Gems from the Scriptures–6—

Gems from the Scriptures–6————————————————
The Parabrahma is Shatkunya paripoornan i.e. Jnanam, Balam, Aisrvaryam, Veeram, Sakthi,  &Tejas  are His sixGunas—important Gunas towhich all other anantha kalyana gunas are absorbed. He is in it’s entirety associated with all auspicious qualities and two–fold domains (Nithya Vibuthi and Leela Vibuthi ) He is the object (vishaya ) of knowledge. Meditation (upasana ) is the means to attain His lotus–feet.  The goal (ubeya) has to be obtained by the ubaya i.e the means–upasana.
Before  beginning this upasana, one should have aversion for all the things other than the goal and an intense desire to attain the goal of reaching the lotus–feet of Sri Narayanan. This can otherwise be said that one should have absolute detachment ( vairaagyam ) from all worldly affairs. This feeling of aversion / detachment / vairaagyam in the mind of jeevathma is created by various unbearable troubles in the course of countless births on account  of it’s karma. If jeevathma  hates  worldly pleasures  , he resorts to the study of  Vedantha. He tries to get an Acharya  who will instruct him more suitably to omit worldly pleasures and the way to reach  the lotus–feet of Bhagvan.
 The detachment is of two kinds. The first one is the study of scriptures, as instructed by the Acharyan, besides his teachings. The next one is the upasana on Sri Narayanan. How this detachment will come to jeevathma ? He should fully aware of causes for the sorrows that are mingled unavoidably with the life of jeevathma. Then, he will get vairaagyam.
There is a story in the Upanishad.
There was sage called ”Aaruni ”.  He is also called  ”Uththalagar”. His son was Aaruneya or Svetaketu. Svetaketu studied  all Vedas through  his father. He  heard about ”sadas” in the court–yard of  Panchala Rajya whose king was Pravaahanaa.Svetaketu wanted to participate in this ”sadas” i.e. assembly of scholars,  and went to meet the King with the consent of his father.The King received Svetaketu with full honours and asked him thus—-”Oh, Brahmin,  Have your father taught all Vidyas to you and permitted you to participate here in the assembly of scholars ?”Svetaketu replied in the affirmativeThe king asked ‘‘ Do you know towhich  world , people  who performed  virtuous deeds  go  ? ”Svetaketu could not reply — The King further asked , ‘ Do you know  the way of return of the people  who performed sacrifices i.e Yaga , homa etc  according to Sastras  ?” Svetaketu could not reply to this also. The King again asked , ”Do you know  the difference of  ”Devayaana   marga and Pithru Yaana marga ” ?Svetaketu said that he did not know.  The King further asked Do you know  who are all people  who went to  ”svarga  and who are all the people who did not reach svarga ?Svetaketu replied even for this question that he did not know.The King asked the final question .”Do you know that  soul (உயிர் ) appears in the world  on the fifth oblation ?( round ) Svetaketu  with shyness replied that he did not know the answer to this too. Then the King said  that his father did not teach in full and that he had to fully equip himself before coming to   attend the assembly of scholars.
Svetaketu with pain in his heart because of these words returned to the ”parnasala”.
His father glanced his son and asked ”what happened at the court–yard of the King ? ”.Svetaketu narrated the questions asked by the King Pravaahanaa and said  ”you have not taught everything to me and I could not reply to these questions ”.Aaruni, his father said that he himself did not know all these things and he pacified his son. Then he determined to go to the King.  When asked by Aaruni ,his son refused to accompany his father. So aaruni went and  reached the King’s Court–yard.The Kng welcomed  him  with reverence and said he can give  all sorts of wealth i.e. cows, land, gold etc etc forwhich he requested  the Rishi  to ask 
But, aaruni said that he did not want all these wealth but came to meet the King to get answers for all the questions made by the King to Svetaketu.  Then the king gave answers to Uththalagar by way of ”upadesa” which was called ”Panchagni Vidya ”( Adiyen has given all these in the book ”Vedobasana”  written by me which was serially published in ”Sri Desika Seva” religious monthly magazine, some years back )
To be contd —Next Jems from the Scriputures —7  will continue  

Sarvam Sree Hayagreeva preeyathaam