THESE NOTES ARE FROM OTHER SOURCES
The Darsana Mala presents us with both a vision, darsana and a structure, a garland, mala. A garland is suggestive of several symbolic values, held together by an invisible string. In the Bhagavad Gita Chap.7 verse 7 we find:
“In Me all this is strung as a classified series of precious stones on a string”.
There is an invisible string which unites the individuated values, which are placed in a linear fashion, in a hierarchy, in a reciprocal manner, with a symmetrical descent and an ascent. There is a pendant which is the most precious aspect of the garland. The two ends of the string are tied to form a complete circle, somewhat like the ouroboros symbol of a snake devouring is own tail. Thus the end is also the beginning, and vice versa, indicating eternity, a cancellation.
The first chapter is based on “adhyasa” (superimposition, false attribution), which is due to “a-dhi” or absence of the discriminative faculty or buddhi. Under such circumstances the colourful variegated world is seen as a projection from various points of view, ranging from divine will, innate potential, to the imaginative expression of an artist. This dynamism functions both at the manifest and unmanifest realms.
To arrest this hypnotic spell of the phenomenal, we point out the contradictory nature of the thought process. If we say it exists, it is sat; if we say it does not exist it is cit.
The first half of the Darsana Mala is looking inwards from outside; and the second half is looking outwards from inside.
Mind-Flower Offerings 