Shanti Mantra-s - 4 (Rig..Contd..)

[Guest guest]

Vedic shAnti mantra-s - 4 (A work by Swami ChidAnanda Puri)

--------------------------

 

2. shAnti mantra in the Rig Veda - Contd.

 

The prayer continues - ' AvirAvIrma edhi.. ', let that Self-effulgent one, which

is revealed by the shAstra-s reveal to me, let me attain it. 'AviH' means light.

The first 'AviH' in 'AvirAvIrma' is used for addressing the Light. So the prayer

is 'O Self-effulgent One, rise as the Light in me'. Let me realize the effulgent

Self (read AtmaprakAsha) which is set out in all the vedAnta-shAstra-s.

 

In vedAnta, words such as 'jyotiH', 'AviH' etc, denote the Supreme Truth.

We can see this in various shruti and smriti texts.

 

'jyotiShAmapi tajjyotiH' (Bh.Gita 13-17 - The Light among lights)

'AviH sannihitaM' (Mu.Up 2-2-1 - That which is luminous and residing inside)

 

Let this Supreme Truth in the form of the luminous Self in me reveal Thyself to

me. Let the veil of ignorance in me move away and make way for the

Self-effulgent Truth in me to shine in its True glory. This realization of one's

own true Self is the culmination of the study of vedAnta.

 

 

The prayer continues - 'vedasya ma ANIsthaH' - May you both be the carriers of

the (Truth in, secret of) veda-s to me. Since the word 'staH', which is dual is

used, it should be understood that the Speech and Mind which were discussed in

the starting of the mantra is meant here. By utilizing the Speech and the Mind

together for various sAdana-s such as the study of the veda-s and shAstra-s,

control of the speech and mind (vA~NmanassaMyamam), reflecting on the Atman

(AtmavicAram), practice of discrimination (vivekAbhyAsam), let the Truth

propounded by the veda-s dawn on me. The seeker should be careful in his

sAdana-s and should properly utilize both speech and mind to attain the Truth.

So this line can also be seen as a guidance for the seeker of Truth.

 

 

Further it is said - 'shrutam me mA prahAsIH' - May not all that I have learned

depart from me. Let not the Supreme Truth in the vedAnta which I have heard from

my Teacher and the Scriptures depart from me. The seeker will be able to

transcend the dualities of this world only if he has assimilated what he had

heard from the Teacher. So the seeker is praying for the words of the Teacher

and the Scriptures to remain with him. We tend to forget what we have learned

when we abstain from regular Scriptural studies due to the pull of the desires

and the various other vritti-s of our antaHkaraNa. When we go behind the world

for fulfilling our mundane desires, we easily miss the path. Here in this shAnti

mantra, the seeker is praying to clear all such obstacles and to revel

constantly in the Truth heard from the Teacher.

 

To be continued..

 

Hari Om

 

PS: The quote from Bhagavat Gita 13-17 is shown as the 18th verse in some

versions of Gita. The 13th chapter in these versions start with a question from

Arjuna. In SankarAchArya's commentary and in other noted works in the advaita

tradition, this question from Arjuna is not present. The PDF file in our group's

file section has this extra verse.