Madhu Vidya
Have you heard anything “Straight from horse’s mouth” except their neighing?
Despite the popular phrase being used regularly, no one has been fortunate enough to do so literally. Here I am going to narrate a magnificent story of a great knowledge expressed through the horse’s mouth. The person doing so is famous Dadhichi, the great sage sacrificing his body for creation of Vajra, the weapon used by Indra to defeat Vritra, the demon.
Dadhichi is also known as the authority in the knowledge of Madhu Vidya, the honey doctrine. Indra threatened him to not teach this Vidya to anybody else. Ashwini Duo, the great physicians replaced his original head by a horse’s head. Dadhichi spoke the knowledge to Ashwini Duo from horse’s head. Angry Indra cut this head. Then, Ashwini duo implanted original head to Dadhichi to make him alive again.
Madhu Vidya is a magnificent statement of the Upanishad. It is one of the thirty-two important Brahm Vidyas, meditation on which results in great wisdom. In Chhandogya Upanishad, it is explained as the nectar or essence extracted from all books of knowledges including Vedas, Brahmans, Upanishads and books of History and Puranas.
In Bṛihadaraṇyaka Upanishad, it tells us that everything is organically related to and so mutually dependent on everything else in the world. This link is through the Universal Super Consciousness pervading both animate and inanimate beings in the world. When a honey bee extracts honey from any type of flora or fauna, it also provides very important service of pollination to that plant. There is similar mutual dependence between everyone and everything. This magnificent theme in the Upanishad is well-known as Madhu-Vidya.
The inanimate things in nature such as Air, Soil, Sun, Rain, Water should not be considered as mere objects for our use, but they need our regular support and conservation. This eternal wisdom is very significant in modern world as the basis of sustainable development.
Let us progress collectively.