The Yoga Zapper--A Novel, page 31
The Srimad Bhagavatam which I used is the excellent edition published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (www.bbt.com). While vimanas are mentioned in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, the two major epics of ancient India, there is some question regarding the Vaimanika shastra, which some claim to be of more recent origin. Some current commentators have taken vimanas to be ancient, extraterrestrial flying objects. As well, there is some discussion about the time lengths concerning the yugas. Some recent movements within Hinduism claim that the cycles of time are much smaller, in the hundreds of years, while a few groups even claim that the end of Kali Yuga is just around the corner!
In the Buddhist tradition, Shambala is described as a kingdom in the Himalayas and instead of Kalki Avatar, it is a future Bodhisattva, the Maitreya Buddha, who arises to lead the battle against the invading tyrant.
The elements of yoga spirituality, such as the different limbs of ashtanga yoga, the koshas, rasas, bhavas, and others have been presented faithfully, however fantastic they may seem. The descriptions of the various Deities, as well, have been accurately replicated.
Is there really a scripture like the Yuga Zapper that allows one to travel through time? Not to my knowledge, but in the yoga tradition, eighteen major yogic siddhis, as well as numerous minor ones, are mentioned, of which one, namely, the power of traveling at the speed of the mind, could be construed as the ability to travel through time. The world of Satya Yuga is obviously idealized but yet remains true to the flavor of the original descriptions. Kali Yuga, however horrifying, is as described in the Srimad Bhagavatam a place of anxiety, forgetfulness, and violence.
So is there really a Shambala? Are there really yogis and rishis, in an invisible state, meditating there? And will Kalki Avatar visit us in the distant future? These questions are obviously not a matter of fact, but of faith. One may accept them or not. But the ultimate goal of this book is to entertain and educate. If you, dear reader, found yourself gripped by this tale, moved by the characters, intrigued by the concepts, and at the end, had your curiosity piqued and considered more questions than when you started, then my goal has been reached.
GLOSSARY
A
Achha—Yes. Also “acha?” as in “yes?”
Agamas—Sanskrit texts which delineate aspects of worship of Deities.
Angrezi—literally “English”; generally any Western person.
Apsara—a heavenly maiden; beautiful, supernatural female beings who are youthful, elegant, and superb in the arts; they are often the wives of the Gandharvas, the court musicians of Indra.
Arti—worship of Deities, consists of offering the Deities a flame in a lamp, incense, flower, water, cloth, and a whisk made with hairs from a yak’s tail..
Asana—a body position, typically associated with the practice of yoga, originally identified as a mastery of sitting still. In the context of yoga practice, asana refers to two things the place where a practitioner, yogi (male,) or yogini (female) sits, and the manner (posture) in which he/she sits
Ashrama—a) a spiritual hermitage.
b) a spiritual stage in life; the four spiritual ashrams in life being
Brahmachari, Brahmacharini (female)—a celibate student.
Grihastha—A married person.
Vanaprastha, Vanapransthi (female)—a retired person.
Sannyasi, Sannyasini (female)—a renounced person.
Ashtanga Yoga—also known as Raja Yoga, a yoga tradition. See Patanjali. The eight limbs of Ashtanga Yoga are
Yama—code of conduct, self-restraint.
Niyama—religious observances, commitments to practice, such as study and devotion.
Āsana—integration of mind and body through physical activity.
Pranayama—regulation of breath leading to integration of mind and body.
Pratyahara—abstraction of the senses, withdrawal of the senses of perception from their objects.
Dharana—concentration, one-pointedness of mind.
Dhyana—meditation (quiet activity that leads to Samadhi.)
Samādhi—the quiet state of blissful awareness, superconscious state. Attained when yogi constantly sees Paramatma in his (jivaatma) heart.
Avatar—a descent of God into the material world. The avatars of God are mentioned as innumerable, but the ten most prominent are
Matsya, the fish, from the Satya Yuga. Lord Vishnu takes the form of a fish to save the sage Manu from a flood, after which Manu takes his boat to the new world along with one of every species of plant and animal, gathered in a massive cyclone.
Kurma, the tortoise, appeared in the Satya Yuga. When the devas and asuras were churning the ocean in order to get the nectar of immortality, the mount Mandara they were using as the churning staff started to sink and Lord Vishnu took the form of a tortoise to bear the weight of the mountain.
Varaha, the boar, from the Satya Yuga. He appeared to defeat Hiranyaksha, a demon who had taken the Earth, or Prithvi, and carried it to the bottom of what is described as the cosmic ocean. Varaha carried the Earth out of the ocean between his tusks and restored it to its place in the universe.
Narasimha, the half-man/half-lion appeared in the Satya Yuga, with the body of a man and head and claws of a lion.
Vamana, the dwarf, appeared in the Treta Yuga.
Parashurama, Rama with the axe, appeared in the Treta Yuga. He is son of Jamadagni and Renuka. He received an axe after a penance to Shiva. Parashurama is the first Brahma-Kshatriya in Hinduism, or warrior-saint, with duties between a Brahmana and a Kshatriya.
Rama, or Ramachandra, the prince and king of Ayodhya, appeared in the Treta Yuga. Rama is a commonly worshiped avatar in Hinduism, and is thought of as the ideal heroic man. His story is recounted in one of the most widely read scriptures of Hinduism, the Ramayana. While in exile from his own kingdom with his brother Lakshman and the monkey king Hanuman, his wife Sita was abducted by Ravana, the demon king of Lanka.
Buddha, Gautama Buddha or Siddhārtha Gautama Buddha, also called Sakyamuni, was a sage from the ancient Shakya republic, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. He is also referred to as "the Buddha."
Krishna is the eighth son of Devaki and Vasudev. Lord Krishna is the most commonly worshiped Deity in Hinduism and an avatar in Vaishnava belief. His name means 'dark' or 'attractive', and he appeared in the Dwapara Yuga alongside his brother Balarama, and is the central character of the Bhagavad Gita, the most published Hindu canon. He is mentor to Arjuna, delivering him the Gita at the Battle of Kurukshetra. Some traditions consider him to be an avatar of Vishnu, whereas other Vaishnava traditions (such as the Gaudiya Vaishnavas- i.e. the Hare Krishnas) state that Krishna is the source of Vishnu, and that the other aspects of the Godhead are either Krishna’s expansions, energies, or his avatars. Lord Krishna, in the Bhagavad Gita, is described as the Supreme Lord, the source of all the Avatars. Lord Krishna is termed as Svayam Bhagavan since he is the purna-avatara (full incarnation.) He is the object of devotion in the Bhakti yoga tradition, and is considered the Supreme Lord.
Kalki is a future incarnation of Vishnu, foretold to appear at the end of Kali Yuga, our present epoch. He will be atop a white horse and his sword will be drawn, blazing like a comet. He is the harbinger of end time in Hindu eschatology, and will destroy all unrighteousness and evil at the end of Kali Yuga.
B
Badrinath—a temple town in the Himalayas
Bhagavad Gita—literally “the Song of God”; a sacred scripture of Hinduism, which discusses the Yogas. It is in the form of a conversation between Lord Krishna and Arjuna, his disciple.
Bhakti yoga—a yoga tradition that focuses on devotion to God; the nine processes of Bhakti yoga are
śravaṇa ("listening" to the scriptural stories of Kṛiṣhṇa and his companions),
kīrtana ("praising," usually refers to ecstatic group singing)
smaraṇa ("remembering" or fixing the mind on Viṣhṇu)
pāda-sevana (rendering service)
arcana (worshiping a Deity)
vandana (paying homage)
dāsya (servitude)
sākhya (friendship)
ātma-nivedana (complete surrender of the self)
Bhava—a spiritual emotion.
Bija—literally “seed.”
Bindi—a dot on a woman’s head in Vedic cultures; a red dot signifies a married woman, a black one signifies a single one; other color dots are used for decorative purposes.
Brahma Muhurta—the early morning hours between four-thirty and seven, reputed the best time for spiritual practices.
Brahmanas—priests.
D
Dahi—yogurt.
Dharma—The true nature of things, such as “the dharma of fire is to burn.” Also used to describe the nature of reality, as in belief or faith.
Dharmashalla—a pilgrim hostel.
Dhoti—a single cloth, 4 feet wide and 16 feet long, worn by men.
Dosa—a South Indian dish resembling a large crepe, made of ground rice and urad dahl.
G
Gamcha—a thin cotton towel.
Gandharvi—an inhabitant of Gandharva loka, one of the heavenly planets, reputed for their skill in vocals and other arts.
Ghee—clarified butter; can be stored for long durations.
Guru—a spiritual teacher.
H
Hanuman—an ardent devotee of Rama, one of the incarnations of the Supreme Lord; a central character in the epic Ramayana and its various versions, and is mentioned in several other texts, including Mahabharata, the various Puranas and some Jain texts.
Hatha Yoga—a yoga tradition that focuses on asanas.
Havan—the place of the yogic fire ritual.
I
Iddli—a South Indian steamed rice cake or dumpling.
J
Jantu—a) a sentient being, whether human or animal.
b) a citizen.
Japa—a meditative process, consisting of chanting a prescribed number of mantras, usually on a mala, a rosary.
Ji—yes.
K
Kali—the goddess associated with empowerment, or shakti; she is the fierce aspect of the goddess Durga (Parvati.)
Kalki—a future Avatar of Vishnu, who appears at the end of Kali yuga. See Avatar.
Karma Yoga—a yogic process; means doing work for the sake of God or his devotees or work without the expectation of personal benefit.
Kartik—the autumn season, the post-harvest period.
Kirtan—spiritual song, usually the repetition of the names of God.
Kohl—an ancient eye cosmetic, widely used in South Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, and parts of West Africa as eyeliner to contour and/or darken the eyelids and as mascara for the eyelashes.
Kosha—literally “sheath”; one of five coverings of the soul according to Vedic philosophy. The five Koshas are
Annamaya kosha, food or material-body.
Pranamaya kosha, the life-force body.
Manomaya kosha, the mind-body.
Vijnanamaya kosha, the wisdom or intelligence-body.
Anandamaya kosha, the bliss-body.
Kurta—a long shirt which comes down to the thighs.
L
Lake Manasarovar—a freshwater lake in the Tibet, about 940 kilometres (580 miles) from Lhasa. The word "Manasarovara" originates from Sanskrit, which is a combination of the words manas meaning mind and sarovara meaning lake. According to the Hindu religion, the lake was first created in the mind of the Lord Brahma after which it manifested on Earth.
Lakshmi Devi—the wife of Lord Vishnu, the goddess of prosperity and wealth.
Lila—a pastime or play; specifically used in conjunctions with God’s activities, which are beyond karmic reactions.
M
Mahabharata—a text which recounts the story of the Pandavas, five legendary brothers, and of Krishna; one of its chapters contains the Bhagavad Gita.
Maha mantra—A) literally “the great mantra.”
B) the Hare Krishna mantra
“Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna,
Krishna, Krishna, Hare Hare,
Hare Rama, Hare Rama,
Rama, Rama, Hare Hare.”
Mahavan—literally “the great forest”
Mala—a rosary used in Hinduism and Buddhism, composed of 108 beads, made of a sacred wood, such as Tulasi.
Mandala—a sacred circle.
Mantra—a sound, syllable, word, or group of words considered capable of creating spiritual transformation; its use and type varies according to the school and philosophy associated with the mantra.
Mata—mother.
Mitochondrial DNA—the DNA material found in the mitochondria; organelles found within cells.
Mount Meru—a mythical mountain, composed of gold, which exists in the middle of the universe, in Hindu, Jain and Buddhist cosmology.
Mridanga—a terracotta two-sided drum used in India for accompaniment with devotional music; the drum is played with palms and fingers of both hands.
Mudra—a hand gesture with symbolic meaning.
P
Padmasana—the lotus asana, one of the yoga postures.
Pagal—crazy
Patanjali—the compiler of the Yoga Sūtras, an important collection of aphorisms on Yoga practice, circa 200 B.C.
Pita—father.
Prajapati—a progenitor. At the beginning of very cycle of yugas, several Prajapatis are required to repopulate the earth.
Prasadam—literally “mercy,” refers to anything offered to God, especially foodstuffs.
Puja—worship, especially as delineated in the Agamas, manuals of worship.
Pujari—a priest.
Puri—a fried bread, made of whole wheat, rolled thin and fried in oil or ghee.
R
Radha—the embodiment of the internal energy of Krishna; his consort.
Raga—literally "color, hue" but also "beauty, melody"; is one of the melodic modes used in Indian classical music. A raga uses a series of five or more musical notes upon which a melody is constructed. However, the way the notes are approached and rendered in musical phrases and the mood they convey are more important in defining a raga than the notes themselves. In the Indian musical tradition, rāgas are associated with different times of the day, or with seasons.
Rakshasa—a cannibal, a mythological race of humans.
Rasa—a Sanskrit theological concept specific to Krishna-centered bhakti traditions, such as Gaudiya Vaishnavism. It is believed Rupa Goswami developed, under the direct guidance of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, an incarnation of Krishna who appeared in 16th century Bengal, the articulated and formulated theology of rasa as "the soul's particular relationship with the divinity in devotional love." The five principal rasas are
Shanta rasa - a neutral relationship of the soul with God.
Dasya Rasa - a master-servant relationship.
Sakhya rasa - friend-friend relationship.
Vatsalya rasa - parent-child relationship.
Madhurya rasa - beloved-lover relationship.
Rishi—a seer, a carrier of the Vedas; the Seven Rishis (the Saptarshi) are often mentioned in the Brahmanas and later works as typical representatives of the pre-historic or mythical period; their names are Uddālaka Āruni, Bharadvaja, Vishvamitra, Jamadagni, Vashista, Kashyapa, and Atri. There are also records of female rishis (in the Rig Veda) Romasha, Lopamudra, Apala, Kadru, Visvavara, Ghosha, Juhu, Vagambhrini, Paulomi, Yami, Indrani, Savitri, and Devajami.
S
Sadhana—a spiritual practice.
