Ishwar Stuti Prarthana Upasana continues… (September 2019)

Ishwar Stuti Prarthana Upasana continues…
Ishwar Stuti Prarthan Upasana is a set of eight mantras that have been picked from the Vedas (mainly Yajurveda). After covering the first two mantras last month, we will focus on the next two mantras (i.e., #3 and #4) this month as the part of this month’s assignment.

Mantra #3
Ya atmada balda yasya vishwa upaasate prashisham yasya devah
Yasya chhaya amritam yasya mrityuh kasmai devaay havisha vidhem.
(Yajurveda 25-13)

य आत्मदा बलदा यस्य विश्व उपासते प्रशिषं यस्य देवा: ।
यस्यच्छायाअमृतं यस्य मृत्यु: कस्मै देवाय हविषा विधेम।।
(यजु. 25-13)

Literal Meaning:
Ishwar (God) is the Supreme Spirit/Power
Who gives us enlightenment and strength
Whose commands the wisest and even universal inanimate objects follow
Whose shelter and protection give bliss and immortality
Whose disobedience leads to misery and death
We worship such Blissful Ruler by surrendering ourselves to His rules.

कविता के रूप में:
तू ही आत्मज्ञान बल दाता, सुयश विज्ञ जन गाते हैं।
तेरी चरण-शरण में आकर, भवसागर तर जाते हैं।
तुझको ही जपना जीवन है, मरण तुझे बिसराने में।
मेरी सारी शक्ति लगे प्रभु, तुझ से लगन लगाने में।

He is the giver and inspirer. What does He give us? He gives us mental and physical strength. He inspires us to proceed on righteous path and fills our minds with positive thoughts. A simple act of thinking and meditating upon His qualities fills our minds and life with uplifting qualities. We are enabled to identify, overcome, and remove debilitating thoughts. He shows us correct perspective. In every situation, we are able to see positive and uplifting angles.

A large number of problems are due to lack of the correct understanding. Irrespective of age, we (children and adults alike) often get entangled in meaningless situations. But, if and when a wise person shows us a correct perspective, we immediately realize that the problem was because of our thinking only. With a meaningful and correct prayer, we become wiser ourselves and able to pull ourselves out of tricky situations on our own.

The deep spiritual knowledge contained in the scriptures and religious books written by sages is a testament to the fact that wisests also adore Him and follow His rules.

Staying in His shelter means following the path of non-violence, truthfulness, kindness, forgiveness, empathy, non-stealing, controlled senses, and generosity. When we live such a life (meaning, we live in His shelter), our lives become blissful. We live a complete and fulfilling life. On the other hand, not following those principles mean misery, pain, fear, hardship, and misfortune in life.

Mantra #4
Yah pranato nimishato mahitwaika idraja jagato babhuva.
Ya ishe asya dwipadashchatush padah kasmai devaya havisha vidhema.
(Yajurveda 23-3)

य: प्राणतो निमिषतो महित्वैग इद्राजा जगतो बभूव।
य ईशे अस्य द्विपदश्चतुष्पद: कस्मै देवाय हविषा विधेम।।
(यजु. 23-3)

कविता के रूप में:
तूने अपनी अनुपम माया से, जग ज्योति जगाई है।
मनुज और पशुओं को रचकर, निज महिमा प्रगटाई है।
अपने हिय-सिंहासन पर, श्रद्धा से तुझे बिठाते हैं।
भक्ति-भाव की भेंटें लेकर, तब चरणों में आते हैं।

Literal Meaning:
is the creator and ruler of the entire universe.
is the Lord of all living beings that exist in this world.
governs the bipeds (humans) and quadrupeds (animals).
is blissfully divine.
We worship such Blissful Ruler by surrendering ourselves to His rules.

He is extremely powerful; too powerful for us to comprehend, let alone explain. With His powers, He created this universe. He is also that Power Himself that holds this entire universe together. Just like the moon is held by the earth, the earth is held by the sun, the sun is held by the center of milky way galaxy, the whole galaxy (and its center thereof) is held by Him. He is the true king of humans and every living creature. He is the master of physical and non-physical (spiritual) wealth. Understanding His position, we hold Him highest in our minds and hearts. We hold Him dearer than ourselves. There is no one better than Him for us to pray and seek guidance and inspiration from. We worship such entity (Him) with the utmost reverence, admiration, and dedication.

Hopefully, going over the above two mantras and their meanings will give the hawan kids – and adults – a better understanding of the supreme entity we call God and deeper meaning of the term prayer (प्रार्थना).

As part of this month’s assignment, the hawan kids will…

  • Memorize third and fourth mantras of Ishwar Stuti Prarthan Upasana Mantras.
  • Describe the literal meaning of these mantras.
  • Relate the meanings of the mantras with real life anecdotes
    • Hint: kids can talk about how following the rules (in school, home, society, and relationships etc) leads to happiness and fulfilment; whereas, not following the rules lead to pain, sorrow, and destruction.
  • Expand on the true meaning of the word prayer (प्रार्थना).

As always, looking forward to hearing insightful interpretation and essays by the Hawan kids.

Harsh Mendiratta🙏