[world-vedic] SUDARSHAN CAKRA/A FLAMING SWORD

[Guest guest]

A FLAMING SWORD AND THE SUDARSHAN CAKRA

Conversations of Understanding

World Peace and Spiritual Advancement

Based on the Common Understanding of the Soul

FROM THE BOOK: THE RABBI AND I

by W L Glick WLG

 

 

VAISHNAVA DEVOTEE: The Vedas inform us of the Sudarshan Cakra, a

manifestation of the Lord's spiritual potency which acts in different

capacities according to the Lord's desire. Generally the Sudarshan

Cakra appears as a weapon like a discus with a razor sharp edge that

may also exhibit intolerable heat. In his prayers to the Sudarshan

Cakra, Ambarisa Maharäja said, "O master of speech, by your effulgence,

full of religious principles, the darkness of the world is dissipated,

and the knowledge of learned persons or great souls is manifested.

Indeed, no one can surpass your effulgence, for all things, manifested

and unmanifested, gross and subtle, superior and inferior, are but

various forms of you that are manifested by your effulgence. [bhag.

9.5.7] One of the functions of the Sudarshan Cakra is to chastise the

demons, but another is to uplift the consciousness of the living

beings. Do the Jewish scriptures give any information about a weapon of

the nature of Sudarshan Cakra?

 

 

RABBI: There is one verse in the Torah, after God banished Adam and Eve

from the Garden of Eden. It is said, "He drove away the man, and

stationed the cherubim (angel of destruction) at the east of Eden,

along with the revolving sword blade, to guard the path of the Tree of

Life." [Torah, Genesis, Bereshith 3:24] "Man is told that he must

eventually die and is banished from paradise. He can only return to

paradise after death, and before doing so, he must pass by these angels

of purgatory (Bachya). The prophet must also pass these angels to

approach the Tree of Life." [Torah, Note: 3:24]

Regarding the revolving sword or flaming sword that revolves, it is

said "the manner in which the sword rotates depends on the readiness of

the individual attempting to enter. If he is worthy, it becomes the

mirror through which he perceives, while if he is not worthy, he is

burned out and cut off by the fire of this sword. The one who oversees

the sword, preventing the unworthy from entering, is the angel

Metatron." [Meditation and Kabbalah p 80 Chapter 4, Teachings of Rabbi

Abraham Abulafia]

 

 

VAISHNAVA: There is a long history in the Vedas in which the Sudarshan

Cakra functioned both to punish a demon and to ultimately enlighten

him. Very briefly, one day, the great mystic Brahman Durvasa Muni came

to visit Ambarisha Maharäja at his palace. The king was eager to serve

Durvasa royally. While Durvasa took his bath, the king, not wanting to

eat before his guest, but obligated to break his religious fast, took

only a little water. Durvasa understood that Ambarisha Maharäja had

drunk water and felt unlimitedly offended that the king had eaten

before him. Due to extreme anger, Durvasa created a fiery demon to kill

the king, but the Lord's Sudarshan Cakra immediately came and killed

the demon. Then, the cakra started chasing Durvasa Muni all over the

universe until finally the sage approached the Supreme Lord Himself for

protection. The Lord refused him protection and sent him back to

Ambarisha Maharäja to seek forgiveness for his offenses to the king. At

the humble request of the king, the Sudarñana Cakra ceased pursuing

Durvasa. After this incident, Ambarisha Maharäja sumptuously fed

Durvasa Muni and they became very good friends. By the grace of the

Sudarshan Cakra, Durvasa Muni was enlightened as to the exalted

spiritual position of the king. Thus, the Sudarshan Cakra

simultaneously punished Durvasa and enlightened him.

 

 

RABBI: Do the Vedas describe any other functions of the Sudarshan

Cakra?

 

 

VAISHNAVA: It is also said, "You [sudarshan Cakra] are the original

vision of the Lord, and therefore you are known as Sudarshan.

Everything has been created by your activities, and therefore you are

all-pervading." In his explanation to this verse, His Divine Grace A.C.

Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada says, "The word Sudarshan means

auspicious vision. From Vedic instructions we understand that this

material world is created by the glance of the Supreme Personality of

Godhead (sa aikñata, sa asåjata). The Supreme Personality of Godhead

glanced over the mahat-tattva, or the total material energy, and when

it was agitated, everything came into existence. Western philosophers

sometimes think that the original cause of creation was a chunk that

exploded. If one thinks of this chunk as the total material energy, the

mahat-tattva, one can understand that the chunk was agitated by the

glance of the Lord, and thus the Lord's glance is the original cause of

material creation." [bhag. 9.5.5 Purport]

 

 

RABBI: There is a statement in the Zohar that "When God was about to

create the world, He produced a secret spark from which there issued

and radiated all the lights, which constitute the upper world. Then it

continued its radiation, and the Arificer made it into a light without

brightness, and thus He made the lower world. [Zohar II, 156b]

 

 

VAISHNAVA: After Durvasa Muni begged forgiveness from Ambarisha

Maharäja, the king offered prayers to Sudarshan Cakra. He said, "O

master of speech, by your effulgence, full of religious principles, the

darkness of the world is dissipated, and the knowledge of learned

persons or great souls is manifested. Indeed, no one can surpass your

effulgence, for all things, manifested and unmanifested, gross and

subtle, superior and inferior, are but various forms of you that are

manifested by your effulgence." In his explanation, His Divine Grace

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada said, "Without illumination,

nothing can be seen, especially in this material world. The

illumination in this world emanates from the effulgence of Sudarshan,

the original vision of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The

illuminating principles of the sun, the moon and fire emanate from

Sudarshan. Similarly, illumination by knowledge also comes from

Sudarshan." [bhag. 9.5.7, Purport]