Subhas Mitra : 23 March 2024
Ekam Sad Vipra Bahudha Vadanti
[ ‘God is one but the wise people speak of it variously’]
In social media, we often come across Hindus blaming ISKCON that they are being exclusive and walking the monotheist way to Godhead Sri Krishna.
But we also saw in the SM video of Ganapati being worshipped by German and Spanish Caucasians, Shiv Ratri and Shastra Pujan (weapon worshipping) being observed by Russians with similar spirit of Rath Yatra held in Philippines, Africa, USA etc. The Statue of Shiva was seen in a Brazilian carnival procession.
Sanatan Dharma taken to the world by Swami Vivekananda, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Ramana Maharishi, Mata Amritanandamayi or many other of our ascetics may not be different from ISKCON because they also believe in एकं सद् विप्रा बहुधा वदन्ति । ऋ. 1.164.46.
(Explained in detail in my INDIA BEYOND NARRATIVES Page -141, https://prakhargoonjpublications.com/book/india-beyond-narratives-a-retrospective-analysis/ also available in amazon)
Last TWO posts we discussed Bhagwat Gita, Ch. 10 /shloka 21, 22 and 23. Let us see what He says about “Vibhuti Yoga”.
Hinduism is not a commandment or dictation but a continuous process of realization through experiences. The conditioned mind cannot experiment with their experiences. That’s why freedom of thought is needed. Freedom and Discipline do not have a good relation when it comes to creativities. That’s how various opinions crop up.
Turning information into knowledge is a free process. Hinduism appears to be the union of ‘sects’ but it is not. It is a choice a Hindu make to seek Him in a discipline.
This is Finding deities or various manifestations of Sri Krishna in Gita in Ch. : 10
Serial: FOUR (to be continued)
Bhagwat Gita :
पुरोधसां च मुख्यं मां विद्धि पार्थ बृहस्पतिम् |
सेनानीनामहं स्कन्द: सरसामस्मि सागर: || 24||
Translation:
O Arjun, amongst priests, I am Brihaspati; amongst warrior chiefs I am Kartikeya; and amongst reservoirs of water, know Me to be the ocean.
Narration: of shloka: 24
Explanation –I
Those who think only mythology in Hinduism have to understand that believers of a flat Earth came to know round Earth from Galileo Galilei (1564 –1642 AD) and NASA in 1958 but here Rishi Vyasdev writing in 3 BCE about a war of Iron Age (1200 to 800 BCE) based on cosmological description/ calculation given by his father Rishi Parashara who named the Dev Guru as BRIHASPATI बृहस्पति (Jupiter), the biggest planet that he knew.
Even earlier in the Ramayana era date of events and birthplace and date of Sri Ram were recorded according to the planetary position. Sceptics can take the example of Sri Ram’s birthplace & date confirmation by NASA in 2022 by interpreting Hindu scriptures.
In Vedic text sage Brihaspati is also known as Bramanaspati, Purohita, Angirasa (son of Angiras). He is also Agni (Jupiter) and his wife is Tara (means sky and also stars).
The wife of a planate is Sky. It is a myth or literary description? You decide.
From Vedic texts and scriptures to Puranas are not “myths” but “literary descriptions” of Observations and Realizations thereon of our Seers and sages (described in yesterday’s post).
As we find modern scientists differ from one another before arriving at a final state, the same might have been the case with Rishis and thus we have ONE basic energy, celestial object or planet having various names in different texts.
This shloka is about PUROHITA.
Purohita (पुरोहित).—means 1) Placed in front. Or 2) Appointed, charged, entrusted. 3) A family-priest like मन्त्रिपुरोहितसखः (mantripurohitasakhaḥ) ,अमात्यानुपधाभिः शौचयेत् (amātyānupadhābhiḥ śaucayet), पुरोहितो हितो वेदस्मृतिज्ञः सत्यवाक् शुचिः (purohito hito vedasmṛtijñaḥ satyavāk śuciḥ) Kavikalpalatā.**
**Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries & Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary
Purohit – also means to preside upon and supervise with authority on an occasion of his/her knowledge. Varna or caste had nothing to do with her.
Explanation -2
We have seen Deva (god/goddess or Devata) ) as celestial (positive) energy and Asuras (Rakshas, Danab etc.) as lower (Negative) energies.
Devatas are attributed with certain traits related to cosmic energies. Mantras are supposed to be human-created vibrations that can affect those energies to some extent.
(We will discuss what scientists talk of Gayatri Mantra in the next chapter).
The Guru: Preceptor or guide or councillor.
Brihaspati is the Guru of the devatas and Shukracharya is the Guru of the negative energies.
We thus seek Him in Brihashpati.
Next is Kartikeya, the warrior chief: (Senapati)
Who are the warrior gods in Hinduism?
- Indra, king of heaven, thunder, rains, the gods, and the senses.
- Kartikeya: god of war and victory.
- Ayyappan: warrior deity. Lord Vishnu as Dharmasastha and Manikandan
- Mangala: god of war and Mars.
- Nirrti निरृति : goddess of strife. Personifying death, decay, and sorrow.
- Parvati: and her forms of Durga and Kali.
- Shiva: god of destruction, time, and arts.
- Vishnu: god of preservation. ( here the Valor is in Bhaki, which works as Shakti – my interpretation)
Nirrirta
Kartikeya
Note the beauty, Shiv, and Parvati are parents, Indra is king but the SEAPATI / Chief of the forces is Kartikeya. Sri Krishna wants us to seek Him in Kartikeya.
Bhagwat Gita :
महर्षीणां भृगुरहं गिरामरम्येकमक्षरम् ।
यज्ञानां जपयज्ञोऽस्मि स्थावराणां हिमालयः ॥25॥
Translation:
Of the great rishis I am Bhrigu, and of words I am the monosyllable “Om.” Of sacrifices I am the sacrifice of japa (silent repetition -JAPA-YAJNA); of immovable things, I am the Himālaya.
Narration of shloka: 25
Who is Rishi Bhrigu?
He was one of the seven great sages, the Saptarshis (in Latin Great Bear constellation or Irsa Major 7 bright stars arranged in a pattern resembling somewhat a big bear).
The other six are Atri, Angiras, Vasishtha, Pulastya, Pulaha, and Kratu.
Image of Saptarshi
Bhrigu Rishi is one of the many Prajapatis (the facilitators of creation – like ‘Daksha’ discussed earlier). He is the first compiler of predictive astrology, the Bhrigu Samhita.
What is OMKAR- ॐ?
The religious and spiritual significance of the OM is by and large known but now modern sciences also acknowledge it as Mantra that vibrates at 432 Hz. Its frequency of vibration is slower than a high-pitch sound at about 15 KHz.
Chanting OM stimulates our parasympathetic system to slow down our heart rate, as well as release serotonin and GABA.
Some unconfirmed scientific quest suggests it is the sound of the cosmos/galaxy.
However, Sri Krishan asks us to seek him in OM by silent repetition -JAPA-YAJNA and like the immovable Himalaya.
Think for yourself if ISKCON can afford to be a Sri Krishna-centric monotheist. They might be behaving like monotheist in an Abrahamic environment but I do not think they can avoid Vedic Pantheon.
Ayyappa Swami
Kartikaya Muragan ,Brihashpati ,Nirrutri and Ayyappa Swamy
subhasmitra.co.in 
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