Conch and Discus (Shankha and Cakra)

Posted on November 22, 2014 by gokulmuthu

(An edited version of this article was published in the November 2017 issue of Vedanta Kesari, the monthly magazine published from Ramakrishna Math, Chennai.)

Here is an imaginary conversation between a visitor and a devotee of Ramakrishna Math, Ulsoor, Bangalore.

Visitor: I saw conch (shankha) and discus (cakra) depicted on the wall in front of the temple. Is this a Vishnu temple?
Devotee: We believe that Shiva, Vishnu, Devi, Ganesha, Hanuman, etc. are all different ways to approach the same Supreme God. We also consider Sri Ramakrishna to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Independent of that, the conch and discus represent the motto of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission that Swami Vivekananda coined – “Aatmano mokshaartam jagat hitaaya ca”, which means “For the liberation of self and welfare of the world”..
Visitor: Yes. I have heard of that motto. How is that motto related to conch and discus?
Devotee: The discus represents Karma Yoga, which is “Jagat hitaaya ca”. The conch represents Jnaana Yoga, which is “Aatmano mokshaartam”.
Discus is constantly spinning. It is an indication of activity. It is called Sudharshana Cakra. That shows that activity should be with the right attitude for it to be Karma Yoga. The right attitude of work is as an offering to God. The constant spinning also indicates that there will be no end to work. The world will always be imperfect. Work done is only a means to our own inner development.
Conch represents Jnaana. Conch is an indication of sound. Knowledge is transmitted from Guru to the disciple through teaching in the form of sound. The sound of a Conch resembles the sound of Om, which is interpreted as the knowledge about the Self (Atma jnaana). This is also symbolically presented in the Bhagavata. Lord Vishnu touched the cheeks of child Dhruva with his Conch and Dhruva instantly had Atma jnaana.
Visitor: Oh, that is very nice. Swami Vivekananda talks of four Yogas. What about the other two?
Devotee: Yes. They are represented by the other two things in the hands of Lord Vishnu. Mace (gada) is a symbol of Raja Yoga, which is mind control. Lotus (padma) is a symbol of Bhakti Yoga.
Mace is heavy and used to control. It is an indication of mind control. When we want to lift something heavy, we usually hold our breath. Thus the heavy mace indicates praanaayaama, one of the important techniques to control the mind.
Lotus is in the shape of the heart, the seat of all emotions, particularly love. When the devotee feels love for God, it is felt in the heart as an inner ethereal glow. God is meditated as seated in the heart. Gita says, “ishwarah sarva bhutaanaam hrid deshe arjuna tishthati” – God is seated in the heart region of all living beings. Lotus has its origin in the mud below the water. Bhakti Yoga has the capacity to elevate a sinner into a saint. Gita says, “api cet suduraachaaro bhajate maam ananya bhaak saadhureva sa mantavyah” – Even if a person with previously bad character worships Me without any worldly desire, he should be considered as a saint.
Visitor: But only shanka and charka are depicted on the wall. Why not the depict the other two Yogas also?
Devotee: Raja Yoga is also represented by discus. Mental activity is also an activity, though internal. Bhakti Yoga is also represented by conch. Conch is also in the shape of the heart. Like lotus, conch also has its origin in the mud below the water. You can see that in many depictions of Lord Vishnu, the lotus and mace are skipped for brevity. Only conch and discus are always shown.
Visitor: That is a wonderful explanation. What else does the conch and discus depict?
Devotee: Discus also depicts dharma. Conch depicts moksha. These two are the higher of the four goals of life (purushaarthas). When Swami Vivekananda coined the motto, these two are indicated. “jagat hitaaya” indicates dharma. “aatmano mokshaartham” indicates moksha.
Visitor: What does Swami Vivekananda say about the other two goals: artha and kaama?
Devotee: Swami Vivekananda does not talk much about them. However, Sri Ramakrishna repeatedly talks about them. “kaamini kaanchana tyaaga” – renunciation of lust and greed – is an expression that can be found again and again in the Gospel  of Sri Ramakrishna (Kathaamritha).
Visitor: Oh, I have read the Gospel and have known the motto of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission. However, I never mapped them to the four goals of life as mentioned in the Vedas and other scriptures.
Devotee: Yes. What Sri Ramakrishna has talked about in the Gospel is nothing but the teachings of the Vedas and Gita in words that are more suitable to today’s people.
Visitor: Yes. That is true. Thanks for the wonderful explanations.
Devotee: Jai Ramakrishna !!!
Visitor: Jai Ramakrishna !!!
 

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Was Rama wrong in killing Vali from hiding?

Posted on November 22, 2014 by gokulmuthu

This is a question often asked. Recently a person asked this in a comment in Facebook. I thought I will archive my reply to it for future reading by anyone.
To get an answer the question on Vali, you just have read further in the Ramayana. Vali asks the question. Rama gives the answer and Vali is satisfied with the answer. Vali appreciates Rama’s understanding of Dharma and gives Angada into Rama’s protection. That shows that Vali does not see it as adharma.
Some of the reasons are:
– Dasharatha (one whose chariot goes unobstructed in 10 directions), true to his name was emperor. So there is no region outside his rule, though some regions like Dandaka Aranya were temporarily occupied by Maricha, Subhahu, etc. Rama being the son of Dasharatha has all the rights to ensure dharma using all the means available. On the top of that, the boon of Kaikeyi was – let Bharata rule over the cities and let Rama rule over the forests for 14 years.
– Rama being a Kshatriya, under the authority of the Veda, which is accepted by the whole Bharata Varsha (including Kishkinda and Lanka), has the right to take to task the wrong doings of any king anywhere in Bharata Varsha. (Like countries going half-way round the earth to establish human rights)
– If Vali is considered as a civilized person, he should honor the rules of civilized society like marriage, brotherhood, etc. If Vali is considered as an animal, a Kshatriya has the right to kill an animal as sport. (This was an allowance given to maintain the grit and valor of Kshatriyas during times of peace and also there were an abundance of animals in the forest.)
– To establish Dharma, a Kshatirya can do whatever needed. For example, a police car can violate the speed limit to intercept a speeding rogue car. If the police car follows the speed limit, the rogue car can never be intercepted. This is the case with Vali. He has a boon that half the strength of anyone who fights in front of him would come to him. So a Kshatriya has the right to strategize.
– Vali being the current king, if a war is declared, he will first send the monkey army. Only after fully finishing off the army, Rama will even get a chance to fight Vali. Even if he kills Vali then, what Sugriva would get is a country whose army has been destroyed by Rama. Also, the monkeys in the army are innocent. Rama did not want such destruction.
– Rama had promised to Sugriva that Vali will not see sunset. To keep up his promise, Rama is ready to be even take the name of “coward”. To Rama, keeping up the word is more important than the name as “brave”.
These are only some of the discussion in Ramayana. You just have to read more deeply. Your question and many more that you can think of are raised and answered. If you still have a different question, you need to approach a person like Krishna Premi Maharaj or some traditional authority. They will be very happy to answer your question.
The same is the case with all the so-called controversial questions like “Rama going to exile”, “Sita entering fire”, “pregnant Sita being abandoned”, “Drona taking Ekalavya’s thumb”, “Yudhisthira playing game of dice”, etc. The original texts themselves have elaborate discussions on these topics. You just need to read further or ask a traditional teacher. Never approach modern storytellers for these. We have a very good rational intelligent tradition who would give the answers in the spirit of the original book.

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God and the world

Posted on November 21, 2014 by gokulmuthu

We have a story in India: A king was very proud of his vast kingdom and great power. He asked a visiting sage, “Do you see how powerful I am and how big my kingdom is?” The sage replied, “Yes, I see. Even God cannot do what you can do.” The king was very happy. He asked the sage, “Please tell me more about that.” The sage replied, “If you want to, you can expel someone out of your kingdom. God cannot do that.” The king understood the catch and became humble.

Even if people are ignorant, arrogant and evil, God cannot reject them. God cannot condemn them. God can only give them opportunities to correct themselves. And, everyone gets as many opportunities as needed. There is no concept of rejection at all. This is the basic Hindu idea of God. God is not apart from the world and the beings. The world and the beings are not apart from God. God cannot disown anyone or reject anyone. There is no one apart from Him.

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Liberation and the steps to it

Posted on November 12, 2014 by gokulmuthu

Moksha (liberation) is merely dropping the deep rooted wrong notion that ‘I am an individual’.
Dropping a deep rooted notion usually involves these steps:
1. Be open minded by dropping biases
2. Calm down to be able to listen
3. Gain the right notion
4. Clear away all intellectual doubts
5. Let the new idea sink in by pondering over it more and more
These steps are called respectively:
1. Citta shuddhi by Karma Yoga
2. Niscala praapti by Upasana Yoga
3. Jnaana praapti by Sravana
4. Samshaya nivriti by Manana
5. Jnana nishtha by Nididhyaasana
Pranams to the feet of Swami Paramarthanandaji for giving this clarity.

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Ten Tenets of Hinduism

Posted on August 28, 2014 by gokulmuthu

Hinduism is perhaps the least propagated among its own followers. When there is a fairly common opinion among Hindus about who their saints and leaders are, and which their scriptures are, there is very less understanding of the formal definitions and concepts that they teach. Almost every Hindu would agree on many of the names of their saints and leaders – Rama, Krishna, Vyasa, Suka, Sankara, Alwars, Nayanmars, Ramanuja, Madhva, Caitanya, Vallabha, Nimbarka, Maratha and Kannada saints like Jnaneswar, Tukaram, Purandaradasa, North Indian saints like Kabir, Tulsidas, Surdas, Meerabai, modern saints and leaders like Ramakrishna, Vivekananda, Ramana, Gandhi, Tilak, Tagore, Aurobindo, Bharati, etc. But, if we ask the person, “What was the leader’s understanding of Hinduism?”, “What did the leader teach about Hinduism?”, he will not know. The kind of answers we might get are like “Hinduism cannot be defined.”, “Hinduism is merely a way of life.”, “There is no common concept of Hinduism.”, etc. Much of these statements are unfounded. We can easily find that more than 99% of the Hindu saints and leaders in the past thousand and more years share a set of basic principles (called Vedanta) that are common. Almost every Hindu knows that the Vedas, Gita, Puranas, Ramayana, Mahabharata, various stotras and scriptures are the ones that define the concepts of Hinduism. But if you ask him what they say about Hinduism, he will not be able to list even a few concepts. Even though the common Hindu might not know or might not have thought about a structured presentation of concepts, there exists a structure. If the salient points of the structure are listed and told to the common Hindu, he will be surely able to relate his beliefs, practices and “way of life” to be in consonance with the list of concepts.

Here are listed some of the high level common salient concepts. References to the relevant verses in the Bhagavad Gita are given in brackets.

  1. The individual, called jiva is the possessor of freewill. As freewill is “free” from matter, memories and emotions, the jiva is not a part or product or property of the body or mind. The jiva is an independent entity, who expresses and experiences through the body and mind. (15.7, 15.8, 15.9, 15.16, 2.12, 2.13, 2.22)
  2. The jiva is wholly responsible for all the situations faced in life. (6.5) The present situation faced by the jiva is the result of the past actions (physical, verbal and mental) of the jiva. The future situations that will be presented to the jiva will be the result of the past and present actions of the jiva. The jiva cannot escape the good and bad consequences of its actions, even by death. (6.41, 6.42, 16.18, 16.19, 16.20, 9.3, 13.22) This is called the Law of Karma.
  3. Isvara is the sum total of all that exists. (7.4, 7.5, 11.7, 11.13, 11.38) Isvara is that Supreme Being, to whom, the entire material Universe is the body, the sum total of the minds of all jivas is the mind and identifies with the whole of existence. So, Isvara is everywhere as everything. (11.5, 9.4, 13.14, 13.15, 13.16, 13.17)
  4. Isvara has created, or rather has become or appears as, the jagat (Universe) for the benefit of the jivas to express and experience, by which they will mature in wisdom, which is the purpose of the existence of the Universe. For this, Isvara creates, sustains and recycles the Universe. (9.17, 10.20, 13.17) The jivas continue to exist with all their past effects and impressions intact even on recycling of the Universe. (8.19)
  5. Isvara knows the innermost thoughts and intentions of every jiva. (10.20, 18.63) Isvara oversees the reward of every physical, verbal and mental action of every jiva in a fair and appropriate manner. (9.19, 7.21) This does not make Isvara judgmental because, Isvara is not different from the whole of existence. It is Isvara, as it were, that enjoys or suffers as the jiva itself. (13.15, 13.23, 9.24) Isvara is compassionate to every jiva because the jiva is not apart from Isvara. (7.7) It is just the Law of Nature that results in the reward. Isvara wants every jiva to learn from the good and bad experiences in life and grow in wisdom. (4.33)
  6. Isvara’s teachings are available in the form of the Vedas, which was revealed to rishis in the distant past. (4.1) Isvara teaches the jivas through various saints in all places in all ages. (4.3, 4.34) Isvara is accessible to any sincere jiva in any place in any age. (7.21, 4.10) Occasionally, Isvara comes in the midst of the jivas in the garb of another jiva (incarnation) to help and teach the jivas. Isvara has come innumerable times in the past and will come innumerable times in the future. (4.6, 4.7, 4.8) Any teaching of anyone in any age is acceptable as authentic if it does not contradict the Vedas. (4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 13.25, 13.26, 16.23, 16.24)
  7. By having a relationship with Isvara, which is based on faith, gratitude and love, the jivas can face the ups and downs of life with poise. The relationship will help them to be honest, compassionate, disciplined, unselfish, peaceful and happy even under extreme situations in life. With this equanimity and poise, the jivas will be able to learn from the various experiences, grow in wisdom and understand that they are not apart from Isvara. (12.13-12.20, 9.34, 12.6, 12.7) This relationship is called Bhakti.
  8. To develop the relationship with Isvara, worship is a very effective exercise. Isvara can be worshiped as without form or through any form. It depends on the temperament of the worshiper. (12.2, 12.3, 12.4) The worship can be physical, verbal or mental. As Isvara is everywhere, knows the innermost thoughts and is compassionate, all that is needed is love and sincerity. (9.26) Isvara will know even if the jiva calls by any name. Isvara can be worshiped as male or female or neither or beyond. Isvara can be worshiped as any aspect of Nature or any form. (11.5) Different forms of mental worship is called meditation. Hinduism has developed a detailed system of preparations and procedures of meditation that is suitable to people of different temperaments. (6.10-6.28) Usage of images and other representations of Isvara helps to concentrate the mind and form a personal emotional relationship with Isvara. Stories of incarnations, saints and devotees, stories of divine personalities which incorporate various aspects of Isvara, allegories that help meditation on various qualities of Isvara and various legends help forming a personal relationship with Isvara. Any form of worship invoking an all-pervading, all-knowing and all-powerful entity is accepted as worship of Isvara. (7.21, 7.22)
  9. As Isvara is the whole of existence, anything that the jiva does is an offering to Isvara and any situation that the jiva faces in life is from Isvara only. Thus, every moment of life is an interaction with Isvara only. So, doing full justice to the current situation in which the jiva is placed by doing its duty as an offering to Isvara, is itself a form of worship of Isvara. (18.46, 9.27, 11.55) This is called Karma Yoga.
  10. When the jiva understands fully and deeply that it is not apart from Isvara, the goal is reached. Freed from the cycle of desire, action and result, the jiva merges with Isvara and attains real peace. This goal is called moksha – freedom. (13.31, 13.32, 6.29, 6.30, 6.31, 2.71, 2.72)

With these as the common salient points, the details and practices vary from sect to sect and even person to person. Hinduism gives that freedom to the individual. Hinduism welcomes the forming, merging and dissolution of any number of sects to cater to the different needs of people of various temperaments, provided the basic principles of honesty, love, discipline and unselfishness are upheld. Hinduism also encompasses various non-Vedanta viewpoints, which differ from the above listed points to various degrees. However, as mentioned earlier, almost all of the today’s practicing Hindus would agree with the above mentioned points.

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