"The Destroyer of Disease." From the Sama Veda. "The Melodies."
I took the clothes my ex partner loaned me after the good folks at Saint Agnes and the Ascenion on Mass Ave Nw pulled the fire alarm in my apartment, causing me to lose everything I own in a downpour even a hurricane couldn't match. The insurance company paid $2000 for denial of use and refused to pay for my relocation or hotel expenses and that ...was that. I have been homeless ever since.
I used to share a four story single family house in the suburbs with the man I met when I was newly 22. I was forty nine when he left. I could not get the Republicans and the Faith to leave us alone, and the police then as now would not help me try as I might. Just before he decided to go, I called the Authorities and told them I knew of a man who resided at 2127 12th Pl NW who was trafficking in movies featuring sex with minors and murder, and many of them featured members of the Republican Party and persons very close to the President, like his sons and Jared Kushner. My reports eventually led to what are now called the Epstein Files and to the demise of my family everything I love. There were several attempts on my life, which fortunately, I survived.
My ex lives in a one bedroom apartment that is filled floor to ceiling with books, magazines, and clutter. His bedroom looks like a teenager's, there is dust everywhere, he rarely goes out. We were glued to the hip, we did everything together. Our house was furnished, kept clean, it was the result of decades of loving care.
My continuous pressure for an exit strategy from the situation resulted in my being raped in April and once again last Sunday night. I do not know what to do but to shame the government and the police and the Attorney General and the harshest of responses for the persons who have been attacking me and also the lawyers and judges who have turned their back and engage in nonsense while others like me and the rest of the human race suffer.
The law does not permit neglectful lax law enforcement regarding hate crimes or organized crime. If you are like me, one of the Epstein Files survivors, a survivor of 2127 12th Place, Saint Agnes and the Ascension, the RNC or the Faith, the government is required to pay you and also to protect you and do a good job of it. What is happening now -NOTHING-is not acceptable. I hope if you are like me, your anger and outrage will keep you alive, keep you going and one day we will all get revenge against Donald Trump and the rest who hurt us and our loved ones.
Today's reading from the Sama Veda once again, must add to our knowledge of how to hold on to our anger and unresolved issues with violent criminals and yet push on.
Book Six, Dasati Seven.
1. Before the beloved sacred names and rites, the mighty Soma is consecrated and purified, rising above all others. This powerful essence, the surveyor of all things, ascends the swift chariot of the radiant Sun.
2. May the resounding, well-pressed Soma, beloved by the mighty gods, come to us. May it bring strength, joy, and inspiration, overcome our enemies, and graciously accept our offerings and worship.
3. The pleasant Soma flows into the sacred vessel with a resounding voice. Brilliant like Indra's thunderbolt, it shines above all splendor. At the sacrifice, the gentle, butter-giving cows freely yield their nourishing milk.
4. Soma enters into union with Indra. True friendship does not destroy the one it honors, just as a man does not harm a young woman. Purified through the strainer, Soma gently flows into the sacred vessel.
5. Soma, the supporter of heaven, is transformed into its life-giving liquid form. This green, fleeting plant strengthens the gods, inspires divine ecstasy, and is prepared with reverence by holy men. Its gifts sustain both food and water.
6. Soma is the distiller of wisdom, the brilliant preserver of the day, and the revealer of the dawn's first rays. Flowing into the sacred vessel, it enters the heart of Indra together with the prayers and insight of the wise.
7. The seven sacred milch cows yield the pure, blended Soma for the three daily sacrifices. In this holy place, Soma establishes the four shining worlds and all that belongs to them. Through sacrifice, human understanding is enlarged and elevated.
8. O Soma, may your pressed, purified, and disease-destroying juice be reserved for Indra alone. Let not the Rakshasas partake of your sacred essence. May the encircling Soma plants, arranged upon the two sacred skins, remain present among us.
9. The pressed, green Soma, rich with its sweet essence, appears like a king clothed in splendor. It raises its voice before the flashing fires, while the purifier descends like a hawk upon the goatskins, settling beside the sacred vessel (yoni) that receives the living liquid.
10. Resting upon the sacred grass, the intoxicating Soma plants release their life-giving juice before the gods, just as a cow gives milk to her calf. The radiance that proceeds from Soma nourishes and sustains the intellect refined through its sacred preparation.
11. Agni, guardian of treasure, shines brilliantly as he sends forth his flames. He surrounds and kindles the sacrifice, touching it with his gentle tongue, and symbolically drinks the swelling cosmic ocean, receiving the first libation of the sacred Soma.
12. O Lord of Nourishment, you surround the holy and abundant sacrifice. Cool, life-giving, and free from disease, you spread your blessings over offerings brought from every direction. Even the leafless plants, carried from afar, pour their precious essence into the sacred vessel.
Below is a glossary of the principal Sanskrit terms appearing or referenced in the hymn, with concise definitions.
Soma (सोम)
Literally "pressed juice."
The sacred Vedic ritual drink prepared from the Soma plant.
Also the deified Soma, associated with divine inspiration, immortality, vitality, and the Moon in later Hindu tradition.
Agni (अग्नि)
Fire.
The Vedic god of fire, sacrifice, and divine mediation.
The messenger who carries offerings from humans to the gods.
Indra (इन्द्र)
King of the Vedic gods.
God of storms, rain, thunder, warfare, and victory.
The chief recipient of Soma in many Vedic hymns.
Rakshasa (राक्षस)
A demon or malevolent supernatural being.
Often portrayed as an enemy of sacrifice and cosmic order.
Yoni (योनि)
Womb.
Source.
Origin.
Receptacle.
In the hymn, it refers to the sacred vessel or receptacle that receives the purified Soma.
Milch Cow (धेनु, Dhenu)
A milk-giving cow.
A common Vedic symbol of nourishment, abundance, wisdom, and divine generosity.
Surya (सूर्य)
The Sun.
The solar deity who illuminates the heavens.
Although the hymn says "the mighty Sun," the Sanskrit deity represented is Surya.
Vajra (वज्र)
Thunderbolt.
Diamond.
Indra's divine weapon, symbolizing irresistible power and spiritual strength.
Referred to in the comparison with "Indra's thunderbolt."
Yajña (यज्ञ)
Sacrifice.
Sacred ritual offering.
The central Vedic act through which humans, gods, and the cosmos are united.
The hymn repeatedly describes sacrificial rites based on this concept.
Ṛṣi (ऋषि)
Sage.
Seer.
Inspired Vedic poet.
Although translated as "holy men" or "wise men," the original concept is that of the divinely inspired seers who received the Vedas.
Deva (देव)
God.
Divine being.
Literally "the shining one."
The hymn frequently refers to "the gods," meaning the Devas.
Go (गो)
Cow.
Also means ray of light, earth, speech, or the senses depending on context.
One of the richest symbolic words in Vedic literature.
Goat Skin (अजिन, Ajina)
A ritually prepared animal skin used during Vedic sacrifices.
Soma was traditionally filtered through sheep's or goat's wool and skins.
Pavitra (पवित्र)
Purifier.
Sacred filter.
The woolen strainer through which Soma is purified during the ritual.
Although translated simply as "strainer," this is the technical Vedic term.
Amṛta (अमृत)
Immortality.
Nectar of the gods.
Literally "deathless."
While not explicitly named in the passage, Soma is consistently associated with amṛta throughout the Vedic tradition.
Brahman (ब्रह्मन्)
Sacred utterance.
Prayer.
Divine reality.
In the Vedic context, it often refers to sacred speech or the spiritual power underlying ritual.
Medhā (मेधा)
Intelligence.
Wisdom.
Inspired understanding.
Reflected in the hymn's repeated references to Soma as the "distiller of intellect."
Prāṇa (प्राण)
Breath.
Vital life force.
Although not explicitly mentioned, the hymn's themes of vitality and life-giving power are closely associated with prāṇa in later Hindu philosophy.
These terms illustrate the hymn's central themes: purification, wisdom, divine inspiration, nourishment, sacrifice, cosmic order, and the union of the human and divine through Soma.
I don't have a goat skin handy, so we are going to have to find our Medha, "distilled wisdom" some other way. In spite of my horror story, I am essentially all right. I have everything I need, a few things I desire, there are no extras, but thanks to a friend and a guest room the situation the RNC had in mind did not actually come to pass in spite of some very close calls. The inverse of the drama I punch out on the screen every day is Medha.
Medha means no one around me must know how angry I am or see it in my actions, words, or posture. To allow the wicked lawless of others spread through the outward diffusion of an highly emotional state would not be appropriate. It is difficult but this is a sign of mastery, that one can be angered and is not subject to rage.
Krishna refers to medhā (मेधा)—intelligence, retentive understanding, or the power to comprehend and integrate knowledge—in several places in the Bhagavad Gita. Although the noun medhā itself is not frequent, the concept of enlightened intelligence is central to Krishna's teaching.
Here are the principal passages:
1. Bhagavad Gita 10:34
Krishna declares His divine manifestations:
कीर्तिः श्रीर्वाक्च नारीणां स्मृतिर्मेधा धृतिः क्षमा kīrtiḥ śrīr vāk ca nārīṇāṁ smṛtir medhā dhṛtiḥ kṣamā
Translation:
"Among feminine qualities, I am fame, prosperity, speech, memory, intelligence (medhā), steadfastness, and forgiveness."
Medhā (मेधा)
Meaning:
Intelligence
Insight
Discernment
The capacity to understand and retain knowledge
Wisdom that integrates learning into right action
Here Krishna identifies medhā as one of His own divine manifestations.
2. Bhagavad Gita 10:10
तेषां सततयुक्तानां भजतां प्रीतिपूर्वकम् । ददामि बुद्धियोगं तं येन मामुपयान्ति ते ॥
teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ yena mām upayānti te
Translation:
"To those who are constantly devoted and who worship Me with love, I give the yoga of intelligence (buddhi-yoga) by which they come to Me."
Though the word medhā is not used here, the closely related concept buddhi (बुद्धि)—intellect, higher reasoning, or discriminative intelligence—is central. In this verse, Krishna describes a divinely guided intelligence granted to the devoted, enabling correct understanding and spiritual realization.
Connection to Medhā:
Medhā emphasizes retention, comprehension, and integration of knowledge.
Buddhi emphasizes discrimination, decision-making, and direction. Together, they form a complete model of sacred intelligence: the ability to grasp truth (medhā) and to apply it correctly (buddhi).
Bhagavad Gita 15:15 सर्वस्य चाहं हृदि सन्निविष्टो मत्तः स्मृतिर्ज्ञानमपोहनं च sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca
Translation:
"I am seated in the heart of all beings; from Me arise memory, knowledge, and their removal."
Relevance to Medhā: Although medhā is not explicitly named, this verse identifies its components:
Smṛti (memory)
Jñāna (knowledge)
Since medhā depends on both retention and understanding, Krishna here presents Himself as the source of the very faculties that constitute intelligent awareness.
Conceptual Synthesis Across the Gita
Even where medhā is not explicitly mentioned, Krishna repeatedly develops the idea through related terms:
Buddhi — higher intellect, discrimination (2:41, 2:49, 10:10)
Jñāna — knowledge or insight (4:38)
Viveka (implicit) — discernment between the real and unreal
Smṛti — memory (15:15)
Integrated Meaning: In the Bhagavad Gita, medhā can be understood as:
The inner capacity to receive truth
The retention of spiritual knowledge
The synthesis of learning into lived wisdom
A divine faculty, not merely a human achievement
Summary Insight: Krishna presents intelligence not as mere mental ability, but as a sacred, divinely sourced power. Medhā is thus part of a larger spiritual cognition system—rooted in devotion, guided by divine grace, and fulfilled in right understanding and action. Angry persons cannot learn, they cannot anticipate the future. Medha is the only way to keep the mind under control and prevent karma from dominating the future of the mind.
