Adiguru: The first teacher

 गुरुर ब्रह्मा गुरुर विष्णु गुरुर देवो महेश्वरः

गुरुः साक्षात्परब्रह्मा तस्मै श्री गुरुवे नमः

5th September, the day one of the greatest scholars of the 20th century, 2nd President of India Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan was born. The day we know and celebrate as Teacher’s Day. Being a teacher’s son, I have seen the pain and toil a teacher does to liberate society from the trenches of ignorance and darkness. A society without an empathetic teacher is a body without a soul. But who lightened the candle of education and knowledge first. Who is the first teacher? What is the origin of all the teachers of society? Who is Adiguru and Why?

Adiguru — the first teacher or the Supreme Master, the person who started the teacher disciple lineage. As per Hindu mythology, Lord Shiva is the Adiguru. The origin of Yoga, Dance, Art, War, Ayurveda, and many other areas has been Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva has enlightened the world with his wisdom while walking through different phases of his life. Let’s pick some of those pearls from Lord Shiva’s journey.

Lord Shiva — the teaching teacher

Parashurama, the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishu, the guru of Bhisma, Drona, and Karna was himself a disciple of Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva crystallized the martial arts skills of Parshurama and made him a furious warrior. The same martial art form has traveled across generations and is today practiced as Kalaripayattu in Modern Kerela.

Lord Shiva as a teacher ignited the candle of wisdom via Parsuram and it’s still alive with us. It is a trait of a great teacher to build skills of knowledge propagation and empowerment across his/ her students. The skill that keeps the wheel of wisdom moving across generations. Today our education policy needs to boost teachers who not only are learned but also great propagators of knowledge like Parsurama.

Lord Shiva — the teaching husband -

Lord Shiva meditated for thousands of years and mastered the art of Yoga. In order to propagate the Yogic art to the world, Lord Shiva bestowed the knowledge of his thousand years of meditation to Parvati. He taught the 84 Asanas of yoga to Parvati. The story of Lord Shiva imparting Yogic wisdom to Parvati is a story of balance. Balance in terms of body, mind, and soul. Because it was Lord Shiva’s love for Sati that made him Yogi, but it was his love for Parvati that made him Aadiyogi.

A good teacher always looks for balance in terms of the mind of his/her students, knowledge, power, or money. S/he always tries to nurture a balanced society which becomes an epitome of wisdom and knowledge.

Lord Shiva — the teaching father —

As per Skanda Purana, Lord Shiva sent his eldest son Kartikeya to Lord Brahma for education. Kartikeya went to Lord Brahma and asked a simple question.

Kartikeya — Please tell me the meaning of Om?

Brahma — First learn the alphabets then we can come to that question.

Kartikeya — No, I want the highest wisdom first

As Lord Brahma himself was not aware of the meaning of Om, Kartikeya returned to Kailasa and asked the same question to Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva himself was unaware of the answer. Kartikeya was ready to tell the answer but on one condition i.e. elevating Kartikeya to the pedestal of a teacher or Guru.

Lord Shiva agreed and live Kartikeya on his shoulders. Kartikeya then deciphered the meaning of Om in Lord Shiva’s ears. On hearing this Parvati joyously coined a new name Swaminatha (Natha — Teacher, Swami — Husband) for Kartikeya.

This story brings into picture one of the most important traits every teacher must follow. The path of being a seeker of knowledge from anyone and everyone. This is how the cycle of knowledge keeps on moving and reaching new horizons.

Hope this Teacher’s Day enlightens the candle of eternal wisdom across the minds of every student.

Vasuki -The Serpent king

 

Naag Panchmi, the auspicious fifth day of Shukla Paksha in the month of Sawan in India. A day when devotees worship snakes and seek their blessings for the family. Vasuki the serpent king that coils around the neck of Lord Shiva is worshipped on Naga Panchami. Vasuki, the son of Kashyap and Kadru is the most powerful snake and an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva. Without Lord Shiva, Vasuki is lifeless but a destructive and powerful cobra.

As per Vishnu Purana, during the time of Samudra Manthan (churning of the ocean), a holy exercise performed by Devas and Asuras together to bring back prosperity in the world, Vasuki played a pivotal role. With Mandar mountain as the churning rod and Vasuki as the churning rope, Devas and Asuras churned the ocean together to attain prosperity, strength, and vitality back. Varied ornaments, treasures, scriptures, Goddess, and Supernatural animals were the outcome of the Samudra Manthan. But the most revered ones were Amrita (Elixir of immortality) and Halahala (Deadly poison).

Lord Shiva, the Neelkanth drank the deadly poison together with Vasuki and other snakes in the ocean and saved the world from doom. Impressed by his selfless devotion, Lord Shiva decided to wear Vasuki around his neck. The serpent king beautifies Lord Shiva with his presence. It also symbolizes the awakened Kundalini power of the Muladhara chakra.

Apart from this, Lord Shiva has a powerful bow — Pinaaka. The string of this bow is none other than Vasuki. Vasuki helped Lord Shiva in destroying the Tripura of Tarkasura sons.

Vasuki is a multitalented disciple of Lord Shiva who symbolizes the balance of power, knowledge, and spirituality. Vasuki took the Road less traveled and imbibed a plethora of virtues from Lord Shiva himself. Following three virtues of Vasuki can be emulated by anyone during any phase of life

Self Discipline —

“Without discipline, we can solve nothing. With only some discipline we can solve only some problems. With total discipline, we can solve all problems” — M Scott Peck

Vasuki or the snake represents the intensity of kundalini lying lethargically in the Muladhara chakra of every individual. With self-discipline and meditation, anyone can plummet the kundalini or Vasuki to the highest levels. Lord Shiva with Vasuki on his neck symbolizes the attainment of enlightenment of the Muladhara chakra.

Open for change —

Change is something that happens every time and everywhere. Change is life. Embracing change in any phase of life is a sign of one’s adaptability and versatility. Every individual can learn this trait from the Serpent King Vasuki who served the role of a churning rod during Samudra Manthan or bowstring for Lord Shiva. He openly accepted the change and adapted the same for delivery of success. Life is all about being open to the changes that come every day.

Delayed Gratification —

Delayed gratification is one of the most effective personal traits and most difficult to acquire. It improves self-control and ultimately helps in attaining long term goals. Vasuki enjoyed Halahala with Lord Shiva and attained the esteemed company of Lord Shiva.

We can attain and enlighten our internal Vasuki by practicing these virtues and accompany Lord Shiva.

Dancing on Ignorance: Nataraja Way

 

Lord Shiva has many guises but one of the most prominent and known figures to recollect is — Lord Nataraja — the god of Dance. Nataraja brings in memories of brass or stone statues that we would have come across in temples, books, or any other medium. Nataraja is the first dancing Superstar who has been the inspiration for countless dance moves and songs. But what’s the need for Lord Shiva to become Nataraja. What’s that small creature on which Nataraja stands on. What’s the significance of Lord Nataraja in our lives. Let’s try to find out.

As per Skanda Purana, the sages of Darukawana were divine yogis. But they gained vanity of being the elite living beings. They performed rituals and started thinking of themselves as Gods. The gave up the path of karma and got addled to yagyas and rituals only. To lighten up their path Lord Shiva along with Lord Vishnu, disguised themselves as Bhikshatana — a young attractive beggar and Mohini — a serene beauty respectively and reached Darukawana. Mohini spellbound all the sages and they started following her. On the other hand, Bhikshatana mesmerized the sage’s wives. To curb this lusty behavior of their wives the agitated sages directed a serpent, a tiger, and a dwarf demon (Apasmara) towards Bhikshatana.

Apasmara, the demon of ignorance, a demon who can’t be killed but only subdued, a demon whose presence balances knowledge and ignorance in this world. Lord Shiva as Bhikshatana subdued the tiger and serpent by wearing them. But Apasmara was a powerful demon who can’t be killed. Lord Shiva emerged as Nataraja to subdue Apasmara. Nataraj commenced Ananda Tandava and subdued Apasmara by standing on him in Bhujangatrasita Karana pose. It saved the world from ignorance and chaos. Folklores tell that whenever Apasmara raises his hood, Lord Shiva reincarnates as Nataraja and subdues the demon.

Nataraja’s Panchakritya or five key acts give us a pathway of how we can subdue the demon Apasmara i.e. ignorance, self-doubt, unconsciousness, and unawareness from within and our environments even in the connected world today.

1. Damru or Drum —

Damru or the hourglass-shaped drum in the rear left arm of Nataraj signifies Srijan or creation. It tells us how positive vibrations can recede any demon aside. Positive vibrations signify traits like smile, gratitude, generosity, and kindness.

2. Fire -

The raised rear right hand with fire signifies Samhara or destruction. It tells how burning transforms an ore of gold to a beautiful jewel we also can burn or destroy our negativity and attain our true potential. Negativity in terms of self-doubt, jealousy, corrupt thoughts. A fire of positivity makes one attain the inner self.

3. Open palm -

The open palm of forehand signifies Stithi or assurance. It gives us a reassurance that there is nothing to fear the cosmic overhaul or change. Life is full of changes and one needs to be reassured and grow with those changes.

4. Hidden left palm -

The hidden lower-left palm signifies Tirobhava or concealment. It reveals that Nataraj is the creator and destroyer of Maya or illusion, the veil of ignorance. Maya represents the perceptions created by one’s beliefs, senses, and upbringing. It is only by shutting the illusions of this external world through meditation that the real truth is found.

5. Apasmara -

The demon of ignorance, Apasmara on which Nataraja stands is of prime importance. It signifies that ignorance can’t be eradicated from the world but can be subdued by the light of knowledge. It all about finding the spiritual and emotional self by following the path of self-awareness and mindfulness.

Nataraja symbolizes balance. A way to channelize all energies to subdue all the ill traits. Everyone can attain inner Nataraja by focus, meditation, knowledge, discipline, and self-awareness. Else the demon Apasmara will create an illusion of self-doubt and uncertainty in our lives.

COVID 19 — The Modern Ravana

 

With ten heads, twenty arms, a flying chariot, and a palace of gold, Ravana has been one of the most flamboyant villains of the Hindu mythology. From our childhood, most of us emulate Lord Rama. But we seldom pay notice to what Ravana was. Ravana the grandson of the great sage Pulatsya, one of the seven sons of the creator Lord Brahma. Rudra Strota, scripture written in praise of Lord Shiva was scripted by the same evil Ravana. Besides, Ravana, a great musician first made the Rudra Veena from one of his heads and hands.
These things show a somewhat opposite image of Ravana that we mostly know about. But the biggest thing is if Ravana was such a talented person then what for we worship lord, Rama.

Rama, a simple, ascetic man devoid of all the pomposity yet worshiped till date. The simple difference between Rama and Ravana were deeds, principles, and attitudes. Rama found positivity under all circumstances, even Van vasa. On the contrary, Ravana was dissatisfied in his golden castle.

COVID 19 is like the modern multi-faceted Ravana. A demon that has transformed the way we work, eat, travel, and even sleep. It has forced the global economy to an unforeseen recession and lots of negativity. Stress and fear are some of the most common outcomes of this at both personal and professional levels. But why to think only of Ravana and not Rama during these tough times.

“Tough times never last but tough people do — Robert H Schuller”

This is the time when we nurture and grow a Rama inside ourselves. Rama, a symbol of positivity, hope, balance, and empathy. Because if we attain Rama during such tough times no other problem can stand in front of us.

So always stay hopeful and positive.

Upskilling : Journey from Sati to Parvati

Learning is a continuous process and Covid 19 has acted as a catalyst for humanity in terms of learning. Pre Covid times were more of a routine 9–7 job , weekend parties , annual foreign vacations and so on. But Covid has given us time to look inside. A time to connect with our real selves and upgrade our versions. Upskilling has become the new buzz word of the town.The likes of Coursera , Byju’s , Udemy are flooded with plethora of courses on all life aspects. As a learner it becomes very important to choose an appropriate learning module. The purpose of this article is to bring in some clarity in one’s mind before we start to enter the rat race of upskilling.

Mythology is full of such instances where a person found the panacea of knowledge by upgrading her version. The transition from Sati to Parvati can be looked through the prism of upskilling and finding the correct path to identify relevant skills one wants to learn

Hindu mythology lights up the path for upskilling -

Sati is the avatar of Shakti who is destined to pair up with Lord Shiva. But there is one condition in place, Sati has to upgrade her mental and spiritual being at par with Shiva i.e. Upskilling. Sati fails to attain the skills and finally dies by self immolation. Parvati is the reincarnation of Sati with same destiny to be the better half of Shiva. Parvati is a composed and complete version of Sati who mirrors all her previous flaws and learns from all the odds. And finally she becomes Shakti of Lord Shiva. So how did Parvati upskill her human embodiment to a divine god. Here are the 3 pillars she followed for upgrading herself -

1. Know Thyself —

Knowing thyself simply means how much of self introspection has been applied to know our strengths , weakness. If we are aware of the same its a cakewalk to decide which new skill to pick up. For example, if I am good at talking to people , PR or Communication would be a relevant skill for me

2. Begin with the end in your mind —

It is all about imagining what you want to achieve. Do you want to join a course just for the sake of spending time or make it relevant to your professional life. The best way to procreate a goal beforehand will help one define the road map to achieve skills. For example if one wishes to be a maverick Marketer, Programming will never be a logical skill to acquire and vice versa. So to achieve the maximum deep dive inside your and understand if the new skill is needed for the sake of a promotion , project or just learning

3. Key Result Areas —

End point of the journey is the destination but key result areas are the compass. They help guide you and measure your progress. Keeping relevant milestones while doing online courses i.e. frequency, closure etc can act as a guiding tool for effective and continuous learning.

So let’s embrace the journey of constant learning with some words of wisdom from our Hindu mythology and make these tough times a phase of upgrading our inner selves.