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Tag: Jiva

  • Death Rites Explanation Part 1 Hinduism

    Hinduism postulates that there are five sheaths for a Human Being.

     

    They are ,

     

    Annamaya Kosa,made of the essence of Food,

    Death Rituals Hinduism

     

    Pranamaya Kosa, of Breath,

     

    Manomaya Kosa, of Thoughts,

     

    Vignanamaya Kosa , of Knowledge and

     

    Anandamaya Kosa, of Bliss.

     

    Each of these are nurtured by their respective attributes/source of their Being and together they constitute the Living Human being.

     

    When one dies what is visible to us the lifeless body, which had been nurtured by Food at the Annamaya Kosa Level,by the essence of Food.

     

    After one’s death, it lingers till the twelfth day around the place of Death.

     

    Till the twelfth day Tharpana,called Kuzhi Tharpan,called so because it is performed n a small pit made preferably at the house where the death took place.

     

    Ceremonies for death are conducted till the 12 Day, the thirteenth being Purification,not only for the satisfaction of the Annamaya Kosa, but for the other Kosas,,Prana, Vignana,Manas and Ananda, the last one reminding the Eternal Nature of the Self.

     

    Mantras recited during these twelve days ensure this.

     

    After these ceremonies the Subtle body, Sukshama, enters the Pithru loka, sans the Physical body.

     

    The remnants of the actions performed remain with the Subtle body even after it takes rebirth.

     

    Significance of the Thirteen Day Rituals.

     

    Day One.

     

    The dying man suffers as Death knocks.

     

    One is expected to avoid mundane thoughts and remember God’s name.

     

    So as Death nears, those near are expected to recite Vishnu Sahsranama , Bhagavad Gita near the person’s head.

     

    The son, keeping his parent’s head on his left lap ,recites the Karna Mantra, in the Left ear.

     

    Or the Panchakshara, Om Nama Sivaya

     

    Karna Mantra.

     

    Sarva Dharman Parithyajyasya Klanir Bhavathi Bharata,

     

    Ahamthva Sarva Paapepyo Mokshayisyaami Ma sucha. Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 18.

     

    Ganga water is given .

     

    The dying is made to lie down head facing South.

     

    The body without Life is called Sava while the state of Jiva(Soul) is Preta.

     

    The Yamadutas, the servants of the Lord of Death, Yama drags the life out.

     

    As soon as the life is out, a small oil lamp lit with Gingelly oil is left near the body’s head.

     

    The body is to be laid on the Dharpa grass.

     

    The body is bathed, daughters, perform this and draped with a new Cloth after removing everything else from the body.

     

    The body is garlanded and Rice is dropped in the mouth by the relatives.

     

    The ceremonies are performed as dictated int the relevant Veda Sutra of the deceased.

     

    The son takes bath and performs the Homa and takes the body with Fire in a pot   to the cremation Ground.

     

    The son is expected to shave, in some custom hair of the head is also removed.

     

    At the cremation ground, the son performs Nagna Prachchadana Sraddham,after removing the clothes from the body.

     

    The dead feel ashamed and hence free offering of clothes for the next ten days are advised.

     

    It also feels thirsty and hungry.

     

    Food is also offered as Dhana during these ten days.

     

    Now after the Homa is over, establishing Kunda, on  the river bank another at  Home is done where Tharpana is done daily.

     

    Two Tharpanas, one Tilotaka, water with Til and another Vasodhaka, water wrung from Cloth is to be performed daily for the Two kundas daily till the tenth day.

     

    Tilodaka is offered thrice on day one and it increases one every day and on the tenth day it is twelve.

     

    This is to quench the thirst of the departed.

     

    To satiate hunger Pinda ,rice balls are offered.

     

    The dead assumes the Vayavya Sarira.

     

    It is formless.

     

    The offering of Pinda helps in forming the solid body.

     

    First day offering helps in the formation of the head, second the formation of the neck and shoulders,the third the Heart, the fourth the Back, the fifth the navel, sixth the waist, seventh generative organs, the eighth the Thighs and the ninth day the Legs.

     

    The tendency to offer the Tharpana on the tenth day ,instead of every day is proscribed as it makes the dead thirsty, hungry, and prevents the formation of sarira, body.

     

    Ekottavruddhi sradhham is to be performed daily till the tenth day.

     

    Cooked rice with vegetables are to be offered to three people on the first day , to be increased by one every day till the tenth day,corresponding to the Tila Sraddha and on the twelfth day 12 are to be fed or are to be gifted the materials.

     

    Nava sraddham is performed on day one, three, five, seven , nine  and eleven by  offering rice.

     

    Related articles

    http://ramanisblog.in/2013/08/18/mourning-death-theetu-rituals-hinduism-details/

     

    http://ramanisblog.in/2014/10/14/death-rites-hinduism-part-2-day-2-to-thirteen/

     

  • Complex Thoughts Simple Explanation Shankaracharya

    Complex Thoughts Simple Explanation Shankaracharya

    Thoughts in Indian Philosophy and questions raised are very complex.

    It delves deep into the subject , not just skims over.

    The World , to be known, has two elements or two things.

    The Observer and The Observed.

    We are the Observers and all other things are the ‘Observed’

    On our side, The Observer, we have the following .

    The five sense organs,Eyes,Ears, Nose, Mouth and Skin (body, tactile)-5

    Five acts of perception, seeing,tasting etc.(Eyes register Image, they do not experience; to explain  one may have eyes but can not see;the act of seeing is different from ‘seeing’) -5

    It calls for abstract thinking of the highest order.

    However, the Upanishads and Commentator of the of the Upanishads(among other things), Shankaracharya travel that extra mile to make it simple

    for every one to understand.

    On Reality.

    One of the most difficult concepts to follow is the concept of Brahman the ultimate Reality.

    It is described as without qualities ,Attributes.

    How does one describe something,which has Nothing to describe?

    The Upanishads follow the ‘Neti Nyaya’- Not this, not This.

    The reality , Brahman  is described as,

    Neither small, nor Big,

    Neither short, nor Long,

    Neither male nor Female,

    …… this goes on.

    Now if this seems to be tough, try this one.

    The Individual Soul, Jiva appears to be different from the  One, due to ignorance, but once Ignorance is removed, it becomes one with the Brahman.

    How is this explained by analogy by the Upanishads, and by Shankaracharya.

    Upanishads.

    Take a Pot.

    What is inside?

    Air.

    What is outside the Pot?

    Air.

    Now break the Pot.

    Where is the Air inside the Pot and where is the Air that was out side?

    The outside air is Brahman , the inside air is Jiva, individual Soul.

    On The Illusory Nature of the world-Shankaracharya.

    You are traveling  during twilight in a single track in a Forest.

    You find a rope. .

    In the twilight, you assume it is a Snake and you are scared.

    You shine a Light on it only to find it is Rope ,not a Snake.

    Now which is true?

    The Rope?

    The Snake?

    Shankaracharya explains.

    Though the perception of Rope as a Snake is false, it was true till you switched on the Light.

    You were scared.

    So, At that point of Time, it  was/is true.

    Once it was seen in the Light, it is found to be false.

    Now The Rope is found to be true.

    Where was it when you saw the Rope.

    So,

    The world is real as you experience it, till your ignorance leaves you .

    The Brahman , Reality dawns when you are without Ignorance.

    So the Reality and the world of names and forms are both Real at the same time.

    Yet the Brahman, Reality, Brahman is more Real as the air out side the Pot.

    So the world is Illusory , yet one has to live through it .

    That’s Shankaracharya!

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  • Jainism Hinduism Essentials Differences

    Jainism, a part of Indian Thought and Culture, was founded by Vardhamana Mahavira, born in North Bihar in 540 BC.

    He was a worldly man till thirty years and became an ascetic and lived till 72 years.

    Major Religions of Indian Origin
    Religions Of India

    His philosophy is called Jainism

    The root Jina means Spiritual Conqueror.

    Those who follow him are Jains and the Religion is called Jainism.

    Jainism is classified as a Nastika system of Indian Philosophy, along with Buddhism,Charvaka,Nyaya, Yoga,Vaisheshika,and Sankhya(some call it Astika), which do not believe in the authenticity of the Vedas.

    Most of the Jainism Doctrines are the same as the Vedas or Sanatana Dharma.

    Agreement and differences with Hinduism.

    For example, the Karma Theory.

    The theory of Karma is more stringent and is not dependent on Ishvara or personal God as in Hinduism.

    In Jainism Karma operates independently of Iswara.

    Hinduism speaks of One Ultimate Reality,Non Dualism , Jainism speaks of Multiple Realities.

    The Reality is not one.

    The individual Soul is not dependent on the Universal Soul, there is no Universal Soul.

    There are two entities, Jiva, with Consciousness and Ajiva without Consciousness.

    The sentient are Jivas and the non-sentient are Ajivas.

    The Jiva or Soul is blinkered to perceiving things  in their own Nature,because of limitations.

    Transcending these limitation is called the Kevala Jnana.

    Jiva is the Spirit.

    Ajiva, the non spirit is devoid of Consciousness.

    It has three essential ingredients.

    Pudgala(matter) , Time and Space.

    Matter is composed of Atoms are perceived to be different things because of the various combinations .

    There is no underlying principle as such , as in Hinduism.

    Space and Time are perceived as modes which are Infinite.

    As such the world has no beginning and no end.

    Hinduism states that the world is eternal and Time is Cyclic.

    For Jainism Change is Permanent , while for Hinduism Permanence alone is Real and the changes are apparent.

    On the Theory of Knowledge or Epistemology, Jainism agrees with Hinduism in that it is Self Luminous.

    While Hinduism states that it is the modification of the Self is the world of things, Jainism says the world is of Multiple Realities.

    The removal of the obstruction brings forth Knowledge as Knowledge is apart from the Self.

    Hinduism states that removal of Ignorance from the Self leads to reverting to Knowledge state.

    Jainism believes is Perception or Pratyaksha.

    It believes in Immediate Knowledge as in Hinduism.

    Here the difference is that Jainsim believes in th particular Knowledge of a Thing in detail and nothing more.

    This , as related to Jiva or Soul.

    Hinduism takes into account all aspects of Immediate Knowledge without reservations , like Sabda, testimony of the Vedas.

    Jainism accepts Inference and Tharka(logic).

    Intuition is not accepted by Jainism as by Hinduism.

    The Logical system of Jainism is the best and is far more advanced than the Logical Positivism.

    This is called the Sabda Bhangi Naya.

    Please read my post on this.

    Fundamentals of Ethics.

    Jainism encourages spiritual development through cultivation of personal wisdom and through reliance on self-control through vows.[59] Jains accept different levels of compliance for ascetics and lay followers.[59] Ascetics of this religion undertake five major vows:

    1. Ahimsa: Ahimsa means non-violence. The first major vow taken by ascetics is to cause no harm to living beings. It involves minimizing intentional and unintentional harm to other living creatures.
    2. Satya: Satya literally means “truth”. This vow is to always speak the truth. Given that non-violence has priority, other principles yield to it whenever they conflict: in a situation where speaking truth could lead to violence, silence is to be observed.[59]
    3. Asteya: The third vow, asteya, is to not take anything that is not willingly offered.[59] Attempting to extort material wealth from others or to exploit the weak is considered theft.
    4. Brahmacharya: The vow of brahmacharya requires the exercise of control over the senses by refraining from indulgence in sexual activity.
    5. Aparigraha: Aparigraha means non-possessiveness. This vow is to observe detachment from people, places and material things.[59] Ascetics completely renounce property and social relations.(wiki)

     

    In Hinduism Ethics is more elaborate and elastic.

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