Guṇa means
quality or attribute. According to the Saṅkhya system, the three constituents
(guṇa) of prakriti are sattva, rajas and tamas. Their balance determines the
inherent characteristics of all things in this universe. The word Guna is also
applied to organs of actions (karmendriya) which are driven by these guṇas.
Guru is so
called because gukārah antakārasyāt rukārah tan
nivartikah, antakāra nirōditat guru iti ucchyate budhaih ( Gu stands for darkness ru stands for removal of that darkness;
hence guru)
Ᾱdi Śankara gives the following
characteristics of a Guru. Śāntā mahānto nivasanti santo, vasantavat
lōkāhitam carantah, tīrṇāh svayam bhīmabhavārṇavam janān, ahetuna anyān api
tārayantah. They always live in
peace (and harmony). They move like spring breeze in this world. They have
crossed the ocean of life and can help everyone cross it with ease.
Indra: The original name seems to be idandran, which is a combination of
“idam” (this, Brahman) and “dran” (have seen). One who has seen Brahman, is Indran.(Idam aadarsham ithi tasmaat idandrah, vai naama idandrah) .
The root word is ind, means to be powerful.The other
etymology for the word Indra is indati
iti, indrah.
Indriya: “Indralingam indradriṣtam indrasriṣtam
indrajruṣtam indradattham ithi Indriyam” says the definition. In other
words, the organs of sense and action owe their origin, power and qualities to
Indra, the Lord of the Deva’s. In Uddhava gīta (11:36), Lord Kriṣna says: sarvaindriya indriyam, that is “I am the
one who gives the power for the organs to function”.
Īśvara has 7 qualities. They are sarvgñatā (all
knowing), tripti (self contained), anādibhodam (beginning-less knowledge),
svatantratā (in His own power), nitya (eternal) aluptaśakti (undiminished energy) and anantatā (endless).
(look for Jīva below)
Jāti, Kulam
and Varṇam are related concepts and the source of so much problems in the
Indian society.
Jāti is defined as fixed by birth and
therefore, includes race and lineage. Therefore it is specific and defines a
“species”. It may include members of a caste (varṇa) or tribe (hunting or
fishing) or religion or a class (economic).
Kulam is more a genus than a species
and includes tribes and families
Varṇam means color and is applied to
what is now called Caste. This word is an unfortunate introduction by the
Portugese to whom the word castas
means “tribes, clans or families”. The word came to be used to both the varṇa
and jāti. Incidentally, the so called caste was not prevalent in the Dravidian
culture.
The main point was that there were
several guilds (coppersmiths, ironsmiths, carpenters etc) in those days. They formed several jātis
(later called castes) who practised the same profession, who married only within their group
kula (class or caste) or married “up”, and did not eat in the company of the
other groups.
Jīva also called Paśu is bound by vidya (limited
knowledge), rāgam (desires), avidya (ignorance), niyati (fate and luck), kalā
(limited expertise) and kāla (time). In the Advaita system, Jīva is individualized ātman.
Kaiśava as in
ka (Brahma), a (Viṣṇu), īśa (śiva) and va (vaśa, or under control). One who is in
control of creation, protection and dissolution.
Kumaran Kutsitān
mārayati iti - because He conquers
the asurāh (demons) of Kāma (desire, lust) and Krōda (anger). Another
derivative is Kutsitō mārō yainah which
means one who is more handsome than Māran, another name for the God of Love
Manmadan.
Mantra is so
called because mananāt trāyate, it
protects because of being contemplated on, because it is kept in the mind (manas). In japa, the mantra is not
uttered aloud. (the name mantri for minister is based on the
requirement that a minister should keep secrets to himself).
Mōkṣa is
defined as: Mōkṣaya nahi vāsōsti na
grāmāntaram vā; agñahrdayagrantināśo Mōkṣa iti smrutah. (from Gita Rahasya of
Tilak, Vol 1, page 343) This means that Liberation is not in any particular
place. You do not have to go to some other place to get it. Destruction of
ignorance in the form of a knot in your heart is known as Liberation.
Muni is
different from a riṣi. Muni is defined as a sage, ascetic, saint; one who is
indifferent to pain and pleasure; devoid of fear, desire and anger and one of
steady mind. The term riṣi denotes a poet; the seer. This is reserved for those
who obtained the Vedas and gave them to us.
Nārāyaṇa Ᾱpo nārā iti proktā āpo vai
narasūnavah. Tā yad asyāyanam pūrvam
tena nārāyaṇa smrutah. Two meanings.
Nāra means water; it also means human. He is also the source from which we came
(ayanam means abode)
OM (Pranav
mantra) is so called because akārō viṣṇuh
uddhiṣto, ukārastu maheśvarah, makārastu smrutho brahma, praṇavatu trayātmikah
Prāṇa Prakarṣena aṇah iti because it is an excellent breath, life itself
Pragna is a natural state in that it is in this state we are
aware of all the other states – namely awake (vaishvanara) and dream (taijasa).
Pragna is the general ( ) which
functions as a particular (visesha)
in the other two states. It is also
called Ishvara (in the Yoga or Nyaya)
or Atman (advaita) or Antaryamin (visishtadvaitam). In the advaita system
it is the material and the efficient cause of this universe. Chit is the perceiving consciousness. Buddhi is the content or the object of this perceiving
consciousness.
Prāṇa Prakarṣena aṇah iti because it is an excellent breath, life itself
Pratyaksha is
the direct perception of particular and/or inference and related to physical
things and mental objects.
Purāṇa is
socalled because pura api nava iti
though it is old, it is new
Puruṣa is
so called because sarvāsu pūrṣu puriśayah
iti, one who dwells in all bodies (this is from Brhadāraṇyaka Upanishad
2:5:18)
Riṣi denotes
a poet; the seer. This is reserved for those who obtained the Vedas and gave
them to us.
Rudra is so
called because rjam drāvayati, He
drives away suffering; or rōdayati,
He makes us cry.
Ramā is one
who makes you happy, ramayati iti.
Stobha are special sounds/mantra uttered in
Sāma veda. e (for invocation), ō hau
(rpresent Vāsudeva), him (represent
prajāpati) and yā (food).
These are shortened forms of mantras for convenience
of recitation and have symbolic meanings. There are 13 of them. Hā ū stand for
Earth (prithvi), hā ī (vāyu, air), a
ya (chandra, moon), ī ha ( jīvātman,
Self), ī (agni, fire), u (sun, āditya), e
(invocation), ō hau (Vāsudeva), him ( prajāpati) and yā (food, annam), hu (indeterminate),
vāk ( virāt) and svarah (prāṇa).
Also,
the word Swaaha is used during
homa/yagna when offering oblations to the devāa thru agni (fire). The word swadha is used when the offering is to
ancestors.
Sūtra means a thread, in simple meaning.
Figuratively, it means the material cause of the universe, just as the thread
is the material cause of a piece of cloth. This meaning is implied in slokā’s
which describe the process of creation in terms of spider weaving its abode out
of itself and taking it back.
Sūtra also means aphorisms. They are
cryptic statements which condense plenty of meaning in as few words as possible
in order to facilitate memorization and recall. Since they are cryptic, they
need explanation (bhaṣya). This, in turn, leads to different explanations for
the same statement.
It is also used to name sacred and
philosophical texts. The word grantha
means a condensation of an elaborate treatise. Sutra is tighter than that. In these texts the word thread (sutra) is in
relations to Brahman, and signifies one of three things: 1. Holds together the Universe, as a thread
holds together a string of pearls; 2.is inherent in the universe, weaved into
it just as threads are weaved into clothes and 3. The Universe comes out of
Brahman and receded into Him, just like the thread of a spider which comes out
of its mouth.
Sutra
is defined as : alpaksharam asamdhigdham saaratah vishwathomukham
Asthobham
anavadyam cha sutram sutravidho vidhuh
Finally, sūtra also stands for Mahat
or Cosmic Energy (energy portion of the material cause) and therefore often
equated with prāṇa, hiraṇyagarbha, sūtratma, and vāyu. Mahat also stands for
buddhi.
Vāsudeva because vasati, vāsayati lives
and makes it live (sarvabhūtativāsah – lives in every creature)
Vishnu so
called because viṣ vyāpane (He
expands into)
Vyāsa is so
called because he categorized the Vedas Vivāsa
vedān yasmāt sa vyāsa iti smrti
Yantra so
called because yamati trāyate iti (protects by containing within). This
includes geographic designs of various shapes such as Mandala, Chakra etc.
Yōga so
called because the root word is yuj
which means to unite (the individual with the universal). It is defined by
Patanjali as chitta vritti nirōdhah
meaning that it is control of the mental activities. In Karma yōga, however,
yōga is defined as samatvam yōga uccyate
(Bhagvat Gīta 2:48) which translates to “Equanimity is yōga”
No comments:
Post a Comment