Deivathin Kural Series - 25

Om Namah Sivaya.
12 July 2006.

1.These e-mails are translations of talks given by the erstwhile Pontiff of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, over more than sixty years, published by Vanady Padippagam, T.Nagar, Chennai, India, in ten volumes, in the Tamil language. The english version is likely to be available very soon. These e-mails are simply an effort on the part of the sender, to share some of his bliss, as it is said, 'Yam perra peru peruga ivvaiyagam'.

2. To-day's e-mail is the translation of what is given in pages, 99 to 103 in volume I, under the heading, 'Madathin Payan', meaning, 'Usefulness of Religeon'.
3. Dharma, Artha, Kama, Moksha, are the four aims of any religeon. These four are called Purusharthas. Dharma in Tamil is called, 'Aram'. Artha is 'Porul'. Kama is 'Inbam' and Moksha is 'Veedu'.
Artha also means 'meaning' and 'Need'. So Purushartha or Purushartham, means, Human Needs or wants. What are the human needs? Since in our undeveloped state, Money and Materials only are considered as needs, they are classified under, 'Artha'. That is why the science of Economics is called, 'Artha Sashtra'. But our Adi Sankara, says in Baja Govindam song, 'artham anartham bhavaya nityam'. Meaning, 'Daily think that money is the corruptor.' He said so because, these transient two, 'Artha and Kama', giving temporary satisfaction, keep us away from Dharma and Moksha.
4. (Man herein includes Woman.) Man wants to be happy allways without any lacks. Happiness are of two types. Temporary, transient happiness is one. Permanent, complete happiness without any
wants is another. This temporary happiness is Inbam or Kamam. Kamam includes all worldly desires. Instead of being transient, once reached, what is permanent, is Moksham or Veedu. Since Human beings are unaware of that permanent bliss, they run after the temporary Kamam. Actually we want that fourth Purushartha of Moksham or Veedu. Instead, in practical life, we look for the third Purshartha,
Inbam. Bharathiyar says, '..........eththanai kodi inbam vaithai Iraiva!!'. See how many varieties of Inbam are there. To participate in a feast is Inbam. To become a High Court Judge is Inbam. Money, position, power, sports, flattery, welcome address, greeting cards, love letters, possessions, landed property, sex and so on. These hapinesses are not only temporary, but also double edged. Their lack creates unhappiness. Their availabilty to others creates jealousy. And then once they are available to us, the happiness level goes down and there is something else beyond our reach, creating unhappiness.
5. After obtaining which there is no more wants or desires, that state is Moksham. That is veedu. Home. Parandham. We run from piller to post. We suffer countless inconveniences. We aspire to reach somewhere. After all, our destination is our own house. A man in jail wants out. He wants parole or freedom. When he is released, he goes home. Veedu is freedom. Now we are struck in the jail made up of flesh, bones, blood, mucus and nerves. We are thinking this meat ball to be Us. That is not correct. Body is our Jail. Moksham is eternal bliss. As a punishment for our sins, we have been condemned to this jail. By countering this with Punya Karmas, we can earn freedom. Instead of adding to our period of punishment, we should strive to reduce the same and get condoned. We should try to get release and go back to the permanent abode of our Veedu in divinity. That Veedu is limitless bliss, without any deficiency of Time or Space or Material.
6. I will now talk about, the first Purushartha, Dharmam, in the end. That action which causes other's good is Dharma. In Tamil, Auvvaiyar said, 'Aram seya virumbu'. Though Dharma stands for all good actions, 'giving alms' has become synonymous with Dharma. We often hear beggers saying, 'Dharmam podappa! or Dharmath thaye!'. Dhana-Dharmam are two words used conjointly. To give others
money and materials, not what You do not want, but what the other needs. To be able to give, one should have it, not only the material, but You should have the heart to give. The more You give, the more You get, to give. But do not give thinking it to be an investment, for more accumulation. "Na Karmana, na Prajaya, Dhanena, Thyagena ekena amritatvam anasuh". When You give not expecting a return, as an offering, we are cleansed of dirt, and it becomes a means for perennial bliss. Dharma so becomes a means of Artha and Moksha. Thus Artha earned through Dharma, becomes a means for further Artha and Dharma. Kama or Inbam is the only part of Purushartha, which does not contribute to further Dharma or Artha. You have to live. You have to live successfully, effectively. No one denies you the pleasures of life. Enjoy, knowing fully well that You are to guard against indulging and do it without resorting to Adharma. Enjoy food, music, sex, position, power, with Dharma as the guard against indulging. Step by step, gradually, free oneself from the clutches of its pull. Know that all the 'crores of pleasures,' that Barathiyar talks about, are still not even a speck of the Bliss of Realization. Religeons have come in to being, for the purpose of guiding us from the small pleasures of the world, to the greatest pleasure of existance, as a child is guided by the parents. The rules of morality, tells you how to earn and how not to earn; how to enjoy and how not to enjoy. Hving controlled us till we gain maturity, finally towards the end, the Religeons tell us to forget all this and go beyond, transcend. "Thyagena ekena amrtatvam anasuh". To relieve us from all worldly ties, to enable the human to realize his entitlement of everlasting bliss, is the aim of all Religeons.
7. It is very clear now, that we have not got permanent happiness. All the Religeons of the world, have come in to being, to take Man to permanent bliss. This eternal state of bliss is Moksham. When we stop running after the fleeting pleasures of the senses, then only we can attain to eternal happiness. Till that happens, so as to gradually overcome the pull of the senses, and to suitably organise the social life, the Dharma is needed. Thus Dharma has evolved as a synonym for Religeon. Having become Human Beings by some Maya Shakthi, we have given much importance to Materials and Sensual pleasures.
To accommodate this human nature, Artha and Kama have been included in Purushartha. So if we give priority to the first principle of Dharma, the other two, Artha and Kama, will remain under control and their potential for harm will be manageable, and take us to the fourth principle of Moksha.
Sambhomahadeva.