Daily Notes and Reflections by Alokda

The white and the black ant met one day on their way to their respective hiding grounds.

Looking disdainfully at the black ant, the white one remarked, “How underdeveloped is your ant civilization. Though we are of the same stock of ants, see how we have developed.” Saying so, the white ant started bragging about its termite city that had huge high-rise mounds that looked impressive and completely shielded from the sun. They were weatherproof and the entire colony was so well organized that it was near impossible to wipe them out. The black ant had nothing to compare with, as it lived in small hideouts adapting and adjusting to the ways of nature. All that it could communicate was that outer success alone does not matter. The white ant differed saying that nature favours the aggressive and the successful. They alone survive since they are strong and capable, the fittest of the ants. The black ant was not ready to give in so easily. Taught by the ways of Nature on which they depended rather than their outer prowess alone, the black ant said:

“Look at the tiger. Strong and powerful, it has all that is needed to survive. And then look at the deer, swift footed with beautiful eyes yet an easy game for the tiger. See how Nature has worked in ways that the tiger is a threatened species whereas the deer continues to multiply.”

The white ant seemed unconvinced. As a gesture of superiority, it even invited the black ant to stay in its termite city for a few days and enjoy the coolness and comfort.

The wise black ant refused but, in the passing, remarked, “Great and successful you may be but what is the use of such a success that human homes dread your arrival whereas I am welcomed by them as a sign of good fortune. Your city is built by devouring the very wood that shelters you, whereas we enrich the soil that gives us space.”

So saying it quietly lugged along its way. The white ant wondered for a moment at the words of wisdom in their parting but soon walked its way with an air of vanity at the achievements of their kind. As it walked Nature, the great mother of all creatures, smiled and gently whispered to the soul of earth, “I have shared something of my intelligence and power with all my creatures but this I have made the rule of the game. They who live only for themselves shall perish whereas they who live with the sense of the whole shall survive and grow.”

And as she, thus, whispered these words of wisdom, the King of Lanka heard it not and continued to build his termite city with stolen wealth and the blood of earth’s creatures. But on the other end of Bharatvarsha, the gentlest, yet mightiest of all, Rama of the Ikshvaku clan smiled as if nodding to Mother Nature in assent, reassuring her that the Lord of Nature has come to uphold the law and the rule of the game. The days of the devouring Rakshasa and the Asura were numbered. But the animal kind, from the monkey to the bear would have the glory of aiding the ascent of man.

Alok Pandey

The seven seers, who guide the world from their celestial homes, had gathered at Sri Krishna’s home in the eternal Vrindavan. The seven seers had come to voice their concerns over the growing menace of Ravana, the king of Lanka. He was destroying the doors of yajna and his lust and ambition were upsetting not only the balance of earth but also of celestial beings whose wealth and powers he had forcibly captured through arduous tapasya.

“When will the reign of the overambitious Asura end?” was the question that everybody had in their hearts. The guides of the world could not see any near solution to the problem. They cast their gaze through loops of time, only to be baffled. So they thought of meeting Krishna, the Divine who dwells in every heart.

Krishna greeted them with his heart-charming smile. He knew their hearts and responded with an answer as enigmatic as his smile.

“But who would replace the Asura, tell me O sages bright? It has taken an aeon to replace the Rakshasa in man with the Asura. Let him then perfect the Asura in man before he falls.” Sri Krishna remarked.

“What then is his source of strength? Is it his bhakti for his chosen deity Shiva?” the sages asked.

“Shiva’s strength indeed he holds. But since he misuses the gift divine, he writes his own doom through his acts,” Sri Krishna answered.

“What is the mantra he invokes? Pray tell us his secret,” requested the seers.

And Krishna once again, “He knows that he is God, sohamasmi. So, he marches with confidence filled with the power of this mantra.”

“Then how shall he fall?” the sages asked.

“Fall he will for he knows only half the truth. He knows not that all, all indeed is God.” Krishna smiled.

And as the Lord smiled, the sages looked down upon earth and saw Ravana performing a Rakshasic yagya torturing his body and asking the boon for aggrandizing his ego that he mistook for the true Self.
As he offered his head in the flames Shiva appeared as Kali and bid him stay.

“Grant me immortality,” the Asura thundered.

Kali, the fierce and fearsome goddess of the Titans and the Gods, laughed and her laughter filled the world with terror and joy.

“Immortality is not for you since you mistake the body for the soul. Ask another boon,” Kali retorted.

Then God in the Asura spoke seeking for the boon from the Mother of the worlds.

“Grant me then this boon that may I fall only to the animal man or a man who has fully subdued the Asura in him.”

“So be it!” Kali thundered and vanished.

And as Ravana rose from his sacrifice, the sages knew the Lord’s evolutionary plan. The animal man and the higher human type must replace the Asura even as he had replaced the dreaded Rakshasa.
Sri Krishna smiled and in the heart of Ayodhya, Prince Rama, the eldest son of Dasaratha, woke up in the royal palace. Sage Viswamitra had arrived to take him and his brother Lakshmana to train them for their mission.

Hope then stole in the heart of earth. The vanara of Kishkindhaa rejoiced not knowing the cause of the happiness they felt.

Alok Pandey

The Master sat under the cool shade of the Banyan tree. A little below him gathered around his presence young and old disciples, swift and brilliant in thought, energetic and full of enthusiasm, glad in heart and calm in speech and countenance; they sat around their Master as the ministers gather around a king. But this was a king whose slightest wish was their command and to obey him their soul’s right and privilege.

So they gathered late in the noon after the chores of the ashrama were over, expectant and eager for the nectar drops that would flow out of the Master’s heart in the form of stories from a hoary past. The Master’s touch turned these well-known or unknown tales into keys to unlock an inner door that opens upon the pathway towards the future.

A disciple started the conversation, “Tell us, dear Master, the story of that great endeavour when the gods and the titans came together?”

“You mean the tale about the churning of the ocean and the nectar of immortality?” asked the Master. The disciple nodded with a smile of approval.

The Master started, his gaze looking far upon the horizon as he was travelling far back in Time or perhaps into another Time-Space Dimension, for indeed the story is of another dimension, a fourth dimension beyond our earthly sense, yet whatever happens there casts its influence upon the earth.
So the Master told the tale:

“The gods and the titans are ever at war. The gods have wisdom but not as much strength. They can give wisdom, they also have compassion but when it comes to force, it is the titans who have an upper hand.”

“Naturally, the titans have the upper hand in the battle using all means to win, being fierce and cruel by nature.”

“The gods did not know what to do. Their defeat or even retreat meant that the demoniac qualities would grow on earth and human hearts would become hard and given only to lust and greed. So they approached the great god, Vishnu, the preserver who dwells as Narayana in the human heart. Vishnu gave audience to the gods. Their concern was his concern as well. For the defeat of gods meant a diminution of godlike qualities and that would mean a great disorder.”

The disciples’ faces began to beam as they began to see a new sense in the story, a meaning that was relevant to them.

The Master continued:

“Narayana, the all-pervading Godhead who has chosen to dwell in the human heart so that men may not stray far away from dharma, spoke thus to the gods, ‘The titans are stronger and cruel as well. You, the gods, are wise and compassionate. Through wisdom, you have learnt humility and surrender therefore have you come to me for help. I will surely help you. But first, you must find the nectar of immortality. It is that which will make you strong and invincible against the titans.’”

“A smile of secrecy lingered upon the great Lord’s lips. And the gods looking at each other with amazement and wonder asked, ‘The nectar of immortality. But where can we find it, Lord?’”
“The gracious Lord continued, ‘You will find it in the deepest depths of the ocean of knowledge, Ksheera Sagar, that upholds the great world-serpent, Time, whose uncoiling carries the world-march forward and in whose heart, I, the guardian of the law, am asleep.’

“There was a moment’s pause yet a pause in which one felt as if ages passed away, for a moment of the Lord is a thousand years of earthly life. The Lord resumed:

‘In the depths of this ocean of knowledge lies the nectar of immortality born out Bliss that is at the core of everything. But you cannot reach it by your wisdom alone; you also need the strength of the titans. If both the sides, the gods and the titans, come together and churn this ocean, you will receive the nectar of immortality as your portion and having that you would become invincible.’

“‘But won’t the titans too have it and become immortal and invincible,’ the gods expressed genuine concern.”

“The gracious Lord smiled reassuringly, ‘Leave that to me for eventually the titans and the gods both but obey the law of their nature. And unless the titans change themselves, they will be unable to have a portion of the nectar. Even after the long and difficult labour of the churning, there is the last test that would stand as a veil between them and the nectar, a veil they are unable to tear for they have not the knowledge.’”

“The gods started to return full of renewed hope. As they were preparing to go back to their world, the great Lord cautioned them, ‘But remember, before the nectar comes out, there will emerge out of this ocean, the deadliest of all poisons, kalakuta. Be not frightened for it must be thrown out as a preliminary purification before the nectar comes.’ He added, ‘And see that you covet nothing, let the Asuras have what they want for many beautiful gifts will emerge out of the churning. You keep your eyes fixed upon your goal, the nectar of immortality.’”

The Master paused for a moment and throwing a meaningful glance at the disciples added, “The gods returned full of hope and joy for that is the effect of the Lord’s presence and his reassurance.”

He continued as the disciples were all in rapt attention, “So the gods returned rejoicing. They also sent an emissary to the titans with a proposal for the joint venture of churning the ocean of knowledge for the nectar of immortality. The titans agreed after much discussion and debate. The two groups gathered near the ocean, the titans led by king Bali (a name that symbolizes strength) and the gods led by Indra (a name that symbolizes knowledge surpassing the senses). The mountain Mandara, (the embodiment of material consciousness) was placed at the centre of the ocean. Vasuki, the great serpent who represents the energy that labours in darkness at the root of the world, consented to become the rope that would be tied around the great mount. To prevent the mountain from sinking into the ocean, God Himself became a grant tortoise, kurmavatara, and held the mountain on his back.”

“Now the great effort began. To initiate the process, The Lord himself held Vasuki towards its mouth. The gods followed him as they always did. But the jealous Asuras took it as a prestige issue. Vain and ambitious, they wanted to be honoured first. So, they raised a hue and cry against the gods holding the mouth of the serpent Vasuki. The gods readily conceded and moved over to the tail-side. Little did the titans realise that Narayana, the Lord was being gracious towards them by holding the mouth. For as the churning proceeded the breath of the great serpent phew out poisonous fumes. But that turned out to be nothing compared to what was to come.”

“As the churning went on, suddenly, the air became full of stifling poison. So deadly was its effect that both the gods and the titans began to run helter-skelter to escape the poison. This indeed was Halahal, the bitterness and darkness buried in the subconscient parts of our nature. We must confront this one day and only after we are purged free of it that the gifts of the spirit can emerge.”

“But now, the poison threatened everything. What could be done? The air was full of anxiety and fear. But the great Lord smiled reassuringly and at his behest, these appeared on the horizons, the deathless Shiva, the eternal who takes back all things into him, for out of him they are born. In a mighty gesture of great compassion, Shiva took the whole poison in the hollow of his palm and drank it. Only a drop was left for the earth to bear. The rest stained his throat and thus, was he named ‘Neelkantha’, the poison-stain only enhancing his beauty and greatness.”

“The threat of the bitterest poison being over, the churning continued. Now it was the turn of the various gifts to emerge, the winged horse, Ucchaisravas, that Bali, the titan king, took away; Airavata, the snow-white seven tusked elephant that was given to the king of gods, Indra. Then there was the Jewel, Kaustubh mani, that adorned Narayana’s chest and Lakshmi of unparalleled beauty, charm and grace whom none deserved. She chose Lord Vishnu, the purest of all as her Lord and consort. At last came Varuni, with intoxicating eyes evoking desire in all. The titans wanted and received her.”

The Master paused for a while, as a disciple interrupted, “But what are these gifts, the flying horse, the seven-tusked elephant, are these not mere imaginations and myths, surely they do not exist?” The disciple looked puzzled as the Master resumed with a smile on his face, “And Kamdhenu, the cow who could grant any wish was given to the seers, engaged in various tapasyas, I forgot to mention her.”

The disciple interrupted again as if something flashed across his mind’s sky as a revelation, “Oh, I see, is that why you are able to grant our wishes? So the cow is the symbol of plenty.”

The Master smiled again, “Surely, not all wishes, for that will not be a wise thing to do. Granting all wishes may sometimes lead only to an increase of desire, laziness and even vanity. That is why she is given to the rishis who have mastered the art of self-control. The cow itself is a Vedic symbol for Light of knowledge, just as the horse is a symbol of force and elephant a symbol of prosperity and quiet strength. So, now you can see the truth behind the symbol.”

“Nevertheless, to resume the last and the most interesting part of the story, finally, and at last, there emerged the most handsome being, healthy and beautiful in every way, full of youthful energies, Dhanvantari, dressed in a light with a golden hue, carrying in both his hands a crystal bowl with a golden light around it. In that cup, there was concealed the most coveted of all boons, the nectar of immortality.”

“Now, as Dhanvantari appeared with the nectar, there was great jubilation around. But as they say, the real test, of character is when we are faced with the extremes of success or failure. Seeing the nectar, the titans completely forgot the joint venture and the pact. They rushed and, as is their nature, snatched the bowl by force and ran away to drink it themselves. But soon a fight ensued amongst themselves over who would be the first recipient. The gods watched all this with dismay and stunned as they were, and as is consistent with their nature, they turned to the great Lord with submission and prayer for help. The gracious Lord who is in all things, who has become the strength of the titans and the light of the gods, simply spread out his hand in a gesture of reassurance and vanished from their vision. They waited with hope and trust.”

“Meanwhile, the infighting amongst the titans continued. Being sons of darkness and division, they are ever quarrelling even between themselves. But as they were thus trying to snatch the bowl from the hands of each other, there appeared on the threshold of their sight, a form most beautiful to behold. A woman of endless charm appeared amidst them and the titans were as if hypnotized by her presence.”

“‘Who are you, O! Loveliest and fairest of all who beats all that we have seen or heard of until now?’ the titans inquired.”

“And the woman with a smile for which the triple worlds would be an easy price to pay said, ‘I am Viswa-Mohini, the most charming form that ever was made.’”

“‘Would you then do this for us?’ the titans asked entrusting the bowl and the nectar in her hand,
‘Would you distribute it to us? We will abide by whatever you decide.’”

“‘Are you sure?’ the charming woman sought to confirm, ‘The sages say that you must be careful in entrusting yourself to charming appearances.’”

“But the Titans were already blinded. Smitten by greed and lust, they joined in a burst of hideous laughter, ‘Ho, ho! The sages, who cares for what they say? They keep telling everyone to deny the very things that would give happiness, wealth, wine and woman. Ha, ha, ha! The sages, forget what they say, we will accept whatever, you decide for us.’”

“Lust had blinded their eyes and arrogance had fanned their vanity and false self-confidence.”

“The woman did not insist. She asked the titans to be seated to the left and the gods to the right. And as she passed in between the two rows, she kept pouring a bewitching smile to the titans and the nectar to the gods. The titans were still too dazed to take notice except one, Rahu, who saw the trick and changed sides. But even before he could drink the nectar, the woman changed her form and assuming the form of the great god Vishnu, cut off his head with the luminous discus, Sudarshana Chakra. But a drop had gone to the throat and Rahu’s head became immortal, a queer creature, half-titan and half-god, born out of a crucial last moment choice.”

“The titans felt cheated and rushed with all their force upon the gods who now, rejuvenated by the nectar, gave a good fight and sent them packing, back to their heels.”

“Frustrated, the titans returned, blaming the great god Vishnu and preparing themselves for another fight.”

“But the god within their hearts smiled. For truly they stood cheated by their own lustful and greedy nature. For such is the decree given of old!”

“They who abandon desire
Shall find the delight they seek through things
They who pursue and possess shall lose,
For such is the law given the man by the sages
To all claimants of immortality
A difficult task is this,
A labour dual and fierce
At the end of which
There still awaits a tremendous choice,
What do you seek for the nectar of delight
the cup of immortality?
If for thy ego, then thou must still wait.
But if for the growth of goodness, light and love
in earth and men
Then thou shalt strive rightly
And seek and possess.”

The Master had summed it up so beautifully. The lights were slowly falling low as the sunset was in sight. But the inner light had grown within the disciples, their sight widened to greater horizons.

They got up from their seats. It was time to light the fire.

Alok Pandey

Sita, the daughter of earth, conceals herself before the Lila of the Lord begins in the forest. Ravana could not have come near her if she did not conceal herself and become powerless and weak. The first sign of this self-concealment is that she is lured by the unusual trick of the golden deer and refuses to listen to Rama’s counsel. She is abducted by the demon king and kept a captive in his kingdom where she spends her days remembering her Lord.

A great battle then ensues and she is released following the victory of Rama. She is all set to meet him but she must walk upon fire to prove her fitness before the reunion! Our modern mind naturally does not understand and revolts. But to one on the path of yoga the symbol is very clear. Sita or Nature is one, the Shakti or Power of the Lord, but conceals and diminishes Herself to become this earthly nature. Her Power is hidden from her own sight and therefore, she is lured by appearances, the golden deer.

The soul wanders in pursuit of this illusory goal, while in the process the demoniac or asuric forces are attracted to her and seek to possess her by force. Sita refuses to yield as all we must and even while in captivity spends her days remembering her Lord. A fierce battle is then waged in our nature between the forces of a higher Light and of Darkness. The Lord wins but there is still one more test that our fallen nature must pass so that it can ascend to a supernature and be one with its Lord. It is the test of inner purification, the test of our sole allegiance to the Lord and Master of our being, the test of our sincerity and faithfulness to the Supreme. Thus redeemed our nature and re-wedded to our Lord finds its supreme consummation.
 
Alok Pandey

The earth was overrun with floods and only a few had survived. King Manu had laboured hard to save as many as he could in the gigantic boat which rocked through the waters amidst unprecedented heavy rains. It was his duty to defend his subjects and he was doing it ably enough. A dream vision had forewarned him about the imminent catastrophe. He had seen in his dream a fish grow to a huge size carrying the boat tied to a projection above its nose. The fish had appeared in successive dreams and cautioned about the great floods during which his wisdom, grit and determination will all be tested to the utmost. His task was to rescue his people and the Vedas.

It took a week-long effort to build the boat. But who was to be picked up and who to be left behind, he wondered. As the king he was duty bound to treat all as equal and could not possibly be partial in his choices. The floods had not yet started but the boat was ready. Not knowing what to do next, he spread the word around about his dream. People had to come near the river shore and then they would be taken onboard the boat starting with women and children and boatmen and those well versed in the knowledge of the scriptures and the warriors followed by the rest, space permitting. He then offered everything to the great Lord and waited for the fated morn to arrive.

The daybreak arrived but there was nothing unusual. It seemed like any other day. Though the word had been spread only a few had come trusting the vision of the king. The rest simply laughed at him. Oh! how can one trust an inner revelation that no other person had? Some thought he has gone mad. Only a few gathered who knew that the king was not only pious but also a truthful man fully devoted to the great Lord. It was quite natural then that the great Lord would appear before him to help his subjects. So they came and waited.

As the day went down and most homes had turned off the lamps, clouds began to gather suddenly and unexpectedly. The winds moved at hurricane speed and thick drops of rain started pouring like javelins from the sky.

‘Let us not wait for the river to swell more. Let us set the sail.’ The king and his trusted men shouted. But their voices were lost in the speeding winds and the boat was beginning to rock. Quickly the few who had gathered, tied by their faith in the king and the great Lord, went up the boat and set the sails. The younger among them started rowing the boat that rocked like a fragile toy upon the mighty river swell. It was still the thick of night, an unending night as it would seem since the clouds covered the sun above while the water spread covering the earth below. All who had chosen to stay on fixed grounds were drowned.

Meanwhile the boat kept rocking as if it would sink any moment. But always a mysterious hand seemed to save it. Seven days and seven nights they steered driven by the power of faith.

At the end of the seven days, the select few chosen by fate found the sun slowly showing up from behind the clouds. The boat had also reached ashore a place largely covered with snow with some land and scant vegetation around. It looked bereft of life, animals or men. King Manu, who always led by example and from the front, got down to see if there is any possibility of settling down there. He had very thoughtfully brought in the boat some cattle and seeds and saplings of trees that could give fruits and grain. But first he had to ascertain if the terrain was hospitable.

He went very far from the shore and ship before his eyes met a hermit or a seer sitting quietly in an ingathered state. Seeing the king, the Rishi smiled and greeted him saying that he had been waiting for his arrival.

The king was surprised with joy to learn that a greater Plan was aiding him in his journey.

How could the Rishi know, he thought for a moment, but knew also that the rishis had access to knowledge through a different kind of senses and operations of the intuitive mind they had evolved through yoga. Was he also not shown by the great Lord the coming of the cataclysm? He who rescued his kind had already ensured that he would find their new home. Manu sought guidance and wisdom from the Rishi, sitting at his feet in a state of humility.

The Rishi started to reveal the secrets he was waiting to impart. “The earth had grown burdened,” he started. “The evil hidden in the underbelly of life had raised its head and was polluting the mind space with falsehood, doubt, fear and greed. The earth goddess needed to change her worn out garb exploited by human greed. The great flood that drowned the earth was a thorough cleansing and purification. Now that the bath is over, she is ready to wear a new gown again.”

When Rishi paused, Manu wondered what really is earth and why must she go through such gigantic destruction. He had heard of previous pralayas but never imagined that he will witness and, even
survive, one of them.

The Rishi knew before the king could speak and continued. “Though there are countless planetary systems and countless gods and goddesses who govern the cosmos as cosmic managers, yet earth is a very special formation,” he said. “It is here that the great drama of evolution is unfolding through which consciousness climbs creating new forms for the habitation of the great Lord until this creation becomes one with the Creator.”

“Who then is the Creator? Is He Brahma, the bearer of the Word, or Vishnu, the powerful and Wise? Or Shiva, the mighty or the bewitching Krishna?” the king asked.

The Rishi replied, “O king, Brahma and Vishnu, Shiva and Krishna are but four aspects of the One Great Lord. They represent the Great Lord’s aspects of Existence, Consciousness, Force and Delight. That is why the wise call Him as Sachchidanand. Call Him by any Name and He responds since He dwells in every creature and responds to the truth in their hearts.”

The king was silent for a while contemplating on the great mysterious One, whom the wise call by many names each representing one quality or the other of His Infinity.

Then breaking the silence with a thought from afar he asked, “Here upon earth we see that everything is in pairs. So I carried pairs of animals and my fellow humans. But does the One has not His companion? How does He create?”

The Rishi explained, “Though One and Nameless, the One becomes two for the purposes of creation. They are the two principles of creation that we find everywhere, masculine and feminine, purusha and prakriti, Brahman and Maya, Ishwara and Ishwari, the Lord as the stable basis of all creation and His Shakti, the Knowledge and Power, the Conscious Force that builds, governs, penetrates, moves all creation in many worlds.”

“Many worlds?” the king pondered and reflected loud.

“Yes, O king, limited by our vision we believe the material world to be the only one. But there are countless worlds built of a different substance, worlds of the immortal Gods that are full of splendour and light, and in their contrast and opposites, worlds of the Titans, dark and dangerous.”

“But why did the gracious Lord built the dark and dangerous worlds?” the king asked as the image of a terrible shadow was recalled by him during the great voyage. It was as if a gigantic shadowy being was constantly rising from the sea to drown their boat. But the great Lord rescued it safely through the stormy turbulent waters.

“Out of love He creates,” the Rishi continued, “Out of love He throws challenges as the Night across the path of the immortal Soul so that it may grow wiser and strong even as the Lord.”

The king contemplated and saw how every difficulty had only helped him grow stronger so that he could steer his people through this tremendous crisis. But this was only the beginning of a long new journey, he thought and the Rishi again responded to the unspoken word held back in the king’s mind.

“O king indeed all destruction is the prelude to a new and higher creation. Therefore, you must rebuild a new world here and then spread out everywhere so that mankind does not make the same mistake again and bring their civilization once again to the brink of destruction.” The Rishi paused and the king anxious to know asked, “But I have little resources left. How then shall we build?”

“The outer resources are but means, O king!” the Rishi spoke, “Discover the power, the infinite Shakti, the Divine Mother and build with Her Wisdom and Power, the same Power that has built this rainbow-hued creation.”

“But where shall I find Her? By what means shall I seek Her?” asked the king.

“Find Her in your heart, O king, where She resides permanently. Find Her through love, it is through love that She has woven the stars as necklace around the Unseen Lord.”

The Rishi closed his eyes and a Voice filled the king’s heart with hope and joy and his soul heard in the deep quietude of the snow.

We are but sparks of that most perfect fire,
Waves of that sea:
From Him we come, to Him we go, desire
Eternally,
And so long as He wills, our separate birth
Is and shall be.
Shrink not from life, O Aryan, but with mirth
And joy receive
His good and evil, sin and virtue, till
He bids thee leave.
But while thou livest, perfectly fulfil
Thy part, conceive
Earth as thy stage, thyself the actor strong,
The drama His.
Work, but the fruits to God alone belong,
Who only is.
Work, love and know, — so shall thy spirit win
Immortal bliss.
Love men, love God. Fear not to love, O King,
Fear not to enjoy;
For Death’s a passage, grief a fancied thing
Fools to annoy.
From self escape and find in love alone
A higher joy.
Seek Him upon the earth. For thee He set
In the huge press
Of many worlds to build a mighty state
For man s success,
Who seeks his goal. Perfect thy human might,
Perfect the race.
For thou art He, O King. Only the night
Is on thy soul
By thy own will. Remove it and recover
The serene whole
Thou art indeed, then raise up man the lover
To God the goal.
[Sri Aurobindo: The Rishi]

The charming flute-player had bewitched the whole village. Men and women of all ages flocked around him as his lips blew through the bamboo reed. As his gentle fingers ran over the holes wild animals became docile and flowers danced with joy under his magic spell. Even the sun and rain seemed to obey the rhythm of his music. Some enjoyed the sheer magic of his flute and cared not to analyse. Others tried to understand its method and process. The scientifically minded even tried to gather all the associated things as evidence linking them to his flute-playing capacity. They studied the quality of bamboo and the size of the flute with the spacing of holes and the force of his breath moving through it. The simple, religious minded observed his lifestyle, his eating habits, his sleep and his routine. Thereby they could emulate some of these to stimulate in themselves the capacity to play flute.

Then the flute player disappeared one day. To where none could say. But he had left behind his flute. The village after waking up to the sudden loss was divided into different systems and philosophy each claiming its right over the flute-player’s fortune. Creeds sprang up, each claiming sole authority over the flute-player. Cults and rituals began in his name, where every adherent was expected to religiously follow the lifestyle of the great master. The flute was wrapped in silk and gold for the eyes of the faithful to worship. Few privileged ones (privileged in the eyes of the caretakers) got the rare opportunity to touch the flute with their fingers. In time the legacy turned into a flute religion. Each faithful member was expected to keep a flute in a worship room, wrapped in fine silk. The poor could do it in glazed cotton though. The flute was taken out of the silk cover annually in a mass festival called the bamboo-festival. The traditional ones worshipped flutes of different sizes made of bamboo alone. The modernists changed with times and flutes of fibre glass, metal and plastics with machine-art adorned their houses. The philosophers mocked the ritualists. They saw in the flute a symbol of great cosmic rhythm. They discovered and wrote books on the great seven cosmic rhythms and principles that governed life everywhere. Out of these seven rhythms sprang up the seven great laws. The hard core practicalists converted these laws into fixed and inflexible rules that all must follow. Anyone trying for any variation in the rhythm was regarded as a deviant member to be socially shunned or punished. The scientists laughed at both—the ritualists as well as the philosophers. They saw in the flute-player’s magic nothing but a clever play of harmonics. They classified these harmonics into precise mathematical formulas. They calculated the rare statistical probability of the events linked to the magic of his flute. They hypothesized how the sound of the flute drove the wind in a certain way that changed the pattern of the weather and, thereby, favourably affected the crops.

Days went by and centuries and generations. The flute-player’s magic turned into a hard religion, his free force into a system of philosophy, his creative art into a precise technique. Even worse, the rarity of the event turned many believers turn sceptics and, in collusion with the scientifically minds, they declared it all a myth and a legend believed by petrified minds.

The flute-player’s soul watched all this with great pain. For all of them had caught only an outermost fringe of his clothing. And what they all missed was his delight that he longed to share with all and the source inspiration that he wished to awaken in others so that the magic could dwell in every heart. And so, he decided to come back again. But this time he was born in another land and wore another dress. He spoke another language and had a different lifestyle. Times had changed but these things had little significance for the flute-player since he could draw the same force of inspiration and breath the same delight in every age. But people failed to recognize him. The religionists banned his entry into their citadels declaring him an infidel, a breaker of sacred traditions. The philosophers failed to understand the new music he brought to life in his creative freedom and declared him a heretic and a revolutionary. The scientists once again started analysing with their lens and their calculators. But the children followed him, entranced by his magic and the flower once again danced with joy and the wind felt thrilled and the sun once again kissed the earth and greeted it with the freshness of a new dawn.

Alok Pandey

The Ramayana is an evolutionary parable that moves at several levels. At the very outset, it is very clearly a story of the conflict between the forces of Darkness and Light, with the eventual victory of Light over Darkness, Truth over Falsehood, Good over Evil. That is how the memory of the great epic stirs in the minds of the Indian people. But the story is not as simple as that.

Ravana, the protagonist of Darkness is not all Evil. There are traits in him that are the marks of goodness. He looks after his subjects well and has ensured for them a happy and prosperous kingdom. He also engages in religious activities and can be very generous if he is pleased. He also follows some strict rules of conduct, even if they are few and personal to him and follows them religiously. Besides, he is a talented musician and an intellectual giant who is well versed in the scriptures. But herein lies the beauty of the epic. All these human achievements, remarkable though they may look, do not make him a godly being. Rather, he continues to bear upon him the stamp of the Asura, the fallen angel who has deviated from the path of Light. For, as the story goes, Ravana was once an angel, a watch-guard to the doors of the great Lord Vishnu, the preserver aspect of God. But he suffers a fall, a fall from grace that comes about through a curse of a sage when Ravana questions his credentials and obstructs his way to the Lord with arrogance and haughtiness that is unbecoming of God’s servants. And that brings the fall, that is the stamp that Ravana carries through three lives till he is redeemed by the Grace of his Master, Lord Vishnu. 

The hallmark of Ravana through all that he does is wanton arrogance and vanity that is reflected even in his seeming virtuosity. It is he who is the saviour, the protector, the winner of battles, the devotee of Shiva. He can, or so he thinks, even outdo his Lord by his strength and force till Shiva humbles him as he tries to carry the destroyer of evil along with his consort and his abode to his kingdom on his bare hands. He is a worshipper of Force and Strength and knows no other Godhead. Therefore, he distorts the great Vedic mantra Sohamasmi, That is me, to mean that the ego is That since the only self he knows is the self of the ego. It is this gigantic ego that is the mark of a Titan and not his lineage or capacities or intellectual powers or even religiosity. Of course, his intellectual capacity saves him to an extent from being an inferior form of titan, the Rakshasa, who is an image of a devouring being of some vital world, who is thoughtless and crude in his ways. Ravana, though not outright crude, is full of deceit and cunning and cannot tolerate any affront to his ego. He refuses to hear any other voice except the voice of his ego.

Since he refuses to surrender his ego, his redemption can therefore come only through a breaking of the thick shield in which his soul is trapped. His soul still longs to be God’s menial and knowing the troubled and restless nature that houses it, the soul of Ravana chooses to hurl itself against God in a wrestle since this alone, it feels, can hasten the advent of its Lord and be released from this evil bondage to an accursed and fallen life of being the Adversary in God’s world.

He too, therefore, serves a purpose in God’s mysterious scheme of things. By his triumphant egoism, by his force threatening to destroy the sages, the gods, the guardians and keepers of the laws, Ravana hastens the advent of God into this world. By this advent, not only he but the entire clan of Asuras and Rakshasas is redeemed. Thus, evil too hastens in its own way the advent of God. And what really is evil but a deviation of the energies given to us, from their true purpose, that of serving the Lord in all humility and surrender. This is the truth of Ravana’s life: A life centred around the ego is a dark and fallen life even if it is full of outer triumph and successes, even if we hide in the garb of high intellectuality and a show of religiosity, even if the person concerned is full of talent and capacities. He is still an inferior type and his soul feels stifled, entrapped and longs to be God’s servant once again. For, in the last analysis it is better to be God’s slave than be a boastful and egoistic king of the three worlds, it is better to seek His service than nurture the ambition of ruling men.

When such a nature reaches its extreme it becomes the conscious harbinger of evil. Once this happens then there are only two possibilities left for it. Either to surrender to God and be converted into Light by His touch of Grace, the longer and more arduous but more fulfilling path. Or, and that is what Ravana chooses, be dissolved by the Light by hurling itself against it, a shorter but inferior path since it brings back the soul denuded and unfulfilled.

Ravana was given the choice till the last moment, even his brothers were given this choice. But it is only Vibhisana who chooses the path of surrender while the rest simply chose to dissolve back into the Light leaving the soul’s mission upon earth unfulfilled, its work half-done. 

Alok Pandey

We all know the story of Prahlad and his father Hiranyakashyap. The father, born of an asuric birth wanted to attain immortality so that he could become the sole monarch of the world. But it was the monarchy of his giant ego by whose shadow he wanted to swallow the world. He wanted to eliminate all possible sources of death in his personal life. Now, he had a beautiful child called Prahlad. His father who wanted to teach his child that he, Hiranyakashyap, is greater than God, the Lord of the universe. Though the child loved his father, he did not believe his idea. He believed that Lord Hari was God and not his father. His father first tried various means to force this idea on the child but when Prahlad refused to accept it, he was enraged. He then tried various means to kill the child, by throwing him off the cliff, sending a snake to bite him, setting fire around him, but the child somehow was always saved by his simple faith and fearlessness. The father was getting more and more enraged at this till finally one day he decided to confront the child himself.

Threatening him to death, he asked: “Tell me who is greater, myself or Hari?” “Hari” was the child’s sweet and simple reply. “Why do you say so, you stupid boy? Don’t you see I am your father, the great King Hiranyakashyap, ruler over the three worlds, whom neither gods nor men, neither animals nor elements can kill, who has conquered Space and Time.”

The child fearlessly replied: “But father, Hari is everywhere. He is also beyond Space and Time and can take any form as He pleases. He is I everything.”

The father fumed at this reply. Pointing to an iron pillar in his royal hall, he mockingly asked his son, — “Oh so he is everywhere and in everything. So is he in this pillar too for very soon I intend to make this iron pillar red hot and tie you there.”

The child looked at the hot pillar and saw a little ant crawling over it. And with all his faith, he replied: “Yes, Hari my Lord, is in the pillar too.”

Now Hiranyakashyap’s rage went beyond all control. He took his mace and started hitting at the pillar. Each time he hit the pillar he would angrily ask: “Where is Hari, where is Hari? Show me, show me, where is Hari?”

Suddenly, the iron pillar broke up. And lo! Indeed Hari stepped out f the hot iron pillar in the form of Narsingh, the lion-man. A fight ensued and Hari as Narsingh destroyed Hiranyakashyap and enthroned Prahlad as the king over daityas.

The story short and simple as it runs, is one of the many fascinating symbolic tales that have come out of Indian thought and Spiritual vision and experience. In the story, the king over the three worlds, Hiranyakashyap is the giant ego that rules over the kingdom of mind, life and body so long as man lives in an asuric consciousness. The gospel of the ego is that there is no Truth, no God. All is simply matter and material energy and everything is meant to serve the interest of the human ego. According to Hiranyakashyap’s gospel; man can conquer death by mastering the outer forces of material nature. This is the gospel that we are teaching in our schools and colleges even today. The result is a greater and greater external control over material nature and physical space and time. But also an increasing domination of the human vital ego, an increasing anger, frustration, a self-destructive and world destructive frenzy that is intolerant of other views and ideas.

Yet, as a saving Grace, man has in him not only the ego-self but also the soul or his spiritual self. This spiritual-self in him is a younger birth, it comes later, when the ego-self has hardened and is ready to fall like a crust just as the outer and harder coat of the seed must break and release the inner seed. This spiritual-self in us that is seemingly born out of the ego-self is Prahlad, the child-divine. He is full of trust and devotion, direct knowledge, faith and surrender. He is fearless and full of peace and sweetness and joy. He knows that this universe is not mere matter but behind it there is the stable unchanging soul of Power and Love, Hari. He is seated in the heart of Time that uncoils infinitely; He is seated in the heart of Space upholding the cosmos and its million energies the image of Vishnu so beautifully conjured in the Puranas. This is the gospel of Prahlad, the soul within us.

For a long time, the soul lives as if under the shadow of the ego. But slowly it begins to assert itself. Once that starts happening, our being becomes a battlefield of conflict between the ego and the soul, between doubt in a spiritual world-view that holds and delivers matter out of Itself. Sometimes the one view predominates, sometimes another. The ego tries to destroy the soul and tests its faith but the soul is indestructible. The weapons cannot cleave it; nor fire destroy, as the Gita tells us.

Then the decisive hour arrives, the last ordeal and test before the victory. It is then that Hari, the Friend and Lord of all beings manifests Himself in us as a leonine figure, the lion-man, Narsingh. For it indeed needs a calm courage to overthrow the ego and offer its throne to the soul. This indeed is true bravery and heroism, to face our ego and destroy it so all in us may belong to Hari, the Divine Truth and Wisdom and Power and Love behind this world. Then Hari gives back this kingdom to the soul who must then govern our life and thoughts and emotions and the very body in the name of ‘Hari’ and make them beautiful and perfected instruments for God’s work in the world.

These are the two gospels that the world has known. So far, the human race has largely followed the way of Hiranyakashyap’s gospel except a few individuals here and there who have discovered Prahlad within them. No wonder the world is what it is today, full of greed and falsehood, governed by wars for domination and possession, ruled by vanity, fear, anger and death. But the time is coming near when Prahlad’s gospel would appear in every home I the form of children who would challenge the old materialistic view and a world-order full of hypocrisy, division and falsehood, built by the ego for the satisfaction of our vanity. More and more children will have the courage to seek Truth, to question the human ills born of our ego, even if it wears the garb of religious or secular ideologies. Hiranyakashyap will be vanquished from the face of the earth lifting the shadow from its face. The world and Nature will be once again reclaimed and ruled by Truth and Light and Sweetness and Love.

Alok Pandey

The Master sat under the cool shade of the Banyan tree. A little below him gathered around his presence young and old disciples, swift and brilliant in thought, energetic and full of enthusiasm, glad in heart and calm in speech and countenance; they sat around their Master as the ministers gather around a king. But this was a king whose slightest wish was their command and to obey him their soul’s right and privilege.

So did they gather late in the noon after the works of the Ashrama were over, expectant and eager for the nectar drops that would flow out of the Master’s heart in the form of stories from a hoary past. And yet the Master’s touch turned these well known or unknown tales into keys to unlock an inner door that opens upon a pathway towards the future.

A disciple started the conversation, “Tell us, dear Master, the story of that great endeavour when the gods and the titans came together?”

“You mean the tale about the churning of the ocean and the nectar of immortality?” asked the Master. The disciple nodded with as smile of approval.

The Master started, his gaze looking far upon the horizon as we he was traveling far back in Time or perhaps into another Time – Space Dimension: for indeed the story is of another dimension, a fourth dimension beyond our earthly sense, yet, whatever happens there casts its influence upon earth. So the Master told the tale:

‘The gods and the titans are ever at war. The gods have wisdom but not as much strength. They can give wisdom, they have also compassion but when it comes to force, it is the titans who have an upper hand.

Naturally, the titans have the upper hand in the battle using all means to win being fierce and cruel by nature.

The gods did not know what to do. Their defeat or even retreat meant that the demoniac qualities will grow on earth and human hearts become hard and given only to lust and greed. So they approached the great god, Vishnu, the preserver who dwells as Narayana in the human heart, Vishnu gave audience to the gods. Their concern was his concern as well. For the defeat of gods meant a diminution of godlike qualities and that would mean a great disorder…”

The disciples’ faces began to beam as they began to see a new sense in the story, a meaning that was still relevant to them.

The Master continued: ‘Narayana, the all-pervading Godhead who has chosen to dwell in the human heart so that men may not stray far away from dharma, spoke thus to the gods: “The titans are stronger and cruel as well. You, the gods, are wise and compassionate. Through wisdom you have learnt of humility and surrender therefore have you come to me for help. I will surely help you. But first you must find the nectar of immortality. It is that which will make you strong and invincible against the titans.”

A smile of secrecy lingered upon the great Lord’s lips. And the gods looking at each other with amazement and wonder asked, “The nectar of immortality. But where can we find it, Lord?”

The gracious Lord continued, “you will find it in the deepest depths of the ocean of knowledge, ksheera sagar, that upholds the great world-serpent, Time whose uncoiling carries the world – march forward and in whose heart, I, the guardian of the law am asleep.”

There was a moment’s pause yet a pause in which one felt as if ages passed away, for a moment of the Lord is a thousand years of earthly life. The Lord resumed: “In the depths of this ocean of knowledge lies the nectar of immortality born out Bliss that is at the core of everything. But you cannot reach it by your wisdom alone; you also need the strength of the titans. If both the sides, the gods and the titans come together and churn this ocean, you will receive the nectar of immortality as your portion and having that you would be invincible.”

“But won’t the titans too have it and become immortal and invincible,” the gods expressed a genuine concern.

The gracious Lord smiled reassuringly, “Leave that to me for eventually the titans and the gods both but obey the law of their nature. And unless the titans change themselves, they will be unable to have a portion of the nectar. Even after the long and difficult labour of the churning, there is a last test that would stand as a veil between them and the nectar a veil they are unable to tear for they have not the knowledge.”

The gods started to return full of a renewed hope. As they were preparing to go back to their world, the great Lord cautioned them; “But remember, before the nectar comes out, there will emerge out of this ocean, the deadliest of all poisons, Kalakuta. Be not frightened for it must be thrown out as a preliminary purification before the nectar comes.” He added, “And see that you covet nothing, let the Asuras have what they want for many beautiful gifts will emerge out of the churning. You keep your eyes fixed upon your goal, the nectar of immortality.”

The Master paused for a moment and throwing a meaningful glance at the disciples added, “The gods returned full of hope and joy for that is the effect of the Lord’s presence and his reassurance.”

He continued as the disciples were all in rapt attention, ‘So the gods returned rejoicing. They also sent an emissary to the titans with a proposal for the joint venture of churning the ocean of knowledge for the nectar of immortality. The titans agreed after much discussion and debate.

The two groups gathered near the ocean, the titans led by king Bali (a name that symbolizes strength) and the gods led by Indra (a name that symbolizes knowledge surpassing the senses). The mountain Mandara, (the embodies material consciousness) was placed at the centre of the ocean. Vasuki, the great serpent who represents the energy that labours in darkness at the root of the world, consented to become the rope that would be tied around the great mount. To prevent the mountain from sinking into the ocean, God Himself became a grant tortoise, kurmavatara, and held the mountain on his back.

Now the great effort began. To initiate the process, The Lord himself held Vasuki towards the mouth. The gods followed him as they always did. But the jealous Asuras took it as a prestige issue. Vain and ambitions, they want to be honoured first. So, they raised a hue and cry against the gods holding the mouth of the serpent Vasuki. The gods readily conceded and moved over to the tail – side. Little did the titans realise that Narayana, the Lord was being gracious towards them by holding the mouth. For as the churning proceeded the breath of the great serpent phew out poisonous fumes. But that turned out to be nothing compared to what was to come.

As the churning went on, suddenly, the air became full of stifling poison. So deadly was its effect that both the gods and the titans began to run helter-skelter to escape the poison. This indeed was Halahal, the bitterness and darkness buried in the subconscient parts of our nature. We must confront this one day and only after we are purged free of it that the gifts of the spirit can emerge.

But new, the poison threatened everything. What could be done? The air was full of anxiety and fear. But the great Lord smiled reassuringly and at his behest these appeared on the horizons, the deathless Siva, the eternal who takes back all things into him for out of him they are born. In a mighty gesture of great compassion, Siva took the whole poison in the hollow of his palm and drank it. Only a drop was left for the earth to bear. The rest stained his throat and thus, was he named ‘neelkantha’, the poison – stain only enhancing his beauty and greatness.

The threat of the bitterest poison being over, the churning continued. Now it was the turn of the various gifts to emerge, – the winged horse, ucchaisravas, that Bali, the titan king took away; Airavata, the snow – white seven tusked elephant that was given to the king of gods, Indra. Then there was the Jewel, Kaustubh mani, that adorned, Narayana’s chest and Lakshmi of unparalleled beauty, charm and grace whom none deserved. She chose Lord Vishnu, the purest of all as her lord and consort. At last came our Varuni, with intoxicating eyes evoking desire in all. The titans wanted and received her?

The Master paused for a while, even as a disciple interrupted. “But what are these gifts, the flying, horse, the seven – tusked elephant, are these not mere imaginations and myths, surely they do not exist? “The disciple looked puzzles as the Master resumed with a smile on his face: “….and kamdhenu, the cow who could grant any wish was given to the seers, engaged in various tapasyas, I forgot to mention her.”

The disciple intenupted again as if something flashed across his mind’s sky as a revelation: “Oh, I see, is that why you are able to grant our wishes. So the cow is the symbol of plenty.”

The Master smiled again: “Surely, not all wishes, for that will not be a wise thing to do. Granting all wishes may sometimes lead only to an increase of desire, laziness and even vanity. That is why she is given to the rishis who have mastered the art of self – control. The cow itself is a Vedic symbol for light of knowledge, just as horse is a symbol of force and elephant a symbol of prosperity and quiet strength. So, now you can see the truth behind the symbol.

Nevertheless, to resume the last and the most interesting part of the story, finally, and at long last there emerged a most handsome being, healthy and beautiful in every way, full of youthful energies, – Dhanvantari, dressed in a light with a golden hue and carrying in both his hands a crystal bowl with a golden light around it. In that cup there was concealed the most coveted of all boons, the nectar of immortality.

Now, as Dhanvantari appeared with the nectar, there was a great jubilation around. But as they say, the real test, of character is when we are faced with the extremes of success or failure. Seeing the nectar, the titans completely, forgot the joint venture and the pact. They rushed and, as is their nature, they snatched the bowl by force and ran away to drink it themselves. But soon a fight ensued amongst themselves over who would be the first recipient. The gods watched all this with dismay and stunned as they were, and as is consistent with their nature, turned to the great Lord with submission and prayer for help. The gracious Lord who is in all things, who has become the strength of the titans and the light of the gods, simply spread out his hand in a gesture of reassurance and vanished from their vision. They waited with hope and trust.

Meanwhile, the in – fighting amongst the titans continued. Being sons of darkness and division, they are ever quarreling even between themselves. But as they were thus trying to snatch the bowl from each others hands, there appeared on the threshold of their sight, a form most beautiful to behold. A woman of endless charm appeared amidst them and the titans were as if hypnotized by her presence.

“Who are you, O! Loveliest and fairest of all who beats all that we have seen or heard of uptil now?” the titans inquired.

And the woman with a smile for which the triple worlds would be an easy price to pay said, “I am Viswa – Mohini, the most charming form that ever was made,”

“Would you then do this for us”, the titans asked entrusting the bowl and the nectar in her had, would you distribute it to us. We will abide by whatever you decide,”
“Are you sure?” the charming woman sought to confirm, “the sages say that you must be careful in entrusting yourself to charming appearances”.

But the, titans were already blinded. Smitten by greed and lust, they joined in a hideous laughter: “Ho, ho! The sages, who cares for what they say. They keep telling everyone to deny the very things that would give happiness, wealth and wine and woman. Ha, ha, ha! The sages, forget what they say, we will accept whatever, you decide for us,”

Lust had blinded their eyes and arrogance had fanned their vanity and false self-confidence.

The woman did not insist. She asked the titans to be seated to the left and the gods to the right. And as she passed in between the two rows, she kept pouring a bewitching smile to the titans and the nectar to the gods. The titans were still too dazed to take notice except one, Rahu, who saw the trick and changed sides. But even before he could drink the nectar, the woman changed her form and assuming the form of the great god Vishnu, cut off his head with the luminous discuss, Sudarshana Charka. But a drop had gone to the throat and so Rahu’s head became immortal, a queer creature, half titan and half god, born out of a crucial last moment choice.

The titans felt cheated of rushed with all their force upon the gods who now, rejuvenated by the nectar, gave a good fight and sent them packing, back to their heels.

Frustrated, they returned, blaming the great god Vishnu and preparing themselves for another fight?

But the god within their hearts smiled. For truly they stood cheated by their own lustful and greedy nature. For such is the decree given of old!

“They who abandon desire
Shall find the delight they seek through things
They who pursue and possess shall lose,
For such is the law given the man by the sages
To all claimaints of immortality
A difficult task is this,
A labour dual and fierce
At the end o which
There still awaits a tremendous choice,
What do you seek for the nectar of delight the cup of immortality,
If for thy ego, then thou must still wait.
But if for the growth of goodness, light and love in earth and men
Then thou shalt strive rightly
And seek and possess.’

The Master had summed it up so beautiful. The lights were slowly falling low as the sunset was in sight. But the inner light had grown within the disciples, their sight widened to greater horizons.

They got up from their seats. It was time to light the fire.

Alok Pandey