Sastha Aravind – Day 1 – Guruprasad குருபிரசாத் விஜயராவ்

Dr. Aravind Subramanyam (Sastha Aravind) is here in Seattle. He is doing seven-day discourse at Veda Temple. He spent decades researching the traditions of Lord Sastha / Ayyappa across South India. He is scholar in the subject, he has a title Mahasastru Priyathasan, Shasta Vyasar. Thanks to Veda Temple for bringing him to Redmond.

In human evolution, storytelling is the greatest finding, even more than finding the wheel. Even in the modern age, we need to be able to tell our story well. “Storytelling with Data” is a modern subject. In that way, Hinduism has so much story to share; most of the time they are metaphors. Depending upon our spiritual level, we can observe their meaning. At the surface level, it may all look like random, meaningless, unbelievable stories. Even if we don’t get the metaphor or meaning of the stories, just listening to them as a creative story creates a sense of wonder for listeners.

While I need to completely listen to all seven days of the discourse to soak into the bliss, in today’s talk he touched upon many topics.

Good and Evil in same person

In Hindu thought, the distance between Dharma (good) and Adharma (evil) keeps shrinking across the four yugas. In Satya Yuga, good and bad lived in entirely different worlds, with Devas and Asuras occupying separate realms. In Treta Yuga, they lived in the same world but in different places, like Rama in Ayodhya and Ravana in distant Lanka. By Dvapara Yuga, good and bad entered the same family, as seen with the Pandavas and Kauravas. In Kali Yuga, they exist within the same person, where the battle between virtue and vice is internal. That’s why we don’t have samhāras (great destruction); we have the grace of Kaliyuga helping take out the evil from the mind through Bhakthi (devotion).

Kaliyuga Varadhan

Each yuga has a guiding Guru suited to its spiritual condition. Vishnu as Satyadeva represents Satya Yuga’s pure knowledge, while Dattatreya guide Treta Yuga. Vyasa is the great teacher of Dvapara Yuga, preserving Dharma by codifying scripture. In Kali Yuga we have Kaliyuga Varadhan. Ayyappa elevate human to god nature. In Sastha tradition, it is a simple reflection of philosophy Tatvamasi (Tat Tvam Asi – individual self ‘Atman’ is ultimately identical with the universal reality ‘Brahman’).

Vishnu Avatars

There are 24 avatars (Chatur (4)-vimsati(20) Avatars), but only 10 are famous. Even among the 10, three avatars are significant: Rama, Krishna, and Narasimha. You can notice we celebrate only these three avatars as festivals. Similarly, Sastha has eight forms, manikandan is one such.

Sakthi Tattva

This world operates on the Shakti principle. Even in colloquial language, when someone has lost his strength, we say his Shakti is gone. Shakti is the one who creates the world (Loka), this universe (Bhuvanam), Cosmos (Āṇḍa Pakiraṇḍam), and Mahā-bhuvana . In one Chatur-yuga (Mahā-yuga 4,320,000) we have four yugas, Satya 1,728,000, Treta 1,296,000, Dvapara 864,000, Kali 432,000). A single day of Brahmā (Kalpa) contains thousands of such Mahā-yugas. Imagine Shakti , who controls all such big timelines and cosmos of cosmos. Shakti is the active power that enables the entire cosmos and all the functions of the Trimurti (Brahmā, Vishnu, and Shiva). In philosophical tradition of Shaktism, especially regarding the Mahadevi forms like Lalita Tripurasundari or Rajarajeshwari. The throne on which the Supreme Goddess (Shakti) is depicted as seated is often called the Pancha Brahmasana (The Seat of the Five Brahmas).

The throne is composed of five deities who form the base and support for the Goddess, signifying her ultimate supremacy as the source of all power: The Four Legs: Brahmā (The Creator), Vishnu (The Preserver), Rudra (a form of Shiva, sometimes representing the Destroyer), Ishvara (a form of Shiva, representing Concealment or Grace). The Seat/Plank: Sadashiva (The Eternal Shiva, representing Transcendental Consciousness)

Experience

The same temple/god feels different based on our mindset. The prayer at tough times, the items which we earn with hard work have a special feel. Similarly, in Bhakthi, when we do it with dedication, and go through the tough journey, we can feel it special. It is the journey that makes the experience. An interesting story of an elderly persons visit to Sabarimala. How Kanchi Periyava treated Tirupathi prasad.

Story of Kshira Sagara

Sage Durvasa once received a divine flower garland from a celestial nymph and later encountered Indra, the king of gods. In a moment of arrogance, Indra accepted the garland but disrespectfully placed it on his elephant, Airavata, instead of honoring it. The elephant, attracted by the fragrance, threw the garland to the ground, which greatly angered Durvasa. Feeling insulted by Indra’s behavior, Durvasa cursed him, saying that he and the Devas would lose their strength, wealth, and glory. This curse weakened the Devas, prompting them to seek Vishnu’s help. Vishnu advised them to churn the Ocean of Milk (Samudra Manthana) to obtain amṛta (nectar of immortality) to regain their lost power.

The Devas (gods) and Asuras (demons) were originally powerful, but over time, the Asuras gained strength through austerities and boons from Brahma, and the Devas started losing their powers and dominion over the worlds. Indra, the king of gods, became weak, afraid, and even fled at times from the Asuras’ attacks. Seeing the Devas’ distress, Lord Vishnu advised them to churn the Ocean of Milk (Kshira Sagara) to obtain amṛta (nectar of immortality), which would restore their strength and eternal vigor.

The churning would require cooperation between Devas and Asuras because both had become weaker due to prolonged conflict and imbalance of dharma.

Mount Mandara was used as the churning rod, Vasuki the serpent as the rope, and the cosmic ocean was churned to produce divine treasures — including Halahala poison, Kamadhenu, Lakshmi, and finally amṛta.

The Devas (gods) and Asuras (demons) cooperated to churn the cosmic Ocean of Milk using Mount Mandara as a churn pole and the serpent Vasuki as the rope. During the churning, many divine treasures emerged, including the deadly poison Halahala, which Shiva swallowed to save the universe. Finally, Dhanvantari appeared with a pot of amṛta, the nectar of immortality, and Vishnu took the form of Mohini to cleverly distribute it among the Devas, tricking the Asuras so that only the gods would receive it.

Kundalini

In yogic symbolism, the Samudra Manthana mirrors the human spiritual journey: the Ocean of Milk is the subtle body, Mount Mandara is the spine, and Vasuki the serpent is the coiled Kundalini energy. Churning represents disciplined yoga practice, where effort awakens latent spiritual energy, confronting inner impurities (poison) to ultimately produce Amṛta, the nectar of higher consciousness and liberation.

Shastha is a Harihara son (putra). We need to take it as philosophy, not as a literal human child. Unlike in other temples, in Sabarimala, Ayyappa sits on a Sri Chakra.

Hridayaravindavasi

The Trimurtis (Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva) are captivated by the divine form of Ambika (the Great Goddess). They notice a radiant Jyoti in her heart and ask about its significance. Ambika reveals it’s her Atma Shakti, known as Hridayaravindavasi or Mahasasta, the embodiment of her supreme mystique and the secret behind creation. The Trimurtis are awestruck, and Shiva and Vishnu wish for this Shakti to manifest as their son, which Ambika assures will happen in due course and he will manifest as Hariharaputra

It is such a devotional experience to hear from him, the Shakti philosophy. He made it so easy with so many daily life comparisons, including how our mind thinks. It was a great experience to hear a live Upanyasam (discourse). Thanks to Veda Temple.

About Sastha Aravind

A fourth-generation devotee and author of multiple works on the Shasta tradition, Aravind became a key figure in the Sabarimala Review Petition. His extensive research into manuscripts, temple lore and regional traditions led him to challenge several widespread but historically unsupported narratives, including legends such as that of Vavar and various attempts to reinterpret the temple’s origins through Christian, Buddhist, or Jain lenses.

Aravind’s landmark work, Maha Shasta Vijayam, a comprehensive 500-page Tamil Purana, compiles 85 stories, devotional hymns, and detailed accounts of Shasta’s incarnations, including Ayyappan. Through years of dedicated research across Tamil Nadu and Kerala, he identified and corrected inconsistencies that had crept into popular belief over time. He also highlighted episodes such as the 1950 fire and vandalism at the temple, which investigations linked to Christian missionary interference, and pointed out how various fabricated stories were used to secularize or distort Sabarimala’s traditions.

Central to Aravind’s scholarship is the spiritual significance of Sabarimala’s practices, including the 45-day vrata and the symbolism of offerings carried in the irumudi. He emphasizes that the temple’s deity, a lifelong celibate in yogic posture, requires strict adherence to traditional discipline by all devotees.

Refer

Next Day: Sastha Aravind – Day 2

Guruprasad குருபிரசாத் விஜயராவ்