aksaram brahma paramam svabhavo

aksaram brahma paramam svabhavo dhyatmam ucyate
bhutabhavodbhava karo visargah karma samjnitah.     8. 3.

Sri Ramanuja's commentary.
What is designated in the first verse as tad brahma or the supreme spiritual substratum pervading all existence is the aksaram brahma or the supreme indestructible atma or soul. Aksaram is that which is not subject to decay or imperishable and is the collective given by the ksetrajnanis or those knowledgeable of the field of action or the informers of uninformed matter and atma embodied beings. The Subrala Upanishad  II states avyakta the indiscemible compound of spirit and matter merges into the aksara the indivisable compound which descends into tamas or nescience. Parama aksaram is the supreme indestructible atma nature which is completely disengaged from prakriti or the material substratum and not connected to even the aksaram, which comprises even the embodied beings and combines both. the word svabhavo is also called adhyatma and indicates subtle material and its accompanying erratic tendencies. these subtle elements are what adheres to the atma in the descent of the supra subtle quintuple process.
to be continued.

Intellectual Hygienics

Interest yourself chiefly in the progress of your journey and do not look forward to its end with eagerness. Then when you look back you will notice the great distance you have advanced. If you have advanced say only three miles a day at the end of a year you would have covered a 1000 which is considerable. a little added constantly will go a long way to sustain and progress in the bigger picture. Yes we ought to interest ourselves chiefly in the progress of our work, and not to look forward to its end with eagerness for it not only spoils work but spoils life itself.
A truly intellectual philosophy must begin by recognizing the fact that the intellectual paths are infinitely long, that there will always be new horizons beyond the horizon that is before us, and that we must accept a gradual advance as the law of our intellectual life. It is our business to move forward, but we ought to do so without any great feeling of hurry. Our impatiences come mainly from an amateurish doubt about our own capacity, which is accompanied by a fevered eagerness to see the work done, because we are tormented by both hopes and fears so long as the work is in progress. We have fears that it may not turn out as it ought to do, and we have at the same time hopes for its success. Both these causes produce eagerness, and deprive one of tranquility which distinguishes a through workman and which is necessary to thoroughness in the work itself.
This can be experienced in the conduct of most experienced painters in the management of their work, the masterly coolness they exhibit in the management of their work. He will usually have several pictures at a time on the easels a will pass an hour upon one and move to another simply as the state of the pigment invites him. It should be an art in cultivation and not travelling. 

Of Education.

Everything we learn affects the whole character of the mind. and so it is with different ingredients of knowledge which are  so eagerly and indiscriminately recommended. Now how incalculably important becomes the question of proportion in our knowledge, and how that which we are is dependent as much upon our ignorance as our science. example An English author who by great care and labour had succeeded in forming a style which harmonized quiet perfectly with the character of his thinking, and served as an unfailing means of communication with his readers. Every one recognized its simple ease and charm, and he might have gone on writing with that enviable facility had he not studied Locke's philosophical compositions. shortly after this his style changed and lost all its grace, he began to write with difficulty and what he wrote was no more appreciated. another example is of a painter landscapist at that who'es pictorial excellence diminished by too much interest in geology.
Mature life brings so many professional or social duties that it leaves scant time for culture; and those who care for culture most earnestly and sincerely, are the very persons who will economize time to the utmost. Now to read a language that has been very imperfectly mastered is felt to be a bad economy of time. Suppose the case of a man occupied in business who has studied Greek rather assiduously in youth and yet not enough to read it with facility. suppose that this man wants to get at the mind of Plato. He can read the original, but he reads it so slowly that it  would cost him more hours than he can spare, and this is why he has recourse to a transcription. In this case there is no indifference to Greek culture; on the contrary, the reader desires to assimilate what he can of it , but the very earnestness of his wish to have free access to ancient thought makes him prefer it in modern language. The estimate of ancient thinking is not often expressed quiet so clearly or rather openly and yet it is very generally prevalent even among st the most thoughtful people, especially if modern science has had any conspicuous influence in the formation of their minds.

The Physical basis of T I L

Men of great imaginative power are commonly addicted to a habit which is peculiarly dangerous. They work as race horses work, with the utmost intensity of effort during short spaces of time, taxing all their powers whilst the brilliant effort lasts. Eg. Beckford while writing the tale "Vathek" when he was 20 years of age did it in a single sitting spanning three days and two nights. this costhim a serious illness. Some of the best poems by Byron were also written in a similar manner. Most often nature provides a remedy for the recuperative process. the same law can be seen in the carnivora too,  which maintain or recover their capacity for extraordinary effort by intervals of absolute repose. Wordsworth too while composing "White Doe of Rylstone" received a wound in his foot and he observed that the continuation of his literary labour  increased the irritation of the wound, and suspending the work diminished it and complete mental rest produced perfect cure. But Wordsworth health at seventy two was excellent. Another example is Kant the philosopher was in excellent health for nearly 30 years he rose at precisely the same time(minute) his physical machine worked in such regular order. He knew that the regularity of his intellectual life depended entirely on the regularity of the bodily function. Kant's breakfast, which he took at 5 in the morning consisted of a cup of tea and a pipe of tobaco. On this he worked eight hours, he either lectured or wrote and had his lunch at 1 and this was his only meal. he read from six in the evening till a quarter past ten. a second meal would have interfered with his power of attention. He also withdrew his mind from everything requiring effort fifteen minutes before he went to bed. The regularity of his daily walk taken during the afternoon in all weathers and a strict limitations of hours of rest helped in the soundness of his sleep. Few lives can be so minutely regulated without risk of future inconvenience.
Goethe used to work till 11 without taking anything. when he took a cup of chocolate and worked till 1 at 2 he dined and this was an important meal of the day.
Physical exercise, when the constitution is strong to endure it, is by far the best tranquillizer of the nervous system

The Intellectual life.

Intellectual living is not so much an accomplishment as a state or condition of the mind in which it seeks earnestly for the highest and purest truth. It is the continual exercise of a firmly noble choice between the larger truth and the lesser, between that which is perfectly just and that which falls a little short of justice. The ideal life would be to choose thus firmly and delicately always, yet if we often blunder and fail for want of perfect wisdom and clear light, have we not the inward assurance that our aspiration has not been all in vain, that it has brought us a little nearer to the Supreme Intellect whose effulgence draws us whilst it dazzles? Here is the true secret of that fascination which belongs to intellectual pursuits, that they reveal to us a little more, of the eternal order of the Universe, establishing us so firmly in what is known, that we acquire an unshakable confidence in the laws which govern what is not, and never can be, known. 

It appears that all who are born with considerable intellectual faculties are urged towards the intellectual life by irresistible instincts. Many of the intellectual lives known have been hampered by vexatious impediments of the most various and complicated kinds, we are almost always quiet sure to find that they had some great Thwarting difficulty to contend against. An intellectual life is always a contest or a discipline, and the art or skill of living intellectually does not so much consists in surrounding ourselves with what is reputed to be advantageous as in compelling every circumstance and condition of our lives to yield us some tribute of intellectual benefit and force. The school of the intellectual man is the place where he happens to be, and his teachers are the people, books, animals, plants, stones and earth round about him.
The essence of intellectual living does not reside in the extent of science or in perfection of expression, but in a constant preference for higher thoughts over lower thoughts, and this preference may be the habit of a mind which has not any very considerable amount of information. Men have lived intellectually in ages when science had scarcely begun to exist, and when there was but little literature that could be of use as an aid to culture. for example whoever reads English is richer in the aids to culture than Plato was, yet Plato thought intellectually. It is not erudition that makes the intellectual man, but a sort of virtue which delights in vigorous and beautiful thinking. just as moral virtue delights in vigorous and beautiful conduct.

Shankara's slokas

Achutastakam
Balamukundastakam
Bhaja govindam
Govindastakam
Harisharanastakam
Jagganaathaastakam
Kanakadhara stotram
Krishnastakam
LakshminarasimhanKavalambastotram
Lakshminarasimha Pancharatnam
Nandanandana Srikrishnastakam
Narayana stotram
Pandurangastakam
Pavanasuta Pancharatnam
Raghuastakam
Ranganatastakam
Srirama Pancharatnam
Shatpadistotram

Most of or all of Adi Shankara's stotra's are very pleasant to listen to and recite. they rhyme too very well.

The Primordial energy Mantra

The Primordial Energy.

Mantras, their role, their powers and efficacy, have come down from vedic times to modern times, securing material gains and mental peace. In every Hindu household it is the practice to chant or recite mantras to propitiate the gods to secure wealth, happiness and progeny. Mantras are spiritual vibrations, they transform men to realise and to become one with the atman. The mantra sound vibrations were perceived by the ancient rishis at the subtle level. the mantras are knitted in certain meters so as to produce, on chanting, impulses on the human physiology. The metrical sound vibrations caused by the mantra awaken the supernatural energies within the body, which bring about connections with the cosmic vibrations. By repeated chanting of the mantras, vibrations are created again and again which facilitate experiencing cosmic consciousness.
Mantra means that upon which one reflects. Mantras first manifest in the form of sound vibrations. the Mantras are not products of human wisdom but flash of the divine sound waves experienced by the ancient seers who came into supersensuous contact with the universal truth. The Mantras are not mere sound, they possess the energy of the word and are to be articulated. As the mantras are sound vibrations and are oral in character they are learnt by rote. They have three components viz Rishi, Chand and Devata. The mantras are revelations of rishis. they experienced the sound flashed in their mind and expressed themselves in such mantras. they are thus Mantra dishtas not mantra kartas. These ancient seers were endowed with great mental prowess and intellectual capacity to grasp the subtle sound vibrations that were lying suspended in energy forms in the space.
Mantras are spiritual vibrations and not language. Mantras do not communicate information. The mantras are made in the performatory way. Uttering of the Mantra is or is part of the performance of an action. the performatory statements brings about some response in a hearer to establish awareness of some state of affairs. Mantras transform men to realise atman.
veda mantras are written in definite rhythm or chandas. Every varna or syllable has in it power and the syllables are grouped in a particular manner called chandas. There are four padas or foot in any composition of the veda mantra. The number of syllables in one pada measures the metre or chandas. Mantras are addressed to devatas or Gods who are propitiated in order to win their favour and obtain boons or rewards from them. Language unlike mantras are used for communication of thoughts. Language describes the objects and events according to the object perceived of its substance, of its activity, of its stability and of its relationship.
Mantra has the energy and to acquire that energy one should pronounce it knowing its meaning or message. Mantras are not concerned with intellectual contents but upon its emotional, sensitive and effacacious power of moving the will. When the psychic entity is nourished with prayer the power is obtained to get the prayer answered.
Mantras, their role, their powers and their efficacy have survived from the vedic times and are an important factor in the Hindu religious functions and rituals. Human beings find themselves powerless against the frowns of nature.
Mantras or manana is derived from the root manas mind. mantras come into existence by the union of the mind and the vac word. Vedic mantras are thoughts that overflow with love of life and energy for action and take the form of prayer. Vak therefore is the revelation of the soul of the sages. from vak syllables came and collection of syllables is mantra.
Mantras are not products of human wisdom but flash of the divine sparks seen by those eminent men who have come into super sensuous contact with the unseen eternal truth. By concentrating one's mind on such a mantra the devotee invokes the power inherent in the divine intuition and thus purifies his consciousness.
The Mantras are recited, muttered or sung in the vedic rituals. The mantra vibrations caused during the recitation in the Yagnas perforce cause beneficial effect on the nerve centers and the pranic nodes within the body of the human being. mantras are said to be sound or words of power for use in rituals. Mantras therefore, means that which has been thought and has the power to liberate. It is the catalyst that allows the sacred potential of the ritual setting to become a reality. Vedic civilization flourished without literacy. Writing was held in lower esteem than memory or sound or recitation. The Vedic mantras are therefore called sruti (that which is heard). The vedas are learnt by rote to preserve the sacramental character in the rendering of the mantras. The Vedic mantras properly chanted with their intonation only maintain their sound power. The vedic mantras have thus been orally handed down for centuries by memorization and recitation.
The hymns revealed by the rishis varied in the manner and range of expression. some hymns gave expression to the spiritual experience of the ancient seers while others exhibited the profound vedic wisdom of the seers. some hymns were plain and simple easy to understand while others were baffling and obscure.
In the vedic era women were not discriminated from men. We find women rishis also as the revealers of mantras. for eg. Lopamudra, Visvavara Apala, Indrani (wife of Indra)and Yami (Sister of Yama). Surya has revealed the various mantras relating to marriage and these mantras have great significance and are chanted at every marriage. Ghosa propitiated Aswins and they helped her to get youthful beauty and get a rich husband.
The vedic scriptures commonly carry the epithets Ya Ye vam Veda. This is truth. there are many instances in the vedic mantras where the rishis themselves have expressed that the mantras are their own realisations. for instance, in Yajur Veda verse 32.8 the sage Veena experiences and expresses that the universe is one home wherein unites and therefrom issues the whole. The Lord like warp and woof is present underlying the unity.
The mantras are set to certain meters known as chandas. Every varna or syllable has in it a latency of power involved in it. A combination of these syllable or varna - varnamala in a particular order may convey a particular effect also.
Chandas is the metric composition of the Vedic mantras. the Rig and Sama vedas are wholly in verse. Yajur Veda is partly verse and partly prose. the syllables are sometimes strung together in sequence called mantramala. verse in sanskrit is composed of four padas. the foot is calle Pada.Pada is foot of the Veda Purusha. the chandas or vedic meter of a mantra is measured by the number of syllables in it. the unit of syllable is one quarter or a pada. stanza is composed of four padas chandas are number of syllables in each pada. Only vowels and consonants with vowels are reckoned. the syllable should therefore end in vowel. Pure consonants are ignored or excluded. In Ushnik there are seven syllables. those with eight in them are called Anushtup, nine in Brihati, in Pangti there are ten, In trishtup there are eleven, and Jagathi  has twelve. 26 syllables are called Dandakam. The King of mantras is Gayatri.

Chandas          No of Syllables       No of syllables pada wise           swara
Gayatri                 24                        8+8+8                                      Shadja.
Ushnik                  28                        7+7+7                                      Rishab
Anushtup               32                        8+8+8+8                                 Gandara
Brihati                    36                       9+9+9+9                                  Madhyam
Pankti                     40                       10+10+10+10                          Pancham
Trishtup                  44                        11+11+11+11                          Daivat
Jagati                      48                        12+12+12+12                          Nishad

Modifications in meter are possible say if 23  Nichrt Gayatri  if 25 Bhurik Gayathri. etc.

The Mantras chanted at the sacrifices, ceremonial rites, and other samskaras fall under the categories of Veda mantras, Agama mantras, Puranic mantras and Smruta mantras.
Vedic Mantra
Veda is the reverberation of the Brahman or the atma. In each syllable of veda there is vibration which is total knowledge. so by reciting the veda mantra one acquires total knowledge capable of achieving whatever one desires. Subalopanishad says that from the breath of  Virata Purusa came the Rikveda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda and Atharva Veda, Siksha, Kalpa etc.
The Hiranyagarbha after tapas (SElf control) for the purification of the creatures created the mantras comprising the vedas and the karmas or rites. The Brahman created Prana, from prana he created faith, space, air, fire, water, earth, organs, mind and food. From Food he created vigor, self control, mantras, rites, and names of worlds.
Vedic mantras occur in each of the four vedas. Prajapati meditated and issued knowledge, the three Rik, Yajur, and Sama as His own manifestation in the universe. The Vedas are therefore Apaurisheya and they do not have an author either human or divine. They are eternal without a beginning or end. In the beginning the Vedic mantras the sakhas as they were called were in the conglomerate form. The veda is compared to a banyan tree with many branches (sakha) there were 1180 sakhas. Krishna Dwaipayana undertook the task of codifying the various sakhas and putting them in four vedas.
Rik veda               21      Shakala and Bashkala
Yajur Veda          101
Sukla Yajur                     Kanava and Mahayandina
Krishna Yajur                  Taittriya, Maitrayaneya and Kata.
Sama Veda         1000     Gautama and Jaimini
Atharva Veda         50      Paiplaya and Sownaka.

He was therefore named Veda Vyasa after this. The rik sakhas contained various hymns, Yajur sakhas dealt with procedures and formalities relating to conduct and rituals and yajnas. the sama sakhas were collection of hymns rendered in musical form. Atharva sakhas are designed to protect man from dangers and enemies. Veda vyasa having codified the vedas into four categories entrusted the task of propagating the vedas to four of his disciples who were themselves great seers. The veda has three parts the Samhita, Brahmana and the Upanishads.
Samhita is the collection of mantras or hymns in praise of the devatas transmitted orally by the ancient seers from generation to generation. Samhita contains all hymns in praise of the devatas and belong to different kinds of vedic utterances eg. Rk verse, the saman chant and the Yajus formula. Samhita is mantra and it is total knowledge. The Rk samhita contains the hymns in praise of the gods where the seers have poured their emotions in songs. The mantras strictly conform to the laws of metrical composition. These hymns are known as Suktas. The Rig veda contains 1028 suktas and there are about 10589 verses. In the vedic period sacrifices were common. the ritual assumed a formal role and therefore there was a need to regulate them. The work yajur derived from the root 'yaj' denotes sacrifice or ritual procedure. the Yajur veda gives the formulas to be uttered  when the alter is to be erected. this veda gives a practical shape in the form of worship to the various Rk mantras. There are 1975 verses in Yajur Veda comprised in 40 chapters. It also contains hymns in praise of devatas. There is no strict rule regarding number of letters in each line. Some mantras are in prose. Purusa sukta, Sri Rudra and Chamak appear in the Yajur veda. The saman chants the mantras at the sacrifice. It is musical. Sama means (shanthi) peace. The sama veda contains 1875 mantras of which 1800 are virtually repetition of the Rk veda mantras. The sama hymns are rearranged to suit the religious ceremonies in which they were to be employed. while singing the verses are altered by prolongation, repetition and insertion of syllables and their modification. The Atharva veda contains all knowledge of secular sciences. there are 5977 verses comprised in 20 volumes such as tantra, yantra etc. There are about 731 hymns and about one seventh is Rk veda mixed with prose and verse. The mantras are designed to ward off evils and to destroy the enemies. The Atharva veda deals with the practical side of life which men use, like magic, amulets and herbs for removing diseases, evil omens, funerals and the like.
to be continued.