JADABHARATOPAKHYANA - XIV

(Jadabharata continues to provide insight into the lessons of philosophy to Rahugana. SHARE IT IF YOU LIKE)

“It is but natural for all the beings to have the feeling of ‘mine’ and ‘my’, the symptoms of ego, pride, vanity. It is not advisable to ignore such feelings. B

ut, such feelings should be overpowered, erased and destroyed by serving Lord Hari and the Gurus or Lord Vishnu and Lord Vayu. That alone can ensure salvation,” says Jadabharata. 

BhrAtruvyamEnam twamadaBhraveeryamupEkshayA(a)pyEDhitamapramattaha|

GurOrharEshcharaNOpAsanAstrO jahi vyaLeekam swamAtmamOham||

The word Atmamoha means self-esteem or the sense of ego. Jadabharata is telling Rahugana to shun the sense of self-esteem or egoism, self-pride, selfishness. When Jadabharata had earlier told Rahugana that even though born with a body or physique, he (Jadabharata) had no misery that is always attached and inherent with the body, the king had asked “How is it possible?” Rahugana had further argued: “When the existence of body is true, the related misery or distress comes along with it.” 

Different doctrines or schools of thought contend that what Jadabharata meant was to rid the ego, pride, self-esteem etc., by considering the existence of body as false. The line of such argument is called falsification or Mithyavada. However, Sri Madhwacharya advises ‘AtmamOham jahi” or win over the false pride about the body. Moha means passion and Atmamoha means passion for self, which drives human mind towards passion towards the body, which is often mistaken as soul. The capacity to drive away the passion over self comes with passion one develops towards the Lord, which is inculcated with the belief that Lord alone is independent and all our bodies and their actions are driven, mentored and monitored by Lord. 

Jadabharata tells to Rahugana: AbhimAnAdEva samskArO(a)nyaThA nEti parihAraha| 

Earlier, Jadabharata had said “DEhEna jAtasya hi mE na santi” and the king had in turn asked “How is it possible”. Jadabharata replies as above. “Misery grips family life due to passion or attachment. Once the passion is won over, there is no room for misery” and such a state can be attained only by passionate devotion towards the Lord. (Contd….)

BIRTH OF KARTHIKEYA

(The story of birth of Karthikeya and the Birth of Ganga or Gangavatharana as narrated by Sri Valmeeki through a conversation between Vishwamira and Srirama. PLEASE SHARE IT IF YOU LIKE)

TAm kathAm KaushikO RAmE nivEdya madhurAkSharAm|

PunarEvAparam vAkyam KAkutsthamidamabraveet||1||

AyOdhyAdhipatihi shUraha pUrvamAseennarAdhipaha|
SagarO nAma dharmAtmA prajAkAmaha sa chAprajAha||2||

VaidarbhaduhitA RAma kEshinee RAma nAmataha|
JyEShThA sagarapatnee sA dharmiShTA satyavAdinee||3||

AriShTanEmErduhitA suparNabhaginee tu sA|
DwiteeyA sagarasyAseetpatnee sumatisanjnitA||4||

TAbhyAm saha mahArAjaha patneebhyAm taptavAmstapaha|
Himavantam samAsAdya BhruguprasravaNE girau||5||

For the question “TeenpaThO hEtunA kEna?” that Rama asked, which meant “Why Ganga flew in three ways?” Vishwamitra explained to Rama how Ganga went to Devaloka. He narrated the details of the birth of Kartikeya as it was related to the same story. Subsequently, he started telling another incident related to the reasons for Ganga to flow down to the Earth and the Patala Loka in very sweet words. 

“Dear son, once a pious, brave and popular king called Sagara was the King of Ayodhya. He did not have children for a very long time. A zest to get children developed in him. Keshini, a virtuous, righteous and truthful daughter of the then king of Vidarbha, was the eldest wife of Sagara. Sumati, who was one of the daughters of Arishtanemi (Kashyapa) and sister of Garuda, the golden eagle, was the second wife of Sagara. Sagara, along with his two wives, began a penance in a sub-mountain called Bhrugupravana, which was adjacent to Mount Himalaya, in the name of Bhrugu Maharshi seeking children. Worshipped for a period of one hundred years through penance, Bhrugu Maharshi, a great person among those known for the virtue of being truthful, got impressed and gave a boon to the king: 

ApatyalABhaha sumahAnBhviShyati tavAnaGha|

Keertim chApratimAm lOkE prApsyasE puruSharShaBha||7||

“Oh great man without any stain of sin, several children, who will earn the praise of universe, will be born to you and from those children, you will earn unmatched fame. One of your two wives will give birth to only one child and the other will beget 60,000 children.” Delighted and pleased with Bhrugu Maharshi for bestowing the boon, the two princesses Keshini and Sumati, honored and worshipped the sage in appropriate manner and told him with folded hands: 

“Oh revered, May your boon become a reality. But, we want to know from you as which one of us will beget one son and who will beget sixty thousand children.”

Hearing their words, most pious Bhrugu Maharshi, replied to them in these interesting and good words: 

“Oh princesses, this subject is entirely left to your desire. You have to decide about your desires.” 

Rama, after hearing the words of Bhrugu Maharshi, Vidarbha princess Keshini expressed her desire in front of Sagara to have only one son. Sister of Garuda, Sumati, heartily welcomed the other option to have enthusiastic and respectable sixty thousand children. Later, Sagara revolved around Bhrugu Maharshi, prostrated before him and saluted the sage and returned to Ayodhya, along with his two wives. With the passage of time, eldest wife Keshini delivered the famous son called “Asamanja”. Sumati, on the other hand, delivered a bottle gourd-like embryo. Sixty thousand children came out after breaking it. Female nurses nurtured those 60,000 children by keeping in separate pots filled with ghee. After they were nurtured for several years, the babies which were in the form atoms, gradually developed and got human form. Later, they became young and efficient children. Did I not tell you earlier that Sagara begot a son called Asamanja from his eldest wife Keshini? Every day, he used to throw children playing on streets into Sarayu River and laughing at those children fluttering in waters, screaming, crying and drowning in the river. It was all a fun for him (Asamanja). Sagara being a pious king, who was always thinking of the welfare of his subject, once extradited Asamanja from the kingdom as he was committing grave crimes every day, was always thinking of torturing the people and was a scourge of virtuous citizens. Asamanja had a son called Amshumanta, who was brave, soft spoken and a beloved of all the people. 

After the passage of several years, Sagara got a desire to perform a sacrifice. Endowed with the knowledge of Vedas, Sagara decided to perform the Yajna and began preparations for it, along with the Rutvijas.

JADABHARATOPAKHYANA - XIII

(Jadabharata continues to explain to Rahugana)

DravyaswaBhAvAsayakarmakAlairEkAdashAmee manansO vikArAha|

Sahasrashaha shatashaha kOTishashcha kShEtrajnatO na miThO na swataha syuhu||

The mind indulges in eleven types of activities in conjunction with the body, the sensory organs, depending upon the time, the Karma and related currents, including emotions. Among them, passion or compassion results in secondary and tertiary types of activities, while other activities are only considered as the results of coincidental causes. However, all these activities happen and trigger further reactions because of the will of the Almighty because none of the thoughts, actions, feelings, emotions etc., is under the control of human mind. There is nothing that can happen as per the intrinsic or self-motivated human desire. The thoughts that arise in the mind cannot be consigned as having emanated from the earlier thoughts or independently since such a conclusion is illogical and improbable.

KShEtrajna AtmApuruShaha purANaha sAkShAt swayamjyOtirajaha parEshaha|

NArAyaNO BhagavAn VAsudEvaha swamAyayA(A)tman vyavaDheeyamAnaha||

Hari is like an aberration because he is intrinsic and inherent in every being and stays in every physique. Unlike the beings, he is unimaginably, comprehensively and inexplicably knowledgeable. He perceives the biological body independently and becomes a synonym of Purana, self-luminary, free from the process of birth and he is the Purushottama. Bhagavan Vasudeva, who is known as Narayana alone is the ultimate truth and he is not shapeless, formless and so o

n in the ordinary sense of these terms. Although this Narayana is present in all beings, he is not dependent on the beings. He stays in the beings of his own desire and is self-reliant. He remains invisible to beings.

Sri Madhwacharya in his Bhagavata Tatparya Nirnaya reaffirms this syllogism by citing a Shloka in Garuda Purana:

SwamAyayA(A)tman vyavaDheeyamAnaha swEchChaya swasminnEva tirOhitatvEna sThitaha|

swAtmADhAraha swEchChayaiva jeevadruShTEstirOhitaha|

KShEtrajnEtyuchyate ViShNurjeevasThaha PuruShOttamaha|| Iti cha||

As mentioned in Garuda Purana, “SwayamAyayAtman vyavaDheeyamAnaha” means that Sri Hari takes shelter in Himself of his own desire and remains invisible to the being. Being self-sheltered, Vishnu is intrinsic and inherent in the beings, which expression is reminiscent of Atma or soul as per Bhagavata, and therefore, He is Purushottama, which concept is hidden in the word Paresha. That is why He is called Kshetrajna, states Garuda Purana. (To be continued…)

PLEASE SHARE IT IF YOU LIKE

BIRTH OF KARTIKEYA

(This is in continuation of the previous post/s related to Birth of Karikeya, the background, which culminates into the Birth of Ganga or Gangavatarana, as narrated by Sage Vishwamitra to Srirama mentioned in Chapter 37, Balakanda, Srimadvalmeeki Ramayana)

Skanda ityabruvandEvAha skannam garbhaparisravAt|
KArtikEyam mahAbAhum kAkutstha jwalanOpamam||27||

PrAdurbhUtam tataha kSheeram kruttikAnAmanuttamam|
ShaNNAm ShaDAnanO bhUtwA jagrAha stanajam payaha||28||

GruheetwA ksheeramEkAnhA sukumAravapustadA|
Aajayat swEna veeryENa daityasainyagaNAnwibhuhu||29||

SirasEnAgaNapatimabhyaShinchanmahAdyutim|
TatastamamarAha sarwE samEtyAjnipurOgamAha||30||

Rama, since Kartikeya, who was broad shouldered and was reminiscent of Yagneshwara, the deities also called him as Skanda as he had fallen from the womb. Skanna in Sanskrit means one who has fallen to the ground. 

Pure and nutritious milk filled the breasts of the deities of Star Krittika. All the six mothers (deities) sat together to feed breast milk to Skanda. Being a divine person, Skanda manifested himself with six faces and drank the breast milk of all the six mothers, simultaneously. Born with a soft body, Lord Skanda with six faces drank the breast milk fed by all the six mothers for one full day and won the battle against demons with his sheer should power and strength. Agni and the other chief deities arrived and performed the coronation of Skanda as the chief commander of the army of deities. I have narrated the entire story of the birth of Kartikeya and the grand origin of Ganga in detail, This story is highly meritorious and gracious. 

Bhaktashcha yah KArtikEyE KAkutsTha Bhuvi mAnavaha|

AayuShmAnputrapautrashcha SkandasAlOkyatAm vrajet||

Rama, Any man who is a devotee of Kartikeya and surrenders to him without any bias or prejudice will have a long life, beget children and grandchildren, will have all pleasures and happiness in life and will finally get into the Skanda Loka.”

HAPPY HANUMAD VRAT

Presenting transliteration of Laghvayustuti to mark HANUMADVRAT on Margashira Ritu Shukla Trayodashi. May LORD VAYU bless everyone with peace, spirituality and prosperity.

VAsudEvam sadAnandasteerTham sandOhasandOha sheelam|
SwAminam sachchidAnandarUpam nandayAmO vayam nandateerTham||
Sri HanUmantamEkAtaBhAjam RAGhava SripadAmBhOjaBhrungam
MArutim prANInm prANaBhUtam nandayAmO vayam nandateerTham|| BheemarUpam parm preeyavAsam BhAratam BhArtashreelalAmam|BhUmiBhruDhwamsanam BhArateeshamnandayAmO vayam nandateerTham||DEvachUDAmaNim pUrNabODham KriShNapAdAravindaikavAsam|ChittachintAmaNim pUrNarUpam nandayAmO vayam nandateerTham||MAyigOmAyumAyAnDhakAraDhwamsamArtanDamUrteeyamAnam|sajjanAnandasandOhaDhEnum nandayAmO vayam nandateerTham||IndirAkAntamAnandamUrtim sundareemandirAnandarUpam|DAsamEkam taThA tattwarUpam nandayAmO vayam nandateerTham||||
Iti Srimatkavikulatilaka SrimattrivikramapaNDitAchArya duhitA SrikalyANeedEvee virachitA LaGhuvAyustutihi sampUrNam

A respectful tribute to Srimad Bhagavad Gita

Today, the Margashira Shukla Yekadashi day, #Gita Jayanti is being celebrated across the globe to commemorate the origin of Bhagvad Gita. It was the day on which the 18-day Great War between Kauravas and #Pandavas broke out. Lord Krishna was asked by a proud Arjun to park the chariot at the centre of the Army. Lord Krishna was a great psychiatrist too and He wanted to make not only Arjun but also the entire humanity understand the nuances of lif...e. Therefore, Lord Krishna wantonly parked the chariot in such a location from where Arjuna could easily view the likes of most revered #Bheeshma Pitamaha, Guru Sri Donacharya, Krupa, #Ashwatthama, apart from his brothers Duryodhana, Dushshasana and a host of others. Another point to be taken note of is that, according to a rough estimate, about one-tenth of the then population of the entire globe, was involved directly and indirectly in that Kurukshetra. While refusing to fight, Arjuna pointed out that with such a huge population being on the verge of destruction, only widows, childless mothers, unmarried girls might remain. At that moment, Lord Krishna just says, “When I am there, who are you to think of birth and death? Why do you think the destruction of this corporal body as the end of life or life-cycle? Why do you think those standing against you are your near and dear? With what authority do you think you are going to fight and you are going to kill everyone?” This has become the universal, non-sectarian and eternal philosophy that touches all aspects of human world. It is historical, philosophical, political, didactic, epigrammatic, sociological and all-in-one work that is beyond the precincts of time, age and class. 

Gita Jayanti is celebrated worldwide by all devotees of Lord Krishna. En-masse recitation of all 700 verses of the Gita are chanted on this day. Some devotees fast on this day as it coincides with Yekadashi Bhajans and special Pujas are performed to mark the special occasion. Discourses, lectures, debates are also held on Gita. 

In Malaysia, the Gita Jayanti Team celebrates the occasion annually.

In Singapore, Gita Jayanti is celebrated on a grand scale for about a month. Each year, a different organisation from among 36 such organisations takes the responsibility of organising the programmes and coordinating with others.

PLEASE SHARE IT IF YOU LIKE IT 

JADABHARATOPAKHYANA XII

Jadabharata was so prolific and knowledgeable that his logical establishment of truth about certain intricate aspects of life took Rahugana by surprise. As Jadabharata went on speaking, Rahuhana had nothing else to do but hear, understand and assimilate. In fact the situation was such that Rahugana forgot that he was on the way to meeting Kapila Maharshi and that he was a king. On the contrary, Jadabharata remembered that he was the king and Rahugana, by a matter of sheer chance and his Karmic exaltation, had ascended the same throne on which Jadabharata was seated in his past life. Jadabharata says now:

Sa VAsanAtmA viShayOparaktO guNapravAhO vikrutaha ShODashAtgmA|

Chitram PrThangnAmaBhee rUpaBhedamantarbahiShThaha swapuraistanOti||

DuhKham SuKham vyatimishram cha teevram kAlOpapannam PhalamAvyanakti|

Aalingya mAyArachitAntarAtmA swadEhinam samskritichakrakUTam||Sri Madhwacharya’s Bhagavata Tatparya Nirnaya Panchama Skandha||

(There is no word in English for Manas apart from Mind and hence please treat mind in this particular context as Manas.)

Mind is comprising of the Trigunas namely Satwika, Rajasa and Tamasa. Therefore, the mind is home for the qualities, traits or characters emanating from these Trigunas and their innumerable combinations. In the Lingashareera or the human body that possesses Shodashakalas or

sixteen skills, the most important aspect or part is this very mind. Call it the culprit or the beacon of knowledge. Driven by the Samskara or the merits and demerits of previous lives, the mind assigns to the human being various names, shapes like the form of a human, Deva, Asura etc., in accordance with the Papakarmas, the positive or negative energies emanating from human action, thought and deeds. These things may happen in dreams or when the human being is awake. When the being is awake, the mind directs the actions and reactions through the sensory organs and such actions and reactions may be sinful, virtuous, meritorious, pious so on and so forth. By doing so, the mind creates the prospective forms such as Deva, Asura and Manushya to the human being. 

This mind, which is made up of the will of the Lord and the Nature (five elements), stays and embraces the human body in which it stays. Under the influence of the uncontrollable Time that invariably brings with it the feelings or senses of mirth, wrath, distress, saddity or variations and combinations of these senses. This further creates heaps and heaps of bliss, ecstasy, sin, displeasure, dejection, depression, unhappiness and discomfiture that keep repeating in human life and that is what is the cycles of Karma, the cycles of birth and death from which there is no escape at all. (To be continued. If you like it, kindly share it)