And to understand this, you require a mind that has assimilated certain values and attitudes and has developed a capacity to think in a proper and sustained way. That teaching is contained in the Veda, represented by the palm leaves in the left hand of Dakṣiṇāmūrti. Therefore, you have the final word here, because you are everything. Nobody can improve upon that vision no culture can improve upon it.Įven in heaven, it cannot be improved upon, for the whole includes heaven. The circular hand gesture visually states the entire upadeśa, teaching: tat tvam asi, “You are That.” Just as a circle has no beginning or end, you are the whole. In this gesture, mūdra, in Dakṣiṇāmūrti’s right hand, the thumb joins the other fingers to form a circle, teaching that the jīva, who takes himself to be the body, mind and senses, is the whole. It is away from the rest of the fingers of the hand, yet at the same time, the fingers have no strength without it. The aṅguṣṭha, the thumb, represents the Lord, the puruṣa. This is what the jīva mistakes himself to be. They also may be seen as the three bodies, śarīras, the gross, subtle, and causal. The other three fingers represent your body, deha, mind, antaḥkaraņa and sense organs, prāņa. His index finger, the one we use to point at others, represents the ahaṅkāra, the ego. What does he teach? Look at his hand gesture. His very sitting posture, āsana, is the teacher’s āsana. You can worship Dakṣiṇāmūrti as the Lord, the one who is aṣṭa-mūrti-bhṛt, or you can invoke him as a teacher, because he also is in the form of a teacher. So we see five elements, two planets and the jīva constituting the aṣṭa-mūrti-bhṛt, the Lord of these eight factors that are the whole. On the left side of Dakṣiṇāmūrti you will find a crescent moon, and on his right side there is a circle, representing the sun-a whole circle. The sun and moon are also shown in this form of the Lord. Then there are people, the jīvas, Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanātana and Sanatsujāta, who are the disciples of Dakṣiṇāmūrti, sitting at the base of sculpture. Pṛthivī, the earth, is represented by the whole idol. Āpa, water, is shown by the Gaṅga, in the form of a Goddess, which you can see on Dakṣiṇāmūrti’s head. In his left hand, you will see a torch, which represents agni, fire. Bandana is a Sanskrit word which comes from the root band, to bind. Next, vāyu, air, is represented by Dakṣiṇāmūrti’s hair with the bandana, the band, holding his hair in place against the wind. In order to show space in a sculpture, it needs to be enclosed.Įmpty space is enclosed in the ḍamaru, enabling it to issue sound, or śabda. Space, ākāśa, is represented by a ḍamaru, a drum, in his right hand. When we look at the form of Dakṣiṇāmūrti, we can see representations of the five elements. These eight aspects are to be understood as one whole. The eighth aspect is me, the jīva-the one who is looking at the world. The moon represents all planets other than earth, and the sun represents allluminous bodies. When, as an individual, I look at this world, what stands out in the sky are the sun and moon. The next two aspects are represented by the sun and the moon. In fact, these five elements constitute the Lord’s form, which is this universe. In this Vedic model of the universe, the five elements are non-separate from the Lord. In the Veda the world is presented in the form of five elements- ākāśa, space,which includes time vāyu, air agni, fire āpa, water and pṛthivī, earth. The first five aspects are thefive elements. The Lord presented in this form as Dakṣiṇāmūrti is the one who has eight aspects. We have a name for that Lord Daksinamurti. Being the cause, he is all knowledge, especially spiritual knowledge. In the vision of the Veda, this creation is a manifestation of the Lord. There are some mantras like Dhanvantari Mantra known to please the Lord and seek his blessings in abundance. Devotees pray to Dhanvantari for happiness, health, and prosperity. He is depicted wearing yellow clothes and adorned with flower garlands and ornaments. He is said to be the physician of the Gods and the one who saves the world from all diseases. Being a manifestation of Lord Vishnu, Dhanvantari is represented in dark complexion carrying a jug filled with theimmortal nectar. Worshiped in the form of the god of medicine, Dhanvantari is given the supreme place in the Ayurvedic system of traditional Indian medicine. One of the most famous incarnations of Lord Vishnu, Lord Dhanvantari is said to have emerged out of the milky ocean at the time when the demons and gods churned it to get the immortal nectar. Tri-Lokya-Naathaaya Shri Mahaavishnave Namaha || Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaaya DhanvantarayeĪmrutha-Kalasa-Hasthaaya Sarvaamaya-Vinaashanaaya
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