Tantric texts are based on the doctrine that the body is identical to the universe. Vishnu is seen as the supreme purusha who has no beginning or end and is both with a form and formless. Lakshmi becomes the moola prakriti or shakti of Vishnu. Purusha (Vishnu) and Prakriti (Lakshmi) are inseparable and their union lead to creation of the universe. Lakshmi Tantram describes an expansion of Lakshmi (Sri) in the form of Agni and calls it kriya shakti and mentions that Sudarsahana manifests from this kriya shkati of ‘Sri’. Laksmi tantram also says that this form of kriya shakti: as Sudarshana creates, protects and destroys this universe. Creation begins when the kriya shakti of ‘Sri’ merges with ‘Purusha’. So the form of Sudarshana chakra with Narasimha behind maybe seen as a form of Narasimha (purusha) with the ‘Sri’ shakti to jointly take the form of Lakshmi Narasimha. Lakshmi and Vishnu are inseparable and creation may be visualized as none other than Sudarshana Narasimha or Lakshmi Narasimha. So to summarize, universe or this creation is verily a form of Lakshmi Narasimha. Source: World Wide Web
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Among Brahma's many sons was one Narada. Narada refused to marry. He did not want anything to do with the material world. Like Suka, he preferred the realm of Narayana, when time and space do not exist, where Maya casts no spells. He went a step further; he encouraged Brahma's other sons to stay celibate like him. He did not see the point of engaging with Prakriti. He did not understand the point of constructing Brahmanda. Many of Brahma's sons agreed with Narada. They also refused to marry. This happened several times, until an enraged Brahma cursed Narada, "you will stay trapped in the material world until you appreciate the value of Maya." Narada went to Vishnu and asked him the meaning of Maya. In response, Vishnu said, "I will explain after you quench my thirst. Go fetch me some water." Narada went to a river to fetch water. But as he was collecting the water, he saw a beautiful girl. He was so drawn to her that he followed her to her village and asked her father for her hand in marriage. The father agreed and the two got married. Before long, Narada was a father and then grandfather and then great grandfather. Narada felt content. Suddenly, dark clouds enveloped the sky. There was thunder, lightning, and rain. The river overflowed, broke its banks and washed away Narada’s house, drowning everyone he loved, everything he possessed. Narada himself was swept away by the river. "Help, help. Somebody please help me," he cried. Vishnu immediately stretched out his hand and pulled Narada out of the water. Back in Vaikuntha, Vishnu asked, "Where is my water?" "How can you be so remorseless? How can you ask me for water when I have lost my entire family?" Vishnu smiled. "Calm down, Narada. Tell me, where did your family come from? From Me. I am the only reality, the only entity in the cosmos that is eternal and unchanging. Everything else is an illusion – a mirage, constantly slipping out of one’s grasp." "You, my greatest devotee, knew that. Yet, enchanted by the pleasures of worldly life, you forgot all about me. You deluded yourself into believing that your world and your life were all that mattered and nothing else was of any consequence. As per your perspective, the material world was infallible, invulnerable, perfect. Narada bowed his head in realization. He knew Maya but had never experienced Maya. Brahma was encouraging his sons to marry so that they experience Maya. Knowledge of Maya is not experience of Maya. Unless one experiences Maya, one will not be able to empathize with those who are trapped in it. Said Vishnu, "you knew all about measuring scales and subjective realities. Yet you forgot all about them as soon as you experienced the material world – home, family, children, and village. Your understanding of Maya and Brahmanda could have helped you in the tumult of pleasure and pain, but it did not. Such is the spell of Maya. Now that you have experienced Maya, I want you to go and meet people, shake up their measuring scales, challenge their subjective realities, until they realize that the only way out of Maya is seeking answers out of material reality. I want you to provoke them into following the spiritual path." Thus Vishnu dispelled Narada’s illusion, bringing him back to the realm of reality and making him comprehend the power of Maya over man. Source: Bhagavatha Purana The Bhagavata Purana describes the story of Narada's spiritual enlightenment as follows: Narada was the primary source of information among Gods, and is believed to be the first journalist on Earth. In his previous birth Narada was a Gandharva who had been cursed to be born on an earthly planet as a sudra for singing glories to the demigods instead of the Supreme Lord. He was born as the son of a maid-servant of some particularly saintly priests (Brahmins). The priests, being pleased with both his and his mother's service, blessed him by allowing him to eat some of their food (prasadam), previously offered to their lord, Vishnu. Gradually Narada received further blessings from these sages and heard them discussing many spiritual topics. After his mother died, he decided to roam the forest in search of enlightenment in understanding the 'Supreme Absolute Truth'. Reaching a tranquil forest location, after quenching his thirst from a nearby stream, he sat under a tree in meditation (yoga), concentrating on the paramatma form of Vishnu within his heart as he had been taught by the priests he had served. After some time Narada experienced a vision wherein Narayan (Vishnu) appeared before him, smiling, and spoke "that despite having the blessing of seeing him at that very moment, Narada would not be able to see his (Vishnu's) divine form again until he died". Narayan further explained that the reason he had been given a chance to see his form was because his beauty and love would be a source of inspiration and would fuel his dormant desire to be with the lord again. After instructing Narada in this manner, Vishnu then disappeared from his sight. The boy awoke from his meditation both thrilled and disappointed. For the rest of his life Narada focused on his devotion, meditation upon and worship to Vishnu. After his death Vishnu then blessed him with the spiritual form of "Narada" as he eventually became known. In many Hindu scriptures Narada is considered a saktyavesa-avatara or partial-manifestation (avatar) of God, empowered to perform miraculous tasks on Vishnu's behalf. Source: wikipedia When Vishnu had accepted the son-ship of that high-souled king, the self-create Lord addressed the celestials saying – “For assisting the heroic Vishnu, firm in promise, always seeking the welfare of us all, do ye create powerful beings, assuming shapes at will, cognizant of illusions, heroic, furnished with celerity of the wind, versed in morality, possessing intelligence, like unto Vishnu in prowess, unslayable, knowing the ways and means of war and peace, gifted with excellent bodies, capable of resisting all weapons and resembling immortals. And from forth the bodies of Apsaris and Gandharvis, and Yakshis, and Pannagis and Rikshis and Vidyadharis and Kinnaris and Vanaris, do ye produce sons wearing the shapes of monkeys. Formerly, I had created the foremost of bears, Jambuvanta, who suddenly came out of my mouth when I was yawning.” Hearing this mandate of his possessing of the six attributes, they began to produce sons endowed with monkey forms. And high souled ascetics and siddhas and vidhyadharas and uragas and charanas generated heroic sons- rangers of wood. And Indra begat as his son, the foremost of monkeys, Vali, resembling the mahendra hill. The best of those imparting heat, the Sun, begat a son, Sugriva. And Brihaspathi begat a son named Taara, the most excellent and intelligent of the prime monkeys. And the bestower of riches begat as his son the graceful ape Gandhamaadana and Vishwakarma begat the mighty monkey named Nala and Agni begat his son, the powerful and graceful Nila in efflugence like unto the fire, who surpassed even his sire in energy, prowess and renown. And the beautiful Ashwini twins endowed with the wealth of loveliness begat Maindra and Dwivida. Varuna begat the monkey named Sushena; and Paryyanya begat Sarava, possessed of great strength. And the wind got begat the graceful monkey named Hanuman, endeued with a frame hard as adamant, in fleetness like unto Vinata’s offspring and most intelligent as well as the most powerful amongst all the principal monkeys. Thus produced, there suddenly came into being by thousands, mighty bears, monkeys and Gopuchakkas of immeasurable strength and heroic and powerful, assuming shapes at will, endowed with bodies resembling elephants of hills – even those who would engage in the compassing of the destruction of the Ten-headed one. And the sons of deities retained distinctly the respective hues, forms and prowess that characterized their several sires. And those that sprang from the Golangulas possessed even more than the might of the gods. Likewise, on Rikshis and Kinnaris were gladly begot thousands upon thousands of monkeys, by gods, and maharshis, and Gandharvas, and Tarkshyas, and famous Yakshas, and Nagas, and Kimpurushas, and siddhas and vidyadharas, and uragas. And upon the principal of apsaris and the vidyadharis and the daughters of the nagas and the gandharvis were begot by the chaaranas as sons, heroic monkeys of gigantic bodies, ranging the forests and living on fruits and roots. And all these monkeys were endowed with strength and could assume shapes and repair everywhere, at will. And they were unto lions and tigers, both in pride and in prowess. And they fought with crags and hurled hills. And they fought with nails and teeth and were accomplished in all weapons. They could move the largest of hills; crush the fixed trees and with their impetus vex the lord of rivers – the Ocean. And they could with their kicks rend the earth and swim over the mighty main. And they could penetrate into the welkin and capture the clouds. And they could subdue mad elephants ranging the forest. And with their roars they could bring down birds singing. Thus came into being “Kotis” of high-souled leaders of monkey herds assuming forms at will. And these became the leaders of the principal monkey-herds; and they in their turn, generated heroic monkeys, and the foremost leaders of the herds. Some of these monkeys began to dwell on the top of the Rikshavana mountain; while others inhabited various other mountains and forests. And all the leaders of the monkey-herds stayed with those brothers, - Sugriva, the son of the fire god Sun, and Vaali, that of Indra, and also with Nala and Nila and Hanuman and other leaders of the monkey-herds. And endowed with the might of Garura and accomplished in fight, they ranges around pounding lions and tigers and the mighty uragas. And the mighty armed Vali of great prowess and redoubtable strength protected by the virtue of his energy of his arms Rikshas and Gopucchakas and monkeys. And this earth, furnished with mountains, and forests and oceans, began to teem with those heroic lords of monkey-herds, inhabiting different places, bearing characteristic marks, resembling masses of clouds or mountain peaks, possessed of mighty strength, and of terrible bodies and visages, - in order that they might assist Raama. Source : Ramayana (Baala Kaanda) |
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