MUNDAKA UPANISHAD - 27. Swami Advayananda.

Chinmaya International Foundation (CIF) :

“Policy is not a neutral or abstract concept, it reflects the values, beliefs and norms of the people who create it. Therefore, policy should be rooted in culture.”

Nitividhana, the immersive residential camp organised by Brhat Education Trust and Chinmaya International Foundation explored political philosophy from both Eastern and Western traditions and contextualised them for the pressing issues of today. 

Eminent speakers including Dr. Gauri Mahulikar, Academic Director, CIF, Swami Advayananda, Shri Raghav Krishna (policy expert), Dr Indradeep Ghosh (Executive Director, Dvara Research) and noted scientist Prof. Subhash Kak, brought out the nuances of public policy in Indian texts like the Arthashastra and Srimad Bhagavatam. 

The Brhat team led by Sri Raghava Krishna, Dr. Pankaj Saxena and Dr. Anurag Shukla mentored the participants sharing their insights on Public Policy with the foundation of IKS. 

Other distinguished speakers such as Smt. Suparna Diwakar (Co-founder of ISDM), Dr. Mala Kapadia and Sushant Gangoli shared their knowledge and perspectives on various topics related to Bharatiya itihasa and culture. 

Four days of fruitful group discussions concluded with the participants gaining a unique perspective of public policy, its inherent linkages with politics and culture and deep insight into the Bhartiya beliefs about it.

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6 Chapters (64 Mantras)

Chapter-2.

(Mantras - 23-32, 10 no.

Section-1 : THE SUPREME PURUSHA)

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Thursday,  25 May,  2023. 07:30.

 3. THE SUPREME PURUSHA

(Mantras - 23-32, 10 no.)

Thus begins the first Section of the Second Canto.

Post - 27.

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27 Mantram - 3.5: The “Panchagni” – The Five Fires in the Cosmos

1 

tasmaat agnih   =  From Him are produced the (the 1st) fire

samidhah yasya sooryah,  =   whose fuel is the Sun;

2 

somaat parjanya   =  from the Moon, comes the rain clouds (the 2nd fire); 

oshadhayah prithivyaam;  =  (from clouds), the herbs (the 3rd fire) on earth;

3 

pumaan retah,  =  (from herbs comes) the man (the 4th fire); his semen

sinchati yoshitaayaam,  =  is shed into the woman (the 5th fire);

4 

(evam kramena),   =  (In this sequential process),

vahveeh prajaah purushaat   =   Many living beings from the Purusha,

samprasootaah.  =   are produced.

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The macrocosmic Universe of the previous verse is not a ‘dead’ Being; indeed, the 

depiction as a Purusha or Person is to show how alive is the Supreme Purusha. All forms of 

life, all living beings, are part of the dynamism of Nature.

This dynamism is seen in five identifiable stages. Every stage requires energy or 

“fire”. The Panchagni or “Five Fires” are the five principle stages in the dynamism of Nature, 

which makes the Universe a dynamic, active field.

The Panchagni – Five Cosmic “Fires”

The five fires are:

1 i) Fire: the 1st fire; the great source of this fire is the Sun. It is the centre of the 

solar galaxy. Without the Sun, there would be no possibility of life on earth.

2a ii) Rain Clouds: the 2nd fire; the heat of the sun builds up in the sky during the day. 

The coolness of the Moon at night produces the rain clouds in the atmosphere. 

2b iii) Herbs: the 3rd fire; the Rains discharged from the clouds seep into the earth 

and bring about the germination of seeds in it to produce the herbs eaten as food.

3a iv) Man: the 4th fire; from the nutrients of the Herbs, semen is produced in the 

male principle among living creatures. The finest part of the food is converted into the 

creative force of semen.

3b v) Woman: the 5th fire; the female principle that receives the Semen is the fifth 

fire. This is the “Cycle of Five Fires” by which all living beings are propagated in the world.

4 All these originate from the Supreme Purusha represented here by the Sun. Thus 

both the macrocosm and the microcosm have been explained in detail in the last two 

mantras.

The Panchagni Ritual :

The stages of this creation process of individual living beings are combined 

beautifully in the ritual called “Panchagni” that is prescribed for householders in general. 

The ‘householder’ here stands for householders from all the castes, belonging to all the 

three stages of development (Karma, Upasana and Jnana). All householders are enjoined to 

perform this ritual. Every householder is required to perform the Panchagni ritual daily to 

sanctify the performance of his duty to procreate the species.

Offerings are made to each “Fire”, which is regarded as a deity.

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Next

28 Mantram - 3.6 : Origin of Karma Kanda Rituals

To be continued

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