold tight to the name or mantra of God and say "What will be, will be", and not give up.

It's not like we have many alternatives aside from God and His name. We cannot control many things in our lives and future. We have no way of knowing what will happen to us, our families, our friends and our society. In five years from now, what will the world be like? We do not know.

In these circumstances, it makes complete sense to intensify our spiritual practice. Sivananda says the name of God is our real wealth, it is a treasure that nobody can take away from us. No disease, no recession, no organisation, even Yama (the demi-god of death) himself cannot take this away from us. The spiritual merit, the spiritual progress that we earn in this lifetime will go with us, even if we are made to leave the Earth. It is ours forever, imperishable, eternal, like we ourselves truly are.

So, let us continue our spiritual practice even if the circumstances are challenging. I personally have been struggling to juggle my various commitments. I am returning to my work as a doctor (part-time on weekends mainly due to childcare issues) from next week after being on maternity leave for a little over a year-- and am busy preparing myself for this by catching up on medical reading of latest guidelines etc. At the same time, during the week, I am the main carer for my 10 month old daughter (while my husband works full-time). I am also running the household. And in the middle of all this, I am trying to do some formal seated sessions of japa, and trying to treat everything else (medical work/childcare/housework) also as sadhana.

I won't say that it is easy. But it has to be done. There is no other way. I have chosen this path and now I must walk it. There can be no stopping of sadhana. It is more important now than ever before. It has been tough completing the number of daily malas everyday-- I have not always succeeded but I am roughly on track with this fifth purascharana. I hope that God will be satisfied, that I can succeed in attaining the spiritual goal in this very lifetime. As my Guru Sivananda said, it is our very birthright, we can attain it in one lifetime. We have to try.

Krishna Himself assures us (in the Uddhava Gita) that the householder can succeed in attaining Him. Any person, whether dwelling in an ashram (a big household), alone in a cave, or with a few others in a regular house, will face challenges. We have to step up to the challenge and do our best. The rest is in His hands.

On that note, I will conclude this post and return again later to discuss the next chapter of the Gita. May He bless us all with true devotion and attainment of Him.

Om Namo Narayayana.

Hari Aum Tat Sat

Gita chapter 11- the Vision of God

Hari Aum.

So far in the Gita, we have seen Krishna explain various paths of yoga to Arjuna. He has explained that the human being is in reality an immortal being, and that one should strive to realise this truth in one's lifetime.

He has told Arjuna about the importance of selfless service of living beings to purify the mind so that it can experience this truth. He has explained the importance of taking refuge in God in order to succeed in the difficult battle with the lower mind. The higher mind (consisting of positive emotions and wisdom) can only defeat the lower mind (consisting of negative emotions and ignorance) with the help of the Divine. He has emphasised the importance of meditation with open eyes (not just with closed eyes)-- this is the art of training the mind to see God in everything and everywhere.

At this stage, Arjuna has an overwhelming desire to see the divine form of God (Krishna). The eleventh chapter opens with Arjuna declaring that his confusion regarding his duty as a warrior has been resolved by Krishna's teachings so far (he recognises the need to do his duty even if it is unpleasant for him). Now he requests Krishna to show him His divine form if He feels Arjuna is capable of seeing it.

Hearing of Arjuna's wish to see His divine form, Krishna agrees and grants him divine eyes to fulfil his wish.

He says (all translations based on those given by my Guru, Sivananda):

"Now behold Arjuna, in this My body, the whole universe centred in one-- including the moving and the unmoving--and whatever else that you desire to see"

Arjuna then has an extraordinary experience.

He beholds the wondrous universal form of God. The form that Krishna had previously described when He said that He was everywhere and everything.

Arjuna sees numerous divine manifestations of Krishna-- he sees many divine beautiful forms, wearing flower garlands and ornaments and holding divine weapons. The brilliance of these divine forms is very intense similar to that of a "thousand suns simultaneously blazing in the sky".

He sees the many classes of beings including demi-gods and divine sages within the body of Krishna.

Arjuna says:

"I see You of boundless form on every side with many arms, stomachs, mouths and eyes; neither the end nor the middle, nor also the beginning do I see, O Lord of the universe, O Cosmic Form."

"I see You with the diadem, the club and the discuss, a mass of radiance shining everywhere, very hard to look at, blazing all round like burning fire and the sun, and immeasurable".

"You are the Imperishable, the Supreme Being, worthy to be known. You are the great treasure-house of this universe. You are the imperishable protector of the eternal Dharma (goodness/righteousness); You are the Primal person, I deem".

"I see You without beginning, middle or end, infinite in power, of endless arms, the sun and the moon being Your eyes, the burning fire Your mouth, heating the whole universe with Your radiance".

"This space between the earth and heaven and all the directions are filled with You alone; having seen this, Your wonderful and terrible form, the three worlds are trembling with fear, O great-souled Being"

In the verses above, Arjuna sees that all beings (both divine and undivine) exist in the body of the Supreme Being, God. The arms, legs, heads and bodies of all beings belong to God-- hence the vision of God with numerous forms. The forms of God are infinite.

Arjuna also describes God as having infinite power, who takes the form of the Sun (which heats the earth so that life can exist here). He sees all space filled with God in every direction.

This universal form, with such power and glory, is both wonderful and also overwhelming to behold. Thus Arjuna says the three worlds (heaven, earth and the underworld) tremble with fear seeing it.

Arjuna himself also says he feels frightened seeing the Cosmic Form of God. He sees various people who are about to participate in the Kurukshetra war, enter into the body of Krishna and be destroyed. He sees God in the form of the destroyer of evil, and as Time, which eventually destroys all material creation.

He says:

"Truly, just as many rivers flow into the ocean, similarly, these heroes of the world enter Your flaming mouths".

"As moths hurriedly rush into a blazing fire for their own destruction, similarly these creatures rush into Your mouths for their own destruction".

Arjuna is filled with awe and fear at this aspect of God, which destroys material creation. In awe and fear, he says:

"Tell me who You are, so fierce of form! Salutations to You, O Supreme God. Have mercy! I wish to know You, the Original Being. I do not know Your working"

Krishna then replies to Arjuna, saying:

"I am Time, which destroys the (material) worlds. Even without you, none of the warriors in the hostile (opposite) side will live."

Krishna then tells Arjuna that it is Himself (and not Arjuna) who will in reality destroy the evil soldiers in the Kurukshetra battle. He tells Arjuna to simply be His instrument ("nimitta matram bhava"). Arjuna was afraid of the sin of participating in this war between good and evil; here Krishna tells him that it is He (who always stands by the good) who is the real destroyer of evil.

At this stage, the Cosmic Form becomes too much for Arjuna to bear. Trembling in fear, he joins in palms in respect, he prostrates before Krishna.

He praises Him saying that He is the One who is praised by the good, and feared by the evil. He describes Him as the supreme refuge of the universe, the One who knows all and is to be known, the One who pervades everything, who is everywhere, with infinite forms.

He then apologises to Krishna, saying that he had mistakenly thought of Him as simply his relative (Krishna took birth as Arjuna's cousin) and had therefore insulted Him as a joke on many occasions, not knowing of His true identity and greatness as God. For this conduct, he apologises profusely, asking Krishna to forgive him.

Arjuna describes Krishna, saying:

"You are the father of this world, moving and unmoving. You are to be adored by this world, You are the greatest Guru, there exists nobody equal to You."

He then thanks Krishna for fulfilling his wish in revealing His Cosmic Form. However, he tells Krishna that he feels both delighted and frightened seeing this, and would now like this vision to be withdrawn. Instead of the awesome Cosmic Form, he asks Krishna to show His beautiful and peaceful four-armed divine form (as Narayana), holding the divine discus, conch, mace and lotus.

He says:

"I desire to see You as before, with a crown, holding a mace, with the discus in Your hand; Your previous form with four-arms, O thousand-armed Cosmic Being".

Hearing this, Krishna tells Arjuna that the Cosmic Form which he just saw was a rare event that nobody had seen previously. He then told Arjuna not to be scared, and withdrew the Cosmic Form. He then assumed His gentle form as Krishna, which made Arjuna feel very relieved!

Krishna then told Arjuna that His Cosmic Form could not be seen by any number of complex rituals and austerities, but only through devotion to Him.

He then makes a famous statement which my Guru, Sivananda, says, contains the essence of all the teachings of the Gita.

This statement is:

"One who does all actions for Me, who looks upon Me as the Supreme, who is devoted to Me, who is free from attachment, who bears enmity towards no creature, that one comes to Me, O Arjuna".

My Guru says that the spiritual aspirant who lives in accordance with this statement of Krishna will attain Supreme Bliss and Immortality.

What are the qualities we need to develop based on the above statement?
1. Do all actions for God
2. See God as Supreme
3. Have devotion to God
4. Be free from worldly desires
5. Have no enmity towards any beings

My Guru Sivananda would say that the combination of the recitation of God's name or mantra (japa) and selfless service of humanity (karma yoga) will help us develop the above five qualities. These two spiritual practices form the building blocks of the edifice of our spiritual progress and will enable us to attain Self/God-realisation.

To be continued....

Om Namo Narayanaya. Om Namo Narayanaya. Om Namo Narayanaya.

Hari Aum Tat Sat

P.S. I am planning to resume my work as a doctor in the next few weeks/in May but will aim to continue writing this series on the Gita and also on other spiritual topics as far as possible

Maintaining mental health during the pandemic

Hari Aum.

I'd like to share some suggestions on how to maintain our mental health during the pandemic (these suggestions are based on a mental health course I completed in the last couple of years).

Many of us are living in countries that are in lockdown. We are spending more time indoors and less time with people that we usually see. The news is mostly negative. All together this combination of events can make many of us feel more worried, stressed and even depressed.

We have to accept the situation as it is. As the saying (by the Buddha) goes, "This too shall pass".

Until then, I suggest the following measures to help maintain our mental health:

1. Focus on the good in life: the good in  yourself, in your family, in society and in the world at large. There is a lot of good in the world despite all its challenges.

In the world of mental health, we know that negative thoughts produce negative feelings. Conversely, positive thoughts produce positive feelings.

There is no use focusing on/discussing the negative stuff in life unless one is planning to do take some constructive action based on this (e.g. to help the situation). Engaging in negative discussions without any purpose will only make us feel unhappy.

Reflecting on one's own negative actions with an aim to avoid repeating this in the future is a positive step. Equally, discussing something negative that has directly happened to us with the aim of processing this and letting it go is a positive step-- and family and friends can help each other with this.

Happiness and positive thinking is also good for our immune system. There is evidence that being stressed and angry reduces our immune system and increases our risk of various illnesses.

So try to focus on the good in life and stay as positive as possible.


2. Consider a gratitude diary: think of at least three things you are grateful for every day (or at least a few times a week). There's a saying that you don't know what you had until it's gone. Focusing on the good stuff that you are grateful for will make you feel happy.

3. Comedy: there is truth in the saying that 'laughter is the best medicine'. Consider taking a break from the news, and watch something funny that makes you laugh. (Obviously laughing at/mocking real people is negative and bad for our mental health).

4. Take care of the body: eat and sleep well, take moderate exercise (indoors or outdoors based on local government advice) at least three times a week. Physical fitness helps mental health.

5. Do something nice for somebody every day: this brings out the best in us. It makes us and other people feel good.

6. Remember you and everyone else on Earth is immortal in reality. Follow all precautions and advice from doctors and the government. But also remember the words of the Gurus and saints of the past and present. We are immortal, the children of God. Let us therefore remember God and repeat His/Her names and mantras for the protection of ourselves and all beings, so that we can soon realise our immortal nature. Immortality is a fact of our life. Not a theory. Let us pray to God to make this knowledge our reality, our living experience. This is the reason for our birth on Earth according to the Gurus. Let us never forget this. To do spiritual practice and realise that we are already immortal is the reason we have come here.

This weekend is a sacred one with Good Friday and Easter. Let us utilise this time well in spiritual practices. Let us keep some time aside (even just half an hour or so) for mantra japa. And before, during and after every mundane activity, let us remember God and repeat His name. This way we keep the thread of divine remembrance throughout our daily activities and make everything into a sadhana.

May God bless and protect all of us, our families and friends, and the entire world.

Om Namo Narayanaya
Om Sri Gurave Namah.

Deity Kavachas for protection

Hari Aum.

Life can feel rather stressful right now due to the pandemic. Many of us are in lockdown at home, and the fatalities from the disease are increasing daily.

One source of peace and calm at this time are the kavachas of some of the main manifestations of God, such as Devi/Divine Mother, Narayana and Shiva. The word 'kavacha' literally means armour in Sanskrit.

It is a special hymn or prayer addressed to a deity which is said to have the ability to protect the one who hears or recites it. Essentially, these are said to protect people from the three categories of suffering (from within our own body/mind, from other living beings, and natural disasters). They are also said to bring auspiciousness, peace and bliss into our lives.

Listening to or reciting these can help to increase our mental strength at this challenging time, and can also be a useful prayer for others.

Some links to the kavachas are below:


1. Devi kavacha (wonderful rendition by Pandit Jasraj and his team):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-EPOp09BO0

English transliteration and translation of the Devi Kavacha:

https://saranaagathi.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/devikavacham_english.pdf


2. Narayana kavacham

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdaL2N4nIpI


English translation of the Narayana kavacham:

http://www.hindupedia.com/en/Narayana_Kavacham


3. Shiva kavacham

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cX2IIPC6fQU


English translation of Shiva kavacham:

http://www.hindupedia.com/en/Shiva_Kavacham


4. Narasimha kavacham (Narasimha is an avatar of Narayana)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hd932-Hcgj8

English translation of Narasimha kavacham:

https://www.templepurohit.com/narasimha-kavacham/


Om Namo Narayanaya

Hari Aum Tat Sat

Gita chapter 10- God is everywhere

Hari Aum.

In the tenth chapter of the Gita, Krishna tells Arjuna that He is the origin of everything and that knowing this, the wise worship Him.

"Aham sarvasya prabhavo, mattah sarva pravartate,
Iti matva bhajante mam budha bhavasamanvitah"

Meaning (as per my Guru, Sivananda):

"I am the source of all; from Me everything evolves; understanding thus, the wise, endowed with meditation, worship Me".

He then says (this is a well-known sloka of how devotees enjoy discussing the Lord):

"Macchitta madgata-prana, bodhayanta parasparam,
kathayantashcha mam nityam, tushyanti cha ramanti cha"

Meaning (as per Sivananda):

"With their mind and their life wholly absorbed in Me, enlightening each other and ever speaking of Me, they are satisfied and delighted."

Krishna then says that those who worship Him with love are blessed by Him with wisdom. Out of compassion for them, He says He destroys the ignorance within them and lights the lamp of knowledge (beautiful description).

Arjuna then asks Krishna to tell him how to think of Him (how to train his mind to see God everywhere). He asks Krishna to tell him all about Himself.

Krishna replies saying that there is no end to His manifestations and glories (these are infinite!). He therefore tells Arjuna that He will provide an outline of the main manifestations so that Arjuna can learn to see Him everywhere and in everything (and thus reach a stage of constant remembrance of God-- which purifies the mind and leads to attainment of God).

He then describes a portion of Himself to Arjuna. He says that He is the:

1. Self (soul) in the hearts of all beings
2. Beginning, middle and end of all beings
3. Vishnu amongst the Adityas (a class of celestial beings)
4. Sun
5. Marichi amongst the Maruts (a class of celestial beings)
6. Moon
7. Sama Veda amongst the Vedas
8. Vasava amongst the devas (demi-gods)
9. Mind
10. Consciousness/intelligence (chetana) in living beings
11. Shankara amongst the Rudras (a class of celestial beings)
12. Kubera (the guardian of wealth)
13. Pavaka (fire)
14. Meru (the celestial mountain)
15. Brihaspati (guru of the demi-gods)
16. Skanda (the chief of the army of the demi-gods and Shiva's son)
17. Ocean amongst water bodies
18. Bhrigu (one of the seven great sages)
19. Om amongst all words
20. Japa (mantra recitation) amongst all sacrifices
21. Himalayas amongst immovable things
22. Peepul tree amongst trees
23. Narada amongst the divine sages
24. Chitraratha amongst the gandharvas (celestial musicians)
25. Kapila amongst sages
26. Ucchaishravas (celestial horse) amongst horses
27. Airavrata (divine elephant) amongst elephants
28. King amongst human beings
29. Thunderbolt amongst weapons
30. Kamadhenu (celestial cow) amongst cows
31. Kamadeva (demi-god of romance, worldly love)
32. Vasuki (divine serpent) amongst serpents
33. Ananta amongst nagas (a class of celestial beings)
34. Varuna (demi-god of water)
35. Aryaman amongst pitris (ancestors)
36. Yama (demi-god of death)
37. Prahlada (great devotee of God) amongst asuras (demons)
38. Time
39. Lion amongst animals
40.  Garuda (divine eagle) amongst birds
41. Beginning, middle and end of all creation
42. Science of self-realisation amongst all sciences
43. Logic (of those who engage in debates)
44. Sound 'A' amongst syllables/letters
45. Dvandva (dual Sanskrit words) amongst compounds
46. Everlasting Time (an eternal principle beyond our ordinary time)
47.Giver of karma (fruits of actions) who is omnipresent
48. Death
49. Prosperity
50. Fame
51. Speech
52. Memory
53. Spiritual intelligence (medha)
54. Firmness/endurance (ability to bear suffering)/detachment (dhriti)
55. Forgiveness (kshama)
56. Brihatsaman among hymns
57. Gayatri metre (amongst Sanskrit metres)
58. Margashirsha (occurs in Dec-Jan) amongst lunar months
59. Spring amongst seasons
60. Gambling amongst the fraudulent
61. Spiritual splendour (tejas)
63. Victory (jaya)
64. Determination)
65. Goodness (sattva)
66. Vasudeva/Krishna amongst Vrishnis (a human clan in which Krishna took birth)
67. Arjuna amongst Pandavas
68. Vyasa amongst munis (wise seers)
69. Ushanas amongst poets
70. Sceptre (danda) amongst punishers
71. Statesmanship amongst those seeking victory
72. Silence (maunam) amongst secrets
73. Knowledge of those who know
74. Seed (cause) of all beings

Krishna concludes His description of some of His manifestations by saying that "there is no being, whether moving or unmoving, that can exist without Me".

He then says that there is no end to His divine glories and this is only a brief outline. Whatever exists that is glorious, prosperous or powerful, that He says is a manifestation of a part of His splendour.

He concludes by telling Arjuna that He supports the whole universe of creation by just a part of Himself. Sivananda says that this verse is connected to the Purusha sukta (the famous hymn of the Rig Veda) that states that all creation constitutes just one-fourth of the Supreme Being; the remaining three-fourths is divine and transcendental (beyond this worldly existence).

To be continued....

Om Namo Narayanaya

Hari Aum Tat Sat