Upanishads on Creation : THE SPIDER ANALOGY

A wonderful illustration from Upanishads on Creation : THE SPIDER ANALOGY 

yathorṇa-nābhiḥ sṛjate gṛhṇate ca 
yathā pṛthivayām oṣadhayas sambhavanti |
yathā sataḥ puruṣāt keśalomāni
tathākṣarāt sambhavatīha viśvam ||

…… Mundak Upanishad 1.1.7

“ As a spider projects forth and draws back (its threads), as plants grow on earth, as hairs grow on the body, so does the universe emerge from the Imperishable Being.“



PURPORT :

Here three illustration is used :

Spider spinning the web
Varieties of plants growing from the earth
Hairs growing from the body

1.The spider designs its web. So it is the intelligent cause of the web. Raw material is also produced by the spider itself (normally any raw material is different from the maker). So here spider is the intelligent as well as the material cause of the web. In many cases like furniture, ornaments etc, the carpenter,who is the intelligent cause is different from wood,which is the material cause.Goldsmith is different from gold. Intelligent cause is called Nimitta Karanam. Material cause is called Upadana Karanam. So spider is Abhinna Nimitta Upadana Karanam. So is Brahman. It alone visualizes the creation; it alone is also the material. So he is the cosmic architect. Other than him there is nothing; no time, no space, so there is no question of searching for material cause.

2.Earth produces varieties of plants. Though earth is one, it is capable of producing different varieties. So is Brahman who is one but can produce diverse effects – Eka Karanath Aneka Vidha Karyani

3.Our body is live and sensient. But hair and nails are insensient. So the body which is of Chetana nature produces something of a different nature (Vilakshana Srishti which means cause producing an effect of a different nature). Normally we experience ‘Salakshana Srishti’ like mangoes in mango tree, humans begetting humans. But in Brahman, this Vilakshana Srishti is possible. The sensient creatures (Salakshana) and apparently insensient objects (Vilakshana) which constitute this Jagat is manifested by sensient Brahman.

Brahman :

Adrishyam (invisible)
Agrahyam (beyond our grasp)
Avarnam (beyond description)
Avyayam (indestructible)

Manifested world :

Drishyam ( Visible)
Grahyam ( Within our grasp)
Varnam (Can be described)
Vyayam ( Destructible)

So it shows Brahman can produce creation which seems to be of different nature.

In spider example, the spider not only designs and creates the web by itself but is its Laya Karanam also (it swallows/resolves its web into itself), whereas a pot maker does not swallow the pot!

Brahman also creates and resolves the creation into himself/itself (Srujate, Gruhnate). Like these three examples Brahman also creates the whole cosmos and finally resolves in himself.


Brihadaranyak Upanishad states :

“As the spider moves along the thread it produces, or as from a fire tiny sparks fly in all directions, even so from this Atman come forth all organs, all worlds, all gods, all beings. Its secret name (Upanishad) is "the Truth of truth." The ‘Prana’ (vital breaths) are the truth and their truth is Atman.”

...[Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 2.1.20] 

BRAHMAN AND THE UNIVERSE

BRAHMAN AND THE UNIVERSE :-

RELATIONSHIP OF BRAHMAN AND THE UNIVERSE :

==== From The Viewpoint Of Advaita Vedanta ====

According to Hinduism there is a beginningless and endless cycle of creation, maintenance and dissolution or resolution, called “srishti”, “sthithi”, ”laya.” In each srishti, the variety and pattern of objects, the attributes of the bodies and minds and the events and situations have to be fashioned to suit the karmas of the myriad of sentient beings that have to undergo their karmaphalam in the course of their janmas during that srishti.

The Vedas declare that Brahman is the cause of the origin, subsistence, and dissolution of this world. This view is consistent with two kinds of causality:
(1) substantial (or material) causality, in which a substance such as clay or gold is related to an earthen pot or golden ornament as cause to effect; and
(2) efficient causality, in which the cause is an active agent such as a potter or goldsmith who shapes a substance such as clay or gold into an object such as an earthen pot or golden ornament.


Which of these two kinds of causality applies when we say that Brahman is the cause of the world?

Shankaracharya says Brahman alone is originally and ultimately real. Nothing can exist independently of Brahman. Thus, it would seem that Brahman is both the efficient and the material cause of the universe. That is, Brahman is the agent (efficient cause) that causes the world to be and also the substance of which the world is composed (or from which the world is projected) (material cause). For Shankara, the universe is not created "out of nothing"(ex nihilo) but out of Brahman.

According to Sastra, Brahman is eternal and changeless. In various passages, Upanishads state that Brahman is eternal (”nityam”); “nityam” implies changelessness. In Muktikopanishad and in the BhagavadGita , Brahman is specifically said to be changeless. In Brahma Sutra bhashyam II.i.14, Sankaracarya says that Brahman is changeless and eternal and it has been denied that Brahman can undergo any modification whatsoever.

There is, however, a problem here, with which Shankara and his followers have grappled. For Advaita Vedanta, Brahman is unchanging, whereas the world of experience (produced by and from Brahman) is evidently full of change. How is the changing universe related to the changeless Brahman? The problem does not arise with regard to efficient causation. It seems possible for an unchanging Supreme Being (Brahman) to command that let the changing world exist ("Let there be light," and so forth). However, if Brahman is also the material (substantial) cause of the world, and if the world is changing, doesn't that mean that Brahman is also changing?

Shankara and his school distinguish between two kinds of material change: (1) parinama (change of substance, actual change) and (2) vivarta (change of appearance).

(1) The following is an illustration of the parinama principle: Milk can be used to make cheese. In the process of cheese-making, the milk is transformed into cheese and becomes unrecoverable, i.e., once the cheese has been made, we cannot recover the milk. The milk has been changed into a substance other than itself.

(2) For an example of the vivarta principle, consider the fashioning of a ring out of silver. In this case, the silver (the material cause) does not change into something other than itself. The silver now appears in the form of a ring, but it remains silver, and it could be refashioned into some other piece of jewelry. In a significant sense, the silver itself does not change when it is fashioned into a ring or other ornament. It continues to be what it is.

For Shankaracharya, the relationship between Brahman and the world does not involve parinama. In producing the world, Brahman does not become the world. Brahman remains itself. However, in the process of creation, does Brahman take on the shape or form of the world, as does the silver that is used to make a ring? The vivarta concept comes closer to Shankara's understanding of the relationship between Brahman and the world. Brahman takes on the appearance of the world, as does the silver take on the appearance of a ring. But in taking on the appearance of a ring, the silver itself is molded and shaped into a certain form. For Shankara, this is not what happens in the Brahman-world relationship. Shankara denies that Brahman, as the material cause of the universe, changes in any way whatsoever. Thus, neither the parinama nor the vivarta view is satisfactory. They both presuppose that cause and effect are separate realities. In parinama, the material cause (e.g., milk) is transformed into a substance different from itself (e.g., cheese); and in vivarta, the material cause (e.g.,silver) is changed into the shape of its material effect (e.g., a ring).

Upanishads also say that Brahman is devoid of instruments of action and thinking (karta amanah). There are also statements in the Upanishads to the effect that Brahman is neither neither cause nor effect. A changeless Brahman, a Brahman that is akarta, cannot be the transforming material cause (parinaami upaadaana kaaranam) of the perceived world. Since Brahman is amanah, It cannot be the intelligent cause (“nimitta kaaranam.”) of the perceived world, either.

So, the question arises, how does creation come?

Shankara's position is that the world is a mere appearance of Brahman caused by ignorance (avidya) and illusion (maya). There is no real creation. Brahman does not really act, nor does it change in any way.

Thus, for Shankara, it seems that Brahman is both the cause of the world's existence and not the cause of the world's existence. To avoid this apparent contradiction, Shankara utilizes a distinction between two ways in which the nature of Brahman is experienced and understood. This is the distinction between Saguna Brahman and Nirguna Brahman,"Brahman with attributes" and "Brahman without attributes" . Saguna Brahman is qualified by limiting conditions owing to the multiplicity of the names (mental entities) and forms (bodies) arising out of the cosmic evolutionary process (i.e., out of the plurality of the created world) and as possessing a plethora of attributes (e.g., truth, beauty, knowledge, consciousness, bliss, power); Nirguna Brahman is free from all limiting conditions whatever and devoid of all attributes. Saguna Brahman is the personal God of religion, an all-good, all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-present creator of the world and a divine savior to whom we owe our love and devotion. Nirguna Brahman is the Transcendent Absolute, having none of the attributes associated with "God" in the various theistic religions of the world. For Shankara, Brahman appears differently to different people depending on whether the Supreme Being is the object either of knowledge (jñana) or of ignorance (avidya). In reality (so says Shankara) the soul and Brahman are one. In Shankara's view, one and the same Self (Atman) is present, although hidden, in all beings.

Thus, Shankara holds that Brahman, when properly understood (i.e., from the standpoint of knowledge), is devoid of all attributes (Nirguna Brahman). When Brahman is described as possessing attributes such as truth, knowledge, or infinity, or when Brahman is described as Pure Being (sat), Pure Consciousness (chit), and Pure Bliss (ananda), these characterizations of Saguna Brahman (Brahman with attributes) are attempts to describe Brahman from the standpoint of ignorance. Such characterizations are, in reality, just words, and the true nature of Brahman cannot be described in words. The truth of the matter, according to Shankara, is that Brahman's true nature is completely devoid of any attributes.

When Brahman is said to be the efficient and material cause of the world's existence, it is Saguna Brahman, not Nirguna Brahman, that is so described. To speak of Brahman as the cause of the world presupposes a duality of Brahman and world, and such dualistic thinking is grounded on ignorance of the true nature of Brahman and Atman. Although Brahman is characterized in various Vedic texts as the efficient and material cause of the universe, Shankara holds that these texts refer to Saguna Brahman and that thinking of Brahman as Saguna ("with attributes") constitutes only a preliminary view of Brahman, a view based on the human need to explain the apparent existence of the universe. However, in order to understand the true nature of Brahman, we must go beyond this preliminary view and understand Brahman as it is in itself, not in relation to the universe, i.e., in non-dualistic terms. At that level of comprehension, it is seen that the entire universe is nothing but a superimposition upon and mere appearance of Brahman, the underlying reality of all that is. In the knowledge of the true nature of reality, which is the Brahman-Atman unity, this superimposition is "sublated." (Sublation is the process of correcting our understanding by replacing false judgments with true judgments.)

This line of argument leads Shankara to his famous distinction between two levels of reality and understanding:
(1) phenomenal or relative reality (vyavaharika satya), in which dualities and distinctions appear, and
(2) transcendental and absolute reality (paramarthika satya), in which there are no dualities or distinctions whatsoever. It is only from the phenomenal and relative standpoint of dualistic and distinctionist thought that Brahman (i.e., Saguna Brahman) is the cause of the existence of the universe.

From the standpoint of absolute reality and understanding, there is nothing in existence other than the Brahman-Atman unity. Thus, in one sense, Brahman is the cause of the world's existence and, in another sense, Brahman is not the cause of the world's existence.

For the purposes of his arguments against Samkhya philosophy, Shankara adopts the phenomenal-relative perspective, insisting that, if we are to posit the existence of the universe as a product of causation, then we must conclude that Brahman-Atman (i.e., in the guise of Saguna Brahman) is both the efficient and the material cause of the world. 

Gods In Rig Ved

============ Gods In Rig Ved ============ 

No deep understanding of Rig Ved is possible without having a clear perception of the two most widely occurring words in the Rig Ved namely deva and yajna. Deva occurs in about thirteen hundred verses. Since Agni, Indra and so on, are characterised as devas, almost every verse in Rig Ved refers to a deva directly or implicitly.

Deva is derived from the root 'div', to shine or illumine. The devas are beings endowed with consciousness, but without a physical body like the humans. Thus they are supraphysical beings endowed both with knowledge and power. The sages of Rig Ved were great observers of not only nature external to them like the mountains, rivers, herbs, animals and so on but also were aware of the world within themselves. They recognised different types of powers pulsating behind and within all aspects of manifestation. Behind each cosmic power , they divined the presence of a conscious being denoted as deva or devi. Each deva is a distinct cosmic power. Even though Rig Ved mentions thousands of devas, about thirty of them get detailed attention like Agni, Indra, Sarasvati, to mention a few.


Rig Ved gives a picture of the qualities common to all the devas in the forty hymns dedicated to the vishve-devah, the collectivity of all the devas. Individual devas are described in different suktas. Indra is described in two hundred forty hymns or roughly twenty five thousand verses. Agni, is described in two hundred suktas and so on.

Even though devas like Agni or Indra are mentioned in puranic texts also, they are quite different from the devas in Rig Ved. There is no need to bring in the anecdotes of purana to describe the events of Rig Ved. A careful reading of Rig Ved can answer all the questions regarding the devas. To get an idea of a deva, consider Indra.

The sages of Rig Ved were aware that the minds of the individual human beings are not completely isolated. They are all projections of the cosmic mind, the deity or deva behind it being Indra. Thus Indra is the Lord of the Divine Mind. Note the adjective divine qualifying the mind. The ordinary human mind has several imperfections due to many reasons such as its close association with the material human body. The divine mind is free of all these imperfections. Similarly, Agni is the cosmic power of heat and light in the manifested universe. But he is not confined to them. He is also the power of the Divine Will connected with Wisdom which vitalises all the human beings.

All the devas are considered as the children of the devi Aditi, the goddess of infinity, whose power is aptly described in the verse Rig Ved (1.89.10). Aditi is the earliest known conception of infinity which encompasses everything.

अदितिर्द्यौरदितिरन्तरिक्षमदितिर्माता स पिता स पुत्रः |
विश्वे देवा अदितिः पञ्च जना अदितिर्जातमदितिर्जनित्वम ||

(Rig Ved 1.89.10)

Let us consider the relationship between these devas and the Supreme Being, termed as the One ekah or tat, That or ekam sat, That One Truth as was done in the later Upanishad texts. These devas are the limbs of the Supreme Being. Each deva is a distinct power and personality of the Supreme. The Divine consciousness and force which permeates every aspect of manifestation, living or non-living is termed as Vaishvanara Agni, the Universal Force , described in about ten hymns of RV. Even a stone is endowed with consciousness according to Rig Ved (1.70.2) :

गर्भो यो अपां गर्भो वनानां गर्भश्च सथातां गर्भश्चरथाम |
अद्रौ चिदस्मा अन्तर्दुरोणे विशां न विश्वो अम्र्तः सवाधीः ||

A unique feature of the Rig Vedic Gods is their camaraderie with the humans. The different Vedic Gods do not support different human beings and cause them to fight one another as the Greek Gods do in books like Iliad. The Vedic Gods are eager to hel p a person and manifest their power in him provided the person expresses his aspiration by recognising the delight of existence present everywhere, releases it by his/her activities and offers it to the Gods. The Gods like Indra manifest in the human, remove the effects of hostile forces like Vrtra in the inner life of the person and promote the all-round growth and happiness of the person. Rig Ved does not associate a distinct deva with each human being or animal or plant.

Each human being has a soul in him/her called as jiva or atma and this is not regarded as a deva. The different devas manifest their powers in the various aspects of the manifested nature. The functions associated with the different animals or plants are possible only because of the power given by the corresponding devas. By means of the practices described in Rigveda, s/he comes in contact with these cosmic powers who are called as Agni, Indra, Ashvin, Soma etc. S/he tries to reach that state of consciousness or contact directly these universal powers. This is called as the ascent mentioned in several places. The first power to be contacted is the Agni power. Hence Agni is called the First God.

The sages of Rig Ved expressed their wisdom about the goal of existence and the methods of achieving the goal by means of a four-fold formula of immortality or all-round perfection or bliss, freedom and knowledge which integrates all the aspects of existence and finally, the supreme Divine or God who pervades everything but is not limited by anything. If we study all the verses in Rig Ved grouped under these four headings, we get a glimpse of both the breadth and depth of the Rig Ved and notice that Rig Ved contains the seeds of all the multidimensional thoughts of the later Hindu spiritual literature. This is not to say that the sages of Rig Ved knew everything that is to be known or that the later teachers of Hinduism were not creative. Consider for instance, the concept of the One without the Second, Brahman, discussed in magnificent detail, in the Upanishad books of later times. One finds in the Rig Ved the seeds of the thought of these books. Similar comments can be made for the yoga of devotion and works, the occult psychological knowledge found in the Tāntrik texts etc. Hence, the seer of modern times, Sri Aurobindo states that the earliest formula for wisdom will prove to be the last.

Similarly no one can claim that all of mathematics is contained in RV. But the beginning of the mathematics is certainly there as seen by the mention of the spoked wheel in Rig Ved (1.164) which implies a solution of circling the square.

Immortality amŗtatva is declared as the goal to be achieved even while we are living, we being the sons of immortality (Rig Ved 10.13.1), a phrase quoted later in the Shvetashvatāra Upanishad. Immortality is intimately associated with bliss or happiness denoted by words like Soma, Madhu etc. Soma manifests itself in the stone, the herb, the animal, man and the worlds beyond the range of the senses. It is the Delight of Existence. But this bliss is concealed. It can be released only by work. Veda repeatedly mentions the squeezing of Soma, Somasuta. It has to be purified. It is this bliss that can remove the incapacities in the human existence like death, old age and illness and render perfection in every part and lead to immortality. It leads from a partial consciousness of existence asat to sat the true existence, united with the supreme being, not only in its unity but also in multiplicity.

Freedom is a key idea in Rig Ved. It has no conception of hell into which the critics are thrown! Knowledge constitutes the bulk of Rig Ved. The key note of knowledge is its integrality. It is not divided into several rigid compartments.

Rig Ved describes several worlds lokās, each world being based on a particular psychological principle. Only the earth in which we live, bhūmi, is made of matter. Other worlds are supraphysical. In Rig Ved, the inner psychological structure of each person is considered to be a city dama, puri, gŗha, made up of many rooms, each room standing for one psychological power or faculty. These powers, undeveloped in the beginning, develop in the course of time in response to the aspiration of the individual, eventually, leading to perfection. This development is impossible without the help of devās, the distinct powers and personalities of the Supreme Being or God. Each deva manifests his power in each human being and literally grows in the human as described in hundreds of verses. The devās of the Rig Ved are faultless, perfect, always of one mind, always in touch with the Supreme Truth and always helpful to the human beings in their quest for the goal of supreme perfection.

Rig Ved has more than forty hymns about the aspects of every day life like marriage, the householder's life, the celibate student, wandering ascetic, the various professions, health, sickness and death. It deals extensively with the cause of suffering, the presence of evil forces and beings, their origin, and their influence on the human life; ever present is the discussion of the various paths to Immortality.

In every action we see the dominant contribution of the devās. Thus both devās and humans are collaborators or co-creators in all activities. Eventually every human being can achieve the perfection natural to a cosmic power deva. This comprehensiveness of knowledge distinguishes Rig Ved from all other spiritual books.

Symbolism Of Some Of The Vedic Deities :

1. Aditi: The Goddess of Infinity.

2. Agni: Fire; It is the cosmic power of heat and light and the will-power united with wisdom. Human will-power is a feeble projection of this power.

3. Aryamā: The lord of exalted power

4. Ashvins: The Lords of Bliss and Divine Physicians who render the human body free of disease so that it can accept the divine Prāṇa, the life-energy.

5. Bṛhaspati: The power of the soul; closely related to Brahmaṇaspati

6. Bhaga: Enjoyer and the Distributor of Delight.

7. Brahmaṇaspati: Lord of Mantra-s, Gaṇapati.

8. Iḷā: The Goddess of revelation.

9. Indra: He is the Lord of the Divine Mind and Action. In Indian tradition, mind is not a source of knowledge, it arranges the knowledge to aid action. Indra battles the evil forces on behalf of the human.

10. Mahī: Goddess of the vast

11. Maruts: Life Energies

12. Mitra: The Lord of Love and Harmony

13. Pūṣhan: The deity of nourishment

14. Parjanya: The deity of descending dynamic energies

15. Rudra: The Force of Evolution

16. Ṛbhu-s: The Divine Artisans

17. Sarama: The Goddess of intuition

18. Sarasvati: The Goddess of inspiration

19. Soma: The Divine Delight

20. Sūrya-Savitṛ: The Supreme Deity of Light and Force

21. Tvaṣhṭṛ: Divine form maker

22. Uṣha: The goddess of dawn

23. Vāstu: Dwelling

24. Vāyu: Wind; He is the Lord of all the Life-energies, Prāṇa which represent the passions, feelings, emotions and abilities
Vaishvānara: Universal Divine Will and Force

25. Varuṇa: The Master of Infinities who cannot tolerate restrictive thinking or actions. Only he can cut the three bonds which restrict the three aspects of every human being - physical, vital and mental

26. Vasu: The master of riches

27. Viṣhṇu: The Lord of all Space

Also See : https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=545804148843439&set=pb.348718665218656.-2207520000.1391611549.&type=3&theater

Powers of the Gods: An Overview :

आ नो देवेभिरुप यातमर्वाक सजोषसा नासत्या रथेन |
युवोर्हि नः सख्या पित्र्याणि समानो बन्धुरुत तस्य वित्तम ||

......... Rig Ved (7.72.2)

‘‘O Gods, between you and us (humans), there is the ancestral friendship and we are equal as relatives; remember and regard it''

The Gods are not poetical personifications of abstract ideas. To the Vedic seer, they are living realities. They are born in the human beings, empower them in their journey towards the supreme perfection. It is the gods who protect the human beings in their journey from the attacks of anti-divine demonic forces.

Among them Agni is the first, he is the power of the divine will, a force of god instinct with knowledge. This conscious and forceful will is the immoṛtal guest in our moṛtality, the mediator between the earth (the realm of matter) and the heaven (the realm of mind). It carries what we offer to the higher powers and brings back in return their force and light and joy into our humanity.

Indra, is the power of pure existence, self-manifested as the Divine Mind as mentioned in Rig Ved (2.12.1) :

यो जात एव परथमो मनस्वान देवो देवान करतुना पर्यभूषत |
यस्य शुष्माद रोदसी अभ्यसेतां नर्म्णस्य मह्ना स जनास इन्द्रः ||

Agni is one pole of force instinct with knowledge that sends its current upward from earth to heaven, Indra is the other pole of light instinct with force which descends from Heaven to Earth. He comes down into our world as the Hero with the shining horses and slays darkness and division with his lightnings, pours down the life-giving heavenly waters, makes the Sun of truth mount high in the heaven of our mentality.

Sūrya, the Sun, is the master of the supreme truth, the truth of being, truth of knowledge, truth of process and act and movement and function. He, the Savitar, is the creator or the manifester of all things. He releases the illuminations we seek, termed as Ray-cows.

Soma is the bliss which is generated by work just as the crushing of the Soma-herb releases the Soma-juice. The Soma is not a physical liquid. It is the joy of work. When a human being experiences the joy in the work he/she is doing, then that experience is Soma. What a human being should do is to offer the delight to the gods, especially Indra since in any work, the final result is due mostly to the efforts of the cosmic powers and the role of human being is very small, though vital. Indra and others pleased with the Soma increase the capacity of the human aspirant to do work with more and more perfection.

Each of these primary deities has others associated with them to fulfil related functions. For the establishment of the truth of Sūrya in moṛtals, a vast purity and clear wideness is indispensable; this is Varuṇawho destroys all sin and crooked falsehood. Also required is a luminous power of love forming into harmony all our thoughts; this is Mitra. Also required is a right enjoyment in all things; this is Bhaga.

For the whole bliss of Soma to be established in us, a happy and unmaimed condition of mind, vitality and body are necessary. This is given to us by the twin deities wedded to the daughter of Sun.

As the giver of the light of truth and the slayer of Vṛtra, Indra is aided by the powers of will and vital force, the Maruts.

There are female energies. Aditi, the infinite mother of the gods comes first. There is the triple Iḷā, Sarasvati and Mahī, and also Dakṣhiṇa, the goddess of discernment.

Three great Gods, origin of the Purāṇic trinity make possible this grand development. Brahmaṇaspati is the creator of Word. Rudra smites all that opposes and heals all that is wounded and suffers. Viṣhṇu of the vast pervading motion holds all these worlds in his triple stride.

Our earth, shaped out of the dark inconscient ocean of existence lifts its ascending peaks upward; heaven of the mind has its own formations, the clouds that give their lightnings and the waters of life. Thus the Vedic poets sing the hymn of our spiritual ascension using the images of physical nature.

"Om Shanti Shanti Shanti"

QUOTES FROM RIG VEDA

Quotes From Rig Ved :-

Law : 

(Rig Ved 3.7.7)

देवा देवानामनु हि वरता गुः

" The gods move according to the law of the workings of the gods."

Purport :-

Even the Gods observe a law and that law is the law of Truth. For the Gods are themselves born of Truth, grow in Truth and live in Truth. They are emanated from the vast Being of the Supreme to carry out its Truth-Will in the manifestation. They uphold and follow the workings of this Will, its law of effectuation. They are both the guardians and the functionaries of this Law.

Mantra :

(Rig Ved 1.171.2)

एष व सतोमो मरुतो नमस्वान हर्दा तष्टो मनसा धायि देवाः |

" Lo, the hymn of your affirmation, O Maruts, it is fraught with my obeisance, it was framed by the heart, it was established by the mind, O ye Gods. "

Purport :-

Mantra is the Word that expresses a truth, Stoma the Word that confirms and establishes it. This Word of affirmation must be voiced with an utter surrender of the whole being, an attitude that is symbolically expressed by the outer act of obeisance.

This World is not constructed by the intellect or composed by any poetic faculty. It is a Word that slowly gathers and forms in the heart, the chamber of the soul, without mention and then emerges into the mind when it is silently cogitated upon and allowed to take rounded shape in the language of the mind.

Māya :

(Rig Ved 9.83.3)

मायाविनो ममिरे अस्य मायया

" The Masters of Maya shaped all by His Maya. "

Purport :-

Māya is a Power of Knowledge, for knowledge—not a power of falsehood. It is the self-power of the Godhead—devātma shakti—working to bring out and manifest the marvels of the Infinite in terms of the finite. The gods who preside over its formations shape things by the force and intelligence of this Māya which is inseparable from the Lord creator.

Lotus of the Head :

(Rig Ved 6.16.13)

तवामग्ने पुष्करादध्यथर्वा निरमन्थत |
मूर्ध्नो विश्वस्य वाघतः ||

" O Fire, Atharwan churned thee out from the Lotus of the head of every chanting sage. "

Purport :-

Of him who has found the word of Truth and who voices it in his speech, the highest centre in the head, i.e. Mind, is activated and opened to the workings of the Higher Consciousness. There gather all his articulate movements of thought and feeling, aspiration and enlightenment and from their stress is born Agni, the flaming Seer-Will who takes charge of the journey to the Divine Goal.

Magic :

(Rig Ved 8.23.15)

न तस्य मायया चन रिपुरीशीत मर्त्यः |
यो अग्नये ददाश हव्यदातिभिः ||

" Not even by magic can the mortal foe master the man
Who offers himself to the Fire with his gifts of oblation. "

Purport :-

It is possible to harm in many ways, open and secret, human and non-human. By pressing into service the aid of supraphysical entities in the universe one can affect another adversely. By various means such as incantations, nefarious procedures known as black magic and similar processes evil can be directed to strike at the unwary victim. There is, however, one effective safeguard against such unexpected and behind-the- scenes attacks. And that is to offer oneself, with all that one has, to God Agni who knows all that is born, jātavedas. Once one entrusts oneself unto him there is no danger from any quarter, known or unknown.

Mahi :

(Rig Ved 1.8.8)

एवा हयस्य सून्र्ता विरप्शी गोमती मही |
पक्वा शाखा न दाशुषे ||

" Thus Mahi for Indra full of rays, over-flowing in her abundance, in her nature a happy truth, becomes as if a ripe branch for the giver of the sacrifice. "

Purport :-

Mahi is the Goddess of the Vast World. She brings to the awakened and purified mind not only the World of Truth but also the largeness of the Truth characteristic of its natural being on its own plane. She is replete with the illuminations of Truth, bursting in her opulence, and bears the Truth that is auspicious. She makes herself accessible in all her abundance to him who gives himself and his all to the Divine.

Mystery :

(Rig Ved 6.9.2)

नाहं तन्तुं न वि जानाम्योतुं न यं वयन्ति समरेऽतमानाः |
कस्य सवित पुत्र इह वक्त्वानि ...

" I know not the woof, I know not the warp, not what is this web that they weave moving to and fro in the field of this motion and labour. These are secrets that must be told. "

Purport :-

In spite of all the laboured knowledge vaunted by the reasoning mind of man, there is much that is still to be known in and about the creation of which he is a part. This universe is not a chance formation, a product of some giant caprice. It is a carefully woven pattern of manifestation, dynamic with movement and purposive effort. All is a working out of a Truth-Idea, on the lines pre-visioned in that Truth-Consciousness, ritam. The secrets of this cosmos, the why, how and where, are still to be unveiled. See also (1.170.1) under Reality.

Offering Shaped by Heart :

(Rig Ved 6.16.47)

आ ते अग्न रचा हविर्ह्र्दा तष्टं भरामसि |

" We bring to thee by the illumining word an offering that is shaped by the heart, O Fire "

Purport :-

Consecration, offering of oneself in all movements of the being, is a capital way of fruitful approach to the Divine. To have an intention in the mind to offer, even a mental conviction of its necessity, is not enough. One has to work out the intention in the consciousness, dig it deep in the heart and from there orientate and shape one’s life-movements in that direction. After organizing the consecration in the being in this manner, it is to be given a clear, dynamic expression in life. For this expression confirms the consecration and makes it a force—not only in one’s own existence but in that of others as well.

One and Many :

(Rig Ved 10.12.6)

दुर्मन्त्वत्राम्र्तस्य नाम सलक्ष्मा यद विषुरूपाभवाति |

" Hard to seize by the mind in this world is the name of the immortal because he puts on features and becomes divergent forms. "

Purport :-

The ultimate is Reality is One, absolute, indeterminable. The same Reality is here in the Universe, the One manifest in and as the Many, unity spread out in diversity, the Indeterminable determining itself, the Formless putting on forms. But the mind which is lost in the multiplicity is unable to seize the clue to this phenomenon, incapable of knowing the truth of the underlying and indwelling oneness. A higher Light or a deeper vision of the soul has to aid the mind to perceive this fact of manifestation.

Occult :

(Rig Ved 7.61.5)

न वां निण्यान्यचिते अभूवन

" The truths occult exist not for the mind of the ignorant. "

Occult Unity :

(Rig Ved 10.12.8)

यस्मिन देवा मन्मनि संचरन्त्यपीच्ये न वयमस्य विद्म |

" The thought in which the Gods meet together, when it is occult we know not of it. "

Purport :-

The world that we live in and see around us is not the whole of the universe. Things, forms, events are not entirely what they appear to be. Behind the seen there is much that is unseen; looming over the patent is the occult. Physical Nature is only a front behind which there is a whole world or series of worlds, each less gross and more subtle than the others, a vast organization with its own laws, process and movements. In fact what happens on the material plane is a result of workings on these other, occult planes of existence. But this occult side of life is not open to the physical eye blinded by ignorance. One has to awake in knowledge, develop the inner vision, before one comes to know the truths of the occult order of things. To the human mind, multiplicity, division is the obvious truth of life; even the gods, the powers that preside over their respective spheres in the cosmos, are separate from each other, each zealously guarding his own domain. But that is not the whole truth. Behind diversity there is an underlying unity. A oneness bases all multiplicity, oneness is its heart, oneness its summit. The gods too converge in a oneness in the Home of Truth where each realizes himself to be a ray, an emanation of the One creative Godhead. But this Truth-Consciousness in which all recover this unity is beyond the reach of the human mind labouring in Ignorance. It can know of it only when it reveals itself directly or indirectly through reflection, veiled projection and other ways. 

YAJURVED SLOK 40.9

Yajurveda 40.9
andham tamah pravishanti ye asambhutim upasate 
tato bhuya ive te tamo ya u sambhutyam ratah.

अन्धं तमः प्रविशन्ति ये‌‍‌ऽसंभुतिमउपासते
ततो भूय इव ते तमो य उ सम्भुत्याम्रताः

Enter into the darkness those (fools) who engage into the activities of destruction (by creating conflict based on ideology, likes, race or origin), yet enter into greater darkness those who engage into (selfish ) the lust of material gatherings.
Or 
Enter into the darkness those who renounce the world or disregard this material existence but yet enter into more darkness those who deeply indulge into material lust.

This meaning appears most suitable. What this shloka says is one of the core principles ofSanatan Dharma. Vedas and all other scriptures tell human to follow the Karma and renounce only the fruits of the karma and not the karma. Human should renounce the lust, the greed and the fruits of Karma. Karma can never be renounced. In Shrimad Bhagvad Gita, Bhagvan Shri Krishna very clearly given this principle fo Sanyas and Karma Yoga by explaining that Karma is the core of living existence and material body has its own significance. One should renounce the fruits of actions and not the actions itself. Rather this very principle is called as “Sanyas” Please find the following references:

Shrimad Bhagvad Gita Ch3:Sh4
na karmanam anarambhan naiskarmyam puruso ‘snute 
na ca sannyasanad eva siddhim samadhigacchati

Not by merely abstaining from work can one achieve freedom from reaction, nor by renunciation alone can one attain perfection.

Ch18:Sh5
yajna-dana-tapah-karma na tyajyam karyam eva tat 
yajno danam tapas caiva pavanani manisinam

Sacrifice,charity, austerity and penance are not to be given up but are to be performed. Yajna(Making sacrifice), charity and performing penance even purifies a wise men.

Ch18:Sh2(Line1)
sri-bhagavan uvaca 
kamyanam karmanam nyasam sannyasam kavayo viduh

Shri Bhagvan Said
Giving up activities that are based on the material desire is called the Sanyas.

The material world, The karma can never be renounced but then one should not be attached to it either. One should do all his material duty but renounce just the fruits of the same. This is called Sanyas and Sanyas is the core principle of Sanatan Dharma.

The above shloka of Yajurveda#40.9 tells the same thing. A human should never disregards the material body or existence(Asambhooti : असम्भूति) but he should not develop lust to material world and engage into amassing wealth, gathering material objects either(Sambhooti:सम्भूति). Such is the path of sorrow, the Darkness.

 Truth is the biggest way to counter lies and hence we should all be well informed.
“Om Shanti Shanti Shanti “

FUTURE PREDICTIONS

In the last canto of the Bhagavata Purana there is a list of predictions and prophecies about the dark times for the present age of Kali Yuga. The following 15 predictions, written 5,000 years ago by sage Vedavyasa, are amazing because they appear so accurate. Despite the negative tone of these prophecies, there is still one bright spot for all of us, which is mentioned at the end.


Prediction 1:

Religion, truthfulness, cleanliness, tolerance, mercy, duration of life, physical strength and memory will all diminish day by day because of the powerful influence of the age of Kali.

Source: Srimad Bhagavatam 12.2.1

Prediction 2:


In Kali Yuga, wealth alone will be considered the sign of a man's good birth, proper behaviour and fine qualities. And law and justice will be applied only on the basis of one's power.

Source: Srimad Bhagavatam 12.2.2

Prediction 3:

Men and women will live together merely because of superficial attraction, and success in business will depend on deceit. Womanliness and manliness will be judged according to one's expertise in sex, and a man will be known as a brahmana just by his wearing a thread.

Source: Srimad Bhagavatam 12.2.3

Prediction 4:

A person's spiritual position will be ascertained merely according to external symbols, and on that same basis people will change from one spiritual order to the next. A person's propriety will be seriously questioned if he dos not earn a good living. And one who is very clever at juggling words will be considered a learned scholar.

Source: Srimad Bhagavatam 12.2.4

Prediction 5:

A person will be judged unholy if he does not have money, and hypocrisy will be accepted as virtue. Marriage will be arranged simply by verbal agreement, and a person will think he is fit to appear in public if he has merely taken a bath.

Source: Srimad Bhagavatam 12.2.5

Prediction 6:

A sacred place will be taken to consist of no more than a reservoir of water located at a distance, and beauty will be thought to depend on one's hairstyle. Filling the belly will become the goal of life, and one who is audacious will be accepted as truthful. He who can maintain a family will be regarded as an expert man, and the principles of religion will be observed only for the sake of reputation.

Source: Srimad Bhagavatam 12.2.6

Prediction 7:

As the earth thus becomes crowded with a corrupt population, whoever among any of ther social classes shows himself to be the strongest will gain political power.

Source: Srimad Bhagavatam 12.2.7

Prediction 8:

Harassed by famine and excessive taxes, people will resort to eating leaves, roots, flesh, wild honey, fruits, flowers and seeds. Struck by drought, they will become completely ruined.

Source: Srimad Bhagavatam 12.2.9

Prediction 9:

The citizens will suffer greatly from cold, wind, heat, rain and snow. They will be further tormented by quarrels, hunger, thirst, disease and severe anxiety.

Source: Srimad Bhagavatam 12.2.10

Prediction 10:

The maximum duration of life for human beings in Kali Yuga will become 50 years.

Source: Srimad Bhagavatam 12.2.11

Prediction 11:

Men will no longer protect their elderly parents.

Source: Srimad Bhagavatam 12.3.42

Prediction 12:

In Kali-yuga men will develop hatred for each other even over a few coins. Giving up all friendly relations, they will be ready to lose their own lives and kill even their own relatives.

Source: Srimad Bhagavatam 12.3.41

Prediction 13:

Uncultured men will accept charity on behalf of the Lord and will earn their livelihood by making a show of austerity and wearing a mendicant's dress. Those who know nothing about religion will mount a high seat and presume to speak on religious principles.

Source: Srimad Bhagavatam 12.3.38

Prediction 14:

Servants will abandon a master who has lost his wealth, even if that master is a saintly person of exemplary character. Masters will abandon an incapacitated servant, even if that servant has been in the family for generations. Cows will be abandoned or killed when they stop giving milk.

Source: Srimad Bhagavatam 12.3.36

Prediction 15:

Cities will be dominated by thieves, the Vedas will be contaminated by speculative interpretations of atheists, political leaders will virtually consume the citizens, and the so-called priests and intellectuals will be devotees of their bellies and genitals.

Source: Srimad Bhagavatam 12.3.32

Despite all of these dark prophecies, there is one good quality in this age of Kali yuga:

"Although Kali-yuga is an ocean of faults, there is still one good quality about this age: simply by chanting the names of Krishna, one can become free from material bondage and be promoted to the transcendental kingdom." (Source: Srimad Bhagavatam 12.3.51)

So let us take advantage of this special spiritual gift given during the dark times of Kali yuga to quickly raise ourselves spiritually through chanting of God's holy names.

hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa
kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare
hare rāma hare rāma
rāma rāma hare hare