|
Text and translation by Jayaram V
Synopsis: description of Iswara as Supreme Brahman
and creator, the two different selves, bondage and reasons
for bondage, way to salvation, the highest God of Rigveda, maya,
invocation to Rudra to be peaceful, notes on mystery behind
Rudra's anger.
1. Which is one without any color, who united with His energy
creates many colors for His mysterious purpose, into whom the world
gathers itself in the beginning and at the end. May He endow us
with pure understanding.
2. That is Agni, that is Aditya (the sun), that is Vayu (the
wind), and that is the moon. That is pure. That is Brahman. That
is waters and that is Prajapati.
3. You are woman. You are man. You are the son and also the
daughter. As an old man you walk with a stick. Being born you assume
many faces in all directions.
4. You are the dark blue bird, you are the green parrot with
red colored eyes. You are the cloud with lightning in your womb.
You are the seasons and the oceans, without a beginning. Because
of your powers you move every where. All the worlds are born from
you.
5. Unborn, one, red, white and black, you create many offspring
similar in form to you. One unborn lies there enjoying and
the other unborn having enjoyed, gives her up.
The offspring are the individual souls, who are similar in
nature to Brahman. Some of these souls are caught in the activity
of prakriti and remain bound while some having gone through
it all seek liberation.
6. Two birds ever united in the company of each other, cling
to the same tree. Of them one eats the sweet fruit, while the other
just looks on without eating.
7. On the same tree, the one who is involved with sorrows
of the world remains deluded and depressed feeling helpless. But
when he sees the Lord, who is worshipped and His greatness, he becomes
freed from sorrow.
8. He who does not know that highest and imperishable God
of Rigveda, in whom the rest of the gods thrive, of what use is
Rigveda to Him? Those who know it thus, all else is fulfilled.
More important than the mere study of the Rigveda or the
ritualistic worship of gods is the knowledge of the Supreme
Brahman. If one knows Him all is known.
9. The Vedas, the sacrifices, the rituals, the observances,
the past and the future and what the Vedas declare, all this the
creator of maya creates and in this the other is held by maya.
Brahman is described here as mayi, the creator of maya or
illusion. The outward forms of worship and all that the Vedas
declare is also considered as a part of maya or illusion, because
whatever that is within the field of human awareness can only
be a part of the illusion.
10. Know that prakriti is nothing but maya and Maheswara is
the wielder of maya. The whole world here is pervaded by beings
who are part of Him.
11. He who is the source of all sources, in whom all this
dissolves finally and arises again, who is overlord, the giver of
boons, the divine, by discerning him one attains supreme peace.
12. He who is the cause and source of all gods, ruler of the
universe, Rudra, the red one and the great seer, who witnesses
the birth of Hiranyagarbha at the time of creation, may He establish
in us pure intelligence.
13. He who is the ruler of all gods, in whom worlds rest,
who is the Lord of the two footed and four footed beings, to what
other God can we make our offerings ?
14. Subtler than the subtlest, stable in the midst of great
confusion, the creator of all, bearing many forms, holding the entire
universe in His embrace, when one knows Him as the auspicious, a
great peace shall descend upon him.
15. He is indeed the protector of time in this world, the
lord of all, hidden in all beings, in whom are united the gods and
knowers of Brahman alike. By knowing Him one cuts asunder the bonds
of death.
16. By knowing Him who is auspicious, hidden in all beings
like a subtle film of oil that is hidden in clarified butter, who
envelops the whole universe, knowing Him thus one is released from
all fetters.
17. That God, the architect of all, the great soul, always
seated in the heart of beings, can be understood through the heart,
the mind and thought. He knows thus becomes immortal.
The conception and comprehension of God through feeling and
thought is the first step on the path of self-realization. Bhakti
or devotion belongs to the realm of the heart while knowledge
to the domain of the mind and the thought. Equal emphasis has
been laid on both the path of bhakti or devotion and the path
of gnana or knowledge in this verse.
18. When there is no ignorance, then there is neither day
nor light, neither existence nor non-existence, but the auspicious
one alone, that which is imperishable, that is of the color of the
sun. The ancient wisdom came out of that.
The dualities of existence (day and night) come to naught
when one knows Brahman, through personal experience. God is
the source of all knowledge and human wisdom through the destruction
of all sense of duality which is a part of maya.
19. He cannot be seen, neither above, nor across, nor in the
middle. He is beyond grasp. There is no image that is true to His
from. His name is glory itself.
The senses cannot perceive Him. The mind cannot comprehend
Him. No symbol can truly represent him. He has no name but only
fame.
20. His form is not visible. The eyes cannot see Him. But
those who know Him as abiding in the heart through their hearts
and minds become immortal.
21. With fear in their minds, people worship you as unborn.
Rudra may your face which is full of grace protect us all the time.
22. Rudra, please do not hurt my child or grand child, nor
my span of life. Please do not harm our cattle or horses. In your
anger please do not slay our warriors. We always pray to you with
oblations.
Rudra has always been worshipped with fear and reverence,
because He is perceived as the god of destruction and
is known for His destructive outbursts of anger. This has always
been a great puzzle to many. How can one who is called Iswara,
who is regarded as the most auspicious being and who is
so well known for His great love and compassion can be so destructive
in his attitude towards others at times? How can we term Him
as controller of the universe, if He cannot control His
own anger?
The fact is that both creation and destruction are the two
sides of the same process. Creation involves destruction,
and destruction involves creation. There cannot be renewal of
life without death and destruction and there cannot be death
unless mortal life manifests itself in the form of a being.
This is a universal fact, a fact very much inherent in the creation
of this universe as well in our very existence.
It is the operation of these two which makes possible the
evolution life on earth. The great calamities on earth, the
loss of life that follows them are part of this divine wrath,
a wrath that is pure and benign in its nature, without any malice
and evil, without any vehemence, but purely a divine
expression born out of love and detachment and compulsions
of managing the creative process.
For the mortals like us destruction and death appear to be
very negative consequences of human life, but in the divine
scheme of things this need not be so. What appears to us as
destruction may in reality be a way of improving things, of
making progress possible, some times against our wishes and
expectations. Suffering is a reality in our world, but it does
not exist in the world of Iswara. Suffering exists in
our world because there is a purpose behind it. And the purpose
is to wake us up and evolve us into higher spiritual beings.
End of Chapter IV
Suggested Further Reading
|
