Ignorance Can Come Disguised as Knowledge Itself

So the virtuous shishya of Mahabharata is stuck in Nagaloka.
Takshaka has taken away the ear ornaments which were meant to be offered to his guru patni as his guru dakshina.
Why this happened?
Because for some time materialistic thoughts took over him, even pride that nobody can challenge him.
He has to suffer the consequences also.

Helpless in Nagaloka, his own past virtuous deeds come to his help — as Indra.

Indra is the king. It is up to the king to make sure that everyone gets as he deserves.
King protects the virtuous.
King punishes the evil.
So, Uttanka sees a person on top of a horse.
Uttanka realizes that it is none other than Indra.
He starts praising him.

As we have seen, these praises or stutis — they are the password with which you gain access to the immense power of these divinities.
'Vajrasya bharta...'
A lot of our contemporary so-called mythological experts have made a mockery out of Indra.
This is out of their stupidity and ignorance.

Here, see Uttanka is praising Indra. Calls him Jagadeeshwara, Lokatrayesha, Purandara.
'Vritrasya hanta' – killer of Vritra – who is Vritrasura?
He stands for false perceptions about the world, which throw people into miseries and trouble.
Like the fake news, which put people into fear, panic, violence.
'Vritrasya hanta' — he removes such false knowledge, false impressions about the world, and brings clarity.
Indra is the ultimate source of knowledge, light.
Indra is Surya. One of the Adityas, the ruler aspect of Surya.

What does a ruler do?
He drives away the evil.
In the same way, Indra removes darkness from the minds of people.
He removes ignorance from the minds of people and brings peace and happiness there.

You know how Vritrasura came into existence from the rage of Twashta and the circumstances — avidhi — wrong procedures were followed in yajna, wrong pronunciation of mantra even, which led to the birth of the monster called Vritrasura, representing ignorance.

Indra is being called Namuchernihanta.
Who is Namuchi? Like Vritrasura, another demon.
What does Namuchi stand for?
Ignorance at a much subtler level.

All the false perceptions and reactions such as kama, krodha, lobha, moha, mada, and matsarya — to these, false perceptions are gone. Vritrasura is killed.
The mind has become pure.
But still, ignorance is not completely gone.

You see the reflection of the moon in a lake and go for it thinking that is the real moon.
You think you can take hold of it, take it home, that you are in command now.
This is another false perception.
Namuchi represents this kind of false perception.

Because during his fight with Indra, Namuchi hides inside sun rays.
This is falsehood again hiding behind knowledge — camouflaged.
Indra had to get into a treaty with him to bring him out —
that he will not kill him during day or night,
he will not kill him with anything that is dry or anything that is wet.

See, the most difficult things to get rid of are false ideas that come to your mind camouflaged as knowledge.
Since Namuchi got into the sunrays, now you can’t differentiate.
You can’t see him separately. You can’t see his falsehood.
Even here, as the dispeller of ignorance, he helps.
That’s what Uttanka is pointing out when he addresses Indra as Namuchernihanta.

Vritrasura stands for false knowledge at a gross level.
Namuchi stands for false knowledge at a subtle level, coming disguised as knowledge itself.
Only experts can call the bluff of such falsehood.

Indra once saw Namuchi at a seashore during sunset.
He took out the froth from the sea — which is neither dry nor wet — and beheaded Namuchi with it.
Continuous fight does not help in such cases.
Battle doesn’t help.
You have to wait for the opportunity.

Identifying such false knowledge itself is difficult, because it is hidden inside knowledge.
But ultimately, you have to get it out and destroy it.
You need help. Without divine help such as that from Indra.

We say Indra killed Vritrasura, killed Namuchi.
See how superficial are these statements.
See actually what they stand for.

Indra wears a pair of black clothes — they stand for vidya and avidya.
Both are within maya only, that is why both are black.
Doesn’t Bhagavata say — both these are outside the real swaroopa?
That is why Indra is wearing them as clothes. They are not part of his body.
But in the practical world, he only shows us what is right and what is wrong.
You have to start from there, then only killing of Vritrasura and killing of Namuchi — all that can come later.

Indra created this horse called the world and has mounted it.
He didn’t create it and let it free.
He is sitting on top of it and controlling it — apam garbham.
But this world is like a reflection in water.
Still he is controlling it.
See what all is there in a simple stuti.

Indra told Uttanka, 'I am pleased. What do you want?'
'Bring these serpents under my control.'
Indra said, 'Blow at the back of my horse.'

We have been seeing a number of such mysterious it this whole episode of Uttanka and will understand them later.

Uttanka did that.
Suddenly, flames and smoke started coming out of every pore in that horse’s body.
That smoke filled Nagaloka.
Serpents started suffocating in that smoke.
Takshaka came out and returned the kundalas.

Uttanka thought, 'Today is the vrata of the guru patni.
I have to get to her today itself.
Otherwise, this entire effort would become futile.'

Uttanka told Indra his concern.
Indra said, 'Take my horse.'
Uttanka mounted the horse and in split second reached the ashrama.

Guru patni was eagerly waiting for him.
She became happy to see him.
Even Guruji Veda became happy to see him come back successfully.

Next we will see the explanations of all the mysteries that Uttanka saw and experienced during this.

Ramaswamy Sastry and Vighnesh Ghanapaathi