​Cosmos has always seemed like a final frontier for man. This is not just the case for astronomers and space scientists, but for each one of us. Since time immemorial, when man has looked up at the night sky, he has wondered about the many stars, galaxies and the 'world beyond'. 

After the initial questions such as what is out there… and who runs this 'whole show' and so on… other questions come up- questions such as about our own essential nature! Who are we? Where did we come from? Where do we go after death… 

It is the nature of man to explore the nature of our universe- our external Universe as well as our internal Universe, the universe that is housed within each one of us, as the Conscious presence… the Divine witness which seems to exist and observe even when we are deep asleep or even unconscious!

At one level, these may seem like spiritual topics which philosophers and other intellectuals have mulled over for centuries and written myriads of volumes… but on another level, these are core questions that we need to answer, so that we can truly appreciate our time here on earth. Not simply read the answers that others have arrived at, but to actually experience the answer by ourself… as our very own understanding of our intrinsic essential nature.

Rishis and sages from ancient India formulated a Maha-Vaakya (special spiritual idiom), also sometimes written as Maha Vakya, that states-  
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It means:   The workings of this Universe (ब्रह्माण्डे- Brahmande) can be understood by studying the workings of an individual being (पिण्डे- Pinde)... because an individual is a mere reflection of the entire cosmos!

In the Vedas, an individual being is called as the microcosm and referred to as the 'Pinda'. The Cosmos or the Universal presence is called as the 'Brahmanda' and is referred to as the macrocosm. Here we find the Rishis indicating that the individual microcosm is complete in its representation of the larger macrocosm. Almost as if, we are like a piece of a holographic creation- where each piece, every individual, has all the information that is needed to become the larger hologram, the entire cosmos.

This Maha Vakya nudges us to explore our own essential nature and by that be able to comprehend the nature of our own individual being, so we can understand the very nature of our Universe.

Categories:
Vedic Texts     and   Vedic Tradition​

Keywords and Tags:
#mahavakya  #spiritualidiom  #mahavaakya #YadPindeTadBrahmande   #Vedanta   #TeachingsfromVedas   #spiritualtransformation #ascension 

Sheetala also written as Shitala, means 'cooling' and it is the name of the goddess who offers us relief and solace from suffering caused by health epidemics. 
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In our current trying times, this becomes even more relevant. Ofcourse, we should take all the necessary medical precautions and follow all the required health-directives, but at the same time, it may be a wise idea to also obtain some blessings from this divine Goddess. It is believed that since ancient times, goddess Sheetala Devi has helped people during epidemic healing crises! In the past, she was particularly invoked and prayed to for protection from smallpox, chickenpox, and other such viral infections.

The goddess Sheetala devi is iconographically shown crowed with a winnowing-fan and carrying a broom, dustpan, neem leaves and a pot of holy water to symbolically indicate that she brushes away all the dis-ease causing factors and disinfects and purifies our living-space.

She is believed to have emerged from the sacrificial fire-ceremony (yagna), that was performed by the cosmic divine energies (Devas) for honoring and appeasing the prime Divine Mother Goddess Parvati.

Goddess Sheetala Devi is mainly worshipped by women. She should be prayed to on a regular basis for good health, and she is particularly revered and honored on the 7th and 8th day after Holi, which are marked as Sheetala Saptami and Sheetala Ashtami respectively. On these days, devotees offer prayers to the divine mother and seek her blessings to not only cure any existing illnesses, but also for prosperity and health for their entire household, village, or town.

Sheetala Devi is recognized and honored by various names across different regions of the Indian subcontinent. She is considered as another manifested form of Goddess Kathyayini (also written as Katyayani).

Goddess Sheetala Devi is associated with both Hindu as well as Buddhist beliefs and traditions.

Categories: 
Gods And Deities     and     Festival Celebrations

Keywords and Tags:
#ShitalaDevi #SheetalaDevi #ShitalaSaptami #ShitalaAshtami #SheetalaSaptami #SheetalaAshtami #HinduFestival​​ ​

​Categories: 
Wisdom Bytes

Keywords and Tags:
#VedicWisdomByte #Dakshinamurthy #Shiva #MahaShivaratri #GreatNightofLordShiva #Shivaratri #DivineGuru​

Categories: 
Wisdom Bytes

Keywords and Tags:
#VedicWisdomByte #Dakshinamurthy #Shiva #MahaShivaratri #DivineGuru​

Pitamaha Bhishma (also written as Bheeshma), as he was lovingly called by both the Pandavas and the Kauravas, was one of the Ashta (eight) Vasus that had to be incarnated in a human form as a result of a curse. The divine beings- Ashta Vasus had tried to steal the celestial cow Kamadhenu from Rishi Vashita and as a result were cursed by him to incarnate as human-beings on earth and suffer the fate of a mortal life!

So, when Divine Goddess Ganga decided to incarnate on earth to marry King Shantanu (as per another key legend), the eight Vasus pleaded her to be their mother and release them from the sin of having stolen property from a brahmana (learned sage). To help out the Vasus, Goddess Ganga gave birth to a mortal human baby and then drowned them in her river-water to release them from their sin (mukti). 
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Finally, when it came to releasing the Vasu who was truly responsible for stealing the celestial cow, Goddess Ganga was stopped by the King and this eight-child had to inevitably continue to live on the human plane and pay for his sins. This Vasu in the human-form was known as Devaratha and later after his gigantic/colossal promise (known as the Bhishma Pratigya), he was known as "The Bhishma".

​As a result of the Bhishma Pratigya, which helped his father to marry the woman of his choice, his father- King Santanu blessed him with the ability to choose his time of death (called as iccha-maran). Subsequently, he made another pratigya, where he promised his mother (the Queen of Hastinapur) that he would remain alive and protect the kingdom, until the time that its safety and wellbeing was truly ensured.

Grandsire Bhishma’s life was full of pain and strife. He was caught in the web of his own promises, which even though he had made in good-faith, they resulted in terrible outcomes- where ultimately the situation deteriorated to the point of leading to the Maha Bharat war- the great epic war between the truth and un-truth!!

Shukla Paksha Ashtami in the Vedic lunar month of Magha is known as Bhishma Ashtami. This is the day that Bhishma is believed to have left for his heavenly abode.

There is a lot we can learn from The Maha Bharat as well as the life of Grandsire Bhishma. Even though we may want to ‘force’ a certain outcome, but we never know if it will ultimately lead to good or evil. So, instead of ‘forcing’ outcomes, it is important to do one’s very best in any given situation- towards reaching the goal that we aspire towards… but we need to let go of our attachment to the fruits of our action. It is important to do our actions as ‘a-karm’.
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If you are not familiar with the concept of a-karm, then please check out Karma Yoga- The Yoga of Non-action

​This is the message that was brought to us by Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita. These were the teachings he (Lord Krishna) gave to the Pandava brother and the great warrior Arjun, on the Maha Bharat battlefield.

As the war progressed, Bhishma was mortally wounded and laid on a bed of arrows, but he was not able to let go of his human-incarnation, as the war was still going on and he had promised his mother and queen of Hastinapur, that he would continue to live until the kingdom was secured and assured of just and able King.

Grandsire Bhishma, being the incarnation of the Divine Vasus (gods that rule the elements and directions and so are the first dwellers of any space) had immense abilities. But by trying to ‘control’ the unfolding of life, he not only filled his own life with pain and strife, but ultimately had to lie on a bed of arrows- indicative of the depth of his suffering.

As we read about this legend of Grandsire Bhishma, I hope that we all can learn from his life.
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It is important to not covet and grab something that is not ours!! The original reason that the divine Vasus had to be born on this earth… and along with that it is important to remember that only our actions, our efforts are in our hands. If we are striving for some goal or accomplishment, then we should obtain all the required talent, put in all the needed work and efforts… BUT the final outcome, i.e., the destiny is not in our hands. It is as a result of a complex-karmic algorithm. We can never control or determine the final result of our actions or the unfolding of any situation.

Continue reading...

Categories:
Festival Celebrations   and    Thought Bytes  
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Keywords and Tags:
#BhishmaAshtami #BheeshmaAshtami  #Mahabharat  #Bhishma #Bheeshma #Pitamah #Pitamaha #HinduFestival​​​