The Four Kings, Part 3

Continuing my pilgrimage from earlier, I discover bhaga-savitr, fourth and last of the great Kings.

Familiar to those hindus who practice the sandhi rites are two closing invocations to the Godhead called savitr, which run as follows:

अद्या नो देव सवितः प्रजावत् सावीः सौभगम् ।
परा दुःष्वप्न्यं सुव॥

विश्वानि देव सवितर्दुरितानि परा सुव ।
यद्भद्रं तन्न आ सुव ॥

adyā no deva savitaḥ prajāvat sāvīḥ saubhagam
parā duḥṣvapnyaṁ suva

viśvāni deva savitarduritāni parā suva
yadbhadraṁ tanna ā suva

They mean:

“Today (adya), O savitr (deva savitaḥ)
Send forth on us fruitful (prajāvat) felicity (saubhagam)
Dismiss (parā suva) what belongs to the evil dream (duḥṣvapnyaṁ)

O Divine producer, dismiss all evils (duritāni)
What is the auspicious good (bhadram), send forth that on us”

The invocation forms a part of the hymns of the atri ṛṣis (at 5.82.4 and 5.82.5, revealed to the ṛṣi śyāvāśvaḥ ātreya) and is addressed to surya, the chosen emblem of vedic symbolism, in his form as bhaga-savitr. So, who is this bhaga?. He is the godhead who is the enjoyer in man – all enjoyment, mortal and divine, comes from him.

The ideal embodied in the veda is one of inclusiveness – of all life and all joy, the wideness and plentifulness of the earth, the vastness and abundance of heaven, the treasures of the mental (manomaya), vital (pranamaya) and physical (annamaya) existence uplifted, purified and perfected in the form of an infinite truth. It is this all-inclusive felicity or plenitude referred to as rayim aśnavat and its enjoyment thereof that is the gift to us of bhaga-savitr.

It is bhaga, whom we address and invoke in the first of the invocations to send forth on us the fruitful felicity. He is savitr, the Creator, who brings forth from the unmanifest Divine, the truth of a divine universe, dispelling from us the evil dream of a lower consciousness in which we constantly falter amidst the confusing web of truth and falsehood. An infinite beatitude possessing and enjoying all without division, fault or sin is the creation of bhaga-savitr.

Evil is not characteristic of human life on earth. It is the outcome of an incorrect reaction, due to the workings of an ignorant nature. As this shadow of ignorance is dissipated by the advent of the Lord of Enjoyment, right movements form themselves and wrong movements are corrected or eliminated.

Thus do the four Kings find themselves fulfilled with their infinite Mother by the delightful perfection in man of bhaga the Enjoyer, the youngest and greatest of them all. The divine creation of the fourfold savitr founded on varuna, combined and guided by mitra, achieved by āryamān, is finally enjoyed in bhaga. Therefore does aditi, the infinite Mother realise herself in the human being by the birth and works of her four glorious children.

Peace
S

Lady Fantasy

On the lines of the immediately last post, another 70s favorite tune of mine from the progressive rock group Camel's classic album, Mirage. I love Camel's works, especially the self titled debut album, Mirage and the Snowgoose. Here's Lady Fantasy.


Listen very carefully, my words are about to unfold
Concerning a lady I've seen but I never could hold
I can see by your smile
Take a long while
The words that come through
I see that they're true
For she reminds me of you.

Don't misunderstand me, it's not always easy to say
The words in your head and your heart that you just can't explain
I can see clearly
A face in the sky
Moon's in your eye
You're passing me by
Tell me the reason why

I can see clearly
A face in the sky
Moon's in your eye
You're passing me by

Saw you riding on a moon cloud
Saw you walking on a whirlpool
From the corner of my eye
I saw you

Saw you sitting on a sunbeam
In the middle of my daydream
Oh my Lady Fantasy
I love you.

(c) 1974, Camel and Decca Records

Persephone

Persephone remains one of my favourite songs from the 1970s era. Originally composed and sung by Wishbone Ash, one of the rock super-groups of that decade, the entire lyrical arrangement has a tone to it that is truly representative of the era. I have been listening to this haunting melody for the last few days and just wanted to put the lyrics down here [no special feat that, hurr hurr hurr] but hey... here's Persephone.

There's a light that shines on Persephone,
Always a fire in her eyes,
And the last time that I went to her
I could tell things weren't right.

I just don't care to see your years go wasting,
There's no longer magic in your eyes.

In your time, you could outshine everybody else around,
But your off-stage ways might be a bore -
You take a bow, you take a fall.

I came to be here in the footlights,
To live with you through every song,
And your face displays a peaceful field.
I can't believe the curtain has to fall.

Now I know your years were never wasted,
Tonight I saw the magic in your eyes.

(c) 1974, Wishbone Ash and MCA