24 Essences of Divinity in You
 

Dear Friends,

Greetings!

Here is a simple explanation of 24 principal essences that are revealed through Naaraayana Stotram along with a few examples to understand them easily.

Lord Naaraayana is a symbolic name. It points to Divinity, which is the Unified Field of awareness and intelligence. It is all pervasive and eternal. We are not different from this Divinity. However out of ignorance, we imagine and feel ourselves limited and miserable. These 24 essences point to that Divinity in us, mirroring our True Divine Nature. This recognition is true purpose of our precious human life.

Before we delve into these essences, we will give a few examples observed in our day to day life.

All of us have seen an ocean with its waves and foams. Are the waves separate from the Ocean? Are the bubbles separate from the Ocean? It is the same water and the same wetness. Is it not? Similarly this Unified Field is like Ocean and we appear as bubbles with constant fear of death and destruction as a bubble can burst any time. Bubble is an appearance. The reality is the Ocean. Similarly we appear as limited awareness in the form of a body. As a body we are constantly worry and fear death any moment. However we are this Field of Pure Awareness. We are eternal and immortal.

Let us take another example. We all have seen so many movies in a cinema hall. We watch this drama for 2 to 3 hours. In this drama, various artists play different roles as per the story line. The artist is so engaged in the role that he forgets his true identity and lives the identity of the role. We too forget about the real artist and identify him as a name and a role, Vijay, the inspector throughout the movie. Is the movie real? It appears so. Actually it is just play of shadows on a two dimensional screen. The movie is recorded in a film which is projected into the screen by a beam light from the projector. By changing the film, we can have a separate set of shadows projected. During the interval the film is without any shadows and we see white light flooding the screen. Though only this light is real, we are so engaged in the story of the drama that we forget about the light and only see illusory shadows.

Same is true in our so called world which is a multi dimensional stage where the film recorded in our memory (Chitta) gets projected into the screen of our mind (Manas). And what we think we are is nothing but a projected shadow. Is it not? Are we these shadows or the Light of Awareness which is projecting these shadows? These shadows born and die as the recording changes in our memory. However the Light of Awareness is eternal and does not go through any change. The movie what we seemingly see is mere dance of shadows. However what actually goes on is dance of the rays of Awareness.

Now, we will discuss and understand each of these twenty four essences of Naaraayana, this Field of Awareness (Brahman). Let us be clear about where each one of these essences is pointing to.

1. Naamateetam: It means beyond a name, that is transcending all names. Each creature has a name. So does every piece of creation. However these waves of creation emerge out of the Ocean of awareness and dissolve into it. This Field of Awareness is beyond all these names. Why? Because each and every name appears on IT. So how can it identify with a single name? It is the Nameless expressing as all other names. You are in reality THAT.

2. Naadateetam: It means beyond a tone, that is transcending all tones. Tone means vibration. Tone means dance. This entire creation appears as nothing but different tones of colours, sounds, feelings, forms etc. This creation is dance of Field of Awareness. And this Field is beyond all these tones. It is toneless expressing as all other tones. You are THAT.

3. Naarangam: It means beyond a role, that is transcending all roles. Each creature and each piece of creation plays a particular role in this stage of World (Rangamancha). But all these roles are expression of the Field of Awareness. And this Field is beyond all roles. It is role-less playing out all other roles. You are THAT.

4. Na Ateetam: It means no past, that is transcending past. Each role in the creation is played in time, from past through present to future. But each moment in time is also an expression of Field of Awareness, which is beyond time. It is the eternal Presence in which all past events are played or remembered. You are THAT.

5. Na Anagatam: It means no future, that is transcending future. Each role in the creation is played in time, from past through present to future. But each moment in time is also an expression of Field of Awareness, which is beyond time. It is the eternal Presence in which all future events are played or projected. You are THAT.

6. Navipadmam: It means a lotus blooming out of navel, that is Manipura chakra. It is the point from where all imaginations arise. Just as lotus is not wet by water in which it remains, so also the Field of Awareness remains unaffected by the illusory creation in time appearing in IT. This Field is pure Presence. You are THAT.

7. Rajyateetam: It means beyond a territory, that is transcending all space. Each creature creates a limited space of its own around it. It restricts itself to this within its comfort zone. But all these territories are demarcation of Field of Awareness. This Field is limitless and infinite beyond all these boundaries. It is boundary less giving rise to all these bounded territories. You are THAT.

8. Raagateetam: It means beyond an attachment, that is transcending all attachments. Each creature considers itself as a part of the whole. But all these parts are expression of Field of Awareness. This Field is Whole, the Perfect Hologram beyond all the parts, and beyond attachment to any part. It is part less but dreaming Itself as various parts like ‘me’, ‘you’, and others and attachments thereof. You are THAT.

9. Rupaateetam: It means beyond a form, that is transcending all forms. Each part of creation is limiting itself to a limited identity appearing as a clearly defined form. But all forms are expression of Field of Awareness. This Field is beyond all these forms. It is formless dreaming all varieties of forms. You are THAT.

10. Radhateetam: It means beyond a ray of illusory light, transcending all illusion (Maya). Each part of creation shines with its unique reflected light. But basis for all these reflected light (chidabhasa) is Field of Awareness. This Field is beyond all these illusory light. It is the lightless reflecting all other lights. You are THAT.

11. Rasaateetam: It means beyond an essence, transcending all essences. Each part of creation has veiled its True Essence and has superimposed an imaginary essence over it. But basis (adhistahan) for all these illusory essences is Field of Awareness. This Field is beyond all these illusory essences. It is essence-less holding all other essences. You are THAT.

12. Raasaleela: It means play of original rays. The creation is enacted by creative rays of Field of Awareness. Creation appears due to spontaneous dance of this Field out of fun and fantasy. You are THAT.

13. Yamateetam: It means beyond a rule or restriction, transcending all restrictions. Each creature is incomplete and so it desires and gets into action to fulfil these desires. These desires and actions are again expression of Field of Awareness. This Field, being Whole and Complete, is beyond these trivial desires and restrictive actions thereof. It is a supreme performer devoid of any restriction and all desires and actions are played out in it for fun rather than for any motive to achieve anything. You are THAT.

14. Yasaateetam: It means beyond a glory or a successful result, transcending all sense of glories. Restrictive actions by a creature can lead to desired results or disappointments. These glories are again expression of Field of Awareness. It is a supreme enjoyer devoid of any expectation of glories. You are THAT.

15. Yaadateetam: It means beyond a memory, transcending all memories. A creature is rule bound and so its actions have limited results as limited achievements or disappointments. These are stored as memories which later erupt as fresh desires. Thus a creature is entangled in a Karmic Cycle of desire to action to result to memory to again desire. This script of drama is played again and again in the Field of Awareness. However this Field is beyond this cycle of Karma. It creates every time a magnum opus spontaneously without any trace of repetition. You are THAT.

16. Yangyateetam: It means beyond a sacrifice, that is transcending all sacrifices. A creature sacrifices its problems into learnt action from memory and so gets uncertain results. But in Field of Awareness, everything is sacrificed to awareness itself. Just like all the materials offered in the sacred fire (yangya fire) become fire, anything offered to awareness becomes awareness. Action out of this Field of Awareness results in most appropriate solutions. You are THAT.

17. Yugateetam: It means beyond an era, transcending all eras. An era is a measure of collective state of evolution. A creature in a particular era exhibits its beliefs and behaviour as per evolutionary index of that era. However Field of Awareness is beyond these imperfections. This Field is ever perfect and is not affected by any particular era. Rather in IT, different eras pass by. You are THAT.

18. Yoga bindu: It means point of intersection. It is meeting point of infinite different dimensions. It is the centre of Field of Awareness. This Field dances around this point in multiple directions. It is just like the centre of the wheel remaining still all the time irrespective of the movements of the wheel through various ups and downs. A creature, being in the periphery, goes through a roller coaster ride. Whereas Field of Awareness lives Life from this Centre. You are THAT. (A creature, by remaining in the Yoga bindu all the time and by offering all compulsive thoughts, emotions, likes, dislikes, reactions, judgements, opinions, issues and problems at the sacred fire of Divinity in Yoga bindu , clean up its Heart of Karmic impressions. Then all desires and actions emerging out of such a creature are as per Divine script, ever immaculate.)

19. Na-sthiram: It means neither inert nor steady, transcending all creation that seems to be stationary. Field of Awareness casts these stationary shadows. You are THAT.

20. Na-chalam: It means neither animated nor movable, transcending all creation that seems to be growing and moving. Field of Awareness casts these moving shadows. You are THAT.

21. Na-aashrayam: It means not the stage on which these steady and moving scenes are projected. Field of Awareness illumines this stage on which shadows are cast. You are THAT.

22. Niranjanam: It means Pure Light free from all types of impurities, both visible and known. Field of Awareness is the pure Light rid of such impurities. You are THAT.

23. Nirmalam: It means Pure Light free from all types of invisible impurities, and unknown imperfections. Field of Awareness is the pure Light rid of such impurities and imperfections. You are THAT.

24. Nirantaram: It means One without differentiation. Field of Awareness is Pure, one and the only, undifferentiated, eternal Light of Awareness. You are THAT.