Soma, Gandharva, and the other divine beings in the Universal Consciousness.

“somo gandhaaya’’ (let soma nourish the scents).
(Ratri Sukta, saama vidhana bramhaNa ).
Introduction
This article is a presentation on Soma and
associated divine beings including Gandharva
(gandharva), Apsara (apsara), Sarasvati, Indra,
Vishnu, and others. The main intention of this
presentation is to elucidate how the divine beings
are placed in the Universal Consciousness or how
they are created in the Universal Consciousness as
the personalities or the defined aspects of the
Universal Consciousness. During the narration, the
science of the senses of scent, vision, and hearing
are highlighted; the connection between olfactory
sense and memory has been addressed.
Wherever possible, history/mythology associated
with the divine characters has been mentioned.
References to the original texts have been
provided and they are quoted with word-word
meanings; these are mainly from the Upanishads
and Vedas.
It is important to understand that wherever a
character or an event has been narrated in
the Vedas, in the purana (mythologies), and
in the epics (like Mahabharata, Ramayana),
the history and the corresponding earthly

events have been described along with the
divine parts of the same. As we are obsessed
with the physical world only, such description
appears strange. Everything, every being in
the physical world has a divine aspect. Also,
mythology or puraaNa acts like a
supplement (pUraka) to the Vedas.
Earlier another article was published on Soma,
titled “The treasures in the Vedas. Soma the nectar
of the moon and the mind” This is available in the
following
links https://www.slideshare.net/debkumar_lahiri/
soma-22145183
https://www.scribd.com/document/144235769/Tre
asures-in-the-Vedas-Soma-the-nectar-of-the-
moon-and-mind-Part-1
It is intended to complete this article in another
part to cover more on soma and soma yaj~na.
The non-English words written in italics fonts are
Sanskrit words and most of these words are
available in the Sanskrit English Lexicon by Sir
Monier Williams available n the internet at
<https://www.sanskritlexicon.unikoeln.de/scans/M
WScan/2020/web/webtc/indexcaller.php> .
This is written following the teachings of the great
sage Shri.BijayKrishna Chattopadhyaya (1875-

1945) and his principal disciple Sri.Tridibnath
Bandopadhyaya (1923-1994).
Dekumar Lahiri
(dekumar.lahiri@gmail.com)
Index.
Section-1 The being called gandharva
Section-2 gandha (scent)—the olfactory sense
and gandharva
Section-3 The world of Gandharvas and other
related worlds
Section-4 Physicality /earth and the water
Section-5 vaayu/aayu/the divine air
Section-6 antariikSha (inner-sky) and vaayu
Section-7 gandharva and antariikSha
Section-8 gandharva and aaditya
Section-9 soma
Section-10 aaditya and chandra/chandramaa,
and soma
Section-11 soma/chandra (moon) and birth-death
cycles.

Section-12 tithi (phase of the moon), atithi (the
immutable one, without waxing and waning),
and medhaatithi
Section-13 Gandharvas and the chariot of the sun
Section-14 The Soul as perceived in the world of
Gandharva
Section-15 Apsara (apsaraa)—the consort of
Gandharva
Section-16 The eternal repose of Gandharvas
Section-17 Dhrupada
Section-18 The goddess sarasvatii and the lakes
and pools
Section-19 Act of hearing and anointment
by ap (the divine water) or soma.
Section-20 Anointment by perfumes, preservation
& memory
Section-21 sarpi,sarpa, soma-creeper
and dadhikraa
Section-22 ghraaNa (the act of smelling), ghRita
/aajya (clarified butter)
Section-23 The products of milk and the divinity.

Section-24 kajjala/kajjvala/kajvala (collyrium
made from lampblack) and ghRita.
Section-25 Apsara called ghRitaachii
Section-26 Indra the king of heavens, his wife,
and Apsaras
Section-27 The celestial dance and music; blue
and white hued sarasvatii
Section-28 Celestial dancers and musicians
Section-29 Water carrying the sperms
Section-30 Gandharvas named haahaa and huhu
Section-31 Gandharvas mentioned in
Brihadarnyaka Upanishad
Section-32 Apsara uurvashii /urvashii
Section-33 urugaaya viShNu
Section-34 urvashii and purUravas
Section-35 Gandharva named chitraratha
Section-36 Apsara tilottamaa
Section-37 The deity kuvera and his associates
Section-38 Guardians of soma,
nakshatra (stars/constellations), filtration of soma

39. suparNa-----beautifully winged soma
40. soma and his sixteen phases (ShoDasha kalaa)
41. agni and soma
42. indu and bindu
--------------------------------------------------------
1. The being called gandharva.
Gandharvas are the divine beings who are known
for their amorous habits, skills for music, songs,
knowledge of anatariikSha (inner space),
knowledge of Sun’s chariot (or the divinity related
to motion/time & space, and for other divine
prowess. They are fond of the elixir soma that
captivates us as the shine of the moon, as the
intoxicating sap of senses of vision, hearing, touch,
taste, and smell in which we crave to live;
the soma that implants itself as the sap inside the
earth supporting the vegetation, fauna, and flora
and revealing as the scents and fragrances of the
flowers and leaves. Gandharvas are the divine
traders of scents or perfumes which in turn means
that they are the traders of soma. The scent is
called gandha in Sanskrit. We will elaborate on
this.
2. gandha (scent)—the olfactory sense
and gandharva

The word gandha means ‘scent’. Etymologically it
is gam (motion) + dha (held, contained). The
stability that our mother earth has provided us is
working in conjunction with the process of
breathing---- inhaling, and exhaling. The diurnal
and annual rotations of the earth are churning out
the life or animation. It is the circulation of air
/vaayu/praaNa that is churning out the cycles of
lives in us. The days and nights, seasons, months,
and years are coming out of Consciousness. The
circulation of air through our nose, the pulses of
life throbbing in us are the periodicities created by
Consciousness. This is also the breathing functions
and the sense of scent in us. Gandharvas are
tuned to this periodicity and circulation of air
or praaNa.
This is why, they (Gandharvas and their consorts
called Apsara) are the famous musicians, dancers,
performers of arts; they have the masterly
knowledge on the motion of Sun’s chariot and
other chariots i.e. on the motion of the
Consciousness or on the time and distance of the
worlds.
As they are tuned to the periodicity of praaNa, or
the eternal Consciousness, they are the beings
who are dominating the inner space
called antariiksha.

When the physical existence is transformed into
the existence in praaNa, when the existence is
perceived as the outcome of the
circulations/periodicity of Universal Consciousness
or the eternal praaNa, this earth or the physicality
becomes the fragrance of the Consciousness. The
scent or the smell holds or retains; it is the
manifestation of vidhRiti shakti of praaNa. vidhRiti
shakti is the aspect/faculty
(called apaana) of praaNa or the Universal
Consciousness by
which praaNa (Consciousness) holds us in the
body. It is the same faculty of Consciousness, by
which we are being held to the earth. Thus in the
subtlety, the earth/body is the scent. (Refer verse
3.8 of Prashnopanishad, and verse 3.2.2 of
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad.)
3. The world of Gandharvas and other related
worlds
In Brihadaranyka Upanishad (Brihadaranyaka
Verse 3.6.1), the sage Yajnavalkya while
answering a series of questions asked by the
female sage Gargi mentioned the world
of soma(chandra), Gandharva, and the other
related worlds as below:

“Gargi asking Yajnavalkya: When all the material
world is laid within ap (water), where the world
of ap is laid?
Yajnavalkya answering Gargi: Within vaayu (air).
Gargi asking Yajnavalkya: Within whom the world
of vaayu is laid?
Yajnavalkya answering Gargi:
Within antariikSha (inner-sky).
Gargi asking Yajnavalkya: Within whom the
world antariikSha is laid?
Yajnavalkya answering Gargi: Within the domain
of gandharva.
of gandhatva is laid?
of aaditya (Sun)
of aaditya is laid?
of chandra (Moon)
4. Physicality /earth and the water

The Universal Consciousness has become the
physicality, which is the ultimate state of
realization. We are physical means, we are
individual and limited within a physical boundary or
body. In Vedic parlance, earth and body convey
the same sense, the sense of physicality.
The Universal Consciousness as the divine water
or ap is acting as the sap of the physical world.
Thus in Chandogya Upanishad, it is stated that the
earth (pRithivii) is the essence of the physical
world (bhUta) and water (ap) is the essence of the
earth. (Chandogya Upanishad Verse 1.1.2).
Whatever is the satisfaction we get from
physicality it is ap or aapti or the
acquirement/satisfaction of being physical. Physical
water has no particular shape, but it takes the
shape of the receptacle. In divinity, Consciousness
as the water or ap is supporting the ‘holding
power’ or the gravitational field of the earth and
the formation of physical shapes. This reminds also
the ‘water bag’ in the womb, where the body of the
fetus is formed and held. Thus it is said by the
sage Yajnavalkya that the material world is laid
within ap (water).
ap is the aspect of praaNa called apaana (ap +
ana/praaNa). In Prashnopanishad, it is mentioned
that the deity in the earth is holding apaana in an
entity and thus creating stability. This implies that

the earth (gravity) as apaana is holding an entity
or bestowing its stationary state. (Refer verse 3.8
of Prashnopanishad)
5. vaayu/aayu/the divine air
The divine air or vaayu is that personality of the
Universal Consciousness, who has kept the entire
universe connected. vaayu is the main deity of
Yajur Veda (yajur veda). The
word yajur (also yajus) is from the root
word yuj meaning ‘to join’ or ‘to yoke’. The first
verse of Yajur Veda addresses vaayu. Universal
Consciousness as the air, as our respiration, is
connecting the external with internal; what is the
life /air / vaayu outside, is becoming ‘life’ in us by
the process of breathing.
Thus vaayu becomes aayu in us. aayu means the
‘life span’ or ‘life’. This air, in physical form, is the
nerves in our body. The entire universe is woven
and connected by a network formed
by vaayu. vaayu is related to the root verb
‘vay’ meaning ‘to flow or move’ and is connected
with the word ‘vaya’ which means ‘weaver’. The air
in the atmosphere and air within us is this divine
air vaayu. The word ‘atmosphere’ itself is from the
words ‘aatman’ (soul) and sphUraNa (spherical
expansion or expansion in all directions, inflation.)
Thus, Consciousness as the One multiplied and
created the Universe by inflating or expanding. The

duality starts with vaayu and this is the foundation
of the sense called ‘touch’ (sparhsa). So,
Consciousness or praaNa/vaayu, is also called ‘one
and half’ (adhi ardha), as Consciousness is One
and dual simultaneously. (Refer to Brihadaranyaka
Upanishad verse 3.9.8).
It is for this reason when we leave the body after
our death, the body experiences an event called
‘primary flaccid’. Our body becomes flaccid before
the rigor mortis starts. The ‘inner air’ stops
functioning, resulting in primary flaccid. ( Refer to
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad verse 3.7.2)
Thus, the entire manifested and the physical
universe is tied together by vaayu, all are
connected and activated by this network
of praaNa or the Universal Consciousness.
So, ap/ water is laid within vaayu/ air.
6. antariikSha (inner-sky) and vaayu
As every entity in the universe is connected to
each other and to the origin
by vaayu, so vaayu leads us to antariikSha or the
inner-sky, where we find everything within us.
By this aspect of Consciousness (inner sky), the
balance or equilibrium of an entity as well as of the

universe is maintained. This aspect of praaNa is
also called samaana (sama-same; ana = praaNa).
Thus, Upanishad have cited: antaraa yad
aakaashaH sa samanaH –sky that is inside is
Samaana (Prashnopanishad….). Things become
even, naturalized when they are felt within or seen
within.
7. gandharva and antariikSha
As mentioned above, the power that holds us to
the earth (gravitation), and the power by which we
are held in our body are the same. This is by
Consciousness or praaNa and this power is
called vidhRiti shakti. dhRiti means the act of
‘holding’ and vidhRiti’ means, ‘act of
holding everyone separately, the act of holding
every entity’. This act of holding is exhibited by the
‘earth’. Earth is called dharitrii meaning ‘the
goddess who is holding’. This action of holding is
mentioned as the action of praaNa called apaana.
(We have mentioned about apaana above while
narrating ap). In Prashopanishad it is mentioned
that the goddess who is in the earth, she
as apaana within an ‘entity or being’, has made the
entity ‘stable’. Also, it is stated in Brihadaranyaka,
that we smell by the aspect
of praaNa, called apaana. (Refer Verse 3.8 of

Prashnopanishad and verse 3.2.2 of
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad.)
This aspect of praaNa, holding every being and
every entity is called gandha or scent. We have
mentioned this before also. This aspect of ‘holding’
or vidhRiti shakti is also exhibited by the void or
sky (aakaasha). The planets and stars, the entire
physical universe is held in the sky. Whatever is
there in the external world, it is the ‘word’ of the
Universal Consciousness materialized. This
universe is manifested within the mind of the
Universal Consciousness like our words are taking
definite forms in our mind. Our mind is that part of
Consciousness where we perceive or see the
defined and dimensionalized world and where we
interact with the physical world by making
determinations (saMkalpa) or by
withdrawing/altering determinations (vikalpa).
We are listening to the words of the Universal
Consciousness and perceiving the Universe. The
physical words or the physical worlds are held as
‘words’ within us. We listen to whatever we see or
feel. Our every feeling or perception is associated
with words. So, this is how we are held within.
Thus from the material world
to antariikSha, everything is held in praaNa and
this is gandha or the fragrance of the Universal

Consciousness. This is why, it is
said, anatariikSha is laid within the worlds
of ‘gandharva’.
8. gandharva and aaditya
We explained above the relation between the earth
and the scent. As the earth is held by the sun, so
the scent or gandharva is also held by the sun
or aaditya.
The sun in our solar system, and similarly in other
planetary systems, is said to be the manifestation
of the radiance of viShNu. viShNu is all-pervading
Universal Consciousness or praaNa, and is within
everyone as uShNa or the ‘warmth’ or vitality.
Thus there is a hymn on the earth
and viShNu, who are holding everyone
affectionately. It is as below:
om pRithvi tvayaa dhRitaa lokaa
(Om. Oh! the goddess Earth, the worlds are being
held by you!)
devi tvam viShNunaa dhRitaa.
(Goddess, you are being held by viShNu.)
tvam cha dhaaraya maam nityam
(Goddess, you in turn hold me all the time.)

pavitram kuru chaaasanam.
((And) Consecrate my seat.)
Thus, additya, who is manifested as the radiance
of praaNa, is holding everyone belonging to the
material world, to ap/water, to vaayu/air,
to antariikSha/ inner-sky, to the world of
Gandharva.
So, gandharva/ the world of Gandharva, is laid
within aaditya.
9. soma
soma is the flow of Consciousness, the flow
of praaNa. The king soma or soma rajaan, is the
shining immutable soul or the Consciousness
within all, from whom is gushing the flows of
Consciousness or streams of soma. soma rajaan is
also called atithi (guest) and we have explained
the significance of this later in this
article. So, soma is the nectar, that brings joy
beyond mortality as we learn to drink it by
knowing its connection with the king soma. It is
felt by us as the continuous streams of the senses
and feelings by which we are animated and
intoxicated. Because we are unaware of our origin
or the source as well as the source of soma, we
live as fragmented or isolated from the source.
This is why we see the end or termination of

everything. When every moment, every event is
perceived as the appearance of the Universal Soul
or the Universal Consciousness, the moments,
events of our lives emerge in divinity which is
beyond death and so beyond all adversaries. The
sufferings which we encounter in our lives, which
cause bitter feelings, pains, ailments,
uncertainties, are all partial deaths.
soma = saha (with) + oM; oM is the expression
beyond all expressions. If all expressions get into
one expression, one word, it is oM. oM is
called praNava or the Consciousness (pra /
praaNa) whose every expression is nava or new.
The One who is beyond death is always new, and
every expression of the One is new.
soma = saha (with) + umaa; umaa =
u/ut (up/above, beyond mortality) +
maa (measure); soma is the Universal
Consciousness, who is coming to us with the
measures of divinity or eternity.
We think we are going to end along the passage of
time, but along the course of time, we are
becoming ‘new’ at every moment and continue to
be new in our journey to eternity.
There are three kinds of soma; where we are
differentiating and where we are dominated by
duality or ‘many’, there it is called, kuvit soma.

Where we find, that soma is flowing to break our
stagnation, removing the scales of dirt and dust on
us, sanctifying us, it is called pavamaana soma.
pavamaana means, who is flowing, who is
purifying. When we transcend death or mortality
after being purified by pavamaana soma, we
find soma as sunavaama soma.
Here is a hymn offering prayer to pavamaana
soma:
asato maa sadgamaya, tamaso maa jyotirgamaya,
mRityormaamRitaM gamayeti.
Meaning
From the untruth lead me to the truth
From the darkness lead me to the light
From the death lead me to eternity. (So is said.)
(Brihadarayaka Upanishad,verse 1.3.28.)
[ asato (from the untruth) maa (me) sadgamaya
(lead to the truth)
tamaso (from the darkness) maa (me)
jyotirgamaya (lead to the light)
mRityor (from the death) maa (me) amRitaM (to
eternity) gamaya (lead) iti (so is said).]
Following is a hymn on sunavaama soma:

jaatavedase sunavaama somam araatiiyato
nidahaati vedaH |
sa naH parShadati durgaaNi vishvaa naaveva
sindhuM duritaatyagniH || (Taittiriya Aranyaka).
Meaning
jaatavedase ----for jatavedas
sunavaama (su---nicely; navaama---made
new) somam----- we have made /pressed
out soma anew nicely!
araatiiyato nidahaati vedaH-----araati (a raati---
unyielding); ni dahaati (burn to the end) vedaH
(knowledge/perception)----burn to the end the
knowledge that is unyielding
sa (let he/jataavedas) naH(us) parShadati (carry
over) durgani (difficulties) vishva (of the universe
/ all)----let he carry us across all the difficulties
naaveva sindhuM ---naava iva (like a ship)
sindhuM (ocean) duritaat (difficulties) atiy
(beyond/over) agniH (oh agni)-----like a ship
crossing over the ocean, oh agni you take us
beyond the difficulties
“For jatavedas we have made /pressed
out soma anew nicely!

Burn to the end the knowledge that is unyielding.
Let him carry us across all the difficulties, like a
ship crossing over the ocean; oh agni! you take us
beyond the difficulties.”(Taittiriya Aranyaka of
Krishna Yajur Veda ).
‘sunavaama somam’ means, “I have made soma or
the elixir new”! We say this when soma unfolds the
aspect of ‘ever newness----nava kalaa.
jaatavedas means the one who is generating (jaa)
oneself as many and knowing/sensing (veda) what
is being generated; and every entity thus
generated is also 'knowing' or is active by
Consciousness.
10. aaditya and chandra/chandramaa, and so
ma
The sun and the moon which we see in our sky are
the parts of the divine personalities or the
personalities of the Universal Consciousness as
manifested in our space and they are generally
called aaditya and chandra/chandramaa respectivel
y.
Our sense of ‘presence’ or our ‘present time’ is
supported by the sun/aaditya. Thus, the sun is
related to jaagrata (awakeness) paada (state) or
the state of awakeness.

On the other hand, whatever is the past, it belongs
to the moon or chandra/chandramaa (the lunar
field of Universal Consciousness). Whoever departs
from the ‘present’, whoever departs from the
earth, reaches the moon or lunar domain
or chandra. (Kaushitaki Upanishad verse 1.2,
Chandogya Upanishad, Fifth Chapter, Tenth
part). From chandra, the departed soul either
returns to the earth (or mortality) by the
regulation that executes compulsory cycles of
‘rebirths’; or the departed soul travels to the
divinity where there is no such compulsion and the
state of dependency.
When you are seeing a flower, irrespective of
whether it is daytime or night, you are seeing it by
the light of the sun or aaditya jyoti, which keeps
you externally activated or physically activated.
Later, when you muse or reflect on the flower,
when you recall its colour, scent, etc., you do this
in your internal light or moonlight.
Even, while seeing a flower on a branch, you
simultaneously start feeling and judging its details
like, shape, size, colour, scent and you start liking
it or disliking it. The flower gets in you, gets
absorbed in you. Whenever you will think of it, the
flower already now existing within you, will effuse
the feelings or soma and shine the moonlight
or soma. We call memory ‘smRiti’, because, in

memory, things remain dead or mRita (mRi), at
the same time they become live and
effuse soma, radiate the moonlight or internal
light, bring about the associated feelings and
perceptions of ‘what we call past’. So, we call it a
‘reflection’ of the past.
Reflection is also associated with ‘absorption’ and
‘anointment’. (An object assumes its colour or is
anointed by the light reflected from its surface and
it absorbs the rays of other colours. Some light is
also filtered through the object. We are mentioning
this as these phenomena are part and parcel
of soma merging with us and are represented in
the rituals of soma yaaga like jyotiShToma.
When the sun (gRihapati agni) illuminates us, then
by the regulation of the moon or chandramaa, the
illumination is absorbed, assimilated by us, and
also a part of the light that we reflect becomes our
characteristic illumination. This is the light of the
moon.
The sun, or the personality of the Universal
Consciousness called the sun, is addressed
as aaditya. The word aaditya is related to the two
source words, ‘adana’ and ‘aditi’. ‘adana’ is from
the root verb ‘ad’ meaning ‘to eat’. The
word ‘aditi’ means, without ‘diti’ or ‘without
division, without duality’. When we eat, we

assimilate the food, it merges with us, nourishes
us, adds to our shining, illuminates us with
life/vitality or ‘ana’. So, food is also
called ‘anna’. So, as we eat we digest and
assimilate the food, the food becomes part of us.
Similarly, the Universal Consciousness is eating us
and assimilating us. Thus, it is stated that five-
faced raajan (king/radiant) soma eats everyone.
(Refer to verse 2.9 of Kaushitaki Upanishad.)
This eating by the Universal Consciousness is the
process of ‘evolution’ and we are evolving to
‘eternity’, we are getting integrated into the
Universal Oneness. (So, the sun or aaditya is also
the source of ‘time’.)
aaditya exhibits the personality of
oneness (aditi) and so exhibits ‘wholeness’. Every
individual has multiple personalities, and in every
moment, he or she is a different person; still,
overall, as a whole, there is a unique personality
by which the individual is identified. Similarly, the
Universal Consciousness as a ‘whole’ is a Universal
Personality to which we all belong and the
Universal Consciousness as aaditya, has thus
embraced all of us and regaling (adana). This
is aaditya and praaNa as the Universal Person is
also known as vaishvaanara (vaisha = universal
+ nara = person).

The lunar plane or the lunar aspect of Universal
Consciousness is acting within aaditya; the process
of assimilation is regulated by /chandra or the
lunar aspect of the Universal Consciouness. So, in
other words, aaditya or the world of the sun is laid
within chandra/chandramaa (moon).
The aspect of the Universal Consciousness by
whom we are externally active is also
called gRihapati agni. gRihapati
agni means, agni or the Consciousness who is
leading (nii/ni) everyone, who exists in
front (ag) and dominating (pati---dominator) on us
or on our house/abode (gRiha). Under the
dominance of gRihapati agni we are running our
daily chores or living our everyday life or our
existing in the ‘present time’.
But each of us has unique life or life events and
span of life. Each of us is different from the other.
This is administered and regulated
by chandramaa or the lunar field. Our evolution is
controlled by Universal Consciousness. Whatever
we eat, sense, feel, a part of it is absorbed in us,
merges with us. This changes us, constructs us.
This is sap or medhaa. medhaa= me+dhaa =
me (my) + dhaa (holder) = the one who is holding
me, or what holds me.

We work in our Consciousness. Whatever we do,
the feelings which are associated with that deed
determines the consequences (fala) or the effcets
that result from our performace; they (feelings)
determine our evolution or changes, our destiny,
our destination after death, and rebirth. Our
nature, our instincts, our destiny, everything
depends on this processing. This is the lunar
aspect of Consciousness
or chandra/chandramaa. The active, controlling
Universal Consciousness, who is observed in the
lunar centre or chandra/chandramaa is known
as anvaaharyapachana-agni, and is also
called dakShiNa-agni.
anvaaharyapachanaagni means the agni by whom
all foods or whatever we sense are assimilated in
us; and also, whatever we eat (aaharya), the
corresponding
digestion (pachana) follows (anu) the fire
god/ agni, or follows the Consciousness who
activates everyone. So, it
(anvaaharyapachanaagni/ dakShiNa-agni) is
within aaditya or regulating within aaditya. What is
happening in the ‘present’, during the state of
awakeness, or whatever is happening in the
domain of aaditya, the consequence of that is
determined by dakShiNa-agni/
anvaaharyapachanaagni; this again shapes our

future and pre-determines our life events. This
process of assimilation or merging that is working
within us is executed by the aspect of praaNa or
Consciousness called samaana. It is mentioned
that samaana brings the foods in ‘sameness’ or
by samaana, the offered foods (foods eaten /the
senses felt) merge with us as our sap. “hutam
annaM samaM nayati’’(Prashnopanishad Verse
3.5.) ------offered food is led to the state of
‘sameness’. Thus the world of aaditya (sun) is laid
within chandra (moon) or dakShiNa-agni . (Refer
Chandogya Upanishad verse 4.12.1).
11. soma/chandra (moon) and birth-death
cycles.
In Brihadaranyaka Upanishad it is stated that ap or
the divine water is the ‘body’ of praaNa or the
Universal Consciousness who has activated
everything and event, and the ‘moon’
or chandramaa/chandra is the shine
of praaNa; also, as much as is pervaded
by praaNa, that much is pervaded by ap and that
much is pervaded
by chandramaa. (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad,
1.5.13)
Universal Consciousness as soma, as the effusing
nectar, as the gush of the streams of
consciousness or senses, is flooding aaditya, the

world of Gandharvas
and antariikSha; and soma as ap (water) is
sustaining/nourishing the physical world.
Consciousness effusing as soma is merging with us
as sap, as enhancement of our sensory and
functional faculties. In the process, we are
becoming more self-conscious, and conscious of
the extent of ‘self’. Gradually, we are becoming
soul searching and eventually, it becomes our
primary goal.
When we return to the earth after re-birth or move
to the other world after death, we are steered
along the course of soma or the rays of the moon.
During the return to the earth, we enter into the
upper atmosphere and the several formations of
the clouds, we descend to the earth along with the
pouring rain, we enter into the plants, vegetations,
crops, etc., and then into the body of the
progenitor. From there, we go into the wombs for
the birth. This transition to birth after death is the
most common for beings in the upper levels of
evolution. There are many other routes/circuits for
other beings. (Refer Chandogya Upanishad verses
5.10.6 through 5.10.8). This happens by precise
regulations under the control of dakshiNa
agni or anvaaharyapachana-agni, about whom we
have narrated above. (Refer Chandogya
Upanishad Chapter 5, Part 8, 9, 10 and

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad verse 6.2.13 through
6.2.16, Kaushiitaki Upanishad verse 1.2.)
12.tithi (phase of the moon), atithi (the
immutable one, without waxing and waning),
and medhaatithi
tithi
tithi means the ‘phase of the moon’. A more
significant meaning of the word tithi is as below:
tithi = ti + thi; ti = tiras (beyond)
+ thi (existence/presence)= that what is beyond or
behind the existence; that what is determining the
current status of the existence.
So, tithi determines or defines the ‘phase’ of a
creature.
A crescent moon depicts both, the part illuminated
(present) and the part in darkness (past). The
present and past are, in a sense, existing together.
The fullness of the presence or the new
moon (pUrNimaa) wanes into the fullness of the
past or the new moon (amaa kalaa) and vice
versa.
amaa means beyond or without (a) +
maa (measure).
The new moon is also called nava (new) kalaa.
kalaa means the outcome of the action of ‘kal’.

kal is the action of the Universal Consciousness by
what ‘regulation’ or ‘time’ is being generated. The
new phases sprout from the phase of the new
moon.
kal is a verb, it means the action of the Universal
Consciousness which we see as ‘time’
or ‘kaala’. The word kal implies ‘who is bringing the
end? / who is making the new? (kal =
kaH (who) laayayati (is causing the end)?. It is
also the ‘call’ of Universal Consciousness.
atithi
The word atithi generally means a ‘guest’, a
‘visitor’ without a prior appointment’.
atithi = a (without) + tithi (phase or change). So,
in Vedic parlance, atithi means the unchanged, the
immutable soul of the Universe who is also the
immutable soul in every entity.
Thus in Kathopaishad verse 2.2.2, it is said ‘atithi
duroNasat’-----atithi is within the cask
(droNa>duroNa) of soma-----within all changes of
the waxing and waning moons, behind
the titihi/phases, exists the one who is constant,
unchanged, immutable.
This atithi, the immutable soul, who is inside
the duroNa (also droNa) is also called soma

raajan. raajan means who is radiant and
shining. raajan also means the king.
Behind all the changes that are coming with the
moments, amidst all the turbulence of life, there is
this soma raajan, who is still, unperturbed and,
shining.
There is a section in the Rik Veda Aitareya
Bramhana, First Panchika, Third Chapter, Sixth
Part, titled ‘Aatithyavatyou’ on the invocation
of atithi. This is a part of soma yaj~na. Also, refer
to Aitareya Bramhana, First Panchika, Third
Chapter, Fourth Part.
medhaa and medhaa-tithi----motherhood of the
Universal Consciousness.
As explained, the lunar
sphere/ chandramaa/dakShiNa-agni, plays the
roles of building us, constructing us, evolving us.
dakShiNa-agni belongs to the ‘mother’ or
represents the ‘motherhood’ of the Universal
Consciousness. She is building us to perfection, we
are evolving to eternity, merging with Her. This
motion or journey to eternity is done by the
Universal Consciousness as ashva (shva---
breathing, time), who is carrying us through
evolution. ashva also means the animal called
‘horse’. In the process of evolution, what merges

in us, mixes with us, and becomes parts of our
‘selves’, that is our marrow or the sap, and is
called ‘medha’. medha as a quality in us is
called medhaa. (This is also the significance of the
Vedic ritual called ‘Horse Sacrifice’ or ‘ashvamedha
yaj~na’.)
Thus, medhaa = me (my) + dhaa (holder) = the
one who is holding me.
This process of growth in us is induced
by agni or praaNa, who is seen in chandra or the
moon; this is happening by the waxing and waning
of praaNa or chandra. soma or the sap is effused in
sequential phases (tithi), and we all imbibe the
same, which modulates and nourishes us.
Thus this aspect of Consciousness
as soma or chandra is called medhaatitihi
(medhaa-
tithi). (https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/medh
atithi)
In puraaNa (mythology) it is mentioned that the
seer medhaatithi lived on the banks of the
river chandrabhaagaa and performed soma-
yaj~na known as jyotiShToma. (Refer, Kaalikaa
Puraana). chandrabhaagaa means the divine
female personality ‘associated with the
allotment/portion/phase of the moon or allotment
of soma.

soma or chandramaa/chandra is invoked when the
mother suckles the newborn. Here is a verse,
quoted from Brihadarayaka Upanishad:
‘atha enam maatre pradaaya stanaM prayachChati-
--yaste stanaH shashyo yo mayo’bhuuryo
ratnadhaa vasuvidyaH sudatraH|
yena vishva pushyasi vaaryaNi sarasvati tamiha
dhaatave kariti||’ (Brihadarayaka Upanishad
6.4.27.)
Meaning
atha (then) enam (this/this newborn) maatre (to
the mother) pradaaya (is given) stanaM (the
breast) prayachChati (is offered)---Then the
newborn is given to the mother and the breast is
offered.
yaH te (from your) stanaH (breast) shashyo (flows
incessantly the elixir from the moon (soma); the
word shashyo is derived from the root
verb shashaya; shashaya means ‘ever flowing’;
also the word shashyo is connected to the
word shashi meaning ‘the moon’.
yaH mayo’bhuuH (that what is emanating with joy)
yaH (that what is) ratnadhaa (possessing/holding
all the gems; the one in whom every entity is held
in the supreme state) vasuvid (who possesses

all vasu; vasu are the deities by whom everyone
dwells and by whom everyone is draped; vas=to
dwell; to dress ) yaH (who is) sudatraH (su—
elegant;sudatra----who elegantly gives whatever
desired).
Then this newborn is given to the mother and the
breast is offered.
(And, the following hymn is chanted:)
“From your breast flows incessantly the elixir of
the moon (soma), that is emanating with joy, that
retains every entity in its supreme state, that
possesses all the faculties providing dwellings and
drapes, that elegantly provides all that is
desired.” (Brihadarayaka Upanishad 6.4.27.)
Also, refer to verse 2.8 of Kaushitaki Upanishad.
An extract from the verse is provided below:
atha maasi maasyamaavaasyaayaM pashchaat
chandramasaM
dRishyamaanam upatiShThetaitayaivaavRitaa
haritatRiNaabhyaM vaak pratyasyati
yatte susiimaM hRidayamdhi chandramasi shritam
tenaamRitatvasyeshaane maa’haM poutramaghaM
ruudamiti na

hysmaat puurvaH prajaaH praitiiti…..
Meaning
atha (now) maasi maasi (every month)
amaavaasyaayaM (when it is new-moon)
pashchaat (rear/west) chandramasaM (moon)
dRishyamaanam (seen) upatiShTheta (orienting
toward) etayaa eva (like this) aavRitaa
(covering/engulfing the self), harita (fawn-
coloured/yellowish) tRiNaabhyaam(two blades of
grasses) vaak (words) pratyasyati (offeres)-----
now, every month, during the new-moon period,
one orients oneself toward the moon who is visible
from rear (during the new-moon period, the face of
the moon that we see from the earth is turned
toward the sun, i.e. turned away from the earth),
and thus engulfing oneself (with the thought
of soma), with two fawn-coloured blades of
grasses (the two wings of soma (two lunar
fortnights) offeres these (sacred) words (to the
moon/soma)
‘yad te (that yours) susiimaM (su—beautiful;
siimam---divided/cleavage) hRidayam
(heart/bosom) chandramasi (in the moon) adhi
shritam (rests)-----your bosom with beautiful
cleavage that rests in the moon
tena (by that) amRitatvasya (of eternity) iishaane
(controller) maa (never) ahaM (me) poutram

(regarding son/decedents) aghaM (mishap)
ruudam (weep) iti -------by that (by the nectar in
your bosom), oh! controller of nectar that gives
eternity (amrita), may I never have to weep for
any mishap related to my descendants
na ha (indeed not) asmat (him) puurvaH (before)
prajaaH (the descendants) praiti (die) iti-----
indeed the descendants never die before (the
death) of him (before the death of the one who
thus worships the moon (soma).
'Now, every month, during the new-moon period,
one orients oneself toward the moon who is visible
from the rear (during the new-moon period, the
face of the moon that we see from the earth is
turned toward the sun, i.e. turned away from the
earth), and while thus engulfing oneself (with the
thoughts of the moon) and with two fawn-coloured
blades of grasses (the two wings of soma/ two
lunar fortnights), these (sacred) words (to the
moon/soma) are offered:
”the bosom of yours with beautiful cleavage which
rests in the moon, by that (by the nectar in your
bosom), oh! controller of the nectar that brings
eternity (amrita), may I never have to weep for
any mishap related to my descendants.”
Indeed the descendants never die before (the
death) of him (before the death of the one who

thus worships the moon (soma))’. (A part of verse
2.8 of Kaushitaki Upanishad.)
13.Gandharvas and the chariot of the sun
Gandharvas are famous for their deep knowledge
of the chariot of the sun (aaditya) or the motion
of praaNa. The verses 3.3.1 and 3.3.2 of
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad may be referred to for
the description of the transportation of the
community
called parikShita by deva (divine) ratha. This
description was narrated by Gandharva named
Sudhnva Aangirasa.
The circulation of praaNa, or the flow of
Consciousness from the centre called aaditya (the
sun) is classified among twelve months. During
each such month, the sun-god moves in a chariot
specific to that month. For each month there is a
specific name of the sun god, expressing a specific
aspect of aaditya. Also, corresponding to every
month there are specific co-passengers
like riShi (sages), Gandharvas, Apsaras, etc. who
accompany the sun god during that month’s
journey. For the details of various names of
the months, corresponding names of the sun god,
Ganndharvas, Apsaras, etc. who travel with the
Sun in the chariot, in every month, you may refer
to the contents in the following

link: https://www.thehinduportal.com/2014/08/th
e-12-adityas-and-their-associates_29.html
The chariot is called ratha. The sun, the deities,
and the other beings, all own chariots
or ratha. The meaning of the word ratha is as
below:
ratha = ra+ tha; ra = Ri + a; Ri means, ‘to
move’. tha = state of rest; stationary state, a state
into which something is finally fixed or framed. In
Chandogya Upanishad, the earth is called ‘tham’.
Earth means the last stage of manifestation of
Consciousness; it is the physical form of
Consciousness when the Consciousness fixes
Consciousness within a specific boundary, and as if
isolated from the source. The limitations, mortality,
isolation are predominant on us who inhabit the
earth.
So, ratha means a combined state of movement
and rest. In Upanishad, the body has been termed
as ratha. (Kathopanishad verse 1.3.3). Although
we are always in motion, being pulled
by praaNa, pulling us like ashva or a horse, and
though every moment of our life is fleeting, still we
get a static feeling about our existence.
14.The Soul as perceived in the world of
Gandharva

As the moon is broken into many reflected images
on the surface of the water, so a gandharva finds
himself reflected into many personalities, split into
many ‘selves’ in praaNa. They do not remain fixed
and confined in limited personalities and bound by
the limitations of physicality or physical body. Here
in Gandharva loka, in the world of Gandharvas, the
manifestation of praaNa, vibrations, and rhythms
of praaNa are more intense. It is for this reason,
the natural happiness that one feels or enjoys as
a gandharva is much more than the happiness with
which we live our lives on the earth. Regarding the
relative measures of happiness/
joys (aananda) when compared among different
entities like human beings and other divine
beings (like Gandharvas), refer Brihadaranyaka
Upanishad verse 4.3.33.
Referring to the above narration
on gandharva splitting into many selves on the
surface of water or ap or praaNa, the following is
quoted from a verse of Upanishad (Kathopanishad,
Part 2, Verse 5)
“ yathaa apsu pariiva dadRishe tathaa gandharva
loke”------yathaa (as) apsu (in water) pari (on) iva
(like), tathaa (similarly) gandharva loke (in the
world of gandharva) ----as on the surface of the
water (reflected), so in the world of gandharva.

15.Apsara (apsaraa)—the consort of Gandharva
apsaras, also apsaraa, are the consorts
of gandharva. apsaras = ap + saras; apsaraa = ap
+ saraa. ‘sara’, ‘saraa’, or ‘saras’ means
‘movement or drift’.
Thus Apsaras are the potent or the innate
power (shakti) of Gandharvas, that enables
Gandharvas to assume the multifaceted features
and to be in unison with the beats of praaNa. The
vibrant scatter of Gandharvas, vibrating in
synchronization with the rhythms of praaNa are
captured in ap or in apsaraa.(Refer to
Kathopaishad verse quoted above.)
Gandharvas and Apsaras are unparalleled
musicians and dancers, performing in the divine
courts; they are courtiers of indra the king of
heaven, and of kuber the custodian of divine
wealth.
We being obsessed by the physicality, fail to follow
that any diversion or digression, is a diversion or
digression in our Consciousness and by
Consciousness or praaNa.
There were many narrations of diversions or
enticements caused by the beautiful amorous
Apsaras, acting as divine hookers at the instruction
of indra, and diverting kings and sages; many

consequences to these drifts had led to the births
of great souls and occurrence great events.
It may be noted that the formation of shapes and
images happen by the bending/diversion of light.
This bending or drifting is essential in creation.
16. The eternal repose of Gandharvas
Here is a verse from Rikveda on the permanent
repose of the Gandharvas, the constant repose,
the repose that always remains:
tayorid ghRitavat payo vipraa rihanti dhiitiviH
gandharvasya dhruve pade (Rik veda—1/22/14)
tayoH (between them) it (exists)---- between them
exists---between the heaven and the earth exists)
[ the verse {1/22/13} previous to this verse has
mentioned about the ‘heaven’ and ‘earth’].
ghRitavat payo----ghRita vat -----paya/payas that
resembles ghRita; payas is from the root
word pii meaning ‘to drink’; payas means ‘the one
who is the drink of everyone’, the drink that
removes the thirst and bestows the life. ghRita---
clarified butter; for the meaning and significance of
the word ghRita, refer to Section 22 below.)

payas is also connected to the word paa meaning
‘to drink’, ‘to protect’, ‘to rear’, ‘to cause to drink’,
‘to imbibe’ etc.
vipraa (the truth seekers turned inwardly) rihanti
(licking/ licking the lactating teats of
goddess vaak) dhiitivi (by devotion)
gandharvasya (of Gnadarvas) dhruve ( ever
existing) pade (repose)----in the ever-existing
repose of Gandharvas.
Consolidating the above, an overall translation of
the verse is:
Between heaven and earth exists the elixir
resembling ghRita which the souls enlightened
inwardly lick with devotion; it (elixir) is there in the
eternal repose of Gandharvas. (Rik Veda,
1/22/14).
The eternal repose of Gandharvas is the eternal
Universal Soul or atithi (who is hidden within
all tithi/phases or changes. (See section 12 above
for atithi and tithi.)
17.Dhrupada
It is noteworthy that Dhrupada is a type of ancient
Indian classical song, originated from
Samveda (saama veda), and this name Dhrupada

is derived from ‘dhruva pada’ as mentioned in the
above-quoted verse of Rik Veda.
18.The goddess sarasvatii and the lakes and pools
The Consciousness as the goddess sarasvatii is
regulating the words which are getting expressed.
Expressed or articulated words are from her and all
words coexist in her in sameness. So, she is white
in her complexion.
sarasvatii = sara + sva +tii; sara is from the root
word sRi meaning to move or
drift; sva means svayam or aatman, soul, or the
‘assertionless self’. When we say ‘I am’, it is an
assertion on the ‘assertionless soul or the entity
who is my root’; the soul is the self of the self,
constant(atithi), immortal, and universal. It is the
state of neutrality. The active aspect of the soul
or sva is called praaNa. Consciousness is
simultaneously inactive and active.
sarasvatii means, the personality of the
Consciousness or the faculty of Consciousness by
which all drifts, motions, or displacements remain
held or connected to sva or svayam. So, the roots
of the Apsaras are here in the
goddess sarasvatii. Apsaras and Gandharvas are
fond of lakes or water bodies. The
word saras means ‘a lake or a pool’ and these
divine beings are/were often sighted at the water

bodies. The word sarasvatii also means saras +
vatii----(the personality of Consciousness / the
goddess) attached to a lake or a water (ap) body.
Consciousness, manifesting as the words, as the
full-formed senses filled with meanings and
emotions, nourishing and satisfying us, enabling
our conscious existence at every moment, is the
goddess sarasvatii. All the ‘acquirements’ or the
‘expressions’ are already there in the
Consciousness and when we are expressed in a
definite way in any given moment in our
Consciousness it results in our
satisfaction/acquirement which is
also ap or aapti, who in terrestrial form is the
‘water’ that supports the life on the earth.
The lakes and water bodies, the rivers, are all the
presence of this divine ap. A lake (hrada) is the
water contained in a specific manner or a particular
expression or containment of sarasvatii who has
materialized as ap or water. Lake/hrada is an
expression of hRid (heart/hRidaya).
Thus, these lakes and pools (hrada) are the
physical or earthly forms of particular aspects of
Consciousness captured to nourish the creatures.
Thus on the earth, they represent the divine
beings called vidyadhara, who are males,
and vidyadharii, who are females. They are

holders (dhara/ dharii) of vidya (Consciousness or
Knowledge; vidya---the faculty by which we
‘know’; vid = to know, to exist.) There are many
famous lakes, all over the world; they all are the
divine beings in our inner sky.
Within the shell of every processed word that is
expressed in each of us in every moment, there is
the flow of emotions and vibration or recurrences
of the senses, determinations, and re-
determinations of the mind.
The words are originating from the soul, they are
the creation of the soul. Soul or Oneness is
becoming 'many' as words. Each formed or
processed word is the body of the soul. The
formation of words or fractionation of the soul in
Consciousness is seen as a result of the action by
two aspects of Consciousness
called vaak and praaNa. As vaak or the goddess of
speech or word, Consciousness is shaping
Consciousness or praaNa in multiple forms.
19.Act of hearing and anointment by ap (the
divine water) or soma.
As you listen to a word, it gets in your mind as
meaning, in your heart as a feeling; in fact, it
spreads into your entirety, in all directions.

Everything, whatever we are sensing or feeling,
exists as a word in us.
What we feel as directions or orientations are the
same as ‘the sense of hearing’ or ‘ear of the
Consciousness’. In Vedas or Upanishads, shruti i.e.
act of hearing and dik (directions) are mentioned
as the same. (The word karNa in Sanskrit means
‘ear’ and is connected to the English word ‘corner’
implying ‘direction’.) The way we listen and take a
word within us, the same way the other senses
also merge with us. This is how we are infused
with the senses and feelings. This is happening
inside us, in the inner sky or antarIkSha and under
the domain of dakShiNa agni.
This getting infused or moistened by the senses is
also called getting wet by the ap (water
within). aapyaana in Upanishad is the Sanskrit
word that means flooding or imbibing by the life-
giving water/ ap inside. This is the sap
or soma from the moon (from praaNa) that is
nourishing us. Thus, in many Upanishads, in the
beginning, a prayer has been cited, pleading to
infuse or flood with soma or ap and to achieve
consequent acquirement (aapti). soma is borne by
the words or mantras in the verses or passages of
Upanishads. In this verse, the word ‘aapyaantu’
related to the word aapyaana has been used.

'aapyaantu’ means to plead aapyaana or to plead
to infuse with ap or soma.
A part of the verse is quoted below:
“oM aapyaayantu mamaa~ngaani
vaakpraaNashchakSuH
shrotramatho balamindriyaaNi cha sarvaaNi”
Meaning
“oM, let (all these) be infused by ap (aapyaana) ---
my spreads/limbs, the speech, the breathings, the
vision, the hearing, the strength, the organs, and
everything else (in me).”
In this context, it is noteworthy that the followings
are the parts /limbs or the aspects of dakShin
agni, by which dakShin agni or the Universal
Consciousness is acting on us:
ap (divine water), dik (the
directions), nakShtra (stars/constellations), chandr
amaa (moon/soma.)
It is mentioned in Chandogya Upanishad that the
being observed in chandramaa is dakShin
agni or anva-aaharya-pachana-agni. (Chandogya
Upanishad Verse 4.12.1).
20.Anointment by perfumes, preservation &
memory

Anointment by perfumes or balms is a subject that
has its origin in the mystery of gandha or scent.
We are being anointed by fragrant soma all the
time. We have addressed this in the above section
and explained the word ‘aapyaana’. We have
mentioned about vidhRiti shakti or the power of
holding by praaNa. gandha or ‘scent’ defines how
every entity is ‘held’ in praaNa or Universal
Consciousness. This power of holding or vidhRiti
shakti implies ‘preservation’. When something is
not preserved properly it smells or tastes foul and
for the food, we say that it has become stale. The
use of balms in mummification in ancient times is
well known.
(Refer, https://www.nature.com/articles/nature.20
14.15717). This also reminds us of the connection
between smell and memory as known to modern
medical science. It says that the sense of smell is
routed to the brain in a very direct manner, unlike
the way the other senses get their ways to the
brain. Smells are known to trigger powerful
memories, especially which are emotive. The
regions in the brain which control emotions,
memories, and smells are very much intertwined.
You may please refer to the publication by Live
Science available in the
link https://www.livescience.com/why-smells-
trigger-memories.html.

Our memory or smRiti retains everything we
experience. We have explained the significance of
the word smRiti in an earlier section of this article.
We have also explained the relationship
between gandha/ scent and the faculty of ‘holding’
by praaNa or the Consciousness.
Scent and memory are both related to vidhRiti
shakti of praaNa or to the faculty of praaNa to hold
or retain everything.
21.sarpi,sarpa, soma-creeper and dadhikraa
The word sarpi generally means clarified butter.
Similarly, the word sarpa generally means ‘snake’.
Both these words originate from the root
verb sRip. sRip means ‘to crawl or to
creep’. soma is creeping everywhere and is
celebrated as a ‘creeper’ called soma-lataa. soma-
lataa or soma creepers were used in yaj~na or
Vedic rituals in which oblations were offered
to agni or praaNa. We have explained above the
relationship between orientation/directions and the
act of hearing or listening /shruti. When you feel,
perceive, or listen, the corresponding sense or the
feeling) gets spread in the entirety of your entity,
in all directions. We have mentioned that this
is appayana, or anointment
by soma (or soma as ap), and is the
fulfillment/satisfaction achieved from that feeling

or perception. This feeling or satisfaction spreading
everywhere in the entity (who goes through the
perception or feeling) is the act of sarpi. Thus in
Upanishad, it is said, if sarpi or udak (water) is
sprinkled on the eye, it goes ‘along the circuit’ or
along the ‘route’. Eye means the centre of
expression or formation, by which realization is
achieved or the truth is seen. Whatever
Consciousness expresses or whatever
Consciousness becomes, Consciousness also
‘feels’, ‘knows ‘ or ‘listens to it’ and this includes
our own senses and feelings too. This happens in
an all-pervading manner or in all directions. This
is sarpi. It creeps in all directions. The motion
of praaNa or Consciousness is like that of a snake.
Consciousness moves on ‘heart’ and is holding
everyone by heart. This is serpentine motion. As
Consciousness holds us and moves, Consciousness
is also called dadhikraa. dadh means ‘to hold’
and kraa means ‘to move or to move while
creating sequences’.
(Thus, curd made out of milk is also
called dadhi, as milk coagulate or coheres,
expressing ‘holding’.)
22.ghraaNa (the act of smelling), ghRita
/aajya (clarified butter)

The root verb ghraa means ‘to smell’ and also ‘to
kill’. If the body or the physicality of the living
being and the being inside the body is separated
from each other, it is killing or death; the one who
has lived with the physicality, now leaves the body
and departs with praaNa who was circulating inside
the being as air or was active as breathing (when
the entity or the being was living within the
body). In addition to the meaning of ‘smelling’,
this separation of the being from physicality is
implied in the meaning of ghraaNa.
Thus, ghraaNa means to perceive the being living
inside the body, the being who is non-physical.
Being created in Consciousness, we are illuminated
by Consciousness as an entity. Consciousness
means who is manifesting,
revealing,illuminating. This is ghRita which means
‘illumined’. ghRita also means ‘clarified butter’, the
liquid fuel which is used to anoint sacred woods to
be sacrificed in the holy fire or praaNa; ghRita is
edible; it adds an excellent aroma to rice and other
dishes. praaNa is anointing us, praaNa has
animated us, we are illuminated with sound, touch,
vision, taste, and smell; we are illuminated,
expressing ourselves in every moment as a new
individual. We are burning in Consciousness, bright
with life and animation, and returning to eternity;

we, ourselves, are also sacrificial offers to the
Universal Consciousness.
ghRita, also called aajya is used as oblations to the
sacrificial fire or agni/ praaNa-agni/ praaNa.
aajya is from the word aja. aja = a (without)
+ ja (birth/generation).
Thus, aja means the immutable, universal soul.
Although Consciousness is aja, still Consciousness
has created Consciousness as us, as the universe.
(If there is aja, there has to be ja or ‘generation’ or
‘creation’.)
aajya means, who is a descendent of aja or who is
born out of aja.
Although Consciousness is aja and exists before
everything, still we are aajya, because we and the
universe are born from Universal Consciousness or
who is aja.
Like aajya to be sacrificed as an oblation to the
holy fire, we are also being sacrificed to the
Universal Consciousness and in the process, we as
aajya are evolving to or merging with the one who
is aja or perpetual.
It may be noted that, among ancient Hindus, there
was a culture of smelling the head of younger ones

by the elders as a gesture ofaffection, and it still
exists in some communities. It is called shiro-
ghraaNa. shiro or shiras means ‘head’. So, this
smelling the head means, smelling the divinity; the
head represents the location of heaven in the body.
(Refer to verse 2.11 of Kaushitaki Upanishad.)
23.The products of milk and the divinity.
We have already mentioned a few products of milk
and the associated divinity in the previous
sections; they are sarpi, ghRita,
dadhi, and aajya. Here are a few more words
about them.
dugdha is the Sanskrit word for milk. dugdha is
from the component duh meaning to draw or
extract milk and also ‘what is being drawn’. The
alphabet dha in the word dugdha implies ‘to hold’.
The root verb dhaa means ‘to hold’. dugdha means
what the Universal Consciousness as the mother
goddess vaak is drawing from her breasts to hold
and nourish the entire universe. So, vaak is also
called dogdhRi (the milkmaid) in the Vedas.
Also, dugdha implies what is being drawn or
extracted to illuminate. dugdha = dug+dha is
similar to the word iddha (id + dha) meaning what
is illuminated. Illumination or expression of one by
the one and without the aid of anything else is the

characteristic of divinity. This is how dogdhRi is
extracting the milk!
The organs like eyes, ears, hands, etc., by which
we remain active and move around in
Consciousness or in the world made of ‘knowledge
or perception’ are called ‘go’ in Sanskrit; the
Sanskrit word go is related to the root
verb ‘gam’ meaning ‘to go, to move ’. go also
means the animal ‘cow’ as they are pasturing
animals and yield nourishing milk. Similarly, we
are pasturing our cows or go i.e. our sensory &
functional organs are moving or functioning and we
are growing/evolving. These are the pasturing
cows, the movements or activities in
Consciousness, by which the ‘milk’ is produced and
we are evolving.
As mentioned earlier, the curd or yogurt is made
by coagulating milk; because of coagulation and
consequent solidification, it is
called dadhi. dadhi is from the root
word dadh meaning ‘to hold’. Thus, the eternal
Consciousness, or praaNa, is called dadhikraa
(dadhi----who is holding + kraa---to move in a
course and creating sequence) as praaNa is
holding everyone and moving to take everyone to
eternity.

ghRita is also the clarified butter. It is inflammable
and burns with a golden hue. It has a pleasant
aroma and adds flavour when added to cooked
food and white rice. It is praaNa who is shinning as
vision. Collyrium made out of ghRita is used in
India to decorate the eyes.
24.kajjala/kajjvala/kajvala (collyrium made
from lampblack) and ghRita.
It is a common practice in India, to decorate the
eyes (especially the eyes of the kids) by applying
homemade collyrium made of the soots from
lamps fuelled by clarified butter and burning with
cotton wicks soaked in ghRita or clarified butter.
Such a collyrium is called kajjvala (also kajjla).
kajjvala means----- kaH jvalati----who is glowing?
Of course, praaNa is glowing, praaNa
/ Consciousness is shining. The centre of this shine
or glow is in the eyes which are the seat of vision.
All our feelings are blazing in our eyes; in the
external space (which is within our perception)
the eye or the centre of radiance/vision is the sun.
25.Apsara called ghRitaachii
ghRitaachii is one of the most celebrated Apsaras
like urvashii, rambhaa, tilottamaa, and menakaa.
ghRitaachi= ghRiTa+chii

ghRitaa is the female form of ghRita and chii = chi
+ i; chi = chit = to make or to keep conscious; i =
to move.
Universal Consciousness, as ghRitaachii is
smearing us with the fragrant anointment of
Consciousness called ghRita, which has illuminated
us and is shining through our eyes, creating the
colourful world. ghRitaachI is one of the principal
Apsaras and is a member of the court of indra the
king of heaven.
26. Indra the king of heavens, his wife, and
Apsaras
The being or the entity (puruSha) in
the (right) eye, in an individual’s eye, in
everyone’s eye, is the Universal being and the king
of heaven called indra. indra = idam (it) + dra
(draShTRi----observer).
indra is the divine observer and is seeing or
viewing everything. Our vision is part of his
vision. indra has been mentioned as the
personality in the right eye and his wife
named viraaT is residing in the left eye. viraaT
>viraaj, means who is shining and ruling. viraaT
(viraaTa) also means the ‘vast universe’ or the
‘vast expanse’. The entire illuminated/ manifested
universe belongs to the kingdom or domain
of indra and viraaT. Upanishad has remarked that

though in the direct sense he (indra) is indha, still
he is regarded as indra. indha means the one who
is ‘shining or who is radiating, i.e. who is creating
the ‘vision’. indra means the one who is observing
what is being created.
(For indra, indha and viraaT, refer Brihadaranyaka
Upanishad, verses 4.2.2 & 4.2.3).
The entire realm of the left eye belongs
to viraaT and courtiers of indra called Apsaras.
The eye in Sanskrit is called akShi is related to the
word akSha meaning ‘axis’ as well as ‘wheel’. We
have narrated in many of our earlier publications,
explaining that the centre of vision which is the
eye in an individual is also the sun in the external
space (or in a planetary system), and it (the sun)
is the centre of manifestation of periodicity or
circulation and action of time as well as the centre
of vision that manifests the universe. In our eyes,
this is understood from the circadian rhythms,
which is the centre in us and is related to
‘individual’s time or aho-raatra (day and night).
The direction that is called ‘right’, is the direction
from which our performance, efforts, or work are
directed. It is called dakShiNa. This
word dakShiNa is related to the
word dakSha meaning ‘dexterous’ or ‘having a
skilled hand’.

The side, the direction or inclination of the
Consciousness, that preserves the fruits of our
work that is ‘left’ to us, is called ‘vaama’ (left) in
Sanskrit. What becomes our natural ability over
time, the experience/instincts that we gain by
work/experience exist on the left; the work we do,
the activities that animate us, are executed by
Consciousness from ‘right’ or ‘south’.
As the outcome of our activities, we gain natural
skills, abilities, traits; these natural skills exist or
are retained on the left or north (uttara).
uttara means, ‘answer’, ‘remainder’, ‘what is left,
what has passed over from the south to the
north. ut > ud means, to rise, to leave to or move
to a higher order’. So, this is ‘left’. The natural
abilities/instincts of us are the aspects
of shakti or consort who has become ours,
like our faculties of vision, touch, etc., which
are all very natural to us, inseparable from
us. This is shakti (vidya) aspect of Consciousness.
Thus left hand is siddha or what is endowed with
‘gain or acquirement’, and the right hand
is sadhya i.e. by what we strive to gain or acquire.
It may be noted here that for many persons, the
left hand may be the dominant hand, and so for
such a person, his/ her left hand stands
for ‘saadhya’ or dakShiNa, and the right-hand
stands for sidhya. (What I am trying to convey

here is that ‘right’ and ‘left’ are to be considered in
the context of the above-explained meanings and
significance of right and left directions.)
So, on the left (vaama) is located the one who
is vaamaa. vaamaa means a very beautiful female
and vaamaa also means shakTi or consort. What
needs effort toward the right, is effortless toward
the left. On the left, it is effortless; achieving
anything is effortless; this is divinity. This
is vaama and the associated divine personalities
are called vaamaa. These divine, elegant,
exquisite ladies, called vaamaa remain always
attached to indra, to the soul of the universe,
whose observation captures everyone and
everything, and who is the observer in everyone’s
observation. This is why the entity or purusha is
called saMyad vaama---meaning the entity or the
soul in whom all aspects of vaama (fulfillment
/attainment) exist.
So, all the Apsaras are parts of vaamaa and they
are the courtiers of indra/virraT.
The following verses of Chandogya Upanishad,
describe the Universal Observer and are relevant
to what has been mentioned above:
ya eShoH akShiNii puruSho dRiShyata esha
aatmeti hovaacha etad amRitam avayam etad
brahmaeti

tad yadyapi asmin sarpiH vaa udakam vaa
si~nchanti vartmnii eva gachChati (Chandogya
Upanishad, 4/15/1.)
ya eShoH (that this) akShiNii puruSho (entity in
the eye/vision) dRiShyata (is observed)
esha (this is) aatmaa(the soul) iti ha uvaacha (this
is what he said)-----that this entity observed in the
eye is the soul, thus he said
etad (this is) amRitam (eternal) avayam (beyond
fear) etad (this is) brahmaeti (brahma---the
absolute one who is evergrowing surpassing all)---
-this is eternal, this is beyond fear, this is brahma
tad yadyapi (That is why) asmin (in this---in this
eye/vision) sarpi (sarpi/ the clarified
butter/whatever creeps in a serpentine way ) vaa
(or) udakam (water/water that moves up) vaa
si~nchanti (sprinkles) vartmnii eva (along its rim,
along the rim of the eye) gachChati (goes/ flows)--
-that is why, when sarpi or water is sprinkled, it
goes along the entire rim of the eye
Consolidated meaning
That this entity who is observed in the eye/vision
is the soul---- this is what he said.

This is eternal, without any fear, this
is brahma (the absolute one who is evergrowing
surpassing all).
In this eye/vision, if sarpi (what creeps in a
serpentine manner and pervades everywhere)
udaka (water that moves up (ud) ) is sprinkled, it
flows along its rim (the rim of the eye). (If our
tortuous or sinuous motions or karma/activities,
and those activities that move us upward or
toward divinity, whatever is offered to or seen in
this brahma or the Universal consciousness, that
becomes part of the akShi or the eye of the
Consciousness that is wheeling everything and
wheeling out time; i.e. whatever is offered to
the Universal Consciousness or to the ‘eye’ it
spreads everywhere, to everyone, to the entire
creation. (Refer also Section 21 above for the
meaning of the word sarpi.)
etaM saMyadvaama ityaachakShata etaM hi
sarvaaNi vaamaanyabhisaMyanti
sarvaaNyenaṃ vaamaanyabhisaMyanti ya evaM
veda. (Chandogya Upanishad 4.15.2.)
etam (It—the entity in the eye)
aachakShata—is viewed
saMyadvaamaa iti---as saMyad-vaamaa.

etam ( to it -to the entity in the eye) hi (indeed)
sarvaani vaamaani (all those
are vaama) abhisaMyanti (go toward)
sarvaani enam (to him) vaamaa
(vaamaa) abhisaMyanti (go toward) ya (who)
evam (like this) veda (knows)
The entity in the eye) is viewed as saMyad-
vaamaa; indeed all that is vaama goes to it.
(Also, the one) who knows like this, all that
is vaamaa goes the one.
27.The celestial dance and music; blue and
white hued sarasvatii
The orderly motion or changes happening in the
spontaneous action of Consciousness, the
recurrences, and repetitions, the rhythms, and all
such controlled actions, in every formation of
Consciousness, are resulting in definitive
meaningful events and the perceptible universe.
Thus there are continuous songs, music, and
dances, not metaphorically but really, in the
domain of Consciousness; and then there is the
roar of the ocean from where all the sounds are
originating.

The goddess vaak, who is the mother of
all vaakya (processed words or the perceptible
universe) possesses all the ‘faculties and
fertility (teja) to create everything from Oneness.
Toward the origin, Consciousness is vaak and also
known as neela sarasvatii (blue-hued sarasvatii )
and toward the expression or
formation, vaak becomes vaakya (formed,
processed, meaningful, perceptible words (or
worlds or perceptions), and then Consciousness is
called shveta sarasvatii (white sarasvatii).
The words are coming from the inside of us, from
the core, where there is Oneness and nothing else.
Similarly, the words are coming out from the core
of the universe, where there is the same
One. As vaak, she is also called paraa or
supreme. While manifesting, she becomes radiant,
and the motion and vision start manifesting, and
she is called pashyantii (the faculty of vision). Then
she pervades everyone, she is the medium
everywhere. Here she is
called madhyamaa (medium; word within the
word). madhyamaa is active in the middle place or
the heart, where all the implications, meanings,
and feelings underneath the cover of a word are
seen and felt by us. This is also antariiksha, which
is in between heaven (dyu) and the
earth (bhU). Here in the heart (hRidaya), all the

feelings, cravings, joys borne by the unabated flow
of Consciousness, or soma are felt. Here there is
lightning (ashani) and thunder (stanayitnu). These
two are required to press the soma, to extract it;
so it rains, so soma pours down. indra is identified
with ashani and stanayitnu in Brihadaranyaka
Upanishad. “ indo indraaya parisrava-----let soma
/indu stream forth for indra”. (Quoted from Yajur
Veda.) The entire antariiksha is flooded by the
moonlight (soma).
From madhyamaa, vaak
(sarasvatii) becomes vaikharii, when the words are
articulated, when the words are formed in the
external space. This is the ultimate state of
realization. Thus the earth is formed, realization or
physicality is finally achieved. The word ‘earth’ is
from the Sanskrit word artha which means
‘meaning’ or ‘realization’.
28. Celestial dancers and musicians.
The divine beings who knowingly follow the
rhythms, sounds, and formation of the
flowing vaak or sarasvatii in antariikSha are the
celestial artists. Gandharvas and Apsaras are the
most notable among them. This is why they can
take any formation or appearance they like and
they can change their genders and trade genders
with others. They are thus the traders of

scents. gandharva= gandha (scent)
+ vaNija (trader). They can trade and share
personalities. In Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, there
are two narrations regarding women possessed by
Gandharvas. These Gandharvas are sagacious and
divine and when accosted by the seers, they
exhibited the profound knowledge of divinity. We
have quoted these narrations below.
Another class of divine beings, closely related to
Gandharvas is
called yakSha. Shikhandi (shikhaNDi) /
Shikhandininani (shikhaNDinii), a character in the
epic Mahabharata, was born as a ‘girl’ and reared
as a ‘boy’. Shikhandinii, got her gender changed
after getting in touch with
a yakSha named sThUlaakarNa who was a
male. sThUlaakarNa lent his gender to Shikhandi
and himself became a female. The maleness was
returned to sThUlaakarNa when Shikhandi died.
The dynamics of vaak and the consequent
formation of words are the reasons behind all the
changes we are experiencing. Thus even if any
event comprising changes is chaotic, still it is
orderly, because it is from Consciousness and by
conscious actions. We quote below a verse from
Tantra (tantra):

“giitam vaadyam tathaa nRityam aalaapam
varavarNiNii|
sarve juvatii rupaa dhyanamarge pratiShThitaa||”
giitam (the songs) vaadyam (the music) tathaa (so
also) nRityam (the dance) aalaapam (alaapa/ art
of introduction) varavarNiNii (vara---reverse
of rava or the externally oriented sound or
word; varNiNii----hued; varavarNiNii----whose
lustre exhibits the origin of the words or
expressions----the goddess exhibiting the lustre of
oneness or of the Universal soul
sarve (all) juvatii (young maids---who remain
attached to shiva or to the Universal soul) rupaa
(as) dhyanamarge (dhyaana---meditation; marga-
--path; dhyanamarge---in the domain of
meditation) pratiShThitaa (are placed)
Oh, varavarNiNii! The song, music, so also the
dance, (and) aalaapa
All of them as young maids passionate about Shiva
Are dwelling in the domain of meditation.
29. Water carrying the sperms.

Water is the divine ap as present in our terrestrial
system. This water is behind any physicality and
supports physical formation. When we descend to
the earth during the process of re-birth, we are
carried from the other world by the lunar
rays (soma) into the finer clouds and then into the
clouds that rain. Then we enter into
vegetations, plants, and similar other entities that
can hold us in seeded forms. Then finally through
the foods, we enter into the body of the progenitor
or ‘father’. The embryos grow in the water bags in
the wombs. (The above process of re-birth has
been stated as a common one for the evolved
species like human beings. There are other routes
that are taken by species of lower order in terms of
evolution.
There are many verses in Upanishad, which say,
sperms (reta) rest in ‘ap’. Being natural with
divine water ap and soma, Gandharvas and
Apsaras are known to be present during the
process of ‘conceiving’. Gandharvas can bestow
virility.
Here is a verse from Brihadaranyaka Upanishad,
on the ‘sperm’ and its place in divinity.
(Shaakalya is asking Yaj~navalya) : kimdevataH
asyaaM pratiichyaaM dishyasiiti? ------Which deity
is in the direction west?

(Yajnavalkya answering): varuNadevata iti------
The deity named varuNa.
(Shaakalya is asking Yaj~navalya) : Sa varuNaH
kasmin pratiShthita iti? -----Where is that varuNa
founded?
(Yajnavalkya answering) : apsu iti-----In the
water.
(Shaakalya is asking Yaj~navalya) : kasmin nu
apaH pratiShthita iti? ----Where is the water
founded?
(Yajnavalkya answering) : retasa iti-----In the
sperms.
(Shaakalya is asking Yaj~navalya) : kasmin nu
retaH pratiShthita iti? ---------Where the sperms
are founded?
(Yajnavalkya answering) : hRidaya iti (In the
heart); tasmadapi (this is why) pratirUpaM
(similar/ resembling) jaatm (when is born) aahuH
(it is said), hRidayat (from the heart) iva (as if)
sRiptaH (stemmed), hRidayat (out the heart) iva
(as if) nirmitaH (made), hRidaye hi eva (indeed in
the heart) retaH (the sperms /seeds)
pratiShThitaM bhavatiiti (gets founded)-------in the
heart; this is why when someone is born

resembling the father, it is said as if the new-born
has stemmed out of the (father’s heart), made out
of (the father’s) heart.
(Shaakalya is agreeing) : Evam eva etad
yaj~navalkya------It is like this Yaj~navalkya.
ap or water is also called jala. jala= ja +
la; ja= generation; la=laya=to lye in rest or to be
in dormant state. ap or jala is the one, from whom
‘physicality is created’ and in whom physicality is
dissolved and who bears the beings as the seeds
or sperms, before the process of birth.
30. Gandharvas named haahaa and huhu
haahaa and huhu are the names of two
Gandharvas who are the sons of the seer Kashyapa
and his wife Pradhaa. They are the choristers in
Indra’s court.
haahaa
The word haahaa is the unabated sound of
laughter (haasya). The alphabet ha means ‘void or
the sky’ and it is also the sound of ‘certainty’. The
sky and the air are the same as the void and the
touch. The touch or the flow of
Consciousness/ praaNa originates from ‘void’ or
where there is nothing but only ‘oneness’. The
laughter is the expression of the ‘touch of the soul’

or ‘aatman’ or ‘oneness’. Thus, haahaa is that
personality of the Universal Consciousness who can
invoke laughter in various forms and manners and
dominates on, or is present in the
rhythms (Chanda / shape/structure) of laughter
and expressions of touch.
Etymologically, the word haasya = ha +aasya; ha
= void /sky + aasya (mouth or face); haasya
= who is coming out of ha or void
of aasya (mouth). The mirth that comes out of the
sky (which we are perceiving as the hollow inside
the mouth) is the expression of Consciousness, like
the words coming out of the mouth, and is also the
expression of Consciousness. It may be noted that
as the face is the expression of Consciousness, as
Consciousness is coming out of the mouth as
words and sounds; so the Eternal Universal
Consciousness is called aayasya meaning the ‘one
who is flowing out of aasya or the mouth.
We normally perceive void as ‘nothing’ and
‘inane’. But it is not, ‘nothing’, it is ‘ oneness and
nothing else. Thus the feeling of the void as
emptiness raises ‘fear’ or ‘ sorrow’ for those who
have not realized the Oneness. The
word haahaakaara represents the ‘expression of
grief due to the unavailability or loss of what is
desired’.

Thus all the rhythms of tears and smiles find their
ways in Gandharva haahaa.
huhu
Thus huhu is opposite to haahaa. If you close your
ear-holes, the sound that you hear is
‘huhuhuhu…’. It is the sound of the flame or
Consciousness burning. It is called praaNaagni----
praaNa + agni (fire). Whatever we eat, whatever
we sense, all are sacrificed to Consciousness who
is burning in us as praaNaagni. This
sacrifice/oblation (the act of eating/sensing) in
turn nourishes us and everyone else is involved in
this process of sacrifice and is connected. (Refer
Chandogya Upanishad Chapter Five, Part Nineteen
and the subsequent parts.)
Thus, huhu is dominant and present in the rhythms
or Chanda of havana or sacrifice.
(I wish to point out that my mother tongue,
Bangala/Bengali language, is derived from Sanskrit
and is the dialect of West Bengal. There is a phrase
in Bengali which is ‘moan huhu korche’ and if
translated word by word, it is like this: “the mind is
in the state of huhu”; this implies, the mind is
extremely eager to reach someone or something
that mind has recalled. This (huhu) is the
expression to go back or reach back. )

31.Gandharvas mentioned in Brihadarnyaka
Upanishad
In Brihadarnyaka Upanishad (bRihadaaraNyaka
upaniShad) the incidents with two Gandharvas
have been narrated.
The name of one Gandharva is Sudhnvaa
Aangirasa.(Refer to Brihadarnyaka
Upanishad, Third Chapter, Third Brahmin/Part).
When the seer Bhujyu Laahyayani was visiting with
his companions in Madras (madra desha), (which
is now the state of Tamil Nadu in India), they came
across the Gandharva Sudhnvaa Aangirasa in the
house of one person named Patanjala Kaapya. His
daughter was possessed by the
Gandharva Sudhnvaa Aangirasa. When he (Bhujyu
Laahyani) asked the Gandharva about the
destination beyond the worlds and in that context
he also asked Gandharva where the community
called paarikiShita had gone. In the
reply, Sudhnvaa Aangirasa said that it is the same
place where the performers of ‘ashvamedha’
(Horse Scrificers) had gone.
paarikiShita means who are the descendants
of parIkShit. parIkShit was also a famous king,
mentioned in the epic Mahabharata.
parIkShit = parI+kShit; parI > pari = above or
beyond; kShit = who belongs to kShiti or earth /

mortality; kShiti is related to the
word kShaya meaning ‘to decay’.
Thus, paarikiShita means those who have gone
beyond mortality.
ashva means praaNa, who is carrying us and we
are evolving in the process. ashva also means
horse. The motion of this divine horse is
manifesting as time. The
component shva in ashva means ‘time’, as well as
‘breathing’ (nishvaasa----exhaling; prashvaasa—
inhaling). medha means the development or
nourishment due to ‘merging’ or ‘assimilation’.
Thus ‘horse sacrifice’ or ashvameda yaj~na means
evolving into eternity, going beyond mortality. So,
Sudhnvaa Aangirasa said that the destination
where paarikiShita went, is the same place
where ashvamedha yaaji or the Horse Sacrificers
had gone.
He further said that paarikiShita were assisted
by indra, who carried them in the inner sky and
handed them over to vaayu. vaayu held them
within himself and took them to the destination
where the Horse Sacrificers had gone.
aayu is the flow of Consciousness inside and is
seen as aging. The flow of Consciousness is
essentially the ‘beginning’, ‘termination’ and the
‘confluence of beginning and termination, which is

the existence’. Flow or activity of Consciousness
/ praaNa means ‘knowing’ by Consciousness.
Consciousness means the one who is knowing,
seeing, hearing,……. and these activities are
originating from Consciousness by Consciousness.
We and the universe are created in Consciousness
and made of Consciousness.
Who in an individual is aayu, the same one is
collectively or when seen in everyone
is vaayu. Consciousness or praaNa, flowing and
connecting everyone is vaayu. The physical nerves
in our body are the physical forms of vaayu. The
entire universe is woven and connected by a
network formed by vaayu. vaayu is related to the
root verb vay meaning ‘to flow or move’ and is
connected with the word ‘vay’ which means
‘weaver’.Thus, by vaayu, the Lord of Air, who is
the breathings and life in us and
everyone, parikShits were conveyed beyond the
mortality. Gandharva, further mentioned
that vaayu is vyaShTi (individual) as well
as samaShTi (collective, whole). The whole
creation is seen as split into individuals and as an
assembly of individuals or collectivity or clan. Thus
species are created. In the other narration, the
seer Uddaalaka Aaruni (uddalaka aaruNi) was in
communication with Gandharva Aatharvana
Kabnadha (aatharvaNa kabandha). (Refer

to Brihadarnyaka Upanishad, Third Chapter,
Seventh Brahmin/Part). Uddalaka and others
dwelled in the house of Patanjala Kaapya during a
study session on yaj~na (sacrifice). The wife
of Patanjala Kaapya was possessed by Gandharva
named Aatharvana Kabnadha. Gandharva asked
Udaalaka and other scholars there, whether they
know that ‘thread’ by which this world, the other
worlds, and all the creations are securely tied
together with the one who while present inside
everyone regulates everyone.
Uddalaka knew about the ‘thread’ and asked the
seer yaj~navalkya to describe the ‘thread’ in case
he knows the same.
In this reply, yaj~navalkya mentioned: “vaayu is
the thread; by vaayu this world, the other worlds,
and all the creations are securely tied together;
this is why the body and the limbs of a person
become flaccid after death; everyone is tied
together by the thread called vaayu.
(https://www.verywellhealth.com/what-happens-
to-my-body-right-after-i-die-1132498)
It may be noted that both the Gandharvas talked
about vaayu, about praaNa or eternal
Consciousness, by which everyone is connected,
tied, who has created the species, or clan/cohesion
and also individuals; who is present within every

entity and regulating the entity. This is what has
been sung by both the Gandharvas.
32.Apsara uurvashii /urvashii
uurvashii, also urvashii, is one of the most
celebrated apsaraa and a celebrated character in
Rik Veda and puraNa (Vedic mythology).
The hymns in Rik Veda, narrating the conversation
between uurvashii / urvashii and puruuravas are
well known and are stated in the Rik Veda verses
10.95.1 to 10.95.18 (Rik Veda 10th
Mandala,
95th
Sukta, verses/ mantra 1 to 18),
when urvashii was returning to the heaven,
leaving purUravas on the earth. A poetical
translation of these hymns is available in the
link https://www.sacred-
texts.com/hin/rigveda/rv10095.htm by Sri. Ralph
T.H. Griffith.
If we seek the origin of the goddess /
Apsaraa urvashii, i.e., how she is placed in the
Universal Consciousness, it relates her to the
goddess viraaT, the goddess who is the consort
of indra, and is present in the ‘left eye’ and that
this illuminated vast expanse of the universe is
held in the ‘vision’. (See section 26, “ Indra the
king of heavens, his wife, and Apsaras”.)
The word uurvashii/urvashii = uru + ash + ii

uru = expanse ; ash = to pervade; urvashi= the
goddess who is characterized by her expanse.
As mentioned before, from the motion or activities
of praaNa, or from the outcome of the process of
knowing by Consciousness or praaNa, time, space,
and everything is created. This has been
celebrated as the ‘eye’ and ‘steps’ of viShNu in Rik
Veda. (Rik Veda Verse 1.22.16 through 1.22.21/
Rik Veda 1st
Mandala, 22nd
Sukta, Verse/Mantra
16 through 22.) Like the steps or the legs
of viShNu, the thighs of viShNu are also
celebrated. The thigh is uuru in Sanskrit, and there
is another word uru which means ‘great or vast
expanse’. It is noteworthy that Urvashi is spelled
as both uurvashii (corresponding
to uuru) and urvashii (corresponding to uru).
Between our two thighs or legs is located the
reproduction organ. The action of legs or the
motion or time (kaala) originates from
desire (kaama). In the beginning, there is the
desire to multiply into many and thus One has
become many and vastness has been created. This
vast expanse, endless expanse of the Universal
Consciousness is implied by the word uru, and
from where it is originating is uuru. The
word urvii stands for the widely spread out earth
or the vast space or the universe. Everything is
created from the desire of the Universal

Consciousness and behind every creation or every
event, there is a ‘desire’. So, ‘desire’ is
commanding on all. These are the characteristics
of goddess urvashii, who captivates all. So,
another way of understanding the word urvashii is
as following: uru ----thigh-region, the centre from
where desire function + vasha---dominion
/authority + ii (endowed with, possessing)—the
goddess who as the desire in the beings is
dominating over everyone. (It is interesting to note
here that viShNu killed the
demons madhu and kaitabha by placing them on
his thigh.)
The two thighs or the two uuru of a female have
been mentioned as the heaven and the earth in
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. (Refer to
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Verse 6.4.21).
Where heaven and earth join, that
is antariikSha. So, between the two uuru/(thighs)
exists the door to antariikSha. We are also born to
physicality from antariikSha.
33. urugaaya viShNu
The entire universe, which is also expanding is
held in the uuru or the thigh
of viShNu. Thus viShNu is hailed as urugaaya
viShNu, meaning viShNU making long strides.
From the strides of viShNu, from the three long

steps, the beginning, existence, and termination
are being created; the divinity (dyu), inner-
space (antariikSha), and external or physical or
external space (bhuu) are being created; the
cycles of time, the seasons, months, days and
nights, the orbital and diurnal motions, the
circadian and the various rhythms everywhere are
created. Thus, viShNu is also
called urukrama (whose movement is creating the
expanse (uru) of time and space. krama means
motion in succession or sequence. This
word krama is related to the Greek word Chronos
(Kronos) which means ‘time’ and also as per
ancient Greek Philosophy, it is the personification
of time.
We quote below a verse from Rik Veda,
regarding viShNu and uru/uuru:
“pra tadviShNuH stavate viiryeNa mRigo na
bhiimaH kucharo
giriShThaaH|
yasyoruShu triShu vikramaNeShvdhikShiyaMti
bhUvanaani vishvaa||” (Rik Veda 1.154.02)”
pra (Perfectly) tat (that) viShNu (viShNu) stavate
(is lauded)
viiryeNa (by the vigour)

mRigo-----mRiga---mRi=death;ga=act of going or
movement; driven into the motion of life by the
awe of death or annihilation.
na= like;
bhiimaH= formidable; bhiima= what or who causes
awe;
mRigo na bhiimaH----formidable form that causes
the fear of death by which everyone is driven;
kucharo----roaming everywhere;
giriShThaaH----giri---speech and is from the root
verb gir; giriShThaaH---who is present inside all
the words or expressions from which the universe
is created
giri also means ‘mountain’ or head as the ‘words’
or ‘speeches’ are processed from the head.
Thus ‘gir’ in Hindi language means to ‘fall’ as the
words and also the senses are falling down from
the brain to the throat and to the limbs.
yasyoruShu triShu vikramaNeShu----yasya (in
whose) triShu (three) uruShu (thighs /wide
expanses) vikramaNeShu (vi=
particular; kramaNa= motion creating sequence
and periodicity)

adhikShiyaMti (dwell/live) bhUvanaani (the worlds)
vishvaa (universe/all)----live all the worlds.
(Consolidated meaning)
Perfectly that viShNu is lauded.
By his vigour (and) formidableness, (the worlds
are) moving in a spree of awe-inspiring
annihilation; (he is) roaming everywhere; (he is)
within all the words (that create).
In his three wide expanses and three motions
(creating three sequences), live the worlds of the
universe. (Rik Veda 1.154.02).
For the verses of urugaaya viShNu, refer Rik Veda
verses in 1.154 (Rik Veda, Madala 1, Sukta 154.)
34. urvashii and puruuravas
puruuravas also puruu-ravaa was the son
of budha and iilaa. With every expression of
Consciousness, with every expression of the word,
we are becoming a separate identity or formation
in Consciousness as that ‘word’ or expression of
Consciousness. puruuravas means the one who is
crying much or loudly. puru/puruu means ‘many’
and ravas/rava means ‘sound’ or more precisely
‘outward or physical sound in which the
Consciousness remains covered by the exhibit of
the expression’; it is like the body or the shell

which has obscured the Consciousness or
animation within. (The shell or the body itself is
also Consciousness materialized as a physical
entity.)
puruu / puru means ‘many’ or ‘prolific’. We
are puruuravas (also puruu-ravaa). In every
moment, we are coming out of the Consciousness,
from the Oneness (aatman) in our core, as an
expression, as a different personality at that
moment. Each such expression is a sound
or rava and every expression which we become,
we feel it or we listen to that expression/sound
/rava; this is the process of simultaneous speaking
and hearing (what is spoken), always happening in
us. Thus, in every moment of our existence, that
moment is brought to us by the mother
Consciousness, and she (as consort
or shakti) merges with us and that makes us to
‘know’ / ‘feel’ or ‘enjoy’ that moment. But as we
are puruuravas / puruuravaa, we are not aware
that Consciousness is our every moment, that
divinity is the spirit of our every moment. So,
though urvashii/ uurvashii comes at every
moment, she departs also, as we remain mortal
and she remains divine.
Thus in the Rik Veda Verse 10.95.1, puruu-ravaa is
pleading urvashii to reconsider her departure to
heaven as below:

haye jaaye (hey my wife) manasaa (by mind
/decide) tishTha (stay) ghore (self-absorbed)
vacaaMshi (words) mishraa (together)
kRiNavaavahai (let us do) nu (now)
na (not) nou (our) mantraa (words/thoughts)
anuditaasa (unexpressed) ete (these) mayaskaran
(causing delight) paretare (in the bygone)
chanaahan (moreover- not- days)
(puruu-ravaa to urvashii): Hey my wife, mind to
stay! (Ye) self-absorbed, let us now talk the words
together. Moreover, these unexpressed thoughts of
ours in the bygone days have not caused any
delight.
In the next verse, urvashii is making the following
reply:
kimetaa (what) vaachaa (with these words)
kRiNavaa (I do) tavaahaM (tavaa-of yours; aham--
-I am) praakramiShamuShasaamagriyeva (pra
akramiSham—verily I move; uShasaam agriyeva –
ahead like Ushaa{ the goddess of dawn} )
pUruravaH (pUruravaa) punarastaM (punaH –
again; astam— set or descend down; at
home/dwelling) parehi (paraa---former + ihi --
- return to former---turn back) duraapanaa
(difficult to obtain;,dur—difficult; aapna----to

obtain;) vaataivaahamsmi ( vata—wind; iva—like;
aham asmi--I am; I am like the wind)
(urvashii to puruu-ravaa): “What am I to do with
these words of yours? Verily I move ahead like
Ushaa (the goddess of dawn); puruuravaa, turn
back and again be at your dwelling; I am like the
wind, difficult to be owned.”
(I quote below the translation of the above verses
by Shri. Raphel Griffith:
“Ho there, my consort! Stay, thou fierce-souled
lady, and let us reason out for a while together.
Such thoughts as these of ours, while yet
unspoken in days goneby have never brought us
comfort.”
“What am I now to do with this thy saying? I have
gone from thee like the first of Mornings.
Puruuravas, return thou to thy dwelling: I, like the
wind, being difficult to capture.”)
35. Gandharva named chitraratha.
We have clarified before the meaning of the
word ratha (chariot), and also the role of the sun
and the eyes as the source of vision/ expression
and motion /time. In the epic Mahabharata, an
event between
Gandharva chitraratha and arjuna has been

mentioned. chitraratha delivered a
knowledge/faculty to arjuna; this faculty/
knowledge is called chaakShuShii vidya.
chaakShuShii is an adjective of the
word chakShu meaning ‘eye’. So, chaakShuShii
vidya means ‘the divine faculty of the
vision’. chitraratha means the ‘ratha’/chariot or the
motion from which chitra/images are generating.
While bestowing this vidya/(knowledge)/ faculty,
Gandharva told arjuna that he (arjuna) will be able
to view anything in the earth or heaven at his will.
Thus, this is related to the vision and motion of
Universal Consciousness that has been narrated in
the earlier sections of this article.
34.Apsara tilottamaa (Refer the epic Mahabharata,
Adi parva >Arjun vanavaasa parva >Chapter 203
and 204.)
Apsara tilottamaa was created by the
god vishvakarmaa who represents the ‘hands of
the Universal Consciousness’ by which everything
is made. vishvakarmaa created her by the
ingredients which are the minutest as well as the
supreme quality of every entity of the universe.
vishvakarmaa was instructed to
create tilottamaa by brahmaa, who is the
personification of the divine mind.

tilottamaa was made by the finest
(uttama) and minutest (tila) gem (ratna) of every
entity in the three worlds ( (bhU= the physical or
material world; bhuva = the inner world that acts
as a connection between the material world or
divinity; sva = the divinity i.e. the world where
self-illumination, self -expression dominates----
where one is not dependent on others or who are
different from the one.)
Each of us is made of mind (mana/manas),
feelings/attachments (hRidaya/heart/praaNa), and
spirit/faculty of expression (vaak), and beyond
these three states of us, we are in the form of
‘immutable soul’ or our ‘immutable, perpetual’
form is existing. So, if we are reduced to our
elemental form, we are reduced to an immutable
form which is also
called aNu (atomic) aatmaN (soul). This is the
minutest (tila) and most precious gem (ratna) to
be found in every entity; everything, every entity
is turned into a minutest and supreme gem when it
is seen along with aNu aamaN. tilottamaa is thus
made of all the supreme and minutest gems of the
three worlds. The expression of the Universal
Consciousness holding every entity as its soul
within it is tilottamaa. This aspect of the Universal
Consciousness is mentioned as ratnadhaa (who is

holding gems) while invoking agni (refer Rik Veda
verse 1.1.1).
(In this context it is to be noted that the soul in
every individual or aNu aatmaN, is also the
Universal Soul or the Universal-One; when
observed in an entity or any individual, Universal
Consciousness is called aNu aamaN (also pratyak
aatmaN). The Universal Soul is called akShara
aatmaN.
Thus, there is this hymn in Svetasvatara
Upanishad as below:
“sUkShaatisUkShmaM kalilasya madhey vishvasya
sraaShTaaram anekarUpam |
vishvasyaikaM pariveShTitaaraM j~naatvaa shivam
shaantim atyantam eti ||” (Svetasvatara
Upanishad, verse 4.14.)
The meaning of the verse is as below:
sUkShaatisUkShmaM---subtler than the subtle;
sUkSha---subtle.
kalilasya (buds) madhey (within) -----within the
buds (kali) of time (kaala)
vishvasya (of the universe) sraaShTaaram
(creator)----the creator of the universe

anekarUpam ---aneka (multiple) rUpam (forms)---
-has multiple forms.
vishvasyaikaM (of the universe) ekam (one)
pariveShTitaaraM (embracing)
j~naatvaa(knowing) shivam(shiva—in whom
everyone rests) shaantim(peace)
atyantam(supreme) eti (arrives).
“The creator of the universe has multiple forms (as
observed) within the buds (kali) of time (kaala).
The sole embracer of the universe (he is), and by
knowing shiva (creator in whom everyone rests)
(one) attains perpetual peace.” (Svetasvatara
Upanishad, verse 4.14.)
Thus, tilottamaa was the cause of the destruction
of the two demon (daitya) brothers
called sunda and upasunda. Demon
or daitya means the personality who is occupied
with the sense of diti or duality.
The word sunda can be broken as sa (saha/with)
+und+a (und—to flow;undana—flowing and
anointing. So, sunda means the one who is flowing
and anointing, moistening.
upsunda =upa (along with) + sunda = along with
/together with sunda.

In Consciousness, one is an expression and
another is the one who observes or senses the
expression. They are always together in an
inseparable brotherhood. The word sundara means
‘beautiful or good looking. So, sunda and upasunda
are the beautiful universe and its observer. In
reality, the two entities are the same. The observer
and what is being observed are the same, and so
also the faculty of the observation; all are the
aspects of the Consciousness and needed to
complete the act of ‘observation’. As long as the
duality remains, the act of ‘observation’ remains as
a compulsion.
37. The deity kuvera and his associates.
kubera/kuvera---ku+ vera; ku=kusha>kosha---
sheath/treasury; vera---
- body/confinement/barrier.
kubera/kuvera----the divine being who is in charge
of the divine wealth; who keeps or protects the
wealth/soma.
What you have felt, what you have enjoyed, those
remain with you and not only that, whatever will
happen to you in future, whatever soma you are
going to drink, also remains arranged for you.
These all remain in the custody of kuvera.

kubera/kuvera heads the beings
called yakSha. yakSha= ya + kSha; ya
=yamana or control; kSha = decay/consumption --
--those who regulate the consumption or those
who regulate the treasury. Yakshas are associates
of kuvera. As mentioned
earlier, sThUlaakarNa, who was a yakSha, lent his
maleness to shikhaNDin (also
called shikhaNDinii as a female).
There is another clan called kiMnara, who are also
associates of Gandharvas and who also could
naturally change personalities and
gender. kiMnara means “kiM (what kind
of) nara (person)”.
There is another species called raakShasa who
protects the acquired wealth. The word rakShasa is
from the two words rah and kSha. rah means ‘to
leave or keep separated’; kSha = decay
/consumption (keeping wealth isolated to protect
from decay or consumption or
loss.) So raakShasa means the one who retains
the wealth to themselves.
These are all the personalities of the Universal
Consciousness and we inherit our personalities
from these Universal beings.
kuvera and his associates like yakSha, kiMnara are
devotees of

Soma, Gandharva, and the other divine beings in the Universal Consciousness.

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