The Vedas and Ancient Egypt

By David Frawley
First published in the Hindu, one of India’s main national newspapers.

The Vedas as the Pyramids of the Mind

The Vedas represent a monumental spiritual literature, by far the largest that remains from the ancient world. We could therefore call the Vedas, ‘the pyramids of the ancient mind’. The Vedas are the oldest record of the great dharmic traditions of the East, with not only the Hindu but also Buddhist, Jain, Sikh and Zoroastrian traditions part of the same greater stream of spiritual striving. Apart from the Biblical tradition, this dharmic or Indic tradition is one of the two dominant streams of world spirituality that has endured throughout the centuries and remains vital to the present day, as the global popularity of Yoga, Vedanta and Buddhism clearly reveals.

If we look at the Vedic tradition, we see that it was based upon an ancient priestly order that was extensive and sophisticated, comparable to the priestly orders of ancient Egypt or Babylonia. This priestly order was concerned not merely with rituals but also with spirituality, yoga, philosophy, medicine, astronomy and architecture that form the basis of the various Upavedas and Vedangas.

This spiritual culture of ancient India can easily be compared with that of ancient Egypt, which was similarly guided by extensive priestly orders, their sophisticated rituals and an emphasis of mysticism and magic. As ancient Egypt was arguably the spiritual center of the West in the ancient world, so India can be said to be the spiritual center of the ancient East.

The Greek Bias

One of the main mistakes that western scholars have made is to approach Vedic civilization using ancient Greece as their starting off point. They look at the Vedas like the works of Homer, reflecting traditions like the Greeks who only came on the scene during the late ancient period (after 1500 BCE). They view the Vedic people like the ancient Greeks as mainly a warrior people, on the move, as part of various proposed Aryan invasions/migrations of the time. They place Vedic culture in the mold of the type of primitive tribal Indo-European culture much like what they propose was at the roots of Greek civilization. The Western date of 1500 BCE for the Vedas was made to parallel their 1500 BCE date for the early Greeks (though Biblical constraints also entered into the picture).

However, Homer and the oldest Greek literature of the Iliad and the Odyssey at best resemble Hindu epics like the Mahabharata that came at the end of the Vedic period (but without the same depth of Vedantic thought or a dominant guru figure like Krishna). The Homeric model was of a less spiritual and more recent culture to which the materialistic western civilization could comfortably trace itself. It did not reflect a mystic, rishi or yogi culture like that of the Vedas or that of ancient Egypt.

Language and Culture

Along with this mistake, western scholars have tried to use language as the determinative factor for judging ancient cultures–as if groups that spoke languages belonging to the same language family must possess a similar or contemporaneous culture as well. However, we should note that language families have persisted through various historical ages and different types of cultures. For example, we cannot make medieval Russian and ancient Persian contemporaneous or similar in civilization because of some linguistic affinities. On the other hand, cultures of the same time period have similar civilizations in spite of language differences. The ancient Romans, for example, had much in common culturally with the Carthaginians who had a similar life-style and lived in the same part of the world, in spite of speaking languages that did not belong to the same family.

Therefore, we must look at the Vedas according to the cultural affinities of ancient civilizations, not mere according to linguistic affinities. As a type of spiritual/priestly culture, Vedic civilization resembles more that of earlier Egypt or Babylonia than that of Greece.

The Greeks, though speaking a language with affinities with Vedic Sanskrit, represented a later ancient culture already moving away from the spiritual and hieratic civilizations of the early ancient world.

A Reevaluation

Western scholars invented the term ‘henotheism’ to describe how any one of the many Vedic Gods could represent all the Gods (a situation that prevails among the Puranic Gods as well). We should note that they used the same term for the ancient Egyptian religion which had a similar view of multiplicity in unity among its many Gods. The Vedic and Egyptian Sun Gods follow the same model of henotheism, being both the One God in essence and many different Gods in function.

Many symbols are common to ancient Egypt and India including the worship of the Sun and Sun kings, the sacred bull, the hawk or falcon, and the seeking of immortality as the main goal of life. Indeed the Vedic ritual of the Yajur Veda reflects a similar spirit to the Egyptian Book of the Dead. Like the Vedic, the Egyptians not only had a love of magic and the occult, but with their symbols like the cobra at the crown of the head, suggest a knowledge of Yoga as well. Yet such connections have been ignored because they are cultural rather than linguistic in basis.

Egyptian culture endured from before 3000 BCE down to the early Christian era. Isis and Osiris were worshipped in Rome as well as in the Old Kingdom of Egypt. Similarly, Vedic deities need not be limited to the later eras in which they are still mentioned. Their worship could easily extend back to the 3000 BCE date that we commonly find in Puranic texts as marking the beginning of the Kali Yuga.

The archaeological record of India is of a monumental civilization that persisted from 3000 BCE, if not earlier, not only into the late ancient era, like Egypt, but with a modified continuity up to the present day. In India today we find the same types of rituals and temple worship still being practiced as once occurred in ancient Egypt and Babylonia. That this type of spiritual ancient civilization has survived only in India suggests how deep seated and original it must have been in the country.

While ancient India did not leave monuments like the pyramids of Egypt, it did leave extensive urban remains and its great Vedic literature, its pyramids of the mind. Connecting the monumental spiritual literature of the Vedas, not only with the great urban civilization of ancient India, but with a similar spiritual civilizational model as ancient Egypt, will provide us with a better approach to the Vedas that can help unravel their spiritual secrets. Through the Vedas we can reclaim the spiritual heritage of the entire ancient world that can help take us beyond the current materialistic culture and the many problems it continues to bring us.

The Flow of Soma - By David Frawley (Pandit Vamadeva Shastri)

Note

In the following article we will discuss the Vedic principle of Soma and its related principle of Agni in order to help us understand the internal alchemy behind the process of Yoga. This may provide a different angle of approach than most practitioners are familiar with, but hopefully it can provide a new perspective to aid in their practice. The ideas here can also be complemented by the author’s article on Agni and the Fire of Self-Inquiry.

Soma and Ananda

The Vedic ritual reaches its climax in the Soma offering, in which specially prepared plant juices are offered into the sacred fire (Agni) as the drink of the Gods. But this ancient ritual reflects a deeper internal ritual or alchemy of awareness that is its real import. In exploring this process, we will discover many secrets of the practice of Yoga, including the path of Self-inquiry or Jnana Yoga.

Soma is first of all part of a great universal symbolism. Soma pervades the outer world as water in its various forms on the earth and in the sky, as the sap of plants, the vital fluids in animals, the Moon, and even the waters (vibratory field) of space. Soma exists inside ourselves as a psychological principle of feeling, love and inspiration, including as our creativity that we manifest in diverse forms.

Yet beyond this, Soma is a spiritual principle, an aspect of the infinite and a key to immortality. In the state of meditation, the brain and mind naturally secrete a special type of Soma or nectar of peace and contentment, which reflects this spiritual Soma. Ultimately Soma is the bliss of all existence, the Ananda through which the universe is created and into which it must return. It is this Soma or Ananda that is the prima materia or ultimate substance behind the entire world.

Soma and Agni: Bliss and Consciousness

However, to really understand Soma, we must also understand Agni, the fire, light or energy principle, which is its counterpart. In Vedic thought, the twin principles of Agni and Soma are behind all workings in the universe on all levels. On an outer level, they refer to the great elements of fire and water, but their inner symbolism goes much deeper. Such a twofold division of reality takes many forms like Purusha and Prakriti, Vishnu and Lakshmi, and Shiva and Shakti. Indeed, Lord Shiva, the supreme Godhead, is said to be Agni-Somatmakam or both Agni and Soma in nature. His right side is Agni in nature–fiery, harsh or masculine. His left side is Soma in nature– watery, gentle or feminine. These are the basis of his two manifestations as fierce (ghora or Agni) and gentle (saumya or Soma).

Yet even as elements, Agni and Soma are more than any outer symbolism. Agni as fire represents light (Jyoti) in the broadest sense, which includes the light of perception and the light of consciousness, not simply light as a material principle. Soma as water (Apas) is the medium on which light can be reflected, which is ultimately a quality of light itself. In this regard Soma is not only water, but the mind and ultimately, the reflective power of consciousness itself.

Soma as a cosmic power, however, is not simply watery in its nature. It has an oily quality that can nourish and sustain fire. In this regard it has been compared to ghee (ghrita) in texture. All objects that we see are like fuel for the flame of our awareness. Soma also has a sweet quality and has been compared to honey (madhu). All that we see is like a flower, from which the honey of bliss can be extracted. These properties that can sustain light and provide joy pervade all of space. Great yogis can access them with their subtle bodies (the linga or fire body) and move at will through all the worlds, finding nourishment and delight in all that they perceive.

Soma is the delight which is the counterpart of light. On the deepest level, Agni is the fire of consciousness (Chidagni) that is reflected in the Soma or water of bliss. In this regard Agni and Soma are ultimately the same, two complementary aspects of Brahman.

Objectless Delight

The highest Soma is the delight inherent in existence itself (Brahman), not simply the pleasure produced by contact with external objects. Soma is the ‘pure delight’ that we are truly seeking in all that we pursue, not mere temporary pleasure that wears away the senses and is only its reflection. Any happiness that is based upon contact with an external object must be fleeting and must eventually end in pain. This higher ‘objectless’ joy or self-delight can only be perceived by an internal consciousness beyond the fluctuations of the mind, by the unwavering flame of awareness. We can achieve that through taking the state of the witness (sakshi-bhava), which provides the joy of perception and avoids the pain of involvement. As long as we rely on external contacts to gain our Soma or happiness, we cannot escape from the wheel of sorrow.

We are all seeking some form of happiness in life. We all want lasting bliss. This seeking of Soma is inherent in the soul, which is ever seeking to return to its origin in God. Similarly, we are always extracting some form of Soma out of our life experience. This essence or rasa is ultimately delight. That is why the Upanishads refer to the Self as rasa (raso vai sah).

The Self is said to be the fluidity of water, the heat of fire, the power of the wind to move, the power of the earth to hold and the power of space to pervade. It is the unique quality or special essence, what is the highest and best in all things. This unique essence is Soma. We discover the Self by going to the essence of our own nature. The Self is the eye of the eye, the ear of the ear, the mind of the mind. It is the truth of truth. This extraction of the essence from all that we know is extracting the Soma that is hidden in all things. This extraction process occurs in the purification filter (pavitra) of the heart, by the light of which we can discern the heart or core of all things.

The Seer and the Seen

Relative to the Yoga of Knowledge (Jnana Yoga), Agni is the seer and Soma is the seen. Seeing has a fiery quality and works through light. The seen is the field illumined by light and is actually only light or consciousness reflected externally. Our very power of seeing is a power of fire while all that we see is potentially fuel for it. If our seeing is clear then it can disclose the Soma or Ananda hidden in all that we see. The fire of seeing is able to ripen, cook or bring out the essence of all that we observe. The key to the alchemy of Jnana (Self-knowledge) is that whatever we look at with full attention, with a fully energized Agni or fire of awareness, will yield Soma or delight, not as an external enjoyment but as the very bliss of the Self.

When we look at things directly, without division, their essence comes forth, which is Ananda. This is the state of Samadhi, which is the flowing of Soma at an inner level. The unity of Agni and Soma is the unity of the perceiver and the perceived. When we learn to look at our inner self wholly and fully, through the practice of Self-inquiry, then the delight inherent in the Self must come forth as the ultimate Soma or self-delight.

The Five Koshas

The five sheaths or koshas are a common yogic teaching going back to the Taittiriya Upanishad. Each of these five levels of our nature has its own form of Agni or fire, which is its essential energy. Each has its equivalent form of Soma, which is its main fuel. Agni is the eater or enjoyer, while Soma is the food or substance enjoyed.

At the physical level (Annamaya kosha), the digestive fire (Jathargni) is the Agni, and the food and drink we take in through the mouth is the Soma. Higher physical forms of Soma include special rejuvenating foods, beverages and herbs that can revitalize the body, brain and nervous system.

At the pranic or vital level (Pranamaya kosha), Pranagni or the vital fire is the Agni and our vital enjoyments of exercise and activity are the Soma. Higher Pranic forms of Soma including Pranayama practices that can revitalize our internal Pranas and balance their energies towards transformation.

At the level of the outer or sensory mind (Manomaya kosha), the mental fire (Manasika Agni) is the Agni and our various sensory enjoyments are the Soma. Higher mental forms of Soma include mantra, visualizations and meditations that bring in a higher level of experience into the mind.

At the level of the inner or discriminating mind (Vijnanamaya Kosha), the Buddhi or discriminating intelligence is the Agni and the various principles, beliefs, ideas or dharmas that we pursue in life are the Soma. Special types of Soma for the higher mind include formless meditations on truth, unity, bliss and harmony.

At the level of the soul (Jiva or Anandamaya kosha), our inner consciousness (Chitta) is the Agni, and our entire life experiences and memories are the Soma. Special types of Soma for it include the practice of Self-inquiry in which we digest our life-experiences, burning up our Samskaras (internal karmic tendencies) and turn them into pure awareness.

In this way, the soul or Jiva takes in substances, impressions and ideas from the external world and extracts the nectar of Ananda from them, just as a bee gathers pollen from various flowers and turns them into honey. The ultimate result is the essence (rasa) of our experience that becomes the Ananda or Soma Kosha, in which our karmas and samskaras are held. Those who have cultivated the fire of awareness are able to turn all their experience, including that of sorrow, into Soma or Ananda. This takes them beyond the field of all the Koshas.

Agni and Soma and the Practice of Yoga

In the practice of Yoga, Agni is the fiery Kundalini force that dwells in the root or earth chakra below. It is the power of aspiration that rises from below and ascends to the heavens above. Soma is the watery nectar that dwells in the crown or head chakra. It is the power of Divine grace that descends from above. As Agni rises, Soma descends. The oily drops of Soma provide the fuel for Agni to aid in its upward movement.

The Yoga tradition teaches us that the crown chakra is the region of the Moon or Soma (Chandra Kanda), just as the lower three chakras are the region of fire (Agni-Kanda). Soma, according to the Vedas, flows in a thousand streams. These are the thousand currents of the crown chakra, the Sahasrara or thousand petalled lotus. Physiologically, Agni relates to the solar plexus, while Soma relates to the soft palate in the head, the source of saliva and other secretions in the head. Balancing these two energy centers is an important Yoga practice.

Soma and the Heart

Yet in Vedic thought, Soma descends and flows through the purification filter (pavitra) of the heart, which is also the original home of Agni. The heart is the meeting place of the dual principles of Agni and Soma, fire and water, or consciousness and delight. In this regard we must remember that the spiritual heart or hridaya is not simply a location in the chest. It is also linked with the center of the thousand-petalled lotus.

Everything is contained in the small space (dahara akasha) within heart, including all the other chakras. It contains the entire universe, all worlds and planes of experience, all time and space, and what is beyond all manifestation as well. It is the ultimate abode of God and the soul. In fact, the soul is Soma or the food for God in his creation. In this supreme place, God is the inextinguishable fire and the entire universe is its unending Soma offering.

Self-inquiry and Surrender

Agni is the striving of the soul upward towards the divine, while Soma represents the descending grace of God. Agni represents our will or aspiration to the truth, while Soma represents what inspires us and the goal that we seek. That is why Agni or fire is represented by an upward facing triangle, while water or Soma is represented by a triangle that faces downward.

In this regard, Agni represents Jnana Yoga or the Yoga of Knowledge, which proceeds through the heat and friction of introspection and self-inquiry. This is the main upward movement of the soul. Similarly, Soma represents Bhakti Yoga or the Yoga of Devotion, which proceeds through the flow of surrender. This is the main descending movement of grace.

Self-inquiry (Jnana Yoga) is the best, simplest and most direct method for cultivating our inner fire and reaching the supreme light. Surrender to God or devotion (Bhakti Yoga) is the best, simplest and most direct method for opening up to the flow of grace and reaching the highest delight.

The practice of meditation should always strive to be a dual cultivation of both Agni and Soma, with both deepening perception and joy. A balanced practice should address both Agni and Soma aspects of the practice. Cultivating Agni means cultivating the flame of our awareness, concentration, perception and discrimination. It means increasing the power of the mind to inquire, perceive, penetrate and transform.

Cultivating Soma means cultivating the fuel of devotion, receptivity, love and surrender. It means increasing the power to feel, dissolve, merge and become one with all. We must eventually realize that all things are offerings to the divine light of awareness within us. Then there will be nothing that is not Soma for us.

An internal questioning or Self-inquiry is always naturally occurring within our minds, though broken up or concealed by other habits, impulses and considerations. Our core consciousness is always looking into the meaning and purpose of our lives. We are always reflecting upon ourselves in various ways, through which various feelings and insights or Somas arise that may afford us either pleasure or pain.

Self-inquiry is not about imposing some philosophy upon the mind or even practicing a certain technique, however helpful such factors may be. It is about opening this inner flow of Self-examination that is connected at a deep level with an inner flow of grace. We must cultivate our flame of inquiry but also open up to the flow of grace that makes it possible to sustain it. We must let our inner flame come forth to meet the grace that pervades the entire universe and also is connected to the core of our being.

In this regard there is a helpful metaphor: The mind is like a wick. Knowledge (Jnana) is like the flame, but Devotion (Bhakti) is the oil (ghee). Without the oil to sustain the flame, it will merely burn up the wick. So too, a mind that does not have that flow of grace or devotion, can be burned up or dried out by the flame of knowledge. We should must remember to keep our Soma flowing.

Agni and the Fire of Self-Inquiry - By David Frawley (Pandit Vamadeva Shastri)

Self-inquiry (Atma-vichara), such as taught by Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi, is regarded as the simplest and most direct path to Self-realization. However, Self-inquiry is also very subtle and can be hard to accomplish even after years of dedicated practice. It depends upon a great power of concentration and acuity of mind along with an intense longing for liberation. One might say metaphorically that Self-inquiry requires a certain flame. It requires that we ourselves become a flame and that our lives become an offering to it. Without such an inner fire, Self-realization may elude us whatever else we may attempt. Therefore, it is important to look at Self-inquiry not simply as a mental practice but as an energetic movement of consciousness like the rising up of a great fire.

The Search for the Universal Self

In this psychological age, particularly seekers coming from the West tend to confuse Self-inquiry with a kind of psychological self-examination, a looking into our temporal, bodily or ego self and its fears and desires as constituting a true search for the higher Self. One examines ones personal traumas and sorrows and looks for a psychological state of peace, clarity and joy, which is a kind state of personal integration, as if it were true Self-realization.

However, according to Vedanta, the true Self that we are seeking to realize is not our human self but the universal Self, the Self that is present in all beings, in all bodies and in the entire world. It is the Self that is the witness of all time and space and transcends our psychology, which consists mainly of the incidentals and peculiarities of our personal circumstances and proclivities in life. The true Self resembles more the great powers of nature like fire, wind or sun than it does our personal thoughts and feelings. The search for this transcendent Self is very different than any psychological self-examination, which is at best a preliminary stage in its approach.

Other seekers with a more intellectual background tend to approach the Self in a conceptual or philosophical way, as if it were some category of cosmic existence to be appreciated by the rational mind. This too generally misses the living reality of the Self which has the power to consume the mind and cannot be approached by any mere logic or dialectic.

To question deeply about who we really are is to create a friction at the core of the mind that naturally gives rise to an inner fire. The inquiry ‘Who Am I?’ is the ultimate stirring of the mind that brings forth an inner flame that can consume all other questions and doubts, like a fire burning dry grass. It takes us back to the core fire at the core of the mind, which is the inextinguishable light of the supreme I AM. That universal Self of pure light and consciousness shining deep within us is the real goal of our search.

Self Inquiry as a Yajna or Fire Sacrifice

The Self in the Vedas and Upanishads is often symbolized by fire (Agni). The Rig Veda begins with the worship of Agni, who is the deity of the sacrifice. But who is this Agni and what is the nature of the sacrifice to be offered to it?

There are many forms of Agni in Vedic thought. Agni outwardly as fire and light and inwardly as life and consciousness pervades all things in the universe. In the Vedic view, Agni has three main cosmic (adhidaivic) or world forms as fire, lightning and sun which are the ruling forces in the three worlds of earth, atmosphere and heaven. These are the three lights in the world of nature and the three manifestations of Paramatman, the Supreme Self that is the Divine Light and the light of all the worlds.

In addition, Agni has three main internal (adhyatmic) forms as speech (vak), prana and intelligence (buddhi), which are the ruling forces in the three aspects of our being as body, life and mind. They are the three lights of our internal nature and the three manifestations of the Soul or Jivatman, the consciousness or light principle within us.

These three internal forms of Agni create the three main paths of Yoga practice. Agni’s speech form is the basis of Mantra Yoga or the repetition of sacred sounds like OM or longer prayers like the Gayatri mantra. Mantra practice creates an internal fire that helps purify the subconscious mind and make the mind receptive to meditation. Agni’s prana form is the basis of Prana Yoga or yogic breathing practices of pranayama. Pranayama increases the fire of prana (Pranagni) within us that cleanses the nadis of the subtle body and helps unloosen the knots or granthis of the heart. Agni’s mind form is the basis of Dhyana Yoga or the yoga of meditation. The mind form of Agni or the buddhi is the discriminating part of the mind that allows us to distinguish truth from falsehood, reality from unreality and the Self from the not Self. These three forms of Agni and their related yogic paths take us to the Jivatman or our individual Self and help us understand its basis in the Paramatman or Supreme Self.

There are many Vedic yajnas or fire-sacrifices both external and internal. External yajnas consist of offerings of special substances of wood, ghee, milk or rice into the sacred fire. Internal yajnas consist of offerings of speech (mantra), breath (prana), and mind (meditation) into our internal fires. Vedic Yoga practices of mantra, pranayama and meditation are the main internal yajnas. Yoga itself is the inner sacrifice in all of its forms. The fourth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita explains these different internal sacrifices which reflect the different practices of Yoga including pranayama (Prana-yajna), pratyahara (Indriya-yajna), dharana (Mano-yajna) and dhyana (Buddhi-yajna). Each relates to a different form or aspect of Agni on the levels of body, breath and mind.

The highest Yajna is the Atma-Yajna or Self-sacrifice in which we offer the ego into the Self. This is the also the highest form of meditation or the mind-sacrifice, as the ego is the root of the mind. For this Yajna, the Agni is the Atman or true Self in the heart. Self-inquiry is perhaps the ultimate form of this Atma-Yajna or Self-sacrifice, in which the ego can be directly consumed. It is also called the knowledge-sacrifice (Jnana-yajna) that proceeds through the power of the fire of Self-knowledge (Jnanagni)

As the Gita states:

Preferable to the material sacrifices is the knowledge-sacrifice (Jnana-yajna). All actions are comprehended in knowledge.

As a fire when enkindled burns up dry wood and turns it to ashes,so the fire of knowledge (Jnana-agni) turns all our karmas to ashes.
Bhagavad Gita IV. 33, 37

In this Self-sacrifice, the Self is not only the offering; the Self is the offerer and the fire in which the offering is given. In this regard we are again reminded of the words of the Gita.

Brahman is the process of offering. Brahman is the substance offered. Brahman is the offerer, who places the offering into the fire of Brahman. Brahman alone is attained by this action of absorption in Brahman.
Gita IV.24.

If we look at Self-inquiry as a Self-sacrifice or Atma-yajna, we gain a new perspective to take our practice to a deeper level beyond the complications of the outer mind.

The Flame in the Heart

The Vedas not only equate the Self with fire, they also equate the heart, which is the seat of the Self, with fire. The Self is said to exist like a flame the size of a thumb in the heart. This small flame in the heart is the real person, power and presence that allows the body and mind to function. It is like the pilot light in a stove that lights all the other burners on the stove. The light of the Self lights all the other fires of the body, prana, senses and mind. Even the digestive fire can only work with its support.

This flame of the Self sustains us through all our states of waking, dream and deep sleep and through the entire process of birth or death. Even prana or the life-force is but its manifestation or shadow. This flame leaves the body at death and carries the samskaras that propel us on to another birth. Only for those who are fully Self-realized, who have totally merged into their inner fire, are able to escape this process.

This Self in the heart is clearly explained in the Narayana Sukta which states:

“In the middle of the heart is a great fire (Mahan Agni) that carries all light and looks to every side. It is the first eater and dwells apportioning our food, the undecaying seer.

He gives heat to the entire body from the feet to the head.
In the middle of this fire is the subtle crest of a flame pointed upwards, shining like a streak of lightning from a dark blue rain cloud.
In the middle of the crest of this flame the Paramatman dwells. He is Brahma (Creator), Shiva (Transformer), Vishnu (Preserver), Indra (Ruler), OM and the supreme Lord.”

The great fire (Mahan Agni) in the heart is the subtle body (or linga) and the being behind it of lightning-like appearance is the individual soul or Jivatman. At its core is the atomic point of the Supreme Self which is the doorway into the infinite light, the Sun of suns, the God of Gods. Indeed we could say that the hridaya or heart that Ramana emphasizes is also this flame that dwells there. The heart, Agni and Atman are ultimately three ways of looking at the same supreme truth.

Ramana, Agni and Skanda

Not surprisingly as the great teacher of Self-Inquiry, Ramana himself was regarded as an incarnation of Agni. He was identified with Skanda, the younger son of Shiva and Parvati, who himself is the child of fire or Agni. Skanda is born of Agni and carries his form and his powers. Skanda is also called Kumara, the Divine fire child. This six day old child has the power to destroy all the negative forces of time and ignorance symbolized by the demon Taraka. He is also called Guha or the one who dwells in the cavity of the heart. To find him, we must trace our way back to the cavity of the heart, which is to trace our thoughts back to their origin in the I behind the I. This process is explained as early as the Rig Veda I. 65-73 in the hymns of the great Rishi Parashara, though in cryptic Vedic mantras.

In the Vedas, Agni is called Jatavedas or the knower of all births as he knows the births of all creatures as their indwelling Self. Jatavedas is the Jiva or the individual soul hidden in the body. This Jiva when awakened discovers its unity with the Supreme. Then it becomes Vaishvanara or the universal person, which symbolizes the liberated soul. Jatavedas or the individual fire becomes Vaishvanara, the fire of the universal Self, which is the other main Vedic name of Agni (not to be confused with Vaishvanara as merely the soul of the waking state in later Vedantic thought). Vaishvanara is this Divine child who has realized its unity with the Divine Father, Shiva.

Ganapati Muni, Ramana’s disciple and spiritual brother, the great mantric seer who knew both the Vedasand the Puranas, not only lauded Ramana as Skanda, he spoke of the unity of Skanda and Agni, and identified Ramana with Agni. He states in his Agni-Devata-Tattva-Nirupanam (The elucidation of the truth of the deity Agni) that “Agni Vaishvanara, who dwells in the cave of the heart, is indeed Ramana. Ramana is not different from Kumara. Vaishvanara is Sanat Kumara. “

This means that Agni, Skanda and Ramana are the same. Skanda as Kumara is also Sanat Kumara or the eternal child. Sanat Kumara is the primal or adi guru for humanity in Vedic and Upanishadic thought. He is the guru of all gurus and the inner guru that we must all eventually contact. Ramana is the incarnation of that supreme Guru within us. This all-seeing flame in the heart is the true Guru of all that took a wonderful outer manifestation in the form of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi.

As the guru of the heart, Ramana did not put much emphasis on outer formalities. As the incarnation of the inner fire he showed how all teachings and practices could be consumed like fuel in the great fire of Self-knowledge.

Cultivating the Inner Fire

Self-inquiry is a lot like cultivating a fire. Our awareness grows by offering our speech, breath and mind into the witnessing Self that is the eternal and inextinguishable flame within us. It is the quality and consistency of our offering that is the main factor in growing this flame, not any outer formulas or formalities. We must maintain our awareness like a fire, keeping it from going out even for an instant by continually offering our mental modifications into it as its fuel.

Indeed we could say that the modifications of the mind are nothing but the smoke coming forth from an improperly burning fire of awareness. When that inner flame burns cleans and consistently then there is only pure light and the mind itself gets merged in its source.

For Self-inquiry to be a living process we must invoke and incarnate that inner flame of knowing in our daily lives. Self-inquiry is not a matter of ordinary thinking or logic. It is not a matter of emotion or feeling either. It is not a matter of just blanking or stopping the mind as it is. Nor is it some esoteric intuition. It is the most fundamental form of knowledge, perception or consciousness that we have. It is cultivating the pure light behind all the glitter and shadow of the mind and senses. The Self is the mind behind the mind, the eye behind the eye, the speech behind speech and the prana behind prana as the Upanishadsso eloquently state.

Behind all of our senses through which we perceive the external world is a more primary internal sense of self-being through which we know that we exist and through which we are one with all existence. This self-sense is more immediate than all the outer senses which are only possible through it. But it is so immediate and given, our very sense of being, that we take it for granted and ignore it. In the maze of sensory information we lose track of who we really are. We get caught in the movements of the body and the mind and forget our true nature that transcends them and for which alone they work.

We must remember this very subtle inner fire through which the mind and senses shine and reveal their objects of perception. Cultivating this direct awareness of the Self (aparoksha anubhava of Vedanta) is a lot like conducting a fire sacrifice. Behind all of our states of mind, even the most ignorant or confused, like a flame hidden in darkness, the Self shines as the eternal witness of all. What is important is to bring that flame out, like a fire hidden in wood, through the friction of inquiry.

This Self within the heart transcends all the worlds. As the supreme Agni or digestive power, it has the capacity to eat or absorb the entire universe. As the Taittiriya Upanishad ends;

I am food. I am food. I am food.
I am the eater of food. I am the eater of food. I am the eater of food.
I consume the entire universe. My light is like the sun!

La enseñanza de trucos de matemáticas mental a todo el mundo! (Spanish)

La enseñanza de trucos de matemáticas mental a todo el mundo!

Aprender a realizar mathscalculation mentales rápida le ayudará enormemente con independencia de qué campo de la vida que causas with.Knowing estos trucos de matemáticas mentales le dará una ventaja positiva en el others.Whether usted es un estudiante, aspirante a ingeniero, estadístico, científico, profesor de la escuela o cualquier otra persona trata de números, el aprendizaje de esta rápidos trucos mentales y técnicas
(Popularmente conocida como técnicas matemáticas védicas) siempre va a beneficiar.

Usted debe haber oído hablar de Shakuntala Devi-la señora que realiza cálculos matemáticos más rápido que un ordenador, puede hacerlo también, sólo con un poco de práctica.

Por ejemplo, vamos a decir que desea multiplicar 52 * 11.Este se puede calcular en menos de 1 segundo, pero si desea hacerlo tradicionalmente, que le llevará alrededor de 5-6 seconds.Isn't ella?




Así que vamos a ver cómo el uso de un simple truco matemáticas mentales, este cálculo puede realizarse en cuestión de segundos ...


Para multiplicar 52 y 11, imagina que hay un espacio entre las 52


52 * 11 = 5_2 (Ponga un espacio imaginario en el medio)

Ahora, ¿qué hacer con ese espacio?

Sólo tiene que añadir 5 y 2 y poner el resultado en el espacio imaginario


Así, los 52 * 11 = 572 (que es su respuesta)


¿No es genial?

Vamos a tratar algunos ejemplos más:


1) 35 * 11 = 3 (3 + 5) = 5 385

2) 81 * 11 = 8 (8 + 1) 1 = 891

3) 72 * 11 = 7 (7 + 2) 2 = 792 etc ..

Con sólo un poco de práctica se puede realizar fácilmente estos sencillos trucos mentales de matemáticas en un abrir y cerrar de ojos.

La gente sentada oposiciones a menudo se quejan de que no podían completar el cuadernillo de preguntas dentro de un cierto período de tiempo que el papel era demasiado largo (l) y.But para su información, déjeme decirle que todos los documentos de todas las oposiciones están diseñados que los estudiantes puedan terminar dentro de los period.Its de tiempo dados sólo que los estudiantes no tienen la efficiency.So requerida en apretada situación de restricción de tiempo donde el tiempo juega un papel muy importante, conocer estas técnicas rápidas de matemáticas mentales le dará una ventaja sobre sus competidores .it será su X-Factor.It le dará esa agudeza e inteligencia requerida para romper las oposiciones.

Vamos a tomar un ejemplo de esta suma que ha sido tomado de la parte del examen de 2010 de un examen Popular Bank PO (Sección Aptitud):

(Q) es divisible por 9 456 138?

Ahora, sólo se tarda 2 segundos para usted para determinar la answer.But si se va por el camino tradicional, entonces le tomará 10 seconds.So se puede ver los difference.Those 8 segundos adicionales que gana, usted puede gastar en otra pregunta .Isn't ella?

No se deje ver la solución

(Respuesta) Para probar si un cierto número es divisible por 9 o no, 'sólo tiene que añadir todos los dígitos del número y si el resultado final es divisible por 9, entonces se puede decir que todo el gran número será divisible por 9 también'.

4 + 5 + 6 + 1 + 3 + 8 = 27

Ahora desde el 27 es divisible por 9, de modo 456,138 será divisible por 9 también.

 A estas alturas ya debe tener alguna idea, lo importante que es conocer estas matemáticas mentales tricks.Knowing estas técnicas simples de cálculo le da una ventaja sobre los demás y se puede obtener un trabajo, obtener ningún crack exámenes competitivos y mucho más.

Aquí están algunos trucos matemáticos mentales más ..

Multiplicar cualquier número grande de 12 mentales en cuestión de segundos

Para multiplicar cualquier número por 12 basta con hacer doble dígito pasado ya partir de entonces cada dígito doble y añadirlo a su vecino

Por ejemplo 21.314 * 12 = 255768

Vamos a dividirlo en pasos simples:

Paso 1: 021 314 * 12 = _____8 (Doble del último dígito 4 = 8)

Paso 2: 021 314 * 12 = ____68 (Ahora Double 1 = 2, y añadirlo a 4, 2 + 4 = 6)

Paso 3: 021 314 * 12 = ___768 (Ahora doble 3 = 6, y añadirlo a 1, 6 + 1 = 7)

Paso 4: 021 314 * 12 = __5768 (Ahora Double 1 = 2, y añadirlo a 3, 2 + 3 = 5)

Paso 5: 021 314 * 12 = _55768 (Ahora Double 2 = 4, y añadirlo a 1, 4 + 1 = 5)

Paso 6: 021 314 * 12 = 255.768 (ahora Doble 0 = 0, y añadirlo a 2, 0 + 2 = 2)

Así que su respuesta final de 21314 * 12 = 255768

Otro ejemplo...

El cálculo de la plaza de números de manera rápida ...

Vamos a calcular el cuadrado de 54
 
Así (54) ^ 2 = 5 ^ 2 4-4 ^ 2 = 25 4 16 ---- = 29 ------- 16 = 2916

Del mismo modo (55) ^ 2 = 5 ^ 2 5 --5 ^ 2 = 25 + 5 ------ 25 = 30 --------- 25 = 3025

Del mismo modo (56) ^ 2 = 5 ^ 2 + 6-6 ^ 2 = 25 + 6 ------ 36 = 31 -------- 36 = 3136 etc ..

Del mismo modo probar cuadrados de 57,58 etc ..

Estos son sólo algunos de los muchos trucos de matemáticas mental possible.There son numerosos otros trucos matemáticos para calculation.If rápido te gustan estos trucos de matemáticas mentales y sentir la necesidad de conocer todos los otros trucos a continuación, descargar y guardar todo el 'trucos' Matemáticas Mental libro electrónico a su PC.But recordar este libro asombroso no es libre (como se esperaba) por lo que tendrá que comprar it.It ha sido lanzado hace sólo unos meses y 90000 (aprox) copias se han vendido already.So Hurry Up, y descarga este asombroso libro de matemáticas mentales ahora.

Do Super Quick Maths Calculation Using Vedic Method

Teaching Mental Maths Tricks to Anyone and Everyone! 

Learning to perform fast mental mathscalculation will help you immensely irrespective of which field of life you deal with.Knowing these mental maths tricks will give you a positive edge over the others.Whether you are a student,aspiring engineer,statistician,scientist,school teacher or anyone else dealing with numbers,learning this quick mental tricks and techniques 

(popularly known as Vedic Maths techniques) is always going to benefit you.

You must have heard of Shakuntala Devi-the lady who performed maths calculations faster than a Computer,you can do it too, just with a little bit of practice.

For example, let say you want to multiply 52*11.This can be calculated in less than 1 second but if you want to do it traditionally,it will take you around 5-6 seconds.Isn't it?

So let see how using a simple mental maths trick,this calculation can be done in a matter of seconds...

To multiply 52 and 11,imagine there is a space between 52

52*11= 5_2 (Put an imaginary space in between)

Now,what to do with that space?

Just add 5 and 2 and put the result in the imaginary space

So, 52 * 11 =572 (which is your answer)

Isn't it great?

Lets try some more examples:

1) 35 * 11 = 3 (3+5) 5 = 385

2) 81 * 11 = 8 (8+1) 1 = 891

3) 72 * 11 = 7 (7+2) 2 = 792 etc..

With just a little bit of practice you can easily perform these simple mental maths tricks in the blink of an eye.

People sitting for competitive exams often complain that they could not complete the Question paper within a certain time period as the paper was too length(l)y.But for your information,let me tell you that all papers of all competitive exams are so designed that students can finish it within the given time period.Its just that student do not have the required efficiency.So in tight time constraint situation where time plays a very important role,knowing these quick mental maths techniques will give you an edge over your competitors.It will be your X-Factor.It will give you that sharpness and smartness required to crack any competitive exams.

Lets take an example of this sum which has been taken from the 2010 question paper of a Popular Bank PO Examination (Aptitude Section):

(Q) Is 456138 divisible by 9?

Now, it only takes 2 seconds for you to determine the answer.But if you go by the traditional way then it will take you 10 seconds.So you can see the difference.Those 8 extra seconds you win,you can spend on other question.Isn't it?

No let see the solution

(Answer) To test whether a certain large number is divisible by 9 or not,'just add all the digits of the number and if the end result is divisible by 9,then you can say that the entire large number will be divisible by 9 too'.

4+5+6+1+3+8=27

Now since 27 is divisible by 9 so 456138 will be divisible by 9 too.

 By now you must have some idea, how important it is to know these mental maths tricks.Knowing these simple calculation techniques gives you an advantage over others and can get you a job,get you crack any competitive exams and much more.

Here are few more mental maths tricks..

Multiply any large number by 12 mentally in seconds

To multiply any number by 12 just double last digit and thereafter double each digit and add it to its neighbour

For example  21314 * 12 =  255768

Lets break it into simple steps:

Step 1: 021314 * 12 =  _____8 (Double of Last Digit 4= 8 )

Step 2: 021314 * 12 =  ____68 (Now Double 1= 2, and add it to 4, 2+4=6)

Step 3: 021314 * 12=   ___768 (Now Double 3=6, and add it to 1, 6+1=7)

Step 4: 021314 * 12=   __5768 (Now Double 1=2, and add it to 3, 2+3=5)

Step 5: 021314 * 12=   _55768 (Now Double  2=4, and add it to 1, 4+1=5)

Step 6: 021314 * 12=   255768 (Now Double 0=0, and add it to 2, 0+2=2)

So your final answer of 21314 * 12 = 255768

Another example...

Calculating Square of numbers quickly...

Lets calculate the square of 54

  

So (54)^2 = 5^2 +4 -- 4^2 = 25 +4 ----16 =29-------16= 2916

Similarly (55)^2 = 5^2 +5 --5^2=25+5------25=30---------25= 3025

Similarly (56)^2 = 5^2 + 6--6^2=25+6------36= 31--------36= 3136 etc..

Similarly try out squares of 57,58 etc..

These are just few of the many Mental Maths Tricks possible.There are numerous other maths tricks for fast calculation.If you like these mental maths tricks and feel the necessity to know all the other tricks then Download and Save the entire 'Mental Maths Tricks' ebook to your PC.But remember this amazing book is not free (as expected) so you will have to buy it.It has been released only a few months ago and 90000 (approx) copies has been sold already.So Hurry Up, and Download this amazing mental maths book now.