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by Jayaram V
Amrit or amrtia literally means without death. It is similar to the
ambrosia of the Greeks. Hindu
texts describe amrita as an elixir
partaken by gods which renders them
immortal. Amrita to be an antidote to death. He who
partakes it is believed to become immortal. The precursor to amrita
may be the soma of the vedic texts. The soma juice is associated with
the vedic Soma and the Moon. The soma juice was believed to be some
kind of intoxicant used in the Vedic rituals to appease the
gods.
Over a period of time the word amrita assumed many connotations. Now
it is also used to describe the qualities of sweetness and kindness. Rains are
often referred as amrita dhara or amrita varsha as they bring greenery
to the earth and make the seeds sprout and plants grow. A kind heart is
often referred as amrita hridaya and a hand that feeds is called
amrita hasta. There are also some place names associated with
it. There is a waterfall in Orissa near Manendragarh which is called amritadhara.
Amritasar, where the golden temple is located, is a
important pilgrim center of the Sikhs. The word is also used in
conjunction with a particular raga (raga Amrita) in Indian classical
music. It is also believed that on
certain auspicious days the rays of the moon pours downs certain
aspects of this sweet nectar upon earth and that any food which has
been exposed to it on such occasions would acquire some of its
qualities and contribute to better health and longevity.
According to Hindu mythology, once gods and demons joined
their forces to create Amrita by churning the oceans. When it was
finally created gods played a trick upon the demons and stole the Amrita
entirely for themselves. The demons never forgave the gods for
this treachery and intensified their rivalry with the latter. Thus
began a series of celestial wars between gods and demons in the fashion of the
Star Wars.
According to the Hindu Puranas, when the gods drank the Amrita
obtained from the churning of the ocean, four drops fell on earth at
four different places, namely Hardvar, Nasik, Ujjain and Allahabad.
These four are important pilgrim centers. Visiting them and taking
bath in the rivers on whose banks they are located is considered very
auspicious and spiritually beneficial.
The concept of Amrita is very closely associated with the concept of
immortality. Earthly creatures are mortal for various
reasons. However the soul that resides within them is immortal. When it comes under the influence of
prakriti or nature, it becomes subject to the cycle of births
and deaths, assuming various forms and bodies according to its deeds
(karma) and continues its journey till it finds a way out through self
realization. The main purpose of human life, therefore, is to gain freedom
from this cycle of births and deaths and become immortal once again
through a process of spiritual cleansing and alignment of the mind and
the body with the higher consciousness. Practice of Hathayoga said to
result in the sublimation of sexual energy and accumulation of amrita
in the head. People
can become immortal either by going to heaven and partaking of Amrita along with gods or by gaining self realization through spiritual discipline while living upon earth. Both are effective remedies, but
only one is longer lasting. People who go to heaven would ultimately
return to earth having exhausted their good karma and repeat the cycle
of births and deaths while those who achieve self-realization would
never return.
Suggested Further Reading
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