Tatwa and their role in the Enlightened

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Om Sri Ram Jai Jai Ram Om

 

Namaste Brendan, ( et. all)

You have done an excellent job bringing additional light to this wonderful subject.

 

Let me pose a question on the Navgraha's influence on a individual that transcends the Pancha Mahabhutas.

 

Let me set the stage: ( question for consideration is at the end)

 

It is interesting to note that Sri Kasava's ( "beautiful haired" or ka = Brahma, + a = Vishnu, + isa = Siva) instuctions to Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita ( Chapt 2 verse 45):

"trigunnayavisaya veda nistraigunyo bhava rijuna

nirdvandvo nitya-sattvastho niryogaksema atmavan"

Key message here is for Arjuna to be without the three gunas, free from duality, ever firm in sattwa,

independent of possessions and possessed of the Self.

 

This is of great interest in the conversation of the Pancha Mahabhutas. Sri Kesava's instruction is to transcend the 3 gunas and be firmly established in the Self (Atman).

This individual now takes on a cosmic role in life. It is not that the play/display and manifestation of the 3 gunas do not continue, it that this person is now Jivanmukta, ( some say Mukta-Kusala) firmly established in the Self and operates there from.

 

Sri Kesava goes on then and gives instructions: ( Chapt 2, verse 48) ..."Yogastha kuru karmani" established

or fixed in Yoga ( this union with Self) perform action. Action within the field of the gunas.

 

According to Maharishi Patanjali in his Yoga Sutra's - the bringing about of Samadhi "sterilizes" Klesas ( or or 5 afflictions) like roasted seeds and the absense of the manifestation of the Gunas. This results in a liberated soul ( Yoga Sutra's Chapter Two - On Practice).

 

The individual now in this state of freedom enjoys 200% of life 100% Pursua + 100% Prakiti - balance and no longer bonded or influenced by the Gunas.

Question:

1. Hence the Pancha Mahabhutas continue for the maintence of the body yet no longer bind?( additional karma)

2. What role or influence does the Navgraha's now have on this Jivanmuki? We can see liberation from several varga charts... what then can be seen from various chartsonce an individual becomes Enlightened? Does it apply?

 

 

Siksyati Iti sisya

Praanam,

 

 

Bpfeeley [bpfeeley]Friday, September 29, 2000 9:55 PMvarahamihira Subject: Re: [sri Guru] Re: Tatwa and Akasha: one last pointHare Rama KrishnaNamaste Frank,I would like to add the following to all the wonderful comments that have already been made about the tattwas and particularly akasha. Hopefully I can give you some practical examples of Akasha. The Pancha Mahabhutas are a manifestation of the three Gunas. From Sattva arises Akasha, Rajas arises Agni and from Tamas comes Prithvi. Vayu comes from both Sattva and Rajas and Jala tattwa comes from both Rajas and Tamas. The Tattwas represent the five states of matter - solid, liquid, gaseous and ethereal and they represent the five densities of all substances, all the visible and invisible matter in the universe. The tattwas work on both the gross and subtle levels and we tend to relate only to their physical manifestation. Even invisible matter is composed of the five tattwas. In the mind, for instance, the tattwas work on thoughts and emotions and even the dream state is a manifestation of the tattwas. The tattwas even give rise to our ideas and understanding of creation itself. Akasha is the idea of connection and communication between all mediums, Vayu is the movement and change of ideas (direction) and therefore time itself, Agni is the idea of light and therefore of perception, Jala is the idea of fluidity giving rise to life itself, Prithvi is the idea of stability and solidity or inaction. In this manifest world, there has to be coordination between the sense organs and the sense object theselves. This is accomplished through the five Tanmantras and Pancha Tattwas. The Tanmantras are not the senses in themselves, but the five primal cosmic forces that give rise to the senses and represent subtle forms of these organs that exist beyond the physical body. What we think in our minds and perceive in the world is programmed into our physiology through the interaction of the pancha tattwas and tanmantras. What is in the world is a manifestation of same and the coordination of the sensing of the object and the existence of the object itself is of course a work of Divine order.The five Tanmantras are the subtle or causal forms of the tattwas as well as the subtle or seed form of the senses. The gross or physical form of the tattwas are derived from the subtle forms, the Tanmantras. Each gross element contains all five of the subtle elements, plus itself. Therefore gross or physical Akasha, for space is a physical thing, contains all five of the subtle tattwas.The structure of creation is indeed a great mystery. The Atma is not part of creation and is not composed of any of these gross or subtle elements while the mind is a material thing composed of the tattwas. Thus, the mind is an object of perception and so also are our thoughts and emotions and all other activities of the mind. They are all part of the material creation and we must therefore go beyond the mind to achieve spiritual evolution.As my Guru always said, this material phenomena is so vast, subtle and amazing that in the abscense of adequate knowledge about the character and nature of Divinity, extroadinary psychic experiences (of the subtle form of the material world) are misunderstood to be Divine.When I view the mind in this way, the teachings of the Gita and the Bhagavatam make perfect sense to me. According to the Vedas, Godhead is the animator of the human mind and beyond human consciousness. HE has no senses but HE perceives. The Ramayana tells us that the mind cannot approach Godhead as HE is beyond the reach and understanding of the finite human mind because HE is infinite. This is why Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Ji tells us to surrender to Krishna and that it is only through the Grace of Krishna (or any other aspect of Godhead) that we can acheive Divine understanding. Based on the nature of the tattwas, the human mind and the subtle structure of the cosmos, it is easy to see why the Saints, Rishis and great Acharyas and Jagadgurus advocate devotion and surrender as the path to Godhead. This is why meditation itself can be a purely materialistic activity if it does not have surrender and Divine attainment through worship as its goal. The mind is itself a material object, a manifestation of the tattwas, and it cannot go beyond itself. We have to surrender the object (mind) to God so that it will be in alignment with the Divine through which Grace enters the mind and it becomes Divine. Now for some examples in the world. In the plant kingdom, for example, the root of the plant is Prithvi tattwa (connection to earth), the stem and branches are Jala tattwa (flow of sap and water), the flowers are Agni tattwa (light and color), leaves are Vayu tattwa (blowing in the wind), and the fruit is Akasha - as it contains the essence of the plant. The seed contains all the five tattwas, as the entire potential is contained within it.In the human body there are many spaces and these are a manifestation of Akasha and within these spaces Vayu moves. The Cosmic sound or vibration, OM, is the first manifestation of consciousness, and it is said that from this vibration or sound Akasha manifests. Akasha then is the medium through which sound is transmitted, both gross and subtle, and it therefore governs the function of hearing and speech in the human body as well as the organs of hearing (ears) and speech (tongue, vocal cords and mouth).Jai Shree Radhey,Brendan> Looking at PanchaTatwa it is easy for us to recognize Agni, Prithvi, Vayu, & Jala > because we cook with the grace of Agni , Prathvi is the material world we touch, > Vayu is the wind in our hair, and Jala is the rain that we splash,> we drink, we wash... the play and display of the triguna... yet what of this Akasha ? > where do we touch or feel this?> Thinking of akasha some associate it to vacuum. For me this it too abstract.OM TAT SATArchive: varahamihiraInfo: varahamihira/info.html