Here is an interesting little shloka from the Mausala Parva.

While describing how the pANDavAs felt when they heard news that bhagavAn had departed for his abode, vyAsa uses the following wording:
nidhanaM vAsudevasya samudrasyeva shoShaNam vIrA na shraddadhus tasya vinAshaM shAr~NgadhanvanaH

[The loss of vAsudeva was like the drying up of the very ocean. Those valorous ones could not believe that (news), which was the loss of the bearer of the shAr~Nga.]+
Superficially, it seems to imply that the pANDavAs could not believe the death of bhagavAn, who is immortal, had occurred.

But this is a mistranslation. For the pANDavAs were j~nAnIs and well knew about bhagavAn’s true nature.+
Note that vyAsa has used both “nidhanam” and “vinAshaM”, as well as “vAsudeva” and “shAr~NgadhanvanaH. If he meant to convey the same meaning of “death”, why use different words? Why also call bhagavAn by different names?

Explained as follows+
nidhanaM vAsudevasya samudrasyeva shoShaNam

[The end or conclusion of the form as son of vasudeva, was like the drying up of the ocean which sustains life (for the pANDavAs).]+
“nidhanam” means an end. The pANDavAs were those who enjoyed the company of bhagavAn as shrI kR^iShNa. They couldn’t believe that the avatAra had come to an end. Why? Because they knew bhagavAn to be "vAsudeva", ie, the son of vasudeva+
vasudeva is known for being steadfast and truthful. So, his son, vAsudeva, is also expected to be steadfast and true to his devotees. The name signifies his reputation of integrity he has inherited from his father - the kalyANa guNa of "Arjavam"+
The pANDavAs were thinking, “how can such a person, the son of the truthful vasudeva, who vowed to protect us, leave us, his bhaktAs? The protection we seek is his darshaNa only at all times, and nothing else!”+
The same is said by Kulasekhara Perumal. He in gopIka bhAva, awaits bhagavAn’s arrival. When bhagavAn does not arrive, he says, “vAsudeva! Un varavu pArthen!” – “As you are the son of vasudeva, I expected you to keep your promise and come. But you didn’t come!”+
The loss of the vision of vAsudeva is like drying up of the ocean. Just as the ocean waters sustain life, seeing bhagavAn’s divine form as vAsudeva gave life to the pANDavAs.

The next line states that they also lost the experience of his auspicious qualities+
vIrA na shraddadhus tasya vinAshaM shAr~NgadhanvanaH
 
[Those ones with j~nAna and vairAgya, could not believe the loss of that (experience of ) bhagavAn, the bearer of the shAr~Nga.]+
The shvetAsvatAra upanishad uses the term “vIrAn” to denote j~nAna and vairAgya. So, it means the pANDavAs have those qualities as bhagavad bhaktAs.

“vinAshaM” means loss of the experience of bhagavad guNAs. As his form cannot be seen, experience of his qualities is not there.+
The first line said they lost his company, ie, the vision of his divine form. The second line now indicates they have lost the experience of his auspicious qualities associated with that form. They could not believe it. Why?+
Because bhagavAn is the bearer of the shAr~Nga. Under the nAma “dhanur-dharaH” in sahasranAma, Bhattar says that he is called by this name because his bow shAr~Nga is specifically used to upoot the obstacles in the path of his devotees who are performing Yoga+
The pANDavAs were yogIs and therefore, bhagavAn protected their Yoga directed towards him, by removing their obstacles with his sturdy bow. The shruti says the bow is one form of sudarshaNa, so equating shAr~Nga to sudarshaNa chakra is quite acceptable+
They had lost the vision of bhagavAn, who had vowed to protect by bestowing the vision of his form (divyaM dadAmi te chakShuH ~ gIta). Even if vision is lost, one can have guNAnubhava; they could not believe that was also lost when he vowed to protect their Yoga with his bow+
Therefore, shrI vyAsa was bringing out the grief of the pANDavAs in loss of vision and loss of experience of bhagavAn. Very similar to Kulasekhara Azhwar’s accusations of bhagavAn.//

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More from @DefiledGod

5 Jun
The shankhAyaNa AraNyaka enjoins meditation on prANa as follows:

Sa esha samvatsarasamAnashcha chaturmayashcha – shrotramayashcha chandomayo manomayo vAgmaya AtmA+
[This is the prANa that is the support of the human body (Atma), which is similar to the year, having fourfold form – the form of the ear (shrotramaya) the form of the Vedas (chandomaya), the form of the mind (manomaya), the form of speech (vAgmaya).]+
Now, what should one meditate on? Is it mere prANa? No. It is prANa-sharIraka-paramAtma who is meditated on.

Who is this paramAtma who is meditated as prANa? Refer to the prayers of brahmA to kR^ishNa in the padma purANa+
Read 6 tweets
11 Jan
Here is the shloka from Udyoga Parva. Karna visualizes the war as bhakti yoga with kriShNa as the object of sacrifice. He summarizes the role of duhshAsana here+
duhShAsanasya rudhiraM yadA pAShyati pANDavaH AnardaM nardataH samyak tadA sutyaM bhaviShyati+
Superficial meaning: When you see the son of Pandu (bhIma) with the blood of duhshAsana roaring in anger and making sounds of victory at the same time, then will the day of the extraction of Soma commence (in this sacrifice of war).+
Read 6 tweets
11 Jan
Despite the fact that duhshAsana was possibly more evil minded than Duryodhana, it is a funny fact that he stands for the tattva of the Vedas from a metaphysical aspect according to Karna in Udyoga Parva+
"duhshAsana" - the command or instruction that is difficult to understand or follow - represents the Vedas. Him torturing Draupadi is like the jIva subject to sorrow due to chasing after the alpa-phalans of the Vedas (traiguNya viShaya veda...gIta 2.45)+
bhIma tearing open his chest for blood - bhIma is meditation on Brahman. The Vedas are aparavidyA and by meditation which is paravidyA, they are "torn open" to reveal the nectar of auspicious attributes which is signified by duhshAsana's blood+
Read 6 tweets
10 Jan
The reason why this pAsuram is so enlightening is because it explains why worship of other gods independently is mentioned by Krishna as "avidhi pUrvakaM", in the light of sharIrAtma bhAva. Consider this+
The body is different from the self. A person who does not know this, does various actions to sustain the body. He gains some pleasure through enjoyment of sense objects through the body, but eventually it turns to sorrow, as they are perishable.+
Even these material enjoyments which last for a short time are only enjoyed by the self, but the person does not know it, as he has no knowledge of the self+
Read 10 tweets
9 Jan
Hanuman makes it clear what upAya he follows in his conversation with bhIma in the MB. bhIma asks him, "Considering you are strong enough to defeat rAvaNa by yourself, why didn't you do so while scouting Lanka for Sita?"

See Hanuman's beautiful reply+
mayA tu nihate tasminrAvaNe lokakaNTake . kIrtirnashyedrAghavasya tata etadupekShitam

[f I had eliminated rAvaNa who is a great obstruction for the worlds, then that fame of “being accessible to all” possessed by rAghava would have disappeared. Hence I spared rAvaNa.]+
"kIrti" means soushIlya or the quality of being accessible to all. If Hanuman had killed rAvaNa by himself, the world would think sIta was not significant enough for bhagavAn to come and kill rAvaNa, that he merely sent a servant to do the task+
Read 8 tweets
8 Jan
In the Yuddha kANDa of rAmAyaNa, bhagavAn rAma summarizes the 2 upAyAs perfectly, by considering sIta as the jIvAtma, as below+
eShaasi nirjitaa bhadre shatruM jitvaa raNaajire |
pauruShaadyadanuShTheyaM mayaitadupapaaditam |

"You are won back by me, after conquering the enemy in the battle-field, my dear lady! That which is to be done through human effort, has been accomplished by me."+
The enemy is the wicked mind (rAvaNa). samsAra is the battlefield. Note that Rama says, "that which is to be done by human endeavor (pauruShAt), has been done by me+
Read 4 tweets

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