Sage Viswamitra arrived at Ayodhya and approached king Dasarattha. The king welcomed him with great respect and requested that he ask for whatever he wants without any hesitation. The sage asked the king to send Rama along with him for 10 days to safeguard a yajna that he planned to do.
Sage Viswamitra asked the king Dasarattha…
siddhyartham aham niyamam aathishtye:
I want to perform a yajna to attain siddhi, liberation from six ‘nights’. Please send Rama along with me as He is the only one to enable this.
Dasarattha was worried. He offered himself to go along with the sage saying Rama was only 12 years old. The sage reminded the king that he knows who Rama is, His abilities and that he would bestow Rama with many benefits that anyone else cannot. Saying so, the sage turned around and began to walk back.
Sages Vasista and others explained to Dasarattha the greatness of Sage Viswamitra and that he should trust him. Dasarattha understood and accepted. He informed Rama of the situation; Rama set out to follow Viswamitra. Lakshmana neither waited for any order from Dasarattha nor the ask from the sage Viswamitra. He simply walked behind Sri Rama.
Sage Viswamitra did not even look back to check if Dasarattha agreed to send Rama. He continued to walk back towards siddha:sramam, the place he plans to perform yajna. He knew the sages Vasista and others would explain to Dasarattha and that Rama would come. He walked for 1.5 yojana, 18 miles at a stretch without looking back. Rama and Lakshmana followed him all through the 18 miles not once wondering whether the guru noticed them.
Entrance exam for Rama!
Viswamitra stopped at Thatakavana, the forest where demon Tataka lived. She was the inspiring source for many other demons who were torturing all the sages. The sage ‘taught’ Bala and Athibala vidyas to Rama. This will let Rama fight sleep, hunger etc. He submitted all the learnings one after another to Rama. The sage ‘instructed’ Rama to fight and kill her. Rama hesitated to fight with a woman, especially as his first opponent in a war. When the sage guided Rama that neither gender nor any other criteria should come in between when curbing a wrong-doer.
Rama killed Tataka. Sage Viswamitra was pleased and passed Rama in his ‘entrance test’ as soon as he killed Tataka!
Submission of Asthras and more!
After Rama ‘cleared’ the entrance exam, he ‘taught’ him 154 asthras, mantra-based ‘missiles’. Examples include agneya asthra, manava astra and bramha asthra etc.
Shadratra Yajna, the 6 night yajna
Viswamitra’s journey is a seeker’s journey towards siddhi, liberation from karma and attainment of Lord’s abode. This is called moksha.
mukthi = liberation from karma = records of a soul’s actions
Some people believe siddhi as going from the state of ‘mythful’ existence to non-existence. They practice for reaching a place where they cease to exist like a diya that goes off. Buddhists believe in such a state of non-existence as attainment of siddhi.
Some people think of siddhi as continually moving upwards. We do not know for how long that upwards will continue or where it goes. Jains believe in such a state of continual ‘progress’ as attainment of siddhi.
sa:swathatha u:rdhwa gathi
However, Viswamitra’s journey for siddhi is Vedic and detailed further as below…
6 nights yajna = freedom from 6 diseases
Having a body equals being consumed by 6 ‘diseases’. Sage Viswamitra completed all the prerequisites for this. He mastered mantra sasthra, bramhatejas. He mastered control of kama, krodha, lobha, mada, moha, matsarya. These prerequisites took him thousands of years of lifetime! He did not give up. He was determined and continued to move forward while learning during every failure.
The six ‘diseases’ are diseases at the level of knowledge and not at the body level.
de:ha:thma bhra:nthi or deha:saktha:thma buddhi
Disease 1: We think we are the body and that all the happenings to the body are ours. We do not realize that we are the soul. We are positioned in a critical operating place in the body. We spread and retract knowledge through the body as needed. Instead, we think we are the body. We get ourselves worked up for everything that is happening to the body. This is the first disease.
The Cure: Clear knowledge of letter ma of Ashta:kshari Mahamantra. It states we are made of jnana, knowledge. We are not the body which has no jnana.
de:ha:thma bhra:nthi or deha:saktha:thma buddhi
Disease 1: We think we are the body and that all the happenings to the body are ours. We do not realize that we are the soul. We are positioned in a critical operating place in the body. We spread and retract knowledge through the body as needed. Instead, we think we are the body. We get ourselves worked up for everything that is happening to the body. This is the first disease.
The Cure: Clear knowledge of letter ma of Ashta:kshari Mahamantra. It states we are made of jnana, knowledge. We are not the body which has no jnana.
sva:thantrya andhatha
Disease 2: We feel we are totally independent. We fail to recognize that there is an underlying supreme power. We fail to believe that we are dependant on that underlying supreme power. When we think of questions like ‘Do any of us want to die? Are we able to control that? Who is making it happen? Where are we going post death?’, we know that we are not independent. However, we act independent. This is the second disease.
The Cure: clear knowledge of ‘om’ of Ashtakshari Mahamantra which clarifies that God is the supreme power who is the origin and the controller.
sva:thantrya andhatha
Disease 2: We feel we are totally independent. We fail to recognize that there is an underlying supreme power. We fail to believe that we are dependant on that underlying supreme power. When we think of questions like ‘Do any of us want to die? Are we able to control that? Who is making it happen? Where are we going post death?’, we know that we are not independent. However, we act independent. This is the second disease.
The Cure: clear knowledge of ‘om’ of Ashtakshari Mahamantra which clarifies that God is the supreme power who is the origin and the controller.
ithara se:svatha dhi:hi
Disease 3: Some believe that they are not independent but believe that they are dependent on others. It could be their family, officer, society, other de:vathas, etc. They fail to realize and believe that everyone belongs to the supreme power. Whoever may be protecting you or helping you in this world or as a de:vatha, they are able to do so due to energy bestowed to them by the underlying supreme power. We don’t realize this and feel that we belong to them. This is the third disease.
The Cure: clear understanding of the letter u of Ashtakshari Mahamantra which states that you belong only to the supreme power, Narayana and not to any others.
ithara se:svatha dhi:hi
Disease 3: Some believe that they are not independent but believe that they are dependent on others. It could be their family, officer, society, other de:vathas, etc. They fail to realize and believe that everyone belongs to the supreme power. Whoever may be protecting you or helping you in this world or as a de:vatha, they are able to do so due to energy bestowed to them by the underlying supreme power. We don’t realize this and feel that we belong to them. This is the third disease.
The Cure: clear understanding of the letter u of Ashtakshari Mahamantra which states that you belong only to the supreme power, Narayana and not to any others.
a:thmathra:na mukhasche:th
Disease 4: Some believe that they themselves can protect themselves. We fail to realize that we belong to the supreme power and therefore we cannot relieve ourselves free unless there is support from the power. The supreme power is like the battery for a torch. If the battery is taken out, no matter how much the body or yourselves try, you cannot function, forget about protection. We don’t realize this and think that we are our own protector. This is the fourth disease.
The Cure: clear understanding of the word namaha or the letter u of Ashtakshari Mahamantra stating maha-na, meaning my well-being is not in my hands, but in His.
a:thmathra:na mukhasche:th
Disease 4: Some believe that they themselves can protect themselves. We fail to realize that we belong to the supreme power and therefore we cannot relieve ourselves free unless there is support from the power. The supreme power is like the battery for a torch. If the battery is taken out, no matter how much the body or yourselves try, you cannot function, forget about protection. We don’t realize this and think that we are our own protector. This is the fourth disease.
The Cure: clear understanding of the word namaha or the letter u of Ashtakshari Mahamantra stating maha-na, meaning my well-being is not in my hands, but in His.
ba:ndhava:bha:sa lo:laha
Disease 5: We feel that all experiences in the body are ours. In our mind, we don’t submit them to the supreme power. We don’t realize that He owns us and the bodies we are in. We don’t realize that the resulting experiences are ultimately His own. Even the taste or experience of whatever we eat should not be held and stopped at us, it should reach the indweller – Vaiswa:nara, the supreme One digesting everything we eat. When we realize our relation with Him, all that He owns is also ours. However, without that knowledge, we are ‘diseased’. This is the fifth disease.
The Cure: clear understanding of Narayana:ya of Ashtakshari Mahamantra stating that Narayana is the indweller of everything who is the origin and the final recipient of everything.
ba:ndhava:bha:sa lo:laha
Disease 5: We feel that all experiences in the body are ours. In our mind, we don’t submit them to the supreme power. We don’t realize that He owns us and the bodies we are in. We don’t realize that the resulting experiences are ultimately His own. Even the taste or experience of whatever we eat should not be held and stopped at us, it should reach the indweller – Vaiswa:nara, the supreme One digesting everything we eat. When we realize our relation with Him, all that He owns is also ours. However, without that knowledge, we are ‘diseased’. This is the fifth disease.
The Cure: clear understanding of Narayana:ya of Ashtakshari Mahamantra stating that Narayana is the indweller of everything who is the origin and the final recipient of everything.
vishayachapala dhi:hi
Disease 6: We desire to want everything we see. Anything we ‘like’, we want it to belong to us. Anything anyone buys or has, we also want it. We do not believe that God did not let us have somethings because they are not suitable for us. This is the fifth disease.
The Cure: clear understanding of Narayana from Ashtakshari Mahamantra stating that everything originates from Narayana and each thing is designed and exists for a reason that He knows.
vishayachapala dhi:hi
Disease 6: We desire to want everything we see. Anything we ‘like’, we want it to belong to us. Anything anyone buys or has, we also want it. We do not believe that God did not let us have somethings because they are not suitable for us. This is the fifth disease.
The Cure: clear understanding of Narayana from Ashtakshari Mahamantra stating that everything originates from Narayana and each thing is designed and exists for a reason that He knows.
Astakshari Mahamantra, the Cure!
Each of the six diseases can be cured by understanding each of the parts of Ashtakshari Mahamantra.
de:ha:saktha:thma buddhyaryadi bhavathi padam, sa:dhu vidya:thrutthi:yam,
sva:thanthrya:ndho: yadisya:th pratthama, mitharase:shathvadhi:sche: dvithi:yam
a:thmathra:nonmukha sche:th nama ithi cha padam, ba:ndhava:bha:sa lo:laha
sabdam nara:yana:khyam, vishayachapala dhi:sche:th chathurdhi:m prapannaha
-4th verse, Astasloki
Attainment of Siddhi, The ‘death’ of Maricha and Subahu
As the Sage Viswamitra was performing 6 nights of yajna to be free from the six ‘diseases’, it was only Ramachandra who can and who was guarding him from the blockers. The first 5 days were fine. There wasn’t anyone who tried to block the yajna. However, two demons tried to attack on the sixth day. Rama used sasthras-asthras to weave a protective layer that guarded the yajna-vatika, the place where the sage was performing yajna.
He killed the demon Subahu using agne:ya asthra. He threw away Maricha at a far distance using ma:nava asthra. Subahu represents sanchitha karma, existing backlog of karma. Maricha represents agami karma, karma one would accrue during current life. He used agne:ya asthra to get rid of the existing backlog by burning it all in fire. He used ma:nava asthra to keep the sage unaffected by anything he would do later. That way, he protected him from the effects of karma and liberated him granting him mukthi.
The darshan of mother Sitha with Rama, the eternal union!
After the six nights of yajna and liberation from karma, the seeker Sage Viswamitra desired to unite Rama with mother Sitha. It is this eternal union of divine personified compassion and personified supremacy that should be realized and actualized as the driving energy for our existence. After the sage attains their darshan, he ‘disappears’ in Sri Ramayanam. He reaches the eternal abode of Lord not bound to any karmic body.
– From the discourses of HH Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji
– Vasantha Navaratri Uthsavams
– 16th April 2024 – Evening session
– Karimnagar, Telangana
Jai Swaminarayan Adiyen