Prajapati or Pashupati

Long time since my last post. Actually I have been reading less these days and watching more television.

I have been looking at the news channels too sometimes and watched how the media has been covering the so called crime stories. More or less every time a crime is reported, the reporters use the word “animal like behavior” to depict the criminals acts. Along with the same, the media is full of developmental stories displaying the progress the mankind is making today.

The question is what progress have we made? What instinct have we understood and how have we conquered?

As the story of the Hindu Trinity goes, Brahma had multiple sons who were born of his thoughts. Each of the son was born with a purpose. Narada, Sanaatan Kumars were amongst the glorious ones. And also was Daksa Prajapati. Many would remember Daksha as the arrogant father who did not relent to acknowledge the love of her daughter Sati. Due to which, Sati had to jump into fire causing Shiva to take the Rudra Avatar.

Daksha is Brahma’s son with the purpose to instill an order into the nature. Thus he tries to bind the nature into the set of rules. In other words, he tries to domesticate the nature. Daksha leads the humans and shows them the way. Hence he is termed as “PrajaPati” = Master of the People. However, as we understand, humans are an evolution step from the animals. And hence, even humans do have the animal instincts and display animal like behavior. Nature gave humans a powerful brain and the power of imagination through which they can shed off their animal like behavior. But, only a very few have mastered their animal instincts. It is said that one who conquers his or her animal instincts is known as “PashuPati” = Master of the animals. Shiva has been known as the Pashupati forever and has been mentioned in the puranas with that name.

Daksha tried to rule people through the set of rules or laws. In his view, all abiding by the rules are good. He tried to dominate people in order to rule them. However, we see no efforts being made by him to outgrow the development of nature and the humans all around him. He thinks outwards and seeks compliance from others. He does not applies the same rules onto himself. He is not looking onto himself to comply and grow. This arouses a fear in him of losing his safety net. Unable to understand and failure to introspect forms a delusion in front of him and he lives in the same.

Nature created all creatures and with that it created the imbalance so that it can renew itself. It is but natural that lion runs after the deer to feed itself. And the deer runs away from the lion to save itself. While lion eats the deer, the deer eats the grass. All animals hunt when they are hungry. They eat and live and eventually die. They kill but only to satisfy their hunger or when threatened. Humans have a brain to understand this cycle and hence to breakout of the cycle. Humans imagine a day when they would not be able to feed themselves and hence start saving for that day. Later the human mind conjures up the stories to create wealth for children, grandchildren and so on. We accumulate more than necessary and in the process take away from others. We start fighting for the larger share for ourselves. Unfortunately, somewhere we forget where this all has to end. And hence we never give up the animal behavior. 

To be able to grow, we must look inwards. We must overcome the animal in our self and give up the play of nature.

Being a Prajapati is easier, try being a Pashupati.