Reading Notes: Narayan's Secret, Part B
Narayan with Lakshmi, his consort. Source: Flickr
- Narayan is a God, in the image, his deep sleep represents the dissolution of the world.
- The universe does not exist when god is sleeping, just as we are not aware of the world when we are asleep.
- world exists and stops existing with the cycles of Narayan's sleep
- Greeks, Christians, Muslims, do not believe in rebirth - have chronic need to be heroes, be "saved" and to surrender to God. Hindus do not have this dillemma because of the rebirth belief.
- we have many lives to live and in different worlds that exist.
- ocean of milk represents possibility
- shesha - serpant - the remainder that remains when everything is destroyed.
- Narayan sleeps on Shesha - when he sleeps, time is still
- Shesha - Adi Shesha or Ananta Shesha, primal or endless remainder
- World exists when Narayan is asleep but no one is aware of its existence
- no observation w/o observer. Observer = Narayan
- consciousness = uncreased paper, beins to crumble when we come to our senses. World becomes impure
- consciousness = Brahma - lotus stalk from Narayan's naval
- Narayan's awakening - creation of the world
- Lakshmi = Narayan's consort - goddess of wealth - nourishes mankind - Go-mata
- Gopal - keeper of the cow
- awake Narayan = Vishnu
- Narad - Rishi - a sage
- Tumbar - celestial musician
- restless Narad = cause of troubles - like provoking people, causes anger, insecurity
- Hanuman - trouble shooter - when world awakens, troubles begin. up to mind to come up with a solution
- Garuda - Vishnu's carrier - Hawk
- Vishnu transforms into humans to make things right
- creation is a result of awareness
- with each creation, something is destroyed
- Pralaya - the end of the world
- death is a comma, not a full stop
- soul cannot be destroyed
- lotus blooms when Narayan awakens - flower or Brahma
- Right side of body - soul and intellect
- left side of body - movement, matter, emotions
Bibliography: Pattanaik, Devdutt. Narayan's Secret. Source.
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