Soma, Gandharva, and the other divine beings in the Universal Consciousness (Part-1)
“somo gandhaaya’’ (let soma nourish the scents). (Ratri Sukta, saama vidhaana bramhaNa). Introduction This article is a presentation on Soma and associated divine beings including Gandharva (gandharva), Apsara (apsara), Sarasvati, Indra, Vishnu, and others. The main intention of this presentation is to elucidate how the divine beings are placed in the Universal Consciousness or how they are created in the Universal Consciousness as the personalities or the defined aspects of the Universal Consciousness. During the narration, the science of the senses of scent, vision, and hearing are highlighted; the connection between olfactory sense and memory has been addressed. Wherever possible, history/mythology associated with the divine characters has been mentioned. References to the original texts have been provided and they are quoted with word-word meanings; these are mainly from the Upanishads and Vedas. It is important to understand that wherever a character or an event has been...