Appendix to part -13

[Guest guest]

SrI:

 

(*1) From Drona Parva, MB, in the words of sage Vyasa :-

Narada said; "Listen, thou long-armed King,

And grieve no more when thou hast heard. At first,

Far back, in the beginning, He who rules,

Almighty shining Bhrahma, made what lives

To live unchanged; so was there length of days

Illimitable, but not growth in days,

Which comes of change; and Brahma, seeing His worlds

Fixed in fair changelessness, waxed ill content,

Bethinking to unmake what He had made,

That good should pass to better and there went,

O Monarch! from the discontent of Him

Bethinking how He should destroy to save

A flame, the spirit of His brooding thought,

Which, filling all the regions, had consumed

The heavens and earth and worlds from west to east

>From north to south, the heavens and earth and worlds,

With all their creatures,- those which live and move,

And those which live unmoving, plants and trees.

So was that thought of Brahma terrible.

 

"But, thereupon, he of the matted locks,

Hara,-whom men do also Sthánu call,

King of night-wandering ghosts, Shiva the god, -

Unto dread Brahma's presence straight repaired.

Awful in sunlike majesty sat He;

And, seeing Hara at His feet, come there

For love of living beings: 'Son!' He said,

'What need hath brought thee? Let the wish be known;

That which thou dost desire, it shall be wrought;

For thou art Sthánu, and thy will is mine.'

"Spake Hara: 'O Thou Light of all the worlds!

Thine are the worlds, and Thou hast peopled them;

And all things in their orders are by Thee,

And in Thee live. Wilt Thou not save Thine own?

But now they fear to perish everywhere,

Slain by this fire which flameth from Thy mood;

And 1, who see it, and who love them, come,

Moved with compassion. Have Thou mercy, Lord!'

"Brahma replied: 'I did not think to slay.

Lo! I am favorable. Life shall live;

For love, not hate, this mood did move in Me;

Because the angel of the earth hath come,

Constantly praying, "Father, lighten me;

Make and unmake this burden sore to bear,

My children, lest we multiply to harm."

Yet, having made them, how should I unmake,

Seeing I gave gifts indestructible,

Giving their lives? I cannot slay, yet these

Must change; therefore that mood did move in Me.'

"Spake Hara: 'O Protector of the worlds

Be favorable still, be wroth no morc;

Let not these lives, moving and motionless,

Perish, O Bhagavan! Let there be henceforth

Three states of time for children of the earth, -

The past, the present, and the future - these

Let them possess, Thou Lord of all! Thy mind

Burneth in moving, and therewith a flame

Proceeded, scorching mountains, rivers, lakes,

Forests, and beasts that dwell there, and the beings,

Moving and motionless, of all the earth.

 

Ah, Bhagavan, be Thou then propitious; yield

Thine ill-content which slayeth. This I crave.

Also the flame, which hath proceeded forth

By reason of it, draw it back, dread Lord,

Into Thyself - from Thee it sprang. Thou art

Master, to bless or ban. Make Thine acts bless

These that are Thine, to sweep away or save

These that must perish if Thou pity not.

O Maker who unmakest! I am here-

The messenger of ill the guardian gods

Which keep Thy worlds - beseeching Thee, Supreme,

Destroy not that which Thou hast wrought so fair

For this, at Thy great feet I bend and plead.'

"Hearing Maliddev's prayer," quoth Narada,

The awful Brahma gave consent, and drew

Back to Himself that earth-devouring flame.

Then He who maketh and unmaketh worlds

Spake of the making and unmaking, -how

The purpose groweth so. And when the fire

Was wholly quenched, and all His spirit still,

Lo! Brahma meditated; and there rose,

Live from His thought, a presence feminine,

Delicate, tender, splendid, with great eyes.

Dark the sweet face was, dark the stately limbs

But beauty blossomed red on lip and breasts,

And in her ears swung ear-rings of soft gold.

She, being so born, drew backward from the throne,

Awe-struck to gaze upon those gods. But He

Who maketh and unmaketh, spake to her,

Saying: 'Thou Death, thou Mrityu, go, destroy

Those that must die. I have created thee

Unto this work; bring to appointed end

The moving and unmoving; kill and slay

All creatures at their time. This is My will:

Obey and fear not.'

 

--\

--------

(*2) (From Chandogya Upanishad) -The 4 feet of Brahman.

 

Chapter V — Instruction by the Bull

1

The bull of the herd, addressing him, said: "Satyakama!"

"Revered Sir!" Satyakama replied.

The bull said: "Dear friend, we have become a thousand, take us to

teacher's house.

2

"I will declare to you one foot of Brahman."

"Declare it, Revered Sir."

The bull said to him: "The east is one quarter, the west is one

quarter, the south is one quarter, the north is one quarter. This,

dear friend, is foot of Brahman, consisting of four quarters and this

foot is called Prakasavat (shining).

3

"He who knows this and meditates on the foot of Brahman consisting

four quarters as shining, becomes shining on this earth. He conquers

shining worlds—he who knows this and meditates on the foot of Brahman

consisting of four quarters as shining."

Chapter VII — Instruction by Fire

1

The bull further said: "Agni (fire) will declare to you another foot

of Brahman."

Satyakama then, when it was the morrow, drove the cows in the

direction of the teacher's house. And when they came together toward

evening, he lighted a fire, penned the cows, laid fuel on the fire and

sat down behind the fire, facing the east.

2

Agni (fire), addressing him, said: "Satyakama!"

"Revered Sir!" Satyakama replied.

3

"Dear friend, I will declare to you one foot of Brahman."

"Declare it, revered Sir."

Agni said to him: "The earth is one quarter, the sky is one quarter,

heaven is one quarter, the ocean is one quarter. This, dear friend, is

one foot of Brahman, consisting of four quarters and this foot is

called Anantavat (endless).

4

"He who knows this and meditates on the foot of Brahman consisting of

four quarters as endless, becomes endless on this earth. He conquers

endless worlds—he who knows this and meditates on the foot of Brahman

consisting of four quarters as endless."

Chapter VII — Instruction by the Swan

1

Agni further said: "A hamsa (swan) will declare to you another foot."

Satyakama then, when it was the morrow, drove the cows in the

direction of the teacher's house. And when they came together toward

evening, he lighted a fire, penned the cows, laid fuel on the fire and

sat down behind the fire, facing the east.

2

Then a swan flew to him and said: "Satyakama!"

"Revered Sir!" Satyakama replied.

3

Dear friend, I will declare to you one foot of Brahman."

"Declare it, revered Sir."

The swan said to him: "Fire is one quarter, the sun is one quarter,

the moon is one quarter, lightning is one quarter. This, dear friend,

is one foot of Brahman, consisting of four quarters and this foot is

called Jyotishmat (luminous).

4

He who knows this and meditates on the foot of Brahman consisting of

four quarters as luminous, becomes luminous on this earth. He conquers

luminous worlds—he who knows this and meditates on the foot of Brahman

consisting of four quarters as luminous.

Chapter VIII — Instruction by the Diver—Bird

1

The swan further said: "A madgu (diver—bird) will declare to you another foot."

Satyakama then, when it was the morrow, drove the cows in the

direction of the teacher's house. And when they came together toward

evening, he lighted a fire, penned the cows, laid fuel on the fire and

sat down behind the fire, facing the east.

2

Then a diver—bird flew to him and said: "Satyakama!"

"Revered Sir!" Satyakama replied.

3

"Dear friend, I will declare to you one foot of Brahman."

"Declare it, revered Sir."

The diver—bird said to him: "The prana is one quarter, the eye is one

quarter, the ear is one quarter, the mind is one quarter. This, dear

friend, is one foot of Brahman, consisting of four quarters and this

foot is called Ayatanavat (having support).

4

"He who knows this and meditates on the foot of Brahman consisting of

four quarters as Ayatanavat, possesses a support (i.e. home) on this

earth. He conquers the worlds which offer a home—he who knows this and

meditates on the foot of Brahman consisting of four quarters as

Ayatanavat."

Chapter IX — Instruction by the Teacher

1

Satyakama reached the teacher's house. The teacher said to him: "Satyakama!"

"Revered Sir!" Satyakama replied.

2

The teacher said: "Dear friend, you shine like one who knows Brahman.

Who has taught you?"

"Others than men," he replied. "But I wish, revered Sir, that you

alone should teach me."

3

"For I have heard from persons like your good self that only knowledge

which is learnt from a teacher (acharya) leads to the highest good."

Then he (Gautama) taught him the same knowledge. Nothing whatsoever

was left out, yea, nothing whatsoever was left out.

--\

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

 

(*3) About ¼ of Brahman is created world and the rest in uncreated world.

 

Purusha sUkhtham (3)

etAvAn asya mahima | ato jyAyAGSca pUrusha: |

pAdo 'sya vishvA bhUtAni | tripAdasyAmRtam divi

 

(Meaning:- So mighty is His greatness, yea greater than this is Purusha,

All creatures are one-fourth of Him, three-fourths eternal life in Heaven)

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

Chandogya Upanishad:-

5

That Gayatri has four feet and is sixfold. The same is also declared

by a Rik-verse:

6

"Such is its greatness (i.e. of Brahman as known through the symbol of

the Gayatri). Greater than it is the Person (Brahman). One of Its feet

covers all beings; the immortal three feet are in heaven (i.e. in

Itself)

 

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

(*4) The Hymn of Creation (Rig Veda)

 

There was neither non-existence nor existence then.

There was neither the realm of space nor the sky which is beyond.

What stirred?

Where?

In whose protection?

Was there water, bottlemlessly deep?

There was neither death nor immortality then.

There was no distinguishing sign of night nor of day.

That One breathed, windless, by its own impulse.

Other than that there was nothing beyond.

Darkness was hidden by darkness in the beginning,

with no distinguishing sign, all this was water.

The life force that was covered with emptiness,

that One arose through the power of heat.

Desire came upon that One in the beginning,

that was the first seed of mind.

Poets seeking in their heart with wisdom

found the bond of existence and non-existence.

Their cord was extended across.

Was there below?

Was there above?

There were seed-placers, there were powers.

There was impulse beneath, there was giving forth above.

Who really knows?

Who will here proclaim it?

Whence was it produced?

Whence is this creation?

The gods came afterwards, with the creation of this universe.

Who then knows whence it has arisen?

Whence this creation has arisen

– perhaps it formed itself, or perhaps it did not –

the One who looks down on it,

in the highest heaven, only He knows

or perhaps He does not know.

 

--\

------

 

(*5) From Chandogya Upanishad, What is sankalpa?

 

Chapter IV — Sankalpa (Will) as Brahman

1

"Will (Samkalpa) is, verily, greater than mind. For when a man wills,

then he thinks in his mind, then he utters speech and then he employs

speech in the recital of a name. The sacred hymns are included in a

name and all sacrifices are included in the sacred hymns.

2

"Will, indeed, is the goal of all these beginning with mind and ending

in sacrifice; from will they arise and in will they all abide. Heaven

and earth willed, air and akasa willed, water and fire willed. Through

the will of heaven and earth, etc. the rain wills; through the will of

the rain, food wills; through the will of food, the pranas will;

through the will of the pranas, the sacred hymns will; through the

will of the sacred hymns, the sacrifices will; through the will of the

sacrifices, the world wills; through the will of the world, everything

wills. Such is will.

Meditate on will.

3

"He who meditates on will as Brahman can, of his own free will, reach

as far as will reaches—he who meditates on will as Brahman."

 

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