Who is worthy of being called a disciple?

 

 

 

1. Definition and meaning of disciple

A disciple is one who practises Spirituality as advised by the Guru, with the motive of making spiritual progress. The Kularnav Tantra defines a disciple as,
शरीरमर्थप्राणांश्च सद्‌गुरुभ्‍यो निवेद्य य: ।
गुरुभ्‍य: शिक्षते योगं शिष्‍य इत्‍यभिधीयते ।।
Meaning: The one who surrenders his everything, that is, his body, wealth and life unto the Guru and learns Yoga from Him (that is, practises Spirituality as recommended by Him) is called a disciple (shishya). [Hence, even if a disciple deserts his wife and children and goes to his Guru he does not become a sinner.]

2. The importance of discipleship

A. A disciple does not need to repay the four debts namely to God, sages, ancestors and the society.
B. गुरुपुत्रो वरं मूर्खस्‍तस्‍य सिध्‍दयन्‍ति नान्‍यथा ।
     शुभकर्माणि सर्वाणि दीक्षाव्रततपांसि च ।। १५१ ।। - श्री गुरुगीता
     Meaning: Although a disciple serving the Guru worthy of being called His son appears to be foolish in worldly interactions, yet his spiritual practice consisting of initiations, vowed religious observances and penance attains fulfillment. Those not serving the Guru thus do not acquire such benefits. - Shri Gurugita
गुरुपुत्र अपंडित । जरी मूर्ख तो सुनिश्चित ।
त्‍याचेनि सर्व कार्यसिध्‍दि होत । सिद्धान्‍त हा वेदवचनीं ।। १०२ ।।
                                                 - श्री रंगनाथस्वामीकृत गुरुगीता
Meaning: The Guru’s son means His disciple while the unlearned (apandit) and foolish one means the one who appears foolish, externally. Though a disciple appears foolish externally, all the desires of those who visit him are fulfilled because of his spiritual powers. This is a doctrine from the Vedas.- Shri Gurugita by Shri Ranganathswami

3. The student and the disciple

Just as a Guru and a teacher can be differentiated [ refer ‘Science of Spirituality : Chapter 6 - Path of Guru’s Grace (Gurukrupayoga )], so also a disciple and a student are different. A student completes the account with his teacher by paying his fees. However, since the Guru imparts knowledge of the soul principle (atmadnyan) no matter how much one does for Him, it is still far too little. This is akin to one’s inability to repay one’s parents who have cared for one since childhood. The student means chatra.The word ‘chatra’ in Sanskrut is derived thus ‘छत्रं गुरोर्दोषाणामावरणं तच्‍छीलमस्‍येति ।’. Chatra is the one who is naturally endowed with the propensity to obscure the Guru’s (teacher’s) defects (shabdakalpadrum). As against this, the disciple never finds any defects in the Guru.

4. The medium and the disciple

‘Dr. Jayant Athavale: If a Guru gets His mission fulfilled through a disciple just like a subtle body which operates through some medium then I am not at all interested in Spirituality.
H.H. Bhaktaraj Maharaj (Baba): When one acts as a medium one cannot make spiritual progress. One remains influenced by someone else. On the contrary, when a Guru gets His mission accomplished through a disciple, He increases the potential of that disciple, just like Shri Ramakruíhna who first increased Vivekanand’s spiritual prowess and only then got His mission fulfilled through him.’ ⁽¹⁾
One of Baba’s disciples used to jot down everything that Baba taught from time to time. Baba would tell him, “This writing is of no use to you (since you can now learn non-verbally), but it will definitely benefit others.” Later, that disciple wrote a book on Spirituality which Baba liked. So Baba told him, “My Guru had blessed Me that I would write several books. I wrote only one book of devotional songs (bhajans). So now I am bestowing My Guru’s blessing unto you.” The disciple responded saying, “But I do not experience Bliss by writing books anymore.” (When one goes to the non-verbal level, regressing to the verbal level means loss of Bliss.) Baba then told him, “You will have to write books. It is your duty. Write small books on each topic. They should be easy to handle and affordable for the common man as well.”
In March 1987, just five months before meeting his Guru, in the introduction to the book on Spirituality the disciple had written, ‘I pray to The Almighty to grant me His grace to be able to write a separate book on each of the topics in this book, in modern scientific language’. This blessing was like a response to his prayer made much earlier.
Unaware of all this, people feel, ‘What an in-depth study this disciple has done! He has written such useful books’. They do not know that the Guru Himself has got this done through the disciple.

5. The Guru-disciple relationship

A. The Guru-disciple relationship is considered very sacred. It is the only true relationship. The Guru-disciple relationship is only spiritual in nature. The only awareness that a disciple should foster is that, ‘I should be uplifted spiritually’. The Guru too harbours only one feeling, ‘May this disciple be uplifted’. This relationship is independent of age. It is based on maturity of spiritual knowledge (dnyan) and spiritual practice (sadhana). All living organisms progress only through spiritual knowledge and spiritual practice. All other relationships are born out of fear or social commitments. Hence, they are bound by worldly restrictions. In these relationships, the ego constantly manifests itself and spiritual knowledge and the practice of Spirituality have no value. In other words, maintaining the ego helps to preserve these relationships. Thus, all relationships in which the ego is retained are albeit false.
B. Awareness of the Guru and disciple relation is an inferior sign.
     Lord Narayan manifests in all living beings,
     hence the other is akin to oneself.
     One harbours fear perceiving the rope to be a snake.
     Tuka says one should not pay attention to either
     qualities or defects.
     ‘The explanation: Tukaram Maharaj says, “If everything is Brahman or Narayan then what is the need for Guruhood and discipleship? If everything is Brahman then is the disciple distinct from Him? If one does not realise that a rope lying in a place is a rope and perceives it as a snake then one will surely tremble in panic, at its sight!”
        The sect of one disciple having one Guru which has become popular,
        Aims at understanding the means to realise Me.
                          - Shri Bhavarthadipika (Shri Dnyaneshvari) 18:1226
One thinks that the Guru and disciple relationship is a causative factor in a disciple’s progress. This illusion is true only till the moment the disciple receives initiation (anugraha) from his Guru. When a disciple who is endowed with the Guru’s initiation asks the Guru, “After how long will I be liberated?” the latter replies, “You are liberated the moment you are initiated. If you disbelieve Me then undertake the practice of devotion (do spiritual practice) in order to obtain that spiritual experience. However, if you have faith then even devotion (spiritual practice) is not required.”
No sooner is one initiated than one achieves
the Final Liberation,
The soul is freed from bondages.
                                    - Shri Dasbodh 8.7.59
Once the disciple attains the state of Absoluteness (Pûrnatva) the Guru-disciple relationship persists only in worldly terms for the sake of the people.’ - H.H. Kane Maharaj, Narayangaon

6. Acquisition of a Guru

6.1 Do not go in search of a Guru

* The Guru appeared before me,
   But how could I recognise Him without inner vision?
                                                             - Saint Bhaktaraj
* Although one may not recognise Him
   bow down before Him,
   He then will grant Self-realisation
   enchanting one’s mind with pure love.
                                                             - Saint Bhaktaraj
The Guru principle being very subtle and a seeker’s power of perception being more of the gross and very little of the subtle dimension, in Spirituality one cannot find a Guru despite a search. A disciple is not supposed to choose his Guru. It is the Guru who chooses and spiritually uplifts His disciples. Once a seeker attains a spiritual level of more than 50% the Guru Himself accepts him as His disciple. However, despite the spiritual level being just 40%, if a seeker has intense motivation to make spiritual progress, then he is blessed with a Guru. In short, rather than going in search of a Guru, a seeker should make efforts to qualify as a disciple. [The spiritual level of an average person is 20% whereas that of one who has attained the Final Liberation (Moksha) is 100%]

6.2 One should not test the Guru

‘If one is able to develop faith only after testing, then one will have to test the Guru. The examiner however is superior to the pupil. If one feels one is superior, then how can one accept Him as one’s Guru ?’⁽²⁾

6.3 One should never consider oneself as someone’s disciple

One should never consider oneself as a disciple of a particular Guru. It is the Guru who should proclaim one to be His disciple. It is not sufficient for a youth to consider a young girl as his lover as she too should reciprocate his feelings. The same holds good in the Guru-disciple relationship too.

6.4 Whom should one choose as one’s Guru?

‘Each one should become a disciple of the unmanifest (nirgun) Guru and not just a follower of philosophy. Only when one experiences the unmanifest can one recognise the manifest (sagun) and only after realising the unmanifest does one become aware of where one stands spiritually. [A disciple of the unmanifest (nirgun) Guru is the disciple of the one who constantly experiences the unmanifest principle that is the Paratpar Guru or The Lord’s Name.]’⁽³⁾

6.5 The stage (ashram) in the four stages (ashrams) of the Guru and the disciple

A celibate (brahmachari) feels closer to a Guru who is a celibate. Similarly a retired householder (vanaprasthashrami) and a renunciant (sanyasashrami) feel closer to a Guru in the corresponding stage. A married householder (gruhastha) on the other hand, is equally attracted to either a celibate, a retired householder, a renunciant or a married householder as a Guru.

6.6 Acquisition of a Guru through guidance in the subtle dimension

It is well known that Saint Tukaram was initiated with the Gurumantra ‘Rama Krushna Hari’ by His Guru Babaji Chaitanya through a vision in a dream. He said ‘Now God has granted me His vision (sakshatkar) and enlightened me with the fact that the one who you thought was your friend is now your Guru; that is why I am entrusting you in His custody. There is no longer any duality left between Him and Me. We are befitting each other’s grace totally. Henceforth He shall be your Guru’. ⁽⁴⁾

7. Duty and debt to the Guru

A. A disciple has no obligation whatsoever towards such things from the Great Illusion (Maya) as his family, society, etc. His sole duty is to acquire the grace of the Guru and make spiritual progress.
B. One should not bring dishonour to the Guru’s name. H.H. Kane Maharaj used to feel ashamed to say that He was a disciple of Shridhar Swami because he feared that He would bring dishonour to His Guru’s name if his conduct was not worthy of a disciple.
C. Responsibilities of being a disciple
राजा राष्‍ट्रकृतं पापं पुरोहित: ।
भर्ता च स्‍त्रीकृतं पापं शिष्‍यपापं गुरुस्तथा ।।
     Meaning: The brunt of the sins committed by the subjects have to be borne by the king, those committed by the king have to be borne by the chief priest, those committed by a woman have to be borne by her husband and those by a disciple by his Guru.
     The implied meaning: The above quote is only on a psychological plane. The intention behind the statement is that a disciple should behave righteously keeping in mind that ‘if a disciple errs, his Guru is punished for those mistakes’. A Guru who has blended with God however, is beyond merits and sins and has nothing left to undergo.
D. One may find millions of Gurus
     but one rarely finds a disciple.
     Once a disciple is found
     he should honour his Guru’s word.
     Meaning: It is easy to find millions of Gurus. But to find even one genuine disciple is extremely difficult. If at all one is found then he should bring honour to his Guru. If a disciple does not progress spiritually then it is shameful for the Guru. In this regard, in a way it is upto the disciple to maintain his Guru’s honour and it is mandatory for him to fulfill this duty.
E. Only if one does spiritual practice and attains the Final Liberation (Moksha) is the debt to the Guru repaid. Otherwise one remains indebted to Him forever.


Reference:


‘The Disciple’, published by Sanatan Sanstha.
The Teachings of Saint Bhaktaraj. Second edition :
H.H. Shrimat Sadguru Bhaktaraj Maharaj’s Platinum jubilee celebrations, Magh Shukla Navami, Shake 1916 (9th February 1995), Indore. Compilers : Dr. Jayant Balaji Athavale, Dr. (Mrs.) Kunda Jayant Athavale. Publishers : Sanatan Bharatiya Sanskruti Sanstha, Mumbai.
[1]. Pg. 122         [2]. Pg. 118         [3]. Pg. 108
[4]. Mi Ek Sanyasi. First edition - July 1987, pg. 88.
Introduction : W.B.Yeats, translation : Mrunalini Chitale. Publishers : Ashok Keshav Kothavale, Majestic Publishers, 316, Prasad Chambers, Girgaon, Mumbai 4.

 

 

 

 

Why is mankind attracted towards Supreme God?

 

 

 

 

 

1. Meaning of the words Supreme God, God, incarnation and deity

1.1 Confusion in terminology

Words such as Supreme God (Parameshvar), God (Ishvar), deity (dev), etc. are used by some with varied meanings and by others as synonyms. Swami Muktanand on one occasion said, ‘No matter what you label Him as God (Ishvar), Brahman, unmanifest energy or Divine Energy (Chitshakti), the meaning is the same.’⁽¹⁾ Though this is true at Swami Muktanand’s spiritual level His quote makes one thing clear, that there is confusion in the usage of all these words. To avoid this, we will use the above words according to the definitions given below.

1.2 Meaning of the words

* Names from the Purans (mythological texts) are more prevalent.
According to the Path of Knowledge (Dnyanyoga) only The Supreme God is real. Everything else is imaginary. God is an imaginary idea of the embodied soul (jiva). The Supreme God is not imaginary but is the basic form of God and the embodied soul. Shiva in the Shaivite sect, Vishnu in the Vaishnavite sect, Ganapati in the Ganesh sect, etc. are the respective synonyms for God while Maheshvar, Mahavishnu, Mahaganapati, etc. are the corresponding synonyms for The Supreme God. Maha symbolises formlessness or the entire universe. In the Devi (Divine Energy) sect, Lakshmi represents God and Mahalakshmi, The Supreme God.

2. Concept of God from various viewpoints

Since understanding God according to ethnology is an intellectual exercise one is able to understand and accept it only to some extent but that is not really satisfying. With time, using his intellect man began to worship whatever proved useful to him, with a feeling of gratitude. Eventually one has to experience God through spiritual practice alone. Only then will one realise Him.
‘Man realised or experienced God even in his primitive state. Later as he began to evolve intellectually and materialistically Righteousness (Dharma) was generated from these deities and it further led to various philosophies. The three principles namely God, Righteousness and philosophy together constitute the triad of human culture.

3. Concept of God according to ethnology

Necessity is the mother of invention. Even the primitive man felt the inevitable need for and discovered a principle called God. Most researchers in search of the emotion behind this concept of God unanimously concluded that the God principle was just generated in man out of fear of the five cosmic elements in his environment. Seeing and experiencing the calamities caused by Nature, man attributed them to powerful deities and felt that he with his inadequate energy would not be able to combat such powerful deities. Therefore to prevent the deities from causing distress or harm to him, man bowed down before them and began to pray to them humbly.
The aphorisms (suktas) of the maruts from the Rugveda are prayers addressed to God in the form of a storm. For example (5.54-59) - O maruts, your prowess is vast. You frighten and make everyone tremble. O deities get rid of this dense darkness. Bestow us with light and protect us.
Emotions such as fear, astonishment and utility led to the generation of several new deities. On account of their utility, fire, the moon, the earth, water, medicines, etc. became deities. Due to its ability to enthuse the body and mind, divine wine (somras) was conferred with divinity by the Vedic sages.
So long as all these deities were formless there was not much closeness between them and man. During the period of cultural development man assigned deities with a human nature and imagined them to resemble him. Along with it gender differences too were generated among deities.
A sage or a priest who is the devotee of a deity describes the glory of that deity with great exaggeration and considers other deities as subordinate. This is seen throughout the Rugveda.’ ⁽²⁾
According to the period (kal) the concept of God underwent changes as follows.
The Vedic period: It is noticed that all deities have been endowed with all the qualities as well as the characteristics of man.
The Brahman period: The humanisation of deities was completed. Just like man they were endowed with relationships like parents, siblings, etc. and also the four class (varna) system was applied to them.
The Upanishad period: Deities were classified as those who organise, those who enlighten and those who take action.
The Puran period: Significance of the Vedic deities Indra and Varun declined. Instead that of Vishnu and Shiva rose. The concept of the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh and that of the fivefold family (panchayatan) of Ganapati, Shiva, Vishnu, Surya and Divine Energy (Shakti namely Amba) became popular.
According to ethnology as primitive man evolved, his concepts regarding God gradually went on changing from Nature to animals and then to man.

3.1 Nature

Man began to consider the earth, clouds, sun, stars, planets, etc. as God one by one.
A. The earth: Primitive man began to consider the earth as the Primal Mother (Adimata), the Primal Energy (Adishakti), the First Lady (Aditi), etc. because he lived on the earth, survived due to the food available there and got shelter from the sun, rain and cold in Her caves. Thus the earth became the first female deity.
Forms of the earth: When man realised that he could not worship the entire earth as a deity, he conferred divinity upon various parts of the earth performing various functions as follows.
B. Deities in the sky

3.2 Animals

When man realised that animals too were useful like Nature he bestowed them with divinity.
The serpent (nag): Man began to consider the snake as a deity as it was the male symbol related to Santeri and creation. Formerly the custom of worshipping the serpent as the bestower of progeny was prevalent the world over. A majority of sects in the world consider the serpent as a deity.
Other animals: Once the serpent, an animal was considered as a deity the others like the bull, cow, horse, etc. followed suit and were conferred with divinity.

3.3 Man

As man became civilised he realised that leaders of the society also influenced his day-to-day life. Hence later he conferred divinity upon man as well. Thus animals selected as deities earlier became the vehicles of these human deities. Similarly some people who had accomplished a high status in life on account of their undertaking some great mission began to be worshipped as deities after their death. For instance in Gujarat, eunuchs worship Bahuchara Devi as a deity, in Rajasthan Rani Satidevi is worshipped likewise. The types of human deities are as follows.
‘Ritualistic worship of the brave (virpuja): A brave one (vir) is one who has sacrificed his life in a battle or when performing some brave act. He is courageous and powerful. The custom of ritualistically worshipping him began either as a mark of respect or to prevent him from causing harm. In the ritual called virpuja, unsculpted stones, marble blocks, wooden blocks or sculpted idols representing each brave one are placed vertically and worshipped.
Just as the word “vir” is used to refer to a person who is brave so also it refers to village deities (gramadevata) from the category of demigods (yakshas) who have a cruel and fearsome temperament. Generally they are spoken of in terms of numbers as the five brave ones (panchavir), fifty-two brave ones (bavanvir), etc. Though all over India they are referred to in specific numbers yet in different regions they are named differently. Some of the brave ones like Narsing, Zhoting, Cheda, Vetal, Mesoba, Munja, Bhairav, etc. among males and Tukai, Mayarani, Jakhmata, etc. among the females are worthy of mention.
Memorials for the brave: In villages such memorials are found in abundance. With the passage of time the brave ones acquired the status of village deities. In Maharashtra one comes across stones smeared with a saffron coloured powder (shendur) at every nook and corner. These are the brave deities. They are named Mhasoba, Mhaskoba, Chedoba, Biroba, Maruti, etc. In some places these brave ones are called pirs. However they are in no way connected to the Muslim mendicants who are also called pirs.’⁽³⁾
A. Male: The clouds and the sun symbolise the masculine deities which are of the following two types.
B. Female: It symbolises the earth. The types of feminine deities are as follows.

4. Origin and meaning of Parameshvar

Parameshvar (परमेश्वर) = paramaha (परम:) + ishaha (ईश:) + varaha (वर:) and ishaha (ईश:) = ihi (ई:) + shaha (श:).
‘Ihi ikshate (ई: ईक्षते) means the one who observes, that is the one who perceives, the one who is omniscient and shaha shamayate (श: शमयते) means the one who bestows Serenity (Shanti), satisfaction. Hence the one who is omniscient and who endows Serenity is Isha (God). Varaha means supreme. Ishaha (ईश:) + varaha (वर:) = Ishvaraha (ईश्वर:) means the one who is the ultimate in omniscience and in bestowing Serenity is Ishvar. Paramaha means supreme. Paramaha (परम:) + Ishvaraha (ईश्वर:) = Parameshvaraha (परमेश्वर:), so He is the one who is supreme in omniscience and in bestowing Serenity. That is why since times immemorial mankind has always been attracted to The Supreme God who bestows Serenity.
‘Ish (ईश्‌) means to be the master, to exercise power, to control or to restrain and ash (अश्‌ ) means to pervade everywhere. It is from these roots that the word Ishvar has been derived. Thus God means the master or the ruler. Generally the word Ishvar means - the master of the universe, the Creator, Sustainer and Destroyer, all pervading, omniscient and the supreme among all deities. Shiva, Vishnu, Rama, Krushna are words which denote God. However along with God these words project a sectarian approach. But the word God and Supreme God solely symbolise The Lord who is beyond all sects. God is the Creator, is all pervading, the master and regulator of the universe, yet distinct from creation, is worthy of worship, The Lord of all deities and the Absolute Being (Purush). From this broad meaning of God one thing which is clear is that the deities Brahma, Shiva, Vishnu, etc. are not God (Ishvar) because eventually for creation, sustenance and dissolution of the universe They need several deities from Their retinues. Brahman too is not God because though It is a concept for contemplation It cannot be ritualistically worshipped.
There is not a single deity in the Vedic group of deities who can be referred to as God or The Supreme God. The deities Indra, Agni, Mitra, Varun, etc. from the Vedas have not attained the status of God. They have been conferred with the title “Niyatakarmanaha” meaning deities who carry out the tasks assigned to them.’⁽⁴⁾
According to the Shaiva sect Lord Shiva in the nirbij superconscious (samadhi) state is Shiva’s unmanifest form, that is in other words The Supreme God. According to them Shiva in meditation is God and the one dancing or playing a game of dice (saripat) with Parvati is the Great Illusion (Maya). Among the Vaishnavites Sheshashayi (Vishnu resting on the serpent Shesh as His couch) or Anantshayani Vishnu is Vishnu’s unmanifest form, that is The Supreme God. Their devotee-loving Vishnu is God and the one along with Lakshmi is the Great Illusion.

5. Some other Names

Parameshvar is basically a term used to denote The Supreme God in the Path of Devotion (Bhaktiyoga). In the Path of Knowledge (Dnyanyoga) He is called The Supreme Brahman (Parabrahman), The Supreme Soul (Parmatma) and Isham.

6. Label of The Supreme God

The word ‘Omkar’ refers to The Supreme God. It is only a label and is not His Name. Every name is associated with a form but The Supreme God is formless, so how can He have a Name? Although this is so, while referring to Him one has to use some word and that is Omkar. The Supreme God is the attributive of the label Omkar.

7. Special features of Supreme God

Omniscience: This is because of His spiritual knowledge and not frequencies.
Bestower of Serenity or gratification
Formless
Unchanging: Just as the centre of a spinning wheel is fixed so is He.
Unmanifest energy: Since He does not carry out any mission His energy is unmanifest.
Devoid of components (nirgun)
Existence in the form of society: The Supreme God does not have an individual form but exists in the form of the society; hence He is not supposed to do anything as an individual. That is why in the Shrimadbhagvadgita (3:22) The Lord has said,
न मे पार्थास्‍ति कर्तव्‍यं त्रिषु लोकेषु किंचन ।
नानवाप्‍तमवाप्‍तव्‍यं वर्त एव च कर्मणि ।।
    Meaning: O Arjun, in these three worlds neither do I have any duty nor is there anything left for Me to attain, yet I perform My actions.
Detachment: ‘Laws of the universe are created along with it. The nature of fire is such that if one puts one’s finger in it, it gets burnt. Similarly that of water is to drown whatever falls into it. The body gets diseased if restrictions are violated. Similarly all transactions from Nature are bound by restrictions. Man too has to understand these rules. The cycle of the universe continues according to its law. There is no scope to blame God in that regard. Once the cycle of creation begins The Supreme God does not interfere. Allotting the result of an action is His only task then. Once that occurs He remains detached and goes beyond the two defects of unsteady intellect and mercilessness is what the Vedic scriptures say (Vedasutra 2.1.34).’ ⁽⁵⁾

8. Percentage of characteristics of The Supreme God and the three components in animate and inanimate creation

* Prajapati, Brahma, Shiva, Vishnu and Minakshi support the three components sattva, raja and tama. Though the three components are supported by Them and exist along with Them yet the deities Themselves are not composed of them; rather They are beyond them (trigunatit). The percentage of the three components supported by Them is given in the table above. Because of Their support to the three components these deities are manifest (sagun). However in this context sagun means along with the three components (sahagun).
** The maximum distance at which the characteristics can be perceived.
***The varying proportion based on impressions (sanskars).
****Though the proportion of the three components beyond a spiritual level of 70% remains constant, yet the total quantity decreases. Refer to the point ‘Spiritual level and the three components (triguns)’ in ‘Science of Spirituality: Vol. 4 - Path of Guru’s Grace (Gurukrupayoga)’.
From the above table it will also be clear that attraction to places of pilgrimage as compared to other places, to saints and Gurus as compared to average people, to human beings as compared to plants and animals and to living beings than to inanimate objects is more due to their greater ability to bestow the spiritual experience of Serenity (Shanti).

9. Spiritual experience of seekers

Serenity


Reference:


‘Supreme God, God, Incarnations and Deities’, published by Sanatan Sanstha.
[1]. Kalpavrukshatali (Swami Muktanandachya Sahavasat). First compilation, 5^th August 1986. Publisher: Gurudev Siddhapith, Ganeshpuri, District Thane, Maharashtra 401 206.
Bharatiya Sanskrutikosh. Publisher: Pandit Mahadevshastri Joshi, Secretary, Bharatiya Sanskrutikosh Mandal, 410, Shanivar Peth, Pune 411 030.
First edition: Vol. 3 to 10   Second edition: Vol. 1 and 2
[2]. Vol. 4, Pg. 431-433      [3]. Vol .9, Pg. 19
[4]. Vol. 1, Pg. 579, 580      [5]. Vol .2, Pg. 146