Mahavigyan By Shri Shri 108 Mahatma Baikal Das Part -4
A detail of eighteen assortments (varns) follows. There is no discourse of Tamasic tendencies. Attributes of people of divine and demonic properties are discussed in coming pages to be read and understood by wise persons. Among these 18 assortments, the first and the last is Brahma. Brahma is discussed in the last assortment. Therefore, we start with the second one i.e. action and duties.
Second Assortment
It consists of action and dharma.
Man is worshipped for his noble deeds. Illusion (maya) of this mortal world does not trouble him. Men always suffer for their bad conduct. They do this due to their foolishness. It is an infallible saying:
Char ved chhah shastra mein bat mili hain doe Sukh dinhe sukh hot hai dukh deenhe dukh hoe
The 4 Vedas and 6 schools say these two things: You receive good for doing good, you receive bad for doing bad
Dharma is - if you see someone hungry or thirsty you must be kind. Tulsidas wrote:
Daya dharm ka mool hai pap mool abhiman Tab lag daya na chhodiye jab lag ghat mein pran
Compassion is the root of dharm, ego of sins Be compassionate even at the risk of life
Third Assortment
It consists of the three attributes in humankind - Sat, Raj and Tam.
The human body is made of these three. They manifest from time to time. (Satoguna is harmony, purity or enlightening and represented by white color. Rajogun is activity, movement and represented by red color. Last Tamogun is dullness, stagnation, sleep, sloth and represented by black color.) Man values rajogun and tamogun and pursues them. When satoguna dominates, one gets pleasure but he is unable to accomplish it. When man dies in satovratti, he gets the same in next life. Money, spouse and children are signs of satovritti.
Fourth Assortment
It is the four Vedas. Sound of Om, Bhuh, Bhuvah and Swah vibrates in each one of humankind. However, he cannot catch it due to tamovritti. So this is described about the body. It is evident that Om denotes satyug. ‘A’ is air, ‘U’ is jeev (true self) and ‘Ma’ is maya (illusion). It is called Triguni Atma (soul with three attributes) as is given in Vedas. That is why these attributes are found in human body. This makes man the possessor of four Vedas. Here ends the discussion of four assortments to be understood by wise persons.
Fifth Assortment
It includes five elements- Chhiti (earth), Jal (water), Pavak (fire), Gagan (sky or space), Sameer (air). First one is earth. By nature Earth is physical and inert. How must one attain super consciousness from this inert? The earth is inert, and we get different things from it. In the same way it can be achieved from the physical body. Tulsidas has written in Ramayan:
Hari vyapak sarvatra samana Prem se pragat hohin main jana
Hari is present equally everywhere He appears by love, I know
We should use our physical body like earth. We get grains, fruits, milk and many other things from earth. Similarly, we must gain intellect, knowledge and Supra Wisdom from our body. This wisdom is obdurate like earth. Therefore, we should see our errors in the physical form. This is the first element of body.
Second element is water. It is written in Chanakyneeti, as mentioned before. It protects our body. The same water appears from eyes because there is no other place for it. It is one type of water described here. All five types of water protect the body. Andaj, pindaj and swedaj are other ones. This type of water is the cause of creation of bodies of human, animal, birds etc. When it comes out, it causes pleasure as well as miseries. Flowing tears are the indictor of shortening of life span. If our ancestor saints would have not utilized the water of their body, we could have not been created. It is found in scriptures that our ancestor saints considered this water pure, which is cause of our birth as Balbrahm. It is attribute of Satyug. No further explanation is needed, readers will understand. There is another type of water, which we drink from wells, ponds, rivers. When heat arises in this body and disturbs our senses, this water makes them cool. Now air is described, read and listen.
Third element is air. There are five types of air in this body, their characteristics are described - 1. Pran vayu 2. Vyan Vayu 3. Udan Vayu 4. Apan Vayu 5. Saman Vayu. Pran Vayu moves 21600 times in twenty-four hours. Therefore, it is called fresh and pure. Second Vyan Vayu helps in joint movements. It helps in compounding of five elements. Otherwise, fire could burn. Third Udan Vayu resides in throat. Its function is to create vibrations, cause hiccup and help in breaking of food. This protects Jiva, which lives with it. So its work is conversation and interaction. Apan Vayu resides in anus. Its function is to make this body beautiful by getting faeces, urine and foul air out of the body. This air keeps the body in good condition. Fifth air is Saman vayu. The rishis have described it. It manages and protects the whole body. It moves in whole body therefore, it is best. Just as the hands do everything for the body, it nourishes all organs of the body.