The Ancient Indian Scriptures!

02.08.2026

POST NUMBER 11

VALMIKI RAMAYANA

BALA KANDA

CHAPTER NUMBER 11

THE HORSE-SACRIFICE BEGUN

A year passed by. And the Spring gladdened again the hearts of men. And on the full moon day, Dasaratha went to the sacrificial grounds to begin the Horse-sacrifice. He bowed himself almost to the ground before Vasishtha. He said to him in all reverence, “Holy one! You are my friend, guide and philosopher. Your words are a lamp and a light upon my path. I pray you to perform for me this sacrifice duly and without the least flaw. No room should be given to the evil-minded Rakshasas to interfere with it, the materials, the rites or the deities. On you rests the responsibility of this grand rite.”

“Well, it shall be even as you desire,” uttered Vasishtha.

He then sent for Brahmins, skilled in the performance of every kind of sacrifice. He also sent for the officers of the king and for the servants placed at his disposal to collect the materials for the sacrifice. Also his word was sent to the makers of the sacrificial bricks and altars. The carpenters, who prepare sacrificial posts, ladles, spoons, pots and other implements were also sent for. He sent word for the diggers of tanks and wells, for skilled accountants, for painters, sculptors and architects. The professors in the art of dancing and phantomime. The priests of pure lives who were learned in the deep mysteries of sacrificial art were also sent for. Vasishtha said to them, “Oh priests, watch you every detail of the sacrifice and see that nothing goes wrong.”

He also issued orders to others: “Bricklayers! Get ready hundreds and thousands of sacrificial bricks. Servants! Erect mansions to receive and accommodate the Royal guests. The mansions should be broad and high and proof against wind and rain. Also build charming residences for the Brahmins, our townsmen and for those that come from the various parts of our vast kingdom. Look to it that these are amply stored with provisions of every kind!”

He said to the officers of the King, “Take care that you receive everyone kindly and honor him duly with garlands and sweet perfumes.  Don’t forget the masons, the sculptors, the architects, servants and those who are set to supervise these arrangements. Never show them the slightest sign of disrespect or neglect. Extend to everyone of them your heartiest welcome. Entertain them right royally. Let them have everything they want, food, clothing and money. Keep your eye on every class of men and let it be upon your heads that they go away mightily satisfied!”

“Beware of offending anyone, be he the lowest of the low, through anger, enmity familiarity or avarice! Always keep in mind the love you bear to me and to your king and deserve the same at our hands, by discharging your duties to your utmost, and without the slightest room for complaint or remark!”

And they all replied with one voice, “Holiest of sages! Upon our heads be your orders. We shall carry them out to the very letter.”

Vashishtha then turned himself towards Sumantra and said, “Send out respectful invitations to every righteous king on the face of the Earth and to the men of note in all grades of society. Request in person the gracious presence of the valiant Janaka, the Lord of Mithila. He is bound to our king by ties of relationship. He is deep in knowledge of the Vedas and the Sastras. The sweet spoken Lord of Kasi also is a dear friend of Dasaratha. And the Ruler of Kekaya is the father-in-law of our king and his son are the most important ones. Kekaya’s Ruler is a paragon of virtue. And last but not the least the thrice fortunate Romapada, the glorious king of Anga. Extend personal invitations to all of them. Also invite the kings of Sindhu, Sauvira, Saurashtra and of the numerous kingdoms in the south, east and west and every other royal friend of our monarch.”

And Sumantra did so.

Then, the officers and servants deputed by Vasishtha to look after the various details of the sacrifice, reported to him that they had done their work skillfully and thoroughly. Vasishtha dismissed them with this last piece of advice and admonition. “Whatever you give, give it with a cheerful heart and a pleasant smile. An ungracious gift brings evil upon the giver – our king. Remember and fail not!”

In a short time the kings of the earth started to arrive at the capital of Dasaratha. They have come with valuable presents of costly gems and rare articles. Then Vasishtha addressed himself to the king and said, “Noble king! The rulers of the Earth are come unto your sacrifice, every one of them. And I have received them right royally. Your officers have made every necessary arrangement for the rite. The sacrificial grounds are ready to receive your Majesty and resemble the happiest creations of celestial architects. May it please your Majesty to come and have a look at them?” 

And, at an auspicious moment, Dasarath set out for the sacrificial grounds along with Vasishtha and Vamadeva. Then began the great Horse-sacrifice, under the watchful eye of Vsishtha, Rishyasringa and the and the other sages, who saw that nothing went wrong.            

  BLOGGER’S COMMENTS:

Consider the reverent attitude of the King towards Vasishtha, his Raja Guru in Valmiki’s words: 

King Dasaratha bowed himself almost to the ground before Vasishtha. He said to him in all reverence, “Holy one! You are my friend, guide and philosopher. Your words are a lamp and a light upon my path. I pray you to perform for me this sacrifice duly and without the least flaw. No room should be given to the evil-minded Rakshasas to interfere with it, the materials, the rites or the deities. On you rests the responsibility of this grand rite.”

The above passage bespeak the importance and esteem in which the almighty King held the Raja Guru, Vasishththa. In ancient India the Kings always paid heed to the sage words of their Guru who was the part of the administration, sacred and secular. Though the Kshthriya Kings were no men of mean mental stuff and they knew the statecraft and the administrative part of their regime only too well, respectful regard was always shown to the Raja Gurus, who were from the elite Brahmin stock.

The Guru was not given to the worldly life and he cared little or less for the riches and luxuries of life. He assisted the King in the proper administration always giving his sane counsel only towards the execution of his general duty as a Brahmin.

As per the code laid down in Manu (Smriti) or Manu Dharma, a Brahmin was duty-bound to avoid materialistic life and worldly riches and live in penury which is one of his adornments. He had to study and teach the Vedas. He was not allowed to work for his own and his family’s material wellbeing. On the contrary, he was strictly enjoined to live on alms he got from the householders. He thought and acted for the welfare of the society and ennoblement of the mankind in general.

This was how so many Sastras and Scriptural Texts were brought into existence for the good and ennoblement of the human race. All the Vedas and Vedanta Texts were authored by the Aryans or Brahmins who had no other work and worldly duties in life. No other duty in their lives. India as the sole civilization of the world which still flourishes without any break owing to those Aryan or Brahmin Saints, Sages, Seers and Rishis.

It is a proven fact.

 No other civilization was able to hold its own in the millennial march of time. Charles Darwin came and went. Christianity paid through the nose. But the Hindu Scriptures did not become antiquated. They remain ever fresh and new. All because of the foresight of those Brahmins who managed to take the doctrines and tenets of the Scriptures to the doorsteps of the common man through Puranas and Itihasas, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. That is how the average Hindu is able to tell what the fundamental philosophy of the ancient Hindu Scriptures say with respect to a particular matter or issue. He, like a Ram in the Ramayana and Udhishthira in the Mahabharata, asks himself the question what is Dharma or what is the standpoint of Dharma with respect to a particular issue that crops up in life. This is how Hinduism has been able to hold its own in the face of innumerable scientific discoveries and inventions.

Recently NASA has come up with the SOUND or Cosmic Sound in the form of OM or AUM heard and recorded in the interstellar space. This Sound is heard and recorded which travels in the cosmic void without the help of any soundwave. The Pranavic Sound OM is heard in the expanse of the interstellar space. THE VERY SOUND THAT WAS REPEATEDLY HEARD BY THE ANCIENT RISHIS WHENEVER THEY RELAPSED IN TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION AND NAMED IT om OR aum! AND IT IS THE UTTERENCE OF THE Vedopanishadic Texts several thousand years ago that Brahman created the world or cosmos from and out of OM!  

OK, now to get back to the pertinent point about the Brahmins as a community, till recently the State of Tamil Nadu was in the cynical grip of the Dravidian Political Party. For about 60 years the State was ruled and misruled by the so-called Dravidian ideals. In the last 60 years, the Brahmins were systematically hounded and victimized in Tamil Nadu. Their sacred notions, ideals and things were insulted and spit upon. They as a community were derided and turned into a laughing stock. The leaders of the Dravidian Movement and the Dravidian Political Party said and advised the people if they sighted a Brahmin and a serpent, they should leave alone the serpent and whip lash the Brahmin! So much denigration was brought systematically to bear upon the Community.

In every walk of life, Brahmins were sidelined. They were not given importance to various clerical, administrative and other posts in the State Government. The average Brahmin’s ambition in those days was to become a Teacher and serve in various Elementary and High Schools. In those days mostly Brahmin teachers where serving in schools in Tamil Nadu. Because of that fact, the average teacher was given so much regard and respect in the community. The average teacher in those days earned only one hundred and fifty rupees till some forty years ago.

Then all the Brahmins were systematically sidelined and driven out of the educational and other departments and administration in Tamil Nadu.

What is the result and outcome?

Even the clerks in various departments and Junior assistants and officers who were in daily touch with the common man became so much corrupt that the public came to look upon them as thieves. In those days, an average teacher working in Schools and High Schools were venerated by the parents and they produced eminent citizens out of the small children.

Now even School teachers are embroiled in cases of raping their own students. The moral standard in the teaching community has touched the nadir. And now the average parent would not let his ward, girl or boy, in a dark alley with the ward’s own teacher. Now the school teachers earn many thousand rupees as salaries and the High School teachers earn nearly one lakh rupees per month. Teaching as a vocation has lost its sheen and it has become as bad as in the way work is done in the Taluk offices where the common man has to go almost every day and is treated as scum.

This represents the price for having systematically side-lined the Brahmins as a community from public works and administrative affairs.

The reason why I am dwelling at length on this subject is to prove the way the Brahmins as a community served the common man in this country, not just in Tamil Nadu. Because of their forefathers and themselves this ancient Nation and Civilization has been able to hold its own and served the teeming populace of India.

And I request my Sisters and Brothers to refer to my Comments in the POST 2 and 6 for further material and explanation about how the Brahmins, the miniscule minority in India, have served the nation and the society for more than five thousand years.

THE NEXT POST WILL BE PUBLISHED ON 17.08.2026 – August 17, 2026.

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02. 08. 2026

THE MAHABHARATA

BOOK 1- ADI PARVA

ASTIKA PARVA

CHAPTER NUMBER 11

Saunaka said, “O son of Suta, you have told us the reason why the snakes were cursed by their mother, and why Vinata also was cursed by her son. You have also told us about the bestowal of boons, by their husband, on Kadru and Vinata. You have likewise told us the names of Vinata’s sons. But You have not yet recited to us the names of the snakes. We are anxious to hear the names of the principal ones.”

“Sauti said, O reverend ones, whose wealth is asceticism, from fear of being lengthy, I shall not mention the names of all the snakes. But I will recite the names of the chief ones. Listen to me! “Sesha was born first, and then Vasuki. (Then were born) Airavata, Takshaka, Karkotaka, Dhananjaya, Kalakeya, the serpent Mani, Purana, Pinjaraka, and Elapatra, Vamana, Nila, Anila, Kalmasha, Savala, Aryaka, Ugra, Kalasapotaka, Suramukha, Dadhimukha, Vimalapindaka, Apta, Karotaka, Samkha, Valisikha, Nisthanaka, Hemaguha, Nahusha, Pingala, Vahyakarna, Hastipada, Mudgarapindaka, Kamvala Aswatara, Kaliyaka, Vritta, Samvartaka, Padma, Mahapadma, Sankhamukha, Kushmandaka, Kshemaka, Pindaraka, Karavira, Pushpadanshtraka, Vilwaka, Vilwapandara, Mushikada, Sankhasiras, Purnabhadra, Haridraka, Aparajita, Jyotika, Srivaha, Kauravya, Dhritarashtra, Sankhapinda, Virajas, Suvahu, Salipinda, Prabhakara, Hastipinda, Pitharaka, Sumuksha, Kaunapashana, Kuthara, Kunjara, Kumuda, Kumudaksha, Tittri, Halika, Kardama, Vahumulaka, Karkara, Akarkara, Kundodara, and Mahodara.”

“Thus, O best of regenerate ones, have I said the names of the principal serpents. From fear of being tedious I do not give names of the rest. The sons of these snakes, with their grandsons, are innumerable. Reflecting upon this, I shall not name them to you. O best ascetics, in this world the number of snakes baffles calculation, there being many thousands and millions of them.”

Saunaka said, “O child, you have named many of the serpents gifted with great energy and incapable of being easily overcome. What did they do after hearing of that curse?”

Sauti said, ‘The illustrious Sesha amongst them, of great renown, leaving his mother practised hard penances, living upon air and rigidly observing his vows. He practised these ascetic devotions, repairing to Gandhamadana, Vadri, Gokarna, the woods of Pushkara, and the foot of Himavat. And he passed his days in those sacred regions. Some of which were sacred for their water and others for their soil. He spent his days in the rigid observance of his vows, with singleness of aim, and his passions under complete control. And the Grandsire of all, Brahma, saw that ascetic with knotted hair, clad in rags, and his flesh, skin, and sinews dried up owing to the hard penances he was practising. And the Grandsire addressing him said, ‘O Sesha? Let the welfare of the creatures of the worlds also engage your thoughts. O sinless one, you are afflicting all creatures by your hard penances.*1 O Sesha, tell me the desire implanted in thy breast.’

And Sesha replied, ‘My uterine brothers are all of wicked hearts. I do not desire to live amongst them. Let this be sanctioned by you. Like enemies they are always jealous of one another. I am, therefore, engaged in ascetic devotions. I will not see them even. They never show any kindness for Vinata and her son. Indeed, Vinata’s son capable of ranging through the skies, is another brother of ours. They always envy him. And he, too, is much stronger owing to the bestowal of that boon by our father, the high-souled Kasyapa. For these, I engaged in ascetic penances, and I will cast off this body of mine, so that I may avoid companionship with them, even in another state of life.’*2

Unto Sesha who had said so, the Grandsire said, ‘O Sesha, I know the behaviour of all thy brothers and their great danger owing to their offence against their mother. But O Snake, a remedy (for this) has been provided by me even beforehand. Let it please you not to grieve for your brothers. O Sesha, ask me for the boon you desire. I have been highly gratified with you. And I will grant you today a boon. O best of snakes, it is fortunate that your heart has been set on virtue. Let your heart be more and more firmly set on virtue.’

Then Sesha replied, ‘O divine Grandsire, this is the boon desired by me; viz., may my heart always delight in virtue and in blessed ascetic penances, O Lord of all!’

Brahma said, ‘O Sesha, I am exceedingly gratified with your self-denial and love of peace. But, at my command, let this act be done by you for the good of my creatures. Bear you, O Sesha, properly and well this Earth so unsteady with her mountains and forests, her seas and towns and retreats, so that she may be steady.’

Sesha said, ‘O divine Lord of all creatures, O bestower of boons, O lord of the Earth, lord of every created thing, lord of the universe, I will, even as you say hold the Earth steady. Therefore, O lord of all creatures, place her on my head.’

Brahman said, ‘O best of snakes, go underneath the Earth. She will herself give you a crevice to pass through. And, O Sesha, by holding the Earth, you shall certainly do what is prized by me very greatly.’

Sauti continued, ‘Then the elder brother of the king of the snakes, entering a hole, passed to the other side of the Earth, and holding her, supported with his head that goddess with her belt of seas passing all round.’

Brahman said, ‘O Sesha, O best of snakes, you are the god Dharma,*3 because alone, with your huge body, you support the Earth with everything on her, even as I myself, or Valavit (Indra), can.’

Sauti continued, ‘The snake, Sesha, the lord Ananta, of great prowess, lives underneath the Earth, alone supporting the world at the command of Brahma. And the illustrious Grandsire, the best of the immortals, then gave unto Ananta the bird of fair feathers, viz., the son of Vinata, for Ananta’s help.’

Sauti said, ‘That best of snakes, viz., Vasuki, hearing the curse of his mother, reflected how to render it abortive. He held a consultation with all his brothers, Airavata and others, intent upon doing what they deemed best for themselves.’

And Vasuki said, ‘O you sinless ones, the object of this curse is known to you. Let it please us to strive to neutralise it. Remedies certainly exist for all curses, but no remedy can avail those cursed by their mother. Hearing that this curse hath been uttered in the presence of the Immutable, the Infinite, and the True one, my heart trembles. Surely, our annihilation has come. Otherwise why should not the Immutable Lord prevent our mother while uttering the curse? Therefore, let us consult today how we may secure the safety of the snakes. Let us not waste time. All of you are wise and discerning. We will consult together and find out the means of deliverance as (did) the gods of yore to regain lost Agni who had concealed himself within a cave, so that Janamejaya’s sacrifice for the destruction of the snakes may not take place, and so that we may not meet with destruction.’

Sauti continued, ‘Thus addressed all the offspring of Kadru assembled together, and, wise in counsels, submitted their opinions to one another. One party of the serpents said, ‘We should assume the guise of superior Brahmanas, and beseech Janamejaya, saying, ‘This (intended) sacrifice of yours ought not to take place.’

Other snakes thinking themselves wise, said, ‘We should all become his favourite counsellors. He will then certainly ask for our advice in all projects. And we will then give him such advice that the sacrifice may be obstructed. The king, the foremost of wise men, thinking us of sterling worth will certainly ask us about his sacrifice. We will say, ‘It must not be!’ And pointing to many serious evils in this and the next worlds, we will take care that the sacrifice may not take place. Or, let one of the snakes, approaching, bite the person who, intending the monarch’s good, and well-acquainted with the rites of the snake-sacrifice, may be appointed as the sacrificial priest, so that he will die. The sacrificial priest dying, the sacrifice will not be completed. We will also bite all those who, acquainted with the rites of the snake-sacrifice, may be appointed Ritwiks of the sacrifice, and by that means attain our object.’

Other snakes, more virtuous and kind, said, ‘O, this counsel of yours is evil. It is not good to kill Brahmanas.*  In danger, that remedy is proper, which is blessed on the practices of the righteous. Unrighteousness finally destroys the world.’

Other serpents said, ‘We will extinguish the blazing sacrificial fire by ourselves becoming clouds luminous with lightning and pouring down showers.’

Other snakes, the best of their kind, proposed, ‘Going, by night, let us steal away the vessel of Soma juice. That will disturb the rite. Or, at that sacrifice, let the snakes, by hundreds and thousands, bite the people, and spread terror around. Or, let the serpents defile the pure food with their food-defiling urine and dung.’

Others said, ‘Let us become the king’s Ritwiks, and obstruct his sacrifice by saying at the outset, ‘Give us the sacrificial fee.’ He (the king), being placed in our power, will do whatever we like.’

Others there said, ‘When the king will sport in the waters, we will carry him to our home and bind him, so that that sacrifice will not take place!’

Other serpents who deemed themselves wise, said, ‘Approaching the king, let us bite him, so that our object will be accomplished. By his death the root of all evil will be torn up. This is the final deliberation of us all, O you who hear with your eyes! Then, do speedily what you deem proper.’

Having said this, they looked intently at Vasuki, that best of snakes. And Vasuki also, after reflecting, answered saying, ‘You snakes, this final determination of you does not seem worthy of adoption. The advice of you all is not to my liking. What shall I say which would be for your good? I think the grace of the illustrious Kasyapa (our father) can alone do us good. Ye snakes, my heart does not know which of all your suggestions is to be adopted for the welfare of my race as also of me. That must be done by me which would be to your weal. It is this that makes me so anxious, for the credit or the discredit (of the measure) is mine alone.’”

BLOGGER’S COMMENTS:

• Sauti said, ‘The illustrious Sesha amongst them, of great renown, leaving his mother practised hard penances, living upon air and rigidly observing his vows. He practised these ascetic devotions, repairing to Gandhamadana, Vadri, Gokarna, the woods of Pushkara, and the foot of Himavat. And he passed his days in those sacred regions. Some of which were sacred for their water and others for their soil. He spent his days in the rigid observance of his vows, with singleness of aim, and his passions under complete control. And the Grandsire of all, Brahma, saw that ascetic with knotted hair, clad in rags, and his flesh, skin, and sinews dried up owing to the hard penances he was practising. And the Grandsire addressing him said, ‘O Sesha? Let the welfare of the creatures of the worlds also engage your thoughts. O sinless one, you are afflicting all creatures by your hard penances.* O Sesha, tell me the desire implanted in thy breast.’

Was Sesha actually afflicting all creatures by his hard penances? There is food, spiritual food, for thought in this expression.

This universe belongs to us all. We are not alone. Even individually we are not alone. Even when we are or let ourselves locked up in a solitary dark cell, we are not alone. For we can never be alone in this universe! The universe is always with us and we are always in company with the universe!

We are strongly and seamlessly connected to this vast universe.

We have this innate facility or propensity to let out or give rise to Impressions or Samskaras through our thoughts and actions. Each such thought or action creates a pattern of vibration in the universe. Thus we can and really are affecting the universe each and every single second of our life here on the earth. And we are also affecting other human beings by our thoughts and actions.

And we are also affected by the universe. This is why Hindus are obsessed with the movement of various planets. Because their movement and periodical arrival at different zodiacal points and juncture are full of personal implications to all of us INDIVIDUALLY! This is how it is stated by the Astrologers the arrival of the planet Saturn at a particular House is good for someone and not so good for some others, and downright bad for yet other people INDIVIDUALLY!

Not only the planets in the Milky Way. Every individual planet in this wide world has implications for all of us INDIVIDUALLY! We also affect them by our thoughts and actions!

Thus we can and do INDIVIDUALLY  affect by the movement and the resultant vibrations created by our individual thoughts and actions. WE CAN AFFECT THE PLANETS AND ALL THE HEAVENLY BODIES, THUS THE WHOLE UNIVERSE!

Modern science is yet to become fully awakened to these factors.

But in India this understanding has been in existence for more than five thousand years!

Some of the happenings we come across in life, like various accidents, co-incidents, our going out of mood, being in a wonderful  mood, the feeling of wellbeing and happiness as and when we do a good turn to others and the pricks of conscience when we do a bad turn to others ALL CAN BE RELATED TO AND EXPLAINED BY OUR individual UMBILICAL CORD relationship with the whole universe!       

We sometimes get answers to life’s puzzles, conundrums and problems in our dreams. Anything deeply thought by us make an impression in our subconscious and the subconscious starts to work out a solution, teaming with the universal intelligence; it speaks many times in our sleep through dreams. Many inventions have been enabled by and through dreams of the persons concerned.

This is why in the Hindu Scriptures thousands of years ago man’s consciousness has been divided into three parts or States, wakeful, Dream State and the State of  Dreamless Deep Sleep!

This intense understanding was denied to the Western philosophical masters.

The rhythm of the cosmos or the rhythm in the movements of various planets in the billions of galaxies in the universe was understood by the Vedic Saints and Rishis as “rta”. Thus “rta” denotes the universal symphony. And “Dharma” in the activities of individual man’s actions and thoughts and desires denotes the perfect way in which one individual lives in this world. In other words, if an individual person’s actions, thoughts, imaginations and desires are not antagonistic to the symphony of the universe (rta) and in sync with the universal symphony, then that person is said to be living according to “Dharma!”

This is also known as Sanatana Dharma.

AN IGNORAMUS IN TAMIL NADU, THE FORMER CHIEF MINISTER’S SON, COMPARED THE MILLENNIAL NOTIONS AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE FAITHFUL HINDUS as Virus like Dengu, and called for annihilating Sanatana Dharma, foolishly thinking thereby the Hindu Faith can be obliterated and done away with!    

• And Sesha replied, ‘My uterine brothers are all of wicked hearts. I do not desire to live amongst them. Let this be sanctioned by you. Like enemies they are always jealous of one another. I am, therefore, engaged in ascetic devotions. I will not see them even. They never show any kindness for Vinata and her son. Indeed, Vinata’s son capable of ranging through the skies, is another brother of ours. They always envy him. And he, too, is much stronger owing to the bestowal of that boon by our father, the high-souled Kasyapa. For these, I engaged in ascetic penances, and I will cast off this body of mine, so that I may avoid companionship with them, even in another state of life.’

The above passage is noteworthy. Among the wicked sons of Kadru Sesha stands out because of his virtues.

But one thing he utters towards the end of the above passage does not hold good in the face of the Vedanta philosophy.

Most of Sesha’s uterine brothers were bad if not downright wicked. And there is something as Samskaras or Impressions. According to this, every act and even thought of ours leaves a body of Samskaras and we are answerable to them. For more information, I refer my Sisters and Brothers to the Section dealing with Valmiki Ramayana in this Post and the previous Posts regarding the Section dealing with the Upanishads.

It may be briefly stated here that we cannot escape the Law of Nature which operates through the Law of Cause and Effect. And the law of cause and effect cannot operate without the help of Samskaras or Impressions.

We create great bodies of Samskaras in our life here on the earth. And the bodies that remain unexhausted continue with our Atman after our death. So even after our death, we remain answerable to our Samskaras which bring us back to the earth to pay the price. This is the Karmic effect. Thus we are the author of our own fate.  

But the thing I wanted to highlight here in this Comment is that Sesha who is certainly noble in character shall have left a body of Samskaras that will take him to a certain Loka or World after death and after some time spent there in that nether world, he would be brought back to this earth to be continuously answerable to his former Samskaras. If indeed he leaves no Samskaras due to his austerities, the question of his returning to the earth’s plane after death will not arise at all.

And, thus even if he had left some Samskaras, the noble Sesha would have gone to a good World after death to which his bad or wicked brothers would not be allowed. So, technically Sesha’s worry about having possibly to spend time with his brothers in the nether world after death does not arise as they, the wicked brothers, would have certainly gone to some other world.  There are a number of Worlds each having a different pattern of vibrations. 

• Brahman said, ‘O Sesha, O best of snakes, you are the god Dharma,* because alone, with your huge body, you support the Earth with everything on her, even as I myself, or Valavit (Indra), can.’

Here in this passage Sesha is complimented by Brahma himself for supporting the Earth even as Himself or Valvait (Indra). In this respect Brahma calls Sesha as the god Dharma.

Thus it is crystal clear that Dharma is the sole support and sustenance and stay of this universe. I refer my sisters and brothers to the relevant detailed passages in the About Page of this Blog. There you can learn, under the caption HINDUISM,  what is meant by Rta or the Cosmic rhythm and Sanatana Dharma.

The time you spend there will be worth your while, I am sure.

SISTERS AND BROTHERS, THE NEXT POST WILL BE PUBLISHED ON 17.08.2026 – August 17, 2026.

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02.08.2026

POST NUMBER 11

THE  UPANISHADS

Isha Upanishad or Ishopanishad

 VERSE 3

TEXT IN TRANSLITERATION:

asuryaa naama te lokaa andhena tamasaavrtaah

taamste pretyaabhigacchanti ye ke chaatmahano janaah

SANSKRIT WORDS AND PHRASES AND THEIR MEANING IN ENGLISH:

asuryaa naama te lokaa = Those worlds of the Asuras

andhena tamasaavrtaah = Enveloped in blinding darkness

taamste pretyaabhigacchanti = To them, on departing, they go

aatma-hano janaah = The slayers of the self

TEXT IN ENGLISH:

Verily, those worlds of the Asuras are enveloped in blinding darkness. To them, on departing, go those people who are slayers of the Self.

BLOGGER’S COMMENTS:

The Isha Upanishad gave us in the first two verses the perfect picture of how a man should learn to see God in everyone and everything and God only as the sole proprietor of everything here and enjoy the whole world subject to that discernment for a hundred years. We also got the lesson how, thus, one should, without coveting other’s wealth, lead’s one’s life as a proper Karma Yogi. That this was the only way to act in this world without getting sullied one’s hands with the taint of Negative or Positive Samskaras.

Thus, if one learns to lead one’s life according to the tenets of the first two Verses of the Upanishad, the Rishi assures that the karma would not stick to our hands and we can prosecute our Self-realization in a glorious manner.

Now, in Verse 3 the Rishi gives us what is in store for us if we do not pay heed to his exhortations in the first two Verses. The dark and stark painting we get to see in this Verse holds a sharp contrast to the earlier picture.

Thos who will not shape their life according to the first two Verses must  face the music that is starkly painted in the Verse 3.

We cannot and should not take life here on the earth for granted. We should not think that, OK, I’ve been born a son or daughter of an Agriculturist, a painter, a sculptor, a lecturer, a physician, an advocate, an engineer, a petty shop owner, a clerk, a writer, an artist etc. And let me do this and that. Let me follow in my father’s footsteps. Let me plough a lonely furrow. My father led a hand-to-mouth existence. Let me amass wealth. My father is well-to-do. Let me become a millionaire. Let me enjoy life this way and that way. In my parents’ time these gadgets were not available. Now the whole life here on earth has become an opportunity to enjoy nonstop all the luxuries of life. I want to do this and that.

In other words, we cannot afford to go through life with eyes open only for a lifestyle that holds a prescription for an unending enjoyment and taking life for an unending pursuit of sense objects with which this world is filled.

We have come as human beings and we can ill afford to be unconcerned with what the great persons with greater inner facility to know about the basics of life have left behind them which constitutes the SPIRITUAL FACTS OF LIFE.

NOW LET US SEE WHAT THE RISHI HAS TO SAY ABOUT THOSE IGNORANT PEOPLE WHO GO THROUGH LIFE IN A LISTLESS MANNER WITH A CASUAL ATTITUDE.

Let us see what the Rishi says once more:

Verily, those worlds of the Asuras are enveloped in blinding darkness.  To them, on departing, go those people who are slayers of the Self.  

Asuryaa Naama Te Lokah = Those Worlds of the Asuras

The scientists tell us the diameter of the universe known so far to man measures roughly 92 billion light years! One light year is the distance covered by the sunlight in one human year. And the velocity of light is more than one and half lakh kilo meters per second! At this rate if the light travels for 92 billion years, what would be the distance! Simply mind-boggling, isn’t it?  Ninty-Two Billion Light Years Across! Mind you this is not the diameter of the Universe, the whole Universe. The Known Universe is roughly 92 billion light years across!

What about the unknown and yet to be known extent of the Universe or Space? Why and how man can only know just 92 billion light years of the universe!?  Well, the answer is that the rest of the extent is not filled with light!

AND THERE IS ANOTHER THING ABOUT THE SPACE. IT IS, IN ACTUAL FACT, E X P A N D I N G ever since the Big Bang!!!

God! Can we ever form any idea of the actual expanse of the Space! And within the known expanse of the Space, we are said to have roughly 100 billion galaxies!

What about the alien beings who are supposed to be fearfully more intelligent than Man! And how many Worlds are there?

AND ISHA UPANISHAD SPEAKS ABOUT DIFFERENT LOKAAS OR WORLDS!

The Upanishadic Rishis do not speak about aliens. But they speak about different worlds of different patterns of vibrations to which people from the earth go after death according to their individual karma and its effect.

We have already seen that all sorts of actions of ours on the face of the earth whether good, noble, bad or downright condemnable and wicked, we earn or give rise to various units of Samskaras or Impressions. And that we cannot escape the effect of these Samskaras. We are answerable to them even after our death.

Death is not a complete dissolution and effacement of human beings’ life on the earth. Death is just one of the incidents of life! In other words, death is part of our life, and it is not permanent but temporary. Death is not permanent. It is transient. In the Bhagavad Gita Lord Krishna says that this Atman of ours tosses or throw this body away when it becomes old and decrepit even as we throw away the old shirt and Atman enters a new body even as we put on a new shirt.

Life in the world will continue even after our death. For us. After death, what happens is that our mortal coil, the body, is consigned to the elements but the astral body of ours constituting our Mind, Intellect, Chitha and the Atman in astral shape go up to the world we are entitled to through the activities here on earth before our death. Thus we go to any one of the different worlds having different vibrations. There we spend time enjoying for the good actions we were author of in our past life on the earth and when the effect of them are exhausted, we come back with our astral body to the earth having entered a new body.

And the facts like the place and family in which we are reborn are conditioned and determined by our karma that remains after our stint in the nether world. Then we start to indulge in new actions. And thus new bodies of Samskaras are given rise to by us in the new birth. Thus we are the author of our own life and its conditions. In other words, we are the master of our own fate.

Thus we can never, even after death, escape the bodies of Samskaras we produced in the previous life and will have to come back to the earth in answer to the effect of our past karma in the form of the remaining Samskaras.

And, in this Upanishad, in the two previous Verses the Rishi has described how we can escape the onslaught of our own bodies of Samskaras. The Rishi even asks us to live for a hundred years. But the thing is we must perform and indulge in actions in such a manner that they cannot cling to us and become added to the already existing body of Samskaras.

That is we must see God in everything here and should own up that we own nothing, and that everything belongs to God and we can only enjoy them in trust. The true proprietor is God. With that point in mind, we must go through life carrying out unending activities that fall to us as our Swadharma or self-ordained duty in a way with no stake in the fruits of such activities.

THEN THE ACTIONS OF OURS WILL NOT CLING TO US AND NO NEW SAMSKARAS WILL BE CREATED. AND BY LIVING LIKE THIS OUR MIND WILL BECOME PURE LIKE A CRISTAL. IN THE PURIFIED MIND, THE SELF KNOWLEDGE WILL REVEAL ITSELF. AND WE CAN ATTAIN THE ULTIMATE FREEDOM. WHICH WILL ANNIHILATE AND BURN ALL THE EFFECT OF PAST KARMA AND THE RESULTANT BODIES OF SAMSKARAS. AND AFTER DEATH WE WILL NOT HAVE TO REURN TO THE EARTH AS WE WILL HAVE MINGLED IN BRAHMAN AND BECOME ONE WITH HIM!

This is the secret of proper action, Karma Yoga.      

SISTERS AND BROTHERS, WE HAVE NOT YET DEALT WITH THE VERSE 3. THE ABOVE IS JUST A PREFACE TO THE VERSE 3 OF THIS UPANISHAD. AND WE WILL SEE WHAT THE VERSE 3 HAS TO TELL US IN THE NEXT POST WHICH WILL BE PUBLISHED ON 17.08.2026- August 17, 2026.

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02.08.2026

POST NUMBER 11

THE BHAGAVAD GITA

CHAPTER  1 : VERSE 15

Arjuna Vishadha Yoga

              OR

THE DESPONDENCY OF ARJUNA

VERSE 15

TEXT IN TRANSLITERATION

paanchajanyam hrsheekeso devadattam dhanamjayah

paundram dadhamau mahaa sankham bheema karmaavrkodarah

SANSKRIT WORDS AND PHRASES AND THEIR MEANING IN ENGLISH:

paanchajanyam = (the conch named) Panchajanyam; hrsheekesah = (the Lord of the senses) Krishna; devadattam = (the conch named) Devadatta; dhanamjayah = (the victor of wealth) Arjuna; paundram = (the conch named) Paundra; dadhmau = blew; mahaa sankham = great conch; bheema karma = doer of terrible deeds; vrkodarah = (having the belly of the wolf) Bhima.

TEXT IN ENGLISH:

Panchajanya was blown by Hrishikesa, and Devadatta by Dhananjaya. Vrikodara of terrible exploits blew his great conch, Paundra;

BLOGGER’S COMMENTS:

According to Srimath Swami Chidbhavananda of Thiruparaithurai, Thruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu, Hrishikesa means the Lord Krishna; Dhananjaya means Arjuna and Vrikodara stands for Bhima.

The Lord Krishna is the master of his mind and senses, even as Lord Siva is called in Tamil as “Maanidan”, meaning that he has the unruly deer safely held under his left arm. It is very difficult to master and bring it under control. The wild deer, which is known for its propensity to frisk, jump and gambol playfully for no particular reason, the senses are unruly and always running among the sense objects. It is very difficult for us to bring our senses under some semblance of control. But the Lord Siva, by his act of holding the unruly deer perfectly in control under his (left) arm, it is given to understand He is the Lord of the mind and senses.

Likewise, here, the Lord Krishna is denoted as the Lord of the mind and the senses by the word Hrishikesa.

Dhananjaya stands for Arjuna.

Arjuna had invaded so many kingdoms where the kings and Rulers had vast amount of wealth in the form of gold coins and jewels. They were of no use to anyone since those avaricious kings were not properly applying them for the welfare of their subjects. So it was Arjuna’s wont to get at those vast amount of wealth and bring to his Kingdom to apply for the welfare of his subjects. Since he was a winner of wealth, he is called by the Lord as Dhananjaya; dhanam means wealth. And jaya means one who wins something.

Vrikodara stands for one having the belly of the wolf. Here it is used to define Bhima’s important characteristic. Like a wolf Bhima was known for insatiable hunger and having, like a wolf, almost a flat belly!

SISTERS AND BROTHERS, THE NEXT POST WILL BE PUBLISHED ON 17.08.2026 – (August 17, 2026)  

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