Significance of Surya Grahanam (Solar Eclipse)

[Guest guest]

There is always much debate and speculation as to the influence of Solar and

Lunar Eclipses on the Human sphere of activities.  Many people are concerned

with apocalyptic interpretations of such natural happenings.  Many people who

rely on astrology in a half-and-half manner have baseless fears regarding

astrology and how it impacts their lives.  They do all sorts of things to

placate this and that deity or this or that planet.  They do so without proper

understanding of astrology from its origins in the Lost Science of Yoga, and

allow themselves to be conned by every fantasy imaginable, against the dictates

of reason.  While astrology is real and true, its use/interpretation is largely

based on an irrational fear of something they do not understand.

 

In Yogic parlance, a Surya Grahanam (Solar Eclipse) represents the zenith of

ignorance - when the Mental Vascillations (Moon) eclipse the light of

Awareness/Consciousness (Sun).  That is, when the Gunas, especially

distracting/confusing rajasic/tamasic gunas, exert maximum influence over the

sphere of thought.  So, it represents the victory of superstition and paranoia

over reason/intellect/objectivity.  (Not surprisingly, when people over-analyze

astrology and do things stubbornly based on half-knowledge, this actually IS a

surya grahana - victory of their superstitious unthinking self over their

better-knowing half).

 

From an absolute point of view, the Surya Grahana is nonsense - if the Sun was a

hollow object, one could fit 64 million moons inside its volume.  The moon

cannot by any stretch of one's imagination 'swallow' the sun.  From a

materialistic point of view (earthbound) the moon appears to swallow the sun

from the vantage point of the earth, because the earth is much closer to the

sun, creating the illusion that the sun is being eclipsed.  From space, no

matter where the moon sits, it is like a speck of dust in comparison with our

solar sun.

 

The human body and psyche function in a coordinated manner.  The one is

necessarily a function of the other.  The macrocosm (of planetary bodies)

serves as a useful marker to the clockwork like activities of the human mind -

which are more or less influenced by the 3 Gunas (Sattva, Rajas, Tamas).  Satva

is the state of mind dominated by transparency, when the Gunas have least

influence over the mental processes and decision making pathways.  Rajas is

that state of mind in which passion predominates, when emotion substantially

influences the decision making process, and masks pure reason.  Tamas is that

state of mind wherein inertia/sloth/laziness/blindness dominate, causing

anything from momentary lapses in perception, to lapses in judgement. 

 

To illustrate, consider the case of the missing bracelet.  You lose a bracelet

in a room, and go into the room 10 times to try to find it, each of the first 9

times returning unsuccessfully.  To your great surprise, on the 10th trial, you

realize, the bracelet is sitting on the desktop immediately in front of you as

you enter the room.  So what happened?  Though nothing changed from an

absolute point of view, your mental perceptiveness waxed/waned across those 10

trials.  The first 9 trials, you were subject to a tamasic lapse of awareness

that led to you being functionally blind to the presence of the object you were

searching for - you simply didn't see it sitting in front of you - the 10th

time, you see the object sitting right in front of you.  The physical situation

did not change, but the mental reconstruction of the situation changed as your

mind waxed from a state of unawareness to awareness.  While this is a trivial

case, the same lapse

in

perception, leads one to initiate actions based on half-information or

incorrect assessment of situations.  It leaves one blind to the reality that

one is faced with, so that the mind is dominated by other factors that cause you

to do " stupid things " .  That said, this is not an excuse to do " stupid things "

- but an expalanation of why you do them to begin with.  It is your attachment

and intrinsic bondage to the three gunas which control your activities and

manifest as success/failure in your life.  Activities undertaken in a sattvic

(clear lucid thinking) state of mind are more likely to succeed, than activities

undertaken in a passionate (rajasic) state, than activities undertaken in a

tamasic (lazy/blind/ignorant) state of mind.  The latter activities often have

drastic and unintended consequences (karmas) which you must then reap - for

example, some people complain that they got drunk the night before, and wake up

the next morning with a severe

headache only to find that they got married to someone they didn't know in las

vegas the night before.  While this is an extreme case (and perhaps contrived)

of the influence of ignorance on one's karma, it is nevertheless a case that

clarifies what we're talking about: cause-effect and how karma is inherently

tied in to one's mental state.  Your actions have consequences, and you must

face/reap the consequences of those actions undertaken, whether you undertook

them consciously or unconsciously.  Karma is like a long chain link - so be

careful when you undertake decisions without properly considering the

consequences thoroughly - often you have no idea of the full chain of

consequences associated with certain actions or decisions until you experience

them.  Hence, the hindu philosophy adopts certain time periods (kala) and

certain dietary practices (vegetarianism) to regulate and modulate the flow of

prana in the body which in turn mitigates the

destructive action of the gunas on the mind's ability to see clearly and the

body's ability to act properly on the mind's thoughts.  You will see this

clearly in the case of diet:  Eating certain foods at certain times of the day

in certain regulated quantities, leaves you light, refreshed, and energetic;

while eating other foods, in wrong times of the day, and in excessive /

mal-nourished quantities leaves you functionally useless.  The sign that you

have eaten too much, is usually the mid-day nap.  They say that you shouldn't

generally sleep in the day time: instead of regulating their diet so that they

don't over-eat, people think that it is some superstitious hex against the

actual process of sleep that is bad/wrong.  This is in part due to nonsense

explanations by others who claim that demons possess you (or whatever their

particular brand of explanation may be).  Functionally, whether you understand

the scientific reason behind the statement, or you believe that you will be

possessed by demons, your actions will indicate that you will try to avoid

sleeping in the day time.  That said, the

person

who is afraid of demonic possession is more likely to take positive actions

conducive to his/her well being, because there is a greater urgency/immediacy to

the warnings of demonic possession, than saying " your energy levels will be

disrupted " .  People (masses) are generally not built to do " wise " things (which

opens the doorway to procrastination), they need " dramatic " things to take

action - people are inherently lazy (which is why they are not yogis).  A

simple scientific statement based on the science of yoga, is translated into a

superstitious and dramatic statement that is out of proportion with the actual

action undertaken.  In other words, no one ever died from demonic possession

during an afternoon nap - but you will find that your energy levels are

non-optimal when you fail to regulate your diet properly.  This in turn

disrupts your breathing patterns, your intake of vital prana, your heart

rhythms, and so on. You may think an extra lub

or dub in your heartbeat is nothing, but arrythmias have long-range

consequences that are not easily predicted. Nonlinear phenomenon are nearly

impossible to predict - a butterfly flapping in one part of the world, can cause

a tornado in another several days later. You cannot know the full chain of

consequences unleashed by a given action. Over a lifetime, these pranic

disturbances build up and creates all kinds of health problems. The most

immediate healt consequences will be a diminished intelligence (subjective and

difficult to show/prove conclusively), the most long-ranging can be death

(shorter life span, not much room for debate).

 

From the Bhagavad Gita, there is a very clear explanation of this process of

destruction, based on the influence of the Gunas, and how this leads a person

down the wrong path:

 

dhyayato visayan pumsah

sangas tesupajayate

sangat sanjayate kamah

kamat krodho ’bhijayate

 

" While contemplating the objects of the senses, a person develops attachment for

them, and from such attachment lust develops, and from lust anger arises. "

 

krodhad bhavati sammohah

sammohat smriti-vibhramah

smriti-bhramsad buddhi-naso

buddhi-nasat pranasyati

 

" From anger, complete delusion arises, and from delusion bewilderment of memory.

When memory is bewildered, intelligence is lost, and when intelligence is lost

one falls down again into the material pool. "

 

To try to determine which (body/mind) is greater, is like trying to assess

whether Shakthi/Shiva is greater - what we do know is that when they are

operating together, it is always conducive to the highest good of the organism

as a whole (and necessarily, the larger society in which that organism functions

as a part).  The statement 'a sound mind in a sound body' is a real

phenomenon.  When the body is healthy and fit, the mind is able to function

lucidly / clearly and at its peak.  This gives one a clue as to the

relationship of the body and mind, i.e., the body-mind complex.  The basis for

this relationship (and more broadly manifesting itself as 'Samsara') is the

human capacity to experience emotions.  The progressive ordering of psyche is

as follows:  emotion, intellect (Mind/Buddhi), individuated self (JeevAtma),

Supreme Self (ParamAtma).

 

The yogi (paramahamsa) is ever situated in the bliss of Sat-Chit-Anandam that

springs from the Supreme Self, and is therefore said to be 'uninfluenced' by the

action of the 3 Gunas (i.e., (S)He is a Guna-Atheetha). The ordinary person is

fully subject to the full spectrum of influence of the Gunas, ranging from the

instinctual level of action (base animal tendencies), to the complex

emotional-intellectual actions of reasoning human beings. By avoiding actions

that are base, one necessarily evolves one's mind towards the Satvic state,

which is most conducive to " liberation " (freedom from karmic chain of Samsaara).

 

By following the words of the Guru (who is ever situated in the sattvic state of

Sat-Chit-Ananda, while also being beyond the influence of the Gunas) one is

'shielded' from the effects of the influence of Gunas on themselves, quite

naturally/logically. Even if a man is blind, if he hangs onto a man who can

see, he will not likely fall into a ditch. So, it is said that one who is under

the watchful eye of Guru, cannot be harmed by anything. However, to receive

Guru's grace, one should practice yoga (especially, Kriya Yoga) to make one a

clear and fit channel for the energies of the SatGuru.

 

Going back to the original thread of this email on Significance of Surya

Grahanam, one has to consider the relationship between the moon and the

hormones. In a woman this is obvious - the phases of the moon is directly

related to the menstrual cycle. However, this is more broadly also applicable

to all human beings. The emotional-mental cycle is directly correlated with the

phases of the moon - hence, insanity is also known as 'lunacy' (origin: lunar).

The phases of the moon correspond with the changes in hormonal levels. The

high-energy radiation (gamma radiation) from the moon impacts the Chakras

(especially, the Pineal Gland [associated with the Ajna Chakra], which

incidentally has light sensitivity). There is a constant stream of alpha

particle radiation (helium nuclei) from the Sun, which is partially

regulated/shielded by the earth's magnetic poles. These alpha particles are

responsible for the brilliant auroral displays in the northern most

hemisphere. It is no accident that in certain short-wavelength spectral

portraits of the solar system, the moon will appear substantially brighter than

the sun. It is no accident that the phases of the moon directly impacts the

mind. It is no accident that as you place quartz (and other crystals) near your

body, that you feel tingling sensations in the regions of certain chakras -

almost like an electrical current. The crystals act as lenses and the

interaction of atmospheric radiation and the crystalline structures lead to a

concentration of energy along certain axes of the crystals (e.g., pyramidal

shapes). It is no accident that the Sun (i.e., solar magnetic activity,

especially during sunspots and solar flares) influence migration patterns of

birds and beasts alike, just as the magnetic north-south pole acts as a guide

for birds that migrate south in the winter. The movements of the planets, the

earth, and the mind-body complex have a complex

nonlinear and not well understood relationship, and the effects of all of these

factors on the human system is managed well by the science of yoga (and

explained by vedic astrology). Our body-mind is intimately tied to mother

earth, to father sun, to brother moon.

 

This is the reason that they make up a story about Ganapati's pot belly

bursting, with Chandra (Moon) laughing, resulting in a curse on anyone who looks

at Chandra on certain days. Ganapati, lord of the Muladhara, controls that

chakra. If one receives the energies of the moon on certain days of the year,

it causes that chakra to receive those disruptive energies, causing you in-turn

to do stupid things that lead to " infamy " . The muladhara directly impacts how

you interact with, and relate to, the world around you. It creates and removes

obstacles to your thoughts, decisions, and actions. It dictates your ability to

influence others and project yourself in a positive manner that is conducive to

your well being, social status, and by train-of-logic extension, your material

(Lakshmi-Ganapati) well being as well. People with a blocked or disrupted

muladhara quarrel more often (hence, the statement that Ganapati does not stay

in a house where there is

excessive quarreling). Hence, SatGuru's emphasis on Mouna

(Mounam-Kalaham-Nasti: " Silence Prevents Disasters " ). Saying one wrong word at

the wrong time, can lead to disastrous consequences, as we all know. By

worshipping Ganapati (activating the flow of prana through muladhara) one

negates the effects of having received the disruptive energies of the moon on

that day. Rather than the dry and boring explanation I just provided, the story

of Ganapati eating one too many ladoos is too cute, and naturally more

effective. Children are more likely to pay attention (Bala Ganapati is too cute

and difficult to resist) to the latter story.

 

The relationship between the Sun (Suryanarayana) and SatyaNarayana Vratha should

be obvious now. By worshipping Satyanarayana (Surya Narayana is also called as

'Pratyaksha Narayana' or the Evident Narayana) one is praying to the inner sun

of consciousness to lead one away from the state of Grahanam (Ignorance) to the

state of Awareness/Acuity, which is conducive to all worldly attainments, as

well as spiritual attainments. It is no accident that Vishnu, is known as a

deliberating deity. Vishnu represents the Sun of Consciousness, and his power

of veiling (Grahanam) is the world you see (Maya). He is Maya-Atheetha (Beyond

His Maya), and controls the influence of Maya (delusion). It is ALL His Will.

 

Hopefully, this email impresses upon you all as to the seriousness and yogic

basis for puja and the importance and need for observing mouna when doing

spiritual upasana of any kind. If you do pujas half-assed, you will only be

wasting your time. Focus on the Holy Feet of Sri SatGuru, is the basis for ALL

attainments. Doing these things, even partially, with mental clarity,

concentration, and intention, by directing your inner awareness to the feet of

Sri SatGuru, and all of your actions (puja, tapas, dhyana, japa, sacrifices)

will be fruitful (otherwise, they will be utterly and factually useless):

" Japas Tapo Vratam Teertham Yagno Daanam Tathaiva Ca Guru Tattvam Avigyaaya

Sarvam Vyartham Bhavet Priye. " - Sri Guru Gita Shiva (Bhavana) must be present,

or your chosen ritual is just a form of useless entertainment. Even Jesus says:

" Dwell in Me, and I will dwell in you...Just as no branch can bear fruit of

itself without abiding in (being vitally

united to) the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me. "

 

Hopefully, this also gives you some hints as to the significance of the ordering

and focus of Sri Swamiji's Kavacha Manjari, which directly relates to the

various chakras of the astrophysical body:

 

1. Aum Sri Maha Ganapaathaye Namaha! (Muladhara)

2. Aum Namo Narayanaya! (Svadisthana)

3. Aum Sri Surya Narayano Devathaye Namaha! (Manipura)

4. Aum Sri Lalithambaye Namaha! Aum Sri Maha Lakshmi Namaha! (Anahata)

5. Aum Namah Shivaya! (Vissudha Chakra)

6. Aum SatGuru Dattatreyaya Namaha! (Ajna Chakra)

7. Sri Swamiji: " I will be with you ALWAYS " (Sahasrara Chakra / SatGuru Sthanam)

 

Swamiji is not only composing bhajans for your ears, but He is turning you into

a living breathing bhajan, by arranging and orchestrating your life in ways you

cannot imagine. He is EVER working. You think you are here to do His work

( " seva " ), but really, your only real work is to change yourself. That is also

His work. By working to change yourself, you cooperate with SatGuru who is

trying in every way imaginable to change you, so that you have a more productive

and fruitful life. When Swamiji Says, Listen like your life depends upon it -

it really does.

 

Jaya Guru Datta! May everyone receive the Boundless Grace of Sri SatGuru (who

is grace shines verily in the form of Jnana, and is seated as the inner Atma

Tattva in ALL creation) making every breath and every moment auspicious. Sri

Guru Datta!

 

Kayena Vacha Manasendriyerva BuddhyAtmaNava Prakrithi-Svabhava, Karomi Yadhyat,

Sakalam Parasmaye, Narayanayeti Samarpayami. Achyutham Keshavam, Rama Narayanam,

Sridhara Madhavam, Gopika vallabham, Hare Ram, Hare Ram, Rama Rama Hare Hare,

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Rama Rama Hare Hare,

Krishna Krishna Hare Hare.

 

Om Shanti Shanti Shantihi.

 

---

Gurorangripadme ManaScenna Lagnam tata: kim! tata: kim! tata: kim! tata: kim!?

Sarva Kartha, Sarva Dhartha, Sarva Hartha, Mangalam!

Satchidananda, Satchidananda, Satchidananda Mangalam!

Tasmai Sri Guru-murthaye Nama Idam Sri Dakshinamurtaye!

 

Ata Nityo Narayanaha, Brahma Narayanaha, Sivascha Narayanaha, Kalascha

Narayanaha. Disascha Narayanaha, Vidisascha Narayanaha, Urdwamscha Narayanaha,

Adhascha Narayanaha, Antar-bahischa-Narayana.Narayana Eh Vedam Sarvam, Yat

BhootamYacchha Bhavyam.Nish-kalango Niranjano Nirvikalpo Nirakyadhas,suddhho

Deva Eko Narayanaha, Na dwiteeyosthi kaschit,ya evam Vedas Vishnu reva Bhavati,

Sa Vishnureva Bhavathi, Etat yajur veda sirodeeyathe.

 

Sundara Sundara Siva Siva! Karuna Bandhura Siva Siva!  Karuna Rupa Spanda Siva!

Girisha Sat-Chit-Ananda Siva!

 

Jaya Jaya Jnana Bodha Sabha, ...Atma Tattva Bodha Sabha, ...Bhakthi Jnana

Vairagya Sabha, ...Namasankeerthana Dhama Sabha

 

Satchitananda Rupaya, Krishnayaa Aklishtakarine, Namo Vedanta Vedyaya, Gurave

Buddhi Saakshine

 

~*Om * Ayim * Hreem * Sreem * Siva * Rama * Anagha * Dattaya * Namaha*~