Thousand names of Vishnu :- A short Story.

Swara Vigyan

Kabir in one of his famous writings, immortalised by legendary classical singer Shri Kumar Gandharva in his “ Nirgun-Nirbhaya” bhajan, gives essence of Swara Vigyan in following words :

इंगला-पिंगला-सुखमन नाड़ी.;  त्रिवेणी पे हां नहाऊंगा || (Ingila, Pingala and Sukhman are the Channels; I Will Bathe at the Confluence of the Three Rivers)

'Nirbhay Nirgun Gun Re' sings Pt. Kumar Gandharva - YouTube

Diving deep into concepts of Swara vigyan & Hatha Yoga, one comes across the concepts of Prana and Nadis. The Prana flows through our body through wire like channels known as Nadis, which are described to be 3,50,000 in number, as per Shiva Samhita (& differently in some other texts). The purpose of Hath Yoga was to cleanse these Nadis to keep the flow of energy smooth, through physical Aasanas and Pranayam. This was a preparation for the activation of eight Chakras and ultimately the Kundalini Shakti. Awakening of Kundalini with impure Nadis is considered a recipe for disaster. Thus, Hatha Yoga uses Prana as the key to expand awareness of consciousness and realise the self. On the other hand, various other Sanatan systems of Yoga may achieve the same by purifying the intellect and developing wisdom. 

In the Upanishads, prana vayu is also called as the Apana (In breath), Samana (the out breath) and Udana (Up breath). Similar terms are also used in Buddhist Vipassana meditation. Samana is related to Sushumna nadi and is linked to Kundalini  Activation. 

We do not always breathe through both the nostrils, usually one nostril is open and the other is partially or fully closed (Alternate Rhinitis). In Yoga, this is known as Swara. Breath alternates between Ida & Pinagala every hour which in turn is associated with activation of right & left hemispheres respectively. When the left Nostril is flowing, it means the Ida is active & the mind is dominant, When the right nostril is flowing it means the breath in Pingala is active and the pranas are predominating.

If the Ida is flowing and you are practicing meditation, you will go to sleep and your brain will produce delta waves. If the right nostril is flowing and you are trying to meditate, your brain will produce beta waves and your mind will be full of thoughts. 

When both nostrils are flowing equally that means Sushumna is flowing. Sushumna is conducive to meditation. Thus Sushumna activation is a prerequisite for Kundalini activation.

During flow of Ida one should do quiet tasks associated with mental creativity while during flow of Pingala, physical work should be done which require logic and systematic thinking. Sushumna flow is conducive to Yoga & dhyana.

Different Manifestaions of the three Nadis are tabulated as under:

Ida (Breath through Left Nostril is freely flowing)	Sushumna (Balanced & equal flow)	Pingala (Breath through Right nostril is flowing freely)
Feminine	Androgynous	Masculine
Night	Sunrise/Sunset	Day
Moon	Cosmic Light	Sun
Cold	temperate	Hot
Internal/Passive	Centred	External/Active
Ganga	Saraswati	Yamuna
Blue	Yellow	Red
Brahma	Rudra	Vishnu
Sattwa (Tamas after awakening)	Tamas (Sattwa after awakening)	Rajas
Chitta Shakti	Kundalini Shakti	Prana shakti
Intuition	Wisdom	Logic
Sub conscious Mind	Unconscious Mind	Conscious Mind
Parasympathetic nervous System	Sympathetic nervous System	Central nervous system
Prana vayu (In Breath)	Samana prana	Apana (Out Breath)

JOURNEY IS THE DESTINATION

On the spiritual path, a seeker often encounters phases where the mind wanders, and doubts arise if this (path) is worth it?

Is it too late, too little? When will the Guru appear? When will reality dawn? What is the end of this journey? 

“It’s not the destination, it’s the journey”

                            - Ralph Waldo Emerson 

If you are walking on a path and getting frustrated looking at some destination or final outcome in your mind, then you are on the wrong path. The right path is one which gives you peace and glimpses of divine bliss. Nothing is to be found. There is nothing waiting for you to achieve. Enjoy the journey of self-discovery. Remember- Journey is the destination. There is no destination. 

तलाश-ए-मंज़िल-ए-जाना इक बहाना था 

तमाम उम्र मैं अपनी तरफ़ रवाना था 

-अमजद इस्लाम अमजद 

[I was always in the process of self-discovery. The aimless wandering towards a destination was a mere excuse (for the world to see]. 

For ages one wanders here and there, as if something is to be found outside. This is a mistake. The outside world is endless. Your tools of exploration are so limited. Take a pause, look within. You will find what you seek inside you- in your breath, in your heartbeats. You will find it in your thoughts and even in that “no thought “zone. 

कस्तूरी कुंडल बसे मृग ढूंढे बन माहि। 

 ऐसे घटि घटि राम हैं दुनिया देखे नाही।। 

कबीरदास 

[ Just like a musk deer has the fragrance in his navel, but he keeps searching for the same throughout the forest, the same way, Rama (God) permeates each and every living and non-living part of Universe, but the world remains unaware of him.]

An Excerpt from Osho’s Krishna-  the man and his philosophy:

When at long last Gautam Siddhartha attained to enlightenment, when he became the Buddha, the awakened one, someone asked him, "What is it that you have achieved?" Buddha is reported to have said, "I achieved nothing. I only came to know what was already the case. I discovered what I already had with me. Earlier I did not know that it had been with me forever and ever; now I know it. It is nothing new that I have come upon, it has always been there. Even when I was unaware of it, it was very much there, not an iota less than it is now." 

What Buddha says in the last moment, Krishna will say at the very first. Krishna will tell you, "What is the point of going anywhere? You are already where you want to go. What you think to be a stopover on your journey is actually your destination – where you happen to be right now. Why run in any direction? You are already in that place you want to reach to after you have done your running. You have already arrived." 

Arjuna Durga Stuti in the Mahabharata

In the Srimad Bhagvad Gita Parva in Bhishma Parva of Mahabharata, a beautiful Durga Stotra is recited by Arjuna. Arjuna did so on the direction of Shri Krishna to seek blessings of Maa Durga in order to win over the opponents when the war was about to start. 

The Stotra goes like this: 

अर्जुन उवाच 

नमस्ते सिद्धसेनानि आर्ये मन्दरवासिनि ⁠। 

कुमारि कालि कापालि कपिले कृष्णपिङ्गले ⁠।⁠।⁠ 

भद्रकालि नमस्तुभ्यं महाकालि नमोऽस्तु ते ⁠। 

चण्डि चण्डे नमस्तुभ्यं तारिणि वरवर्णिनि ⁠।⁠।⁠ 

Arjuna Said:- Arye (Devi), you reside in Mandarachal and are the chief of the army of Siddhas. You are also known by the names- Kali, Kapali, Krishna Pingala, Bhadrakali and Mahakali. I bow down to you again and again. You are known as Chandi when you get angry on wicked and Tarini when you liberate Bhaktas. You are golden and beautiful. I bow down to you. 

कात्यायनि महाभागे करालि विजये जये ⁠। 

शिखिपिच्छध्वजधरे नानाभरणभूषिते ⁠।⁠।⁠ 

O the luckiest one, you only are the Katyayani- worthy of prayers and you only are the Kali- having a frightening form. You only are known as Jaya and Vijaya. Peacock feathers adorn your flag. You are adorned by a variety of jewelry. 

अट्टशूलप्रहरणे खड्‌गखेटकधारिणि ⁠। 

गोपेन्द्रस्यानुजे ज्येष्ठे नन्दगोपकुलोद्भवे ⁠।⁠।⁠ 

You hold dangerous weapons like Trishul, Kharag and Khteak. You took birth in the lineage of Nanda Gopa as younger sister of Shri Gopeshwar Shri Krishna. You are supreme in qualities and effects. 

महिषासृक्प्रिये नित्यं कौशिकि पीतवासिनि ⁠। 

अट्टहासे कोकमुखे नमस्तेऽस्तु रणप्रिये ⁠।⁠।⁠ 

⁠You were very happy to shed the blood of Mahishasura. You are also famous by the name Kaushiki because you incarnated in the Kaushika Gotra. You wear Pitambar. When you laugh at the sight of your enemies, your face is as agitated as a cyclone. War is very dear to you. I bow down to you again and again. 

उमे शाकम्भरि श्वेते कृष्णे कैटभनाशिनि ⁠। 

हिरण्याक्षि विरूपाक्षि सुधूम्राक्षि नमोऽस्तु ते ⁠।⁠।⁠ 

Goddess who bears the names Uma, Shakambhari, Shweta, Krishna, Kaitbhanashini, Hiranyakshi, Virupakshi and Sudhumrakshi!, I bow to you again and again. 

वेदश्रुति महापुण्ये ब्रह्मण्ये जातवेदसि ⁠। 

जम्बूकटकचैत्येषु नित्यं सन्निहितालये ⁠।⁠।⁠ 

You are the shruti of the Vedas, your form is very holy; The Vedas and the Brahmins are dear to you. You are the power of Jataveda Agni; You have a constant abode in Jambu, Cuttack and Chaitya trees. 

त्वं ब्रह्मविद्या विद्यानां महानिद्रा च देहिनाम् ⁠। 

स्कन्दमातर्भगवति दुर्गे कान्तारवासिनि ⁠।⁠।⁠ 

You are the Brahmavidyaamongst all knowledge, and the great sleep (Maha Nidra) of bodily beings. Bhagwati! You are the mother of Kartikeya. You are Durga, who resides in inaccessible places. 

स्वाहाकारः स्वधा चैव कला काष्ठा सरस्वती ⁠। 

सावित्रि वेदमाता च तथा वेदान्त उच्यते ⁠।⁠। 

Savitri! Swaha, Swadha, Kala, Kasta, Saraswati, Vedamata and Vedanta are all your names. 

स्तुतासि त्वं महादेवि विशुद्धेनान्तरात्मना ⁠। 

जयो भवतु मे नित्यं त्वत्प्रसादाद् रणाजिरे ⁠।⁠।⁠ 

Mahadevi! I have praised you with a sincere heart. By your grace may I always be victorious in this battle. 

कान्तारभयदुर्गेषु भक्तानां चालयेषु च ⁠। 

नित्यं वससि पाताले युद्धे जयसि दानवान् ⁠।⁠।⁠ 

Mother! You dwell eternally in the wilderness, in fearful, inaccessible places, in the homes of the devotees, and even in the Patal-Lok.You are the one who defeats demons in battle. 

त्वं जम्भनी मोहिनी च माया ह्रीः श्रीस्तथैव च ⁠। 

संध्या प्रभावती चैव सावित्री जननी तथा ⁠।⁠।⁠ 

You are Jambhani, Mohini, Maya, Hri, Shri, Sandhya, Prabhavati, Savitri and Janani. 

तुष्टिः पुष्टिर्धृतिर्दीप्तिश्चन्द्रादित्यविवर्धिनी ⁠। 

भूतिर्भूतिमतां सङ्ख्ये वीक्ष्यसे सिद्धचारणैः ⁠।⁠।⁠ 

You are also the one who gratifies, confirms, and radiates the illuminance of the sun and the moon. You are the glory of opulent. Siddhas and Charans see you on the battlefield. 

As a result of Arjuna’s prayer, benevolent Mother Goddess appeared before Shri Krishna and Arjuna. She blessed Arjuna and assured him victory in the impending battle.

Shakti- The feminine aspect of God

 

It is widely accepted by scientists that the Big Bang happened almost 14 billion years ago. The earth came into being 4.5 billion years ago and the earliest species of humans originated in Africa around 2.5 million years ago. It is difficult to assess when Humans started worshiping Gods and that too the feminine aspect.

The worship of a divine feminine has been found in various ancient and prehistoric sites and across cultures. In Sanatan or the Hindu religion, the culture of worshiping Shakti or the divine feminine is as old as the religion itself, if not earlier. There is evidence of worship of female deities in the Indus Valley Civilization. While God can only be father according to Christianity and the Great creator according to Islam, it is far more reasonable to conceive him as father-mother than merely as father. This is what the cult of Shakti has visualized in the umbrella of Sanatan Dharma. Shiva is pure being and Shakti is pure will. Each is a complement of the other and if separated completely from the other, both will be mere fictions.Together they are the cosmic whole and what transcends it.

In the Vedic literature, there were a number of Goddesses like Usas, Ratri, Vak, Prithvi and Sarasvati. Gradually, just as Vishnu rose in prominence by assimilating to himself all traits of Indra, Surya and Varuna, so does the consort of Rudra by assimilating to herself the traits of the other goddesses especially vak rose in prominence. The Rigveda, probably the oldest surviving text of Humanity, includes a hymn in praise of divine feminine known as “ Devi Suktam”. In the first verse, the Goddess declares herself as the controlling power behind the many Devas who are associated with various facets and functions of this universe. She claims to move as one with the mighty Devas, including the eleven Rudras, Vasus, Adityas and Vishwadevas, assuming their form. She is their core and inner self of all the Devas. She is more than their equal, as she sustains and holds them aloft. She is thus Supreme. Goddess also proclaims: “I am the sovereign queen of all existence …I bend the bow for Rudra; I pervade heaven and earth.” Goddess Durga is also called Ambika, or in short just Amba (Mother), or Devi Amba. There are mentions of a divine mother in various Upanishads too.

Gradually, the Shakta tradition emerged around three major centers- Kashmir, Kanchi and Kamakhya. The first two were epicenters of what is known as “Srividya” and Kamakhya is still a main place for “kaul” tradition. There are two hymns in the Mahabharata dedicated to Durga, which shows that by this time, Shakti worship tradition was as fairly established as were vaishnav and Shaivite traditions. One of the two instances is when Krishna exhorts Arjuna to take blessings of the divine mother before the battle of Mahabharat. Arjuna pleases Durga with his hymn and devi appears before Krishna and Arjuna and blesses them with a boon of victory over their enemies. It is believed that Mata Vaishnodevi devi is the one whom Arjuna pleased before Mahabharata War and she is one of the two living divine presence on Earth along with Lord hanuman and therefore, connects to the devotees faster for their well being.

Just as Vishnu is said to have descended several times to uphold dharma and vanquish Rakshasas, so in parallel Universe of Devi, there are several forms to eliminate demons such as Mahisasura (Quelled by Chandi), Chanda and Munda (Killed by kali) and Bhanda (slayed by Lalita). Similar to the verse in Gita, Devi Mahatmya has a passage which proclaims that Devi incarnates in various forms to uphold Dharma and kill Danavas.

Other major texts of Shakti Upasana in Sanatan Dharma are the following:-

Devi Mahatmya:- By far, the most important text of Shaktism is the Devi Mahatmya (also known as the Durga Saptashati, Chandi or Chandi-Path), found in the Markandeya Purana. She is portrayed as Mahishasura Mardini, Slayer of the Buffalo Demon – a central episode of the Devi Mahatmya, and one of the most famous in all of Hindu mythology.

Lalita Sahasranama:- It is a sequel to the lalitopakhyana which forms part of the Brahmanda Purana. It consists of three chapters. The first is introductory, the second gives the thousand names of the Great Goddess Lalita Ambika and the third contains the usual phalashruti of the benefits of reciting thousand names of Goddess Lalita. Several verses are devoted to Sri chakra which is considered as the form of Goddess. If the Mantra is revelation of the Mother in sound, the yantra is her revelation in lines. Lalita Sahasranama is different from Devi mahatmya and earlier hymns in predominance of Tantrik philosophy and sadhana with three great pillars of Panchadasi Mantra, Kundalini yoga and Sri chakra.

Devi Bhagwatam:- This is one of the 18 mahapuranas authored by Sage Ved Vyasa. The Goddess in the Devi-Bhagavata becomes less of a warrior goddess, and more a nurturer and comforter of her devotees, and a teacher of wisdom. This development in the character of the Goddess culminates in the Devi Gita, which "repeatedly stresses the necessity of love for the goddess, with no mention of one's gender, as the primary qualification," a view inspired by the devotional ideals of Shaktism.

Saundarya Lahiri:- Adi Shankaracharya has written this beautiful Stotra in praise of Mother Goddess. Saundarya Lahari literally translates to 'the wave of beauty' and is specifically tantric in content. Shiva is chitta, the pure attribute-less consciousness within all of us, and Shakti is chidrupini, the power inherent in that consciousness, from which all creation is made possible. 

When Arjuna asked Shri Krishna to retell Bhagawad Gita

The Mahabharat War had ended. Pandavas were happily ruling over their kingdom. On one occasion Krishna and Arjuna were having an evening stroll. Suddenly, Arjuna told Krishna that he has forgotten all the wisdom he had received on the Kurukshetra battlefield. Hence, Arjuna requested Krishna to retell him whatever was told earlier along with his proper divine form. On hearing this, Krishna rebuked Arjuna for his carelessness and lack of devotion in letting go of the secret and precious wisdom imparted by him, which in itself was sufficient for the liberation of the listener.

Surprisingly, Krishna tells Arjuna that it is impossible to even for him to repeat everything told by him earlier as he had spoken those words after aligning himself with the Par Brahman or the supreme spirit through Yoga(परं हि ब्रह्म कथितं योगयुक्तेन तन्मया).

However, Krishna agrees to impart to Arjuna the same instruction in other words, through the medium of a few ancient stories(Itihasa). The wisdom so conveyed by Krishna constitutes what is called the “Anugita”, which means “that which follows the Gita”. 

Anugita broadly consists of the discussion regarding Jivatma, birth, emancipation through the negation of the senses and control of the mind through the following dialogues or fables:- 

• Dialogue between Krishna and a Brahmin regarding the story of Maharishi Kashyapa and a Siddha. 
• Dialogue between a Brahmin and his wife (includes a sub-dialogue between Devarshi Narada and Devmat, Kartvirya - Parashuram story, Rajarshi- Alarka story) 
• Dialogue between an enlightened Guru and his disciple (including a sub-dialogue between Brahma- and Brahma Rishis). 

 At the end of the discussion, Krishna confirms that this knowledge was imparted on the battlefield and has been repeated (although not verbatim) due to the love and affection he has for Arjuna. Krishna proceeds to Dwaraka after this dialogue. Both the Bhagavad Gita and Anugita highlight the importance of controlling one's senses and promoting detachment and renunciation. However, while the Bhagavad Gita emphasizes devotion to a God and the belief that God can grant salvation, Anugita emphasizes human initiative and effort in realizing one's true nature and achieving salvation. 

(Source:- Mahabharata - Anu Gita Parva in Ashwamedha Parva) 

(Featured Image: - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Krishna_and_Arjun_on_the_chariot,_Mahabharata,_18th-19th_century,_India.jpg)