Spiritual pilgrims !

let us look at the total import of this wonderful Peace Invocation
(shanti mantra) !

"Om Purnamadah purnamidam

purnaat purnamudachyate

Purnasya purnamaadaaya

Purnamevaavasishyate"

Meaning of 'purna'


Fullness and Completeness are the nearest meanings in the English
language for this word. But, 'Purnatva' goes far beyond these
meanings. 'Fullness' can indicate a state of satiation and the
word 'Completeness' can denote a state arrived through the 'Sum of
the parts'. But 'Purnatva' is far from these two conditional
states. 'Purnatva' is a state of profound realization, when the sense
of limitation, as "Individuality" drops off, as a redundant vestige
from one's consciousness. Any extent of acquisition OR renunciation
cannot hasten the arrival of 'Purnatva'! When the microcosm totally
dissolves into the state of Macrocosm, as a sugar doll dissolves into
water, 'Purnatva' is THAT non-verbalized state. Following peace
invocation 'Sloka' in the 'Isavasya Upanishad' most brilliantly
conveys the total import of 'Purnatva'.
"THAT is Whole; this is Whole; from the Whole the whole becomes
manifest. From the Whole, when the whole is negated, what remains is
again the Whole."

In this Sloka, the word 'THAT' indicates the totality of Macrocosm.
The word 'that' indicates the infinitely teeming microcosm. Thus, if
one substitutes accordingly, the whole stunning import of WHOLENESS
is revealed! 'Poornatva' is such all devouring FULLNESS!

(by Jinendra Swami)

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In this light , let us examine who among the avatars is called a
Purna Avatar? Avatar means 'incarnation' ! God descends in human
form on earth to uphold 'Dhrama' or righteousness. Of ALL THE
Avatars, KRISHNA avatar is termed as Purna Avatar in which all 16
rays are present. Rama avatar , there were only 14 rays presentand he
was Called A Lila Avatar. and our beloved Adi Shankara is called
an 'amsa' avatara!

Benjaminji. you had expressed a desire to know about the Hindu GODS ,
here is a good start read on Lord Krishna, the Purna AVATAR ...

HTTP://www.sivanandadlshq.org/download/lordkrishna.htm - 501k -

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eeshwarah sarwabhootAnAm hrddeshe arjuna tishthati bhrAmayan
sarwabhootAni yantrAroodhAni mAyayA ||18.61||

The lord dwells in the hearts of all beings, O Arjuna, causing all
beings, by His illusive power, to revolve as if mounted on a machine"

Aum Namo Bhagvate Vasudevaya!