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<title>Ushasti Chakrayana </title>

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<span style='font-weight:700'><font size="4">Ushasti
Chakrayana </font> <span style='mso-tab-count:1'><font size="4">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
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		<p align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center;line-height:150%; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0">&nbsp;</p><i>
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<p class=MsoNormal align=right style='text-align:center;line-height:150%;
mso-pagination:none;tab-stops:33.8pt;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:
none; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0'>(Chhandogya Upanishad)<o:p></o:p></p>

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none;tab-stops:15.8pt;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0'>
<span
style='font-size:14.0pt;'><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p>

<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:
none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0'>T<span style='font-size:
10.0pt'>HIS</span> is the story of Ushasti Chakrayana, Ushasti the son of
Chakra. But could it be that the name means one who drives a wheel, like
Shakatayana<span class=GramE>,the</span> driver of sakata, the
bullock­cart? Or is it something similar to Kamalayana, one who tends or enjoys
a kamala, the lotus, <span class=GramE>lotus</span>-eater? The
Chakra or wheel here might be the potter's wheel, or it might as well be the
spinner's wheel or Charkha. Does the name then mean something like one who owns
or plies a Charkha, just as we term Kamliwalla an ascetic with a Kambal or
blanket? However that may be, here is the story.<o:p></o:p></p>

<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify;text-indent:.15in;line-height:
150%;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0'>The
Kuru country where Ushasti had his abode was hit by a natural calamity.
Homeless, he wandered about with his young wife in search of food. On reaching
the <st1:place><st1:PlaceType>village</st1:PlaceType> of <st1:PlaceName>Ibhya</st1:PlaceName></st1:place>,
he found someone belonging to the village busy eating mouthfuls of beans.
Goaded by acute hunger he begged a few grains of this man. The man said,
&quot;Some leavings still sticking to my pot are all that I have.&quot; Ushasti
said in reply, &quot;I will be happy to have even that little&quot;, and he
took what the villager offered him. After he had finished eating, Ushasti was
asked, &quot;Would you have some water?&quot; To this he replied, &quot;But that
would mean drinking your leavings.&quot; The villager said, &quot;But you have
already eaten the beans, they too were my leavings.&quot; Ushasti an­swered,
&quot;Those I took for the sake, of my life, or else I would have starved to
death. The water is another <span class=GramE>matter,</span> one can do without
it yet<span style='font-family:Arial'>.&quot;<o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p>

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<span style='font-size:10.0pt;'>Page-157<o:p></o:p></span>&nbsp;</p>

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<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify;text-indent:11.0pt;line-height:
150%;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0'>Ushasti
had not eaten up all the beans. He had kept some and with these he returned to
his wife and handed them to her. The wife was more clever or perhaps more
lucky. She too had in the meantime been out begging and obtained a few things.
To these she added what the husband gave and kept them all away.<o:p></o:p></p>

<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify;text-indent:11.25pt;line-height:
150%;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0'>Next
morning, on getting up from bed, Ushasti said to his wife, &quot;I am feeling
awfully hungry. If there was some­thing to eat, I would get some strength, and
then I could present myself before the king. He is celebrating a sacrifice and
might perhaps get me a place among the chanters of the hymns.&quot; The wife
was not a person to be confounded, she said with a smile, &quot;Well, here is
some food for you, eat it up.&quot; Thanks to his wife, Ushasti had a good bite
and, feel­ing hale and hearty, set off for the place of sacrifice. There he sat
among the chanting priests, listened to them for a little while in silence,
then he called the Prastota, the priest who chanted the introductory hymns, and
said, &quot;O Prastota, if one chants these introductory hymns without know­ing
the divinity that presides over the hymns, the head falls off.&quot; The same
words he repeated to the Udgata, who re­cited the udgitha or hymns
of the middle: &quot;O Udgata, if one recites the udgitha hymns
without knowing the divinity who presides over those hymns, he too loses his
head.&quot; Finally, he called the Pratiharta as well, the one who uttered the pratihara
or conluding hymns, and said, &quot;O Pratiharta, one who utters the pratihara
hymns without knowing their presiding divinity loses his head in like
manner.&quot; All the priests accepted with bowed heads in due reverence these
words of Ushasti.<o:p></o:p></p>

<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify;text-indent:12.2pt;line-height:
150%;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0'>The
performer of the sacrifice, on whose behalf the sacrifice had been arranged,
was struck by the wisdom of Ushasti, and he said, &quot;Lord, who are you? I
want to know about you.&quot; Ushasti replied, &quot;I am Ushasti
Chakrayana.&quot; The sacrificer now exclaimed, &quot;Then it is you I have
been looking for! These men had to be engaged because I could not find<o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p>

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<span style='font-size:10.0pt;'>Page-158<o:p></o:p></span>&nbsp;</p>

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<p class=MsoBodyText style='tab-stops:258.95pt; line-height:150%; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0' align="left"><span class=GramE>your</span>
whereabouts. Now be pleased to take charge of the chanting.&quot; Ushasti said,
&quot;Very well, it will be as you say. Let them now chant the hymns according
to my directions.&quot; In this way, Ushasti agreed to take charge of the
chanting, but he added this proviso, &quot;Now that I have taken charge of your
work, you would not forget about my fees I hope. You may give me whatever
amount you would have given to these priests, I do not want more.&quot; The
sacrificer&nbsp; gladly accepted this proposition. &nbsp;<span style='mso-tab-count:1'>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>.<o:p></o:p></p>

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<p align="left" class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 150%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then the first of the chanting priests, the Prastota,
came up to Dshasti and asked him, &quot;Lord, you said that one who recited the
introductory hymns without knowing their deity would lose his head. What then
is that deity?&quot; Ushasti replied, &quot;That deity is Prana – the
Life-force. Life is the origin of all, in it they all dissolve. Life is the
godhead of the introductory hymns; if one does not know what Life is, and
utters these <span class=GramE>hymns,</span> his head is bound to fall
off.&quot; Next the Udgata came to him and put him his question: &quot;Lord,
you said that one who recites the udgitha hymns without knowing
their presiding deity loses his head. Tell me, O Lord, who is that
divinity?&quot; &quot;Aditya, the Sun is that deity. The whole creation raises
a paean to Him as he ascends the skies. This Aditya is the godhead of the udgitha.
If you sing the udgitha without knowing Aditya, then, as
I have warned you, your head will surely fall off.&quot; Finally, the
Pratiharta priest came to him and said, &quot;Lord, you said that if I
performed the concluding rites without knowing the divinity who presides over
them, <span class=GramE>then</span> my head was certain to fall off. Lord, I
want to know who <span class=GramE>is that deity</span>?&quot; Ushasti replied,
&quot;Anna – Matter – Food is that deity. All these creatures find their
sustenance by gathering food. Hence Food is the presiding deity of the
concluding rites. If you recite the concluding hymns without knowing what Food
is, your head will certainly fall off.&quot;<span style='mso-tab-count:1'>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<div class=Section1>

<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify;text-indent:7.9pt;line-height:
150%;mso-pagination:none;tab-stops:205.65pt 258.95pt;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0'>In this manner Ushasti gave the teaching about the
Triple Principle, the Trinity represented by Life, Mind and<o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p>

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<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center;mso-line-height-alt:
8.15pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none;
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<span style='font-size:10.0pt;'>Page-159<o:p></o:p></span></p>

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<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:
none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0'>Body; Bhuh,
Bhuvah, Svar, that is, Earth, Sky and Heaven. He gave an indication of
these three levels of manifested being, the triple world of this universe, <span
class=GramE>spoke</span> of the divinity that presides over this Triplicity.
First of all <span class=GramE>comes</span> the God of Life. This is the deity
that is invoked at the outset, has to be so invoked in every act, in all
ceremonial function, even in the effort at an inner perfection. He is the <span
class=GramE>Creator,</span> all that is manifested has Him for its driving
power, sarvam ejati nihsrtam. Creation begins with a vibration of this
Life - Force. The first thing necessary is to infuse Life into things. When we
worship a divine image, we begin the rites with an invocation to this
Life-force to enter the image; what was just an idol is awakened to life by the
infusion of this Force. Life and Life-Force, this comes first. Next comes
consciousness, knowledge, light, that is, the Sun-God, Aditya, and ordinarily,
mind is His field. But by itself force is not enough, knowledge is not enough;
this force and this light have to be embodied and given a form, they have to
take physical shape with matter as the basis; they have to become an integral
part of this earth of matter. Force and Light and Being are the three cosmic
Principles, and. they have three Deities presiding over them. In establishing
them in their unity in his awakened being man finds his entire and all round
fulfilment.<o:p></o:p></p>

<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify;text-indent:12.45pt;line-height:
150%;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0'>You
may notice here one thing. Many of these Rishis in the Upanishads are found
sometimes using a threat that if anything or anyone deviated from the truth or
the accepted norm, &quot;the head would fall off&quot;. It seems to mean this.
If one commits an error or there is a fault in the course of one's spiritual
effort and if one continues on the wrong path without acknowledging the error or
shortcoming, then it implies a movement, a gesture against the Truth and the
Right, and this default carries in itself the possibility of a derange­ment of
the head. The actual physical calamity befell an ancient seeker, Shakalya; we
already know that story. In this age we do not perhaps come across an actual
physical<o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p>

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<span
style='font-size:10.0pt;'>Page-160<o:p></o:p></span></p>

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<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:
none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0'><span class=GramE>instance</span>
of such a mishap; but we are certainly familiar with something analogous, a
derangement of the brain instead of the physical falling off of the head. As
the Mother has said, the spiritual force is a kind of fire, to play with this
fire without an inner devotion and sincerity invites dangers of this sort.<o:p></o:p></p>

<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify;text-indent:9.6pt;line-height:
150%;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0'>Let
me here draw your attention to another <b>–</b> a rather interesting <b>–</b> aspect
of this story; it is both amusing and instructive. Ushasti is the example of a
man who, though a Rishi with a true knowledge of the Reality and a powerful <span
class=GramE>realisation,</span> is in other respects, in normal life, a
perfectly incapable and helpless man; his capacity for an inner life seems to
be matched by his incapacity in the outer. He had to bring himself down to the
level of an abject beggar in his ordinary life; at every step he had to depend
on his wife's assistance, without her co-operation he found it an unmana­geable
affair to procure even a grain of rice for the mainte­nance of life. It would
not of course be logical or proper to conclude from this that the Rishis had
need of their wives for this as the sole or primary purpose: the word
&quot;life ­partner&quot; used for the spouse does imply a help-mate or means
for the sustenance of life, but it carries no derogatory sense.<o:p></o:p></p>

<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify;text-indent:10.05pt;line-height:
150%;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0'>In
those days there was in many cases an indifference towards the things of
worldly life. This led to a certain weakness and poverty in this respect.
Perhaps it was due to the necessity of an exclusive preoccupation with and con­centration
on the inner life. Only one or two Rishis like Yajnavalkya for instance had
demanded an equal fullness and power. <span class=GramE>in</span> the outer as
in the inner life. Yajnavalkya's great dictum that he had need for both, ubhayam
eva, was indeed uttered in no uncertain terms and without hesita­tion in
the presence of all. The first and foremost aim of the Rishis was to acquire an
inner mastery, what they called the realisation of self-rule, svaraya-siddhi.
But a certain fullness of the outer life as well was not entirely beyond
their ken;<o:p></o:p></p>

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<span
style='font-size:10.0pt;'>Pafe-161<o:p></o:p></span></p>

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<p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0'><span class=GramE>this</span> they called the
realisation of outer empire, samrajya­ siddhi. These two, the
rule over self and the domination of the outer life, svarajya and
samrajya, would constitute the integral realisation of the
integral man.<o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p>

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<span
style='font-size:10.0pt;'>Page-162<span
style='font-size:10.0pt;color:blue'><o:p></o:p></span>&nbsp;</span></p>

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