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Dhanyatman! In today’s talk, I would like to convey
in brief, the significance of Navarathri, Vijayadashami and Vidhyarambam. The concepts
of Navarathri , Vijayadashami and Vidyarambham are conceived by Risheeshwaras or Vedic visionaries.
The first and foremost aim of all Vedic or Puranic lore is to make a ripe soul a Samadarshi
or a sanyasi. Today we have a world population of about 700 crores. It is not practicable
to assume that all can become a Sanyasi or Samadarshi. Only the ones, who possess the
requisite eligibility, should be chosen for becoming a Samadarshi or Sanyasi. It is this
idea that the visionaries have summarized in Navarathri, Vijayadashami and Vidhyarambham.
The visionaries have erected the foundation of Vedas or Hindu shastras, on the ‘Parinaama
Viparinamana Siddhanth’, or ‘the evolution and involution theory’. The Jiva that evolves
out of Atman, descends into the world of animate beings or janthuloka. Undergoing evolution,
the Jiva gets release from janthuloka and attains a human body. There is an inbuilt
seven-tier structure of Adhara chakras or centers in the human body, thus attained by
the Jiva. While a man-made structure is built from basement to top, this seven-tier structure
constructed by the Almighty, is inversely built or built downwards from top. Here the
first tier, on the head region, is known as Atma-sthan or station of the soul. This station
is devoid of name, form or activity of any kind. The remaining six stations or Adhara
chakras are stations for activities and pursuits of the Jiva. These six stations of Jiva are
classified into two. Moving upwards from the base of spine, the first three stations are
Muladhara, Swadhishtana and Manipuraka respectively. The next three stations further up, are Anahatha,
Vishuddhi and Ajna. Those, whose Jiva dwell in one of the first three centers, are referred
to as Avidhya Margi, while those, whose Jiva reside on the subsequent three centers are
Vidhya Margi. The term Avidhya is synonymous with Tamas or Darkness. So, an ‘Avidhya
Margi’ is said to be steeped in Ghora Tamas or pitch darkness. A ‘Vidhya Margi’ is
considered to have entered Jyotis or Light. Hence the Vedic saying: “Tamasoma Jyothir
Gamayah”. A man, whose Jiva has assumed a human body,
when stationed in the Muladhara chakra, is oriented towards performing five major Karma
or activities, such as “Eat, emit, mate, sleep, and be prejudiced”. Depending on
the level of exhaustion or disinclination he feels towards these activities at this
station, he reaches the next station namely Swadhishtana chakra, in his subsequent birth.
There too he gets perpetually engaged in the same pursuits of eating, drinking and making
merry. On getting satiated by these pursuits in Swadhistana, the individual ascends to
Manipuraka chakra in his next birth. Here, let me remind you that the three stations
or chakras mentioned above represent Tamas or Darkness and the individual who’s Jiva
resides in one of the three chakras is termed as Avidhya Margi. There is a threefold factor
or Thrithvam present in any activity an individual engages in. In other words, it is impossible
for anybody to get involved in an act or to relish something, superseding the triple factor
or thrithvam contained in every action. For example, if we take the activity of ‘eating’,
there is a person who eats, there is an object he eats, and there is the process of ‘eating’.
This threefold factor is called Thrithwam or Thriputam. There is thrithwam or thriputam
for the Jiva, when it is stationed in any of the three chakras namely Muladhara, Swadhishtana
or Manipuraka. Here the 3 stations, multiplied by the threefold factor of an activity performed
by Jiva ,when residing in each station, constitutes nine, i.e. 3X3 = 9.
A jiva travelling from Muladhara to Swadhishtana and from there to Manipuraka , is capable
of ascending to the next station of Anahatha chakra, only when it gets satiated, and thereby
relinquishes, the pursuits and activities of the first three chakras. Since the basic
three stations are of Tamas and since there exists Thriputa, or threefold nature of activity,
3 multiplied by 3 makes 9. Nine is termed as ‘Navam’ in Sanskrit. As per the Vedic
Rishis, to pass through Navarathri signifies that the Jiva has surpassed the nine dark
phases of the first three chakras, to enter into Dashami or tenth phase. As an individual’s
Jiva ascends the Anahatha chakra onto the tenth phase or Vijaya dasami, he has entered
Vidhya margam. This qualifies him for receiving spiritual initiation or Mantra diksha, and
he can be chosen for the spiritual path or the path towards becoming a Sanyasi or Samadarshi.
What are the characteristics unique to the Jiva who has ascended the Anahatha chakra?
Primarily, these individuals will not be prejudiced over caste or creed. They reflect upon this
manifest world and infer that the manifest world that is evolving, growing and multipling,
is subjected to change. They realize that the only eternal truth is the Almighty. They
relinquish the impermanent elements of the manifest world or Nature, to embrace the life
of Sanyasa that aid spirituality and Samadarshanam. The Rishis have expressed the above purport
by means of allegorical forms, in the festivals of Navarathri, Vijayadashami and Vidhyarambam.
Today, the ignorant have misinterpreted these terms and so they have lost their true orientation
and significance. Please watch for further talks and updates.
Namaskaram!