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You may copy or reprint the following article for 'Not for Profit'
purposes only. When reprinting please include this and the note at the
bottom of this article.
_______________________________________________________________________
Hinduism for Beginners Series - 3
Hinduism and Multiple Heads
by Namdev Nirakar
"Uncle Ashok, last time you explained about how the Hindu icons are
symbolic of higher meanings and history, just as the icons on the
computer represent different programs. Now tell me about the divinities
and villains with multiple heads as the stories from Hindu scriptures
tell about. I suppose these multiple heads have different meanings
too", said Eesha.
"Yes, indeed. Last time we saw how the elephant's head on Lord Ganesh
represents removal of ego and development of sense of discrimination,
learning and knowledge. Let us look at some other symbols" said Ashok.
"But before that let me tell you something. Having multiple heads is a
medical impossibility. As you know, human brain is the largest in size
relative to the size of baby, when compared to brain size of other
species. Also during birth process, once the head comes out, rest of
the body can slip out easily, because the head has the largest perimeter
and the least flexibility compared to the rest of the body. Hence natural
birth of 'babies with multiple heads' is near impossible. Hence it is
important to remember that multiple heads in Hindu icons represent
a higher aspect", he continued.
"Let us look at it from other angle. The VCR (Video cassette recorder)
in your home has two or four magnetic 'heads'. Now if some one were to
draw a picture of it with two or four 'heads', would that be correct
representation ? Because the 'head' in a VCR is a 'information processing
device' -- a chip which changes the magnetization as it 'writes', or
changes current as it 'reads'. Thus even now, we use the word magnetic
'head' to indicate a sensor which performs some 'knowledge' function."
"So let us now look at the significance what many heads in Hindu icons
represent", he continued.
"Brahma, the creative aspect of God is represented with four heads
each representing a Veda or the Hindu holy books. The term Veda in itself
means 'Knowledge'" said Ashok.
"Dattatreya, with three heads and 6 hands is the Hindu trinity. It is
a confluence of the creative aspect, namely Brahma, the preserving
aspect, VishNu and the destructive aspect, Shiva, all combined. Even
all around us, we see these three aspects working simultaneously. We
see new life taking shape, and old withering away, be it grass, trees,
insects etc. Even inanimate objects follow the same pattern -- it is
new at the beginning, in use, then breaks down and disintegrates," said
Ashok.
"Kartikeya or Subrahmanyam (Su-Brahmani-Om) is sometimes depicted with
six heads and hence called ShaNmukham (Shat-mukham). He is the
chief of the army of the Devas. These six heads are representation of
the five sensory organs - jnan indriyas (which are eyes, ears, nose,
mouth and skin) and Mind."
"In Ramayana, the great Indian epic, the villain RavaNa is depicted as
Dashaanan (Dash-aanan) with ten heads. These are symbolic of five
sensory organs (jnan indriyas) and five Karma indriyas (hands, legs,
tounge (and others associated with speech), external reproductive organ,
and organ for excretion", said Ashok.
"Wait a minute, did you not just say that five sense organs represent
five of the six heads of Kartikeya, and now you say in Ramayana, these
five also represent five of the ten heads of the villain RavaNa, How is
that possible ?" asked Eesha.
"It is really simple, Eesha. One can use a kitchen knife to cut a fruit
or vegetables. But one can also use it to stab someone. So is the
knife really good or bad ? No, it is how one uses it that determines
if the action is good or bad. Similarly, the five sense organs focussed
on the good and controlled by mind become part of ShaNmukha. But the
same organs along with the five Karma indriyas if focussed outwards
(extrovertedness) become the part of RavaNa and take a devotee away
from inner peace. Gita says 'Ones own self is own's friend and one's
own self is one's own enemy'. So how you use, or focus your jnana and
Karma indriyas makes the difference between ShaNmukha and RavaNa. And
understanding the various meanings of the symbolism is the first step",
replied Ashok.
"Let us look at what scriptures describe as demons -- the Rakshas or
Asur. Unlike what the popular 'misbelief' is, these were not people with
large ugly heads with protruding teeth, or long untidy unkempt hair
and grotesque, huge bodies. Templeton Award winner Pandurang Shastry
Athawale quotes following scriptural definitions for Asuraas: 'Asushu
ramante iti asuraah:' those who dwell in the 'PraaNa' and in the sense
objects, are asuras. Similarly 'Rakshas' is one who does not need the
protection of Deva - divinity or divine qualities. Examples abound of
humans behaving like animals or demons, even in the twentieth century."
Even today we say that an egotistical person is one with a swollen head,
but does s/he really ? and we call a psychotherapist 'a shrink', but
does s/he really shrink 'the patient's heads' ?"
"It is important to understand that Hindu scriptures have 3 to 7 meanings
or levels operating at the same time. There is a story as it is. There
is history blended in it. There is a message to a spiritual aspirant
for improvement in personal life and endeavor. Some times there is a
message relevant to Yoga and meditation and its practices. There is a
lesson to a leader of the society on what is good for the society as
a whole. The interesting aspect of Hindu scriptures is you can see the
past, you can see the external world as well as your own reflection
in them. Most importantly, life is a journey. The higher you climb, the
farther you will see and broader will your vision be", Ashok concluded.
______________________________________________________________________
For more information please refer to
1. Symbolism in Hinduism edited by R.S.Nathan, Chinmay Trust Publication
,Mumbai,
2. Sanskruti Poojan by Pandurang Shastry Athawale, Sadvichar Darshan
Trust, Dr.Wilson Rd, Girgao, Mumbai (available in Hindi/ Gujarati/ r
Marathi).
3. The definition of Rakshas and Asur from discourses of Pandurang
shastry Athawale. It also appears in his books 'Dashaavataar', and
'Vyaas Vichaar' both published by Sadvichar Darshan Trust.
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