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yajvan
03 October 2010, 07:32 PM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté

This post is the continuation of http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=51735&postcount=36 (http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=51735&postcount=36) and the idea of the following:


We reside in the field of action (kurukṣhetra). This is one of many lessons the mahābhārata teaches us.

Overview
The continuation of this post has been brought here to the uttara¹ folder due to the subject matter being a bit more in-depth .
The greatest level of appreciation will be gained for those that have read or are perhaps studying mahābhārata. I put myself in this
category as the śiṣya (student) of this great work.

For those that have not read the mahābhārata this knowledge may be mildly interesting and the reader of the posts may be missing a frame of reference that makes the knowledge lively.

The intent of this string will be to look at the personalities of the mahābhārata that play a major role in story e.g. dhṛtarāṣṭra , the pāṇḍava, kṛṣṇ ( some prefer kṛṣṇa) , bhīṣma, etc. and what they symbolically represent.

Note that I have searched some years for this information and I am not the final authority on this matter. I will offer the insights on the etymology of many of the words, offer different views and ideas from my studies, yet the muni that is most insightful on this matter is svāmī paramahaṃsa yogānaṃda-ji. His knowledge takes the conversation to the spiritual significance of the personalities and how it aligns ( perfectly) with a yogic view ( that of patañjali -muni), a tantric view - that of the body and various energy centers ( carkra-s ¹), etc. Only a being with direct personal experience can offer the insight that svāmī paramahaṃsa yogānaṃda-ji brings to this conversation; to him I owe my gratitude and respect for connecting the dots. Any blemishes on his ideas that occur can only be from my misunderstanding.

Let's begin here
The knowledge in the mahābhārata is quite profound. It can address an audience on multiple levels. As you recall the bhagāvad gītā is part of the mahābhārata. It is full and perfect in every way. My teacher has said it is so perfect it addresses all 6 darśana-s:
For the ṣaḍ-darśana one could in general group the 6 into 3 pairs :

yoga & sāṁkhya - very similar views of creation, one's advancement and the like.
mimāṁsā & vedānta as vedānta is also known as uttara mimāṁsā a.k.a. the brahma-sūtra-s
Also some distinguish mimāṁsā as pūrva ( former , prior ) to that of uttara ( later , following , subsequent ) mimāṁsā
One needs to look at this work of jaimini's pūrva mimāṁsā and see if one can find īśvara. I see īśvara
very easily in vedānta as this is = to the upaniṣads, as which is the subject at hand in the brahma-sūtra-s.
nyāya & vaiśeṣika - logic and cosmology - Here we find the 'atom eater' or kaṇāda-muni the author of the vaiśeṣika branch.
And we have akṣapāda-muni (akṣapāda = having his eyes fixed on his feet ) of the nyāya philosophy.

Why do I mention this ? Many of the personalities & their symbols that will be offered in the following posts will be from the yogic and spiritual perspective. That is, how these intrinsic qualities are part of one's own being and how they may advance or retard one's sādhana.

With the following posts we will take a look at some of the key characters and their relevance.

praṇām

words

uttara - northern; spiritually, energy that is rising; in a mundane POV we can consider this upper , higher , superior as opposed to adhara declining.
cakra-s - 6 in number mūlādhāra, svādhiṣṭhāna , maṇi-pūra , anāhata , viśuddha some call kaṇṭha-cakra, & ājñākhya

yajvan
03 October 2010, 09:10 PM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté


Let's take a look at king dhṛtarāṣṭra (some write dhritarāshtra) . We know him to be blind and this will be a key symbol of this personality.
We also know he is the off-spring of vyāsa-ji¹ , and in an upcoming post we will look at vyāsa as a symbol.

Dhṛtarāṣṭra is derived from dhṛta धृत - drawn tight (reins) , kept back , detained ; and rāṣṭra is kingdom, or realm. This rāṣṭra is also rooted in rāj ,
to rule , as this makes sense of one that has a kingdom. So , when we add the words together it is one who rules tightly, has the reins tight.

The key to this personality is the idea of being blind. King dhṛtarāṣṭra is the symbol of manas , the mind. That faculty or instrument through which thoughts
enter or by which objects of sense are collected. Svāmī paramahaṃsa yogānaṃda-ji calls him the sense-mind.
But why blind? The sense-mind lacks discriminating power on its own. The sense-mind is turned outward toward the world of objects. It lives in the world of māyā ¹ ,
of the many, of the Infinite that is measured out.

This mind has a function to coordinate the senses , as for itself, it cannot see, or hear or touch , etc. without those other faculties i.e. it is ~blind~ yet
holds a 'tight rein' (dhṛta) on these horses i.e. the senses. The mind as ~ blind~ ( and separate from intelligence, as we will get to this later) relays the impressions
received from the senses ( the horses) to the proper channels i.e. buddhi¹ ( intellect) or the emotions , etc.

Now the implications of this blind king ( manas) and the children he produces with queen gāndhārī (his wife) comes the kaurava of 100 sons and one daughter.
The sense mind ( the king) + the power of desires ( the queen) gives birth to 100 sons. Yet the most noteworthy is the 1st son, duryodhana.
We will take a look at him in the next post, as much mischief is caused by this personality in the mahābhārata and in our own lives.

praṇām

words

vyāsa is veda vyāsa - the one who compiled the veda-s and is also known as kṛṣṇa dvaipāyana for more insight on vyāsa see this HDF post: http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=49765&postcount=35 (http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=49765&postcount=35)
māyā - rooted ( √ ) in mā - measuring
buddhi - the power of forming and retaining conceptions and general notions , intelligence , reason , intellect , mind , discernment , judgement ; in sāṃkhya darśana
the second of the 25 tattva-s called buddhi-tattva)

yajvan
04 October 2010, 05:57 PM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté

Lets take a look at duryodhana as he causes much mischief for the pāṇḍava-s. We know he is king dhṛtarāṣṭra's 1st born son.
We will look at the other sons ( not all 100) in a future post,; let's see what this word duryodhana implies.

dur दुर् is bad or difficult; great crime or wickedness . We see this in this word duriṣṭha - very bad or difficult or wicked.
yudh युध् is to fight with.

So dur + yudh is very difficult or bad to fight with. And who is so difficult for us to fight with ? Desire. He is considered active desire , material desire.
We will discuss the 6 faults or blemishes (ṣaḍ-doṣa-s) found in the human and their equivalent personalities in the mahābhārata , yet the 1st one is kāma.
In this use it is the excessive longing and desire for things some like to call lust. This is the symbol that duryodhana plays.

Think of the time in the mahābhārata where the pāṇḍava asked for just a small part of the kingdom, even just 1 village and then there would be no need for war.
Duryodhana would not even give one inch to the pāṇḍava, due to his excessive desire to possess i.e. to own and indulge in as many of the sense-objects as possible. It is my humble opinion that this insatiable desire is the engine for greed, gluttony and the like. It is driven by the symbol of duryodhana.


Before we continue to advance the conversation it will be helpful to revisit this notion of kurukṣhetra. We know this word to mean the field ( kṣetra) of the kuru's.
Kuru also means kartāras or 'doers' and this is rooted in (√) kṛ ( or kri) . This kṛ is quite a profound an robust root sound in saṃskṛtam. In its simplest definition it means to do ,
make , perform , accomplish , cause , effect , prepare , undertake . Hence on 1st inspection this word is viewed as the field of the kuru's, yet it also means the field ( kṣetra ) of doing (kṛ).

We as humanbeings are engaged in the field of doing both internally and externally to our bodies. That is, we engage in work, play, family, fun, thoughts,finances, worry, happiness, good behaviors, bad behaviors, etc. etc. on a daily basis.

The symbol of kurukṣhetra in the mahābhārata
There are 3 levels one can look at this kurukṣhetra. This is also found in many ( not all) śāstra-s to decode their use and application.

The physical level - this would be the fight of good vs. bad, right and wrong, the big oppressing the small, the strong oppressing the weak. One could say this occurs on the individual, social, national levels and can be seen via the senses.



The mental level - that of thoughts, ideas, tendencies, behaviors, traits, manas or mind, intellect (buddhi), etc. We can even place meditation on this level. The ~battle~ of the senses drawing one into the field of matter vs. inward to calmness, to steadiness towards the direction of the Self.



The spiritual level - this is the level of the devata, yet we as spiritual beings can also be found here as one experiences samādhi, perfect silence, etc. Now we have that tendency for union ( yukti, yoga) with the Supreme, yet the ego may get in the way , or the subtler kośa's¹ or even other impulses of nature that may restrict this ability.

So , when we talk of the various symbols of the mahābhārata we're inferring those forces, tendencies, etc. that restrict or divert ( detour) one from their full spiritual experience. Yet the mahābhārata at the same time teaches those social rules
and individual rules of proper habit and actions ( dharma).

Looking at Duryodhana in this light, this ~force~ is what pulls our awareness outward into the field ( kṣetra ) of differences, of diversity, of want.
No matter how much one achieves in the field of diversity it does not bring complete satisfaction. This is confirmed in the chāndogya upaniṣad, where sanatkumāra-ji is instructing nārada and says, nālpe sukham asti or finite (alpa) things do not (na) contain happiness (suka).

Durodhona does not care about this and is only driven , and is the embodiment of kāma. So , the question is how to dis-arm this durodhana and the kaurava that he leads? We will address this in a future post.


praṇām

words
kośa - these are coverings over the Self. Some say there are 3 others say 5. The ānanda-maya kośa or sheath of bliss , the kāraṇa-śarīra or causal frame , the vijñāna-maya or buddhi-maya or mano-maya or prāṇa-maya kośa , " the sheath of intellect or will or life-force , the sūkṣma-śarīra or " subtle frame , the anna-maya kośa , the sheath of nourishmen , the sthūla-śarīra or gross frame i.e. the phyical body level and components

yajvan
05 October 2010, 06:17 PM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté

The pāṇḍava-s part 1

We now need to address the the 5 pāṇḍava-s ( we will leave karṇa for another post).
Pāṇḍu was a son of vyāsa-ji and ambālīka. Note too that vyāsa-ji and ambikā produced king dhṛtarāṣṭra. In each case vyāsa-ji has played a key role in this mahābhārata. It is said, as a symbol, vyāsa-ji is relativity and discriminating power of the Supreme that resides in the field of differences. He is also called-out as nārāyaṇa here on earth.

It is though his congress with ambikā ( negitive doubt or unclear discernment) that produces manas (dhṛtarāṣṭra); And with his congress with ambālīka ( positive discriminating power) pāṇḍu is produced. Who now is this pāṇḍu?

Pāṇḍu is rooted in pāṇḍ meaning 'white'. Hence vyāsa-ji's off-spring with ambālīka ( positive discriminating power) creates pure (pāṇḍ = white) discriminating intelligence. This pāṇḍu is buddhi, the positive aspect of the mind. Through vyāsa-ji's action both positive ( pāṇḍu) and negative (dhṛtarāṣṭra) aspects have been born.

Now we are set for the 5 pāṇḍava to come into being. Note that pāṇḍu never had sexual congresss with kuntī¹ nor mādrī. What occurs ?Kuntī is also pṛthā , daughter of a yādava prince named śūra , who gave her to his childless cousin kuntibhoja by whom she was adopted . On one occasion before her marriage she paid such respect to the powerful sage durvāsas that he taught her a mantra which allowed her to have a child by any devatā she invoked.

Kuntī as a symbol is the power of dispassion. It is from this power she is able to solicit the help of the devatā ( cosmic impulses of nature as my teacher would say) to manifest children for pāṇḍu (buddhi). She, kuntī , shares this mantra abilty with mādrī for her too to access these cosmic impulses of nature. Mādrī is then the power of attachment to dispassion ( to kuntī ). Both serve the intellect (buddhi or pāṇḍu ) to give him children.

Who are these children ? Yudhiṣṭhira , bhīma , and arjuna from kuntī and sahadeva and nakula from mādrī . What do they represent? the tattva-s, key elements of creation. We will take a deeper look at each of them in the next post.

praṇām

yajvan
06 October 2010, 08:35 PM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté

The pāṇḍava-s part 2



Who are these children ? Yudhiṣṭhira , bhīma , and arjuna from kuntī and sahadeva and nakula from mādrī . What do they represent? the tattva-s, key elements of creation.

Note the order of the pāṇḍava's births (again we will leave karṇa for another post, as he was born before kuntī was with pāṇḍu).
This is the order of the pañca mahābhūta-s , the 5 great elements.

yudhiṣṭhira - ākāśa (space)
bhīma - vāyu or prāṇa (life force)
arjuna - tejas or āgni ( flame)
nakula - jala (water or fluid)
sahadeva - pṛithvī (earth or material)

Let's look a bit deeper into these personalities. In an upcoming post we can see these tattva-s in ourselves, within our own being residing within the ‘bow’.
Bow being the spinal column and hence within the cakra-s.

It is very befitting that yudhiṣṭhira is the first born. It is space ( ākāśa ) that allows all things to exist. We know that yudhiṣṭhira is the son of dharma. Dharma is rooted in dhṛ meaning to carry , maintain , preserve , keep , possess , that is that which upholds. This ākāśa is perfect as dhṛ for it 'upholds' and provides the space and support for all things to exist.

It is worthy of note to look at yudhiṣṭhira’s name . It is from yudhi, ‘fighting, in the battle’ + ṣṭhira is sthiti ‘ settled, standing still’ . This to convey calmness, undisturbed.
Hence yudhiṣṭhira is ‘calm, undisturbed’ in battle.

The symbol is that once again of this ākāśa. No matter what occurs in space e.g. all the actions, movement, etc. it remains calm, undisturbed. This sthiti is also ‘establishment of
good order’ and another nice connection to dharma – of good order.



Next is bhīma and is the symbol of prāṇa. We also know him as bhīma-sena and vṛkodara. We know of his tremendous strength. If we call him bhīma-sena we recognize
him and his body (sena) as large, strong. If we say bhīma-senā then we are recognizing him as a small army (senā) onto himself.
Because of these qualities the name bhīma is defined as ‘forceful, terrific, tremendous’. This comes from life-breath, prāṇa. And he is called vṛkodara which means wolf-bellied.
This is due to his fueling his tremendous strength and hence his wolf-like appetite.



Next is arjuna ( some spell arjun). He is a central figure in the mahābhārata. His quality is that of fire, tejas. This is the symbol of tapas. This tapas is central to self-control.
Arjun as a symbol is the quality of self-control. This is inferred as he is the son of indra, meaning to subdue and conquer, and indra is associated with the indriya-s, the 5 senses.

As a symbol to control the senses it is done by tapas, by self-control, by arjun. So the name arjuna is fitting, it means the color of lightening, of silver, and we know indra
wields the thunderbolt. Arjuna also means ‘of a man’ and is another name for nara – a male person. When arjun talks with kṛṣṇa in the bhāgavad gītā he represents all of man-kind.

Arjun can also be viewed as ‘a’ = not + ‘rajju’ = rope. Rope is the symbol of being bound or paśu ( any tethered animal). Arjun is not bound, yet he is in human form.
He has been with kṛṣṇa before as nara, so says kṛṣṇa. As a sage. Yet in this life he comes from indra.


We will address nakula and sahadeva in the next post.

praṇām

yajvan
17 October 2010, 03:51 PM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté



Note the order of the pāṇḍava's births (again we will leave karṇa for another post, as he was born before kuntī was with pāṇḍu).
This is the order of the pañca mahābhūta-s , the 5 great elements..

yudhiṣṭhira - ākāśa (space)
bhīma - vāyu or prāṇa (life force)
arjuna - tejas or āgni ( flame)
nakula - jala (water or fluid)
sahadeva - pṛithvī (earth or material)
We are now looking at nakula and sahadeva. They come to this earth via the asvins, they are aśvi-sutau the two sons of the aśvins, and yet the sons of pāṇḍu via mādrī¹.

On these two I take my lead from svāmī paramahaṃsa yogānaṃda-ji ( some write paramahansa yogananda) on the symbols of nakula and sahadeva.
He says nakula is the symbol for divine power of adherence and sahadeva , that of the power of resistance. To me, this aligns to the notion of their Divine fathers , the aśvins, as the physicians . They are known to bring treasures to men and avert misfortune and sickness. They are considered nāsatya , or kind and helpful.

It is by ‘adherence’ to proper practices, to dharma, yoga, etc. that one keeps healthy. And it is by ‘residence’ to adharma and bad practices that one gains self-control, patience, forbearance, and the like. These are my views, as I have always been delightfully mystified by the aśvinau ( the two charioteers )

We must address ego (ahaṁkāra) in the next post and this is bhīṣma son of śāṃtanu and gaṅgā . We will see why his name applies - bhīṣma भीष्म- terrible, efferent , fearful.


praṇām

words

mādrī - princess of the madras

Sahasranama
17 October 2010, 04:01 PM
Namaste Yajvan ji,

Can these symbolic meanings also be derived ethymologically from the names Nakula and Sahadeva?

yajvan
17 October 2010, 08:24 PM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté Sahasranama


Namaste Yajvan ji,

Can these symbolic meanings also be derived ethymologically from the names Nakula and Sahadeva?

great question. I have been working with these two names and their roots in this fashion:

na+kula ( this I cannot easily see the connection)
saha+deva or sa+ha+deva ( here I see the connection with saha - meaning bearing , enduring , withstanding i.e. resistence)

I continue to work with the etymology and their dhātu-s¹ yet the alignment to svāmī paramahaṃsa yogānaṃda-ji's offer does not ( at once) jump off the page for me to say, ah! I see!
Yet it must be there, no? Perhaps by the time I finish the total post on the symbols of the mahābhārata it will unfold.

praṇām

words
dhātu - element, constituent part; constituent element or essential ingredient or ~root~

yajvan
18 October 2010, 08:05 PM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté


If we stop just for a moment , let’s look who we have:
· The intellect - pure (pāṇḍ = while) discriminating intelligence. This is pāṇḍu, buddhi, the positive aspect of the mind. And through vyāsa-ji's action
of congress both positive ( pāṇḍu) and negative (dhṛtarāṣṭra) aspects have been born and thus;
· The mind - king dhṛtarāṣṭra is the symbol of manas , the (blind) mind
· The 5 tattva – the pāṇḍava
· What is missing? The ego. Enter bhīṣma and this post.

With the 8 above we have puryaṣṭaka - the eight constituent parts of the body.

Bhīṣma भीष्म means terrible, efferent , fearful. There are multiple reasons for this name, but for this post let me address it symbolically.
This ego we have is most hard to destroy, that is why it is bhīṣma terrible, feared. It is this ego that keeps us bound.

How many arrows were shot into bhīṣma ye he did not fall. And when he finally did, his departure and death was his choice.
Fifty-six days are called out in the santi parvan section that bhīṣma would lie on a bed of arrows ( 56 = 5+6 = 11 and 11 is owned by rudra,
this is my assessment on this number). He was awaiting for the sun to go north.

Yet it was kṛṣṇa that infused special abilities into bhīṣma ( to know past, present and future) on the 57th day before his parting. It is the ego when infused with
the SELF that makes it Divine Ego. It is from this level of Being that bhīṣma gives the wonderful discourses to yudhiṣṭhira on all parts of life.

This is another symbol for the upliftment of the self to go North, up the spine, to unite with the Supreme, but more on this later when we talk of the pāṇḍava and
their places within the body ~chakra-s~.

praṇām

phani_genin
21 October 2010, 09:09 PM
Hi Yajvan ji,
great thread to begin with, makes one think hard :)

Duryodhana, when compared to the attribute 'desire' , this is the desire to achieve or snatch away what is not his. If i go one step further, i would say, this desire is fuelled ( supported ) by 100 of his siblings, 10 indriyas ( 5 gyana + 5 karma ) that are scattered in 10 directions ( up, down included ).

Regarding the post about Bhishma, i dont completely agree with the description, may be my bias towards that character is so. Bhishma is not his original name as such, he was called Gaangeya, Devavrata. Bhishma, the terrible, is the word used to describe the Oath he had taken for his father's sake.

When kuru- is a word that signals toward a do-er of action, kurukshetra is a playground for all these do-ers carrying out their individual actions. Kuru - is also a king, ancestor of this dynasty but i dont have any ideas in that direction. So Kurukshetra might well be the individual Mind itself - a playground where opposing thoughts are in a state of constant conflict. 'Dharmakshetre Kurukshetre .. - BGita opens up this way. This should also explain the state of Arjuna - who is like fire tattwa, pure + raw knowledge. He is caught up in a state of confusion, helplessness when he sees himself fighting his dear ones ( in the mind, it is equivalent to fighting qualities of self ). So Krishna the Brahman, guided this confused situation and solved the identity crisis the knowledge was facing in its course.

Also regardign Bhishma, for all he did in the play, given the way i look at Mahabharata as being simulation of human brain, i would assign him with Wisdom, Discipline. He was completely remindful of his duties all thruout his life, dedicated towards one cause of protecting his kingdom. Only time, wisdom took backseat was durign what happened with Draupadi. He found himself helpless, but realises it was mistake and in the end he accepts it infront of the Brahman - gets the moksha.

I am a newbie here, comments are always welcome :)
Iswara Sankalpam

yajvan
25 October 2010, 05:25 PM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté phani_genin, Welcome to HDF.



Hi Yajvan ji,
great thread to begin with, makes one think hard :)

Duryodhana, when compared to the attribute 'desire' , this is the desire to achieve or snatch away what is not his. If i go one step further, i would say, this desire is fuelled ( supported ) by 100 of his siblings, 10 indriyas ( 5 gyana + 5 karma ) that are scattered in 10 directions ( up, down included ).

Regarding the post about Bhishma, i dont completely agree with the description, may be my bias towards that character is so. Bhishma is not his original name as such, he was called Gaangeya, Devavrata. Bhishma, the terrible, is the word used to describe the Oath he had taken for his father's sake.

When kuru- is a word that signals toward a do-er of action, kurukshetra is a playground for all these do-ers carrying out their individual actions. Kuru - is also a king, ancestor of this dynasty but i dont have any ideas in that direction. So Kurukshetra might well be the individual Mind itself - a playground where opposing thoughts are in a state of constant conflict. 'Dharmakshetre Kurukshetre .. - BGita opens up this way. This should also explain the state of Arjuna - who is like fire tattwa, pure + raw knowledge. He is caught up in a state of confusion, helplessness when he sees himself fighting his dear ones ( in the mind, it is equivalent to fighting qualities of self ). So Krishna the Brahman, guided this confused situation and solved the identity crisis the knowledge was facing in its course.

Also regardign Bhishma, for all he did in the play, given the way i look at Mahabharata as being simulation of human brain, i would assign him with Wisdom, Discipline. He was completely remindful of his duties all thruout his life, dedicated towards one cause of protecting his kingdom. Only time, wisdom took backseat was durign what happened with Draupadi. He found himself helpless, but realises it was mistake and in the end he accepts it infront of the Brahman - gets the moksha.

I am a newbie here, comments are always welcome :)
Iswara Sankalpam
I am in hopes you find this string interesting . Yes, what you say about bhīṣma (other names are devavrata, gangadatta and dyu) is interesting, I can see this point.. Yet I must always consider all the arrows that was dispensed to bring him down - thus the ego. Yet I struggle with bhīṣma's brilliance and at the same time his position ( symbolically) ego. Yet it brings a teaching the there is small ego based on 'me' and there is Divine Ego, based on 'Thee' (tad).

The next person is droṇāchārya ( some just call him droṇa ) . He makes the perfect ~teacher~ as for him he is the symbol of habit. When this reading came to me, many lights went on inside of my thinking that connected the dots of appreciaiton. I say habit but ,more specifically I mean saṃskāra mental impression or recollection , impression on the mind of acts done in a former state of existence. Some too may call vāsanā - the impression of anything remaining unconsciously in the mind , the present consciousness of past perceptions , knowledge derived from memory.

Now we know droṇa was born from the vital fluid of the brahman bharad-vāja into a vessel , a wooden bowl, hence the word droṇa. This droṇa is defined as a wooden vessel , bucket , trough and even a a soma vessel.

Yet I am informed via svāmī paramahaṃsa yogānaṃda-ji's writings to look a bit deeper. That this droṇa has a saṃskṛt root of dru. This root has multiple meanings and applicaitons, yet one that is applicable is 'to become fluid , dissolve , melt '.

Now, to make a connection: vipāka the ripening , maturing of the fruit of actions in the present or former birth. We take special note that vipāka is rooted in pak ( which is pac) which is to ripen or mature, but also to melt. This is a very ingenious way to connect droṇa to dru to vipāka to saṃskāra.

Hence it is droṇa, those past vipāka , in a melted ( dormant) State that comes up when the time is ripe. The teacher from the past, saṃskāra.

praṇām

yajvan
23 September 2013, 02:54 PM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~
namaste


We find within mahābhārata, draupadī,( also known as kṛṣṇā draupadī ) is ordered to be dis-robed by the mandate of duryodhana putting her to great embarrassment. She asks for help from kṛṣṇa. What occurs ? Her sāri begins to be pulled off, but the cloth never ends ( note that the word sari means cascade). It is though kṛṣṇa-ji that this is made possible.


So, my question. Is there significance to this ~symbol~ of unending cloth (śāṭī) that continues to cascade (sari) from draupadī 's body (śarīra) ?

Could not kṛṣṇa-ji have done 10 other things that would have assisted draupadī ? Yet the unending cloth was His choice. Is there some sign/symbol/insight that is being offered ?


iti śivaṁ

words


duryodhana as he causes much mischief for the pāṇḍava-s. We know he is king dhṛtarāṣṭra's 1st born son. We will look at the other sons ( not all 100) in a future post,; let's see what this word duryodhana implies.

dur - is bad or difficult; great crime or wickedness . We see this in this word duriṣṭha - very bad or difficult or wicked.
yudh - is to fight with.


So dur + yudh is very difficult or bad to fight with. And who is so difficult for us to fight with ? Desire. He is considered
active desire , material desire.
sārī comes from śāṭī defined as a strip of cloth , a skirt or garment or gown
śarīra - " that which is easily destroyed i.e. the body , bodily frame

smaranam
24 September 2013, 01:51 PM
So, my question. Is there significance to this ~symbol~ of unending cloth (śāṭī) that continues to cascade (sari) from draupadi's body (śarīra) ?

Could not kṛṣṇa-ji have done 10 other things that would have assisted draupadi ? Yet the unending cloth was His choice. Is there some sign/symbol/insight that is being offered ?


praNAm

Unending cloth means ever-lasting protection once a devotee takes His shelter - come what may. Be there a zillion Duhshasans.

I think KRshNa - who always kills many birds in one stone - wanted to

1. protect Draupadi no doubt,
2. demostrate true surrender Vs. half-surrender (one foot in the world)
3. demonstrate result of trust and faith in Him
4. wanted to hide His oppulence (Divine Glories) from those averse to Him - like the kaurav. So He did not appear in person.
5. If He had made it so that Dushasan got paralyzed in the process, it would not be a peaceful act. He wanted the kaurav also to learn a lesson from this leela - that BhagavAn's shakti is unending.

Point 2. Draupadi was calling KRshNa, but at first struggled to save herself. So KRshNa let her do so. When she fully surrendered to Him 100%, He let the eternal cloth flow.

-----
Acc. to a RAmAnandi Shri VaishNav AchArya who does kathA on TV, KRshNa became the sAri. The sAri was an incarnation, a temporary avatAr of KRshNa for that purpose.

om namo bhagavate vAsudevAya

smaranam
25 September 2013, 06:25 AM
Namaste

Unending cloth means ever-lasting protection once a devotee takes His shelter - come what may. Be there a zillion Duhshasans.

From the context of this thread - which is about symbolism,
unending cloth symbolizes the eternality, infiniteness, anAdi-ananta (beginingless, endless) nature of Bramhan or AtmA.
The infinite tattva. Achala - unmoving, yet flowing, abundant. Its chetanA constantly flowing.

Unending cloth portrays that AtmA cannot be cut, burned, wet, dried, killed (Bhagavad GitA).

Once you give up the struggle (thoughts, mAnas, ego-struggle), and surrender [the ego] to the Self (KRshNa), the Self literally opens the flood-door to the infinite.
Duryodhana = desires (and wanting to kill AtmA to acheive them)
DuhshAsana = Atma-drohi, foolish killer of AtmA - but realizes it cannot be done (thanks to the unending cloth).
Also, foolish follower of desires (Duryodhan) without viveka-buddhi (discrimination).

Draupadi = many-branched buddhi (intellect), married to the 5 tattva which later on becomes one-pointed, and this is what makes the ego surrender to the Self - KRshNa.

Also, Draupadi = KRshNAA =
a) ekarUpa, blended, leaning towards, devoted to, the SacchidAnanda AtmA, the center of Universe = KRshNa
b) many-branched intellect which attracts many diverse thoughts.


Well, I just made all that up... but I tried :)

_/\_

yajvan
04 November 2015, 06:56 PM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~
namasté



Point 2. Draupadi was calling KRshNa, but at first struggled to save herself. So KRshNa let her do so. When she fully surrendered to Him 100%, He let the eternal cloth flow.


Regarding draupadī & the unending cloth which occurs in the sabhā¹ pravan section of the mahābhārata.
I was fortunate to read something as of late on this matter which rang true to me… it was offered by svāmī lakṣman-jū .
What rang true is getting closer to the notion of surrender. All of us have some feel for this, but the notion of total surrender, I think many have yet to grasp this.

Svāmī lakṣman-jū mentions draupadī; as she is being disrobed (vastrahārin) she asked for help yet still is holding on to the sārī as it is pulled off.
Svāmī-ji suggests that draupadī was holding the cloth between her teeth – his way of saying ‘clinging’ or holding on. She still had faith that
she could hold on, hide herself. It was not until she let go that kṛṣṇa comes to her support.

But regarding this surrender, svāmī-ji suggests it is it feels like when you have lost all hope. Like being in a lake and holding on to the bushes
or reeds that are on the side of the lake; they are in the mud not firmly held in the ground; the reeds are easily uprooted, the current takes
you and there is absolutely no hope, no confidence; one just gives in to what has occurred. It is total and unconditional acceptance that all is lost …
not even a 0.0000000000000000000000000000000000000000001% chance of being saved – there is no way out, you are done for.

For me this really helps me comprehend what total surrender feels like; a total emptiness, yet without fear. Why no fear? ( For me) it is the final
comprehension of all is lost, why should I struggle one bit ? it is done, I am finished and I am fine and accepting of this condition – let it be so.

I now have a better appreciation of surrender.

iti śivaṁ

words


sabhā = large assembly-room or hall , palace , court of a king
vastrahārin = vastra+hārin = cloth + carrying away
draupadī - descendant from drupada; dra + upa + dī dra = that which is free + upa = near to + dī = to shine bright;It is said she was fire born i.e.
came from the yajñāya (havan) of her father og which two came into being: draupadī and dhṛṣṭadyumna.

yajvan
06 November 2015, 05:11 PM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~
namasté

The 100 insults of śiśupāla - sabhā pravan section¹ of the mahābhārata
Śiśupāla was the person that hurled insults a kṛṣṇa. After śiśupāla insults kṛṣṇa for the 100th time, kṛṣṇa takes his life. The agreement kṛṣṇa-ji
made with śiśupāla’s mother śrutádevā (kṛṣṇa-ji’s aunt) per her request was to pardon śiśupāla (kṛṣṇa-ji’s cousin no less) for any offences.
It is kṛṣṇa that says I will pardon him 100 times of any verbal abuse he may give, even if he deserves to be slain. Some say 100 times per day ,
yet I did not find that number within my readings. Nor did I not find śrutádevā asking that her son be pardoned 100 times; these were kṛṣṇa-ji’s words…
I mention this as others may say the 100 pardon request was that of his mother.

The question
what is the significance of 100 times? Why was 100 chosen ? Why not 108, or say 1,000 or for that matter 16? What is significant about 100 ?

A side note on śiśupāla
When śiśupāla was born he has 3 eyes and 4 arms. And when born he screamed and brayed like a donkey. The parents no doubt thought this was a bad omen
to say the least and looked to find a way to abandon the infant. Well, a voice came to them (ākāśavaṇa = a voice from space) and advised not to pursue this action.
The voice said the infant will become fortunate, superior in strength, and not to fear him.
The mother śrutádevā asked I’d like to know who then will slay this child ( since it was on our minds) ? The voice said, He upon whose lap this child being placed
the superfluous arms of his will fall down upon the ground like a pair of five-headed snakes, and at the sight of whom his third eye on the forehead will disappear,
will be his slayer.
Due to the child’s uniqueness ( 4 arms and 3 eyes) kings from around the earth came to see this infant; All were placed upon the visitor's laps. Nothing fell off or changed
until the child was placed on kṛṣṇa-ji‘s lap; then the extraneous arms and extra eye fell off. The mother, śrutádevā , Queen of Chedi¹ ,(and kṛṣṇa-ji’s aunt) know knew who
would slay her son. This is why she prompted the request to kṛṣṇa-ji , to pardon śiśupāla of any offences.

More on śiśupāla – connecting some dots
If we look to the śrīmad bhāgavatam (3.15 & 7.1) we learn more of śiśupāla and his history. You can read it here:
http://www.bhagavata.org/canto3/chapter15.html & http://www.bhagavata.org/canto7/chapter1.html

You will find śiśupāla and his brother dantavarka were gatekeepers within viṣṇu\ śṛi hari’s vaikuṇṭhá (heaven). Their names were named jaya and vijaya.
You will find that they incurred a curse (śápana)\punishment from the kumāra’s , brahmā's 4 mind-born sons.
Jaya and vijaya the gatekeepers would not let them continue their entry into vaikuṇṭhá. Yet it is worth the read on how all this unfolds and how they end up back on earth -
Since you smell of diversity even here (in this grand place of vaikuṇṭhá ) then jaya and vijaya you will go to the sphere (loka) where lust, anger and greed are one’s deadly enemies.

iti śivaṁ

words


We find this in the sabdā parvan ( section XLII or 42) as bhīṣma narrates in this section.

​I am using Kisari Mohan Ganguli’s translation


chedi = cedi – located in central india.

this name śiśu+ pāla = child + protector, guard, keeper. I think this suggests he was ‘protected’ and not discarded as a child, vs. he that goes and protects other children.


the viṣṇu-purāṇa identifies this impious monarch with the demons hiraṇya-kaśipu and rāvaṇa; his death forms the subject of māgha's celebrated poem called śiśupāla-vadha

yajvan
06 December 2015, 02:44 PM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~
namasté

from a post above,


Dhṛtarāṣṭra is derived from dhṛta धृत - drawn tight (reins) , kept back , detained ; and rāṣṭra is kingdom, or realm. This rāṣṭra is also rooted in rāj ,
to rule , as this makes sense of one that has a kingdom. So , when we add the words together it is one who rules tightly, has the reins tight.

The key to this personality is the idea of being blind. King dhṛtarāṣṭra is the symbol of manas , the mind. That faculty or instrument through which thoughts
enter or by which objects of sense are collected. Svāmī paramahaṃsa yogānaṃda-ji calls him the sense-mind.
But why blind? The sense-mind lacks discriminating power on its own. The sense-mind is turned outward toward the world of objects. It lives in the world of māyā ¹ ,
of the many, of the Infinite that is measured out.

This mind has a function to coordinate the senses , as for itself, it cannot see, or hear or touch , etc. without those other faculties i.e. it is ~blind~ yet
holds a 'tight rein' (dhṛta) on these horses i.e. the senses. The mind as ~ blind~ ( and separate from intelligence, as we will get to this later) relays the impressions
received from the senses ( the horses) to the proper channels i.e. buddhi¹ ( intellect) or the emotions , etc.


Within the bhāgavad gītā which is ~ 700 verses¹ out of the mahābhārata’s 100,000 verses contains 4 characters:

kṛṣṇa-jī ( which he is addressed by many names¹ in this śastra for multiple reasons)
arjuna - one of the 5 paṇḍavā-s, and kṛṣṇa's friend
sañjaya – was the sūta¹ gifted with divine vision; able to see and listen in to the conversation between kṛṣṇa & arjuna, then relay the information to dhṛtarāṣṭra the king, and that is how we are able to receive the story.
dhṛtarāṣṭra the king, mentioned above; father of the kaurava-s and uncle to the paṇḍavā-s


As said many times, the śastra’s teach us at every level ( every chance and intersection) that presents the opportunity to do so.
Why are we offered these 4 characters to ‘listen in’ to the knowledge offered kṛṣṇa-jī ? I think we call can agree on the 1st two
in the list: kṛṣṇa-jī and arjuna. But why is sañjaya and dhṛtarāṣṭra part of the bhāgavad gītā ? surely it could have been done without
these two, or at the least done with 3 and leave out the king.

Does anyone see the significance or symbols in this arrangement ? Nothing is by happenstance .

iti śivaṁ

words


700 verses – some say 699, others say 700, and we find some translatations that 715 as in the bhāgavadgītārthasaṁgraha
A sūta is a charioteer, a story-teller whose business to proclaim/reveal/recite the heroic actions, and the knowledge of the great epics. The recitation of these epics is considered jñāna-yajña.
vyāsa is veda vyāsa - the one who compiled the veda-s and is also known as kṛṣṇa dvaipāyana for more insight on vyāsa see this HDF post: http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=49765&postcount=35




many names: One is keśava – ‘having long / flowing handsome hair’ . yet the name as ka + śa + va disassembled - ka = brahman , śa = śiva , va = varuṇa ‘ all enveloping sky’ and the master of ṛtá ( order, law, rightness, enlightened , luminous) like viṣṇu defined as all-pervading.

Yet another view is keśava as ka + iśa + va ( when a+i or a+ī come together side-by-side we get ‘e’ , hence keśava ). Now we can infer that this ka ( 3rd derivative) is a name for prajāpati ( creator), or brahman, or viṣṇu, or yama + va = varuṇa; Add īśa which is defined as lord, master, or even śiva. This then says keśava is He that lords over prajāpati ( creator), brahman, viṣṇu, yama + va = varuṇa.




māyā - rooted ( √ ) in mā - measuring
buddhi - the power of forming and retaining conceptions and general notions , intelligence , reason , intellect , mind , discernment , judgement ; in sāṃkhya darśana the second of the 25 tattva-s called buddhi-tattva)

yajvan
08 December 2015, 12:31 PM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~
namasté

this is one view answering the question in post 17 above... ( others may vary).



kṛṣṇa-jī is none other than the supreme, anuttara, all-inclusive wholeness, Being, the stainless & boundless SELF.
arjuna is localized Self within the human condition ( some say jīva, others puruṣa)
sañjaya ( some write saṃjaya) – he is blessed with the ability to have divine sight and hearing represents purified mind, perfect clarity and hence these natural abilities ( siddhi-s) that come to it.
dhṛtarāṣṭra the king – he is the symbol of the mind, of ego or limited, bound being. As mentioned above, The key to this personality is the idea of being blind. King dhṛtarāṣṭra is the symbol of manas , the mind. That faculty or instrument through which thoughts enter or by which objects of sense are collected.


What then is the ‘code’¹ here?
One view is the following: It is the method for unfolding the highest knowledge in one’s nature.


For one’s being, one’s puruṣa , the Supreme is the greatest of teachers - kṛṣṇa-jī + arjuna
For the ego or ~mind~ the best teacher is the one with the purified mind - sañjaya + dhṛtarāṣṭra

With kṛṣṇa-jī being Supreme, He is the highest and 1st method (uttara) – pure knowledge, of unfoldment. Arjuna receives direct knowledge from the Supreme ;
a ~direct~ method

The other method is ‘throttled down’ . It is from the one’s with purified minds and intellects as they relay the knowledge to the more ‘constrained’ person. Here we have it as sañjaya relaying to dhṛtarāṣṭra. That ( IMHO) is the message of using the 4 characters within the bhāgavad gītā. Yet I think there is more.

Extending the conversation
Yet there is more for one to consider… the first words/salutation/invocation/ āvāhanaṃ for each parvan ( major section) hails the following by vāysa before it begins the chapter’s offering:
om̐ nārāyaṇaṃ namaskṛtya naraṃ caiva narottamam |
devīṃ sarasvatīṃ caiva tato jayam udīrayet ||
this says,
om̐ - having bowed down to nārāyaṇa and nara, the most exalted male being, and also to devī sarasvatī, must the word jaya! be uttered.

First one notes that sarasvatī is the devata of knowledge. This aligns to the knowledge given and offered not only in the bhāgavad gītā but also the
mahābhārata i.e. the blessings of devī sarasvatī. Yet why is nārāyaṇa and nara called out? One can posit that nārāyaṇá identifies/aligns with viṣṇu and
therefore kṛṣṇa – all well and good. But what of nara?

We are informed within the vana (forest) parvan of the mahābhārata, as kṛṣṇa-jī says to arjuna, ‘O invincible one, you are nara and I am nārāyaṇa (hariḥ), and we, the ṛṣi-s nara-nārāyaṇa, have come to this world at the proper time ( some translate this as ‘for a special purpose’ ); O pārtha¹ (prince) you are me and I am thee, bull of the bharata race; no one can understand the difference between us!’

This is extremely interesting to me. Based upon this information kṛṣṇa-jī & arjuna are one and the same. At the very highest level of understanding we know
that the Supreme and everyone & everything is one with Being, yet here is seems there is more going on. What would that be ?

I take my support from a trika¹ book called the Anuttarasūtra¹ or the sūtra-s ( terse verses) of the Unsurpassable (anuttara). It calls out that there are 6 kinds of saṁbandha (binding, joining together, some say ‘contact’ ) between the teacher and the taught. Let me call out the 6 and perhaps you can see where the
nara-nārāyaṇa paradigm fits in.



para-saṁbandha – ( Supreme joining) both questioner and answerer ( ~ teacher and taught~) are śiva or the Supreme (para), unsurpassable, anuttara, Being.
mahān- saṁbandha – (great joining) the questioner is sadāśiva and the answerer is śiva
antarāla saṁbandha – ( midway or intermediate joining) the questioner is anantabhaṭṭāraka and the answerer is sadāśiva
divya saṁbandha – ( divine joining) the questioner is the sage/ṛṣi nandakumāra and the answerer is anantabhaṭṭāraka
divyādivya saṁbandha dha ( divine and non-diving joining) – the questioner is the sage/ṛṣi sanatkumāra and the answerer is nāndī
adivya saṁbandha – both questioner and answerer are human beings. one that is called out is durvāsā ṛṣi, (from the school of thought) of sanatkumāra ṛṣi, and the disciple was tryambakanātha.


Pending one’s knowledge and view of nara-nārāyaṇa we can see there is teacher and taught. I will let the reader decide on which one of
the 6 saṁbandha applies. Yet for me ( and me only) the nara-nārāyaṇa relationship allows us to ‘listen in’ to the Supreme works and knowledge
that is not afforded to everyone; it also clearly suggests that arjuna was not the fallen/down-trodden kṣatriya that many-an-author has depicted
him to be.

yatastvaṁ śivasamo'si

words



jaya – victory, triumph , winning , being victorious; it is also another name for arjuna (son of pāṇḍu);
code is indirectly (praṇāḍikayā), though hints and symbols (lakṣaṇā).
trika – is ‘code’ or another way of saying advaitya (non-dual) kaśmir śaivism school of thought
Anuttarasūtra -this book is also called Parā-trīśikā Vivaraṇa -or- That (Śrī Devī) who transcends and is Identical with trika. It also means That which speaks out (kāyati) the three (tri) śakti-s (śa) of the Supreme (parā). Vivaraṇa means the act of uncovering, opening, or explanation.

yajvan
10 December 2015, 03:00 PM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~
namasté

When one looks at symbols ((lakṣaṇā) we look directly and indirectly (praṇāḍikayā). That means we need to take apart words to see into them. With saṃskṛtá, sound forms are put together, as this is the definition of saṃskṛtá – ‘put together , constructed , well or completely formed , perfected’; and to take apart is vyākaraṇa – to disassemble, also defined as ‘grammatical analysis’. One also looks to the nirukta or explanation or etymological interpretation of a word to bring out more value when looked at as a whole or as a part.

This explains why various writings on HDF and in various śastra’s ( via the author) take the time to apply vyākaraṇa to ferret out deeper meanings. Example: yudhiṣṭhira is one of the 5 sons of pāṇḍu. His name = yudhi + ṣṭhira. Sthira= sthíti = standing upright or firmly , not falling + yudhi = battle. Hence yudhiṣṭhira is the one that stands firm, without falling , in battle. Hence it adds to the comprehension of the person and to the story/description that is being discussed.

There are also several other ways other than looking deeper into each word and tat would be via associations, family relations and origen of a person, place, or thing, telling us much about the subject or the deeper truth that is trying to be conveyed.

Why mention this?
It is an introduction to part of the mahābhārata that I have found most interesting and elusive ( at least to my comprehension). It is the game of dice that occurs between yudhiṣṭhira and śakúni the brother of queen gāndhārī (and therefore the brother-in-law of dhṛtarāṣṭra the blind king). This dice game as a symbol has alluded me for years on end. Yet every now and then by some stoke of grace a new ray of knowledge is offered and I am able to open the doors of understanding a bit more.

This game of dice occurs within the sabhā́¹ parvan ( which has 10 subsections) to it. This is where the dyūtá ( game playing, also the prize or winning of a battle) and anudyūtá (after or alongside ~ re-playing~) parvan offers this game. Not only does the game occur once, but is revisited again , and in both cases yudhiṣṭhira loses to śakúni. There are several other mentions of dice games that occur within the mahābhārata that includes yudhiṣṭhira so this vehicle ( of dice) has relevance.

From the standpoint of every-day reasoning what may a game of dice offer as a symbol?
1. fate, ~destiny~ - actions that are influenced by the total cosmic order
2. chance as an expression of luck
3. māyā ( this always seems to be a std. answer)
4. actions, choice, and their results
5. weakness even of the most noble ? (yudhiṣṭhira)

These things may ring true, yet there is always a deeper ( meaning more significant) view that can be offered.

I will try to do that in a few upcoming posts.

yatastvaṁ śivasamo'si

1. sabhā́ – large assembly; assembly hall; a place for public meetings , large assembly-room or hall , palace , court of a king or of justice

yajvan
13 December 2015, 07:27 PM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~
namasté

regarding dice from post 19 above...

I have spent some time trying to figure out the best way to write this post regarding the the game of dice occurs within the sabhā́¹ parvan as mentioned previously. This is where the dyūtá ( game playing, also the prize or winning of a battle) parvan resides.

I have come up short from determining the best course of action to describe the intricacies of the dice game’s subtler meanings. That is , I have not determined how to do it in a meaningful way without excessively writing and reviewing the various darśana’s ( schools of thought ) that are orthodox and non-orthodox¹. If I proceed in this fashion then I am excessively commenting, reviewing and referencing, yet not getting to where one ‘peels back the onion’ to see the internal workings of this game of dice. So, what is one to do? I can only reference the books that have lead me to my insights on this matter ( shown in the footnote¹ below) and hope that those that have extreme interest take to the reading. Now that said, I did wish to offer just one or two notions that I find delightful to bring up…

The first is dyūtá
Note that dyūtá is defined as play , gaming; dyū is rooted in ‘div’ and this means ‘playing or sporting with , delighting in’. Note also that dyūtá also means ‘contest’. So , we are told that a game will occur with agreed upon rules (sabhā́ parvan section 58). The dice game can also take on the same ‘contest’ as a debate. This is the subtler view here that many do not see. The debate from various schools that are represented by the debaters yudhiṣṭhira and śakúni, within a grand hall sabhā́, no less filled with kings ‘conversant with the veda-s’ (sabhā́ parvan section 59).

This in my opinion is beyond brilliant on vyāsa’s (kṛṣṇa dvaipāyana) part and demonstrates his extraordinary skill, ability and mastery of all the schools of thought and that of saṃskṛtá .
He is able to offer the reader multiple levels of knowledge in one setting of dyūtá… dice + debate + ‘div’ ( suggesting sport).

The ~ sport~ in many viewer’s eyes is the influence of div and dyū suggesting that (too) the power of destiny daivá (from deva rooted in ‘div’) ‘belonging to or coming from the gods’ , or ‘ by chance’ are at work. This may be so, but is not my entry point to the conversation. Destiny overall is at hand, as it is kṛṣṇa-jī who informs arjuna that all his opponents are already crushed ( this is offered in the bhāgavad gītā , which resides in bhīṣma parvan of the mahābhārata).

Worth mentioning
It is quite notable that kṛṣṇa-jī is not at the dice/debate game. Why so? Herein is one clue: We are told multiple times that śakúni is śauṇḍa (or skilled in) kitavá …
kitavá as a general term is a gamester , gambler, a cheat , fraudulent. Yet if we apply vyākaraṇa ( to disassemble a term) we have ka+ita+va which aids our understanding.

ka - has many meanings but is the sound form for viṣṇu, brahman, even a name of prajāpati
ita = gone; not remembered
va - also has many meanings such as ‘dwelling’ , ‘auspiciousness’ , ‘reverence’ , the ocean as in the name varuṇa

So, we know that śakúni is skilled (śauṇḍa) in cheating (kitava), yet we now can see a deeper meaning; that śakúni is one that is not dwelling (va) in the Supreme or for viṣṇu (ka) ;
that is, the Supreme (va) is gone (ita) in this dwelling (va).

Hence within this game/debate (dyūtá) , this dwelling (va) or the chambers that is holding the debate, the Supreme (viṣṇu) it not there , is gone (ita) or is not remembered which is another definition of ita. And, this is confirmed by what vāsudeva (kṛṣṇa-ji) says in the vāna (forest) pravan , section 13: If I had been present this evil would not have befallen you! I would haveprevented the game from taking place, by showing its many evils... O king (addressing yudhiṣṭhira), un-thought-of evils, befall a man from dice!
This is how profoundly vyāsa (kṛṣṇa dvaipāyana) can comprehend and write – just brilliant!

Which school ?
So, the question is, which school is represented by śakúni ? Look to those schools that do not maintain that the Supreme is an intragal part of the whole or
there is no need for the Supreme when explaining reality and how the universe unfolds; or if a Supreme does exist it plays a small role, perhaps even just a observer.
There are such schools.

Other ideas that I think are worth thinking about:

Why did yudhiṣṭhira play a second time ? He never can refuse a challenge (sabhā́ parvan section 57-58) & ‘ when summoned I do not withdraw’ – what is the deeper meaning?
Why did duryodhana¹ ( the antagonizer of the pāṇḍava’s ) not debate/play the game with yudhiṣṭhira ?
When draupadī enters the story during the dice game what is her symbol in the story? We are given a hint based upon one of her names yājñasenī … born of (fire) sacrifice.


yatastvaṁ śivasamo'si

words


non-orthodox schools like jaina, cārvāka , and buddhist views. Non-orthodox simply means that they do not necessarily agree that the veda-s as the final authority; hence ‘orthodox’ means the veda-s are the final say on all matters.
duryodhana is the eldest son of dhṛtarāṣṭra, the blind king ; durodhana was the leader of the kaurava-s in their war with the pāṇḍava-s

​duryodhana = dur +yodhana yet there is more to duryodhana than meets the eye:
dur is seen as wickedness; yet too gives us dura ‘one who opens or unlocks’; dvā́r gate , door , entrance or issue , expedient , means , opportunity
yodhana -the act of fighting , battle


​sabhā́ – large assembly; assembly hall; a place for public meetings , large assembly-room or hall , palace , court of a king or of just
Books used as reference

Mahābhārata – translation by Kisari Mohan Ganguli
Mysteries of the mahābhārata - N.V. Thandani
Destiny and the Human Initiative in the mahābhārata – Julian F. Woods

yajvan
29 January 2016, 05:58 PM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~
namasté

I wrote some time back:


It is said there are 4 indispensable elements to any śāstra. I list 5 below which is more accounting then any difference of opinion…


prayojaña - a purpose or aim
adhikārī - one competent to learn or study; Note that this infers there is an adhikārin अधिकारिन् i.e.one possessing authority, entitled to, or fit to teach the student.
abhidheya - meaning 'that which is expressed or referred to' i.e. the subject at hand, the subject matter to learn.
abhidhāna - a name , title ; lexicon
sambandha - binding together, joining, close connection. But of what? the connection between the title of the śāstra and the subject matter i.e. The title (abhidhāna) and the subject matter (abhidheya).

When we look to the mahābhārata one may think of this book in any of the following ways:


The great (mahā) bhārata
The story of the war within the mahābhārata
The great (mahā) land called bhārata – bhāratavarṣa, named after king bharata.

These notions are well and good, yet there is more to consider as the title (abhidhāna) of any great work is of great importance
and adds/indicates what is covered within the knowledge held therein.

We know mahā = great. Yet what of this bhārata ? Bhārata has multiple ( rich) meanings:


descended from bharata or the bharata-s – which suggests those that descended from king bharata. So with this in mind one would say the mahābhārata is that knowledge that deals with the great descendants of king bharata.

Yet if we look further we find other meanings, something deeper, or abhedasārā, the essence or ‘marrow’ of the knowledge contained within the mahābhārata.
If we look to the śatápatha brāhmaṇa¹ agni is called out as bharata in one section and in another he is prāṇa. Now we have a different view that can be considered
of the knowledge within the mahābhārata. This grand work of the mahābhārata is that which addresses any and all things within the purview of prāṇa and agni.
There is no living being that is outside these two principles. It encompasses not only all of descendants of bharata but of all that reside on this good earth.
This suggests the knowledge that is offered affects and is applicable to all. That is what it is so great (mahā); because it is all encompassing, all inclusive.

iti śivaṁ

words



śatápatha (or śatá + patha) having a hundred (~numerous~) paths; proceeding in a hundred ways. The śatápatha brāhmaṇa resides within the śukla yajurveda; It has two major sections ( some like to call these recensions), the vājasaneyi mādhyandina śākhā and kāṇva śākhā. The first one has 100 adhyāyas (chapters) within 14 kāṇḍas (books). It is called such as its author was the renouned yājñavalkya vājasaneya who we find often within the śastra-s. The other section is of the latter 104 adhyāyas ( chapters) within 17 kāṇḍas (books) and the author is kāṇva-ji, who is of the family of kāṇva; we find these ṛṣi-s ( seers) of the ṛg veda.

agni and prāṇa are called out in sections 1.4.2.2 and 1.5.1.8 ( book, chapter, section, verse format shown)

yajvan
31 January 2016, 02:22 PM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~
namasté

I wrote,

When we look to the mahābhārata one may think any of the following:
The great (mahā) bhārata
The story of the war within the mahābhārata
The great (mahā) land called bhārata – bhāratavarṣa, named after king bharata.
The mahābhārata is masterful in its use of the indirect method (praṇāḍikayā), though hints and symbols (lakṣaṇā)
of explaining great ideas and wisdom.

This śastra is considered itihāsa - iti-ha-āsa , ‘so indeed it was’ or history ( his-story). Yet one can look at this another way – and that is why I remain a śiṣya
( to be taught, a student/pupil¹) of this great knowledge.

The notion of itihāsa can also be viewed as iti-hā-sa


iti = thus, that is, in this manner ; i = iti =itya ( from itya) to be gone to or ( to go) towards.
hā = knowledge ; yet to say ‘hā’ only means knowledge would be misleading. Let me mention a few more that are ( I my eyes) relevant to the offering herein.

an exclamation satisfaction ( as we even use today - hā!!)
to go or depart or betake one's self to have recourse to
to discharge , emit
to become detached from
to wish to escape


sa – names of viṣṇu or śiva; This ‘sa’ is a ~ big deal~ within trika ( another name for non dual kaśmir śaivism). It is said¹, as among figures, the 4-armed Viṣṇu, the 3-eyed Śiva, etc. among spirituous liquors, surā, āsava etc. lead one forcibly as it were to the state of bhairava, among all the akṣara (~ phonemes~, sounds, letters) 'sa' leads to the state of bhairava. Bhairava¹ as the name for the Supreme in non-dual kaśmir śaivism.

So if we take stock of what has been offered above, the mahābhārata in the light of itihāsa is that śastra, that knowledge (hā) that leads one toward (iti) the Supreme (sa).

iti śivaṁ

words


pupil – in this case the teacher is NV Thadanai and his work found in The Mystery of The Mahābhārata, written 1934.
'It is said' - from āgamādhikāra 2a.12, referenced in parā-trīśikā vivaraṇa's review of śloka-s 9-18.
Who is bhairava ? We can use the following which is found in the tantra-loka ( chapter 1, 96th śloka) of abhinavagupta-ji :
viśvaṃ bibharti pūraṇadhāraṇayogena tena ca śriyate |
savimarśatayā rava rūpataśca saṃsārabhīruhitakṛcca || 96
this says,
He who carries the whole universe, who nourishes and supports it,
and who is carried by it , He is the sound who by His power of awareness
protects those who are frightened by the world of transmigration (saṃsāra – some use the term saṃcāra).

yajvan
28 February 2016, 11:32 AM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~
namasté

... continuing

An Authoritative Voice
Within the mahābhārata we find the viṣṇu sahasrānam¹ ( some too say sahasrānana or ‘thousand-faced’).
One needs to be mindful of the status of the mahābhārata’s author, vyāsa, as his ~position~ is called out within viṣṇusahasrānam.
It says the following:

vyāsāya viṣṇurūpāya vyāsarūpāya viṣṇave |
namō vai brahmanidhaye vāsiṣṭhāya namō namaḥ || 4

I bow before vyāsa who is viṣṇu, viṣṇu who is vyāsa
again and again I bow before, He, who is born, In the family of vāsiṣṭhā ||

This informs us we are in good company with the mahābhārata’s author. But why mention this? Think of this author. What would he want us to know ? to what level, depth and breath, can he speak? His accuracy and perfect view on all subjects ?

Many of us (including me ) go from story-to-story within the mahābhārata and say, what does this mean? What is the wisdom here? One needs to click-up a few levels and look at this great work from a holistic point of view. It then, for me, makes more sense as I see all the stories (paurāṇika¹) in a new light.

Three Levels
Madhvācārya-ji says the mahābhārata can be looked at , or addresses 3 levels ( simultaneously no doubt):


aitihāsika – historical; derived from legend, who knows ancient legend
manuvāda – discourse and doctrine on sacred texts; the father of men (manu); the first to have instituted sacrifices and religious ceremonies , and associated with the ṛṣis kaṇva and atri. Hence this is suggesting all of the knowledge on dharma, virtue , proper life-supporting action, scared study and the like.
apāra-cara – or within (cara) the boundless (apāra); the notion here that every part and parcel ( words, ideas, pravan-s or sections) of the mahābhārata holds the fullness of the Supreme; a sort of declaration of the Supreme in every thought-deed-action that resides within each word. That is , it is āstika or ‘there is or exists’ the Supreme.

Yajvan, you mention the Supreme, 'there is or exists' but what else ? There is no else. There is only the Supreme. This ( for me) is supported beyond reproach by the very 1st word
of the śiva sūtra-s. It says caitanyamātmā.


ātmā = the reality of everything, the essence, the nature
caitanya = Supreme consciousness

We take our lead from the wise; kṣemarāja-ji translates this one idea as , This Supreme ( independent state of God Consciousness) is the form.
He does not say the form of what or of whom, where, when, how, or why – he says the ‘form’. It is the ‘form’ of everything, this is our take-away
and this is supported by svāmī lakṣman-jū’s commentary on kṣemarāja-ji. Said another way, there is no-thing It is not. This aligns perfectly with apāra-cara as āstika
just mentioned above.
This ,the 3 levels, suggest to me that vyāsa-viṣṇu is that competent Being and author that speaks to these 3 levels and His knowledge is spotless, comprehensive
and authoritative.

The Macro-background of the mahābhārata
So , we have these 3 venues just mentioned. We can ask, what then is the macro-background, the ‘screen’ that the story of the mahābhārata unfolds upon ?
It unfolds upon the waxing and waning of time ; huge eons of time that come and go. On this screen are different points of view, trying
to answer the question as to what is Reality? What is our nature ? What is action and what do we need to do (dharma). It is by the vision of vyāsa that
he talks of truth, asks questions ( as within the viṣṇu sahasrānam, the bhāgavad gītā , etc) that he brings out the knowledge and wisdom of the ages.
It is done though hints and symbols (lakṣaṇā), indirectly (praṇāḍikayā), and at times directly. Sometimes we 'get it' , other times not so much and we need a helping hand to peel back
the stories and symbols for us to discern the underlying truths.

With that, we will look at a few notions as examples of what has been mentioned in some upcoming posts.

iti śivaṁ

words


sahasrānam : sahasra = 1,000 + āna = face; yet note that ānam = to do homage, to bend, salute reverently. Hence the beauty of sahasrānam suggesting to give homage, to bow 1,000 times to viṣṇu.
The viṣṇusahasrānam is found in the anuśāsana parvan of the mahābhārata; anuśāsana = instruction, direction + parvan = section or chapter.

The viṣṇusahasrānam is the ‘instruction’ given by bhīṣma ; It came about by a question asked of yudhiṣṭhiraḥ (one of the 5 pāṇḍava-s). He says:
kimekaṁ daivataṁ lōke kiṁ vāpyekaṁ parāyaṇaṁ |
stuvaṁtaḥ kaṁ kamarcaṁtaḥ prāpnuyurmānavāḥ śubham || 8
kō dharmaḥ sarvadharmāṇāṁ bhavataḥ paramō mataḥ |
kiṁ japanmucyate jaṁturjanmasaṁsārabaṁdhanāt || 9

this says in general,
Who in this wide world is that one God who is the only shelter?
Who is He ( to) whom, Beings worship and pray, and get salvation ?
Who is He who should often be worshiped with love?
Which Dharma is so great, there is none greater?
And which is to be often chanted to get free from these bondage of life ?



paurāṇika - versed in ancient legends and stories

yajvan
29 February 2016, 11:37 AM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~
namasté

continuing with...
The Macro-background of the mahābhārata
Let me use one verse from the bhāgavad gītā ( a 700 verse/section from the mahābhārata no doubt) to support a point of view I offered in post 23 above:
Kṛṣṇa-jī is speaking as says the following to arjuna:

paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṃ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām |
dharmasaṃsthāpanārthāya saṃbhavāmi yuge yuge || 4.8
Kṛṣṇa-jī says He creates Himself ( this is indicated in verse 4.7) and returns ‘yuge yuge’, or yuga after yuga¹.
That is, He returns again and again , He takes birth again and again yuga after yuga.

Why does He return ? To firmly establish dharma (once again) and protect the righteous, so says this 4.8 verse. My teacher used the term
righteous for sādhūnāṃ as sādhu = straight, good, right. I mention this as many will see 'sādhu'as the spiritual sage, the mendicant
or holy man/woman and that too is no doubt the ‘straight, good, right’.
The other term paritrāṇāya = to protect/protection and the deliverance from. But from whom ? From duṣkṛtām = wrongly or wickedly done ,
badly arranged or organized or applied. We read often that this verse calls out the wicked (person), all well and good, but there is a more significant,
deeper meaning and this gives us a clue to the macro-view of the mahābhārata.

First we note that ages come and go, yuga-s come and go. Cycles upon cycles occur again and again. Within these cycles, truth and dharma wax and wane –
they grow and decay. This is the way of the world ( code for all time and place i.e. the universe). Within this growth and decay various philosophies (darśana-s¹) arise and
depart; ‘grow and decay’ become established and then erode.
So , there are 2 points:
· yuga-s come and go. Within these yuga-s various philosophies (darśana-s¹) become established and they too come and go.
· The Supreme returns to ‘paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṃ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām’ to protect and deliver the sādhu (straight, good, right) from duṣkṛtām or ‘badly arranged, or badly organized or badly applied’

Here is pay dirt ( meaning gold) as they say in the West … my term is the ahh-ha! moment.
The mahābhārata no doubt reflects these 3 qualities as mentioned before:


aitihāsika – historical; derived from legend, who knows ancient legend
manuvāda – discourse and doctrine on sacred texts; the father of men (manu); the first to have instituted sacrifices and religious ceremonies , and associated with the ṛṣis kaṇva and atri. Hence this is suggesting all of the knowledge on dharma, virtue , proper life-supporting action, scared study and the like.
apāra-cara – or within (cara) the boundless (apāra); the notion here that every part and parcel ( words, ideas, pravan-s or sections) of the mahābhārata holds the fullness of the Supreme; a sort of declaration of the Supreme in every thought-deed-action that resides within each word. That is , it is āstika or ‘there is or exists’ the Supreme.

Here’s is the ahh-ha!
The mahābhārata brings to the reader the various darśana-s (which align to the manuvāda point above) and how they compare and contrast by application vs. verbiage calling each out as a lesson plan and discussing them. That is, the various families take on the symbols of the different philosophies (darśana-s); various characters represent various views or the voice of that school.
Some ( like the pāṇḍava) change their views over the course of time due to the influence Kṛṣṇa-jī’s presence. They are being ‘delivered’ from a badly arranged view.

Kṛṣṇa-jī returns to re-establish the proper view, the proper dharma ‘to deliver the straight, the right, the good’ from badly arranged and applied views (or duṣkṛtām, from
the bhāgavad gītā verse 4.8 above).This is also why Kṛṣṇa-ji sides with the pāṇḍava, but yet gives his army to the kaurava. In fact it was the kaurava’s choice via duryodhana¹
to pick kṛṣṇa’s army; arjuna perferred kṛṣṇa. Note the symbolism ? More on this later.

But what of these differing views ? The symbol used is 18. How many times do you see this 18 ( total chapters of the mahābhārata, chapters of the bhāgavad gītā,
number of the main purāṇa-s¹), yet there is more:
From a past post¹ we looked to this 18 :
· the pāṇḍava army lost 7 akṣauhiṇī-s¹ in the war ( in 18 days no less)
· the kaurava army lost 11 akṣauhiṇī-s in the same time.
· Total 18 akṣauhiṇī-s lost ; the total kṣatriya deaths at ~ 3.54 million in 18 days

Note that 1 akṣauhiṇī = 21,870 chariots ; 21,870 elephants; 65,610 horse-mounted warriors and 109,350 infantry, as per the mahābhārata.
If we add each number:
21,870 or 2+1+8+7+0 = 18
65,610 or 6+5+6+1+0 = 18
109,350 or 1+0+9+3+5+0 =18
Hence it seems to me vyāsa (who is viṣṇu, viṣṇu who is vyāsa) is coaching and cajoling us to understand this 18. To ‘get’ its significance of the various philosophies (darśana-s) that guide, support, and directs the proper course of action for people, societies and nations. It is kṛṣṇa-jī ( who is viṣṇu no less) that comes to correct this view from time-to-time. To set the record straight, to assist , guide, point the way, and deliver the righteous to the proper view. The proper view of what ? Of Reality, of life-supporting actions. This, in my humble opinion, is the backdrop , the ‘screen’ on which the mahābhārata takes; a comparison of one school vs. the other and what is the proper view.

So, what of this 18 from philosophical/darśana point of view ? Let’s take a look in an upcoming post.

iti śivaṁ

words and references

yuga - an age of the world , long periods of time of which there are four: kṛta or satya , tretā , . dvāpara , & kali that many say we are in now, others argue differently.
darśana - observing , looking , noticing , observation , perception ; doctrine; inspection , examination
purāṇa – acient, of olden times. A class of sacred works (compiled by vyāsa-ji) to treat of 5 topics or pañcalakṣaṇa; the chief purāṇas are 18 , grouped in 3 divisions : rājasa exalting brahmā the brahma , brahmāṇḍa , brahmavaivarta , mārkaṇḍeya , bhaviṣya , & vāmana purāṇa ; sāttvika exalting viṣṇu - the viṣṇu , bhāgavata , nāradīya , garuḍa , padma, & varāha purāṇa] ; tāmasa exalting śiva i.e. the śiva , liṅga , skanda , agni or in place of it the vāyu , matsya & kūrma purāṇa

note to that purāṇa and puraṇa are ~simular~. This puraṇa = sea, ocean , suggesting an ocean of knowledge.

The 5 topics (pañcalakṣaṇa)
1. sarga - letting go , discharging; how this universe came about
2. pratisarga - the portion of a purāṇa which treats of the destruction and renovation of the world
3. vamśa: the lineage , race , family , stock; a noble race , a dynasty of kings and gods
4. manvañtara: the yuga-s as they come-and-go
5. vamśānucaritam: legends, lore, during the times of various kings





Past post: http://hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?1882-The-5th-Veda-Mahabharata
akṣauhiṇī – an army corps
duryodhana - eldest son of dhṛtarāṣṭra , leader of the kaurava-s in their war with the pāṇḍavas; this term duryodhana - dur = very bad or difficult or wicked + yodha = fighter, warrior; means 'fighting' and yodhana = the act of fighting , battle , war. Also - duryodha means difficult to be conquered. The term then can be looked at in a few ways:

a. duryodhana fights badly ; that is, ineffective
b. duryodhana fights badly suggesting non-compliant to the rules of engagement
c. duryodhana is a fierce fighter in battle; he is very difficult to over-come
d. duryodhana is bad, wicked and pushes back, he fights. This suggests he does not take (accept) good council and apply it. We see this obstinacy many times in the
mahābhārata

yajvan
02 March 2016, 03:24 PM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~
namasté

This number 18

· the pāṇḍava army lost 7 akṣauhiṇī-s¹ in the war ( in 18 days no less)
· the kaurava army lost 11 akṣauhiṇī-s in the same time.
· Total 18 akṣauhiṇī-s lost ; the total kṣatriya deaths at ~ 3.54 million in 18 days

We look to this number 18 and see it’s made of 11 + 7. Yet N.V. Thadani ( author of Mystery of the Mahābhārata, a 5 volume, set written in 1934) suggests that 11 = 5 + 6.
Each one of these numbers 5+6+7 , represents a darśana, a philosophical point of view. But of what? How all ‘this’ ( creation and all that occurs) comes about.

The core 3 are vedānta, yoga and sāṁkhya ( some write sāṅkhya) which align to viṣṇu, śiva, and brahmā ( the creator, not brahman) From these 3 one can re-examine their views slightly differently and then come up with 2 more views ( we’re now up to 5); And one could also view vedānta in different lights and see it as purva mīmāṁsā and uttara mīmāṁsā for a total of 6:


sāṁkhya
yoga
vedānta
mīmāṃsā
nyāya
vaiśeṣika

These views, at the macro-level, wish to comprehend, explain, & examine the subject of puruṣa ( pure Being) and prakṛti (~ nature~) and how it applies to bring about all ‘this’.

For now let me address the core darśana-s aforementioned. In a future post we can expand the 3 in a different light that gets us to the 6 darśana-s listed above. Yet let’s say for now it’s like baking a cake; what if I add a little more of this and take-away a bit of that, then what do I get? It’s sort of like this very crude example.

Puruṣa ( pure Being) and prakṛti ( ~ nature~)
It is important at this point to better understand the definition of prakṛti as it is key to this and future conversations. Saying it is ‘nature’ is a mundane view. Consider the term this way:
prakṛti = pra + kṛti = filling or fulfilling + creation, doing. It is this prakṛti that ‘fills creation’. See the point? Nature kinda does that , but the prakṛti term is more specific.
Some will remind us that prakṛti can be viewed as pra +ka + ṛti


pra – filling
ka – happiness,
ṛti – misery; enemy, remembrance , memory; going, motion

We see that pra+ka+ṛti is filled with pleasure and pain.



puruṣa (pure Being), Supreme Being. Note that I am not as yet saying the Supreme Creator as described in the puruṣa-sūktam. Why so? It is because some of the schools do not see puruṣa in that light.



Look to the battlefield - kurukṣetra
The armies ( 5 + 6 +7 =18) are assembled on the field, kurukṣetra, the field of dharma , dharmakṣetra , so says the mahābhārata.
The opposing sides are differing schools of thought. ( This is the ahh-ha!) But what could be in opposition, one must ask? The answer:
What or how did all ‘this’ come about? Or who really is the author to all 'this' ? Here are a few possibilities as points of view:


All ‘this’ came about purely by prakṛti (pra+kṛti) only; this is all that there is.
All ‘this’ came about purely by prakṛti (pra+kṛti) only, no other agent, even if it existed, was not involved
All ‘this’ came about by prakṛti only while some Supreme Being looked on.
All ‘this’ material was supplied by a Supreme Being , then got out of the way; This puruṣa set the wheels in motion, then stepped aside
All ‘this’ came about by the union of prakṛti and puruṣa
All ‘this’ came about by the orchestration of the Supreme, using prakṛti as a tool
All ‘this’ is nothing but the Supreme Being, puruṣa, nothing else. You may ‘see’ prakṛti, but it is just another form of puruṣa.

This as I see it is a very interesting state of affairs and shows once again the depth and breadth of vyāsa (who is viṣṇu, viṣṇu who is vyāsa). The field of views (kurukṣetra) are being considered. Each person with a position ( in rank, status, experience, etc.) exemplify or question, a particular view or stance by word or action, or by his/her lineage ( how they came into the story and the role they play) of a particular school , all the while vyāsa-ji is still talking on 3 levels e.g. aitihāsika, manuvāda, & apāra-cara ( see post 24 above).

The significance of kurukṣetra & dharmakṣetra


kurukṣetra

We know that this term means the field of kuru-s; kuru is the ancestor of both pāṇḍu and dhṛtarāṣṭra. That makes
perfect sense. Yet we click down one more level and we find kuru = kartāras or ‘doers’.
kurukṣetra is also the ‘field of doing’ the field of action. Who anyhere does not act? What galaxy is not rotating, moving,
colliding? What electron is not moving? What person , place, or thing is not in motion, action? Even is you sit perfectly
still this whole galaxy is turning, is moving ( at 400 miles per second). So, this kurukṣetra is the whole field of creation.


dharmakṣetra

The field of dharma. As mentioned in other posts, dharma is rooted in dhṛ , defined as 'to uphold, balance; to upkeep, preserve; maintain' .
Dharma is also laws, justice, righteousness, life-supporting behaviors, etc. It is holding to the law , doing one's duty and all that this implies.
This is where these different schools compare and contrast: on the field of action, the field of law and duty, on the field of actions that ‘uphold’ life and creation.

The significance of arjuna and kṛṣṇa-jī in the middle of the two armies
This is where the bhāgavad gītā takes place. The significance of the middle? It is the 'gap' the in-between place, some call madhya.
It is where pure awareness resides. This pure awareness = pure Being = kṛṣṇa-jī.

https://sites.google.com/site/mathzland/Home/Kurukshetra1.jpg

More on this in an upcoming post.

iti śivaṁ

yajvan
02 March 2016, 05:38 PM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~
namasté

continuing....
The significance of arjuna and kṛṣṇa-jī in the middle of the two armies. This is where the bhāgavad gītā takes place

The significance of the middle? It is the 'gap' the in-between place, some call madhya. It is where pure awareness resides. This pure awareness = pure Being = kṛṣṇa-jī. What is found between (madhye) the breath or prāṇa ( inward, middle, outward) is niṣkala – without parts , some call the transcendent, others may call it pure awareness, this is none other than the Supreme.

Being the middle also suggests what the power of the Supreme is capable of doing… when there is a decay of dharma the balance of the 3 guna-s is disturbed.
Equilibrium is changed and put off balance. The symbol of kṛṣṇa-jī being in the middle of the opposing armies, the opposing views clearly informs us that pure awareness, SELF, Being, or kṛṣṇa-jī is that ~force~ that brings balance.
Yet there is more here to review. My teacher has said, the bhāgavad gītā is the highest expression of divine intelligence understandable by man. Hence when kṛṣṇa-jī speaks it is perfect speech, perfect knowledge, without blemish or error. If anyone has read the bhāgavad gītā, kṛṣṇa-jī addresses multiple levels of knowledge: yoga, devotion, who really does all actions (a discussion on prakṛti), the proper course of action for a human, birth, death, who really in essence are all the gods, etc.

Yet the big question in my opinion and perhaps the most esoteric (rahasya or concealed, secret) is the following statement from kṛṣṇa-jī that resolves all of the
disputes from all different schools on this battle field.
ye caiva sāttvikā bhāvā rājasāstāmasāśca ye|
mattaḥ eveti tānviddhi na tvahaṁ teṣu te mayi||7.12
This says,
All those states of being, states of existence (bhāvā) ( the 3 guṇa-s) sāttvikā, rājasās & tāmasāśca
know that (tānviddhi¹) they truly, in this manner (eveti) come from me (mattaḥ);
they are in me but I not in them (na tvahaṁ teṣu te mayi).

Here is insight:
At the very heart of duality views of the world is the notion of ‘me’ and everything that is not ‘me’ i.e. everything else. With this one verse kṛṣṇa-jī is quite clear on this matter. Everything is contained within Him. If it is all Him, where can there be duality ? What can be outside of Him, or other then Him ? In one stoke ( one verse) the core of advaita ( not two) or wholeness resides.

If you went back to the post 24 above I mention , in broad stokes, there are 2 underlying points to the mahābhārata:
· yuga-s come and go. Within these yuga-s various philosophies (darśana-s¹) become established and they too come and go.
· The Supreme returns to ‘paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṃ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām’ to protect and deliver the sādhu (straight, good, right) from duṣkṛtām or ‘badly arranged, or badly organized or badly applied’

This sloka that was just offered (bhāgavad gītā 7.12) addresses the second bullet above. It informs us of what really occurs, what really is the nature of Reality
and all ‘this’. He also informs us on how all ‘this’ comes about in chapter 9 , 8th śloka:

prakṛtim svām avastabhya
visrjami punaḥ punaḥ |
bhūta-grāmam imaṁ kṛtsnam
avaśaṁ prakṛter vaśāt || 8

This says, curving back (leaning, resting-upon or avaṣṭabhya) onto my SELF (svām) I create (visṛjāmi) again and again (punaḥ punaḥ).
All this (kṛtsnam) which exists ( manifestation and variety bhūta-grāmam) , that comes into creation (prakṛti) is done by my authority or command (vaśāt).

This resolves any question on the origin of ‘this’ and how it comes about.
Yet if one reads the bhāgavad gītā we are infomed that kṛṣṇa-jī shows arjuna His universal form. Said another way, ‘sure kṛṣṇa-jī you have said all this, but nothing
beats seeing all ‘this’ with one’s own eyes ( in this case the inner eye)’ ; Arjuna then sees all of creation , all that there is ( His form).

In one stoke vyāsa-viṣṇu’s teaching method is impeccable. I am going to inform you (arjuna) of the highest truth that trumps all other views and extinguishes duṣkṛtām or the ‘badly arranged, or badly organized or badly applied’ views or schools; Not only am I going to appeal to your intellect, I am also going to allow you to view this ‘wholeness’ or fullness of Being for yourself.

This method of teaching is used today: tell them the knowledge, show them ( or apply the knowledge), then review what you told them and showed them. This is how the bhāgavad gītā could be viewed, the 1st six chapters + the middle six chapters + the last six chapters. Where does arjuna see kṛṣṇa-jī’s universal form? In the middle chapters , madhya, where pure consciousness is more easily accessed.

For some, this view may cause some consternation. It is not meant to do so. It is just an extension of the conversation of the mahābhārata.

iti śivaṁ


1. tānviddhi - viddhi is ‘the act of piercing ‘, vid is to know + tān = tāt = in this way

yajvan
19 April 2016, 10:17 PM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~
namasté

From post 26 above,

The significance of the middle? It is the 'gap' the in-between place, some call madhya. It is where pure awareness resides. This pure awareness = pure Being = kṛṣṇa-jī. What is found between (madhye) the breath or prāṇa ( inward, middle, outward) is niṣkala – without parts , some call the transcendent, others may call it pure awareness, this is none other than the Supreme.
Within the mahābhārata we find the viṣṇu sahasrānam ( some too say sahasrānana or ‘thousand-faced’) offered in the anushāsanaparva (anuśāsana = instruction, direction + parvan = section or chapter ) by bhīṣma-ji to yudhiṣṭhiraḥ¹. It is a hymn in praise of viṣṇuḥ. Within 108 verses 1,000 names of viṣṇuḥ are called out …

One of these names ( number 486 = 4+8+6 = 18 once again! See post 24 & 25 above) is gabhastinemiḥ. What does this name mean ? In general it is defined as ‘the felly of whose wheel is sharp-edged’. This no doubt is a pickle to understand let alone connect back to the notion of ‘middle’ or madhya or niṣkala – without parts. Yet with a little work we just may see the brilliance of this word suggested by bhīṣma-ji.


gabhasti+ nemiḥ

gabhasti – a ray of light
nemi – any circumference , ‘encircled or surrounded by’


So the gabhastinemiḥ is name of viṣṇuḥ who is surrounded by rays of light.

But what of this ‘the felly of whose wheel is sharp-edged’ ? Odd don’t you think? It is from ‘nemi’ which is another name of cakravartin. And what is that? It is a ruler whose wheels of His chariot roll everywhere without obstruction , sovereign of the world. Now we have viṣṇuḥ with the quality of gabhasti + nemiḥ - rays of light, the ruler whose wheels of His chariot roll everywhere, the sovereign of the world.
But there is more…
If we look to this term this way, gabha+ sti +nemiḥ

gabha – a slit , a gap
sti is rooted in ‘as’ which means to abide in, to dwell
nemi – encircled by, surrounded by


Now we have the quality of viṣṇuḥ of He who is ‘abides’ (‘as’) in the gap (gabha) encircled or surrounded by light (gabhasti).

What is called light is another name for consciousness . It is He that dwells ‘in between’ madhya ( middle) , in the gap of wake, dream and sleep… this ‘ in between' is always there , it is the 4th or turiya , pure awareness, Being, SELF. Thus the brilliance of bhīṣma-ji.

iti śivaṁ

1. The viṣṇusahasrānam is the ‘instruction’ given by bhīṣma upon a question asked of yudhiṣṭhiraḥ (one of the 5 pāṇḍava-s).
Yudhiṣṭhiraḥ asks,
kimekaṁ daivataṁ lōke kiṁ vāpyekaṁ parāyaṇaṁ |
stuvaṁtaḥ kaṁ kamarcaṁtaḥ prāpnuyurmānavāḥ śubham || 8
kō dharmaḥ sarvadharmāṇāṁ bhavataḥ paramō mataḥ |
kiṁ japanmucyate jaṁturjanmasaṁsārabaṁdhanāt || 9

this says in general,
Who in this wide world is that one God who is the only shelter?
Who is He ( to) whom, Beings worship and pray, and get salvation ?
Who is He who should often be worshiped with love?
Which Dharma is so great, there is none greater?
And which is to be often chanted to get free from these bondage of life ?

yajvan
08 October 2017, 05:13 PM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~
namasté

One cannot avoid all the clashing (saṁghaṭṭa) that occurs in today’s world...


saṁghaṭṭa (संघट्ट) = rubbing or clashing together , friction , collision , conflict , rivalry

saṁgha = heap , multitude , quantity , crowd, a society
ghaṭṭ = to stir round ; to have a bad effect or influence



So, this clashing, many say it is the sign of the times ( kali yuga). For others, they may wish to go further and understand a different view of why this all occurs.

Many will say , and correctly so, that as a whole, society is none other than a collection of individuals. And, these individuals are blemished (mala) in this day and age.
Due to these blemishes the individual (paśu) becomes trapped or bound (paśa) into mundane life and separate from pāti ( The Supreme). There are any variations on this simple narrative just offered, from many schools. Yet I’d like to offer one view that is found in the mahābhārata.

This is from the 12th book, called śanti parvan, the 292nd chapter, where discussions with king yudhiṣṭira1 & bhīṣma-ji on his bed of arrows. One question from yudhiṣṭira allows bhīṣma-ji to recall a conversation between vasisṭha & king kāralajanaka. This recollection is to answer many questions posed to bhīṣma-ji by king yudhiṣṭira.

[vasisṭha]
evam apratibuddhatvād abuddham anuvartate |
dehād dehasahasrāṇi tathā samabhipadyate || 1

this says in a nut shell that the unawakened follow the unawake (evam apratibuddhatvād abuddham anuvartate).
Some may say in ‘street’ vernacular that the blind are leading the blind.

Hence one view of all the thrashing (saṁghaṭṭa) in today’s world is the unawakened (blind) are following or are led by the unawake (blind).
Frankly I see this fairly often and this verse usually comes to mind. Yet knowing the wisdom of ārṣeya2 vasisṭhaḥ, there must be more to this than meets the eye. This will be taken up in the next post.


https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/6f/31/ec/6f31ec8602a50bb1cd8c1d4e6f979bfb.jpg

iti śivaṁ

1. yudhiṣṭira – one of the 5 pāṇḍava brothers; the term yudhiṣṭira = always calm in battle; he was considered dharma incarnate
2. ārṣeya - is another way of saying ‘pertaining to a ṛṣi (rishi) or derived from’ and in my offer it is pertaining to vasisṭhaḥ the seer/muni