PAVAMĀNA: Enduring Indic Wisdom

by Bala Bharadvaj, 14 April 2024

Why is it called pavamana?

The Sanskrit word “pavamāna” means “being purified” or “flowing”.  It is also used as one of the names for “the God of Wind”.

When we keep a room closed for a long time, it develops a stale odor, and we also lose track of the items that were stored in the room.  When the doors and windows are opened and we allow the breeze to flow through, the fresh air purifies the space and makes it usable, i.e., the wind purifies the space.  Once we clear the cobwebs and clean the dust, the contents become visible.  We might even rediscover some treasures from the past that we had forgotten about. 

In this blog, the meaning we take for “pavamāna” is related to purification, cleansing, and rediscovering the forgotten treasures of this ancient culture.

What types of purification? 

We’ll look at three aspects of purification.  The emphasis is on improving ourselves through better understanding of various aspects of the cultural heritage and traditions of bhārat.

• Clear the Cobwebs:  The ancient literature of India is in Sanskrit and other regional languages of India.  However, many of the educated and influential adults today are more conversant with English than other languages.  While this enables us to be successful in the global arena, our appreciation of indigenous Indian literature, concepts and ideas has suffered.  We’ll try to clear the cobwebs off some Indian texts, connect with their messages, and explore their relevance in modern times.
• Clean the Dust:  We often hear that there was a glorious culture thriving in this ancient land which has lost its shine over time due to various historical events.  Today, the available literature has become covered in layers of “dust” – such as deviations in the text, confusing explanations, and even misleading interpretations.  Many practices are being followed without understanding and are questioned as being meaningless superstitions.  We’ll strive to clean the dust, reveal the beauty of the original version, and recognize their value and importance for the present times.
• Improve Ourselves: “Lifelong Learning” and “Continuous Improvement” are popular concepts of modern management; interestingly, this advice is recorded in the taittirīya upaniṣad (taittirya upanishad) which was expounded in India a very long time ago.   Our ancestors understood that systematic and regular learning leads to better individuals who blossom into successful and responsible citizens of the world.  This is the third aspect of purification where we strive to improve ourselves by utilizing ideas from ancient wisdom, and in turn contribute to improving the world around us.