Tattwa Gyana - To Ajit and Freedom

May 1, 2004

Om Gurave Namah

Namaste Ajit,

“Talking about the equality of tattwas is like talking about the equality of the gross, subtle and causal bodies. You can talk about it, but it isn’t very meaningful.”

Yes, perhaps I am doing that. Perhaps I am looking for a Principle, which is valid “pipeelikaadi Brahma paryantham” for all Beings, whether it be gross, subtle or causal. Perhaps I am looking for that universal symmetry which binds the worlds in beautiful harmony while at the same time allowing them their space and individual identity.

“The tattwas are not subdivided from the gunas. They are formed from the totality of the three gunas that form prakriti.”

No, you are wrong. Prakriti is sub-divided into three gunas. Out of the sattwa guna arise the adhi devats & the antahkarana, out of the rajas arise the Jnana & Karmendriyas and out of tamas arise tanmatras and pancha bhutas. Please read Srimad Bhagavatam for more details of the same.

“This gives us two choices. Either (a) Jaya & Vijaya were not totally balanced to begin with, or (b) one can fall down from the presence of what you call the “Great Equilibrium”. We need to reject all notions of heaven as the rishi Mudgala does in the Mahabharata.”

There are certain oordhwalokas from which a soul does return after exhausting its punya and it is said that even Devas and Devendra will have to come down to clock appropriate amount of good deeds and earn punya before they can ascend to heaven again. Nonetheless they were the chosen ones and must represent the best of the human lot as did Rishis. By the way, every change in the manvantara brings a change of guard even among sapta rishis, as it does among Indra & rest of the demi-gods. Vishnu Padam is the only place from which there is no return. Obviously, Jaya and Vijaya were at the doors of the Lord and not at His lotus feet, hence the imbalance.

“The balance of Libra is of the nature of “what you sow, you must reap”. When you’re on a see-saw, you are teetering, and any balance achieved is temporary. The end isn’t a balance of karma, it’s an end to its root cause. Pisces, the dual watery sattwic sign of the maharishis ruled by Guru, the 12th sign that is the 9th from the 4th is the true end.”

And, pray, what does Pisces symbolize? It depicts a pair of fish suspended in water in perfect poise. Does it not indicate equilibrium?

In my very first mail on the captioned topic I commented on the Jala tattwa present in Guruji’s chart. Coupled with the fact that he was born during moon hora, during the night time, render his moon & 5th house (Cancer) very strong. Not to talk of Sun’s presence there. He is meant to be a Guru and nurture all of us.

Another thing. Jupiter being an extrovert loves harmony & hence needs disparate company, because honestly one can’t be talking about harmony when alone. It can be friend moon or better still foe Saturn or both of them. Jupiter just loves this kind of challenge. I can’t say the same thing about the solitary Saturn though :--))

“What prevents the planets from crashing into one another?

triguNaatmikaa maayaa.

Indeed!

Yoga, as per “samatvaM yoga uchyate” or sattwa is the first step that cleanses the mind and allows the seeker to continue. It is not the final goal.

>> So, if tamasic karma causes rebirth through rajas, then the root cause for such karma must lie here…in this root.

Think of it this way: Both rajas and tamas cause “new karmas”, and sattva leaves existing karmas as is. None of them eradicate the root cause. Ishwara, ever residing in sattwa, is unaffected by karma, because he had no association with the upadhis of rajas or tamas in the first place. However, jivas do not have this luxury. Residing in sattva alone does not burn off karmas. To burn them off, they have to be lived by someone in one of the lokas. The alternative is to disown them, by burning off the association to them in the fire of gyana.”

Ajit, I think you are quoting from “Guna Traya Vibhaga Yoga” of Bhagavadgita. What did the Lord say there? As you have correctly pointed out, he said one must strive to get over all Gunas, even sattwa, because as agents of Prakriti, all three are but varying degrees of Maya. Only the one who understands this and transcends the tri-gunas will achieve the Brahman. In Vibhuti Yoga, the Lord had not singled out any guna as his vibhuti, because all of them are nothing but illusion and He was intent upon talking only about Truth there.

Well, had the Lord urged anywhere that one must overcome the tattwas? On the contrary, He appreciated a Gyani, a seeker of Truth as a Tattwa-Darshi (chapter-3). Ajit, how did the Universe originate? Is not “Pranava” the First Manifest, the Imperishable Nirakara Parabrahma? And, what is Pranava but the attribute of Akasha or Ether? Can you tell me the guna of this Primal Sound? This Pranava, echoing eternally through the Cosmos, is it just an attribute of your body? Is it not an attribute of your soul as well? Isn’t this the Inviolable Truth that dwells in all, gross, subtle or causal?

And, what does this Pranava contain within itself…it contains the remaining four tattwas, the entire brahmanda kavaatam, the millennia and the multitudes of beings…..as a seed contains within itself the tree. The microcosm is but a mirror of the macrocosm and is made up of the same components. It is this point of commonality that enables the Jivatma to merge with Paramatma, in a perfect matching of tattwas, because there is no dissonance. Only homogeneity.

If the above is true, you might ask me then why is that panchabhutas and tanmatras are again described as the sub-divisions of the tamas. Because it is this portion of the Universe which is unchanging. The Achalam. While the maya whirls around it building and breaking countless images, it is this Core, this Common Thread, spanning both the Beginning and the End, that remains Unmoving, Untouched and Same.

Ajit and Freedom, a million thanks to both of you for leading me to this wonderful conclusion. Now I am at peace.

Om Namo Naarayanaaya.

Regards,

Lakshmi

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