These are strange and testing times. For many across the world, what next is a big question now. Anxiety and stress appears to be the key question that is lingering.
The answer to this question is not simple. For example, the answer by a Professional need not be applicable to the Retired; the Urban may have a completely different perspective to this question as compared to the Rural. It is a fact that the answer needs to be found out by everyone in their own way and at their own pace.
I am confined for nearly 3 months to the glass, metal & wood partitioned tiny space surrounded by “concrete jungle” in Manhattan. I was no exception to the universal phenomenon of “stress” stated above. Thanks to God and Blessings from elders, in life I am very lucky in several ways; one of them being “having access to a wonderful accommodation at a village in the Suffolk County” post retirement. Riding on my luck, I decided to go in for a heady cocktail of “HPK” (Hamptons and Poorvi Kalyani) twice a day for a week to bust the accumulated stress.
Wondering what is this cocktail about!
“Poorvikalyani” is one of my favourite “Raga (the melodic structure) in Carnatic Music. It is a Pleasant and Popular Raga and has six notes on the ascent and seven notes in the descent. The raga has a profound effect on reducing anxiety and abdominal pain.
“Hamptons” is the near equivalent of Heaven for many upscale Newyorkers with beaches, sprawling bungalows and extensive greenery.
Combine these two. Wow! What a relief: what a magic this cocktail has done to rejuvenate me.
See for yourselves in this video
Music Courtesy: The Legendary Carnatic Music Flutist Dr N Ramani
मात्सर्यभावः (Maatsarya-Bhaava): Feeling of Jealousy
मात्सर्य (Maatsarya) = Jealousy
भाव (Bhaava) = Feeling
धर्मो (Dharmo): Righteousness
धर्म (Dharma) = Righteousness
चार्थो (Ca-Artha): And Wealth
च (Ca) = And
अर्थ (Artha) = Wealth
कामो (Kaamo): Desire
काम (Kaama) = Desire
मोक्षः (Mokssah): Liberation
चिदानन्दरूपः (Cid-Aananda-Ruupah): Nature of Blissful Consciousness
चित् (Cit) = Consciousness
आनन्द (Aananda) = Bliss
रूप (Ruupa) = Nature
शिवोऽहम् (Shiva-Aham): I am Shiva, the Blissful Consciousness
शिव (Shiva) = signifying Consciouness
अहम् (Aham) = I
Meaning of the Verse
3.1: Neither do I have Hatred, nor Attachment, Neither Greed nor Infatuation,
3.2: Neither do I have Pride, nor Feelings of Envy and Jealousy,
3.3 I am Not within the bounds of Dharma (Righteousness), Artha (Wealth), Kama (Desire) and Moksha (Liberation) (the four Purusarthas of life),
3.4: I am the Ever Pure Blissful Consciousness; I am Shiva, I am Shiva, The Ever Pure Blissful Consciousness.
3. I have neither aversion nor attachment, neither greed nor delusion; I have neither arrogance nor jealousy; I have no duty (to perform) nor any wealth (to acquire); neither desire nor liberation; I am of the nature of Pure Consciousness-Bliss Absolute, I am Shiva, I am (verily) Shiva
Notes: Greed, delusion, pride and jealousy together with lust and anger constitute shad ripu (also called ari shad varga), the six-fold internal enemies of a human being. Dharma (righteousness), artha (wealth), kama (desire), and moksha (liberation) are together known as purusharthas, the four objectives of a human being.
सप्तधातुः (Sapta-Dhaatuh): The Seven Ingredients [of the body]
सप्त (Sapta) = Seven
धातु (Dhaatu) = Ingredient
पञ्चकोशः (Pan.ca-Koshah): The Five Sheaths [of the gross and subtle body]
पञ्च (Pan.ca) = Five
कोश (Kosha) = Sheath
वाक्पाणिपादं (Vaak-Paanni-Paadam): Speech, Hand and Foot
वाच् (Vaac) = Speech
पाणि (Paanni) = Hand
पाद (Paada) = Foot
चोपस्थपायु (Copastha-Paayu): The organ of Excretion
चुप् (Cup) = Move
पायु (Paayu) = Organ of Excretion, Anus
चिदानन्दरूपः (Cid-Aananda-Ruupah): Nature of Blissful Consciousness
चित् (Cit) = Consciousness
आनन्द (Aananda) = Bliss
रूप (Ruupa) = Nature
शिवोऽहम् (Shiva-Aham): I am Shiva, the Blissful Consciousness
शिव (Shiva) = signifying Consciouness
अहम् (Aham) = I
Meaning of the Verse
2.1: Neither am I the Vital Breath, nor the Five Vital Airs,
2.2: Neither am I the Seven Ingredients (of the Body), nor the Five Sheaths (of the Body),
2.3: Neither am I the organ of Speech, nor the organs for Holding ( Hand ), Movement ( Feet ) or Excretion,
2.4: I am the Ever Pure Blissful Consciousness; I am Shiva, I am Shiva, The Ever Pure Blissful Consciousness.
2. I am not indicated by prana, nor the five-fold vital airs nor the seven elements (sapta dhatuh) of the body, nor the five sheaths; nor the organs of speech, nor hand, nor leg; and not generative or excretory organs, I am of the nature of Pure Consciousness-Bliss-Absolute, I am Shiva, I am (verily) Shiva.
Notes: Five vital airs are : Prana (controls respiratory system), Apana (controls excretory system), Vyana (controls circulatory system); Samana (controls digestive system), and Udana (controls ejection of the prana from the physical body). Seven basic elements (sapta dhatuh) consist of: skin, flesh, fat, bone, blood, bone marrow, and semen. Five sheaths (pancha kosha) are believed to veil our understanding of the atman include, in order from gross (outer most) to the subtle (inner most): annamaya kosha (food sheath); pranamaya kosha (vital air sheath);manomaya kosha (mind sheath); vijnanamaya kosha (intellectual sheath); and anandamaya kosha (bliss sheath).
Before we start exploring Nirvana Shatakam and look at the answers to the vital question of “ Who am I?”, it is essential for us to understand what am I made of, what do I do and what is beyond me. To my limited knowledge, there cannot be a more deeper analysis to these questions than by the Saints & Philosophers of Hindu Religion. One needs a lifetime to understand the material available in the religion. I will definitely restate again and again that I am a novice in this field of philosophy (“Vedanta”) and can only skim at the surface without any deep understanding. Yet from this ocean of information and knowledge I will venture out and reproduce one approach advocated by the legendary Swami Chinmayananda (http://www.chinmayamission.com) which helps me in the process of understanding myself.
BMI Chart
Interpretation of Symbols :
The Symbol of Truth
Om
viewed through the veil of
Vasanas
Expresses through the instruments of:
the Body (B), Mind (M), Intellect (I)
As the individual entity or ego:
the Perceiver (P), Feeler (F), Thinker (T)
In the world of:
Objects (O), Emotions (E), and Thoughts (T).
I – The person
Here is how the Swamiji helps us in Understanding Ourselves (Our Personality). When we say “experience” we are looking at three fundamental factors:
1. the experiencer (the subject)
2. the object of experience (the object)
3. the relationship between the two, the experiencing (the act)
The Individual as an experiencer (PFT) is the subject who gains experiences of the world (OET) through the instruments of experiencing (BMI). Through the body, the person experiences the world of objects; through the mind, one experiences the world of emotions, and through the intellect, the world of ideas.
When the subject identifies with the intellect, he becomes the thinker, experiencing the world of thoughts and ideas; when identified with the mind he becomes the feeler, experiencing the world of emotions and feelings; and when identified with the body, he becomes the perceiver, experiencing the world of objects.
Therefore each individual acts out the various roles of a perceiver, feeler, and thinker as he seeks his happiness in the world of objects, emotions, and thoughts.
In every experience in life, man contacts the world through the media of four constituent entities in him. They are his body, mind, intellect, and the Consciousness, symbolized by the symbol Om, which is the Life Principle in him.
Now let us have an idea of what these elements are as explained by the Swamiji.
Body, Mind, Intellect:
“ The physical body (பிண்டம்) is solid matter, the densest aspect of the human personality. It contains five organs of perception (ஞானேந்திரியம்) and the five organs of action (கர்மேந்திரியம்). The size and shape of the body differ from individual to individual, but the essential ingredients and the functions of the organs are common to all.
The variable factor in man is the mind and intellect equipment. The mind is the seat of impulses and feelings, and it is common to all living creatures. Animals also possess a mind. It all boils down to how one applies the mind.
Human being alone has the capacity to discriminate and analyze his/her feelings as and when they arise. He/She alone can allow his/her actions to be guided and directed by his/her power of discrimination instead of being driven and carried away by momentary impulses and feelings. This faculty of discrimination, this power of judgment, this capacity to discern what is to be done and what is to be avoided, is the function of the intellect.
Vasanas:
The quality and textures of the mind and intellect equipment differ from one individual to another, depending upon one’s inherent and innate tendencies or inclinations, which are called vasanas.
Vasanas create desires in the intellect; desires produce thoughts in the mind, and thoughts manifest in the form of actions at the level of the physical body. Desires, thoughts and actions are, therefore, only manifestation of vasanas in the respective individual. Each one of us thus becomes a helpless statement of our past though this impulse of vasanas.
(Note: How did we get these Vasanas in oneself? This is a separate subject by itself. For this particular blog I would just compare Vasanas to the Residual Magnetism in a material.)
Om, the Symbol of Truth:
In the ultimate analysis, the whole aim of living for a human being is to condition the body, mind and intellect to ensure that the vasanas are transcended in order for us to regain our true nature. At this individual level, when the vasanas are completely transcended, the Self manifests of its own accord. Only then does man know his true birthright. At the Individual level, this Self is called an Atman and at the level of the cosmic totality, this Divine Self called Om, the Life Principle, is called the Brahman.
The Ground Reality:
Due to our vasanas and the consequent desires, agitations, and actions, we are ignorant of this Divine Self. Therefore, we identify with our body, mind, and intellect and their limitations. An individual is the Self as though contaminated by this ignorance. The only method for regaining one’s true nature is to vigilantly and ceaselessly divert one’s mind and intellect away from preoccupation with objects, emotions, and thoughts and direct it to an awareness of the divine Self”. (Material Courtesy – Chinmaya Mission).
How do I proceed?
This is the essence of Spirituality. The paths that we take to get rid of this ignorance are the path of knowledge (Gnana) , the path of devotion (Bhakthi) and the path of action (Karma). These three paths are not independent and are seamlessly integrated. At this point I will quote the blog I wrote on May 17, 2019, about Knowledge and Devotion as part of my attempt to write in Tamil, Adi Sankara’s Sivananda Lahari. In that blog I quoted the eminent Indian Scholar C. Rajagopalachari. He brings out the integration of the three yogas beautifully by saying “ When intelligence matures and lodges securely in the mind, it becomes wisdom. When wisdom is integrated with life and issues out in action, it becomes bhakti. Knowledge, when it becomes fully mature, is bhakti. If it does not get transformed into bhakti, such knowledge is useless tinsel. To believe that gnyaana and bhakti, knowledge and devotion, are different from each other, is ignorance”.
Nearly a year later I am fortunate to attempt to write in Tamil, the philosophical treatise in Vedhanta by Adi Sankara called Nirvana Shatakam. Understanding the simple concepts outlined by the Swamiji will help us unravel the truths brought out by Adi Sankara
Remember the two vital questions which I missed while I was “role playing” during the Corana Virus! Who am “I”? What do I mean when I use the word “Happy”?
There are numerous ways by which one can explain “happiness” – the state of being happy. I was looking for an apt definition for happiness. Pop! Came the answer from Twitter. Here is the link
Left me speechless. There are many messages that we’ve all received on whatsapp/social media that try to give us courage during the lockdown. This delivers the same message that the Ishavasya Upanishad gave us centuries ago: our happiness depends entirely on our attitude… pic.twitter.com/8UkpJ7StHQ
Here is my interpretation. Modern psychology brings out the science behind “happiness”. As an “experiencer”, I look at “being happy” in a different perspective. When I am in deep sleep without any application whatsoever of my mind and sense organs, I am in a state unaffected by anything – “It is a Bliss” – indicating how happy I am when I am sleeping without any miseries. That is what I mean by the word “happy”. That kind of happiness is what I want in every second of my life. Am I the only one desiring like that? The lady there in Anand Mahindra’s tweet brings out exactly what is happiness. It depends on oneself (attitude of myself decides what is happiness). So who is myself or who am I?
This question however is a complex one. The self inquiry in the question has one challenge. Am I splitting myself as inner and outer Self? Dr S Radhakrishnan, a great philosopher and the former President of India, says “To divide human being into outer desire and inner quality is to violate the integrity of human life. The two orders of Reality – the transcendental the empirical are closely related”. If I agree with this argument, then, who am I ?
I don’t have an answer ready made. The real answer cannot be provided either by a theory or by dialectic. These alone, as in themselves and without reference to personal experience cannot carry conviction. But I am still in the process of experiencing the answer (otherwise called as my life) and won’t be able to answer till my experiences (life) end.
Luckily, the experiences elucidated by legendary philosophers and thinkers are available for me. Their teachings are presented either as metaphysics or ethics. In the traditional Hindu system this is called “Brahmavidya” and “Yogashastra”. The universally acclaimed classic Indian treatise “Bhagwad Gita” is a combination of both – the science of Reality and the art of Union with Reality.
In India, there are two outstanding treatises, considered equivalent to The Divine Response available for the vital question “Who am I?”. The answer to my question was provided as early as in 8th Century by Adi Shankaracharya. He brought out the “Brahmavidya” to the question “Who am I?” through a hymn in Sanskrit comprising six verses – “Atma Shatakam or Nirvana Shatakam”. The word shatakam means six and the word nirvana means freedom or liberation. It is thus a hymn of six verses on liberation, each of which is like a jewel in the garland of Vedanta. It is also called as atma shatakam or six verses on the nature of the Self. The first three lines in each of the first five verses negate all that is not “I”(Atman), while the last line in each verse strongly affirms what “I”(Atman) is.
In the year 1902, in a town called Thiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, Bhagwan Shri Ramana Maharishi provided answers to one Sri M. Sivaprakasam Pillai, a graduate in Philosophy, who was at the time employed in the Revenue Department of the South Arcot Collectorate. This was published in 1923. The teachings of Bhagwan Shri Ramana Maharishi is published by SriRamanasramam in Thiruvannamalai as “Who am I”.
My next series of blogs will focus on Adi Shankaracharya’s Nirvana Shatakam/Atma Shatakam.
Life is positively colorful 24x7x365. There is no need for despair. Let us enjoy life fully.
There is nothing more colorful to watch the sky at sun rise particularly in early winter in my place at Bangalore. The colors thrown at us by Nature through all its medium is just refreshing. All you got to do is just walk and enjoy.
Life is definitely colorful 24x7x365. There is no need for despair. Let us enjoy life fully.
With the majestic Western Ghats as the background, in the midst of lush green coconut farms and vegetation, life couldn’t be more colorful and pleasing. A typical early morning scenario in December at the outskirts of Coimbatore, the erstwhile Manchester of South India.
mAngalyam = the blessing/auspicious (it is the auspiciousness of all that is auspicious)
sarva pApa = of all sins
praNAshanam = annihilation/destruction [the root “nAsha:” gives rise to several things that have the “perishable” flavor – nAshanam, vinAshanam, nAshtA, nAshTika: (someone who lost
something)]
cintA = anxiety/fear [it is literally “thought”/”worry”]
shOka = sadness/grief
prashama: = calmness/pacification (indicates here – “cooling down” or removing sadness and anxiety]
Ayu: = lifespan
vardhanam = increasing/enlarging
uttamam = most appropriate/best/ultimate
Meaning of the Verse
[Aditya Hridayam] is the best blessing of all blessings, the destroyer of
all sins, and causes the removal of anxiety, grief and most suitable for
rashmi: = beam/ray of light [rashmima = sun; rashmimantam = haloed with rays, possessed of rays, crowned with rays]
samudyantam = having risen up [in the morning] [udaya: = to rise, samudaya: = to rise (in a good manner), samudyata =raised, lifted up]
devAsura = devAs and asurAs
namaskrutam = namas + krutam [namas = bowing/salutation, krutam = doing it; namaskaranam is the nominal verb form]
pUjayasva = agastyA is addressing rAmA here and saying “You Worship!”
vivasvantam = AdityA [vivasvat = brilliant/shining one; vivasta/vivasvAn = sun; vaivasvatA is the current Manu, son of sUryA]
bhAskaram = sun [bhAs = light, brightness; it also has a meaning of
“revealing, making clear” and light surely does that. The word “bhAshyam” has this same root; kara = to do, create; bhAskaram = the one that creates light]
bhuvana Eshvaram = ruler of the worlds [bhuvana refers to all the worlds; Esh = possessor, owner; Eshvaram = master, lord]
Meaning of the Verse
Pay respects to the risen sUryA, crowned with rays of light, who is most fitting to be worshipped, who is the ruler of all the worlds, who is the creator of light, who is brilliant, and venerated by the devAs and asurAs.
Prabhu's Ponder 