Manthana – Contemplation

Manthana literally means churning. One should churn the mind to constantly think of spiritual matters. Hence, here is my collection of quotes, questions, thoughts and reflections that I keep asking and reminding myself all the time.

P.S.: The one next to Gregorian date is nirayana amānta lunisolar date.

2024-11-29 | 5125-08-K14

Fatal flaw in sidereal lunisolar calendars

By definition, one would expect that the sidereal (nirayana) lunisolar calendars obtain their month names (Caitra, Vaiṡākha, etc.) based on the nakshatra of the full-moon day in those months (Citrā, Viṡākhā, etc.). But this logic will fail every several years, especially after an intercalary month (adhika-māsa). An adhika-māsa is added about once every 2yr 4mo.

The above table holds true for both amānta and pūrṇimānta calendars on the given tithis based on Lahiri Ayanamsha (location Ujjain). If you choose some other ayanamsha, the same mismatch occurs but on different Gregorian dates.

2024-11-28 | 5125-08-K13

Powers of 10 in the Taittiriya Upanishad

The 8^th anuvāka of Ānanda-vallī of Taittirīya Upaniṣad (TU 2.8) talks about increasing levels of bliss of different (classes of) living beings. Each one is a 100 times more blissful than the one previous to itself. We can build a table thus:

This probably explains why Indians group two digits at a time even today, whereas Westerners do it three digits at a time (e.g. 12,34,56,789 vs 123,456,789).

But note that the same passage says that one who is well-versed in the Vedas and free from desires achieves all these levels of bliss and beyond – ‘ṡrōtriyasya cākāmahatasya’!

2024-11-27 | 5125-08-K12

Nakula defeats Parthians, Pahlavis and Barbarians

There’s an interesting verse from Sabhā Parva (2.29.15-16 BORI):

tataḥ sāgara-kukṣisthān mlēcchān parama-dāruṇān
pahlavān barbarāṃṡ caiva tān sarvān anayad vaṡam
tatō ratnāny upādāya vaṡē kṛtvā ca pārthivān

Then (Nakula) took control over the highly violent Mlecchas of the gulf (kukṣi) of ocean. Also, all the Pahlavis and Barbarians. He brought forth gems of those Parthian kings.

It is clearly refering to the Persian Gulf of Arabian Sea. The lands of Parthians and Pahlavis are in today’s north-eastern Iran or north-west Afghanistan. These two kingdoms/languages flourished between ≈200 BCE to ≈200 CE. Barbarian was the name given by Greeks to those people who didn’t speak the Greek language (similar to our term mleccha for those who didn’t speak Sanskrit). Barbarians could’ve been Egyptians, Persians, Medes or Phoenicians. The earliest reference to Barbarians seems to be written by a Greek author Xenophon (died ≈35 BCE) in his work “Cyropedia” on the Persian king Cyrus.

From these references, it is clear that this verse (or the Mahabharata in general) was composed around 200 BCE or thereabouts. The revered sage Vyāsa could not have narrated this verse in ≈3000 BCE because these kingdoms and languages didn’t exist at all then.

Though I’ve not quoted, the same chapter talks about Hārahūṇa (the Huns?) and Ramaṭha (the Romans?). There’s also a reference to Ṡākala kingdom which is where the Rig Veda Shakala samhita was famously recited.

2024-11-15 | 5125-08-S15

Lord Sri Krishna Himself is Sanatana Dharma

Kārttīka Pūrṇimā

Quite often people ask, what is Sanatana Dharma (aka Hinduism)? The Vana Parva of Mahabharata gives a nice answer (BORI 3.86.22+):

puṇyā dvāravatī tatra yatrāstē madhusūdanaḥ
sākṣād dēvaḥ purāṇō’sau sa hi dharmaḥ sanātanaḥ /3.86.21/
yē ca vēdavidō viprā yē cādhyātmavidō janāḥ
tē vadanti mahātmānaṃ kṛṣṇaṃ dharmaṃ sanātanam /3.86.22/
pavitrāṇāṃ hi gōvindaḥ pavitraṃ param ucyatē
puṇyānām api puṇyō’sau maṅgalānāṃ ca maṅgalam /3.86.23/
trailōkyaṃ puṇḍarīkākṣō dēvadēvaḥ sanātanaḥ
āstē harir acintyātmā tatraiva madhusūdanaḥ /3.86.24/

Blessed is the city of Dvārakā, where Lord Madhusūdana resides. He is indeed the primeval divine being, the Sanatana Dharma. Those Brahmins who are well-versed in the Vedas and those who are knowledgable in the Spirit, say that the great Soul Lord Ṡrī Kṛṣṇa is Sanātana Dharma itself. Lord Gōvinda is the purest among the pure, the most meritorious of all and the most auspicious of all. The lotus-eyed Lord Puṇḍarīkākṣa is the eternal god of gods of the three worlds. Lord Hari, the Madhusūdana, who is incomprehensible, resides in them.

2024-06-19 | 5125-03-S12

Supremacy of Pitāmaha Brahmā over other dēvatas

The glory of Pitāmaha Caturmukha Brahmā (Grandsire) is mentioned in Sabhā Parva Chap 11. It calls Brahmā as immsensely Intelligent (amitadhīḥ), the Inner Soul (viṡvātmā), Merciful towards all creation (dayāvān sarvabhūtēṣu). Whatever exists in the three worlds, moving or non-moving, are to be seen in Brahma sabhā (yac ca kiṃ cit triloke’smin dṛṡyate sthāṇu-jaṅgamam).

Instead of calling Lord Nārāyaṇa as Bhagavān, he is simply referred to as an ordinary dēva god (devō nārāyaṇas tasyāṃ) but Brahmā is addressed as Bhagavān (tasyāṁ sa bhagavān āste). Three consorts, Ṡrī, Lakṣmī and Hrī, are mentioned, the first two being mentioned together. The wife of Rudra, Rudrāṇi, is also mentioned as having attending Brahmā’s sabhā.

prādhā kadrūṡ ca tā dēvyaḥ tatrāsan dēvamātaraḥ
rudrāṇī ṡrīṡ ca lakṣmīṡ ca bhadrā ṣaṣṭhī tathāparā
pṛthivī gāṃ gatā dēvī hrīḥ svāhā kīrtir ēva ca
surā dēvī ṡacī caiva tathā puṣṭir arundhatī
saṃpattir āṡā niyatiḥ sṛṣṭir dēvī ratis tathā
ētāṡ cānyāṡ ca tā dēvya upatasthuḥ prajāpatim

Lord Mahādēva Ṡiva with his wife Umā and son Kārttikēya (Mahāsēna) are separately mentioned in Northern recensions, but Southern mentions only Mahādēva:

Northern (B D V1)
mahādēvaḥ sahōmō’tra sadāgacchati sarvaṡaḥ
mahāsēnaṡ ca rājēndra sadōpāstē pitāmaham
   Southern (M T G)
mahādēvaṡ ca bhagavān sadāgacchati parvasu
mahādēvaṡ ca bhagavān nityāmāstē pitāmaham

Of course the whole gamut of other gods and goddesses, rishis, etc. are mentioned in that chapter, except for the wife of Brahmā, Dēvī Sarasvatī herself! There is even a hint that Brahmā is alone in the Sabhā (svayam ēkō’niṡaṃ rājam̐l lōkām̐l lōkapitāmahaḥ), so likely without any wife.

The above verses are found in both Northern and Southern recensions (but not in BORI, probably because Kashmiri mss. omit them).

2024-06-18 | 5125-03-S11

Arya Samaj jugglery on ‘Purana’ in the Atharva Veda 11.7.24

All the orthodox schools of Hinduism accept the validity of Itihāsa and Purāṇas (as long as they support Vedas). However, Arya Samaj is peculiar in its rejection of the Puranas, specifically Ṡrīmad Bhāgavatam and Brahma Vaivarta Purana (which deals with Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa mythology) – see Swami Dayananda Sarasvati’s Ṛgvēdādi-bhāṣya-bhūmikā Ch. 38.

However, the Atharva Veda itself mentions that Purana originated from the Creator:

ṛcaḥ sāmāni chandāṃsi purāṇaṃ yajuṣā saha
ucchiṣṭāj jajñire sarve divi devā diviśritaḥ /AV Ṡaunaka 11.7.24/

“The Ṛk mantras (Ṛg Veda), Sāmans (Sāma Veda), Chandas (Atharva Veda), Purana, Yajus (Yajur Veda), and all the gods resident in the heavens were produced from ‘ucchiṣṭa’ (of the Creator)”.

Since Arya Samaj cannot digest this fact, the Hindi translation if Pt. Jayadeva Sharma resorts to word-jugglery:

Pt. interprets Purana as those portions (bhāg) of the Veda Samhitas and Brāhmaṇas which deal with creation, dissolution etc., instead of translating it as Purana body of literature. But, these portions are a subset of the already-mentioned scriptures in the above verse. Why would the Vedic Ṛṣi Abharvā repeat himself? In fact, 18 Puranas are explicitly meant to exposit creation, dissolution, etc. owing to their Pan̄ca-lakṣaṇas.

This seems to be a serious lapse and direct contradiction to the core tenets of Arya Samaj.

2024-06-17 | 5125-03-(S11)

No humanity in the Mahabharata or Ramayana?

What is an Indian word for humanity? Most people today will say “mānavatā” or “mānavatva”. But these words are unattested. A cursory search in the Mahabharata or Ramayana reveals the absence of both these words.

Instead, some hits are found for “manuṣyatva”, “mānuṣatva” and “mānuṣatā”. These are far and few. Even then, the sense of the meaning seems to be like “human-ness” or “human-hood” and not in the sense of “being humane; compassionate; generous” etc.

03178012c manuṣyatvāt paribhraṣṭas tiryagyōnau prasūyatē
03178013a tiryagyōnyāṃ pṛthagbhāvō manuṣyatvē vidhīyatē
12173008c manuṣyatvē ca vipratvaṃ sarva ēvābhinandati
12292036c manuṣyatvāc ca dēvatvaṃ dēvatvāt pauruṣaṃ punaḥ
12292036e manuṣyatvāc ca nirayaṃ paryāyēṇōpagacchati
12292041a tiryagyōnau manuṣyatvē dēvalōkē tathaiva ca
12293002c tiryagyōnau manuṣyatvē dēvalōkē tathaiva ca

and many others. Basically refering to the triad of moving living beings – dēva (god), tiryak (animal) and manuṣya (human). Plants are “sthāvara” (non-moving).

2024-06-01 | 5125-02-K09+

Idol worship by Yudhiṣṭhira

From the Sabhā Parva, chapter 4 (found in all recensions):

dadau tēbhyaḥ sahasrāṇi gavāṃ pratyēkaṡaḥ prabhuḥ
puṇyāhaghōṣas tatrāsīd divaspṛg iva bhārata /3/
vāditrair vividhair gītair gandhair uccāvacair api
pūjayitvā kuruṡrēṣṭhō daivatāni nivēṡya ca /4/

King Yudhiṣṭhira gave each of them (brāhmaṇas) one thousand cows. O Bhārata! Their puṇyāha-vacana seemed to touch heaven. The best of Kurus worshipped (pūjayitvā) the gods with music, manifold songs and variegated fragrances and established them in a place (nivēṡya).

nivēṡa means a dwelling place, habitation like a house, etc. Here it clearly says that devatas (gods) were situated in a physical location. This is definite proof of idol worship of gods. Only then he could offer them fragrances and music, isn’t it?

2024-05-31 | 5125-02-K08

Lord Ṡrī Kṛṣṇa believed in auspicious timings (tithi, nakṣatra, muhūrta)

As before, the context is the return of Ṡrī Kṛṣṇa from Indraprastha to Dvārakā after freeing demon Mayāsura from the buring Khāṇḍava forest. Here’s an interesting verse from the Mahābhārata Sabhā parva (BORI 2.12-13, found in all recensions):

kān̄canaṃ ratham āsthāya tārkṣya-kētanam āṡugam
gadā-cakrāsi-ṡārṅgādyair āyudhaiṡ ca samanvitam
tithāv atha ca nakṣatrē muhūrtē ca guṇānvitē
prayayau puṇḍarīkākṣaḥ sainya-sugrīva-vāhanaḥ

The Lord ascended his swift golden chariot that had Tārkṣya (Garuḍa) as its flag. Carrying his mace, disc, bow and other weapons the lotus-eyed one left at an auspicious (guṇānvita) muhūrta, tithi and nakṣatra, pulled by his horses Sainya and Sugrīva.

Note that Ṡrī Kṛṣṇa didn’t have conchshell (ṡaṅkha) at this stage of the epic yet. He obtained the disc (sudarṡana cakra) and mace (kaumōdakī gadā) for the purpose of burning Khāṇḍava forest from Agnidēva. In this verse, His bow (ṡārṅga dhanus) is mentioned too.

Note that there is no mention of weekday or yōga or karaṇa found in modern Panchangas. Only tithi-nakshatra-muhurta mattered in the times of Mahabharata. Maybe like this?.

These are called “electional timings” in astrology.

2024-05-31 | 5125-02-K08

Lord Ṡrī Kṛṣṇa worships devatas and uses japa-mālā

The context is the return of Ṡrī Kṛṣṇa from Indraprastha to Dvārakā after freeing demon Mayāsura from the buring Khāṇḍava forest. Here’s an interesting verse from the Mahābhārata Sabhā parva (BORI 2.10, found in all recensions):

arcayām āsa dēvāṃṡ ca dvijāṃṡ ca yadu-puṅgavaḥ
mālya-japya-namaskārair gandhair uccāvacair api

Ṡrī Kṛṣṇa the hero of Yadus performed arcanā to the gods (dēvāḥ) and the brahmanas with mālyajapa (japa with rosary), namaskāra (obeisances with folded hands), fragrances and high praise.

2024-05-18 | 5125-02-S10

Happy Vāsavī Jayantī 🙏

I recently came across this nice explanation of the name Adhōkṣaja as applied to Lord Ṡrī Kṛṣṇa. There’s a note #967 is in the Harivaṃsa chapter 96 (BORI), as translated by Bibek Debroy. Like we know, the demon Ṡakaṭāsura took the form of a cart in order to kill Ṡrī Kṛṣṇa who was lying beneath it. Despite being under the card, Ṡrī Kṛṣṇa wasn’t killed (BORI chap. 50). In that sense, he was born again. adha means under and akṣa means axle, wheel or cart itself. Adhōkṣaja is the one who is born under the wheels.

2024-05-08 | 5125-01-K15+

What are the names of eight chief wives of Ṡrīkṛṣṇa?

There is a lot of variance in the names of wives of Lord Ṡrī Kṛṣṇa in different scriptures. However, I consider Harivaṃṡa to be more authoritative than Bhāgavata Purāṇa (itihāsa > purāṇa). There are two places where the list is given (BORI chap. 88 and 98):

mahiṣīḥ sapta kalyāṇīs tatō’nyā madhusūdanaḥ
upayēmē mahābāhur guṇōpētāḥ kulōdbhavāḥ /88.40/

Madhusūdana had seven other fortunate wives (other than Rukmiṇī). The mighty-armed one married those who were born in noble lineages and possessed good qualities.

Note that all the recensions say seven, not eight wives, other than Rukmiṇī. It is sapta in all manuscripts!

kālindīṃ mitravindāṃ ca satyāṃ nāgnajitīṃ api
sutāṃ jāmbavataṡ cāpi rōhiṇīṃ kāma-rūpiṇīm /88.41/

Kālindī - Mitravindā, Satyā the daughter of king Nagnajit, the daughter of Jāmbavat Rohiṇī who was beautiful in form.

madrarāja sutāṃ cāpi suṡīlāṃ ṡubha-lōcanām
satrājitīṃ satyabhāmāṃ lakṣmaṇāṃ cāruhāsinīṃ
ṡaibyāṃ sudattāṃ rūpēṇa ṡriyā hy apsarasōpamām /88.42/

The daughter of the king of Madra (name not given), who possessed good conduct and auspicious eyes, the daughter of Satrājit Satyabhāmā, Lakṣmaṇā whose smiles were beautiful, and Sudattā the daughter of Ṡaibya, who was like an apsara in her beauty.

There is another list in chapter 98:

aṣṭau mahiṣyaḥ putriṇya iti prādhānyataḥ smṛtāḥ
sarvā vīraprajāyinyastāsvapatyāni mē ṡṛṇu /98.2/

It is chiefly said that all the eight queens had children. All these offspring were brave. I will tell you about his sons. Listen.

Here again, including Rukmiṇī, there were eight wives. The word aṣṭau occurs in all manuscripts.

rukmiṇī satyabhāmā ca dēvī nagnajitī tathā
sudattā ca tathā ṡaibyā lakṣmaṇā cāruhāsinī /98.3/

Rukmiṇī, Satyābhamā, queen Nagnajitī (or Nāgnajitī) daughter of king Nagnajit, Sudattā daughter of king Ṡaibya, and Lakṣmaṇā of the beautiful smiles.

mitravindā ca kālindī jāmbavaty atha pauravī
subhīmā ca tathā mādrī raukmiṇēyāni māṃ ṡṛṇu /98.4/

Mitravindā - Kālindī, Jāmbavati of Paurava lineage and Subhīmā of Mādra lineage. Hear about Rukmiṇī’s children.

From the above two lists, we can deduce that:

Some notes:

1. The name Bhadrā of Bhāgavata Purāṇa is not found. Probably she is same as Subhīmā aka Mādrī.
2. Kālindī and Mitravindā are named adjacently. Though Bhāgatava Purāṇa distinguishes them, here they must refer to same person, because:
   • if we take them to be two persons, then the numbers seven and eight would lead to miscalculation in both places.
   • the same chapter 98 lists progeny through all the above wives, including Kālindī, but not separately for Mitravindā, implying that they both are one and the same.
   • chapter 93 lists the palaces of the queens, in this order: Rukmiṇī, Satyabhāmā, Jāmbavatī, daughter of Gāndhāra king (Nagnajit), Bhīmā (=Subhīmā), Lakṣmaṇā, Sudattā and Mitravindā. Since only Kālindī is left out, she must be same as Mitravindā.
3. Jāmbavatī seems to be called Pauravī (i.e., of Paurava or Pūru lineage) and Rohiṇī (born in that Rōhiṇī nakṣatra). In fact, the D3 mss. uses “rohiṇī” instead of “pauravī” in /98.4b/.

Above instances are the only ones where eight wives are mentioned in the entire Harivaṃṡa.

Queen Nāgnajitī/Satyā is also worshipped as Nīlā Dēvī in Mādhva sampradāya and Rāmānuja sampradāya. Harivaṃṡa does not describe this episode of Kṛṣṇa fighting seven bulls to win her.

2024-05-05 | 5125-01-K12

Beautiful prayer to Lord Hari and Lord Vāsudeva from the benedictory verses of the Harivaṃṡa. These are found in most southern manuscripts (including Malayalam mss.) as starred passages 14^* and 15^* in the BORI critical ed.:

चक्रं यय्स भुजाग्र-हस्त-ललितं विद्युत्-प्रभं राजते
शङ्खो यस्य विराजते करतले संपूर्ण-चन्द्र-प्रभः
माला यस्य सचम्पका सतिलका साशोक-नीलोत्पला
स त्वां पातु षडर्ध-विक्रम-गतिस् त्रैलोक्य-नाथो हरिः

योऽविद्यायैर् अशेषैर् मनसि विनिहितैः क्लेश-संज्ञैस् त्रिदोषैर्
अस्पृष्टो निर्गुणत्वात् परम-गुरुरजः-कर्मभिस् तत्फलैर् वा
सर्वज्ञत्वादि-युक्तो निरतिशय-सुख-प्राप्ति-हेतुर् यतीनां
सोऽनादिर् वासुदेवः शमयतु दुरितं सर्व-जन्मार्जितं वः

2024-02-04 | 5124-10-K09

Inspired by the vocative case in the “Hare Rāma Hare Kṛṣṇa” mantra, a triṣṭubh hymn to Lord Gōvinda:

gōvinda bhāmā-priya kṛṣṇa viṣṇō
hē rukmiṇīṡa ṡruti-dharma-gōptaḥ
hē vāsudēvā’mṛta yajna yōgin
nārāyaṇābhūḥ paramātma-rūpin

O Govinda! O husband of Satyabhāmā! O Kṛṣṇa! O Viṣṇu! O husband of Rukmiṇī! O guardian of Dharma of the Vedas! O Vāsudēva, the immortal! O Yajn̄a personified! O Yogi! O Nārāyaṇa, the unborn, in the form of the Paramātma!

This verse references the most important concepts of Hinduism – Vedas, Yajn̄a, Yoga, Dharma. The impersonal aspect of God – Paramātman. The personal aspect God, yet transcendatal – Nārāyaṇa, Vāsudēva and Viṣṇu, of the so-called Viṣṇu Gāyatrī in Taittirīya Up. And my favourite worshippable form of personal, accessible aspect of God – Lord Kṛṣṇa with Rukmiṇī and Satyabhāmā.

Why these names? Let’s start with Ṡruti - the Vedas. When God descends to Earth, if he contradicts the Vedas, we will discard God Himself (c.f. Buddha avatāra). Why is the Veda so important? Because, it is the basis of Dharma. Without the knowledge of dharma, there would be no course of action for humans. Many hymns of Ṛg-vēda, esp. the Puruṣa-sūkta, directly address Lord Viṣṇu. One of the synonyms of Veda is Viṣṇu itself. He alone is the protector (gōptaḥ < √gōptṛ) of Vedic Dharma (Gītā 4.8). This is the reason for viṣṇō and ṡruti-dharma-gōptaḥ.

What is the central topic of the Veda? It is Yajn̄a (offering/ritual). Yajn̄a is Lord Viṣṇu personified (yajn̄o vai viṣṇuḥ – Ṡatapatha Br.). Everything is yajn̄a – the devatās, prakṛṭi, indriyas, japa, etc.

Lord Nārāyaṇa exists as the immanent Paramātma (“Supersoul”) in all existence – antar bahiṡ ca tat sarvaṃ vyāpya nārāyaṇaḥ sthitaḥ.

The above verse is in the Indravajra metre (11 x 4), where each pāda is GGLGG,LLGLGG (caesura after 5^th syllable).

However, the above is missing many Vedic concepts – Puruṣa, Hiraṇyagarbha, Prajāpati, Parabrahman, Īṡvara – due to lack of space. Here is a longer Anuṣṭup poem:

gōvindaṃ paramātmānaṃ nārāyaṇaṃ prajāpatim
vāsudēvaṃ parabrahma viṣṇuṃ puruṣam īṡvaram

hiraṇyagarbham avyaktaṃ yajn̄a-yōgaṃ guruṃ harim
jn̄ānam anantam ānandaṃ satyam ṛtam adhōkṣajam

sarvajn̄aṃ ṡāṡvataṃ dharmaṃ sarvagaṃ karma-sākṣiṇam
dēva-bhṛtaṃ guṇōpētaṃ vēda-guhyaṃ janārdanam

bhrājiṣṇum praṇavaṃ ṡabdaṃ sāttvatam ēkam uttamam
maṅgaḻa-rūpiṇaṃ viṡvaṃ kālam annaṃ parāyaṇam

bhōktāraṃ pitaraṃ ṡuddham ātmānaṃ patim aṃṡinam
svāminaṃ rakṣakaṃ jn̄ēyam ādhāraṃ sarva-ṡēṣiṇam

bhagavantaṃ kṛpā-sindhuṃ nityam avyayam akṣaram
rukmiṇī-bhāmayōḥ kāntaṃ kṛṣṇaṃ acyutam āṡrayē

The above is in the accusative case, with explicit words “I seek shelter” – āṡrayē (√āṡri Ā.P. cl. 1). Notice that the three names of gāyatrī – Nārāyaṇa, Vāsudēva and Viṣṇu – all in the same verse.

He is the supreme controller (īṡvara), the supreme person of the Vedic Puruṣa-sūkta (puruṣa), the ultimate teacher (guru), the embodiment of Eternal Dharma ṡāṡvata dharma, yōga personified – none other than the husband of Rukmiṇī and Satyabhāmā. The usage of “ēkam” is to signify that all these names refer to the unique pre-eminent person – hence singular, not plural.

A slight variation could be: yajn̄ayōgaṃ → yajn̄aṃ yōgaṃ (Yajn̄ayōga is an explicit name of Viṣṇu).

The fifth verse reflects the nine types of relationship with the Lord as bhōkṭṛ (enjoyer), pitṛ (father), pati (husband), ṡuddhātman (soul for whom cit-acit are the body), svāmin (owner), rakṣaka (protector), jn̄ēya (the one to be known about), ādhāra (supporter) and ṡēṣin (the independent one). Aṃṡin refers to Bhagavad Rāmānuja’s “part-whole” concept (aṃṡa-aṃṡi sambandha) of viewing the Lord as the whole of which we’re the parts. A slight variation in the verse could be pitaram → janakam. Swami Velukkudi Krishnan cites the original verse from Sri Vacana Bhusanam.

The above is still missing abheda/advaya/advitīya, sat, cit, amala, svatantra, sarvātīta/viṡvātīta, viṡvakṛt, viṡvavit, viṡvadhṛk, etc.

2023-08-06 | 5124-(05)-K06

Dedicating this verse to Tirumala-Tirupati Ṡrī Vēṅkaṭēṡa 🙏:

padmāvatīṡaṃ gōvindaṃ ṡēṣācalaprabhuṃ harim
pādau prapadyē ṡaraṇaṃ mukundaṃ vakuḻāsutam

“I offer full surrender at the feet of Gōvinda – the husband of Padmāvatī, Hari – the lord of Ṡēṣācala Hills, Mukunda – the son of Vakuḻā Dēvī.”

The word Govinda is rich in meaning, as already expounded. Hari is He who removes one’s sins (harir harati pāpāni). Mukunda is He who grants liberation (mōkṣaṃ dadāti yaḥ).

The Divine couple are sought after together, because they are never without each other. Padmāvatī is She who is seated on a lotus (padmā) – Mother Lakṣmī. Govinda is always in love with Her. Though Ṡrī Vēṅkaṭēṡvara is the son of Vakuḻā Dēvī in this līlāvatāra, He is the Supreme Being who alone can grant release from this saṃsāra, hence Mukunda.

The words “ṡaraṇaṃ”, “hari” and “mukunda” are in reference to Gita 18.66 – “mām ēkaṃ ṡaraṇaṃ vraja. ahaṃ tvā sarva pāpēbhyō mokṣyiṣyāmi” – surrender, removal of sins and deliverence of mōkṣa.

The idea is to never meditate on the Lord alone but always in association with His beloved consort (Ṡrīdēvī), His devotees (Vakuḻā Dēvī) and His divine abode (Ṡēṣācala aka Bhū-Vaikuṇṭha).

2023-05-21 | 5124-03-S02

Names of 12 Ādityas (dvādaṡādityāḥ)

Wikipedia lists the names of 12 Adityas. Their names are somewhat divergent in various scriptures. The Mahābhārata itself contains three different lists! Bhāgavata Purāṇa ties it up with month names found in the Yajur Veda and Vedāṅga jyōtiṣa (Madhu, Mādhava, etc.) and lunar months (Caitra, Vaiṡākha, etc.). Its list matches somewhat with the one in M.Bh. The Hari Vaṃṡa has same names but in a completely different order. The Viṣṇu Purana copies the one from Hari Vaṃṡa.

The names of 11 Ādityas are common to all of these (ignoring order). The twelfth one is either Savitṛ or Parjanya.

¹ Pūṣā and Tvaṣṭā are transposed in Nilakanṭha and all southern mss.
² All southern mss. agree with this reading. But critical ed. lists 13 (!) names in total, in this order, after Pūṡā: Tvaṣṭā, Savitā, Parjanya, Viṣṇu.

What’s the right order?

The hint is in the Bhāgavatam. Viṣṇu is listed last (12^th) in the verse but He is mapped to eighth month (not 12^th). [But Prof.K.S.Narayanacharya in Veda Samskritiya Parichaya - Part 4 does not swap the orders, i.e. Viṣṇu-māsa is 12^th Phālguna]. So it means that the order of listing is in accordance with significance/superiority (ajaghanyō jaghanyajaḥ, see below), not necessarily the order in which the Sun traverses the months. Another reason could be lingustic/metrical restrictrions (chandas) so the poet has chosen a particular order different from others. Only the Bhāgavatam gives explicit mapping to month names, all other scriptures just give out a list. We cannot assume that the list is in the order of month names, unless explicitly stated. Another example would be in Hari Vaṃṡa (v.i.), where the Vēdānġa months are given out-of-order, to fit Sanskrit metre.

Mahabharata

From the critical edition:

01059015a dhātā mitrō’ryamā ṡakrō varuṇaṡ cāṃṡa ēva ca
01059015c bhagō vivasvān pūṣā ca savitā daṡamas tathā
01059016a ēkādaṡas tathā tvaṣṭā viṣṇur dvādaṡa ucyatē

01114055a dhātāryamā ca mitraṡ ca varuṇō’ṃṡō bhagas tathā
01114055c indrō vivasvān pūṣā ca ‡tvaṣṭā ca savitā tathā
01114056a ‡parjanyaṡ caiva viṣṇuṡ ca ādityāḥ pāvakārciṣaḥ

‡ All southern mss. read: parjanyō daṡamaḥ smṛtaḥ //

01114056a tatas tvaṣṭā tatō viṣṇur ajaghanyō jaghanyajaḥ //
01114＊1227 ity ētē dvādaṡādityā jvalantaḥ sūryavarcasaḥ //

12201015a bhagō’ṃṡaṡ cāryamā caiva mitrō’tha varuṇas tathā
12201015c savitā caiva dhātā ca vivasvāṃṡ ca mahābalaḥ
12201016a pūṣā tvaṣṭā tathaivēndrō dvādaṡō viṣṇur ucyatē
12201016c ta ētē dvādaṡādityāḥ kaṡyapasyātmasaṃbhavāḥ

Harivaṃṡa

From the critical edition:

tatra viṣṇuṡ ca ṡakraṡ ca jajn̄ātē punar ēva hi
aryamā caiva dhātā ca tvaṣṭā pūṣā tathaiva ca // HV_3.50
vivasvān savitā caiva mitrō varuṇa ēva ca
aṃṡō bhagaṡ cātitējā ādityā dvādaṡa smṛtāḥ // HV_3.51

Similarly, certain northern mss. of HV (starred passages, not found in C.E.) quote same verses as MBh. 1.114.55-56 above (aligned with southern recension of MBh):

dhātāryamā ca mitraṡ ca varuṇō’ṃṡō bhagas tathā | ＊HV_8.35＊158:5
indrō vivasvān pūṣā ca parjanyō daṡamas tathā | ＊HV_8.35＊158:6
tatas tvaṣṭā tatō viṣṇur ajaghanyō jaghanyajaḥ || ＊HV_8.35＊158:7

The words “viṣṇur ajaghanyō jaghanyajaḥ” (Viṣṇu is last-born but the best) are quoted by Srīmān Vēṅkaṭanātha Vedānta Dēṡika, the foremost commentator on Bhagavad Rāmanuja’s works, in the former’s gloss on Gita 10.21 (“ādityānām ahaṃ viṣṇuḥ”).

On a side note, the following verse lists the Vedic months in the order: 7, 8, 11, 12, 1, 2, 4, 3, 9, 10, 6, 5:

iṣa ūrjas tanūpaṡ ca madhur mādhava ēva ca
ṡuciḥ ṡukraḥ sahaṡ caiva nabhasyō nabha ēva ca
bhānavas tatra dēvāṡ ca manvantaram udāhṛtam // HV_7.17

Vishnu Purana

The the critical edition quotes same verses as Hari Vaṃṡa (q.v.):

tatra viṣṇuṡ ca ṡakraṡ ca jajn̄ātē punar ēva hi
aryamā caiva dhātā ca tvaṣṭā pūṣā tathaiva ca // ViP_1,15.130
vivasvān savitā caiva mitrō varuṇa ēva ca
aṃṡō bhagaṡ cātitējā ādityā dvādaṡa smṛtāḥ // ViP_1,15.131

References:

1. http://harekrsna.de/surya/12adityas.htm
2. https://psychologicallyastrology.com/2019/04/17/twelve-aditya-the-sun-gods/
3. https://monidipa.net/2019/12/13/surya-deva-or-the-sun-god-a-long-journey-within-the-realms-of-indic-history/ (cites Viṡvakarma Saṃhita, aligns exactly with Column 1 in above table)

2023-05-16 | 5124-02-K12

Typing the rupee sign ₹ on Linux using XKB keyboard layout

Linux’s XKB setup (X11 Keyboard) stores its keymaps in directory /usr/share/X11/xkb/symbols/. All the Indian languages (e.g. Hindi, etc.) are in the file in. Similarly Latin-based scripts are in the file us. I mostly use the “English (intl., with AltGr dead keys)” because it gives me access to create pretty much any imaginable character, especially those used in transliteration (e.g. ā, ṛ, ṅ, etc.). However, one annoying thing is that it doesn’t have a way to let me type the Indian rupee symbol ₹.

It is rather easy to patch the file.

1. Open the us file (needs root)
2. Scroll until you find the section titled xkb_symbols "altgr-intl". Notice that the first line is include "us(intl)" meaning it includes the US Intl. layout but goes on to modify it.
3. Scroll down to a comment which says diversions from the MS Intl keyboard.
4. Add this newline in that hunk somewhere:

   key <AE04> { [        4, dollar,      U20b9,        sterling        ] }; // Rupee

U20b9 is the Unicode codepoint for ₹. The normal Intl. keyboard has a generic currency sign (¤) which is not used these days. I I replaced it with U+20B9. Now you can type ₹ with “AltGr” followed by “4”.

Once you save the file and exit, reload the keymaps with:

sudo udevadm trigger --subsystem-match=input --action=change

You can also display a figure of the keyboard layout mapping (without activating or using it):

gkbd-keyboard-display -l $'us\taltgr-intl'

-l selects the layout and\t selects the variant ($country\tvariant).

2023-05-15 | 5124-02-K11

Tarpaṇa mantras from Baudhāyana Dharmasūtra – Viṣṇu and Lakṣṃi

I just discovered that Baudhāyana Dharmasūtra (aka Bodhayana Dh.) mentions tarpaṇa mantras for a host of divinities. Bau.Dh. 2.5.9.10 is special for me:

Baudh2.5.9.10 / ōṃ kēṡavaṃ tarpayāmi / ōṃ nārāyaṇaṃ tarpayāmi/ ōṃ mādhavaṃ tarpayāmi / ōṃ gōvindaṃ tarpayāmi / ōṃ viṣṇuṃ tarpayāmi / ōṃ madhusūdanaṃ tarpayāmi / ōṃ trivikramaṃ tarpayāmi / ōṃ vāmanaṃ tarpayāmi / ōṃ ṡrīdharaṃ tarpayāmi / ōṃ hṛṣīkēṡaṃ tarpayāmi / ōṃ padmanābhaṃ tarpayāmi / ōṃ dāmōdaraṃ tarpayāmi /
ōṃ ṡriyaṃ dēvīṃ tarpayāmi / ōṃ sarasvatīṃ dēvīṃ tarpayāmi/ ōṃ puṣṭiṃ [K: puṣṭiṃ dēvīṃ] tarpayāmi / ōṃ tuṣṭiṃ [K: tuṣṭiṃ dēvīṃ] tarpayāmi / ōṃ garutmantaṃ [K:vainatēyaṃ] tarpayāmi / ōṃ viṣṇu-pārṣadāṃs tarpayāmi /ōṃ viṣṇu-pārṣadīṡ ca tarpayāmi //

Keshava-Narayana-Madhava is the usual one.

What is special is that it mentions four women: Ṡrī, Sarasvatī, Puṣṭi and Tuṣṭi. This is a direct proof that Sarasvati is considered different from Sri and yet both are consorts of Bhagavān Viṣṇu. To be even clear, it mentions tarpaṇa to Caturmukha Brahmā but no mention of his wife:

Baudh2.5.9.5 / oṃ brahmāṇaṃ tarpayāmi / oṃ prajāpatiṃ tarpayāmi / oṃ caturmukhaṃ tarpayāmi / oṃ parameṣṭhinaṃ tarpayāmi / oṃ hiraṇyagarbhaṃ tarpayāmi / oṃ svayaṃbhuvaṃ tarpayāmi / oṃ brahma-pārṣadāṃs tarpayāmi / oṃ brahma-pārṣadīś catarpayāmi /

So it is clear that, there was a time when the name “Sarasvatī” was the associated as the wife solely of Viṣṇu and not of Caturmukha Brahma.

Puṣṭi and Tuṣṭi are also mentioned in the Harivaṃṡa as daughters of Dakṣa prajāpati, so they at some point were considered consorts of Viṣṇu.

And Garuḍa is the only nitya-sūri explicitly listed. Both the male and female attendants (pārṣada) are acknowledged.

2023-05-13 | 5124-02-K09

Interesting word, Dūr. In the Ṡatapatha Brāhmaṇa, the vital breath Prāṇa is personified as a deity too, named “Dūr” (not to be confused with “dūra” far/distant)

dūr N. of the Prāṇa or vital breath regarded as a deity, ŚBr. [ID=94894]

12,121.023a yathoktā brahmakanyeti lakṣmīr nītiḥ sarasvatī
12,121.023c daṇḍanītir jagaddhātrī daṇḍo hi bahuvigrahaḥ

2023-05-03 | 5124-02-S13

All that is masculine is Hari and all that is feminine is Lakṣmī

In the Vishnu Purana, when describing the greatness of Ṡrī, maharṣi Parāṡara says:

devatiryaṅmanuṣyeṣu puṃnāmni bhagavān hariḥ
strīnāmni lakṣmīr maitreya nānayor vidyate param // ViP_1,8.34

O Maitreya! Among the gods (dēva-), animals (tiryak-), and humans (manuṣyēṣu), Bhagavān Hari is all that is named masculine; Lakshmi is all that is named feminine – there is nothing else beyond Them.

The entire section is very interesting. A rough translation (verse 1.8.16 onwards):

“Parāṡara says: Ṡrī, the mother of the world, is eternal and inseperable (anapāyinī) from Viṣṇu; just as He is all-pervading (sarvagata), so also is She omnipresent, oh best of Dvijas. Viṣṇu is meaning; She is speech. Hari is polity (naya); She is prudence (nīti). Viṣṇu is understanding (bōdha); She is intellect (buddhi). He is Dharma; She is good action. He is the creator; She is creation. Ṡrī is the earth; Hari the support of it. The Deity is bliss; the eternal Lakṣmī is contentment. He is desire (kāma); Ṡrī is wish (icchā). He is Yajn̄a; She is donation (dakṣiṇā). The goddess is the invocation which attends the oblation (āhuti); Janārdana is the oblation (purōḍaṡa). Lakṣmī is the chamber where the females are present (at a religious ceremony); Madhusūdana the apartment of the males of the family. Lakṣmī is the altar (citi); Hari the pillar (yūpa-sthamba, to which the victim is bound). Ṡrī is the fuel (idhmā); Hari the Kuṡa grass. He is the personified Sāma Veda; the goddess, lotus-throned, is the tone of its chanting (udgīti). Lakṣmī is the prayer of oblation (svāhā); Vāsudeva, the lord of the world, is the sacrificial fire (hutāṡana). O best of dvijas! O Maitrēya! Bhagavān Ṡauri (Viṣṇu) is Ṡaṅkara (Ṡiva); and Ṡrī is Gaurī Herself, the bride of Ṡaṅkara. Kēṡava, is the sun (sūrya); and its radiance (prabhā) is the lotus-seated goddess. Viṣṇu is the tribe of progenitors (pitṛgaṇāḥ); Padmā is their bride (svadhā), the eternal bestower of nutriment (puṣṭidā). Ṡrī is the heavens (dyauḥ); Viṣṇu, who is the soul of everything (sarvātmaka), is wide-extended space (avakāṡa). The lord Ṡrīdhara is the moon; She is his inseperable, unfading light (kānti). She who is Dhṛti, is called the moving principle of the world (jagac-cēṣṭā); Hari, the wind which blows everywhere. Govinda is the ocean; Lakṣmī its shore. Indrānī, the wife of Indra, is of the nature of Lakṣmī; Madhusūdana is Dēvēndra. Cakradhara, the holder of the discus, is Yama; the lotus-throned goddess is his spouse Dhūmōrṇā. Ṡrī is wealth (ṛddhi); Ṡridhara is Himself the god of riches (Kubēra). Oh highly-illustrious one! Lakṣmī is Gaurī; and Keṡava is her husband, the deity of ocean (Varuṇa). Ṡrī is the host of the celestials (Devasenā); Hari is her husband. Gadāpāṇi, the holder of the mace, is resistance; the power to oppose thus is Ṡrī. Lakṣmī is the kāṣṭhā and the kalā; Hari the nimēṣa and the muhūrta (all are units of time). Lakṣmī is the light (jyōtsnā); and Hari, who is all, and lord of all, is the lamp (pradīpa). She, the mother of the world, is the creeping vine; and Viṣṇu the tree round which She clings. She is the starry night (vibhāvarī); the god who is armed with the mace and discus, is the day (divasa). He, the bestower of blessings, is the bridegroom; the lotus-throned goddess is the bride. The god is one with all male rivers; the goddess one with all female rivers. The lotus-eyed Puṇḍarīkākṣa is the flag-staff; the goddess seated on a lotus is the flag. Lakṣmī is thirst (tṛṣṇā); Nārāyaṇa, the master of the world, is its desire (lobha). O knower of dharma! Govinda is love (rati); and Lakṣmī, his gentle spouse, is pleasure (rāga).

But why speak here numerously? It is enough to say, briefly, O Maitrēya!, that among the gods, animals, and humans, Hari is all that is named masculine; Lakṣmī is all that is named feminine – there is nothing else beyond Them.”

Note that Lakṣmī is equated to Gauri twice, once as the wife of Ṡaṅkara and once again as the wife of Varuṇa, the latter usage of which is visible also in the Mahābhārata (fifth and thirteenth cantos).

Reference

2022-12-07 | 5123-09-S15

Meaning of ōṃkāra and ōṃ tat sat

Prof.Dr.K.S.N in his Kathopanishad lecture S1E13 elucidates the meaning and significance of the sacred syllable Ōṃ. He says, “put a necklace of the symbol OM around your child’s neck”. It is our identity.

When doing an offering or dāna, we must conclude it with “hariḥ ōṃ tat sat. ṡrī kṛṣṇārpaṇam astu”. Those who are forbidden to recite OM, must say “tat” and “sat”.

Around 1:32:00 in the same video, he explains the idea of wakefulness, sleepfulness and dreamfulness in relation to the three letters of ōmkāra (A-U-M) vide Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad. Those three letters also denote creation, maintenance and dissolution. ‘A’kāra is for Aniruddha (jāgrati), ‘U’kāra is for Pradyumna (svapna), ‘M’akāra is for Saṅkarṣaṇa (suṣupti). All these states are real (satya), not an illusion. Why? Self-certitude. Denying it goes against experience (anubhava). The act of dreaming and deep sleep are real. What we see in those dreams need not be real (e.g. stabbing yourself in a dream doesn’t kill you in reality).

2022-11-14 | 5123-08-K10

Are ṛṣi’s born in today’s world? Can new Vedic mantras be “heard” by them even today?

Prof.Dr.K.S.N in his Kathopanishad lecture S1E10 shares an anecdote. He recalls the work of a Vedic scholar from Gokarna, KA, who published a book “Chandō-darṡana” in Kannada and Sanskrit. It contains hitherto unknown Veda mantras revealed to him in 1917. He is a nitya-agnihōtri, sāmpradīkṣita, Brahmarshi Daivarata Sharma. The entire revelation including intonation and translation is available on archive.org. What’s surprising is that the work was written down by his own spiritual master, Kāvayaṇṭha Gaṇapati Muni, when the Brahmarshi spontaneously started speaking the mantras in his sleep/yoga-nidrā (see pg 11). No one knows, even the Brahmarshi himself, why or what happened at that moment. The guru himself says that “He (Daivarata) is not specially learned in Sanskrit, but he has been devoting much of his time to austerities, yoga and spiritual practices.” Many mantras could not be written down and are lost forever.

Dr. K.S.N says that when certain mantras get disused and lost, they are revealed to the deserving ones at later times.

Who is a Brahmin?

In the same disourse, U.Ve. K.S.N narrates a story from the Mahabharata. It’s about two donkeys and two Brahmins. He who does not have sympathy or mercy is not a Brahmin. He who does not speak truth is not a Brahmin. Listen to the full story!

2022-09-20 | 5123-06-K10

Few useful linux utlities:

1. cpulimit is a great tool to make a process or program to run on ‘N’ number of CPUs or a given processor load (in percentage). It is a cpu-limiter.
2. trickle is a program to limit the download or upload speed of a program, kinda throttle it. It can be used to simulate slow networks or not overload bulk downloads, etc. It is a bandwidth-limiter.
3. chafa is a program to display images (png, jpg, etc.) on the console itself, especially if your terminal is 256-color enabled.

All are available in your nearest software repository, just an apt-get away.

2022-08-14 | 5123-05-K03

Radical Islamist attempts to murder Salman Rushie in U.S.A

Indian-born author Salman Rushdie survived an assassination attempt while delivering a lecture in U.S.A. His attacker, Hadi Matar, a Lebanese-American, showed no guilt over his attempt to murder. They’ve found him to be sympathetic to Iran and Shia Islam in his social media accounts.

If you want to know why Salman was attacked, you must read his books.

• The Satanic Verses – physical copies are banned in India but e-copies are available and legal to possess.
• Midnight’s Children

You can also find his books on Library Genesis

Salman is a self-proclaimed atheist, though born in a Muslim heritage. He strongly criticizes Islam for its teachings and message. Praying for his speedy recovery.

2022-06-24 | 5123-03-K11

Countering kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam with Bhagavatam itself

Many Krishnaites, especially Gaudiyas and ISKCONites, cite “kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam” as the proof that Ṡrī Kṛṣṇa is Supreme and the source of other forms of God like Viṣṇu or Nārāyaṇa. We have no qualms with the claim that Kṛṣṇa is Supreme – indeed He is. However, we do not agree that Kṛṣṇa is the source of Viṣṇu but the converse is true. Proof is in Ṡrīmad-Bhāgavatam itself (10.26.23):

ity addhā māṃ samādiṡya gargē ca sva-gṛhaṃ gatē
manyē nārāyaṇasyāṃṡaṃ kṛṣṇam akliṣṭa-kāriṇam

Ṡrīla Prabhupāda Maharaj translates it as follows:

“[Nanda Mahārāja continued:] After Garga Ṛṣi spoke these words to me and returned home, I began to consider that Kṛṣṇa, who keeps us free from trouble, is actually an expansion of Lord Nārāyaṇa.“

The verse clearly says nārāyaṇasya aṃṡaṃ kṛṣṇam – Kṛṣṇa is an aṃṡa of Nārāyaṇa! Aṃṡa means a portion, a part (not whole) and yet the revered ācārya translates it as “expansion”. And there is no commentary on this verse, so 🤷.

2022-06-21 | 5123-03-K08

Different gayatri mantras for different varnas

It is commonly accepted that the famous Gayatri mantra must be used by all dvijas (brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiṡya) for their sandhyāvandana. However, the Ṡāṅkhāyana Gṛhya-sūtra (also chap. 7) gives a different opinion.

• Brāhmaṇas (as expected) must medidate on Ṛg-vēda 3.62.10 which is in the “gāyatrī” metre:

  tat savitur varēṇyaṃ bhargō dēvasya dhīmahi | dhiyō yō naḥ prachōdayāt ||

• Kṣatriyas must medidate on Ṛg-vēda 1.35.2 which is in “triṣṭubh” metre:

  ā kṛṣṇēna rajasā vartamānō nivēṡayann amṛtaṃ martyaṃ ca |
  hiraṇyayēna savitā rathēnā dēvō yāti bhuvanāni paṡyan ||
  Savitar is said to approach on a golden chariot, looking at world and creatures and, when bringing darkness, causing them to rest.

• Vaiṡyas must meditate on Ṛg-vēda 1.35.9 which is in “jagatī” metre:

  hiraṇyapāṇiḥ savitā vicarṣaṇir ubhē dyāvāpṛthivī antarīyatē |
  apām īvāṃ bādhatē vēti sūryamabhi kṛṣṇēna rajasā dyāmṛṇōti ||
  Savitar is described as moving between heaven and earth and warding off disease.

• Vaiṡyas can also meditate, alternatively, on Ṛg-vēda 4.40.5, again, in “jagatī” metre:

  haṃsaḥ ṡuciṣad-vasur-antarikṣasadd-hōtā vēdiṣad-atithir-durōṇasat |
  nṛṣadvarasadṛtasad-vyōmasadabjā gōjā ṛtajā adrijā ṛtam ||
  Agni, as sun, atmospheric, ritual and domestic fire etc.

See also Jan Gonda’s “Indian mantra”.

2022-06-20 | 5123-03-K07

When does a soul enter the physical body?

There are various theories about when a jīvātma enters the physical body. Some say it is after the fusion of the sperm and egg. Others disagree, and opine that the jīvātma already exists in the sperm of a man.

Ṡrī Ranga-rāmānuja muni, in his commentary on the Chandogya Upanishad 5.10.6, says:

It is rare to be born as a human being because, the souls in close contact with rain and that are being born as paddy, corn, etc., are likely to be swept away by rivers and others and they will be getting into ocean and others. There is no chance of such corn to be eaten by man to be transformed into the form of semen. It is only when eaten by men and ablated in woman through the seed is he capable of being born as man. Here also it is to be noted that the descending jīva does not become semen and other things but he will have a close contact with them in that form and only when man sprinkles the semen in the generative organ of the woman he is liable to be born as a man. Even here chances are very rare. The Upanishat makes out that it is very difficult to get out of the state of corn and others and attain the form of a man.

[Translation taken from Dr.N.S.Anantha Rangacharya’s, “Principal Upanishads according to Sri Ranga Ramanuja Muni”, Volume 2, pg. 197-198.]

2022-06-19 | 5123-03-K06

Three unsolvable riddles of logic

Prof. Dr. K.S. Narayanacharya, the revered Vedic teacher, narrates an episode from Bhagavad Yāmunācārya’s life. There was a Chola king, whose āsthāna was once visited by a learned scholar of logic (tarka ṡāstra) names Sarvajn̄a Paṇḍita (Bhaṭṭa) from north India. There ensued a debate between him and the eight-year old Ṡrī Yāmuna. In the presence of the king’s wife and his mother (rājamāta), Ṡrī Yāmuna posed these questions to the opponent:

1. Prove that the king’s mother is a childless woman. (Rājamāta’s child, the king, is right there!)
2. Prove that the king’s wife is not a pativratā (chaste or virgin).
3. What exists in this my fist? (which was empty, nothing was in Yāmuna’s hand).

Intrigued? Check the answers from his lecture!

2022-06-18 | 5123-03-K05

Unworthy Brahmins: not all Brāhmaṇas are upper-caste

Chapter 8 of Atri-Saṃhitā is dedicated entirely to “nindya brāhmaṇas”, condemnable Brahmins. Verses 371-381 describe ten types of Brahmins: the good ones – “dēva” Brahmin, “vipra” Brahmin, “dvija” Brahmin; and the deplorable ones – niṣāda-brāhmaṇa, paṡu-brāhmaṇa, ṡūdra-brāhmaṇa, mlēccha-brāhmaṇa, vipra-cāṇḍāla. It says that, such despicable Brahmins, even if they are well-versed in the scriptures, should not be honoured or respected. Such people are ineligible to conduct rituals like the ṡrāddha.

2022-06-18 | 5123-03-K05

Cāṇḍālas in the Vedas

Like we all know, there are four varṇas: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiṣya and ṡūdra. However, inter-marriage between these four has been going on for a long-time. The Gautama Dharmasūtra gives a matrix of names:

Caṇḍāla and Pulkasa are mentioned in the Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 4.3.22 (= Ṡatapatha Brāhmaṇa 14.7.1.[22]). Caṇḍāla are again mentioned in Chāndōgya Upaniṣad (5.10.7 and 5.24.4). Karaṇa is mentioned in the Yājnavalkya Smṛti with the same definition as above. However, Manu Smṛti (10.22) mentions Karaṇa as the child of an outcaste Kṣatriya. Mahabharata Ādiparva elaborates it as the child of Kṣatriya man with a Vaiṡya wife.

Ādi-Ṡaṅkara Bhagavatpada’s commentary on Bṛ.Up. 4.3.22 immediately clarifies:

cāṇḍālo nāma śūdreṇa brāhmaṇyāmutpannaścaṇḍāla eva cāṇḍālaḥ
sa jātinimittena karmaṇāsaṃbaddhatvādacāṇḍālo bhavati

Caṇḍāla or Cāṇḍāla is the offspring by a Ṡudra (husband) with a Brāhmaṇa (wife). Though he is that by his jāti, he becomes an acāṇḍāla (non-Cāṇḍāla) by connection with his actions.

So, again, one’s works and actions override one’s parentage.

Note that these mixed groups are not set in stone forever. One can jump among the jāti:s. The same Gautama Dharmasūtra specifies these conditions in the same chapter.

2022-06-17 | 5123-03-K04

What do the Indian scriptures say about decentralisation and federalism? It says that law enforcement must prevail at the lowest administrative municipality as possible.

Chapter 3 of Vishnu Smriti gives a glimpse of law enforcement, where the territory is divided in powers of 10:

(While he [the King] resides) there, let him appoint chiefs (or governors) in every village; (7)
Also, lords of every ten villages; (8)
And lords of every hundred villages; (9)
And lords of a whole district. (10)

Presumably even 100+ villages could be grouped into a district.

If any offence has been committed in a village, let the lord of that village suppress the evil (and give redress to those that have been wronged). (11)
If he is unable to do so, let him announce it to the lord of ten villages; (12)
If he too is unable, let him announce it to the lord of a hundred villages; (13)
If he too is unable, let him announce it to the lord of the whole district. (14)
The lord of the whole district must eradicate the evil to the best of his power. (15)

2022-06-16 | 5123-03-K02

The ZFQ Rule

Whenever any Hindi word’s spelling in English contains one of these letters – z, f or q – then it is an imported word from Urdu/Arabic/Persian. This is a sufficient but not necessary rule.

Example: zindagi (jeevan), waqt (samay), sirf (keval), zulf (kesh), azadi (svantrata), etc.

2022-06-08 | 5123-03-S08

Gītā is not for everyone.

It’s a common misconception that the Bhagavad Gita is a universal scripture meant for all. Such a thing goes against the word of Gita 18.67 itself:

idaṃ tē nātapaskāya nābhaktāya kadācana  
na cāṡuṡrūṣavē vācyaṃ na ca māṃ yō’bhyasūyati /18.67/

This (that I, Bhagavān, have taught you) should not ever be taught to one
who is devoid of austerities and to one who is not a devotee; also,
neither to one who does not render service, nor as well to one who
traduces Me.

This verse speaks of the Vedic concept of adhikāra, i.e., eligibility or qualification of the ones to whom it can be taught. The Gita is not to be disclosed to:

1. One who does not exercise control over his mind and body (i.e., not following tapasya).
2. One who does not love Bhagavān Ṡrī Kṛṣṇa (i.e., not His bhakta)
3. One who is not submissive to or servant of one’s guru (i.e., not doing ṡuṡrūṣa)
4. One who is envious of or indignant at Bhagavān.

In short, all the atheists, secularists, communists, Abrahamics, brown sāhibs, colonialists, Western academics, etc. are completely ineligible to study the Gita. So, why bother to read their translations and commentaries?

Go in search of a guru, now!

2022-05-31 | 5123-03-S01

रामो राजमणिः सदा विजयते रामं रमेशं भजे
रामेणाभिहता निशाचरचमूः रामाय तस्मै नमः ।
रामान्नास्ति परायणंपरतरं रामस्य दासोस्म्यहं
रामे चित्तलयस्सदा भवतु मे भो राम मामुद्धर ॥

2022-05-26 | 5123-02-K11

On this auspicious day of Ekadashi, I came across this beautiful verse called Ekatmata mantra. Though not a “mantra”, in the sense that it is not revealed by the Rishis, it is a very accurate and inclusive view of Indian diversity of thought and religion:

यं वैदिका मन्त्रदृशः पुराणाः इन्द्रं यमं मातरिश्वा नमाहुः।
वेदान्तिनोऽनिर्वचनीयमेकम् यं ब्रह्म शब्देन विनिर्दिशन्ति॥
शैवायमीशं शिव इत्यवोचन् यं वैष्णवा विष्णुरिति स्तुवन्ति।
बुद्धस्तथार्हन् इति बौद्ध जैनाः सत् श्री अकालेति च सिख्ख सन्तः॥
शास्तेति केचित् प्रकृतीः कुमारः स्वामीति मातेति पितेति भक्त्या।
यं प्रार्थन्यन्ते जगदीशितारम् स एक एव प्रभुरद्वितीयः॥

There’s a typo in the linked page, where the avagraha (ऽ) is missing on the second line. Anyway, here is what it says:

“Whom (yam) the Vedic mantra-draṣṭas (those who have understood the Vedas and to whom the mantras were revealed), the Puranas (stories and history of ancient times) and other sacred scriptures call: Indra (the chief of all), Yama (the ruler of Dharma) and Mātariṡvā (present everywhere like air). Whom the Vedāntins (those who follow the philosophy of Vedānta), indicated by the word Brahman, as the One (ēkam) which cannot be described or explained (anirvacanīya).

Whom the Ṡaivas call (avōcan) the Controller (īṡam) Śiva and Vaishnavas praise (stuvanti) as Viṣṇu, the Buddhists and Jains (bauddha-jainaḥ) respectively call as Buddha and Arhant (without any end), whom the Sikh sages call Sat-Ṡrī-Akāl (the timeless Truth).

Some (kēcit) call Whom as the Commander (ṡāstā), as Mother Nature (prakṛti), as a Child (kumāra), some call It the Owner of the Universe (svāmī), some Mātā (the Divine Mother) or Pitā (the Divine Father). To whom they offer prayers, It (saḥ) is the same Master (prabhu), the only One (ēka ēva), without a second (advitīyaḥ).”

This is a beautiful prayer. Though I do not know who composed it or what their ideology is.

2022-05-19 | 5123-02-K04

Has the karma theory been mentioned in the Vedic literature? A resounding yes!

From the Ṡatapatha Brāhmaṇa 7.4.1.1 of Ṡukla Yajurvēda:

ātmanō vā ētam adhijanayati yādṛṡādva jāyatē tādṛṅṅēva bhavati /ṠaBr_7.4.1.1/

“For, from out of his own self he causes him to be born, and wherefrom one is born, suchlike he becomes.”

From the Kaṭha Upaniṣad 5.7:

yōnim anyē prapadyantē ṡarīratvāya dēhinaḥ /
sthāṇum anyē’nusaṃyanti yathākarma yathāṡrutam /KaU_5.7/

“One enters the womb of a mother and attains a bodily form, another goes to a plant, each of these as per his or her own deeds and knowledge.”

From the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 4.4.5:

yathākārī yathācārī tathā bhavati | sādhukārī sādhur bhavati |
pāpakārī pāpō bhavati | puṇyaḥ puṇyēna karmaṇā pāpaḥ pāpēna |
athō khalv āhuḥ | kāmamaya ēvāyaṃ puruṣa iti |
sa yathākāmō bhavati tatkratur bhavati |
yatkratur bhavati tat karma kurutē |
yat karma kurutē tad abhisampadyatē /BrUp_4.4.5/

“Just as one acts and behaves, so will he be born. He becomes holy by holy deeds and he becomes evil by evil deeds. By meritorious acts, begets merits and by demeritorious acts, demerits. Thus indeed it is said. This man is filled with desire. As he desires, so he wills. As he wills, so he acts. Whatever actions he performs, that he obtains.”

2022-05-18 | 5123-02-K03

Another great snippet from Swami Raghavacharya. He examines the verse na tasya pratimā asti which Arya Samaj interprets as “He has no form”.

The real meaning is “He has none equal”, in the sense that pratimā means similarity or reflection, like in a mirror. There is no one similar to Him. Swamiji also explains about sajātīya bhēda and vijatīya bhēda – God has none of these; He is advaita (nonduality) in these senses only. Instead, God does have bhēda (duality) but it is svagata bhēda, i.e., difference within Oneself. How so? Because animate and inanimate entities are “adjectives” (viṡēṣaṇa) to Him.

Jīva and Māyā, who are within Him are both different from Him. Just like hands and legs are within the body and yet different from the body. Swamiji gives example of a “blue lotus” (nīla-kamala). These two entities are apṛthak, i.e., inseparable from the Lord.

2022-05-10 | 5123-02-S09

Beautiful lyrics of Rukmini Ashtakam:

namas tē bhīṣmaka-sutē vāsudēva-vilāsini /
pradyumnāmba namas tubhyaṃ prasīda paramēṡvari /1/

namaḥ kamala-mālinyai kamalē kamalālayē /
jagan-mātar namas tubhyaṃ kṛṣṇa-prāṇādhika-priyē /2/

jānakī tvaṃ ca lakṣmīs tvaṃ viṣṇu-vakṣaḥ-sthala-sthitā /
vaikuṇṭha-pura-sāmrājn̄ī tvaṃ bhaktābhīṣṭa-dāyinī /3/

svarṇa-varṇē ramē ramyē saundaryākara-rūpiṇi /
māra-mātar mahā-lakṣmi kṛṣṇa-kandarpa-vardhini /4/

vardhinī subhagānāṃ ca varṣiṇī sarva-sampadām /
nārāyaṇāṅghri-yugmē tvaṃ nitya-dāsya-pradāyinī /5/

gōvinda-paṭṭa-mahiṣi dvārakā-pura-nāyikē /
ṡaraṇyē vatsalē saumyē bhīmā-tīra-nivāsini /6/

tvad-anyā kā gatir mātar agatīnāṃ jagat-trayē /
kṛṣṇa-kāruṇya-rūpā tvaṃ tat-kṣānti-parivardhinī /7/

kṛṣṇē tvayi ca hē mātar dṛḍhā bhaktiḥ sadā’stu naḥ /
jayō’stu jaya vaidarbhi rukmiṇy amba jayō’stu tē /8/

2022-05-05 | 5123-02-(S04)

Greetings on the occasion of Ṡrī Rāmānuja Tirunakṣatram! Ṡrīmatē Rāmānujāya Namaḥ 🙏

Another excellent discourse by Swami Raghavacharya Maharaj.

1. Bhagavān laughs at you when you say “tvam ēva mātā ca pitā tvam ēva”. Why? Listen to the lecture!
2. Ātman (individual self) is considered female. We all are female. Only He is the puruṣa. Story of Ṡaṭhakōpa Āẕvār, who was born 35 years after Kali Yuga, says in his Sahasra-gīti (Tiruvāymoẕi) that he is His lover.
3. Beautiful morning prayer to Ṡrī Viṣṇu

   prātaḥ smarāmi bhava-bhīti-mahārtti-ṡāntyai
     nārāyaṇaṃ garuḍa-vāhanam-abjanābham
   grāhābhibhūta-vara-vāraṇa-mukti-hetuṃ
     cakrāyudhaṃ taruṇa-vārija-patra-netram

2022-04-22 | 5123-01-K06

I recently came across this 3-part Sanskrit-English bilingual series of articles (Part-1, Part-2, Part-3) by Dr.Sammod Acharya. He argues that the Vedics started their new year in the month of Māgha (not Caitra), corresponding to Vasanta-Ṛtu (spring season). He laments that the Indian Calendrical Committee (of Rashtriya Panchang fame) mistakenly considered the Vedic month names as purely solar months instead of luni-solar months. This confusion has led to the practice of celebrating Uttarayana/Dakshinayana at wrong times in recent years. His proposal is as follows:

All the lunar months are in amānta (new-moon to new-moon, South Indian scheme). The intercalary leap month (adhika-māsa) occurs at the end of solstices (adhika-āṣāḍha/saṃsarpa? or adhika-puṣya/aṃhaspati?) only; leap months are not allowed elsewhere. The mapping between Vedic months and seasons (columns 1 and 2) is fixed (Tait. Sam. 4.4.11, 1.4.14). Where people disagree is which Vedic month maps to which lunar/solar month – with some counting them from Caitra (instead of Māgha), some from solar Mīna (=Madhu), etc. Sammod Acharya basically says that we’ve to call that month as “Magha” during which winter solstice occurs (22-Dec mostly) – he carefully notes that this “Magha” is not the sidereal month.

A curious result of this remapping is that “Vasanta Pan̄cami” festival, celebrated on Māgha-Ṡukla-Pan̄camī (05-Feb-2022), actually falls in Vasanta Ṛtu!

On the contrary, K.D.Abhayankar (1991) in his paper Search For The Earliest Vedic Calendar shows that Adhika-māsa was actually a method in the pure solar (not lunisolar) calendar, following a five-year or six-year yuga cycle. More of their work (2004) is found in: Earliest Vedic Calendar. The concept of five-year yuga is found in the Mahabharata Sabha parva 11.28.

The Indian astronomical ephemeris gives conflicting dates for the Vedānga-Jyōtiṣa new year date. For example, in 2022, it says that the Vēdāṅgaa-Jyōtiṣa New Year began on 13-Feb, using a solar calendar (kumbha saṅkrānti, Māgha starts 02-Feb-2022 though) whereas in earlier years, it counted the Jyōtiṣa New Year using a lunar calendar (12-Feb-2021, 25-Jan-2020, 05-Feb-2019 – all corresponding to māgha-ṡukla-pratipat). In any case, as mentioned before, it mistakenly maps the Vedic months to solar months (Madhu = mīna-māsa, …, Tapasya = kumbha-māsa).

2018 = Anuvatsara (4) of 388^th cycle
2019 = Anuvatsara (4) of 389^th cycle
2020 = Samvatsara (1) of 389^th cycle
2021 = Parivatsara (2) of 389^th cycle
2022 = Idavastara (3) of 389^th cycle

2021-07-06 | 5122-03-K12

Bhagavan Ṡrī Kṛṣṇa is decorated by a Vanamāla garland. It has 5 flowers. What are they?

Tulasī, Kunda, Mandāra, Pārijāta, Sarōruh

Source: Swami Raghavachary’s discourse on Bhaktamāla

5 types of devotees:

1. Sakhya - as a friend
2. Vātsalya - as a parent or child
3. Ṡānta - like that of a jn̄āna-yōgi
4. Dāsya - as a servant
5. Ṡṛṅgāra - as a lover

2021-07-01 | 5122-03-K07

A “liberal” from Swatantra.org/LibertyAffairs.in argues that price gouging (i.e. charging exorbitant prices than it costs to provide service) by private hospitals during the times of COVID is necessary(!).

Fact: There are 5 patients looking for a hospital bed but only one is available.
Question: Who should the hospital give the bed to?
Him: It should go to the one who pays the most.

Fact: There is only one ambulance but 5 patients are asking for it.
Question: Who should the ambulance be offers to?
Him: It should go to the one who pays the most.

Silly Me: But why not offer it at normal price to whoever calls in first, instead of auctioning it for whoever pays the most?

Yeah right, because “big pharma” wants more profits, even at the cost of human lives. “Pay me more, pay me more…”. The “invisible hand” of the markets is working so well at exploiting the gullible poor because they are acting in their “self-interest” as expected. Typical neolib/laissez-faire logic, because morality begone.

This is one of the reasons why I’m a Centrist social liberal and don’t go bonkers with liberalism.

2021-06-22 | 5122-02-K12

Many believe that the idea of Radha-like conjugal love towards Lord Krishna has its origins in “Gita Govinda” of Jayadeva or Gaudiya Vaishnavism or in the Bhagavatam. However, it is much older than Bhagavatam. Here’s a verse from the Mahabharata

% 3.123.4
% After 4, S ins.:
03@0598-01 namna caham sukanyeti nrloke’smin pratisthita
03@0598-02 saham sarvatmana nityam bhartaram anuvartini

Mahabharata 3.234.4-7, the love (sarvdtmandmdn bhajati or bhartrbhakti, bhaktir bhartari) of a wife for her husband “should be adopted toward Krsna himself.”

Southern recension of Kumbakonam:

etadyaṡasyaṃ bhagavetanaṃ ca
svārthaṃ tadā ṡatrunibarhaṇaṃ ca.
mahārhamālyābharaṇāṅgarāgā
bhartāramārādhaya puṇyagandhaiḥ .. 3-235-12

2019-06-08 | 5120-03-S06

ಅವಧೂತ ಗೀತೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ೨೪ ಗುರುಗಳನ್ನು ಹೇಳಲಾಗಿದೆ: ಪಂಚಭೂತಗಳು, ಸೂರ್ಯ-ಚಂದ್ರ, ಪಾರಿವಾಳ, ಹೆಬ್ಬಾವು, ಸಮುದ್ರ, ಪತಂಗ, ಚಿಟ್ಟೆ, ಜೇನ್ನೊಣ, ಆನೆ, ಜೇನು ತೆಗೆಯುವವನು, ಜಿಂಕೆ, ಮೀನು, ಪಿಂಗಳಾ ಎನ್ನುವ ವೇಶ್ಯೆ, ಕುರರ ಎನ್ನುವ ಪಕ್ಷಿ, ಸಣ್ಣ ಮಗು, ಮದುವೆಯಾಗದ ಹೆಣ್ಣುಮಗಳು, ಬಾಣ ಮಾಡುವವ, ಸರ್ಪ, ಜೇಡರ ಹುಳು.

Ref: Brahmanyachar, Iskcon, SB 11.7.33-35

2019-05-09 | 5120-02-S05

How do we use the rejuvenated energy for a more promising attitude and action?

We must regulate all our actions by carefully asking some basic questions such as:

1. Do I need to buy this or am I being greedy?
2. Am I using/buying something that is non-friendly to the environment?
3. What am I running for – a more luxurious lifestyle or purposeful life?
4. Am I sharing all the benefits that God has bestowed on us with others?
5. Am I being supportive of all those who are less fortunate?
6. Am I being thankful to God for life or always complaining about the troubles?

Happy Sri Adi-Shankaracharya Jayanti and Sri Ramanujacharya Jayanti – the two great stalwarts of Hinduism.

2019-04-06 | 5120-01-S01

How to reach God?

Formula for reaching God (Bhagavad Gita):

mat-karma-kṛin mat-paramo mad-bhaktaḥ saṅga-varjitaḥ
nirvairaḥ sarva-bhūteṣu yaḥ sa mām eti pāṇḍava /11-55/

• Do all your activities for His sake. karma-phala-tyaga.
• Make Him the Supreme goal of your life
• Practise devotion to Him (nama-kirtana, stuti, dhyana, archana, pranama)
• Be detached from all other entities, i.e. attachment only to Sri Krishna
• Don’t hate any creature (because: [1] your sins alone are responsible for your suffering and not the actions of others [2] all creatures are dependent on Him, just like you)

Happy Lunar New Year!

2019-02-12 | 5119-11-S08

What does it mean to be human?

Satisfy your need, not greed. We must learn to keep our desires in the limit. We must learn to utilize our knowledge and skills morally for meaningful purposes. Be a true human being by leading life like a Yajna! B.G. 3.11 states that, we must live in unison with nature for peaceful coexistence.

Greetings on Bhishma Ashtami!