DIVINE INFORMATION PART 50 There are 1045 words in this posting counted bythe computer. Approximately 104 sentences Respectedfriends,
While going through one of my external memorydevice, I came across some good information storedfrom websites. I thought of sharing interesting ones from them as aseries. In part 50, I am starting with 167th item in this posting. Kindly note the series is a compilation. Sincerely, Gopala Krishnan 04-07-21 167 TILAK The centre of the forehead between the eyebrows isthe most important psychic location in the human body and its importance isstressed by putting a coloured mark at this spot. Thiscentral spot is where the sixth chakra (Ajna) is located. It is also called thethird eye or the eye of wisdom. It is the aim of yogis and devout Hindus to‘open’ this third eye by constant meditation. The ‘opening’ of the third eye meansthe unification of the conscious and subconscious minds, the point where allelements of duality merge into one universal entity. This spot therefore is of tremendousimportance and the putting of the coloured mark symbolizes the quest for the‘opening’ of the third eye. All rites and ceremonies of the Hindus begin with avermilion mark (tilak) topped with a few grains of rice placed on this spotwith the index finger or the thumb. The same custom is followed in welcoming orbidding farewell to guests or relations. Themost common material used for making this mark is ‘kumkum’, the red powder which is a mixture of turmeric, alum,iodine, camphor, etc. Anotherpopular material is sandalwood paste blendedwith musk. This has a strong cooling effect and is generally meant for thosewho have meditated for a long time. Sacredash from the sacrificial fire (yagna) or the funeral pyre is considered the best material for the tilak by the yogisand sanyasis because they have renounced all their attachments to worldly lifeand ash symbolises this. 168 VEDAS Theword Veda means knowledge. There are four Vedas dating from the earliest periodof known Indian scriptures. TheRig Veda,a collection of praises in the form of hymns; TheSama Veda,also a collection of hymns; TheYajur Veda,collection of charms and magic formulas. Thetexts were developed over a long period, possibly beginning before the Aryansarrived in India (B.C. 1700-1200). The texts were passed down orally, being handed onfrom one generation of priests to another, syllable perfect in intonation andrhythm, from memory and by rote. Anerror in recital led to punishment and penances; in effect, to hear a Vedicpassage today is to hear the oral equivalent of a tape recording over threethousand years old. It was forbidden to write down the text, but aboutthe 14th century A.D. some parts of the Vedas were transcribed butthe entire text is still a guarded province of scholarship. My note-About Adharva veda nothing in theposting. 169 YANTRA Yantrais the visual form of mantra, a prayer. A tantric text states, ‘Yantra has mantra as its soul. Thedeity is the soul of the mantra. The difference between mantra and deity is similar to that between abody and its soul’. Though two-dimensional, yantras areconceived of as having depth and full dimension. Yantras may be drawn orpainted on any material, out of any substance. However, the human body is often called by tantrics thebest of all yantras.There is no parallel for the term in English, but yantra may be summarized as atwo-dimensional diagram where visualized energies are concentrated, or simply,a field of energy. Withits mantra, a yantra is a complex of stored imagery of sight and sound andpsychic and mysticalcontent. Many yantras seem to be nothing more than an interwoven complex ofgeometrical designs centred upon a point (bindu). Triangles, sign of the yoni,may predominate, enclosing the point. The whole may be enclosed by a square,signifying the cosmic dynamics and the four corners of the universe. Yantrasare thus worshipped as containing the divine presence. The yantra is oftenconfused with a mandala but the former is appropriate to a specific deity only,while the latter may enclose an infinite number of deities. It is an image ofthe universe, a receptacle of the gods. Thereare innumerable yantras. Of them is the most famous and is known as the SriChakra or Sri Yantra. Mynote- When I went to Sabarimalai in one occasion, I could get Ayyappa chakra. I have purchased andkept in my safe box. 170 YOGA The word ‘yoga’ means to yoke or unite and is used to imply the means or path by which theindividual soul unites with God. It is not to be confused withphysical exercises alone. Yogahas eight types of disciplines. The first two, Yama and Niyama, purifythe heart and bring about ethical discipline. Yama means abstention from evilsof all types; killing, untruth, property, etc. Niyama means observance ofpurity and practice of austerities. Thenext three steps, Asana, Pranayama, and Pratyahara are preliminary to Yoga. Asanasare yogic postures which, when practiced,steady the mind for concentration and discipline the body. Pranayamaare breathing exercises which improve the condition of the lungs, the heart and the nervous system. Pratyaharameans shutting out all outward impressions from the mind and looking inward. The last three steps are called RajaYoga and include Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi. Dharanameans concentration on any one subject, which could be a light within one’s mind. Dhyanaor meditation involves an unceasing flow of thoughts and ideas toward this object. Such meditationleads to the final state known as Samadhi, when the subject of the meditationand the object becomes one. 171 Samadhi Samadhi itself has two steps. In the first,the conscious samadhi, theyogi attains supernatural powers by the strength of his yogic practices,becomes clairvoyant, adept at mind-reading and thought-transmission. The yogi, who ignores such powers andprogresses further, attains the superconscious or nirvikalpa samadhi. The yogi in this stage is a liberated soul. Samadhi is still practiced by somesadhus (holy men), specially in the Himalayas where they live in caves. It issaid that they have the ability to slow down their heartbeats. Theylie down in a box which is buried 10 to 12 feet underground where they remainfor many days. I willcontinue in next posting -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/887617587.5301234.1625363583571%40mail.yahoo.com.
