[Advaita-l] NOTES ON THE NINETH MUSING (II)

[Anbu sivam2]

Aum

NOTES ON THE NINETH MUSING (II)

The body is called Deha. DahyatE iti Dehaha. Because it burns it is
called Deha. We talked of three bodies in each of us. We know that the
gross body (sthula sariram) is burnt but how can we be sure that the
subtle body (sukshma sariram) and causal body (kaarana sariram) can
also burn?

Agni or fire has the characteristic called heat which in Sanskrit is
called Tapa. The Tapa in terms of Deha is a suffering. There are three
kinds of Tapa known as Thapathraya that are hotter than fire and they
are called Adhyaathmika, Adhibouthika and Adidaivika.

Personal pain and sufferings caused by hunger, thirst, food poisoning,
bad habits, unbridled passion, jealousy, anger, hatred, envy,
ill-will, restlessness, desire, unfulfilled desire, frustration,
disappointment etc. comes under Adhyaathmika. Sufferings due to
illness caused by virus, bacterias or sufferings caused by creatures
big and small come under Adhibouthika. Suffering caused by things
beyond man's control such as flood, drought, war, pestilence etc.
comes under Adhidaivika.

The body is subject to the Thrigunas called Sathwam, Rajas and Thamas
as nothing is exempt from the play of Gunas. The body is also
subjected to three states of being called Avastaathraya and they are
waking, dream and deep sleep.

It was explained before that the world was evolved by Easwara’s
manifestion from Akasa, to Vayu, to Agni to Aapa to prithvi to
vegetation, to food and from food to the body. This theory of
evolution (which is quite different from the rationalists’ view of
evolution) is called Krama Srishti. Easwara's projection and
dissolution of this world and the bodies are explained like that of a
spider that weaves its web out of itself and then takes it back. This
Krama Srishti is also known as Srishti-Drishti Vaada. There is an
alternate view of creation and dissolution called Yugapat Srishti or
Dhrishti-Srishti Vaada. In this view the world is projected when a
person wakes up from deep sleep and gets dissolved when he goes back
to deep sleep. (See the Second Musing).