As'IrvAdha manthrAni

September 30, 2009

Dear All,

I came across a Blog like this:

http://anandimumbai.blogspot.com

Shatasamvatsaram Deerghamayuhu

When we were very young, there use to be puja at home every month. After the pooja, the priest used to give few things in my father's hands that include flowers, a coconut, betel leaves, a bunch of bananas, and some akshathas (rice mixed with kumkum) and would chant ashirvada mantra. I was curious to understand the meaning of mantras. The ashirvada mantra goes like this "Dhanam, dhanyam, pashum, bahuputralabham, shatha samvatsaram dirghamayuhu". It means, have wealth, plenty of food, cattle, many sons, and live for 100 years. How relevant is this ashirvada mantra today?First is dhanam, meaning wealth. Everyone want wealth, like wealth and tries to get as much wealth as possible. Material wealth is

necessary to make a living. But it makes people fight with each other and as people get more material wealth they forget humanity, and becomes more selfish. Thus more Dhanam is a real problem.As days pass, prices of every item increases, and it becomes difficult for many people to make a living with their income. Now cultivation of paddy, wheat etc. is going into lo, ass and we hear farmers suicide s they are finding it difficult to pay of their loans and take care of their family. Changes in weather also affects agriculture. So price of food items increase. Thus getting required Dhanyam becomes problematic.The third one is cattle. Rarely we see cattle these days even in villages. In towns and cities, we don't see cattle at all, except in diary

farms. Maintaining cattle is a real problem these days compared to olden days. It is really not possible for small families to have and maintain cattle. So people just go to shops and buy mils in plastic covers. Many times, the milk is adulterated; we take it without knowing that. Thus cattle is really not there with people these days.The next item is 'bahu putra labham'. Many children. These are the days where many prefer atomic family with just one kid or at the most two. It is not that easy these days to bring up kids by giving right education and other facilities. More money is required to bring even one or two kids up. Thus bahuputra labham is an impossible.The fifth one is dirghmayuhu... 100 years long life. Who wish to live 100 years these days? Human life is more of problems these days.

Though everyone wishes for peace, but life is full of uncertainities and new problems appear every now and then in life. Many families find it difficult to run household with their salary. If children are weak in studies, they need tuition. Then medical expenses, etc. etc. Managing life becomes difficult, then who would like to live for 100 years? One enjoys childhood under their parents love. School days are joyful, but have to work hard to beat competition and to meet goals. When one starts family life, age is already close to 30 and parents are close to 60. I think, none would like to live for another 40 years afther that. If there is no health problem, one can live for another 15 to 20 years. Lifestyles are changing very fast. Food culture is becoming different. Genration gap in thinking between

father, son and grand son are widening, and that poses many problems at home. To live peacefully, there is only one medium, that is love. Love makes one to adapt and adjust.After seventy, our organs becomes our enemy. In early days people lived in forests by eating leaves, fuits etc. Now doctors advise to eat salads, fruits, and leafy vegetables, which is very similar to that kind of food. As age increase, sugar, pressure etc. becomes our companions. We are forced to eat sugar-less, oil-less, salt-less, chilli-less food. Many of us have to use stick as support for walking, need specs as support for reading, and sometimes hearing aids to hear. Some of us start forgetting things. How many would like to live like that? We have to change the meaning of the ashirvada mantra. It should be change or we

should interpret it as: Wealth, food to live healthy, drinking diary milk to improve health, one or two children who will give love worth of many many children and care the parents, and a life that gives happiness of a 100 years of life. I think, everyone likes a life till they can do their own work and strength to support their children. So, let us interpert the ashirvada mantra this way.

The blog looks very good on the face of it,but the logic is specious and lacks deeper understanding of samskruthA and vedhA.

I do understand the woman-blogger is frustrated with her losses in life and other problems and has scribed like this.I commiserate with her pain and do seek ambA's blessings.She has done her best.

However,emotionality is onething,facts and truth(rtham and sathyam) are different.Logicality,emotionality,spirituality and intellectuality go hand in hand.If even one is missing,one does go awry.

The explanation offered is a very naiive one.

Lets do a thread-bare analysis:

"First is dhanam, meaning wealth. Everyone want wealth, like wealth and tries to get as much wealth as possible. Material wealth is necessary to make a living. But it makes people fight with each other and as people get more material wealth they forget humanity, and becomes more selfish. Thus more Dhanam is a real problem."

The problem lies purely in defining dhanam as monetary wealth.Obviously that is not the intention of the seers! Do not they know that money alone would corrupt the receiver?

dhanam includes all kinds of prosperity(money being a small part of it).dhanam means "wealth" and wealth includes many types of auspicious bodings.

Money perse is not bad and is a useful tool to help people in distress,to give comforts of the right kind,etc.

dhanam in the right hands thus,is really a God's blessing.

In Bhagavath gIthA the Lord says:

idhamadhya mayA labDhamimam....ithyagNanavimOhithAha

This to-day has been gained by me; this desire I shall obtain; this is mine, and this wealth also shall be mine in future.That enemy has been slain byme, and others also shall I slay. I am the lord, I enjoy, I am successful, powerful and happy.I am rich and well-born. Who else is equal to me? I will sacrifice, I will give, I will rejoice." Thus deluded by ignorance,Bewildered by many a fancy, covered by the meshes

of delusion, addicted to the gratification of lust, they fall down into a foul hell.Self-conceited, haughty, filled with the pride and intoxication of wealth, they perform sacrifices in name, out of ostentation, disregarding ordinance;Possessed of egoism, power, insolence, lust and wrath, these malignant people hate Me (the Self within) in their own bodies and those of others.These malicious and cruel evildoers, most degraded of men, I hurl perpetually into the wombs of Asuras only, in these worlds.Obtaining the Asurika wombs, and deluded birth after birth, not attaining to Me, they thus fall, O son of Kunti, into a still lower condition.."

These and other ideas do create a distaste for wealth.However,this is only where there is too much of identification with wealth.If wealth is truly considered within one's Athman as one received as a punyA and blessings of past births and nothing which one has done.That the effort which one has put this birth to obtain such a wealth is also due to accrues merits of pastbirths,that the wealth which one has is nothign but a trust in one's hands for the weal of all,then such a wealth when kept with s'raddhA is most beneficial for oneself and society.It is this kind dhanA which is being blessed here.

Thus more dhanam is not a real problem,it is a real blessing.This state of mind is what one should aspire and which one gets automatically by leading a spiritual life.Also,the wealth procured automatically must be inferred by rightful means.

"As days pass, prices of every item increases, and it becomes difficult for many people to make a living with their income. Now cultivation of paddy, wheat etc. is going into lo, ass and we hear farmers suicide s they are finding it difficult to pay of their loans and take care of their family. Changes in weather also affects agriculture. So price of food items increase. Thus getting required Dhanyam becomes problematic."

This argument suffers from the following logical defects(ku-thArkikam):

1. Defect of sidelining mainline stance.

2. Defect of irrelevant propositions and Red Herring

3. Defect of an improper cause-effect-conclusion.

The blessings is even on the face of it means roughly "I bless you to get more grains"

This means one would get the required grains by way of the right intention,right amount of dhanam(which has been blessed) in proportion to inflation and other economic conditions,right opportunities to be blessed with the right kind of grains/cereals for sustenance.

If she does not eat rice or wheat or any other cereal,Im really surprised what she would eat?--Threptin or other artifically made Vitamin buscuits?

Where the seers not aware of economic conditions(say drought affected), and other problems faced by the farmers in those days? And was the blessing merely of grains or cereals?

DhanA,dhAnA(Charity),DhAnyA comes form the root-word "dhan"--which means abundance.In giving we receive is an eternal rule and thus dhAnA is prescribed in our s'AstrAs.In accumulation is a benefit for saving for the rainy day and thus Dhana(of the right kind as mentioned above) is prescribed.DhAnyA means abundance as far as food is concerned.This is prescribed too.

Even if one is wealthy,one might not have time to eat and relish food in a proper manner.All this lack is negated by the AshIvarchana manthrA which finds place in the popular version of s'rI sUktham too.

"The third one is cattle. Rarely we see cattle these days even in villages. In towns and cities, we don't see cattle at all, except in diary farms. Maintaining cattle is a real problem these days compared to olden days. It is really not possible for small families to have and maintain cattle. So people just go to shops and buy mils in plastic covers. Many times, the milk is adulterated; we take it without knowing that. Thus cattle is really not there with people these days."

This argument suffers from the following logical defects:

1. Defect of visual conclusion(I do not see "air" and thus "air" does not exist!)

2. Use of illogical humour to stress a point.

"pas'um" does not mean mere milch cows in our homestead(I know lot of people who maintain atleast one cow in their homesteads,but this is besides the point).It means that and beyond.It indicates a surplus of nourishment for our children,it indicates fertility of women in the house(how many of us these days try Invitro and other fertilization methods),it indicates a worldly binding(pAs'A--from which the word pas'u came about) which needs fulfilment.These are meanings indicated by the word and not mere cows.

Do not the seers know even then that all people,especially poor people(who existed even then.Else, we will not have the word "daridhrA" in samskruthA) cannot afford to have cows at home?

"The next item is 'bahu putra labham'. Many children. These are the days where many prefer atomic family with just one kid or at the most two. It is not that easy these days to bring up kids by giving right education and other facilities. More money is required to bring even one or two kids up. Thus bahuputra labham is an impossible."

Im reminded of tamizhAs who say:"padhinArum pe'tru peru vAzhvu vAzhga"

(Meaning: Sire 16 and lead a mighty life!)

This is jocularly referred and deried in the present context of family planning scenario.

However, the tamizh siddhAs never said:"padhinAru pillaigal(children) petru peru-vAzhvu vAzhga"(Sire 16 children and lead a might life!--With 16 children these days,we can only lead a lowly life).

16 here means 16 kinds of prosperity.

1. Fame2. Education3. Strength4. Intelligence5. Beauty6. Good life partner7. Youthfulness8. Boldness9. Health10. Success11. Money12. Good character13. Good children14. Enjoyment15. Long life16. Comforts

In shatharudhrIyam we have the chamakam(10th anuvAkA) thus:

Ekaa cha me tisrashcha me pajncha cha me sapta cha me nava cha ma ekadasha cha me trayodasha cha me pamchadasha cha me saptadasha cha me navadasha cha ma eka vishatishcha me trayovishatishcha me pamchavishatishcha me saptavishatishcha me navavishatishcha ma ekatrishachcha me trayastrishachcha me chatasrashcha meashhtau cha me dvaadasha cha me shhodasha cha me vishatishcha me chaturvishatishcha meashhtaavishatishcha me vaatrishachcha me shhattrishachcha me chatvarishachcha me chatushchatvaarishachcha meashhtaachatvaarishachcha me vaajashcha prasavashchaapijashcha kratushcha suvashcha muurdhaa cha vyashniyashcha antyaayanashcha antyashcha

bhauvanashcha bhuvanashchaadhipatishcha Let me be granted the uneven number one, three, five, seven, Nine, eleven, thirteen, fifteen, seventeen, Nineteen, twentyo ne, twenty three, twenty five, twenty seven, twenty Nine, and thirty one, thirty three, and even numbers four, eight, twelve, and sixteen, twenty, and twenty four, twenty eight, thirty two thirty six, and forty and forty four, forty eight to ensure food and its production, its continuity, and the urge to enjoy, the origin of all productions, the sun, the heaven, the head of all, the infinite, the all pervading like the sky, time and the like present at the end of total consummation exists at the end of it on the earth as universal form, the Antaryami the immortal, the inner ruler of every thing, the omni present and omni potent.

What are all these numbers? and what is the meaning of bahu? It must be understood both in the literal context in those days and also in this metaphorical context.

The seers were aware of the problem of numerous children and contrary to what many people think(reading purAnAs wherein we find mention of hundred sons(sins?) for gAndhAri and other assorted stories),family planning of a spiritual kind was practiced after siring a couple of children.Also, santhAnam as per vedhA means 8 kinds of santhAnam---ashTasanthAnam which includes:building tanks,temples,dharmachatrAs,etc(These "offsprings" would serve to enhance the name,glory and punyA of the person even after his or her death.When people bless in the name of the son or daughter..."Oh what a beautiful and spiritual son or daughter this person has sired...." isn't it a blessing for him/her?).This is the meaning intended here when the words bahuputhralAbham is

said.Also,lAbham(gain) is a word used in a non-human context(atleast vedhically and ethically).

It is not a profit and loss account of an Accountant whereby we keep a count of how many sons and daughters we have an what the gains and benefits(profits or losses) we accrue thereupon!However, astrologically if we see, 11th house is defined as lAbhasthAna and the prime determinant is what previous good karmAs one has done and what is the amount of lAbham therefrom(strictly speaking even punyAs should not be seen as gains as one must do karmAs in a nishkAmA way but the word used here is thus)

"The fifth one is dirghmayuhu... 100 years long life. Who wish to live 100 years these days? Human life is more of problems these days. Though everyone wishes for peace, but life is full of uncertainities and new problems appear every now and then in life. Many families find it difficult to run household with their salary. If children are weak in studies, they need tuition. Then medical expenses, etc. etc. Managing life becomes difficult, then who would like to live for 100 years? "

This is frustrated talk of a loser yet again(here I have nothing against the person but just the concepts.My views are always against the concepts proffered and nothing against the person as such).The argument proffered above has the following logical defects:

1. Defect of improper reasoning and conclusion

2. Defect of improper begging a question and assuming a conclusion therefrom(As in...who would want to live for 100 years?)

3. Sweeping generalizations and assumptions-predominant

If one faces many problems and one is frustrated,then one would feel thus.

But ask someone who is successful in life,with lot of dhanA,dhAnyA,bahuputhralAbham--He or she would want to live a complete life of 100 years(unless they have had some personal tragedies and losses to encounter).

To live a complete life, to serve as many people as possible,to increase one's knowledge and spirituality,to have an optimistic life is what is the intention here.

"Ayuhu" means not mere physical longevity but also the "name which lives after one's death"

"shathA" means 100 years but also means one which is "evenly lived"(shathA and sathA both come from the root word "sath" which means even.Isn't 100 an even number?)."Evenly lived" means that which is lived in the most spiritual manner,fulfilling the purushachathusTayA(dharma,arthA,kAma and mOkshA),in the most loving manner,in the most happy and optimistic manner,etc.

And then a host of negative reasons are given to adduce the fact that living 100 years is not a good proposition.

I know lot of people who have crossed even 100! and they are happy,hale and healthy(with one woman I know who does not even wear glasses to read books).

If one follows spiritual and health dictums:

One can definitely live for a paripUrna ayuhu period

with Dhanam,DhAnyam,pas'um,bahuputhra lAbham.

There is no necessity to re-interpret what the seers have said, as their sayings is all-encompassing and eternal.Research and understanding is necessary to understand meaning beyond the primafacie stance of such words.There is always a code behind manthrAs or vedhic chants.(I had read one interesting tamizh book,which I intend to translate into the'lugu and English soon by name: "marAiyin marAi porul"--The secret(code) of vedhAs).

shrIrvarcha svamAyuShyamArogya mAvidhAch-ChhobhamAnaM mahIyathe' .dhanam dhAnyaM pashuM bahuputralAbhaM shatasaMvatsaraM dIrghamAyuH!!

May all those who read this post, be blessed with all said in the above manthrA.

Yours yogically(and logically),

Shreeram Balijepalli

«·´`·.(*·.¸(`·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·*).·´`·» «....Hreem Rajarajeshwari!....» «·´`·.(¸.·*(¸.·´ `·.¸)*·.¸).·´`·»