Kiran R. Das: Pranam guruji charna sparsh, what is illusion (maya) ? When it occurs to human body , you said human body indulged in illusion
Swami Ram Swarup: My blessings to you. Maya means avidya (i.e., lack of knowledge of Vedas). There are three matters- Almighty God, souls which are alive and third is prakriti which is non-alive. From prakriti, God creates universe including our body, mind and intellect. Prakriti has three gunnas (qualities) – Rajo gunn, Tamogunn and satogunn. Rajo gunn contains and spreads sensuality etc. Tamogunn laziness etc., Satogunn spreads pride. In addition, the creation which is made from prakriti has all the said qualities and attraction of kaam, krodh, mad, lobh, ahankar etc., etc. I mean to say the said qualities are of avidya, lack of knowledge/maya. People get mostly attracted towards maya i.e., materialistic articles and the bad effects quoted above. As a result, they forget the truth/God. Then the people never get peace which is the effect of maya i.e., lack of knowledge.
Tikku: Swamiji pranaam !! I do havan with gayatri mantra. I want to know if i can say the following mantras during havan separately:-
1> Om tryambakam yaja mahe sugandhi pushti vardhanam……….
2> Om Mritunjay mahadev trahimamam sharnagatam janma mritu zara vyadhi………..
3> Om Tatpurushaye vidhmahe mahadevaye dhimahee tanno rudra prachodayat.
Kindly guide…
Swami Ram Swarup: My blessings to you.
1. Triyambakam…. Mantra is actually in Yajurveda mantra 3/60. meaning of which is appended below-
Mahamrityunjaya mantra
Mahamrityunjaya name has been originated by we people, otherwise it is Yajurveda mantra 3/60. So we must say that we are reciting Yajurveda mantra but it has been a tendency to say it as mahamrityunjaya mantra. It can never be started with any other shloka or mantra etc., because Ved mantras emanate direct from God at the beginning of the earth. So Ved mantras have not been written by a Rishi-Muni, man, woman etc., as Almighty, Omnipresent, Formless God is unchangeable. So are the mantras. The Knowledge of Ved mantras is eternal, immortal and unchangeable.
In the said mantra, we pray to God that Oh God! I perform your Yajyen, may my life be long i.e., 100 years or upto 400 years as the Vedas say. However, no one can cross the age of 400 years please. So, everybody must recite and do Yajyen from the said mantras himself because in the mantra we are praying to God that Oh God! I am myself doing your worship by Yajyen and no one else on my behalf.
“TRIYAMBAKAM YAJAMAHE SUGANDHIM PUSHTIVARDHANAM URVARUKMIV BANDHANAANMRITYORMUKSHEEYA MAAMRITAAT.”
(Rigveda mantra 7/59/12)
“TRIYAMBAKAM YAJAMAHE” is the Rigveda Mantra number 7/59/12. Its meaning is (TRIYAMBAKAM) whose knowledge remains constant in past, present and future. Actually “AMBAKAM” means eyes, TRI means three i.e., He who has three eyes. Here three eyes means past, present and future, the three phrases of time i.e., whose knowledge remains unchangeable in past, present , future times and who is present and sees past, present and future.
(YAJAMAHE) do daily worship ((SUGANDHIM), who makes us the best and the purest (PUSHTIVARDHANAM) who increases the strength of our body and soul.
Meaning:- We must daily worship the God whose knowledge remains unchangeable in past, present and future and who is present and sees the past, present and future. He makes us the best and the purest and increases the strength of our body and soul.
Idea:- Yajyen and Ashtang Yoga Practice is the best worship of God. So, we must daily do Yajyen and Ashtang Yoga Practice.
(BANDHANAAT) connected to (LATAA) creeper (URVARUKMIV) like a ripened cucumber (MRITYOHO) from death (MUKSHEEYA) get liberated.
Meaning:- With the grace of God, may I get liberated from death like a ripened cucumber which gets released from the creeper.
Idea:- The cucumber automatically gets separated from the creeper when it gets fully ripened. It becomes tasty even. Similarly, by the worship of God i.e., while performing Yajyen and Practice of Ashtang Yoga Philosophy, I may also attain full disease free age i.e., hundred years or more and get free from the death automatically.
(MA MUKSHIMAHEE) may we never be separated from faith, belief (AMRITAM) from supreme, divine pleasure of final liberation.
Idea:- This human body is blessed by God to do daily Yajyen wherein knowledge of Vedas is also listened from Brahma i.e., learned acharya who is a philosopher of four Vedas and Ashtang Yoga . Our faith and belief must never diminish from following the said path of worship to get final liberation.
Main Idea:- In the above mantra , we pray to God. There are two types of prayers-
1. Prayer emanates direct from God in the shape of Ved mantras like above mantra which are eternal, true and the best.
2. Prayers which are man-made in the shape of so many shlokas etc., written by human-beings i.e., saints etc.
No doubt that the prayers which emanate from God are the best. So, the human being must know the deep philosophy of the Vedas and must worship God and must do prayer of God as mentioned in Vedas which will ever be beneficial for all mankind, we must only worship the God whose description has been given in the Vedas by God Himself. Who can know God as God knows Himself? So, description of God in Vedas is eternal, true and the best.
Secondly, prayer is not enough. God states in Vedas (Refer Rigveda mantra 1/10/5) that one must also do hard, pious deeds to fulfil one’s prayer otherwise prayer will not help the person. Based on the Philosophy of Vedas, nowadays the true phrase is famous-“God Helps Those Who Help Themselves”. So we must ourselves do hard, pious deeds according to our prayer. Worship for the God/Gods against the Vedas are always sorrowful.
So the idea of the above mantra is clear wherein it is mentioned “TRIYAMBAKAM YAJAMAHE” i.e., Oh! God, we do Yajyen (worship) ourselves. So we can never depute any other person to perform the Yajyen from the above ved mantra because mantra states to perform the Yajyen ourselves. Mostly, due to lack of knowledge of ved mantras, we engage some other person to perform Yajyen which according to Vedas, can never be beneficial.
Because “YAJAMAHE” is “ATMANEPAD DHATU”. Dhatu means root word. It means YAJAMAHE word is applicable to personal matter. So we will have to perform Yajyen, personally. In Vedas its name has not been mentioned as “Mahamritynjaye mantra”.
However, if somebody has stated its name as Mahamritynjaye jaap then it makes no difference if we are aware of the truth-
That it is Rigveda mantra 7/59/12 (quoted above) and also Yajurveda mantra 3/60. So the study of Vedas and above quoted mantras reveals –“TRIYAMBAKAM YAJAMAHE” i.e., we must perform Yajyen with Ved mantras ourselves and do hard pious deeds i.e., listening of Vedas , performing of Yajyen and practice of Ashtang Yoga Philosophy daily to fulfil the prayer mentioned in above mantras i.e., Oh! God may I be liberated from death and get divine pleasure of final liberation. The hard, pious deed must be carried out while discharging all our moral duties as mentioned in Yajurveda mantra 40/2.
Rest of the shlokas quoted by you do not relate to Vedas.
Anonymous: Thank you Swamiji. I will definitely come out of these fears and know the truth. I am trying to know the value of life that God has awarded. Defintely I will take care by blessing of great people like you.
Swami Ram Swarup: You are most welcome, my daughter. I’m happy to know about your pious views. I would also advise you to study some of my spiritual books:-
(i) Yoga- A Divine Vedas’ Philosophy (English) worth Rs. 65/-
(ii) Vedas- A Divine Light Part I and IV (English) worth Rs. 80 /-and Rs. 100/-
If you cannot send the price, the books may please be treated as present from Ved Mandir, but you must study, my daughter. On receipt of your postal address the books can be sent.
