re: Tattwa Gyana-to Freedom

May 4, 2004

Om Gurave Namah

Namaste Freedom,

My responses follow.

Freedom: What are the Gunas? Can you touch a guna, no, guna is aquality. Whether water is solid, liquid, or gas, its still water. Thegunas 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 certainaspect of creation. In cold, water becomes ice, in heat, waterbecomes steam, etc. The gunas are involved in the creation in thisway, not actual substances to make the creation. This is theimportance of gunas in spiritual life in that sattva will shape usinto the purified vessel that can contain spiritual knowledge.Lakshmi: And beyond that vessel, Freedom, what happens then? Beyond the gross, gunas have no relevance.

Freedom: Yes, I can agree with this. This is showing aspects of hisnature, not what he has to balance out to get moksa. In my firstreply, I agreed with the importance of the tattvas, we just have tointerpret them appropriately according to Vedic principles with inJyotish.

Lakshmi: Have I talked anything beyond the known principles, so far? Whatever I said so far was totally based on scriptures. I think I had given enough internal evidence.

Laksmi: Ajit, I think you are quoting from "Guna Traya Vibhaga Yoga"of Bhagavadgita. What did the Lord say there? As you have correctlypointed out, he said one must strive to get over all Gunas,

evensattwa, because as agents of Prakriti, all three are but varyingdegrees of Maya. Only the one who understands this and transcends thetri-gunas will achieve the Brahman. In Vibhuti Yoga, the Lord had notsingled out any guna as his vibhuti, because all of them are nothingbut 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.36Sattvam sattvavataam aham: I am the sattva of the sattvic ones. He isthe sattva of those who are residing within sattva, he's the gamblingof the dishonest not their sattva becuase their sattva is not strong,not the sattva of the rajasic (greedy) people since their sattva isalso weak. He is the sattva of those who are living a life in tunewith sattva (goodness/truth), the highest sattva: practical andapplied.

Lakshmi: Yes, yes you are right. He did say that. But then He was talking about the “saguna” aspect of Parabrahma. But is that enough? In “Akshara Parabrahma Yoga” He emphatically states that only the One who knows both the “Saguna” as well as the “Nirguna” aspects of Godhead attains a place from which there is no return.

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 achart and see the overall ruling planets and be aware of

thepredominating gunas in a person's life. For example, in my own chartwith 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 intoliving a sattvic life. If it wasn't for this sattvic conjunction withthe sattvic light bringer I would be living a rajasic life and moneywould have more value than knowledge. Look at Guruji's chart withJupiter in lagna, this is sattva standing in his own place. He issomeone who gets his childhood dreams fullfilled by establishingJagannath in his house (first time this year in Puri). He reads thePuranas as recreation, his life is based around knowledge and servingthat knowledge. But notice that Saturn aspects that lagna, so he hascoffee first thing in the morning, the tamo guna will look at hisbody like this. In this way we can see the 'basic' gunas a personlives within, (graha, rasi, naksatra). So it is important to listento primary teachings of Parasara, the gunas of the grahas in is notmy opinion.Lakshmi: Freedom, Guruji is a yogi inside. A yogi is beyond all gunas and actions. He is not really bothered whether one is impressed by his knowledge or upset about his coffee & smoking. Pisces, as I have said in my earlier mails, is all about equilibrium. BTW, it is not only Guruji’s lagna which is aspected by Saturn, so is his Jupiter ! Hence the depth!

I also have two sattvic planets in lagna and Saturn is also saattwik in Jupiter’s signs (you can refer to any jyotish text on this. They all say the same thing). My 9th lord is also extremely strong and saattwik. But so much saattwikata is still unable to douse the fire in me and I am not beyond the occasional volatility, not beyond the spikes of typical agni tattwa. And, really speaking, I don’t try to contain them. As you have said in your earlier mail, all these little anomalies go to make you what you are …make you human.

Anyway, in your chart it is “prithvi” which is strong, hence as a yoga teacher and doctor, you are always more concerned about the ways and means to keep the body in balance. Is Sanjay as worried about “body” as you are, though we all wish that he were!! His thoughts are more likely to center around moksha.

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 justmemorizing rules, knowing the essence. In the Gita chapter III. 27-28The essnce of prakritti is understood to be the gunas acting uponthemselves, and understanding this tattva (essence) we becomeunattached and no longer believe ourselves to be the doer. IV.9 evaMyo vetti tattvataH, "thus who knows in truth" my divine birth andaction; tattva is again refering to truth/essence/essential nature,not the gross elements.Lakshmi: When I was

talking about pancha tattwa have I not talked about their relevance in the gross as well as subtle sense? When I commented on the jala tattwa in Guruji’s chart I was thinking only about the “essence”! Surely I did not mean that he would flow along like water? Or that I am a walking fire hazard?

The beauty of the “tattwa” concept is that it is applicable at all levels. As a physical entity, as an essense! Now, is not that universality an attribute of God? The Bhagavat tattwa, which operates at all levels?

Now tell me. Why does the body mechanism & rhythm change based on seasons & climates? It is not only for the humans, it is so for animals, birds, trees etc. What is this intelligence and who imparted this? Why did the rishis opt for forests as an apt settings for their various penances? Why did the gurukula system thrive in the open, in the midst of nature? Why was vanaprastha mandatory for all, the common man and the king alike? Why was there this almost automatic preference for close communion with nature, for all higher pursuits and purposes, if all that the nature represents is only gross elements, which have nothing to do with your mind and soul? It is because nature, as a balanced palette of panchatattwas can inspire and impose the same balance in you.

Look at the birds and animals. They have better bodies and better cognitive powers, and I think our ancients had imbibed the same unfettered wisdom & knowledge which sprang from close observance & of being in harmony with nature. Our pygmied intelligence is certainly no match for their giant intellect!

Freedom: Patanjali says clearly (1.27) Aum is Ishwara. Aum is ineverything as it is our essence, and so meditating on Aum reveals ouressence. 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 firstrevealed to Brihaspati (akash), who wanted the mantra of the sourceof everything.

Lakshmi: Yes, I agree with all that you say. There can’t be anything higher than the Pranava, but does that make it less of an attribute of Akasha? Akasa is impeceptible and is implicit in the “Om”.

Freedom: Are you saying that tamo guna is unchanging? I'm not sure ifI'm understanding this paragraph correctly. Tamo guna is changing,but it is destructive change. For example, when a house is beingbuilt it is in rajas (Brahma), when a house is being up kept it is inSattva (Visnu), when a house has been left to deteriorate it is inTamas (Shiva). This is why Shiva has an association with the smashan,he is the body when it is deteriorating, transforming back to grosselements, that are changing into something else. Constantly changingwithin the gunas. Only

that which is transcending the gunas remainsSame, untouched, Unmoving.Lakshmi: According To Lord Krishna, “inert” is an adjective of tamoguna. Does the timeless principle of birth and death, creation and destruction change at all? It will not, because here again we are talking about balance. Night balances day, good balances evil, for every Rahu, there is a Ketu. Does this principle change at all? Will the pancha bhutas change at all? One cosmic cycle after the other, this is the eternal rhythm that would be acted out. Even demi gods etc

would change, but the pancha bhutas would remain the same.

BTW, how do you define smashan? Was not Kurukshetra a rudrabhoomi and was not Krishna at that moment, ruthlessly encouraging mayhem of 18 akshouhinis of army, a Rudra Himself? Did Arjuna’s saatwik pleas cause Him to change His mind? No, at that moment He was the implacable Supreme Godhead, The Eternal Equilibrium in action, intent upon only restoring Dharma and resetting the balance. Bhagavadgita was the nectar which flowed out of that great balance. And, had not the Lord referred to Kurukshetra as Dharma kshetra himself?

Thank you, Freedom.

Regards,

Lakshmi

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