THREE SHAKTIS OR 3 POWERS

    In many places there is mention of 3 SHAKITIS or 3 Powers or energies .In Ganapati Atharbshirsh, there s statement that HE is the 3 SHATIS. So what are these 3 powers or Shakts ? The answer is kind of mix . There many things which are in threes - there are 3 things together. So some of the three things are mentioned here..

 The universe  has beginning and is maintained and then is dissolved . So what starts from Singularity is vast and continues to expand  and is sustained and then dissolved or becomes singularity All these 3 things need ENERGY . The Big Bang did not happen without energy  and same holds true for sustaining the universe which continues to expand - needs energy and that expanded universe biomes again singularity also needs energy. The GOD is that 3 ENERGIES. 

  As human being or any live thing in this universe has 3 POWERS. We have Physical Energy or power and we have Mental power and we also have Intellectual power . So at the Macro level we have powers for the Universe  and at Microcosm or at individual level again we have 3 Powers Everyone has these 3 powers and one may have more of less of these but we all have it. Again he is the cause of theses powers. 

  To do anything we need DESIRE. Just desire is not enough as we may have desire to make million dollars, But then we need KNOWLEDGE - how to make money  and that is second power which is the power of the Knowledge . Lastly we need to have LIFE or in Hindu it is called CHETANA -Awareness ,which is also a Power . So we have again 3 powers 

    There are many things which are in 3 - PAST - PRESENT AND FUTURE as the part of Time. 3 Universes CAUSAL -(KARAN),ASTRAL OR SUBTLE(SUKKSHM ) AND PHYSICAL (STHULA). 

   

THE CHAKRAS

     In Hindu religion there are these CHAKRAS and they are know even in western societies too. The comcept is that these may be the origin of nerve pleuzes . Thesre are not necessarily seen on disection of physical body , but they are  mentioned and there is significance of them for the mediatation . 

   One concept is that there is coiled up energy - called KUNDALINI and when one does the mediatation the Kundalini rises and then it goes up the Astral sine and then when it comes to the top CHAKRA then one has achieved the success in getting the SAMADHI. 

  They are also considered to represent 5 PANDAVAS and DRAUPADI . The Draupadi is the energy or the Kundallini and it meets each of the Pandeva , each one is related to 5 Chakras and also 5 Mahabhuta. So this is important concept to understand  So let me state them with their names and characters etc.

  The lowest of them is called MULADHAR CHAKRA . It is located at the coccyx area. The controller of the Chakra is is Lord Ganesh. And may be for that reason we worship Lord Ganesh every time we start any Pooja or worship. It has 4 petals. When it is successfully stimulated one remembers impressions from previous life. 

   The next one is called SWADHISTAN CHAKRA . It is located between genitals and anus. It has 6 petals It has relation with Rajasic Guna and the the controller of this Chakra is BRAHMADEO. When one gets control over this one he has prefect celibacy.

  The next one is MANIPOOR CHAKRA. It is near belly button or umbilicus. Lord Vishnu is the controller and it has 10 petals. When one gets mastery over this Chakra, Satvic Guna is promoted . 

   The next one is ANAHAT CHAKRA. It is located at the heart and has 12 petals. The  controller is RUDRA which destroys the universe when needed and Tamasic Guna is the main Guna. Having control on this Chakra leads to improved heart function, circulation and also body stays fresh and young . 

    The next one is VISHUDHA CHAKRA . It is located at top of the skull -and it has 16 petals  and controller is JIVATMA -Life force. When one has mastery over this Chakra, he realizes that we are not limited by Physical Body.

    The next one is ADNYA CHAKRA. This is located on fore head or may be the spiritual eye .It has 2 petals. The Supreme Consciousness - PARAMATMA is the controller. Control on this one leads to feeling that Paramatma is in charge and not Jivatma. 

   The next one is SAHASTRAR CHAKRA This is located in the brain It has 1000 petals or may be thousands of petals. As one knows we have several neuronal connections - literally thousands of them  and that is also why the Guru or the enlightened spiritual teacher when touches the head , we get blessed and achieve success in the SAMADHI. 

  MULADHAR CHAKRA -COCCYX-4 PETALS -GANAPATI 

SWADHISTAN CHAKRA-BETWEEN ANUS AND GENITAL -6 PETALS -BRAHMA 

(COULD BE CONSIDERED AT SACRAL AREAAND RELATED TO RAJASIC GUNA)

MANIPOOR CHAKRA- UMBILICAL AREA-10 PETALS- VISHNU)

(COULD BE CONSIDERED AT LUMBAR AREA -RELATED TO SATVIK GUNA)

ANAHAT CHAKRA -HEART-12 PETALS-RUDRA 

(COULD BE CONSIDERED AT THORACIC SPINE AND RELATED TO TAMASIC GUNA)

VISHUDHHA CHAKRA - TOP OF HEAD -SKULL- 12 PETALS -JIVATMA.-LIFE FORCE.

( MAY BE CONSIDERED AT CERVICAL SPINE AREA )

ADNYA CHAKRA -FORE HEAD - SPIRITUAL EYE - 2 PETALS - PARATMA 

SAHASRHAR CHAKRA -BRAIN-1000 PETALS -RELATED TO SAMADHI .

3 STAGE OF LIFE -AVASTHA

      In Hindu religion we have detail description of many things . In Gnapati ATHARVASHIRSH,it is stated that the Lord Ganesh is beyond 3 AVASTHA .So I want to state whar are these states of mind - body etc or what are theses AVASTHA.We all know them , but I was surprised that Hindu religion knew about them when sleep studies as we know were not done .We all know the JAGRUT state or AWAKE state. We are awake 16 to 18 hours a day . We are aware of the surroundings. This is the JAGRUT state . The second is SLEEP . But the sleep in modern day medicine is divided in to REM sleep and NON REM sleep. So In REM sleep  we have dreams  and tat state is considered as active state as we have fluctuation in heart rate and blood pressure  and some time irregular respirations. The Non REM sleep is divided in to 3 stages. Stage 1 sleep is very light sleep - we are falling asleep  and then stage 2 is little deeper  and in stage 3 or also called Slow Wave sleep we HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE OF OUR SURROUNDINGS  and it is deepest sleep . The arousal threshold is very high in slow wave sleep .So in Hindu concept we have taken this in account thousands of years ago . They must have know the stages of sleep . So the second stage or Avastha is sleep and third is DREAM state . So the 3 stages of existence are Being AWAKE - called JAGRUT , in deep sleep called SUSHUPTI  and the dream state is called SVAPNA . 

   In the Awake state the Mind , Intellect and Physical body all are active and aware of the surrounding. But in the sleep we are in bed and the physical body is not active. The stages of the sleep as described above , we have mind and intellect ACTIVE in state of dream The dreams are related to what our Mind and Intellect decide . We dream from our memories and our experiences  and we do see ourselves physically but our PHYSICAL BODY is NOT ACTIVE . That is the difference between the Awake  and Active sleep is concerned. In the DEEP sleep -the SLOW WAVE SLEEP of modern day medicine we have no dreams and out Mind Nd Intellect are NOT ACTIVE  and certainly the Physical body is not active . So we are not aware of ANYTHING . But we do know that we had SOUND SLEEP . This is the CONSCIOUSNESS which is the Witness or SAKHSHI for everything -even when mind is not active.

    But the Hindu religion does not stop at these 3 states. We have one more stat - THE 4TH ONE called TURYA - Turya means 4th .This is the one where we are not aware of anything and we are one with ALL PERVADING CONSCIOUSNESS. There is no awareness of Physical Body, Mind , Intellect or Ego . We are one with the Lord .  

10 INDRIYAS OR ORGANS

     In Hinduism, there are 5 Organs of ACTION  and 5 Organs of  PERCEPTION and that brings to 10 INDRIYAS or organs. All of us know that but there are some interesting parts . Th DNYNEDRIYAS - organs of getting DNYAN or perception are call so as we have the Knowledge of the surroundings. DNYAN means knowledge. Indriy is organ. So we have 5 of them ,namely Eyes to see, Ears to hear sound ,Skin to perceive touch , Tongue to taste and Nose to smell. The mystery is how do we see forms and shape when we see. When light enters through the eyes and then hits retina  and then the impulse is carried through optic nerve  to the part of the brain called occipital lobe , we have some chemical changes and we see. But the question remains as to how do we see different things even when  the  same retina and optic nerve  and same brain cells in the same area of the brain are stimulated . Why do we see different things What transforms the stimulation of same cells to different images? The same thing can be said about the sound wave hitting the ear drum  and then carried to same center of the brain and still we differentiate between a melodious song and harsh words. So, we have these organs of perception but there is something beyond the physical elements that is perceiving. As mentioned before , these 5 organs are formed from 5 Panchmahabhutas - 5 Great elements with a process called Pnchikaran. Nothing is 100 %  and so we have one main Mahabhuta  and half of that plus 1/8 th of remaining 4 will lead to final product, As mentioned the Space or Akash or Space goes in forming Ear or sense of hearing , Vayu or Air / gas goes in forming Skin or sense of touch, Tej - or  fire / energy goes in formation of Eyes, AAP or water /liquids goes in formation of sense of taste and lastly Element of Earth / solids goes in formation of sense of smell.  There are five qualities and in succession each one acquires property of previous one and gets a new one , So the Element Earth has all five qualities. We cannot see space or Air  and the Fire is first one that can be seen and so may be that is why we have so much importance to Fire. 

    If one compares this to the concept of Big Bang theory, we find similarity. The when Big Bang occurred , in an fraction of time , expansion of the universe occurred - SPACE was created . Then the hydrogen and helium were formed and universe was in Gaseous state . Then the hydrogen helium furnace  or energy was formed - Fire . then the elements were formed and there was water or liquid state  and then when it cooled the solid state of Earth was formed. 

AKASH OR SPACE OR BRAHMAN

    In the last blog I talked about 5 great Elements or PANCHMAHABHUTE  and how each one has qualities of the previous one . AKASH-VAYU-TEJ-AAP-PRUTHVI meaning SPACE -GASES OR WIND --ENERGY OR FIRE -WATER OR LIQUID STATE-EARTH OR SOLID STATE. Each of these is having qualities that can be perceived by 5 sense organs as explained before . But today we are talking about the AKASH or space . Since Newton to Einstein we have had debate about this. Is space inert and things happen in it - the space being he stage or he back drop on which the things are happening. And the space is independent and is not affected by  things that are happening -this was the view of Newton  and then Einstein came and changed it to SPACE -TIME unit and one is affected by other and is not independent entity. I am  not talking about it. But I am trying to state that the BRAHMAN in Hindu religion  is represented by something like SPACE. The Brahmana is not affected by the activities or changing nature. The example is that of a movie screen and the movie. If i walk in a movie theater when the movie is already started , I will not see the screen and all that I will see is the movie characters  and things that are projected by the theater.  Yoganand and Sarvpriyanand and many others have taken this example to explain the Maya and The brahman . If person who has never seen a movie, walks in and he is seeing the pictures displayed on the screen and you tell him that there is a  screen and the pictures or the movie is played on it ,he may not understand .Only way you can see the screen , is by shutting off the movie  and then the screen is seen easily. This can be compared to our life . The Movie of our life is going on and the screen is the BRAHAMAN. But we cannot see it till we shut off our mind  and close all the senses and then we can see the Brahman or may be perceive it .This is what happens in Samadhi or meditation. Once we come out of the meditation or Samadhi, we do see the Movie or the pictures of the daily Life , but we now know that the REAL thing is not that but the Brahman 

   The AKASH is related to SOUND or SHABD , The first word or sound is OMM. From that everything originates And so that is related to sense organ of hearing Ear . 

PANCH MAHABHUTE

    In Hindu religion we have a great concept of Origin of Universe. I feel it goes very well with the current concept of Big Bang . But that is for some other time . I just wanted to clear some the concept of the PNACH MAHABHUTE . The Panch is 5  and Maha is Great and Bhute is things that come out of Nature . So we have PRUTHVI-EARTH, AAP-WATER ,TEJ-FIRE OR ENERGY-VAYU WING OR GASES - AKASH- SPACE OR EATHER. 

  I want to clear that what we see as water is not the same as the AAP or the water that is mentioned above , but the origin is same . So When the new Universe started the SPACE or the AKASH was created . Then came VAYU or gaseous state and then Energy and then the liquid state water and lastly the Earth or the solid state . But the original 5Big Elements have changed when the Universe is formed . If one compares this with the Big Bang theory, we will see that the initial EXPANSION of the Universe is like creating SPACE OR AKASH . Then came the gases HYDROGEN AND THEN HILIUM .Then the ENERGY from the hydrogen - helium furnace and stars were born Then the COMPOUNDS were formed and there was liquid state- which is AAP or so called Water  and then the solids or Earth was formed.

   In Hindu concept we have something called PANCHIKARAN . When we look at these ELEMENTS , we realize that each one has qualities of the previous one and the EARTH has all 5 qualities and that is related to our SENSE ORGANS .So Earth has all five - it has smell- taste-touch - seen and heard .while the Water state has only 4 -NO SMELL but it can be seen -tasted - touched and heard . The FIRE or energy has 3 touch -seen-heard . The gases or VAAYU has 2 -touch and heard and the AKASH or space has only one - Heard . But what we see of these 5 elements is formed by a process called Pnachikaran,In this process 1/2 of original Element merges with 1/8th of remaining 4 , So this is what comes out of original PANCH MAHA BHUTA.

How is SPACE IS HEARD - we will try to explain that next time -stay tuned 

MEANING OF EKADANTA AND VAKRATUNDA THE NAMES OF LORD GANESH

      The Lord Ganesh is worshiped by all segments of Indian society. We worship and pray him at the beginning of everything , my it be waking up in the morning or some religious ceremony or going for some important job .The prayer is well known , VAKRATUND MAHAKAY SURYAKOTI SAMAPRABHA, NIRVIGNAM KURME DEV SARV KARYE SHU SARVADA .The meaning is the Lord Ganesh who is ENORMOUS  and whose light is is equal to millions of SUNS , help us to go through or work without any obstacles.

     The name that is used for Lord Ganesh is VAKRATUND . Many of us understand the meaning as - WHOSE TRUNK / FACE IS BENT OR NOT STRAIGHT . This does not raise any questions in our mind as we know that the trunk of lord Ganesh is bent on either right side or left side. But to call a God that we are asking to help in getting rid of obstacles, as TWISTED FACE would not be great praise. So the real meaning of the word VAKRATUNDA is different. TUND means destroys and VAKRA is bad behavior persons . So the meaning is the God who destroys people with bad or twisted tenancies.

    The lord Ganesh is also called by name EKADANT one with one tooth and there is a story as to how he lost the tooth and then the MOON laughed at him etc . But why would you call the God stating facial deformity? If you call your boss as one who has lost teeth  do you think he will help you? So the meaning of the EKADANT is different. DANTA means RULER  and EK DANTA means ONE AND ONLY  RULER-.HE IS THE ONLY RULER and this rule is not where the king or the ruler will PUNISH but he is the only RLER OF KNOWLEDGE. .