June topic: mAyA in the Vedas: Out of Sight Out of Mind!

[Guest guest]

Oh! oh! Ken-ji!

 

I have not still left for Florida and will be catching the 3'o clock

flight today!

 

already, i have become persona-non-grata !!! Big smile!!! I am your

biggest cheer-leader and fan, you let this 'bird' out of the Cage and

forgot all about 'her' .... smiles, again!!!

 

anyway, just to let you know i am enjoying the posts on Maya and

professrorji's wonderful response to them .

 

I would like to share something on vedic Imagery before leaving

Maya ,the Queen of Magick and veiling power (avarna shakti) !

 

"Symbolism in Hinduism: The Vedic Deities

 

"The vedic deities are not only forces of nature, but also forces

that exist in the physical body and help the individual in his

spiritual progress to overcome certain impediments.

 

 

One should not consider the vedic imagery as mere imagery. The gods,

goddesses and the demons mentioned in the Vedas represent various

cosmic powers. They play a significant role in the drama of creation

not only in the external world but in the inner world of a human

being.

 

When a person is making spiritual progress it is imperative that he

has to ensure the development of these godheads in him also so that

the required spiritual perfection is attained at all levels. The gods

have to be strengthened and the demons have to be slain in order to

attain perfection at all levels- "in the wideness of the earth, our

physical being and consciousness"

 

The outer form of a Vedic ritual has an inner corresponding ritual. A

ritual is a sacrifice, an attempt to fulfill the purpose of creation,

to elevate the status of man to that of a godhead or a cosmic man.

 

In such a ritual at the inner level, Agni is the divine spark in man,

the inner soul. The ghee or the clarified butter that is offered to

him is the mind. The sacrificial food or annam, consisting of grains,

seeds etc, stands for the physical body which is but an altered state

of annam or food only.

 

Once the divine spark (Agni) is invoked, he wakes up the latent

energies or divine powers hidden in man, (the various gods and

goddesses), to share the fruits of the sacrifice and assist the

individual, (the performer of the sacrifice), in his spiritual

awakening, transformation, purification and evolution.

 

The symbolic significance of the Vedic gods

 

Indra is the awakened mind or the illumined mind, who in the

mythology appears as the lord of the heavens and exists in the body

as the Lord of the senses, one who has attained control over his

senses. Vrata the snake demon, whom he slays in order to release the

waters for the people of earth, is the dark mentality, the mass of

negative and ignorant consciousness which hides all the cows( the

rays of Truth) in the caves of panis or sense-driven life.

 

The Rudras and the Maruts are the positive forces which aid Indra in

his fight against evil forces. The Ribhus are the seasons, which

stand for the various stages or phases through which a person has to

undergo the process of spiritual progress.

 

Once the senses are controlled and the mind is stabilized through

slaying of all the dark powers, comes the awakening, the goddess of

Usha, who brings along with her Ashwins into the world of inner

consciousness. These Ashwins are the horses, the spiritual energies

that enable the individual to make a swift progress towards

enlightenment.

 

After Ushas appear Aditi, the Primal Sun, the God of Light, first as

Savitr,who represents the Divine grace essential for all spiritual

success, and then as Mitra, who as the Divine love is considered as a

friend of the illumined mind(Indra)and his associates (the other gods.

 

After the Sun of Truth, appear Ritha (Truth in Action) and Ritachit

(Truth consciousness. The various Goddesses also appear at this

stage, Ila (Goddess of Truth vision), Saraswathi (Goddess of

knowledge and wisdom), Sarama (the intuitive mind) and Dakshina

(goddess of discernment and and ability).

 

The Vedic Yagna is therefore an act of supreme sacrifice, if

performed well at the spiritual level would lead to enlightenment and

salvation."

 

V.Jayaram.

http://www.hinduwebsite.com/vedicdeities.htm

 

This is a very good website , next only to professorji web site on

Hinduism!

 

ps - kenji, believe me i will be reading every word in your post as

and when i get a chance but may not be responding! but just remember,

my 'support' and silent 'appreciation' though invisible will be

always there!!!!

 

love and regards!

 

 

advaitin, ken knight <anirvacaniya> wrote:

> --- "V. Krishnamurthy" <profvk> wrote:

> >>

> > You have a gold mine here!

> And we are the only two miners it would seem. One

> group member said early on that he was not interested

> in going to such depth into this subject so i

> apologise if this is getting too detailed but I do get

> over-excited.

> With Sruti as our light let us proceed.

> It is as if we are two similar birds on the same tree

> both enjoying the fruit with, maybe, Sunderji

> watching.

> As I suggested last post to you, it does seem as if

> some subtle string-pulling is going on and now we have

> the link to your ShatashlokI posting. As with

> yourself, I will have to go through your posting later

> today ( I have to visit a friend who has had MS for 20

> years and whose wife died suddenly last year, at the

> age of 51, and on whom he was dependent.)

>

> When I first looked at X.177. 'pataMga' was one of the

> mysteries, was it the name of the poet, of the sun, of

> a bird or some flying insect, how does horse become a

> meaning ?

> I settled on a translation as 'falcon'. In this I had

> the image of an individual soul that soared high,

> possessed great speed and would swoop with great

> precision on its food, the Sruti, rather than circle

> gracefully like a vulture which feeds off the dead

> carcasses of others' killings. Of course such imagery

> is located in difference but it was a help at the

> time. 'Falcon' gives the image of an independent

> spirit and this appears in the other hymn that uses

> the word I.163 which I post below, and which is

> clearly the atman-brahman of later understanding:

>

> pataMga

>

> RV.I.163. rishi: DIrghatamas deity: eulogy of the

> horse metre: trishTup

> 6. aatmaánaM te mánasaaraád ajaanaam avó divaá

> patáyantam pataMgám |

> shíro apashyam pathíbhiH sugébhir areNúbhir

> jéhamaanam patatrí ||

>

> I.163.6 `Thyself from far I recognized in spirit,-a

> Bird that from below flew through the heaven.

> I saw thy head still soaring, striving upward by paths

> unsoiled by dust, pleasant to travel.'

>

>

> I noticed in your post that using your knowledge of

> quantum theory, you have managed to construct a

> 'Non-locality Time Slip Device' to break the code on

> my barrier that I had placed in the 4th Century BC for

> our Time Machine.

> As we are two minds in one in this adventure I have

> delighted in following you and offer for some

> additional thoughts the following from the Brahma

> Sutras:

>

>

> In the following, the first reference is to the BS

> itself. The second gives the page number and the line

> in the Vani Vilas Press edition of `The Work of Sri

> Shankaracharya, pub. 1910. A book that I do not have

> but I give it here in case anyone has access to a

> copy.)

> BS PataMga: II.1.9 Q 300.19 449.16 III.2.9

> (Q) 577.11 704.14 III..3.31 667.8 815.10

>

> II.1.9 In his commentary Shankara directs us to

> Gaudapada's kArika I.16

> `The moment the individual soul is aroused from the

> beginningless slumber of mAyA, that very moment he

> realizes the non-dual condition which is beyond birth,

> dream and sleep.

>

> III.2.9

> BS states: `But the same ( soul is awakened); because

> of action, remembrance, Sruti and precept.'

> Shankara's commentary includes:

> `But one soul is distinguished from others in point of

> specific works and knowledge. Perhaps man will not be

> able to make this distinction between soul and soul,

> but God is; just as the flamingo is reported to be

> able to separate milk from water when the two are

> mixed together. Besides, the comparison of the soul

> with a drop of water is not apt at all; because we

> have repeatedly pointed out that the soul is not

> different from the highest Atman; but it is the latter

> which on account of its connection with the upAdhis is

> only metaphorically kn own as the soul. And it is the

> difference in the upAdhis again which accounts for the

> difference between on soul and another.'

>

> BS III.3.31

> `(The path) cannot (be connected) as a rule to all

> (the vidyAs; for in this way there will be) no

> contradiction; (this is known) from Sruti and

> inference (ie. smRti).'

> Shankara comments: `We have seen that the path of the

> gods has some meaning with reference to saguna vidyAs

> but has no meaning with reference to the nirguna

> AtmavidyA.' Although the content of the commentary is

> of the journey along the different `paths' I cannot

> find, not having the Sanskrit, where Shankara uses

> this in the commentary.

>

> (Note to me. I must download Sanskrit commentary if

> one is available.)

>

> Just fancy Shankara having such a clear love of and

> knowledge in RV.X.177 when he composed shloka 51.

> Wonderful. Brilliant. Maybe he is sitting in our

> tree, watching with a smile.

>

> May I jump further forward to the Siva Sutras with the

> prayer to SaMkara, the Supreme Awareness [saMkaraM

> caitanyam: Sam (the bliss of revelation of the supreme

> non-dualism) Karoti (brings about ) iti SankaraH ie.

> SaMkara is one who brings about the bliss of the

> revelation of the supreme non-dualism.]

> Jaideva Singh translates the Sloka as:

> 'That consciousness of SaMkara is ever visctorious

> which in its wholeness is non-dual in reality though

> having an appearance of duality, from which the class

> of Rudra and Kshetrajna springs and in which it comes

> to rest, which is the fundamental Reality ( yat

> tattvam), from which bursts forth into view the

> universe, whose form is this universe, from whose

> unimpeded Free Will ever leaps forth his divine power

> which is a mass of bliss, bringing about the

> unsurpassed, immortal spanda piciple (the primal

> creative pulsation).'

>

> I think we are going to have to stay close together in

> this journey into the gold mine as I keep seeing

> diamonds in the walls.

>

> Thank you for your good company

>

> Ken Knight

>

>

>

>

>

>

> >And you can see Shankara

> > must have had RV

> > X.177 in his mind when he composed shloka 51 (Note

> > the identity of

> > words):

> >

> > taj jnAH pashyanti buddhyA parama-balavato

> > mAyayAktaM patamgaM

> > buddhAvantah samudre pratiphalita-marIcyAspadaM

> > vedhasas-taM /

> >

> > tat-jnAH vedhasaH : Knowers of the Self

> > pashyanti : discover

> > buddhyA : by their wisdom

> > patamgaM : the individual soul

> > mAyayAktaM : made to appear by mAyA

> > pratiphalita-marIcyAspadaM :as only a ray,

> > reflected,

> > parama-balavataH : of the omnipotent Self

> > antaH samudre buddhau : in the ocean of

> > consciousness.

> >

> > Note that the word patamga is interpreted as the

> > individual soul ,

> > because it falls off -- the root 'pat' to fall.

> >

> > pataMgamaktamasurasya mAyayA hRdA pashyanti

> > manasAvipashcitaH |

> > samudre antaH kavayo vi cakSate

> > marIcInAmpadamichanti

> > vedhasaH ||

> >

> > vipashcitaH : Those who see it right

> > pashyanti : discover

> > patamgaM : the individual soul

> > asurasya mAyayA aktaM : as made to appear by Asuric

> > mAyA.

> > kavayaH : The wise

> > vicakSate : see through

> > antah samudre : in the ocean of consciousness

> > marIcInAM padaM : the unique status of the rays.

> >

> > Now I do not know how to get the "vedhasaH ichanti"

> > into the above

> > interpretation.

> >

> > Let me think about it. In the meantime, I suggest

> > you may explore

> > whether 'patamga' as 'the individual soul' makes

> > sense in the whole

> > hymn 177.

> >

> > PraNAms to all students of Rg Veda

> > profvk

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

>

>

> =====

> `From this Supreme Self are all these, indeed, breathed forth.'

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

--- adi_shakthi16 <adi_shakthi16 wrote:

> Oh! oh! Ken-ji!

>

> I have not still left for Florida and will be

> catching the 3'o clock

> flight today!

>

> already, i have become persona-non-grata !!! Big

> smile!!! I am your

> biggest cheer-leader and fan, you let this 'bird'

> out of the Cage and

> forgot all about 'her' .... smiles, again!!!

 

Namaste Adi-ji,

I had included a section of a recent posting for you

personally, hoping to tempt you away from your vow of

internet silence, then I decided that I must not be

naughty on this hallowed site.

So you are hereby noted as the silent bird sitting in

our tree, watching.

 

Thanks for article on 'the gods'. We are gathering

quite a resource together for future reference

> The Ribhus are the

> seasons, which

> stand for the various stages or phases through which

> a person has to

> undergo the process of spiritual progress.

 

They are going to be the next topic in the mAyA study

because of their magical power.

 

Happy Flying

 

ken knight

 

 

=====

‘From this Supreme Self are all these, indeed, breathed forth.’

 

 

 

 

 

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