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OHM SHRI RAGAVENDRAYA NAMAH

JAYA JAGANNATHA

 

Namaste Lakshmi and friends,

 

Lakshmi, your write-up on Light is great and you are honoured by Gurudeva by

adding it in next Jyotish News issue.

 

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Thanks

Solai Kannan

 

 

lakshmi ramesh [b_lakshmi_ramesh]

Thursday, November 15, 2001 2:35 PM

sjvc

[sjvc] Light

 

 

Om Gurave Namah

--------------------

 

Shri Sanjay, Solai and friends,

 

Namaste. From tomorrow, Kartika maasa, the month of

Akasa deepa starts. Since Dakshinayana is a malefic

period, and lighting of a lamp and praying to

Shiva/Ishta devata is supposed to protect one from

going to naraka (hell) “Traahimaam narakaath ghoraath,

deepajyothi namosthute”, I just felt like sharing a

few thoughts … please pardon (but do correct) any

errors that creep into my modest narrative. What I am

offering is just like a fistful of “arghyam” to the

Almighty…

 

“ Om Bhurbhuvassuvah

Tatsa Viturvarenyam

Bhargo Devasya Dheemahi

Dhiyoyonah prachodayaat”

 

The Gayatri mantra exhorts us thus ……Chanting Omkara,

forget the "vaasana" and "vichara" of the three

worlds, and concentrate on Surya alone, the “Trailokya

timiraapah”. Let the Surya, the “Jyothiswaroopa” flood

our hearts with His radiance. Let the effulgence of

Surya engulf us, burn away the darkness, and sharpen

our faculties. Let the intellect glow steadily,

unagitated and unbiased. Let it remain chaste…

unsoiled by the shadripu.

 

This ancient invocation embodies the man’s perennial

quest for Light, which is synonymous with the Supreme

Being. All ancient religions in the world have revered

“Light” from time immemorial and designated the time

of conjunction between darkness and light (Sandhya

samaya) as especially sacred for worship.

 

While day represents “jagrithi” (wakefulness); night

represents "sushupthi" (state of sleep), and the

brilliant twilight represents "swapna" (the

dream-state), the junction of the conscious and the

unconscious, where everything gets dramatically

coloured and highlighted. The fourth dimension is the

“thuryavastha”, which is indefinable and permeates all

states, like ether, the “Akasa tattwa”. Just to

illustrate..this is most akin to the fleeting,

trance-like state of the pale pre/afterglow. It is

like the vibrating silence that follows “AUM”. It is

where the soul is in its highest state of “nirvikara”

… and closest to God.

 

This is the time of “Nitya Deepaaradhana”, a daily

Hindu ritual of lighting the lamp during dawn and

dusk, which signifies man’s basic desire to stay close

to Light/Dharma, and derive comfort, despite the

apparent and sometimes, overwhelming darkness. Infact,

Light is an inextricable part of Hindu sensibility.

>From birth to death and even beyond, lighting of a

lamp accompanies virtually all activities.

 

The puranas have described the Lamp as “Suryamsa

sambhavo deepah”(an aspect of Surya) and according to

Rigveda it is Amritamaya ( full of nectar) . It is

one of the 16 upacharas / services / offerings to God

and is one of the 16 “mahadaanas”. The light of a lamp

can be resolved into three components: Blue, White and

reddish Gold, representative of Durga/Parvati,

Saraswati and Lakshmi and lighting of the lamp is to

ignite/launch/channel the three guiding shaktis

(Iccha/Gyana/Kriya shaktis) of human destiny into

action for our benefit.

 

The lighting of lamp is usually accompanied by

rendition of the sloka,

 

“Deepam Jyothi parabrahmam

Deepam sarva tamopaham

Deepena saadhyate sarvam

Sandhya deepam namosthute.”

 

The lighting of lamp is not just a routine religious

task and is highly symbolic :

 

“Vairagya thaila sampoorne

Bhakti varti samanvithe

Prabodha poorna pathrouthe

Jnyapthi deepam vilokayeth”

 

Fill a vessel called “prabodha” (teachings of Guru)

with oil called “vairagya”(detachment) and put a wick

called “bhakti” (devotion)and let the lamp of wisdom

glow gently within and without, at the feet of God.

Where the heart is touched by the Divine Spark, the

mind is truly enlightened and both are immersed in the

constant contemplation of God, inner light pours out

from every pore, says Taittiriya Upanishad. And that

person will himself grow into a “Viswamurti”, because

Lord Krishna in Bhagavadgita emphatically says that

He’s the “Tejas”(brilliance) of the Sun, the Moon, the

Agni and wherever else it is found.

 

In Purusha sooktam, the description of the Viswamurti

goes like, “chandrama manaso jaatah chaksho suryo

ajaayatha…” establishing Eyes and Heart as the twin

primary seats of Light/luminaries in the human body.

Now, relate this to Jyotish Sastra which is identified

with the eyes of kalapurusha…and there, in the

center/core (Bhrumadhya) lies the Third Eye/Aagya

chakra, the seat of wisdom and intuition, ruled by

Jupiter, who alone can unlock a shimmering path into

the sheer, translucent Light that is Sahasrara Chakra

and Mother.

 

As Guruji instructed, I will re-read Vishnu Purana (I

read Ashtadasa Puranas when I was 7 years old, but

thankfully remember quite a bit!); hope and pray for

His guidance while writing, echoing what the sages

said long ago in their infinite wisdom

 

“Asatoma Sadgamaya

Tamasoma Jyotirgamaya

Mrityorma Amritamgamaya”

 

Oh Lord, Lead me… from

Untruth to Truth

Darkness to Light

Mortality to Immortality

 

Om Shantih, Shantih, Shantih!

 

Regards,

Lakshmi

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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