RoaL: could please explain the following passages from the Vedas:
That which is the southern gate is the vyana-that is the ear, that is Chandrama (the moon). One should meditate on that as prosperity and fame. He who knows this becomes prosperous and famous.
Sama Veda, Chandogya Upanishad III, XIII – Meditation on the Door-Keepers, 2
What is the connection between the southern gate, vyana, the ear and the moon? What is meant by the southern gate?
Sundari: The simple answer to your questions is: everything is a symbol of the Self and points to the Self because this is a nondual reality. And you are that.
But if it helps, here is the technical meaning of the symbols:
By ‘gate’ the text means sense organ, the organs or entry and exit portals for information, in this case the ear/hearing. The moon represents fullness, the Self, that which is the most famous. Meditating on this brings prosperity – that which is most prosperous, the fullness of Self-knowledge.
Roal: That which is the western gate is the apana – that is speech, that is Agni (fire). One should meditate on that as the radiance of Brahman and the source of food. He who knows this becomes radiant and an eater of food.
Sama Veda, Chandogya Upanishad III, XIII – Meditation on the Door-Keepers, 3
What is meant by the western gate.
Sundari: The western gate represents the mouth, where food enters and speech exits. When you know that all is Brahman, including the food you eat and the words you speak, you become an ‘eater of food’, meaning full with the radiant fire of Self-knowledge.
Roal: Great are the Gods who were born from Nonbeing, yet men aver this Nonbeing to be the single limb of the Support, the great Beyond.
Atharva Veda X, 7, 25
Who are the Gods born from nonbeing. Are there Gods born from being.
Sundari: All gods are symbols of the one God, who is non-different from you, the Self (nonbeing). So God is unborn, as are you. There is only God/Nonbeing, that which is ‘beyond’ name and form, yet gives rise to both. Though there is no actual ‘beyond’ in a nondual reality because there is nowhere that you are not.
While your questions are interesting and technical, the whole point of Vedanta is to convey one thing:
You are the Self. To assimilate that so that Self-knowledge becomes direct, you cannot ‘study’ Vedanta because it is who you are. What you need is to submit the mind to the scriptures, develop all the qualifications, and be properly taught. Assuming you know this, and have the burning desire for freedom, you can trust Self-knowledge to remove the ignorance that stands in the way of assimilation of what it means to be the Self.
Hari Om
Sundari
