Full Moon Boon

Letters to One

Dear One,

In the fullness of the moon we express gratitude that the light remains even in the night. Thank you to the teachers who remove the darkness. Happy Guru Purnima.

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Based on years of devoted study of Vedic literature, these are some of the qualities of the most evolutionary requests made when a Rishi or Deva offers a boon.

1. Non-competitive/Cooperative

   The request isn’t, let me be the richest, best, strongest, most talented, most powerful, biggest, or brightest anything. It’s more like, let my talents be made useful to the fullest extent for the benefit of me and the highest number of people around me. A good example is when Arjuna¹ first asks Indra to give him the celestial weapons. Arjuna already has the talent, but these are majorly upgraded tools. These astras in the hands of Arjuna mean balance will be restored to the world. Not too shabby.

2. Recognizes Others

   No one makes it to greatness alone. A strong request recognizes those who’ve helped you get to where you are. Let me have the financial means to show gratitude to my family for their toil and sacrifices which paved the way for me. An example of this is when Rama² is offered a boon and He asks that all of the monkey soldiers, the Vanara warriors, have their lives restored for helping Him defeat Ravana.

3. Emphasizes Freedom

   A request is best when it liberates you and those who are close to you. Let me overcome whatever is preventing me from fully realizing my capability. Whether it’s an ongoing quarrel, a limiting belief, or negative feelings, let me rise above them and truly live. There’s no better example of this than when Draupadi³ requests her husband, Yudhishtira, be freed from enslavement. She sets her whole family free. That’s powerful.

4. Values Friendship Above All

   When friendship is at the heart of a request you cannot fail, for she or he who has a true friend is already a huge success. Let me place friendship, loyalty, truth, and generosity at the forefront of all of my endeavors big and small. My favorite example of this is when Indra offers Krishna⁴ a boon after He and Arjuna help Agni consume a stagnant forest in a blaze of fiery glory. Imagine offering God incarnate a boon! Krishna plays along and requests that the King of the elemental gods give Him only this, “Let Arjuna always be my friend through eternity.”

That last one brings a little tear to my eye. Krishna expresses Highest Self. What this says to me is that there’s a friendly bond between you and the Greatest Expression of You.

Your most evolved Self is constantly flowing love and friendship your way.

May you remember this with every step you take on your evolutionary path. And as you formulate your full moon boon, keep some of these qualities in mind and you’ll be golden.

All my love and gratitude,

Jamey

1. The Mahabharata, Adhi Parva, The Burning of the Khandava Vana

2. The Ramayana, Book 6, After Sita’s trial by fire (Agni Pariksha)

3. The Mahabharata, Book 2, Sabha Parva, After the miracle with the cloth

4. The Mahabharata, Adhi Parva, The Burning of the Khandava Vana

Photo by Javardh on Unsplash

Hello! I’m Jamey and I teach Vedic meditation all over the world. I’m also the founder of Veda Vyasa Book Club (VVBC): the International book club devoted to developing consciousness through Vedic literature. Currently we’re exploring The Mahabharata. Our next exploration is the Siva Purana.