AITAREYA UPANISHAD - 16. Rishi Maheedasa Aitareya.

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Chinmaya Mission :

Swami Swaroopananda was warmly welcomed by all the members of Chinmaya Mission Singapore during his recent visit to Singapore last week. Swamiji expounded on the ability to change our destiny by harnessing the power of the mind and the need to cultivate the right attitude when performing all actions. The emphasis is on having the right intention behind our actions which beautifies all our actions.

During the Nirvana Shatkam morning talks Swamiji gave insights into how when the mind gets blown away i.e hushed the knowledge of the infinite, that state of enlightenment where all sorrows are blown away with the direct discovery of our nature which is realized (nirvana). 

During the informal question and answer sessions and meetings with sevaks/sevikas Swamiji emphasized the need to stay inspired and keep the flame of knowledge glowing by keeping it relevant to the times and age group the sevaks/sevikas are catering to.

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3 Parts, 6 Chapters, 33 No. Mantras : “By a Peasant for the Peasant”

PART - 1 : 

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Monday, December 05, 2022. 07:00.

PART 1: Chapter 3B, 4 Mantras : The Lord’s Regal ENTRY

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Mantram 3.11: The Lord Almost Forgot Himself

POST-16

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Mantram - 3.11: The Lord Almost Forgot Himself : (With Translation )

1.

Sah eekshata  =  He, the Creator, thought:

katham nu idam mad-rite syaat? iti = “How can all these remain without Me?”

2.

Sah eekshate = So He pondered:

katarena prapadyai? iti = “By which way shall I ENTER the organs?”

3.

ah eekshata, = He again thought: 

i) Yadi vaachaa abhivyaaritam; = i) “If speaking be done by speech, 

ii) Yadi praanena abhipraanitam; = ii) smelling by the nose, 

iii) Yadi chakshushaa drishtam; = iii) seeing by the eyes, 

iv) Yadi shrotrena shrutam; = iv) hearing by the ears, 

v) Yadi tvachaa sprishtam; = v) touching by the skin, 

vi) Yadi manasaa dhyaatam; = vi) thinking by the mind, 

vii)Yadi apaanena abhyapaanitam; = vii) eating by peristaltic movements, and

viii) Yadi shishnena visrishtam; = viii) continuity by the generative organ,

4.

Atha kah aham? iti  =  then, What is there for Me to do?” 

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Bhashyam ( Vyakyanam ) :

[Note: Due to the requirement of logical flow of thought the sequence of discussing 

the lines of this verse is not the same as presented in the Mantram.]

Where is the Need for God? :

3-4 

The arrangement for this world so far has been that, as far as the running of it is 

concerned, the Deities themselves are quite capable of handling everything that is 

necessary. A self-running system has been created. If all the functions are being handled by 

the shop managers, then what is the need for the Boss to be around? He can afford to relax

in his office or go on a holiday. The job does not require him.

This is what God may have been pondering over now – but, again, only for a fraction 

of a second. Why would He, too, want to be present in the body? We know He is the one

who has created everything, and He is the one who has solved all the technical hitches along 

the way. Does He want to be present only to claim a bit of credit? – “Look, I did all this!” 

Surely He is not going to think in such a small-minded way? That would be too mundane and 

ordinary for the Supreme Being! There must be another reason why He wants to be Present.

We see the subtle approach coming through again – a signature of the Aitareya 

Upanishad style. Rishi Maheedasa just waits for opportunities like this to spring a surprise 

on us. 

Here comes the real reason – why the Lord also wanted to be present with us:

YES, God Needs to be Present, Too :

1-2 

We have to keep in mind the whole objective here. Creation is just a Game that 

Lord has set up. A game cannot go on forever. As the players get tired of playing, there 

needs to be an end to it. What is the game in cricket? – bowling over after over, and batting 

ball after ball. In football – it is scoring goal after goal! It is the same in the “game of life” –

repeated births and deaths for the created beings. How long are they going to continue in 

the play of Samsara? Would they not get fed up of it after some time?

Thus, the main reason for the Lord to decide to be present in His creation is so that 

He can take us back to where we belong – to Himself, into the lap of His vast, limitless Being.

The Lord cares little if He remains unthought of, unacclaimed, unrecognized. His only 

care is to be there as the “Lighthouse” to guide us back to Him. As we get tossed about in 

Samsara by waves of temptations and painful experiences, we can always look in His 

direction and find the route back. For those who wish “to retire” from the game, and return 

Home, i.e. for those who wish to have Liberation, the Lord is there at any time to guide them back out of the treacherous seas of Life.

There is a second reason also: It would be a rather meaningless life if the Lord was 

not part and parcel of the life of man. A God-less world may run well, with every 

department functioning efficiently and harmoniously, but it would not have any worthy 

values. Selfishness would soon reign in such a world, and we remember that the handling of 

selfishness is not provided for. It will certainly cause massive problems in creation. We need 

the Presence of God to make our lives :

purposeful.

So, after long deliberation, the Lord decided that He also had to enter the fray and 

be a part of this whole Drama. He just had to be there in person in every one of us.

Once this decision was made to enter, His only concern was :

“How do I Enter?”

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Next-Mantram - 3.12: The Lord Enters Majestically!
To be continued

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