The Peacock -The ego!
Hello all,
Namaste! Hope all of you had a great week where you were able to capture your inner Swaminatha, the mind of a true leader deeply connected with the heart or the Soul. When the mind and heart start to work in tandem, many times we start to see doors opening where there was not even a window in the first place. This is the path of the inner trust and all of us are supposed to be our own 'pathfinders'.
Karthikeya and Swaminatha: Last two weeks we discussed how Mythology is loaded with symbolism and how we can relate things to our everyday life through deep, insightful contemplation. Before we have discussed the flower Lotus as well as the meaning of a lamp. Today why don't we discuss the peacock. This interpretation is through my inklings from Hindu mythology. But the underlying concepts can be used by anyone. As I was born and brought up as a Hindu, I feel comfortable sharing principles and concepts from that platform, that is all. Also, if I remove Hinduism from my writings, I would become a shell of a person. So, it is an important part of me and my writings.
We discussed mind as Karthikeya, where it is strong but has no connection to the heart (Soul) as well as Swaminatha where we become aware of a higher purpose for our life from our heart. In the pictures depicting Karthikeya/ Swaminatha, he is seen having his vehicle as a peacock. So, let us discuss the significance of the peacock today. The peafowl (peacock) is always depicted as the male one having the huge dazzling tail feathers.
Peacock: In scientific name, Peacock is called Pavo cristatus and is native to southeast Asia especially India. Later it has been introduced to various other parts of the world. The peahen is usually white in color and has not many tail feathers. It is the male bird, peacock which has the magnificent tail feathers that are iridescent to light and shows bright bluish green in color. It has the capacity to spread its wings and show off it's trailing beauty to the peahen during the mating season as well as to put off an aggressor.
Due to the big heavy trailing tail feathers, the peacock is not able to fly high or to long distances. It can just fly short distances as to a tree branch. Even to walk on the ground the long tail feathers are a hindrance and the peacock itself can get killed in the deep forests due to these feathers. Now, the peacock is depicted as the vehicle of Karthikeya in Hindu mythology.
Karthikeya and Swaminatha: We have already discussed who are Karthikeya as well as Swaminatha are. Karthikeya is the crystal clear mind who has the vision, strategy, and passion of a true leader as Karthikeya himself - the divine army chief. When this mind gets connected deeply with the true purpose of one's own heart, the same mind can be considered as Swaminatha. Both are the same God (mind) but in two different forms, that is all. With this God every time the peacock is depicted.
What can be the peacock if Karthikeya/ Swaminatha is the mind? What does the mind use to bring its intention into the physical word? A mind cannot do anything. For any action the mind considers to happen, a physical body or person has to be in the picture. The heart through the mind and the mind through the person (though everything is really one energy) has to work for any idea or thought to come into real physical existence.
Peacock - Symbolism: In such a case doesn't the person becomes the vehicle through which the action happens? In such a case can't the person be considered as the ego, the Self-concept a person holds about themselves. So, by virtue of the peacock being the vehicle of Karthikeya, the mind, can't we consider the peacock the ego? So, in that deep symbolic sense the peacock is the ego of the person whose mind is Karthikeya and when it aligns with the heart, it becomes Swaminatha.
So, now let us look at the peacock. First as the ego in the lower vibration, arrogant, angry, and egoistic. We know the Peacock likes to show off its feathers in a dance before a peahen and many times just before the rain. Yes, the tail feathers are brilliant and magnificent. But if you put the same peacock in a space of human awareness isn't the peacock showing an attitude of 'how magnificent he is' in front of a white colored, tail-less female? Showing off how amazing he is compared to her?
Let us bring the same thing to a human who acts as a peacock. They show off how elegant they are, how magnificent they are, how talented they are and how others should kneel down in front of his/her magnificence. Here hasn't the ego-the perspective they keep of themselves overtaken their intelligence, heart, and mind? They are consumed with the thought of how great they are and how others should appreciate their greatness and how others are not up to par with them. There are so many examples in society.
So, a male peacock can represent the truly arrogant, egoistic nature of a human being. Concentrate on the tail feathers now. The peacock has a trailing glory of the tail feathers. That would not allow it to fly high or go to long distances. The same can bring its downfall by a predator catching and eating it. Now to the human. Think of these tail feathers as the burden of ego the person carries.
This heavy burden would not allow the person to fly high in the ideals and perspectives of the higher realms. The vibration of the ego energy is so low, they would be kept in the lower realms of energy vibrations. As a tail becomes the downfall for the bird with the predator, the human's own ego would bring their own downfall. The media is loaded with such news.
People with such huge ego are not able to collaborate, work with a team spirit, or listen to good advice. The ego is so huge they are not able to listen to their mind, inner guidance, or intuition. Everything gets covered in layers of ego. The peacock also has a cry that is high pitched, and very bothersome. This can be related to the words that come out of the mouth of an egoistic person. They are full of themselves, it is always the Universe or the world revolving around them. No other person has a place in their life. No wonder they usually feel lonely in their life.
Also, another truth is many times a person who feels themselves having very low value within tries to mask that low self-esteem with a larger than life ego. That ego is the protective armor they put up to guard themselves against the vulnerability of the low self-esteem they feel inside. That has to be protected by them at any cost. A truly brave person is courageous within. They don't have to show an attitude, ego, or arrogance. Their courage comes from within, not in the outer showing off. All these show that a peacock can be very much related to the ego.
Peacock with Swaminatha (Karthikeya): Let us come to the point where the peacock is depicted with Karthikeya, the mind. Here the mind is listening to the Soul or the heart in Swaminatha. So, the mind with the power of the true core is the boss. To that mind, the ego should be subservient. So, the flow of energy is from the heart (true core) to the mind. From the mind to the ego or the self-image of the person. From the person through goals/objectives to the actions to bring in the physical reality they want for their own life. This is how energy should be used.
Here the ego is not the boss. But the ego is the boss to the lower vibrations of vices. Even this is many times depicted in the image as a snake. Snakes in the lower vibrations can be considered as the demonic vices of drinks, drugs, gossip, and more. But in the higher vibrations, serpents depict true wisdom. The true fact is without a healthy ego, the sense of self, we humans cannot survive. So a healthy dose of ego is needed. Otherwise without ego or a self-image, energetically we are not there in the picture, as we would not be allowed to do anything by others who have a more stronger will than us.
So a healthy ego that listens to our heart and then rationalizes with the logic of the mind is needed. So, the Soul (Brahman/Shiva/ Vishnu) should be the boss. Now listening to that true heart (Soul), the mind (Karthikeya, later Swaminatha) should use the ego (the being) to bring in the needed objective for their own life. There is even a story where Karthikeya went on the peacock around the world. Here the peacock should be very light without the tail feathers dragging it down to have a rendezvous around the world.
If we take this symbolically as the human mind, ego can take a rendezvous of it's own life, to go to the realms of the highest ideals of the mind. For this we have to make our peacock (ego) very light without the burden of the emotions of sadness, greed, guilt, shame, anger as well as the vices. All of these are very low vibrations. They won't ever allow us to capture the very high ideals and the mental realms of creativity and inspiration.
The ego should be there. But it along with the heart, mind, and the person should work for the life of the being. So, as a human being we should keep our peacock (ego) beautiful, vibrant and magnificent, but not arrogant, egoistic and consumed about ourself. So, now the question, shouldn't our peacock be the beautiful and vibrant vehicle of Swaminatha/Karthikeya, our own brilliant mind?
I wish you a good weekend and I'll see you next Friday!😉
Next week: Maya in the modern age!
Credits: Images and links from Wikimedia Commons and Pixabay.com
Ralph Waldo Emerson writes, "There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance ; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better for worse as his portion that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till. The power which resides in him is new in nature, and none but he knows what that is which he can do, nor does he know until he has tried".
All rights reserved to Jayasree Padmanabhan and SwaroopaBlog.
To my Blog readers: As all of you know, the European Union has passed laws regarding the collection of the user data. This is just to inform all my EU blog readers, I just use Google Analytics, which Google provides, to look at from where readers are reading my blogs. I also use Specific feeds to use their service for subscription list. I don't collect or intend to collect user data to sell or provide to third-party applications. Regards,
SwaroopaBlog.
Disclaimer: This is a personal blog. The opinions and perspectives shared here are that of the author/owner only. Even though the author/owner will try to research well before posting the information, the author/owner of this blog does not make any portrayal of the accuracy or correctness of the content on this blog or the links provided. The author/owner will not be liable for any omissions or inaccuracies occurred. The author/owner will not be liable for any damages or losses due to the use or display of this blog. These terms and conditions can change at any time.
This blog is purely for informational purposes only.
©Jayasree Padmanabhan and Swaroopa, 2017- Eternity
Namaste! Hope all of you had a great week where you were able to capture your inner Swaminatha, the mind of a true leader deeply connected with the heart or the Soul. When the mind and heart start to work in tandem, many times we start to see doors opening where there was not even a window in the first place. This is the path of the inner trust and all of us are supposed to be our own 'pathfinders'.
Karthikeya and Swaminatha: Last two weeks we discussed how Mythology is loaded with symbolism and how we can relate things to our everyday life through deep, insightful contemplation. Before we have discussed the flower Lotus as well as the meaning of a lamp. Today why don't we discuss the peacock. This interpretation is through my inklings from Hindu mythology. But the underlying concepts can be used by anyone. As I was born and brought up as a Hindu, I feel comfortable sharing principles and concepts from that platform, that is all. Also, if I remove Hinduism from my writings, I would become a shell of a person. So, it is an important part of me and my writings.
 |
| Karthikeya with his consorts and the vehicle, the peacock. The snake can also be seen! Murugan_by_Raja_Ravi_Varma.jpg: Raja Ravi Varma derivative work: Redtigerxyz [Public domain] |
We discussed mind as Karthikeya, where it is strong but has no connection to the heart (Soul) as well as Swaminatha where we become aware of a higher purpose for our life from our heart. In the pictures depicting Karthikeya/ Swaminatha, he is seen having his vehicle as a peacock. So, let us discuss the significance of the peacock today. The peafowl (peacock) is always depicted as the male one having the huge dazzling tail feathers.
Peacock: In scientific name, Peacock is called Pavo cristatus and is native to southeast Asia especially India. Later it has been introduced to various other parts of the world. The peahen is usually white in color and has not many tail feathers. It is the male bird, peacock which has the magnificent tail feathers that are iridescent to light and shows bright bluish green in color. It has the capacity to spread its wings and show off it's trailing beauty to the peahen during the mating season as well as to put off an aggressor.
Due to the big heavy trailing tail feathers, the peacock is not able to fly high or to long distances. It can just fly short distances as to a tree branch. Even to walk on the ground the long tail feathers are a hindrance and the peacock itself can get killed in the deep forests due to these feathers. Now, the peacock is depicted as the vehicle of Karthikeya in Hindu mythology.
 |
| Peacock with the long train of tail feathers Image credits - Pixabay.com |
Karthikeya and Swaminatha: We have already discussed who are Karthikeya as well as Swaminatha are. Karthikeya is the crystal clear mind who has the vision, strategy, and passion of a true leader as Karthikeya himself - the divine army chief. When this mind gets connected deeply with the true purpose of one's own heart, the same mind can be considered as Swaminatha. Both are the same God (mind) but in two different forms, that is all. With this God every time the peacock is depicted.
What can be the peacock if Karthikeya/ Swaminatha is the mind? What does the mind use to bring its intention into the physical word? A mind cannot do anything. For any action the mind considers to happen, a physical body or person has to be in the picture. The heart through the mind and the mind through the person (though everything is really one energy) has to work for any idea or thought to come into real physical existence.
Peacock - Symbolism: In such a case doesn't the person becomes the vehicle through which the action happens? In such a case can't the person be considered as the ego, the Self-concept a person holds about themselves. So, by virtue of the peacock being the vehicle of Karthikeya, the mind, can't we consider the peacock the ego? So, in that deep symbolic sense the peacock is the ego of the person whose mind is Karthikeya and when it aligns with the heart, it becomes Swaminatha.
So, now let us look at the peacock. First as the ego in the lower vibration, arrogant, angry, and egoistic. We know the Peacock likes to show off its feathers in a dance before a peahen and many times just before the rain. Yes, the tail feathers are brilliant and magnificent. But if you put the same peacock in a space of human awareness isn't the peacock showing an attitude of 'how magnificent he is' in front of a white colored, tail-less female? Showing off how amazing he is compared to her?
Let us bring the same thing to a human who acts as a peacock. They show off how elegant they are, how magnificent they are, how talented they are and how others should kneel down in front of his/her magnificence. Here hasn't the ego-the perspective they keep of themselves overtaken their intelligence, heart, and mind? They are consumed with the thought of how great they are and how others should appreciate their greatness and how others are not up to par with them. There are so many examples in society.
 |
| The magnificent feathers of a peacock! Image credits - Pixabay.com |
So, a male peacock can represent the truly arrogant, egoistic nature of a human being. Concentrate on the tail feathers now. The peacock has a trailing glory of the tail feathers. That would not allow it to fly high or go to long distances. The same can bring its downfall by a predator catching and eating it. Now to the human. Think of these tail feathers as the burden of ego the person carries.
This heavy burden would not allow the person to fly high in the ideals and perspectives of the higher realms. The vibration of the ego energy is so low, they would be kept in the lower realms of energy vibrations. As a tail becomes the downfall for the bird with the predator, the human's own ego would bring their own downfall. The media is loaded with such news.
People with such huge ego are not able to collaborate, work with a team spirit, or listen to good advice. The ego is so huge they are not able to listen to their mind, inner guidance, or intuition. Everything gets covered in layers of ego. The peacock also has a cry that is high pitched, and very bothersome. This can be related to the words that come out of the mouth of an egoistic person. They are full of themselves, it is always the Universe or the world revolving around them. No other person has a place in their life. No wonder they usually feel lonely in their life.
Also, another truth is many times a person who feels themselves having very low value within tries to mask that low self-esteem with a larger than life ego. That ego is the protective armor they put up to guard themselves against the vulnerability of the low self-esteem they feel inside. That has to be protected by them at any cost. A truly brave person is courageous within. They don't have to show an attitude, ego, or arrogance. Their courage comes from within, not in the outer showing off. All these show that a peacock can be very much related to the ego.
Peacock with Swaminatha (Karthikeya): Let us come to the point where the peacock is depicted with Karthikeya, the mind. Here the mind is listening to the Soul or the heart in Swaminatha. So, the mind with the power of the true core is the boss. To that mind, the ego should be subservient. So, the flow of energy is from the heart (true core) to the mind. From the mind to the ego or the self-image of the person. From the person through goals/objectives to the actions to bring in the physical reality they want for their own life. This is how energy should be used.
Here the ego is not the boss. But the ego is the boss to the lower vibrations of vices. Even this is many times depicted in the image as a snake. Snakes in the lower vibrations can be considered as the demonic vices of drinks, drugs, gossip, and more. But in the higher vibrations, serpents depict true wisdom. The true fact is without a healthy ego, the sense of self, we humans cannot survive. So a healthy dose of ego is needed. Otherwise without ego or a self-image, energetically we are not there in the picture, as we would not be allowed to do anything by others who have a more stronger will than us.
 |
| Karthikeya (mind with awareness) with the peacock (ego)! Wikimedia Commons - See page for author [Public domain] |
So a healthy ego that listens to our heart and then rationalizes with the logic of the mind is needed. So, the Soul (Brahman/Shiva/ Vishnu) should be the boss. Now listening to that true heart (Soul), the mind (Karthikeya, later Swaminatha) should use the ego (the being) to bring in the needed objective for their own life. There is even a story where Karthikeya went on the peacock around the world. Here the peacock should be very light without the tail feathers dragging it down to have a rendezvous around the world.
If we take this symbolically as the human mind, ego can take a rendezvous of it's own life, to go to the realms of the highest ideals of the mind. For this we have to make our peacock (ego) very light without the burden of the emotions of sadness, greed, guilt, shame, anger as well as the vices. All of these are very low vibrations. They won't ever allow us to capture the very high ideals and the mental realms of creativity and inspiration.
The ego should be there. But it along with the heart, mind, and the person should work for the life of the being. So, as a human being we should keep our peacock (ego) beautiful, vibrant and magnificent, but not arrogant, egoistic and consumed about ourself. So, now the question, shouldn't our peacock be the beautiful and vibrant vehicle of Swaminatha/Karthikeya, our own brilliant mind?
I wish you a good weekend and I'll see you next Friday!😉
Next week: Maya in the modern age!
Credits: Images and links from Wikimedia Commons and Pixabay.com
Ralph Waldo Emerson writes, "There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance ; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better for worse as his portion that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till. The power which resides in him is new in nature, and none but he knows what that is which he can do, nor does he know until he has tried".
All rights reserved to Jayasree Padmanabhan and SwaroopaBlog.
To my Blog readers: As all of you know, the European Union has passed laws regarding the collection of the user data. This is just to inform all my EU blog readers, I just use Google Analytics, which Google provides, to look at from where readers are reading my blogs. I also use Specific feeds to use their service for subscription list. I don't collect or intend to collect user data to sell or provide to third-party applications. Regards,
SwaroopaBlog.
This blog is purely for informational purposes only.
©Jayasree Padmanabhan and Swaroopa, 2017- Eternity
![Murugan_by_Raja_Ravi_Varma.jpg: Raja Ravi Varmaderivative work: Redtigerxyz [Public domain]](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sri_Shanmukaha_Subramania_Swami.jpg){kind=link}
![Wikimedia Commons - See page for author [Public domain]](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Balaskandha.jpg){kind=link}
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