Dr Harish Chandra's article in Vedoday2050 - April 2011
Vedoday2050
Upasana is Unique to Humans,
Being Together with God
The last few months were devoted to certain key aspects related to karma. Before that we had discussed at length the salient features of knowledge. Now we should discuss Upasana – the third arm of the Prasthana-Trayi (three-fold pursuits of Jnana, karma and Upasana). We will return to a more detailed discussion on karma at a later occasion, including the Law of Karma. Philosophy of karma and Law of karma are very unique to the Vedic thought.
Indeed, Upasana is the most important part of the human activity. This is what makes us uniquely different from all other species. We and animals have overlap in Jnana and Karma – they have organs of knowledge (the senses) as we have and the organs of karma, too. Our faculty of knowledge has no bound. We are ever inquisitive and want to know about every thing under the sky and even what lies beyond it. In the faculty of karma too, we have made wonderful things surpassing one after another. Yet, there is an overlap between us and animals that they also function along the faculties of knowledge and karma as we do though the scales vary. However, Upasana is a faculty that is singularly reserved for us humans. Typically, the layman thinks that what we do in a so-called place of worship is Upasana. But this is far from the truth. Let’s understand it.
This is a compound word made with a prefix ‘Upa’ before the word ‘Asana’ – the latter word means a seat and the prefix alludes to nearby. Thus, the word as such means to sit nearby, being together. Being together is very important to nurture and maintain a relationship. We are aware that even the close worldly relationships require togetherness besides other requirements that will broadly fall in the domains of knowledge and karma. If I don’t spend quality time with my children then I will be failing in my duties as a father. In the same manner, Vedic teachings enjoin us to be together with God for some time everyday at the confluence of the dusk and dawn. Our body and mind are to see and appreciate His world but when it comes to being with Him then these instruments are obstacles. This is why there is so much emphasis on meditation in the Vedic teachings that we need to disconnect from the body and mind and then be with God. This act has been called as Sandhya (or Sandhyo-Pasana), meaning:
1. Meditation with prefix Sam for ‘well performed’ – it would mean, well performed meditation.
2. It is performed twice a day at the confluence of the day and night called sandhi-vela.
Next month we will begin Vedic Sandhya, the classical form of meditation. Our classical scriptures equate Sandhya with ‘Gayatri Japa’ – recitation of the well-known Gayatri Mantra. So, the approach will be as follows:
1. Next month we will briefly discuss how one should sit on meditation and take help of the Gayatri Mantra.
2. Then we will begin to understand the meaning of other mantras that appear in Vedic Sandhya.
Now it is visualized that every reader of Vedoday2050 will sit for meditation everyday from the next article onwards. Gradually, Sandhya will include more and more mantras but the central focus will be on the Gayatri mantra. Soon after its reciting, one should spend some quiet moments void of the world we live in – a very challenging task, probably the most difficult one. However, we must not give up and try our best for the simple reason that the rewards for the success are immense.
- Harish Chandra
B. Tech. (IIT Kanpur)
Ph. D. (Princeton, USA)