You are here: SriPedia - SriRangaSri - Archives - Sep 2003

SriRangaSri List Archive: Message 00003 Sep 2003

 
Sep 2003 Indexes ( Date | Thread | Author )
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]


IMPORTANT POLICY STATEMENT:
Kind attention of contributors is invited to the guidelines in 
?Sri Ranga Sri? Issues 04/24 dated 06/05/03 and 04/25dated 06/06/03 
and the amendment in 04/28 dated 07/29/03 
(archived at Yahoo group Messages 2678, 2691 and 2903). 
NO DISCUSSIONS will be allowed in the JOURNAL even on matters 
featured in the Regular Issues of the JOURNAL. 
Any such discussions, comments, criticisms or responses 
may be addressed to - Satsangam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
As only members can post, those desiring to post 
may enroll in the first place, by sending email to -
Satsangam-Subscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
=============================================================

(continued from Part 4)

-------------------------------------------------------

The Leap of the Frog


The word "mandUka" is Sanskrit for 'frog'; so
'Mandukya Upanishad' is "Frog Upanishad". No one knows
really knows how this Upanishad got its rather odd
name. Some say it was associated with the ancient Sage
Varuna who had power to assume the form of creatures
like even the frog; hence the name of
"mAndukyOpanishad". Some Western scholars say that the
Upanishad was for long preserved by the branch of an
ancient family whose totem carried the tribal insignia
of a frog; hence "mAndUkyOpanishad". This does not
seem a credible explanation since ancient Vedic
families were always known by the name of their
"gOtra" (unbroken lineage) and no "gOtra" bearing the
name of "mandUka gOtra" was ever known in India.


The most credible explanation why this Upanishad got
its strange name is put forward by the pontiff of the
Kanchi Sankara Mutt, Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati
in his book of discourses "Deivattin Kural". The frog
is a creature that is known for its prowess of
leaping. Some sub-specie of the frog family are known
to cover up to 10-12 feet in a single leap and that is
perhaps the inspiration behind the English coining the
phrase "to leap-frog", meaning 'to vault over" or
"bound over". This Upanishad describes how yogis and
'muni-s' similarly leapfrog like "mandUka-s" and vault
themselves from the Waking and Dream states straight
into the consciousness of the third state of blissful
"sUshUpti". (The Upanishad text, in fact, says they
catapult themselves into the fourth plane of "tUriya"
-- the state even the Upanishad is unable to describe
adequately: the absolute experience of Brahman in the
transcendent abode ("parama-pada") of the Almighty.
For the limited purpose of our study we stay with the
third state of "sUshUpti" and proceed no further.) 


Unlike ordinary mortals who have no choice but to plod
along the long path from Waking to the Dream-state,
and then trudge again from Dream-state to the state of
"sUshUpti" without ever completing the journey, yogis
and 'muni-s' are able to go straight from "jAgruti" to
"sUshUpti" with minimal effort. By dint of spiritual
prowess, gained partly by effort and partly by grace
of God, yogis manage to pare down the multitude and
complex of "kAma" in their lives to a single simple
one: attain Godhead. Freed of desire, fear and
selfishness, there is nothing to hold the yogi back in
either "vaishvnara" or "taijasa". As if possessed of a
magic switch, he turns on and shuts off his
sense-apparatus at will. When turned off, he soars
into the pure consciousness of "praj~nya". There is no
better affirmation of this 'Mandukyian' experience
than the evidence available in the lives of such
yogis. Their example is clear proof that the Mandukya
is indeed a document of mystical verity, not fancy. 


The Mandukyian Exemplars


Several are the yogis and 'muni-s' in the land of
India that one may want to cite as exemplars of the
Mandukya experience. Personally, I regard three of
them to be very appealing and convincing. Let me share
only them here.


The first is Sri Parashara Bhattar (11th century AD)
of SriRangam who was a disciple and protégé of Sri
Ramanujacharya (10th century AD). Bhattar was the
chief "purOhit" (priestly administrator) of the
SriRangam temple; he was also SriVaishnava theologian
and scholar. Although he was not generally given to
outward expression of mystical fervor, an incident in
Bhattar's life does lead us to infer his ability to
easily traverse the mystical path of the Mandukya.
Bhattar died young at the age of 32. He was diagnosed
to be suffering from a malignant tumor that grew so
painful that attending doctors of those days ventured
to perform surgery on him. Knowing the procedure would
be excruciatingly painful, they advised Bhattar to
consume a crude concoction (probably a heavy sedative)
that would serve as general anesthesia. Bhattar is
reported to have replied: "I do not need anesthesia.
Just let me recite the blessed verses of the
"tiruppAvai" (of AndAL). You can then perform any
surgery on me you want." To Bhattar, reciting the
sacred verses of the "tiruppAvai" possessed power, far
greater than any anesthesia, to take him into the deep
regions of "sUshUpti" where no mortal pain could ever
touch him.


The second instance is a similar one and it is an
incident in the life of the sage of Tiruvannamalai,
Sri Ramana Maharashi (19th century AD). In his
advanced years, Ramana was afflicted with a virulent
form of cancer that in an ordinary man would have
caused unbearable pain and distress. Doctors wanted
him to undergo surgery but the sage would have none of
it. "The cancer is in my body," he said calmly, "The
pain is the body's problem. I am not the body and the
pain is not mine." (The event has even been reported
with wonder in a published clinical dissertation of
the world-renowned neurosurgeon from Madras,
Dr.B.Ramamurthy.) Once again we see here a living
example of a yogi shrugging off pain by remaining
oblivious to all bodily (i.e. "vaishvAnaric")
conditions. It is only deep absorption in the
"sUshUptic" state that could have made it possible.



The third and rather dramatic instance of a yogi
simply vaulting across the 3 states of experience is
Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (19th century AD). There
is an account of how his master Totapuri first taught
Sri Ramakrishna to go into "sUshUpti" (or what in the
Advaitic school is called "nirvikalpa-samAdhi") in the
book "The Message of the Upanishads" by Swami
Ranganathananda. It is a vivid illustration of a
typically Mandukya journey in which a yogi simply
"leap-frogs" from the plains of "jAgruti" to the very
summit of "praj~nya":



"After instructing his disciple in the central ideas
of path of Vedantic "gnyAna", Totapuri exhorted Sri
Ramakrishna to fix his mind on the unconditioned
Brahman (spoken about in the Upanishads). Ramakrishna
himself narrates the event (in the book, "Life of Sri
Ramakrishna"):


"After the initiation, the guru asked me to withdraw
the mind completely from all objects and dive into the
Atman. But in spite of all my attempts I could not
cross the realm of names and forms and bring my mind
to that unconditioned state. I had no difficulty in
withdrawing the mind from all other objects (of the
world) except one, the all too familiar form of the
blissful Mother (Durga)? which appeared before me as a
living reality, preventing me from passing beyond the
realm of names and forms? In despair I said to the
guru "It is hopeless. I cannot raise my mind to the
unconditioned state and come face to face with the
Atman". (Totapuri) sharply said, "What? You can't do
it? But you have to!" He cast his eyes around and
finding a piece of glass he took it up and pressing
the point between my eyebrows said, "Concentrate the
mind on this point". With stern determination then I
again sat down to meditate? There remained no more
obstruction to my mind which at once soared? and I
lost myself in 'samAdhi'."


Totapuri sat for a long time watching his disciple.
Finding him still motionless, he left the hut, locking
the door from outside lest anyone should intrude
without his knowledge. He remained outside awaiting
the disciple's call from within to open the door. The
day passed, night came, a second and a third day and
night also passed and still there was no call.
Totapuri was astounded. He opened the door and entered
the room. He was speechless with wonder to see Sri
Ramakishna seated in the very same position in which
he had left him. The face was calm, serene and
radiant. In breathless amazement he examined the
disciple's heart and respiration and touched again and
again the disciple's almost corpse-like body. There
was no visible sign of consciousness. He cried in
bewilderment at the miracle of this young man
achieving in a single day this highest realization of
"nirvikalpa samadhi" which had taken him 40 years of
hard practice to realize.


"Totapuri immediately took steps to bring the mind of
his disciple down to the world of phenomena. The
little room rang with the holy mantra of "praNava"
uttered in a solemn tone by the teacher. Little by
little Sri Ramakrishna's mind came to an awareness of
the outer world; and as he opened his eyes he saw his
teacher looking at him with tenderness and admiration.
The disciple reverently prostrated himself before the
teacher who in turn locked him in a warm embrace". 



(to be continued)


dAsan,

Sudarshan



________________________________________________________________________
Yahoo! India Promos: Win TVs, Bikes, DVD players & more!
Go to http://in.promos.yahoo.com




[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next] [Date Index ] [Thread Index ] [Author Index ]
Home Page
http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia
srirangasri-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
To subscribe to the list