- Do you know the science of why Lord Shiva wears a snake around his neck and moon on his head?
- Many of you would have heard of Pushpak Vimana (the aeroplane that Ravana possessed). Many of you might have heard that if converted in contemporary language, its speed was said to be around 300-400 kms/hour. So what was the science behind that plane?
- Why Garuda Bird is the vehicle of Lord Vishnu?
- Why Lord Brahma is shown to be sitting on a Lotus flower?
The ancient sacred texts are replete with such narratives/stories however most of us keep wondering about their significance or treat them as a simple myth. This blog will help you to understand the deep seated meaning of these stories in layman’s language by using very simple and basic principles of Ayurveda.
*** Before you begin reading this article, please spend a few seconds, in understanding the basics of three fundamental forces of Ayurveda called VATA, PITTA AND KAPHA. In Simple and layman terms, PITTA represents the current (heat) passing through channels in the body. Here, gross body is KAPHA and channels in KAPHA (or body) through which PITTA moves represent VATA. Together these forces will be referred as VPK (Vata, Pitta and Kapha) in this blog and are essential for our existence because it is them which give rise to intelligence. From brain’s perspective, which is the central processing unit of our body (or say compute), Pitta works like a processor, Vata is like RAM (which creates new channels/circuit for new insights) and Kapha is like ROM (Hard disc which stores all the information).
Let’s start…. The world has begun to understand that the design and working of a living body (human body for instance) is same as design and working of the cosmos and everything outside the human body. Vedas, the compendium of Knowledge had already dropped a big hint by making a simple but universal statement- called YAT PINDE TAT BRAHAMANDE meaning “As is microcosm (Universe inside), so is macrocosm (Universe outside) and vice versa”. And that was the basis of most of stories from ancient scriptures. Their aim was to explain the working of human body and mind and its relationship with the other features of cosmos through storytelling so that the concept remains alive till such time, their science is understood through evolution. Presented in this article are some of those stories and the science behind them post reading which you will stop calling such stories as myth (in fact the word mythology in main heading of this blog is only to attract readers to understand this subject and should ideally not be used). Let’s begin with the first story.
*** Do note that all stories are interconnected in some way or the other, so please do not skip any and read them all in the given sequence
Why Lord Shiva is shown as wearing snake and moon.
Lord Shiva is one of the trinities apart from Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma where the trinity governs the entire functioning of the ever evolving Universe starting from its beginning, its administration, its end, its reincarnation while evolving every passing moment.
From VPK perspective, Lord Shiva represents a state of almost nothingness where Pitta is almost zero or very low taking our mind into a meditative state (absolute zero means total stillness so I wouldn’t say zero Pitta). Whereas Goddess Parvati represents the expanded form of Lord Shiva where VPK have given form to nature (which includes everything that we see around including self). From macrocosm perspective, Shiva represents that state when the Universe had begun from an infinitely small dot and expanded through the Big bang into Parvati (also called as Prakriti or nature in English). From living body perspective, we all start from very small single cells (Shiva State) and then expand into Prakriti. Not only that, when we meditate and silence our brain which is the CPU (the central processing unit), we again move into Shiva state from Parvati (prakriti/nature) state for that period of time. When we become angry/excited/extrovert, the Pitta goes high and so does Vata and high Pitta (heat) dissolves Kapha and creates more channels thereby creating an excited or ferocious Prakriti/nature. In other words, Shiva and Parvati/prakriti are inseparable and there is a continuous dance between Shiva and Parvati. So, when Shiva becomes excited and too hot, he becomes destructive too in the form of Nature showing its fury (in form of catastrophes in the external world and diseases in the internal world). And when Shiva becomes quiet, he goes into an introspective mode.
Now I mentioned that Vata is like RAM and moves like snake (a channel through which current passes in form of chemicals in human body). So the snake represents Vata. Remember that without Vata, the inter-neural circuits in the brain cannot form. So it is Vata which gives intelligence and far sightedness. However if Pitta is too high then current will pass through Vata very quickly and burn Kapha (which creates the body). It is this reason that Lord Shiva wears moon (which represents low/controlled Pitta) which represents an intelligent and cool mind who is always in a meditative state and can see beyond the routine horizon for course correction.
*** The stories also mention that snakes reside in Patal Loka (Patal means underground and loka realm). This is because in the entire body, Vata is strongest in our lower intestines, which creates continuous peristalsis- a snake like movement to push down waste for excretion.
This article is an extract from the book, THE ROOT CAUSE AYURVEDA ASTROLOGY AND BEYOND and its addendum through which you will be able to visualize deeper understanding of the working of Higher World including how God exists in all of us and how we all are part of God. LINKS TO PROCURE THE BOOK MENTIONED AT THE END OF THE BLOG.
Garuda as the vehicle (vahan) of Lord Vishnu
Lord Vishnu who is again one of the trinities (one of them being Lord Shiva) represents that manifestation of energy whose aim is to nourish and ensure running of the living body (at micro and macro level).
At a grand scale, Lord Vishnu is the God who manages the administration of the entire Universe and keeps taking Avatar in different forms thereby evolving the Universe (starting from Matsya i.e. fish to present state of humans- the homo-sapiens). Now, Garuda – a bird (a type of eagle/vulture) is shown as the vehicle of Lord Vishnu and is said to kill snakes whenever they leave Patal loka and come to surface. From Ayurveda perspective, it is said that whenever Vata leaves its place (i.e. intestines) and goes into main body i.e. anywhere above intestines, it causes disease. This is because lower intestines store nothing but faeces and when faeces travel back in blood circulation (due to constipation etc), they create blockages in the main system causing diseases. Thus, Garuda eats/kills those plaque/toxins in the blood circulation system and removes obstructions to keep the body in good health (eagles/vultures eat the pest and the dead animals and keep the environment clean).
*** Garuda Puran talks about Garuda Mantra to detoxify human body and is employed by certain Ayurveda experts.
Why Lord Brahma sits on Lotus
Lord Brahma (one of the trinities apart from Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu) represents knowledge. Stories mention that he generated out of the navel of Lord Vishnu.
This is because it is the interplay between Lord Vishnu (administration/running) and Lord Shiva (existence/introspection/experience/destruction/resurgence) that can create knowledge. In other words, knowledge comes out of experience of life and introspection over it. Exactly this is what happens in our body and mind right from the time we are born and also at a grander scale when knowledge has been created on earth (and on different planes). Here Lotus represents state of enlightenment through knowledge. This is because with knowledge, our chakras start opening up which were otherwise closed like a closed fist/lotus flower due to birth in lower Yonis (less evolved beings) in the past lives.
*** All three energies and their portfolios i.e. beginning/origin/destruction, administration and creation of knowledge are essential for continuous evolution (or say continuous improvement as stated in the modern world). And it will be naive to compare one with another from supremacy angle. In fact, all these energies compliment and complete each other. For example, apparently Brahma may seem to be coming after Vishnu and Shiva however without Brahma i.e. knowledge, the Universe could not have been created. Thus even Shiva (the beginning of big bang) would have originated from knowledge only.
The science of Pushpak Vimana
Before we talk about Pushpak Vimana, it is essential to understand Ravana first…..When Vata is very high in one’s mind (means very snaky/wavy channels), then it is easy to visualize that the current i.e. the movement of Pitta gets obstructed due to waviness of channels. Such a person will have lot of inter-neural circuits i.e. RAM in computer language, thereby imparting the person the ability to connect one dot with another. On the other hand if one has low Vata (low RAM) but high Kapha (hard disk) and Pitta then such a person/brain will be able to store lot of knowledge due to big hard disk. In other words, such a person will be high on Kapha and Pitta i.e. high KP. Such brains (i.e. KP) will be high on ego because they will store lot of information and relay high Pitta. So high Pitta in high Kapha person will mean strong relay of own brain/ego. However due to very low Vata, the person will neither be able to connect dots, nor create new information and nor will have far sightedness due to poor inter neural circuits.
Exactly this was the nature of Ravana. He was brimming with knowledge but still he was unable to differentiate between good and evil/wrong and right and was high on Ego. This is because without enough Vata, he was unable to connect dots due to absence of channels between information stored. Also, in a high Kapha Pitta brain, the movement of Pitta (current) will be very quick and fast due to very less obstructions. Now here comes the interesting part. This pitta which flows as electricity through channels (vata) in Ayurvedic language is nothing but relay of neurotransmitters (chemicals) through our nervous system (electrical system in the body). Medical science calls it as nerve conduction. While the average nerve conduction velocity is 50-100 kms/hr in human body, in certain cases it can go as high as 400 km/hr especially in Alpha motor neurons in brain. Thus, Pushpak Viman is nothing but a fast and strong flow of Pitta in a Kapha mind. You also might have heard that Pushpak Vimana could be fuelled only by Prana (thoughts) of Ravana. In Ayurvedic terms, Prana means the vital force which is nothing but the flow of Pitta because Pitta is heat/electricity which gives life to any being.
*** This narrative is not to disregard possible existence of Pushpak Vimana on a macro scale (or say outside human body). As such by now from above examples, we know that whatever exists at microcosm, exists at macrocosm too and vice versa.
Thus by now, you would have realized that different characters of various Epics are the different manifestation of energy meant for specific tasks in the human body at smaller scale and in the cosmos at the larger scale. Here are some more one liners to connect more dots:-
- Muni Narada represents our thoughts which can appear from anywhere and can go anywhere. Lord Vishnu had cursed him to never be stationed at one place for long (of course it was a blessing in disguise as different thoughts help us to keep life moving and evolving)
- Prajapati- the Manas (mentally created) son of Lord Brahma represents a person who was pot bellied and was given responsibility to create rules and regulations. At human level, he is nothing but the brain. Pot bellied because brain is very high on kapha (fats especially saturated fats) for storing information.
- 60 daughters of Prajapati represent sixty different states of virtues, vices and emotions of human brain/psyche. Major 27 of those emotions represent 27 nakshatras (constellations) who are all married to moon which governs emotions. This is because moon has strong hold on the body fluids (primarily being blood and lymph which keep changing their place as moon changes its location in the sky and enters into a new constellation every day).
- 1000 sons of Prajapati represent 1000 nerves in the human body which govern and provide information to/fro brain (i.e. Prajapati).
- Kartikeya, Ganesha and Ashok Sundari- the children of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati represent manifestations of physical strength, wisdom and patience/love respectively.
- Ketu- the shadowy planet in Astrology represents the introspective state of Shiva/Parvati and Rahu the extrovert state.
- Mansa Devi- Mansa Devi is the sister of Vasuki- the snake in the neck of lord Shiva. During her initial years before enlightenment, she represented that form of personality who was high on Vata as well as Pitta in the brain thereby creating a very curious, excited, ferocious and highly temperamental mind. That is why she used to question everything unless she experienced life and understood the meaning of higher realms. When Pitta calmed down, all she was left with was Vata (lot of inter-neural circuits which represent experiences stored in brain) that imparted her wisdom.
*** BY now you must have realized that all the above mentioned energies including Trinity are present in our body and mind too and their level of dominance keeps changing from one life to another to gather different experiences. In other words, God and Devil all reside inside us. And the sooner we realize this fact, the quicker we can evolve by adopting Vedic wisdom.
HUMAN BRAIN VERSUS UNIVERSE
Last but not the least, by using YAT PINDE TAT BRAHMANDE PRINCIPLE, EVEN THE STRUCTURE, DESIGN AND WORKING OF THE COSMOS CAN BE UNDERSTOOD BY COMPARING HUMAN BODY AND BRAIN WITH THE COSMOS. For example, the way our brain has folds inside folds inside folds, same way even Universe has folds inside folds inside folds of the space time fabric. At human brain’s level, even if these folds are very closely located to each other, the electrical currents through nerves cannot cross the physical barriers from one fold to another and have to travel a long distance to reach the point on other fold even if located very close.
Same way, in the Universe too, the light has to go along with the folds of space time fabric even if two points are closely located. However electromagnetism doesn’t need physical medium. So just in case of brain, a thought can emerge out of nowhere and can get connected to another point in the brain due to electromagnetic flux in between two points (even if they are not physically connected or connected at very low distance), same ways, even two apparently distant located points in the Universe can get connected to each other through some sort of EM flux, which can act like a bridge on a wormhole.
WE ARE LIVING IN A SIMULATED WORLD
By now you would have realized the striking similarities in between the design and working of human body/mind and that of cosmos. All these similarities obviously cannot be mere coincidence and instead clearly state that the Universe has been designed extremely systematically with immaculate precision by highly advance beings. And all the phenomenon can be explained using YAT PINDE TAT BRAHAMANDE principle whether it be big bang, the theory of relativity, the space time fabric, the progression of time and that how we are sitting in a world, simulated by a super super super conscious computer. To know more about how to visualize the higher world using Vedic principles, you may pick up a copy of book THE ROOT CAUSE AYURVEDA ASTROLOGY AND BEYOND FOR A BLISSFUL LIFE.
THIS BLOG IS AN EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK “THE ROOT CAUSE”. IF YOU WISH YOU TO USE THE CONTENTS OF THE BLOG OR BOOK, YOU ARE REQUESTED TO MENTION THE SOURCE ALSO. THIS WILL HELP TO PROMOTE THE ENTIRE WORK WITH THE ONLY AIM TO BRIDGE GAP BETWEEN CONTEMPORARY KNOWLEDGE AND THE VEDIC SCIENCES. THANKS IN ANTICIPATION.
TO UNDERSTAND DETAILED CONCEPTS OF AYURVEDA AND OTHER VEDIC SCIENCES including ASTROLOGY, YOGA, MEDITATION, ASHTANG YOGA AND WORKING OF THE HIGHER WORLD, PLEASE PICK UP A COPY OF THE ROOT CAUSE BOOK from the links given below ⇓ ⇓ ⇓ ⇓ ⇓
Notion Press link– https://notionpress.com/read/the-root-cause
I books (Apple)- https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1467888962