Reference of Planets in our Scriptures.- Story of Satyakama jabala !

[Guest guest]

Today, dear all, it is my pleasure to narrate to you the story of

Satyakama Jabala from Chandogya upanishads, a favorite of mine!

 

here it goes :

 

The Story of Satyakama Jabala

1

Once upon a time, Satyakama the son of Jabala addressed his mother

and said: "Revered Mother, I wish to become a brahmacharin. Of what

ancestry am I?"

 

2

She said to him: "I do not know, my child, of what ancestry you are.

In my youth I was preoccupied with many household duties and with

attending on guests when I conceived you. I do not know of what

ancestry you are. I am Jabala by name and you are Satyakama. So you

may speak of yourself as Satyakama Jabala (the son of Jabala).

 

3

He came to Gautama the son of Haridrumata and said: "Revered Sir, I

wish to live with you as a brahmacharin. May I approach you, as a

pupil?"

 

4

Gautama said to him: "Of what ancestry are you, dear friend?"

Satyakama said: "I do not know, Sir, of what ancestry I am. I asked

my mother about it and she replied: `In my youth I was preoccupied

with many household duties and with attending on guests when I

conceived you. I do not know of what ancestry you are. I am Jabala by

name and you are Satyakama.' I am therefore, Sir, Satyakama Jabala."

 

5

Gautama said: "None but a true brahmin would thus speak out. Fetch

the fuel, dear friend; I shall initiate you. You have not departed

from truth."

He initiated Satyakama. Having separated out four hundred lean and

weak cows from his herd, he said: "Dear friend, go with these."

Driving them away toward the forest, Satyakama said: "I shall not

return until they become a thousand." He lived a number of years in

the forest.When the cows had become a thousand-

 

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.

 

**********************************************************************

 

Dear all, i could have condensed this story in a nutshell and given

the short version but it would not have sounded the same!

 

There are many lessons to be learnt from this narration .

 

1)The main point is when you utter the truth as Satyakama did , a

guru will accept you as a pupil no matter what your ancestry is

whether you are a brahmin or a lower caste .

 

2)The knowledge of what constitutes Brahman can be learned even

from a Bull, Fire , Swan , Diver bird !!

 

3)Finally,BRAHMA-JNANA can only be learned from a guru who is a

Brahma-jnani!!

 

and T-ji , THIS ONE IS FOR U!

 

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).*

 

LET THE INNER 'SUN' GLOW IN ALL OF US!

[Guest guest]

This may be out of context of the present topic but I wish to know more about the two persons 1) Jabala and 2) Jabali.I am sure I can get the information from a scholarly person like Dhyanasaraswati.

regards,

Jabalimuni.

 

dhyanasaraswati <dhyanasaraswati > wrote:

Today, dear all, it is my pleasure to narrate to you the story of

Satyakama Jabala from Chandogya upanishads, a favorite of mine!

[Guest guest]

Dear Jabali muni :

 

you ask

 

(This may be out of context of the present topic but I wish to know

more about the two persons 1) Jabala and 2) Jabali.I am sure I can

get the information from a scholarly person like Dhyanasaraswati.)

 

Sir, first of all i am no scholar - but i will cettainly try to

handle this query. Is this a rhetorical question - since your

id is Jabali muni - i thought you already know who this great sage

is .

 

JABALI MUNI is one of the priests in the court of King Dasaratha in

Ayodhya. It is believefd he is the son of Vishwamitra . ( i may be

wrong) . Jabali muni is famous for the 'advice' he gave to Lord

Rama . Jabali muni was a free thinker and a sceptic who did not

believe in Heaven and a life herafter - he advised Sri Rama not to

follow his duty and go to the forest to fulfill his father

dasharatha's vows to Queen Kaikeyi. Sri Rama , of course, ignores

this advice and goes on to perform his duties as a faithful son .

This is in the Ayodhya kanda . ( our beloved Sunderji can give more

details on this - he is the real scholar)

 

Here is one verse from Atheist Jabali muni to sri rama :

 

na te kashcid dasharatahH tvam ca tasya na kashcana |

anyo raajaa tvam anyaH ca tasmaat kuru yad ucyate || 2-108-10

 

"Dasaratha is none to you nor you in anyway to him. That king is

another and your are another. Hence, do what is told by me?"

 

And Sri Rama replies :

 

shreShTham hy anaaryam eva syaad yad bhavaan avadhaarya maam |

aaha yukti karair vaakyair idam bhadram kuruShva ha || 2-109-23

 

 

"The logical words, you have made it out to be good, saying 'Do this

good thing' as uttered to me, are really unworthy."

 

Vkatham hy aham pratijnaaya vana vaasam imam guroH |

bharatasya kariShyaami vaco hitvaa guror vacaH || 2-109-24

 

 

"Having promised before my father about my exile to the forest, how

can I fulfil Bharata's words now, abandoning the father's words?"

 

SThiraa mayaa pratijnaataa pratijnaa guru samnidhau |

prahR^iShTa maanasaa devii kaikeyii ca abhavat tadaa || 2-109-25

 

"A firm promise has been made by me in the presence of my father,

when Queen Kaikeyi too became rejoiced."

 

NOW , READ WHAT SAGE VASISHTA HAS TO SAY :

 

kruddham ˜jn˜ya r˜ma tu vasiÿ÷ha× pratyuv˜ca ha |

j˜b˜lir api j˜nŸte lokasya asya gata ˜gatim || 2-110-1

 

 

Recognizing that Rama has become angry, Vaishta spoke as

follows: "Even Jabali is aware of the going and coming of this world."

 

 

nivartayitu k˜ma× tu tv˜m etad v˜kyam abravŸt |

im˜m loka samutpattim loka n˜tha nibodha me || 2-110-2

 

 

"He spoke in this manner, on account of his desire that you should

return. O, Lord of the people! Learn from me of the creation of the

world!"

 

tHIS IS A VERY INTERESTING EXCHANGE BETWEEN JABALI MUNI AND SRI

RAMA , pl go to

 

http://www.valmikiramayan.net

 

then go to Ayodhyakanda and read the chaptera 108 and 109 on Jabali

muni!

 

But later on Sage vasishta explains that Jabali muni said all those

words to Sri Rama only because Jabali muni wanted Sri Rama to return

to ayodhya and not go to forest !

 

There are many stories connected with Jabala muni including how he

cursed river Nandini because she refused to come down to Karnataka

to relieve the drought situation.

 

Also, it is believed that the city Jabalpur is named after jabali

muni!

 

i have already written about Satyakama jabala , whose birth ancestry

was not known - but who was so truthful that his guru accepted him as

a disciple - ( story from chandogya upanishads)

 

enjoy

[Guest guest]

Dear DhyanaSaraswati,

I thank you for enlightening me through the conversation between Jabalimuni and Sri Rama and how Vasishta viewed Jabalimuni's advice to Sri Rama in a positive manner.I wish Suderji can elucidate more as you said.As I am asked by many as to how and why I am named after Jabali I wish to know these details.

Regards,

Jabalimuni

 

dhyanasaraswati <dhyanasaraswati > wrote:

Dear Jabali muni :

 

you ask

 

(This may be out of context of the present topic but I wish to know

more about the two persons 1) Jabala and 2) Jabali.I am sure I can

get the information from a scholarly person like Dhyanasaraswati.)

 

Sir, first of all i am no scholar - but i will cettainly try to

handle this query. Is this a rhetorical question - since your

id is Jabali muni - i thought you already know who this great sage

is .

 

JABALI MUNI is one of the priests in the court of King Dasaratha in

Ayodhya. It is believefd he is the son of Vishwamitra . ( i may be

wrong) . Jabali muni is famous for the 'advice' he gave to Lord

Rama . Jabali muni was a free thinker and a sceptic who did not

believe in Heaven and a life herafter - he advised Sri Rama not to

follow his duty and go to the forest to fulfill his father

dasharatha's vows to Queen Kaikeyi. Sri Rama , of course, ignores

this advice and goes on to perform his duties as a faithful son .

This is in the Ayodhya kanda . ( our beloved Sunderji can give more

details on this - he is the real scholar)

 

Here is one verse from Atheist Jabali muni to sri rama :

 

na te kashcid dasharatahH tvam ca tasya na kashcana |

anyo raajaa tvam anyaH ca tasmaat kuru yad ucyate || 2-108-10

 

"Dasaratha is none to you nor you in anyway to him. That king is

another and your are another. Hence, do what is told by me?"

 

And Sri Rama replies :

 

shreShTham hy anaaryam eva syaad yad bhavaan avadhaarya maam |

aaha yukti karair vaakyair idam bhadram kuruShva ha || 2-109-23

 

"The logical words, you have made it out to be good, saying 'Do this

good thing' as uttered to me, are really unworthy."

 

Vkatham hy aham pratijnaaya vana vaasam imam guroH |

bharatasya kariShyaami vaco hitvaa guror vacaH || 2-109-24

 

"Having promised before my father about my exile to the forest, how

can I fulfil Bharata's words now, abandoning the father's words?"

 

SThiraa mayaa pratijnaataa pratijnaa guru samnidhau |

prahR^iShTa maanasaa devii kaikeyii ca abhavat tadaa || 2-109-25

 

"A firm promise has been made by me in the presence of my father,

when Queen Kaikeyi too became rejoiced."

 

NOW , READ WHAT SAGE VASISHTA HAS TO SAY :

 

kruddham ˜jn˜ya r˜ma tu vasiÿ÷ha× pratyuv˜ca ha |

j˜b˜lir api j˜nŸte lokasya asya gata ˜gatim || 2-110-1

 

Recognizing that Rama has become angry, Vaishta spoke as

follows: "Even Jabali is aware of the going and coming of this world."

 

nivartayitu k˜ma× tu tv˜m etad v˜kyam abravŸt |

im˜m loka samutpattim loka n˜tha nibodha me || 2-110-2

 

"He spoke in this manner, on account of his desire that you should

return. O, Lord of the people! Learn from me of the creation of the

world!"

 

tHIS IS A VERY INTERESTING EXCHANGE BETWEEN JABALI MUNI AND SRI

RAMA , pl go to

 

http://www.valmikiramayan.net

 

then go to Ayodhyakanda and read the chaptera 108 and 109 on Jabali

muni!

 

But later on Sage vasishta explains that Jabali muni said all those

words to Sri Rama only because Jabali muni wanted Sri Rama to return

to ayodhya and not go to forest !

 

There are many stories connected with Jabala muni including how he

cursed river Nandini because she refused to come down to Karnataka

to relieve the drought situation.

 

Also, it is believed that the city Jabalpur is named after jabali

muni!

 

i have already written about Satyakama jabala , whose birth ancestry

was not known - but who was so truthful that his guru accepted him as

a disciple - ( story from chandogya upanishads)

 

enjoy

 

 

 

 

 

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