Six Steps…….Sankara’s Steps

Embodiments of Love,

In the earlier session we were talking about 6 steps  to alleviate our pains;

Here in the stanza Adi Sankara is referring to a bee or beetle, an insect with 6 legs;

The beauty is they are in pairs; 2x3=6

There was a great poet in Tamilnadu called KANNADASAN; he wrote a lot;

There is a philosophical song wherein he recommends 6 steps to attain divinity; please do not get scared; going to forest is not suggested;

(Note: being a male I use Masculine gender; in no way I am ignoring the Women power, which I worship as Mother Abhirami)

1)      Peace is his , who does what he says

2)      It is the design of God to have Happiness in Troubles and Misery in Happiness.

3)      You would mesmerize the world if you speak the truth and do good things to others.

4)      Humility in greatness will warrant the salute from all with reverence.

5)      A man professing Greed, Anger and Theft, is an animal that can speak.

6)      Wielder of Love, Gratitude and Mercy is God in the Human form.

The heart which knows the above 6 principles is the white Lotus where my Lord Siva resides!

Let us see what the Upanishads have to say on the six steps:

in बृहदारण्यक उपनिषद् (bṛhadāraṇyaka upaniṣad) there is a slogam:

ॐ असतोमा सद्गमय ।
तमसोमा ज्योतिर्गमय ।
मृत्योर्मामृतं गमय ।।
ॐ शान्ति शान्ति शान्तिः ।। – 1.3.28.

Transliteration:

oṁ asato mā sad gamaya
tamaso mā jyotir gamaya
mṛtyor mā amṛtaṁ gamaya
oṁ śānti śānti śāntiḥ – bṛhadāraṇyaka upaniṣad 1.3.28

In the above  slogam also there are 3 pairs of words=6 words—6 steps—the opposites are Juxtaposed:

Translation:

om=om, Pranavamantra

asataha—unreal, Bad, non-existent, non being

ma-me

sat—real, Good, existent, being

gamaya—take, lead ( gam means go)

tamas—illusion, gloom

ma-me

jyotihi –brightness

gamaya—take, lead ( gam means go)

mrithyuhu—death

ma-me

amrta—not dead, imperishable

gamaya—take, lead ( gam means go)

oṁ śānti śānti śāntiḥ---Om Peace Peace Peace

Lead me From the Unreal To the Real,
Lead me From Darkness To Light,
Lead me From Death To Immortality,
Let There Be Peace Peace Peace. – Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.3.28.

To get the results indicated in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, we need to follow  KANNADASAN without fail.

See you in the next episode

With lots of love

rajagopal

7.03.2012