Evaluation of answers to Lesson - 2/Sanskrit terms

[Guest guest]

Hare Rama Krishna

 

Namaste Guruji Solai ,

 

My answers to Lesson 2 (sent 21/11) did not gain your attention.

 

Appologies for not answering question 5. Now I have added answers to

question 5 also (good collection of 48 sanskrit terms) and

resubmitting here:

 

 

1. Try to define the role of God in your life.

 

Who am I ?, is a question, I tend to answer at a level of physical/

mental self. Therefore, for me God is, to a very large extent, one who

provides me with all the materialistic things for my enjoyment and

pleasure. In that sense, I love him and to some extent fear him also

(fear him for he may take back all that he has given me, including

this life). Through 'Satsang' (good people, devotees of God and books,

my companions in these matters), I learn that there is a spiritual

self, which one will become aware of only through devotion towards God

(best method). So, there is a way out of my predicament (eternal fear

of death).

 

In the mean time, the following, I feel, is the role of God in my

life:

God has given me the most unique & best - human form. God provided me

with dhi shakti and kindled in me the interest for Jyotish. He is the

beacon, without which I will be directionless. God steadies my boat,

cools my anger and goads me into action when I am feeling lazy. He

steps in, when it seems like every hope is lost.

 

 

2. What have you done in the past one year to come closer to God?

 

I have taken small measures to increase Satwa guna in me. I pray to

God, stick to Satwik foods & other habits and follow certain other

austerities like fasting on certain days. Increase of Satwa guna in

me, I understand, will result in better control over senses and

realisation of own-true self. I hope these small measures will put me

on a path taking me more and more closer to God.

 

 

3. Which one is more relevant ? a. God is all or b. All is God

 

God is everywhere, both in micro & macro form. Since, He is both Nara

as well as Narayana, it is wrong to ignore one form in pursuit of the

other.

 

Manava seva is Madhava seva (service to humanity is service to God),

question is where one starts. At different stages in life one may be

more inclined in one way, because it is a cyclical path till one

reaches God's permanent abode.

 

 

4. How is the role of a Jyotisha different from a Priest?

 

A Priest guides people, who come to him following Bhakti marga, in

performing their spiritual acts.

 

A Jyotisha tries to understand the direction of Atma from a person's

horoscope and guides him to the most appropriate marga & towards

devotion to God. Both the Priest as well as the Jyotisha need to

possess Satwa guna in abundance.

 

5. Dictionary of Jyotish/Sanskrit terminology:

 

1. Agni - Fire, the God of Fire, Sacrificial fire of three kinds, the

fire of the stomach- digestive faculty, Bile, Gold, the number three.

 

2. Ananta - Endless Infinite, boundless, inexhaustible

 

3. Asura - demon, an epithet of Rahu, enemies of Gods

 

4. Atman - The soul, oneself

 

 

5. Avidya - ignorance, spiritual ignorance, want of learning

 

6. Bhagavata - Holy, divine, sacred, relating to or worshipping Vishnu

 

7. Bhakti - devotion

8. Brahmagyana - -true or divine knowledge, knowledge of the identity

of the universe with Brahma

9. Brahmana - The supreme being, regarded as impersonal and divested

of all quality and action.

 

10. Deva - divine, celestial

11. Dhi Shakti - intellect, understanding, mind, discrimination

12. Diti - splitting, dividing, (n) daughter of Daksha, wife of

Kasyapa and mother of the demons or daityas.

 

13. Gati - station, condition, course, going to, reaching

14. Gandharva - a celestial musician, a class of demi-gods regarded as

the singers or musicians of gods and said to give good and agreeable

voice to girls.

15. Guna - a quality (also ' to multiply')

 

16. Isha - of Shiva. Powerful, supreme

 

17. Jala - water, a kind of perfume, frigidity. The constellation

called purvashada.

18. Jeevatma - the individual soul enshrined in the human body (as

opposed to paramatma - the supreme soul)

19. Jyoti - light , shining

20. Jyotish - light of Brahman, light regarded as the supreme spirit

21. Jyotisha - an astrologer, one of the six vedangas

 

22. Kala - Time, Fate/destiny,the supreme spirit regarded as the

destroyer of the universe,

23. Karaka - making, acting, doing performing, creating, doer

 

24. Maha - great, large, noble etc.,

25. Marga - a way, road, path

26. Maya - illusion

27. Moola - root

 

28. Naisargika - natural, inborn, inherent, innate

 

29. Paramatma - see jeevatma

30. Prakriti - source,material cause, the original source of material

world consisting of three gunas

31. Prithvi - Earth

32. Purusha - The supreme being, soul of the universe

 

33. Rajas - one of the three constituent qualities of all the material

substances (predominates in humans)

 

34. Sattwa - The goodness or purity regarded as the highest of the

three gunas (predominates in Devas)

35. Shakti - power, ability, capacity

36. Sri - insignia of greatness or dignity, The goddess of wealth -

Lakshmi

37. Sthavara - stationery things

 

38. Tamas - darkness or ignorance as one of the three constituents of

all the material substances (predominates in demons)

39. Tapasya - penance, religious austerity, mortification

40. Tattwa - quality

 

41. Upadesa - advice, prescription

 

42. Vayu - Air, wind

43. Veda - sacred knowledge, holy learning, the scriptures of Hindus

44. Vedanga - limbs of vedas

45. Vidya - knowledge (see avidya)

 

46. Yaksha - a class of demi gods, who are described as attendants of

Kuberas

47. Yama- the god of death Death, the planet Saturn, of Shiva

48. Yoga - Joining, union

 

Regards

 

Your sisya

viswanadham