Monday 24 March 2014

God or god? Does it make a difference?


Thursday, June 20, 2013

A deity can either be God or god or both

_______________
Nithin Sridhar 
______________

(A shorter version of the article has been published in July 2013 issue of Hinduism Today Magazine under the title "God's the Answer".) 

You can connect with Nithin on Twitter @nkgrock to discuss this article further.
The basic philosophy of any religion (1) relies on the acceptance of the existence of God and that of atheism on the rejection of such existence. Among theists, there have been lengthy debates, arguments and fights regarding what this God constitutes if it exists? Whether God is one or many? Whether it is God or it is god (Upper case and lower case "G")?

In an Indian scenario, we have on one extreme Monotheists claiming presence of one absolute God separate from world and on the other we have polytheists believing in presence of multiple gods, goddess and demi-gods. And apart from this, we also have Monists who claim the presence of "Only God" (denying even an existence for world separate from God). But Hindu religion as a whole has always been consistently assimilating all these apparently divergent streams of thought into a coherent and all-embracing philosophy of life. This has been possible because there is an inherent awareness in the society that every person is on the same path seeking same goal, some ahead and some behind. This truth is best illustrated in the words of ancient Rishis of Rigveda. While speaking about the “Vishwadevas” (all the gods and goddess), they boldly proclaim-

“They call him (God) Indra, Mitra, Varuṇa, Agni, and he is heavenly nobly-winged Garutmān. To what is One, sages call by many names like Agni, Yama, Mātariśvan” (2).

In modern times, a similar message was given to mankind by Swami Vivekananda. According to him, "Man is not travelling from error to truth, but climbing up from truth to truth; from truth that is lower to truth that is higher (3).”  The realization of this simple truth among people has been best expressed in the concept of deity and its worship.

Our scriptures say that God (Brahman) which is formless manifests itself into infinite number of forms. And each such form represents a specific aspect of the Brahman. A deity is a specific aspect of Brahman which has a rupa-form and Shakti-power associated with that aspect. For example, If Brahman/Para-Shakti is divided into 10 aspects, we get the ten Mahavidhyas. If the Para-Shakti is divided into 64 parts, we get the Yoginis. In other words deities are the personification of the various forces that drive the Cosmos. Also they are personifications of the various phenomenon’s that happen throughout the universe.

For example, when the Brahman manifests the Universe, He becomes Shiva-Gowri. When the Brahman absorbs back the Universe, he becomes MahaKaLa-MahaKaLi. Shiva is personification of the sum total of all manifestation and Gowri is that aspect of Shakti which causes the manifestation/projection of the Universe. Shiva and Gowri are White as white represents Purity and the manifestation/Cosmos. Shakti takes the form of KaLi when the projection is drawn back into Brahman. KaLi causes Laya/absorption of manifestation back into Brahman. KaLi is black which represents her ability to absorb everything into herself.

From the view-point of society, we have Grama Devatas, Kula Devatas, Gruha Devatas and Ista Devatas. Grama Devatas are basically the guardian deities of the villages. Kula Devatas are the guardian deities of a clan, lineage or a bloodline. The Gruha Devatas refers to the guardian deities of the family. Finally the Ista Devata refers to the deity a person choose based on his personal inclination. A person may take any one among the Grama, Kula and Gruha devatas as his own Ista or he can also choose some other deity which attracts him most.

The concept of deity, especially the “Ista devata” can be considered in many senses as a unique contribution of Hindu religion to whole world not only in terms of its theological and spiritual value but also in terms of promoting world harmony. In simple words, any person can connect with God/Cosmos (4) in the way he feels inclined to or is comfortable with. This world view will completely remove any cause for troubles and intolerances because the conception of a deity is completely dependent upon the devotee who worships it. And no two people ever conceptualize or approach a deity in an exactly same manner.

Some people may conceptualize their deity to be Nirguna-Nirakara Brahman (Formless and Attributeless God). For some other the deity may be one of the manifestations of the formless God which does have a roopa-form and guna-attributes. For some, the deity may be only a maintainer (Vishnu-god) or a destroyer (Shiva-god) of Universe. For others the same deity may be the ultimate God whom they call as “Narayana/Sada-Shiva”. For some the deities may be just the forces of nature like fire-Agni or wind-Vayu. And for some other’s they may be mind-manas or soul-atman. A deity can either be God or a god or at times both and at times neither depending upon what a devotee seeks.

The deity-devotee relationship is an intimate connection that heavily depends on the spiritual clarity and mental earnestness of the devotee. The more is the longing and Bhakti-love a devotee has, closer he is to the deity and clearer will be his understanding of Universe. Every devotee perceives his deity according to his tastes and inclinations. Hence, this perception would be very limited. The devotee then projects this limited perception on the the limitless God. Hence, the God projects to the devotee as a deity with limitations. The closer a devotee gets to the deity, the purer his mind will become and his perception will start losing limitations. The only way this is possible is through Sadhana.

Sadhana in general may refer to any action put to achieve a desirable goal. Swami Chidananda of Divine Life society defines sadhana as “the active effort to obtain that which is possible of being obtained through effort (5)”.  And this goal for which Sadhana is done defines the nature of relationship between the Sadhak and the Deity. A person may desire to have unlimited wealth, health, prosperity, offspring etc and he will do sadhana just to obtain them. This is called Kamya Sadhana. Such a person will invoke and worship a specific god who could fulfill their desires. A deity is a god for these people. For example, a Lakshmi-Kubera Homa is done only for purpose of getting wealth. A Mahamrityunjay Homa is done to ward of diseases and deliver long life to a person.

Further, even among the people who desire only for God Realization, most cannot contemplate on Formless one. Hence, they perfect their sadhana of a particular deity who will in-turn lead them to the Ultimate Formless one. In Tantras they say, first worship the Mother, reach her; then, she will lead you to Father. Such sadhaks worship Deity as God with form. It may be Ganesha or Durga, Shiva or Tara, they worship it as Saguna Brahman itself.

Take the example of Lord Ganesha. From the puranic stories we come to know that, Ganesha is the son of Parvati and Shiva. Further, he is the leader of Ganas (the fierce followers of Shiva, hence the name Ganesha) and that he is the remover of obstacles. Most people would love to worship Ganesha in his child form who loves to eat sweet food. They worship the deity with above mentioned attributes and pray to him to solve their problems. For them, Ganesha is only a “god” with limited attributes and power. Hence, by their worship, they are connecting with the limited aspect of this Cosmos/God who has the power to remove obstacles in their path.

Then, there are sadhaks (Spiritual practitioners) who worship “Ganesha” as the lord of Muladhara chakra (located at the perenium) who governs “Bhu” loka (The Physical/Material realm of existence). For them, worship of Ganapathi is the key to awaken Kundalini and to make her rise through the Sushumna Nadi (Channel). Hence, they connect with the God/cosmos through their worship and gain power-Shakti to raise their Kundalini. For these Sadhak’s too Ganesha is only a “god”.

Further, there are also those people who worship Ganesha as the Nirakara-Nirguna Brahman. They recognize Ganesha as God, the Ultimate truth, the whole Cosmos. For them, Ganesha is the creator, Maintainer and destroyer of Universe. This view about Ganesha can be found beautifully expressed in the following lines from Ganapathi Atharva shirsha-

Twameva Pratyksham Tatvamasi | (You are the Only Truth)
Twameva Kevalam Kartasi | (You are the creator of the Universe)
Twameva Kevalam Dhartasi |(You are the maintainer of the Universe)
Twameva Kevalam Hartasi |(You are the destroyer of the Universe)
Twameva Sarvam Khalvidam Brahmasi | (You are the Brahman/God who exists everywhere)
Twam Sakashadatamasi Nityam (You are the eternal soul present inside everyone).

It further says-

Twam Gunatrayatitaha | (You are beyond the three gunas-Tamas, Rajas and Sattva)
Twam Dehatrayatitaha | (You are beyond the three bodies- Sthula, Sukshma and Karana)
Twam Kalatrayatitaha | (You are beyond the three time periods- past, present and future)
Twam Brahmastvam, Twam Vishnustvam Rudrastvam Indrastvam Agnistvam
Vayastvam Suryastvam Chandramastvam Brahmabhurbhurvaswarome||
(You are Brahma, You are Vishnu, You are Rudra, You are Indra, Agni, Vayu, Surya, Chandra, You are the Brahman/God who exists in everywhere)

Next comes the category of people who neither worship God nor worship any god. For them, a deity is just Shakti (Energy/Power). They are the Aghoris- the Shakti Sadhakas, people who do sadhana to gain powers. They occupy themselves in understanding different aspects of the working of the cosmos and gaining power to control them. They dive deep in the darkness to reach light. Each deity represents a specific aspect of Para-Shakti. They do sadhana of the said deity to achieve that Shakti. In case of Ganesha, many use the sadhana of him to understand the workings of Bhu-Loka (Physical realmn) and control it. There are also a small section of tantriks who does indulge in Shat Kriyas like Vashikarana (Controlling) and Marana (Killing) and use these Shakti’s wrongly. But, others use their Shakti’s to ultimately merge with the Cosmos/Para-Shakti.

Few people like Ramakrishna Paramahamsa exist, who even after having experiencing the Brahman in Nirvikalpa Samadhi (The highest state of Samadhi), continued to worship his Ista Devi KaLi Bhavatarini. For him, KaLi was both the God and the god. She was both with form and without form.
Hence, a devotee who may at first see Ganesha as just a remover of obstacles, with spiritual growth will come to realize that Ganesha is also the Lord of Physical realm. If the devotee keeps walking on the path of sadhana, he will realize that Ganesha is not a god with limitations and attributes, but Formless Omnipotent God. Deeper if he proceed, the devotee will realize that Ganesha is both the God and the god. That the formlessness and the forms are both his own manifestation and hence equally real.

Another simple example that illustrate this phenomenon could be that of Sandhya Vandana-The worship of Sun. The Sandhya worship at its outset appears like a prayer to the Sun who gives the warmth and Light to earth. This appears as a show of gratitude towards nature. If one digs deeper, one will understand that the Sandhya worship is not just a prayer to the external sun which is the center of our solar system and emitting the heat and light using nuclear fusion. But the worship also entails an understanding and a prayer towards this whole cosmos which is at every moment keeps changing, evolving and dissolving. On a deeper level, it is a prayer towards the whole existence, the multiple cosmos that exist and the source, the energy that manifests the Whole. Ultimately, it is worship towards the Innerself, The atman which is the very “Whole” present inside the each of its particle.

In both cases, one can see how a devotee proceeds from his “Limited” understanding of God into “Direct experience of Limitless truth”; how his understanding of deity changed from being limited god to being Omnipotent God who existed as formless and yet manifested infinite number of forms. This spiritual insight about the nature of Cosmic truth (Satya) and its infinite ways of expression has been the very foundation of the “all-embracing and tolerant way of life” that Hindu Dharma propounds. This truth has been imbibed into every Shastras-scriptures that were composed, every rituals that were codified, into every art forms that found its expression. It manifested into every aspect of life making Hindu society, a most diverse yet relatively harmonious one in whole world.

Footnotes-
(1)The term "religion" here used specifically in the sense of "theistic religions" and it does not refer to atheistic systems like Buddhism and Jainism.
(2)इन्द्रं मित्रं वरुणमग्निमाहुरथो दिव्यः स सुपर्णो गरुत्मान | एकं सद विप्रा बहुधा वदन्त्यग्निं यमं मातरिश्वानमाहुः || - Rigveda 1.164.46.
(3)Sister Nivedita, “Our Master and his Message”, Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, http://www.advaitaashrama.org/cw/content.php
(4)According to Hindu Philosophy, God is sum total of All existence. He is the whole existence. Hence, God and Cosmos are not different.“Isa vasyam Idam Sarvam” (Ishopanishad)
(5)Swami Chidananda, “Special Insights Into Sadhana No-1”, http://www.dlshq.org/download/insight_sadhana1.htm
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Friday 21 March 2014

Are Hindu rituals still relevant today?

Another thought provoking article by Nithin Sridhar*. Hindu rituals, be they Vedic or shastric evoke strong feelings - both in defence and in derision. In keeping with the editorial policy of this blog, Nithin's article** has been posted without any editing and interference. I leave it up to you to read it, mull over it, and decide on whether rituals are relevant today or not. Obviously this is also a personal choice. Please leave a comment, or connect directly with Nithin via Twitter @nkgrock I would request Nithin to recommend further reading to those interested to pursue this subject.

Are Hindu rituals still relevant today?

 _______________
Nithin Sridhar

________________


(This article was published in Uday India weekly on 03 December, 2012)

It has been often alleged that rituals are nothing but superstitions practiced by illiterates and blind followers of faith. It is even claimed that no rational person will indulge himself in meaningless practices. Most of the rituals as such have died down. Most people don’t even perform the “Nitya Karmas” suggested in the Dharmashastras. The only surviving element of Nitya Karmas seems to be “Sandhyavandana”, that too among very few people. And of most these people are only imitating the act passed down from the past without understanding their essence.



Many modern day ‘Gurus’ speak only of dry philosophy or of blind faith without understanding the significance of Sadhana, the spiritual effort. On being asked by Sutikshana, whether the path of Jnana or Karma would lead to enlightenment, Sage Agastya in “YogaVashishta” lucidly states:

ubhabhyam eva paksabhyam yatah khe paksinam gatih

tathai va jnana karmabhyam jayate paramam padam
(Yoga Vashista 1.1.7.8).

 “Just as a bird flies with its two wings, so also an enquirer flies to goal of Self-Realization through the co-ordination of two wings of Jnana and Karma” Hence it becomes very clear that, no path will lead to Truth without the practice of rituals enjoined with them.

Generally speaking,  Sadhana is any effort that leads to a spiritual goal. It may be any of the Japa, Homam, Bhajan, Sva-adhyay, Dhyana or a combination of some of these rituals or may be any other effort which one undertakes towards Spiritual Emancipation. This is the reason why we find Sadhana in one form or the other in every kula, shakha and samdradaya belonging to Sanatana Dharma.

To the question, “Are Hindu rituals still relevant today?” the answer is “it is more relevant today than it had been any time in recent history. Today, it is relevant not only to Hindus but to whole humanity”. We are currently living in a society where spirituality is declining at a very fast pace. This has not only turned people into materialism and consumerism, but also has resulted in loss of mental peace, tranquility and values (moral, social and spiritual) in the society. This has resulted in a lot of chaos and confusion and conflict throughout the world.

It is through Sadhana alone, one can have his perspectives broadened and develop spiritual intuition required to lead a Dharmic life. Without this, no individual will be able to live a righteous life. One will be lost in the innumerable temptations and miseries without even understanding his/her life’s purpose. For this reason the rituals become very vital. Most people assume rituals to be only external activities. But our Shastras clearly speaks of External as well as Internal rituals. Every external activity is deeply connected with internal change and they complement each other. The external rituals will stimulate the internal rituals and eventually leads a practitioner to involve himself wholly in internal sadhana discarding the external ones. What actually a Sadhana does is to burn away the burden of past karmas that are blocking one’s journey towards the Truth. People in whom Sattva Guna dominate can perform “Manasa Puja” without any use of external objects. But most of the people today are mundane in nature due to the predominance of Tamas Guna and hence need the external rituals not only as symbols for internal activity but also to ignite and strengthen the internal fire. Only then the internal qualities like detachment and stitahprajna can be developed which are very crucial for spiritual progress.

Especially in today’s world when people have very less time to spend on elaborate penances (Tapas), we need faster and easier method by which one can balance the spiritual and the mundane. This is where a simple fire ritual practiced with perseverance comes into play. Agni, that is fire not only speeds up the spiritual progress but also amplifies the effect of any sadhana done in it. Any spiritual progress happens only after the five elements within one’s body are thoroughly purified. For example, the fire element within the body is purified by a Homam which involves the external fire and the air element within the body is purified by Pranayama which involves using the air around us. But today’s environment being highly polluted only fire element remains pure as it burns down everything to ashes. Hence, it is wise to use Fire as a medium for sadhana. Further, any fire ritual not only involves offering oblations in the fire but also Pranayam, Mantra Jap and Dhyana. The fire amplifies the effects of all these actions many folds and hence assisting the sadhaka to make fast progress.

Traditionally, people who were involved in “Mantra Sadhana” used to do a full Purascharana of the mantra. They would select a specific mantra and take a sankalpa to do a jap for fixed number of times for a fixed number of days. One-tenth of the total number of japs was offered to Agni as oblations. One-tenth of the oblations were offered as Tarpana (ritual using water). One tenth were offered as Marjana (with flowers). And finally one tenth (of marjana) number of people were fed. But this procedure being too disciplined and elaborate, most people have abandoned it. Similarly, the Vedic Yajna’s being too elaborate and complicated has faced the same fate.

Instead, in current scenario, people may find it easier to spend around 60 minutes once a week or a month to perform a shorter version of fire-ritual ( Homam) of any deity. Any homam will include a Sankalpa (pledge expressing intensions for doing homam) in the beginning, followed by Agni Pratishtapana ( installation of fire), Prana Pratishtapana (invoking) of main deity in fire, Panchopachara puja which includes serving five items like sandalwood paste, flowers, incense, lamp and food to the deity ( some people may prefer shadopachara- serving 16 items or chatussashtyupachara- 64 items), main offerings of mantra in the fire (may be 4, 8, 12, 108 or 1008 times), additionally any other mantra or stotra can be made as oblations to the fire. This is followed by Punah Puja (serving deity again), Uttarangam (vote of thanks to deities), Bali and Poornahuti. Poornahuti means “complete surrender” and is the most important part of homam. One must meditate (Dhyana) after surrendering completely to the deity. The completion of homam is marked by wishing “good bye” to the main deity and at last the Agni (Udhvasa).

Finally, it will not be an exaggeration to state that in today’s fast moving world where everyone expects quick results, Sadhana, especially the rituals involving Fire are the key to achieve harmony in spiritual and mundane worlds. Everybody must involve themselves in one or the other forms of Sadhana, if not fire ritual, may be atleast a japa or a bhajan. But the key for success is sincerity and surrendering in whatever you do.

* I may or may not agree with the opinion of guest writers, but I respect their right to be heard.

**This article was first published on Nithin's blog in 2012 http://nithinsridhar.blogspot.in/2012/01/are-hindu-rituals-still-relevant-today.html


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Wednesday 19 March 2014

#SanskritAppreciationHour 19th March 2014 BhagvadGita X.31-37

Tweets

  1.  34s
    And that's all we have for today, Folks! Join us again soon for more . Will inform you of schedule for tom asap.
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  2.  Retweeted by 
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    Does Madu-Maas (month of Honey) same here. As per tulsi, Lord Ram was born in Madhumaas. In calender its called "Chait".
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  3.  Retweeted by 
     3m
    same in Kannada
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  4.  2m
    मुनीनाम् अप्य् + अहं व्यासः Of the sages I am VyAsa कवीनाम् उशना कविः Of the poets I am the poet UshnA
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  5.  Retweeted by 
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    the syntax of Kashmiri language is essentially Sanskrit as is the etymology of most words
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  6.  3m
    वृष्णीनां वासुदेवो 'स्मि Of the Vrishnis I am Vaasudeva पाण्डवानां धनंजयः Of the Paandavas I am Dhananjaya (Arjuna) ...>>>
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  7.  4m
    Wonderfully animated and informative inputs today. Thanks to all participants :-) On to translation of today's last verse>>>
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  8.  5m
    वृष्णीनां वासुदेवो 'स्मि पाण्डवानां धनंजयः | मुनीनाम् अप्य् अहं व्यासः कवीनाम् उशना कविः (X.37)
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    All of them?
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  10.  Retweeted by 
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    now spring is the month that he declared for beginng of srauta sacrifices
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  11.  Retweeted by 
     7m
    Ditto in Telugu. Vaadinchanam = to argue; Vaad-vivaad (debate?) is also to be found in Hindi.
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  12.  7m
    The goodness of the good, the splendour of the splendid, the best of the best...
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    जयः अस्मि व्यवसायः अस्मि I am victory, I am [strenuous] effort, सत्त्वम् सत्त्ववताम् अहम् I am the goodness of the good.
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  14.  Retweeted by 
     9m
    in kashmiri language we use vaad which means arguing. Our mother tongue is mix of sanskrit.
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  15.  10m
    द्यूतम् छलयाताम् अस्मि Of cheats I am gambling तेजः तेजस्विनाम् अहम् I'm the splendour of the splendid (ardour,majesty,burning brightness)
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  16.  Retweeted by 
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    Has to do with astrology; Nov-Dec or Dhanur rashi is house of jupiter - In rasis starting with mesha it stands for 9th
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  17.  Retweeted by 
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    9th house represents dharma, pitr, guru, etc. hence of time (rashi chakra represents time element) Lord rep 9th element
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  18.  13m
    द्यूतम् छलयाताम् अस्मि तेजः तेजस्विनाम् अहम् जयः अस्मि व्यवसायः अस्मि सत्त्वम् सत्त्ववताम् अहम् (X.36)
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  19.  13m
    What I like in the next verse is that the Supreme Being finds an analogy even among the not to good...No Black/White divide here.
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  20.  Retweeted by 
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    God is pursuit,motivation,struggle,path and content of excellence.
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  21.  15m
    Any one have an answer for that last verse? How come months are Nov-Dec, but season is Spring? I'm confused.
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  22.  17m
    ऋतुनाम् कुसुमाकरः (X.35) Of the seasons I am Spring (lit. the maker of flowers, or abounding with flowers) I wonder why diff month & season
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  23.  17m
    मासानाम् मार्ग+शीर्षः अहम् Of the months I am Marga-Shirsha (roughly Nov-Dec)>>>
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  24.  18m
    बृहत्साम तथा साम्नाम् Of the chants I am [the Vedic melody] Brihatsaaman गायत्री छन्दसाम् अहम् Of the meters I am gayatri
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  25.  Retweeted by 
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    सर्वस्य हरः सर्वहरः=षष्ठी तत्पुरुषः
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  26.  Retweeted by 
     18m
    There is a difference between kIrti and yashas; can some1 tell me what it is
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  27.  18m
    In my case, the wife also!!
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  28.  Retweeted by 
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    of memory being an outstanding feminine quality every married man would have experienced it :-)
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  29.  20m
    बृहत्साम तथा साम्नाम् गायत्री छन्दसाम् अहम् मासानाम् मार्ग+शीर्षः अहम् ऋतुनाम् कुसुमाकरः (X.35)
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  30.  20m
    Since he is the Supreme Being, what he identifies with must be the best in that group - stands to reason, no?
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  31.  21m
    स्मृतिः मेधा धृतिः क्षमा [contd. from last line - of the fem qualities -- ] memory, wisdom, courage and patience. (End fo verse 10.34)
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    कीर्तिः श्रीः वाक् च नारीणां Of the feminine [qualities] I am fame, splendour and speech >>contd
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  33.  22m
    मृत्युः सर्वहरः च अहम् And I am all destroying death उद्भवः च भविष्यताम् and the origin of [things] to be >>>
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  34.  Retweeted by 
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    the same root goes to form dharma
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  35.  23m
    :-) Always!!
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  36.  Retweeted by 
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    वादः प्रवदतामहम् As per श्रीधरस्वामी- I am वाद in the disputations. Other types are जल्प & वितण्डा
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    मृत्युः सर्वहरः च अहम् उद्भवः च भविष्यताम् कीर्तिः श्रीः वाक् च नारीणां स्मृतिः मेधा धृतिः क्षमा (BG X.34)
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  38.  25m
    nominative singular of धातृ which itself is derived from the root धृ - to hold, to bear
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  39.  27m
    To revise noun declensions including the genitive plural/षष्ठी बहुवचन​ Pl see:
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  40.  28m
    If you've just joined us, we are doing verses 31-37 Ch 10 of , helping us simultaneously to learn/revise the genitive plural
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  41.  31m
    Apologies!! :-) I am Jahnavi/I am daughter of Jahnu mixed up.
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  42.  Retweeted by 
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    daughter of jahnu
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  43.  32m
    I identified the genitive plurals for you in the first few verses.. from here on try to do it yourself. You'll never forget it via these vs
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    धाताः अहम् विश्वतोमुखः I am the establisher/arranger (lit. one who places things) facing in all directions (omniscient)
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  45.  33m
    अहम् एव अक्षयः कालः I alone am indesctructible time >>>
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  46.  Retweeted by 
     34m
    agree - dialogue is the process
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  47.  34m
    अक्षराणाम् अकारः अस्मि of all the letters of the alphabet, I am the letter 'a' द्वन्द्वः सामासिकस्य च and of the compounds I am the dvandva
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  48.  34m
    अक्षराणाम् अकारः अस्मि द्वन्द्वः सामासिकस्य च अहम् एव अक्षयः कालः धाताः अहम् विश्वतोमुखः (X.33)
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  49.  35m
    Definitely. But I think discourse subsumes them.
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  50.  Retweeted by 
     36m
    Doesn't vaad have to do with logic/argument and not discourse?
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  51.  35m
    To me, in this section, the Lord is also telling us what he thinks is best, so he's setting some standards here :-) >>>
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  52.  38m
    So in 10.32 we have सर्गाणाम् विद्यानाम् प्रवदताम् as shashthi bahuvacana - of creation(s), of knowledge(s) of those who speak
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  53.  40m
    अध्यात्मविद्या विद्यानाम् of [all] knowledge I am knowledge of the supreme self वादः प्रवदताम् अहम् Of those who speak, I am discourse
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  54.  Retweeted by 
     41m
    Pl also note that Lord takes both masculine feminine/neuter forms with impact upon his being
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  55.  41m
    सर्गाणाम् of creations आदिः अन्तः च the beginning and the end मध्यं च एव अहं अर्जुन and even the middle, am I , Arjuna >>>
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  56.  41m
    Even in Gita dhyana verses this comes up, no?
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  57.  41m
    That's make much more sense. Except the alligator avataar? Can anyone tell us about that?
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  58.  Retweeted by 
     42m
    झषाणां मकरश् चास्मि Alt. interpretation I have seen is: I am shark amongst the fishes
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  59.  43m
    If you have any questions on how a word is derived or what it means, please feel free to stop me. That's what we're here for. :-)
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  60.  43m
    Now the next one सर्गाणाम् आदिः अन्तः च मध्यं च एव अहं अर्जुन अध्यात्मविद्या विद्यानाम् वादः प्रवदताम् अहम् (X.32)
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  61.  Retweeted by 
     45m
    झष=fish
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  62.  45m
    In the first verse alone we have 4 opps to learn: पवताम्, झषाणां, शस्त्रभृताम्, स्रोतसाम् Can it get better? Read the Gita, revise
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  63.  46m
    स्रोतसाम् अस्मि जाह्नवी Of the rivers I am Ganga (daughter of Jahnavi) end of 10.31. Note all the shashti bahuvacanas..
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  64.  47m
    झषाणां मकरश् चास्मि Of the sea monsters I am makara (alligator/ avataar of Vishnu) >>>
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  65.  48m
    पवनः पवताम् अस्मि Of the purifiers I am the Wind रामः शस्त्रभृताम् अहम् Of the weapon bearers I am Rama (Note the 'of the' genitive plural)
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  66.  48m
    Seriously true. Do you think that makes capable of competing with You Tube? :-D
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  67.  49m
    BG 10.31 पवनः पवताम् अस्मि रामः शस्त्रभृताम् अहम् | झषाणां मकरश् चास्मि स्रोतसाम् अस्मि जाह्नवी (minimal sandhi for your convenience)
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  68.  52m
    >>yesterday, the forms change depending on the ending of the noun. genitive plural practice via
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  69.  53m
    So if all of you are ready we can begin. Oh wait - do refer to this table for vibhakti practice: because as we saw>>
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  70.  54m
    So for beginners, this section is a boon for learning/memorising the genitive plural/षष्ठी बहुवचन​ Because the Lord says "of these I am X"
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  71.  56m
    These verses form part of the intstruction to Arjuna, and in them Krishna expresses his essence by drawing on the best in categories>>
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  72.  56m
    Today we are going to do verses from Ch 10 of the Bhagwad Gita. We've covered some of the earlier verses and time to plough on :-)
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  73.  58m
    Sat Sri Akal and welcome all to on 19th March 2014. My God how this year is flying by...
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