The Last piece of Advice by Adi Sankara

As Adi Sankara was proceeding towards his final journey deeper into the Himalayas, never to return, his disciples requested him to offer one last message from him. 

Adi Sankara spoke thus:

1.  वेदो नित्यमधीयतां तदुदितं कर्म स्वनुष्ठीयतां

तेनेशस्य विधीयतामपचितिः काम्ये मतिस्त्यज्यताम्‌।

पापौघः परिधूयतां भवसुखे दोषोऽनुसन्धीयतां

आत्मेच्छा व्यवसीयतां निजगृहात्तूर्णं विनिर्गम्यताम्‌ ॥ १ ॥

Let the Vedas be constantly studied and repeated. Let the activity as instructed in the Vedas by it be performed well.

Let the worship of good be by that (proper performance of activities prescribed in the Veda).

Let the motive, thought in desireful activity be dropped. Let the accumulation of sin be detached.

Let the defect in momentary happiness be thought over.

Let the longing quest for the self be steadied. Walk out of your house ( attachment) completely and soon."

2.  सङ्गः सत्सु विधीयतां भगवतो भक्तिर्दृढाऽऽधीयतां

शान्त्यादिः परिचीयतां दृढतरं कर्माशु सन्त्यज्यताम्‌।

सद्विद्वानुपसृप्यतां प्रतिदिनं तत्पादुका सेव्यतां

ब्रह्मैकाक्षरमर्थ्यतां श्रुतिशिरोवाक्यं समाकर्ण्यताम्‌ ॥ २ ॥

Let association be with the good and wise people. Let deep devotion to the Almighty be well planted.

Let there be mental peace, so one be more firmly and in all respects accumulated. Let activity ( for material and lower desires) be abandoned without delay and altogether.

Let a Knower of Sat (Truth) be approached with respect. Let his sandals be served every day.

Let Brahman (the Absolute) which is ever one and undecaying be asked for. Let the Upanishad passage be well listened to."

3.  वाक्यार्थश्च विचार्यतां श्रुतिशिरः पक्षः समाश्रीयतां

दुस्तर्कात्सुविरम्यतां श्रुतिमतस्तर्कोऽनुसन्धीयताम्‌।

ब्रह्मास्मीति विभाव्यतामहरहर्गर्वः परित्यज्यतां

देहेऽहंमतिरुझ्यतां बुधजनैर्वादः परित्यज्यताम्‌ ॥ ३ ॥

The significance of the (Upanishad) passage must be enquired into. (In doing so) the standpoint of the Upanishad must be strictly struck to.

There must be complete cessation of using (misleading or fallacious) reasoning.

Logic approved by (which is in consonance with) the Veda must be reflected upon.

The concept of "I am Brahman"( Aham Brahmasmi) ( The Supreme  Being/ The Paramatma within) must be deeply contemplated upon. 

Day by day pride (the sense of egoism) must be left behind.

The senses of 'I' in the body must be thrown off. Hostility with learned people must be avoided.

4.  क्षुद्व्याधिश्च चिकित्स्यतां प्रतिदिनं भिक्षौषधं भुज्यतां

स्वाद्वन्नं न तु याच्यतां विधिवशात्प्राप्तेन सन्तुष्यताम्‌।

शीतोष्णादि विषह्यतां न तु वृथा वाक्यं समुच्चार्यतां

औदासीन्यमभीप्स्यतां जनकृपानैष्ठुर्यमुत्सृज्यताम्‌ ॥ ४ ॥

The disease known as hunger must however be treated. Every day, the medicine, namely the food obtained must be taken in.

But tasty food must not be asked for. One must be well content with what s/he gets by force of fate. ( This means we need to eat what we get without complaining about the food and without criticizing the cook -most of the cases it will be our own Mothers, Grand Mothers, spouses)

Heat and cold and others (pairs of opposites) must be well borne with.

The state of indifference must be ardently wished for.

The senses of pity and censure in people must be given up"

5. एकान्ते सुखमास्यतां परतरे चेतः समाधीयतां

पूर्णात्मा सुसमीक्ष्यतां जगदिदं तद्बाधितं दृश्यताम्‌।

प्राक्कर्म प्रविलाप्यतां चितिबलान्नाप्युत्तरैः श्लिष्यतां

प्रारब्धं त्विह भुज्यतामथ परब्रह्मात्मना स्थीयताम् ‌॥ ५ ॥

Sit comfortably in a lonely place. Let the mind be fixed firmly on the Highest. Let the Ever Full Self be well and clearly perceived.

Let this fleeting universe be realised as negatived by that (the ever Existent Self).

Let the results of all previous actions be completely dissolved by the force of knowledge.

Let not those which come later (the actions performed after the attainment of knowledge) attach themselves(and yield fruit).

Let however the store of actions which have begun to bear fruit be exhausted by their fruit being experienced here and now itself (when the embodiment subsists).

Afterwards (when that store has worked itself out and the embodiment ceases to be) stay as the ever inherent Highest Brahman."

HariOm.

Compiled by Mukund  Bharadwaj, Student of H Parameswara Iyer ( aka Sekhar Anna) a champion of  the Vedas.

Who are the 33 Crores of Devas ( 330 millions of Gods and Goddesses) in Hinduism

The 33 crores of Devas ( 330 millions of Gods and Goddesses) in Hinduism?

Whenever you to seek blessings from Hindu elders, they bless saying- let the 33 crores of Gods and Goddesses bless you.

• Who are these 33 crores of Gods and Goddess? 
• Where are they situated? 
• How did this exact number figure?

The Crores of Devas refer to the glories of the "Paramatma" seated within you.

The properly trained, satvik, intellect and mind represents the Devas.  The Devas, Vasus, Rudras, Adityas, refer to the intellectual faculties of man purified by the scientific process of yoga as detailed in the Gita.

The correct number is 33 which is made up of :

Vasus        - 8 nos
Rudras    - 11 nos
Adityas   - 12 nos
Indra           1      and 
Prajapati     2

Total          33

The details:

Vasus-8 

1. Fire
2. Earth 
3. Air
4. Akash ( Space)
5. Sky
6. Moon and 
7. Stars
8. Aditya

They are called Vasus because they hold all substances of the world 

Rudras-11 

( 10 pranas ( including five upa pranas)  or breaths and the Atma)

The meaning of prana is 'life force' or 'vital energy'. In the universal sense, prana is responsible for all creation. It is the prana within every created object, whether a planet, an asteroid, a blade of grass or a tree, that gives it existence, material form. If there were no prana within that object or manifestation there would be no form; it would gradually crumble and go out of existence. 

The five Pranas are as follows

Prana

Prana is located between the diaphragm and the throat. This prana is an upward flowing force. It maintains the function of the lungs and heart, and is responsible for inhalation and exhalation, and for the swallowing and regurgitation of food. Although it is an upward moving force in general, it also has the ability to move downward in that region.

Samana

The next prana is known as samana. The word sam means 'equal' or 'same'. Samana is located between the diaphragm and the navel. Although it is a small area physically, it is very important. Samana is responsible for the digestive energy and coordinates and motivates the digestive organs such as the stomach, liver, pancreas and large intestine. 

If anything goes wrong with your samana energy then you will become weak and thin because you will not be able to absorb the nutrients in the food properly. It takes a tremendous amount of energy to digest, burn and separate the nutrients which we take in daily. That is one of the greatest pranic expenditures within our body.

Apana

The third prana is apana. Apana is located between the navel and the perineum in the pelvic region. It is a very important energy field which is responsible for procreation, production of semen and ovum, elimination of urine, faeces, gas, wind and expulsion of the foetus. This energy is mainly downward flowing, but we can also redirect it upward to the brain.

Udana

The fourth prana is udana. Udana is located in the head region as well as the limbs, between the shoulders and the fingertips, and from the hips down to the toes. It is associated with the motor and sensory nervous system. Udana controls an immense amount of energy. It coordinates and activates the nervous system, moves the limbs of the body and receives and categorizes the different sensory inputs from the external world. 

Udana is connected intimately with the functions of the five senses, eyes, nose, mouth, ears and touch. If this prana becomes weak or disturbed, we find it difficult to coordinate, balance and integrate our sensory and motor nerves.

Vyana

The fifth prana is vyana. Vyana is an integral prana. It exists throughout the body as an underlying reserve force, so if anything goes wrong in another area of prana, vyana can step in and support that weak or imbalanced area. Thereby vyana prevents diseases and imbalances from occurring in the different systems and parts of the body. Should vyana become weak or deficient then diseases will arise because there will be no back up system.

If breathing stops does it mean you are dead ?

As it has been explained in detail that the term “prana” actually refers to the subtle “life force “ or “energy” Breath , i.e the external movement of gross air is vayu ( pranavayu) not prana . 

Prana is the cause behind all kind of movements including the movement of diaphragms causing the pumping effect which in turn causes the air to come in and go out and we call it breathing . So naturally absence of life sustaining prana causes the breath to stop but this does not mean that absence of breath is necessarily the absence of prana.

Many yogis have proved it by completely stopping their breath, pulse and heart beat while being still alive and conscious ( eg .Lahiri mahasaya of kriya yoga lineage).

Upa Prana- 5

1. Naga- burping, throwing, stretching, salivation,  hiccups
2. Kurma- movement of the eyelids and size of iris to control intensity of light
3. Krikara- sneezing, coughing, reactions to pain, hunger, thirst
4. Devdatta- yawning, sleep
5. Dhananjaya- produce plegm, provides nourishment, inflates the body after death.

11. Atma- the Jivatma

They are named  Rudras because they make a noise when they leave the mortal body.

Adityas-12 

Adityas represent the twelve months in a year.  They are named because they extract everything from this world. 

The divine Aditya is the eternal Narayana himself.  He divides his wide body into 12 portions for the benefit of the lokas and for the purification of religious karmas and endows the six seasons with their special characteristics.

The seasons and months refer to the divine energy that creates and supports them.

Om Namo Bhagavathe Vasudevaya is the twelve letters mantra in Sanskrit.

Each of its letters ( in sanskrit) represents a month in the year and a corresponding portion of its body.

32. Indra ( is lightening- also the essence of satvik gunas) 
33. Prajapathi is yegna ( sacrifice)  or devotion also known as pasus)

Total 33.

Source : 

• Adhyayas X and XI- Vibhooti and Viswa Roopa Darshana yogas from - GITA
• 
  
• Extract from  my soon to be published book Inside- Out - a philosophical enquiry of Hindu dharma. 

Post your comments to book a copy of this book.

HariOM.

K V Vishwanathan

A short note on Hindu Sectarianism

How did Sectarianism came about in Hinduism?

Let us take two sects- Vaishnavism and Saivism

Vaishnavism and Saivism are two types of religious sects that prevail in India. These two sects show some differences between them. The followers of Vaishnavism are called by the name Vaishnavites. On the other hand, the followers of Shaivism are called by the name Saivites.

Vaishnavism believes in the supremacy of Lord Vishnu over all the other Gods. On the other hand, Shaivism believes in the supreme power of Lord Shiva. This is one of the main differences between the two religious sects.

If you read the above paragraph you will realise that within Hinduism there are two sects.

1. How did this happen?
2. When as per  the Vedas Atma and the Paramatma are one (Advaita philosophy) how sectarianism was born?.

Let us philosophically inquire:

Vishnu means Antaryami or the Iswara who is within everything and everywhere. As long as man is overpowered by an illusory material conception of the universe, his conception of Iswara must be limited to Vishnu as the director and controller of everything from within. Bhakti or devotion to Him is thus proper process of worship prescribed. There are perhaps only few in the world who could even understand that there is an Antaryami, styled Vishnu. A large percentage of the sectarian Vaishnavites is probably innocent of this truth. The Saivites are no better in this respect. They have no idea of Saivism except as a creed opposed to Vaishnavism.

When a man philosophically and religiously advances beyond the illusion of a material cosmos he has no need for an Antaryami. His Iswara has no material cosmos to enter or pervade. Such a huge class Yogi’s Iswara is styled Maheshwara. This is true Saivism. Vairagya or renunciation is the prominent feature here, while Bhakti is the important factor in Vaishnavism. Evidently the so-called Saivites of the day have no proper claim even to Vaishnavism. 

The distinction between the two is beautifully expressed as follows by the great Yogi and poet Bhartrihari of old.  Please download Sanskrit 98 fonts to read the Sanskrit Mantras.

®     mheñre va jgtamxIñre jnadRne va jgdNtraTmin,

Maheshwara is the Iswara for those who have passed beyond the illusion of the Jagat.

®     nvStu-edàitpiÄriSt me twaip cetSté[eNduzeore.

The same Iswara is Antaryami for those who labour under a material Jagat. I make no difference between the two, but my mind is attracted towards Maheshwara who wears the Chandra-Kala on his crown.”

• Siva is often condemned as a devil of the cremation ground and is put down as inferior to Vishnu by the Vaishnavites. 
• Hanuman the favourite divinity of the Vaishnavites according to the sacred Upanishad represents Siva/Rudra whom they hate as a devil of the cremation ground.
• The Chandra-Kala here is technically known as the 16th Kala and could not therefore be foolishly misinterpreted as the digit of the moon. 
• Islam has no doubt ill-copied this Kala in its misunderstood material sense. This Kala refers to the pure Jiva-kala or the Individual Atma in the Hindu literature. 
• The moon has but 15 Kalas even in the ordinary sense of the word and the 16th Kala must be something different.
• The ten Indriyas, five Pranas and Buddhi make up the 16 Kalas.  It is well-known that the ‘Chaitanya’ whose entry into the 16^th Kalas brightens and sets up the ‘Viswam’ is what is called ‘Rama’.

He or she who sees, feels, hears everything without distinction or difference by the help of 'Brahman' is himself or herself Vishnu, Siva or Brahma.

The term Brahma, Vishnu, Siva points to pure Satwik intellect conceived in its totality. There is no logic to associate the same with crude conceptions of low material creations and physical entities.

Siva is everywhere and all the Devas are in the physical body of even the illiterate. None would therefore be condemned on any account. 

The violation of this rule is a sin and its strict observance by recognizing the existing of Devas in the human body leads to salvation. The Vedas have declared that Maheshwara remains within the Buddhi of each individuals and directs it. He is therefore known as Antaryami. Buddhi itself is his body and Buddhi cannot perceive him.

Vaishnavism theology has developed the concept of avatar (incarnation) around Vishnu as the preserver or sustainer. His avatars, asserts Vaishnavism, descend to empower the good and fight evil, thereby restoring Dharma. 

This is reflected in the passages of the ancient Bhagavad Gita which is as follows:

Whenever righteousness wanes and unrighteousness increases 

I send myself forth.

For the protection of the good and for the destruction of evil,

and for the establishment of righteousness,

I come into being age after age.

— Bhagavad Gita 4.7–8, 

In Vaishnava legends, such as those presented in the Bhagavata Purana and the Pancaratra, whenever the cosmos is in crisis, typically because the evil has grown stronger and has thrown the cosmos out of its balance, an avatar of Vishnu appears in a material form, to destroy evil and its sources, and restore the cosmic balance between the ever present forces of good and evil.

The most known and celebrated avatars of Vishnu, within the Vaishnavism traditions of Hinduism, are Krishna, Rama, Narayana and Vasudeva. These names have extensive literature associated with them, each has its own characteristics, legends and associated arts. The Mahabharata, for example, includes Krishna, while the Ramayana includes Rama.

But Avatara means a ‘lowering down’ .  The formless Brahman is given a symbolical form technically for the use of his devotees.  

What the Vaishnavites fail to recognise  and accept that the ten avatars are the stages of religious development in man.  Therefore, all sectarian thoughts (Ayyars/ Ayyangars – Saivites/Vaishnavites, Saktism/Smartism is the result of literal (mis)-interpretation of the Vedas by many Pseudo Pundits and so called Vedic scholars with their limited knowledge.

The holy Avataras mentioned in our sacred literature are too often unwarrantedly and unlawfully explained away as physical incarnations of the almighty Iswara in some parts of India. 

Without reference to anybody in person we must emphatically say that those who take to such explanations are pitiful mis-interpreters. The "Ten Avataras" are well-known as Archavataras, plainly meaning that they are intended for the purpose of worship.

Sectarianisms are of recent origin and might have originated from distorted and unscientific views of the contents of the sacred literature.  Such possible mistakes are clearly foretold within the literature itself and condemned as irreligious.  The fact is that Sectarian wise-acres may not gather any useful religious instructions from the voluminous literature luckily belonging to the Hindu community at large.

HariOM

HV Nath

Adapted from the book ‘Inside Out- a philosophical enquiry  of Hindu Dharma’© by HV Nath.  All rights reserved in all media