Ojas

It is slightly more than a year since Ojas became part of our life and family. For someone who believes entirely in the role of Purusha and Prakriti and their association with every individual's life, it was no random coincidence that Ojas arrived in our life. Because pure consciousness (Purusha) is unmoving and actionless, the entire event—the meeting, the developing relationship, and the emotions it evokes—is a highly calculated orchestration by Prakriti (material nature). Prakriti is the grand cosmic accountant and stage manager.

All relationships from a Vedanta point of view, involve a concept of ऋणानुबन्धः

ऋणानुबन्धः(Runanubandha)

ऋण (Rina) means debt, obligation

अनुबन्ध (Anubandha) means bond, connection, or attachment

 

ऋणानुबन्धः refers to very subtle and unseen karmic bonds that each of us shares with other beings from past interactions. ऋणानुबन्धः can form through contact with all types of matter. Physical memory through touch, blood relationship etc., and the body records imprints of its interactions with any physical substance. All records are carried along like an accounts ledger. Prakriti acts as the system that reads this ledger. When it is time for a specific debt of love, care, pain, or companionship to be paid or received, Prakriti perfectly arranges the time, space, and circumstances for that specific being to cross your path.

 

Prakriti is composed of three foundational qualities called Gunas. The three gunas are Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas. They are in a constant state of flux, each competing for dominance over the other. How an individual perceives and reacts to the world totally depends on which Guna is dominant and dictates the specific moment.

 

When Sattva (Light, Balance, Clarity) dominates, the moment is experienced with clarity, peace, and objectivity. Decisions are wise, and the mind is calm.

 

When Rajas (Activity, Passion, Restlessness) is at its peak, the moment is filled with desire, ambition, anxiety, or frustration. The individual feels compelled to act, achieve, or fix something.

 

On the other hand, when Tamas (Inertia, Darkness, Lethargy) rules, the moment is heavy. It manifests as laziness, confusion, delusion, or depression. The individual may feel stuck or prone to procrastination.

 

There are also vasanas, which are habits, tendencies, and desires formed at the subtle subconscious level from past actions and experiences.

 

Ojas is an indie puppy who will mature to a full-grown dog in another couple of months. The reader must be wondering why all the Vedanta to introduce a pet? Well, it all aligns. I had an indie pet dog many years back, and after its passing, we got a puppy which unfortunately did not live long. My mother, who was very attached to both, declared that we would not have any more pets in the house. The sorrow of losing a pet was unbearable for her, and for me too, though I never showed it.

 

Over the last few years, my children have been constantly asking for a dog, but memories of losing our earlier pets made me hesitant. Slightly more than a year ago, my cousin had posted a video of a group of newborn puppies, born to a stray dog in the gated colony. My cousin, a devoted dog lover, regularly cares for stray dogs in the gated community. She indicated that the puppies need loving families. My younger child happened to see the video and immediately identified her choice. I want that puppy with the masked face, and my elder child also joined in the demand. After a lot of hesitation, I agreed, and we decided to drive down to my cousin's city to pick up the puppy. Even before we left our hometown, the name was decided "Ojas" and we will call him "Oju"!

 

The name is so interesting. Ojas is derived from Sanskrit and stands for vigor, strength, or radiance. In Ayurveda Ojas is the vital force and the core essence of bodily tissues that govern immunity, strength, and well-being. Swami Vivekananda defined Ojas as the highest form of human energy, describing it as refined spiritual and intellectual power stored in the brain. Ojas is the ultimate biological manifestation of Sattva (purity, peace, and immunity). The name cannot be a coincidence; Prakriti brought the vital life force back to our household, the return of Sattvic Joy to a household that had previously shut its doors to pets.

 

My mother's firm resolve to never have a pet in the house again was a form of protective Vasana, building a subconscious wall to avoid the pain of loss. The Prakriti used the child's sudden, unyielding demand for the puppy to break through the adult resistance and bring in the Vasana of connection awakening. Now the root cause of the grief was Ahankara, or attachment,  that created the boundaries and attachment in the form of "my pet", "my loss". Prakriti used Ojas's arrival to bring back the love for the pet and remove the fear of loss. Ojas's selfless love portrays the bond and the transient nature of physical forms.

 

From the hesitant, heavy(Tamasic) feeling of having lost our previous pets to the children's excitement, the puppy's chaotic arrival added the much-needed Rajasic (passion, action) in the house. And now, with a year behind us, the antics and mischief of Ojas, his unconditional love, and his becoming a family member, Sattva(harmony and love)  has settled in.

 

So that was ऋणानुबन्धः waiting to be fulfilled. Prakriti had so beautifully aligned the timing of my cousin's video with my children's demands to fulfill a karmic debt. Ojas has been exactly the meaning of the word: vitality, luster, and the essential, life-giving energy of Sattva. He didn't just fill the physical space left by our past pets; his presence dissolved the heavy Tamas of our lingering grief, replacing it with the pure, joyful vitality he was named for. Through simple, everyday acts of caring for Ojas, the grand cosmic stage manager has taught us how to love without fear again, proving that life will always find a way to reawaken its own light. Ojas was always meant to come home; Prakriti was just waiting for the perfect moment 😊

 

ऋणानुबन्धरूपेण पशु-पत्नी-सुतालयाः ।

ऋणक्षये क्षयं यान्ति का तत्र परिवेदना ॥

 

Runānubandha rūpeṇa pashu-patnī-sutālayāḥ |

Runa-kṣaye kṣayaṁ yānti kā tatra parivedanā ||

 

Meaning:

"It is through the bonds of karmic debt (ऋणानुबन्धः) that animals/pets (pashu), spouses, children, and homes come to us. When that debt is exhausted, they depart. Why, then, should there be any grief?"