A Story from Bhagavatam
Dr. K. Parvathi Kumar, a Teacher of Wisdom, gave lectures on “Srimad Bhagavatam” in India for several months and introduced his students to the deep wisdom of the Bhagavata scriptures. Since wisdom is told in the scriptures in the form of myths, legends or stories, only an experienced wisdom teacher possesses the key to make the wisdom accessible to his students.
There is a wonderful story in the Bhagavatam about Priyavrata. The responsibility to show a way for the beings to live a happy life in the physical form and to ensure that all the beings experience this creation was handed over to Priyavrata. He taught by demonstration and not by theoretical teachings. His life itself was an example for others to follow. Teaching by demonstration is the best way to teach in many cases. Priyavrata had the knowledge as to how to experience the creation, he was practicing it in his life and he was teaching it to others.
Priyavrata then married Barhishmati, daughter of Vishwakarma. They had ten sons initially and later one daughter. All the sons were very virtuous and had good qualities and abilities. However, three of his ten sons had no interest in procreation. They were called Agnishvaktas. Agnishvakta means “the one in whom the procreational fire is put off”. They had a different purpose in creation.
Vishwakarma is the principle presiding over the all-pervading prana in this creation. Vishwakarma is said to be the great architect of the universe because prana is the basis for everything to be created. Prana is required for the being to connect with a human form. So, the story of Priyavrata marrying the daughter of Vishwakarma symbolizes the descent of the being into a form and establishing a connection to the form, with the help of prana. The prana that is accessible to us is the prana that is required to live on this planet Earth on the physical plane with a physical body. There is prana that is available in other planes and other planets as well. It is different from the prana that we need to connect to this plane and planet. If we gain access to subtle prana of the higher planes, then we can connect and experience those planes as well. Otherwise, we do not even realise their existence at all. Similarly, we cannot go and live on another planet without life support because that prana is only suitable for forms and beings living on that planet.
The prana within the form has a lot of functionality. It maintains heat and ensures good health. That is why doing breathing exercies on a daily basis ensures good health. It also ensures that we perform all our deeds with activeness. And with the help of prana, we can move to other planes as well. Prana also aids in procreation nd weak prana is one of the reasons for infertility in men or women.
Vishwakarma’s daughter and wife of Priyavrata was named Barhishmati. Barhish refers to both sunrays and dry grass (Darbha. Sunrays spread the prana and consciousness across the creation. The fire that is generated in us by the happening of respiration is represented by Barhishmati.
Her 10 sons represent the 10 fires. We take in different things from the 10 senses and sense organs. It is not just food that we take in. What we see, what we hear, what wes mall, what we touch is also taken in. These 10 sons preside over converting whatever is taken in through the 10 senses, into energy for the intelligenses to work. So not only what we eat, everything that we do with our senses matters in nourishing us. To digest everything that is taken in, the respiration and fire caused by the respiration are very important. If respiration is weak, then there is hardly any nourishment, even when we eat healthy food. So, everything that we take in, the 10 sons convert it to a suitable form of energy for the intelligences.
However, to distribute the energy in the body properly, the daughter of Priyavrata and Barhishmati is responsible. Her name is Urjaswati. Urjaswati means the strength to receive and digest food. She is particularly active in the age group of 10 to 50 years, because there is most intake during these years. After that, the strength gradually decreases, and one eats and digests less. When the dishes are served, if one feels enthusiatic to eat, then it indicates that Urjaswati is working actively in us. Some people can eat and digest great amounts of food which indicates very active working of Urjaswati. But this not only applies to food, but also applies to intake of other things through the senses. It applies to knowledge as well. If one also grasps a lot of things continually, it indicates active Urjaswati.
We should remember that we are not eating for ourselves. We are eating for all the forces and intelligences working in us. In this way, we should understand the principles being active in us. We are advised to see ourselves in the place of Priyavrata and relate the rest of the story to us.
Though this story happens in creation in a certain way, it also happens within us. Studying Bhagavatam means using the Law of Correpsondences. We should visualise the whole creation within us and understand that everything relates to man, then the wisdom of all the intelligences operating within us is revealed to us.
Thus, we should study the Bhagavatam by applying the Law of Correspondences and visualizing the whole creation within ourselves. Then we come out of our petty thoughts and emotions. If we know the grandeur of this human form, all its layers, the indweller of this form and so on, we realize that we are not just the person we see.
People read these stories as something happening outside but relating it to us is an important process of expanding our consciousness. Since the Bhagavatam is a very popular scripture in India, some scholars dare to explain the deeper meaning of this story. This study of correspondences is referred to as “Nyasa Vidya” Nyasa Vidya is the science of relation between Macrocosm and Microcosm.
There is so much to experience within this human form and people hardly know about it. If a new restaurant opens up in the city, we would like to visit it. But what about visiting and experiencing all the planes of this creation which are accessible from within this human form? This is exactly what the story of Priyavrata teaches us. We should learn to live our lives with happiness and experience all the planes of creation.
The Significance of the 10 Sons of Priyavrata
The 10 sons of Priyavrata are said to be equal in strength, virtues and knowledge to their father. It symbolically means that they do not have separate forms. Only Priyavrata has a form, while the sons exist in the same form. These ten sons are presiding over different aspects within us.
Agnidhrudu, the First Son
The first son is named Agnidhrudu which means that he is very fiery and presides over speech faculty. If language is utilised properly, fire in us becomes effulgent.
Language can be used in a very effective way. Unfortunately, language is greatly abused by people. They are hardly aware of the negative effects of language that manipulates, criticizes and condemns. Truthful speech, words of wisdom and love, compassionate, healing and kind words, on the other hand, have a positive effect on people.
Idvajihva, the Second Son
The second son is called Idvajihva who is present on our tongue and presides over taste. This intelligence determines how good our taste is. Eating food which is tasty is also important apart from it being nutritious. Tasty food pleases please this intelligence in us. There are six different tastes which correspond to the six chakras and centers within us. So eating food which has all these tastes is important and taste should be balanced. If the food is too salty, too sweet or too bitter and so on, we cannot eat it. We hardly eat bitter food, and yet we should intake it from time to time, for overall balance. Any person can be satisfied by good taste. If tasty food is served at an event, Idvajihva will be pleased.
Taste is debatable, and yet we should be serious and not indifferent to taste. Towards all aspects of life, we should have good taste – be it food, clothing, house, apartment, and so on. Not having good taste in all these things means neglecting many aspects of life. So one should not be indifferent to taste, because it makes one indifferent to taste in life as well.
Yagnabahu, the Third Son
Yagnabahu, the third son, functions through our hands. The hands should be used for activities of goodwill. Such people can heal through their touch and service. What you receive with your hands is also important. Nothing should be accepted illegally. And do not touch anything unless it is necessary. Hands should be always kept clean. Do something which is either useful to someone or at least to yourself. Doing things which are of no use to anyone and hurt others, is useless. The hands should be used more to give than to receive.
Mahaveera, the Fourth Son
Mahaveera means that one can win over anything, and he presides over the mind. Through mind, one can win over a lot of things and successfully master many hurdles. The mind should be trained to be righteous and truthful.
Hiranyaretas, the Fifth Son
Hiranyaretas is the one who presides over our reproductive activity. Our strength, clarity, vitality and inner radiance depend on it. The power to reproduce is important for both women and men. Apart from reproduction, he has ability in developing intelligence and spiritual growth. With nutritious food and a healthy lifestyle, we can please Hiranyaretas. If all this is neglected, it can lead to infertility.
Ghrutapushta, the Sixth Son
Ghrutapushta is the one who presides over maintenance the required amount of fat in the body through food intake. Taking ghee (clarified butter) and oils in proper amounts is important to maintain this fat in the body. Completely avoiding fat is not the right way as insufficient fat attracts certain diseases. Proper amount of fat in the body gives a good shape and adds to the beauty of the form. Oil taken in uncooked form is the best form of cholesterol, while deep fried oil is bad cholesterol. The former is required while the latter may be avoided. Fat also should be accumulated in the right places. Exercise is important to ensure that fat accumulates in the right places. This may be done, for example, through Yoga asanas.or other exercises.
Savana, the Seventh Son
Savana is present in our throat. Not all people have a good throat for speech. One should develop a throat which attracts others when one speaks. For example, mantras and spiritual songs are given for that purpose to purify our throat center and to enable us to develop an attractive voice. Some people cannot utter certain syllables properly because their voices were not trained properly during childhood. It is an indication that this fire of Savana is not active enough. A proper arrangement of teeth on the palate is also important in determining, whether one can utter the recitations properly or not. All syllables have to be pronounced or intoned correctly. If we can read the script and do not pronounce the syllables properly, then the whole purpose of chanting them is lost.
Medjatidhi, the Eighth Son
Medhatidhi presides over the intelligence that we have developed based on one’s experience over all the past lives. Every being is born with a different level of awareness, experience and intelligence. We cannot say that all newborns are the same in terms of awareness and intelligence. So, it is meaningless to compare ourselves with others, because if someone is more intelligent or aware than us, it only means that he has experienced more lives than us and is not that he was granted more intelligence than us. Therefore, we should remember whatever intelligence or awareness that we have is to be of help to others, and the more aware we are aware, the more we should help our surrundings. The work that is to be done through us will come to us, and we have only to respond accordingly. However, we should try to remain inquisitive in order to gain more and more awareness. There are teachers at all stages to teach us, whenever we are prepared to learn.
However, our awareness or intelligence should not be a burden to us when it is not needed. If this fire of Medhatidhi is active, then our intelligence will be useful to us when it is needed. Great ones have such kind of intelligence.
Veetihotra, the Ninth Son
Veetinotra is present in us in the form of hunger. If this fire is put off, then people will not feel hungry. If one is not attentive and interested in food, it is an indication that this fire may be put off in that person. Food should be taken with proper intent, devotion and interest. The food should be clean, and it should be taken in a clean environment. We should recollect the Divine every time beforte we eat. If one follows certain basic regulations about food intake, then this fire of Veetihotra will be very active. He should be respected by taking food whenever one feels hungry.
Kavi, the Tenth Son
Kavi is the fire through whom the progeny descends into a person and enters into semen of the father and then into the mother’s womb. In most of the cases, it is one of the ancestors themselves who take birth again in the same family because of familiarity. This is why giving birth is important so that whatever debt we might have to our ancestors is fulfilled. So, Kavi is the fire that ensures that creation goes on with beings taking birth in forms again and again. He is also the fire that presides over passing the knowledge that one has to next generations. Whatever useful knowledge one has should be passed on to someone else so that it continues to be useful to others.
We should remember that all fires are present in us intended for different purposes. Let us work with them and see that they do not leave us. Even if they give up working within us, we can invite them again and activate them. After all, we are not masters yet!
It is important that we understand these names and symbolism and use them for us. We should always remember these intelligences.
Compiled by Doris Zwirner
Photo: © Pixabay
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