Reading Notes Part A: Week 12

Gods and Goddesses: The Secrets of Vishnu





A painting of Mohini (Vishnu in his female form)
wikimedia


1. Mohini Part 1: Metaphysics

  • "Spiritual growth does not need material growth"
  •  Mohini is the female for of Vishnu and she seduces men and musician
  •  Spiritual reality is not perceived through the senses and represented by male form, so by Vishnu
  • Aspara ( another god) wants to distract people from spiritual reality and Mohini wants to attract people to living by the spirit within
  • Spiritual reality is the central goal of Vishnu
  • humans are given a special place in nature over all other things because they can reflect and discover infinity, human life is special (Metaphysics in philosophy)
  • Without material reality, spiritualist reality cannot be realized, and vice versa (interdependence) 
  • Explained by the interdependence of woman and man in marriage
  •  Vishnu sustains the world and has no role without Lakshmi (one cannot exist without the other) 
  • women represents material value and many people think that this makes for a more man-dominated society, but this is false 
  • a woman gives form to life when she is withchild, and the man is the trigger for life. One cannot exist without the other. 
  • Woman body is best suited for represented material reality because she is the one that gives form to a child, and represented by the color red (blood) on the Mark of Vishnu
  • Spirituality is represented with white because of bones (bones hold the body together and give support), both are drawn upward for symbolizing growth
  • Vishnu means "that which to expands" 
  • Material growth_; to please the senses, relationships, prosperity, and art appreciation. but they are impermanent and cease to pleasure the mind (this is where stress comes from and it creates greed) 
  • Spiritual reality is how to deal with those emotions when the material things do not fully satisfy us
  • Mark of Vishnu is places on the head, two white lines of spiritually and red life of material growth
  • 1st step to get spiritual reality is to be born a human 
  • When we dream we do not have a sense of time (represented by the number zero)
  • Vishnu has a serpent that represents the 3 states of awake, sleep, and consciousness


2. Mohini Part 2: 


  • Brahma is the child slipping out of the mother's womb and he has new experiences with nature
  • Sees himself as distinct and knows nature and is very self-aware
  • marks the birth of finite consciousness of men (Brahman) 
  • Acknowledgement of the finite truth and the desire for the infinite truth
  • Brahma shows that nature is always changing and restless (changing with time) 
  • the sun rises, waves, animals migrate, and everything that is born must die (unlike when a baby is in the womb)
  • Brahma's mind is blessed with imagination; he is able to imaging Shatarupa dancing and it makes him very happy
  • He also imagines death, and that frightens him; he passes it to all other living things (thats what Brahma is not worshipped and why babies cry when they are born)
  • Vishnu does not fear death because he is immortal, yearning for comfort gave birth to a goddess: Maya
  • Maya is an aspect of material reality and exists after Brahma (his daughter) but he doesn't know she is his daughter
  • He needs her in order to deal with Prakriti and judge her as good or bad (he is no longer intimidated and makes him feel powerful)
  • Maya is constantly changing forms, what is good in one person others see bad. Beauty is subjectvie
  • Now people wonders what the point of life is, and what really is the truth and what is not
  • Maya is measuring: without it Brahma is lost, with it, he has meaning and direction
  • This makes life more than survival, it makes a 'quest for meaning' and this is what society is formed one 
  • When Brahma is asleep, he has no sense. It is called Yoganitira. You don't remember anything about your present life or yourself when you are in a deep sleep
  • subjective reality is reborn when you are awake





Bibliography: Pattanaik, Devdutt.  Vishnu Videos. 2011.

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