Guest guest Posted August 24, 2006 Report Share Posted August 24, 2006 Om Namah Sivaya By Sri Swami Krishnananda You know the interesting story as to how Panini, the originator of Sanskrit grammar, received knowledge from Lord Siva. He was supposed to be the dullest of the students in a group that was studying from a Guru in Taxila, Taksha Shila. There were other very intelligent boys. Panini was the most stupid, the least intelligent, very much belittled and made fun of by the colleagues in the class. He was deeply hurt that he was being cowed down by other colleagues and that he could not understand anything that the teacher said. Almost in a desperate mood of disgust with everything, he went to the forest and deeply contemplated on Lord Siva. He prayed: "O Lord! Bless me with Knowledge." It is said that Lord Siva appeared before him, danced and revolved His Dakka or Damaru fourteen times, and the following fourteen sounds were made: "1. Aiun, 2. Rlrk, 3. Aowng, 4. Ai ouch, 5. Ha ya va rat, 6. Lan, 7. Na ma nga na nam, 8. Jha bhanj, 9. Gha dha dhash, 10. Ja ba ga da das, 11. Kha pha chha tha tha cha ta tav, 12. Ka pay, 13. Sa sha sar, and 14. Hal. All this constitutes the very essence of Sanskrit grammar. These sounds, meaningless as they may appear to us, became the foundation of Sanskrit grammar and Sanskrit literature. So, God can teach us without books and without the usual medium of instruction, by a thought, a sound, a look, a touch or a benign gesture. Such a Master's son is Sri Ganapati, Sri Ganesa. We have endless stories about our Gods, all partly humorous and partly highly illuminating. The usual belief is that Lord Ganapati is a celibate and He never married, though there is a belief in North India that He has Siddhi and Buddhi, two consorts behind Him. There is a humorous story about His marriage. He was about to be married and the bridegroom's procession was moving in great gusto, from Mount Kailasa evidently, to the bride's palace. We do not know who that contemplated bride was. We know only that there was a procession of the bridegroom. And His pot belly, it seems, burst on the way due to eating too much, and He took a snake, who is sometimes identified with Subrahmanya, tied it around His stomach and ate again. It seems Chandra or moon looked at this scene and laughed, saying: "Look at this man who is going for his marriage! His stomach is burst and he is tying up with, a snake? This took place on the fourth day of the bright half of the lunar month, Bhadrapada (Aug-Sept). Ganapati was irritated very much. He cursed the moon: "You fellow, you talk about me like this. You have insulted me. Well, whoever looks at you on this day will also similarly be insulted." So, people dread to look at the moon on that day. Chauthi Chandra, the moon on the fourth day of the bright half of the lunar month, is considered very inauspicious, resulting in Apavadam or censure and reproach on the one who sees it. Apavada means undeserved blame and scandal. You might have done nothing, yet somebody will go on telling some evil against you. This is the result of looking at the moon on the fourth day, because it has the curse of Ganapati. But they say, in our tradition of curses, that there is also what is called Sapamoksha or a kind of remedy. The moon said: "Please excuse me, why do you curse me like this?" The moon pleaded for some remedy. Then Ganapati in reply said: "OK, alright, I pardon you. Whoever looks at you on the first day after the Newmoon, will be relieved of this curse." I have seen people running to terraces and climbing trees and trying to see the little streak of the moon appearing like a thread on the first day after the Newmoon, to be rid of all the evils that might have grown around them even by an unconscious look on the fourth day, because on that fourth day especially the moon is just before our eyes and very clear. He is located very peculiarly in a position in the sky where you cannot avoid seeing him. So, then, when our eyes fall on the moon on the fourth day, we rub our eyes and say, "Oh..very sorry, some mistake has taken place," and we expect some trouble afterwards. Somebody will say something against us. Anyhow, the remedy is seeing the moon on the first day after the Newmoon. Sivaya Namah The all-new Mail goes wherever you go - free your email address from your Internet provider. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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