The rise of Dhanvantari changes the group dynamics.........as he emerges from the "ksheer sagara".........both asuras and devas vie for his attention......representing the dilemma of an intellectual when he is transforming....
The transformation has been wrought by a balance between the extremes , but the psyche is not sure which side should dominate when the first results of the transformation are seen...
Should the mind wait patiently for the nectar to pour down or rush ahead as this may be the last chance for redemption from the mind.......should the mind drown itself in the bliss of deep meditation giving up day-to-day existence or should it continue the same practice which till now has borne fruits....
When the tussle between the two extremes reaches a point of stalemate......my lord appears.....
His presence soothes everyone.................Vishnu the protector, my master.......the one who worships my lord sees my lord in everything "vasudeva kutumbakam"......because thats what my lord wants them to see......he wants the mind to share its joy......with others.....
My master is for the masses........he believes that every soul has an innate responsibility towards the whole.....he does not want any one overshooting the spirituality curve.........grace shall descend on the individual when he has completed his divine responsibility of helping others.......he will not let the asuric qualities win.......they stand for personal upliftment without thought for the whole......shiva's way.....very personal,aloof,detached.....though there will be followers of this path too......the majority of the masses will have to follow my master's lead........
He transforms into desire , the most instinctive desire that man has known......mohini.....which translates to "that which attracts".....Mohini was a multi-hued goddess , she stood for what each man desires the most according to his stature in life and she is the golden shackle that ties the mind to the earthly existence...she influences both the devas and the asuras......in the devas she is the desire to do good, which is still a desire......a construct of the mind to justify its existence......a last ditch effort by the mind to prove that it is important.....
For the asuras she represents possession....the desire to become overlord of all..... The temptation is too much.......the asuras are smitten by her.......they have to be...they represent instinct.....instinct does not allow contemplation....it forces action.......they try to possess her, each one for himself.....they don't want to share.......my lord does not favour them....if even one of them gains the elixir , he will not share.........
The ones who resist their instinct and stay focussed represent the devas.......tempering their instincts by will they represent the people who vishnu has a bias towards.......the ones who will share their bounty......and who have enough sense to not act instinctively making them better than animals.........
Desire tricks the instinct but helps the strong-willed mind grasp the elixir.........since in the strong-willed mind the desire represents vishnu and not mohini.......the desire to do good.....a good desire......
(to be continued)
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Eye of Garuda......
Instead of insipid blogs, I have decided to explore the rich Indian mythology and explain it through the eyes of Garuda.....the eagle god......who impressed Vishnu by his prowess.....
Why garuda ?? would be a valid question.....but imagine to be tethered to the supreme god vishnu and still not be able to merge with him.......must be killing him :P.....to reduce his agony , I dedicate the observations made by me to Garuda......:P
Lets look at what the ancients tried to convey through "samudra Manthan"....
The story begins with Indra being cursed by Durvasa for being indifferent towards his gift to Indra.....symbolising that every change or strenuous activity has its roots in indifference and boredom, a non appreciation of the existing splendor that mother earth bestows on us.
Advised by vishnu the devas and asuras start churning the "Milky Ocean" to gain vigour and strength from its gifts.
As vishnu arrives on the scene astride Garuda.....he contemplates.....
"What a sight......both extremes(devas and asuras) combine together for a common cause, by sublimating their base natures.......as the butter is churned out of the ocean, so does the ocean throw out its wealth for the individual who strives to go against his nature and tries to bring change in his life......"
"The devas represent the benign qualities of the mind......humility, kindness , effort....which are required in the requisite amount to lead a balanced life in society.......the asuras represent the impulsive nature within him .....anger, passion, pride which though intense are required for the individual if he is trying to change or revolutionise his character......Without the asuric qualities of pride and passion he will not be able to withstand the backlash of society when he tries to change , in the process becoming a hypocrite in the eyes of his fellowmen....."
"The milky ocean ......represents the frothing , bubbling mind......initially it spews "Halahala", the deadly poison.......which can consume the entire psyche of the individual.....transformation is not a joke and as a side effect the psyche contorts....believing what it wants to believe resembling an elephant in rut.....the poison needs to be consumed by one other than the individual....enter shiva......the tamasic lord...., he consumes the poison....Shiva in the human psyche is the ability to be non-reactive....indifferent to the plays of the mind......introverted and ever present in brahman , shiva represents an escape for the psyche when it threatens to engulf the consciousness by the poisonous thoughts of guilt and anger......when the individual goes into a contemplative state, his own poisonous thoughts are consumed......making the presence of shiva a crucial moment in the transformation.....without him there is annihilation of the psyche......ironically the dark lord acts as the savior untrue to his nature of destruction......symbolising that when an individual changes even the gods change their shades...mirroring him...encouraging him....."
"Material splendor enamoring the mind is created by the mind itself.......ucchaishrava the white horse. walks out of the ocean.......represents the prancing and galloping nature of the mind.....the horse is elegant...so are thoughts....it is a conscious decision to either go behind the horse or stay put for the final reward...."amrit".....nectar of immortality......
subsequently follows "Lakshmi" the goddess of wealth.....she is enchanting......having the ability to fulfill all needs ...she is the epitome of capitalistic consumerism and greed......and she knows it.......wealth has its significance only when channelised and not when hoarded.....she slowly moves towards my lord and garlands him.......he is beyond desires and will not hoard her but will channelise her gifts to the deserving poor....he will hold the purse strings , thus retaining absolute control......
Finally dhanvantari , the god of health and well being emerges holding the pot of nectar......I observe , from the mind comes the elixir for immortality.......when all other desires are emptied from the "milky mind"......what remains is a healthy , balanced, sober , clear mind which is ready to receive the elixir of immortality.....
(to be continued)
Why garuda ?? would be a valid question.....but imagine to be tethered to the supreme god vishnu and still not be able to merge with him.......must be killing him :P.....to reduce his agony , I dedicate the observations made by me to Garuda......:P
Lets look at what the ancients tried to convey through "samudra Manthan"....
The story begins with Indra being cursed by Durvasa for being indifferent towards his gift to Indra.....symbolising that every change or strenuous activity has its roots in indifference and boredom, a non appreciation of the existing splendor that mother earth bestows on us.
Advised by vishnu the devas and asuras start churning the "Milky Ocean" to gain vigour and strength from its gifts.
As vishnu arrives on the scene astride Garuda.....he contemplates.....
"What a sight......both extremes(devas and asuras) combine together for a common cause, by sublimating their base natures.......as the butter is churned out of the ocean, so does the ocean throw out its wealth for the individual who strives to go against his nature and tries to bring change in his life......"
"The devas represent the benign qualities of the mind......humility, kindness , effort....which are required in the requisite amount to lead a balanced life in society.......the asuras represent the impulsive nature within him .....anger, passion, pride which though intense are required for the individual if he is trying to change or revolutionise his character......Without the asuric qualities of pride and passion he will not be able to withstand the backlash of society when he tries to change , in the process becoming a hypocrite in the eyes of his fellowmen....."
"The milky ocean ......represents the frothing , bubbling mind......initially it spews "Halahala", the deadly poison.......which can consume the entire psyche of the individual.....transformation is not a joke and as a side effect the psyche contorts....believing what it wants to believe resembling an elephant in rut.....the poison needs to be consumed by one other than the individual....enter shiva......the tamasic lord...., he consumes the poison....Shiva in the human psyche is the ability to be non-reactive....indifferent to the plays of the mind......introverted and ever present in brahman , shiva represents an escape for the psyche when it threatens to engulf the consciousness by the poisonous thoughts of guilt and anger......when the individual goes into a contemplative state, his own poisonous thoughts are consumed......making the presence of shiva a crucial moment in the transformation.....without him there is annihilation of the psyche......ironically the dark lord acts as the savior untrue to his nature of destruction......symbolising that when an individual changes even the gods change their shades...mirroring him...encouraging him....."
"Material splendor enamoring the mind is created by the mind itself.......ucchaishrava the white horse. walks out of the ocean.......represents the prancing and galloping nature of the mind.....the horse is elegant...so are thoughts....it is a conscious decision to either go behind the horse or stay put for the final reward...."amrit".....nectar of immortality......
subsequently follows "Lakshmi" the goddess of wealth.....she is enchanting......having the ability to fulfill all needs ...she is the epitome of capitalistic consumerism and greed......and she knows it.......wealth has its significance only when channelised and not when hoarded.....she slowly moves towards my lord and garlands him.......he is beyond desires and will not hoard her but will channelise her gifts to the deserving poor....he will hold the purse strings , thus retaining absolute control......
Finally dhanvantari , the god of health and well being emerges holding the pot of nectar......I observe , from the mind comes the elixir for immortality.......when all other desires are emptied from the "milky mind"......what remains is a healthy , balanced, sober , clear mind which is ready to receive the elixir of immortality.....
(to be continued)
Saturday, November 6, 2010
The influence.....
"Rules and prohibitions are transcended,nothing is right or wrong, He is above all"-----description of the "perfect" sage by Ashtavakra samhita......
There are certain lines which keep repeating in your head while doing mundane activities or while the mind is performing its routine mischief of jumping from thought to thought....
To some extent , this stage can be reached by the experiences to which the mind is subject to.
Experience and influence being so important in an aspirants life, I find it difficult to believe so many people reached this stage by divorcing themselves from society.
To prove my point ,there are a couple of influences which came from unexpected quarters.....
I met by career services advisor a week ago to talk about an internship. The initial phase of the interview was awkward, both of us acutely aware that behind the apparent goodwill, there was a reason why I came to meet her.....to get leads about the companies to follow....
I was disgusted with myself for using her only for that and not respecting her as an individual.I had fixed an appointment for 15 minutes and had come prepared. Something snapped within me(I call that God...:P) and I asked "when we first met you mentioned that you had gone to japan , just to get away from it all, If I may ask ,why did you go??"
for a moment she stared at me....I guess when you are really interested ,it shows in your demeanor, she talked about her conventional chinese parentage, the unwillingness to let her go to a foreign country.....
The trepidation of whether she will survive the new industry, and most importantly.....the exhilaration when she realized that she could do "anything".......
Its a thing with the human brain, when it encounters the expansion of its limitations in one aspect of existence.......it contemplates..... beautiful mind......realizes that it can beat down all barriers.....and she experienced the same thing.....
For a moment her eyes lit up and exclaimed that it was the best year of her life, the mind was realizing its extent to grow.....at that point we empathized , because I have been experiencing that for the last couple of months......the 15 min interview went upto an hour:P
I listened as I heard the mind of one who was more mature and contemplative than mine......information datamine........
As i mentioned earlier , when we go to a headhunter thats the least on our minds....to connect behind the polished exterior was so much fun.....and I have realised my ability to do that.......what a mindblowing thing to do.......to spark and connect......
The second influence came from watching random videos in youtube.......came across the video of a guy called Eckhart Tolle......physically unimposing......he spoke of the art of focussing on the surrounding so intensely that you are in the present , every second such that only the present exists, tried that for a couple of days and saw that my concentration skills have gone up considerably, I read people when they are trying to explain something and fill their conversations.....irritatingly so...:P.....but its again telling my mind not to argue for its own limitations...
The third influence came from my roommate who believes in class among people......he treats class as something expressed through someone's demeanour and in general dressing sense.....which is irritatingly immature if not downright stupid......
Class comes from taking up challenges, winning .....watching our own mindset as it changes , feeling the exhilaration of challenging and defeating ones own limited thinking.....and maintaning it as a way of life...
Even smaller things, like going up to a girl in a bar , though trivial may do wonders for the self-esteem/class...
I have a good friend who is appearing for a public exam and we had this conversation as to how to improvise on one's personality so that we could create an impact on peoples mind....
today after 8 months I think I am closer to the answer.......His answer would lie more in taking up radical ideas however silly they may be......he need not even tell anyone about it......and watch the decision change his life...the problem with us is that we have goals which take years to complete and we miss out on the smaller challenges....... which keep the drive to experiment alive and which eventually may transform us in unthinkable ways,....
the class which comes from such experiences would be mindblowing.......it would be from ones own
experience, forged in ones own mind.....courage from ones own gut...acceptance from ones own humility....who can beat such a guy......untouchable and irresistible....
I have half a mind to go blast guys who think they can judge people based on which designer company they buy from and which deodorant they use.....
If that is class...then I think its better if we don't have it......I would rather have "attitude" which comes from within myself by my efforts and not from wearing shades of "Ray-Ban"...
I still think that my friend who is maybe 5'6" and doesn't accesorize has far more guts and "Dil' than my other "friends" who believe that they have conquered their surrounding by wearing "D&G"....
Compare all the three influences.....independent but affecting the mind from all directions....pulling it apart .......enlarging it.....exhilarating it.....3 dimensions.....
"Basic need", "spiritual" and "practical"......Science says that there are in all 11 dimensions...we operate only in 3.....in some part of the universe there is a being who operates in the 4th dimension also.....time....that entity would traverse in time too.....
the important question is how Do I reach there....Maybe by challenging my own mind.......maybe the mind has all the dimensions in it.....when I expand it....I will be able to traverse in time too....:P...and maybe date aishwarya rai before she became Miss world......
There are certain lines which keep repeating in your head while doing mundane activities or while the mind is performing its routine mischief of jumping from thought to thought....
To some extent , this stage can be reached by the experiences to which the mind is subject to.
Experience and influence being so important in an aspirants life, I find it difficult to believe so many people reached this stage by divorcing themselves from society.
To prove my point ,there are a couple of influences which came from unexpected quarters.....
I met by career services advisor a week ago to talk about an internship. The initial phase of the interview was awkward, both of us acutely aware that behind the apparent goodwill, there was a reason why I came to meet her.....to get leads about the companies to follow....
I was disgusted with myself for using her only for that and not respecting her as an individual.I had fixed an appointment for 15 minutes and had come prepared. Something snapped within me(I call that God...:P) and I asked "when we first met you mentioned that you had gone to japan , just to get away from it all, If I may ask ,why did you go??"
for a moment she stared at me....I guess when you are really interested ,it shows in your demeanor, she talked about her conventional chinese parentage, the unwillingness to let her go to a foreign country.....
The trepidation of whether she will survive the new industry, and most importantly.....the exhilaration when she realized that she could do "anything".......
Its a thing with the human brain, when it encounters the expansion of its limitations in one aspect of existence.......it contemplates..... beautiful mind......realizes that it can beat down all barriers.....and she experienced the same thing.....
For a moment her eyes lit up and exclaimed that it was the best year of her life, the mind was realizing its extent to grow.....at that point we empathized , because I have been experiencing that for the last couple of months......the 15 min interview went upto an hour:P
I listened as I heard the mind of one who was more mature and contemplative than mine......information datamine........
As i mentioned earlier , when we go to a headhunter thats the least on our minds....to connect behind the polished exterior was so much fun.....and I have realised my ability to do that.......what a mindblowing thing to do.......to spark and connect......
The second influence came from watching random videos in youtube.......came across the video of a guy called Eckhart Tolle......physically unimposing......he spoke of the art of focussing on the surrounding so intensely that you are in the present , every second such that only the present exists, tried that for a couple of days and saw that my concentration skills have gone up considerably, I read people when they are trying to explain something and fill their conversations.....irritatingly so...:P.....but its again telling my mind not to argue for its own limitations...
The third influence came from my roommate who believes in class among people......he treats class as something expressed through someone's demeanour and in general dressing sense.....which is irritatingly immature if not downright stupid......
Class comes from taking up challenges, winning .....watching our own mindset as it changes , feeling the exhilaration of challenging and defeating ones own limited thinking.....and maintaning it as a way of life...
Even smaller things, like going up to a girl in a bar , though trivial may do wonders for the self-esteem/class...
I have a good friend who is appearing for a public exam and we had this conversation as to how to improvise on one's personality so that we could create an impact on peoples mind....
today after 8 months I think I am closer to the answer.......His answer would lie more in taking up radical ideas however silly they may be......he need not even tell anyone about it......and watch the decision change his life...the problem with us is that we have goals which take years to complete and we miss out on the smaller challenges....... which keep the drive to experiment alive and which eventually may transform us in unthinkable ways,....
the class which comes from such experiences would be mindblowing.......it would be from ones own
experience, forged in ones own mind.....courage from ones own gut...acceptance from ones own humility....who can beat such a guy......untouchable and irresistible....
I have half a mind to go blast guys who think they can judge people based on which designer company they buy from and which deodorant they use.....
If that is class...then I think its better if we don't have it......I would rather have "attitude" which comes from within myself by my efforts and not from wearing shades of "Ray-Ban"...
I still think that my friend who is maybe 5'6" and doesn't accesorize has far more guts and "Dil' than my other "friends" who believe that they have conquered their surrounding by wearing "D&G"....
Compare all the three influences.....independent but affecting the mind from all directions....pulling it apart .......enlarging it.....exhilarating it.....3 dimensions.....
"Basic need", "spiritual" and "practical"......Science says that there are in all 11 dimensions...we operate only in 3.....in some part of the universe there is a being who operates in the 4th dimension also.....time....that entity would traverse in time too.....
the important question is how Do I reach there....Maybe by challenging my own mind.......maybe the mind has all the dimensions in it.....when I expand it....I will be able to traverse in time too....:P...and maybe date aishwarya rai before she became Miss world......
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