Mahamrityunjaya Mantra is quite famous in India, and many people regularly recite the mantra. The mantra is as follows:
ॐ त्र्यम्बकं यजामहे सुगन्धिं पुष्टिवर्धनम् |
उर्वारुकमिव बन्धनान्मृत्योर्मुक्षीय माऽमृतात् ||
Om Tryambakam yajaamahe sugandhim pushtivardhanam |
Urvaarukamiva bandhanaan-mrityormuksheeya maamritaat ||
Through the mantra, we pray to Lord Shiva to increase "Sugandhi" and "Pushti" and to free us from this world, like a ripe fruit that falls from the branch of a tree. It appears a bit contradictory. If we are praying for "Moksha", there should not be any question about increasing "Pushti" and "Sugandhi". It all depends upon the meaning we assign to Moksha. Is Moksha all about leaving this world and merging the individual soul into the universal consciousness?
What if "Moksha" has a very different meaning? Why would an individual soul separate from the universal consciousness if the end purpose is just to merge back into the same? If the entire purpose of life is just to merge back into the universal consciousness, then the entire evolution of life seems like a farce. Why would somebody leave home if the purpose of the entire journey is to reach home? What if "Mokshha" has a very different meaning? What if it means "living with awareness"? If one leaves home with awareness of its whereabouts, they are sure to reach home after finishing the work. Similarly, if one remains constantly aware of the "nature of self" underlying the body, one will not be trapped in the ego's play. One will not be worried about uncertainties related to the body or the material world's possessions. One will remain calm, like Janaka, even when his son-in-law and daughter have to go into the forest for 14 years immediately after the marriage.
"Sugandha", or fragrance, makes us recall old experiences. The smell of home-cooked food makes us recall the memories of family, even while sitting abroad. When we are praying for increasing the "Sugandhi", are we not praying for the strong memories of the true nature of the self? When we are praying for "Pushti", are we not praying for the strength of our soul? If our soul becomes "Pusht" or strong, and so too its "sugandhi" or remembrance, whatever role we play in this world, it will not impact us. In that case, we will not identify strongly with the role we play in this world. That attachment will drop just like a ripe fruit.
What drops is the identification with the role played in this world, and not the role per se. In government organisations, we keep playing different roles and keep occupying different positions. We play our roles to the best of our capabilities and then move on. Another officer is posted, and you hand over the charge. People retire after reaching 60, and the organisation goes on. The same is true about this world. We are born into a family, make friends, and marry. In the process, we develop competence and also gather resources. But after completing the assignment, we leave this body and move on to the next. We remember that we have to leave a particular office on transfer or organisation on retirement, because we see people both pre- and post-transfers and retirement still existing in this world. However, we do not see the journey after leaving this body, which is why sometimes we develop a firm belief that this life is everything. We start living for the maximisation of pleasure and the minimisation of pain, and for the accumulation of resources for generations to come. People become greedy, and countries become violent.
That's why we pray to Lord Shiva for increasing the "Sugandhi". The fragrance of our soul. So that we remember where we have come from and the true nature of the self. We also pray for greater "Pushti" so that the soul's strength increases. With this "Sugandhi" and "Pushti", the identification with the role we play in this world falls off like a ripe fruit from the branch of a tree. That does not mean that we leave this body and merge with that consciousness. Rather, that means that we recall the nature of self, and with that awareness, we play our role on the stage of the world with freedom from all the fears and anxieties. We play the role with love and compassion towards all beings because, whether they remember or not, they all share the same genesis as we do. Once we have "Sugandhi" and "Pushti", we will help them connect to the source. Consciousness has divided itself into trillions of life forms to explore the world in different ways, enriching itself. A few friends sitting together and having fun divide themselves into teams to play a match, not to become enemies, but to explore the fun of competition and drive for excellence. Each one competes with the other to play his best inning, and at the same time appreciates the best inning of his friend. Remembrance of that friendship is the key.
Comments