A story which impels us to challenge & overcome limitations

This story is in the context of Nandishwara narrating the glory of Shiva to Sanatkumara (Satarudra samhita of Shiva Mahapurana).

Nandishwara said: "Listen to the reverential story of the avatara of Shiva known by the name of Pippalada which enhances devotion in the minds of the intelligent. 

"There was a sage named Dadhichi who was a great Shaivite, a glorious descendant in the Chyavana-Bhrigu race. He in the battle with Kshuva (a king & devotee of Vishnu) defeated & cursed Lord Vishnu himself through the grace of Shiva (which made him free of aging). His wife the highly fortunate Suvarcha was a maha pativrata, an ascetic with enough power to curse even the devas. It was through her womb that Shiva, the performer of various divine sports appeared on earth."

Surprised to hear this part of the story, Sanatkumara interrupted Nandishwara and requested him thus; O immensely intelligent one, you who are of the form of Sri Rudra are highly blessed and a Satguru - be pleased to narrate to me the incident of when & how Suvarcha cursed the devas. 

To this the son of Silada feeling delighted & reminiscing the lotus-feet of Shiva went on to answer so -    

Once the un-aging Indra & other devas were defeated in a battle by the daityas led by Vritrasura. They all, lost in despair, took shelter in the ashrama of sage Dadhichi. Thereafter leaving behind all their weapons with the sage the devas headed by Indra along with their guru Brihaspati & rishis went to Brahmaloka and expressed their sufferings to Brahma. On hearing the devas, Brahma-the grandsire could see through his divine vision that this luminous asura Vritra had been created by Tvasta from the power of his tapas to put an end to the devas. Brahma addressing the devas said: “know this to be the solution of your problem which i'm speaking for the preservation of Dharma. Some time back, sage Dadhichi due to his hard penance pleased Shiva and got from him a boon that turned his bones to a Vajra (unbreakable/like a diamond). Ask Dadhichi to offer his bones, he shall donate them to you no doubt. Create from those bones a Vajra-danda (weapon) which will surely turn Vritra to ashes.”

Thus, Indra, the other devas with Brihaspati & rishis returned to the sage’s ashrama. Sighting sage Dadhichi and his wife Suvarcha, Indra and his team respectfully bowed to both of them with joined palms expressing humility & adoration. At once perceiving the intent of the devas, sage Dadhichi sent Suvarcha inside the ashrama. Suvarcha, abiding by her pativrata dharma, did so.

Well versed in polity and accomplishment of his tasks as he was, Indra stated: “O benevolent sage, we the devas and rishis troubled by Tvasta have come seeking refuge in you the great Saivite and well-wisher of others. Be pleased to donate your bones to us out of which can be created the weapon capable of destroying Vritrasura”. That muni on hearing these words of Indra willingly gave-up his own body at that very instant meditating on Lord Shiva. On the strength of this great sacrifice and freedom from worldly bondages, sage Dadhichi rose to Brahmaloka. There rained flowers at that sacred spot and surprised all.

Indra then called for Surabhi- the heavenly cow to lick the flesh out of the body. At Indra’s command, Vishwakarma then built a weapon out of the bones - as tough as a diamond - radiant with the energy of Shiva. Shara and Brahmashira were the two main Vajras made out of the spine of the sage for Indra. Other smaller vajras were made out of the other bones and distributed among other devas. Becoming splendorous due to Shiva’s energy Indra now being empowered rushed to kill Vritra as Shiva would rush to kill Yama. Finally in the battle, Indra cut-off the head of Vritra bringing relief and delight to the devas. The devas in-turn rained flowers in appreciation. This is the background of the incarnation of Shiva as Pippalada.

Listen further - Suvarcha the dutiful wife  of Dadhichi who had gone inside the ashrama on her husband’s insistence finished her household chores and returned. Not finding her husband there and on seeing all the devas she perceived of the happening there through her ascetic intuition. Angered and feeling cheated by the devas she cursed them. “O wicked devas, you all are too self-centred, greedy and of limited intelligence like that of animals. Therefore, may you all turn into animals hereafter.” Cursing thus and disturbed by her separation from her husband, Suvarcha the devoted wife intending to follow her husband prepared to enter a pyre to give-up her physical body. At that time, a divine voice from the sky was heard intended to pacify and comfort Suvarcha; as directed by Shiva. “Listen O intelligent lady, stop yourself from taking this extreme step. The tejas (brilliance) of the sage is enshrined in your womb in the form of a child. You should give birth to it by all means.  Thereafter you can do as you please. As per the injunctions of Brahma destroying a foetus is forbidden.” Saying so, the divine voice went silent. For a moment Suvarcha was astonished. However, abiding by those divine words she stepped down the pyre.

Longing to be with her husband at the soonest, that chaste lady tore open her belly to bring forth the child. There came out of her womb a dazzling brightness in the form of the foetus radiating lustre in all the ten directions. Suvarcha saluted the divine lord Shiva in the form of a babe. She spoke the following words to him “Be pleased to stay here under the Pipal tree for a prolonged period of time to bless the world. Myself and my husband shall remember and sing your praise from the other world.”  Saying so she bid farewell to this world entering the flames. She immediately rose up to Brahmaloka placed by the side of her husband Dadhichi.

On seeing the baby alone, all the devas and the trinity Gods Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra came to the spot to celebrate the birth of the Lord along with denizens of heaven like the apsaras, yakshas, kinnaras, gandharvas who danced and sang with musical drums and other instruments. Lord Brahma then named the boy Pippalada completing samskaras for Lord Shiva’s incarnation. Then they all returned back to their respective abodes.

For his part, Pippalada undertook severe tapas when many years elapsed as per the earthly norms. His body though old aged shone brilliantly. One day when he went to the river side for his morning bath and ablutions he saw there the young and charming princess Padma (daughter of king Anaranya) an incarnation of Goddess Shakti. The moment Pippalada’s eyes cast on Padma there arose a strong desire in him to marry her. Therefore he went to the king’s palace to ask for Padma in marriage. The king welcomed him with due respects, offered him a seat of honor, water to freshen up with and served other royal drinks and herbs. After accepting all these with a delightful mind Pippalada asked for Padma in marriage. Hearing this the king was taken up by grief and fear as to how can he give away such a young and beautiful daughter to an old and weary sage. Noticing the king to be hesitant Pippalada, a part manifestation of Shiva himself, threatened the king to either give away his daughter or he would throw the entire kingdom into flames. After some lament, in consultation with his minister, the king finally gave away Padma to the old sage. Pippalada happily brought Padma to his ashrama where they started living together joyfully. 

Padma served her husband with all her heart in thought, word and deed as Goddess Lakshmi serves Lord Narayana. Pippalada too staunchly followed his routine rituals and thus carried on for sometime. 
Amazingly he transformed his old & worn-out physique into that of a handsome young husband as if it was child's play and enjoyed the company of his wife. Pippalada begot 10 sons of Padma who were all equal in sagacity as their father. Thus, both Pippalada and Padma were happy and comfortable.     

In due course, Pippalada observed that the people of the earth were tormented by the ill-effects of Shani. To bring them some relief that benevolent sage Pippalada lovingly granted a boon to all the people stating “from birth until 16 yrs of age no one shall face the ill-effects of Shani and that Shani will not trouble those who are devotees of Lord Shiva. These words of mine are true. In case Shani fails to honor these words then he shall reduce to ashes.” For the fear of Pippalada Shani even today does not dare to transgress his words. Thus the people of this world found some respite.

Merely by remembering the three sages Vishwamitra, Kaushika and Pippalada people are freed from the torments of Shani. (Misfortune, depression, physical illness etc)

Anyone who recalls this sacred and awe-inspiring story is freed from the ill-effects of planets. This is a very pious story of an incarnation of Shiva which grants health, wealth, prosperity and moksha on anyone who reads, recites or speaks of it and enhances true devotion in their minds.

This story offers us two important lessons from the professional point of view:

1. Freedom from the fear of loss - the very thought that we are bound to lose something and some other party gaining benumbs us and prevents us from doing our best. The sacrifice of Dadhichi is testimony to the fact that a perceived loss is in fact a gain on the higher plane. While at work, when we face hard choices let us rid ourselves from the fear of losing something and go ahead with a mind open towards exploring possibilities.

2. Limitations are imaginary - Feeling constricted, confined or stuck with some trait or a habit that demarcates our endeavors is merely an imaginary feeling. Inferred from the story of Pippalada, we realisze that once we reach our core awareness anything is possible.     

The story of the power of Truth

Brighten-up by enlightening the mind.

This is a humble attempt to share with you interesting stories that help me navigate through challenging life situations and provide the much needed psychological boost. These have been reproduced as it is from ancient Vedic scriptures (Puranas). They  are irresistibly positive and unfailing in making a stark difference to our lives - across geographies, religions, faiths.

The first story of this series-

Shiva as Vaishyanatha

-from Shiva Mahapurana, Shata Rudriya Samhita

There lived a whore by name Mahananda in a village called Nandigrama. She was very beautiful, wealthy and popular besides being adept at music and dance. Even the kings and queens felt delighted by her songs and art and rewarded her profusely.

This woman was also a staunch devotee of Lord Shiva and  Devi Parvati and would regularly serve the Lord with her songs and dance, besmearing herself with Bhasma (Holy Ash) and wearing Rudraksha. She would chant Shiva's name with all her heart.

Mahananda had pets - a cock and a monkey besides many attendants  and associates. In her overwhelming devotion & love towards Shiva, she made even the cock and the monkey dance to the rhythm of her clapping hands. The monkey with Rudraksha adorned around its neck & arms and the cock on its tuft over the head, danced like a child. Watching them dance the whore and her maids used to be filled with laughter and thrill. Thus many years passed in great joy.

One day, Shiva made up his mind to test Mahananda's devotion. He appeared at her doorstep in the guise of a merchant portraying himself to be a devotee of Shiva with Bhasma on his forehead and Rudraksha beads around his neck. He looked very rich and gracious with various gem studded ornaments. Seeing him, the whore ushered him in, extended a warm welcome and made him comfortable.

She saw on his arm an enchanting armlet made of precious gemstones which she fell in love with and wanted to own it. With a mind to secure the armlet, she said to the merchant in a sweet voice: "This armlet of yours is truly attractive and will look more charming in the hands of a beautiful woman". The generous merchant replied "You can certainly can have it if you like, but what price can you offer for the same, O beautiful damsel?"

The whore said, "I belong to the class of women who know no boundaries, with the most unstable minds flirting here, there, everywhere. And prostitution has been our family tradition. But, if you let me have this bracelet of yours, then am willing to be your faithful wife, dutiful and righteous, for three full days and nights"

"So be it. With the Moon and the Sun as witness, make a promise that your words are true and that you shall abide by your words by repeating "Satya, Satya, Satya" (This is the truth, truth, truth), said the merchant.

And so agreeing, the whore received the armlet from him promising with the word Satya thrice.

Along with the armlet, the merchant also handed over a gem studded Shiva linga to her saying "O beloved, now that you are my wife keep this Shiva linga safe with you & protect it by all means as this is more precious to me than my own life". The whore took it with care and placed on the centre pillar of her dance hall. Serving the merchant with all her attention during the day, they spent the night together with the merchant acting like a libertine. Later, the whore went on to sleep on her velvety couch.

In just a few minutes, suddenly, noises were heard in the dance hall. A fire broke out spreading quickly in all corners. Mahananda ran to free the monkey. The monkey and the cock fled to a distant place free from fire. Alas, the Shiva linga placed on the centre pillar got destroyed in the ensuing flames. Seeing this, both the merchant and the whore felt painful.

To test the mental inclinations of the whore, the merchant feeling distressed to part with the cherished Shivaling declared that he would give-up his life. "O beloved, my life seems waste and I don't see  a reason to remain alive. Set-up a pyre so that I can end this wretched life entering the fire remembering my Lord Shiva. I intend to do it at this very moment, before anyone comes to stop me. I won't change my mind even if Indra, Brahma or Vishnu arrive here to stop me".

Observing his firm resolve, Mahananda arranged a pyre to be set-up outside her house.

With a word of appreciation for their association and remorse for the loss of the Shiva linga the merchant circumambulated the fire once taking Shiva's name and entered the fire.

Mahananda was shaken & greatly aggrieved by this action. She regretted the incident due which the merchant gave up his life. Remembering her vow of following the dharma of a wife, she made up her mind to follow her husband into the pyre, less her words would become untrue.

She spoke in presence of her relatives "Taking this armlet from the merchant, I promised to be his wife in all respects for three days. Because of my deed the merchant had to give up his life.  She continued, "The Acharyas speaking the truth declared that I shall attain the status of a chaste woman by resorting to dharma. Staying on the path of truth is the highest dharma. One achieves salvation by practicing truth. Everything is enshrined in truth. Therefore, staying true to my words I shall enter the pyre myself following my husband".

Inspite of her relatives stopping her, she was firm in her resolve to uphold dharma and truth. After donating all her property to the Brahmanas, she concentrating her mind on the feet of Shiva, circumambulated the pyre thrice.

Just as she was about to step into the flames, Shiva - the Universal Soul himself stopped her appearing in His magnificent form with three eyes, matted hair with the digit of the moon and radiating the lustre of crores of suns and moons.

Mahananda stood dumbfounded, astonished and trembling with tears in her eyes. Shiva taking her by the hand calmed her down & assured her thus: "I arrived in the form of the merchant having come to test the extent of your firmness in Truth, courage, patience and devotion. By My own Maya I set the dance hall on fire as also the linga. You safeguarded Truth at the cost of your own life. Am pleased with your devotion towards Me and therefore grant you pleasures unattainable in the three worlds. Moreover, you can ask for any desire to be fulfilled. There is nothing in this universe that can't be given to you".

Listening to Shiva's soothing words, Mahananda felt peaceful and comfortable. With utmost reverence she replied, "O Lord, I do not desire pleasures of the earth, heaven or the nether world. The touch of your lotus like feet is all I seek. My kith n kin & others associated with me are equally eager to behold you as me. Pray bless them all and take all of us along to your abode. Please relieve us from the fear of birth and death".

Honoring her words, Maheshvara took them all along with Him to His abode. Thus, the whore Mahananda attained the unattainable and lived eternally blissful.

Anyone who listens to or recites this story never falls from his dharma.

This extremely auspicious story that narrates the Vaishyanatha incarnation of Shiva gives happiness and bestows the highest of comforts and salvation.

Relevance of this story in our day-to-day life:

1. The human mind is akin to the whore Mahananda always attracted to external objects perceived in the world. When the same mind is disciplined and devotes to the universal truth it attains the highest bliss.

2. Even in our professional life, there are offers that come our way for quick material success, however they fail to give us contentment and drain our energy. We must learn to discriminate.

3. In our personal relations there will always be people whom we pet (the monkey and the cock) but they disappear during fire (in the end). We must recall that this world is Shiva's maya (elusive power), Shiva alone is the truth and keep calm.

We all need gentle reminders of what we already know, once in a while, to stay motivated. Let's keep reminding each other of the good things in life through such stories. Do share with your family and friends and anyone else who you think can benefit out of it. Let us brighten-up all lives!

Stay tuned for the next story.....

You, me, Biochemistry, Music, Geometry- the link!

We all like music. Even a new born baby responds to sounds and music. Right from the child to a grown-up everyone relates to music in one or the other way. Ever wondered why?

Further, different moods attune to different music. And tunes are potent enough to change the mood - from sad to cheering, from party to meditative! How does this happen? How does music remotely control a fully aware and intelligent individual?

To know, let's trace the link between music and biochemistry since the human system is biochemistry.

To start with, music is composed of notes and rhythm which we also refer to as Svara and taala in Sanskrit. These notes (sa, re, ga, ma...) are in themselves sound frequencies. When we play an instrument or sing vocally these sound frequencies are activated and received by the ears both ours and the hearer's. Upon reception these sound frequencies cause changes to the brain and the brain sends signals to the rest of the body to respond to the stimulus. Depending upon memory associations and perceptions different music has different effects. 

Biochemistry (like chemistry) necessarily is a study of interactions between atoms/molecules within a living system. Molecules in turn depend on their shapes to function for eg., the DNA molecule, hormones and many other proteins. A change in shape may alter the function. 
Whenever a certain chosen tune is played it causes a change in the shape/symmetry and hence alters the way molecules interact. This changes the way cells respond to stimulus and is manifested as an effect which we witness on the body. The famous water experiment conducted by Japanese scientist Masaru Emoto (July 22, 1943 – October 17, 2014) further confirms the correlation between sound and form. He studied the effect of music on water molecules. He observed that different frequency sounds gave rise to different crystal structures in the water molecules visible beneath the microscope. So, sound creates form!

Pythagoras was the first to identify the relation between music and geometry i.e sound and form. He observed that basic geometric shapes produced tones in a pattern creating musical octaves.

The basic forms of geometry are the triangle, square, circle, pentagon, hexagon, septagon and so on. These shapes are identified with a particular number - the sum of their interior angles. For a triangle, the sum of all the interior angles is 180 degrees. Likewise for the other shapes as following: Square=360, Circle=360, Pentagon=540, Hexagon=720, Septagon=900 and so on.

When a musical chord is plucked using these numbers as cycles/sec we get a pattern that perfectly fits an octave in the F# major chord. Here we have forms revealing music! Surprising isn't it?

F# major chord – F – G – A B – C – D – E – F corresponds to Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Da Ni Sa the basis of all music. 

So the link appears both ways: sound creates form and forms reveal music!

Later, Plato took this concept further from 2-dimensional to 3-dimensional geometry and observed the 3-D shapes to be part of all forms seen in nature from petal pattern of flowers to spiraling pattern of sea shells. This concept of 2-D & 3-D shapes constituting everything in nature can also be found mentioned in our ancient scriptures. In fact, sound has been alloted a very special place in spiritual practices. This may be why music is used for meditation and healing. In fact, the Veena is considered symbolic of the human brain and spinal cord.What wonder then that these two should link to spirituality! Goddess Saraswati, the Shakti of Lord Brahma the creator, is depicted as holding the Veena...she is the origin of all sound and thus all form that we see in the universe.

Music is embedded in the very existence of all life. Each of us is music, a song, a story in itself created by the creator. And together we create harmony! Music is universal, so is biochemistry crossing the barriers of age, language & gender! 

As there are so many variations of symphony, so there are variations in biochemistry, so there are variations in individuals. Yet, the building blocks remain the same. Isn’t this true Unity in Diversity? conversely, Diversity in Unity?? 

Knowing WHY is important

We all are constantly on the search for something in life - meaning, purpose, identity, recognition, independence, finances, comfort, luxury, lifestyle, relationships. The root of all motivations to "do" something is the need for an identity! Some create great work to establish their identity, some create relationships, some create wealth and some  knowledge. 

Like all, I too was a victim of this identity crisis. Then there came a twist in the story as I sat back home and started reading books which I never dreamed of reading and to my surprise it was exactly what I was looking for, an answer to all my questions from an authentic source. What "is" the highest and the best to be attained in human life. What was I supposed to pursue for happiness & such other existential questions. And I found all the answers, yes, all the answers! Eureka!!

What I found out revived me. It revealed to me the truth in a way no one can ever do; how we relate to the cosmos/universe. That's what am about to share with you. Read on.

It told me that

1. financial insecurity is foolishness.

How much ever practical it might appear to be, fear of survival is a false notion. Every entity that is brought forth in this world comes with his/her own share of food and survival basics - that is the law of the universe! So no one is ever dependent on anybody. All are inter-dependent among themselves and ultimately dependant on the ONE SOURCE for everything.

2. We are not the body! Yes, read again, we are not the body. We are something else.

The entire human life, it is observed, is woven around fears pertaining to the body. It is the BODY of a woman which is feared to be mutilated and perceived to be an object for protection. It is the BODY of a man which is feared to be at threat on various occassions and hence the entire gamut of doings - work, income, expenditure, increased income, increased expenditure and so on....No one stopped to ask why. Why all this? Is the fear really true? Or is it just a notion? Anyone who digs-in enough to answer this ever perceptible yet often over-looked question "Why" will surely find his/her true identity which leads to lasting peace and happiness.

There are various ways of explaining this concept, am taking one of these.

We all know that the human body which is subject to constant damage and repair is composed of cells, cells are made up of molecules, molecules of atoms and atoms of nuclei which are invisibly minute particles.  There is a constant give-n-take of electrons and a constant change going-on every fraction of a second in the body although we don't perceive it. The body is thus transient in its subtle aspect. Anything transient cannot be real or true since we define that as true which is permanent/perpetual and is not subject to change.

In this context, the body which we all are habituated to treat personally and refer to as "I" should rather be taken impersonally. For example, imagine that you have to take care of a collection of cells in a test tube . What would you offer it? Would you offer it respect, clothing, ornaments, car or love or even a name? No, ideally you would offer it a nutrient medium for it to survive! The body is just that - a collection of cells. It gains undue importance  & attention and is entitled to a vast array of comfort items and treated respectfully. It enjoys different designations at different places like father, mother, sister, brother, wife, husband etc. although it is the same collection of cells arranged in a different space-time matrix.

What in reality should be admired is the intelligence contained in each of these cells, atoms and nuclei. How does the cell receive stimuli from the environment and generate a response? How does the atom know when to give-up a phosphate bond and when to accept it? (Phosphate bonds are the primary source of energy in all bodies). Atoms do not have eyes, yet how does a carbon atom identify a hydrogen atom to form complex structures in the universe? 

There seems to be greater intelligence flowing through as a common substratum, an undercurrent to all particle motions. This intelligence is reflected in all bodies irrespective of age, gender, caste or role in the society. Wherefrom does this intelligence come? There is definitely a SOURCE – THE POINT at which all begins. So it follows that bodies formed of cells are merely structures animated through intelligence by the source. Hence, the personal statement “some body (somebody) is extremely intelligent” is a false notion. The correct statement will be impersonal “intelligence appearing in the form of some body and some action”. Therefore it is not the body which should be the object of admiration assuming doership but the source whose intelligence moves the body. Source: body as Puppeteer: puppet!

No one taught intelligence to the cell, it is in-built. Intelligence is independent & occurs naturally hence the source must also be independent and natural.

This source from which intelligence originates and depends upon - the real cause of every cell and hence every animate and inanimate body – is the true object of admiration, worship and love. This source is what we refer to as GOD. God’s intelligence shines as various bodies in the universe – Sun, moon, stars, plants, animals, humans. God speaks and acts as father, mother, son, wife, husband, friends, thief, drunkard, customers, sellers, teachers and preachers all inclusive, nothing excluded. God lives our everyday life in the form of our family, friends and ourselves. Hence, the question of right or wrong, good or bad, doing/non-doing doesn’t arise! The question of success or failure, useful or wasted doesn't arise! It is all perfect just by being the way it is! This is the concept which we chant in our daily Vedic prayers/ hymns as stated in Sri Rudram, Narayana suktam and all our scriptures including Vedanta, puranas, and other literary works state the same truth.

Spirituality and science are not two different subjects. They are one and the same. Spirituality is full of science. There is more science we can learn from reading Upanishads, puranas and the Bhagvad Gita than any course at college secured after tedious entrance exams. Scientists such as Neil Bohr, Einstein, and Thomas Edward are among those who have referred to our Upanishads whenever they found themselves stuck in their experiments. The Schrödinger wave equation and the dual behavior of particles (as both a wave & particle) are repetitively mentioned in our scriptures and given to us in the form of captivating stories. Einstein stopped at stating that the speed of light is a constant and that it is the fastest. However, Ramayana has told us about instances of travel faster than the speed of light. Hanuman could travel faster than light. This only proves that intelligence that we claim of today is far diminutive than that of an average person in the time gone by. Spiritual intelligence is inconceivable and goes beyond the understanding of the intellect of a pea-sized brain.

In the light of this greater intelligence all our problems and our image of ourselves shrink to the size of dust. We are so bound by trivialities. There is much more to life than what we know!

What is the real purpose of life then? The real purpose is to regain our lost memory of who we are -   to regain our awareness that we are all God particles and be at peace with everything.

All the endeavors we take in life and the efforts we make whether it be wealth, family, progeny, luxury, religious acts or liberation (Dharma, Artha, Kama, Moksha – the four pursuits of human life) are directly or indirectly related to our strife to establish an identity of our ourselves. And so long as we don’t identify ourselves with the SOURCE called God, we always feel short of something inspite of all our possessions because these are just reflections and not the true self.

Begin today, ask why. At the end of the trail you will find the Source called God. Keep that identity!

The author of this text is the same nameless & formless Self of all decoding & writing through the body identified in this world as Devika.  

#Life #truths #Science #spirituality #Lessons #Wisdom #Enlightenment #Peace #mind matters