VEDA TALKS OF COMING BACK INTO THE WORLD AFTER ENJOYING LIBERATION.
Kasya noonam katamasya amṛitaanaam
Manaamahe chaaru devasya naama
Ko no mahyaa aditaye punar daat
Pitaram cha dṛisheyam maataram cha – 1:24:1
1. Noonam – Now then, tell me
2. Amṛitaanaam Katamasya – among the very many immortal souls,
3. Kaḥ Devaḥ – Who is the One Eternal Supreme Being
4. Yasya Chaaru Naama Manaamahe – Who has an auspicious name that we can always think about, and
5. Yaḥ Naḥ Punaḥ Daat – who will send us, liberated Souls, back
6. Mahyaa Aditaye – to the great Earth
7. Dṛisheyam – so that we may (be born again to) see
8. Pitaram Cha Maataram Cha – both a mother and a father?
This Mantra raises a thoughtful question about the Supreme Being and the destiny of the Soul. It reflects a seeker’s inquiry into who truly governs the cycle of life, liberation, and rebirth. An expanded explanation can be expressed as follows: Now then, tell me: among the countless immortal Souls that exist, who is that one Eternal Supreme Being whose beautiful and sacred name we may continually remember and meditate upon? The Mantra invites us to reflect on the Supreme Reality that stands above all individual Souls and governs the moral and natural order of the universe. That Supreme Being alone possesses the power to guide the journey of Souls. He observes their actions, administers the fruits of their deeds, and determines their future course. When Souls become liberated from the body and pass through other states of existence, it is again by the will and law of that Supreme Being that they are sent back into the world after the period of liberated bliss comes to an end. Thus, the question arises: Who is that Divine Ruler who may once again send us, Souls, to the great Earth, the vast nurturing world where life unfolds? Who is the One by whose ordinance a Soul may be born again, gaining another opportunity to experience life with parents, grow in knowledge, and pursue righteous actions? The Mantra, therefore, expresses the aspiration that, by the governance of that Supreme Being, we may again obtain a human birth. In such a birth, we would once more behold a loving mother and a caring father, the two sources through whom earthly life begins. Seeing one’s parents symbolizes entering again into the human condition, where learning, duty, and spiritual progress become possible. In this way, the verse encourages reflection on the Supreme Being whose auspicious name is worthy of remembrance, who administers the destiny of Souls, and who alone has the authority to grant another birth on Earth so that the Soul may continue its new journey toward knowledge, righteousness, and ultimate freedom.
DR SATISH PRAKASH