Thrishanku, Sunashcehpa, Visvamitra and all....

Thrishanku, Sunashcehpa, Visvamitra and all....

All would have heard about the King Thrishanku of Solar Dyanasty who wanted to reach heaven in his earthly body.. He sought the help of his preceptor Vasishta to achieve this and the guru refused to have anything to do with unnatural and unrealistic desires.. So the King approached Vasishta's bete noire and arch professional rival Vishvamitra, who promised to fulfil the outlandish desire of the king, mainly due to his spite for Vasishta.. And, in time, a Yajna was arranged, and that too, under the priesthood of Vishvamitra..All the deities were invited, but being aware of the impossible demand of the king, and considering the evil consequences of the precedence that could be set by allowing an earthling to reach heaven in his earthly body, the gods declined to attend and receive the havirbhagam.. Piqued all the more by the attitude of the Devas, Visvamitra told them to mind their own business and he ordered Thrishanku to ascend to heaven, powered by the angry sage's reserve store of penance.. The king was catapulted upwards, but Indra and company would not open the heaven for the royal missile from the earth.. The king in all his royal splendour was pushed down with equal force, and willy-nilly, had to start his downward flight to earth. with matching speed.. The sage, ogling from the earth, could not stand this slighting . He sent up more energy to counterbalance the downward push by the devas, and Thrishanku was left in a suspended animation somewhere in the sky.. The sage created a sort of cozy abode to his human missile, and wasted all his penance till date in that wasteful show of ego..This is the fate... I mean a state of suspended animation.. neither being here nor there.. that would befall persons who throw their lots with snobs and egotists..
This Trishanku had a son by name Harishchandra( not the tragic victim at the hands of Visvamitra).. This king did not have any children.. Therfore he closed a deal with god Varuna.. the contract was that if a son was born to the king, that child would be offered in sacrifice to the lord of the seas..But Harischandra loved his son Rahula too much, and in spite of many reminders and even threats, did not keep his promise.. A very serious illness afflicted the king and he was on the verge of death.. Rahula, who guessed the cause, thought that if a substitute for himself were offered to Varuna in his own place, the situation could be saved.. The prince wandered around in jungles and found a family of indigent brahmins consisting of the father, mother and three boys.. The prince presented the case, and the old brahmin was lured by the promises of lots of cows and land.. and he was ready to give any of his sons except the first..The lady brahmin, equally impressed by the offer of riches was ready to give away the elder two sons, but she had no mind to give up her third child.. So the lot fell on the second boy, named Sunacchepha.. and the prince and his retinue caught hold of the boy and prepared for the sacrifice where the boy would be offered in sacrifice to Varuna.. The helpless boy somehow escaped and took refuge again with Kausika, the Visvamtra.. The sage offered asylum to Sunachepa and asked one of his own sons to take the hapless boy's place..The sons of Visvamitra refused to comply, and asked their dad to shut up and mind his own business.. Now Visvamitra rendered to Sunaschepa a mantra in praise of Varuna, and when invoked with devotion, the Lord of the Seas made his appearance, and the case was presented in detail to Him.. Varuna was very angry that the avaricious and untruthful king and his son should hatch such a macabre plot and applying their money-power should have tried to offer to the god and innocent human body through a murder of proxy..
Varuna confirmed the verdict that the King should suffer and be finished by the illness.. That was that..
Today is remembered in Islam as the day of offer of a son as sacrifice to God..

in praise of renunciation

in praise of renunciation

न कर्मणा न प्रजया धनेन त्यागेनैके अमृतत्वमानशुः।परेण नाकं निहितं गुहायां बिभ्राजते यद्यतयो विशन्ति॥१४॥

na karmaṇā na prajayā dhanena tyāgenaike amṛitatvamānaśuḥ |pareṇa nākaṁ nihitaṁ guhāyāṁ bibhrājate yadyatayo viśanti ||14||

वेदान्तविज्ञानविनिश्चितार्थाः सन्न्यासयोगाद्यतयः शुद्धसत्त्वाः।ते ब्रह्मलोके तु परान्तकाले परमृताःपरिमुच्यन्ति सर्वे॥१५॥

vedāntavijñānaviniścitārthāḥ sannyāsayogādyatayaḥ śuddhasattvāḥ|te brahmaloke tu parāntakāle paramṛtāḥparimucyanti sarve ||15||

दह्रम् विपापं वरवेश्मभूतं यत् पुण्डरीकं पुरमध्यसग्म्स्थम्।तत्रापि दह्रे गगनं विशोकं तस्मिन् यदन्तस्तदुपासितव्यम्॥ १६॥

dahram vipāpaṁ varaveśmabhūtaṁ yat puṇḍarīkaṁ puramadhyasagmstam |tatrāpi dahre gaganaṁ viśokaṁ tasmin yadantastadupāsitavyam || 16||

यो वेदादौ स्वरः प्रोक्तो वेदान्ते च प्रतिष्ठितः।तस्य प्रकृतिलीनस्य यः परः स महेश्वरः॥ १७॥

yo vedādau svaraḥ prokto vedānte ca pratiṣṭhitaḥ |tasya prakṛtilīnasya yaḥ paraḥ sa maheśvaraḥ || 17||


महानारायणोपनिषद् द्वादशोनुवाकः
mahānārāyaṇopaniṣad dvādaśonuvākaḥ


XII-14: Not by work, not by progeny, not by wealth, have they attained Immortality. Great ouls have attained Immortality by renunciation. That which the sannyasin attains is placed far beyond the heaven; yet that shines brilliantly in the (purified) heart of the one who has attained.

XII-15: Having attained the Immortality consisting of identity with the Supreme, all those aspirants who strive for self-control, who have rigorously arrived at the conclusion taught by the Vedanta through direct knowledge, and who have attained purity of mind through the practice of the discipline of yoga and steadfastness in the knowledge of Brahman preceded by renunciation, get themselves released into the region of Brahman at the dissolution of their final body.

XII-16: In the citadel of the body there is the small sinless and pure lotus of the heart which is the residence of the Supreme. Further in the interior of this small area there is the sorrowless Ether. That is to be meditated upon continually.

XII-17: He is the Supreme Lord who transcends the syllable Om which is uttered at the commencement of the recital of the Vedas, which is well established in the Upanishads and which is dissolved in the primal cause during contemplation.

may the entire universe be pleased...

ये देवासो दिव्येकादश स्थ पृथिव्यामध्येकादश स्थ | 

अप्सुक्षितो महिनैकादश स्थ ते देवासो यज्ञमिमं जुषध्वम् ||

ഏതൊരു ദേവന്മാര്‍ പതിനൊന്നു രൂപങ്ങളില്‍ ആകാശത്തിന്റെ മധ്യത്തിലും, ഭൂമിയുടെ മധ്യത്തിലും ജലത്തിന്റെ നടുവിലും നിലകൊള്ള്ന്നുവോ ആ ദേവന്മാര്‍ എല്ലാം ഈ യജ്ഞം ഭുജിക്കട്ടെ

ये देवताये दिव्यलोक, पृथिवी और अंतरिक्ष में ग्यारह के संख्या में रहते है | आप हमारी आहुति ग्रहण करे ||

this Rigvedic Mantra is chanted when food is offered to a Leanred Brahmin or a great Yati.

Here, the assumption that through their mouths, the Food in the shape of Yajna goes to all devas who are occupying the heaven, earths and the water in eleven forms..( The eleven Rudras?

And that all forces of nature are satisfied and become benevolent to the occupants of the earth.

The difference between Vishnu and Shiva 

is only our invention.. it is not envisaged in the Religion) Rigveda 1.139.11

Durga Sooktham

जातवेदसे सुनवाम सोममरातीयतो निदहाति वेदः।
स नः पर्षदति दुर्गाणि विश्वा नावेव सिन्धुं दुरितात्यग्निः॥१॥
तामग्निवर्णां तपसा ज्वलन्तीं वैरोचनीं कर्मफलेषु जुष्टां।
दुर्गाम् देवी शरणमहं प्रपद्ये सुतरसि तरसे नमः॥२॥
अग्ने त्वम् पारया नव्यो अस्मान् स्वस्तिभिरति दुर्गाणि विश्वा।
पूश्च पृथ्वी बहुळा न उर्वी भवा तोकाय तनयाय शंयो॥३॥
विश्वानि नो दुर्गहा जातवेदः सिन्धुं न नावा दुरितातिपर्षि।
अग्ने अत्रिवन्मनसा गृणानोऽस्माकं बोध्यविता तनूनां॥४॥
पृतनाजित सहमानमुग्रमग्नि हुवेमपरमात्सधस्थात्।
स नः पर्षदति दुर्गाणि विश्वा क्षामद्देवो अति दुरितात्यग्निः॥५॥
प्रत्नोषिकमीड्यो अध्वरेषु सनाच्च होता नव्यश्च सत्सि।
स्वं चाग्ने तनुवं पिप्रयस्वास्मभ्यं च सौभगमायजस्व॥६॥
गोभिर्जुष्टमयुजो निषिक्तं तवेन्द्र विष्णोरनुसंचरेम।
नाकस्य पृष्ठमभि संवसानो वैष्णवीं लोक इह मादयन्तां॥७॥
महानारायणोपनिषत्  तैत्तरीयसम्हितायाम्  दुर्गासूक्तं।
jātavedase sunavāma somamarātīyato nidahāti vedaḥ|
sa naḥ parṣadati durgāṇi viśvā nāveva sindhuṁ duritātyagniḥ ||1||
tāmagnivarṇāṁ tapasā jvalantīṁ vairocanīṁ karmaphaleṣu juṣṭāṁ|
durgām devī śaraṇamahaṁ prapadye sutarasi tarase namaḥ||2||
agne tvam pārayā navyo asmān svastibhirati durgāṇi viśvā|
pūśca pṛthvī bahuḻā na urvī bhavā tokāya tanayāya śaṁyo||3||
viśvāni no durgahā jātavedaḥ sindhuṁ na nāvā duritātiparṣi|
agne atrivanmanasā gṛṇāno'smākaṁ bodhyavitā tanūnāṁ||4||
pṛtanājita sahamānamugramagni huvemaparamātsadhasthāt|
sa naḥ parṣadati durgāṇi viśvā kṣāmaddevo ati duritātyagniḥ||5||
pratnoṣikamīḍyo adhvareṣu sanācca hotā navyaśca satsi|
svaṁ cāgne tanuvaṁ piprayasvāsmabhyaṁ ca sauabhagamāyajasva||6||
gobhirjuṣṭamayujo niṣiktaṁ tavendra viṣṇoranusaṁcarema|
nākasya pṛṣṭhamabhi saṁvasāno vaiṣṇavīṁ loka iha mādayantāṁ||7||
mahānārāyaṇopaniṣat  taittarīyasamhitāyām  durgāsūktaṁ|
jātavedase sunavāma somamarātīyato nidahāti vedaḥ|
sa naḥ parṣadati durgāṇi viśvā nāveva sindhuṁ duritātyagniḥ ||1||
tāmagnivarṇāṁ tapasā jvalantīṁ vairocanīṁ karmaphaleṣu juṣṭāṁ|
durgām devī śaraṇamahaṁ prapadye sutarasi tarase namaḥ||2||
agne tvam pārayā navyo asmān svastibhirati durgāṇi viśvā|
pūśca pṛthvī bahuḻā na urvī bhavā tokāya tanayāya śaṁyo||3||
viśvāni no durgahā jātavedaḥ sindhuṁ na nāvā duritātiparṣi|
agne atrivanmanasā gṛṇāno'smākaṁ bodhyavitā tanūnāṁ||4||
pṛtanājita sahamānamagni huvemaparamātsadhasthāt|
sa naḥ parṣadati durgāṇi viśvā kṣāmaddevo ati duritātyagniḥ||5||
pratnoṣikamīḍyo adhvareṣu sanācca hotā navyaśca satsi|
svaṁ cāgne tanuvaṁ piprayasvāsmabhyaṁ ca sauabhagamāyajasva||6||
gobhirjuṣṭamayujo niṣiktaṁ tavendra viṣṇoranusaṁcarema|
nākasya pṛṣṭhamabhi saṁvasāno vaiṣṇavīṁ loka iha mādayantāṁ||7||
mahānārāyaṇopaniṣat  taittarīyasamhitāyām  durgāsūktaṁ|

"May we pay oblations of Soma juice to Jaataveda the fire.  May the all-knowing  Agni destroy all that is not in our favour. He, is the divine fire leads all through his energy and resplendence.  While so leading us may He protect us  by carrying us across all perils of life even as the captain of a ship leads his ship all through the vagaries of the weather.  1

I take refuge in Goddes Durga, who is having the lustre of fire, and is radiant  with yogic penance, who is the Pover of the supreme being who manifests itself in many forms, who  is manifesting herself in all actions and the results thereof   O Mother Durga, You , the expert in showing good path and taking us through difficult terrains, may You be pleased  to take us through the well of mundane existence, which we will not be able to cross by our own skills..2

Oh, Fire, you are worthy of all praise by us.  With your happy methods,  you may be pleased to take us  beyond all difficulties.   May our homes, towns and homeland become extensive  and may our arable plots of land be ample and well nourished.  May You be pleased to join us, our children, and their children all in joy together.  3

May lord Jataveda the Agni, who is  the destroyer of all our sins and sorrows,  be pleased to lead us away from all sins and troubles and protect us in the manner of one who leads people across the ocean in a boat without the passengers feeling any fear or difficulty.  May Agni the Jataveda be pleased to protect our bodies, ever mindful of its safety, just like Sage Atri, who is always repeating in his mind  that "May everyone be whole and happy"  4

We, assembling ourselves in the highest forum. invoke the fire God who is the highest leader of all among us and even beyond us.  The Jataveda, the Agni, charges against and vanquishes all our enemies, with His fierce valour.   May that fire God Jataveda be pleased to  protect us and make our path bereft of all difficulties and wrongs that come by nature to us, and may He be  pleased to wean us away from all that is perishable to lead us to immortality. 5

Oh Agni, the Jataveda, You are lauded in all sacrifices and in turn you bless us with happiness.  In the place of sacrifice you abide as the person who performs the sacrifice, ancient and recent, and even as the place of sacrifice.  Oh Agni, may You be pleased to recognize always as Your own kin  and therefore be pleased to make us happy always.  May you be pleased through your magnificence, to endow us with fortune coming from all sides.  6

Oh Agni, you are unconnected with sin and sorrow and destroy them wherever they manifest.  You pervade all sacrifices in the shape of all that is present in the place of sacrifice.  We serve you, Oh Agni,  desirous of being blessed with good fortune of having  a lot of cattle.  May we, overflowing with blissful devotion to You, serve you without any interruption.   May Gods in the highest region of Heaven share their happiness and delight of sharing devotion to Vishnu with me. May such shared worship bring delight and fortune to me on earth. 7"

Devi Durga in Vedas is worshiped as one with the God of fire.  So every fire, every oblation that goes to the sacrificial fire ultimately is shared by Durga..And all our prayers to Agni the Jatavedaa goes to  Devi Durga.

The Vedic hymn clearly indicate that the people of that period depended for their happy life on cattle and wide expanse of arable land.. Absence of rancour to anyone, and complete sense of happiness and peaceful co-existence, leaving  themselves to the will of the benevolent God, who, they believed would lead them in the right path, was the hall-mark of the Vedic epoch.

--

For the fowler the meaning of sacrifice was alien

For the fowler the meaning of sacrifice was alien

Another episode from Panhatantram of Vishnu Sharma

In a city there lived an erudite brahmin by name Jeernadhana. As if by a quirk of fate he became a thief and he took up cheating others as his means of livelihood. With his great knowledge he was quite successful in this field also. It is a fact of life that t most of the people with great knowledge also possess the capacity to cheat but usually they practice the deceit discreetly. Maybe, only in old parables that one can see the professions like burglary and steling being listed as a practical means of livelihood. But in reality, in the present context burglary seems to be a not so hidden part of any profession.

Once it came to his knowledge that four brahmins from another town had reached the city as traders and that they had amassed substantial wealth in very little time by selling their merchandise. Our Brahmin the thief was now eager to apply his own professional skills to divest them of their wealth by hook or crook. So he cultivated their friendship meticulously, taking out his extraordinary charm and gift of the gab and applying them to good use. The four traders fell flat to his friendly overtures. 

It would appear to be a fact of life that when the circumstances suit her even a prostitute will feign shyness. The arrogant will exhibit good sense and feign humility and even the garrulous rogue will hover around you with sweet words.

Time passed, and the brahmins has sold all their merchandise, and with the profit, they purchased some valuable gems and started their journey back to their own town. 

Our Brahmin the thief who was clinging to their doing odd works for them and awaiting a chance to cheat them and steal away their wealth, was now desperate. 

" Fie, on me, these fellows are ready to leave with all their money converted to precious stones. Had I been good and true to my profession, the gems should have been mine by now. I have allowed a golden chance to slip away. Now the choice left with me is that, I have to join their company by hook or crook when they travel to their native town, and en route I can try my hands in poisoning them and then the gems can be mine. "

Having chalked out his action plan, he presented himself before the four brahmins with effusive cordiality manifesting itself as tears in the eyes flowing as if out of pangs of imminent separation. 

" My venerable friends, are you going away leaving me alone? I have developed very great affection for you in the course of the last few months of jubilant company with you and a separation from you four is unthinkable for me. It breaks my heart So pray, have kindness on me and take me also with you on your journey. I shall justify my company with you by any service that you may deem fit to expect and order."

The brahmin traders were very kind and magnanimous by nature. The pleas of the glib thief offering them his company was irresistible for them. They permitted him to join them in their journey homewards.

While they were travelling through a village inhabited by wild fowlers, the crows in the trees of the locality started crowing, 

"People who are owning lakhs in money are coming.. fowlers can come running and rob them" 

The group of fowlers believed in the signals given by the crows and duly accosted the five travelers and having beat them to pulp removed their clothes to see where the money was hidden securely . Their search proved futile. They could not find any cash or valuables. Apparently the four brahmins had swallowed the gems. ( to be taken out when they reached safe locations.. we see smugglers do that even these days)

The leader of the fowlers guessed this and ordered that the five brahmins be killed and their stomach cut up to get the gems.

At this juncture, as if by miracle, the power of knowledge and the greatness of the sastras came to the mind of the brahmin who had been a thief all his life . He thought, " By my activities till day I have lost all the virtues of a brahmin. It would seem that I have already secured my firm berth in hell by my sinful life. However, If I could be of some service to these poor brahmins, there would be some expiation and my existence in the nether world at least will be less miserable. I have to do something about it. "

Thinking so, he addressed the chief of fowlers. “You say you are going to kill all of us to find the gems. In truth we do not have anything with us or within us. Those crows should be mad. But to satisfy your doubt I offer myself to be killed, cut up and searched. If you find nothing inside me it should be sufficient proof for you that all the five of us have nothing with us. “

The king of fowlers agreed. They cut up the brahmin who even though he was a thief throughout his lifetime has through his noble gesture of trying to save his four friends from sure death by offering the supreme sacrifice, had atoned for all his sins and started his journey towards heaven. 

The other four brahmins were saved because the leader of the fowlers was sure that no one would have given up his life if the group really carried such wealth . 

For the fowler life meant only money and loot and the meaning of sacrifice was alien and strange to him. 

He could never imagine that a man could give up his life just to save others.

Apparently, even the worst persons have some magnificent streaks of greatness left in their character. The knowledge, nobility of birth and the background of life ultimately shows.