The mystic words and letters of the Vedas. (Part-1)
The mystic words and letters of the Vedas. (Part-1)
dugdhe asmai vaak doha yo vaacho dohoH—For the enlightened soul, the goddess Vaak milks forth all the nectar contained within Her. (From the Chandogya Upanishad, verse 1.3.7.)
Introduction.
The title of this article contains the terms 'Words' and 'Letters'. These two terms denote the expression of vaak—Consciousness as the creator of sound, word, and speech. Sound is the first form of manifestation, followed by touch, vision, etc. (We have briefly explained this sequential unfolding in Section 28 of this presentation.)
The letters of the alphabet system represent specific potent personalities of Consciousness that participate in creation. They are also called varaNa- maatrikaa or the mother goddesses in the form of the letters.
In this article, I have presented a set of interrelated words and explored their meanings and implications from the perspective of the principles of Consciousness as experienced by the Seers of the Vedas.
Consciousness means the One who is everything that exists and everything that does not exist. We are parts of Consciousness, who is our perception, our sense of identity, our regulator, and origin.
In the simplest words, Consciousness is termed j~naana, that is, Knowledge. This Sanskrit word j~naana has a profound implication; it consists of two parts—'j~na' and 'ana'.
ana is the 'self-active Consciousness' who is the source of all 'animation', 'motion', 'vision/perception,', and 'time.' ana is also called praaNa. No perception happens if the perceiver or the observer is absent. This observer is the 'Self' or, more accurately the 'Soul'. Soul is represented by the word j~na.
When the Soul asserts the sense of 'being' or 'existence', the sense of 'Self' is generated. This Soul is called aatman, svyaM, nija, etc. It is the Soul of everything, every being. It is the same One present in everyone. Its presence has created the sense of existence (asmitaa) and selfhood (aham) within you.
The 'Self' is always changing, always getting coloured by perceptions; but the Soul remains unchanged and untainted; there is no duality in the Soul, or, rather, every duality exists within It as One.
The self and all the perceptions arise from the process of 'knowing' by j~na, and whenever It thus knows, It is called ana or praaNa.
(The word 'know' is phonetically similar to the word 'j~na'.)
The Soul does not need any second entity (or engine) to know and become the Self, the senses such as sound, touch, vision,taste, and smell, the emotions and feelings, determinations, and physicality or materialization. It knows Itself by Itself, and in that knowing It reveals Itself and every being. Therefore, It is called svayam-prakaasha—Soul/Self-manifesting.
However, the aspect or potency by which It activates Itself is called vaak. The Soul in activity is called ana or praaNa. Thus, in the doctrines, vaak appears as the consort or the faculty of praaNa, and also appears as the consort or the faculty of the Soul (aatman).
That Consciousness is everything means that we are created in 'Knowledge,' and whatever we perceive is a form of 'Knowledge.' These forms are the 'words' which we know through 'hearing'(shRuti).
With this brief introduction, I present below a set of words and the letters from the Vedas that illustrate the creations through words as the letters change their positions or change themselves. The process by which a word is formed and articulated from our inner sky, is the same as the process by which Consciousness materializes as the physical universe, held within the external space.
It is for this reason that the Sanskrit word for 'grammar' is 'vyaakaraNa.' vyaakaraNa—vi (differentiation) +aa (spreading, scattering, expanding)+ karaNa (implementation, creation), implying Consciousness differentiating, scattering the fragmented 'Selves' and expanding—thus creating the universe.
This reminds one of a passage from the Chandogya Upanishad, where the Consciousness as the Creator uttered the word 'vyaakarvaanNi' while unfolding the 'names (naama)' and the 'forms (ruupa)' of the universe—naam ruupe vyaakarvaanNi — I am going to create the names and the forms. (Refer to verse 6.3.2. of the Chandogya Upanishad.
The Sanskrit words used in this text are transliterations written in the ITRANS system. Most of these words are available in the Sanskrit-English Lexicon by Sir Monier Monier-Williams (https://www.sanskrit-lexicon.unikoeln.de/scans/MWScan/2020/web/webtc/indexcaller.php)
All Sanskrit words and letters are written in bold italic form.
In addition to the words listed in the 'Index' of this article, I have explored many other related words mentioned in the Vedic texts and some mythological characters including the 'hound of the king Yudhisthira.'
This article is written following the teachings of the Great Seer Shri.BijoyKrishna Chattopadhyaya (1875-1945) and His principal disciple Shri.Tridibnath Bandyopadhyaya (1923-1994).
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Index.
1.deva - veda.jaatavedas. 2. savana - vasana.
3. havis - vahis (bahis). 4. yaja - jaya.
5. aajya - yaja-yajamaana & yajurveda. ashvamedha.
6. vahana - havana. vahni. 7. huuta-suuta-bhuuta.
8. pura, puura, and ruupa. puru and puuruSha.
9. puru. uru-urvashii-urugaaya viShNu. gaya-gaayatrii-gayaa.
10. uru, uuru,uras, uurvashii, aurasa.
11. rava - vara. 12. puruuravas -urvashii.
13. vara - varaaha.
14. hiMsaa—siMha. siMha-vaahinii durga. narasiMha.
15. na - ana.
16. praaNa,vyaana,apaana, samaana,udaana.
17. ana (a+n+a) and aanana (aa+na+na).
18. vana (v+a+n+a) - nava (n+a+v+a).
19. bharga - gharbha. 20. vajra - vraja.
21. vraja—the pasture field of Krishna's cows. indra and indriya. 22. vach - varchas.
23. archas-archa-chara-archi. 24. svayam-sva.
25. sva-svara, and indra. 26. varNa-arNa-arNava.
27. sarasvatii and dRiShadvatii. 28. svan-shvan-svara. ashva. 28A. The hound of the king Yudhisthira.
29. rasa-sara-shara.
30. apsaraa-sara. The roaming eye.
31. sarasii - sarit - sarovara. The Sarus cranes.
32. hRidaya - dahara. ghata—heart, the place of happening—ghaTa. danta—the tooth.
33. da-damana, da-daana, da-daya.
naala and damayantii. The river vaitaraNii.
34. stana - stanayitnu-stanana-santana. indra and stanayitnu.
35. shasha - shashaka - shashii - shashaa~Nka. chandra/chandramaa; taalu—palate, and alijihvaa—uvula.
36. sha-shaasa-shaasana-the divine fire in the lunar domain.
37. has-haasya—aasya. sahasaa.
38. sa-as; shas-ash; Sha-aSh; savana-samana.
39. guru-gaurii. 40. vaakya-kaavya-kavya-kavi.
41. ama-amaa-maa.
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1. deva - veda. jaatavedas.
deva (d-e-v-a) : This word originates from the root word div. div means 'to shine'. deva means ' a deity'.
A personality of Consciousness that embodies a specific aspect of Consciousness is a deva. This personality is known and perceived by us as an object or a being. When we see a “tree,” it is the deity of the tree that we perceive or experience as that tree, and this perception is specific to each individual observer. This “tree” is perceived in many different ways by perceivers across time and space. Consciousness creates Itself as a deity, and the specific aspect thus created exists in infinite recurrence. This infinite, unending, or eternal Consciousness is called ananta. The domain of divinity—div, dyu—is characterized by self-manifestation and existence in infinite recurrence.
veda (v-e-d-a): Underneath every identity, or within every personality, there flow streams of consciousness; that is, there exists a continuous process of 'knowing and perception' which appears as that identity or personality. This knowing is 'veda'; it is from the root word 'vid' meaning (i) 'to know or 'to experience', and (ii) 'to exist.'
In this discussion, it must be noted that knowing by Consciousness means both ‘knowing’ and ‘becoming’. Consciousness ‘knows’ and ‘becomes’ whatever It knows. Further, whatever It becomes, It knows as that. This is why Consciousness is called jaatavedas.
jaata = generation, birth; vedas= knowledge.
Beyond all knowing exists the Soul, or 'Oneness', where everything is there as the 'One' or the 'Soul'; and everything is created when this "One' knows the 'One' by the 'One'. This knowing is called sva-samvedana. This 'knowing' (veda) is perpetual, and 'not-knowing', that is, 'Oneness', is also perpetual. "Not knowing' means 'knowing everything in Oneness'. (Refer to verse 4.3.21 through 4.3.32 of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishada, and Mandukya Upanishad Verse 7.)
2. savana - vasana
The word savana is derived from the word su.
savana (s+a+v+a+n+a): savana is the outcome of 'su'; su means: (i) pressing and extraction; (ii) flow. ana/ praaNa means, Consciousness creating time cycles— animating, activating, invigorating, sequencing. So, savana means a specific spell of 'time' or 'activity of Consciousness'. Thus, a 'day' is divided into three savana—morning (praataH savana), noon (madhyaahna savana), evening (sayaam savana).
'savana' also means 'pressing out the soma juice and its libation.'
Consciousness in us is pressing soma, extracting the spirit that we are drinking all the time—intoxicated with life.
This flows outward from within and radiates us with the colour of life, invigorating us; this is light within or the illumination of the moon—the luminosity of the inner space; the moon is also called soma. The physical moon is a part of the lunar aspect of Consciousness.
vasana (v+a+s+a+n+a): vasana means (i) a garment; (ii) act of dwelling.
The way the soma is extracted and administered is the way we are clothed or draped with a garment— that is with the disposition in our Consciousness— and the way we dwell.
Similarly, in this sense are the pairs sava and vasa.
3. havis - vahis (bahis).
The word havis derives from the root hu. 'hu' means 'to sacrifice', 'to offer an oblation'. 'ha' means 'void' or the domain where everything exists without dimension. When any entity is placed in 'ha', it exists there without dimension. When one offers an oblation to a 'deity', it enters the deity's space and becomes part of that conscious domain.
Every act or deed happens in Consciousness. Whatever we do, we know or perceive the same; we do it consciously. We live within, in our Consciousness.
The fundamental nature of Consciousness is to 'know' and to 'become'. Consciousness becomes whatever It knows. Again, whatever Consciousness becomes, Consciousness knows Itself as that; thus, a 'bird' knows itself as a 'bird' and we know ourselves as 'human beings'. This phenomenon of 'becoming' is vahis/bahis—external. Consciousness emerges from Oneness to become an entity. This is the creation of the external. vahis (bahis) means 'external'. vahis is generally spelled as bahis. The letter 'b' is a labial consonant implying 'outward motion', in contrast to the vowel-sound 'v' implying 'inward motion.'
So, in a general sense, the 'knowing' is internal, and the 'becoming' is external. However, since Consciousness is both 'internal' and 'external'— or both 'knowing' and 'becoming'— Consciousness is also simultaneously neither external nor internal, neither 'knowing' nor 'becoming'. (Refer to the Mundaka Upanishad Verse 7 and the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad verse 4.3.21 through 4.3.32.)
4. yaja - jaya.
yaja. ya means yamana—regulation; and ja means 'generation.' By regulating (ya), or through the act of 'knowing', Consciousness creates or generates (ja). This means that Consciousness creates every entity from 'within'. This domain, called 'within', is antariikSha, and the shine or illumination of Consciousness in antariikSha is called 'moon shine' or shine of soma.
'jaya' means 'winning'. Consciousness by knowing and regulation wins a feature or an entity created out of Itself. This is 'winning'.
5. aajya - yaja. yajamaana & yajurveda. ashvamedha.aajya: The usual meaning of the word aajya is 'clarified butter' used as an oblation offered to the sacred Fire. The 'clarified butter' is called ghRita. This word ghRita is related to the verb ghraa, meaning 'to smell', and ghRi meaning 'to shine', and 'burn'.
When you smell or breathe in, the air enters you as an 'oblation' and burns as your life force or vitality. You are also anointed with your physical existence. What is 'material' or 'physicality' (kShiti) outside, is the smell or the scent (gandha) within. In an animal, like dog, the olfactory ability to identify a subject by scent is highly acute. Thus, a dog is called shvan, a word related to 'shvas', meaning 'to breathe'; breathing and olfactory functions are closely connected. (See also Section 28 on the olfactory function and breathing.)
Now, aajya = aa+ja+ya—'that which is generated (ja) from aa (aatman).' Offering oblation to aatman means finding oneself, or the offered oblation, as the ignited or manifested form of Self-luminous Consciousness. Consciousness has ignited Itself within as praaNa, animating and regulating us.
So, this act of offering oblation, or aajya, is yaja or yajana. The word yaja, and also yajas, refers to yajus—the sacred words of the yajurveda.
The words yaja and yajus imply the union or joining of inside and outside—inner and outer skies. This is why the yajurveda is about yajana (joining/merging), that is, sacrifice or oblation. yajurveda—yajur/yajus vedana, relates to vedana (feeling or perception) or veda (the act of knowing) of Consciousness related to the connectivity and union of the external and internal space. Thus, our cognitive faculties and organs of action belong to this domain of the yajurveda.
These faculties or organs are called ashva, or the horse, as they are pulling us along the course of time (shva). Finding these faculties in Consciousness, as the forms of Consciousness, regulating us and carrying us to eternity, is the foundation of the Vedic ritual called the 'horse sacrifice' or ashvamedha yaj~na, mentioned in the yajurveda.
Thus, the one who is inspired or initiated to walk across the path of eternity is a yajamaana. yajamaana means the one whose inner (ya) and outer (ja) spaces are uniting. The semi-vowel ya represents 'manifestation in theinternal space and the related regulation', while the consonant ja represents 'birth or manifestation in the external space and the related regulation.' maana means 'an attribute'; so, yajamaana is the one who is attributed with both ya and ja; that is the one in whom both the inner and outer activities are getting harmonized in Consciousness from whom both the internal and external orientations, along with thier corresponding actions, arise.
A tree is created outside in the knowledge of Consciousness. This is ja. The 'feelings', 'conscious streams' from that 'tree' flow toward you and join with you; it means, in your inner space, in Consciousness, you become that 'tree' and perceive it. This inner becoming, or that what is generated within, is ya.
Coversely, whatever is happening within you is cast outwardly into the external space as your actions or expressions.
6. vahana - havana. vahni.
The pair of words vahana-havana is similar to the pair vahis-havis discussed above.
As discussed (in Section 5), a 'tree' from the external space, or the external aspect of Consciousness, is conveyed to one's inside by the regulation of Consciousness as the perception of 'tree.'
This carrying or conveying is 'vahana.' This is why agni or praaNa-agni, the self-revealing active Consciousness—is called vahni, 'the One who carries.' Consciousness carries this 'tree' inward or as an offering or havis to the Consciousness within; this oblation is havana.
This is why it is said in the Veda :
yaj~nena yaj~nam ayajanta devaaH
taani dharmaaNi prathamaanyaasan. (Rik Veda 10.90.16)—By yaj~na the deities performed yaj~na in worship of yaj~na. Those were the primordial principles that existed in the beginning.
taani dharmaaNi prathamaanyaasan. (Rik Veda 10.90.16)—By yaj~na the deities performed yaj~na in worship of yaj~na. Those were the primordial principles that existed in the beginning.
This is why agni—praaNa-agni, the self-revealing active Consciousness—is called vahni, “the One who carries.” Consciousness carries every formation in the external inward as an offering, or havis, to the Consciousness within; this oblation is havana.
7. huuta-suuta-bhuuta.
When a sacrifice is performed, or when an offering reaches the deity of Consciousness, it is called huuta. As explained in Sections 5 and 6 above, when the 'tree' in external realm reaches the perceiver, or the entity (puruSha), it is called huuta or 'offered'.
The perceptions that flow within as a result of this, and that anoint the perceiver, constitute suuta—that which has been brought forth. The experience of this perception provides the perceiver with a specific transformation or construct, and that is bhuuta; bhuuta means 'already formed, 'materialized,' or 'an accomplished event.'
8. pura, puura, and ruupa. puru and puuruSha.
pura (p+u+r+a) means an abode or a receptacle. puura (p+u+u+r+a) means 'filling', 'fulfilling', and so on.
ruupa (r+u+u+p+a) means appearance or form. Thus, the one who resides inside a pura (abode), filling (puura) the abode with one's presence and appearing in a form (ruupa), is called puruSha.
Whoever dwells in a pura, or body, is the eternal One— the Soul—whose presence is felt by every being as the sense of 'I' and 'mine', and who is the svayam/aatman—the assertion-less Self, the immutable One, the root of every self and the origin of all perceptions.
The fragments of the Universal Oneness, or the Universal Soul, are called puruSha. Consciousness is both the Universal One (Soul) and the Individual One (Soul). It is the same One, individual, collective, and transcendent.
The letter 'Sha' in the word 'puruSha' is classified as uuShma-varNa. The divine personality of Consciousness to whom all such uuShma-varNa belongs is the deity called prajaapati. The deity prajaapati presides over all prajaa, that is, over all creatures. All creatures are created from the aspect of Consciousness called prajaapati. (Refer to verse 2.7 of the Prashnopanishad, verses 1.4.14 and 1.4.15 of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad.)
Thus, the letter 'Sha' implies 'fragmentation'. The word puru means 'many'; so, puruSha means the One fragmented into many—the One and only One Soul also existing as many Souls, and each such Soul is a puruSha.
The Sanskrit letter Sha in Devanagri script is ' ष '; it exhibits a bisecting segment, implying the aspect of 'fragmentation'.
It is mentioned in the Rik veda that Consciousness created Itself as puruSha to observe the creation. Consciousness as the observer is called indra—idam (this) draShtaa ('observer' or 'seer'). Thus, Consciousness has become innumerable puruSha—countless indra—to observe the universe, each of them observing uniquely. Thus every form that the Universal Consciousness has become, is perceived uniquely by Consciousness as an individual observer, that is, as puruSha or indra. A form (ruupa) created from Universal Consciousness when observed or experienced by the individual Soul (puruSha or indra), that perception in the individual Soul is called prati-ruupa. Consciousness as the creator of the universe is indra, observing the creation; and is also indra (observer) in every being of the universe.
Thus, the hymn in the Rik Veda says:
ruupaM-ruupaM pratiruupo vabhuuva
tadasya ruupaM pratichakShaNaaya |
indro maayabhiH puruuruupa iiyate
yukta hyasya harayaH shataa dasha|| (Rik veda: 6.47.18.)
Meaning:
ruupaM-ruupaM pratiruupo vabhuuva—Against every form (ruupa) [Consciousness] becomes a corresponding form (prati-ruupa).
tad asya ruupaM prati-chakShaNaaya—To perceive the forms by seeing (pereceiving) correspondingly.
indro maayabhiH puruuruupa iiyate— indra by the power of maayaa (by measured degrees of power) enters into various forms (becomes various puruSha—manifests in manifold forms)
yukta (yoked) hyasya (indeed for his) harayaH (horses) shataa dasha (hundred and ten)—indeed for his the horses are yoked—ten and a hundred:
Against every form (ruupa), Consciousness becomes a corresponding form (prati-ruupa) within an individual observer or puruSha. (Thus,) indra by the power of maayaa* (by measured degrees of power) enters into various forms (becomes various puruSha), to perceive correspondingly.
Indeed for his the horses are yoked—ten and a hundred.
[* Meaning of the word maaya: maa = maatraa—measure; ya = yamana—control within, control in the inner space. So, the word maaya also implies the power of exerting influence on an observer's inner space by someone else through measured regulation.]
9. puru. uru-urvashii-urugaaya viShNu.
gaya-gaayatrii-gayaa.
We have discussed the word puru. puru means 'many, abundant.' Etymologically, it is —pu (punar—repeatedly) + ru (ru=ruH= to grow, to thrive). So, puru is Consciousness who repeatedly 'grows', 'thrives', or 'creates itself'.
ru also implies ruupa; hence, puru further implies becoming ruupa repeatedly.
ru also means 'to roar' or 'to sound'. Therefore, puru means Consciousness emanating as sound and light, or as hearing and vision, repeatedly.
The word 'uru' means 'wide, broad, sprawlingly extensive.' The particle 'u' implies 'inclusiveness'; this strikingly matches the sense conveyed by the English word 'union'. Wherever you wander, you find 'u' — the Consciousness that includes everyone, entangles everyone, and embraces everyone.
The fundamental unit is aatman, who as praaNa has spread everywhere.
Thus, uru means the Consciousness or praaNa spreading everywhere—this is the vastness, also called viraaT. (Refer to verses 4.2.2 and 4.2.3 of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad.) viraaT is stated to be the being dwelling in the 'left eye', and the consort of the divine observer indra who is the being dwelling in the right eye.
So, urvashii, belongs to Indra's realm. The word vashii derives from the root 'vash'; vash means 'to exercise control so as to retain an entity or an event within the domain of the controller'. Thus, urvashii is the personality of divine governance—the goddess who has captivated every entity in this entire expanse, the expanse of Consciousness that is the universe.
You may remember the word 'maaya' we have quoted while presenting the Rik veda verse in the previous section 7 above. The word 'maayaa' means 'maa+ya+a'; maa= maatra—measure, degree; ya=yamana—control, restraint. 'maaya' also implies the 'entanglement' out of the craving of the heart; because of this, the beings remained attached to the creation and support the sustenance and continuity of the universe.
This maaya is also known as viShNu-maaya. The regulation arising from the desiring Consciousness, from Its heart, by which the creation is filled with desires that drive the continuity and cohesion.
Thus, Consciousness, as viShNu strides across the vast, interminable expanse created in Its knowledge— the glimpse of which we describe as the 'universe'.
The strides of Consciousness create the time and space; the motion of Consciousness is associated with vision or self-expression—more appropriately 'Soul (svayam) -expression. These strides and the vision (the Eye) are captured in the famous verses of the Rik veda—verse 1.22.16 through 1.22.21.
Verse 1.22.20 describes the foot of viShNu as the eye that is like heaven and spreads all over. The foot signifies the motion— the time. This motion is associated with expression. From the vision of Consciousness, all forms, shapes, and colours are generated along with time. The radiance of viShNu, the effulgent praaNa, has materialized in our system as the Sun. From the Sun (aaditya) both vision (light) and time are emitted in the form of the cycles of seasons, day-night, and so on.
Thus, in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad it is said: as much as this (divine) mind* is, that much is this divinity, and that much is this aaditya (the sun). It further says these all are infinite and all are established in oneness—sarvaH eva samaaH sarve annantaaH. (Refer to the verses 1.5.11 through 1.5.13 of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad.)
(* Mind is the platform in Consciousness from which physical manifestation occurs.)
Thus, this is urugaaya viShnu. urugaaya = uru ('wide','vast') + gaaya (going)—the One who makes long strides.
urugaaya viShnu therefore signifies viShnu, or praaNa, moving in vast strides through existence.
The letter 'ga' implies 'going,' and the verb 'gaa' means 'to go'. Thus, the word 'gaya' denotes indriya-s, i.e., our cognitive faculties and organs that enable movement and activity. The goddess gaayatrii is the divine personality of Consciousness who rescues the faculties from mortality or death—gayaM (the faculties) tatre (rescues); refer to the verse in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, verse 5.14.4).
Consciousness sings within the singer. Every word we utter, or whatever we listen to, directs or moves us in a particular way. The words can take us beyond mortality. Such words, when sung, make the singer 'udgaataa,' the chant is called 'udgaana;' and Consciousness, who thus raises us up (ud), that is, above the domain of mortality, is called 'udgiitha.'
Also, udgiitha = ud (above—above death) gii (gir—word/song) tha (stha—stationed; placed)—placed above death by the song of Consciousness.
udgiitha is interpreted as:
ud (“upward,” “above,” beyond death) + gii (gir—word, chant, or song) + tha (stha—established or stationed). Thus, uudgiitha signifies “that which is established above death through the song of Consciousness.”
ud (“upward,” “above,” beyond death) + gii (gir—word, chant, or song) + tha (stha—established or stationed). Thus, uudgiitha signifies “that which is established above death through the song of Consciousness.”
(All the words are expressions of Consciousness, in whom we live, of whom we are made, and whose Self is our self— the One who is the regulator of the universe.)
praaNa raises us up or leads us into a state —this is ud. Then we enter into the related perceptions and activities; we become accordingly vocal or articulated within ourselves—this is gi. Thereafter, we accomplish a formation, a state of stable manifestation—this is tha, which is also called anna. (Refer to verses 1.3.6 and 1.3.7 of the Chandogya Upanishad.)
Thus, the divinity is ud, the intermediate realm or antarikSha is gi, and the earth or anna is tha. anna means food, or the aspect of Consciousness by which we are nourished in our established state.
A shrine of viShNu exists in a city called Gaya, situated in the province of Bihar in India. In that shrine there is a footprint that is worshipped as the foot of viShNu—the foot whose stride has set every entity in motion and has created 'time'. The name of the shrine Gaya (gayaa) means the divine place or the divinity where the going forward (ga—gachChati) and returning (aaya—aayaati), i.e., the compulsory cycles of birth, death and rebirth, come to an end, allowing the enlightened in soul to gain control over the cycles of birth, death, and rebirth.
[I wonder whether the country Uruguay has derived its name from urugaaya viShNu; Latin America had a very ancient connection to the civilization of India.
A Google search reveals the following: “The name ‘Uruguay’ originates from the Indigenous Guaraní language and has been interpreted as ‘river of the painted birds’ or ‘river of the urú’ (referring to a native wild fowl). The country takes its name from the adjacent Río Uruguay, which forms its natural western border.”
It is noteworthy that the divine carrier of viShNu, is also a bird—the divine bird named garuDa.]
10. uru, uuru,uras, uurvashii, aurasa.
The word uuru means ‘ thigh’. It implies the sprawling domain of desire. The desire of Consciousness exists behind every motion. In the human body, this is reflected in the arrangement of the organs in the lower abdomen, with the genitalia at the centre, flanked by the thighs and the legs.
urvashii is also called uurvashii.
This entire domain of desire is Her domain. She plays in the courtyard of the divine observer indra, to whom all the desires and all the fulfillment belong, for He is the divine observer, and our cognitive faculties are parts of His. The sense of personality and sensuality of the Eternal Soul is established in the divine form of Consciousness called indra.
uras means hRidaya or the heart. It does not refer to the physical heart; rather, it denotes what we feel as our inner being— the place where desire, love, feelings, and attachments reside.
Thus, it is said in the Aitareya Upanishad that when the progenitor ejaculates— that is, transfers the semen or the seed into the conceiver— that semen is generated from the invigorated essence of his entire being and gushes forth from the hRidaya or heart.
It is for this reason that the word aurasa, derived from uras, means an offspring produced from the heart. Accordingly, the expression aurasa-jaata ('born of aurasa') is used to denote a ‘biological child’.
11. rava - vara
rava means ‘a sound’, ‘a cry’.
vara means 'embracing', 'choosing, choosing a suitor', 'suitor', etc. vara is derived from the root word vRi. vRi means 'to accept & embrace' and also 'to veil or cover'.
vaak, who is known as the goddess of speech and also the consort of agni or praaNa-agni, has created endless forms of the Soul (aatman) or praaNa by embracing the Soul or praaNa in every possible way.
When the Soul becomes 'different' from 'ONE' (aatman), the Soul is called praaNa. praaNa is the Oneness extending into duality. Thus, vaak— the power by which the Soul or praaNa multiplies— creates the forms or the conscious words or personalities. This is how the divinity and subsequent creation happen; this is how every instant of our existence is brought forth. Therefore, praaNa is vara— embraced by His consort vaak; what is created from the embrace is rava—word, vaakya, entity.
Whatever sound or word is generated within a being is a formation of Consciousness of which the being itself is a part or created as that 'sound'—each is a rava.
12. puruuravas -urvashii.
It is mentioned in the Rik veda that the king puruuravas who was obsessed with his love for urvashii, was abandoned and left on earth, while urvashii returned to heaven.
puruuravas = pu + ruu + ravas.
pu = punaH = repeatedly
ruu = ruupa=forms
ravas = sound,cry,or utterance.
puruuravas : The one who is repeatedly getting expressed as many sounds or many words and utterances—this is always happening in our Consciousness. The goddess vaak generates every perception within me, and with each perception, I emerge as a distinct person, with the corresponding word and the sound associated with it. This is puruuravas.
In every perception, we experience a sense of physicality—definiteness, bounded and limited perception, perceptions in which the sense of physicality, or the physical body, or the earth dominates. We do not perceive the finer divinity of Consciousness and Its regulation involved in our every perception. The whole process is extremely detailed, involving the perception of various Conscious beings, our organs, and all other beings associated including those in the physical world.
Every moment of our existence is interwoven with divinity and other domains of semi-divinity, and mortality, with countless beings—great and divine, small and trivial. This is not mythology or poetic fancy. It is science.(To get an insight into this, you may read the verses related to the process of eating [offering oblation to praaNa] as told in Chandogya Upanishad verses 5.19.1 and the subsequent verses.)
Physicality or mortality are parts of Consciousness. Thus, in every moment, vaak—urvashii lives with us in our mortal life— the divine parts remain away from our vision, as we are overwhelmed by mortality; so urvashii returns to heaven, and while we (puruuravas) continue to live upon the earth.
In this context, we are quoting a few verses from Rik veda, which are translated into English by Sir. Ralph Griffith.
Verse 10.95.1: (puruuravas to urvashii.)
Ho there, my consort! Stay, thou fierce-souled lady, and let us reason for a while together.
Such thoughts as these of ours, while yet unspoken in days goneby have never brought us comfort.
10.95.2. (urvashii replying to puruuravas )
What am I now to do with this thy saying? I have gone from thee like the first of Mornings.
Puruuravas, return thou to thy dwelling: I, like the wind, am difficult to capture.
13. vara - varaaha.
We have explained the words vara and rava in Section 11. varaaha is that personality of Consciousness who can transform a rava into vara —that is, who can reveal the divinity hidden within a sound or rava, or the divinity hidden within any perception, activity, event.
varaaha = varam aaha—the boon (varam) (He) said (aaha).
varaaha is also a term for 'wild boar'. viShNu is said to incarnate in the form of a varaaha.
Animals have been named after specific divine traits perceived in them. Here is a quote from the Internet on the wild boar's habit— 'the snout and the tusks are the special features of a wild boar. Wild boars use their tusks to aid in digging, rooting, and extracting food from the soil. While their strong snouts do the primary heavy lifting and loosening of dirt, the lower tusks act as shovels or rakes to break up hard ground, overturn rocks, and leverage roots or tubers out of the earth.'
The 'Seer' (Rishi) has seen in this habit of a wild boar, the way Consciousness, as vaak, digs into physicality and draws divinity out of it.
vaak is the faculty of Consciousness that brings about any change or transformation—vaak is the consort of praaNa; vaak and praaNa are the two forms of Consciousness from whose union every entity is created.
What is physical, what is merely a sound that evokes some meaning, some emotion in you— or even appears meaningless— becomes a Conscious Personality, unending, self-expressing, and beyond the limitation of time and space, when Consciousness as wisdom awakens within you. This is the beginning of entering the world of divine beings, of realizing the divinity of the self or the Soul. It is also known as achieving mantra-chaitanya — experiencing every word arising within the self as an expression of Eternal Consciousness.
14. hiMsaa—siMha. siMha-vaahinii durga.
narasiMha.
The word hiMsaa means 'act of violence.' The word originates from the verb hiMs, meaning 'to destroy,' to injure,' or 'to kill.'
The root of hiMsaa lies in the sense of duality. In fact, through our own actions, we constantly harm ourselves; implicitly, we are violent toward ourselves. By living a life without knowing the eternity of the Soul/Self, we ourselves ensure that we experience decay and mortality. This is because we are unaware of our immutable and eternal Soul—the One who is everything. In Oneness, who will harm whom?
The reason we perceive 'nothingness' or 'death' at the end is that, throughout our lives, we fail to recognize that every event is a manifestation of Consciousness, including the final moment of leaving the body.
This subjugation to death starts fading as the knowledge of the Soul and the Soul's active form called praaNa, begin to arise within us. The immutable and absolutely inactive Soul—where there exists nothing but Oneness—governs or manifests itself within us as praaNa.
The word siMha is derived from the root word sich, meaning 'to sprinkle'; the corresponding noun form is si~nchana. Thus, siMha means 'the one whose activity sprinkles life, creation, and prosperity,' and supports thriving.
siMha is also the word for the beast 'lion'. The divinity that defines the creative, thriving, and valourous activities has been identified especially with the lions.
The mount (vaahana) of the goddess durgaa is the lion or siMha, and the goddess is called siMha-vaahinii —'she who rides upon a lion.'
Eternal praaNa, who takes us away from death, is called durgaa. Verse 1.3.9 of the Brihadaranayaka Upanishad, states: saa vaa eshaa (she-this) devataa (goddess) duurnaama (is named as duura) duuraM (far) hi (indeed) asyaa (from Her) mRituH (the death); duuraM (far) ha vaa (indeed) asmaat (from it—from the one) mRityuH (the death) bhavati (exists) ya evam veda (one who knows this)— She—this goddess has the name duur (duura= far); the death remains away from Her; the one who knows thus (the one who realizes this truth) the death indeed exists far away from the one.
From the words 'duur/duura' ('far away') and gaa/gacchati ('goes,moves away'), the word durgaa is composed. Death goes away in the presence of the Goddess. (Refer to verse 1.3.9 of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad.)
Eternal praNa, conveying us beyond death into eternity, is termed mukhya praaNa and aayasya praaNa in the Chandogya Upanishad (Verse 1.2.12) and the Brihadaranayaka Upanishad (Verse 1.2.7).
Both the words mukhya and aayasya mean 'related to the face or mouth'. This is because Consciousness or praaNa, is emitting as the 'words' or 'sound' from its mouth as well as from everyone's mouth.
The five principal cognitive faculties—hearing, touch, sight, taste, smell— are seated in the face. The word mukhya also means 'the principal one', because all cognitive faculties belong to Consciousness or praaNa; they are Its faculties.
Thus, the life that is engaged in self-destruction leads us toward the experience of mortality and death, until the Goddess arrives riding the lion (siMha).
The divine being in the Sun (aaditya) is described as 'golden', with a golden beard, golden hair, golden from head to toe—risen above all the sins (death). Gold is the colour of certainty represented by the syllable 'him' and the Sanskrit word for 'golden' is 'hiraNmaya'. A lion, too, exhibits a golden mane, a golden body throughout; it possesses high virility, produces a thriving pride,* and embodies unquestioned valour.
(* The mane of a lion is due to its high testosterone level, enabling it to impregnate the lioness with great virility and thereby maintain the strength of the pride. The words sich and si~nchana, from which the word siMha is derived, convey the sense of sprinkling, pouring forth, or sowing the seed of creation.)
Our words, which are embedded in physicality, are pulled out by the divinity as varaha (the wild boar); we have explained this in section 12 above. varaha is the third incarnation of viShNu. The fourth incarnation of viShNu is named narasiMha.
Once the words, or the 'multiple selves,' are pulled out of mortality, the 'Self' itself, or the man/the being (nara) begins to experience the transcendence of the mortal self to the 'immortal Self', beyond death. This is what praaNa or viShNu brings about as narasiMha.
Everlasting valour arises in life when the fear of death departs with the advent of eternal praaNa.
15. na - ana.
Probably in almost all languages, 'na' is the sound of negation, and the same is true in Sanskrit. na means 'no'—the sound conveying the sense of 'negation'.
However, in Vedic parlance, na also implies the 'bliss' or aananda—the joy of realizing everything in Oneness—and thus makes everything else 'negative' or 'within Oneness.'
ana means praaNa. praaNa= pra +ana; pra means 'primary,' 'principal,' 'supreme,' or 'first.' Consciousness is called praaNa, because Consciousness initiates animation in every being and is Itself that very animation.
'Thus, ana = a + na = “not na” or “absence of negation” — the One who is ever-present, in whom there is no death or annihilation; whose presence creates the sense of reality and existence'
16. praaNa,vyaana,apaana, samaana,udaana.
(i) praaNa (p+r+a+a+N+a)—pra + ana.
We have explained the word ana in the previous section.
'pra' implies 'primordial', 'prime', 'precursor', 'in front', and similar senses.
Consciousness or ana leads every event—every activity and hence is called praaNa. praaNa means the One who leads or precedes every event and every activity, and also the One who is prime or supreme.
praaNa—pra + aana; aana means 'blowing'—blowing vital air; so aana means action of ana or Consciousness. aana derives from the verb an.
(ii) vyaana (v+i+a+a+n+a) = vi + aana; vi = different, various; aana =action of ana. Thus, vyaana signifies Consciousness—or ana—spreading in all directions, executing all functions within every entity throughout the universe.
(iii) apaana (a+p+aa+n+a)— ap + aana. ap means the divine water. ap implies aapti—acquirement, fulfillment, quenching of thirst, accomplished state. aana means the action of ana or Consciousness. Thus, apaana is the aspect of Consciousness or ana that ensures the realization or the manifestation and existence of the material world. This is why we see the ocean upon the Earth, or water within the mother's womb. Whenever satisfaction, or sense of fulfillment arises within us, there is a formation of 'divine water' or apaana within us that brings contentment and removes the thirst born of desire.
apaana (a+p+a+a+n+a)—apa+ana. apa = removal, reduction, withdrawal. When Consciousness becomes physical, inert, Consciousness reduces (apa) Its animating principle (ana), thereby becoming increasingly material in manifestation. This is why the apaana, or Consciousness as the divine water, as ap, supports the physical formation of an entity and is the source of 'gravitational properties'.
That we urinate, defecate, perspire, that is, removal of all that becomes waste for our system is removed (apa) from our body by Consciousness as apaana.
The state of satisfaction and the consequent physical nourishment or enrichment is also bestowed by apaana.
(iv) samaana (s+a+m+a+a+n+a)—sama + ana.
sama means 'sameness' or 'equilibrium'. The letter 'sa' signifies the beginning of savana—the commencement of a period or cycle. (For example, the word sakaala means 'early in the morning'.) 'ma' is the last consonant of the plosive alphabet in Sanskrit. Plosive consonants are also known as the 'alphabet of touch' (sparsha varNa). The letter 'ma' indicates the end of 'touch', or the cessation of the flow of praaNa or vital air —namely, the termination of the 'living' or the end of living, or death. Thus, ma = mRityu = death.
Therefore, sama means where the beginning and the end are in sameness and equilibrium, and every event in between is in sameness and equilibrium.
samaana is that aspect of Consciousness, or ana, through which Consciousness implements sameness or evenness in any interaction so that the intended action can occur.
When we eat food, it is through samaana, the essence of the food gets assimilated in us, becomes our vigour and vitality. Our inhalation and exhalation are regulated and synchronized by samaana to ensure our stable state.
The same process occurs in every act of perception. When we hear a word or see an object, we become that within ourselves— in our consciousness; otherwise, we would never be able to perceive it.
All events are brought into balance, and synchronized by the action of samaana. The action of Consciousness is essentially 'an act of knowing'. Consciousness acts and creates in Its knowledge or in Itself.
We shall now quote excerpts from three verses of the Prashnopanishad that mention samaana.
(a) madhye tu samaanaH—samaana is situated in the middle—samaana exists within the actions of all other forms of ana or praaNa. (Refer to Verse 3.5 of the Prashnopanishad.)
eSha hi etad hutam annaM samaM nayati—He indeed brings this offered food into sameness (with the being).(Refer to Verse 3.5 of the Prashnopanishad.)
(b) antaraa yad aakaashaH sa samaanaH— the sky that is within, that is samaana. (Refer to Verse 3.8 of Prashnopanishad.)
What we perceive as the sky outside is the same as the sky within. (Refer to the verses 3.12.7,3.12.8 and 3.12.9 of the Chandogya Upanishad.)
Since the sense of duality and physicality dominates us—that is, since we are externally oriented—we perceive only the outer sky, and to us it is an inane void. When the dominance of physicality begins to diminish, the innersky starts revealing itself along with the response of Consciousness, or praaNa. Any kind of adversity, hostile situation, or painful state loses its intensity and melts into the 'sameness' of Consciousness.
(c) yat uchChvaasa-niHshvaasau etau aahuuti samaaM nayati iti sa samaanaH —since it brings the two offerings—outbreathing and inbreathing into accord, or harmonizes them, it is called samaana. (Refer to Verse 4.4 of Prashnopanishad.)
(v) udaana (u+d+aa+n+a)—ud + aana. The syllable 'ud' means 'above', or 'upward'. Consciousness as udaana lifts us above physicality. When we die, we depart from our body, and by udaana we get the lift to leave mortality and enter into subtler states. udaana carries us to the destination where we are destined to reach after mortal life, according to our karma, that is, the way we had lived our lives.(Refer to verses 3.7 and 3.9 of Prashnopanishad.)
17. ana (a+n+a) and aanana (aa+na+na).
aanana means 'the mouth' or 'the face.'
aanana = aan(a)na = aan + ana;
The word aana is from the verb an, meaning 'to breathe'; aana means 'breathing' , or the activity of ana or praaNa.
Thus, aanana means 'the seat of the activities of praaNa.' The five organs associated with the cognitive faculties—ears, lips, eyes, tongue, and nose— are located on the face.
18. vana (v+a+n+a) - nava (n+a+v+a).
vana means 'forest'. A forest harbours all seeds. A seed contains a plant, a plant contains seeds, and a seed contains a plant; this is recurring infinity. Consciousness, who is the origin of every entity, is therefore worshipped as the 'forest'— as vana.
It is not only the seeds; a forest is the mother of all the herbs and the plants that contain saps, which cure ailments and invigorate us, spreading the fragrance of life. Herbs are called oShadhi—those who hold (dhi) the spirits that keep us alive; that spirit or invigorating sap is oSha. oSha means 'that which shines with fervour,' and oShadhi is that which is holding oSha —the invigorating spirit.
This universe is oShadhi; the sap extracted from it has kept us alive.
Thus, the word vana means the One who exists before anyone else, because, as vana (forest), Consciousness bears the seed of every entity yet to be born.
The word nava means 'new'; it is the opposite of the word vana.
Since Consciousness is eternal and never changes or wanes, It is ever new—nitya-naviina (“eternally new”).
nava also means the number 'nine.' Consciousness first becomes nava, or nine, before creating a defined state—dashaa. dashaa represents the number 'ten' (dasha). (Ten is 'decem' in Latin.) When we realize the number 'nine' or 'nava' in us, we find ourselves simultaneously as 'eternally old' and 'eternally new'.
The word dashaa, meaning 'a state' or 'condition,' is related to the word dashan or dasha, meaning ten. Thus, Consciousness first becomes nine (nava) and then creates ten (dasha). Whenever iConsciousness creates, It becomes new—it is not merely 'new', but 'ever new'. This is why, when we look back to our origin, we see our Soul as perpetual, immutable, and ancient beyond time; all time has ceased there, and so it is ever-new as well. This is why every moment is 'new', every instant of existence is 'new'. The ever-new never decays.
Thus, verse 4.6 of Keno Upanishad says:
tat ha tat vanaM naama tadvanam iti upaasitavyaM—'That indeed is called 'vana'—It is to be worshipped as 'vana'. Since the eternal Soul is vana—ever-old One—He has been worshipped as: "vishvaadyaM (the origin of all) vishvaaviijaM (the seed of all) nikhilvayaharaM" (remover of all fear). I have quoted this line from a hymn to Lord Shiva, the Universal Eternal Soul.
Since He holds all seeds within Himself, He is worshipped as li~Nga—the emblematic form symbolizing the generative principle, traditionally represented by the phallic form.
18. jiiva - viija (biija).
jiiva (j+ii+v+a) means any entity that is created from viija (v+ii+j+a), or from the seed; Consciousness is the seed (viija) of every entity or being (jiiva); It is the seed of all seeds.
viija—v (vana) + ii (iiDya—invoked) + ja (generation, creation) — generation or creation is invoked from the immutable, perpetual Soul; thus, an entity comes into being.
The word vijaa is also spelt as biija.
jiiva— j (ja—generated)+ ii (invoked— regulated) + va (ending in vana, goes back to the origin)—the generated entity is invoked or driven into continuity; after the expiry of that continuity, the generated entity returns to the origin (vana).
The letter va also implies vaya, that is, 'weaver'; 've' means 'to weave.' The Upanishad states that Consciousness has created the universe like a spider (uurNanaabha) that generates the silk (uurNa) from itself (from spinnerets—naabha—nave), builds a web, and also dismantles the web by rolling up the silk and then devouring it. Similar to a spider, Consciousness extends itself as creation and keeps everything connected and tied bound together by the threads of Oneness. Likewise, Consciousness annihilates creation—that is, dismantles the web— in accordance with the laws of regulation. This is mentioned in verse 1.1.7 of the Mundaka Upanishad.
The thread of Consciousness is called vaayu (the divine air), by whom everyone is touched and connected; vaayu is also called suutraatman—the thread-soul. Thus, the syllable va/v implies both vana and vaayu in the words jiiva and viija.
19. bharga - gharbha.
The word bharga (bha+r+ga) means the 'radiance'—the warmth and light emanating from Consciousness.
The word bharga is related to the verb bhRi, which means 'to bear' or 'to carry.' The word garbha (ga+r+bha) means 'womb', where a seed is 'born'. It can be a seed of a being, an entity, an event, or anything that is going to manifest with an identity.
bharga = bha (bhaati—radiates) + r (ra~njayati— dyes, anoints with colours) +ga (gachChayati—goes). Thus, Consciousness radiates, dyes or, anoints Itself, and proceeds toward formation. This is how a seed is planted in the womb, or how an entity is processed for conception.
garbha= ga + (gachChati-goes) + r (ra~njayati— dyes, anoints with colours)+ bha (bhaati—radiates,shines) : The seed or sperm goes (ga—gachChati) into the womb—into the domain of manifestation. Then mother Consciousness dyes or anoints the entity that is to be created (r—ra~njayati )—imbuing it with the hue of the identity that Consciousness has intended for it; the creation being conceived becomes radiant (bha—bhaati) with its identity and shines forth as a distinct manifestation.
There is another deep implication in the pair of words—bharga and garbha. bharga signifies Consciousness in the act of creating. Once creation manifests, the creating Consciousness remains hidden within the created entity; the entity itself becomes a womb—garbha—within which Consciousness resides in concealment.
20. vajra - vraja.
vajra (v+a+j+r+a); va = vaak; vaak is the faculty of Consciousness, who spilts Oneness into duality. Consciousness, as the Soul remains One and simultaneously splits to manifest as many.
Every such distinct formation or creation emerging from Oneness is a 'word' or a 'vaakya' (expression). Consciousness or vaak generates Itself by Itself. This self-illuminated— or more precisely, Soul-illuminated (svayam jyoti)—creation is vajra. 'j' or 'ja' means 'to be born', 'generation', or 'creation'. The letter
'ra' implies : (i) shine, luminosity; (ii) rahas—that which remains secretly contained or hidden within.
Thus, although an entity appears as a separate creation, it still remains held within Oneness, because the same Consciousness is simultaneously One and many. Any word, being, or expression of Consciousness existing in this state—distinct yet inseparable from the One—is vajra.
vajra is commonly known as the “thunderbolt,” which implies the self-luminous manifestation of Consciousness—a manifested entity shining with the glory of Oneness. Thus, vajra is the divine weapon possessed by indra the king of heaven or dyu. dyu is characterized by the spontaneous awareness of the presence of Oneness—the perpetual Soul.
The Eternal Soul, who is also the observer of everything that is created from Itself, is called indra—idaM dra—idaM (it/this) draShTri (observer). indra is the Consciousness that observes and experiences everything that is created and experiences it as emerging from Oneness—from the Soul itself. Thus, indra is the Soul or Consciousness in Its aspect as the observer.
Thus, in Rik veda, in the hymn 1.7, it is said:
indro id haryo sacaa saMmishla aa vachoyujaa |
indro vajrii hiraNyayaH ||
indro vajrii hiraNyayaH ||
indraH it (it>id—going, moving)
haryaH (two horses)
sachaa (along with)
sammishla (blended duly)
aa (toward)
vachoyujaa (vacho-of word/speech; yujaa—yoked/joined— yoked with speech)
indraH vajrii (indra wielding vajra) hiraNyayaH (golden)
Meaning: indra moves towards, along with the two horses, blended duly and yoked with speech.
indra wielding vajra, (indra is) golden. (A verse from the hymn 1.7 of Rik veda.)
The word vraja conveys the sense of motion, like an electric current, in contrast to vajra, which is like static electricity.
The general meaning of the word vraja is 'wandering', 'roaming'. In the word vajra, 'jra' is a conjunct consonant; this suggests j/ja— that is, 'generation' or 'that which is created '—is held secretly or held within. This hiddenness or the 'aspect of held within', is implied by the syllable ra, associated with rahas ('secret' or 'mystery'). We have explained ra and rahas earlier.
Similarly, in the word vraja, 'vra' is a conjunct consonant; this implies v/va, that is, vaak—the goddess of speech, who manifests as the words or creation, is held within or covered by j/ja, or what is generated or created.
Thus, as long as the action of Consciousness is not extended into a sequence of cycles or transformed into motion, it remains vajra; when the action becomes perceptible and cycles of time or motion come into being, it becomes vraja.
21. vraja—the pasture field of Krishna's cows. indra and indriya.
vraja is also the name of the place where lord Krishna, along with his shepherd companions, pastured the cows in the fields, and those days are associated with many events as mentioned in Hindu sacred texts. Whatever it may be—a person's character or an event in history— it is a part of Consciousness, and every physical entity, being, or event has its place in Consciousness, where its divinity resides. Everything is linked to the divine; nothing is isolated. When a past event or historical occurrence is rediscovered in Consciousness, it reveals the divinity associated with the physical events.
This divinity associated with historical events is mentioned in the puraaNa (mythology) because the puraaNa contains descriptions of subtler domains along with historical narratives. Therefore, due to ignorance of the divine dimension, the general opinion regarding puraaNa or mythology is often that such tales are either products of imagination or allegorical narrations.
The word puraaNa is related to puraatana ('ancient') and puuraNa meaning 'filling' or 'completion')—that which fills the gap between the physicality and divinity.
kRiShNa means the 'most attractive personality of Consciousness'; the word derives from the root word kRiSh; kRiSh means 'to draw toward oneself' or 'to attract'.
Consciousness, who is our praaNa, is the most attractive being, tending and pasturing the cows (go) which are our cognitive faculties and organs—such as ears, eyes, hands, and so on. The word go means 'cow,' and it derives from the root gam, meaning 'to move.' Also, the word ga, meaning 'going,' and the word gaya meaning indriya are interrelated; this has been explained in Section 9 above. As mentioned in Section 9, the name for our cognitive faculties and their related organs is indriya; we are active in inward and outward motion in our Consciousness by the indriya-s.
Etymologically, indriya means indra iyate ('indra moves'). (Refer to the verse from Hymn 1.7 of the Rik veda quoted above.) The motion (or activity) of the divine observer indra, appears as the indriya.
It is noteworthy that kriShNa is regarded as an incarnation of the lord viShNu, and in the Rik veda it is mentioned that viShNu and indra are united in friendship. (Refer to hymn 1.22.19 of the Rik veda.— indrasya yujyaH (united) sakhaa (friend).
22. vach - varchas.
The word vach means 'to speak'. The word vaak has its root in vach. The letter ch/cha carries the sense of chayana, that is, 'collecting.'
[This Sanskrit letter ch/cha, and 'ch' in the English words 'choose' and 'achieve', probably play a similar role. In Sanskrit 'cha' also means 'and', thus the syllable 'cha' carries the sense of 'adding.']
Whatever is in the external, we are getting them, achieving them, as our perceptions, which are the 'words' within us. So, this is how the Consciousness is, who is vaak, and is every word inside and outside. Whatever exists outside, in the external space, is a word of Consciousness; that is also existing within us as 'word/words'. So, we are illuminated by the light of these living words, and this is varchas. varchas means 'lustre' or 'brilliance'.
23. archas-archa-chara-archi.
The word archas is derived from the verb arch, which means ' to praise' or 'to worship'. The words in us are shining; they are Consciousness expressing Itself. These shining words, called varchas, originate from the Oneness of Consciousness or the Soul (aatman). Consciousness as aatman, or the Soul knows itself by itself and thus the words or varNa are created.
This 'knowing Itself by Itself', is a form of 'self-indulgence in self-delight' and is called 'archas'. This is why archas carries the meanings 'to worship' and 'to praise.' Consciousness praises itself while manifesting as infinity, and we are the outcome of that manifestation. Thus, in whatever we do, there exists an expression of the self-praising Soul.
The word chara means 'that which moves' or 'whatever is moving'. It is almost an anagram of the word archas. The word chara originates from the verb char, meaning 'to move' or 'to wander'.
As Consciousness becomes active— that is, as Consciousness manifests as praaNa, motion or time and expressions or visions come into being. Thus, the movement (chara) emerges out of archas. Likewise, archi is created; archi are the rays arising from the self-initiated Consciousness, from the archas, or the self-praising hymns of Consciousness. Thus, in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, it is said that when creation began, Consciousness started moving, singing the hymns: saH archanan acharat—'He moved by singing the hymns.' (Refer to the Brihadaranayaka Upanishad, Verse 1.2.1.)
24. svayam-sva.
This knowing Itself by Itself, and the consequent manifestation of the Oneness of Consciousness or the Soul as both the Soul and the universe, is termed the svayam-prakaasha (“Self-manifesting”) aspect of Consciousness — the Soul-manifesting or Self-manifesting principle. svayam or sva means the Soul. In this manifestation, everything else, along with the Soul, is manifested by the Soul itself.
sva = su+a. We have already explained the word 'su', in Section 2 above. su means the extraction of soma or the 'essence.' sva = su +a; svayam = su+ayam —ayam ('this') suuyate ('is brought forth' or 'pressed out')— this Soul (svayam) is pressing itself out as everything.
25. sva-svara, and indra.
The word svara means 'tone', 'voice', 'sound.' It also denotes the vowels in the Sanskrit alphabet. Etymologically, it means svayam ra~njana—'the self colouring itself' or 'the soul (svayam) colouring itself as the self (aham).'
Thus, in Chandogya Upanishad, it is said: sarve svaraaH indrasya aatmaanaH (refer to Verse 2.22.6 of the Chandogya Upanishad.)
This means: (i) sarve— all; svaraaH—vowels or vowel-sounds;
indrasya—of indra; aatmaanaH—selves or manifestations of the self.
Thus, 'All vowel sounds are manifestations of the divinity called indra.'
(ii) sarve— all; svaraaH—sounds bearing the lustre of Soul; indrasya— of indra; aatmaanaH—selves—selves or manifestations of the self.
All sounds bearing the lustre of Soul are manifestations of the divinity called indra.
This implies that indra, who is the divine observer, experiences everything as the Soul manifesting itself as the 'self' along with Its associated perceptions. Thus, whatever may appear as a sound (as a hearing or perception), indra experiences it as the expression of the Soul. In every moment of existence, the Soul is present, the Self is present, and all associated perceptions are present, and all arise from the Oneness of Consciousness or the Soul. The Soul is not anything other than One, yet It is everything as well as the observer. In Consciousness, vision is created from the act of seeing, sound from the act of hearing, and so on.
Thus, it is said in verse 1.4.7 of the BrihadaraNyaka Upanishad: akRitsno hi saH, praaNanneva praaNo naama bhavati, vadan vaak, pashyaMshchakShuH, shRiNvan shrotram, manvaano manaH; taanyasyaitāni karmanaamaanyeva|
Meaning:
akRitsno (whole) hi (indeed is) saH (He)—He is indeed the whole.
praaNann (acting as praaNa) eva (thus) praaNo (all the forms of praaNa—all the acts of animation and vitality)— Acting as praaNa, (He—the Soul—Consciousness becomes) all the forms of praaNa (all the functions of animation and vitalities).
vadan (while speaking) vaak (the speech)— while speaking,He becomes the speech.
pashyan (while seeing) chakShuH (the eyes)— while seeing, He becomes the eyes.
shRiNvan (while hearing) shrotram (the ears)—while hearing, He becomes the ears.
manvaano (while thinking/resolving) manaH (the mind)—while thinking/resolving, He becomes the mind.
He is indeed the whole. Acting as praaNa (He—the Soul—Consciousness becomes) all the forms of praaNa (all the functions of animation and vitalities); while speaking becomes the speech; while seeing becomes the eyes; while hearing becomes the ears; while thinking/resolving becomes the mind; indeed, all these are names of functions/functional modes (of Soul-Consciousness).
26. varNa-arNa-arNava.
varNa (v+a+r+N+a) means the active conscious letters, the mother-goddesses (varNa maatRikaa); the mothers are self-illuminating, building expressions or creations by joining with one another in specific patterns. This is why letters, which are meaningless in isolation, produce specific senses and meanings in us when combined;this combining is a conscious process.
arNava (a+r+N+a+v+a) means the ocean of the letters or varNa. arNava is the source from where the letters (varNa) emerge and combine to create.
So, the foaming sea is also called arNava.
Therefore, before becoming active, the mothers—varNa maatRikaa—lie in the ocean of Consciousness called arNava. They lie with akShara aatman.
The consonant 'Na' used in all these words is called
'muurdhanya'; muurdha/muurdhan means 'the head' or 'the crown.' muurdhan is also spelt as muurdhvan. = muu+uurdhva(n). muu means to 'bind' or 'to tie'; uurdhva means 'upward'. The realm where everything is held as divinity, as unending or as existing beyond death, is called 'heaven'; and in the human body, it is physically located in the head. So, we look 'up' or 'uurdhva' to point toward heaven,and we instinctively touch our foreheads to salute or express homage;when we bless someone, we touch his/her head. In ancient Indian social and religious practice, shiro-ghraaNa (smelling the head) was a gesture of deep affection, blessing, acceptance, and recognition. An elder would place the nose on, or near, the top of another person's head and smell it. In the Japanese language head is called ‘Atama’—a word derived from aatman, meaning ‘the soul’,.
The sound 'Na' is articulated at the roof (upper region) of the mouth—the palatal region behind the alveolar ridge; this region is considered as an extension of the head. Unmanifested Consciousness, represented as the unsounded negativity by the sound of negation—Na—is situated there above (in the palatal region); it is a state of rejoicing or aananda. (Refer to Section 15 for the explanation of the word 'aananda.')
So, both the words arNava and arNa refer to the state of the conscious letters or mothers (varNa- maatrikaa) before the occurrence of any defined manifestation or articulation.
vaak, the mother of speech, exists in the form of varNa maatrikaa.
a + RiNa= (a+Ri)+Na = arNa.
va +RiNa = (va+Ri)+Na =varNa.
When Rik or the manifestaion of Consciousness as the visible, perceptible universe, becomes Na, or remains hidden in Consciousness, Rik becomes RiNa. Thus, RiNa also means 'a debt'.
'a' means akShara—the immutable Soul, who remains undecayed and unchanged, and yet becomes many. kShara means 'that which decays.' akShara disintegrates into khara, and yet remains unchanged— ever-ancient, ever-eternal.
Each varNa, or varNa maatRikaa embraces akShara in a specific way. The word varNa derives from the verbal root vRi; vRi meaning 'to cover', 'to embrace'. Where it is arNa, there all 'Na', the infinite elements of bliss, the mothers—lie with the immutable Soul, the akShara. When the conjunction turns toward manifestation, the mothers become varNa.
It is for this reason that the letters are also called akShara.
varNa also means colours. Colours represent the degrees of excitation of the mothers, and from that arises the spectrum of infinite shades.
Where it is arNa, the goddess vaak is called sarasvatii, and this is why the colour of the goddess is white—all varNa-s, or colours, exist in equilibrium within the goddess vaak.
27. sarasvatii and dRiShadvatii.
Thus, in the Rik Veda, it is said :
maho arNaH sarasvatii prachetayati ketunaa |
dhiyo vishvaa viraajati || (Rik Veda verse 1.3.12.)Meaning.
maho arNaH sarasvatii —Sarasvatii (sarasvatii), the vast expanse of arNa;
prachetayati ketunaa—pra (elegantly) chetayati (making conscious, awakens) ketunaa (by ketu—by the conscious flashes)
dhiyo (intelligence) vishvaa (of all) viraajati (illuminating uniquely)—sarasvatii (the goddess Sarasvatii), the vast expanse of arNa, is elegantly making (everyone) conscious by the flashes of consciousness; (She) uniquely illuminates the intelligence of all.
sarasvatii—the vast expanse of arNa—elegantly awakens consciousness through conscious flashes;She uniquely illuminates the intelligence of all beings.
sarasvatii = saras (a lake, an expanse of ap or divine water—sarasii) + vatii. The general meaning of the word saras is "a lake" or 'a body of water.' saras>sarasa=saha rasa—'the goddess who possesses all rasa,' the conscious sap that has kept us filled with all perceptions and feelings.
sara (moving, flowing) + sva +tii (sva—the immutable Soul; tii— a female personality; svatii—the goddess who is attached to sva). The goddess of speech, who is vaak, flows as sarasvatii while always remaining attached to the immutable Soul or sva.
Whatever flows, changes, and diversions may be in process, in the background there remains the perpetual, constant, immutable Oneness—the Soul.
The word sara is derived from the verb sRi, meaning to flow. The incessant flow of words has kept us alive; She is flowing in Her Oneness, She is changing in Her Oneness (sva/Soul)—this is the significance of sva in sarasvati.
This is why she is mentioned as arNa in the verse. (Refer to Section 26 for the word arNa.)
The word dRiShadvatii breaks into dRiShad and vatii. We have explained the meaning of the term vatii earlier. The word dRiShad means 'a rock,' or that which is hard or robust or firm—dRiDha.
The arNa in sarasvatii, become varNa, and create firm expressions (dRishya), or the physical world. Therefore, we call Her, dRiShadvatii. As the divine river sarasvatii, She nourishes all beings with Consciousness, and as the divine river dRiShadvatii, She creates all the visions (dRishya)—naama (names) and ruupa (the forms and colours)—for every observer of the universe.
28. svan-shvan-svara. ashva.
The word svan is a verb meaning 'to sound.' The word svana is the noun form derived from svan. svana means 'sound'.
svana = su +ana; su means: (i) extraction of ana or praaNa from the Oneness or the Soul; (ii) flow of ana or praaNa from the Oneness or the Soul.
Thus, svana is the sound, or the words of Consciousness, as Consciousness comes out from Oneness in the form of praaNa, or it is the sound arising as praana flows. In praaNa, Oneness and duality are entangled, and so praaNa or vaayu (the divine air) is described as the number 1-1/2 (one and half) in the Brihadaranayaka Upanishad. (Refer to verses 3.9.8 and 3.9.9 of the Brihadaranayaka Upanishad.) (This is why svana also means the 'roar of wind.')
'1/2' (one half), means the fragment of One—the dual form of One; though becoming dual, It nevertheless remains One; the dual form remains attached to and regulated by One; so, this aspect of Consciousness, being simultaneously 'One' and 'a half,' is denoted by the number 1-1/2. This describes the flow and the associated sound or svana.
The flow of Consciousness or praaNa is associated with:
(i) svada —sound; the first or initial expression;
(ii) sparsha —touch; the entanglement of One with duality;
(iii) ruupa —vision; the manifestation as a separate entity; observation and perception of the time cycle;
(iv) rasa —taste—the taste of the sap that supports physicality; the satisfaction of becoming a separate entity or accomplishing a desired state; the water aspect of Consciousness—the fluidity and flexibility underlying any fixed form or defined state;
(v) gandha — smell; the scent or the flavour of the physical state; the olfactory system and the respirations; respirations (ni-shvaasa and pra-shvaasa) that regulate the physical existence—the ‘air’ of an entity.
Along with the above-mentioned five manifestions of Consciousness arise the sense of 'self' or aham—I am—the one who experiences, the one who sees—indra. So, this is svana. This is why we have mentioned in Section 25 above that all svara are the manifestation of indra.
The meaning of the Sanskrit word 'shvan' is 'dog'. Any term or name cited in the Vedas to address an entity— whether a being, an object, or any other existent—is associated with a specific aspect or quality of Consciousness. The word shvan is related to the word shva meaning 'tme' or 'regulation'.
Thus, the term shvan, which is used to mean a 'dog,' represents a particular feature or aspect of Consciousness that can be easily noticed in the behaviour of dogs. One special feature of a dog's character is its loyalty to the master and obedience to the master's regulation.
The word for 'regulation' is 'shaasana' in Sanskrit. shaas is the verb form, meaning 'to regulate' or 'to govern.'
Another feature of the dogs is their acute sense of smell and their ability to identify through smell. The olfactory function and the respiratory functions are intimately related. For this reason, in Vedic parlance, praaNa signifies both ‘smell’ and ‘respiration’. The Sanskrit words for respiration are shvaasa and pra-shvaasa and also shvasana. This explains why a dog is called shvan. Respiration (shvasana) is the regulation (shaasana) of praaNa or Consciousness, and constitutes the rhythmical flow of life; it becomes an individual’s ‘time’. The regulation of Consciousness manifests as respirations.
Thus, shva and shvan mean 'time' or 'kaala'— that which drives us through evolution, consisting of repeated cycles of rebirth and death. It is for this reason that the Brihadaranayaka Upanishad states that mukhya praaNa, or the eternal praaNa as ahsva (horse) drives the human beings beyond mortality. Thus, ashva does not mean only 'horse'; it is praaNa driving us to eternity through Its regulation.
So, what is svana (su +ana), i.e., the streams of praaNa or perceptions, is also shvana (shu+ana) or the regulation of praaNa or Consciousness. The verbal root shu also means 'to go' or 'to flow', but more appropriately it signifies the 'flow or act of regulation'.
From the above, we understand the relation between the two Sanskrit words sva and shva. The regulation of the Eternal Soul, sva, is expressed by the word shva.
It is mentioned that a hound accompanied the king Yudhidsthira as he trod the path to heaven through the mountainous regions of the Himalayas. The dog had attached itself to the king and remained with him throughout the journey. At one point, Indra, the king of heaven, arrived with his celestial chariot to receive Yudhisthira. Yudhistra insisted on boarding the chariot along with the dog. At that moment, the dog revealed its true identity—it was Dharma in the guise of a dog.
Dharma is the deity who embodies the principles that govern all beings and guide them toward immortality. So, Dharma is the personality of Time regulating. So, He was mentioned as a dog (shvan). Yudhisthira lived in the ‘time’, that is, in the state, in which heaven and the earth were integrated in a single reality. This is why he sought to board the chariot of Indra or the ‘time of heaven,’ while accompanied by the earthly hound or the ‘time’ of the earth.
The word saras means that what is flowing or fluid.
29. rasa-sara-shara.
rasa is the essence or the sap underlying every reality or existence; reality, or the existing entity, is the outcome of rasa. rasa—the divine water or ap—acts as a container, holding the reality or the physical formation. It holds and nourishes the physicality. This is also the apaana aspect of praaNa.
One of the meanings of the word shara is the 'upper layer of cream, or slightly curdled milk'. Thus, shara implies the hardened layer, or physicality, that is nourished by rasa. The divine river sarasvatii remains hidden beneath this physical layer.
Another meaning of the word shara is 'an arrow' that fixes upon its target; contrary to this, the word sara means 'motion', 'shifting', 'drifting', or 'deviating'. Though the river sarasvatii keeps meandering, simultaneously She keeps adhering to the immutable, perpetual Soul, who remains ever the same—One in every being, the assertionless perpetual Self. We are shifting and drifting in our Consciousness all the time, yet in our Soul we are ever calm, quiet, and perpetual. (Refer to verse 2.2.4 of Mundaka Upanishad.)
30. apsaraa-sara. The roaming eye.
In every moment of our existence, we are shifting in Consciousness, from one state to another, from one acquisition to another, from one perception to another. This occurs in the divine water ap; ap is that aspect of Consciousness in which we feel that we have attained or achieved anything or any action that we have desired. The word apsaras means ap + saras (shifting)—shifting in the waters— shifting in ap, in aapti (acquirement or attainment).
The female celestial personalities—the divine aspects of Consciousness that influence our shifting—are called apsaraas (apsaras-aas). The beings called apsaraas belong to the domain of sarasvatii and the divine waters, and they are members of the court of King indra, the divine observer. The shifting in ap that we have described above is also reflected in the incessant movement of our eyeballs within tears.
31. sarasii - sarit - sarovara. The Sarus cranes.
sarasii means the faculty of saras, or the conscious faculty that drives us through ap or attainments. A lake, a large water body, is also called sarasii.
sarit means a pool of a particular form of fulfillment or acquisition. sarit =sara (a pool of fulfillment) + it (going, going towards); sarit means a pool in Consciousness where you get a particular fulfillment.
The Sarus cranes, which inhabit the open wetlands of the Indian subcontinent, South-east Asia, and Northern Australia, may have the name 'Sarus', from 'saras'. Like a swan that is considered the carrier of the goddess Sarasvatii, I believe these Sarus cranes too may be considered as the carriers of the goddess Sarasvatii, as they belong to saras or the water bodies; their head and neck are red, which is the colour of Brahmaa (brahmaa), the consort of sarasvatii.
Their neck is very special—the windpipe is very long and acts as a natural amplifier for their vocalizations. The bare red skin of the adult bird's head and neck becomes brighter during the breeding season. Their vocalization is very special; they emit loud, resonant, and guttural calls. At times, a mated couple performs a duet while standing side-by-side, with necks outstretched, their bills pointed skyward, and wings slightly raised during this synchronized vocal performance. This reminds me of the apsaraa and gandharva— the celestial artists who perform in the court of indra.
That which is desirable is called vara; vara also means 'embracing' or 'choosing'. When the sara—a pool-formation of Consciousness—embraces us to what is desirable, it is called sarovara. Lake Manasa is considered a sarovara, and is called maanasa sarvora—a lake created in the mind (manas) of Consciousness, or in the divine mind, or in brahmaa.
32. hRidaya - dahara. ghata—heart, the place of happening—ghaTa. danta—the tooth.
The word hRidaya (h+Ri+da+ya) means location in our Consciousness where our feelings, emotions, desires, including very subtle perceptions, arise; this is the heart in our physical body.
hRi means 'to take away'. The noun form of hRi is hara or haraNa.
da means 'daa' i.e., 'to grant,' 'to offer,' 'to give,' or 'to donate.'
ya means yamana—regulation, restraint, or control.
So, the heart is the place of 'give' (daa) and 'take' (hRi), and the regulation (ya) of the process of 'give and take.'
In every perception, there is hRi or haraNa. We are taking away or receiving what is being carried to us through our organs or indriya from the external world.
Yet whatever we perceive or get is only an insignificant fraction of the Whole. The fullness goes to divinity, while only a portion comes to us; this too is hRi or haraNa — only a fraction is left for us, while the divine fullness recedes from our awareness because of our ignorance of the divine world and the regulation by Consciousness.
We have mentioned in Section-21 the movement of indra (the divine observer) and indriya (the sensory and other related organs). The eyes, nose, ears, etc., are the functional personalities of Consciousness. Like horses, each of the cognitive organs is carrying the perception from outside to the inside— to the heart, which is the region where we feel and experience. Thus, these cognitive organs (indriya) are termed haya in the Kathoponishada (kaThopaniShad). (Refer to verse 1.3.4 of the Kathopanishad.) The horses of Indra's chariot are called hari. The word hari also derives from the root hRi.
da means the act of granting. We get whatever is granted by the regulation of Consciousness. So, these two functions, hRi (fetching or bringing) and da (granting), are continuously happening in our Consciousness. As a result of this, we are going through the joys and sorrows, desires, and their associated feelings. These experiences mould us and are the cause of our transformation in the course of evolution. This execution of transformation is ya or yamana—the regulation by which we are processed.
These three events (hRi, da, ya) are happening in the realm of Consciousness, called hRidaya or the heart.
The heart is the place of happening and is also called ghata. The word ghata derives from the root word ghat, meaning 'to happen'. ghata is a noun meaning a pitcher or jar. It holds all that is happening along with the essence or underlying fulfillment of every event.
In a verse addressed to the goddess of speech—sarasvatii—it is mentioned that She holds a ghata and a divine book (pustaka)— amRitena tathaa puurNaM ghaṭaM divyaM cha pustakam
dadhatii vaama-hastaabhyaam —'(She is) holding, with her two left hands, a pitcher filled with nectar and a divine book.'This is why, in Hindu rituals, you will find a small earthen painted pitcher, filled with water and decorated with leaves of a plant and a green coconut with a stem placed over it. This represents the heart with the head. The upper part of the pitcher represents the neck, the coconut placed above it represents the head, and the bulging lower part is the heart, or the middle part of the body.
The water inside a ritualistic ghata is the nectar (amRita) mentioned in the above-quoted verse concerning sarasvatii. This is also the divine water that holds everything. In Section 16 above, we have mentioned the nature of the Divine Water (ap) who holds everything by the force of attraction and is the source of gravity. The heart too is a source of attraction, and through the sense of “my” or “mine” we hold everything within our Consciousness— my life, my children, my name, and so on.
This is the property of the heart. This is the water, or nectar inside, and by this, Consciousness holds each of us as 'my fragment'. By this divine water or the nectar, we feel the satisfaction out of the perceptions.
dahara (d+a+h+a+r+a) is the opposite of hRidaya. hRidaya, or the functions of the heart, cannot happen without distinct duality or difference; it is based on the functions of 'give and take' —the receiver (hRi) and the granter/donor (da).
The domain of Consciousness, what is called dahara or dahara-aakaasha—the inner sky called dahara, is dominated by the granting and manifesting aspect of Consciousness. There, the same One both grants and receives; the Oneness and Self-manifestation characterize this space.
dahara= da + hara (taken away)— that da or vaak takes away. The sound da has been mentioned as the davii vaak — the divine vaak. (Refer to verse 5.2.3 of the Brihadaranayaka Upanishad.) da is also the first letter of the word danta, meaning 'tooth'. Tooth is that aspect of Consciousness, which is at the end (anta) or at the final position, through which the final processing of formation of vaak into vaakya (word or articulated expression) takes place.
33. da-damana, da-daana, da-daya.
naala and damayantii. The river vaitaraNii.
In Section 5.2 of the Brihadaranayaka Upanishad, it is stated that the three classes of creatures—the deities (devaaH), the humans (manuShyaaH), and the demons (asuraaH), who are the children of prajaapati (praaNa), received a command, conveyed through the sound 'da'.
The deities realized that da means daamyata,—that is, they must restrain themselves. Their realization was confirmed by prajaapati.
Humans realized that da means datta—that is, they must practice giving, donation (daana), or distribution. Their realization was confirmed by prajaapati.
The demons (asuraaH) realized that da means
dayadhvam—that is, they must cultivate kindness (dayaa) or compassion within themselves. Their realization was confirmed by prajaapati.
These three 'da' are stated to be reverberated (anuvadati) in the rumbling of the clouds. The thunderer that produces this rumbling is called stanayitnu. These three 'da' are the divine words (daivii vaak) articulated by stanayitnu.
This implies that the deities are commanded to dissolve into the Soul—into Oneness. This is reflected in the passage tejaH parasyaaM devataayam —'teja/tejas, or the self-illuminated faculty of expression, returns to the supreme (parasyaam) deity (devataayam). (Refer to verse 6.8.6 of the Chandogya Upanishad.)
Deity-hood is an aspect of the Soul, and realization of this is 'dama'.
Consciousness who leads the deities to Its supreme state, the Oneness that supercedes all, is called damayantii. damayantii is also the wife or consort of the king nala.
nala means naasti layam yasya — for whom there is no dissolution or extinction—the One who is immutable.
nala and damayantii are the celebrated royal couple whose tales are narrated in the epic Mahabharata. Their personalities and life events convey 'the damayantii aspect' of Consciousness, the power that leads to the final submission into eternal Oneness.
Humans are commanded to practice 'datta', that is, daana (the act of giving, donating, or distributing). The principal characteristic of human existence is karma (work), for human beings must act and work to attain whatever they seek.
To achieve anything, we must act and exert effort.
We work in our Consciousness, and in the process, we distribute ourselves among all that we encounter during any activity; all this happens in Consciousness. This is how we get distributed in multiple forms in Consciousness.
We work in our Consciousness, and in the process, we distribute ourselves among all that we encounter during any activity; all this happens in Consciousness. This is how we get distributed in multiple forms in Consciousness.
Seeing or realizing this transforms our physical activity into subtler domains, where Consciousness predominates over physicality, and the limitations due to physicality wean away. The two hands, which are the main organs through which the body discharges activity, are called vaahu, and this word is related to the word vahu, meaning 'many'. Finding everything in Consciousness reveals the true nature of active Consciousness, or praaNa, who has multiplied Itself to create everything. So, this is daana.
It is said that after death, one has to cross a river called vaitaraNii. One of the meanings of the word vaitaraNii is 'the river to be crossed by the act of vitaraNa' or distribution (daana). Being active and experiencing all activities as occurring in Consciousness and by Its regulation enables one to perceive how Consciousness distributes Itself through every event and every being. This realization leads one toward emancipation from subjugation to the physical world and empowers one to transcend the limitations of physicality.
praaNa, or prajaapti, commanded the demons (asura) with the sound da, conveying the instruction 'dayadhvam' —' be compassionate.'
(The word 'dayadhvam' derives from the verb 'day'.
The general meaning of the word day is ' to be kind', 'to be sympathetic', etc. daya is the noun form of day.)
I have used the term 'demon' to represent the Sanskrit word asura, however, demon is not the proper equivalent. The word asura means the ra~njana (illuminated colourful exhibition) and rava (sound, cry) of asu or praaNa. asu means ayam (this) suyate (flows); Consciousness flows; flowing Consciousness is called praaNa. This flow is perceived as time and periodic cycles.
Those who become obsessed with this shining, colourful external world— with the grandeur of light and sound of asu flowing from internal to the external— are called asura. So, they are instructed to practice daya.
daya=da +ya. The syllable ya is a semivowel and signifies internal processing or regulation from within—yamana. Thus, the asura-s are advised to understand that the splendour and pomp of the external world are manifestations of Consciousness who regulates everyone's internal domain. By knowing or observing this, they are advised to turn inward from a state of intense external orientation.
The influence of the adverse intensity of the external world begins to diminish as one increasingly realizes that the external is situated within and in Consciousness. This realization introduces mildness and softness on a divine scale, bringing great compassion into one's nature.34. stana - stanayitnu-stanana-santana. indra and stanayitnu.
Thus, stan signifies Consciousness roaring to create, that is, to spread (tan) Itself in multiple forms. These forms are Its descendants, Its offspring—santaana. This roar originates from the heart (hridaya) of Consciousness. Nothing is created without hridaya. Thus, every entity is a 'feeling of Consciousness'and feeling belongs to the heart. So, it is said hRidayam brahmaH (Refer to Section 32 and also verse 4.1.7 of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad for hRidaya.)
Everywhere there is hRidaya—heart, love, affection of Consciousness who has become the universe, who is brahmha.(i) stanana means the sound or rumbling of clouds. stanana = stan (to sound) + ana (praaNa).
(ii) stana means a woman's breast.
Connecting all the words cited above and their meanings: stana (breast) means the Consciousness expressing Itself as it spreads (tan). It is the place called hRidaya or the heart, where Oneness and duality interact with each other. (Refer to section 32 above.) When Consciousness, or praaNa, flows, it is called vaayu—the divine air. As mentioned earlier in Section 28, the flowing of vaayu or praaNa is called '1-1/2 (one and half),' as duality remains entangled with praaNa or vaayu, as it flows. As praaNa flows bearing the seeds of life—that is, as the divine wind, vaayu, moves along with the clouds—it rumbles, heralding the creation—creating Itself out of Itself, by Itself. This rumbling praaNa is stanayitnu.
stanayitnu is the One who thunders—the clouds rumble, and the rains pour down, to make the earth fertile.
The formation of clouds means—radiant Consciousness becoming loaded with the seeds of creation. teja/tejas is the radiant form of Consciousness. The fulfillment of desire happens in ap or the divine water. Thus, it is tejas (teja) and ap together form the cloud. tejas (teja) is the initial stage of Consciousness, proceeding to create.
In verse 5.2.3 of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, it is said: eShaa daivii vaaganuvadati stanayitnur da da da iti—' this divine speech is reverberated by stanayitnu as da -da-da, 'the rumbling of clouds. (Refer to Sections 32 and 33 above.)
Consciousness, carrying Its forms as seeds, rumbles within us, pours down; this leads to the creation of the feelings and emotions in the heart, and of words, ideas, and determinations in the mind.
The physical rain that makes the earth fertile also carries souls to be reborn in subtler forms.
From the non-terrestrial domain (lunar domain), they enter the earth's atmosphere and are contained within various forms of clouds. Along with the rains, they enter crops, seeds, and vegetation, and through foods into the bodies of the progenitors. This is one of the main routes of rebirth for the advanced species, as mentioned in the Upanishad.(Refer to verse 5.10.3 and the subsequent verses in the Chandogya Upanishad.)
Thus, stanayitnu initiates the process of creation through which beings come to exist as distinct entities in physical forms.
We are continually nourished by the thoughts, emotions, and meanings that emerge from Consciousness, or from the word-forms of Consciousness. They rain down within our inner sky. vaak, the goddess of speech, feeds us with the milk that She contains within Herself. indra, who was born as the divine observer, presides over stanayitnu. It is mentioned in the Rik veda that indra drank his mother aditi’s milk immediately after his birth; this is stated in hymn 3.48 of the Rik veda.
Here is a hymn on the Mother's breasts (Rik veda verse 1.164.49):
yaste stanaH shashayo yo mayobhuur yena vishvaa puShyasi vaaryaaNi |
yo ratnadhaa vasuvid yo sudaatraH sarasvati tam iha dhaatave kaH ||
yaH te stanaH (breast)—that breast of yours
shashayo—stirring the nectar in shasha/ shashii (the moon—anatariikSha)
yo mayobhuuH— that causes the delight (maya)
yo ratnadhaa — that holds the treasures (ratna)
yena vishvaa puShyasi vaaryaaṇi — by which (you) nourish (puShyasi) all (vishvaa) (that is) worth deiring ( vaaryaaNi )|
yo ratnadhaa—who possesses the treasure
vasuvid— knows the vasu
yo sudaatraH— who is the bountiful (su) donor (daatraH)
sarasvati— O Sarasvati
tam (that) iha (here) dhatave kaH (for sustenance)—that here for sustenance ||
Consolidated meaning.
That breast (Consciousness as nectar effusing words of the heart) of yours, stirring the lunar realm (Consciousness in lunar domain—who shines the inner plane), that causes the delight, that bears the treasures—by which you nourish all that is worth desiring, the bountiful giver, knower of the (deities) Vasu (who regulate the treasures); O Sarasvati, that bosom of yours be here for our sustenance.
It is stated in the Upanishads—hRidayat manaH, mansaH chandramaa—from the heart of Consciousness, (during the creation), the (divine) mind arose; and from the mind, the moon (chadramaa) arose. (Refer to Aitareya Upanishad Verse 1.1.4).
35. shasha - shashaka - shashii - shashaa~Nka. chandra/chandramaa; taalu—palate, and alijihvaa—uvula.
The word shashayo used in the above verse is related to the word shashaya.
(i) shashaya is derived from the root shash. shash conveys the sense of 'leaping,' 'bounding,' or 'dancing,' and also of being 'agitated' or 'stirred.' It is related to the word shvas, meaning 'to breathe' or 'to blow,' and to the word shaya, meaning 'to lie' or 'to rest.'
In the word 'shvas', the element 'as' implies ' to throw', to cast', that is, an action directed outward—an outward movement. But in the word 'shash', the final sound 'sh', implies 'lying (shayana)' or resting inwardly. Thus, shash means: the leaps and dance that occur within, without dispersing outward into the external. This is the characteristic of 'anatariikSha', where everything remains contained within.
(ii) shashaya = sha (soft palate) +sha (hard palate)+ ya (movement/flow and regulating).
The letter sha is a sibilant consonant of the palatal class. It is pronounced when the tongue rises toward the hard palate (taalu), forming a narrow constriction through which air passes, thereby producing the characteristic sibilant sound.
Above the oral cavity lies the soft palate, from which extends the uvula—alijihvaa. The uvula, which resembles a nipple or a small pendant, is a part of the soft palate and hangs like a breast above the back of the tongue ( the inner tongue) within the oral cavity.
In the Taittariya Upanishad, verse 1.6/1.6.1, it is said:
antareNa (inside/within) taaluke (the palate) ya (which) eshaH (is this) stana iva (like a breast) avalamvate (hangs) saH (that is) indra yoni (origin—the birthplace of indra)—within the region of the palate, that which hangs down like a breast— that is the source (birthplace) of indra.
The above statement is not at all a figment of imagination. It describes Consciousness, whose physical manifestation is the structure inside the hollow of our mouth. The cavity and the structure inside the mouth are a part of 'antahRidayaakaasha'.
anta—within;
hRidaya—heart;
aakaasha—sky;
antahRidayaakaasha = the sky or the space within the heart.
The first part of verse 1.6 (also considered as verse 1.6.1) of the Taittariya Upanishad, mentions this anta-hRidaya-akaasha. It is mentioned that the eternal being (puruSha) is present in this sky/space—the being who is manomaya (of the nature of mind; mind—mana — where everything exists without maana or a measure/dimension), who is hiraNmaya [golden or radiant with hiM (hiM—assurance of praaNa—assurance of eternity)], and who is immortal.
Then, the second part of the verse refers to stana (breast) and indra as discussed above.
In section 34, we referred to the Rik veda passage that mentions indra drinking his mother's milk immediately after birth. In the Upanishad, indra is identified with stanaitnu (the thunderer). This is because every being or entity comes into being when Consciousness unfolds or extends itself (tan—to stretch or expand). Thus, Consciousness brings forth its “offspring” by manifesting itself in diverse forms. Each such manifestation—every child of Mother-Consciousness is a 'unique observer' or 'indra.' Each one of us, in our divine form, is indra, who observes or experiences oneself and the universe as extensions of the Soul or the Oneness of Universal Consciousness.
In the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (verse 3.9.6), it is said: stanayitnureva indro—'indra is stanayitnu.' We have already described the breast-like uvula earlier, which is called alijihvaa.
When an ululation sound is produced, it arises through the rapid movement of both the tongue and the uvula. In the Chandogya Upanishad (3.19.3), this has been termed 'ululava'. It is said there:
atha yad jaayate—Now when it is born
saH asou aadityaH—that is, aaditya (the sun)
tam jaayamaanaM — him being born
goShaaH uluulavaH anu-uditaShThanta—the sounds of ‘ulu’ (ululations) arise
sarvaaNi cha bhuutaani—all the beings
sarve cha kaamaaH—all the desires
tasmaat — therefore
tasya udayaM prati —toward His rising
pratyaayanaM prati —toward the setting
goShaaH uluulavaH anu-uttiShThanti—ululations arise following it
sarvaaNi cha bhuutaani—(from) all the beings
sarve cha kaamaaH—(from) all the desires.
Consolidated meaning.
Now, when it is born, that is, aaditya (the sun);
Him being born, the ululation sounds arise following it, arising from all the beings and all the desires.
Therefore, toward His rising, and toward the setting, ululations arise from all the beings
from all the desires.
When aditi rises, She manifests as the sun (aaditya), taking the 'whole' or everyone with the rise; that is, everyone rises with the sun/aaditya. This is the implication of the word aaditya (the Sun) in the context of aditi (a-diti=without diti or division/fragmentation).
When praaNa or Consciousness leaves our body, we leave with praaNa (aditi). When Consciousness sees, we see; when Consciousness hears, we hear; and so on.
Consciousness is both the creator and the perceiver; we perceive the expressions that Consciousness creates; further we ourselves, are the expressions of Consciousness. aaidtya or the Sun in our sky, is the visible manifestation of praaNa and is regarded as jagt-chakShu—the universal eye. Both the vision (or visibility) and time are emanating from this eye.
aaditya (the Sun) is the centre of activity of aditi and indra is the son of aditi. indra is observing the universe with the vision created in Him by aditi. The center of this vision is aaditya, the divine Sun.
The personality of Consciousness, looking at every being and entity, and simultaneously experiencing them as Its own form, is indra.
indra —idaM drashTri —observing 'it'—“the observer of ‘this’ (the manifested world), and also indra is also known as 'indha', i.e., 'self-illuminated and self-manifesting'.Thus, Consciousness, as indra, finds Itself born in every manifestation and experiences each as Its own illumination. This is why the region of the palate where the uvula is located is termed indra-yoni.
Every word emerging from the hollow of the mouth is indra being born; and the cries uttered in exhilaration are those of all beings and of all the desires personified in the inner sky. As indra shines forth, all the sensory faculties (indriya), all that are perceived by them—all entities, all beings, and all desires— ululate in elation.
The region in the oral cavity where uvula and the inner tongue are situated belongs to the domain of vaak immediately prior to manifestation; it forms part of the domain of avaktya vaak—the blue-hued sarasvatii. All untold words that are never manifested are there in the blue-hued sarasvatii
The inner illumination that floods the heart, together with the sap or the essence that is the foundation of love, desire, satisfaction, and feelings, pours down from the inner sky—from the divine form of 'uvula'. This is why the moon is called shashii, and is said to arise from the divine breast that holds soma—the nectar, or milk (dugdha).
The nectar is called dugdha ('milk'), because the goddess vaak Herself draws (duh) the nectar from her breasts. The nectar is called soma, because the goddess vaak, Herself as umaa, is ever flowing. Flowing with umaa—saha umaa— umayaa saha—becomes soma. umaa is the goddess who distributes the measures (maa) of what is above (ut), or of the divinity.
This is the nectar that flows out from the moon—the lunar domain of Consciousness)— and is known as soma.
It is interesting to note that a hare is called shasha, as well as shashaka, and the impression of the moon's surface that we see from the earth is often described as resembling a hare sitting on its hind legs. This motif appears in many folk traditions around the world. One of the reasons that the moon is called shashaa~Nka—shasha (hare) +a~Nka (mark)—is that it is marked with the figure of a hare.
The agitation—the leaps and movements of agitated soma, or the nectar that has filled the lunar space with shining, intoxicating radiance, flooding the anatariikSha (the intermediate space) has been observed in the movement of a hare, and may be a reason for calling it a shasha or shashaka.
It is noteworthy that a Tantrik verse mentions the presence of chandra (the moon or soma) at the root of the palate (taalu) : taalumuule vaset chandra ('At the root of the palate resides the moon'
36. sha-shaasa-shaasana-the divine fire in the lunar domain.
The letter sha implies shaasana—the regulation of Consciousness.
shaasana = shaas (to regulate) +ana (praaNa).
shaasa means 'an order', 'a command'.
Where everything is at rest, and exists in Oneness, Consciousness is akShara—the Imperishable One who never decays and never changes. However, regulation emerges out of akShara, and akShara aatman becomes praaNa. You may refer to the conversation between the great seers yaj~navalka and gargi vaachaknavii in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad chapter 3.8.)
The domain, where the regulation (shaasana) is executed, is the middle plane, or antariikSha. The luminous form of the regulator is seen in chandramaa/chandra—the divine moon or the lunar domain. The regulator is the second aspect of praaNa or praaNa-agni, known as anva-aahaarya-pachana-agni—the praaNa or agni by whom aahaarya, or the foods or whatever forms of sensory
impressions that come to us are assimilated (pachana) into our being.
impressions that come to us are assimilated (pachana) into our being.
pachana—the digestion or assimilation of sensory impressions—constructs us as a part of evolutionary transformation and determines the subsequent course of our journey toward eternity and the destinations encountered along the path.
This divine fire—anva-aahaarya-pachana-agni—is also called dakshiNa-agni, or agni who dominates over the southern direction. (Refer to verse 4.12.1 of the Chandogya Upanishad and verse 4.3 of Prashnopanishad Upanishad for anva-aahaarya-pachana-agni.)
37. has-haasya—aasya. sahasaa.
'haasya' means 'laugh'; the verbal root 'has' means 'to laugh'.
The syllable 'ha' is the root of the word 'han'; han means to 'annihilate'. The letter ha is the thirty-third and the last consonant of the Sanskrit-Devanagari alphabet. The letter 'ha' represents the 'void' or the space where everything exists potentially but without dimensions. 'ha' or the void is the aspect of the domain of Consciousness, where all sounds, all the words exist, but without any specific form or exhibit.
The domain in Consciousness, where all sounds exist but without any external manifestation, is the void or the sky/space. It is called aakaasha tattva; aakaasha means 'sky' or 'space'; tattva means 'essence' or 'state of absoluteness'.
The word haasya ('laughter') means 'ha+aasya'; The word 'aasya' means the 'mouth' or the 'face'. The hollow or the cavity within the mouth (aasya) is the 'ha' or the space (aakaasha tattva), the source of all the sounds, or from where all the sounds get articulated. Laughter becomes an expression of the primordial space from which sound manifests.
So, when we laugh (haasya), the ha or the source of all the words, is exposed as the mouth (aasya) opens.
The word 'sahasaa' means 'suddenly'. 'Sudden' means—the occurrence of an event as though from nowhere—from the unseen or the void; nowhere means void—ha.
sahasaa=sa+hasaa; hasaa is the feminine gender of hasa. So, sahasaa = sa/saa (she) hasaa (the laughter)—She the vaak—the goddess of speech, is the laughter—She the vaak is coming out of ha or the void or 'nowhere'.
vaak is the consort of the faculty of praaNa; they belong to the same Consciousness, to the same Soul who has split into the two forms. They are complementary aspects of the same Consciousness or the Soul.
vaak darts forth from the mouth (aasya) as sounds and words, and this emergence itself is a 'manifestation of praaNa' or 'Consciousness in activity'. This is experienced as the flow of events and cycles of time.
Thus, in the Chandogya Upanishad, praaNa (verse 1.1.12) has been mentioned as aayasya praaNa; the Upanishad has explained that 'aayasya praaNa' means—asyaat yat ayayte—since it comes out of the mouth (aayaasya), so it is called aayasya praaNa.
38. sa-as; shas-ash; Sha-aSh; savana-samana.
The letter sa is a dental sibilant. The verb root as means 'to throw', and also 'to exist'. Words are cast forth from the inner space into the external space or the outer world; the teeth (danta) form the final threshold of control before the words are released outward. Sounds and words are kissed by the lips as they emerge.
It is for this reason that the letter 'sa' is the first element of the word 'savana'—the spell or movement of the activity of Consciousness, as Consciousness flows outward toward manifestation. Correspondingly, the word 'shamana', which begins with the element of the word 'sha', means the activity that tranquilizes or terminates the outward flow toward manifestation.
Contrary to the word 'as' which means 'to throw out', and 'to exist', the word 'ash' means 'to consume'. The word ash has the letter sh at the end, and it is a palatal sibilant. Whatever exists outside—as, comes inside us as our perception, and is consumed and assimilated within us. This belongs to the domain of antariikSha, where the praaNagni called anva-aahaarya-pachana-agni (also known as dakShiNa agni)—operates. (Refer to Section 36 above.) This is the divine fire belonging to Mother Consciousness, because we are built and nourished by this aspect of praaNa.
So, contrary to the word 'as' meaning 'to exist', the words 'ashna' and 'ashanaayaa' mean ‘eating,' ‘desire to eat,' and also ’death’ or 'termination.' In the Brihadaaranyaka Upanishad, it is stated: ashanaayaa (desire to eat) ashanaa (eating) hi (indeed) mRityuH (death)—desire to eat is indeed the 'deity of death'. (Refer to verse 1.2.1 of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad.) We are getting assimilated in Eternal Consciousness, as we are perceiving and experiencing the universe; and this means that Consciousness (indra) is perceiving-experiencing the universe. This is 'death', and it is the process of evolution— the process of gradual merging into the Eternal Self or the Soul.
There is now the third word aSh; it ends with the sibilant Sh, which is of the cerebral class. The dictionary states that the verb aSh means 'to move' or 'to shine'; but these meanings do not include the sense conveyed by the element 'Sh/Sha' which means 'fragmentation' or 'division'. So, aSh means Consciousness—the universal Soul scatters Itself everywhere by splitting Itself into fragments, multiplying into every form of duality. Thus, vaak is called aShTamii—the one who has scattered everywhere; aShTama means 'the eighth'. Eight is the number for this scattering. aShTama: aSh—to move while fragmenting; tama — denotes the superlative state.
Also, aShatamaH means ashatama—many, many hundreds (shata).
The number previous to eight is seven or 'sapta.' sapta means—shaha aaptaH —obtained together with.
So, when everything is together within Consciousness in a state of acquirement or union— it is sapta or the number seven. When everything is scattering and splitting asunder by the radiant vaak, splitting Oneness and shaping praaNa into infinite forms, it is aShTama, the eighth.
What we have described above about 'the eighth' is supported by the following passage from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad:
vaagaShTamii brahmaNaa saMvidaanaa—vaak is the eighth, known together with brahman.
brahman means the One who is expanding, inflating to become every entity.
[vaak (vaak is the) aShTamii (eighth) brahmaNaa (with brahman) saMvidaanaa (saM—together /throughout); vidaanaa—known].
It may be noted that the word vidaana also means the 'one who is associated with daana, i.e., distribution, division.
Please note that here we have explained the significance of the numbers 'eight' and seven'. Earlier, we discussed the significance of the numbers 'nine,' 'ten,' 'one and a half,' 'duality,' 'one,' and 'void (zero).' All these meanings of the numbers described here are consistent and describe the 'counting' as Consciousness divides, multiplies, scatters, materializes, entangles, and integrates Itself.
39. guru-gaurii.
guru is the One who leads us to eternity; He shows the path, guides us, and protects us from the calamities encountered during the journey. It has been said that 'Knowledge' or 'Consciousness' Itself is the guru.
guru means the One who reveals Itself as the universe from Its hidden (gupta) form, and is thus source of all perceptions.
guru = gu (gupta—secret; hidden) + ru (ruvati—roaring);—the One from whose roaring everything is manifesting, yet who Himself remains unknown or hidden. The akShara aatman is the guru. (Refer to Section 36 for akShara aatman.)
The One who brings this hidden (gupta) form (ruupa) in our vision is also guru—the very same 'guru'.
gaurii is the faculty, or the consort, of guru; thus, gaurii is vaak. When gu is expanded, it becomes gau. The syllable rii means 'to sever', 'to detach from.' Whatever is there in the Oneness of akShara aatman, gaurii severs from that undivided Soul (guru) and reveals as manifestation.
Thus, it is mentioned in the Rik veda (verse 1.164.41)—"gauriiH mimaaya salilaani takShati ekapadii dvipadii saa chatuShpadii aShTaapadii navapadii babhuuvuShii sahasraakSharaa parame vyoman"
`
Word for word meaning:
gauriiH (gaurii) mimaaya (has measured) salilaani (the waters—the divine waters) takShati (sculpts) ekapadii (the one-footed), dvipadii (two-footed), sa (saa—she is) chatuShpadii (four-footed), aShTaapadii (eight-footed), navapadii (nine-footed),babhuuvuShii (becoming/manifesting) sahasraakSharaa (sahasra = thousand; akShara = lettered; sahasraakSharaa—having akShara aatman with HER split in thousands) parame (located in the supreme) vyoman (sky/ether).
Consolidated meaning:
gaurii has measured the (divine) waters (the source of the physical world), sculpts (out the shapes);
(SHE is) one-footed (exhibits oneness in Her motion or activities)
(SHE is) two-footed (exhibits duality/ in Her motion or activities)
SHE is four-footed (exhibits squaring—creating replicas, or the species in Her motion or activities)
(SHE is) eight-footed (scattering/spliiting the Onenss as all the entities)
(SHE is) nine-footed (becoming nine—nava—new in every manifestation)
(SHE is) having with HER akShara aatman split into thousands
(SHE abides) in the supreme ether (supreme void from where all the letters and words are generated).
It is noteworthy that an eight-year-old girl is worshipped as gaurii, during the nava-raatra festival (festival of nine-nights) in India. It is performed on the day when the waxing moon reaches its eighth phase. During this festival, the goddess durgaa is also worshipped.
40. vaakya-kaavya-kavya-kavi.
When vaak processes Herself, vaakya—that is, words are created. Anything created in Consciousness is an articulated sound or expression of Consciousness or a vaakya.
vaakya=v+aa+k+y+a; the element 'ya' implies regulation or controlled processing.
It is said: yaH kashcha shavda vaageva saa—yah kashcha (whatever may be the) shavda (sound) vaageva saa (SHE/that is indeed vaak)—Whatever may be a sound, that indeed is vaak. (Refer to the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, Verse 1.5.3.)
vaak, the goddess of speech, along with HER companions—the deities presiding over the teeth, tongue, jaws, palate, lips, and other organs of articulation participates in the production of a sound or a word (vaakya). Here is a Vedic verse addressing the Queen vaak:
oShthaapidhaanaasi nakulii dantaiH parivRitaa paviH |
sarvasyai vaacha iishaanaa chaaru maam iha vaadayet ||
jihve maa vihvalaa bhuuH ||
Word for word meaning.
oShtha apidhaana asi—oShtha—the lips; apidhaana asi— is covered; is covered by the lips.
nakulii — na- kulii—no cast or creed—without any cast or creed.
dantaiH parivRitaa —dantaiH = by the teeth; parivRitaa = surrounded.
paviH — the one who flows and purifies; the word pavi is from the verb puu, meaning 'to flow', 'to purify', ' to flow to purify'.
sarvasyai (of all) vaacha (speech) iishaanaa (the regulator)— the regulator of all speech
chaaru —charming
maam — me
iha — here
vaadayet — make me speak
Consolidated meaning.
You are covered by the lips,
You are without caste or creed,
You are surrounded by the teeth,
You flow forth to purify.
Never falter upon the tongue;
Make me speak here what is charming.
You are without caste or creed,
You are surrounded by the teeth,
You flow forth to purify.
Never falter upon the tongue;
Make me speak here what is charming.
kaavya = k+aa+v+y+a.
The word 'kaavya' generally means 'a poetic composition', 'a literary work.' kaavya is a work made in 'words' or vaakya created by vaak. Each of us, every entity existing or not existing, is a piece of literature composed by vaak, made of HER or of HER words.
This wisdom is the foundation behind the composition of the myths (puraana), and the tales mentioned in the Vedas, and the great epics.
So, Consciousness is called 'kavi' or a poet. Our personalities are composed by the goddess vaak.(Refer to verse 8 of the Ishopanishad.)
Just as havya denotes the oblation offered to the divine fire agni, and the deities, kavya denotes the offering that is made to the 'divine fathers'—the pitRigaNa. The word kavya signifies 'that which belongs to the kavi.' We inherit our characters from the divine fathers, and thus, our composition happens through them. Acting as the delegates of vaak, they participate in the composition of the literature that narrates us within the book of the world.
41. ama-amaa-maa.
The letter 'a' denotes the state of 'Oneness' or the 'undivided Soul' in the beginning (aadi); it also denotes the One who is aja—who is never born and avyaa—who never changes.
The last consonant 'ma' signifies 'end' or 'termination' and also 'climax'.
Thus, Consciousness as ama contains everything from the beginning to the end.
In the Chandogya Upanishad, mukhya praaNa, or Eternal praaNa, is hailed as ama, since every being or entity is within mukhya praaNa.
Thus in verse 5.2.6 of the Chandogya Upanishad, it is said:
ama naama (name) asi (you are)
amaa(together with/belonging to) hi (indeed) te (yours) sarvam (all) idam (this)—Your name is ama, for all this indeed is yours.
amaa means 'at home', 'together with', 'belonging to.' Thus, every being in the universe is 'at home' with the goddess 'ama'.
Another meaning of the word amaa is a (without)+ maa (measure)—the One who cannot be measured, or the one beyond all measure.
The word maa also means 'mother'. The motherhood of Consciousness provides measure to all beings and becomes the cause of the perceptible universe. We receive our measures within the mother's womb, and thus we become embodied.
We have mentioned that ma also denotes 'ending' and 'climax.' Just as the Mother makes us perceptible through Her measure, so too does She make us imperceptible. Thus, we receive our bodies from Her, and we relinquish our bodies by Her.
Further, by taking us through this process of manifestation and dissolution, She enables us to learn and realize our perpetual existence beyond the cycles of life and death—this is the climax.
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