MPM Nataraja

One of my sons aged about 9 years asked who is strongest among the Thrimoorthis and who are their parents? I felt suddenly somebody knocked my head with force.

Tell me what to say him, I thought I must say you go with your text books, not indulge in such questions then I just stopped & thought when he himself asking why to neglect.

We Indians always enjoyed fights in between Gods in our Puranas, maybe that’s why westerns called our histories as Mythology. It’s so sad.

If we are Vaishnavs (cult of Vishnu) we say definitely Vishnu is Supreme & strong, also we give all the example stories of Dashavathara and Sri Krishna’s Virataroopa also we press all Mudras by locking  the question  there itself.

In case if we are Shaivas (cult of Shiva) we show all the pages of many Puranas which says greatness of Shiva. And tell Hari & Bramha both failed in search of beginning & end of the Shivalinga & also add that Shiva himself created Brahma & Vishnu theory. We also tell the story of Maharishi Dadichi great devotee of Shiva, Maharishi Dadichi shows Vishwaroop to Maha Vishnu himself. So with all these references, we announce with proud that Mahadeva is supreme. 

And if we are Shakthas (Devi’s cult), we say without scratching our head, Oh dear son Adishakkthi is the Strongest. She is the one who created all Trinities including the whole universe.

The child mind may be innocent but not a stupid brain without thoughts. If we say any our beloved God’s names, but crystal minded innocence re-questions us, who are their creator of him/her and how they evolved …

But I am not expert in mighty Vedas and Upanishads to tell him abstract form of gods, if I go through Puranas theory; they are so complicated in their own way explaining beloved supremacy God.

As I said before, In Vishnu Purana Vishnu is supreme and in Shiva Purana Shiva is Lord of lords.

Same story continues in Devi Puranas too. According to this purana, She is greatest among all the Gods. So Puranas are not entirely convincing. They are confusing me and sometimes they become trap of words from religious intellectuals so I don’t wanted to confuse my kids. they may lose interest on these subjects. So I strived to answer his curiosity which arises in child instinct.

I said to my son, these are theological forms. Basically the principles of Indian spirituality. Now if I answer your questions, you may not understand. You will know as you grow up, by reading, discovering and experiencing yourself. And also by the knowledge of elders, which will lead you towards the light. I will tell you as you can understand at your age, give me some time. Now I have some works, sure I get back to you. I was consoling like that. Now I silenced myself and started thinking how can I answer my kid. Oh almighty who dwelled in all the beings by visible & invisible forms pls help me to answer my sons quest. All this kind of mess of questions often happens to me.

One fine morning I was in a morning walk and my son’s words are buzzing in my ears. In a bitter cold weather a small crowd with folded hand is circumambulating in clock wise to the huge tree by chanting  a mantra “Moolatho Brahma roopaya, Madhyatho Vishnu Roopine,  Agratho  Shiva roopaya, Vruksh rajayathe  Namo Namah”

(Root  as Generator =Brahma,  middle as Operator= Vishnu,  top as a Destroyer=Shiva, Oh king of trees, salutation to thee).

Suddenly a light blazed bright in my head. I got almost answer for my sons question and even for my thirst.

What is life? We take a birth to achieve something till the end of our physical body. It is automated cycle of nature. Like a life of tree it has three major qualities. The word Tree may be derived from three. That’s why westerns may called it Tree, ok let it. Even almighty has three qualities and he/she is beyond that. Also they called it God, which elaborates as a “Generator, Operator, and Destroyer”. 

 We Indians call it OM, which has three same words “A U M“. Here also there are three qualities. As   said above “Arise…   from the past, Utilize… it in present and Move…. towards the infinity of future“. We called them Brahma-Vishnu-Maheshwar, rajas(active)-sattwa(balance)-tamas(destructive). Om also signifies state of three times “Past-Present-Future“. It is stable confluence meet of three energies and it is beyond those qualities & times.

Like tree, life is symbolic evidence of nature’s eternal creativity.

Base Root of tree signifies Brahma = srushti tatwa( birth) or philosophy of creative.

The tree itself is a form of persistent creativity that grows and survives & dies in nature. The seed germinates beneath the soil. How the baby grows by getting subtle form of food from mother womb, the tree's seed also sprouted underground and absorbs all the extracts from the ground. It is does not matter where the tree is born on the roadside or beside the lake or in beautiful gardens. There is no Value for birth. May be for that reason there is no worship of Brahma, except only a few temples in all around globe. Leave it that matter here itself, we will catch the main point.

Somewhere pollination happens on flowers in the trees. Carrying of seeds may also takes place from air or via droppings of the birds & animals which they eaten fruits as food.  

Same story in case of humans and other living beings also. If it is human, he may take birth in rich or poor, birth may in lower caste or upper caste, or in good cultured family or evil one.

Neither tree nor man, only birth is not enough. If it is seed it has to come out via letting root deep underneath of the earth. For other creatures, it must grow by crossing the many difficulties, making strong stamina to cope the diseases, by adopting the wise manners and basic educations. Till this level, it is called Brahma or Srushti thatwa . 

After Srushti Tatwa we have to reach middle stage called”Sthithi thatwa / Vishnu thatwa/operating  state“.

However being mere born is not great, we have to grow as major tree trunk in matured way.

We have to survive either as a thief or as honest earned man or as a cunning or as a innocent or as a qualified wise man. 

We can’t say if we lead evil life we will get bad name and if we lead honest life we get good name. The wind of time can give a bad name to a good person and good name to a bad person. Bad person may get good name & fame for the time being on the basis of his power or his intellectual talent or his strategy. Thus somehow we have to grow facing all the humiliations and up and downs of sad and smiley days.

How tree bear & stand firmly in all the seasons (with great tolerance in the peak of stormy days, as well as its endure scorching sunshine in summer, in cruel cold of winter, enjoying sprinkling of monsoon), humans also has to stand firmly. The tree reaches by spreading the branches up in sky while beneath in the ground it extends its roots deep and wide and at the same time it also holds soil tightly so it can carry weight of main trunk. Likewise humans also have to take response of his/her house and settle in life by helping each other. When you reach as above as below. It is called Sthithi tatwa or Vishnu tatwa.

Ok introduction of Srushti and Sthithi tatwa completed. What is the role of a bare trunk spreading dry branches? Leaves should be packed and have lush green leaves and play smoothly in air. This process is active in some extent from the time of sapling to till tree. But form of the leafless tree appears in the autumn season. The bare trunk without leaves looks like a mesh of dry sticks. But it is not right in aesthetic way. It also stops process of natural reproduction. Without leaves, flower & fruits the life of the tree becomes incomplete and meaningless.

Tree must be full of shoots, leaves, nuts, flowers, and fruits. Fruits must be stuffed with seeds. In autumn, dried leaves must detach from the branches. When leaves fall to mingle with soil, you can have realization of “Sathya…  Shiva… Sundar…”

Yes we are on the way of Rhythm of life ”Laya tatwa/samahara tatwa”. 

Here for some persons it is the puzzle. There are some creed mentality scholars who may advise you to leave it as it is a Tamas/destructive principle. But for me…… I don’t have vast knowledge as they have.

Yes sir, principle of Rhythm, it is tremendous and beautiful at same time (we call it Rudra Ramaneeya).

Some so called scholars hate this principle like how jackal accuses grapes when it cannot reach till it.” Shiva tatwa is difficult to understand.

Seeing such pandits, Sri Krishna said that in the Anushasan Parva of Mahabharata "No one can fully describe Shiva tatwa in the cosmic, including me” he adds. What about me, I am not even a tiny dot of atom, I am just artist but however we must try as human being. It is our natural instinct.

As mentioned earlier, roots and trunk are not enough for a tree. Mixed green with bit reddish leaf has to cover with tiny sprigs to till it become lush green branches and it must spread glow with full of flowers and fruits all over the tree. In summer it has to endure the sun, it should not drained away or sink in stormy time. At the autumn season, dry leaves have to be tossed towards soil to make every particles of soil rich in minerals. This is a tree’s starting part of salvation. Now in this season, tree looks like a real slenderer saint. Again in the spring the tree must cast its tiny greenly shoots in all twigs.

There will be a lord for each season.

Lord of Spring (Vasanth) is ”Rudra“. For that reason there is also destruction and creation both happens in this season. Yes you read it correct. Have a doubt? How Leaves, flowers, fruits all are rhythmic part of tree While fruits falling to earth, it holds the seed of creation.  

Lord Rudra doesn’t do the Destruction from hate. The rhythmic Dance is indispensable for the next creation. Imagine what would happen to the world, if he hadn't destroyed all the beings. What if there were only Brahma and Vishnu principles in the world? Imagine. What happens to the entire creatures if there is no death? They leave the descendants; they need land to suit their needs. Eventually animals, trees, creeps, accompanied by humans would have been floating in a vacuum in disorder across the ground and sky, over the sun and moon all over the stars, everywhere in the constellations, the celestial bodies. The universe would have been turned a living trash.

By blunder of two principles from epochs of the ages, all living creatures would have been littered as debris, without the light, dusky shadows would have been covered the world till the day. And there would have been no empty sky and ground for birds and animals.

There would have been no full moon and new moon days in the earth. And there is no Solar/moon eclipses would have been in sky. The only eclipses of the creatures would have been scattered all over sky. There would have not occurrence of color full sky phenomena in the south & North Poles and there was no chance to see beautiful rainbows and there would have been no cycles of different seasons. Chaos could have been taken major role in the world without liveliness in the universe.

Therefore invisible hand of almighty could have been played at that time? Now whatever scientist calling today as “black hole” that would have been appeared and might have been swallowed live debris of universe. Who knows?

And if there is just principle of destruction exists, there is no existence of universe. So the existence of single principle could have caused meaningless only.

If it is only" Brahma/ creative" tathwa there is no balance in the universe as I said earlier only.

Without “Brahma/ srushti tatwa" there is no existence for Vishnu /sthithi tatwa, it may seems silly but not so as we think.

What happens when ‘’Brahma/creative‘’ principle and ‘’Shiva/destructive” principle would have been only exist? Again it has been kind of lifeless play of universe. Immediately after the birth, any creatures would have died without experience of sad, joy, pain, risk, failure, victory, humiliations, and felicitations. It’s would be another meaningless phenomena of cosmic play. So these three principles are inseparable. Sir we leave it here. This is crossing the limits of our main subject. But this much was necessary. 

Man after 50 years of age is like a tree with silver hair, blurry eyes, wrinkles on face, up & downs of his life pages, sweet & bitter memories of the life would have curved him a shape, according their experiences made him think “life means this only”. If so friends tell me, is there any meaning for life? Certainly not, right? Tree provides us through all the form of its organs- medicines, foods, cool shadow, it also allows to build nests to birds in their branches and absorbs toxic from air, gives pure & fresh oxygen. And mesh kind of its roots holds the soil tightly so it could not drain away in rain and it gives wood for furniture. Thus all the parts of tree are useful for all the beings.

Thus none of trinity is greater than rest of two, all have specific contributions in their role and all three are equal.

Whatever experiences he may got or earned money in his lifetime, when money & knowledge is shared to the needy then could be meaning full. This is what our ancestors did from the ages.

“Kalpa Vruksh “a tree in heaven which gives us whatever we asked

But in earth all the trees gives us everything without any of our demand

Ungrateful man being as a most intellectual animal on the globe is constantly destroying the nature and innocent animals in many ways. 

He is creating everything artificial as against the laws of nature.

Due to his cruel deeds many strange Diseases are spreading all over the world in abnormal ways and though he suffering severely but not learning lesson.

You think I have given the examples of a bare tree only?  But tree is growing in mother earth. Thus it seems mother earth is greater than tree. But the Earth and other planets are floating in space. Sun is the one who illuminates globe from the sky. Even in the chanting our ancestors praised him like this:

“Nama Savithre jagadeka chakshuve Jagath Prasoothi Sthithi Nash Hetuve Traya Mayay Trigunatma Darine Viranchi Narayana Shankarathmane“

(Salutation to lord Surya, oh eye of world, oh capable of creating, operating, destroying the world and who beholds three qualities having energies of trinity)    

The sun too keeps on revolving around a higher power than him. Think of that energy how it could be, we can't imagine.

We praise our deities as "Soma Surya Agni Lochanaya Namaha” meaning “oh lord who having sun, moon and fire as your eyes ”

We cannot tolerate the heat of just one sun.

How almighty it that could be primal "spiritual sun” who is main source power to the billions of suns and moons in the universe? Whether it is Allah or Jesus or Brahma or Vishnu or Shiva or Adi Shakti, you can call that however. Everything is the same. It is ubiquitous all over cosmic in subtle form or bulky way and visible or invisible to our eyes.

While we maintain the greenness of globe and our life lead like a tree, birth of man gets a greater meaning. In addition to my son's query. I have made three types of experiment of article, painting and poetry.

Saying thanks to the principle of trinity this universe, with my own questions of logic also got answered to some extant”.

In womb of time, seed of creativity sprouts

Principle of stability, emerged in hurry surge

Grows standing tall towards the sky as measure of present

With spreading its branches like lovely canvas of leaves & flowers

In the queue to ripe and rhythm of time tossed to rise

To somewhere reveal the seeds of hope

To sing the saga of spring

To see salvation in soil dying dry leaf dances to fall

To feel in warmth of the earth leaf swings on swan song

Nest of Festive for new shoots

Creation filled at womb of rhythm

Gage the Deep of seed

Present is studding the stable trunk

Heart of present be holds stage for Lord of dance

Once he was seed the next he himself as great tree

Now shining in lush green to reign infinity of sun & moon

We daily sink & float on thoughts of tension

Nature waits spring as sinking man finds ship in ocean

Saluting to & all my Gurus & all the poets, and hoping you liked my Art, Article and poem - trio type of experiment. 

Thanks & regards to all

MPM Natarajaiah.