Indian Culture and Traditions - 8






























Indian Culture and Traditions







When Amrit Or Nectar Comes To The Earth
By Vimla Patil




The famous Indian story of Amrit Manthan or Samudra Manthan – which is considered as one of the important Hindu legends of evolution – has been immortalized in all oriental cultures through paintings and sculptures in museums and heritage sites across India and many countries like Cambodia and Thailand….The world’s biggest gatherings of human beings at Kumbh Melas held in Haridwar, Ujjain, Nashik and Prayag are also associated with this fabulous legend, which is central to Hindu culture…
Last year (2010-11), when the gigantic Kumbha Mela was organized on the banks of the Ganga in Haridwar, the whole world sat up and took notice of the record crowds of Indians from all regions and a huge number of international visitors who arrived in this holy city in the Himalayas. Figures quoted by various sources put the number at 30 to 40 million which, by all accounts, seem almost fictional.  Whatever the real number, it was undoubtedly humongous!  Yet, the law and order authorities in India as well as millions of visitors and TV watchers and Facebook aficionados around the world wondered at the absolute discipline and order with which the Mela was organized from January 14 to April 28. Acknowledged as the largest religious gathering in the world, this event happened when the planet Jupiter entered Aquarius in January and the Sun entered Aries in April. In this huge gathering, there were sadhus from hundreds of orders of sanyasis, foreign tourists from the U.S., U.K., Europe, Russia and millions of devotees from all corners of the sub-continent. All of them converged on the banks of the Ganga to have their ritual bath in the sacred river during the Kumbh Mela.
Held once in 12 years at one of the four designated holy cities in India, the Kumbh Mela has been described also as the world’s largest congregation of humanity. The other three cities are Ujjain on the banks of the River Kshipra, Madhya Pradesh, Nashik on the banks of River Godavari in Maharashtra and Prayag at the confluence of the Rivers Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati in Uttar Pradesh. This is where the next Maha Kumbh will be held in 2012-13 at a projected cost of Rs.753 crores! The Kumbh Mela has also been described as the ‘Festival of the Pot of Nectar which symbolizes immortality’ and filmed or videoed by innumerable visitors. Many of these videos can be seen on the Internet.
The first written evidence of the Kumbh Mela held as an event, is found in the accounts of the well-known Chinese traveller and writer, Huan Tsang or Xuanzang (602 - 664 A.D.) who visited India from 629 to 645 CE, during the reign of the King Harshavardhana.  Harshwardhana was a powerful emperor who ruled for forty one years, with his empire including Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Bengal, Orissa and the whole of the Indo Gangetic plain above the River Narmada. It is believed that ever since then; the Kumbh Mela has regularly been celebrated in India for centuries. However, it is fascinating to know the story of this event in yet another context.
In Indian culture, the origin of this wonderful Pot of Nectar is found in one of the most celebrated and venerated fables of creation and evolution:  The Samudra Manthan episode (Churning of Kshirsagar or the ocean of milk), which is described in the Bhagavata Purana, Vishnu Purana, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana as well as many other religious texts.
The story says that the gods lost their strength due to the curse of the Sage Durvasa who was annoyed with them because Indra, the king of the heavens had offended him. To regain it, they thought of churning the Kshirasagar or the cosmic ocean of milk, to obtain the nectar of immortality or Amrit. This project needed that they make an understanding with their enemies, the Asuras or demons, to work together and to share the nectar. However, when the pot appeared from the ocean with Dhanvantari, the divine doctor carrying it, a fight ensued. For twelve days and nights, the gods and demons fought for the pot of nectar. It is believed that Lord Vishnu took the pot and taking the form of Mohini, a beautiful woman, promised to serve it to all the Gods who sat in a line to receive their share. However, two demons suspected this move and taking the form of Gods, they also joined the line. The Sun God recognized them and chased them away. Rahu and Ketu pursued him and it is said that whenever they catch him, there is a solar eclipse. While all this was happening, from the pot in the hands of Vishnu, drops of nectar fell at four places on earth: Prayag, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik, and that is where the Kumbh Mela is observed every twelve years. These are the national celebration of the Amrit Kumbh or pot of nectar which gifts immortality.
What is interesting is how the Samudra Manthan or churning of the ocean was conducted and how finally, nectar was found. The fable says that the Mandara Mountain was used as the churning rod and the snake Anant was the rope for the rod. The gods on one side and demons on the other side held one end each of the snake and continued to churn the ocean for days. To steady the churning rod, Vishnu took the form of a turtle or tortoise on whose back the rod rested in the sea bed.
The fable says that 14 jewels or Ratnas were obtained from the ocean. These are: 1.Kamadhenu or Kapila the cow, 2. Airawat, the elephant, 3. Uchaisravas, the divine horse;  4. Gada, the mace, 5. Varuni or Sura, the wine;  6. Kaustubha, the gem; 7. Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and splendour; 8. Chandra, the moon; 9. Apsaras, the celestial nymphs and dancers; 10. Parijat, the celestial flowering tree; 11. Panchajanya Shankha, the sacred  conch; 12. Sharanga, the bow, 13 Kalpavriksha, the tree which grants all wishes and finally, 14. Dhanvantari, the physician of the gods with the pot of nectar. However, after these were extracted, Halahala or poison was left and no one was prepared to take it. Lord Shiva, to save the universe, swallowed it and was given the name of Neelkanth or the blue-throated god because of this. He put the moon over his head to cool it and also had the Ganga descend into his hair to cure of the effect of the poison. The rest of the jewels were distributed among the various gods with Vishnu and Indra getting the most. It must be noted that various sources give different lists of these jewels.
This story, one of the basic Indian theories of evolution, has influenced all oriental cultures in a major way. In India, Cambodia, Thailand and Sri Lanka, many paintings and sculptures show this millennia-old influence. The worship or celebration of the pot of nectar is seen in all Indian rituals and sacraments like weddings, house-warmings, havans, festivals and celebrations. The desire for immortality and full pot or kalash which symbolizes it has spawned great art, music and dance in Indian culture.



 

Worship Of God As Mother In The Indian Tradition
By Swami Satyasthananda



OF the diverse forms of worship prevalent in India from time immemorial, worship of the Divine Mother has occupied a place of singular significance. This idea of worshipping the Divine as the Eternal Mother has not been developed in any other religion of the world as it has been in the Hindu tradition and therefore it represents a unique contribution of Hindu thought to global religious culture.
According to Vedanta, when the formless and attributeless supreme Brahman assumes form with the help of its inscrutable power, maya, it is called Saguna Brahman or Ishvara. There are two aspects to the ultimate Reality: the absolute and the relative. From the absolute standpoint Brahman is impersonal and without attributes, nirguna; whereas from the relative standpoint it is saguna, the personal God. Though these two aspects appear to be mutually exclusive, they are in fact identical, much like fire and its power to burn.
In India the personal god is worshipped in various forms and is called by various names. This has led to the formation of different sects. To Shaivas Shiva is the Supreme Deity, to Vaishnavas, Vishnu; and to Shaktas, Shakti manifests as Mother or Devi. Again, according to the different temperaments of aspirants, the same deity is addressed as father, master, friend, beloved, or mother. Sri Ramakrishna always referred to God as ‘my Mother’. The idea of addressing and worshipping God as Mother is a very ancient tradition in India. This idea finds expression in the Vedas and the Upanishads and was further developed in the Purnas and the Tantras.
Origin and Development of Mother-Worship
In India, where according to Manu ‘the daughter is the highest object of tenderness’ and the mother is revered a thousand times more than the father’, the adoration of the female principle in the Creation has been in evidence from the very beginning of civilization. Not only has God been looked upon as the feminine par excellence, the Divine Mother, but women have also been looked upon as manifestations of the Divine Mother and have been offered worship at every stage of life -- as virgins, as married women and as mothers. The Divine Mother is not only the mother of the universe; she is also the Eternal Virgin. From remote antiquity, through unrecorded centuries, right up to our own times, the conception and adoration of the feminine principle as Divine has undergone such evolutionary changes that it is difficult to exactly determine how and when the different forms of goddesses originated and developed in India’s religious history.
The following seem to be plausible reasons for the development of Mother-worship in
India: (i) the position women enjoyed at home and in society in the days when such the highest of all feminine types at home and in society; (ii) the security the aspirant feels in the natural love and consideration of the mother towards her child; and (iii) the concept that God creates sustains, and destroys the universe by his Power or Shakti. Swami Vivekananda points out a source in an old Vedic hymn to the Goddess: “I am the light. I am the light of the sun and moon; I am the air which animates all beings.” This is the germ which afterwards develops into Mother –worship. By Mother –worship is not meant difference between father and mother. The first idea connoted by it is that of energy----I am the power that is in all beings.’ Mother-worship is a distinct philosophy in itself. Power is the first of our ideas. It impinges upon man at every step; power felt within is the soul; without, nature. And the battle between the two makes human life. All that we know or feel is but the resultant of these two forces. Man saw that the sun shines on the good and evil alike. Here was a new idea of god, as the Universal Power behind all---the Mother-idea was born.
Activity, according to Sankhya, belongs to Prakriti, to nature not to Purusha or soul. Of all feminine types in India, the mother is pre-eminent. The mother stands by her child through everything. Wife and children may desert a man, but his mother never! Mother, again is the impartial energy of the universe, because of the colourless love that asks not, desires not, cares not for the evil in her child but loves him the more. And today Mother-worship is the worship of all the highest classes amongst the Hindus
We find traces of Mother-worship in the  Indus civilization has been assigned to the third millennium BCE, and is characterized by urban culture. The female figurines in terracotta
found at Mohenjo-daro are comparable to similar artifacts excavated from archaeological sites in Baluchistan, Elam, Mesopotamia, Transcaspia, Asia Minor, Syria, Palestine, Cyprus, Crete, the Balkans and Egypt. It is probable that this devotion originated from a community of ideas shared by the people of these regions. The generally accepted view is that these figurines represent the Great Mother or Nature Goddess, whose worship, under various names and forms is still prevalent in India.
The Vedic Period
There is a widespread misconception that the worship of god as Mother is a post-Vedic or non-Vedic practice. But this idea has no basis. Before dealing with the worship of God as Mother in the Vedic period however, it is necessary to say a few words about the Vedic concept of the godhead.
The history of Hinduism can be traced back to the hymns recorded in the Rig Veda. In these hymns we have the most astonishing record of the march of the human mind from the worship of the half-personified forces of nature like fire, wind, and rain to the realization of the absolute Spirit. We find the religious poets of the Vedas groping their way towards the eternal---now marching ahead, now receding, now triumphant, and now dissatisfied---leaving behind them a trail of broken images, overthrown divinities, and abandoned faiths. Nothing mattered to them except a resolute search for unity.
The gods of popular belief, being only half-personified natural phenomena, gave them the clue. One god faded away into another. The same epithets had been employed to describe more than one God. When these divinities overlapped so much, it was inferred that they must all be one in essence. Hence the Vedic poets could freely extol one god as supreme at any given time, ignoring the claims of other gods. The myths of the Vedic Samhitas are unique in attributing the idea of infinity to every one of these gods. These deities or devas-----Indra, Varuna, Vayu, and so on--- are first worshipped as gods and then are raised to the status of the Supreme Being in whom the whole universe exists, who sees every heart, who is the ruler of the universe. Again with Varuna, another idea is perceptible in germ form: evil and fear. On committing evil deeds people become afraid and ask Varuna for pardon. These ideas of fear and sin never really took deep roots in Indian soil but the germs were there.
Thus in the Vedas we see an early form of monotheism. This invoking individual gods as the highest the elevation to supremacy of one god at a time has been termed ‘henotheism’ by Max Muller. The gods are thus taken up as it were, one after another raised and sublimated, till each has assumed the proportions of the infinite personal God of the universe. The same is true of the Vedic goddesses. But this monotheistic idea did not satisfy the Vedic mind. There was an attempt to get behind these powerful gods and grasp the ‘power; of which they were the manifestations. A well known hymn says: ‘that Being is one which the wise call by various names as Agni, Yama, and Matarishvan’2.
It is difficult to pinpoint the origin of the mother goddess idea in the Vedas, but the fact that deities like Aditi and Saraswati are described by rishis as ‘motherly’ shows that the idea of the Mother underlying such Puranic deities as Uma, Durga, Parvati, and Lakshmi is undoubtedly of Vedic origin. The Vedic seer worships divinity in various devotional moods, the most elementary being that of child towards its mother. We find this manifest in such Rig Vedic phases as ‘Pita mata sadaminmanusanam; Agni is always father and mother to humans’ (Rig Veda 6.I.5 ); ‘mateva yadbharase paprathano janam janam; (Agni) sustains all beings like a mother’ (5.15.4) and ‘vayam syama maturna sunavah; (O Usha!) let us be dear to you like sons to a mother (7.8i.4).
With the simplicity of a child Vedic seers look upon heaven and earth as Father and Mother and pray to them for protection from sin and guidance in the moral order. It is worth noting that when Mother Earth is invoked or entreated, she is usually invoked with Dyaus, yet it has to be admitted that the greatness and grandeur of Mother Earth commands reverential praise from her children with whom the offering of songs is the real worship.
The Vedic conception of the Mother goddess is found best represented in Aditi who is mentioned no less than eighty times in the Rig Veda. She is the mother not only of the gods----deva—mata---but also of kings, heroes, men, and women of the entire nature---the manifest as also that which lies in the womb of the future. She is the mistress of the moral order that governs the universe and also the giver of freedom. This tradition of Aditi being the mother of the gods is found continued even in the Puranas.
The ‘Durga Sukta of the Taittiriya Aranyaka is one of the most beautiful hymns in the Vedas. Therein Agni is conceived of as the Divine Mother Durga, the resplendent goddess, blazing in her power:
Tamagnivarnam tapasa jvalantim vairocanim karmaphalesu justam
Durgam devim saranamaham prapadye sutarasi tarase namah
I take refuge in the Goddess Durga, fiery in her luster and radiant with ardency, who is the power of the Supreme manifest in diverse forms, residing in actions and their results. O thou skilled in deliverance us, you steer us expertly across difficulties; salutations to thee.3
In another Vedic hymn Rishi Kushika invokes Night as Mother. She is the daughter of the heaven above pervades the worlds, protects all beings from evils, and gives them peaceful shelter in her lap, mother as she is. In later Puranic texts Night is described as originating from maya, the creative power of Brahman, and is called Bhuvaneshwari the sovereign mistress of the worlds. In the Durga Saptashati Mother Durga is given many epithets ending with the word ratri or night----kalaratri, maharatri, and so on.
The most striking and comprehensive concept of the Divine as Shakti in the Vedas is found in the ‘Devi Sukta’. The whole hymn is an ecstatic outpouring of the realization of Brahman by Vak, the daughter of the sage Ambhrina. Realizing her all pervasive identity she exclaims:
It is I (as identical with Brahman) who move in the form of the Rudras, the Vasus, the Adityas and all other gods… I am the sovereign power (over all the worlds ) bestower of all wealth, cognizant (of the Supreme Being) and the first among those to whom sacrificial homage is to be offered; the gods in all places worship but me, who am diverse in form and permeate everything… I give birth to the infinite expanse overspreading the earth my birthplace is in waters deep in the sea; there from do I permeate variously all the worlds, and touch the heaven above with my body. It is I who blow like the wind creating all the worlds; I transcend the heaven above, I transcend the earth below this is the greatness I have attained.
In the Upanishads
The Mother Goddess makes her appearance in the Kena Upanishad as Uma Haimavati, the power of Brahman. Having defeated the asuras, the devas led by Agni, Vayu, and Indra----were puffed up with pride. They considered themselves all-powerful without knowing where exactly their power came. Brahman appeared before them in the form of a yaksa to remove their conceit-----to show them that they were not only powerless but they also did not realize this fact. He asked Agni to burn a straw and Vayu to lift it. Both failed. To Indra the yaksa did not even grant an interview. When Indra felt humbled, Knowledge (of Brahman) made her appearance in the form of Uma, in all her splendor. She told Indra that the yaksa was none other than Brahman, the ultimate Reality, the source of all powers. The Devi Bhagavata dwells elaborately on this legend and records Indra’s adoration of the Supreme Mother through various hymns. According to Shankaracharya and Sayanacharya, the Vedic commentator, Uma, who imparts the knowledge of Brahman is vidya or ‘spiritual knowledge’ personified.
The Mundaka Upanishad also speaks of seven female powers----kali, karali, and so on---personifications of the flames of the sacrificial fire. The Shvetashvatara, a later theistic Upanishad, refers to the ‘innate power of the Supreme, concealed by its own nature. The sages realized that this power, maya, is none other than Prakriti or primordial nature of infinite variety, with knowledge and action as its natural forms’ (4.10;6.8)
In the Epics and Puranas
It is difficult to say with any degree of certainty if any of the ceremonials and worship rituals of the Divine Mother in any of her currently popular forms---Durga, Chandi, or Kali—were in vogue, as we know them today, during the Epic age of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. In the ‘Balakanda’ of the Ramayana we do get the story of goddess Uma, the youngest daughter of Mount Himavan, who was married to Rudra and was 'highly respected by all gods, including Brahma. The Mahabharata also mentions Pradyumna’s worship of Goddess Katyayani and Aniruddha’s hymn to Goddess Chandi. Of particular importance is King Yudhish-thira’s hymn to Goddess Durga.6 This hymn contains some descriptions of the Goddess which we are familiar with from Puranic times. In some recensions of the text we find another hymn to Durga chanted by Arjuna at the instance of Sri Krishna.7
Before we deal with the worship of the Divine Mother in the Puranas and Tantras we need to briefly review the origin and development of the idea of Shakti in India. In the concept of Shakti we find a happy blending of two elements, one empirical and the other speculative. On the empirical side is Shakti’s role in Puranic cosmogony. It is a universal human experience that there can be no creation without the union of two elements----the male and the female. By analogy with this empirical fact the Rishis conceived of the role of the primordial Father and primordial Mother in the origination of the universe. The Mother held a very important position in many ancient communities; hence it was natural that the cosmic Mother should become the most important deity. The linga and yoni---representing the masculine and feminine respectively----have been the traditional symbols of Shiva and Shakti since ancient times. In virtually every Shiva temple the deity is depicted in the dual aniconic linga-yoni form representing the eternal union of Shiva and Shakti.
Again, it was observed that all existent objects were associated with intrinsic powers. So the Supreme Being, who is responsible for the creation, preservation, and destruction of the universe, must posses infinite powers to carry out these functions. The very fact of its existence presupposes infinite powers. Though the belief in the powers of the Divine is universal, it is lent a special color in India by the dominant Indian tendency to view this power this universal energy as a female counterpart or consort of the ‘possessor of that power’. Thus Shakti came to occupy an important place in the religious consciousness of not only the Shaktas----for whom Shakti is supreme---but also of virtually every other religious sect, including the Shaivas, the Sauras, the Ganapatyas, and the Vaishnavas.
This strong belief in Shakti has fostered a popular synthesis of such apparently contradictory philosophies as Sankhya, Vedanta, Vaishnavism, and Tantra. The Sankhya speaks of Purusha and Prakriti as two independent ultimate realities whose interaction is of the nature of an object and its witness, the ‘accidental’ contact of Prakriti being a mere attribution on the unattached Purusha. In the Puranas and related popular religious literature Prakriti is plainly conceived of as Purusha’s female counterpart, and the Prakriti and Purusha of the Sankhyas become identified with Shakti and Shiva in the Tantras. Similarly, in Vedanta the principle of maya is viewed as the Shakti of Brahman. In later popular religious traditions these pairs came to be identified with such deities as Vishnu and Radha.
Though we have traced the origin of Mother worship to the Vedas as well as to pre-Vedic cults, it is in the Puranas and the Tantras that the concept of Shakti as Mother-Goddess attained remarkable development. We find many of the feminine deities of the Vedas and the Upanishads gradually becoming the Supreme Goddess in the Puranas and the Tantras. Such relations may be traced between the Vedic Goddess Ratri and the Puranic deities Kali and Parvati. In the Brihaddevata Devi Vak is addressed as Ratri, Saraswati, Aditi and Durga.8
In the vast and varied corpus of Puranic literature where the abstract principles of the Vedas and the Upanishads are manifested in more concrete forms, Shakti appears in the form of such deities as Chandi, Durga, Jagaddhatri, and Annapurna. The voluminous Devi Bhagavata is devoted to the celebration of various exploits of the Great Goddess. Another important Shakta text is the Devi Mahatmya or Durga Saptashati, also known popularly as Chandi. Comprising thirteen chapters from the Markandeya Purana, this text elaborates upon the concept of Shakti as the Great Mother and the highest Truth through allegory and is regarded as the most sacred text of the mother-worshippers of India.
In the Chandi the goddess has been mainly styled Devi” but she became well-known in later times as Durga. The epithet ‘Durga’ has been variously interpreted in Puranic and Tantric literature, the central idea being that of the Mother Goddess who saves us from every misery and affliction, from all danger and difficulty. She is also called Chandi, the fierce goddess, in which form she incarnates herself for the purpose of destroying the asuras whenever they threaten the mental peace and heavenly dominion of the devas. Durga is also worshipped as Annapurna or Annada, the giver of food, and as Jagaddhatri, one who upholds the world. In spring she is worshipped as Vasanti, the spring goddess.
In the ‘Devi Kavacha’ an auxiliary of the Chandi, the Devi is conceived of in nine forms, Nava-durga: Shailaputri, daughter of the mountains; Brahmacharini, dwelling in Brahman; Chandraghanta, who has the moon for her bell; Kushmanda, the fertile,; Skandamata, mother of the war god Skanda; Katyayani, the daughter of Rishi Katyayana; Kalaratri, the dark night of dissolution; Mahagauri, the light of knowledge; and Siddhidatri, the bestower of success. The Devi is also conceived of in three forms according to the preponderance of each of the three gunas: of sattva, Maha-saraswati; of rajas, Maha-lakshmi,and of tamas, Maha-Kali.
The ten Mahavidyas are another set of representations of the Devi. Their origin is narrated in connection with the legend of Shiva and his consort Sati. Sati’s father Daksha undertook a big sacrifice and invited all the gods to attend it. But he deliberately chose to ignore his son-in-law Shiva because of his rustic habits and disheveled appearance. Shiva, of course, did not feel offended, but Sati did. She decided to visit the sacrifice and disrupt it. Shiva was not willing to permit this. Sati’s anger increased and she assumed the ten largely fearsome forms of the Mahavidyas: Kali, Tara, Shodashi, Bhuvaneshwari, Bhairavi, Matangi, Chhinnamasta, Dhumavati, Bagala, and Kamala. Scholars are disposed to think of the ten Mahavidyas as different local deities who were later associated with and assimilated into the great Mother Goddess tradition through legend and theology. The sadhakas, on the other hand, would take them as different aspects of the same Great Mother Shakti suited to the tastes, temperaments, and mental levels of spiritual aspirants.
It will not be out of place here to mention the denouement of the story of Daksha’s sacrifice. Sati goes to the sacrifice and unable to stand the insult heaped on her husband, ends her life by entering the sacrificial fire. On getting the news of Sati’s demise Shiva is beside himself with grief and starts roaming the universe with Sati’s corpse on his shoulder. Fearing that Shiva’s grief and anger would ruin the worlds; the gods approach Vishnu for help. Vishnu, the ever-merciful protector of the universe, quietly approaches Shiva and with his discus dismembers Sati’s corpse into fifty-one pieces. Relieved of the corpse, Shiva manages to overcome his grief while each of the fifty-one places where parts of Sati’s body fall become sacred to the worshippers of Devi.
The Durga Saptashati gives us a glimpse into the nature of the Divine mother in the hymn addressed to her by Brahma, the Creator:
You are verily that which cannot be uttered specifically. You are Savitri (the liberating mantra) and the Supreme mother of the gods.
By you this universe is borne, by you this world is created, by you it is protected, O Mother Divine and you always consume it at the end. O you who are ( always ) of the form of the whole world, at the time of creation you are of the form of the creative force, at the time if sustentation you are of the form of protective power, and at the time of dissolution of the world, you are of the form of destructive power. You are the supreme knowledge as well as the great nescience, the great intellect and contemplation and also the great delusion. The power of good is yours; the power of evil too is yours.
You are the primordial cause of everything, bringing into force the three gunas---sattva, rajas and tamas---You are the dark night of periodic dissolution. You are the great night of final dissolution and the terrible night of delusion. You are the goddess of good fortune, the ruler, and modesty, intelligence characterized by knowledge bashfulness, nourishment, contentment, tranquility and forbearance. Armed with various weapons you are terrible. Again you are pleasing, yea, more pleasing than all the pleasing things and exceedingly beautiful. You are indeed the Supreme Empress, beyond the high and low.
And whatever, or wherever a thing exists, conscient or non-conscient, whatever power all that possess is yourself.9
This is the soul-enthralling conception of the Divine Mother whom Hindus worship with great eclat in autumn. This autumnal worship of Mother Durga is especially prominent in Bengal. In the image used for this worship she is usually portrayed in the form of Mahisha-who took the form of a buffalo, as narrated in the Chandi. The Devi has a lion for her vahana, vehicle, and is accompanied by her daughters Lakshmi and Saraswati---or her companions Jaya and Vijaya---as well as her sons Ganesha the giver of success, and Kartika the commander-in chief of the gods. Kali is another popular goddess whose special annual worship is performed on the new moon night after the autumnal Durga Puja.

References
1. The complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, 9 vols
(Calcutta: Advaita Ashrama, i-8, i989, 9, I997)
2. Rig  Veda ,
3. Taittiriya Aranyaka,
4. great women of India, ed. Swami Madhavananda and Rameshchandra Majumdar ( Calcutta: Advaita Ashrama,
5. Shvetashvatara Upanishad
6. Mahabharata, ‘Virata Parva, chap.6
7. Mahabharata, Bhishma Parva, chap. 23
8. Brihaddevata, 2.74-9
9. See Swami Budhananda, ‘Worship of God as Mother, Vedanta Kesari,

 









Om Tat Sat
                                                        
(Continued...) 



(My humble salutations to  H H Sri Swami Satyasthananda ji,  Vimla Patil ji and hindu samskrit dot com  for the collection)

Indian Culture and Traditions - 7




























Indian Culture and Traditions








 


Valentine Love - Indian Ishstyle
By Seema Burman, 



Valentines wait in breathless anticipation to find their posts flooded with greeting cards and phones jammed with messages. Those who have no one and yet wish to participate may say ‘I Love you’ to Krishna who accepts as many damsels in distress as the earth can hold. One such lady in distress wrote a love letter to Him that turns out to be the very first love letter written ever. It so happened………
Petite princess Rukmini had heard about the integrity of dark and handsome cow grazer Krishna whom girls of His village loved deeply but he had shifted residence and since then had been fighting evil kings, releasing his one set of parents from jail, building a wonderful city known for its architect under water in record time.  Rukmini had never set eyes on him but his virtuosity and fame lit a flame in her heart. Gradually Krishna became a passion and she desperately hoped her parents would hear of Him and marry her to him. Her one sided love took a turn when her father king Bhishmaka and queen mother discussed who would be best for their extraordinarily beautiful daughter.
Fame of Krishna had reached them too and they wondered if this most handsome, flute player, full of life yet wise person would be a suitable groom. A princely lineage was not important instead what mattered were a groom’s qualities.  No harm, they thought and decided to invite Him for the swayamvar (occasion where grooms present themselves to the bride) so that Rukmini could choose herself. Heart of hearts they hoped their divinely beautiful daughter with a heart of gold and mind of good judgment would choose Krishna. But son Rukmi rejected the suggestion and warned them of serious consequences if Krishna entered the swayamvar invited or uninvited. He shouted loudly so that his sister could overhear that his friend Shishupala, prince of Chedi would be ideally suited to her.
A horrified Rukmini cried and prayed to each and every God and Goddess. Days of swayamvar neared by and Rukmini’s became pale with fear. Her brother was planning where Shishupala was to be put up and how he, the new addition to the family, was to be welcomed. Shishupala sent word that he was willing to wed Rukmini. The swayamvar was now just a formality for the groom was finalized. Rukmini decided that giving up her life would be the best alternative. In a last bid she called her trustworthy family priest, Sunanda, and asked him to take a letter to Dwarka for Krishna. One look at the crying bride with swollen eyes and the Brahmin knew that he had an enormous role to play in the royal wedding. He hurried to reach Dwarka and fearlessly stood before Krishna with the first love letter ever written and indicated that it was to be read in privacy.
Krishna opened it unsuspectingly and as he read it he was struck with the girl’s surrender, sincerity and extreme love for him. Here was a girl who had never set eyes on Him but by hearing of his actions had loved him so much that she was ready to give up her life if he did not rescue her.  “O the infallible and the most handsome One! Having heard your qualities, which enter through the path of ears and absolve away the pains of life, and having heard about your handsome appearance, which is the only asset of the eyes of living beings with eyes, my heart is accepting you as a consort leaving behind shyness. O Mukunda, the lion among men! Given a chance, which composed girl from a good lineage will not wish for you as a consort; You - Who is the happiness of the minds of people, Who is the happiness of the world, and Who is incomparable from any viewpoint - be it lineage, nature, beauty, knowledge, energy, wealth, or abode. Therefore, O Lord! I have indeed accepted you as a consort and I have submitted myself to you. O lotus-eyed Krishna! Please arrive here and accept me; so that the prince of Chedi, Shisupala does not take away the property of brave — just like a jackal should not take away the prey of a lion.”
Rukmini even gave details of how to get her because her grand wedding would be the most well guarded occasion. There was no time to ask her parents for her hand, she clarified for her brother had conspired with Shishupala and had decided to kill Krishna if spotted anywhere. “Arrive secretly in Vidarbha one day before my marriage. Then after defeating the army-commanders Shisupala and Jarasandha, marry me with the ways of demons by showing your valor and conquering power. If you are wondering that how will you conquer me without killing the women and relatives inside my palace, then I am telling you a way out.
As per an old tradition, there is a grand fair before the marriage, during which the bride goes out to the temple of Girija for prayers”. Krishna knew that time was short and he rushed to get his chariot. The last bit of the letter made him charge with a hurry that left everyone in alarm, “O lotus-eyed Krishna! If I don’t achieve the dust of your feet, which is sought after by incomparable Ones like Umapati (Siva), then I will destroy my life. If the service of your feet is not achieved in this life, then I will take hundreds of birth and do penance; I am sure I will achieve your lotus feet someday.” Realizing something alarming had cropped up Krishna’s elder brother Balarama took his chariot and chased Krishna. The brahmin knew his job was done.
True love always wins. Divine love which is beyond the physical level gets forever etched in human memory. 








TEN Architectural Wonders Of India
By Vimla Patil



The past thousand + years have given India a rich reservoir of architectural designs because of the country’s chequered history. India’s past is a mosaic which mingles design
concepts from all over the world…
The last millennium is a milestone in our history when concepts and ideas of design have flowered in Indian architecture. As a result, India’s celebrated buildings and monuments have become the cynosure of the world’s eyes.
According to many leading architects of India, Indian architecture is difficult to define because so many streams of artistic genius have enriched it.  While Vastushastra and Sthapatyashastra are the original sciences which developed during the early centuries of the last two millenniums, later, building and design styles came from the Mughals, Rajputs, the British, the French, the Portuguese, the Spanish, the Moors and many others who travelled to India for trade or to conquer and settle down.  The earliest marvels of architecture in India are the Hindu and Buddhist caves found in the Sahyadri Mountains, which run down the west coast of India like a green ribbon.  In these rocky crevasses, monks, artists and traders carved over 2000 caves, some as temples, some as Buddhist Viharas, some as Jain monuments and hundreds others as just dwellings or workplaces. 
Thus, Maharashtra earned its place in the Guinness Book of Records as the region with the highest incidence of caves in any region of the world.  Cave architecture is said to have been brought to India by Greeks and Romans, who were used to making catacombs in their own countries during the period of dire oppression of Christians. 
In India, however, caves were larger, more open and full of sculptures and frescoes as well as inscriptions. Later, from cave temples and Viharas, the anonymous architects graduated to carving temples out of rocks and stones till the art of temple building reached its zenith in the 8-9th centuries with Khajuraho, Madurai, Chidambaram, Mahabalipuram, Ellora, Gangaikondacholapuram, Tanjore, Vijayanagar, Srirangapatnam and other cities came to be the sites of immortal shrines and temples.
From those early days to this day, architecture in India has presented a colourful mosaic of styles and beauty.  “The 20th century can be divided into two halves for checking out architectural styles,” say famous architects, “In the first 50 years of the century, we were a colony of Britain and heavily influenced by British concepts of life.  Beautiful offices and institutions were built in the Gothic or Indo Saracenic style in India’s cities, especially Madras, Calcutta and Mumbai.  The two main railway headquarters in Mumbai, the University of Bombay, the Government Offices in Madras, Victoria Memorial in Calcutta - all these are the wonders of the 19th century which impacted the first fifty years of the 20th century. 
“Though modern, 20th century architecture seems of immediate interest to us, India has a vast reservoir of architectural styles,”  say other designers, including Shahi Prabhu, who designed the famous modern Siddhivinayak temple in Mumbai.  He believes that the history of architecture in India is reflected in nine wonders built during the past 1000 years.
“India is a rare mix of cultures,” says Prabhu, “Indian architecture has been through many overlays of periods and styles. As centuries progressed, there were many invasions which were internalised. Each foreign intervention transformed itself into a new concept and all styles co-existed peacefully in the country. Therefore, following the architectural patterns in India through the millennium becomes a wondrous trail and to choose the ten wonders of architecture in India over the past millennium would be an interesting exercise.
“The earliest monument in this group of nine wonders is the Stupa of Sanchi in Madhya Pradesh.  Built in the 2nd century B.C. It is typically Buddhist in character. The central shrine is encircled by the Pradakshina Path and the railing with its four toranas (gates) which depict anecdotes from the Buddha’s life. This monument is the inspiration for many Buddhist and Hindu structures in the following centuries.
“The Kailasa temple in Ellora in Maharashtra, built in the 8th century, represents a unique conjunction of two dominant styles - Buddhist cave architecture and Hindu temple style.  The temple is an enormous monolithic rock carving in an unusual form.  The main temple has a pillared Mandapa with a unique pattern on the roof top consisting of lions within concentric circles.  Five subsidiary shrines around and two gigantic Deepasthambhas are carved directly out of stone. This temple is a wonder of the world and leaves a lasting impact on every visitor.
“Space is an overpowering concept in Indian architecture and the city of Srirangapatanam in Karnataka is a marvellous example of this theory. The entire city here is an organisation of spaces with the temple as the focus.  Built in 14th century, it is an entire temple city which represents the physical transformation of Vedic principles and concepts of the cosmos.  The city is located on an island in the river Kaveri and comprises the temple and seven concentric walls, each with a Gopuram receding in size. 
“Similarly, the step wells of Gujarat have been cited as an exquisite example of subterranean architecture, lying below the earth’s surface.  The famous step well of Adalaj, built in the 15th century has three entrances which meet in a huge square platform, from which a stepped corridor descends downward. An octagonal shaft terminates in a square pond for bathing.  Sculptural ornamentation is a unique feature of the Adalaj well.
“The period of Mughal rule saw the development of beautiful gardens, palaces, forts, mosques and cities.  From Deccan to Kashmir, urban complexes developed during the rule of Akbar and Shah Jehan. The palace complex at Fatehpur Sikri, built in the 16th century, is a significant example of Mughal urban design. It is one the most sophisticated and grand complexes of its kind and yet not gigantic or disproportionate.  In the complex, there are several series of interlinked courtyards which culminate into the great mosque and the Gateway of Triumph or the Buland Darwaza.  This city is a symbol of the confluence of Islamic, Hindu and Buddhist principles of design and represents Akbar’s philosophy of an egalitarian society.
“The Mughal design of the paradise garden was based on the double axis symmetry and four quadrants or Char Bagh.  This concept reached its perfection in the layout of the fabulous Taj Mahal, where the building itself is placed at the end of the garden as a climax to the plan. Every single element of design is perfected here. The four minarets are intentionally tilted outwards to correct the optical error.  Even today, the Taj commands one’s attention because of its pristine glory and purity of existence.  It is unsurpassed for its visual ambience and the quality of marble ornamentation such as relief carving, lace-like friezes or jalis and exquisite inlay work.
“With European colonisers, came new values and industrialisation. Europe was itself transformed by these winds of change and India was affected by the movements which stirred Britain and Europe. The Victoria Terminus, now known as the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus of Mumbai, was built in 1878 and designed by F.W. Stevens.  It is the finest Victorian Gothic style building in India which was designed to offer the exhilaration of arriving in the megalopolis to the millions who came to it through this grand railway station.  However, the ornamentation of the exterior and interior surfaces is of the highest standard and combines neo-Gothic features with tropical and Saracenic motifs, forming a style which came to be known as Bombay Gothic.
“Lutyen’s plan for Delhi would undoubtedly be termed the most ambitious of all architectural projects in the history of the British empire.  The Viceroy’s Palace, (Rashtrapati Bhavan) is a strong political statement as was Akbar’s Fatehpur Sikri.  It was the symbol of British supremacy and power in the orient.  Its colonial character was Indianised by Lutyens, thus continuing the process of assimilation and integration.
Le Corbusier’s Chandigarh is the next wonder in post-Independence India. His brief was to reflect the spirit of freedom and he used the bold vocabulary of design imported from Europe to achieve this objective. Chandigarh is the result of India’s new approach to Independence and modern times.  It signifies the constant give-and-take between various cultures in India which is the backbone of the Indian psyche.”
Add to this the Indian Institution of Management in Ahmedabad by Louis Kahn and you have the ten most beautiful examples of the flow of architecture in India.
“Finally, in architectural design, I would say that time is an all-important dimension.  If designers choose continuity, they have to create links between one generation and the next.  If they opt for change, they have to remember the consequences of sudden transition.  Civilisation is a continuous process. All thinkers and designers must bear in mind their responsibility to contribute to this ever-flowing river of human consciousness.”







Om Tat Sat
                                                        
(Continued...) 



(My humble salutations to  Sri Seema Burman ji, Vimla Patil ji and hindu samskrit dot com  for the collection)

Indian Culture and Traditions - 6



























Indian Culture and Traditions



 







Alavandar- The Glory Of A King And A Saint
By Sangeeta Venkatesh



During the 10th century A.D, in a town called Viranarayanpura in Tamil Nadu, a learned teacher called Maha Bhashya Bhattar would guide his students on various subjects. A scholar called Akkiyalwan from king’s court had the arrogance to challenge other intellectuals and also collect money from them. When Maha Bhashya Bhattar received summons to pay the amount, he was very upset. Seeing the state of his guru, one of his students called Yamuna was incensed and tore the summons into pieces. The king heard about this and asked the boy to have a literary debate with Akkiyalwan. When the queen saw that this boy was only sixteen years old, she asked the king that he should give away half the kingdom to the boy, if he won the debate. If not she would offer herself to wild dogs.
Akkiyalvan asked the boy to make three statements, which he offered to contradict. If he failed, then the boy would be declared the winner. Yamuna then stated: i) Your mother is not a barren woman; ii) The king is a righteous and powerful ruler; iii) The queen is a model of chastity. Akkiyalwan was bewildered as he could not counter any of the above statements and accepted his defeat.
The king then asked Yamuna to counter his own statements. Yamuna contradicted his own statements as follows: i) The Shastras say “Kaakaa Vanthya Kathali Vanthya”, which means that yielding one egg by the crow or one bunch of fruit by a banana plant, both are considered as Non Yielders. That is a single tree can never form a grove. By that analogy, an only son is no son at all. So, Akkiyalvan's mother (who had only one offspring) was as good as barren in the eyes of the law; ii) The king cannot be called righteous as he had appointed an arrogant person to be his scholar in his court. That he had not dismissed him, revealed that the king was indeed powerless; iii) According to the Sruti texts, every woman is married first to Soma, then Gandharva and then Agni before marrying her earthly spouse. The queen was no exception and therefore could not be regarded as a model of chastity.
The queen was overjoyed with these arguments and hailed the boy as "Alavandar"- or “One who came to be a saviour.” The king sent Akkiyalwan out of the kingdom and gave half his kingdom to Yamuna to rule.
Born in 916 A.D in Viranarayanpura, Yamuna had an impressive lineage. The great vishishtha advaita scholar, Nathamuni was his grandfather and Ishwara Bhat was his father. He had the gift of being an ‘eka-santha grahi’ or one who could learn by listening just once. As a child prodigy he had mastered all the Shastras under the guidance of Maha Bhashya Bhattar.
However, after becoming a king, Alavandar had very less time left for spiritual pursuits. Meanwhile, Mannakal Nambi (Rama Misra), a very learned saint, wanted to install Alavandar as the spiritual successor to Nathamuni. He tried to reach Alavandar many times, but was unsuccessful. To gain entry into the palace, Manakkal Nambi supplied the palace cook with Alavandar’s favourite spinach. After many months, one day Mannakal Nambi stopped supplying the spinach. Missing his favourite green, Alavandar summoned for the supplier.
Mannakal Nambi finally got to meet Alavandar and told him that his grandfather Sri Nathamuni had passed on the ‘family wealth’ that needs to be handed over to Alavandar. Nambi then took Alavandar to the Sri Ranganatha Swamy temple at Srirangam. Upon seeing the Lord’s idol, Alavandar experienced a divine realisation and renounced his kingdom. He surrendered at the Lord’s feet and became a sanyasi. After being renamed as Yamunacharya, he was given the charge of Nathamuni’s school which also included the collected Divya Prabandha (the collection of verses by the Tamil Alwars or saints) by Mannakal Nambi. Some of the works that are attributed to Yamunacharya include the Chathusloki, a prayer devoted to Goddess Lakshmi, and Stotra Ratnam, a prayer devoted to Lord Narayana. Later he became a teacher to Sri Ramanujacharya, one of the greatest saints and expounder of the vishishtha advaita philosophy.
Works of Yamunacharya-
• Siddhitraya – This is a collection of three works, namely, Atma Siddhi, Iswara Siddhi, and Samvit Siddhi. These siddhis explore and explain the vishishth advaitic concept of soul, God and knowledge.
• Agama Pramanya – This work explains the validity of the Pancharatra Agamas- a central theme of Vedic traditions, where Bhakti is given a prominent place.
• Githartha Sangraha_ The 32 verses is an excellent commentary of the Bhagavad Geeta, based on which Sri Ramanujacharya also based Gita Bhashya. It emphasises that Bhakti or devotion to God is the karma (selfless service) and jnana (realisation) are the saadhanaas.
• Stotra Ratna – This ‘Jewel of hymns’ is composed in praise of Sriman Narayana
• Chatushloki – This is a hymn in praise of Goddess Lakshmi
• Nityam
• Maaya Vaada Khandanam
In his last days Alavandar desired to meet Ramanujacharya. But due to his failing health, he attained the feet of the Lord before Ramanujacharya could reach him. When Ramanujacharya reached Srirangam where Alavandar spent his last days, he saw that Alavandar’s three fingers were folded, indicating that Ramanujacharya had to fulfil three of his wishes.
Ramanujacharya declared that he would –
1. Commemorate the name of Parasara on Earth by giving it to a person worthy to bear it.
2. Compose a commentary on Tiruvaymozhi – the magnum opus of the saint Nammaazhvaar.
3. Compose a commentary on Upanishads, Vedanta Sutras and Bhagavad Gita.
Alavandar’s bent fingers immediately opened up and Swami Ramanujacharya went on to successfully fulfil his requests.






But What About The Original Satyameva Jayate
By Ram Lingam


India's national motto 'Satyameva Jayate' has now entered the lounge rooms of the Indian household...thanks to Aamir Khan's TV show. This TV show is a story of how a cine-star can create mass awareness on social issues using a famous Vedic statement 'Satyameva Jayate' as the title of the show. However the original 'Satyameva Jayate' declaration was not coined as a social aphorism. It is much more than that. Exploring the real source and scope of this antiquated affirmation could be more meaningful and enlightening.
'Satyameva Jayate' (Truth Alone Wins) is a famous dictum for spiritual seekers given by the Guru Angiras some 5000 years ago in India. It has now become a slogan for social activism on national television. "SMJ" as it is acronymed seems to have breathed some life to the idiot box. By the way, here is a little feedback on the so-called acronym "SMJ": Elementary Sanskrit points out that the show's acronym should be "SEJ" and not "SMJ" as it is Satyam(S) Eva(E) Jayate (J) and not Satyam(S) Meva(M) Jayate(J).  There is no "MEVA" in Satyameva Jayate.
Why Aamir Khan's ‘Satyameva Jayate' could be just half the truth...
Just going by the reviews and ratings, the show seems to be going strong. Aamir Khan probably got it right when he said 'Public Dekhegi' before the show started. Public ne dekh to liya but the source and scope of this slogan is rather unknown. But that's not the show's mandate anyway. With this auspicious 'Satyameva Jayate' slogan Aamir Khan seems to have graduated from silver screen and in the reckoning of becoming India's first Oprah Winfrey-style celebrity-social-advocate. But his show seems to highlight the "effects" and not the real causes of those social evils.
The TV show has created a milestone in and it would do more justice by exposing the full truth - especially those social malpractices which are based on erroneous interpretations of traditions. A bit more research could show that behind the social evils and social crimes lie the misconceptions about Indian customs, selfish interpretations about the Indian system of living. 
Take the instance of the terrible female infanticide issue - it would be appropriate to explain why certain people have this wrong notion that the male child is desirable. Also, how this so-called dowry system is not Indian in origin etc. Without this cause-hunting, the TV show is just scratching the surface. (Note that the Portuguese gave the city of Mumbai in dowry to the English - King Charles II on marrying Portuguese princess Catherine Braganza in 1662). (Read Dowry Murder: The Imperial Origins of a Cultural Crime by Veena Talwar http://www.esamskriti.com/essay-chapters/How-the-British-created-the-dowry-system-in-Punjab-1.aspx) Now for the original Satyameve Jayate...
Where is ‘Satyameva Jayate' coming from...
Many of us think that the motto ‘Satyameva Jayate' is part of the Ashoka Lions emblem, which is not true. The statement ‘Satyameva Jayate' is actually in the opening line of a four-line mantra from the 'MUNDAKA Upanishad' which is found in the Atharva Veda. In the massive library of sacred literature from India, the Mundaka Upanishad is like a collector's handbook. It is a sacred text meant for sincere seekers and especially for Sanyaasis who judiciously renounce all hankering of happiness from the world. The Mundaka Upanishad is a principal text dealing with transcendental wisdom - though simple but serious and authoritative.
The striking part of the Mundaka Upanishad is in the beginning, with Rishi Shaunaka asking his teacher Angiras to teach him 'THAT knowing which everything becomes known' (1.1.3). This is a significant spiritual question in the path of knowledge by a disciple to his Guru. It shows the caliber of students in an era when India was a knowledge society. In answering this question, a wide range of methods are employed to reveal the identity between God and the individual with some superb metaphors and analogies.
Why is the sourcebook Mundaka Upanishad important...
Remember the Hindi word 'Mundan' for shaven head...well this is what 'Mundaka' is supposed to mean. The word Mundaka is significant because it literally means a person with a shaven head but implies a monk or a sanyaasi. About this Upanishad, the very learned scholar and teacher Swami Krishnananda of the Divine Life society writes:
"Among the Upanishads, the Mundaka Upanishad is regarded as one the most important. It throws a flood of light on the path of Knowledge and leads the aspirant to the highest rung in the ladder of knowledge...Mundaka means shaving, "mund", and so the word ‘Mundaka’ seems to imply that this Upanishad is intended only for Sanyaasis."
How ‘Satyameva Jayate' became world famous in modern India...
It is from this Upanishad that the 'SATYAMEVA JAYATE' slogan was adopted as the national motto of India on 26th January 1950 and inscribed in Sanskrit at the base of the Indian national emblem. This inscription of "Satyameva Jayate" is also found on one side of all Indian currency. The credit goes to Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, the great Indian educationist, founder of Banaras Hindu University and freedom fighter as he popularised this slogan in 1918 during India’s freedom struggle whilst serving as President of the Indian National Congress.
There have also been some other uses of this slogan when a Hindi movie was made with the same name in 1987. Even the Rolling Stone legend Mick Jagger sang ‘Satyameva Jayate' collaborating with music maestro A.R.Rahman last year. And now it's Aamir Khan's turn to reinvent the wheel giving it a totally social spin. This TV show is probably the only television programme which has had a title with words directly from the Upanishads.
The satya about 'Satyam'...
The full stanza of the 'Satyameva Jayate' slogan from the Mundaka Upanishad (3.1.6) goes this way:
"Satyameva Jayate Na-anrtam - satyena panthaa vitato devayaanah |
Yen-aakramanty-rsayo hyaapta-kaamaa - Yatra tat satyasya paramam nidhaanam ||".

Meaning  
"Truth alone wins, not untruth.  By truth is laid out the divine path, which the seers who are free from desires, reach to the supreme abode of truth".
So the phrase ‘Satyameva Jayate Na-anrtam ' is not about social justice nor is it a slogan meant for constitutional adoption. It encompasses all truth and a life based on truth and truthfulness. The Satyam in the "Satyam-Eva Jayate" is not just about speaking the truth about social evils and malpractices. The great Acharya Shankara commenting on this very stanza writes "Truth alone wins and not the untruth...It is well known in the world that he who utters falsehood is defeated by him who speaks the truth: not the converse". A consistent way of living based on the superiority of truth and values of intellectual truthfulness, says Acharya Shankara, widens the path to spiritual success.
So the truth about the 'Satyameva Jayate' statement is that it has now become an iconic slogan for social change rather than for spiritual upliftment. These Upanishad mantras have thus journeyed from the esoteric realm of the Guru to the social arena. The wisdom of India has always found new avenues to manifest such 'Truth' affirming statements. Truth never dies - television or no television. "Truth alone wins (Satyameva Jayate) not Falsehood (Na-anrtam)".











Om Tat Sat
                                                        
(Continued...) 





(My humble salutations to   Ms. Sangeetha Venkatesh ji, Sri Rama Lingaml ji and hindu samskrit dot com  for the collection)