Sri Suktam Explained - Part 10

Sri Suktam Explained - Part 10

Now, the third mantra:

अश्वपूर्वां रथमध्यां हस्तिनादप्रबोधिनीम्
श्रियं देवीमुपह्वये श्रीर्मा देवी जुषताम्

अश्व – 'व्याप्तौ' – here means all-pervading, the one who is present everywhere, omnipresent—Sri Hari.
अश्वपूर्वा – He is ahead of her. He walks in front of her, as a husband walks in front of his wife. Thus, Sri Hari is her husband.

रथमध्या – The term refers to the body as the chariot. As said in the Kathopanishad:
आत्मानं रथिनं विद्धि शरीरं रथमेव च
The body is the chariot, and the self (Atman) is the charioteer. This is how one should perceive their body—as a vehicle, like a car you own and drive.

Nowadays, we are confused and think the body is everything. But is a car the entirety of your life? Once, there was a time when you did not own a car. You used public transport, school buses, or trains. Then, you got yourself a car.

Now, are you going to base your entire life around this car, as if you exist solely to take care of it? Unless you are a taxi driver by profession, even then, you still have your private life. For a taxi driver, the car is essential for livelihood. But for others, it is merely a means of transport.

When newly purchased, the car may excite you, but after a while, it becomes just a vehicle. When a new model arrives, you exchange it for a newer one. You are not permanently wedded to the car unless you have an abnormal obsession.

The body is like a car—a temporary vehicle used by the Atman (the passenger) to travel. It is not even your own; it is like a taxi.

For instance, imagine you are traveling across states. You hire a taxi in Maharashtra to reach the Karnataka border. As it cannot ply in Karnataka, you switch to another taxi. When you reach Kerala, you switch again.

This is what the body is—temporary.

However, we become obsessed with it, forgetting its purpose and focusing entirely on maintaining it. This pathological obsession makes us forget who we are, where we are going, and why we are in this taxi (body) in the first place.

Everyday life revolves around the body:

• Brushing teeth to keep them healthy and white.
• Consuming bitter gourd juice, pumpkin juice, or water therapy.
• Exercising—walking, jogging, cycling, yoga, pranayama.
• Grooming—treatments for skin and hair.
• Eating carefully measured proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.
• Working to feed and pamper the body.

Half the day is spent worrying about potential illnesses—from a cold to cancer—and seeking preventive health care. We have discovered thousands of ways the body can malfunction, from diseases to breakdowns.

Even at night, sleep is tailored for the body—with spring beds, memory foam, or mattresses designed to match body contours. All this effort is for a temporary vehicle, one you don’t even own!

This pathological obsession with the body is akin to OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder).

And this is only about the body; the mind is another matter altogether.

Returning to Sri Sukta:
The chariot (Ratha) refers to Sri Hari’s body. Lakshmi resides in the middle of it—Sri Hari’s Vakshasthala (chest).

हस्तिनादप्रबोधिनीम् – She is the one who heard Gajendra's pleading cries first. She informed Sri Hari about his plight and asked him to save him.

श्रियं देवीमुपह्वये – We call upon this Devi, this Sri Devi.

सा मा जुषताम् – 'सा मां जुषताम्' – May she use me as her toy, amusing herself with me. Her amusement is the creation of wealth. May she engage herself with me and bless me.

Ramaswamy Sastry and Vighnesh Ghanapaathi