Rise in energy = rise in intelligence
He is the youngest of the Saptarishis. He is like the fire which dispels darkness, ignites intelligence and saves one from Intelligent Energy’s three umblical knots—knowledge (Sat), passion (Raj) and inertia (Tam).
How is knowledge a knot?
The desire to know keeps you tied to the object of knowledge in Intelligent Energy. But, the object of life is to cut off the three knots and remain in the lap of the Intelligent Energy like a suckling and gradually growing up into one’s universal dimension. A + tri—a means negation and tri means the triplet. The triplet is the sat, raj and tam ties of Mother Nature. Therefore, Atri means the saviour who removes the three knots and sets you free.
What Atri says about himself is very significant. He says--
अरात्रिरत्रि: सा रात्रिर्यो नाधीते त्रिरद्य वै।
अरात्रिरात्रिरित्येव नाम मे विद्धि शोभने॥
“The one who sets one free from the triple bondage of nature is called Aratri and the one who saves you from death is called Atri. This way I am Aratri and hence am Atri, O beautiful lady!”
But, we have to understand first what Ratri is. Ratri, where three vibratory currents of nature pour into a resting time. That means where all activities are at rest. At the body level these currents rest in sleep, called Mrityuh—death. At mental level, it is called temporary sleep. At the spiritual level, it is called Samadhi. However, the difference is evident in the three. In the first, there is absence of life, in the second, there is partial absence of outward consciousness, in the third there is complete absence of outward and inward consciousness and presence of superconsciousness. Atri says going beyond the three is what he really accomplishes. The question arises is there any state beyond superconsciousness? Yes, that is All Consciousness. You call it God. I call it Intelligent Energy. There are three kinds of nights one realises. Tamsic is called death. Rajasic is called sleep. Sattvik is called superconsciousness. But, Aratri means going beyond superconsciousness into All Consciousness. Even Ramkrishna Parmahamsa once told Swami Vivekananda that Samadhi is the beginning of the life of spirituality.
His Vedic Contribution
The fifth Rigved Mandal is his creation. His major focus has been on how to harness the Intelligent Energy within and without in order to raise the level of human quality within and in society. What is blocking the progress and perception is the night of ignorance. The night of three kinds as discussed above. It can only be possible if you kindle the energy within you and raise it to the infinite dimension--leaving all three sleeps behind. If one is able to do it then this energy will work for him like the wish-fulfilling cow. He makes it clear that this makes man radiate that energy all around. Such a person is recognised all over and becomes the beacon for others.
These aspects have been beautifully depicted in the mantras 1, 3, 4 and 5. He even says the ones who use the energy the right way are like the blazing sun in the day. They are called vidwan-- the intelligent ones. And on the contrary, the ones who do not, are like the night and are called avidwan. Atri proves beyond doubt that harnessing energy the right way makes you all intelligent and powerful like the sun, whereas the ones who don’t, only remain in the darkness of night. Atri also makes it clear that spirituality is the science of harnessing Intelligent Energy. And the one who does it does good to all as does the sun.
अबोध्याग्नि: समिधा जनानां मति धेनुमिवायतीमुषासम्।
यह्वा इव प्र वयामुज्जिहाना: प्र भानव: सिस्त्रते नाकमच्छ॥
O Intelligent Energy! As you manifest in the firewood and light up the area all round, rise in men like the tree rises leaving the seed above into the sky, growing all around in various branches. The same way you rise up the spine and assume your infinite dimension, become a wishfulfilling cow for all!
Naakam means the space without sorrow. Ujjihahanah, means moving up leaving all ties of sorrow. What will happen then? Ushasam, you will reach the dimension as that of the morning light, after breaking the spell of darkness!
He defines it in the next mantra the purpose of this rise is to leave the avidya, darkness of ignorance forever. He says those who rise up like the fire rises in the firewood, they alone get rid of the darkness of ignorance and glow with the brilliance of that energy, radiating it all around them.
Atri clearly establishes the fact that the more the channelised energy, the more the light and less the ignorance. Rise in energy is rise in intelligence. Therefore, the aim is to realise the Intelligent Energy.
In the mantra 7 of the same Mandal, Atri shows the way as to how to harness the energy and what that does. He says the realised souls can rightly harness the energy from the food grain (digestion, Namobhih, through dilution, digestion), by following the process of reaching the essence (assimilation: ritena), by following the procedures of milk-curd-butter-ghee (conversion, Ghritena). Such people are intelligent ones as they know how to harness the energy everywhere—within and without.
Energy can be extracted from food grain through the process of dilution and digestion. Energy can be extracted by breaking down things to their essence and assimilating the essence. Energy can be harnessed by converting milk into curd, curd into butter and butter into ghee. In the mantra all the processes of extraction of energy for the benefit outside and inside have been detailed. It is a matter of research. But, we are following the processes in the crudest form already. We cut, break and boil things till they digest and release energy. We peel of the skin, throw away the seeds and extract the juice through the process of ritena. We convert energy from milk to curd to butter to ghee. The same processes will apply even in harnessing the energy in the atom. Think!
Next : Who is Jamadagni?
Vivek Sharma