Posts Tagged ‘life’
Thursday, June 17th, 2010
Shad Darshan – Vedanta philosophies (contd.):
Swaminarayan philosophy – Ishwar
Ishwar and Brahmand
2. Ishwar is the essence of brahmand. He is the universal soul – the creator, controller, and the efficient cause of whole universe (brahmand). Brahmand is his body. Brahmand is Ishwar’s field (kshetra) of action. Ishwar is the fielder (kshetragna) of brahmand. Each brahmand is evolved from a pair of Pradhān and Purush. Pradhan is a kind of Prakruti limited to a brahmand and is considered as the insentient or material cause of it and Purush (Pradhan-Purush) is the essence of Pradhan and is considered as the sentient, essential, or efficient cause of a brahmand. Pradhan is the primordial form of Mahattattva. Mahattattva (also mentioned as Hiranyagarbha or fire ball in the scriptures) is the primordial form of brahmand (universe). Purush is its essence.
Virat is an existing or sustaining form of a brahmand (universe). Because Purush is the essence of Virat, he is also known as “Virat-Purush.” In the scriptures, Purush or Virat-Purush is known as Ishwar. Brahmand is described as Purushavatar. Just as the soul has three kinds of body, Ishwar or Virat-Purush also has three kinds of body (sharir): Virāt, Sutrātmā, and Avyākrut – equivalent to gross, subtle, and causal bodies, respectively. Similar to the birth, life, and death of a star, Utpatti (birth or creation), Sthiti (life or sustenance), and Pralay (death or dissolution) of brahmand (universe) are the three states (avastha) of Virat-Purush or brahmand.Like jiva, Virat-Purush is also bound to his body called brahmand. Brahmand also undergo a life-cycle of birth, life, and death. Virat-Purush remains bound to his body until he finishes his lifespan. The lifespan of Virat-Purush is two parardhs (each parardh is approximately equal to 155.52 trillion years). The death of a part of brahmand, called triloki (10 out of 14 loks which include swarg lok, mrutyu lok, and pātāl lok), is known as “nimitta-pralay.” It occurs at the end of everyday of brahmand during its lifetime. When the general dissolution or death of whole brahmand occurs it is called “prakruti-pralay.” When this occurs, the whole brahmand dissolves into Pradhān – its material cause, which in turn dissolves into Mahāmāyā or Mul-Prakruti. Purush gets in direct contact with Mahapurush or Mul-Purush, who is “akshar-purush” or “akshar-mukta.”
According to the scriptures, from the navel of Virat-Purush Brahmā was born. Brahmā, Vishnu, and Mahesh are the three sagun forms of Vāsudev Narayan (Vāsudevnarayan) for the control, operation, and execution of the creation, sustenance, and destruction of the brahmand (universe). When jiv worships these three sagun forms of Vāsudev Narayan, he achieves the three purushārths, namely, dharma, arth, and kām. When jiv worships nirgun forms or the avatars of Vāsudev Narayan he attains moksh. There exist countless universes (brahmands) with their own Brahmā, Vishnu, and Mahesh. Purushottam Narayan known as Vāsudev Narayan, in the form of Purush, enters into and inspires Virāt-Purush to perform his activities of creation, sustenance, and dissolution of Brahmand. Virat-Purush worships Sankarshan, Aniruddha, and Pradyumna (the three sagun forms of Vāsudev Narayan) during the state of dissolution, sustenance, and creation of Brahmand, respectively. As long as Virat-Purush worships sagun forms of Vāsudev Narayan, his association with maya remains intact and when he worships the nirgun form of Vāsudev Narayan he forsakes maya and becomes one with Brahm or brahmrup. Ishwar is the source of all incarnations in brahmand. The scriptures describe that all the avatars in a brahmand are manifestations of Vāsudev Narayan. When Vāsudev Narayan enters and resides in Virat-Purush in the form of Purush he is said to be an avatar. Because of this Virat-Purush is also known as Vairaj-Narayan. Thus, avatars are worshiped in Hinduism because of the presence of Vāsudev Narayan only.
The difference between ishwar and jiv is that ishwar is “sarvagna” (omniscient), whereas, jiv is “alpagna” (little-knowing). Ishwar is limited to brahmand or universe, which is its field (kshetra), whereas, jiv is finite and limited to its body (sharir) only. Another difference is that, Virat-Purush – the ishwar, at the time of dissolution leaves the universe – his body, forsakes maya, and goes directly to the abode of God because he is inherently free from maya but only for the purpose of creation he indulges into maya, whereas, jiv, at the time of death, leaves its body and merges into maya for entering the cycle of births and death, unless and until it becomes free from its bondage with maya.
Brahmands are countless or infinite in numbers (anant koti), each with fourteen realms (loks or lokas) located within it and the eight layers or shields (ashtavaran) covering from the outside of it, as is described in detail in the scriptures. In the whole creation there are groups or strata of brahmands. They are all of their original sizes and dimensions but because of the vastness of the creation they all look merely like atoms wondering around. As there are many brahmands, there are many pairs of Pradhan (kshetra) and Purush (kshetragna). Thus, Kapil rishi in the Sankhya scriptures acknowledges the plurality of Purushas. Mahabharat: Book 12: Shanti Parva, Part 2-3: Mokshadharma Parva: Section: CCCLI-II also mentions the same.
Tags:abode, alpagna, anant koti, Aniruddha, ashtavaran, atoms, avasthā, Avatar, Avatars, Avyākrut, birth, body, Brahmā, brahmand, causal, controller, Creation, Creator, Darshan, death, destruction, dissolution, efficient cause, fire ball, form, God, gross, Hiranyagarbha, incarnations, insentient, Ishwar, Kapil, Kshetra, Kshetragna, life, lokas, loks, Mahābhārat, Mahāmāyā, Mahattattva, Mahesh, material cause, maya, Mokshadharma, mrutyu lok, Mul-Prakruti, Narayan, nimitta-pralay, nirgun, omniscient, parardh, pātāl lok, Philosophy, Pradhān, Pradhan-Purush, Pradyumna, Prakruti, prakruti-pralay, Pralay, primordial, Purush, Purushavatar, Purushottam, realms, rishi, sagun, Sankarshan, Sankhya, sarvagna, Scriptures, sentient, Shad Darshan, Shanti Parva, sharir, soul, Sthiti, subtle, sustenance, Sutrātmā, Swaminarayan, swarg lok, triloki, Utpatti, Vairaj-Narayan, Vāsudev, Vedānta, Virat, Virat-Purush, Vishnu
Posted in Hinduism - Philosophies, Ishwar, Navya Vishishtadvaita, Shad Darshan – Vedanta philosophies | Comments Closed
Tuesday, June 15th, 2010
Shad Darshan – Vedanta philosophies (contd.):
Swaminarayan philosophy – in General III
From the beginning of the Shad Darshan until the advent of Swaminarayan philosophy only three fundamental realities, namely, soul, nature or universe, and Ishwar (God), were mainly defined and discussed from the Prasthan Trayi and other Hindu scriptures. As our understanding of the Prasthantrayi was broadened two new categories were emerged that did go beyond the above three categories of Shad Darshan and Vedanta. The addition of two new categories covers the whole multiverse – the groups and strata of brahmands and their super-souls (ishwars or purushas). New categories were needed to clearly define and include Ishwar, Purush, Brahm, and Parabrahm, in our complete understanding of all the realities. Maya or Prakruti as matter or material of the universe and soul as the essence of the life are clearly described, defined, and understood from the scriptures.
Ishwar, Brahm, and Parabrahm are described and discussed, in the scriptures, as the realities but were not categorized separately. Sometimes they were described synonymously, but, at other times they were described distinctly. So the scholars defined them according to their preferences. We can see from the other Vedanta philosophies that the confusion was still prevailing among the scholars. Shri Swaminarayan characterized them into three distinct ontological categories to clear the confusion. He clarified that Ishwar, Brahm, and Parabrahm are three totally different ontological elements or Tattvas and not just one reality or element with three names. Some of the characteristics unique only to Parabrahm (God) cannot be attributed or applied to Brahm and the characteristics of Brahm or Parabrahm cannot be applied to Ishwar. He placed Purushas into the Ishwar category.
In the scriptures, brahmands are described in multiplicities. So, their essences or super-souls, called Ishwars or Purushas, are also described in multiplicity, but Purushottam (the Supreme Being) is described as the topmost – one and only entity. Purushas or Ishwars cannot be fitted into the category of Purushottam or Parameshwar, nor can they be fitted into the category of souls because of their universal potential. Brahm (also known as Akshar or Aksharbrahm) is the abode of Parabrahm. It is described different than Parabrahm. Within this abode, Aksharbrahm, countless brahmands float like mere atoms. Parabrahm cannot be fitted into the category of Brahm. Parabrahm is the controller and the topmost cosmic authority and cannot be the permanent resting place to harbor millions and millions of brahmands and the non-liberated and liberated souls inside it. Parabrahm is the essence or soul of Brahm. In the scriptures Brahm is described as the body of Parabrahm in which He resides forever. The scriptures have described body and soul (sharir-shariri or kshetra-kshetragna) relationship with Brahm and Parabrahm, respectively. Parameshwar, Parabrahm, Purushottam, Narayan are different names of the single, most transcendental entity (tattva), known as the Supreme Being. Thus, we have to have minimum five eternal (shaswat) fundamental realities to explain everything that is discussed in the scriptures and also exists in this phenomenal creation of God.
Tags:abode, akshar, Aksharbrahm, authority, body, Brahm, brahmands, controller, cosmos, Darshan, elements, entity, essence, God, Hindu, Ishwar, ishwars, kshetra-kshetragna, liberated, life, material, matter, maya, multiverse, Narayan, Nature, non-liberated, Parabrahm, Parameshwar, Philosophy, Prakruti, Prasthan, Prasthantrayi, Purush, purushas, Purushottam, realities, scholars, Scriptures, Shad Darshan, sharir-shariri, Shri, soul, strata, super-souls, Supreme Being, Swaminarayan, Tattva, tattvas, transcendental, Trayi, universe, Vedānta
Posted in Hinduism - Philosophies, In General III, Navya Vishishtadvaita, Shad Darshan – Vedanta philosophies | Comments Closed
Wednesday, February 24th, 2010
Sharir – Tattvas Part III (contd.):
Prans – in General V
To understand the pran, let’s first understand the body. What is body? How does it function? According to Hinduism, body is the God given vehicle to attain salvation for the soul. The soul is firmly attached to the three kinds of body, just as the germ of the seed is attached to the three kinds of layers of the fruit. As long as it has this attachment, soul cannot go to the abode of God, because body cannot go there and so the soul firmly attached to it.
The purpose of the life, according to Hinduism, is not to be born, live for hundred years, and die, again and again, during which we gain something and lose something, we enjoy little and suffer more, and at the end we leave everything here on this earth and cannot take anything with us. This is not we were meant for. God gave us this life to help others, to enjoy the bliss of God and to let others enjoy the same, to attain freedom and liberation from the cycle of births and deaths by offering devotion to God and by serving to His devotees. So, let’s try to understand the body first to understand the pran.
Body can be compared with the factory producing energy in the form of carrier molecules. It has three major divisions. First, the resources division or “In” division: The raw materials are air and food. Air has oxygen in it and food has necessary nutrients and water in it. They are the key elements for survival of body factory. They are gathered and concentrated or breakdown in tiny pieces by two main systems: the respiratory and gastrointestinal systems, governed by Pran and Udan, respectively. Second, the transportation and distribution division or the central transverse division: After gathering resources are then transported and distributed for processing by circulatory system governed by Saman. Third, the waste management division or “Out” section: After processing the resources, waste management is done by excretory system and the expansion or growth is done, if needed, by reproductive system both of which are governed by Apan. Finally, the end products are produced and utilized for specific purposes, such as, growth, movements, mobility, routine maintenance, repair, pleasure, cognition, etc. Since body cannot store the energy, the production and utilization of the end products are done instantaneously and side-by-side. The excess or surplus of raw material gathered or created are stored in different parts of the body for emergency uses. The whole production and utilization process is governed by Vyan. This summarizes, in short, the functions of prans in the body.
The most important vital elements, oxygen and nutrients, gathered and processed by the respiratory system and by the gastrointestinal system are governed by Pran and Udan, respectively, on one side. Pran controls respiration and Udan controls digestion grossly. Both together ultimately produce the most important energy in the form of chemical energy (ATPs) necessary for the growth and maintenance and in the form of chemical free energy (heat). The processes are known as cellular respiration and catabolism. The energy released is utilized instantaneously for growth and differentiation of cells and synthesis of complex molecules by anabolic pathways and the most toxic elements, carbon dioxide and waste products, such as lactic acid, acetic acid, ammonia, and urea, are removed from the body by the excretory system. Both are governed by Vyan and Apan, respectively, on the other side. Vyan controls overall metabolism and Apan controls overall excretion. Pran (also known as inward process) and Apan (outward process) functions oppositely from each other. Pran means inhaled breathing and Apan means exhaled breathing. Similarly, Udan (in Hinduism, known as upward process) and Vyan (in Hinduism, known as transverse process, in Greek catabolism means downward process – kata means downward and ballein means to throw and anabolism means upward process – ana means upward and ballein means to throw, both combined becomes the transverse process) also function oppositely from each other.
In the middle (known in Hinduism as Navel or central region) is Saman. Both sets of opposite processes or functions, for example, “in” and “out” of the resources and waste products, energy production and energy utilization, catabolism and anabolism, and growth and destruction of cells are balanced by Saman.
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Prāns provide all the energy or vitality to our body. Prans control all the functions of our body. “All that exists here is under the control of pran.” “Pranasyedam vashe sarvam trideve yatpratishitam |” (Prashna Upanishad Prashna-II.13) Therefore, it is said in the Upanishads that, pran moves our hands and feet. Pran moves our eyes and tongue. Pran moves our lungs and the heart. Pran is responsible for all the actions in our body. Without pran the body cannot function.
Tags:abode, acetic acid, air, ammonia, ana, anabolic pathways, apān, ATPs, ballein, bliss, body, breathing, carbon dioxide, carrier, catabolism, cells, cellular respiration, chemical energy, Circulatory, cognition, complex molecules, cycle of births and deaths, destruction, devotees, devotion, differentiation, distribution, division, Earth, elements, end products, energy, Excretory, exhaled, expansion, eyes, factory, feet, food, freedom, Gastrointestinal, germ, God, growth, hands, heart, heat, Hinduism, inhaled, inward. process, kata, lactic acid, liberation, life, lungs, maintenance, mobility, molecules, movements, Navel, nutrients, outward, oxygen, pleasure, prāns, Prashna, production, raw materials, repair, Reproductive, resources, Respiratory, routine maintenance, salvation, Sāman, seed, serving, sharir, soul, synthesis, systems, tattvas, tongue, toxic, transportation, transverse, udān, Upanishad, upward, urea, utilization, vital, vyān, Waste Management, waste products, water
Posted in Hinduism - Body, In General V, Tattvas - Pran | Comments Closed
Monday, February 15th, 2010
Sharir – Tattvas Part III (contd.):
Prans – in General II
It would be surprising to know that Hinduism describes pran merely on detailed observations and not on any pathophysiological or biochemical laboratory analyses. Not only that, Hinduism describes 10 prans, five major prans and five minor prans (upa-prans). Currently, the modern medical sciences also describe altogether about 10 to 14 major and minor important physiological systems of the body, namely, Circulatory or Cardiovascular System, Dermal or Integumentary System, Digestive or Gastrointestinal System, Endocrine (Glandular or Hormonal) System, Excretory System, Muscular System, Nervous System, Reproductive System, Respiratory or Pulmonary System, and Skeletal System. Immune System, Lymphatic System, Urinary System, and Sensory System are considered sub-system. Out of them five are major vital systems. Five main prans correspond to the body’s five most important vital functions or life-sustaining processes, especially at the cellular level, without which life cannot sustain for longer. Because of their life sustaining importance they are collectively called “prān”, meaning, “life”. Five prāns are namely, Prān (also spelled as prāna), Apān (also spelled as apāna), Vyān (also spelled as vyāna), Samān (also spelled as samāna) and Udān (also spelled as udāna). Five upa-prans are: Nāg (Naga), Kurm (Koorma), Krikar (Krikara) or Kukal, Devdatt (Devadatta) and Dhananjay (Dhananjaya).
Now, let us try to look at prans in little more detail. As we have seen the importance of prans in the old Vedic story, body still can function or sustain for much longer without any of the sensory organs (indriyas) and mental functions (antahkarans) but without prans it cannot sustain much longer, death is imminent.
From the modern understanding of science we can see that, the five main prans correspond mainly to five main vital functions at the cellular level. Moreover, they may also be found interconnected to more than one of the five main vital systems of the body, because they are all interrelated or interdependent to each other for their proper functioning. The five main vital functions of the body are respiratory function, circulatory function, digestive function, nervous or neuromuscular function, and excretory or urogenital function. The five very important vital systems of the body for the above functions are respiratory system, circulatory or cardio-vascular system, digestive or gastrointestinal system, neuromuscular system, and genitourinary system.
Among the prans or main vital functions, if genital or reproductive function is compromised life can sustain for years and if excretory function is compromised life can sustain for a few years with assistance; if the sensory functions, autonomic nervous functions (work at an involuntary or subconscious level and include sympathetic, parasympathetic, and enteric nervous functions that responds, respectively, to stress; maintain homeostasis by sending biofeedback on the condition of internal organs to the brain; and controls digestive movements and secretions), motor or musculoskeletal functions (work at conscious or voluntary level and include movements, balance, and coordination), and mental or cognitive functions, that is, functions of the psyche or antahkaran are compromised life can still sustain for much longer; if gastrointestinal system is compromised life can sustain only for a few months without food or only for a few weeks without water; but if respiratory function is compromised life can only sustain for a few hours or for a few days with assistance; and if circulatory or cardiac function is compromised life can sustain only for a few minutes. Cessation of brain functions means death.
Tags:analyses. Modern, antahkarans, apān, Apān (Apāna), Apana, biochemical, body, brain, Cardiovascular, cellular, Circulatory, cognitive, Dermal, Devdatt (Devadatta), Dhananjay (Dhananjaya), Digestive, Endocrine, Excretory, functions, Gastrointestinal, genitourinary, Glandular, Hinduism, Hormonal, immune, Indriyas, Integumentary, Krikar (Krikara), Kukal, Kurm (Koorma), laboratory, level, life, life sustaining, Lymphatic, major, medical, mental, Muscular, Nag, Nāg (Naga), Nervous, neuromuscular, Pathophysiological, physiological, prān, Prān (Prāna), processes, Pulmonary, Reproductive, Respiratory, Sāman, Samān (Samāna), Samana, sciences, Sensory, sharir, Skeletal, sub-system, System, systems, tattvas, udān, Udān (Udāna), Udana, Upa-prans, Upapran, Urinary, vital, vyān, Vyān (Vyāna), Vyana
Posted in Hinduism - Body, In General II, Tattvas - Pran | Comments Closed
Monday, February 15th, 2010
Sharir – Tattvas Part III (contd.):
Prans – in General I
According to Hinduism, the structural body (sthul sharir) of the jiv consists of five gross (sthul) elements called Panch-bhuts, namely, Pruthvi, Jal, Tej, Vāyu, and Ākāsh.
The functional body (sukshma sharir) of the jiv consists of nineteen elements: Five motor organ systems called Panch-karmendriyas, namely, speech organs – Vāk, upper extremities – Pāni, lower extremities – Pād, excretory organs – Pāyu, and reproductory organs – Upastha.; Five sensory organs systems called Panch-gnanendriyas, namely, ear – Karna, skin – Tvak, Eyes – Chakshu, Tongue – Jihvā, and Nose – Ghran; Four psyches called Antahkarans, namely, Man, Buddhi, Ahamkar, and Chitt; and five vital functions or processes called Panch-Prans, namely, Prān, Apān, Vyān, Samān, and Udān. Five prans are part of the five subtle elements called Panch-vishays or five tanmatras, namely, sound – Shabda, touch – Sparsh, light – Rup (Roop), taste – Ras (Rasa), and smell – Gandh.
Panch-prans are grouped under a common heading or common noun “pran.” Prans are important subtle elements of the body. They are important for sustaining the life. Just as Panch-vishays and Panch-tanmatras, Panch-prans are also considered as five subtle elements. As such, Panch-Vishays are not elements but they are processes of perceiving sensory stimuli by five types of sensory organ systems. They are neurological processes by which the recognition and interpretation of sensory stimuli are effected or resulted. Panch-vishays are also considered as the objects of enjoyments for the jiv via body. Similarly, Panch-prans are also physiological, but vital, processes for sustaining the life. Because of their subtleness, in Hinduism, both the panch-vishays and panch-prans are categorized under the heading of Tanmatras.
Hindu scriptures describe that, five prans are like five flames of one single fire collectively called as “pran”. Of all the 24 elements, pran is the main vital force of the body that is necessary for the life, through which all the functions of the functional body and its organs are carried out. From the Upanishadic story of pran one can easily conclude that pran is life of the body. So, could it be the soul (jiv)? From the ancient time Hinduism knows and explains that the pran, the vital force of the body, is different than jiv (soul), the life force of the body. Jiv is ontologically different entity than the pran. Both prān and jiv (soul) are quite distinct and different entities. So, prān as an element is prān and cannot be translated as “soul” or “jiv”. Pran (the proper noun) is also the name of one of the five prans. It represents the group of five prans. So, just like other proper names, Pran should not be translated. Sometimes pran, as an element, is translated as “vāyu,” “breath,” “energy,” etc. These kind of explanatory translations misrepresent the pran. So, it should also be avoided. Similarly, Apan, Vyan, Udan, Saman are also proper nouns or proper names and should not be translated also,
Panch-Prān:
Prān and jiv (soul) are two ontologically distinct entities. Prān is decayable, destructible, able to cease, or able to stop functioning, whereas, jiv is eternal and sustain forever, not destructible, and not decayable. Jiv is called the knower of the pran. Prān is the vital force of the body that regulates other body processes. Without pran, jiv would leave the body instantaneously. Without pran life cannot sustain. Therefore, prān has become almost synonymous with the jiv. Hinduism describes 10 Prāns – five Prans and five Upa-prāns. Five Prans are: Prān (prāna), Apān (apāna), Vyān (vyāna), Samān (samāna) and Udān (udāna). Five Upa-prans are: Nāg (Naga), Kurm (Koorma), Krikar (Krikara), Devdatt (Devadatta) and Dhananjay (Dhananjaya). Prāns are superior to the Antahkarans (or mind in general) and to all the other elements derived from Mahattattva. When the new body is created around the soul or jiv, among the other non-divine things, prans are the first to enter or appear in the body and last to go. Dhananjay pran remain for a while even after death and is the last one to leave the body.
Chhandogya Upanishad describes Pran as the oldest and the greatest of all the functional elements of the body. “yo ha vai jyeṣṭhaṃ ca śreṣṭhaṃ cha veda jyeṣṭhaś cha ha vai śreṣṭhaś cha bhavati | prāṇo vāva jyeṣṭhaś cha śreṣṭhaś cha ||” Meaning, “He who knows what is the oldest and greatest becomes himself the oldest and greatest. The pran, indeed, is the oldest and greatest.” (Chhandogya Upanishad: 5.1.1.)
Prāns appear in the body first then the Antahkaran develops. After chitt (the site of basal instincts), ahamkar (self or ego) is evolved. Then, man and buddhi are evolved. During the deep sleep, antahkarans (mind) becomes inactive but prāns still remain active and functional. Prans play major vital role in the body compared to antahkarans (mind). Without cognitive functions (functions of antahkaran) a person can still survive or remain alive but without vital functions (functions of prans) the person surely dies.
Tags:Ahamkār, antahkaran, antahkarans, apān, Apān (Apāna), Apana, body, Buddhi, Chandogya, Chhāndogya Upanishad, chitt, consciousness, Devdatt (Devadatta), Dhananjay (Dhananjaya), Hinduism, Indriyas, Krikar (Krikara), Kurm (Koorma), life, Man, Nag, Nāg (Naga), Naga, prān, Prān (Prāna), prāns, Sāman, Samān (Samāna), Samana, sharir, tattvas, udān, Udān (Udāna), Udana, Upa-prans, Upapran, vyān, Vyān (Vyāna), Vyana
Posted in Hinduism - Body, In General I | Comments Closed
