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Thread: Vasișțha's Yoga

  1. #11
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    Re: Vasișțha's Yoga

    hariḥ oṁ
    ~~~~~~

    Namasté amra-ji

    Thank you for your post...

    Quote Originally Posted by amra View Post
    http://groups.google.com/group/yoga-...a/topics?pli=1

    Also Yajvan when you mention self-effort the sanskrit word it is translated from is Paurusha which is derived from Purusha. It is an interesting word. Purusha is personality or more anciently Pur-usha a city dweller.
    Let me , if I may, extend this word idea just a bit:
    This puruṣa पुरुष is rooted in pṝ to grant abundantly, bestow on, to become complete ; If we just look at it as the pṛ root, it is ' to protect' . We also know pura is a city, a town and can also be a fortress or castle.

    Yet in the Bṛhadaraṇyaka Upaniṣad - Puruṣavidya Brāhmaṇa, says,
    Puruṣa the one who burnt all evils and hence he came to be known as Purua.
    So how do we get to Puruṣa as the one that burnt all evils ( i.e. attachment to sense objects) ?
    • pūrva पूर्व means former , prior , preceding , previous to , earlier than
    • uṣ उष् - to burn down - we find this in uṣa
    • uṣa (usha) is early morning , dawn , daybreak & uás tisrá morning , midday , and evening i.e. burning off the darkness.
    Now we can add some words together:
    pūrva + uṣ(a) - we get Puruṣa , the One that burnt ( uṣ ) prior or earlier, some say 'first' (pūrva) all evils - as it is called out in the śloka of the Puruṣavidya Brāhmaṇa.

    So within Puruṣa we have some opposites. We find Puruṣa 'granting abundantly' i.e. brought forth all of creation. He too first burnt all evils - this too must have come from Puruṣa, or from where else could be the source?

    Another view:
    Puruṣa - means human being, body; the Supreme Being;
    pura - dwelling, house, abode
    ṣa - best , excellent , wise; also eternal happiness , final emancipation.
    Hence we can say it is He the Supreme ( the best, most excellent ṣa) that dwells ( pura) within the body (puruṣa)

    praṇām
    Last edited by yajvan; 24 December 2009 at 03:51 PM.
    यतस्त्वं शिवसमोऽसि
    yatastvaṁ śivasamo'si
    because you are identical with śiva

    _

  2. #12
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    Re: Vasișțha's Yoga

    hariḥ oṁ
    ~~~~~~

    Namasté,

    Regarding self-effort.

    Arna-ji offers the following:
    self-effort the sanskrit word it is translated from is Paurusha which is derived from Purusha

    Pauruṣa is defined as manly, or human. As arna-ji informs us it comes from puruṣa (see post 10 & 11 above). Yet how do we get to self-effort arna-ji suggests? There are a few ways. Pauruṣa is also defined as the following:
    • a weight or load which can be carried by one man
    • manly strength or courage or deed , valor , heroism
    It can be seen that there is effort involved, energy expended i.e. self-effort.

    While mildly interesting , is there a bigger view regarding this matter? I think so. We can extend pauruṣa or self-effort to suggest puruṣārtha.
    It can be looked as two components: puruṣa+artha.
    We already know puruṣa is man, yet also means human. Add artha, using the simple definition of 'aim or purpose'.


    Hence one can exercise their self-effort for puruṣārtha, the aim or purpose of human/mankind. And what is this puruṣārtha? They are considered as a group of 4:

    • artha अर्थ - aim or purpose; yet it is also defined as substance , wealth , property , opulence , money
    • kāma काम - pleasure, enjoyment, love. Here we do not dwell on excessiveness of kāma
    • dharma धर्म - that which upholds; rightly, justly, virtue , morality, religious merit , good works
    • mokṣa मोक्ष - liberation; release from worldly existence or transmigration , final or eternal emancipation
    These 4 , puruṣārtha , can be seen in one's birth chart i.e. janma-kuṇḍalī ¹. One gets a hint of the influences that are present in one's life i.e. dūta-janmanā , 'like a messenger' it suggests the influences brought by the grāhaka¹ ( ~planets~).

    praṇām

    words
    • grāhaka ग्राहक- more on each name of the grāhaka at the hdf post: http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=4107
    • janma-kuṇḍalī = janma 'birth' + kuṇḍalī 'coiled rope' - as ones birth is the birth of new energy or birth + kuṇḍalinī (śakti).
    यतस्त्वं शिवसमोऽसि
    yatastvaṁ śivasamo'si
    because you are identical with śiva

    _

  3. #13

    Re: Vasișțha's Yoga

    • One's actions and intent in this life is infinitely more potent then those of the past.
    • At times, and without effort, we see others advance or gain with little to no effort.
    • This is neither a divine act or accident, but the fruition of some actions coming to play in this life.
    • One must keep a balanced eye to what is attainable by self-effort and what is not.
    • One who says 'fate' is directing me to do this' is brainless.
    • Self-effort that bears fruit is that mental, verbal and physical action
    • Fate is nothing but the culmination of one's own actions.
    If I gather the abstract of your 7 points , it will just lead to the gitashloka as..

    Prasaade sarvaduhkhaanaam haanir asyopajaayate;
    Prasannachetaso hyaashu buddhih paryavatishthate.
    In that peace all pains are destroyed, for the intellect of the tranquil-minded soon
    becomes steady.
    OR When peace is attained all miseries end.
    Now as per latest guru granth Ramcharitmanas is only scripture , which teaches about the daily life and the character of Lord Rama is the guidelines there . Goswamiji has made some changes from Old Valmiki Ramayan and has said..

    For the gratification of his own self Tulasidasa brings forth this very elegant
    composition relating in common parlance the story of the Lord of Raghus, which is in accord
    with the various Puranas, Vedas etc. and incorporates what has
    been recorded in the Ramayana (of Valmiki) and culled from some other sources .

    Starting from very beginning , Rama believes about the potency of current event for going to forest , but also keeps in mind that it may be beyond his paurush or according to past acts also and should not avoid it.
    As per your 2nd point it applies to ours daily life also , is not it ? but how can you deny to be a divine act as your 3rd point ?
    I also agree about your 4th point as Rama has felt to destroy the demons and has done as per Vishwamitra rishis order previously .

    Regarding other points I think and try to report later . I shall also try to relate all points with our own life as per guidance of ramcharitmanas , eg. helping to sugreeva , but being tested by him first , policy to take vibhishan in favour , try to teach and tell the humanity to ravna etc. etc.

  4. #14
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    Re: Vasișțha's Yoga

    hariḥ oṁ
    ~~~~~~

    Namasté kd gupta

    Quote Originally Posted by kd gupta View Post
    If I gather the abstract of your 7 points , it will just lead to the gitashloka as..

    Prasaade sarvaduhkhaanaam haanir asyopajaayate;
    Prasannachetaso hyaashu buddhih paryavatishthate.
    In that peace all pains are destroyed, for the intellect of the tranquil-minded soon
    becomes steady.
    OR When peace is attained all miseries end.

    Starting from very beginning , Rama believes about the potency of current event for going to forest , but also keeps in mind that it may be beyond his paurush or according to past acts also and should not avoid it.
    As per your 2nd point it applies to ours daily life also , is not it ? but how can you deny to be a divine act as your 3rd point ? I also agree about your 4th point as Rama has felt to destroy the demons and has done as per Vishwamitra rishis order previously .

    Regarding other points I think and try to report later . I shall also try to relate all points with our own life as per guidance of ramcharitmanas , eg. helping to sugreeva , but being tested by him first , policy to take vibhishan in favour , try to teach and tell the humanity to ravna etc. etc.
    Thank you for your contribution to this string. I am humbled that you attach the 7 points to my authorship. This is the ownership of vālmīki-ji , and his contribution . I am commenting the best I can i.e. the 'messenger'.

    You mention the potency of current events for going forward into the forest. Yes, I see this and perhaps past events may have some influence in this matter. This may be true - yet vasișțha-ji informs us that current events are infinitely more potent then the past when it come to the selection of an action and its response. This does not suggest I discount past actions , nor does vasișțha-ji .

    In fact within śrī rāmaḥ's birth chart, a 14 period ( daśā&#185 is depicted. There are few jyotisha's that can point to this daśā period and explain it.

    Why do I mention this? The 'influence' of the past. Yet when it comes to the devatā, jyotish falls short for many explanations, but on occasion is able to call out the conditions that are closer to their existence as mortal. This exile to the forest happens to be one.

    I hope to hear more of your contributions on this matter overall


    praṇām

    references
    daśā - state or condition of life , period of life ; condition, circumstances
    यतस्त्वं शिवसमोऽसि
    yatastvaṁ śivasamo'si
    because you are identical with śiva

    _

  5. #15

    Re: Vasișțha's Yoga

    Rishi Vashishtha is very helpful to the mankind . Rig, 7th mandalam is fully devoted and named as Vashishtha mandalam . In chitrakoot Vashishtha tells Rama to first listen properly and then decide.
    Bharat vinay sadar suniyenigam nichor . ramcharitmanas

    He was the rishi , who performed the yagya for Ramjanma .His all will is for the welfare of mankind, rigveda says
    Youyam pat swastibhih sadah nah .
    He has always been shown to utilize the gyan for positivety as krsn also says.
    Na karmanaam anaarambhaan naishkarmyam purushoshnute;
    Na cha sannyasanaad eva siddhim samadhigacchati.
    Not by the non-performance of actions does man reach actionlessness, nor by mere
    renunciation does he attain to perfection.
    or Even if a man abandons action, his mind may be active. One cannot
    reach perfection or freedom from action or knowledge of the Self, merely by renouncing action.
    Jeevem sharadah shatam is also from 7th or shanty mandalam .

  6. #16

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    Yoga means "union" in Sanskrit, the classical language of India.

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    yoga retreat

  7. #17
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    Re: Vasișțha's Yoga

    hariḥ oṁ
    ~~~~~~

    Namasté


    From post 1 above, I wrote:

    I thought I would offer some ideas and insights from this book. It is divided into 6 sections or prakaraṇa¹ . Why 6 sections, why not 5 ( higher knowledge) or 8 ( esoteric knowledge and mokṣa) or 10 ( fullness, the 10 directions)? We can address this at a later time, or if someone wishes to offer their POV on this matter it will be warmly welcomed.


    Why 6 sections? IMHO vasișțha-ji is asking us to consider the 6 marks ( ṣaḍ¹ liṅga ) for understanding the śāstra-s. It is my opinion as vasișțha-ji does not specifically mention this ( as I can recall) in his work.

    ṣaḍ liṅga are the following:
    • upakrama - undertaking , commencement , beginning
    • upasaṁhāra - conclusion , end , epilogue
    • apūvatā - uniqueness of the work; being unpreceded , the not having existed before , incomparableness
    • abhyāsa - repetition of the knowledge or lessons, sometimes in different format, sometimes not.
    • phala - fruit; the benefits or results of the application of the knowledge.
    • arthavāda - explanation of the meaning (of any precept); praise or censure
    • upapatti - right reasoning; intelligibility of the offer or suitably (in a fit manner) of the knowledge.
    Note the 1st two items above suggest a logical beginning and a ending point, a concusion; vasișțha-ji's work begins with vairāgya prakaraṇaṃ - vairāgya is dispassion, non-attachment, and clearly ends with nirvāṇa prakaraṇaṃ, the wisdom of blowing out (nirvāṇa) ignorance.
    For those that study the various śāstra's will find its apūvatā i.e. uniqueness the depth and breath of the knowledge.
    Vasișțha-ji also teaches by repetition - different stories looking at the truth from different angles. And the fruit of this work is the knowledge of consciousness and its play and display in the universe, not to mention its singularity of all being One Being.

    His offer is 'fit' for those in quest of the deeper meanings of life, their human existence, and their relationship to the world.

    praṇām

    words
    ṣaḍ = ṣaṣ = '6 times' ( fyi - ṣaṣ becomes ṣaṭ before hard letters , ṣaḍ before soft ) or ~6~; liṅga = mark.
    Last edited by yajvan; 30 December 2009 at 10:44 AM.
    यतस्त्वं शिवसमोऽसि
    yatastvaṁ śivasamo'si
    because you are identical with śiva

    _

  8. #18

    Re: Vasișțha's Yoga

    Quote Originally Posted by yajvan View Post
    Why 6 sections, why not 5 ( higher knowledge) or 8 ( esoteric knowledge and mokṣa) or 10 ( fullness, the 10 directions)? We can address this at a later time, or if someone wishes to offer their POV on this matter it will be warmly welcomed.
    PraNAm

    So is that what it is ? This is very interesting.
    Dasha disha (10 directions) , of course, but 8 - I had been appending an 8 to the userID because when turn 90 degrees, it becomes the symbol for infinity.
    So my name was 'dove-tailed to the infinite' . Tagging along with the infinite.

    I did not know 8 itself stood for esoteric knowledge and moksha

    - other that ashta prahar - 8 divisions of the day (8-fold).

    The 24 hours are divided into ashta prahar (8 times of the day like dawn, morning-part1,2, afternoon1 & 2, evening 1,2 midnight etc.)
    are used to determine the time and mood of a rAga in HindustAni Classical Music.

    e.g. Malkauns - midnight
    Bhupali - dawn
    Bhairav - dawn
    Bhairavi - evening
    Jaunpuri/Jeevanpuri - 2nd prahar of the day (morning)

    Krshna's Leelas are divided into ashta prahar , and devotees/temples pick the rAga in which to sing Kirtan at the time of wake-up, bhog, shringar etc.

    -----

    Also, the 8-fold day could be the day of life itself and its stages (birth, kumar, yauvan-youth, vardhakya-oldage etc.)

    It could be the 8-fold Cosmic day ? Of Lord Brahma.

    Namaste
    Last edited by smaranam; 31 December 2009 at 05:35 PM.
    || Shri KRshNArpaNamastu ||

  9. #19
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    Re: Vasișțha's Yoga

    hariḥ oṁ
    ~~~~~~

    Namasté smaranam,

    Quote Originally Posted by smaranam View Post
    PraNAm
    So is that what it is ? This is very interesting.
    Dasha disha (10 directions) , of course, but 8 - I had been appending an 8 to the userID because when turn 90 degrees, it becomes the symbol for infinity.
    So my name was 'dove-tailed to the infinite' . Tagging along with the infinite. I did not know 8 itself stood for esoteric knowledge and moksha
    The numbers I offer are from jyotish - each house from 1 to 12 has significance and an indication of a quality.

    This 10 is quite important as it is also called the 'thrown' or the 'seat' - it is where the sun resides at its highest point, and also has directional strength. The sun is the natural ātma kārakā for one's life and, the indicator of the 1st house - much can be said about this... you will find this information in the jyotish folder if there is interest.

    This number 10 is quite profound - a symbol for wholeness, also called maṇḍala. We know this word maṇḍala to mean 'circular, round' - hence whole; 10 is considered whole, full, and we know of the 10 directions , from where all exists. It is also a name for a division or book of the ṛg-veda, of which there are 10 , according to the authorship of the hymns.

    Another view of maṇḍala is a surrounding district or neighbouring state , the circle of a king's near and distant neighbours with whom he must maintain political and diplomatic relations .

    Now why do I offer this? Where is the connection? The sun is the king of the grāhaka's ( ~planets~). His surrounding district is the 12 signs or houses the ' neighbouring states'. And his throne is the 10th, where he is the highest in the sky - 12 noon.

    So, too with this 5 , 8 , 4 etc. all have signifcance and are 'hints' that are given from the wise to us.

    praṇām
    यतस्त्वं शिवसमोऽसि
    yatastvaṁ śivasamo'si
    because you are identical with śiva

    _

  10. #20

    Re: Vasișțha's Yoga

    Thank You

    Jyotish is indeed quite interesting. Led by a preliminary curiosity about nakshatra (constellations), grahas (planets) , role of Chandra (the moon - 'Lord of Constellations' ) , division of the sky - from Vedic Astronomy point of view.

    I shall look into the Jyotish folder. You have a lot of information there.

    Namaste
    || Shri KRshNArpaNamastu ||

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