Archery is a very inventive unique art. Unlike most arts, Archery needs a foreknown target. Unless the target is pre-known, an arrow cannot be released. Games like cricket or baseball do not have a goal specified before the game itself. The ball is played instinctively when it arrives at the batsman. A missed hit is not considered as any absence of talent but if an arrow misses its target, the player is taken to lack enough skills!
Our lives too are similar to this game of Archery. We have a desire to learn the art, but we do not know about the goal and the method to strike it. And when we become aimless, we lose the skill to play the game of life! Isn’t that sad?
Dear readers, we have to our rescue our dear Mother Andal. Andal saves us from this ocean of confusion by teaching us the purpose and procedure of the Art called “The Vow of Dhanurma:sam”. The wonder of this art is that when the arrow is released, the arrow-head gets fixed inside the object and becomes part of it, such that the arrow cannot be separated from the target-object ever!
Oh! But what is so wonderful about this ? One can appreciate the analogy here, only by knowing about the Archery being referred to by Andal.
Andal tells us, that the Omka:ram is like the Bow. A:tma (Soul) is Dhanurmasam the Arrow . And the goal is Bramha.
What is Bramha ?
That which is big and makes anything that comes in contact with it or reaches it, equally big is Bramha. Sri Krishna promises in Geetha that HE will make the person who approaches HIM as much as HIMSELF! And so, it can be clearly inferred that the Brahma is Krishna Himself – meaning the purpose of life or the goal to achieve is Krishna alone.
What is Omka:ra ?
Omka:ra has three Syllables. The syllable each mean:
a – God
u – Only
ma – Soul
Understanding Omka:ra correctly, is very essential – because an incorrect meaning may confuse us. Some interpret Omka:ra as “Soul is the Only God” or “God is the Soul Only!” Both the meanings fail to bring the correct explanation of Omka:ra.
It is like this >
If we nourish a seed properly by giving it water, soil & light then the seed will germinate itself into a plant/tree giving us fruits, flowers or fragrance. We find a mighty tree springing out of a seemingly insignificant seed. In order to know what comes out of a seed, one must nourish the seed well. We cannot know the hidden element of the seed by examining it or destroying it!
Similarly, the essence of the Omka:ra cannot be understood by simply trying to learn its meaning externally. We can know its inner meaning only by actually seeing the plant which grows out of it! That plant is the Narayana Ashtakshari Manthram.
We must know how, a, u ma expanded as the Namaha word and how that in turn expanded as Na:ra:yana:ya. The last letter Na:ra:yana:’ya’ means “for” or “belongs to”
So, now the entire manthram meaning becomes “The soul belongs to Srimannarayana ONLY”
This knowledge is not understood by merely looking the individual letters of Omkaram. We must delve deeper and be guided by our Acharyas to know its correct meaning.
Our soul called arrow stringed to the Bow called “Omkara” must be carefully released towards the goal called Krishna. Only when the a:tma(arrow) learns to correctly set itself on the essence of Omka:ra (Bow), can it reach Krishna (Target/object). And when the a:tma (arrow) has approached Krishna in this manner, it shall remain fixated at HIS feet (the target object) as if it is part of HIM (the striker’s object).
Isn’t it wonderful ?
Hence, dear readers, lets learn the Archery called Dhanurma:sam as professed by Andal. It upholds beautiful compositions called Thiruppavai which constitute the beejam (life seeds) or the essence of the entire Vedam.
Swamiji continues the next series of lecture by explaining further on:
what is the procedure to approach God?
How to prepare for Dhanurma:sam ?
How to go and with whom to go ?
How to approach the family of God ?
What to ask Krishna once we reach God? Are there any formalities?
You can watch full episodes of Swamiji’s disourses at our YouTube channel, JETWORLD
– From the discourse of Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swami,
– Day 4 Dhanurma:sam 2018
