Goddess Durgaa and Udgaana---from Consciousness to physicality—as inthe Vedas. (Revision 2.) All words in italics and which are not English words are the Sanskrit words and Itrans version to be found in the dictionary by Sir Monier Williams in the link http://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/monier/ Preface This article is for everyone. This is not for any propaganda or mission. This is for sharing the knowledge which everyone can claim as one’s own treasure. This article is written based on the teaching received from RiShi Shri. BijoyKrishna Chattopadhyaaya (year 1875 - 1945) and his principal disciple RiShi Shri. Tridibnath Bandopadhyaaya (year 1923 – 1994). RiShi Bijoy-Krishna taught that this universe is the realization of Universal consciousness. This world and everything is reality, meaningful and leads to eternity. He taught how every moment, every event is an extension of divinity characterized by endless self-revealing consciousness. He preached by the ‘words’, he preached by his life. He himself was a living example of divinity realized in mortality. He was known as the ‘god of Howrah’. Howrah is a place on the western bank of Ganga at Kolkata. Following his way, worship of the goddess durgaa and Universal Mother (visva-maataa) is performed every year at his place in Howrah during the autumn and winter respectively. The divine words those came out of him spontaneously during these worships were recorded by Sarala Devi Choudhurani (niece of the poet Ravindranath Thakur {Tagore}). These were published as printed books and one of such books in Bengali Language has been published in the Scribd and Slideshare sites. The links are as below: https://www.scribd.com/doc/179040586/Durga-Puja-performed-by-RishiBijoykrishna-Chattopadhaya-of-Howrah-during-1937-in-Bengali-Language http://www.slideshare.net/debkumar_lahiri/durga-puja-of-1937-in-bengalilanguageperformed-by-rishi-bijoykrishna-chattopadhaya-and-recorded-bysarala-devi-chowdhuraniani His daily sermons delivered to his disciples were recorded by Sarala Devi and published as ‘veda vaaNI’ (Message from the Vedas). He himself wrote a few books like ‘Geetar Yogic Vakhyaa’ (Yogic explanation of Geeta), Ritambharaa, Chidamvaraa, Jatavedaa, Satya Samvedana etc. He decided to remain away from publicity and thus is little known. If you are interested in his books or teaching or in the history, you may contact Mr. Chandidas Banerjee, at 28, Kalikundu Lane, Howrah, West Bengal, India, Pin -711101, mobile : + 91 94 33 013225, e mail:
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Three fundamental states of Universal Consciousness: vaak, praaNa and manas 1.1 naama and rUpa and mind 1.2 viShNu 1.3 praaNa---who is at the beginning 1.4 uShaa 1.5 viShnu and the sun 2.0 mukhya praaNa and evolution 2.1 Universal Couple (mithuna) 2.2 From the physicality to the Consciousness above all duality or the death. 2.2.1 Earth—pRithivI—the place for discrete existence 2.2.2 Existing in the ‘past’ 2.2.3 Water and the earth. 2.2.4 Water and gravitation 2.2.5 The molten and solid earth 2.2.6 varuNa—The god of water 2.2.7 The water that dissolves 2.2.8 Immersion of idols 2.2.8 oShadhi: The fire / vigour within the water 2.2.9 madhyama praaNa 2.2.10 Vegetation and the moon; chandra and angirasa 2.2.11 Moon---chandra—Puberty; aa~Ngirasaa the spirit of the limbs or the faculties 2.2.12 aa~Ngirasa 2.2.13 meaning of the word chandra 2.2.14 Olfactory sense, odour or gandha and the breathing 2.2.15. ashvinI-kumaara 2.2.16 aMshu---rays of the moon; chandra, soma and nakShatra 2.2.17 dik-direction and ap—water 2.2.18 The southern fire god---- dakShiNaagni 2.2.19 puruSha 2.2.20 vaak 2.2.21 Rik 2.2.22 saama 2.2.23 udgItha 2.2.24 udgaana---the song that lifts us 2.2.25 Dawning and raising, the upward direction. 2.2.27 The physical centre of praaNa 2.2.28 The inner and the outer sun (svara and pratyaasvara) 2.2.29 From the mortality to the eternity 2.2.30 udgItha and praNava and ‘om’ 2.2.31 The goddess durgaa and navaraatri 2.2.32 Ishitva and mukhya praaNa 2.33 deva---deity and asura 2.2.34 As the praaNa lifts 2.2.35 Mouth and mukhya praaNa 2.2.36 aayasya praaNa 2.2.37 durgaa and mahiShaasura 2.2.38 ashvamedha yaj~na, ashva, mukhya praaNa 2.2.39 nava durgaa, navamI, animal sacrifice and ashvamedha 2.2.40 pashu 2.2.41 Meaning of ‘beheading’ (shirashCheda) 2.2.42 Throat/ kaNTha’ 2.2.43 yaj~na and pashu ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 1. Three fundamental states of Universal Consciousness: vaak, praaNa and manas When the Universal Soul / Consciousness becomes (became) active, three fundamental forms of Consciousness are (were) observed---vaak, praaNa and manas. vaak is the faculty of the Consciousness by which Consciousness creates duality. Expressions of Consciousness are the words. Processed words are called ‘vakya’. Where we are expressive with the processed or formed words, there Consciousness is named as ‘mind’ (manas). This expressed physical universe is the formation within the mind of the Universal consciousness and made up of mind. The slight (IShat) development of this knowledge of mind (manas) is natural in human beings. This is why human beings are called manushya (= manas + IShat). The one who knows the universe as the manifestation of mind (manas) is called ‘manu’ and men and women are considered as descendants of the divine personality called ‘manu’. 1.1 (naama and rUpa and mind ) What is expressed, formed and defined is ‘vakya’ or the processed words; ‘vaak’ is the root of all processed words. The platform or the common plane or the state of Consciousness, where all the words are forming into definitions or names, where everything can acquire a name (naama) and a shape (rUpa) is the mind. It is something like this: vaak is the faculty or the tool, who cuts or shapes the Consciousness from Oneness into many. The One who cuts or shapes is vaak, the One who is shaped is called ‘praaNa’. In Consciousness, where the shaped or defined forms are held is called ‘manas’ or ‘mind’. 1.2 (viShNu) praaNa in us occupies the middle position. This is why always the three are termed as vaak, praaNa, manas. Middle also means medium. praaNa is there everywhere, and in us we feel praaNa as our ‘life’ or ‘life force’. The warmth of praaNa is called uShmaa. The verb vish means to enter. The words vish and uShmaa together make the word ‘vishNu’ who is the universal praaNa or universal Consciousness preserving the creation. Thus in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad it is stated that: vacham dhenu iti upasityavam ----vaak to be worshipped, she is like the cow; tasya praaNah RiShvam------Her bull is praaNa manah vatsya-----mind is the calf 1.3 (praaNa---who is at the beginning) The word praaNa consists of the two words pra and ana. ana means animation or active consciousness. The word pra carries the senses of many English words starting with ‘pre’ or ‘pri’ like principal, prime, previous (or before others), pristine etc. The Sanskrit word prathama means the ‘first’ or ‘what is at the beginning’. This word which also starts with ‘pra’ carries the meaning of ‘pra’ in ‘praaNa’. This ‘pra’ in ‘prathama’ or in ‘praaNa’ carries the sense of ‘in the beginning or before everyone or being the first’. 1.4 (uShaa) Thus praaNa is in the beginning of the creation, in the beginning of every event. This aspect of praaNa heralding an event is the goddess of dawn or ‘uShaa’. We have discussed praaNa in an earlier article published in Scribd (https://www.scribd.com/doc/31040105/Five-Vital-Air-Five-Aspects-of-Praana) and in Slideshare (http://www.slideshare.net/debkumar_lahiri/five-vital-airsfive-aspects-of-praana), where we have also discussed this aspect of praaNa being always ‘first’. Thus the first love, the first child and the thresholds are always loved, recognized or remembered; that’s why the people celebrate inauguration, birth days, new years and anniversaries; it is a normal tendency of us derived from the Universal Consciousness. 1.5 viShnu and the sun Eternal, universal praaNa who has pervaded every entity and active in us and keeping us lively is called viShNu. The time is cycled from viShNu and thus He is leading the deities (the divine or revealing personalities dominating on us) and the life cycle is rotating everywhere. In our planetary system, the manifested centre of praaNa or vishNu is the sun. Here is a Vedic hymn on vishNu’s movement (this results in the movement of the sun, time and movement of everything): Atah ((And now) devah (deities) avantu (look after) nah (us) yata (As) viSnur (viShNu)-vichakramae (circulates) pRithIvyaa (through the earth) sapta (seven) dhmabhih (abodes) And now let the deities look after us As viShNu circulates Through the earth and the seven abodes ------ (Quote from Rik Veda) Also, in the hymn to the sun, the radiance of viShNu has been mentioned: namoh vivasate (I submit to vivasvate {the sun---vivasvana is an aspect of the sun} vrahmaN (universe) vasvate (is illuminating ) , viShNu tejase (by the radaiance of viShNu) jagat (universe) savitre (creates the savanna periods)sUchaye(initiating) sarva (all) karma (work) daainae(donating I submit to vivasvate the sun who is radiating the universe by the radiance of viShNu; who is creating the cycles of time (savana) in everything, who is initiating everything, who is administering all the activities. 2.0 mukhya praaNa and evolution Eternal, universal praaNa is also taking us above the mortality above the compulsory cycles of life and death. This results in evolution of every single individual. This aspect of praaNa is named as mukhya (principal) praaNa. Upanishad has also named mukhya praaNa as the goddess ‘dUra’ (distance) because from mukhya praaNa the death keeps a distance. (i) saa (she) vaa aeShaa(this) devataa(god) dUr(dUra) nama (ii) (name)----She that god has the name ‘dUra’ ‘dUram (away) hi asyaa (from Her) mRituh(the death)---The death is away from Her. (Brihadaranyaka—1/3/9) It may be noted that in the above texts mukhya praaNa has been addressed as both male (devataa---god) and female {(saa…aeShaa----she---this (in female form)}. This goddess is the goddess durgaa (also dUrgaa) of yajur veda and is celebrated all over India. praaNa is in us as our senses and activities. Also praaNa has five aspects as described in the Upanishad as praaNa, vyaana, apaana, samaana and udaana. But all these are the personalities of a single one and thus named as the Principal praaNa or mukhya praaNa. mukhya praaNa is the One, whose presence is everyone’s existence. Wherever He goes, we go along with Him. Thus when He departs the body, we depart along with Him. Like a sturdy robust horse fastened to a post can run away by uprooting the post, similarly when mukhya praaNa leaves the body we along with our senses also leave with Him. 2.1 Universal Couple (mithuna) When 'vaak' is described as faculty of Consciousness, then the Consciousness is described as praaNa. Consciousness is activated by Consciousness. This is described by the two terms, vaak and praaNa. Thus praaNa is one who is activated and vaak is the one who activates. The same ONE or the same Universal consciousness is addressed as two personalities, vaak and praaNa---the universal couple creating everyone. This is how the mithuna or 'conjugation’ has been described in Chandogya Upanishad and the creation of the universe including the physicality. 2.2 From the physicality to the Consciousness above all duality or the death. Seven layers of creation Chandogya has described the universe as seven stepped, derived from the One who is the eighth. The eighth state is called udgItha and has been described as elixir of all the juices, all the spirits, all the vitalities. Followings are quoted from the first chapter of Chandogya Upanishad. The essence of the physicality (bhUta) is the earth (pRithivI). The essence of the earth is the water (ap) The essence of the water is oShadhi The essence of oShadhi is puruSha The essence of puruSha is vaak The essence of vaak is Rik The essence of Rik is saama The essence of saama is udgItha The personalities and aspects of the Universal Consciousness called physicality (bhUta), earth (pRithvI), water (ap), oShadhi, puruSha (individual), vaak and udgItha are described below. 2.2.1 Earth—pRithivI—the place for discrete existence Earth is called pRithivI. pRithivI etymologically means the ‘one who sustains separate existence of the individuals’. The word is connected to ‘pRithak’ meaning ‘separate’ or ‘apart’. 2.2.2 (Existing in the ‘past’) Any physical entity is called ‘bhUta’. This word is from the root word ‘bhU’ meaning ‘to become’, ‘to be’. The word ‘bhUta’ means ‘what has already happened’, ‘what has been already executed or done’. It denotes ‘freezing’ or the ‘end of a state’; realization. Thus ‘bhU’ is also the name of a ‘loka’ or space where ‘bhUta’ or physicality is created. In our consciousness where we feel the physicality is called ‘bhU’. ‘pRithivI’ is the property or the nature of ‘bhU ’. 2.2.3 Water and the earth. The essence of the earth (‘pRithivI’) is the water (ap). Water or liquid does not have any specific shape. It takes the shape of a container and water freezes into a shape when it becomes ice. Thus Consciousness, like the ice, is frozen into the physicality. Every definition, every defined entity is an acquirement and thus has the aqueous origin. In the earth, we are used to see water as ‘contained’; water is contained in a bottle, in a pitcher, in a lake, in the vast gorges of the earth as oceans. We also see free flowing and lashing water of the rivers and falls. We see the waves breaking on the shore and shaping the beach lines day and night. It is as if this ‘Conscious water’ is telling us that it can take all the shapes, it can flow in everything and become a rigid physicality. This is not imagination. If you realize that you are a part of the system called ‘Universal Consciousness’ from whose senses your senses are being created, who is your origin and element as well, you will realize that how Universal Consciousness is sending the messages. It is a matter of knowing (veda) this and listening (shruTi) accordingly. ap also means aapti or achievement. Everything in the creation is the definition of the Universal Consciousness and is the ‘achievement’ of the Consciousness in the form of creatures or created entities. As Consciousness achieves and takes every form as the created beings, similarly every creature or created being achieves or acquires its fulfilment in the individual consciousness and this is also by the activity of consciousness called ‘ap’ or ‘water’. Thus it is the ‘water of satisfaction’, quenching all the thirsts, keeping cool. 2.2.4 Water and gravitation Water or liquid aspect of the Universal Consciousness creates Himself/ Herself as the personality of the Consciousness called earth or pRithivI and holds every one as separate individual. This is called ‘aadhaara shakti’ meaning the faculty that holds or sustains an entity. (In this context, the reader may note that as per the Hindu mythology, the first avatara (descendant of the God) is mIna (fish) and also that we start getting definition when our body is formed in the ‘water bag’ in mother’s womb.) Here is a hymn from chaNdI, relating to water (ap) and gravity (aadhaara shakti): aadhaara-bhUtA (by becoming the holding power) jagata (in all the one moving) stvam (you) ekaa(alone) mahI (mighty world)) svarUpeNa (yourself in the form) yataH (that) sthitaasi (you exist) . apaM (water) svarUpa (yourself in the form) sthitayaa (by existing) tvaya (by you) aetat (this) aapyaayate(nourishing) kRitsnam(everything) alaN^ghayavIrye (you whom none can excel) You alone are the ‘holding power (gravitation)’ in all That you are existing yourself as the mighty world You are existing yourself as the water and by this way You are nourishing everyone, you whom none can excel! 2.2.5 The molten and solid earth Thus Brihadaranyaka Upanishad has said that the ‘curdled layer of ‘ap’ (also ‘aapa’) was killed (solidified) to become the ‘earth’. The description resembles the phenomenon of hot molten mass solidifying into solid crust of the earth. Here is an extract from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (1/2/2) on the creation. tat (that) yat (what) sharah(cuddled layers) asIt (was) tat (that) sama (perfectly) ahanyat (killed > rigor mortis >solidified)----that what was the cuddled layers that was perfectly killed (solidified). { It is interesting to note here that in metallurgy there is a term called ‘Killed steel or Killed Iron’ as explained by ‘Wikipedia’ below: “Killed steel is steel that has been completely deoxidized by the addition of an agent before casting, so that there is practically no evolution of gas during solidification. They are characterized by a high degree of chemical homogeneity and freedom from gas porosity. The steel is said to be "killed" because it will quietly solidify in the mould, with no gas bubbling out. It is marked with a "K" for identification purposes.” (Quoted from Wikipedia.) } 2.2.6 varuNa—The god of water This water is the water as we know and it is more than the water we know. It is the root of our feeling of satisfaction. When we achieve anything that we desire, we are embraced by praaNa as satisfaction. praaNa embraces us or covers us with the satisfaction. Thus the god of water is called varuNa. It is from the root word vRi which means to cover or embrace. Thus we remain satisfied and covered and that conceals the root or it conceals the one (Consciousness) who satisfies us. (It is for this reason, though varuNa is a deity, he is also considered as asura.) Thus in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (4/3/14), it is said: aaraamasya (it comforts) pashyanti(see), na (no) tam (that, the one) pashyati (sees) kashchana(ever)-----it (the creature) sees(feels) the satisfaction but never sees the one who satisfies it . Thus from the water the solid crust of the earth (who holds us) is formed. The more matured is the cover, more solid is the crust, more is the physicality. The Consciousness remains covered by the dressings. 2.2.7 The water that dissolves. This aspect of Consciousness called ‘water’ or ‘ap’ or the ‘water deity’, is not only behind the solid or stable physicality called earth, it also dissolves the solid or physicality. Thus the Water deity or ap remains as cause or ‘kaaraNa’ behind the creation. This means, the physical formation remains in nonphysical or dimensionless form in this divine water and again takes the physical form from the Water goddess. 2.2.8 Immersion of idols: It is for this reason, the Hindus immerse idols in water and before immersion the ‘punaraagamana’ (‘return again’) mantra is chanted. 2.2.8 oShadhi: The fire / vigour within the water. Vegetation and medicine. oShadhi----oSha (vigour, radiance)+ dhi (hold) The spirit of ap or water is oShadhi, who is holding all the ‘shines’. It is the shine or radiance of animation and serene light of praaNa. praaNa is the active Universal Consciousness who is taking care of all of us, of all the Universe from time immemorial. The water, the universal water, is the body of praaNa and praaNa is the shine within the body. It is the serene lunar shine, the inner shine. It is the shine of satisfaction of having everything in the self. Thus Brihadaranyaka (1/5/13) has said: atha (and now) aetasya (this) praaNasya (praaNa’s) aapah (water) sharIram (is the bod) ,jyotirUpam (illuminatd form)) asou chandra---The body of this (divine) praaNa is the water and the moon is His illumined form. (Brihadaranyaka-----1/5/13) oShadhi administers and channelizes the flow of Universal Consciousness in us and oShadhi belongs to the domain of moon. 2.2.9 (madhyama praaNa) praaNa as Universal Life God or God of animation is called ‘mukhya praaNa’ or ‘principal praaNa’. The same praaNa, observed in us is called ‘madhyama praaNa’. madhyama means ‘middle’ or ‘medium’; it means ‘praaNa ’in us, life in us. oShadhi is regulating the ‘madhyama praaNa’. If there is a relaxation in the regulation, the flowing stream of life is affected. We get the disease or malady if the shine is not held as it is normally held. The fluidity, the stream of life or water flowing in every nook and corner of our body is affected It is for this reason the medicines are called ‘OShadha’(pronounced as ‘oushadha’) and derived from the word ‘oShadhi’. praaNa and so each of us, in our inside, in consciousness , is always revealing, shining in numerous forms. At every moment we are different, our perception, our feelings are changing incessantly. With every perception, with every sensing, we are getting a formation (body or earth) and a pleasure (or displeasure) and consequent acquirement (aqua, water). Behind this earth and water is that aspect of Consciousness by which the ‘shine’, ‘revelation’ is held and maintained by Consciousness. We are live and content with satisfaction (ap>aap>aapa>aapti>acquirement>satisfaction) and thus radiant (oSha) by the Consciousness. 2.2.10 (Vegetation and the moon; chandra and angirasa). This radiant Consciousness (oShadhi), this personality, is working in the earth through the trees and the herbs which carry the medicines and the constituents and which sustain the earth. The Consciousness or the life within, covered under the solid crust of earth or physicality is unveiled by the vegetation and the plants and they rise above. This is why the vegetation or plants are also termed as ‘udbhida’ meaning ud (upward) + vid (break through); thus it implies that aspect of Consciousness by which it breaks though and rises above the inertness or physicality; evolution from the inertness to the living forms. 2.2.11 Moon---chandra—Puberty; aa~Ngirasaa (the spirit of the limbs or the faculties) This vegetation and plant in the physical earth are correspondingly exhibited in the body as the body hair in us. It is like the life fluid or soma or the flowing praaNa overflowing from inside to the outside and revealing as vegetation or as the body hairs. Puberty is related to this. The soma or the praaNa flowing in our body, exhibits the presence and faculties of the Consciousness and also heralds the faculty of creation or multiplication; this is known as puberty and start of ‘periodic cycles’ when we reach the adolescence. This plant world is controlled by the shine of the Consciousness called moon or chandra. The moon is not just acting on the water mass or on the oceans and rivers creating the ebbs and tides, the moon is controlling everything related to the secretion, flow, absorption, excretion of the water or body fluid. In a more subtle way the ‘moon’ is controlling the flow of time or events with which each of us is associated and in specific way for each individual. The control or time which is originating from the sun is further processed by moon in minute and specific ways for each of us. Thus our physical build, our happening of the life, our destiny is controlled by the lunar plane. Our life in the earth and our afterlife is totally under the control of the moon god or chandra. The lunar calendars and astrology find their root here. 2.2.12 aa~Ngirasa This life god, Consciousness flowing in us is also called ‘aa~Ngirasa’ in Veda. aa~Ngirasa has been explained in the Veda(Upanishad) as ‘a~Nganam (of the body) rasaah (juice, spirit)-----the spirit of life, the Consciousness flowing through the limbs or the body. This is also called ‘soma’ and in a general way we call it our feelings. The absorption /assimilation of what is coming to us through our senses and the consequent results are controlled by the center of the Consciousness whose revelation in the external sky we observe as the moon. The name ‘chandra’ of the moon signifies the above aspects of the Consciousness. 2.2.13(meaning of the word chandra) The word chandra can be broken into its constituents as the following: chandra = cham + dra. cham = to sip; dra (>draShTi)= observer. It means the One who is controlling all the things concerned with sipping and consequent absorption or assimilation, secretion and flow. Thus whatever we are receiving from Universal Consciousness is getting distributed and administered through this lunar plane. This administration is specifically implemented through ‘oShadhi’. Thus the Vedas have related chandra with oShadhi. The Consciousness radiating in the outer sky, through the lunar center is circulating the spirit or the flow of vitality. This is also happening through the herbs and trees, through the vegetation, through the rivers and oceans. aa~Ngirasa or the life god is flowing as the sap. This is responsible for the life forms and the states of the living creatures. This is also creating the fragrance of the flowers and the vegetation. 2.2.14 (Olfactory sense, odour or gandha and the breathing) This fragrance is called ‘gandha’ which means the personality who holds everyone in its respective orbit. gandha= gam (going, movement) +dha (hold); each of us is held in a specific orbit rotating through the cycles of day and night, cycles of events and that depicts our life; the way each of us is held is unique and has a different odour and different styles of breathing, different patterns and rates of pulsing. Thus after Consciousness creates the senses sound, touch, vision, taste then the smell is created as the last ingredient to stabilize the creature or the created entity. The creation is completed and the breathing starts. Thus the nose is the common organ for smelling and breathing too. In the Vedas, smell is commonly addressed as ‘praaNa’ meaning the ‘life or animation’. When this stabilization happens, when the orbit becomes stable, the breathing happens steadily and the dynamic forms create a static state called body or the physicality. Thus in the Vedas, earth (and also the body) has been associated with the smell and also it has been cited that the moon supports the smell or fragrance in us (somo gandhaaya -----raatri sUktam –Rik Veda). 2.2.15. ashvinI-kumaara The divine twines and the divine physician are called ashvinI-kumaara. They are also called ‘naasatya’ meaning ‘who stay in the nose’. Thus these two twins are the divine personalities who are the in and out breathing of every entity. The continuous vibrations, the pulses of moving from out to in and in to out are these two divine personalities or the forms of the Universal Consciousness. Thus they are the divine physician who can cure anyone from any malady by the regulation of these flows. 2.2.16 (aMshu---rays of the moon); chandra, soma and nakShatra) chandra is also called aMshu-maana and the rays of the moon is called aMshu. The word aMshu is connected to the word aMsha which means ‘part’ or ‘portion’. As the lunar plane controls us and accordingly portions what we receive from the Universe or Universal Consciousness, so the rays of the moon are called ‘aMshu’ and moon is called ‘aMshu-maana’ (characterized by aMshu). It is for this reason everyone’s life is different. Someone is poor, someone is rich; someone suffers for a cause and someone rises for the same cause; someone can endure cold, another falls sick; someone enjoys an event another dislikes the same. The divinity (soma---the flow of Universal Consciousness) from the centre called ‘aditya’ (sun) and passing through the lunar centre or through the moon is flowing outbound to all of us. Then it (soma) is controlled and proportioned for every individual. This is happening under the realm of chandra (moon) along with the constellations or the stars (nakShatra). The constellations and their positions in the horoscope of an individual are like the baffles and filters which controls the soma or the flow of Consciousness to the individual in unique way. Thus the moon (chandra) executes his dominance with the stars (nakShatra). The word kShetra means a domain or an area with a specific layout. This kShetra is formed by the constellations or nakShatra. The two words nakShatra and kShetra are related. nakShtra means the personality who is constructing the ‘kShetra’ or the field that will govern the creatures. 2.2.17 (dik-direction and ap—water) In addition to nakShatra, the other two personalities of the Universal Consciousness who take part in the domination exercised by the lunar plane or chandra are the directions (dik) and ap (water). The directions are the inclinations of the flowing Consciousness or praaNa. Based on the directions or the vectors, the shape or form of a formation is fixed. Something is long, something is round, someone is sensitive, someone is dull; all these forms are different due to the actions of dik or directions or tendency of praaNa. We have already discussed the function of ‘ap’ earlier. The regulation of the Consciousness through the moon, constellations and directions are all embodied in ‘ap’ (We have mentioned earlier that ‘ap’ or water is the body of ‘praaNa’.) The creation of physicality happens from ‘ap’; physicality at the end dissolves in ‘ap’ (water) and is recreated from water. (We have discussed about the directions in the article published in Slideshare in the following link http://www.slideshare.net/debkumar_lahiri/directionsandthedeitiesgesturesoftheuniversalconsciousnessrevision1 or in the link https://www.scribd.com/doc/56463477/Directions-and-theDeities-Gestures-of-the-Universal-Consciousness ) 2.2.18 The southern fire god---- dakShiNaagni These controlling aspect of Universal Consciousness consisting of chandra, nakShatra, dik and ap are the parts of dakShiNaagni (the agni or fire of the southern or right side. South or right is the direction along which the work is discharged. dakShiNaagni has been described in Chandogya Upanishad in the chapter on the seer named upokoshala.(Chandogya Upanishad, 4 th Chapter, 10th Part.) 2.2.19 puruSha The essence of oShadhi is puruSha. The word puruSha stands for ‘individual’ and etymologically this word conveys all the fundamental characteristics of an ‘individual’ or an ‘entity’. puruSha is the individuality in each of us. It is our immaculate and nascent form. It is nascent but it always exists as our core and immutable form. On this aspect of Consciousness called ‘puruSha’ our assertion as ‘I am’ is formed. So puruSha is behind our ‘selves’ and it is our ‘selfless self’. puruSha is the Universal soul fragmented in each of us as our soul. It is the universal One as many One. It is the Universal Oneness but perceived as the One in every individual; so it is One but also many as ‘discrete One’ or fragmented ‘One’. It is something like the results you get when the number 1 is multiplied by 1 or divided by 1. This Universal soul as many souls is also termed as anu aatmaan or pratyak aatmaan in the Vedas and other texts. The Universal soul as the Universal One is called ‘aKshara aatmaan’. ‘aKshara’ means who does not decay or immutable. We feel ‘aKshara’ is us as our soul (anu aatman). Other than the word aatman for soul there is a word ‘nija’ in Sanskrit which carries the sense of ‘anu aatman’ or ‘puruSha’ in us. It conveys the sense of ‘assertion less self’. When we feel our ‘self’ it is always assertive, like ‘I am a man’, ‘I am happy’ etc. It is the feeling beyond this assertion. There cannot be any feeling, any action of Consciousness without ‘soul’, ‘nija’ or ‘purusha’. If you are not there, who will see, who will listen? But this ‘nija’ or ‘puruSha’ is beyond the self, self without any assertion or attribution and it is immutable, does not decay or die. The word puruSha can be etymologically explained as below: puruSha = puru (many)+ sha (fragmented) > the One fragmented into many. puruSha= pu (purifying) + ruSha (urge) > who is purifying or cleaning by the urge of Oneness puruSha = purvam (beforehand) + {O(औ)shat} (burnt) > who has burnt the sins beforehand (this is an explanation from Brihadaranyaka Upanishad). Thus the Universal One, the Universal soul, who is the central theme everywhere and in every entity, is as puruSha or ‘individual’ in each of us. The same One as many One. So, the sap of oShadhi is puruSha. oshadhi is carrying the urge of puRuSha. When we find the puruSha in us, who is our soul, we see the Oneness in us and all the sins are burnt. The root of the sins is the duality or knowing everything as different from the self or (more correctly) soul. Every sin is a form of death. Death is the mother of all sins. Thus the Rishis have said, ‘…..neha(not here) naanasti (difference is) kinchana (not at all); mRitoh (from the death) sa (he) mRityum(to the death) gachhati(goes) ya(who) iha(here) naaneva(difference/duality) pashyati(sees)’------not here difference is existing at all ! From the death he goes to death, he who sees the dualities. (Katha Upanishad—2/1/11). Thumbs measuring ( a~NguShTha maatra) puruSha purusha has been described as ‘a~NguShTha maatra puruSha’ meaning the ‘puruSha whose measure is just as the thumb’. Here are hymns from Upanishad: (i) a~NguShTha (thumb) maatrah(only) purusho(puruSha) madhya (inside) atmani (the being) tishthati (is existing) Ishano (controller) bhUta (of what has been created) bhavyasa (what will be) n (do not) tato (from HIM/purusha) bijugupsate (shy away). aetat vai (this is) tat (that) puruSha, just as much a thumb, is inside the being (HE) is the controller of the all those have been created and all those which will be. Don’t shy away from HIM. This is that. (kaTha Upanishad, 2/1/12). (ii) a~NguShTha (thumb) maatrah(only) purusho(puruSha) jyotiriva (like a iluuminated form)) adhUmaka (smokeless) Ishano (controller) bhUta (of what has been created) bhavyasa (what will be) sa aeva (HE is) adya (the present) sa u(also HE is) shva (the future) aetat vai (this is) tat (that) puruSha just as much a thumb is like a smokeless flame (HE) is the controller of the all those have been created and all those which will be HE is the present and HE is also the future. This is that. (kaTha Upanishad, 2/1/13). 2.2.20 vaak The essence of puruSha is vaak. This is because vaak is the faculty by which the Universal soul dissects Himself/ Herself into many individuals or multiple souls or ‘puruSha’. Every individual, every creation, every definition of Consciousness is the creation by vaak. 2.2.21 Rik The essence of vaak is Rik. When everything and everyone is perceived or known as made by vaak, collectively or as a whole it is called Rik. The entire universe, the entire creation, is from the ‘word’; it is from the ‘speaking personality’ of the Universal Consciousness. This universal orator, this speaking Consciousness is ‘Rik’ Ri = to flow or to flow to become positive. The word Rita and satya both means the ‘truth’. But, there is a difference between the two words. Rita means the un-manifested truth and satya means what is positive or what is realized. The alphabet ‘ka’ is the first consonant of Sanskrit language. Consonants are also known as ‘vya~njana varNa’. The word ‘vya~njana’ means ‘manifesting’ and the word ‘varNa’ means both ‘alphabet’ as well as ‘colour’. So, ‘Rik’ means the personality of Consciousness ready to become ‘manifested’ and this happens by the faculty of Consciousness called ‘vaak’. Thus the spirit of ‘Rik’ is ‘vaak’. 2.2.22 saama The essence of Rik is saama. saama is the equality or the sameness. This is the state before the creation or differentiation from Oneness. In saama, everything, every entity is there but in ‘sameness’. It is from saama individuals are created by vaak or Rik. This faculty of creating individual is called vaak. In an individual this faculty is called ‘vaak’ and as a whole or as personality of universal consciousness this is called ‘Rik’. Like from a piece of wood parts can be cutoff and shaped into different forms, similarly Rik or vaak shapes praaNa (or saama) into creation. If the different forms made of wood, knows that they are ‘wood’, then they are perceiving ‘saama’. Here every one can perfectly co-exist! Thus saama has been addressed as sadhu in Chandogya. sadhu means ‘noble’ and etymologically it means ‘who can perform straight away or successfully’. If there is ‘sameness’, if there is harmony, there is success. So, Chandogya has mentioned: vaageva (vaak is) Rik(rik), pranaha(praaNa is) saama ……aetat (this) mithunam (couple/conjugation) yat (what is) vaak cha(and) praaNah(praaNa) cha(and) Rik (Rik) cha (and ) saama cha(and); vaak is the Rik, praaNa is the saama; this that couple who are vaak and praaNa or Rik and saama. 2.2.23 udgItha The essence of saama is udgItha. ud is ut or up. gI means song and is connected to the word ‘gir’ meaning word or flowing stream of words. ‘tha’ means ‘sthiti’ or stability or state of rest. Whatever Universal Consciousness becomes, HE or SHE remains same and above everything. The couple vaak and praaNa lose the duality in Oneness of udgItha. In our every moment, in every sense and feeling, we are being created in that form at that moment by the union of vaak and praaNa, Rik and saama. Subsequently we change, go to another moment or another form. The previous form goes back to udgItha. This is always happening in electrifying speed. They (vaak and praaNa) are singing out of joy. Upanishad has addressed udgItha also as mukhya praaNa or principal praaNa, i.e. life of life or the life beyond death. Here there is no blemish of duality. 2.2.24 udgaana---the song that lifts us. When Consciousness is realized in physicality, it becomes ‘spoken word’ or words articulated. This physical universe which we are perceiving is the ‘articulated words’ of the Universal Consciousness. The word ‘gI’ is the root word of ‘gaana’ in Sanskrit. ‘gaana’ means ‘song’. ‘gaa’ means to ‘call’ or get something. The sense which the word ‘call’ conveys is very much in the word ‘gaana’ in Sanskrit. It means to call something by singing, to materialize something by singing; to invoke. Thus ‘udgItha’ takes us up, above, beyond the death, beyond the duality by singing, by calling. (Probably the word ‘call’ has its root in the word ‘time’ (kaala) or ‘call of the Universal Consciousness’. Upanishad has said that the couple saama and Rik or praaNa and vaak remain attached to udgItha and they are the singers who perform the songs of udgItha. Such song that takes us beyond death, such a call, is called ‘udgaana’ and the singer is called ‘udgaataa’. By knowing vaak and praaNa and udgItha, the seers who were able to sing ‘udgaana’ were also called ‘udgaataa’. Here are a few quotes on the couple vaak and praaNa or Rik and saama. (Chandogya—1/1/5) vaageva (vaak is) Rik(rik), pranaha(praaNa is) saama om iti (this om) aetat ( this) akShram (akShara—who does not decay; alphabet) udgIthah (is udgItha); tat vai aetat ( certainly this) mithunam (couple/conjugation) yat (what is) vaak cha(and) praaNah(praaNa) cha(and) Rik (Rik) cha (and ) saama cha(and). vaak is Rik, praaNa is saama, this om who does not decay is udgItha; certainly this couple are vaak and praaNa or Rik and saama. (Chandogya—1/1/6) tat (that) aetat (this) mithunam (couple) om iti (this om) aetasmin (in this) akShare (immutable One) samsRijyate (sam—perfectly; sRijyate—attached); yada (when) vai mithunou (in conjugation) samaagachhata (they enter) apayato (each enables to achieve) vai tou(together) anyonyasya (each other’s) kaamam (desire) So this couple is perfectly attached to the Immutable One called om; it is like when two enter into conjugation, one fulfils the other’s desire. 2.2.25 Dawning and raising, the upward direction. The nature of mukhya praaNa or udgItha is to take us up, beyond the duality or the death. mukhya praaNa is characterized by upward direction. As the eternal Consciousness or the mukhya praaNa sends His/Her response to us, our lives intersected by the multiple cycles of inevitable births and deaths, start taking a new course. This dawning of eternity, the dawning of the realization of endless, independent, totally accomplished state of Conscious existence directs us to a direction called ‘up’ or ‘Urdha’. We look up for the heaven. We look up for the hope. We look up for the sun. The external center of praaNa, is the sun in the external sky and is the source of vision as well as time. Chandogya has cited that by rising the sun removes the darkness and fear. So, sun is the udgItha. 2.2.26 The sun and the assimilation: aditya and adana The sun is called aditya meaning who is characterized by the non-duality or who is characterized by oneness. {(aditya> son of aditi; aditi= a(without) + diti (duality).} Also the word aditya is from the root word ‘adana’ or eating. It implies assimilation or converting all dualities into oneness. This action of assimilation we experience as time and along the course of time we change and evolve; we move up, we move toward our source. The rise of the sun is called ‘udaya’. udaya = ut(ud) + ayana (movement)---the movement of ‘ud’ or the advent of ‘udgItha’. The personality of this ‘advent’, the personality of the dawn is the goddess ‘UShaa’. 2.2.27 The physical centre of praaNa The sun who is the lord of our planetary system, is the revelation of ‘praaNa’ in the external sky. Thus ‘prashnoponishad’ has quoted: aditya(the sun) ha vai(is certainly) bhahya(external) praaNah(praaNa) udayati hi (by rising) aeShah(he—the sun) aenyam(in this) chaakShuShaM (eye) praaNam(the praaNa) anugRihanah(takes along with)--prashnopanishad-3/8. The sun is certainly the praaNa in the external. As the sun rises he takes along with him the (corresponding) praaNa who is established in the eyes. 2.2.28 The inner and the outer sun (svara and pratyaasvara) Our sense of vision is kindled and supported by the sense of vision of the universal consciousness. In our planetary system, this is the sun as the revealed centre. The sense of physical existence, sense of existence in formed and defined version is directly related to this. The sun in the external sky and eye or the sense of vision in us are the corresponding centres. We have explained before that in us this formed and defined sense are happening in the mind. Thus it is quoted as below citing the sun and the mind: atha (and now) aetasya (this {divine} manaso (mind’s) douh(divinity) sharIram (body), jyotIrUpam asou(that) aditya(sun)----Brihadaranyaka Uanishad(1/5/12); And now, the divinity is the body of this (divine) mind, the illuminated form is that sun. Also it is to be noted that we believe when we see. Thus realization in physicality happens by the sense of vision. It is the vision which takes the physical form. Mind is called the third eye or the divine eye. The advent of the knowledge or vedana (feelings) of the Universal, eternal consciousness, takes us beyond all darkness, all the fears and the dominance of death. Thus citing this advent, citing this usher (uShaa), this udaya(rise), the RiShi has said: ya (the one who) aeava(like this) asou(that) tapati(warming) tam(he) udgItham (as udgItha) upasIta (to be worshipped) udyan (by rising) tamoh(obsession/darkness) bhayam (fear) apahanti (removes) apahanta (remover) vai (thus) bhayasya(fear) tamasya (darkness) ya(who) abeam(like this) veda(knows)----Chaandogya (1/3/1). The one who is like this, that one who is warming (us) to be worshipped as udgItha; by rising he removes the darkness and the fear; the one who knows (udgItha) like this becomes the remover of fear and darkness (in others). The above is the description of praaNa /udgItha in the external (sky/space). (Here, in the above hymn the rising one is the sun and also the rising one is the Universal Consciousness rising in us; and our life force or madhayama praaNa who would not stay without air, water or food, takes the form of mukhya praaNa, eternal life, praaNa above death and fear, above all dependence as the SUN rises.) Chandogya again cited the corresponding description in the internal sky, in the inner sky or in us as below: samana (same is) u aeva ayam (this praaNa here) cha asou cha (and that—the sun; uShNa (warm) ayam (this praaNa) uShNa asou(warm is that praaNa—the sun); svarah (svara) iti (as) imam(here) achakShate (regarded as) pratyaasvara iti (pratyaa-svara) amum (there).; tasmat vaa(That’s whay) aetam imam(here this praaNa) amum cha (and there too) udgItham(as udgItha) upaasIta (to be worshipped). Same is the praaNa here (in us) and the Sun; this praaNa is warm and the sun is also warm; here he (praaNa) is regarded as svara, there (in the sun) is regarded as pratyaa-svara. svara ---sv (savyam=soul, assertion less self)+ ara (spreading from the centre like the spokes of a wheel). Consciousness who is One as the soul and who is one but not one as praaNa, is svara. As the One moves, the One remains One as the centre and becomes dual. As the One moves, the one creates duality and holds the duality in the One. This is praaNa. Love can’t be there unless there is Oneness, love can’t be there unless there is duality! (This movement into duality or discreetness is exhibited by the ‘quantum’ property of the light. This holding ‘duality’ in ‘Oneness’ while becoming dual is exhibited by the ‘wave’ property of the light.) svara also means ‘savyam ranjayati’-----colouring one by oneself! svara also means ‘sound’ or rather the ‘vowel sound. svara varNa means the alphabets in Sanskrit which are the vowels. Also varNa means both colour and alphabet. Thus as the Consciousness becomes active, creates duality from the Oneness, there is this revelation or colour as well as feeling or the sound. The Consciousness speaks or reveals as well as listens (shruti )or feels what Consciousness becomes by revealing. This is why we cannot speak without listening what we speak. Thus svara is the immutable soul revealing is us as our spirit, our life our praaNa. svara is svayam (self/ soul) archana (praising hymns) -----the ONE in us is singing about the ONE. That song is our life transforming into ‘our sound’ i.e. into our definitions and names (naama) and forms (rUpa). What is happening in each of us, in each individual, in micro, is also happening in macro as a whole. This is pratya(corresponding)-svara. Thus, (as an example), rise of the sun is ‘pratya-svara’; each of us knows or feels this rise in our specific way----this is svara. There is a word in Vedas called ‘archi’ meaning ‘flame’ or ‘sparks’. The word ‘archana’ means hymns and in true sense it means self- illuminated hymns or the ‘song of the soul’. 2.2.29 From the mortality to the eternity praaNa is active in us as our senses. The hearing, touch, vision, taste and smell are all praaNa revealed in us. As long as we live (or as long as we know or feel) without knowing the source, our feelings, knowing or our living is finite and limited. Thus there is limitation to everything in our life. Also, there is a termination. The senses decay, the breathing stops. Our vision is limited, we cannot see everything; our hearing is limited, we cannot hear all the sound and so on. As we become aware of our source, aware of the Universal consciousness who is the cause and element of all of us, our controller, we go beyond the mortality. As long as we are not lifted, as long as ‘udgaana’ is not sung, we see the duality and the ending, termination and death. Since, Consciousness is everything, this realization removes the duality or the realization reveals that the duality is the duality of Oneness. We have stated that this universal personality, who is dual as well as one is called praaNa. Death is the form of Consciousness, Oneness and duality are the forms of Consciousness. Consciousness means the One whose vision creates the ‘eyes’ (faculties of vision), the ‘viewer’ and the ‘view’; whose hearing creates the ‘ears’, the ‘listener’ and the ‘sound’ and so on. Thus the Rishis have said---pashyan (by seeing) chakShuh (the eys), shRinvan (by hearing) karNa (the ears), jighrana (by smelling) ghraNah (the nose), manvaanoh (by thinking) mannah (the mind)….. Here is the Consciousness who is independent of everything and on whom everyone depends; here is the Consciousness who knows everyone and everything, everyone is created in HIS knowledge. As long as we don’t know, we feel that praaNa is leaving us in our last moments of the earthly life. We do not know that if praaNa leaves the body, we leave along with praaNa. This leaving by praaNa is termed as ‘utkramaNa’ in the Vedas. Thus Rishis, while addressing praaNa, have cited, ‘…….maa(don’t) utkraMI (leave me)’----prashnopaniShad; it means ‘when you leave , don’t make me feel that you are departing from me !”. We feel so because in all our living we identify ourselves with our bodies, in spite of the fact that each of us says ‘my body’ and does not address the body as ‘I’. 2.2.30 udgItha and praNava and ‘om’ ‘om’ is before anything, any action. Thus it is called anuj~naa (permitting) akShara (alphabet or word). (It may be noted that though akShara means the one who does not decay or the Universal immutable soul, the word akShara also means alphabet or forms of vaak. When the puruSha (individual) described above is realized as One single Universal personality as the root and controller of the universe, then puruSha is called akShara. We have mentioned about akShara before. Thus ‘om’ is the permission behind anything. No event can occur without ‘om’. In the physical body, this centre providing permission is the ‘forehead’ and called ‘aaj~naa (permission) chakra (centre of action)’. Thus the time flows with this permission. The word ‘om’ can be broken into three alphabets as ‘a + u + m (a)’ In any action there is a beginning (a), an existence or continuation (u) and an end (m). In ‘om’, these three states or dimensions of time is in a singularity and from ‘om’ it is revealed in succession or with a sequence. Action of time is same as the flow (action) of ‘praaNa’. Thus the word ‘breathing’ is ‘shvaasa’ in Sanskrit. shvaasa= shva (time) + as (to throw) ----the throw or the flow of time. Thus Upanishad has said: tena (by om) trayI (three) vidya (faculties of the Consciousness) vartate (remains active); om iti ashrvayati (by om one is made to hear), om iti shaMsati (by om one is processed /regulated), om iti udgaayati (by om the ‘udgaan’ happens). It is by om the three faculties of the Consciousness is active. It is by om one listens. It is by om one is regulated or processed. It is by om one is taken up to the supreme state (udgItha). Any action in consciousness, or in every moment of our existence, these three things are happening. Whenever we feel, sense or know anything, it is basically listening. As we listen so we are processed in our Consciousness. Every listening or every feeling shapes us, changes us. When a feeling or a sensing is over, we enter into another feeling or another sense in the next moment. Along with the previous feeling we go back to the past or to the source. This taking away is ‘ud’ ----taking up, taking back from where it originated. Thus in every moment we are returning to our supreme state. It may be noted that from the final frozen state of physicality or bhUTa to the supreme state udgItha the count is nine. This implies ‘nava’ . nava means new as well as nine. 2.2.31 The goddess durgaa and navaraatri This udgItha is worshipped as durgaa or nava durgaa in India. As mentioned above, in Brihaaranaka Upanishad, durgaa is addressed as the deity ‘dUra’ and is mentioned as ‘mukhya praaNa’ , as ‘mukhya praaNa’ takes us away from the ‘death’. The word ‘dUra’ also means ‘distance’ or ‘away’. This also implies that in the reverse, the Consciousness is creating distance or the expanding universe. (We have discussed the expansion or inflation of the universe in the article which can be found in the following link: http://www.slideshare.net/debkumar_lahiri/the-vedic-god-of-air-vaayu-theexpandinguniverseandashvamedhaandsomerelatedsanskritenglishwordspart1). From the physicality (bhUta) to udgItha there are eight steps and udgItha is called ‘aShTama’ or ‘eighth’. udgItha is described as ‘rasanaam rasatamah aShtama’-----mother of all the elixirs and the eighth. The word aShTama (eight) etymologically also means ‘the one or the state that encompasses everything or that has gone into everything. The word ‘aShTama’ can be broken into ‘aSh +tama’. ‘aSh’= to go , to move, to shine; tama = a term indicating ‘superlative’ form. So, ‘aShTama’ or the eighth means the ‘one who has pervaded everything’. This aspect of the Universal Consciousness pervading everything is called ‘viShNu ’. The word is from the root words ‘vish’ meaning to enter and UShmaa (warmth or life). (Thus the birthday of kRiShNa (who is considered as incarnation of viShNu) is on the 8th phase of the moon during the month of shraavaNa.) 2.2.32 Ishitva and mukhya praaNa The evolution of us happens through the control of Consciousness. This control is termed as Ishitva and the Consciousness is called ‘Ishvara’. By this control, Consciousness as ‘mukhya praaNa’ takes us beyond darkness and death. The senses as the vison, touch etc. in us now make us feel both ‘good and evil’, ‘attractive and repulsive’, ‘pleasing and tormenting’. They are all characterized by duality. When we know mukhya praaNa, we find mukhya praaNa as the source of all the senses, all the activities of Consciousness, all the forms of praaNa; then we find the One in all the duality. Thus no one remains to defeat us. The death dissolves in Oneness. 2.33 deva---deity and asura The senses, the feelings which orient us or help to orient us toward divinity are in the control of devas (deva) or the deities. Divinity is the plane which is characterized by the aspect of self / soul revelation. There, one does not need anything else to get, to do or to achieve anything. There, if you want sweet, it comes to you as your own revelation and made of you! Not only that, it happens in an endless eternal manner. This is the plane of self-revelation or revelation of everything from the soul. asura means ‘asu + ra~njana’; asu means praaNa; ra~njana means ‘hue’. It is the hue or shine of praaNa but the shine covers the source emitting the shine. Thus in Brihadaranyaka (4/3/14), it is said: aaraamasya (it comforts) pashyanti(see), na (no) tam (that, the one) pashyati (sees) kashchana(ever)----it (the creature) sees(feels) the satisfaction but never sees the one who satisfies it . We are obsessed by the shine of praaNa and we do not look for the source or praaNa who is the shine. So, these are the two aspects; one community (deva) tuned toward the source and the other community (asura) tuned outward away from the source. Both are the manifestation of the Universal Consciousness and are known as children of prajaapati (lord of the creatures). Thus our vision is controlled by both the deva and asura, so we see what we like as well as what we dislike; thus the Upanishads have said that as long as the praaNa in various forms like vision, hearing, touch etc. remain divided or ‘known’ as divided, the eye sees both good and evil, the taste in the tongue could be delicious or unsavoury and so on. The word ‘du’ (also ‘dU’) is used as preposition of many Sanskrit words to convey the sense of ‘difficulty’, ‘sorrow’, ‘evil’, ‘unsavoury’ etc. this preposition has a bearing with the word ‘dUra’ explained below in connection with the goddess ‘durgaa’. Thus duHkha means sadness (du—away; kha—sky/inner sky---away from the inner sky); dustha (du—away; stha—standing) means ‘badly placed’, durgandha (du—away; gandha—fragrance/smell) means foul smell and so on. Here, this ‘du’(dU) means the distance or away from praaNa and Oneness. Thus on one hand, the Universal Consciousness is differentiating, creating distance, expanding. This expansion felt in Oneness is eternity and not seen in Oneness is void or death. (The word brahma is from the root word bRih meaning ‘to grow’ or ‘expand’, thereby meaning the expanding or growing Consciousness.) On the other hand, the Universal consciousness is taking us back through evolution of ourselves. Thus as, stated above, things are unpleasant, mortal and fleeting when only the distance or duality is prevailing on the sense. As mukhya praaNa lifts us above the death, the differentiation takes a different form. Everything becomes praaNa, blissful. Senses do not remain good or bad as before. They become ‘good above all good and all bad’, because they are all now the streams of the Oneness! This has been stated like this in Chandogya: Each sense is a personality or a deity. We are made of the five senses. These deities of the senses, like deity of speech, deity of vision, deity of taste etc. wanted to get rid of the asura aspects in them or wanted to defeat the asura .These deities were knowing themselves as separate individuals and did not know the common One (mukhya praaNa) in all of them. They thought the praaNa who is the faculty of speech is the supreme one or mukhya praaNa. asura came to know this and defeated them; so when one speaks, the one speaks both good and bad. Then they worshipped the praaNa who is the faculty of vision as the mukhya praaNa. Knowing this, asura defeated them; so when one sees, the one sees both beauty and ugly. Thus one by one, all senses are defeated and each sense is affected with good and bad. But then they realized that praaNa who is located in the ‘mouth’ (mukha) is the mukhya praaNa (i.e. the eternal source of all the praaNa who are divided among the senses). (We have explained below why mukhya praaNa is stated to be located in the mukha or mouth.) When they know this, the asura are defeated. Then the speech goes above good or bad, the vision goes above beauty and ugly, the smell goes above fragrance and foul odour and so on. They no longer are affected by the duality. They find themselves identified with the mukhya praaNa who is all the aspects of Consciousness or praaNa or senses in different forms. 2.2.34 As the praaNa lifts: Elsewhere, Upanishad has mentioned, that if any one of the senses leaves a creature, the creature can live with the remaining senses. Thus if vision leaves a person, the person continue to live as a blind person. And this in turn is true for each of the other senses. With each of the senses leaving the entity, the entity continues to live without that specific sense. But if mukhya praaNa leaves, then all the senses or the entity itself has to leave the body or has to leave it’s existing state of existence. Thus, all other praaNa, senses cannot exist without mukhya praaNa. When the praaNa s or the senses realized this, they crossed over the death. Thus, when the senses cross over the death or when we cross over the death, we or our senses which were earlier tarnished by limitation and termination (death), become eternal. In the eternity, the words or the faculty of speech, becomes agni the fire; agni is the self-revealing and all revealing personality of Universal Consciousness; agni leads every one, agni initiates everyone.(agni= ag>agra (ahead) +nI (to lead)---who leads in the front.) As ‘agni’ carries all the oblations, all the offerings to the deities, agni is called vahni (who carries, who conveys); like the words convey the messages from one to the other. Revealing, initiating, giving motion, steering to target are the aspects of praaNa or agni (also called praNagni ). Like, light and communication are the aspects of Electricity, similarly revelation and communication are the aspects of this Conscious Electricity or agni. In the eternity, the vision becomes the sun, the one whose vision brings the light to everyone. In the eternity, the ears or the faculty of hearing become the directions. The directions that direct or decide how the sounds or the feelings will be taken inside, how the listening will be assimilated. In the eternity, the smell becomes the air by whom every one breaths……..and so on! 2.2.35 Mouth and mukhya praaNa The word mukhya is derived from the word mukh. mukhya means (i) (ii) what is related to mouth (mukh); principal or chief. The mouth or face embodies all the sensory organs and is the embodiment of the five senses. Also, from the mouth the words are coming out, the words which are being created by the union of ‘praaNa’ and ‘vaak’ as mentioned earlier. The word ‘mukha’ can be broken as ‘mu’ + ‘kha’. The word ‘mu’ means ‘from where something sprouts. Thus mukula means ‘a bud’. The word ‘kha’ means the space, sky or the domain. (Like ‘khaga’ means who goes or flies in the sky—kha (sky) + ga (to go).) Thus mouth or ‘mukha’ means the domain or the space of every entity. Physically it is the hollow inside the mouth. Every entity belongs to a space or domain in the Consciousness. So, everyone is known by the face. Everyone’s senses or sensory organs are situated on the face. How everyone is placed in the Consciousness can be read from the face. Thus ‘Mouth’ is revealing. Universal consciousness speak the words and from the words universes are created. This revealing aspect is called ‘agni’ or the fire. Thus the Vedas have cited: mukhat (from the mouth) agnih (fire)----The fire was created from the mouth (Rik Veda ,puruSha sUkta). Here below are some relevant quotes from Upansihad: (i) Brihadaranyaka Upanishad(1/1/1), on mukhya praaNa ----vyaattam (from the open mouth) agnih (agni/fire) vaishvaanara. From the open mouth (of mukhya praaNa) was created the fire named vaishvaanara. vaishvaanara = vaishva means related to vishva or the universe. vishva = vi (in different directions) + shva (time or breathing)---the time or the breathing or praaNa (life god) pervading in all directions. vaishvaanara= vaishva + ana (praaNa, animation) + ara (radius or spoke of a wheel). vaishvaanara = who is animating every one , spreading from the centre like the spokes of a wheel. Thus from the mouth everything is created. The tongue is flickering, articulating the words and licking and tasting what is being created. The teeth are surrounding and guarding, as the words are getting articulated. Tooth is called danta> dam (dam =’to subdue’; also, dam= ‘abode’) + ta (tail or end). Thus, danta means those who are creating the domain or space (region of domination) at the final stage during creation. The lips are kissing every word during articulation. The kiss is called ‘chumbana’ and the related word ‘chumbaka’ means ‘kisser’ as well as ‘magnet’. Thus every word is kissed and created with a magnetic field while the word is in transition to be articulated and expressed in physicality. Where the word is condensed as seed in ‘vaak’, it is ‘vajra’. vajra is thunder or electricity and as it starts flowing, breaking, into meaning and form, it is ‘vraja’ (means movement). Thus the words for electricity and magnetic field are ‘vajra’ and ‘vraja’ respectively. As the Consciousness creates to become duality, Consciousness attracts every such dual entity to hold the entity back simultaneously. This attraction field constitutes ‘vraja’ (where kRiShNa pastured his cows and roamed with the Gopees). This ‘vraja’ is the characteristic of praaNa where oneness and duality co-exists. 2.2.36 aayasya praaNa mukhya praaNa is also addressed as ‘aayaasya praaNa’. The word ‘aayasya’ means ‘related to aasya’. ‘ayaasya’ is an adjective derived from the noun ‘aasya’. ‘aasya’ also means ‘face’ or ‘mouth’. It is from the root word ‘aas’ which means ‘to exist’ and carries the sense of the English word ‘is’. Thus Chandogya while addressing mukhya praaNa as ‘aayasya praaNa’ has explained the meaning of ‘aayasya’ as ‘aasyat (from the mouth) yat(who) ayate (moves or comes out)’. Thus it implies the One whose moving around is creating the existence of every one. (The word ‘ayate’ is the verb form of the word ‘ayana’ which also means ‘periodical motion or periodicity’. Thus is Chandi, there is a line as below: ‘vaartaa (message / sense of presence or existence) cha (and) sarva (the whole / everywhere) jagatam(world) paramaartti (extreme anguish) hantRi (killer)’ (i) You are the ‘message’ everywhere around the world You are the killer of the extreme anguish. (ii) You are the ‘sense of existence’ in every one in the whole world You are the killer of the extreme anguish. 2.2.37 durgaa and mahiShaasura Goddess durgaa kills mahiShaasura. The word mahiSha means mahi +Sha. mahi = greatness or ‘attribution’ to a personality; thus mahi is the definition or characteristics of an individual. Sha: the Sanskrit alphabet Sha ( ष ) denotes ‘ fragmentation’ . Thus the word mahiSha means an individual with his own definition and fragmented from the Universal ONE. We have explained the meaning of the word asura earlier. Accordingly, mahiShasura means,mahiSha + asura= one who is identifying oneself as a separated individual from the Universal ONE and this individuality has obscured the Universal One who is the soul of every entity. Thus killing of the demon mahiShasura means the advent of the Universal One in us and we start identifying ourselves with the Universal Consciousness. It may be noted that in the hymns to durgaa, it is mentioned that she is pressing ‘mahiShaasura’ by the thumb of her foot (angushTham mahiShopari---the thumb is on the mahiSh). This ‘thumb’ is the ‘puruSha’ described as ‘thumb like’ as mentioned in the section 2.2.19 of this article. This assertion less ‘self’ or the soul is dominating over the ‘assertive I’ or ‘I am’ (aham). The individual identity finds its root in the ‘purusha’ and realizes that this ‘purusha’ is also the universal soul. Thus ‘mahiShaasura’ is killed. 2.2.38 ashvamedha yaj~na, ashva, mukhya praaNa Brihadaranyaka Upanisahd has mentioned that when mukhya praaNa lifts the human beings above the death, mukhya praaNa assumes the name ‘ashva’. The animal horse is also termed as ‘ashva’ because it like ‘praaNa’ has the habit of running and is extremely dynamic and sturdy. Most of the time a horse remains on its four feet and ready to move. As praaNa in the form of senses and sensory organs pulling us and our body, so a horse pulls the cart. There may be many more subtle things in this animal behind the reason of naming it as ‘ashva’. Now if you remember, while explaining the word ‘vaishvaanara’, we have explained the word ‘shva’ which means ‘breathing’ as well as it means ‘time’. Thus the word ‘shva’ means breathing or life or praaNa the Consciousness, who is flowing in us as our life streams and who is clocking in us as our time or age, who is pulsing in us as our heart beats and flow of blood in our veins. The praaNa, time is running everywhere as the ‘omniscience time’, as ‘life animating everyone’. The periods like day and night, months and seasons, creation and annihilation are created as a result. praaNa is pulling the chariot called body; the horses are the sensory organs and other organs which are created from praaNa and activated by praaNa. Thus ‘ashva’ means ‘aya (to move) +shva (praaNa)’ = the moving praaNa or the moving (conscious) time. ‘ashva’ also means ‘ayam (that or here comes) shva(praaNa)’. Thus praaNa is coming, running toward us in every moment! The word medha is from the root word medh, midh or mith. It means what is formed as a result of ‘mixing’ or mithuna (from the root word mith) or assimilation. It is the knowledge, animation, enhancement of personality or enhancement of the core due to the assimilation of divinity through the regulation (shasana) by ‘praaNa’. Every moment whatever we are getting through the senses, through the sound, touch, light etc. they are part of the Universal Consciousness. Consciousness, praaNa, veda, flowing from the Universal One to each individual. This is getting assimilated in us and is becoming our ‘medha’. Thus there is this hymn to durgaa medhaasi (you are the medhaa) devi (goddess) vidita (known) akhil (all the ) shastrasaaraa (essence of scriptures) durgaasi (you are durgaa) durga(from the difficulties) bhava-saagara (of the ocean of the mortalities) nour (navigate) asangaa (immaculate) You are the medhaa by which the essence of all the scriptures can be known You durgaa immaculate, navigate us the difficulties in the sea of mortalities We are running every moment after sound, touch, vision, taste and smell. We do not know that the source of any sense in us is the Universal Consciousness who is in us as our Consciousness as our life. What is there outside is also inside us. Every sense is being felt inside. In the Consciousness inside and outside are held together. What we perceive as the external universe from which the stimulations are entering in us as the sound, light etc. is not just the external universe. It is the Universal Consciousness who is coming in us as our senses, as vision, as touch etc. in every moment. As we know the source of all the senses, our running gets tuned to the source. Whether we move in or move out, we know we are moving in the Consciousness. Thus the running horses slows down and ultimately stop running. The source and the senses those are coming out of the source are the same Consciousness. External world and the inner world (or inside) are the same and two forms of Consciousness. As the duality goes out, the sense of ‘external’ as well as ‘internal’ are realized as the two forms of the same Consciousness. This is the killing of the horse in the ritual of ashvamedha. In Oneness it is running as well as no running. The perceiver looks at the soul to get anything and does not have to work or strive for anything. The word ‘medh’ or ‘mith’ also means ‘killing’. The separate existence no longer exists when the isolated self merges in mukhya praaNa or the Universal Consciousness. The word ‘medha’ means ‘sap’ as well as ‘skill’. It is the sap and the skill we get as the mukhya praaNa steps in us. We have mentioned earlier, with the advent of mukhya praaNa, the horses or the sensory organs becomes divine, the eyes becomes the divine vision or the sun, the smell becomes the divine life or the air who is breathed by everyone, the sound or the listening becomes directions and so on. 2.2.39 nava durgaa, navamI, animal sacrifice and ashvamedha durgaa pUja (worship of the goddess durgaa) is performed in the month of ashvina which is the month of ashva or praaNa. This is the month of autumn season in India and the autumn is called sharad which also means the month of ‘sharaNa’ or the month of ‘shelter’. During this season, the earth becomes affluent and fertile after being washed by the monsoon rain. It is as if the sky or the heaven has descended on the earth making it full of fertility and life. Every season is connected with a state of the Universal Consciousness. Autumn or sharad belongs to kShiti (abode, earth, soil) tattva (pure or absolute state) and gandha (odour) tanmaatraa. (tanmaatraa means maatraa or degree of tattva). The tanmaatraa of earth or physicality is ‘gandha’ or smell. This is also expressed by the earth and the fragrance which the flowers and plants give out. We have earlier explained ‘gandha’ and the stability of a living being in the section titled ‘Olfactory sense, odour or gandha and the breathing’. Thus autumn is the ideal time that is conducive to realize how the absolute Consciousness can become stark physicality. Thus during this time, the idol of the goddess durgaa made out of clay is worshipped. The festival of nava (nine/new) raatri (nights) and the durgaa pUja commence after the ‘new moon’ of the month of ashvina. During the ninth phase of the waxing moon, on the titithi (phase) of navamI (ninth), the goddess durgaa is offered with sacrifice. In this sacrifice, the animal /human instincts are sacrificed. (Human beings have been stated in the Upanishad as the animals under the control of the deities.) As a result the instincts of the one who is sacrificed are converted into divine instincts. The sacrificed being or the sacrificed animal no longer lives driven by the instincts of the duality, decay, want and death. Thus during the ritual of the sacrifice, the mantras, which are chanted, mention that the Sun, Water, Air which are now deities, they were earlier animals. They have become deity by performing the sacrifice. The word for ‘sacrifice’ is ‘yaj’. ‘yaj’ means ‘to sacrifice, to worship, to consecrate’ etc. It actually means, ‘ya’ + ‘ja’. ‘ya’ is an antashta { (anta = inside) + stha (situated) } consonant; it is inbound; it is classified as –semi vowel and aprroximant consonant. The ‘yama’ derived from the word ‘ya’ means the act of controlling or restraining. The alphabet ‘ja’ is similar to ‘ya’ but it is outbound. ‘ja’ implies ‘janma’ or generation or birth. Thus ‘yaja’ means action which reveals the connection between ‘ya’ and ‘ja’. It reveals the connection between the creature (ja) and the regulation (ya) that controls the creature. The one who is generated or created is controlled by the divinity. The creature is the expression of divinity. Divinity is characterized by the self-revealing Consciousness. As Consciousness creates, the creature is separated as an individual, at the same time Consciousness controls or regulates the creature. This regulation is the divinity and by this regulation one day the creature finds itself back in the divinity. Thus the by the acts of ‘yaja’ those one who were having animal or human instincts are transformed into divine beings. They no longer live within the boundary of mortality. They no longer live with limited life, with limited senses, with an identity isolated form the source who is eternal. Thus when during the navamI pUjaa, the followings are some of the mantras chanted addressing the animal to be sacrificed: agni (agni) pashuraasIt (was an animal) tena (by him) ayajanta (sacrifice was performed) sa (he) aetam(this) lokam(plane or abode) ajayat(conquered / gained) yasmin agnih(where agni is located) sa (that) te(yours) lokoh (abode) bahabishati (will be) agni (the divine fire) was an animal The yajana (noun form of yaja) or sacrifice was performed by him (Thus) he gained this abode where is located the divine fire That will be your abode too sUrya (the sun) pashuraasIt (was an animal) tena (by him) ayajanta (sacrifice was performed) sa (he) aetam(this) lokam(plane or abode) ajayat(conquered / gained) yasmin sUrya (where the sun is located) sa (that) te(yours) lokoh (abode) bahabishati (will be) sUrya (the sun) was an animal The yajana (noun form of yaja) or sacrifice was performed by him (Thus) he gained this abode where is located the sun That will be your abode too vaayu (the god of air) pashuraasIt (was an animal) tena (by him) ayajanta (sacrifice was performed) sa (he) aetam(this) lokam(plane or abode) ajayat(conquered / gained) yasmin vaayu (where the god of air is located) sa (that) te(yours) lokoh (abode) bahabishati (will be) vaayu (the god of air) was an animal The yajana (noun form of yaja) or sacrifice was performed by him (Thus) he gained this abode where is located vaayu (the god of air) That will be your abode too Thus the animal is raised to the divine plane. We the human beings are considered as ‘pashu’ or animals (cattles) of the deities. We are lifted to the divinity by mukhya praaNa and this is the significance of sacrifice or valI. It does not require the slaughter of an animal. Thus Guru has said: valaaya (for the strength) valIr(valI) uchyate(it is said)----It is said that the ‘valI’ is for ‘vala’ (strength). Once you are elevated to divinity, you gain the control over the physical world. You yourself is no longer subjected to compulsory cycles of birth and death and you get emancipation from the dependence on others (duality) for your survival. 2.2.40 pashu The word pashu is from the root word ‘pash’ meaning ‘to see’ and also ‘to fasten or to bind’. Thus we are bound and controlled by the ‘observation’ of the divinity. You may remember, that earlier we explained that the source of ‘vision’ and ‘time’ (regulation) is same and is the sun in our planetary system. Thus pashu means those who are controlled by the surveillance of the divinity. Nobody has the right to slaughter an animal unless the one has the knowledge and consequent power to lift the animal to the divine plane. Only the udgaataa who can sing like mukhya praaNa can do it. If anybody else slaughters the animal, the animal may slaughter the killer as per the laws of ‘karma’. 2.2.41 Meaning of ‘beheading’ (shirashCheda) The word shira means ‘head’ as well as ‘root’. As in a tree the root is below and the tree stems up from the root, in us, the head is the root and the senses flow down all the way. Thus beheading means, to dissect or separate the physicality from the root which is omniscient, omnipotent, self-revealing Consciousness. The physicality, as per the physiology or the way the body is structured, is from the neck (kanTha) downward. The head including the neck is the seat of Consciousness and located above physicality. (It is interesting to note here that in Japanese language ‘head’ is the word pronounced as ‘atama’ which is very similar to the word ‘aatman’ meaning ‘soul’.) 2.2.42 Throat/ kaNTha’ The throat is called ‘kaNTha’. It means, kaN + Tha. kaN means to become small or to fragment. Tha is the ‘aspirated consonant’. Consciousness creates from Consciousness and thus from ONE the fraction is created. This creation is physicalized or articulated as spoken words. From our throats, the words are sounded. From the throat of the Universal Consciousness the ‘defined and formed’ entities are being created. Thus above is the significance of shirashCheda or sacrifice by decapitation. Thus in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, RiShi has cited: om uShaa (uShaa ) vaa asvasya (of the horse) medhyasya (who is our sap) shirah (the head). (Brihadaranyaka, 1st chapter)------om, UShaa is the head of the sacrificial horse! Thus the rising dawn, the rising uShaa, bringing the eternal light, heralding the eternity above the death and limitation, is the head of the horse or the mukhya praaNa who is our sap, who is our core. 2.2.43 yaj~na and pashu The word yaj~na is related to the word yajana. yaj~na also normally means ‘sacrifice’ , ‘worship’ etc. etymologically it means, ya (control)+ j~na (knowing, knower). The word j~na ( ज ) sounds like ‘know’. It means the ‘knower’ or the ‘one who is knowing’. Action of the Consciousness means ‘to know’. Any action in Consciousness is an ‘act of knowing’. Consciousness remains immutable, unchanged in the core and simultaneously is becoming everything by being active. This remaining still in the core is ‘j~na’ and being active is ‘ana’ or ‘praaNa’. Thus the knowledge is called ‘j~naana’ i.e. ‘j~na (ज, knower/the immutable soul/puruSha) + ana (praaNa, animation, flow of shakti ). In this context, ‘yaj~na’ means the ‘control or regulation by knowing’. Thus the motion of the earth, the periodicity of the time, the events of the universe are all held in the ‘knowledge’ of the Universal consciousness and being regulated by the ‘process of knowing’. We in tur are living in our ‘knowledge’. Thus a question was answered by the great sage named ‘yaaj~navalkya’ as below: Question (by shaakalya): katamah (what is) yaj~nah (yaj~na)? (Question) What is yaj~na? Answer (by yaaj~navalkya): pashavah(the animals) iti. (Answer) The animals. (the word pashavah is the plural form of the word ‘pashu’ ). So, the ‘yajana’ or the ‘yaj~na’ without ‘pashu’ or without the animals cannot exist. In every action ‘mukhya praaNa’ is lifting everyone who is in the realm of duality to the Oneness, to the state above duality. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (1/1/2) has said, when mukhya praaNa lifts: (i) mukhya praaNa is called ‘haya’ when he lifts the deities above the (ii) death; mukhya praaNa is called ‘vaajI’ when he lifts the gandharva s above the death; (iii) mukhya praaNa is called ‘arvaa’ when he lifts the asura s above the death. (In this context it is interesting to note that the name Assyria is originated from the word ‘asura’ and the name ‘Arab’ seems to be from ‘arvaa’.) (iv) mukhya praaNa is called ‘ashva’ when he lifts the human beings above the death And, so these are the mantras addressed to the sacrificial animal: yaj~naarthe (for the sake of yaj~na) pashavah (animals ) sRishtvaa (are created) yaj~naarthe (for the sake of yaj~na) pashu (an animal) ghaatanam (is slaughtered) atohstam (now you) ghaatayaShyami (I will slaughter) tasmaat (that’s why) yaj~ne (in the yaj~na) badhah (slaughter) abadhah (is not the slaughter). Animals are created for the sake of yaj~na An animal is slaughtered for the sake of yaj~na And now I will kill you That’s why in yaj~na slaughter turns out to be not a slaughter. mahishaasura is killed during the pUjaa (worship) of navamI. This is becoming new, ever new; no more decay, no more obsession, no more want. Consciousness gets Consciousness in ever newness. Thus udgItha is addressed by the single word ‘om’ and ‘om’ is also called ‘praNava’ meaning who makes us perfectly (pra) new (nava). In this newness nothing decays. Nothing becomes worn and fade. Thus the acknowledgement to this is addressed to the Mother Consciousness in the following hymns of the veda. jaatavedase (for the jataveda) sunavama (perfectly new) somam (soma) araati (the adversities) atoh(these) ni (completely) dahati (burn) veda(the knowing) sah (she) nah(us) parShadati(navigate) dUrgaani(difficulties) vishvaa(world) naavebha (like the ship) sindhum(across the sea) duritaatyagni (from what is difficult to reach, oh agni) For jaata-veda (who generates by knowing and who knows what is generated) we have made the ‘soma’ perfectly new Let she completely burn the knowledge that creates adversities Let she sail us across the difficulties of the world Like a ship is navigated over the sea, let agni take us away from all the hardships.