Sri Daksinamurti - The Form

Lord Daksinamurti is the presiding deity of Brahma-vidya (self-knowledge) . He is given a particular form for the purpose of worship and contemplation .

Lord Daksinamurti is shown seated under a banyan tree , surrounded by disciples . The Lord is seated on Nandi , the bull who is traditionally the vehicle of Lord Siva . The Lord has four hands . In his lower right hand , He exhibits the cin-mudra and also holds a japa-mala . In his upper right hand , the Lord is holding a damaru ( a small drum ) and a pasa , a noose . In his upper left hand , we see fire , and in the lower left hand , a book . The sun and the moon adorn the crown of the Lord . We also see in his matted locks the maiden figure representing the Ganga . In his right , the Lord wears a man's earring , and in his left ear , a women's earring . He is adorned with necklaces and armlets , a belt and bracelets . His left feet is resting on his right thigh ( in the posture called Virasana ) and his right foot presses a dwarf-like crouching demon called Apasmara .

In understanding the form of Lord Daksinamurti , I will categorise the features in the form into two :

1) The features associated with Lord Siva in general

2) The features unique to Lord Daksinamurti

For now , we will only look into the aspects of Lord Daksinamurti that is generally associated with Lord Siva .Lord Siva is the substratum upon which the play of the creation , sustenance and resolution takes place .

Here is the list of features of  Lord Daksinamurti and their meaning :

Sun and moon ~ eyes of the Lord

The third eye ~ eye of wisdom , representing knowledge

Ornaments of the Lord ~ glories of the Lord

The Lord's vehicle , Nandikesvara ~ represents dharma , justice and virtue

Lord Siva is also known as Ardhanarisvara ( half-male and half-female) representing the union of male aspect (purusha) and female aspect (prakrti) in the creation . In Lord Daksinamurti , this is represented by the Lord wearing a male earring in one ear and female earring in another ear .


The 5 basic elements (panca-bhutas) from which this universe is made are also present in the form :

1) Ganga on the Lord's matted locks ~ element water

2) Damaru ( the small drum ) ~ produces sound , therefore represent element space & symbol of creation

3) Fire ~ element fire & symbol of destruction

4) The matted locks ~ element air

5) Ashes smeared on the Lord's body ~ element Earth

Signing off ,
~Dhesegaan~

Sri Daksinamurti - Introduction

Lord Daksinamurti is Lord Siva manifest as the first teacher . He is brahma-vidya sampradaya karta , the iniator of the teaching tradition of self-knowledge . According to the Puranas , Lord Brahma created four manasa-putras ( sons born out of Brahma's mind ) known as the Sanatkumaras ( Sanaka , Sanandana , Sanatana and Sanatkumara ) in the beginning of the creation . Lord Brahma asked them to join him in the task of creation . However , the Sanatkumaras being renunciates by nature , set out towards the northern direction in search of the truth and performed penance . Pleased with them , Lord Siva appeared as Lord Daksinamurti ( facing south ) and imparted brahma-vidya to them . Lord Daksinamurti also taught brahma-vidya to Nandikesvara , the bull that Lord Siva rides on  . In the Puranas , it is said that Nandi is an ardent devotee of Lord Siva . He performed great penance at a place called Uttaramayura-ksetra . The Lord , pleased , appeared before Nandi and imparted Brahma-vidya to him .

The following verse from Guru Vandanam tells us that Lord Siva as Lord Daksinamurti is the first teacher of the guru-sisya parampara :

sadasiva samarambham , sankaracaryamadhyamam 

asmadacaryparyantam , vandeguruparamparam

I salute the lineage of teachers , beginning with Lord Siva ( Lord Daksinamurti ) , linked by Sri Sankaracharya in the middle , and extending down to my own teacher .

"Daksina" means south and "murti" means south . So , Daksinmaurti means the form that faces south . The word "uttara" ( north ) , in Sanskrit , means to rise and cross over . Therefore , the word symbolizes the rising above the senses and crossing the ocean of samsara ( cycle of birth and death ) . So , northern direction is associated with knowledge , evolution and freedom . South , on the other hand , is associated with ignorance and death . Knowledge flows from north to south . So , the students face north to receive the knowledge from the teacher . The teacher faces south because he is enlightened and has conquered death .

We see that the teacher , Lord Daksinamurti is young but his disciples are all old and aged . The Lord is ever-young because the self never ages . The Lord is beyond time and therefore , He is free from the cycle of birth and death and all other modifications of time (kala ) . The Lord is of the nature , ananda , fullness . The disciples are also of this nature . But , they take themselves to be the physical body . Therefore , they are subjected to time and thus , they are also subjected to the cycle of birth and death . The old age of the disciples is also a symbol of maturity because generally , as you grow older , you are expected to be more matured .

Signing off ,
~Dhesegaan~

Story of Ganga

Sagara was the king of Ayodhya during the Iksvaku dynasty . He had two wives , Sumathi and Kesini . Sumathi had sixty-thousand sons while Kesini had only one son , Asamanja . Sagara arranged for an Asvamedha  ( horse-sacrifice ) ritual . As part of the ritual , the consecrated horse was set free to be captured by anyone . The king would fight that person and recover the horse , defending his authority and sovereignty .

Lord Indra , threathened by Sagara's Asvamedha sacrifice , stole the horse and hid it in a cave . Kesini's sixty-thousand sons went in search of the horse and found it in a cave  Sage Kapila was meditating nearby the cave . Mistaken that Sage Kapila stole the horse , Kesini's sons rushed to kill the sage . Offended , Sage Kapila cursed them to become ashes .


Ansuman ( son of Asamanja ) , Sagara's grandson went to search
for the horse and his uncles . He located the horse at the cave and also

saw Sage Kapila . The devoted Ansuman saw Lord Visnu in Sage Kapila and glorified him . The sage , pleased with Ansuman , asked Ansuman to take the horse with him . He also narrated the fate of Ansuman's uncles to Ansuman .

"Only the holy waters of Ganga can redeem their sins , " Sage Kapila told Ansuman .

King Sagara completed the the Asvamedha sacrifice . He installed Ansuman on the throne and left to forest to love a life of prayer and contemplation . Ansuman and his successor , Dilipa tried to bring Ganga to Earth but they failed . Bhagiratha , Dilipa's son , was very committed to bring Ganga to Earth . He gave his ministers the mandate to rule the kingdom and went to forest to perform severe penance .

Goddess Ganga , pleased with Bhagiratha's penance , agreed to descend to Earth . But , she was worried that her powerful descend might break open the Earth and she will flow into the nether world . Then , the nether world people will bathe in her , washing their sins and make her impure . Bhagiratha promised Goddess Ganga that he will find a way to hold Ganga's forceful descend .

" Even if the people of nether world wash their sins in you , dear Goddess , you will remain eternally pure because the holy men of Earth will also bathe in you " , he added .

Bhagiratha then worshiped Lord Siva , seeking the Lord's help to hold the forceful descend of Ganga . Lord Siva granted Bhagiratha his request . As Goddess Ganga flowed from the heaven , Lord Siva contained her force by folding her in his matted locks . He then gradually released her as a river on Earth . Bhagiratha led Ganga to the spot where Sage Kapila cursed his ancestors to ashes . Purified by the holy waters of Ganga , Sagara's sons arose and ascended to heaven .

Ganga is also known as Bhagirathi ( one who is born out of Bhagiratha's efforts ) , Akasa Ganga ( one who flows in the heaven ) , Tripathaga ( one whose path extends to the three worlds , namely heaven , earth and the nether world ) , Jahnavi (daughter of Sage Jahnu) and Mandakini ( one whose flow is gentle in the heavens ) .

Originating at Gomukh in the Himalayan ranges , Ganga flows through Gangotri ( place where Bhagiratha performed penance ) and passes the citied of Rishikesh , Haridwar , Allahabad and Varanasi ( Kasi ) . A temple for Goddess Ganga has been built at Gangotri .

It is believed that a dip in the holy waters of Ganga river will purify one from all sins and grant the person moksa or liberation .

Signing off ,
~Dhesegaan~

Q & A on Isvara

The creation does not exist apart from Isvara . In simple words , Isvara manifested as the creation . With this understanding , many fundamental questions about Isvara can be answered .

Q : Where is Isvara (God) ?

A : What exists in the creation is Isvara alone . Since the god is material cause , the material   ( panca-bhutas : air , fire , space , water and earth ) is not separate from Isvara .Thus , Isvara is all-pervasive (everywhere) . He is not bound to any particular desa(place) , kala(time) and vastu (form) . He is aparichinnaha ( not limited ) .

Q : Is Isvara male or female ?

A : God is neither male or female . Isvara is formless and thus has no gender . The pronoun " He " is just used conventionally .

Q : How many Gods do Hindus have ?

A : There is only God in the creation . So , Hindus believe in only God . We do not believe in one God or many Gods . We believe and worship only God .

Q : Why do Hindus pray to forms (stones , trees , animals and etc.) ?

A :  Since God is the creation , then all forms that exist in this creation is God . Since all forms are the Lord's form , then I can invoke and worship God in any given form because there is divine spark in every form . Hindus do not pray to forms . We invoke and pray to the divinity abiding in these forms . This divinity is God .

Q : Why do you need a form ?

A : The forms serve as a focus or concentration point of our devotion during our prayers and rituals .

Q : Fine , but you can just choose one form and pray to God through that form . Why do Hindus have  so many forms ?

A : When you look at the Lord from a given law or function , the Lord becomes the presiding deity , devata of that law or function . For example , from the function of creation , the Lord is seen as the Brahma devata Since there are countless laws and functions governing the creation , so the Lord can be worshiped through countless forms also . For a particular desire to be fulfilled , one invokes a particular deity and worships that deity  Just like when you are having a stomachache , a headache medicine will not resolve your problem . Only a stomachache medicine will because its function is to cure a stomachache .  However , one has to be clear that prayer to any deity is prayer to the Lord alone .

Q : How were these forms introduced to Hindus?

A : These forms are vision of the Rishis to express to the people who are unable to have access to the Vedas . Every forms represents the power within us .

Q : Who are the Rishis ?

A : As the creation came about , the Vedas were revealed in the form of sound by the Lord . Rishis or seers were capable of receiving the Vedas and handing over the knowledge to posterity for the benefit of humanity .

Signing off ,
~ Dhesegaan ~

Who Is God ?

                        Creation of anything involves two causes : the intelligent cause and the material cause . In simple words , there is a maker and a material in a creation . The intelligent cause is here is the maker who has the knowledge and skill to create the object . The material cause refers to the material from which the object is made . For example , in the creation of a clay-pot , the intelligent cause is the pot-maker and the material cause is the clay . Both causes must be present for creation to occur . With just the pot-maker and  no clay , the clay-pot cannot be made and vice-versa .

                         The intelligent cause and material can exist independently or rest within the same being . In the case of pot-maker , the material cause (clay) exist independently of the intelligent cause (pot-maker ) . But , if you take your dream as example , then both the causes rest within the same being . Your memories and thoughts (material cause) build your dream world and you control your dream world (intelligent cause)

                         When one looks at the world , one sees that everything is in order  . Planets don't go clashing each other ; they move in their respective orbits . Everything that goes up comes down because of gravity . Nothing is without purpose So , one comes to see that there is an intelligence present that governs and maintains this order . We acknowledge this intelligent cause to be God .
                         
                          However , we know that intelligence alone is not enough for creation to occur . What is the material used to create this world then ? Where would this material be ? Does it exist independently from God or is it within God ? Say the material exist independently , then who created it ? Say another God created it , then from what did that Lord make the material form ? Eventually , one would end up in infinite regression looking for the first material . In fact , when I ask , " Where would this material be ? " , the word "where" indicates space . But , space itself is part of the creation . Since there is a world that you and me can see , means creation has took place . The only way possible that this happened is because the material cause is within God . In fact , the material cause is God .

                          Being all-knowing or omniscient (intelligent cause) , the unmanifest God expresses himself as the world using his powers of maya . The one who is both the intelligent cause and the material cause of the creation (world) is Isvara ( or God or the Lord or The Supreme Being ) .

Signing off ,
~Dhesegaan~

Simple Prayers to Deities

Lord Ganesha

suklambaradharam visnum , sasivarnam caturbhujam

prasanna-vadanam dhyayet , sarvavighnopasantaye

Meaning :

Lord Vighnesvara , who wears a white garment , who is all-pervading , who has a bright complexion ( like the full moon ) , who has four hands ( representing all power ) , who has an ever-smiling face , upon that deity may one meditate , for the removal of all obstacles .

Sri Devi

sarva mangala mangalye , sive sarvarthasadhake 

saranye tryambake gauri , narayani namo'stute

Meaning :

Salutations to you , Narayani who is the auspiciousness of all that is auspicious , who is the consort of Lord Siva , who is the means of accomplishing all desires , who is the refuge of all , who is the consort of the three-eyed Lord Siva ( tryambake gauri ) and who is the fair complexioned one .

Sarasvati Devi

sarasvati namastubhyam , varade kamarupini

vidyarambham karisyami , siddhirbhavatu me sada

Meaning :

Salutations to you O Goddess Sarasvati , who is the giver of boons and who has a beautiful form ! I begin my studies . Let there be success for me always .

Signing off ,
~Dhesegaan~

Daily Prayer Mantras

Prayer is prescribed to be done at morning , noon and evening . These mantras can be used for your daily prayers . Please be sure of the pronunciations from your respective learning resources (if you are not from Arsha Vidya Nilayam or any of my classes)

Ganapathi Prathana

                                   Om Gananam tva ganapatigm havamahe
                                   Kavim kavinam upamasra vastamam
                                   Jyestarajam brahmanam brahmanaspata
                                   Anas srnvannu tibhis sida sadanam
                                   Om Maha Ganapataye Namah

Meaning :

I worship you , the Lord of Ganas (all living beings including the devas , being the creator and protector ) , the one who is far-sighted , who has attained great fame through similes , the most exalted one and who shines in the heart of the devotees , the knower of Brahman , the Lord of Vedas . While listening to our praises , come with all protective means and be sitted in our heart .

Tryambakam Mantra

Om tryamabakam yajamahe , sugandhim pustivardhanam

Urvarukamiva bandhanan , mrtyormuksiya ma'mrta"t

Meaning :

I invoke the formless Isvara in the form of Lord Siva and worship his third eye of wisdom . Isvara , bless me with fragrance in the form of good character . Nourish me with all my wants and desires . Similar to the cucumber that detaches itself from the main branch once ripened , bless me with the maturity to grow out of my innate fear . May I never be kept away from immortality .

Om Namaste Astu Bhagavan Visvesvaraya Mahadevaya Tryambakaya Tripurantakaya Trikalagnikalaya Kalagnirudraya Nilakanthaya Mrtyunjayaya Sarvesvaraya Sadasivaya Sriman Mahadevaya Namaha

Meaning:

Salutations to Thee , O Lord , the master of the universe ,the great Lord , the three-eyed one , the destroyer of Tripura ( the cities of Gold , Silver and Bronze ) , the extinguisher of the Trikala fire and the fire of death , the blue-necked one , the victor over death , the Lord of all , the ever-auspicious one , the glorious God of Gods .

                        Om purnamadaf purnamidam purnat purnamudacyate 
                              Purnasya purnamadaya purnamevavasisyate 

                                           Om santis santis santih

Signing off ,

~Dhesegaan~

Memories from KMPP

                                                        

                 I proudly present my group of students who I have been teaching in Kolej Matrikulasi Pulau Pinang for the past few months . This picture was taken on the last class . Some of them could not make it for the last class but I highly acknowledge all of them for devoting their time to learn about Hinduism .

              Although I taught them a little but their spirit of learning is very high and has always inspired me to teach them more . Within a very short period of time , they have grasped the basics of the Vedic knowledge very well .  I believe that the 15 to 20 of them from KMPP will make a significance difference in the future of Hinduism . With them around , Hinduism will grow free from the boundaries of cults and misconceptions .

                I wish all of you guys and girls all the best for your future . Remember  , the class at college is just a stepping stone . There’s a long way for you to go in your spiritual pursuit . I hope I can be a help in that through this blog .

Signing off ,

~Dhesegaan~

Arsha Vidya Nilayam

The knowledge of the Vedas is Arsha Vidya . It didn't start at a given time . The Vedic tradition that has been coming down to us in an oral form has no beginning . Therefore , we say Arsha Vidya is beginningless . It is not a mystic tradition , a set of beliefs , which will die when the person holding it dies . Any belief's survival requires organization . But here without organization , without hierarchical structure , without a papacy , without diocese , without congregation and parish , it has survived . To do this , it must have an intrinsic worth . It is not simply beliefs handed down ; it is knowledge handed over . This teaching , " I am the whole " is the knowledge or the vision of the Rishis . This is not the only knowledge given to us by the Rishis ; they have given us a lot . But this is the one thing that stands out , the one thing that backons everyone , the one thing that cannot but fascinate everyone -even a dull person . This knowledge , the Arsha Vidya is the most fascinating , the most helpful , the most yearned for . Once one has gained this vidya , one can make the other also see it .

Arsha Vidya is communicable . It is a vision that can be communicated and shared by a person who himself of herself has been exposed to the sampradaya , methodology of teaching . This methodology of teaching is so thorough , it doesn't leave anything to be desired . Arsha Vidya is a tradition of immediate blessing . It is not something that blesses you later . It is a tradition of immediate blessing and that is why it works .

Arsha Vidya Nilayam was officially registered as an Institution of Traditional Scriptural Learning in Ipoh . The founder Acharya of Arsha Vidya Nilayam is His Holiness Sri Swami Jitatmananda Saraswati . Currently , Gita classes on Saturdays , Sunday Vedic classes for children and teenagers and also Dakshinamurty Puja on every Thursdays are conducted at Ashram . May Isvara bless Swami Jitatmananda Saraswati with a long life and good health so that more people can benefit from his teachings .

Signing off ,
~ Dhesegaan~