Mantras - To Ms Sreelatha

[Guest guest]

Ms Sreelatha,

 

your article explaining the significance of mantras and their

relation to the astrology is fantastic.

 

you have told the biggest enemies of a man are kaama, krodha etc.

could you please relate how tensions and anxiety come to picture in

this perspective, which is the best mechanism to eliminate them.

 

Thanks.

Raghu

University of California

[Guest guest]

Dear Raghu,

 

Thank you for your kind words. I will gladly tell you the best

mechanism to eliminate tension and anxiety, if only I was that

wise :-), but since I am not, I will give you my perspective and let

you take it from there.

 

First, some background. Astrology tells us that the signs are either

Fire, Earth, Air or Water signs. Aries is a fire sign, Taurus an

earth sign, Gemini air, Cancer water, Leo fire again, and so on. The

Lagna sign indicates the primary tatwa of the person.

(Oversimplification alert. There are many factors that color this

somewhat, but the core statement is still true.) The Arudha Lagna

(AL) indicates perception, and this is yet another indicator of the

tatwa. Since the Lagna and the AL is never the same in any chart, it

follows that every one of us has an inherent tatwa and another that

is visible externally.

 

The four tatwas correspond to the four major paths of spirituality,

Raja/Hatha/Kundalini yoga for Fire, Karma yoga (charity,

volunteering, helping those in need) for Earth, Gyana yoga for Air

and Bhakti yoga for water. This does not mean that, say, a person

born with a Fire lagna would never follow Bhakti etc. All this means

is that one particular sadhana will come easily to each type.

 

The beauty is that the four paths constantly influence each other.

As a Hatha yogi experiences the awakening of Shakti in each chakra,

he/she becomes more generous (Karma yoga), understands the truth

(Gyana) and loves all (Bhakti). Similarly, the Bhakta sees the

Beloved in all people and serves them like a Karma yogi, the Gyani

sees the oneness of all and is generous, and the shakti rises by

herself. Ultimately, it does not matter where you started, but you

may as well start where it is easiest for you.

 

My own experience is only with Bhakti ( I am Cancer Lagna) and Gyana

(Arudha Lagna is Libra), so I will give you my perspective from

there.

 

Kaama is usually translated as lust, but it goes much beyond that.

It signifies desires in all forms. Sree Krishna explains beautifully

how Tamas, Rajas and even Saatwik Gunas bind our souls to our body,

with the desires they generate, and that freedom comes from rising

above all three Gunas. Tension and anxiety arises from these three

Gunas, each guna manifesting it's own take on tensions and

anxieties.

 

The desires of Tamo Guna are for evil things, or for self-

destructive behaviors such as smoking. Laziness, apathy etc. belong

to this guna too. The key to avoid harming oneself is to remember

that the body is the home of the beloved Lord himself/herself. All

the material universe is a visible manifestation of the Lord, and it

is all sacred to the Bhakta. Similarly, hurting others is like

hurting the Beloved, so a Bhakta will eventually stop doing that.

 

Rajas is the more difficult one for me, since I have a natural

tendency towards it. Rajas is the opposite of Tamas, and pushes one

to overaction, as opposed to the inertia of Tamas. One is constantly

going from one task to another, and forgets the bigger purpose of

life. Krishna warns that this binds the soul with Karma (Tamas binds

with Agyana). The solution I attempt is the one that Krishna himself

proposed, which is to offer all actions to Him. This way, neither

the good Karmas or bad Karmas "stick". The analogy I read somewhere

is that a small river might overflow, when there is a big rainfall,

but the mighty ocean will never overflow, regardless of the rain or

the many rivers that flow into it. Similarly, we ordinary people may

be overwhelmed with good or bad karma, but the Lord absorbs it all

on our behalf and still stays the same, while preventing us

from "overflowing".

 

Finally there is the Saatwik guna, which is the most difficult one

of all for me. As I already mentioned, my AL is Libra, the sign of

artistic / creative urges, the sign of comfort and peace. This sign

is also the strongest in my chart. Krishna says that Satwika Guna

binds the soul with the desire of comfort and joy. I am very very

attached to all beautiful objects, sweet sounds etc., so my soul is

firmly bound with these desires. My solution has been to focus on

the beauty of the Lord, which far surpasses the most beautiful

objects of the world. When I am mesmarized at the beautiful sunset,

or the play of white and black clouds in the blue sky, or the dance

of the branches in the cool breeze, I rejoice at seeing the

millionth part of my Darling's great beauty. The sweetest music is a

mere shadow of the divine call of His flute. My solution here is

similar to my solution for Rajo Guna. I don't shun the pleasures of

the senses, since that is far beyond my capabilities, but I dedicate

my senses to enjoying Him in all his forms. The entire universe is

the lovely Lalitha, and I enjoy the play of my beautiful Girl, like

a mother watching a child play. My solution here is essentially a

mix of Bhakti and Gyana. Loving the essential principle that governs

all, while realising that everything else other than that essential

principle that we call God is not permanent.

 

Well, I've been writing for a while, and I only got through the

first of the six enemies :-). More later...Maybe someone could give

us their experiences too.

 

All this, as I mentioned earlier, is only my take on this subject,

so feel free to modify anything to suit your own needs. Hope that

helps somewhat.

- Venkatarama Sreelatha

 

 

, "Raghu" <raghu_tillu>

wrote:

>

> Ms Sreelatha,

>

> your article explaining the significance of mantras and their

> relation to the astrology is fantastic.

>

> you have told the biggest enemies of a man are kaama, krodha etc.

> could you please relate how tensions and anxiety come to picture

in

> this perspective, which is the best mechanism to eliminate them.

>

> Thanks.

> Raghu

> University of California