The Mrityunjaya Mantra is considered to be beneficial for the mental, emotional, and physical health of the individual. The Japa (repeated chanting) develops concentration in the individual and improves awareness of the self and surroundings. It is also important to understand that this mantra is found in a hymn of Rig Veda and attributed to Sage Vasishta. The hymn in turn talks about respecting the various forces of nature. It is important to understand that energy in its purest form is not destructive; however, when we do not respect it, then it becomes destructive, just like a knife in the hands of a surgeon can work miracles, and the same knife can also work as a weapon in the hands of the wicked.
In the present, what we are experiencing is nothing different. We have played with nature towards its impending death in the same way that we have played with ourselves. Just as we put someone deranged in chains, nature has put us under lockdown for good! Back to Basics, everyone! It is time to heal the self, and this will ensure that the world is healed. Almost all the precautions suggested are what our ancestors in India used to practice as part of their life.
I was born in Kerala, and grew up outside the state. My earliest memories of visiting Kerala are very interesting. One would find a small pitcher called “kindi” (in Malayalam) filled with water, kept just outside the front door. One had to wash their hands and feet with the water before entering the house. The bathrooms and toilets were separate and generally at a distance from the main house. The kitchen was also a separate complex. Now, if a person had returned after travelling for quite a while, then he would grab a towel and go take a bath (in the pond), wash the clothes he or she was wearing, and wear a fresh set of clothes before entering the house. This practice was strictly followed, especially if the person had returned after visiting a house to pay respects to the dead. The whole-body bath was a strict regimen. It was considered inauspicious to start the day without a bath. The women of the house would have their morning bath (before sunrise), pray, and then only cook food. The list goes on and on. But then all of them were a part of life, a life considered precious, a life of purpose and a life of redemption. It is said that one is fortunate to be born a human, even more in Jambu Dweepe(Asia), even better in Bharat Khande(Indian subcontinent), and if it is to the south of the Godavari in the land(Kerala) created by the great Parashurama, the ultimate!
This, until a few months back, sounded straight out of a fairy tale. However, today this seems so relevant; when the whole world is reeling under the pandemic, here is a small, beautiful state called Kerala, known as Gods Own Country, which has managed to keep tight control of the spread of the disease. The complete lockdown practised by individuals is what helped the authorities to bring relief to the masses. Not only that, the lockdown brought in the very much required self-restrain for the individuals, from the mundane rat race of seeking an everchanging goal. It brought in the opportunity to look within and around, experience nature in its visible and non-visible forms. It brought in a new perspective to age-old traditions which we had discarded, calling them mundane and superstitious. The simplest form of hands pressed together, which for ages we practiced here in India as a form of greeting, proved to be a lifesaver and suddenly got adopted the world over!
Here are a couple of thoughts from amongst the writings of Swamiji on India :
“History itself bears testimony to the fact. All the soul-elevating ideas and the different branches of knowledge that exist in the world are found on proper investigation to have their roots in India.”- The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda/Volume 5/Conversations and Dialogues/VI
“Many times have I been told that looking into the past only degenerates and leads to nothing, and that we should look to the future. That is true. But out of the past is built the future. Look back, therefore, as far as you can, drink deep of the eternal fountains that are behind, and after that, look forward, march forward and make India brighter, greater, much higher than she ever was. Our ancestors were great. We must first recall that. We must learn the elements of our being, the blood that courses in our veins; we must have faith in that blood and what it did in the past; and out of that faith and consciousness of past greatness, we must build an India yet greater than what she has been.” - The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda/Volume 3/Lectures from Colombo to Almora
“Nowadays everybody blames those who constantly look back to their past. It is said that so much looking back to the past is the cause of all India's woes. To me, on the contrary, it seems that the opposite is true. So long as they forgot the past, the Hindu nation remained in a state of stupor; and as soon as they have begun to look into their past, there is on every side a fresh manifestation of life. It is out of this past that the future has to be moulded; this past will become the future……….The degeneration of India came not because the laws and customs of the ancients were bad, but because they were not allowed to be carried to their legitimate conclusions.” - The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda by Swami Vivekananda/Volume 4/ Writings: Prose
We always continue to believe in Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम्) or the world as a single family, and we continue to pray for Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu (लोकः समस्ताः सुखिनो भवन्तु ), a prayer that seeks global well-being.
1There are couple of sites which puts the age as 12 years, however 16 years is considered correct due to other aspects of sasthra’s.
2Many sites state that Markandeya created the Mrityunjaya Mantra which is not correct as the mantra is already available in the Rig Veda(7.59.12). The Mrityunjaya Stotram can be viewed at https://bit.ly/3erC7Mn (one of the many sites on the net)
It is about 9 pm on a Sunday, a seven-year-old is sitting on the floor near the wall completely engrossed in drawing something on the wall with a sketch pen. I thought it is better to wait a while else the artiste might get distracted and end abruptly.
There is an interesting story of young Narendranath Dutta who later in life was known as Swami Vivekananda.