The Rudram chant is dedicated to Ishwara in the form of Lord Shiva. Before we proceed further in understanding the concepts behind the Rudram chant, it is worthwhile to try and understand the concept of Ishwara. Rather than approach it from a religion oriented approach, we will try a different approach so as to make the concept inclusive irrespective of religious affiliations.
If we look around the world without constantly looking at our smartphones or, for a minute without, thinking of our office or family, what do we see? We see the sun rise everyday in the East and set in the West and rise again. A flower always blooms. When a fruit falls from a tree, it always falls down. A standard set of things will always happen in a methodical manner. The earth rotates on its axis at the same speed it has been for several years and revolves around the sun at exactly the same rate. Even if we look within ourselves, our heart by and large beats at the standard rate every day. Each part of our body follows standard rules and functions as it should. Well, people may be wondering what am I trying to prove? Does it not appear that there is order in the universe?
The universe is a cosmos and not chaos. There exists a scientific law / order in every aspect of the universe. Everything in the universe has a definite role to play in the scheme of things. There is a perfect order in the physical, physiological, and psychological universe. The whole universe is nothing but order. There is no disorder at all. Even in every apparent disorder there is order. This ‘order’ in which the universe is manifested and harmoniously exists is called as the Lord of the Universe or Ishvara . Albert Einstein said, “The basic laws of the universe are simple, but because our senses are limited, we can't grasp them. There is a pattern in creation.” Each religion may have developed its own way to explain this universal power and may also call it differently. But the fact remains that, whatever be the name, the universal concept remains the same. We will now move to the concept of Ishwara as enunciated in the Indian school of thought.
Ishwara is a Hindu philosophical concept of God referring to the Supreme Being which is the lord and the ruler of everything. Hinduism uses the term Ishwara exclusively to refer to the Supreme God in a monotheistic sense.Every effect must have its cause. This universe therefore being an effect must be preceded by a cause, and this cause is Īshwara. As per the Indian school of thought, Ishwara has fashioned this universe by his will. He conceptualized the universe, created the "raw material" for the universe, provided the "intelligence" needed for creation and actually created the universe.
The Five manifestations of God (Īshvara) according to the Indian school of thought are:
Recognizing this Universal order and relating to Isvara by not rubbing against the order is the Vedic / Yogic way of life . When there is an absence of resistance on my part, that is when I reveal that the Lord rules outside and HE rules inside also. When I discover the Lord in and through everything, the distance between I, and Īśvara becomes too thin and disappears.. All that is here is Ishwara. Every phenomenon is Ishvara. This Ishvara, the total can be invoked through any name or form. This vision will help one to see the Lord in everything in the universe and achieve complete serenity and happiness in life.
The Veda gives us five different types of Yagnas to connect with Ishwara;
Shri Rudram can be used as a means for performing Deva Yagna and BhrahmaYagna
Conclusion: There is an order in the whole universe, which ensures its smooth functioning and each religious thought has its own name to define and explain this power that ensures universal order. In the Indian school of thought, this universal power is called as Ishwara. Shri Rudram is dedicated to Ishwara in the form of Lord Shiva. We will discuss more about invocations to this form of Ishwara in our subsequent posts.
If we look around the world without constantly looking at our smartphones or, for a minute without, thinking of our office or family, what do we see? We see the sun rise everyday in the East and set in the West and rise again. A flower always blooms. When a fruit falls from a tree, it always falls down. A standard set of things will always happen in a methodical manner. The earth rotates on its axis at the same speed it has been for several years and revolves around the sun at exactly the same rate. Even if we look within ourselves, our heart by and large beats at the standard rate every day. Each part of our body follows standard rules and functions as it should. Well, people may be wondering what am I trying to prove? Does it not appear that there is order in the universe?
The universe is a cosmos and not chaos. There exists a scientific law / order in every aspect of the universe. Everything in the universe has a definite role to play in the scheme of things. There is a perfect order in the physical, physiological, and psychological universe. The whole universe is nothing but order. There is no disorder at all. Even in every apparent disorder there is order. This ‘order’ in which the universe is manifested and harmoniously exists is called as the Lord of the Universe or Ishvara . Albert Einstein said, “The basic laws of the universe are simple, but because our senses are limited, we can't grasp them. There is a pattern in creation.” Each religion may have developed its own way to explain this universal power and may also call it differently. But the fact remains that, whatever be the name, the universal concept remains the same. We will now move to the concept of Ishwara as enunciated in the Indian school of thought.
Ishwara is a Hindu philosophical concept of God referring to the Supreme Being which is the lord and the ruler of everything. Hinduism uses the term Ishwara exclusively to refer to the Supreme God in a monotheistic sense.Every effect must have its cause. This universe therefore being an effect must be preceded by a cause, and this cause is Īshwara. As per the Indian school of thought, Ishwara has fashioned this universe by his will. He conceptualized the universe, created the "raw material" for the universe, provided the "intelligence" needed for creation and actually created the universe.
The Five manifestations of God (Īshvara) according to the Indian school of thought are:
- Para — the transcendental Super Absolute form from which the universe appears
- Vyuha — the four emanations Vasudeva, Sankarṣaṇa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha; which have cosmic function of projection, preservation and transformation.
- Vibhava — Incarnations which appear from time to time to rectify and restore harmony and balance to the universe, such as Narasimha, Rama, Krishna to name a few.
- Antaryamin — the form abiding within all living beings.
- Arca-avatara — the appearance out of condescension and love, in icons that are made and consecrated according to the vedic rituals.
Recognizing this Universal order and relating to Isvara by not rubbing against the order is the Vedic / Yogic way of life . When there is an absence of resistance on my part, that is when I reveal that the Lord rules outside and HE rules inside also. When I discover the Lord in and through everything, the distance between I, and Īśvara becomes too thin and disappears.. All that is here is Ishwara. Every phenomenon is Ishvara. This Ishvara, the total can be invoked through any name or form. This vision will help one to see the Lord in everything in the universe and achieve complete serenity and happiness in life.
The Veda gives us five different types of Yagnas to connect with Ishwara;
- Manushya Yagna : Loving and supporting other human beings
- BhutaYagna: Supporting the nature and other living beings
- Pitru Yagna : a. Love and support for family Pitru Yagna b. Remembering and being grateful to ancestors
- DevaYagna : a. Surrendering to GOD / Higher Cause b. Propitiating our own body and mind c. Prayers and all spiritual / religious practices
- BhrahmaYagna: Study and propagation of the scriptures
Shri Rudram can be used as a means for performing Deva Yagna and BhrahmaYagna
Conclusion: There is an order in the whole universe, which ensures its smooth functioning and each religious thought has its own name to define and explain this power that ensures universal order. In the Indian school of thought, this universal power is called as Ishwara. Shri Rudram is dedicated to Ishwara in the form of Lord Shiva. We will discuss more about invocations to this form of Ishwara in our subsequent posts.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please leave comments for me here.