Astrological Mythology The Meaning of ... - Mandhata Global

Clarity of vision and direct perception of cosmic laws depend upon these
influences. Perception and alertness are essential for attuning oneself to the
spiritual goal of life. The role of Shravana is significant in achieving these
qualities.
The name Shravana means listening. In every spiritual teaching, the act of
listening is given much importance. In the Mundaka Upanishad, the teacher
and students pray for the capacity of listening together. "Oh Gods! May we
hear together with our ears what is auspicious." The Voice of Silence also
states, "Before thou has't thy feet upon the ladder's upper rung, the ladder of
the mystic sounds, thou has't to hear the voice of thy inner God." J.
Krishnamurti gives much importance to the action of right listening. He
states that "it is very important to know how to listen. If you know how to
listen, you will get to the root of the matter immediately. If you know how to
listen to what is being said, there is immediate understanding. Listening is
complete focusing of attention." The Lord Buddha put succinctly the
importance of listening, when he emphasized Right Attention and Right
Meditation as two steps of the Noble Eightfold Path, Shravana is the stage of
cosmic evolution where the individual receives universal impressions. At
this stage one comes immediately in contact with the beauty of life. One
receives immediate understanding, as one listens to the voice of the Divine
within. But such an exalted prize is not obtained easily, for it one has to
suffer materially.
Shravana and Nada are two aspects of cosmic intelligence which are
intimately linked. Nada is the cosmic sound regarded as the primeval silence
from which all the forces of creation have arisen. This sound of the Silence
can only be perceived by self-discipline in the practice of Yoga. The
perception of the voice of the Silence resulting from the annihilation of
personality is a result of Shravana, of listening in the true sense of the term.
The physical basis of this listening is the ear, the symbol assigned to the
asterism. Whatever preparation is needed for this perceptive faculty is the
result of Shravana.
One pointedness is an essential requirement for Right Attention as required
in the Noble Eightfold Path. It is represented by an arrow, the other symbol
of Shravana (see Sagittarius). The arrow is an ancient sign suggesting the
substantial amount of preparation by the individual necessary for attaining
his spiritual goal. The sign Sagittarius is symbolized by a centaur who shoots
an arrow representing higher aspirations. The Upanishadic literature uses the
arrow in a similar sense. In the Mundaka Upanishad the soul, aspiring
towards God, is compared to an arrow while the great mantra Om represents
the discipline essential for attaining the goal. Under this impulse all