Chapter 2: Beyond Death

🌷 *Katha Upanishad (Katopanishad) by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar* 🌷
(Day - 8)

*Chapter 2: Beyond Death*

_Fire is present in piece of wood. But it is not manifest_. For fire to manifest, you need another piece of wood to rub against it. That is how they would make fire in the ancient days. From a long, long time, knowledge has been flowing between the Master and the disciple. The Master is one wood, the disciple is another – one is answering and the other is questioning, and together they produce this fire – the question and answer. Their sincerity gives rise to spiritual fire, which consumes the wood, which consumes life.

After having heard from his father, “I give you to death,” Nachiketa moves to the door of death without any fear. Often children don’t know any fear. They are very curious; very scientific in their approach. They are logical. At the same time their emotions are alive, they are not dry or dead. For a seeker this is essential – the mind is alert and awake, at the same time, emotion is alive also.

There are three types of disciples. First is the one who does what is needed even before he is asked. He understands the mind of the Master and does it. The second type of disciple is the one who does after he is asked. The third is the one, who is asked to do several times and still doesn’t do it, doesn’t follow any instructions. Nachiketa thinks, “I want to be the first or the second kind, not the third kind of disciple. Since father has given me to death, I am going to go there.” He goes to the door of death and waits there for three days.

When a pure heart, a sincere heart moves in any action, even death bows to them. A seeker with wisdom is supreme. Death bows in front of them. Patience is another quality of a disciple, infinite patience! In fact, whole learning is testing one’s patience, that’s all. Teacher used to be very tough in testing patience – how soon will you lose it, how long can you sustain your calmness, beat all the adversities. Yama tested Nachiketa for three days. “Let us see how patient he is; is he worth giving further instruction?” He found this boy very calm and serene, with no trace of complaint – with serenity and innocence. “He has the patience to wait”, Yama thinks, so he says, “I grant you three boons. Ask.”

The first boon Nachiketa asked was, "Let my father’s temper get cooled down. Let him receive me with love when I return back home.” Lord Yama said, “Ok, that’s done.” That shows innocence – how in spite of father’s anger, the son didn’t get angry at the father. He wished good for his father. He wanted his father to enjoy the merits of the yagna he was doing. So he requested, “Let my father receive me with love.”

To be continued.....

🌷 *Katha Upanishad (Katopanishad) by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar* 🌷
(Day - 9)

*Chapter 2: Beyond Death*

स्वर्गे लोके न भयं किञ्चनास्ति
न तत्र त्वं न जरया बिभेति ।
उभे तीर्त्वाऽशनायापिपासे
शोकातिगो मोदते स्वर्गलोके ॥

स त्वमग्निँ स्वर्ग्यमध्येषि मृत्यो
प्रब्रूहि त्वँ श्रद्धधानाय मह्यम् ।
स्वर्गलोका अमृतत्वं भजन्त
एतद् द्वितीयेन वृणे वरेण ॥

The natural desire of every life is to have comfort, to get into a place where there is no misery, no sorrow. The goal of human life is to move towards heaven. Heaven means a place where there is no death, no destruction, no old age, where there is no suffering. Where is this place? Is it somewhere up in the heaven? How to get there? What you should do to get to a state where there is only bliss? This was the second boon. The Lord of Death taught Nachiketa how to attain heaven, where there is no misery.

Life is heavy when you recognize that there is misery. Whenever you recognize misery, you want to get rid of it; otherwise it is not called misery. Happiness is something which you cannot reject. What is the definition of happiness? That which you cannot renounce is happiness. That which you cannot hold on to, or desire to be in. The place where you never want to go to is hell. The place where you always want to be in is heaven. It is but natural for every human being to want to be in heaven. How? Death teaches you. Death is not cruel, death is very compassionate. The Lord of Death teaches Nachiketa what death is all about. It doesn’t take away life, it enhances life. Knowledge of death makes life very rich.

In California, in the early 90’s when we were teaching courses in the bay area, with the group of people, who were HIV positive and had cancer, one of them shared, “From the moment I realized that I have AIDS, I lived every moment. My life has become much more precious. All those years, I was not living at all. I just existed. I never cared about my life. *Now that I know I am going to die, I have suddenly become so alive. This disease has brought life into my life. I feel grateful.* He looked so uplifted.” There was such glow on their faces; nobody could say that they were sick. The knowledge that “I am going to die” had somehow kindled the light.

I felt that was interesting. How I wish people were aware that we are going to die, even without disease! My job would be done. If everyone understood that they are going to die, why would they be angry or greedy? Why would they be worried? All this negativity that they are reeling in day and night would simply disappear. Life would become much simpler. People should understand it is so simple. It is a matter of time, only a few years. _What differences does it make how many years or months? You all are going to be finished one day. This walking, talking body will become silent. This awareness of death can make you much more alive._ *It can take the slumber out of you and it brings heaven right here.*

All that you are worried about from morning till evening is pleasure and comfort. For that you do everything possible, destroying your own self, your own mind. Neither that pleasure nor comfort is going to be with you forever, and definitely not in the last moment. It is not so pleasurable.

We do all wrong things for comfort and pleasure. You get pleasure in many ways – physical pleasure, pleasure that you can gain from people’s attention and recognition. All this comes under the category of pleasure.

To be continued....

🌷 *Katha Upanishad (Katopanishad) by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar* 🌷
(Day - 9)

*Chapter 2: Beyond Death*

स्वर्गे लोके न भयं किञ्चनास्ति
न तत्र त्वं न जरया बिभेति ।
उभे तीर्त्वाऽशनायापिपासे
शोकातिगो मोदते स्वर्गलोके ॥

स त्वमग्निँ स्वर्ग्यमध्येषि मृत्यो
प्रब्रूहि त्वँ श्रद्धधानाय मह्यम् ।
स्वर्गलोका अमृतत्वं भजन्त
एतद् द्वितीयेन वृणे वरेण ॥

The natural desire of every life is to have comfort, to get into a place where there is no misery, no sorrow. The goal of human life is to move towards heaven. Heaven means a place where there is no death, no destruction, no old age, where there is no suffering. Where is this place? Is it somewhere up in the heaven? How to get there? What you should do to get to a state where there is only bliss? This was the second boon. The Lord of Death taught Nachiketa how to attain heaven, where there is no misery.

Life is heavy when you recognize that there is misery. Whenever you recognize misery, you want to get rid of it; otherwise it is not called misery. Happiness is something which you cannot reject. What is the definition of happiness? That which you cannot renounce is happiness. That which you cannot hold on to, or desire to be in. The place where you never want to go to is hell. The place where you always want to be in is heaven. It is but natural for every human being to want to be in heaven. How? Death teaches you. Death is not cruel, death is very compassionate. The Lord of Death teaches Nachiketa what death is all about. It doesn’t take away life, it enhances life. Knowledge of death makes life very rich.

In California, in the early 90’s when we were teaching courses in the bay area, with the group of people, who were HIV positive and had cancer, one of them shared, “From the moment I realized that I have AIDS, I lived every moment. My life has become much more precious. All those years, I was not living at all. I just existed. I never cared about my life. *Now that I know I am going to die, I have suddenly become so alive. This disease has brought life into my life. I feel grateful.* He looked so uplifted.” There was such glow on their faces; nobody could say that they were sick. The knowledge that “I am going to die” had somehow kindled the light.

I felt that was interesting. How I wish people were aware that we are going to die, even without disease! My job would be done. If everyone understood that they are going to die, why would they be angry or greedy? Why would they be worried? All this negativity that they are reeling in day and night would simply disappear. Life would become much simpler. People should understand it is so simple. It is a matter of time, only a few years. _What differences does it make how many years or months? You all are going to be finished one day. This walking, talking body will become silent. This awareness of death can make you much more alive._ *It can take the slumber out of you and it brings heaven right here.*

All that you are worried about from morning till evening is pleasure and comfort. For that you do everything possible, destroying your own self, your own mind. Neither that pleasure nor comfort is going to be with you forever, and definitely not in the last moment. It is not so pleasurable.

We do all wrong things for comfort and pleasure. You get pleasure in many ways – physical pleasure, pleasure that you can gain from people’s attention and recognition. All this comes under the category of pleasure.

To be continued....

🌷 *Katha Upanishad (Katopanishad) by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar* 🌷
(Day - 10)

*Chapter 2: Beyond Death*

प्र ते ब्रवीमि तदु मे निबोध
स्वर्ग्यमग्निं नचिकेतः प्रजानन् ।
अनन्तलोकाप्तिमथो प्रतिष्ठां विद्धि
त्वमेतंनिहितं गृहायाम् ॥

लोकादिमग्निं तमुवाच तस्मै
या इष्टका यावतीर्वा यथा वा ।
स चापि तत्प्रत्यवदद्यथोक्तं
अथास्य मृत्युः पुनरेवाह तुष्टः ॥

Nachiketa was instructed to climb the steps of heaven. What are those steps? He was taught how to bring together 720 bricks, how to organize them. This is a secret. Think, what is this 720? Nachiketa learnt all this. When the disciple learns fast, it is the pride of the teacher. The Lord of Death got very pleased, “You learnt this with such sincerity, honesty and with such sharp attention; I will give you one more gift.” He gave Nachiketa a necklace.

तमब्रवीत् प्रीयमाणो महात्मा
वरं तवेहाद्य ददामि भूयः ।
तवैव नाम्ना भविताऽयमग्निः
सृङ्कां चेमामनेकरूपां गृहाण ॥

It was a most amazing piece of necklace, which would also make sounds that were very pleasing. He gave him a necklace of red, blue, white and green colours which could make melodious music. This is a koan that you have to look into (Koan - a story, a dialogue, a question or a statement, which is used in Zen practice to provoke "the great doubt" and test the student's progress in Zen practice). What are those 720 bricks that Nachiketa learnt to gather? Pleased by his clarity if mind, sharpness of intellect, his ability to grasp and understand, he gave a gift as an extra boon. What was the beautiful gift that the Lord of Death gave Nachiketa?

येयं प्रेते विचिकित्सा मनुष्ये –
ऽस्तीत्येके न्यायमस्तीति चैके ।
एतद्विद्यामनुशिष्टस्त्वयाऽहं
वराणामेष वरस्तृतीयः ॥

Nachiketa said, “This is my third boon.” When someone dies, some say they still exist, some say they don’t. Who else can teach me this other than the Lord of Death. You know the truth. I want to know what happens when a person dies.

Very few people are curious about it. We take life for granted, we take death for granted. We never question what happens after life? What is death? How it happens? Where do we go after we die? We live here as though we have been here forever. In one way it is correct. Your spirit has been here even before the stones and trees. Your spirit is so old. It is not the way we think – that the body comes first and then spirit. The spirit comes first and then the body gets formed. That’s what happens in the womb. If the spirit is not there, the body will not be formed. Spirit first and then matter. Even before anything existed on this planet, you were there, I was there. We have been here many times. This is not first time. I know it. I only wish you remember a little bit at least. We have been here so many times. We have forgotten that. The inquisitiveness is dead, it is gone. What is death? What is life? They are two sides of the same coin. If you know life thoroughly, you know what death is. If you know death, you know what life is. This young boy said, “I want to know.”

To be continued.....


🌷 *Katha Upanishad (Katopanishad) by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar* 🌷
(Day - 11)

*Chapter 2: Beyond Death*

देवैरत्रापि विचिकित्सितं पुरा
न हि सुविग्येयमणुरेष धर्मः ।
अन्यं वरं नचिकेतो वृणीष्व
मा मोपरोत्सीरति मा सृजैनम् ॥

Yama said, “Don’t ask me this. Please release me from this promise. This doubt has haunted so many people. They haven’t known it. Please ask for anything else. I will give you any other boon, but don’t ask me the secret of death.” There are five great secrets. The secret of death and the secret of birth are among them. The Lord of Death said, “Ask anything else. Ask for pleasure, ask for lovely women. Whatever is your desire – you want a kingdom, I will grant it to you. Leave me with this. Since I have promised, I have to fulfill my promise. But please don’t ask me the secret of death.”

श्वोभावा मर्त्यस्य यदन्तकैतत्
सर्वेन्द्रियाणां जरयन्ति तेजः ।
अपि सर्वं जीवितमल्पमेव
तवैव वाहास्तव नृत्यगीते ॥

न वित्तेन तर्पणीयो मनुष्यो
लप्स्यामहे वित्तमद्राक्ष्म चेत्तवा ।
जीविष्यामो ञअवदीशिष्यसि त्वं
रस्तु मे वरणीयः स एव ॥

Nachiketa said, “When I see death, it is imminent in life. It is unavoidable in life. What do I do with all that you are offering? You keep your chariot; you keep your horses, your beautiful women for yourself. When you (death) are staring at my face, how can I enjoy all this? What use is it? They are there for a moment and then they are not there; so momentary. They wear out vital powers of life.” There is difference between bliss and pleasure. Bliss energises you, pleasure depletes you. Pleasure is momentary and drain prana; energy goes out. The capacity of the five senses is limited. However tasty the food is, you can’t take more than what your system can take. You can’t enjoy sex more than your body can respond to. You cannot listen to music forever. You can enjoy only to some degree. The five senses have limited capacity but the mind has unlimited desires. There is an imbalance between the desire to enjoy and capability of the senses to enjoy. Then conflict arises. You feel miserable. He is not saying it is wrong to enjoy the five senses, to enjoy pleasures of life. There is nothing wrong, but giving it more importance than life itself is disastrous.

देवैरत्रापि विचिकित्सितं पुरा
न हि सुविग्येयमणुरेष धर्मः ।
अन्यं वरं नचिकेतो वृणीष्व
मा मोपरोत्सीरति मा सृजैनम् ॥

There has always been this conflict in the world. The believers say there is life beyond death. Non-believers say there is nothing. It is all made up of chemistry, just combination of matter, which gives life. Once the matter dies, everything dies, there is nothing; no life after this. This is what atheists say. Atheists are not new to the planet. They are there from the time of inception of this mankind. They have been there from the beginning. Real seekers want to know, what the truth is. They don’t dismiss the believer and they don’t dismiss the atheists as well. The beauty of spirituality is: you don’t condemn the atheists, nor do you condemn the believer. It is people in extremes who keep condemning each other. Believers condemn the non-believers and non-believers condemn the believers. Spiritually elevated persons are very scientific in their temper and Upanishads are utterly scientific. There is nothing that refutes logic in any of the Upanishads. That is the greatness and beauty of it. It doesn’t limit itself to reason, nor does it condemn reason. It walks the steps of reason to reach the Ultimate truth. This is fantastic. That’s why when Albert Einstein read the Upanishads he said, “My life has changed. My whole perception has changed.”

Nachiketa, as a true seeker, said, “Some people say that nobody exists after death and some say there is life after death. But who else can tell me other than the Lord of Death himself.” Experience is the best educator. When you are encountering death, what else can be more powerful than death itself educating you?

To be continued....

What China might be actually aiming for

https://kishkat.blogspot.com/2020/07/what-china-might-be-actually-aiming-for.html?m=1

Chapter 1: At the door of death -Katha Upanishad (Katopanishad) by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

🌷 *Katha Upanishad (Katopanishad) by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar* 🌷
(Day - 4)

*Chapter 1: At the door of death*

बहूनामेमि प्रथमो बहूनामेमि मध्यमः ।
किँ स्विध्यमस्य कर्तव्यं यन्मयाऽद्य करिष्यति ॥

Nachiketa thought, “let me be the first to do among those who are going to die. Everyone is going to die. I will go a little earlier. Like corn which ripens and falls and then, comes up again. Everything is temporary. People are dying and I will also die. It’s just that I am going a little early, I am going to go to the Lord of Death.”

Nachiketa knew that his father said it in anger, but he still went to death. This is very beautiful. This _Upanishad_ is about the dialogue of this young boy and the Lord of Death.

What is death? What is the ultimate secret that nobody is able to unravel? What is that? There is another story related to Nachiketa. Once, Vajashravas was praying on a riverbank. He accidentally left all his belongings on the river bank and came back home. He told his son, “I forgot my pot. Go and get it.” By the time Nachiketa went to the river bank, the water had risen and the tide had washed away all his father’s belongings – yoga mat, water pot, etc. Nachiketa came back and said that all the belongings were lost. Vajashravas got angry and said, “You are useless. Why didn’t you do anything? You better die! You are good for nothing! Get lost! ” Nachiketa immediately died there. That is why you should never say negative things if you are a good sadhak. Your words carry power. If you call someone stupid, even though that person is not stupid, he will become stupid. Vajashravas was such a great sadhak. He said, “You are good for nothing, you better die” and that boy fell on the floor and died right then. When his son died, Vajashravas became miserable. “Oh My God! What I have done?”

अनुपश्य यथा पूर्वे  प्रतिपश्य तथाऽपरे ।
सस्यमिव मर्त्यः पच्यते सस्यमिवाजायते पुनः ॥

Now the experience of death is described here – what happened to Nachiketa. The spirit of Nachiketa left the body and went to the abode of Yama, the lord of death. Yama told him, “You have come here just because your father’s words are so powerful and they had to be fulfilled. It is not your time yet. Go back. You still have to acquire knowledge and give love.” Nachiketa was dead for one whole hour while his father lamented and prayed. Suddenly, the boy got up and looked effulgent. Having met death and then coming back to life was the most wonderful thing. It was then that he propounded the whole fire ceremony, named after Nachiketa.

He described what death is. It is nothing to be afraid of. Nachiketa proclaims that death is beautiful, that there is no fear, there is eternal silence. If you have read about people having near death experiences, they all say the same thing. They go through a tunnel and see a light. Sometimes the light tells them that it is not yet time and they should go back. The same thing happened some thousands of years ago to Nachiketa. He went through effulgent light, but was told that it was not his time, and that he should go back. So, Nachiketa came back after an encounter with death. This is one story.

What is death? Is it something to be afraid of? How does death happen? Honour death; people who commit suicide are not honouring death. You must remember this. The craving for living, results in suicide not in death. There is a big difference. They can’t bear the pain; they can’t get rid of it. Their life is important for them, not death. So, they commit suicide. That which is different from the body, different from everything around that is changing, is central to spiritual growth.

To be continued......

🌷 *Katha Upanishad (Katopanishad) by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar* 🌷
(Day - 5)

*Chapter 1: At the door of death*

Nachiketa goes to the abode of death and waits there for 3 days without food and water. There is greater, deeper knowledge here. What happens in the process of death? What happens to you when you die?

First, the mind withdraws from the five senses with their impressions. You stop feeling, numbness comes. Sensations in the body disappears. Then sight gets blurred and vision goes away. Sense of touch goes away, sense of taste goes away,  sight goes away and then smells and finally sound disappears. When somebody is dying, they keep a candle burning so that if the soul, the spirit leaves the body, it can feel the light, see the light and remind itself that it is light and move on. This ritual is there in all ancient traditions.

The mind is retrieved from the five senses, with the impressions of those senses. Once it snaps out of the body, it feels such a freedom; it is like coming out of cage!. The spirit becomes so peaceful. In its peace, it also has impressions of craving. If a person is fond of ice cream, burger, that fondness will remain there for some time. It takes three days for the spirit, to really adjust to the other side. You have come out of the body. You don’t know how to get into the body. It doesn’t interest you also – the body is not interesting anymore. It looks like garbage. Suppose, you have used a tissue and thrown it in the garbage, will you take it and use it again? The same feeling comes to the spirit when it snaps out of the body. It doesn’t care about the body anymore. If it wants, it will take another body somewhere else. It takes almost 48 hours,i.e.2 days to get used to the other side, to get relief from this side. It is very significant. That is why for three days, friends and relatives are in more anguish. They start getting some relief after three days. In the ancient days, ten days were kept for mourning. In these ten days, you could cry as much as you wanted and _celebrate_ on the eleventh day. You should mourn for a maximum of ten days, no more.

There is a time zone here but when you leave the body the time zone changes. Six months here is a day there and six months here is a night there. Our one whole year is one day there.

For three days, Nachiketa waited at the door of death but the Lord of Death did not come. Nachiketa didn’t eat anything. He was there – poised, peaceful, calm and an uplifted spirit. Even death became apologetic to him.

वैश्वनरः प्रविशत्यतिथिर्ब्राह्मणो गृहान् ।
तस्यैताँ शान्तिं कुर्वन्ति हर वैवस्वतोदकम् ॥

आशाप्रतीक्षे सङ्गतँ सूनृतां चेष्टापूर्ते पुत्रपशूँश्च सर्वान् ।
एतद्वृङ्क्ते पुरुषस्याल्पमेधसो यस्यानश्नन्वसति ब्राह्मणो गृहे ॥

Yama said, “When a spiritual guest enters the house like a bright flame, he must be received with water to wash his feet.” This is to glorify hospitality. If you are not hospitable, you lose all your merit. You do so many things but if you are not kind, not caring for your guest, then you have lost all merit.

To be continued....


🌷 *Katha Upanishad (Katopanishad) by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar* 🌷
(Day - 6)

*Chapter 1: At the door of death*

This is what the Lord of Death, Yama said,

तिस्रो रात्रिर्यगवात्सीर्गृहे मे ऽनश्नन् ब्रह्मन्नतिथिर्नमस्यः ।
नमस्तेऽस्तु ब्रह्मन् स्वस्ति मेऽस्तु तस्मात्प्रति त्रीन्वरान्वृणीष्व ॥

Yama gave three boons to the boy – “I owe you three boons because you have been so calm, so quiet, you have meditated, you have been spiritual. You have been thinking of something higher.”

शांतसङ्कल्पः सुमना यथा स्याद् वीतमन्युर्गैतमो माऽभि मृत्यो ।
त्वत्प्रसृष्टं माऽभिवदेत्प्रतीत एतत् त्रयाणां प्रथमं वरं वृणे ॥

Nachiketa said, “O Lord of Death, as the first of these three boons, grant that my father’s anger be appeased, so that when I return he may receive me with love.”

The father’s anger weighed heavily on the child, Nachiketa. The first boon he asked was an immediate relief from that. A very simple mind, simple question, simple needs. The greater you are the simpler your needs and desires are. Your wish is very simple – let everybody be happy. No complication. It is the first boon Nachiketa asked for.

In the process of death, one sense gets into the other and finally, the mind, with all the impressions of the five senses, snaps out. Though it snaps out, it still has the ability to listen to sound. That is why singing and chanting is very good for people on the other side. Meditating is very good for people on the other side. Your meditation, your peace touches their soul. It gives them relief. If you are crying and feeling miserable, they also feel that misery.

For the first three days, it is intense and after three days, the soul starts adjusting to the other realm. It keeps moving away from this. Very few souls are earth bound, they don’t go far for long time. They are very few, about 0.1%. Someone who is fond of chicken will be found in a poultry farm. That is why the last impression of your life is very important. It becomes like a balloon over the spirit.

Further in the _Upanishad_, what is the size of the soul, what all happens, how it moves is explained.

To be continued....


🌷 *Katha Upanishad (Katopanishad) by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar* 🌷
(Day - 7)

*Chapter 1: At the door of death*

यथा पुरस्ताद् भविता प्रतीत
औद्दालकिरारुणिर्मत्प्रसृष्टः ।
सुखँ रात्रीः शययिता वीतमन्युः
त्वां दद्दशिवान्मृत्युमुखात् प्रमुक्तम् ॥

First boon is granted – let my father’s anger be appeased. Many times, as seekers when you meditate, you feel, “Nothing is happening to me.” Do you know why? Because some of your merits are being passed on to your forefathers. There is no escape from it. When you meditate. Or do something good, a portion of it, those good vibes are passed on automatically. It is like clearing your past debt. When you meditate, a little amount of merit goes to those who gave you this body. Somebody gave you this body and because of it, you are doing everything that you are doing. So some portion of your merit gets automatically transferred. Like inheritance – your father or mother or somebody passes on and you automatically inherit whether it is their loans or earnings, they just fall on your head. In the same way, in the subtle world also, these things get transferred. A Sanyasi or a monk is the one who, while living, completely fulfills all duties and obligations and washes his hands off. Then there is no connection with the ancestors of any sort. That is monkhood- sanyasi, fourth of the ashrams.

First 25 years learn as much as you can – the student life. Next 25 years enjoy your life as a house holder. Settle down, get married, have children and all that. Third quarter of your life, from 50-75 years is Vanaprastha, be a social worker. It means there is no more ‘my, my, my’! Now you are for everybody in the society. You share yourself with everybody and you are godfather or god mother to everybody. Broaden your scope from ‘only my child’, to ‘our children’, from a limited family to an unlimited society. The last quarter – from the age of 75-100 years, you are supposed to live as a recluse. You are in a state of ‘I am nothing’, ‘I want nothing’. There are four stages or ashrams in life. Some take a jump from first to fourth, they don’t have to go through the middle.

Some people lose interest in food when they are nearing to death. Some crave for more food towards the end of life. In that case, within those ten days, it is good to feed some people, the food the deceased were fond of. When they smell those foods, the spirit feels. “Ok, I have had this for now.” It gives them some sort of relief.

To be continued.....

Chapter 1: At the door of death -Katha Upanishad (Katopanishad) by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

*🌷 Katha Upanishad (Katopanishad) by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar* 🌷
(Day - 3)

*Chapter 1: At the door of death*

उशन् ह वै वाजश्रवसः सर्ववेदसं ददौ ।                तस्य ह नचिकेता नाम पुत्र आस ॥

The Vishwajit yagna was done by Vajashravas and he gave away whatever he had, in the ceremony. He had a small eight year old son. His name was Nachiketa.

तँ ह कुमारँ सन्तं दक्षिणासु                   नीयमानासु श्रद्धाविवेश सोऽमन्यत ॥

He saw his father giving everything away. He was running around and observing what his father was doing. He was watching everything with a lot of faith, “Oh. Father is doing all this. He is doing such a great job. He has given everything away.” He also saw his father giving away cattle which were old. He noted that his father was giving away things which were not useful also. His father would not get any merit out of that. Children are very smart, smarter than their parents. They are also so innocent.

पीतोदका जग्धतृणा दुग्धदोहा निरिन्द्रियाः ।             अनन्दा नाम ते लोकास्तान् स गच्छति ता ददत् ॥

Sometimes people give away things which are of no use to them, like old clothes. When the tsunami hit (South East Asia, 2004), we were involved with relief work and we donated many clothes. Nobody wants to take old clothes. Even poor people dumped them back. So, we had to burn them all. Even the poorest of people want to have something new.

स होवाच पितरं तत कस्मै मां दास्यसीति ।     द्वितीयं तृतीयं तँ होवाच मृत्यवे त्वा ददामीती ॥

When Nachiketa saw old things being given away, he thought, “This is not good. This is not going to bring merit to my father. My father is so possessive of me. He should give me away too.” He went and asked his father, “To whom are you going to give me?” Vajashrvas was engaged in something and did not reply. Nachiketa kept asking the same question again and again, pulling and bothering him. Finally, Vajashravas got irritated and said, “I give you to death. Get lost.”

If you see the world from a child’s mind, it is a very simple and beautiful place. A child’s mind doesn’t know what victory or loss is and what gain is? There is no such restriction, no such barriers. I remember once, when my sister was very young, she came back from school and told mother that she got zero in maths test. She was happily jumping around and saying, “I failed today. I failed today". You should be sad about failing. That’s what parents teach children, that failing is not good. But she was happy and telling everybody that she failed. What is failure, what is success? For a child it doesn’t matter. Once, my sister and I went to uncle’s house. He had used all the official leaves that he got from his office. He informed his office that he was sick so that he could take us for a picnic. But someone from his office came to the house and my sister told him, “Uncle is saying he is sick and he is taking us out for a picnic.” When my uncle heard this, he said, “My reputation has gone.” My sister asked immediately, “Where did it go?”

Nachiketa asked his father to whom he is going to give him? He asked with much faith and innocence. Vajashravas said, “I give you to death.” Fathers and mothers usually tell us to get lost but they really don’t mean it. Nachiketa said, “Yes, this is the place where everybody dies. So many have died and those who are living will also be dead. Those who will come in the future will also die. When death is certain, let me go there now.” 

It is very similar to what Lord Buddha experienced. Buddha never knew what death was. Astrologers and priests told his parents that Buddha should never see death. If he sees death then you will lose him. But one day Buddha compelled his charioteer to take him out, and when he went out, he saw an old person for the first time in his life. He asked his charioteer about it. His charioteer said, “He is an old man and that we all will be one day.” Buddha was a young boy, just 20 years old. When he heard that, he said, “I have already become old. If this is what is going to happen for sure, then it has already happened.” Then he saw a corpse, and asked what it was. His charioteer said. “This also will happen to everybody. When you are dead, four people will carry you and you will be cremated.” Buddha said, “I am already dead. I have that experience right now.” *If the mind is sharp, you don’t wait for the experience to happen to you.* Anyone’s experience becomes your own experience. _You don’t have to go there and experience all the suffering_. You look at the suffering and you think, “I have already suffered.” The intellect reflects that experience.

To be continued....

Chapter 1: At the Door of Death- Katha Upanishad (Katopanishad) by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

*🌷 Katha Upanishad (Katopanishad) by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar* 🌷
(Day - 2)

*Chapter 1: At the Door of Death*

Now the Upanishad begins

Long long ago, there lived a very pious man called Vajashravas. He got his name because of his passion for feeding people. He would feed anybody who comes to his house ar anytime of the day. No body would go hungry from his house. He would feed the entire town! So, he became very famous and known by the name Vajashravas. His son was very proud of his father. Whenever the father does anything big, children want to excel like him. If a father has become a good businessman then his children want to be like him. Vajashravas’ son too, wanted to excel his father. The father was giving away food, but when the son grew up, he wanted to give away everything. There is a joy, immense joy in giving. So, this thought of giving away everything was lodged in his head. There is a *yajna* called *Vishwajit yajna*, which means the yajna performed to win the universe.

Alexander wanted to win the world.He wanted to possess everything. He went on plundering and looting country after country. But in the ancient days, victory was in giving. The one who gave became victorious. Today there are so many businessmen, but only one or two put 90% of their earning into social service. Everybody acknowledges them and they have won the hearts of the masses. They are well known all over the globe. When businessmen from America come and talk to people in India, they realize that they should also give back to society. Vishwajit is a yajna by which you can win the whole world by giving. Isn’t that a great concept? You don’t win by acquiring and possessing. *No emperor has won this world, but those who have given away everything that they have, have won the hearts and minds of people.*

What did Jesus do? He did Vishwajit yajna – he gave everything away. Lord Buddha gave everything away. Adi Shankara gave everything away. Yajna is that ritual, that ceremony, which brings everyone together, which honours the divine, which is a part of our giving back to the universe, from which we have been taking all the time.

A Yajna has three aspects:

Deva Pooja – honouring the Divinity

Sangatikarna – bringing everyone together

Dana – giving away

To be continued.....

Katha Upanishad by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

🎪 Welcome to *KATHA UPANISHAD - Secret of Death - Commentary by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar* 🎪
           
🌷 Introduction 🌷

The whole world runs away from death , because death snatches everything , but the one who accepts it and willingly faces it , receives something from death itself. Ironically , knowledge of death gives you the gift of life. Katha Upanishad tells the story of young Nachiketa who goes to face the lord of death and the extraordinary dialogue that ensues between them. Upanishad means sitting close to the. master. Gurudev takes us through this beautiful story integrating its profoundness with real-life situations , turning abstract philosophy into existential reality.

*The Chapters include:*

*1. At the door of Death*
*2. Beyond Death*
*3. The Grace of the Divine*
*4. Beyond the layers of existence*
*5. Winning Immortality*

-----------------------------------

*🌷 Katha Upanishad by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar* 🌷
(Day - 1)

*Chapter 1: At the Door of Death*

Upanishad means sitting close, sitting near the Master, not just physically, but also with attention, with the presence of mind in the space as that of the Master. Katha Upanishad – Katha – ‘tha’ means the final. What is the final thing about life? What is the end? What is the ultimate?

Every Upanishad begins with a Shanti Mantra and ends with a Shanti Mantra. Shanti means peace. Only when you have peace can you think of higher knowledge. Higher knowledge cannot be grasped by a disturbed mind. The mind needs to be calm, free from anguish, from hatred, from cravings, and then higher knowledge can be attained.

ॐ सह नाववतु । सह नौ भुनक्तु । सहवीर्यं करवावहै ।
      तेजस्वि नावधीतमस्तु । मा विद्विषावहै ॥
          ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥

ॐ सह नाववतु । - Let us be together.

सह नौ भुनक्तु । - Enjoy this life together.

सहवीर्यं करवावहै । - Let us grow in strength together.

तेजस्वि नावधीतमस्तु । - Let us become effulgent, glow together.

मा विद्विषावहै ॥ - Let us not hate each other.

Let us be together. Let us grow together, let us eat together, let us enjoy together. This shloka is the foundation of learning. This mantra is also chanted before having food.

भुनक्तु means eating, but in this shloka, it doesn’t mean just eating. It means to experience the whole world. When our sights don’t match, when our perceptions don’t match, then there is conflict. सह नौ भुनक्तु – let our perception match. Let us see things together, let us experience the same. One experiences one thing and the other experiences something else, then there is conflict. But if both experience the same thing together, then there is peace and tranquillity.

Suppose one person likes something and says , “Wow, this is so great!” But the other person says, “This is horrible!”, then they cannot enjoy. If you go to a picnic with your spouse and you are happy but your spouse is not, then both of you become miserable. When both of you enjoy together, then there is peace and harmony.

सह नाववतु – Let us be together. We are together anyway. If we are born during the same time on this planet, then we are meant to be together. When we are meant to be together, let us be together mentally also. Let us be together with the spirit. It is the mind, the intellect which creates barriers and you have to remove the barriers through the intellect. Hence the prayer – Let us be together, let us grow together, let us shine together.

When a very talented person is interviewed, the first thing asked is – Who is your teacher? This is tradition. A brilliant sitarist will be proud of his teacher. In soccer matches, they ask who the coach is. The coach gets the credit for victory. Students feel very proud of being students of a particular teacher.

सहवीर्यं करवावहै – Let us glow in effulgence together. Let us grow in strength together.

मा विद्विषावहै – Let us not hate each other.

ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥ - Let there be peace in our Soul, in our Mind and in our Environment. You can go deep into knowledge in a peaceful environment, but you can’t do so if the environment is disturbed. If your mind is disturbed, you have to do pranayama, yoga, meditation and kriya to calm it and only then you can talk about higher knowledge. The minute you sit close to the Master, the vibration is already getting transferred and by the vibration, the mind is already becoming calm.

To be continued....

ज्ञान और प्रज्ञा – योगसूत्र। यह प्रज्ञा है क्या ?

सामान्यतः बुद्धि विवेक और ज्ञान को एक ही अर्थ के प्रवाह में प्रयोग किया जाता है । किन्तु इनकी अर्थ-गर्भिता और गूढ़-गर्भिता के भावो में अंतर है।

बुद्धि वह होती है जो यथार्थ निर्णय देने वाली हो । जो जैसा है वैसा ही देखना , जानना
जब बुद्धि सजग हो तो विवेक जागता है ,
विवेक के परिपक्व होने पर प्रज्ञा --प्रखर ज्ञान का उदय होता है ।
जब प्रज्ञा परिपक्व होती है तो ऋतुम्भरा ज्ञान का उदय होता है -ज्ञान की शुद्धतम अवस्था।
प्रज्ञा ज्ञान की ही एक अवस्था है ।

ज्ञान और प्रज्ञा – योगसूत्र में .

मह्रिषी पतंजलि विरचित “योगसूत्र” में इस विषय पर विशद चर्चा की गई है . उसे देखते हैं

योगसूत्र १/१६ – की व्याख्या में भाष्यकार “व्यास” लिखते हैं “ ज्ञानस्यैव पराकाष्ठा वैराग्यं “ अर्थात ज्ञान की पराकाष्टा वैराग्य है

जबकि प्रज्ञा – तीन तरह से प्राप्त हो सकती है

आगम (श्रुति ) : पठन अर्थात पढने से या (श्रुतियों – वैदिक साहित्य के ) ज्ञान से

अनुमान : मनन अर्थात सोचने से

निर्विचार समाधि के उपरान्त

योगसूत्र के अनुसार , अंतिम प्रकार की प्रज्ञा – सर्वश्रेष्ठ होती है क्योंकि यह आत्म साक्षात्कार से प्राप्त होती है – महज सैद्धान्तिक या अनुमानित नहीं है .

यह प्रज्ञा है क्या ?

स्मृति परिशुद्ध होने पर स्वरुप शून्य होकर अर्थमात्र दिखाई देने वाली सब समाप्त करनेवाली अवस्था अचानक मिल जाती है – जिसका सतत प्रवाह – अध्यात्म प्रसाद रुपी - प्रज्ञा है

श्रुतानुमानप्रज्ञाभ्यामन्यविषया विशेषार्थत्वात् (1-49)

विशेष विषयक होने के कारण श्रुत और अनुमान से जनित प्रज्ञा से भिन्न विषयक है

यह प्रज्ञा इसीलिए ऋतम्भरा प्रज्ञा कहलाती है - ऋतम्भरा अर्थात सत्यपूर्ण

इसके सात भेद हैं –

तस्य सप्तधा प्रान्तभूमिः प्रज्ञा (२/२७ )

प्रज्ञा सात प्रकार की होती है

जिनमें चार प्रकार की कार्य विमुक्ति है . यह बाहरी घटनाओं से अपने चेतन को अलग करता है ,स्वतंत्र करता है

बाकी तीन प्रकार की चित्त विमुक्ति है , जिससे मन से स्वतंत्रता मिल जाती है.

यह प्रज्ञा प्राप्त होने के पूर्व विवेक ख्याति – अर्थात – बुद्धि से पुरुष को अलग करने का विवेक आना चाहिए .

ऋतम्भरा प्रज्ञा की इन सातों प्रकार के बारे में बताना काफी विशद रूप ले लेगा

इन सात भेदों के बावजूद यह प्रज्ञा क्रमश: नहीं मिलती है . इस संबंध में वाचस्पति मिश्र योगसूत्र पर लिखी अपनी टीका में कहते हैं :

रज और तम गुण से शून्य हो जाने से बुद्धि में प्रकाश का उत्कर्ष होता है – ज्ञान शक्ति का चरम उत्कर्ष होने पर जो कुछ प्रज्ञात होता है वह संपूर्ण सत्य होता है और वह ज्ञान साधारण अवस्था के ज्ञान के समान क्रमशः उत्पन्न नहीं होता किंतु उसमें ज्ञेय विषय के सभी धर्म एक साथ प्रकाशित होते हैं फिर भी यह प्रज्ञा श्रुतानुमानजात प्रज्ञा नहीं है किंतु साक्षात्कार प्रधान है . (श्रुतानुमानजात : श्रुति और अनुमान जनित )

धारणा , ध्यान और समाधि तीनों का एक ही विषय पर संघठित होना संयम कहलाता है - जिससे प्रज्ञालोक मिलता है

तज्जयात्प्रज्ञालोक: (3/५ )

उस से प्रज्ञा लोक मिलता है .

उपरोक्त से स्पष्ट है – ज्ञान सबको मिलता है – पर प्रज्ञा नहीं .

आगे देखते हैं , आधुनिक विचारक इस पर क्या विचार रखते हैं

पहले : जग्गी वासुदेव :

बुद्धि और प्रज्ञा का फर्क समझना होगा हमें

अंग्रेजी में दो शब्द हैं – इंटेलेक्ट और इंटेलीजेंस। हिंदी में इंटेलेक्ट को बुद्धि और इंटेलीजेंस को प्रज्ञा के रूप में समझ सकते हैं। अधिकांश लोग यह समझ ही नहीं पाते कि कहां बुद्धि का दायरा खत्म होता है और कहां से प्रज्ञा का आयाम शुरू होता है।

योगसूत्र की व्याख्या ( पतंजलि . व्यास और वाचस्पति मिश्र – तीनो द्वारा ) के अनुसार यह बिलकुल गलत है . प्रज्ञा – स्वरुपशुन्यता के फलस्वरूप अंतर का एकदम स्व प्रकाशित होना है – शुन्यता यहाँ प्रधान है – बुद्धिमता ( इंटेलीजेंस) कदापि नहीं . सबसे दुःख का विषय यह है कि – योग के आठ में से तीन अंगों से ( धारणा .ध्यान , समाधि ) बनने वाली प्रज्ञा को उन्होंने महज़ एक शब्द – इंटेलिजेंस – में लपेट लिया – वह भी तब – जब अकेले – ध्यान – ही मैडिटेशन – कहलाता है . स्पष्ट है – उनकी प्रज्ञा सम्बन्धी यह अवधारणा सिरे से ही गलत है और प्रमुखत: विदेशी सह अंग्रेजी साधकों हेतु गढ़ा गया है – जिसमें दिव्यता है ही नहीं . आत्म आलोक ,स्व प्रकाश है ही नहीं .

सबसे बड़ी बात यह है कि – योग सूत्र (२/२७ ) के भाष्य /टीका में – सप्तधा प्रज्ञा के छठे प्रकार की चर्चा करते हुए यह लिखा गया है –

स्पंदन निवृत - समस्त गुण पर्वत शिखर से – पत्थरों के टूट गिर मिट्टी में मिल जाने सदृश्य – बुद्धि की इस उच्च अवस्था से गिर – अपने कारणों में मिल हतं हो चुके हैं.

अब योगसूत्र के इस भाष्य – में बुद्धि की उच्च अवस्था से गिरना निहित है – और जग्गी वासुदेव जी – फिर भी इसे इंटेलिजेंस से जोड़ना चाह रहे हैं .

अंत में – श्री अरविंदो

मनुष्यके अंदर दो संबद्ध शक्तियां है -- ज्ञान और प्रज्ञा । ज्ञान एक विकृत माध्यममें देखा हुआ उतना-सा ही सत्य है जितना कि मन टटोलता हुआ प्राप्त कर सकता है; प्रज्ञा वह है जिसे दिव्य दर्शनका नेत्र आत्मामें देखता है ।

The ritual of putting the ‘seed’ or the kalasha under the garbha-griha is called as Garbhadhana, the insemination process

The Garbha-griha is the most important part of the Hindu temple. This is where the deity resides. Its importance cannot be overstressed, architecturally or spiritually.

The garbha-griha is so named because it is literally the womb of the temple. It is the geometrical centre of the temple site, with its centre, the brahmasthana, occupied by the primary deity. It is called the womb, because under the deity, the ‘seed’ of the temple is inseminated in a kalasha (pitcher) and buried. It is directly above this that the image of the deity is installed.

Some shastras instruct that this pitcher is buried beneath the doorjamb of the garbha-griha. This kalasha contains the ‘seed’, the supreme potentiality, from which the whole world emerges. The kalasha contains hidden components as Rao explains:

“The kalash has an important hidden component, viz. ‘the golden person (suvarna purusha)’, who is regarded as the very soul of the temple. The belly of the kalash is made to contain a tiny cot made in silver, copper or sandal-wood, over which is laid on a soft-feather mattress the golden icon of this ‘person’, with one hand holding a lotus flower over the heart and the other carrying a triple-flag. Four little pots made in gold, silver or copper, and containing consecrated water are placed on the four sides of the cot. Near the recumbent ‘person’ is kept a golden or silver pot filled with ghee.”

The symbolism of temple reflecting the entire cosmos is also contained within the kalasha. It contains all the precious elements or metals that constitute the world. In this way, it represents the cosmos in the seed form. The garbha-griha symbolizes the Supreme Consciousness, which is the origin of the universe. The ritual of putting the ‘seed’ or the kalasha under the garbha-griha is called as Garbhadhana, ‘the insemination process’ as Stella Kramrisch tells us:

“The seed is deposited at night in the womb of mother Earth, as Garbha, Germ of the temple, close to the door jamb of the Garbhgrha. In the vertical, in the upward direction, which is that of growth, from below, along the jamb of the door and above it, the power of germination lifts as it were the lid of the Garbhagrha, and transcends the flat ceiling of the Garbhagrha, step by step, level by level in ever diminishing tiers to the top of the superstructure; there once again it rests and is level as the Skandha (shoulder course) before it attains its crown and is surmounted by the finial.”

Pankaj Saxena
Center for Indic Studies

Salute to Śrīnāth Mohandās for providing A quick summary of 1,200 years' history of Malabar culminating in the Moplah Rebellion and Hindu genocide of 1921

A quick summary of 1,200 years' history of Malabar culminating in the Moplah Rebellion and Hindu genocide of 1921
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I was in a conversation with someone on Moplah Rebellion of 1921 that butchered over ten thousand Hindus of Malabar and forcefully converted atleast half that number to Islam. At one point, we discussed the demography of the state and I enquired how he thought that a region that was the heartland of classical Hinduism, with innumerable ancient temples and illustrious families and lineages that preserved and propogated almost all branches of Sanātana Dharma and ancient systems of Knowledge till early 1800s, became a Hindu minority land in just about a century and half. The rate of decline of Hindu population in Malabar during this period was by no means natural and comparable when contrasted to the rest of Kerala. His reply was quick and simple! "Lower caste Hindus oppressed by the upper castes converted en-masse to an egalitarian Islam!" He said that triumphantly with the satisfaction of having solved a complex sociological issue with an irrefutable logic! Really?

The story of Islam in Kerala is unlike the rest of India where it forced itself through brutal invasions. Islam came to Kerala around 800 CE through Arab merchants who traded with Malabar through Kozhikode (Calicut) port. The kings of Malabar, the chief patrons of the trade, were pleased with the industriousness of these merchants and permitted many of them to settle down in the land, marry Hindu women and raise families. Their descendants came to be known as Moplahs (Māppiḷa / മാപ്പിള in Malayāḷam). It is interesting to note that even today the word Māppiḷa is commonly used in Tamil language to mean son-in-law!

Over the next few centuries Islam grew naturally and wove well into the cultural fabric of Malabar. We have accounts of the famous Moroccan explorer Ibn Batuta, who travelled much of the medieval world and visited Kozhikode (Calicut) between 1342-47 CE, that there was a decent population of Muslims in Malabar during the period. He attributes it to natural causes and observes that forced conversions to Islam was unknown to Malabar during the period. In the subsequent decades and centuries, the Hindu Kings of Malabar (Zamorins/ Sāmūtiri) made a state policy that one or more male members of every fishermen family should be brought up as Mohammedans! This was to further the trade interest with Arabia. By 1500s the Zamorin Navy was completely manned by the Moplahs. It needs to be said that they were extremely loyal to the King and the land, and fought fiercely against the Portuguese who infested the waters of the Indian Ocean during the times.

All of this would change in 1766 CE when Haiderālī (Hyder Ali), fresh from the sacking of the Wodeyar Kings of Mysore and assuming the title of Sultan reigning from one of the most sacred seats of Hindus in Southern India (Seringapatam/ Śrīraṅga-paṭṭiṇam), vowed to expand his Sultanate to Malabar through the Wayanad pass. What is known as the Mysore conquest in history was infact a series of brutal Islamist conquests of Malabar much in line with the Moghul and Persian invasions of northern Indian kingdoms. Devastation, plunder, rape, forced and mass conversions to Islam were the nature of these conquests. So much so that in the April of 1766 Zamorin Rājah set fire to his palace and immolated himself as the last resort to preserve his honour by denying the barbarian the chance to force him to Islam and disgrace the hereditary title of the Zamorin monarch (Sāmūtirippāḍ / സാമൂതിരിപ്പാട്).

The conquest lasted for 26 years, first under the leadership of Hyderālī and then under Tipu Sultan, and converted citizens in hordes to Islam at sword point. In August 1788, the Rājah of Parappanād was forced into Islam along with 200 Nambūtiri Brāhmaṇa-s under the direct orders of Tipu. In March 1789, the Kadathanād Rajah and his 2,000 Nair warriors (along with their family) resisted Tipu's 19,000 soldiers for days together at Kuttippuram. However, they were defeated and submitted to Tipu's terms, converted, circumcized and completed the ceremony by being force fed on beef. The exact number of civilians forcefully converted during the period is unknown. There are instances where Tipu's soldiers claim to have converted 1,00,000 (one lakh) Hindus to Islam and killed all those who refused, in a matter of one week! Needless to say that every citizen of Malabar was targeted irrespective of his caste and other social hierarchies. In 1790, Tipu Sultan made repeated vows that he will "honour Malabar by making it an Islamic state -- the Moplah country." He was poised indeed to succeed, but thankfully, in 1792, he had to cede Malabar to the British by the treaty of Seringapatam. It was followed by his death in May 1799. Malabar thus went into the hands of the British East India Company and remained with the British crown till August 15, 1947 when all of India became independent.

After the fall of Tipu, many converts to Islam came back to Hinduism by virtue of their lifestyle. However, they remained Muslim and were not accepted back into the Hindu fold as there was no provision for reconversion to Hinduism during those times! Thus they lost their religion forever. In the meantime, thousands who left Malabar seeking refuge in the neighbouring Hindu kingdoms of Tiru-Kochi (Cochin) and Tiruvitāmkūṛ (Travancore), returned. They reclaimed their land and property, mostly through litigations and at times by force, from the Moplahs who were in possession of them since the Hindu exodus. This triggered tensions between two communities who otherwise lived peacefully till the conquest of the Sultanate of Mysore. The legacy of Haiderālī and Tippu is that they radicalised peaceful and patriotic Moplahs of Malabar, added many forced converts to the community and blinded them with the ideas of jihad and an Islamic caliphite (Moplah-sthan).

Between 1792 and 1921 there were 132 documented instances of large and small aggressions on Hindus! While there have been attempts to paint these acts of violence, termed as Moplah outrages by the British, as agrarian discontent against the Hindu Janmī-s (landlords), a study of the primary evidences from the records make it amply clear of the religious nature of these conflicts. Many of these were sparked when Hindu converts to Islam relapsed to Hinduism at a later time. It must be noted that none of the Hindu communities (including landless communities) were excluded in these attacks. Pana, Pulaya, Nair, Nambūtiri, Cheruma, Tiyya, Iyer, Pisharody, Embrantiri, Moossadd..... every community bore the brunt. Desecration of the Hindu temples was also a feature of most of these conflicts.

For Islamists, the Moplah Rebellion of 1921 was the culmination of these events where they briefly achieved the dream of Tipu of a Moplah State in Malabar (August 22, 1921 to January 6, 1922). For the rest of Malabar and Kerala, it was the darkest chapter since the Tipu's conquest, and an early instance of Islamist terror in the last century. Any attempt to whitewash this episode and Hindu genocide as an agrarian revolt must be resisted with facts and evidence. For the sake of history, for the sake of justice for our Hindu ancestors of Malabar.

--
Śrīnāth Mohandās
July 7, 2020

Hindus had always been trying to regain the sacred site of Ram Janmabhoomi at Ayodhya

The Ram Janmabhoomi Movement was not 'invented' by modern political organizations post-independence, but it was always sustained by the people of India.

Hindus had always been trying to regain the sacred site of Ram Janmabhoomi at Ayodhya. By 1912, they were in a very strong position. In reply Muslims slaughtered cow near the temple at Bakr-id. This sparked riots and troops had to be called in.

In 1934, riots once again broke out as Muslims tried cow sacrifice in nearby Shajahanpur. In retaliation, Hindu sadhus entered the Babri Masjid and pulled down the enclosure walls and gateways. The metal pinnacles on the domes were removed and one dome was substantially damaged.

In 1948, an inspector of Waqf reports that Hindus and Sikhs do not let Muslims offer any prayers or even let them enter. By 1948 Muslims had no control over the Babri Masjid and the mosque was non-functional.

In 1949, Hindus had been stacking bricks near the site, ready for a shock construction of temple whenever the opportunity arises.

On 23rd December 1949 Hindus enter the Masjid and place the icon of Sri Rama inside the Masjid. It was locked for public use of both Hindus and Muslims except on special occasions. The status quo remained until the demolition of the Babri Masjid on 6th December 1992.

Hindus never abandoned their claim on Ram Janmabhoomi and have always been willing to go to extreme lengths to rebuild a Grand Rama Temple at Ayodhya.

Pankaj Saxena
Center for Indic Studies

Bairagis (Hindu saints) strived for taking back Rama Janmabhoomi from its destroyers

In August 1855, Wajid Ali Shah, the last Nawab of Awadh, sent a purcha to the British Resident Major James Outram, complaining about Hindus ‘meddling with the Babri Masjid’ at Ayodhya. Various Muslims in Ayodhya were complaining about the ‘troublesome acts of Hindus’.

The incident clearly shows how Hindus were always striving to take back Rama Janmabhoomi. The movement was not invented by the VHP or the RSS.

A fence had earlier been erected to separate Babri Masjid from the Hindu place of worship that the Hindus had created within the ramparts. The purcha complained that this fence was torn down by the Hindus.

At the incident of a Muslim burial, the Hindus sacrificed a pig in the Masjid and blew conch shells, thus inconveniencing the Muslims.

Hindus, as the purcha complained, also destroyed a Muslim tomb in the precincts.

The Nawab complained that the Bairagis (Hindu saints) had come to dominate the place in and around the Masjid and was assisted by Hindu kings like Raja Man Singh and Raja Kishan Dutt.

This purcha shows that how Hindus have always strived for taking back Rama Janmabhoomi from its destroyers. The efforts always continued. The Hindus never lost hope of building a Rama Temple at Ayodhya.

#RamJanmabhoomi
#HinduHolocaustMuseum

Pankaj Saxena
-Dr. Meenakshi Jain has documented all this. I am just popularizing it.

Ashtavakra – the Hindu sage with eight deformities

*Ashtavakra* – the sage with eight deformities
(this story is a different version from the popular one, so please read it with an Open mind)

In this post, we will learn about a famous rishi (sage) called Ashtavakra who was the spiritual advisor to King Janaka who ruled over the Videha empire, in the present-day Bihar region. Ashtavakra was a child prodigy, well versed in the Vedas and the scriptures even as a child. He was the son of the famous sage Kahoda, who lived and preached in Bihar.

When Kahoda’s wife was pregnant, she would sit in on all lectured given by Kahoda, so that her baby was charged with positive vibrations from the lectures. The young fetus in his mother’s womb would sincerely listen to all the lectures and absorb all the teachings.

One day Kahoda made a mistake when pronouncing some verses from the Vedas, and the fetus kicked from within his mother’s womb as a sign of noticing the mistake. When Kahoda’s wife mentioned this to her husband, Kahoda, instead of feeling proud about his son’s learning, took offense at the fetus’s impudence and cursed that the boy is born with eight deformities in his body. This is why the child was named Ashtavakra (meaning, eight deformities).

There was a rumor that another profound scholar called Bandi was finding other philosophers and defeating them in philosophical debates. Scholars wanted to stay away from Bandi because Bandi would force his losers to drown in the Ganges and give up their bodies. One day, Bandi traveled to Bihar and met Kahoda and challenged him. Kahoda was a proud man, and he accepted the challenge. As one would guess, Kahoda was defeated and had to give up his body. Ashtavakra’s mother had to raise the young boy.

Even at a very young age, the scholars and sages who lived in the hermitage began to notice how sharp Ashtavakra was in learning Sanskrit and understanding the philosophy in the scriptures.

Everyone began to regard Ashtavakra to be a child prodigy. Ashtavakra was curious to find out what had happened to his father. When the sages told him the fatal encounter with Bandi, Ashtavakra vowed to defeat Bandi and ask him to give his father back. After a decade of intensive learning and rigorous training from various masters, Ashtavakra felt confident that he would be able to defeat Bandi at this stage. And, as one would again guess, he did. It was a shame that the old and wise Bandi was defeated by a mere child! Now, being the winner, Ashtavakra could ask for a boon that Bandi cannot refuse. Instead of asking for the revival of his father alone, he asked that all the sages and philosophers that were defeated by Bandi be revived. Such was his kind heart!

Now Bandi explained to Ashtavakra, that he was not really the philosopher Bandi, but in fact, the son of Varuna (the water God). Varuna was performing a yagna (sacrifice) and needed the smartest scholars from across the country to help him perform the task. Therefore Bandi was sent on the mission to collect the smartest people from earth and bring them to Varuna’s abode – the water. The yagna had lasted several years and had come to an end by the time Ashtavakra defeated Bandi. So Bandi immediately brought back all the sages from the water back to earth, to go back and continue their respective preaching. Kahoda was also revived now, and he felt ashamed at seeing how his cursed son had grown up to a deformed boy. He repented and prayed to Bandi to lift the curse on his son, Ashtavakra. Bandi obliged and transformed the deformed Ashtavakra into a handsome young lad.

Ashtavakra stayed in his father’s hermitage until he completed his formal education as a Brahmin and then embarked on a journey to the Himalayas where he meditated and attained the Brahman (realization). Following that, Ashtavakra realized that his duty was to spread his teachings to the world, and he came back to Bihar and instructed King Janaka on the Brahman and the Atman. The dialogue between Ashtavakra and King Janaka has been recorded in our scriptures as the Ashtavakra Samhita, commonly referred to as the *Ashtavakra Gita*. The Ashtavakra Samhita contains deep philosophical teachings on Sanatana Dharma philosophy.

There is yet another wonderful anecdote about King Janaka’s devotion to his guru, Ashtavakra. King Janaka would go to Ashtavakra’s hermitage every day to listen to his teachings. On certain days, due to kingly duties, King Janaka would be a few minutes late. The other disciples who always showed up on time and followed a rigorously ascetic life were discontent about the rich King Janaka also being a disciple to the great Ashtavakra.

The others also felt that Ashtavakra was being partial to King Janaka. One day, Ashtavakra decided to show the others how Janaka’s devotion to learning, was far superior to theirs. As Janaka walked in late one day, Ashtavakra started the lecture saying that he was seeing a vision of Mithila (the capital city where Janaka was ruling) going down in flames that very moment, due to a random fire. After hearing this, all the other disciples panicked and rushed back home to protect their possessions and their families. On the other hand, Janaka calmly came and sat down for the lecture.

When Ashtavakra questioned him as to why he did not run to protect his belongings from his palace, he said “*The only thing that is worth protecting and preserving is learning. Everything else is just material illusion*.” Ashtavakra was pleased to hear this answer. After an hour, the other disciples returned to the hermitage, when they found no fire. Janaka had been sitting there all along. When they learned of Janaka’s devotion, they were ashamed of their lowly thoughts and jealousy feelings towards Janaka.

Main Hindu gotras

*Main Hindu gotras*

Mudgal
Aamat
Aatreya
Agastya
Ahabhunasa / Abnavana
Ainakula
Akshinthala
Alambain
Angirasa
Atri
Audala
Bachchas
Baghwar
Bajju Rajput]
Basistha
Bharadwaj
Bhargava
Bhaskar
Bhrigu
Brihadbala
Chandratre
Dadeya
Dammiwal
Dharnasya
Dhananjaya
Dubey
Gangsahay
Garg Brahmin
Gaur
Gautam
Goyal
Guntur (Ananataneni Harish)
Harinama
Haritasya
Jadaun
Jamadagni
Jilakara
Kadam Pandit
Kadian
Kadiyan
Kaim
Kapisa
Kalhansh
Kashav
Kashyapa
Katyayan
Kaundinya
Kaushal
Kaushik
Khanagalu
Khilaivar
Kini
Krishnatrey
Kottanolla-lokeshwari's gotra
Lohithyasa
Madhukalya
Manu
Marichi
Mithunakula
Nageswar
Nanda
Narsingh
Neem
Pachori
Palendra
Parasar
Pikhur
Polisthya
Pourugutsa
Rushipala Kapu caste
Sabarniya
Sanakula
Sandilya
Saroha
Shiva (Shiv-adi)
Shringi
Soukalin
Siwal
Singhal
Srivatsa
Sisotiya(Yadav)
Tayal
Thalluru
Toppo
Udityagautama
Upamanyu
Upreti
Uttam
Vaid
Vainya
Vashista
Vats
Vishnu
Vishrava
Vishvamitra
Chelligara
......................
........................................

Marriages and gotras in patrilineal Hindu society

*Marriages and gotras*

In a patrilineal Hindu society (most common), the bride and groom both belong to their father's gotra. The children of the couple would have their father's gotra throughout his life.

Marriages within the gotra ('sagotra' marriages) are not permitted under the rule of exogamy in the traditional matrimonial system. The word 'sagotra' is union the words 'sa' + gotra, where 'sa' means the same or similar. It is common practice in preparation for Hindu marriage to inquire about the kula-gotra (meaning clan lineage) of the bride and groom before approving the marriage. People within the gotra are regarded as kin and marrying such a person would be thought of as incest. In almost all Hindu families, marriage within the same gotra is prohibited, since people with the same gotra are considered to be siblings or cousins. But marriage within the jaati is allowed and even preferred. In Jatt and Gujjar caste marriage within people from the same gotra as self, mother and grandmother are not practiced. Also, if two persons whose mothers are from the same gotra don't prefer to marry because they consider themselves maternal cousins because their mothers are siblings/cousins because of the same gotra.

For example, Jats and Rajputs have 3000 Gotras and Mudirajas of Andhra Pradesh & Tamil Nadu have 2600 Gotras. Gotra is always passed on from father to children among most Hindus. However, among Malayalis and Tulus it is passed on from mother to children.

The Kannada words 'sahodara' (brother) and 'sahodari' (sister) derive their roots from the Sanskrit word 'saha udara' (सहोदर) meaning co-uterine or born of the same womb. In communities where gotra membership passed from father to children, marriages were allowed between maternal uncle and niece, while such marriages were forbidden in matrilineal communities, like Nairs and Tuluvas, where gotra membership was passed down from the mother.

A much more common characteristic of South Indian, Hindu society is permission for marriage between cross-cousins (children of brother and sister) as they are of different gotras. Thus, a man is allowed to marry his maternal uncle's daughter or his paternal aunt's daughter but is not allowed to marry his father's brother's daughter. She would be considered a parallel cousin who is treated as a sister as she would be of the same gotra.

North Indian, Hindu society, not only follows the rules of gotra for marriages but also had many regulations that went beyond the basic definition of gotra and had a broader definition of incestuousness. Some communities in North India do not allow marriage with some other communities on the lines that both the communities are brotherhoods.

An acceptable social workaround for sagotra marriages is to perform a 'Dathu' (adoption) of the bride to a family of different gotra (usually dathu is given to the bride's maternal uncle who belongs to different gotra by the same rule) and let them perform the ' kanniyadhanam' ('kanniya' (girl) + 'dhanam' (to donate)).

Gotra : In Hindu society, the term gotra means clan -people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor or patriline

*Gotra*:

In Hindu society, the term gotra means clan. It broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor or patriline. Gotra can be used as surname but it is different from surname and is strictly maintained because of its importance in marriages among Hindus and especially among the high Hindu-castes. Pāṇini defines gotra for grammatical purposes as apatyam pautraprabhrti gotram (IV. 1. 162), which means "the word gotra denotes the progeny (of a sage) beginning with the son's son." When a person says "I am Kashyapa-gotra," he means that he traces his descent from the ancient sage Kashyapa by unbroken male descent. According to the Brihadaranyaka Upanisad 2.2.6, Gautama and Bharadvāja, Viśvāmitra and Jamadagni, Vashishtha and Kaśhyapa, and Atri are seven sages (also known as Saptarishi); the progeny of these eight sages is declared to be gotras. This enumeration of eight primary gotras seems to have been known to Pāṇini. The offspring (apatya) of these eight are gotras and others than these are called gotrâvayava. There exists another theory about gotra: sons of rishi and disciples of the gurukul would have the same gotra. It is believed that they possess similar thoughts and philosophies. People of the same gotra can be found in different castes.

As a Rigvedic term, gotra simply means "cow shelter" or "herd of cows". The narrowed meaning "family, lineage kin" (as it were "herd within an enclosure") is younger, first recorded around the mid 1st millennium BCE (e.g., Chandogya Upanishad).

These "lineages" as they developed among the Brahmins of that time meant patrilineal descent. The Brahmanic system was later adopted by other communities, such as the Kshatriyas and Vaisyas

All members of a particular gotra are believed to possess certain common characteristics by way of nature or profession. Many theories have been propounded to explain this system.

According to the brahminical theory, the Brahmins are the direct descendants of seven or eight sages who are believed to be the mind-born sons of Brahma. They are Gautama, Bharadwaja, Vishvamitra, Jamadagni, Vashista, Kashyapa, and Atri. To this list, Agasthya is also sometimes added. These eight sages are called gotrakarins from whom all the 49 gotras (especially of the Brahmins) have evolved. For instance, from Atri sprang the Atreya and Gavisthiras gotras.

A gotra must be distinguished from a kula. A kula is a set of people following similar cultural rituals, often worshiping the same divinity (the Kula-Devata, god of the clan). Kula does not relate to lineage or caste. In fact, it is possible to change one's kula, based on one's faith or Iṣṭa-devatā.

These eight rishis, called Gotrakarins created all the 49 Gotras. The members of a Gotra may not be blood relations but can be the spiritual inheritors or descendants of a Guru or his followers.

The members of a particular Gotra are believed to possess certain common characteristics by way of nature, skills, and profession.

In ancient times the members of the brahminical Gotras had certain characteristic features to distinguish from the others.like- the Bhargavas used to shave their heads, while the Angirasas had five braids.

As the time elapsed, the number of Gotras increased due to following reasons-

a) The Descendants of original rishi gave rise to a new family lineage ie new Gotras,
b) By intermarriage with other sub-groups of the same caste,
c) Following a new rishi and adopting his Gotra.

A common mistake is to consider gotra to be synonymous with cult or Kula. A kula is basically a set of people following similar rituals, often worshipping the same God (the Kula-Devata - the God of the cult). Kula has nothing to do with lineage or caste. In fact, it is possible to change one's Kula, based on his faith or ista devata.

It is common practice in Hindu marriage to enquire about the Kula-Gotra meaning Cult-Clan of the bride and bridegroom before approving the marriage. In almost all Hindu families, marriages within the same gotra are prohibited. But marriage within the kula is allowed and even preferred.

The word "Gotra" means "lineage" in the Sanskrit gotra, as given names may reflect the traditional occupation, place of residence, or another important family characteristic rather than gotra. Language. While it is somewhat akin to a family name, the given name of a family is often different from its gotra, as given names may reflect the traditional occupation, place of residence, or other important family characteristics rather than gotra.
People belonging to the same gotra also belong to the same caste in the Hindu social system.

Many lines of descent from the major rishis were later grouped separately. Accordingly, the major gotras were divided into ganas(subdivisions) and each gana was further divided into groups of families. The term gotra was then frequently started being applied to the ganas and to the sub-ganas.

Every brahmin claims to be a direct patrilinial descendant of one of the founding rishis of a certain gana or sub-gana. It is the gana or sub-gana that is now commonly referred to as gotra.

Anil Kumar Cheeta ji on Health Part-1, Goggles & Air-Conditioners suppress healthy functioning of the body

Anil Kumar Cheeta ji on Health Part-1,
Goggles & Air-Conditioners suppress healthy functioning of the body

https://youtu.be/OZlCQm-Qs1o

The Process of Death Part 4 From Brahma-Sutras 4.2.17 Commentary by Swami Vireswarananda, Adwaita Ashram, Mayavati

*The Process of Death*
Part 4
.
From *Brahma-Sutras* 4.2.17.
Commentary by Swami Vireswarananda, Adwaita Ashram, Mayavati:

This Sutra says that though the illumining of the top of the heart is common to both, yet the knower of the Saguna Brahman, through the grace of the Lord who abides in the heart, departs through the skull only, while others depart through other parts.

From *Chandogya Upanishad*:8.6.6.
There are a hundred and one nerves of the heart; one of them penetrates the head; going up along that, one attains immortality; the others serving for departure in various directions.

From *The Mahabharata*, Santi Parva, Section CCXCVIII
Parsara said: That man is regarded as righteous who meets with dissolution when the Sun is in the northern declension, and at a time and under a constellation both of which are sacred and auspicious

From *The Bhagavad Gita*, Ch.8
Verses 5, 6,10,13,15 & 16
Translations and comments by Swami Shivananda
The Divine Life Society, Rishikesh

And whosoever, leaving the body, goes forth remembering Me alone, at the time of death, he attains My Being: there is no doubt about this. 5

Whosoever at the end leaves the body, thinking of any being, to that being only does he go, because of his constant thought of that being. Verse 6

At the time of death with unshaken mind, endowed with devotion, by the power of Yoga, fixing the whole life-breath in the middle of the two eyebrows, he reaches that resplendent Supreme Person. 10

[Note: The Yogi gets immense inner strength and power of concentration. His mind becomes quite steady through constant practice of concentration and meditation. He practices concentration first on the lower Chakras, Viz., Muladhara, Svadhisthana, and Manipura. He then concentrates on the lotus of the heart (Anahata Chakra). Then he takes the life-breath (Prana) through the Susumna and fixes it in the middle of the two eyebrows. He eventually attains the resplendent Supreme Purusha (Person) by the above Yogic practice. This is possible for one who has devoted his whole life to the practice of Yoga.]

Uttering the one-syllabled Om (AUM, the Brahman or the Supreme Reality), and remembering Me, he who departs, leaving the body, attains to the Supreme Goal. 13

Having attained Me these great souls do not again take birth (here) which is the place of pain and is non-eternal; they have reached the highest perfection (liberation). 15

(All) the worlds, including the world of Brahma are subject to return again, but he who reaches Me has no rebirth. 16

*From other sources*:
Your wealth will remain on earth; your cattle will remain in the stables, Your wife will come till the entrance door, your relatives and friends will come till the cremation ground, your body will accompany you till the funeral pyre, but on the way beyond this life only your Karmas will accompany you.

Dhanaani Bhoomau Pashvascha Goshthe
Bharyaa Gruh Dwaare Swajan Smashaane
Dehschitaayaam Parlokmaarge
Karmaanu Go Gacchati Jeev Ek

From *The Mahabharata*
Aswamedha Parva, Section XVII
Translated by Sri Kisari Mohan Ganguli

How does the body dissolve away  and how is another body acquired?

Enjoying Prakriti for sometime, how does Jiva (embodied soul)
cast off the particular body (which Prakriti or Nature gives)?
Urged by Kasyapa, the emancipated sage answered those questions one after another.

The emancipated sage said: Upon the exhaustion of those acts capable of prolonging life and bringing on a fame which are done in a particular body that Jiva (embodied soul) assumes, the embodied Jiva, with the span of his life shortened, begins to do acts hostile to life and health. On the approach of destruction, his understanding turns away from the proper course. The man of uncleansed soul, after even a correct apprehension of his constitution and strength and of the season of both his own life and of the year, begins to eat at irregular intervals and to eat such food as is hostile to him.

[Note: Food that is beneficial in the summer is not so in winter or that which is beneficial in youth is otherwise in old age, or food that does not suit his constitution (Prakriti).]

At such a time he indulges in practices that are exceedingly harmful. He sometimes eats excessively and sometimes abstains altogether from food. He eats bad food or bad meat or takes bad drinks, or food that has been made up of ingredients incompatible with one another. He eats food that is heavy in excess of the measure that is beneficial, or before the food previously taken has been digested.

He indulges in physical exercises and sexual pleasure in excess of the due measure, or through avidity for work, suppresses the urgings of his corporeal organism even when they become pronounced. Or, he takes food that is very juicy, or indulges in sleep during daytime. Food that is not properly digested, of itself excites the faults, when the time comes. [Note: The faults are three, viz., Wind, Bile and Phlegm (Vata, Pitta and Kapha). When existing in a state of harmony, they produce health. When one of these faults is excited, or two, or all three, then indisposition sets in. They are called Dosha or faults, because of their liability to be excited and produce disease. From the excitement of such faults in his body, he gets disease ending in death itself.

Sometimes the person engages in perverse or unnatural acts like a hanging (for bringing about his death). Urged on by the Wind which becomes violent, the heat in the body, becoming excited and reaching every part of the body one after another, restrains all the (movements of the) vital breaths. Know truly that excited all over the body, the heat becomes very strong, and pierces every vital part where life may be said to reside. In consequence of this, Jiva, feeling great pain, quickly takes leave of its mortal casement. Know, O foremost of regenerate persons, that when the vital parts of the physical organism become thus afflicted, Jiva (embodied soul) slips away from the body, overwhelmed with great pain.

All living creatures are repeatedly afflicted with birth and death. It is seen, O chief of Brahmanas, that the pain which is felt by a person when casting off his bodies is like what is felt by him when first entering the womb or when issuing out of it. His joints become almost dislocated and he derives much distress from the waters (of the womb). Urged on by another violent wind, the wind that is in the body becomes excited through the cold, and dissolves away the union of matter (called the body) into its respective elements numbering five.

The wind that resides in the vital breaths called Prana and Apana occurring within this compound of the five primal elements, rushes upwards, from a situation of distress, leaving the embodied creature. It is even thus that the wind leaves the body. Then is seen breathlessness. The man then becomes destitute of heat, of breath, of beauty, and consciousness. Deserted by Brahman (for jiva is Brahman), the person is said to be dead.

By those ducts through which he perceives all sensuous objects, the bearer of the body no longer perceives them. It is the eternal Jiva who creates in the body in those very ducts the life-breaths that are generated by food. The elements gathered together become in certain parts firmly united. Know that those parts are called the vitals of the body. It is said so in the Sastras (scriptures). When those vital parts are pierced, Jiva, rising up, enters the heart of the living creature and restrains the principle of animation without any delay.

The creature then, though still endued with the principle of consciousness, fails to know anything. The vital parts being all overwhelmed, the knowledge of the living creature becomes overwhelmed by darkness. Jiva then, who has been deprived of everything upon which to stay, is then agitated by the wind. He then, deeply breathing a long and painful breath, goes out quickly, causing the inanimate body to tremble.

Dissociated from the body, Jiva, however, is surrounded by his acts. He becomes equipped on every side with all his auspicious acts of merit and with all his sins. Brahmanas endued with knowledge and equipped with the certain conclusions of the scriptures, know him, from indications, as to whether he is possessed of merit or with its reverse. Even as men possessed of eyes, behold the firefly appearing and disappearing amid darkness, men possessed of the eye of knowledge and crowned with success of penances, behold, with spiritual vision, Jiva (individual soul) as he leaves the body, as he is reborn, and as he enters the womb.

It is seen that a Jiva has three regions assigned to him eternally.  This world where creatures dwell is called the field of action. Accomplishing acts good or bad, all embodied creatures attain to the fruits thereof. In consequence of their own acts, creatures acquire even here superior or inferior enjoyments. The Doers of evil deeds here, in consequence of those acts of theirs, attain to Hell. This condition of sinking with the head downwards, in which creatures are cooked, is one of great misery. It is such that a rescue therefrom is exceedingly difficult. Indeed, one should strive hard for saving oneself from this misery.

Those regions where creatures dwell when they ascend from this world, I shall now declare truly. Do thou listen to me with attention. By listening to what I say, thou shall attain to firmness of understanding and a clear apprehension of (good and bad) acts. Know that even those are the regions of all creatures of righteous deeds, viz., the stellar worlds that shine in the firmament, the lunar disc, and the solar disc as well that shines in the universe in its own light. Upon the exhaustion, again, of their merits, they fall away from those regions repeatedly. There, in heaven itself, is the distinction of inferior, superior, and middling felicity. There, in Heaven itself, is discontent at sight of prosperity more blazing than one’s own. Even these are the goals which I have mentioned in detail.

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... To Be Contd...........

The Process of Death Part 3 From Isa Upanishad Translations and comments by Swami Nikhilananda

*The Process of Death*
Part 3

*From Isa Upanishad*:

Translations and comments by Swami Nikhilananda. The last four verses of The Isa upanishad deal with prayer of the aspirant on his death-bed. He prays to the sun, a vivid symbol of Brahman (Supreme Reality), to withdraw the outer physical light so that the inner effulgence of Truth may be revealed. As the hour of death approaches, he fills his mind with the memories of his good deeds; the thought at the final moment determines the course of the soul hereafter. And lastly, he prays to Fire (Agni), which will soon consume his physical body, to lead his soul through the way of the Gods to Brahmaloka, from which he will attain final Liberation.

Isa Upanishad, Mantra 15:
The door of the Truth is covered by a golden disc. Open it, O Nourisher! Remove it so that I who have been worshipping the Truth may behold It.

[Note: The worship prescribed in this and the following verses is the symbolic worship of Brahman through the sun. 'golden' = luminous]

Isa Upanishad, Mantra 16:
O Nourisher, lone Traveller of the sky! Controller! O Sun, Offspring of Prajapati! Gather your rays; withdraw your light. I would see through Your grace, that form of Yours which is the fairest. I am indeed He, that Purusha, who dwells there.

[Note: Purusha: Literally means Person. It also refers to the Godhead, who resides in the hearts of all, or who fills the whole universe with life and consciousness.]

Isa Upanishad, Mantra 17:
Now may my breath, return to the all-pervading, immortal Prana! May this body be burnt to ashes! Om. O mind, remember, remember all that I have done.

[Note: 'May this body...' That is to say, may the subtle body (linga sharira) come out of the gross body. According to the Vedic seers, a subtle body dwells inside and pervades the gross body. The impressions of a man's good and evil deeds and thoughts remain embedded in this subtle body. The individual soul dwelling in this body experiences, after death, the happy or unhappy results of its actions. The gross body is destroyed after death, but the subtle body remains unimpaired till the attainment of Liberation through Knowledge.]

Isa Upanishad, Mantra 18:
[Note: The dying man again prays for a higher course after death]:
O Fire (Agni), lead us by the good path for the enjoyment of the fruit of our action. You know, O god, all our deeds. Destroy our sin of deceit. We offer, by words, our salutations to you.

[Note: 'by words': At the time of death the devotee cannot offer any other worship to the god. As his limbs become inert, he cannot prostrate himself; hence the salutations through words alone.]

[General notes: The path of Brahmaloka (the highest heaven from which one does not return to earth) lies through what has been described in the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita as the Devayana or Way of the Gods, which is characterised by various luminous stages, such as flame, the day, the bright fortnight of the moon, the bright half of the year (when the sun travels northward), the sun, and lightning. It is also called the Northern Path. There is another path, called the Pitriyana, the Way of the fathers, or the Southern Path, which leads to Chandraloka, the Plane of the Moon.

Until it goes, after death, those householders who have performed their obligatory duties and worshipped the gods, following the scriptural rules, with a view to enjoying the results of their meritorious actions in this lower heaven. The path leading to Chandraloka is characterised by dark stages, such as smoke and not flame, night and not day, the dark fortnight of the moon and not the bright, and the months of winter and not of summer. After enjoying the results of their meritorious actions in the lower heaven, souls come back to earth and are born as ordinary mortals.]

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.... To Be Contd ..........

The Process of Death From The Brahadaranyaka Upanishad, IV, iii Part 2

*The Process of Death*
*From The Brahadaranyaka* *Upanishad*, IV,iii
Part 2

 In describing the rebirth of the soul, an example is given in earlier verses to show that just as the self wanders from the dream state to the waking state, so it passes from the present body to the next body.

Yajnavalkya said:

Just as a heavily loaded cart moves along, creaking, even so the self identified with the body, being presided over by the Self, which is all consciousness (the Supreme Self), moves along, groaning, when breathing becomes difficult (at the approach of death). 35.

When this body becomes thin - is emaciated through old age or disease- then, as a mango or a fig or a fruit of the peepul tree becomes detached from its stalk, so does this infinite being (the self), completely detaching himself from the parts of the body, again move on, in the same way that he came, to another body for the remanifestation (unfoldment ) of his vital force. 36.
[Note: 'Parts of the body ', Such as the eye, nose etc. In deep sleep, the gross body and organs, though left by the subtle body, are preserved by the prana (vital force). But this does not happen at the time of death, when the subtle body, together with the prana, leaves the gross body.]

Now when that self becomes weak and unconscious, as it were, the organs gather around it. Having wholly seized these particles of light, the self comes to the heart. When the presiding deity of the eye turns back from all sides, the dying man fails to notice colour. IV,1.
[Note: ' Presiding Deity ' The sun in its microcosmic aspect is the presiding or controlling deity of the eye. This deity helps the eye to function as long as a person lives, as determined by his past actions. At the time of death the deity stops his help and goes back to the sun. He again returns to the eye when the man takes another body.]

The eye becomes united with the subtle body; then people say: 'He does not see'. The nose becomes united with the subtle body; then they say:'He does not smell'. The tongue becomes united with the subtle body; then they say:'He does not taste'. The vocal organ becomes united with the subtle body; then they say; 'He does not speak'. The ear becomes united with the subtle body; then they say: 'He does not hear'. The skin becomes united with the subtle body; then they say: 'He does not touch (feel)'. The mind becomes united with the subtle body; then they say: 'He does not think'.
The intellect becomes united with the subtle body; then they say: 'He does not know '.

The upper end of the heart lights up, and by that light, the self departs, either through the eye, or through the head or through any other part (aperture) of the body.

And when the self departs, the vital force follows, and when the vital force departs, all the organs follow.

Then the self becomes endowed with a particular consciousness and passes on to the body to be attained by that consciousness.

It is followed by Knowledge, work and past experience. IV,2.

[Note: Compare Bhagavad Gita, Ch.8, Verse 6. "Whosoever at the end leaves the body, thinking of any being, that alone does he attain (become), because of his constant thought of that being."  Comments:The last thought determines the next birth. The most prominent thought of one's life occupies the mind at the time of death.]

*From Chandogya Upanishad*:

Relatives sit around an ailing person, saying, "Do you recognise me, do you recognise me?" He recognises so long as his speech does not become merged in the mind, mind in the vital force, vital force in the warmth, and warmth into the supreme deity.VI,15,1.

Then when his speech merges into the mind, mind into the vital force, vital force into the warmth, and warmth into the supreme deity, he ceases to recognise. VI,15,2.

*From Prashna Upanishad*:

The year verily is Prajapati, and there are two paths thereof; the Southern and the Northern. Those who perform sacrifices and engage in pious actions, as duties to be done, win only the world of the Moon; verily they return here again. Therefore, the rishis who desire offspring travel by the Southern Path. This Path of the Fathers is Rayi, food. I.9

But those who seek the Self through austerity, chastity, faith and knowledge, travel by the Northern Path and win the Sun. The Sun, verily, is the support of all lives. He is immortal and fearless. He is the final goal. Thence they do not return. This path is blocked (for the ignorant). I.10

The sun is, indeed, Prana (vital force); moon is rayi, food. Food is, indeed, all this- what has form and what is formless. Therefore, everything having form s, indeed, food. I.5

Prajapati, the Creator, was desirous of progeny. He performed austerities, created the pair, the moon (rayi) and the sun (prana). He said to Himself: "These two should produce creatures for Me in manifold ways." I.4

*From The Bhagavad Gita*: The blesssed Lord said:

Gita- Ch 8,Verse 23:
Now I will tell thee the times departing at which the Yogis will return or not return.

Gita- Ch.8,Verse 24:
Fire, light, day-time, the bright fortnight, the six months of the northern path of the sun (the northern solstice)- departing then (by these) men who know Brahman go to Brahman.

[Note By Swami Shivananda, Divine Life Society, Rishikesh: This is the northern path or the path of light by which the Yogis go to Brahman. This path leads to salvation. The six months of the northern solstice is from the middle of January to the middle of July. It is regarded as the better period for death. Refer also to . Brahama-Sutras 4.2.18 and 19].

Gita- Ch.8, Verse 25:
Attaining to the lunar light by smoke, night time, the dark fortnight, also the six months of the southern path of the sun (the southern solstice), the Yogi returns.

[Note: This is the pitryana or the path of the ancestors, the path of darkness which leads to rebirth.Those who do sacrifices to the gods, and do other charitable works with expectation of reward go to the Chandraloka through this path and come back to this world when the fruits of the karmas are exhausted. ' ' Smoke', ' night time', ' the dark fortnight', and ' the six months of the southern solstice' are all deities who preside over them. They may denote the degree of ignorance, attachment and passion. There are smoke and dark coloured objects throughout the course. There is no illumination when one passes along this path. It is reached by ignorance. Hence it is called the path of darkness or smoke.]

Gita- Ch.8, Verse 26:
The bright and the dark paths of the world are verily thought to be eternal; by the one (the bright path) a man goes not to return and by the other (the dark path) he returns.

[Note: The bright path is the path to the gods taken by the devotees. The dark path is of the manes taken by those who perform sacrifices and charitable acts with the expectation of rewards. These two paths are not open to the whole world. The bright path is open to the devotee and the dark one to those who are devoted to the rituals.]

Gita- Ch.8, Verse 27:
knowing these paths, O Arjuna, no Yogi is deluded; therefore at all times be steadfast in Yoga.

Gita- Ch.8, Verse 28:
Whatever fruit of merit is declared  (in the scriptures) to accrue from the study of the Vedas, the performance of sacrifices, the practice of austerities and gifts; beyond all these goes the Yogi, having known this; and he attains to the Supreme Primeval Abode.

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..........to be contd...