Hindu Vedic Philosophy (Sanatana Dharma, Morals, Rituals and Articles)

Biodance - Natraj
The Dance of Shiva
We renew our physical body just as we regrow hair and nails. We are on the move. Five years ago we didn't exist, all our atoms having been replaced in the interval. Here today, completely gone in five years, renewed down to the last single atom, we endure only in the shape, form and pattern that are assured by our genetic blueprint.
Our replacement parts come in constant flow from the earth itself.  The carbon atoms in my body were once of the earth and shall be again, only to be exchanged for more of the same. After leaving my body they may re-enter me at a later time. Or they may be fixed for a while in the body of someone else- or something else- in this unending round of "biodance," this dance of life.

BIODANCE- the endless exchange of the elements of living things with the earth itself - proceeds silently, giving us no hint that it is happening. It is a dervish dance, animated and purposeful and disciplined; and it is a dance in which every living organism participates.
These observations simply defy any definition of a static and fixed body. Even our genes, our claim to biologic individuality, constantly dissolve and are renewed. Our dissolution is a silent flow occurring outside our awareness. we are in a persistent equilibrium with the earth.
It is not only our genes that renew themselves. The entire body participates in this astonishing dynamism. Radioisotopic techniques allow us to trace the chemicals that enter and leave the body. Aebersold has concluded that 98 percent of the 10 to the power of 28 28 atoms of the body are replaced annually. Some tissue, such as bone, is especially dynamic. Each body structure has its own rate of reformation: the lining of the stomach renews itself in a week; the skin is entirely replaced in a month; the liver is regenerated in six weeks.
Yet the boundary of our body has to be extended even farther than the earth itself. We know that certain elements in our body, such as the phosphorus in our bones, were formed at an earlier stage in the evolution of our galaxy. Like many elements in the earth's crust, it was cycled through the lifetime of several stars before appearing terrestrially, eventually finding its way into our body.
A strictly bounded body does not exist. Our roots go deep; we are anchored in the stars.
The biodance, the constant renewal of our body from the world outside, stands in playful contrast to our ordinary idea of death. We do not wait on death, for we are constantly returning to the earth while alive. Every living moment a portion of the billions of atoms in our body returns to the world outside. This constant streaming is so pronounced, so necessary for life, that the very notion of 'boundary' begins to appear as an arbitrary idea rather than a physical reality.
The dance of Shiva is considered an act of creation. It arouses dormant energies.This productive energy of the Absolute in its pristine strength represents the forces of evolution and involution, the appearance and disappearance of the universe.
Every aspect of life has two opposite entities. Deva is the divine principle and Bhuta is matter. Deva is light , truth and immortality; Bhuta is darkness, untruth and death. One is positive and the other is negative; one is life and the other is inertia. The cycle of life and death can only proceed when these two basic opposite forces, represented by the Devas and the Bhutas are finally reconciled. These two opposite principles are eternally in conflict (Daivasuram) but become reconciled in the body of Shiva. Their co-existence is expressed in the rhythm of Shiva's dance.
Natraj - the cosmic dancer - represents the constant biodance of life- creation, maintenance and transformation and indicates the perfect balance between life and death. Shiva's dance is the most inspiring and pragmatic act typifying the eternal rhythm which is the cause of the infinite creative process. Shiva is the presiding deity of the mind. The entire universe created by Shiva is his SHAKTI (Prakriti, or Nature) or energy. Shiva's dance movements represent the movement of his SHAKTI or energy.
Bhagavad Gita, Ch.13, Verse 29:
"He sees, who sees that all actions are performed by Nature alone and that the Self is actionless."

"In this world there is a two fold path; the path of knowledge
of the Sankhyas and the path of action of the Yogis."
--The Bhagavad Gita, Ch 3, Verse

"The Vedic dharma (religion) is verily twofold, characterised by
Pravritti (social action) and Nivritti (inward contemplation),
designed to promote order in the world; this twofold dharma has
in view the true social welfare and spiritual emancipation of
all beings."
-Sri Shankaracharaya (A.D. 788-820)
One of the greatest philosophers of India.

From The Bhagavad Gita
Chapter 18, Verses 5, 6, 7 & 11
Acts of sacrifice, gift and austerity should not be abandoned, but should be performed ; sacrifice, gift and also austerity are the purifiers of the wise.
[Note: There are three types of Sacrifice,gift and austerity; Sattwic, Rajasic and Tamasic.]
But even these actions should be performed leaving
aside attachment and the desire for rewards.
Verily the renunciation of obligatory action (acts of sacrifice, gift and austerity) is not proper ; the abandonment of the same from delusion is declared to be Tamasic.
Verily, it is not possible for an embodied being to abandon actions entirely ; but he who relinquishes the rewards of actions is verily called a man of renunciation.



From The Mahabharata
Aswamedha Parva, Section XLIV
Translated by Sri Kisari Mohan Ganguli
Brahma (Prajapati) said: All actions end in destruction, and all that is born is certain to meet with death. Every mobile and immobile thing in this world is transient. Days end with the sun's setting and Nights with the sun's rising. The end of pleasure is always sorrow, and the end of sorrow is always pleasure. All accumulations have exhaustion for their end, and all ascent have falls for their end. All associations have dissociations for their end, and life has death for its end. Sacrifice, gift, penances, study, vows, observances, - all these have destruction for their end. Of Knowledge, there is no end. Hence, one that is possessed of a tranquil soul, that has subjugated his senses, that is freed from the sense of meum, that is devoid of egoism, is released from all sins by pure knowledge.

From The Mahabharata
Aswamedha Parva, Section XXXI
Translated by Sri Kisari Mohan Ganguli
The Brahmana said: There are three foes in this world. They are said to be ninefold, agreeably to their qualities.
Exultation, satisfaction and joy ;
these three qualities appertain to Goodness (Sattwa).
Cupidity, wrath and hatred ; these three qualities are said to appertain to Passion (Rajas).
Lassitude, procrastination and delusion ; these three qualities appertain to Darkness (Tamas).
Cutting these with showers of arrows, the man of intelligence, free from procrastination, possessed of a tranquil soul, and with his senses under subjection, ventures to vanquish others.
Kshetrajna (Supreme Lord) is eternal and is destitute of qualities as regards its essence. Kshetra (Prakritii or the manifest or matter) is that in which the qualities are produced and absorbed. Hence one who understands duties, casting off qualities and the understanding, and having his sins destroyed, and transcending the qualities, enters the Kshetrajna.
[Note: The realisation of the Self is attained when one transcends or annihilates the three gunas or qualities (Sattwa, Rajas and Tamas). Spirit is devoid of qualities or attributes; matter is endowed with qualities or attributes. The qualities of Sattwa,Rajas and Tamas appertain to matter or Maya. Exultation, satisfaction and joy, although these are Sattwic qualities, are nevertheless qualities or attributes. With the aid of the Sattwic qualities, one transcends all the qualities and discards all the qualities, as when an athlete, pole-vaulting with the aid of a long pole, goes over (transcends) to the other side of the bar, but it is impossible for him to take the long pole with him over the bar, just so, likened to the pole are the Sattwic qualities which (casting off) have to be transcended along with the other two qualities of Rajas and Tamas.


From The Mahabharata, Santi Parva
Section.CCXXXI :
Mind is identical with the manifes

From The Mahabharata
Santi Parva, Sec.CCXXXII :
Translated by Sri Kisari Mohan Ganguli
The Creator creates with the help of Avidya (Maya or prakriti) this universe. At first springs up that which is called Mahat. That Mahat is speedily transformed into Mind which is the soul of the Manifest

From The Mahabharata
Aswamedha Parva, Sec. XXXI
Translated by Sri Kisari Mohan Ganguli
In days of old, king Ambarisha had acquired a tranquil soul. When diverse kinds of faults were in the ascendant and when the righteous were afflicted, Ambarisha of great fame put forth his strength for assuming sovereignty. Subduing his own faults and worshipping the righteous, he attained to great success and sang these verses:
'I have subdued many faults. I have killed all foes. But there is one, the greatest vice, which deserves to be destroyed but which has not been destroyed by me! Urged by that fault, this Jiva (embodied soul) fails to attain to freedom from desire. Afflicted by desire, one runs into ditches without knowing it. Urged by that fault, one indulges in acts that are forbidden.
Do thou cut off that cupidity with sharp-edged swords.
From cupidity arises desires. From desire flows anxiety. The man who yields to desire acquires many qualities that appertain to passion (Rajas). When these have been acquired, he gets many qualities that appertain to Darkness (Tamas). In consequence of those qualities, he repeatedly takes birth, with the bonds of body united, and is impelled to action. Upon the expiration of life, with body becoming dismembered and scattered, he once meets with death which is due to birth itself. Hence, duly understanding this, and subduing cupidity by intelligence, one should desire for sovereignty in one's soul. This is true sovereignty. There is no other sovereignty here. The soul, properly understood, is the king. Even these were the verses sung by king Ambarisha of great celebrity, on the subject of sovereignty which he kept before him; that king who had cut off the one foremost fault viz., cupidity '.

From the Mahabharata
Anusasana parva, Section CXLI
Translated by Sri Kisari Mohan Ganguli
Maheshwara said: The religion ordained for the householder is said to have Pravritti for its chief indication. Auspicious and beneficial to all creatures, I shall expound it to thee. The householder should always make gifts according to the measure of his power. He should also perform sacrifices frequently after the same manner. Indeed, he who wishes to achieve his own good should always achieve meritorious acts. The householder should acquire wealth by righteous means. The wealth thus acquired should be carefully divided into three portions, keeping the requirements of righteousness in view. With one of those portions he should accomplish all acts of righteousness. With another he should seek to gratify his cravings for pleasure. The third portion he should lay out for increasing. Of all the modes of life, that of the householder is the first. Of this there is no doubt.
Abstention from injury, truthfulness of speech, compassion towards all beings, tranquillity of soul, and the making of gifts to the best of one’s power, are the foremost duties of the householder. Abstention from sexual congress with the spouses of other men, protection of the wealth and the woman committed to one’s charge, unwillingness to appropriate what is not given to one, and avoidance of honey and meat, - these are the five chief duties. Indeed, Religion or Duty has many branches all of which are fraught with happiness. Even these are the duties which these embodied creatures who regard duty as superior should observe and practice. Even these are the sources of merit.
The conduct of husband and wife, in the case of householder, should be equal. He should every day make offerings of flowers and other articles unto those deities that preside over domesticity. Well cleaned and well rubbed, his house should also be every day fumigated with the smoke of Homa (ghee or clarified butter poured on his sacred fire in honour of the deities and the Pitris or ancestors). [Related articles "Mantras–Sacred fire" See column on the left]. Even these are the duties appertaining to the householder’s mode of life as observable by a regenerate person. Those duties really uphold the world.
Householders of pure mind are capable of earning very great merit. Indeed, he who cleanses his soul by the performance of the five sacrifices (yajnas; the five yajnas or sacrifices are Deva yajna, Rishi yajna, Manushya yajna, Pitri yajna, and Bhuta yajna).
[Related articles Mantras-Sacred Fire topic "Sacrifice"]
He who is truthful in speech, who is free from malice, who makes gifts, who treats with hospitality and honour all regenerate [Note:Regenerate is twice-born (Dwija):mother gives physical or genetic birth; teacher gives spiritual birth] guests, who lives in well cleansed abodes, who is free from pride, who is always sincere in his dealings, who uses sweet and assuring words towards others, who takes pleasure in serving guests and others arrived at his abode, and who eats the food that remains after the requirements have been gratified of all the members of his family and dependants, wins great merit.
That householder who rises at dawn, and serves food to his guests, and having honoured them duly bids them farewell by following them (as mark of honour) for a little distance, acquires eternal merit. Hospitality towards all, and the pursuit of the aggregate of the three (Religion, Wealth and Pleasure), are the duties of the householder.
(The religion of Nivritti is different. It exists for emancipation from re-birth by absorption into God).