Musings on garUda/mantrA etc.-8B

[Guest guest]

srimathE lakshmi-nrsumha parabrahmaNE namaha

sri vedanta desika guravE namaha

 

Dear "bhAgavatOttamA-s",

 

The vEdic tradition is "sruti" --- oral tradition; and we know its a body of

"revelations of Truth". The truth of the vEdAs, it is said, is conveyed

exactly as HEARD .... repeat, as HEARD (not as SEEN or THOUGHT of)... by

many "rshi-s" in moments of inspiration .

 

There are, of course, in the vEdic records, passages where "rshi-s" exclaim

having SEEN Truth! ("rshir darshanAt"). "AchAryA-s" and scholars, however,

have explained that those exclamations testify really to the "sound of

truth" ("mantra-sabda") having been "SEEN" ! Which is why, as we all know,

the LOGOS itself is symbolised in the vEdic tradition by an acoustic-icon :

the "praNavam".

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If you reflect deeply, the world of "non-vEdic" experience in which most of

us lead our secular lives, is a world that is bent upon realizing truth in

"VISUAL" ways. It suffers from a "visual" bias that sharply contrasts with

the "acoustic" modes of "perception" preferred by the vEdAs.

 

We must pause here, please, to explain the above statement a little.

 

In our daily lives, if you have noticed, we all, implicitly and constantly,

pay homage to the "scientific tradition" --- the tradition that insists upon

..... and always heavily relies on "VISUAL" evidence of truth ("pratyaksham")

rather than the "aural" ("sabda') or non-visual manifestation of truth.

 

This bias for "visual-validity", as sine-qua-non for apprehending truth, is

easily sensed in innumerable little ways of the world around us. For example :

 

** We say, "Show me proof!" ; we almost never say "Let me hear the proof!"

 

** When we want a subtle idea or principle explained to us, we impatiently

demand, don't we, "Demonstrate it to me; don't tell me !"

 

** We have been taught in school, "Seeing is believing"; I have never heard

any teacher tell a student,"Hearing can be believing too !"

 

** To be deaf is not always held to be so cruel or tragic a human handicap

as being blind !

 

** In the systems of jurisprudence of the civilised world anywhere, "Justice

is Blind" ! LAWS of EVIDENCE have firmly evolved only upon systems of

visual rather than auditory testimony; even today while a video-tape

may be admitted as evidence in courts of law, their Lordships will

hesitate to grant the same degree of credulity to evidence on an

audio-tape; somehow what is on "audio" is never regarded as "hard

evidence" as much as that which is on "video"! Again, while "visual"

evidence will be treated in Courts as incontrovertible

"eye-witness-account", "oral" evidence will be dismissed as "hearsay" !

Furthermore, while oath-taking in a Court of Law is done by a solemn "vocal"

process of swearing by the Bible, Koran or GitA, ironically, the popular

judicial dictum followed everywhere is : "Justice must not only be done, but

be SEEN to be "done"; it is never, NEVER said of justice, is it ever, that

it must be HEARD to have been done!" although, in the course of it being

meted out, we know the holy names of God or the "Holy Book" are called

upon and heard out aloud ! The phrase "justice must be HEARD to be

done" would somehow strike us all as odd and perverted, wouldn't it ?!

 

** In the modern world of technology, too, where "voice-or-speech

recognition" is the marvel behind such appliances like

"voice-mail-service", "personal ID recorders" and "hi-tech security

systems", you still find "visual" back-up mechanisms such as "CC TVs",

MICR "swipe-cards" and even good ol'human guards standing-by just to

ensure that in the odd event of such "voice-recognition" systems

"failing", there is always a "visual-check" system to provide

CERTAINTY!

 

Examples such as the above are galore in our world !

 

They will all go to confirm that the species HOMO SAPIENS somehow has been

deeply ingrained by nature --- or "programmed" if you like --- to always

suspect everything thing else other than "visual" modes ("pratyaksham") of

validating the truths of the experiential world.

 

To the human intellect, that which is SEEN is infinitely more credible than

that which is capable of being only HEARD --- although the eye as

sense-organ is known to be no less imperfect than the ear !

 

SIGHT simply exerts an influence infinitely more powerful than SOUND on the

human mind ...... period.

 

(Nobody, so far as far as I am aware, has adequately explained why, except

perhaps, by way of vaguely examining theories stating pretty much the

obvious : that external stimuli impact more powerfully, more lastingly on

the human brain through "visual" rather than "auditory" media !)

 

(Imagine a world where humans did not have this inexplicable preference for

SIGHT over SOUND ... imagine ! what then would be the sad plight of the

great industries of the world today -- TV, motion-picture, advertising,

information- technology etc.-- which all thrive on exploiting, one way or

the other, this peculiar quirk or flaw in the "design of human beings and of

their minds" !)

 

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Dear "bhAgavatOttamA-s", it is this deep-rooted prejudice or "conditioning"

of human nature, it is the belief that somehow "SIGHT" is a better indicator

of Truth than "SOUND", it is this natural bent of the human mind which,

according to our great seers of India, is the biggest obstacle to "vEdic

experience of truth" which, in absolute contrast to our long-accustomed

"optic-centred" perception of the world, is fundamentally "acoustic" in nature!!

 

The whole purpose of the vEdic religion, indeed, is to help Man overcome his

crippling "visual-centredness" and to understand that there is another whole

NEW World of PERCEPTION based on "srUti/shabda" or "oral/auditory" inference.

 

The vEdic tradition states that the Reality human "perception" seeks to

realize.... that Reality we saw described by Swami Desikan in his

"gOpala-vimshati" ..... such Reality "reveals" Itself more clearly through

"sabdA-pramANAm" (SOUND) than through "SIGHT" ("pratyaksha-pramANam")!

 

The eternal message of the Vedas, as gathered from what the great "rshi-s"

have recorded for us, urges human experience to, indeed, break-free off the

limitations that "visual-orientatedness" imposes on our efforts to search

for truth.

 

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The deep-seated "visual-conditioning" in man, explained above, is what I

have chosen to describe, dear "bhAgavatOttamA-s", as his natural "REFLEX" !

 

In other words, this "visual-centredness" is so "REFLEXIVE" in him that Man

cannot simply help it !

 

It is "second nature" to him ! It is a "knee-jerk" response of his intellect

("buddhi") ! One that has been firmly "programmed" into him; and which makes

him accept as truth only that which is demonstrable; and reject or suspect

all that he can only "HEAR".

 

The Vedas, on the other hand, categorically tell us that Reality or Truth

can be apprehended only through the "praNava-sabdA" ("primordial Sound") !

 

Hence, from all that has been stated above, we can only conclude, dear

"bhAgavatOttamA-s", that "vEdic" experience of Truth becomes possible for us

only IF, and only AFTER, we have overcome our "reflexive" (and excessive,

too!) reliance on "pratakshyam" and, indeed, have switched to "aural" modes

of PERCEPTION/COGNITION prescribed in the vEdAs.

 

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The "switch" the vEdA-s enjoin us to make --- from a world of total

"visuality" to a world of total "aurality" --- is not, however, an easy

thing to do, dear "bhAgavatOttamA-s"!

 

It involves more than just a change of "mind-set" ! It involves a complete

departure from the so-called "normal (visual) ways" through which we have

come to apprehend, understand and accept ourselves and the world ....from

times immemorial since the origin of species !

 

It goes against the very grain of our scientific temper too !!

 

How on earth is it possible for us --- we who are children of the

"scientific" revolution --- to suddenly shift to "aural perception of truth"

without taking absolute leave of our senses ??!!!

 

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The answer, dear "bhAgavatOttamA-s", according to the vEdA-s, lies in the

power of "mantrA" !!!

 

YES, according to our "purvAcharyA-s", the answer lies in the power of sound

of the vEdic "mantrA" !!

 

In the "vEdic" system, it is believed "rshir darshanAt" i.e. the rshi-s

"perceived" truth !! But the "rshi-s'" inspiration was not rooted in "visual

perception"!

 

Their "perception", on the other hand, was the inspirational "sabdA" of

Truth captured in a "mantrA" discovered and instantly uttered in rare

moments of revelation !

 

The "rshi-s", thus, "perceived" sights within sound ... and sounds within

sight ....so to say !!

 

And it is those very same "mantrA-s", handed down by "rshi-s" to us across

the ages, which are believed to help us break-free from the shackles of

"sight-orientated", "reflexive" modes of PERCEPTION and switch to the

"oral/aural" modes of true Cognition ...which the "rshi-s" themselves

practised!

 

"mantrA-s", in the vEdic world, are thus regarded as the "acoustic keys"

that unlock, nay, pry open for us, the AURAL DOORS OF PERCEPTION which

otherwise shut out Reality from our eyes !

 

------

 

If we can all understand so much about "reflexivity" as explained above,

dear "bhAgavatOttamA-s", then I believe I can easily proceed to further

examine, jointly with you all, the "garUda-hymns" of Swami Desikan ....and

thereafter, of course, the Mukkur Swamy II story on "mantrA" !

 

If you have any questions/comments please do not hesitate to raise them

along the way.

 

 

srimathE srivan satagopa sri narayana yathindra mahadesikAya namaha

sudarshan