Tattwa Gyana - To Ajit and Freedom

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Hare Rama Krsna

 

varahamihira , lakshmi ramesh

<b_lakshmi_ramesh> wrote:

 

Ajit: The tattwas are not subdivided from the gunas. They are formed

from the totality of the three gunas that form prakriti.

 

Laksmi: 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.

 

Freedom: What are the Gunas? Can you touch a guna, no, guna is a

quality. Whether water is solid, liquid, or gas, its still water. The

gunas are the state of the water, not the water. The gunas are sub-

divided only in that it is that quality that is leading to a certain

aspect of creation. In cold, water becomes ice, in heat, water

becomes steam, etc. The gunas are involved in the creation in this

way, not actual substances to make the creation. This is the

importance of gunas in spiritual life in that sattva will shape us

into the purified vessel that can contain spiritual knowledge.

 

Laksmi: 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.

>

Freedom: Yes, I can agree with this. This is showing aspects of his

nature, not what he has to balance out to get moksa. In my first

reply, I agreed with the importance of the tattvas, we just have to

interpret them appropriately according to Vedic principles with in

Jyotish.

>

Laksmi: 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.

>

Freedom: Yes, it is the transcendance (atiitya) of the gunas (XIV.20)

that liberates, this is what is stated by Krsna.

The lord singles out His representative among even demons. X.36

Sattvam sattvavataam aham: I am the sattva of the sattvic ones. He is

the sattva of those who are residing within sattva, he's the gambling

of the dishonest not their sattva becuase their sattva is not strong,

not the sattva of the rajasic (greedy) people since their sattva is

also weak. He is the sattva of those who are living a life in tune

with sattva (goodness/truth), the highest sattva: practical and

applied.

 

Focusing on Jyotish: why the gunas of the grahas is very important,

why the rasis and naksatras also have gunas. One can simply look at a

chart and see the overall ruling planets and be aware of the

predominating gunas in a person's life. For example, in my own chart

with a Gemini lagna and Mercury in Virgo, I should be very rajasic,

but my Mercury is conj the Sun, this conj is what leads me into

living a sattvic life. If it wasn't for this sattvic conjunction with

the sattvic light bringer I would be living a rajasic life and money

would have more value than knowledge. Look at Guruji's chart with

Jupiter in lagna, this is sattva standing in his own place. He is

someone who gets his childhood dreams fullfilled by establishing

Jagannath in his house (first time this year in Puri). He reads the

Puranas as recreation, his life is based around knowledge and serving

that knowledge. But notice that Saturn aspects that lagna, so he has

coffee first thing in the morning, the tamo guna will look at his

body like this. In this way we can see the 'basic' gunas a person

lives within, (graha, rasi, naksatra). So it is important to listen

to primary teachings of Parasara, the gunas of the grahas in is not

my opinion.

 

>

>

Laksmi: 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).

 

Freedom: In this way, the word tattva means " essence " (not

panchtattva). For example, Harihara of prasna marga says a jyotishi

should understand Hora tattva, here he means the essence of Hora

Shastra, the understanding of why things work and how, not just

memorizing rules, knowing the essence. In the Gita chapter III. 27-28

The essnce of prakritti is understood to be the gunas acting upon

themselves, and understanding this tattva (essence) we become

unattached and no longer believe ourselves to be the doer. IV.9 evaM

yo vetti tattvataH, " thus who knows in truth " my divine birth and

action; tattva is again refering to truth/essence/essential nature,

not the gross elements.

 

 

Laksmi: 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?

 

Freedom: Patanjali says clearly (1.27) Aum is Ishwara. Aum is in

everything as it is our essence, and so meditating on Aum reveals our

essence. But what makes us all so different? Aum becomes the Aksharas

(alphabet)which make us what we are. So Aum transcending even akash,

which is one of the five elements of Prakriti. This Mantra was first

revealed to Brihaspati (akash), who wanted the mantra of the source

of everything.

 

 

Laksmi: 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.

 

Freedom: Are you saying that tamo guna is unchanging? I'm not sure if

I'm understanding this paragraph correctly. Tamo guna is changing,

but is is destructive change. For example, when a house is being

built it is in rajas (Brahma), when a house is being up kept it is in

Sattva (Visnu), when a house has been left to deteriorate it is in

Tamas (Shiva). This is why Shiva has an association with the smashan,

he is the body when it is deteriorating, transforming back to gross

elements, that are changing into something else. Constantly changing

within the gunas. Only that which is transcending the gunas remains

Same, untouched, Unmoving.

>

>

> Ajit and Freedom, a million thanks to both of you for leading me to

this wonderful conclusion. Now I am at peace.

 

Freedom: Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

 

Namah Sivaya