Sun, Moon, Stars - symbolize?

[Ekanta]

I wonder if someone can throw some light on this...
Sun, moon and stars are mentioned here and there in scriptures. Im not looking for an astrology interpretation. Im quite sure (I know rather) that moon symbolizes mind and sun symbolizes atma (and sometimes buddhi). But what does the stars symbolize?
So far I figured out that stars can symbolize Veda or karma.
The eight vasus are the 5 elements and sun, moon stars in some versions.
Again... what are those stars? It is fixed?
Currently Im inclined to interpret it as stronger and dimmer light:
sun is jnana - direct light
moon is bhakti - indirect light, reflected by mind
stars are karma or veda, dimmer light (dimmer since less/no personal experience)

So... I would be interesting to hear what you guys have to say about it!

[amra]

The three worlds are I.The Earth II. The earth to the Sun III. The sun to the pole star Dhruva. These accord to the realm of humans who are born and die. The devas or unchangeable essences and the realm of the Rishis. The fixed stars are the realm of the Rishis. They emanate from out of themselves the creation. So all creation is from these Rishis. The Rishis in mythology are associated with stars and constellations. For example the saptarishi of the great bear and Agastya is Canopus.

The stars represent the potentialities of everything that can exist. They are the seeds from which creation expands forth. These subtle and luminescent energies are gathered in by our Holy Sun and transmuted into matter.

Beyond the stars is the unnameable mystery of mysteries that contains all and nothing.

[Ekanta]

Thanks for posting amra... I cant comment on the ancient rishis right now... the sapta rishis are most likely symbolic (7 notes, 7 oceans, 7 rishis, 7 colours, 7 worlds etc). But I leave that for now. I did a lil more research.

I guess this is my conclusion:
Stars refer to info gathered from senses or things dwelled upon in mind [sky/heart], like God’s name, sensations, karma, veda etc. It can also be a Guru as external light. It’s a small light at night (ignorance). At daytime (jnana) the sun shines and spreads light in our own heart and there is no need for stars of any kind.

What Sathya Sai Baba says…
“The Vedas have also taught us that our heart is like a sky; and in this sky of our heart, our mind is like the moon in the sky, and our eyes and intelligence are like the sun. In this sky of our heart, our thoughts must be treated like passing clouds. Thus, in the sky of our heart, there are millions of names of the Lord shining like the stars; and on the sky, if we have our mind shining like the moon, that will be a correct situation. This moon, which we have compared with our mind, must be given the status of the full moon. When the mind has been trained to get the form of a full moon, there will be an opportunity to correct and set right our hearts.” (ss1976-11)
(I might also add that it’s the wind which collects the clouds hiding the sun as well as clears the sky… )

"The eight is Karma-shakti (power of action). Karma also is Divine in form. Man is born out of action, is sustained by action, and ends in action. Action is the life-breath of man. This karma was described by the ancients as yajna. "Yajno-vai Vishnuh" (Action or sacrifice is Vishnu). The cosmos is the embodiment of Vishnu." (sss24-28)

"The eight element is the authority of the Veda (Veda-pramanam). The Vedas proclaim the eternal Truth. There is the saying: There is no greater Dharma than Truth." (sss23-02)

From Viveka Chudamani [by Adi Shankara],
Jnaana rakshaam samaadrthyaa Jnanee
sudrdhavaan bhaveth
Sa eva niratham svasmin svaanandamanubhunjathe.
“With the amulet of jnana around his arm, one can escape the evil influence of the vile stars called sensual attractions.”

It's kind of interesting to note that the moon is middle between sun/stars...

[atanu]

Thanks for posting amra... I cant comment on the ancient rishis right now... the sapta rishis are most likely symbolic (7 notes, 7 oceans, 7 rishis, 7 colours, 7 worlds etc). But I leave that for now. I did a lil more research.

Namaste Ekanta,

The seven Rishis are Indra, mukhya PrAna alone.



Satapatha BRÂHMANA.
6:1:1:1. Verily, in the beginning there was here the non-existent. As to this they say, 'What was that non-existent?' The Rishis, assuredly,--it is they that were the non-existent. As to this they say, 'Who were those Rishis?' The Rishis, doubtless, were the vital airs: inasmuch as before (the existence of) this universe, they, desiring it, wore themselves out (rish) with toil and austerity, therefore (they are called) Rishis.

6:1:1:2. This same vital air in the midst doubtless is Indra. He, by his power (indriya), kindled those (other) vital airs from the midst; and inasmuch as he kindled (indh), he is the kindler (indha): the kindler indeed,--him they call 'Indra' mystically, for the gods love the mystic. They (the vital airs), being kindled, created seven separate persons (purusha).

6:1:1:3. They said, 'Surely, being thus, we shall not be able to generate: let us make these seven persons one Person!' They made those seven persons one Person: they compressed two of them (into) what is above the navel, and two of them (into) what is below the navel; (one) person was (one) wing (or side), (one) person was (the other) wing, and one person was the base (i.e. the feet).






Originally Posted by Ekanta
I guess this is my conclusion:
Stars refer to info gathered from senses or things dwelled upon in mind [sky/heart], like God’s name, sensations, karma, veda etc. It can also be a Guru as external light. It’s a small light at night (ignorance). At daytime (jnana) the sun shines and spreads light in our own heart and there is no need for stars of any kind.

Stars came from that Purusha called Prajapati, created by rishis from seven discrete persons.




Satapatha
10:4:4:1. When Pragâpati was creating living beings, Death, that evil, overpowered him. He practised austerities for a thousand years, striving to leave evil behind him.

10:4:4:2. Whilst he was practising austerities, lights went upwards from those hair-pits of his; and those lights are those stars: as many stars as there are, so many hair-pits there are; and as many hair-pits as there are, so many muhûrtas there are in a (sacrificial performance) of a thousand years.

10:4:4:3. In the one-thousandth year, he cleansed himself all through; and he that cleansed all through is this wind which here cleanses by blowing; and that evil which he cleansed all through is this body. But what is man that he could secure for himself a (life) of a thousand years? By knowledge, assuredly, he who knows secures for himself (the benefits of a performance) of a thousand years.

The part marked with blue fonts is interesting.



Originally Posted by Ekanta

What Sathya Sai Baba says…
“The Vedas have also taught us that our heart is like a sky; and in this sky of our heart, our mind is like the moon in the sky, and our eyes and intelligence are like the sun. In this sky of our heart, our thoughts must be treated like passing clouds. Thus, in the sky of our heart, there are millions of names of the Lord shining like the stars; and on the sky, if we have our mind shining like the moon, that will be a correct situation. This moon, which we have compared with our mind, must be given the status of the full moon. When the mind has been trained to get the form of a full moon, there will be an opportunity to correct and set right our hearts.” (ss1976-11)
(I might also add that it’s the wind which collects the clouds hiding the sun as well as clears the sky… )

"The eight is Karma-shakti (power of action). Karma also is Divine in form. Man is born out of action, is sustained by action, and ends in action. Action is the life-breath of man. This karma was described by the ancients as yajna. "Yajno-vai Vishnuh" (Action or sacrifice is Vishnu). The cosmos is the embodiment of Vishnu." (sss24-28)

"The eight element is the authority of the Veda (Veda-pramanam). The Vedas proclaim the eternal Truth. There is the saying: There is no greater Dharma than Truth." (sss23-02)

From Viveka Chudamani ,
Jnaana rakshaam samaadrthyaa Jnanee
sudrdhavaan bhaveth
Sa eva niratham svasmin svaanandamanubhunjathe.
“With the amulet of jnana around his arm, one can escape the evil influence of the vile stars called sensual attractions.”

It's kind of interesting to note that the moon is middle between sun/stars...

The above is excellent. Brihadaraynaka (again derived from Satapatha) describes this Heaven and Earth and whatever within as fire - desire.




[B]Brihadarayanaka
VI-ii-9: That word (heaven), O Gautama, is fire, the sun is its fuel, the rays its smoke, the day its flame, the four quarters its cinder, and the intermediate quarters its sparks. In this fire the gods offer faith (liquid oblations in subtle form). Out of that offering King Moon is born (a body is made in the moon for the sacrificer).
VI-ii-10: Parjanya (the god of the rain), O Gautama, is fire, the year is its fuel, the clouds its smoke, lightning its flame, thunder its cinder, and the rumblings its sparks. In this fire the gods offer King Moon. Out of that offering rain is produced.
VI-ii-11: This world, O Gautama, is fire, the earth is its fuel, fire its smoke, the night its flame, the moon its cinder, and stars its sparks. In this fire the gods offer rain. Out of that offering food is produced.
VI-ii-12: Man, O Gautama, is fire, the open mouth is its fuel, the vital force its smoke, speech its flame, the eye its cinder, and the ear its sparks. In this fire the gods offer food. Out of that offering the seed is produced.
VI-ii-13: Woman, O Gautama, is fire. In this fire the gods offer the seed. Out of that offering a man is born. He lives as long as he is destined to live. Then, when he dies --


That is about rishis, the stars, the sun and the moon, and also man and woman.

Om Namah Shivaya

[Ekanta]

Thanks, I'll get back later when I read more...

[Ekanta]

Back... Nice post atanu... I wish I knew a little more about vedic/upanishadic symbolism. I remember reading the Chandogya Upanishad and the "Meditation on the Fivefold Saman ", "Meditation on the Sevenfold Saman" etc. I makes me nuts reading it and not having all the keys. At least it would be nice... There's so much info in it.

[atanu]

Back... Nice post atanu... I wish I knew a little more about vedic/upanishadic symbolism. I remember reading the Chandogya Upanishad and the "Meditation on the Fivefold Saman ", "Meditation on the Sevenfold Saman" etc. I makes me nuts reading it and not having all the keys. At least it would be nice... There's so much info in it.

Namaste Ekanta,

To aid vichara the following on the rishis should be useful to us.




Brihadaraynaka
II-ii-3: Regarding this there is the following pithy verse: ‘there is a bowl that has its opening below and bulges at the top; various kinds of knowledge have been put in it; seven sages sit by its side, and the organ of speech, which has communication with the Vedas, is the eighth’. The ‘bowl that has its opening below and bulges at the top’ is the head of ours, for it is the bowl that has its opening below and bulges at the top. ‘various kinds of knowledge have been put in it’, refers to the organs; these indeed represent various kinds of knowledge. ‘Seven sages sit by its side’, refers to the organs; they indeed are the sages. ‘The organ of speech, which has communication with the Vedas, is the eighth’, because the organ of speech is the eighth and communicates with the Vedas.


II-ii-4: These two (ears) are Gotama and Bharadvaja: this one is Gotama, and this one is Bharadvaja: These two (eyes) are Visvamitra and Jamadagni: this one is Visvamitra, and this one Jamadagni. These two (nostrils) are Vasistha, and Kashyapa: this one is Vasistha, and this one Kashyapa: the tongue is Atri, for through the tongue food is eaten. ‘Atri’ is but this name ‘Atti’. He who knows it as such becomes the eater of all, and everything becomes his food.




Om Namah Shivaya