Ganesha: the remover of obstacles

 Hari Aum.

Om Sri Ganeshaya Namah.

I would like to write a brief post on Lord Ganesha today. I recently completed my first ever performance of Bharatanatyam dance on stage with my dance classmates and it was a beautiful (though slightly nerve wracking!) experience. 

This piece was dedicated to Lord Ganesha, the beloved older son of Lord Shiva and Mother Parvati, the One who is worshipped as the embodiment of wisdom and remover of obstacles.

In the Vedic tradition, Ganesha is always worshipped first, before any other form of the Divine (though they are all equal and One). He is worshipped before the performance of any significant or auspicious event, be it for a material or spiritual purpose, because He embodies that aspect of the Divine which removes all obstacles to success. Every important activity in the yogic or Vedic tradition begins with invoking and honouring Ganesha. 

He has the head of an elephant, symbolising great intelligence. In each of His four hands, He holds an object symbolising divine grace and protection.

In His upper right and left hands, He holds divine weapons (the axe and the rope), respectively symbolising the destruction of material desires and binding of the lower ego. 

In His left lower hand, He holds a bowl of delicious sweets (known as 'modaka' in Sanskrit) which symbolises Divine grace and auspiciousness (the sweetness of life, both material and spiritual).

His right lower hand is held in 'abhaya mudra' or the gesture of blessing and granting protection/fearlessness. This gesture symbolises His commitment to protect His devotees and grant blessings, both material and spiritual, including the great spiritual goal of Self-realisation.

I have been worshipping Lord Ganesha a bit more in the past couple of months since my dance teacher announced that He wanted our class to perform a piece dedicated to Him (the performance was to be part of a cultural programme including a Christmas celebration). This was a 'Ganesha vandana' including a 'pushpanjali' (worship of Ganesha with symbolic offering of flowers).

As mentioned previously in October, I had no plans to perform in public anytime soon and was quite nervous at the idea of appearing on stage this month. As our first ever dance performance would be dedicated to Lord Ganesha, I thought this was the perfect opportunity to develop a closer bond with this form of the Divine. 

I have always recited the mantra of Ganesha before conducting any worship of any other deity, including Narayana, but I have never before undertaken a specific tapas or spiritual practice dedicated to Him. 

To invoke the blessings and protection of Ganesha, to request Him to bless me that I may be able to perform this dance without any obstacles, I started to recite His mantra (Om Gum Ganapataye Namah) on certain days (in the past week or two, I recited a mini-mala of 27 recitations daily along with my usual japa sadhana, and did a puja for Ganesha).

The interesting thing is that there were plenty of obstacles in the path of my dance practice in the past six weeks-- some expected and some completely unexpected! These did create some stress but I felt that, due to the grace of God, particularly as Ganesha, I was able to cope relatively well and managed to do some regular dance practice despite it all! 

My dance classmates too would have had their own share of challenges as they come from various backgrounds (many are working women like me and also have families, and some are students)-- but we all managed to practice and learn the dance to a reasonable level by the grace of God. We certainly needed divine grace as our dance Guru tweaked and changed bits of the choreography right until the eve of the performance!

And, finally, when the day of our performance arrived earlier this month, I felt nervous but as ready as I felt as I could be (for a beginner!). The preparation for the performance, the repeated training over and over again (both in class and at home), the sheer effort involved (our teacher is quite tough in a good way and pushed us to our limits!), felt like a tapas or spiritual practice in itself. It felt like both the preparation and the performance itself were a form of worship of the Divine (and not merely a form of entertainment).

I have enjoyed watching Bharatanatyam so many times, and this felt like a beautiful opportunity to be on the other side of the fence-- to share the beauty of this dance with the audience who would be watching, to depict the beauty and glory of Lord Ganesha and hopefully provide spiritual inspiration (even as I have been inspired so many times when I have watched dance performances).

Before entering the stage, I mentally invoked Ganesha, my Guru Sivananda, Shiva/Nataraja, Durga, Sarasvati, Radha and Krishna/Narayana and dedicated the dance to the Divine in all these forms. I asked Sivananda especially to be present with me throughout the performance and I have no doubt that it was he who helped me stay (relatively!) calm and do my best on the day.

Our class had performed a lovely group puja to Lord Nataraja just before the performance. This is an ancient tradition-- we offer worship to God and honour our dance Guru before our first ever performance by offering our dancing/ankle bells to the Divine. This was a lovely and very calming ritual but, by the time we were waiting in the wings to enter the stage, we were all a bit nervous again, and it was helpful to have another round of mantra chanting and divine invocations to calm down!

The actual event itself went off relatively smoothly and we felt very grateful to receive some positive and encouraging feedback from the audience afterwards. Our teacher also said he was satisfied on the whole with our performance (but of course, in true Guru-style, declared that he wanted us to continue to improve and build upon our skills--as we still have a some more years of training to undergo before we can hope to be really good dancers!).

I will conclude this post by quoting the main sloka or prayer upon which our dance was based:

"Mooshika vahana, modaka hasta, 

Chamara karna, vilambita sutra, 

Vamana rupa, Maheshvara putra, 

Vighna vinayaka, pada namaste".

This means:

"To the One who has the mouse as His divine vehicle (the mouse represents the ego that has been brought under control by Ganesha), 

To Him who holds sweets in His hand (symbolising divine blessings and grace),

To the One who has large ears (of an elephant, symbolising His willingness to lend a compassionate listening ear to His devotees), 

To the One who wears the sacred thread (symbolising spiritual wisdom/Divine intelligence),

To the One who has the form of an adorable young child, 

Who is the beloved son of Lord Shiva (Maheshvara),

Who is the destroyer of all obstacles, 

To His holy feet, I offer worship."

This is a music video of the sloka: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoiBNxlgc8k

Om Sri Ganeshaya Namah.

I wish all readers a very happy Christmas and New Year. Let us continue to recite mantras and prayers for inner peace and world peace. 

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

Bala Kanda Part 8: Breaking the bow

 Hari Aum.

Om Sri Ramaya Namah.

I hope all readers had a wonderful Diwali celebration. Let us continue our study of the Ramayana of sage Valmiki.

In the previous post, we saw Sri Rama, Lakshmana and the sages arrive at the kingdom of Mithila (also known as Videha). 

Within this fortunate land, lived Sita, incarnation of Mother Lakshmi and daughter of the ruler, King Janaka. As the land was inhabited by an incarnation of the Goddess of spiritual and material wealth Herself, it was no wonder that it shone with an extraordinary divine splendour. 

The sages, accompanied by the Princes, entered the kingdom praising it for its great beauty. They made their way to an area where worship was being conducted by the King. Upon being informed of the arrival of the sages, King Janaka was filled with delight and hastened to welcome them. 

The King himself was no ordinary ruler; he was a 'rajarshi' (or 'raja-rishi'; in Sanskrit, 'rajah' means 'king' and 'rishi' means 'sage') , i.e. a kingly sage, a man of great spiritual wisdom (Self-Realisation). He embraced Vishvamitra and the other sages with great joy. Then, in accordance with tradition, he reverentially worshipped them, offering them a seat, food and drink.

After they were all well-rested, and had exchanged pleasantries, the King curiously asked about the origin of the two Princes. Remarking that they resembled the demi-gods in appearance and prowess, he asked sage Vishvamitra to tell him who they were.

Sage Vishvamitra explained that they were the children of King Dasharatha. He went on to tell the King and his entourage about the various valorous deeds performed by them including vanquishing negative forces and offering protection to the sages in the forests. He then went on to narrate the redemption of Ahalya that had occurred as a result of her meeting Sri Rama. 

The family priest and chief sage at the palace of King Janaka, Shathananda, was none other than the son of Ahalya and her husband, sage Gautama. He was overcome with joy and wonder upon hearing that his mother had received the fruit of her many years of penance, and that she had been reunited with his father.

Exclaiming that the arrival of Sri Rama was a great blessing, he praised both Him and sage Vishvamitra. Declaring that Sri Rama was very fortunate to have Vishvamitra as His Guru, he went on to tell Him about the greatness of His Guru. 

He explained in great detail how the former King Vishvamitra had decided to abandon his royal riches, and embark upon a very lengthy and extraordinarily intense course of austerities that had led to him finally becoming a great sage. (This is a long story and I am not going to explain it in full here as I want to remain focused mainly on the legend of Sri Rama Himself). 

In essence, Vishvamitra had discovered that sages had much greater powers than kings after foolishly trying to battle with one of them (the great sage, Vasishtha). He then decided that it was futile to continue to be a king and performed great tapas to become a sage. He finally succeeded after numerous  failures (including overcoming the loss of his spiritual power due to being seduced by the celestial dancer, Menaka, an apsara who had been sent by Indra to distract him from his penance).

After the narration of the great deeds of Vishvamitra was completed, King Janaka praised him greatly saying there was no end to his glories. However, as it was now dusk and time to perform the evening worship, he sought the sage's permission to depart, saying they should meet again in the morning. He then went around sage Vishvamitra along with his entourage as a mark of respect, received his blessings and left for his home. 

After a restful night, they met again the next morning in the outdoor place of worship. Vishvamitra then told the King that Sri Rama and Lakshmana were very eager to see the great bow of Lord Shiva and requested him to show it to them.

King Janaka was very pleased to hear this and told them a bit about the bow. This had been given as a gift by Lord Shiva to the demi-gods. They, in turn, had given it to King Devarata, an ancient ancestor of Janaka, for safekeeping, and the bow had remained in the care of their family ever since. It was exceptionally large and heavy and had been placed inside a strong chest made of iron. 

The King explained that he had declared that the man who could lift and string the bow of Lord Shiva alone would be a fit suitor for his daughter, Princess Sita (there is a legend that says the reason for this is that he had once seen Her lift the bow in play as a child while searching for a missing toy). 

Many kings and princes had attempted to this task desiring to win the hand of the Princess but their efforts had all been in vain. Far from being able to lift and string the bow, they had not been able to even move it. After their failure, some of them had become enraged at the perceived insult to their prowess and had attacked Mithila. The King had been compelled to seek the help of the demi-gods to defend his kingdom.

Janaka then told them about his daughter, Sita. One day, he had been ploughing a field in which some worship was due to be performed. In the furrow that he had created, he had noticed a tiny baby girl. As he and his wife had not had any children of their own at the time, they had resolved to adopt this little girl as their own daughter and named Her 'Sita' (this means 'furrow' in Sanskrit).  The baby girl had grown up unusually quickly (this was usually the case with divine beings) and was now a beautiful young woman. 

Saying that if Sri Rama could lift the divine bow, He would win the hand of his daughter, Sita, in marriage, King Janaka commanded the bow to be presented to Him. Several thousand strong and well-built men were required to perform the task of bringing the bow before Sri Rama. A large group of citizens from the kingdom of Mithila also gathered around with great interest to watch the events.

The chest was opened and the divine bow of Lord Shiva was revealed to Sri Rama. As He gazed upon it, King Janaka declared that when numerous beings with great divine powers such as the demi-gods, Gandharvas, Nagas and Yakshas had found it impossible to lift the bow, let alone string it, a mere human being could not be expected to achieve this task!   

Sage Vishvamitra now addressed Sri Rama saying "Dear child, behold the divine bow!".

Sri Rama, gazing at the bow, declared His intention to lift the bow, toss it in the air and string it! He then grasped the bow firmly in the middle, and lifting it, strung it with ease making the entire process appear like child's play. 

As He bent the bow while tying the string, it broke into two pieces due to the force that He had applied! As the divine bow broke, a terrific sound was produced (like an enormous crash of thunder) that reverberated in all directions. This was rapidly followed by a great earthquake that led to most people falling over except for sage Vishvamitra, Sri Rama, Lakshmana and King Janaka!

After everyone had recovered somewhat from the shock of these events, King Janaka addressed Sage Vishvamitra. He declared that it was simply extraordinary that this had taken place. Never in his wildest imagination could he have even contemplated such a thing happening he said! 

Saying that he was in no doubt about Sri Rama's power and glory, he declared that He would be a most fitting husband for his daughter, Princess Sita. Having secured Him as Her husband, She would no doubt be most fortunate, he declared!

He stated that he wished to immediately send his eminent ministers as messengers to King Dasharatha to inform him of the wonderful events that had occurred. They were to tell Dasharatha that Sri Rama had won the hand of Princess Sita in marriage and invite him to Mithila to have the wedding conducted without any delay!

Vishvamitra agreed to these plans and King Janaka's ministers were sent to the palace of King Dasharatha in Ayodhya. Upon hearing this news, King Dasharatha was filled with immense joy and excitement! 

He informed his own ministers, and they delightedly agreed to the alliance between Sri Rama and Princess Sita. King Dasharatha then declared that they would travel to Mithila the very next day! They would be accompanied by a number of sages and priests, carrying a great number of gifts and be protected by a sizeable portion of their army. 

The ministers of King Janaka were exceedingly pleased with the highly favourable response from King Dasharatha. They spent the night at the palace in Ayodhya while preparations were made for the journey the next day.

To be continued.....

Om Sri Ramaya Namah.

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

Vijaya dashami greetings and the comfort zone

 Hari Aum.

Tomorrow is the tenth day of celebration known as 'Vijaya Dashami' that occurs after the auspicious nine nights of Navaratri. This is a highly auspicious day according to the Vedic calendar. Any material or spiritual venture that commences on this day is said to have the blessings of the Divine and will be successful (according to the principles of Vedic astrology).

It is a perfect day (muhurtha) to begin a spiritual practice such as mantra japa or purascharana. It is a wonderful day to renew our spiritual resolves. On a more material level, it is an excellent day to start a new project or take up anything new related to our personal wellbeing.

This day is especially associated with the worship of Mother Sarasvati, the Goddess of wisdom, the One who presides over education and the arts. It is a day of great celebration across various schools of yoga as well as those related to classical music and dance in India. 

It is a day to express our gratitude to our Gurus, both in spiritual and material life. It is a day to celebrate our teachers, to pay our respects to them, and to please them by committing to study the subjects that they teach us with renewed zeal and enthusiasm.

Like many yogis everywhere, I hope to celebrate this highly auspicious day by worshipping Mother Sarasvati. I will also be attending my usual music and dance classes on this day and will have an opportunity to give thanks to my Gurus. I remember my spiritual Guru, Sivananda, in particular on this auspicious day-- he is the source of all blessings, both spiritual and material, in my life.

This is also a good day to challenge oneself, to take up something that we want to do but have not yet managed to, something that may place us a little outside our comfort zone. This may involve deciding to cultivate a new skill, take up a new hobby, or do something that challenges us in a positive way-- something that helps us to grow and develop further. This can help us in our spiritual lives by giving us opportunities to cultivate various positive qualities.

The universe has recently provided me with an opportunity to step out of one of my comfort zones; this is related to the field of dance. I am generally not too comfortable with the idea of performing anything on stage (this is related to various childhood experiences including being raised in a home where the expectation was that I would be 'seen and not heard' and also an unpleasant experience of public speaking at school as a young child!). While I am generally comfortable with chatting with people one-to-one or in a small group, I feel distinctly uneasy at the prospect of public speaking or performing before a larger group!

When I first started learning Bharatanatyam a couple of years ago, my intention was to take up a much-loved hobby for the improvement of my own wellbeing and health. It was also to be able to explore an art form that has a very beautiful spiritual and devotional dimension. I felt this could be a valuable addition to my bhakti yoga practice and this has indeed turned out the case (I practice dance at home in front of an altar or temple with various forms of the Divine and also my Guru-- I always feel that They are very supportive and appreciative even at this very early stage in my learning!).

As I was struggling to keep motivated with learning dance (due to various other commitments) while having only individual classes, I switched to learning in a group from late last year (and supplement this with individual classes too when needed). 

However, I had no intention whatsoever of taking any dance examinations (in fact, I firmly told my teacher at the outset that I would not do these as I was only learning dance as a hobby and not to obtain a qualification!). And I certainly did not anticipate performing for a long time to come! 

But we are influenced by the company we keep (a key part of spiritual life too of course-- hence the great value of satsanga!). 

And my fellow dance students are not only highly enthusiastic--some of them are positively eager to get onto the stage! It was because of my dance classmates that I felt inspired to take the dance examination in summer this year (this compelled me to practice more seriously so was very useful). 

And now, our dance teacher has announced, quite unexpectedly, that he wants our class to do a little performance on stage in a few months (this is a lot sooner than I had expected-- I was under the impression that we would not be expected to perform until towards the end of next year which felt like a long way away!). 

After this announcement, I privately shared my wariness of being on stage with my teacher; his response was to reassure me, saying there was nothing to worry about as he would train us all very well and I would be performing in a group (and not alone-- thankfully!). 

I have decided to trust him (and myself-- for now anyway!); this is because I have seen his other students perform, and I know he sets a relatively high standard and ensures his students are ready (regardless of their stage in learning)! So, I now find myself being swept up in a current of preparing for a mini-dance performance and have decided to simply go with the flow! 

I am trying to find time to practice dance in the midst of other commitments related to home and work. As the saying goes, 'where there is a will, there is a way'!  (Again, here too, I am inspired by my fellow students who also have other commitments based upon their own stage in life, including those related to family, work and education). 

As Lord Ganesha is traditionally worshipped first in any venture in the Vedic spiritual tradition, the first devotional piece we will be performing will be dedicated to Him. I am praying to Ganesha, the Divine remover of obstacles, to remove all obstacles in the path of my satisfactory performance of this piece as a form of devotion to Him!

And, as the auspicious Vijaya Dashami day approaches, I am also praying to Mother Sarasvati, the Goddess of the arts, to bless me with the ability to perform dance (and vocal music which I am also learning and which is mandatory for Bharatanatyam) to an acceptable level and in a manner that is pleasing to the Divine (with a decent level of skill, but without any unhelpful ego!). I would like Her to help me step out of one of my comfort zones (I feel this will also be of benefit to me spiritually). We shall see what She says-- only time will tell!

I hope you too will be inspired on this beautiful day to take up something new of value, especially related to spiritual life and possibly even comfort zones! May Mother Sarasvati bless us all with spiritual progress and grant us success in learning in all aspects of life!

Om Sri Ganeshaya Namah.

Om Sri Sarasvatyai Namah.

Om Aim Hreem Kleem Chamundayai Vicche.

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

P.S. Vijaya Dashami is also celebrated as 'Dussehra', the day when Lord Rama defeated the demon-King Ravana and was re-united with His wife, Sita. It is a day of the victory of good over evil. It is a wonderful day to worship this great avatar of Lord Narayana. 

Om Sri Rama, Jaya Rama, Jaya Jaya Rama.

Hari Aum Tat Sat. 

The glories of the ashtakshara mantra: Part 2

 Hari Aum.

Around four years ago, I attempted to provide a translation of the 'Ashtakshara mahatmyam" to the best of my ability based upon a modest grasp of the Sanskrit language.  This consists of a conversation between sage Vyasa and his son, Shuka, and describes the many spiritual and material benefits of reciting the ashtakshara mantra of Lord Narayana (the link to the post is below). 

https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/803812822913447625/787398039754352026

The ashtakshara mahatyam describes the theory of spiritual practice with regard to this mantra, i.e. what should happen over time as we recite it. The practical side of this is left to us-- the rishis intended that we would practice this mantra regularly and gradually experience the benefits they described for ourselves.

As we all know, spiritual life is not easy. It involves work, a lot of work-- largely done by ourselves upon ourselves, with the help of God and (if we have one) Guru. The spiritual journey is also usually a long one (lasting a lifetime or more). 

If we have already done a lot of spiritual work in previous lifetimes, then the amount left for this lifetime may only be a little and we will attain the spiritual goal relatively soon. But, for the majority of seekers, there is still plenty of spiritual development to be done in this lifetime. And, for that, we have no option but to commit to a regular, daily spiritual practice (there are, of course, no shortcuts on the spiritual path).

Over the years, I have written on this blog about some of the highs and lows of spiritual life that I have experienced. For example, in the post below, I provided a summary of some of the positive benefits and also the challenges that I have experienced while reciting this mantra for some years. 

https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/803812822913447625/6488796706028449058

There are two main challenges as far as I can see on the spiritual path. One is having to deal with past karmas. The other is inner and outer obstacles. However, the mantra helps one to handle both of these. I would like to explain this a bit further.

If a spiritual aspirant decides they wish to attain knowledge of their true spiritual nature in this lifetime (and this is the goal generally advised by all Gurus), then all their past negative karmas from countless previous lifetimes need to be purged in one lifetime. This will not be easy or pleasant.

Very few, if any, spiritual seekers attain God after a pleasant, comfortable life. Most of them undergo all sorts of experiences that would generally be regarded as unpleasant from a material perspective, that produce mental and physical suffering. This is not only a chance to purge karmas but an opportunity to develop faith in God and form a close bond with Him/Her (the ishta devata) who helps one through these.

This is where the glory of mantras, and in my experience, the ashtakshara mantra, comes in. Based on some recent events, I would like to write a little more about the practical benefits of reciting this mantra. 

It is said that the mantra itself is the devata; it is itself the very deity one is worshipping, in the form of sound. As Vyasa explains in the ashtakshara mahatmyam, this mantra helps us to destroy past negative karma, protects the mind from creating new negative karma, and also actively creates good karma and thus material happiness. 

But, most of all, it helps us transcend all karma, both good and bad, to create a bond with God, a spiritual connection with that Being who resides within each one of us. And, eventually, it helps us realise that we are one with that Being, that is our true essence, our true nature.

I would say that the universe allowed me to settle into a habit of repeating the mantra daily for a few years before unleashing a huge amount of karmic purging onto me. If the significant challenges had come up as soon as I started the practice, I may have simply given up, or perhaps not, I really don't know. 

But in any case, I am very grateful to have been permitted by God to have developed a habit of daily mantra japa and to have experienced some of the positive benefits of mantra chanting before the real spiritual challenges started some years ago. 

It is the recitation of this mantra alone that has helped me to cope with everything that I have faced in life. This mantra, given by my Guru, I feel has connected me to both my Guru and the Divine (both as Mother and Father).

Why am I writing a second post on the glories of this mantra now? Well, the reason is that I have further experienced some of its glories! 

Last month, I wrote a post saying the spiritual 'silver jubilee' that is occurring this month was not sweet at all. Only Diwali sweets were in sight (and I've already had plenty of those over the years!), but no darshan of Narayana, no sign of Him at all, either in dream or in the waking state. 

I was very frustrated, upset and annoyed with Him at the time of writing that post. This was mainly because I felt ignored by Him. Nothing happens without the will of God. It was He who must have created in me a desire to have His darshan at the present time-- and that wish had not been fulfilled (I last dreamt of Him ages ago). I was beginning to feel quite abandoned and that was not a good feeling.

During this Navaratri, which began last week, I had a dream of Lakshmi, and then later (in the same dream) of Her and Narayana together. It was a very simple but beautiful dream and I woke up feeling very happy. 

After this dream, I felt that Narayana had finally listened and responded-- He had heard me when I said I wanted a darshan of Him in some form. This felt necessary for encouragement (especially after dealing with all the challenges in recent times) to keep going on the spiritual path. (I also see this dream as indicating that I should continue with my regular worship of the Divine Mother, particularly as Lakshmi).

Despite my being grumpy with Him at times, despite my various flaws and imperfections, despite my lower mind (with all the 'shad ripus') being alive and kicking, despite all this, He heard me and He showed up in my dream in accordance with my request.

I am writing this post only to say that He hears us when we are frustrated, He hears us when we are angry, He is sympathetic, He is kind and compassionate. It is true that He does not just show up every day in our dreams or in the waking state when we demand it, but He does show up when we really need Him to, when we need encouragement to keep going upon the spiritual path. This has been my experience.

And the ashtakshara mantra connects us with Him. It helps us to form a close bond with Him. It draws His grace upon us.

The main positive feature about my spiritual life is that I repeat the ashtakshara mantra every single day (while attempting to follow the yogic ethics), come hell or high water. The capacity to do this, despite living a fairly busy 'worldly life', is in my view, due to the protecting grace of my Guru and the Divine Mother. 

Every morning and every evening I sit down for at least a few minutes and recite this mantra no matter what condition I find myself in (currently sticking with the 7 malas per day which is quite modest, and of course, frequent remembrance during the day as far as possible). If there is no time to have a seated session (fortunately that is unusual), I walk about and recite this mantra silently or aloud (if there is nobody about) to myself while performing various chores. If it is late at night, and I am very sleepy, I do not generally give in to the lower mind's wish to sleep unless the mantra japa for the day has been completed.

So, japa of the ashtakshara mantra remains a top priority in my life. I feel it is the basis of all other dharmas, all artha, kama and the quest for moksha and parabhakti. As sage Vyasa says, the four goals of human life (dharma, artha, kama and moksha) are rooted in the recitation of the ashtakshara mantra which grants all these. I feel this mantra has greatly benefited me both spiritually and materially over the years.

So, in summary, all that I can say, is that the ashtakshara mantra is wonderful, it is glorious. It connects us with the Divine, and allows us to feel His grace and blessings and His living response to our call to Him. 

I would therefore say that it is well worth reciting this mantra daily (and I will very much continue to do so, God willing). (Of course, our Gurus say that all names and mantras of the Divine, including from other spiritual traditions, are equally powerful and protective-- so some form of daily recitation of these based upon our own inclination would be wise).

Om Shri Lakshmi-Narayanabhyam Namah. I wish all of you a very happy Navaratri. Let us continue to pray for our own spiritual progress and the welfare of all beings.

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

Eclipse and Navaratri sadhana

 Hari Aum.

There is a solar eclipse tomorrow in the sign of Virgo. This is a very good time to do a variety of spiritual practices, including japa, kirtan and tarpanam.

https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/solar/2024-october-2

At this volatile time in world politics, I would like to share some quotations on peace by Swami Sivananda and other Gurus. It is good to remind ourselves of their advice and teachings at this time.

Yogananda:

"Change yourself and you have done your part in changing the world. Every individual must change his own life if he wants to live in a peaceful world. The world cannot become peaceful unless and until you yourself begin to work toward peace."

"Meditate often and hold on to the peaceful aftereffects. We must send out thoughts of love, goodwill, harmony. In the temple of meditation, with the light of intuition burning on the altar, there is no restlessness, no nervous striving or searching. Man is truly home at last, in a sanctuary not made with hands, but with God-peace."

"I believe that if every citizen in the world is taught to commune with God (not merely to know Him intellectually), then peace can reign; not before. When by persistence in meditation you realize God through communion with Him, your heart is prepared to embrace all humanity."

Anandamayi Ma:

"Without the repetition of the name and the remembrance of God, there is no hope of peace on earth. Let duty come first and foremost."

"It is possible to practice God's name under the most adverse circumstances. He causes everything to happen and is therefore ever near."

"By your japa [repetition of the Lord’s name] and meditation those who are close to you will also benefit through the helpful influence of your presence. In order to develop a taste for meditation you have to make a deliberate and sustained effort, just as children have to be made to sit and study, be it by persuasion or coercion."

"By taking medicine or having injections a patient may get well; even if you do not feel inclined to meditate, conquer your reluctance and make an attempt. The habit of countless lives is pulling you in the opposite direction and making it difficult for you – persevere in spite of it! By your tenacity you will gain strength and be moulded; that is to say, you will develop the capability to perform spiritual disciplines. Make up your mind that however arduous the task, it will have to be accomplished. Recognition and fame last for a short time only, they do not accompany you when you leave this world. If your thought does not naturally flow towards the Eternal, fix it there by an effort of will."

"In order to pluck a rose, one has to put one's hand into the midst of thorns. But if the rose is a person's aim and he has a keen desire to pluck it, he will not refrain from doing so for fear of being pricked. Moreover, the Reality arranges whatever is necessary for each one. It certainly knows the real need of every individual. If one has at least this much faith, there is no reason at all to feel distressed."

Sivananda:

"World peace is possible when all the people of the world wake up to the facts governing universal life and when there is a heart-to-heart feeling of goodness, love and oneness among the inhabitants of the world. Peace, to be lasting and constructive, must be achieved through God. There can be no peace without the Lord or God. God is peace. Root yourself in Peace or God. Now you are fit to radiate peace."

On this note, it is the auspicious day of Sarva Pitru Amavasya tomorrow and, as mentioned previously, there will also be a solar eclipse on this day. An eclipse is said to magnify energy, both light and dark. According to the yogis, those who harbour thoughts of violence will be more prone to evil thoughts during an eclipse. Equally, those who generate thoughts of goodwill and peace during this time will themselves benefit and also be of use to others.

We should obviously do some mantra japa for world peace during this time. The more the better. However, even a few minutes will have a positive effect. Any mantra or name of God from any spiritual tradition can be chanted as per our Gurus. 

Wars are never truly fought due to any religion. They are fought due to the love of one's own ego masquerading as devotion to God. Where there is true devotion, there can never be war; there can only be goodwill. 

The sacred time of Navaratri starts the day-after-tomorrow. This is a deeply auspicious time to worship the Divine Mother and chant Her mantras, especially the Navarna. Let us invoke the Divine Mother during this time and gain Her blessings for ourselves and the planet. 

As Krishna says is the Gita, we have a duty to act in accordance with the principles of dharma/righteousness, but it is not up to us to decide the results of our actions; that remains in the hands of God. At times like this, in accordance with the teachings of all Gurus in all spiritual traditions, we absolutely have a duty to chant mantras and prayers for inner and world peace. 

Om Namo Narayanaya. Om Sri Durgayai Namah. Om Namah Shivaya.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

Tarpanam and ancestral karma

 Hari Aum.

According to the yogis, our ancestors leave a very deep imprint upon our material existence. Modern science has shown that we carry the genes of our parents; we obtain half our genes from our mothers and the other half from our fathers. They, in turn, obtained their genes from their own parents, who in turn obtained theirs from their parents-- and so on and so forth. So, we carry within our physical bodies, genetic material that has been passed down through countless generations.

While it is true that genes are 'shuffled' from generation to generation, we still have extremely similar genes and traits compared to our ancestors. Some genes may be 'expressed' while others may exist in apparent silence within our physical being. We may thus look and perhaps even behave in a similar way to some of our ancestors, even a generation or two before that of our parents. All of this is on a physical level. 

However, the yogis say our connection with our ancestors is much deeper than the blueprint for our physical bodies that they give us.

The  yogis tell us that the thoughts, feelings and lives as a whole lived by our ancestors shaped not only their destinies but also those of their descendants, namely ourselves. 

We inherit not only their genes, but to a significant extent, their karma; our karma is intertwined deeply with theirs. It is not only raised cholesterol, diabetes and various diseases that can run in families. The yogis say, spiritual and material traits can also very much run in families. 

They tell us that souls are not randomly born in families-- they are allocated by the universe to those families where they can receive the results of their own past karmas.

Why should we bother with our ancestral karma as spiritual seekers? Well, the yogis say, this is actually an important topic from the point of view of spiritual progress.

We can only be spiritually free or 'liberated' or 'Self-realised' once we have released all of our own karma. But, we carry within ourselves, the karma of our ancestors to a great extent. (This is why, the yogis say, there can be repeating patterns in families, not only of disease, but also other life events).

The yogis say that our ancestors, being souls, are still very much alive in other realms. One name for this realm of the ancestors is known as 'Pitru loka' (in Sanskrit, 'Pitru' means 'ancestor', and 'loka' means 'realm').

From the realms that they inhabit (outside the Earthly plane), our ancestors are said to be able observe us, their descendants. They are said to be aware of our deeds, and generally take an interest in our welfare.

However, like us, they too are bound souls, trapped within the material realms of samsara (the cycle of birth and death). And they too have minds with their own thoughts and feelings (comprising the 'astral' or subtle/non-physical aspect of their existence).

As we are deeply connected to them, not only physically, but also subtly (through the subconscious layers of our minds), it is said that their unfulfilled desires manifest within us. These can and do influence us according to the yogis.

Gurus, including Sivananda and others, have said that it is our duty to pray for the welfare of these souls who are our ancestors. 

And, in the Vedic tradition, there are various special prayers and spiritual rituals that have been performed since time immemorial for the welfare of one's ancestors and the release of our karmic debt towards them. These are very useful for spiritual progress.

One particularly popular one is known as 'tarpanam' or the water ritual. I would like to explain a bit about this here, particularly as we are currently in a sacred period of time known as 'Pitru paksha' or the fortnight dedicated to the ancestors in the Vedic calendar. This occurs in autumn every year and is a particularly good time to perform the tarpanam ritual. 

(Note- this ritual applies to householder spiritual seekers; it does not apply to monks/nuns/Swamis who renounce their families and perform another spiritual ritual for their karma).

Just as fire can be used for worship (for example, by performing homams/havans, the sacred fire ritual), so also water can be used for worship in tarpanam. Unlike homams which can be more complex and time consuming, a tarpanam can be a relatively quick and simple procedure (lasting from a couple of minutes to an hour depending upon the time available).

In essence, the tarpanam ritual involves pouring water while reciting specific mantras. The water is poured over the right hand so that it flows in a particular manner.

The human hand, according to the yogis, is not merely a vital structure required for the performance of actions in the material world. It is, they say, a portal to the realms of the demi-gods and ancestors. How so? The tarpanam water ritual provides the answer.

In essence, when one pours water over different parts of the right hand, while chanting specific (simple) mantras, the water is said to purify and bring peace to the souls of our ancestors. Three generations of ancestors on the maternal and paternal sides of the family are traditionally made water offerings in the tarpanam ritual. 

Many years ago, I discovered an excellent website with a detailed description on how to perform tarpanam for one's ancestors (it is the same site that I have previously shared on this blog that contains the manuals for the fire ritual or homam). I am referring to the website of Sri PVR Narasimha Rao-- please see below for the link. Just as for homams, he provides free manuals for simple and more complex tarpanam rituals.

https://www.vedicastrologer.org/tarpana/download.htm

I personally perform the simplest version (as this works for me due to my current schedule and commitments; in total this takes me around 5-10 minutes as I pour water a few more times than mentioned in the manual). I admit I do not perform the tarpanam ritual regularly throughout the year but I do try my best to perform this quite a few times during the pitru paksha period. 

I have therefore been doing the tarpanam ritual in the past few days in addition to my daily mantra japa. I have found that this simple five minute ritual brings me great peace and makes me feel connected in a positive way to my ancestors (particularly my grandparents who have passed away). I intend to make a greater effort to perform this more regularly in the coming year.

I would recommend performing the tarpanam ritual during this sacred time. The pitru paksha period culminates in an auspicious date known as 'Sarva pitru amavasya' (the new moon day of the lunar fortnight) which occurs on October 2 this year (it varies slightly each year based on the lunar calendar). 

This auspicious day in particular is said to be excellent for spiritual practices and especially for tarpanam (like other new moon days, it is not regarded as being particularly auspicious for material activities in accordance with the principles of Vedic astrology). In fact, if there is one day in the year when one should perform tarpanam, it is said to be the day of Sarva pitru amavasya.

This year, it so happens that a solar eclipse will take place on October 2. An eclipse is also a very good time to perform tarpanam (in addition to mantra japa) according to the yogis. So this year's Sarva pitru amavasya is particularly special for worship of God and performance of tarpanam based on the Vedic calendar.

May the souls of our ancestors be at peace, may they be released from their karmas, and may they bless us all with peace, joy and spiritual progress.

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

Note- if readers are not comfortable with the Sanskrit mantras for tarpanam, but would like to perform the water ritual, I feel that is perfectly acceptable and would recommend saying the prayers (equivalent to the meaning of the mantras) in your own language. 

While Sanskrit mantras do have their own value and effect, one's thoughts and feelings also have a powerful effect. While performing the water ritual (and pouring water in the manner described by Sri Rao), I feel it is quite reasonable to make the prayers in one's own native language (if one is not at ease with Sanskrit. However, the mantras for the simplest version of tarpanam, on the website mentioned above, are relatively easy and worth learning if at all possible).

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Bala Kanda Part 7: The legends of Ganga and Ahalya

Hari Aum.

Om Sri Ramaya Namah.

In the previous post on the Ramayana, we saw Sri Rama begin the work of His avatar on Earth to protect the good and destroy evil. We see Him rid the forest of demonic beings and grant safety to the sages engaged in spiritual practices.

Sri Rama and His brother now set off with the sages to the kingdom of Mithila to witness the worship of the divine bow of Lord Shiva. 

Their journey through the forests took a few days and as they walked, they engaged in many interesting conversations with the sages and learned about various subjects. A lot of the conversations began by Sri Rama asking Vishvamitra to tell Him about the history of a particular place or river that they saw. 

During the course of these discussions, Vishvamitra told Sri Rama a bit about his own family (his sisters and their marriages; one of his sisters had taken on the form of a sacred river known as 'Kaushiki'!). 

They also passed by the sacred river known as the Ganga, which represents a form of the Divine Mother. Rama asked about Her origin, and this led to an extremely detailed discussion about the Ganga, Mother Parvati, Lord Shiva and Kartikeya. (This is explained in very great detail in the Ramayana; I will provide a relatively brief summary here).

The deity of the Himalaya mountain known as Himavan, and his wife, Menaka, had two daughters. The older was Goddess Ganga and the younger was Goddess Parvati. 

Goddess Ganga had the capacity to purify anyone She came into contact with. The demi-gods thus requested Her presence in their celestial realm, Svarga, and so She went to reside with them. 

Goddess Parvati performed severe penance, against the wishes of Her parents, and achieved Her desire of marrying Lord Shiva. Their union led to the birth of a son, Kartikeya, who became the leader of the army of the demi-gods. 

In the meantime, various events took place upon Earth that led to the Goddess Ganga being brought from the celestial realms to this planet (the Ganga is said to flow in three realms-- heaven, Earth and the underworld). 

This in itself is a long story but, in essence, Her waters were needed to purify and release the negative karmas of a group of royal princes who had been cursed by a divine sage. Three generations of kings of this royal family (who were none other than Sri Rama's ancient ancestors) performed intense austerities to please the divine Creator, Brahma to obtain the boon of having the Ganga come to Earth. The first two Kings were unsuccessful, but their descendent, King Bhagiratha, finally succeeded in pleasing Brahma with his austerities. 

After granting the boon to King, Brahma reflected that the Earth would not be able to bear the tremendous force of the direct descent of Goddess Ganga from the celestial realm. He therefore told King Bhagiratha that he needed to perform further austerities to obtain Lord Shiva's help regarding this matter.

After the King performed further intense austerities, Lord Shiva appeared and said that He was pleased with him. He told him that He would allow the Ganga to flow through His matted locks of hair to enable Her to make a safe descent to Earth.

Thus, the lovely Goddess Ganga, daughter of King Himavan, prepared for Her journey to the Earth. She now assumed the form of an immensely great and powerful river. As She was about to descend upon the sacred head of Lord Shiva and enter His hair, She privately wondered if He would truly be able to handle Her power. She doubted it and reflected that She would probably end up flowing directly to the underworld carrying Him with Her! 

Lord Shiva, seeing Her pride, was not at all pleased and decided to give Her a fitting response! And so, as Goddess Ganga flowed into His hair, She found Herself in a vast realm similar to that of the Himalayas. She wandered about for a long time trying to find a way out but discovered that She was completely lost!

Meanwhile, King Bhagiratha, who had been anxiously awaiting Her arrival on Earth to free his ancestors, saw what had happened. He then performed another round of intense spiritual practices to please Lord Shiva and secure the release of Ganga from His hair!

The King finally succeeded, and at long last, the moment came for the Ganga to flow upon the Earth. Knowing that this would be a unique and spectacular sight, the demi-gods, divine sages and other celestials gathered together in the heavens in great excitement to watch. 

They saw Goddess Ganga emerging from the matted reddish-gold locks of Lord Shiva, and entering the Himalayas. As She flowed onto the Earth, there was tremendous sound, and great sprays of water rose high up into the air, forming foam that appeared like little white clouds. Numerous fish, dolphins, snakes and various other creatures were seen within Her sparkling waters.

King Bhagiratha was overwhelmed with joy to see that his penance had finally borne fruit. He now set off, accompanied by the Ganga, to a faraway place within the underworld where his ancestors had been cursed by sage Kapila and reduced to ash. The Ganga became a broad and fast-flowing river as She followed him. When She flowed over the ashes of the royal princes, their souls were purified of all past negative karmas, and they entered the celestial realms rejoicing.

Sri Rama and Lakshmana were enthralled to hear about the legend of the Ganga and the efforts of their ancient ancestors in bringing about Her arrival on to Earth. As it was now night time, Vishvamitra said that they should all get some rest. They went to sleep and, upon rising the next day, continued their journey towards Mithila. 

On the way, they reached the wonderful city of Vishala where they would spent a night before reaching their destination. Rama wanted to know about the history of this area too, and this led to another interesting discussion with Vishvamitra. This place was connected to a divine lila of Narayana which involved the churning of the divine milky ocean by the devas and the asuras (I have explained this lila elsewhere on this blog--the post on eclipses dated August 2017-- so will not describe it again here).

King Sumati, the ruler of Vishala, was delighted to hear the news of the arrival of the sages and the two princes, and warmly welcomed them. After ensuring that they were all well-rested and had eaten a delicious meal, he curiously asked the sages who these two princes of divine appearance were. 

The sages explained that they were the sons of King Dasharatha, ruler of Ayodhya. They told King Sumati that the Princes had been of great help in ridding the forests of asuras and in granting them protection. The King was wonderstruck and delighted to hear of the valiant deeds of the Sri Rama and Lakshmana and they all spent a very pleasant evening together.

The next day, they bade farewell to King Sumati and set off for Mithila.  After walking for a while, they arrived at the outskirts of the kingdom which appeared to be filled with great beauty and splendour. 

As they all gazed upon Mithila and praised its beauty, Sri Rama noticed a small hermitage not far from where they stood and asked Vishvamitra to tell Him about it. The sage explained that it was a place associated with misfortune and went on to tell the tale.

The hermitage had been the home of the noble sage, Gautama, and his exceedingly pretty wife, Ahalya. The two of them had performed spiritual austerities there for many years. One day, the sage went to the river to bathe and perform some worship. 

Upon his departure, Indra, King of demi-gods, and husband of the demi-goddess Sachi, appeared at the hermitage. Using his divine powers, he now assumed the form of Ahalya's husband, Gautama. Entering the hermitage, he beheld the beautiful Ahalya and addressed her with charming words. 

Declaring that those who desired enjoyment did not care for rituals related to appropriate timing (it was the tradition then to have intercourse based on favourable times of the menstrual cycle), he declared his desire to sleep with her at once.

Ahalya, using her own divine powers, recognised that the person in front of her was Indra in the guise of her husband, rather than the sage himself. As she too desired Indra, she agreed to his request and they slept together. Afterwards, they felt very satisfied and pleased with themselves, but then wanted to avoid being caught by sage Gautama who was known for his tremendous ascetic power!

Ahalya therefore requested Indra to leave the hermitage immediately, saying that he should guard both himself and her from her husband ever finding out about their deed. Indra, who was highly pleased, laughed and declared that he would depart as unobtrusively as he had arrived. He then took leave of her, walking quickly and hoping to avoid encountering the sage.

However, just as Indra approached the door of the hermitage, he saw sage Gautama entering, carrying sacred grass and wood for a fire ritual. The two Gautamas now stood facing each other-- one filled with anxiety and with lowered eyes, and the other glaring with intense wrath!

Realising what had taken place, the enraged sage Gautama pronounced a curse on both Indra and Ahalya. For his misdeeds, he declared that Indra would immediately lose his masculinity (this led to Indra being instantly castrated; he later sought the help of the other demi-gods and corrected this with some difficulty!).

Turning to his wife, Gautama declared that she should perform intense penance at the hermitage for several years to expiate her sin. He told her to remain there without food or water, and surviving on air alone. Declaring that she should henceforth sleep on ashes on the ground, and be filled with remorse, he stated that her beautiful form would, from now onwards, be invisible to all beings in the material realms.  

He told her that Sri Rama would visit their hermitage in the future, and she would be purified of all sin only after meeting Him. After this had occurred, he said that he would accept her back as his wife. Sage Gautama then left the hermitage and went to the Himalayas where he continued his spiritual practices.

After narrating the legend of Ahalya, Vishvamitra led Rama to the hermitage. As Sri Rama entered, His eyes fell upon Ahalya, who by now had an extraordinarily bright divine aura as a result of years of penance. 

In accordance with tradition, Sri Rama and Lakshmana touched her feet as a mark of respect. She in turn, welcomed them and Vishvamitra to the hermitage with great reverence and offered them food, drink and hospitality. 

After meeting Sri Rama in this way, Ahalya regained her original visible celestial form, and the demi-gods and other celestials rejoiced and showered flowers from the heavens upon them all. Sage Gautama now returned to the hermitage and joined his wife in worshipping Sri Rama (they then resumed their life at the ashram and performed spiritual austerities together once again).

After this auspicious event, Sri Rama took leave of sage Gautama and Ahalya, and left for Mithila with Lakshmana and the sages.

To be continued......

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

Janmashtami greetings

 Hari Aum.

The celebration of the birthday of Lord Krishna is coming up in two days time. Based on the Vedic lunar calendar, the date falls on August 26 this year. 

A very happy Janmashtami to all readers. May Lord Krishna bless us all with the capacity to keep up our spiritual practices. May He bless us and the whole world with devotion and spiritual wisdom. 

As usual, in celebration of Janmashtami, the books on the life of Lord Krishna that I had written a few years ago will be available for free download from Amazon for a period of five days (i.e. August 26th- 30th inclusive, starting from 12 am PDT). Please see below for the link. (There are four books in total. The last book, Yogeshwara, contains the Uddhava Gita.) 

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Vishnupriya-Devi/author/B07B95YQCV?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2&qid=1724517017&sr=8-2&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

Just to say, I am currently in the process of preparing my next installment of the Ramayana series for this blog (was hoping to have published it by now but was unable to due to travel and then getting Covid-- was not as bad as two years ago but still fairly unpleasant).

On a public health note, please keep an eye out for your local government/ medical advice regarding the Mpox virus-- as many of you may be aware, this was declared a 'public health emergency of global concern' by the WHO around ten days ago. There is obviously no need to panic but common sense is needed-- and this would mean keeping an eye on the situation and following our local public health guidelines regarding taking preventative measures etc.

This is a UN article on the subject:

https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/08/1153361

On a more positive note, I am glad to say that I passed my recent dance exam (with actually quite decent marks to my surprise!) and received some encouraging feedback from my teacher. I have been therefore been permitted to continue my studies and progress to the next year which I am happy about (of course, 'happy' can be a strong word after a two-hour class of what can feel almost like military training but still!)

In the midst of viruses, wars and various other troublesome issues on this planet, I feel it is very important to maintain one's sanity through a combination of spiritual practice and enjoyable hobbies!

Speaking of wars, there unfortunately seems to be no sign of any of them abating currently. Let us therefore continue our prayers for the relief of suffering and the general wellbeing of everyone. May sanity prevail, however long it takes. 

In accordance with the advice of Gurus of all spiritual traditions, let us do daily chanting and singing of the names of whichever deity we like for our own wellbeing and that of everyone.

Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya.

Om Namo Narayanaya. 

May Lord Krishna bless us all.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

P.S. I watched the 'Kalki 2898 AD' movie on Netflix a few days ago and found it quite interesting (not too pleased that the sequel will only be released in three years time though!). 

It paints a very grim and grisly picture of a future Earth at a much later stage in Kali yuga, the present spiritual age of quarrels and war (unfortunately our scriptures, the Puranas, do describe a significant deterioration over time). The Earth is shown to be devoid of clean air or water or even sunshine. And then, of course, an avatar of Narayana appears-- this avatar is called Kalki (the one yet to come in this spiritual age; His name is pronounced as "Cull-key").

After watching this movie, I felt extremely grateful for the simple things in life that I often take for granted, such as drinking water, relatively clean air, sunshine and plants! This movie really reminds one that we cannot take anything in life for granted.

Unfortunately, the depressing reality of our world today is that there are places where people currently suffer intensely in a way that is not far-off from that portrayed in the movie. This is why our Gurus tell us to keep up spiritual practice every day, no matter what happens within or without in our lives. 

The mantra of God gives protection to us and to others-- that is a simple fact of life according to them (and many of us would have found this to be true in our own experience of life).

It is also useful to remind ourselves that, although there is much that is negative about this Kali yuga, our Puranas declare that this is the best time (of all yugas) to be born as a human being. 

No other yuga/period of time produces such rapid results from spiritual practice as this one (we are still talking about decades of practice though, of course-- just not thousands of years of practice as the longer-lived people of previous ages were apparantly expected to do!). It would be nice to make full use of our current birth in this Kali yuga and thus attain the spiritual goal (and hopefully not be compelled to be reborn at a later stage when the situation is likely to be much worse than it is at present).

On that note, I am still continuing my current purascharana at a steady seven malas per day. And I'm also keeping up some singing/bhajan/kirtan and devotional dance as part of my worship as this combination currently seems to work for me. 

I hope and pray that you too are keeping up your own daily spiritual practice and that this is going well. 

Om Namo Narayanaya. 

Hari Aum Tat Sat

Bala Kanda Part 6: First combat with the asuras

 Hari Aum.

Om Sri Ramaya Namah. Let us continue our study of the Ramayana of sage Valmiki.

In the previous post, we saw Sri Rama and Lakshmana arrive at a dense and dark forest with sage Vishvamitra. The sage told the Princes about a highly malevovent being known as Tataka who lived there. She had been terrorising the inhabitants of the forest including the sages for a long time. He told Sri Rama that the forest needed to be freed of her so that the beings within it could live in peace.

Now, a key duty of kshatriyas (warriors including kings and princes) in those times was to uphold dharma or righteousness by protecting the good, destroying evil and ensuring justice in society. This duty included protection of those sections of society who were perceived as being more vulnerable, such as children, women and the elderly. It was generally regarded as being completely against kshatriya dharma (the warrior code) to harm women in any way (sometimes this included in battle too; for example, in the Mahabharata, we see Bhishma laying down arms before Shikhandi, a woman who had been reborn as a man due to strange twist of fate!).

Sage Vishvamitra therefore knew that Rama would be uneasy at the thought of harming Tataka who had been born as a yaksha woman (or yakshini). He therefore warned Rama that she was no ordinary woman and that there was nothing feminine at all about her. Her character was entirely demonic-- cruel, sadistic, perpetually angry and ever ready to kill. He warned Rama that she had demonic powers, including those of illusion (Maya). Far from being a frail woman who required protection, she was a very dangerous opponent who would not be at all easy to defeat.

Sri Rama had been feeling uncomfortable at the thought of battling a woman. However, He now recalled His father's parting words that He was to obey the sage's every command. He therefore bowed before Vishvamitra and agreed to follow his instruction.

Preparing for battle, He then lifted His bow, and pulled its string causing a great twanging sound that powerfully reverberated in all directions. The mighty sound, an invitation to battle, penetrated the dense forest and struck fear into the hearts of the evil beings within. Tataka heard the sound and was filled with intense anger.

She rapidly made her way towards where the sound had originated. Upon seeing Rama with His brother and the sage, she rushed at them with an intent to kill. She towered well above them and had powerful arms and a fearful roar; yet Rama was loath to kill her due to her being a woman. Instead, He decided to attempt to remove her capacity to physically harm others by causing her some limited injury.

He tried this tactic but it only served to enrage her further. She then used her demonic powers to attack Rama and Lakshmana. Flying into the air, she made herself invisible and then threw a large number of rocks and boulders at them. They defended themselves and she then began to use sorcery and powers of illusion to try to kill them (while they responded by continuing to attempt to injure rather than kill her outright).

This went on for about an hour and dusk began to fall. Sage Vishvamitra then told Rama to end the battle, warning Him that asuras (demons) gained great power with nightfall. He declared that Tataka's strength would soon increase severalfold, making her even more difficult to defeat.

"Have done with Your mercy Rama, and put an end to this wicked being now!", he exclaimed.

Rama, hearing this admonishment from the sage, bowed and accepted his wish. He then fitted a final arrow to His bow and released it. The arrow met its mark, hitting Tataka in the centre of the chest and she was slain.

Seeing that the demoness was no more, the watching demi-gods felt greatly relieved and joyful. After praising Rama and Vishvamitra, they asked the sage teach the Prince knowledge of divine weapons.

Vishvamitra happily agreed but as it was now night, he told the Princes that they should rest. They all slept well and upon rising the next morning, Rama's teaching related to the use of divine weapons began.

The sage told Rama that he was very pleased and satisfied with His service in ridding the forest of the menace of Tataka. He declared that he would now give Him knowledge of the weapons of the celestials and of the Supreme Being Himself. 

He then went on to teach Rama the mantras required to invoke the weapons of Brahma, Vishnu (Narayana) and Shiva, the demi-gods (including Indra, Agni, Varuna, Yama and others), and the other celestials (such as the Gandharvas and Vidyadharas). 

Some of these weapons were designed to take the life of their target, while others were able to stupefy, pacify or alter their mental or physical state in some way. They had a variety of different forms including chakras (wheel or disc), spears, tridents, swords, maces, javelins, nooses and thunderbolts.

As Vishvamitra recited the mantras (which were complex and difficult to remember for even the demi-gods), these great divine weapons appeared in shining, ethereal forms before him and Rama. Some were brilliant like the sun and moon, while others seemed to shine with a smoky light or appeared like burning coal. 

The weapons, in embodied form, now all folded their hands as a mark of respect and, after bowing to Rama, declared that they would be delighted to serve Him in whatever way He wished. Rama was very pleased by their appearance and addressed them affectionately saying that He regarded them all as His own. 

Turning to sage Vishvamitra, He said that He now wished to learn the art of calling back these weapons after they had been released and fulfilled their purpose (this was an important part of warfare-- knowing how to both release and call back a divine weapon). The sage then taught Rama another set of elaborate mantras designed to call back the divine weapons that had been released in battle. 

The weapons in living form now spoke in sweet tones to Sri Rama and asked how they could be of service to Him. Rama replied saying that for the present He wished them to return back to their homes. When in need, He said that He would summon them, and they should then appear and fulfil their duties. 

The divine weapons replied saying that it would be as He wished. They bowed again and went around Him as a mark of respect and then departed for their respective homes.

Vishvamitra, Rama and Lakshmana now continued walking and, after a while, came across a very beautiful region (it was quite different from the dark and foreboding forest of Tataka). It contained clusters of pretty trees filled with birds that sang sweetly. There were also various delightful species of deer living in the area.

Turning to the sage, Rama asked him to tell Him about this region. He also wanted to know where the sage's ashram (hermitage) was located (as this was where Vishvamitra had said he would require protection from the attack by asuras). 

Vishvamitra told Rama that this forest, filled with a divine atmosphere, had been the dwelling place of none other than the famous avatar of Lord Narayana known as Vamana (meaning the 'little one' as this avatar was a young boy-- not a 'dwarf' as some incorrectly say). He went on to tell Rama the legend of the Vamana avatar who had cleverly succeeded in winning back the lands of the demi-gods that had been unrighteously stolen from them by the demons (I will aim to write another post on this remarkable avatar as it is a very interesting story with useful spiritual lessons).

The place where Vamana had lived and meditated in the forest was called 'Siddha ashrama' ('Siddha' means a sage or one who is spiritually advanced). After the Vamana avatar had departed the Earth, the ashrama had been given to the sages living in the forest and it was here that Vishvamitra now resided.

The sage affectionately told Sri Rama that the ashram belonged to Him as much as to the sages who currently lived there (as Rama and Vamana were both avatars of the same Lord Narayana)! Vishvamitra then led Rama and Lakshmana into the ashram where they were received with great reverence and delight by the sages who resided there. 

After a restful night, the Princes awoke at dawn the next day and performed their usual morning worship (including recitation of the Gayatri mantra). They then greeted sage Vishvamitra, who had completed his own worship, and asked him to tell them how they could now serve him. 

The sage replied that two asuras known as Marichi and Subahu had been regularly disrupting his sacred fire ritual (one purpose of this type of ritual was to nourish the demi-gods, and so the demons were often eager to prevent this from taking place). He said that the demons would usually arrive suddenly at the ashram using their illusory powers, and they would then pour various impure materials onto the sacred fire thus rendering it unfit for use. He wanted Rama to slay the asuras and thus ensure that he and the other sages could perform their worship peacefully without any fear or disruption. 

Vishvamitra told Rama and Lakshmana that he was about to commence a fire ritual that would last for six days and nights. He asked the Princes to remain by his side and keep a look out for the demons as he performed the ritual and they agreed. He then began to conduct the ritual that involved pouring clarified butter and herbs into the sacred fire while chanting mantras in praise of the Divine.

On the sixth day of the ritual, there was a disturbance in the sky a short distance from them, and the two asuras suddenly manifested along with their accomplices. They all then rushed with tremendous speed towards the sacred fire and poured various impure and forbidden substances into it (including flesh, blood and pus), thus desecrating the place of worship completely. 

Seeing a rain of blood suddenly falling onto the sacred fire, Sri Rama and Lakshmana ran towards the source of the disturbance and saw the asuras in the sky. Declaring to Lakshmana that He would soon dispense with them, Sri Rama began to invoke some of the divine missiles previously given to Him by sage Vishvamitra.

Invoking the powerful weapon of Manu (the progenitor of mankind), He aimed this at Maricha and released it. The tremendous force of the weapon carried the demon a few thousand miles away and he was tossed unconscious into an ocean (he was not killed as Rama had stated that it was not yet time for him to die). 

Rama then invoked the weapon of the demi-god of fire, Agni, and released this at the demon Subahu thus slaying him. He then released the weapon of the demi-god of the air, Vayu, upon the remaining asuras which caused them all to be flung very far away.

Vishvamitra and the other sages rejoiced greatly at seeing the demons being removed far away from their ashram. They praised Rama greatly even as the King of demi-gods, Indra, was congratulated in the past when he had won battles over the asuras. The sages then completed their worship for the day and they all retired to sleep feeling extremely peaceful and contented. 

Upon waking the next morning and completing their morning routine of worship, Sri Rama and Lakshmana approached the sages. Saying that they felt deeply honoured to have served them by defeating the asuras, they asked if they could now be of any further help.

The sages replied saying that they were highly pleased with the help rendered by the Princes. They then explained that they were about to embark upon a very special journey to see the marvellous bow of Lord Shiva Himself. This mighty divine bow had been gifted to the great King Janaka after he had performed a most wonderful fire ritual in worship of the Divine. The King was himself a self-realised sage (a kingly sage or 'raja-rishi'/ 'rajarshi' in Sanskrit) and ruled over a neighbouring kingdom known as Mithila.

They declared that the bow of Lord Shiva was so extraordinary and powerful that not even the demi-gods, celestials and demons could dream of lifting it (much less mere human beings). A great worship was about to be conducted in Mithila in honour of this magnificent divine weapon. The sages said that they would be delighted if the Princes would accompany them to witness this unique ceremony.

Sri Rama and Lakshmana were greatly intrigued and fascinated at the thought of seeing the divine bow of Lord Shiva Himself and therefore happily agreed to travel to Mithila with the sages.

The sages then made preparations for their journey which included setting up a number of carts laden with various sacred materials required for worship. Accompanied by Sri Rama and Lakshmana, they set off joyfully for the kingdom of Mithila to participate in the wonderful ceremony of the divine bow. 

To be continued.....

Om Sri Vamanaya Namah.

Om Sri Ramaya Namah.   

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

P.S. The current lunar month known as Shravana is regarded as particularly auspicious for the worship of Lord Shiva via mantra japa, puja, homam and so on. Om Namah Shivaya. May He bless and protect us all.