FRAGRANCE OF IDEAS
The civilization of India besides being an ancient and rich one in the world has great and noteworthy characteristics. One of those characteristics is surely the importance of numbers and names. Generally speaking, every number has its own value and importance. India being the source and hub of mathematics, astronomy and astrology for the last thousands of years, it is obvious that the numbers assume significance in a cultural sense from an Indian point of view. This significance is of various forms and formats, shapes and profile, symbolic meaning and philosophical connotations.
One such number as per the philosophical legacy of India is Seven (7) and in a sense it encompasses time and space. The importance of 7 can be enumerated in the following manner. These include Surya-Saptami, Sapt-Lok, Sapt-Rishi, Sapt-Chiranjeevi, Sapt-Sindhu, Sapt-Dweep (continents), Sapta-Rang of Inder-Dhanush (Rainbow), Sapta-Divas of a week, Sapta-Sur (swaram), Sapta-Puri, Sapta-Chakra, Sapta-Samudra, Sapta-Dhatu, Sapta-Matrika, Sapta-Padi, Sapt-Sarovar Tapovan, and also the Sapta-Vyasana. In the following text, we will discuss all of them one by one.
Surya-Saptami
We observe ‘Surya-Saptami’ in the month of Magh on ‘Shukla-Saptami’ i e., the seventh day of the bright fortnight of the Magh month of Sanatan almanac. This day is dedicated to the Sun-god from whom we get all the necessary energy needed to live a life. The sun has been designated as the ‘Pratyeksh-Deva’ (visible god). Generally, we worship the sun daily in the morning when it rises in the east. There are some people who worship it in the evening as well when it sets in the west.
The rays of sun have seven determined colours and it has been recognised in a philosophical sense that his chariot is driven by seven horses. This day is also celebrated as the birthday of the sun-god and is also called ‘Ratha-Saptami’. We, in the Kashmir valley, observe ‘Har-Saptami’ also in the month of Ashaad on the seventh day of bright fortnight in addition to the Magha-Saptami. This is also dedicated to Surya-Dev. Martand temple in Mattan-Kashmir has a great significance in this connection.
Sapta-Lok
The Hindu view of life gives us an outline of seven worlds or say seven planes of existence in the universe. The realms in this context are put in a hierarchical order with each representing a different level of consciousness or say existence. These Lokas include the following (from the lowest level to the highest level): Bhurloka (earth), Bhuvarloka (atmosphere), Svarloka (heaven), Maharloka, Janaloka, Tapaloka and Satyaloka. These are the highest forms of Lokas. Likewise, there are Sapta-Lokas which are considered the lower ones and these include: Atala, Vitala, Sutala, Rasatala, Talatala, Mahatala, Patala and Naraka at the bottom.
Sapta-Rishi
There are seven revered Rishis representing great worldly wisdom and spiritual power and are treated as foundational figures of vedic knowledge. The common list of Sapta-Rishi includes Atri, Bharadwaja, Gautama, Jamadagni, Kashyapa, Vashishth and Vishwamitra. Their names and lineages sometimes vary slightly across various texts. Saptrishis have a special connection with the Kashmir valley as well. There is a particular venue dedicated to them at the foothill of Sharika Mata at Hari Parbat, Srinagar. The oldest almanac of Kashmir “Sapta-Rishi Samvat” is also dedicated to these great Rishis. The Rishi Kashyapa has a very special connection with Kashmir. His name is deeply associated with the name of Kashmir.
Sapta-Chiranjeevi
The Sanatan religious, spiritual and historical texts mention about the Sapta-Chiranjeevi (seven immortal beings). These include Ashwathama, Bali, Vyasa, Hanuman, Vibhishana, Kripacharya and Parshuram. Some texts mention Rishi Markandeya also in place of Vibhishana. Therefore, they are also selectively referred to as Ashta-Chiranjeevi. They were granted boons by the gods to remain alive across time and space. These respectful figures are believed as eternally alive and roaming the planet earth and also supporting those in need. In the Kashmir valley, we have a long tradition of observing our birthdays by worshipping and invoking these Sapta-Chiranjeevi during the birthday-puja.
Sapta-Sindhu
It refers to the most sacred and pious rivers of India which are considered as the living goddesses. This beautiful flow of nectar includes Ganga, Yamuna, Godawari, Sarswati, Narmada, Sindhu and Kaveri. In the Sanatan view of life, every river is the mother-incarnate, but the Sapta-Sindhu has a very special and significant importance from the view of all aspects like culture, civilization, geography, history, economics and social harmony. These great rivers are recognised as the lifelines of our national life for the last thousands of years and they are also a witness of our successes and failures as a society.
Sapta-Dweep
In the Sanatan cosmology, there is a concept of Sapta-Dweep consisting of Jambu, Saka, Kusa, Kraunca, Salma, Gomeda and Pushkara. These are referred to as located within the earth and surrounded by seven oceans. These continents are envisioned as being round and concentric. In the present geographical context, we also have seven continents in the world known as Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Europe, Australia and Antarctica.
Sapta-rang of Inder-Dhanush
One of the beautiful geographical phenomena of our life is known as rain-bow (Inder-Dhanush) that is being considered as an essential part of our existence on earth. Rainbow has typical seven colours resonating the seven colours of light. It appears in the sky in a very special weather condition when rain and sun join together. These colours comprise red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet and indigo. They generally appear in a specific order due to the way the sunlight gets reflected and refracted by water globules in the environment. We usually use the shape of Inder-Dhanush in the formation of Rangoli as a tradition.
Sapta-Diwas of week
The seven days of week have a great significance in dealing with subjects like time, planet, rotation of the moon and our day to day assignments and work. The days of the week are named after gods and classical planets. Unlike in different cultures and civilizations, the Indian civilization observes the seven days of week on a consistent basis from the very inception and called it Sapta-Diwas (Saptah). There is no recognition of the concept of weekend and weekstart in the Indian tradition and the functionality of the tradition.
Sapta-Samudra
The concept of Sapta-Samudra is described in the Puranas and the other Hindu scriptures. These oceans besides being the geographical features are imbued with a plethora of spiritual and symbolic significance representative of self-realization goals and the universal truth. The seven oceans are: Lavana Samudra, Ikshu Samudra, Sura Samudra, Ghruta Samudra, Dadhi Samudra, Kheer Samudra and Sudhodaka Samudra.
Sapta-Dhatu
Like in mathematics and music, India has been a pioneer in medicine as well. In Ayurveda, Sapta-Dhatu refers to seven fundamental tissues that constitute and nourish the body. These comprise Rasa (Plasma), Rakhta (Blood), Mamsa (Muscle), Meda (Fat), Asthi (Bone), Majja (Bone marrow & Nerve tissue) and Shukra (Reproductive tissue). Besides this, the Sapta-Dhatu in the context of metals (Dhatu) consists of gold, silver, copper, iron, zinc, tin and lead. These are called Dhatus simply because they prevent senility and thinness and also cure fever and other diseases, and thus sustain the system.
Sapta-Matrika
The group of seven Sanatan mother goddesses each representing female energy (Shakti) of a major deity is known as Sapta-Matrika. They are : Brahmani, Maheshwari, Kaumari, Vaishnavi, Varahi, Indrani and Chamunda. They are specifically depicted together and are deeply associated with protection, benevolence and destruction.
Sapta-Padi
In Hindu weddings, the ritual of Sapta-Padi where the bride and groom take seven steps together is a crucial tradition. Every step represents a promise that they make to each other. Marriages are complete only with this important part of the ceremony. These are also intricately related to the relation between the two for seven lifetimes and is unique to the Hindu way of life.
Sapta-Sarovar-Tapovan
Sapt-Sarovar is a very fascinating holy site in Haridwar-India where Sapta-Rishi are believed to have meditated on different pieces of the same landscape. The mother Ganga, as per the legend, split itself into seven rivers here to avoid disturbing the meditation of the Sapta-Rishi. It is also called Tapovan.
Sapta-Vyasana
Lastly, the concept of Sapta-Vyasana representing seven vices are also mentioned in the scriptures to make the human being aware and conscious about the worldly realities. These can also be called bitter addictions and are enlisted as: dyuta (gambling), maamsa (meat-eating), suraa (drinking alcohol), vesyaa (prostitution), kheta (hunting), chorya (stealing) and paraangana (lusting after another man’s wife). In order to lead a moral and spiritual life and a life of detachment, one has been duly warned by the holy scriptures about the Sapta-Vyasana.
In conclusion, the importance of number seven (7) is by and large known to the common masses, but there is always a space and opportunity to know more about its maximum facets spread over tradition, historicity, culture, usage, spirituality and rich civilizational values. There is a lot to know about the other numbers and names as well, but that next time…!
(The author is a senior BJP & KP leader, Human Rights Defender, author & columnist and can be reached at: [email protected])
