gokulkr 1 Report post Posted February 3, 2004 Darshan The Language of the Eyes When we go to the Mandir our eyes meet the powerful, eternal gaze of Bhagavan Narayan. This is taking darshan. Darshan means “auspicious sight” of the divine. Since Narayan is present in His image, beholding His murti (deity) is an act of worship and through the eyes we gain His blessings. God gives darshan and the devotees take darshan. What does this mean? What is given and what is taken? The Divine presents Itself to be seen and devotees “receive” the darshan. Not only does the worshiper see the Deity, but the Deity sees the worshiper as well. The contact between devotee and Deity is exchanged through the eyes. This is the “language of the eyes”. Seeing is also a kind of touching. In looking at God’s image we reach out for the Divine. We pray to the Divine and hope that as the dearmost friend in our heart, God has heard our prayers. God’s darshan is a window into Vaikuntha and thus we get a glimpse of the spiritual realm. Bhagavan Narayan and Shri Lakshmi Devi are the embodiment of all opulence, therefore, They are all attractive. We hope that what catches the eye may capture the heart. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gokulkr 1 Report post Posted February 4, 2004 The Elephant and the Crocodile There was a hill named Trikuta. It was famed for its beauty and was surrounded on all sides by an ocean of milk. The creepers which grew on the hill were incandescent like gold and silver and the quarters would glow because of the light from the hill. It was a hundred yojanas in extent. Conchs were there in plenty and precious stones as well. From a height, the earth, dark in colour, the sea white and milky and the hill green in colour with the trees and shrubs and creepers together gave the effect of an emerald set in silver. It was a beautiful hill. Wild animals were there and sweet music from the nests of birds would mingle with the roar of lions and tigers that lived in the caves. The fragrance of the air which had been perfumed by the many sweet-scented flowers would draw divine beings to spend their time there. It became the playground of many of the divine beings. Siddhas, Charanas and Gandharvas would go there very often and spend their time in the caves and valleys which glowed with the lustre of the many precious gems embedded in the rocks. In that hill was a garden named Rituman. It was crowded with flowering trees of every kind:--- Mandara, Parijata, Ashoka, Champaka, Chuta, and fruit trees like pomegranate and mango. There were tall trees which touched the skies, Devadaru and Sala trees. The garden belonged to Varuna. There was also a beautiful lake in that hill. It was a very large lake and on its face floated blue, white and red lotuses. The makaranda from them was so profuse that there could always be heard the humming of summer bees which were hovering around the flowers. Water birds like the crane and the swan were always found there and the fish and the tortoises inside the water could be seen clearly since the water was so pellucid. The banks of the lake had flowering shrubs like the jasmine, the kunda and the jaji: punnaga, and Kuravaka and the creeper Madhavi. The scent there was so overpowering that one felt faint. In that hill dwelt an immense elephant with his entire herd. He would wander at will and his herd would always be with him. His favourite pastime was to uproot the bamboo groves. The tender sprouts from the canes were the favourite food of the elephants and they would wander at will in the forest. The elephant was so wild and so powerful that even wild animals like the lion and tiger and wild boar and bulls would run from the spot where the elephant stood. Once during summer, after a long march with his companions, the elephant was feeling very tired and extremely thirsty. From a distance he smelled the perfume which was part of the lake and he went fast towards the lake. His herd came with him and soon they reached the lake and entered it. It was refreshing to bathe in the lake and to drink the sweet water. Once their thirst was quenched they did not feel like coming out of the lake. They spent a long time playing in the clear water and making it muddy and full of mire. The master elephant would take water in his trunk and pour it over the backs of the small ones and the she-elephants. Like a man absorbed in the pleasures of Samsara takes no heed of the fact that his life is getting shorter day by day, the elephant paid no heed to the passage of time. All unaware of the danger lurking in the waters he went on playing, like a samsari who does not see that it is a trap to catch him and bind him for ever. Instigated by Fate, a crocodile which had been living in the lake for a long time grasped the leg of the elephant in its mighty jaws. The unexpected pain made the elephant wince and he tried to shake off the crocodile. But it was not possible. Try as he might, the elephant found it impossible to get out of the clutches of the crocodile. His companions tried to help him but it was all in vain. The grip of the crocodile was too strong and the elephant, strong as he was, was not strong enough to shake off the crocodile. The tussle went on for a long time, for years. Even the devas were present to see this mighty duel between the lord of the forest and the king of the rivers. Slowly but very steadily the strength of the elephant was ebbing away. The crocodile was winning; he found himself growing stronger and more powerful. The elephant finally realised that it was, for him, a losing fight and that soon his life would also leave his body. At that moment he began to see everything in the proper perspective. He pondered for a long while and told himself: "I am in great trouble and these, my dependants are unable to extricate me from my predicament. I have realised that no one can help me now in this dire calamity which has befallen me. But still, I have one hope. I can surrender to the Lord who is the refuge of even gods like Brahma. He is sure to protect me from the dread serpent called Yama who is trying to frighten me. If He is with me, death himself will flee from me since he is afraid of the Lord. I will pray to the Lord." He composed his mind and his thoughts, and set them steadily on Narayana and began his song of praise. He said: "Salutations to you, Lord of lords.You are the Ancient; the Purusha and the Prakriti born of Purusha. You are the light which illumines the intellect of humans. This entire universe is established in you. It was born of you and it has no existence apart from you. After creating it, you, at the time of the deluge, withdraw it into yourself. You are the light beyond the sources of all light. "You stand at the edge of the sea of darkness, of Tamas which is all that is found at the end of Pralaya and you bring new life into the new creation which is born of the old. The cycle is unending and you are the cause behind the cosmos. It is to have a vision of you that rishis spend millions of years absorbed in meditation. You have no birth: no Karma to perform: no names nor any qualities to distinguish you from the others. And yet out of your Maya you create forms for yourself and these have names and qualities ascribed to them. "The formlessness of you is forgotten by those who see you take up a form for the good of the world. You are beyond the reach of the senses, the mind, the emotions, the intellect. Still though you are beyond comprehension there are some who have realised you by becoming one with you. "You are the seer, the Drastha, for the functioning of the Indriyas and their different individual behaviour. You are the cause of everything but nothing has caused you since you are Ancient: eternal: everlasting: without a beginning and so, without an end. There is no limit to you since you are Infinite. "You are unaffected by the gunas and their interplay and, as a result, those who succumb to the Maya caused by the gunas are not able realise the truth about you. Even as the glow from the sun and the fire erupt from it, glow for a while and are lost in the source itself, even so, your glory emanates from you. This stream of gunas, this mind, intellect, senses, and the bodies which enjoy these are all born out of you: and in the end are again lost only in you. They have no seperate entity. Famed as you are to be beyond the gunas, still,you have been known to be the personification of compassion as far as beings like me are concerned: beings who surrender themselves entirely to you are sure to be cured of their ignorance, their Avidya and will be made to have a vision of the Truth that is you. "This birth of mine which is full of Avidya inside as well as outside, this elephant's form and mind is of no use to me. I have no desire to live anymore. I want that Moksha which will not be destroyed by the passage of time. Punya which is acquired is rewarded by a length of time in heaven. When that Punya gets exhausted man is again thrown back to the world of sin. I want a Moksha different from this. I want to be cured of Avidya. I am a Mumukshu and I salute you who is the cause of this Universe: who pervades everything: and yet, who is apart from all that you have created: who is the Ultimate Truth. Yogis see you in their hearts since their Karmas and the results of their Karmas have all been burned in the flame of self-knowledge. The greatness that is you is hidden from foolish beings like me because our thinking is clouded by the sense of "I" and "MINE" I surrender myself to that Infinite Power, Truth, Light that is you. The devas and Brahma and all the others were listening to the words of the elephant. The praise was for the Purusha and each one them knew that he was not fit for the words of praise which were used by the animal. Narayana was touched by the plight of the elephant and assuming the form Hari, appeared before him on the shores of the lake. Garuda was carrying Him. In his hand glowed the Sudarshana Chakra. Looking on him the elephant raised his trunk which held a lotus and said: "Lord! Narayana! I salute you." Narayana was overcome with compassion for the poor elephant and his plight. He entered the lake, killed the crocodile with His Sudarshana and pulled the elephant out of the lake. To the leg of the elephant was still clinging the dead form of the crocodile with its mouth gaping open. All the denizens of the heavens were watching in awe. They stood around the Lord and the elephant, exhausted by the fight which had lasted all these years, was standing with its trunk still raised aloft. With infinite love the Lord accepted the lotus which was held in the trunk and the elephant was happy. GLOSSARY: Avidya: Spiritual ignorance. Because of one's Avidya one does not realise the Truth about the Brahman which alone exists. Drastha: A seer: one who sees mentally Indriya: An organ of sense Karma: Action, work, deed. Fate, the certain consequence of acts done in a former life Maha Pralaya: The Great Dissolution --the total annihilation of the Universe at the end of the life of Brahma when all the worlds with their inhabitants, the gods, saints,- including Brahma himself are all annihilated. Maya: In Vedantic philosophy, it is unreality: the illusion by virtue of which one considers the unreal Universe as really existent and, as distinct fron the Supreme Spirit Moksha: Final emancipation, deliverance of the soul from recurring births and transmigration: the last of the four ends of human existence: Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha Mumukshu: One who desires Mukti(Liberation) Punya: Good work, meritorious act. Purusha: The Supreme Being: the Soul of the Universe Tamas: Literally, darkness. In Vedanta, it is one of the three qualities or constituents of everything in nature, the other two being Sattva and Rajas Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
