Tip To Tirumala Part four

Purpose of outer Senses:

The five heads of Sesha represent the five outer senses of man:-

The eyes wish only to see sensual beauties

The ears crave only for nice songs and praises

The tongue overloads the digestive system with highly flavoured foods & often speaks ill of others

The nose searches for fragrances and scents

The sense of touch seeks softness in silk and velvet

We must master our senses and direct them in more positive channels:-

The eyes for reading the words of God

The ears hearing the stories of God & songs of God

The tongue tasting sathwic food and the name of God

The nose discovering fragrance in everything that recalls the glory of God

The sense of touch to reach out to and comfort those in need of help

"The Hindu argument that all religions are equally valid may well sweep the world in the next 25 years.

The ocean of milk is the anthakarana (our inner subtle body). The Lord resides in this "ksheerasagara" or the ocean of milk (pure white consciousness in man). Man can only become aware of his inner subtle body by the process by curbing negative tendencies, controlling of senses and by the practice of namasmarana, service and meditation.

Vishnu is depicted with a blue skin. The colour blue symbolises the infinite expansion of the blue sky and the blue ocean. Vishnu holds a conch or sankha which symbolises sounds of creation. In another hand, he holds the cakra or the wheel of time. Sometimes the cakra is called Sudarsana Cakra. "Su" means good and "darshan" means vision. This signifies that when a devotee looks towards God with a sense of surrender, God will turn towards him. Thus the cakra is a weapon with a mission to destroy ego and grant "darshan".

Vishnu also holds the gada or mace which signifies strength - all the strength is in God´s hands. His hand is held in Abhaya (blessing) and confers protection and grace. Vishnu´s abode is "vaikunta" which signifies " a place where there is no shadow of grief. When God manifests in your heart, all is full and free.