Daily Offerings from Alokda

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