AITAREYA UPANISHAD -12. Rishi Maheedasa Aitareya.
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Chinmaya Mission :
Chinmaya Ramdoot at Branchburg, New Jersey had the honor of welcoming Pujya Swami Swaroopananda to inaugurate and bless the centre.
Swamiji toured the new center, inaugurating the auspicious Hanuman Murti in the center’s foyer. Swamiji and also blessed the new donor brick wall, speaking of the importance of continued and selfless seva.
Following this, Swamiji unveiled the Chinmaya Ramdoot inauguration plaques and addressed the audience with an inspiring speech about You can and You Must. In his moving speech, Swamiji spoke of the power of surrendering to the Lord to reach our infinite potential and the importance of redefining what we deem impossible as no feat is possible when serving the Lord. Swamiji concluded his visit by enjoying a lunch bhiksha cooked by the Sevaks.
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3 Parts, 6 Chapters, 33 No. Mantras : “By a Peasant for the Peasant”
PART - 1 :
Chapter -2 :
Mantras Nos-5.
POST-12.
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Monday, September 12, 2022. 06:00
Mantram 2.5: What About Hunger and Thirst?
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Mantram-5 :
16 tam ashanaayaa-pipaase abrutaam: aavaabhyaam abhiprajaaneehi, iti;
17 te abraveet, etaasu eva vaam devataasu aabhajaami; etaasu bhaaginyau karomi, iti.
18 tasmaat yasyai kasyai cha devataayai havih; grihyate bhaaginyau eva asyaam ashanaayaa-pipaase bhavatah.
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Translation :
16 tam ashanaayaa-pipaase abrutaam: = Hunger and Thirst said to Him:
aavaabhyaam abhiprajaaneehi, iti; = “For both of us also find out an abode.”
17 te abraveet, etaasu eva vaam = He told them: “To both of you along
devataasu aabhajaami; = with these Gods, do I assign a place,
etaasu bhaaginyau karomi, iti = and make you both SHARERS with them.”
18 tasmaat yasyai kasyai cha devataayai = Therefore, to whatever Devatas
havih; grihyate bhaaginyau eva asyaam = oblations are made, partakers of it also
ashanaayaa-pipaase bhavatah. = do Hunger and Thirst become.
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Commentary :
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Hunger and Thirst must have made their normal plea to Brahmaji. Brahmaji seemed not too
concerned about their problem and said to them, “But you are feelings; why do you need
abodes? Abodes are for the Devatas only.” This was like saying, “Only the Executives need
their own offices; why should the tea-boy and the maid need an office?”
16 But Hunger and Thirst begged once again to be given proper abodes. In fact,
several other Devatas also added their names to the petition, as there really was a problem.
Brahmaji pondered over this new problem for a pretty long time. He thought, “Being
feelings, how are they going to get their food and drink? If I give them an independent home
in the body, I cannot rely on the other Devatas to bring the food and drink to them. They
may forget to do so, and then Hunger and Thirst may never be satisfied.”
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The Perfect Co-operative Society :
17 As He pondered over the problem thus, a brainwave hit Him . . . “Oh yes, I’ve got
it! I shall make these two share the abodes of all the other Devatas. Then when it is time for
nourishment, all of them will feel the hunger and thirst together and so they will all have to
work together to bring the food and drink.”
This was quite a brilliant idea from Brahmaji. That is how it was arranged, and it
worked magnificently. When Hunger and Thirst felt hungry and thirsty, all the other Devatas
also felt the hunger and the thirst in them. So they co-operated fully to do their share of
work to obtain food and drink. Hunger and Thirst then distributed the nourishment to all the
Devatas in a measure proportional to each one’s need. It worked like a charm!
The hunger of the intellect goaded it to obtain more knowledge; that of the eyes
wished to see more pleasant sights. And so each organ had a hunger to fulfil its own
function. When food was needed, all of them contributed jointly to ensure that food was
brought on the table on time. It was a happy body, indeed, wherein all the Devatas worked
in harmony with each other for the joint success of the whole body.
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No Place for Selfishness in Nature :
Selfishness is detested in Nature. There is no provision for selfishness in the
economy of Nature. It is something alien to Nature. God did not take our selfishness into
account when He designed the whole of creation. Was this perhaps a mistake made by God?
He may have been too idealistic, too optimistic. But imagine the complication added
to Brahmaji’s task if He were to make this allowance in his design of creation. He would
need to build a kitchen in every organ to supply it with its own nourishment. And what if
one organ decided it was going to raid its neighbour’s kitchen at night? The human body
would have become a very hostile place to live in!
Anyway, the good side of seelfishness is that it created some work for two additional
Devatas – Worry and Anxiety! These two additional posts were created in His government.
The entire Police Force, Army and the Justice Department are run by these Devatas.
If everything was perfect for man, no one would think of God. The lesson is quite
clear: We can be as selfish as we want to, but at our own peril.
When we act selfishly, we act against Nature. And by acting against Nature, we head
for serious trouble within ourselves. Excessive selfishness is bound to get us into trouble
with Nature at some stage in our life; our Karma soon ‘catches up’ with us.
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Feeling the Success of Others as One’s Own :
18 There is a uniqueness and subtlety in this Upanishad. Here we see an example of
it. It compels us to think with it. We feel a part and parcel of the whole creation process. We
learn to work in co-operation and harmony with others. If the executives and workers in a
firm feel that the whole business belongs to them, then with what energy and zeal will they
work towards the success of the whole venture!
We also see how each Devata enjoys the success of every other Devata. When the
eyes see something pleasant, the whole body reacts with pleasure. When the ears hear
beautiful music, the whole body is soothed by it and enjoys it. When food and drink are
taken, all the Devatas of the body feel contented or satiated.
Here ends Chapter 2 of Part 1
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NEXT -
PART 1: Chapter 3A, 10 Mantras.
The Creation of FOOD
To be continued ...
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