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This section has few of the blogs published by Mysore N. Prakash.

Gardening and Spirituality 

The other day when I was in my garden, I tried to pick a dead hibiscus flower. What I did not notice was that there was a bee inside that was still drawing the nectar out of the flower. Of course, the bee got upset at me for disturbing his sweet moment, and promptly stung me. There was also a time when I was tending my flowerbed when a wasp came and stung me. I was probably on his flight path and he did not like the fact I was making him take a detour. One day I even found a large snake that was spiraling around the garbage cart near the garage. In spite of incidents such as these, I love gardening, and that really puzzles my daughter. She even thinks that I am a little weird that way (“weird” seems to be the favorite word for middle school kids these days). She asked me why I like gardening and I told her promptly that it was very spiritual for me. She shook her head and walked off from me wondering what I really meant by that.

When it comes to gardening and spirituality, it all starts with the verse 9.26 in the Bhagavad-Gita.

Whoso offers Me a leaf, a flower a fruit or water with pure devotion.

I enjoy the offering of that pure hearted worshipper.

Thus, tending a garden and offering a flower or a fruit that has grown in your own garden becomes especially sweet for the devotee. Tending the garden becomes one’s karma, indeed good karma. You happily focus on that karma because it is nothing but one doing God’s work as explained by the Lord Himself in the verse 9.27.

Whatever you do, eat or offer as a gift or perform as austerity,

Oh, Arjuna do all that as a dedication to Me.

Having focused on tending the garden with God in mind, everything now becomes enjoyable. Bug bites and bee stings become just a minor irritant. Indeed, we should use 9.27 as the guiding spirit for all the endeavors. This applies not only to adults; it applies to children as well. After all, we are all here do God’s work. This is Karma Yoga.

The Power of Om – Part I

Om is a sacred symbol in all dharmic religions and is especially so in Sanatana Dharma. All Upanishads start with the invocation either Hari Om, or simply Om, and end with Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti (i.e., Om Peace, Peace, Peace). Upanishads are discourses on theology, meditation, and the nature of God. These sacred texts are part of the Vedas (in a larger context).

To understand the power of Om, it is instructive to study Māndūkya Upanishad, one of the eleven principle Upanishads where the first verse states the following:

This letter that is Om is all this. All that is past, present or future is verily Om. And whatever is beyond the three periods of time is also verily Om.

Thus, Om is everything, which leads one to conclude that Om is the symbol for God. This is further clarified in the Bhagavad-Gita. One may wonder what the Upanishad means by “beyond the three periods of time?” A hidden explanation for this is in the Holy Gita as well, which I will explain later.

The second verse in the same Upanishad states the following:

All that is surely Brahman (God’s spiritual energy). The Atman (Soul) is Brahman.

 Here we see the implied equivalence of Om to God’s spiritual energy. The subsequent verses define four layers (referred to as quarters) of the individual Soul. The first quarter is the sphere of action, the waking state, meaning the layer that is aware of the empirical world. The second quarter, whose sphere of action is the dream state, is the layer that is conscious of stored memory or internal consciousness. The third is the quarter that is the blissful state, and the fourth quarter (referred to as Turīya) is the part that is connected to God’s energy, which is one’s True Soul. The goal is to find Turīya, and Om is the vehicle that will help one achieve that goal. Indeed, the three parts of Om (a, u, m) are congruent to the first three quarters of the Soul. Om as a whole is stated as being congruent to the fourth quarter, or Turīya. Thus, meditating on Om will help one reach God’s energy in one’s Soul. This is explained in the verse below (from Mundaka Upanishad) which states the following.

Om is the bow; the Atman (Soul) is the arrow; and Brahman is the target.

Thus, Om is the vehicle that will help us reach God’s energy within our own Soul. In the end, one may find this entire explanation a little bit abstract, which it is. The connection between Om, God, and the individual Soul at a personal level becomes clearer in the Bhagavad-Gita. This is addressed in Part II.

The Power of Om – Part II

To understand and relationship among God, Om, and the individual Soul at a personal level, we begin with the verse 10.8 of The Bhagavad Gita. Indeed, verse 10.8 is the basis for analyzing any spiritual question in Dharma theology, where the Lord states the following.

“I am the origin of everything, and everything emanates from Me. The wise who know this worship Me with total focus.”

What the Lord means is that He is not just the Creator of everything that is material in this universe; He is also the source of all forms of energy that sustain the material and spiritual worlds. The source of the spiritual energy that sustains all living beings is He. He defines the way the universe evolves; He also defines the way creatures evolve, physically, emotionally, or intellectually. He is the Creator of the entire universe, the one who sustains it and in the end who destroys it. In other words, nothing exists or moves without His will. Once we know that, nothing else matters to us, and we will adore Him; we will worship Him with fervor and endless devotion.

Therefore, the next question would be to understand the nature of the spiritual energy that sustains this universe including the material world. It is in verses 7.4 and 7.5 where Lord Krishna, the God-incarnate, explains this to Arjuna.

“My eight-fold nature in the material world is earth, water, fire, air, space, mind, intellect, and time limited ego. But, Oh Arjuna, this is My inferior nature. My superior nature is the one which upholds the entire universe and has taken the form of individual souls.”

The eight-fold nature of the Lord in the physical world is something we can easily comprehend. However, what is more important is His higher nature, which is not obvious to the naked eye. Every living creature in this universe has a Soul that is an extension of the Lord’s superior nature. Yes, our body consists of the eight elements that the Lord mentions including our false ego, which is time-limited. The false ego dies when our material body perishes, but our Soul lives eternally. The superior nature of God sustains the individual Souls. In addition, the same superior nature upholds the entire universe. That superior nature is indeed the abstract Brahman. Lord Krishna Himself clarifies this in verse 14.27.          

“I am the basis of the Brahman, the Immortal, and the Immutable. I am the basis of the Eternal Dharma and of absolute bliss.”

Thus, God is the original source for Brahman and indeed, in accordance with 10.8, He is the basis for everything else including Eternal Dharma and absolute bliss.

In Part I of The Power of Om, we have understood the equivalence of Om and Brahman. Therefore, it follows that Om must be equivalent to God Himself. In verse 9.17, God affirms this as follows.

“I am the father, the mother, the supporter, and the grandsire of this world. I am the ultimate object of knowledge, I am the sacred symbol Om, and I am the sacred Vedas.”

Thus, Om is the symbol for God. In addition, God is indeed the ultimate object of knowledge. Furthermore, the Vedas as a source of spiritual knowledge represent God Himself. This verse is the basis for Kirtans, chanting, and meditation. A devotee will say that he does not have to study all the Vedas to reach Him. All a devotee has to do is chant His holy names or sing songs praising Him. Similarly, a yogi will say that all he has to do is meditate on Om!

Finally, the most moving verse that relates God, the individual Soul, and Om at a personal level is verse 8.13.

“Uttering Om that represents Brahman, and remembering Me,

One who leaves the body attains the Supreme Goal”

Thus, uttering the sacred mantra Om Krishna or Om Namo Narayana at the time of departure from the material world will guarantee Moksha (or Heaven).

To summarize, Om is the symbol for God, and Om is congruent with Brahman - God’s spiritual energy in the material world. The individual Souls are nothing but extension of God’s spiritual presence. Meditating on Om or chanting the Holy names of the Lord is all you need to reach His abode. As a final note, if you become so busy that you forgot to do all that, just remembering Him along with Om at the time of departure from the material world will guarantee you Salvation!

Vegetarianism and Spirituality

When my daughter was in first grade, she wanted to know why we were vegetarians. We had told her that we were vegetarians because we love animals. That answer was good enough for her six years ago. However, last week she wanted a deeper answer. What she meant by a deeper answer was that she wanted to know the Scriptural or Spiritual basis for being a vegetarian. Indeed, three verses in the Bhagavad-Gita are helpful in answering the question. The first one is verse 12.13 where the Lord explains who is a real devotee.

“Who hates no beings, and is friendly and compassionate; who is devoid of idea of ‘mine’ and is free from egoism; who is the same in pleasure and pain; who is for forgiving”

The key here is “who hates no being” meaning one who does not hate all creatures including animals.

The second verse that helps us understand is 16.2. This verse (in addition to 16.1, 16.3, and 16.4) describes all the qualities in one who has become a true servant of God.

“Non-violence, truthfulness, freedom from wrath, enunciation, tranquility, absence of envy, kindness to all beings, non-covetousness, gentleness, modesty, and dignity,”

Again, here the key phrases are non-violence and kindness to all beings. We may recall that non-violence was the basis of Mahatma Gandhi’s Independence struggle in India. Non-violence is also a fundamental tenet in Buddhism and Jainism.

The verse that many consider as fundamental to vegetarianism is 18.61 where the Lord states,

“God Almighty is in the heart of all being; however, because of Māya we behave as if we are mounted on a machine”

The statement that God is in the heart of all beings is fundamental to vegetarianism. Indeed, we are all part of the same Divine. We all belong to the same spiritual eco-system. This is the fundamental reason why we should love and respect animals and adhere to a vegetarian diet.

Thus, vegetarian diet is not only healthy; it is a God-inspired diet.

Karma, God, and Salvation

Karma in Sanskrit means work or action. In the Hindu Faith (Sanatana Dharma), karma is spiritually inspired, meaning we are here on Earth to do God’s work. While karma is God-inspired, it is imperative that we are committed to our karma with no attachment to fruits of karma. The verse 2.47 in the Bhagavad-Gita explains this as stated by the Lord Himself.

“To karma (work) alone you have the right and never to the fruits of karma.

Do not become an agent for fruits of karma nor be tempted to withdraw from karma”

Thus, as long as we are focused on the work itself and are detached from the fruits of karma, we will continue to uplift ourselves spiritually. The moment we focus on the fruits of karma, there will be a high probability that we will have disappointments, which will further lead to suffering. The key to spiritual happiness is therefore detachment from the fruits of karma.

Before we delve further into karmic obligations, we need to understand the conception of God and God’s relation to individual souls in Santana Dharma. Verse 10.8 in the Bhagavad-Gita is the most important verse about Creation.

“I am the origin of everything, and everything emanates from Me. The wise who know this worship Me with total focus.”

What the Lord means is that He is not just the Creator of everything that is material in this universe, He is also the source of all forms of energy that sustain the material and spiritual worlds. The source of the spiritual energy that sustains all living beings is He. Once we realize that, nothing else matters. We will adore Him; we will worship Him with fervor and endless devotion. In addition to the material world, God generates two forms of energy that blanket this world, namely, Māya the material energy, and Brahman the spiritual energy. It is Māya that creates hurdles in reaching God. On the other hand, once we realize God’s spiritual presence (Brahman), we will just glide along the spiritual plane to God’s abode. Because of this dual nature of God’s Creation, individual souls are caught between God’s material energy (Māya) that brings us back to Earth (cycle of Birth and Death or Samsara) and His spiritual energy (Brahman) that helps us reach His abode. Given this dual nature of God’s own Creation, how does one reach God? Fortunately, the Lord Himself provides the answer to this question in verse 11.55 of the Bhagavad Gita. Many theologians including Sri Shankara Charya consider 11.55 central to Sanatana Dharma.

“One who does My work, holds Me as the supreme Goal, is devoted to Me, is devoid of attachments to the material world, and is free from enmity towards all beings, attains Me.”

The answer that the Lord provides is straightforward. Above are the five simple steps to achieving Salvation. We have to do the Lord’s work without any attachments to the fruits. We have to be devoted to the Lord, and we have to hold Him as the Supreme Goal. We have to be free of attachments to the material world, and finally, we have to be free of enmity towards all beings.

It seems simple enough, but we all know that Māya will always be in the way and take us away from those five simple steps. We want an anchor that would not divert us from the above five-fold path. We want a guarantee. For that, the Lord Himself has said in 18.66 the following.

“Abandon all forms of dharma (traditions). Take refuge in Me alone. I shall free you from all sins and grant you Salvation. Do not grieve.”

In the end, surrendering to God is the only thing we have to do to reach His abode. Once we surrender to God, the five-fold path in 11.55 becomes an integral part of our nature.

On a side note, Mahatma Gandhi considers 18.66 as the summation of all of Santana Dharma Scriptures.

Cosmic Order in Rig Veda

There are innumerable verses in Rig-Veda that refer to the Eternal Law or Cosmic Order, Rita. While there is no explicit hymn in Rig Veda that gives a precise definition of Rita, it is more than compensated by timely references in verses that praise Vedic gods such as Indra and Varuna. Indeed, these references to Rita give a glimpse of the world-view of the authors[1] of Rig Veda in the early Vedic civilization. Rita defines the interdependencies among the forces of the cosmos and how it affects the human pursuit of happiness.  Indeed, Rita as the Eternal Law has to be obeyed by both mortals and gods.

Rita is the law, the rule, and the proper order of the cosmos. It is the idea that everything in the universe comes together and it applies to all of God’s creatures. It is the holistic view of how God’s creatures should interact with different aspects of the cosmos. Failure to adhere to this law leads to misery. As a simple example, abuse of our ecology is a violation of Rita which ultimately hurts us all.

In Vedic Yagnas[2], there is, therefore, a continuous emphasis on the desire to follow Rita. For example, in RV 10.136.6, the hymn pleads Vedic god Indra as follows.

“Lead us beyond all pain and grief along the path of holy Law (Rita)”

Vedic people truly revered nature. For them, the nature itself is a manifestation of God’s powers. Immersed in the Vedas is the knowledge that the Supreme Reality is not a mere existence, immutable and featureless. It is supremely aware; it is a Consciousness that goes beyond mere awareness. It is a Consciousness that manifests as forces of cosmos. This is aptly revealed in RV 10.190.1.

“From fervor kindled to its height Eternal Law (Rita) and Truth were born”

It is also interesting to note that Vedic people realized that there are always many unavoidable distractions that will take one away from the path of Rita. This is seen in hymn 7.89.5  that praises Varuna, the Vedic god – keeper of Rita.

“From poverty of will, we have gone contrary to thee. By ignorance, we have put away thy laws, smite us not.”

In the end, adherence to the Eternal Law (Rita) cannot be achieved by intellect alone; it needs the spiritual commitment, a commitment to overcome the three bondages: the bondage above (the limitations of mind), the middle bondage (the limitations of vital-energies) and the bondage below (the limitations of the physical body). This is expressed in RV 1.25.21 which again praises Varuna.

“Release us from the upper bond, untie the bond between, and loose
the bonds below, that I may live.”

In conclusion, let us take a holistic view of this world, recognize and respect our relation with all aspects of nature, living and non-living, and adhere to the Eternal Law or Cosmic Order – Rita. Rita will truly lead you to Bliss!