Slokam 7

In the northern region of Uttarakuru, the goddess of the earth (Booma Devi) worships the Paramathma with sacred chants, and songs.

The Paramathma is thus worshipped by each in their own way.  This diversity of prayer rituals is accepted by the Paramathma without any differentiation or discrimination.

Yagnavarahamurthy alongwith other wise scholars is said to worship the Paramathma in the form of the Varaha,  which is the form the Paramathma took to retrieve the Vedas from the immersion in the ocean of ignorance after defeating Hiranyaksha

The innumerable forms that  the Paramathma takes to establish dharma is indeed incredible and wonderous.  It is also reflective of the need for constant intervention of the supreme being to retain the balance.  We can all see the signs of slipping into degeneration until there is leader that emerges to re-establish the balance.  The leaders of the modern world,  like Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu,  sometimes develop horrendous destructive attitudes.  Under these circumstances,  the Paramathma intervenes.  However,   in modern times, in the kaliyuga,  the Paramathma manifests in the form of strong, dharmic leaders, to overthrow the corrupt and the exploitative.  The display of super human qualities is not resorted to, since the Paramathma will not directly show Himself to non-believers who dominate this yugam. 

Development of unshakeable faith in the Paramathma has to come from within. It develops within only from a conviction based on the interpretation of life experience.  We are not allowed the luxury of the physical perception through the senses,  since we have been endowed with the intelligence to come to conclusions.  The display of the physical form would negate the effort to evolve beyond the world of the senses.  The attainment of the higher state requires that we discard the dependence on the senses.  In the highest world of pure consciousness,  there will be no use for the senses.  The mind is the home of the senses.  When the mind is subdued,  that is when our consciousness is released.  The realization has to be held firmly only in the consciousness. 

The modern mind is loaded with ahankara.  The ahankara or the ego  is a part of every thread of thought in our mind.  A visual or a direct show of form, as was the case with Arjuna,  would only enhance this ahankara within us in the Kaliyugam.  For Arjuna, it had the impact of completely vanquishing his ego, because his perception and thought had already been elevated from the mind to the conscious level. 

When we eliminate thoughts from our mind and divert the entire energy to the awareness of the self, we will be able to discharge our duties and carry on with our lives in  peace and tranquility, without taking on any ownership or forming any attachments.  Permanence will prevail in our lives. 

One may wonder as to how this requirement of turning off our mind can be possible, even as we try to navigate the troubled waters of everyday life.  The answer to this dilemma is the recognition that these hurdles are meant to only invoke our complete surrender to the Paramathma. The mind that tries to grapple with these problems is itself ignorant and bounded by severe limitations.

If we try to think, all that emerges from our minds are worries, panic and hopelessness. We are in a huge environment that we cannot possibly control or influence,  even if we are able to recognize what the problem is and what the solution could be.  It is one thing to know what the problem is and quite a different task to accomplish the tasks that may be required to solve the problem.   We turn to the Paramathma only when there are problems. There are no problems that can be solved without the intervention of the Paramathma. 

If a large country decides to deploy nuclear weapons, there is little that can be done, except to face the consequences of disaster.  Nuclear weapons are a classic example of how a human solution meant to provide infinite energy, becomes an infinite problem.

We can only be aware of and address the symptoms of the problem.  We cannot possibly know or change the root cause,  which is placed beyond our reach.  Addressing the symptom will not make the problem go away. Most human solutions focus on the symptom. The problems only re-emerge, probably in a different form.

In spite of our advancements in medical sciences,  the corona virus has shattered the entire global economy,  leaving millions jobless.  The solution is to develop a vaccine which is basically a method to encourage the body to develop its own in built mechanisms to fight the virus.

This is the same mechanism that the Paramathma uses to invoke devotion in us and to induce evolution of the mind and conscience.  The events of this world are the “vaccines” that induce us to develop the antibody of detachment and devotion.

This perspective of earthly life as being the temporary abode in the journey to liberation must be kept in mind all the way through. The perspective helps to not lose sight of the final destination and most importantly,  keeps us on the path to the final destination without giving up.

May Sri Krishna always reside in our consciousness, with our full surrender under all circumstances.