--> Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from August 24, 2020


Sri Ranga Gadyam - Importance

Sri Ranga Gadyam is the second among the three short prose works (gadya traya) of Acharya Ramanuja. It is a prayer to Lord Ranganatha to accept one as His eternal servant. The other two works of Ramanuja are Saranagati Gadyam and Vaikunta Gadyam. The three short prose works are of great cultural importance. They were composed before the divine couple Lord Ranganatha and Ranganayaki (Mahalakshmi) at the Srirangam Temple. Ramanuja surrendered himself to them and felt a mystic experience. Sri Ranga Gadyam is shorter than the others, a follow-up of the first. It consists of seven aphorisms. The first aphorism deals with upeya (end to be attained), and the second describes upaya (means to that end). The first stipulates that service (kainkarya) unto the divine couple is the end (upeya) and the second affirms that the jivatma (individual self) should seek refuge at the feet of Narayana through the mediatrix, Mahalakshmi (upaya). The aphorisms state that animate and inanim

Symbolism Of Mahakala – Shiva

Shiva as Mahakala represents the void at the dissolution of the universe. Time and space are contained in Him. Thus Mahakala is time. Here is a look at the deep symbolism of Mahakala. Mahakala form of Shiva is typically visualized as black in color. Everything is absorbed and dissolved in black. All forms merge into Mahakala. His all encompassing nature is unimaginable. All the filth on earth born out of human ignorance is dissolved by Mahakala. He burns all human creations into ashes. He transforms everything back to its original state. Black of Mahakala thus represents total stillness – the original state of the universe. Mahakala is that bindu (the black dot) into which all creation returns. Nasadiya Sukta in Rig Veda explains about this bindu or black dot – At first there was only darkness wrapped in darkness. All this was only unillumined cosmic water. That One which came to be, enclosed in nothing, arose at last, born of the power of heat. When human arrogance

Why People Commit Crimes? – Hinduism Explains

Why people engage in crimes even when they know that it is to be avoided and that it brings nothing but misery and sorrow? Hinduism explains crimes, sin, virtue etc by reading the human nature. There is no external force but it is ignorance of people that results in crimes and sins. Crimes are committed not because an individual is forced to commit it even against his will. But a crime is committed by succumbing to desire and anger. These are two deadly enemies within each one that are nurtured by rajas guana. The state of mind in which a person acts according desire, passion and anger is referred as rajas. The three gunas – sattva (transcendence), rajas (activity), and tamas (inertia) – are present in all living beings in the world. Character is formed based on their percentage in a person. Through proper understanding and practice we can control the percentage of the three gunas in us. The three gunas prompt people to do either good or bad deeds, and there is no external insti

Muktiyogya In Hinduism - Person Qualified For Liberation

Muktiyogya in Hinduism means one who has made himself yogya (qualified) for moksha (liberation from cycle of birth and death). This liberation from cycle of birth and death is due to knowledge of atman (individual self) and Brahman. Brahman is the eternal, unthinkable and unchanging substratum. A person who lives a life of devotion to Brahman and whose actions are free from gunas (three attributes – sat, rajas and tama) has attained muktiyogya. Although the early Vedic hymns were intended for sacred fire rituals, the later Vedic hymns had some monotheistic conceptions. However, it was Upanishads that emphasized knowledge of Brahman as a compulsory requisite for mukti (liberation). The source of man’s spiritual insight is the very self of man himself. Mundaka Upanishad states “Whom he chooses, the finds him” (III.2.3). If Vedas and their gods depend upon cosmic forces, Upanishads look within to comprehend the inner world. The fragility of the world of appearance makes

Dive Deep – Learn To Love God

Dive Deep – Learn To Love God - As told by Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa Dive deep. Learn to love God. Be immersed in His love. Why do you dwell so much upon the glories of God? “Oh God, you have created the sky, mighty oceans, the moon, the sun, the stars and everything. What is the use of saying all this. Everyone is stuck in wonder to witness the garden of the rich man, to see the beautiful plants, flowers, lake, drawing room with nice pictures and so on. But how many are there who care to meet the owner of the garden? Only one or two try to meet him. If god is sought after with yearning heart He can be seen and talked to, just as I am talking to you. Believe me when I say, He can be seen. But who is going to care for what I say, to believe in what I say? Can God be found in the scriptures? At the most the study of the scriptures convinces you of the existence of God. But unless you dive deep you cannot see God. But unless you dive deep you cannot see God. It is after