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Adhibhoota, adhidaivat and adhiyagna

 

What is adhibhoota (entity)?

what is adhidaivat (predestination)?

What is adhiyagna (prime offering)?

And who is in this body?

And how do those who have mastered their senses recognize you when their time to go (death) comes?

Adhibhoota (the primal being or entity)-

The way clouds appear and disappear in the sky, in the same way its existence is superficial, and non-existence is the real state. It comes into manifestation (expressed state) only when the five great spirits (the panchmahabhootas) combine and give it a visible form and diminishes when the time of destruction comes.

Adhidaivat – The essence of life referred to as the ‘Purusha’ (jeev), the eye of vitality, who enjoys pleasures produced by the creative force (Prakruti). He looks after the intellect and presides the kingdom of senses and is a tree for the birds of desires to rest when the body of five elements is destroyed. The supreme soul in essence but separated from it as it remains in the pride sleep. In a dream he becomes satisfied or unsatisfied- he is referred as the ‘soul’ in the body. and as he is the prime diety of the body of five elements, he is called ‘Adhidaivat’.

Says Krishna- I am adhibhoota and I am adhidaivat, and also adhiyagna. but since (until) these remain hidden in the veil of ignorance- they should be considered separate from me.

Adhiyagnya (Shri Gyaneshwara elaborates in a metaphoric way)- When the fire of senses is ignited using fuel of detachment, and the offering of sensory pleasures is made in that fire. A platform of steady posture (vajrasan) is made in which yagna is to take place (Gyaneshwara suggests some postures). Thus, controlling of mana and prana vaayu (kind of vital air element in the body) as the celebration of this Yagna- the final fire of knowledge thus obtained is satisfied (by offerings and chantings). Finally, this knowledge is also offered to the fire for it to disappear into the knowledge of Brahma- and so, what remains in the end, is only the Brahm. And this yagna is called the adhiyagna.

Thus, when Maya is burnt- the knowledge that burns it also gets burnt.

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