Thoughts on Radha and Krishna - Prakruti and Purusha

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I came across this tweet on twitter.

I am reminded of preface of a novel on krishNa- yugandhar. By author who wrote “Mrityunjay” on karNa - Shivaji Sawant. So plenty of revisionism. Anyways that’s not the point. Author mentions in preface about how he had to fight with himself on whether to keep rādhā in book at all. He makes these arguments (with himself) on why should rādhā be completely omitted from book. He says what is the point of mentioning fictional character. Rādhā is absent in Mahābhārata - critical edition (or any other edition). Absent in harivansha. Absent in bhāgvat. Why bother!!

He mentions ahead that Rādhā is mentioned only in some “obscure” brahmavaivarta purāNa and is a secondary character. By the way, this is the person who argued in this same book (and same preface) that the verse “चातुर्वण्य मया सृष्टं गुणकर्म विभागश:” from gītā is inserted by some “usual suspects” much later to justify casteism.

I am saying again and again this just to make a point that this person makes in this preface. 

He says,

” I almost made up my mind and deleted rādhā from initial manuscripts. Then one day I thought why is this fictional character so popular? What does it even mean? I then looked up the vyutpatti of term rādhā. Consulted many scholars from BORI and many dictionaries and amarakosha-s. 

The meaning of the word rādhā that kept emerging from each inquiry started blowing my mind away. Bhāvārtha of word Rādhā is one who yearns for jñāna/moksha. One who longs for Moksha. One who longs to reach the SOURCE. Chaitanya. 

Suddenly, the rādhā who is fictional. Rādhā whom I had meticulously deleted from my mind, my manuscripts - entered my mind and my narrative with such a force that I could not stop her. She occupied my mind and I could only helplessly watch her doing it. I started seeing rādhā in everyone. Every gopikā became rādhā. Uddhav became rādhā. Arjun became rādhā. Everyone in all places and all times who yearns or have yearned for jñāna / moksha even for a single moment in any one of the countless births - became rādhā. That is when I decided to include her in my book.

My rationality helped me keep limit on how bigger a role she will play and how much space (in terms of pages) will she occupy.

But krishNa is incomplete without rādhā. She has to be there in any story of krishNa ever told”

 I read this book in one sitting. I was perhaps 12-13 then. I could not keep this book away. 16 hours straight. Now I cannot read it. Too rational. To “chārvāka”. And many experiences due to gurukrupā have helped me see some bigger picture. And I was grappling with nirishwarvādi inclinations with what my experiences in daily sādhanā were indicating. Truly confusing times. This is when my guru subtly started pushing me towards sānkhya (I didn’t even know this word - except Gita class - 2nd chapter name)

But this preface and this revelation of Shri Shivaji Savant helped me visualise what it is like when prakriti “yearns” for moksha. When ĪshwarikrishNa says in kārikā - it is prakruti that gets moksha. Purush is always free. And it is prakruti which yearns for (and also resists) moksha. It looks schizophrenic. It didn’t make sense. And then rādhā taught me how prakruti yearns for liberation but resists  breakage of last bond. Because once last bond (of ahamkāra) is broken, she is free. And what remains is shuddha Chaitanya. Only Chaitanya. Kaivalya or lonely Chaitanya.

Lastly returning to īhalaukika plane - Without rādhā, we wouldn’t have had this heavenly composition in yaman-kalyāNa by a Gandharva incarnated on earth perhaps due to some kārmik baggage - Pandit Bhimsen Joshi.

राधाधर मधुमिलिंद जय जय

रमारमण हरि गोविंद

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIGd9aMSZgI

Marathi children story of power leverage inspired from Panchatantra

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चिमणीला सापडला मोती. A very beautiful children's story (don't know its origins, reminiscent of Panchatantra though I've read Ramesh Mudholkar version) which introduces to children concepts of 

1. Leverage of Power

2. Politics

3. Interweb of dependencies and weak-spots of targets

The sheer genius of Shri. Vishnu Sharma for composing Panchatantra to teach deep intricacies of politics to children and grown-ups alike is mind-boggling. 

Short synopsis of it is thus : 

A sparrow and Crow are friends. While foraging for food, Sparrow finds a beautiful Pearl. Crow bring big, snatches it from small sparrow and refuses to give it back. Sparrow pleads but crow refuses to give it back

Sparrow goes to the tree on which they have nests. requests tree to shake crow's nest. Tree refuses - Why should I do it, crow hasn't done anything to me? Then Sparrow goes to a wood-cutter. Asks him to cut the tree. Woodcutter refuses - Why should I cut the tree, tree hasn't done anything to me.

Sparrow then goes to Fire - asks fire to burn woodcutter's axe. Fire refuses - Why should I burn axe, he hasn't done anything to me. Sparrow then goes to water - asks water to extinguish fire. Water refuses, saying why should I extinguish fire, it has not done anything to me. 

Sparrow then goes to elephant - asks him to drink up the water. Elephant refuses - why should I drink up that water, it has not done anything to me. Then Sparrow goes to meet an ant. Tells entire chain of events and her grievances and makes a very specific demand to the ant. Sparrow asks ant to bite elephant in its ear. Now ants were also troubled from the elephant because of his rampaging walks, many anthills used to be destroyed. So Ants had attacked elephant once in his trunk and ears much to elephant's horror. Ant instantly agrees to help sparrow. But asks sparrow to help her place the ant in elephant's ever flapping ears.

Sparrow picks the ant in mouth and with great difficulty places the ant in elephant's ears. Once here - Ant threatens to bite if elephant does not oblige to sparrow. 

Elephant pleads and requests ant not to bite and that he will oblige to drink water. Looking at elephant obliging, water instantly yields and agrees to oblige to extinguish fire. Looking at water obliging, fire instantly yields and agrees to oblige to burn woodcutter's axe. Looking at fire obliging, woodcutter instantly yields and agrees to cut down the tree.

Looking at woodcutter obliging, tree instantly yields to sparrow's demands and agrees to shake the crow's nest and make it fall. Looking at tree preparing to shake its nest, crow finally yields up the pearl it had forcibly snatched from the sparrow.

Thus sparrow achieves lasting victory.

 She does so by of course - standard hardwork, perseverance etc.. That is granted. But sparrow did much more than that.

Sparrow understood : 

1. everyone has a weakness. She used her efforts to find them and leverage them

2. Sparrow understood the concept of escalation ladder

3. Sparrow knew exactly what to ask from whom. Often that is the problem - people do not know what to ask from whom.

4. Sparrow took this learning from point one to its source - We call it prati-prasava saadhanaa in saamkhyayoga. Taking a problem to its root and eliminating it when it was nascent.

5. By knowing (or taking efforts to know) the animosity between ants and elephant, she finally found success. From  her point of view, both ants and elephant were irrelevant to her, her life, her problems. But yet she took care to understand their points of view (purva-paksha). 

6. Sparrow understood the obvious motivation for ant was the continued nuisance of elephant to ants. Ants and Elephant were perpetual enemies so ant would not need any reason to harm elephant. Other duals were not perpetual enemies. They were circumstantial enemies.

7. Sparrow knew she was superior to ant and could exert power over ant. In fact until this link in the chain, sparrow was at the mercy of everyone else. But here ant was at the mercy of sparrow. Sparrow need not utter the threat - it was in the subtext. But sparrow made ant an offer it could not refuse. Chance to punish old enemy. And threat of death in case of non-compliance. Carrot and Stick. 

8. Sparrow not only identified elephant's weakness and ant's strength - she also offered to take ant to elephant's weak-spot using her own strength (flight).

In some versions, after woodcutter, sparrow goes to king, then to queen, then to a rat and then finally to a cat. Cat does not need any reason to eat rat. But rat needed a strong motivation (of being eaten by cat) to trouble the queen so that she could mobilise the king. 

The fundamental enmities are much more promising to exploit than circumstantial ones. Which also means, as far as possible do not have existential enmity with anyone. you will be open for exploitation by some clever sparrow. Keep all your enmities (and friendships) circumstantial.

NāmarāmāyaNa नामरामायण

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बालकाण्डः ॥

शुद्धब्रह्म परात्पर राम्॥१॥

कालात्मक परमेश्वर राम्॥२॥

शेषतल्प सुखनिद्रित राम्॥३॥

ब्रह्माद्यमरै प्रार्थित राम्॥४॥

चण्डकिरण कुलमण्डन राम्॥५॥

श्रीमत् दशरथ नन्दन राम्॥६॥

कौसल्या सुखवर्धन राम्॥७॥

विश्वामित्रप्रियधन राम्॥८॥

घोर ताटका घातक राम्॥९॥

मारीचादि निपातक राम्॥१०॥

कौशिक मख संरक्षक राम्॥११॥

श्रीमत् अहल्योद्धारक राम्॥१२॥

गौतममुनि सम्पूजित राम्॥१३॥

सुर मुनिवर गण संस्तुत राम्॥१४॥

नाविक धावित मृदुपद राम्॥१५॥

मिथिलापुर जनमोहक राम्॥१६॥

विदेह मानस रञ्जक राम्॥१७॥

त्र्यम्बक कार्मुक भञ्जक राम्॥१८॥

सीतार्पित वरमालिक राम्॥१९॥

कृत वैवाहिक कौतुक राम्॥२०॥

भार्गव दर्प विनाशक राम्॥२१॥

श्रीमत् अयोध्या पालक राम्॥२२॥

राम् राम् जय राजा राम्।

राम् राम् जय सीता राम्॥

॥ अयोध्याकाण्डः ॥

अगणित गुण गण भूषित राम्॥२३॥

अवनीतनया कामित राम्॥२४॥

राकाचन्द्र समानन राम्॥२५॥

पितृवाक्या श्रित कानन राम्॥२६॥

प्रियगुह विनिवेदित पद राम्॥२७॥

तत् क्षालित निज मृदुपद राम्॥२८॥

भरद्वाज मुखानन्दक राम्॥२९॥

चित्रकूटाद्रि निकेतन राम्॥३०॥

दशरथ सन्तत चिन्तित राम्॥३१॥

कैकेयी तनयार्थित राम्॥३२॥

विरचित निज पितृकर्मक राम्॥३३॥

भरतार्पित निज पादुक राम्॥३४॥

राम् राम् जय राजा राम्।

राम् राम् जय सीता राम्॥

॥ अरण्यकाण्डः ॥

दण्डकवन जन पावन राम्॥३५॥

दुष्ट विराध विनाशन राम्॥३६॥

शरभङ्ग सुतीक्ष्णार्चित राम्॥३७॥

अगस्त्यानुग्रह वर्धित राम्॥३८॥

गृध्राधिप संसेवित राम्॥३९॥

पञ्चवटी तट सुस्थित राम्॥४०॥

शूर्पणखार्ति विदारक राम्॥४१॥

खरदूषण मुख सूदक राम्॥४२॥

सीता प्रिय हरिणानुग राम्॥४३॥

मारीचार्ति कृदाशुग राम्॥४४॥

विनष्टसीतान्वेषक राम्॥४५॥

गृध्राधिप गतिदायक राम्॥४६॥

शबरी दत्त फलाशन राम्॥४७॥

कबन्ध बाहुच्छेदक राम्॥४८॥

राम् राम् जय राजा राम्।

राम् राम् जय सीता राम्॥

॥ किष्किन्धाकाण्डः ॥

हनुमत् सेवित निज पद राम्॥४९॥

नत सुग्रीवाभीष्ट द राम्॥५०॥

गर्वित वालि संहारक राम्॥५१॥

वानरदूत प्रेषक राम्॥५२॥

हितकर लक्ष्मण संयुत राम्॥५३॥

राम् राम् जय राजा राम्।

राम् राम् जय सीता राम्॥

॥ सुन्दरकाण्डः ॥

कपिवर सन्तत संस्मृत राम्॥५४॥

तद्‍ गति विघ्नध्वंसक राम्॥५५॥

सीताप्राणाधारक राम्॥५६॥

दुष्ट दशानन दूषित राम्॥५७॥

शिष्ट हनूमत् भूषित राम्॥५८॥

सीतावेदित काकावन राम्॥५९॥

कृत चूडामणि दर्शन राम्॥६०॥

कपिवर वचनाश्वासित राम्॥६१॥

राम् राम् जय राजा राम्।

राम् राम् जय सीता राम्॥

॥ युद्धकाण्डः ॥

रावण निधन प्रस्थित राम्॥६२॥

वानर सैन्य समावृत राम्॥६३॥

शोषित सरिदीशार्थित राम्॥६४॥

विभीषणाभयदायक राम्॥६५॥

पर्वतसेतु निबन्धक राम्॥६६॥

कुम्भकर्ण शिरच्छेदक राम्॥६७॥

राक्षससङ्घ विमर्दक राम्॥६८॥

अहिमहिरावण चारण राम्॥६९॥

संहृत दशमुख रावण राम्॥७०॥

विधिभव मुख सुर संस्तुत राम्॥७१॥

ख स्थित दशरथ वीक्षित राम्॥७२॥

सीतादर्शन मोदित राम्॥७३॥

अभिषिक्त विभीषण नत राम्॥७४॥

पुष्पक यानारोहण राम्॥७५॥

भरद्वाजादिनिषेवण राम्॥७६॥

भरत प्राणप्रियकर राम्॥७७॥

साकेतपुरी भूषण राम्॥७८॥

सकल स्वीय समानत राम्॥७९॥

रत्न लसत् पीठास्थित राम्॥८०॥

पट्टाभिषेकालङ्कृत राम्॥८१॥

पार्थिवकुल सम्मानित राम्॥८२॥

विभीषणार्पित रङ्गक राम्॥८३॥

कीश कुलानुग्रह कर राम्॥८४॥

सकल जीव संरक्षक राम्॥८५॥

समस्त लोकाधारक राम्॥८६॥

राम् राम् जय राजा राम्।

राम् राम् जय सीता राम्॥

॥ उत्तरकाण्डः ॥

आगत मुनिगण संस्तुत राम्॥८७॥

विश्रुत दश कण्ठोद्भव राम्॥८८॥

सीतालिङ्गन निर्वृत राम्॥८९॥

नीति सुरक्षित जनपद राम्॥९०॥

विपिन त्याजित जनकजा राम्॥९१॥

कारित लवणासुर वध राम्॥९२॥

स्वर्गत शम्बुक संस्तुत राम्॥९३॥

स्वतनय कुशलव नन्दित राम्॥९४॥

अश्वमेध क्रतु दीक्षित राम्॥९५॥

कालावेदित सुरपद राम्॥९६॥

आयोध्यक जन मुक्तिद राम्॥९७॥

विधि मुख विबुधानन्दक राम्॥९८॥

तेजोमय निज रूपक राम्॥९९॥

संसृति बन्ध विमोचक राम्॥१००॥

धर्मस्थापन तत्पर राम्॥१०१॥

भक्तिपरायण मुक्तिद राम्॥१०२॥

सर्वचराचर पालक राम्॥१०३॥

सर्वभवामय वारक राम्॥१०४॥

वैकुण्ठालय संस्थित राम्॥१०५॥

नित्यानंद पदस्थित राम्॥१०६॥

राम् राम् जय राजा राम्॥१०७॥

राम् राम् जय सीता राम्॥१०८॥

राम् राम् जय राजा राम्।

राम् राम् जय सीता राम्॥

॥ इति नामरामायणम् सम्पूर्णम् ॥

Para-Pashyanti-Madhyama-Vaikhari : Four types of speeches in Sanatana Dharma

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क्षेमालागी जीव

उतावीळ माझा

म्हणवोनि स्फुरताती बाहो

क्षेम देऊ गेले तव 

मी ची मी एकली

आसावला जीव राहो...

“My jīva & hands were so eager to embrace Him. But when I actually did I found out that I was the only One there. Whilst I experienced the advaita, I still yearn for dvaita”

पाया पडू गेले तव पाऊलचि न दिसे

उभाचि स्वयंभू असे

समोर कि पाठिमोरा न कळे

ठकचि पडिले कैसे....

“I tried to touch His feet. But I could not see His feet nor the base. He was standing on His own, unsupported by any foundation. I could not even make out which way He was facing”

शब्देंविण संवादु 

दुजेंवीण अनुवादु

हें तंव कैसेंनि गमे

परेहि परतें बोलणें खुंटलें

वैखरी कैसेंनि सांगें

“The conversation that we had was wordless. There was no ‘pashyanti’ to translate. When the ‘parā’ was active, all speech ceased. How then can I describe it in ‘vaikhari’?

There are four “layers” of “speech” in dharma. 

1. Vaikhari : one which we talk in to discuss routine things. Origin - Indriyas

2. Madhyamā : One which we utter after putting significant adhidaivik thought. Origin - manas / buddhi

3. Pashyanti : the vāNi which originates from the deepest core of our prakruti. Origin - ahamkāra

4. Parā : the vāNi that comes straight from the chètanā. The seer. Purusha. Ātmā. This vāNi comes from beyond the realms of prakruti.

I pray I get to hear at least one syllable in parā vāNi in this birth. 

The primordial syllable... 

ॐ.....

Thoughts on Importance of Surya Upaasanaa

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I dream of all six darshans and all five dèvatā sampradāyas (Sūrya, vishNu, shiva, dèvī, gaNapati) flourishing in India. We need Sānkhya-nyāya-vaishéshika-mimāmsā to find guru-shishya tradition again. We need a strong resurrection of independent saura and gāNapatya sampradāyas. 

Sūrya = hiraNyagarbha = brahmadèva = creator 

viShNu = investor = sustenance

shiva = destruction

dèvī = māyā

gaNapati = anugraha

Sūrya upāsanā is upāsanā of hiraNyagarbha brahmā

All five are important. We have focussed a lot on sustenance and destruction in past 1000 years. Times were such. Sustenance and destruction were key traits needed to Hindus. Hence vishNu and shiva are the most prevalent dèvatās in last 1000 years. Dèvī is extremely prevalent too. Māyā needed to maintain the dvaita and do required puruShārtha and parākrama to defend dharma. gaNapati prevalent only in mahārāshTra. And here and there in other KrishNa-Godāvari basin states. 

Other regions have very few temples where gaNapati is the main presiding deity (except those built by Marathas). But anugraha part is at least alive in some parts of India. But the creation or the creative part is sūrya-brahmadèva. Now brahmadèva in his four-headed form cannot be worshipped widely (BhRgu’s shāpa). But we used to worship creator/creativity in form of sūrya nonetheless. There is a reason why Shruti calls viranchi as hiraNyagarbha. Hindus have neglected it in last 1000 years. 

Hindus need to worship and invoke the creator now. Rest of India needs to worship and invoke anugraha kāraka gaNapati now (happening slowly in cities - surprisingly thanks to Bollywood actually - but I will take it). I believe preserving gāNapatya tradition gave a certain edge to western coast of India in medieval times as opposed to rest of India. First deed that Shivaji did was jīrNoddhāra and punah-prāNapratishTHāpanā of a desecrated and abandoned gaNapati in Pune. 

We need to popularise sūrya upāsanā to jumpstart Hindu creativity. We need to popularise gaNapati upāsanā in rest of India to jumpstart Hindu “awakening”. Yes. When Hindus gave up daily sandhyā Vandana (which is mandatory to every Hindu), we threw away our best asset. Even Brahmins are giving it up now, kicking away the ladder that put them where they are. And looking at this downfall of Brahmins, others feel it’s OK too.

Surya upasana is important for Hindu creativity in sense of Hindu birth-rate too. Hindus need to produce more "suprajaa" (good offspring). The issue of "suprajaa" (not just numerical but qualitative too) is most important. 

I wish and pray that surya upasana revives again in India with fervor.