Deivathin Kural Series - 26

Om Namah Sivaya.
Deivathin Kural # 26 of 13 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, 104 to 107, in volume I, under the heading, 'Manidhanum Mirugamum', meaning, 'Man and Animal'. (As you know Man herein includesWoman.)
3. Animals grow horizontally. So they are known as 'thiryak', in Sanskrit. Contrary to this, Man who grows vertically, should have a higher ambition and outlook. Then He can reach higher levels of happiness. But in practice, Man seems to suffer more. Animals do not seem to experience passion, worry, sorrow and insult as man does. More than anything else, animals are not capable of committing
sins. Only Man commits sin and suffers in the bargain. In one way, it will seem that Man has not been given the facilities, as has been given to animals. If you beat a cow, it has horns to try and retaliate.Tiger has been given nails. We do not have horns or nails. To save itself from cold animals have a thick covering of hair. We do not have it. If somebody opposes, we have nothing to fight with. We cannot even
run. Horse which does not have horns, can atleast run away. But despite all this, Man is the only animal given a brain. A big brain comparatively.
4. To save himself from cold, he snatches other animal's covering. Converts it into a blanket or a coat. Not only that, to move faster, He can make use of a Horse and use it's speed, to his advantage. God has given him the brain to make use of other animals. Thus he has the brains to make use of all, 'sthavara and jungama', that is, moving and static world, for his purpose. For self defence, he has been able to make a whole arsenal of weapons, starting from the the crude knife to the much sophisticated Atomic Weapons. Thus using his brains alone, He has almost mastered all the living and non-living world. Animals live in one area of the globe, in their own habitat. The polar bear cannot survive in Chennai. The Elephant of the tropics, cannot survive in the polar regions. But Man lives all over the world with the God given power of adaptability.
5. With this superior brains, Man is still suffering. Animals do no have this problem. What is the reason for this suffering? Because of being born are his sufferings. How not to be born? Since we have to take so much whip lashes, we take a body and bear it. Having received our quota, this body goes. By that time we have booked the next quota. The sins are due to desires. Desire leads to further anger and hatered. The cycle goes on and on. Desire-less-ness is the only antidote. Action without, desire and attachments, can enable us to break this endless regression. So, to kill desire is the ultimate aim.
What is th reason for desires? To think that there is something other than oneself, is the Cause. In reality, everything, including me and you and others, are only, 'Sarvam,Satyam, Sivam, Santham.'
6. Have You seen, birds or animals, looking at their own image in the mirror? I have seen house sparrows, ritually spending a lot of time everyday, with its own image in the mirror. A buffaloe looking at a mirror tries to Head-butt its own image. Sometime we can be surprised when we suddenly come across our own image. We become quiet, once we know that it is our image. Similarly, all the people are our images only. The moment we count two, Love and Hate, both are born. Desire leads to anger. Anger leads to sin. In Tamil, "Parvaiai punidam akkik kondu parppadu anaithum Iraivan enru therindukol!". In Sanskrit, "Drishtim gnana mayam krutva, pasyata Brhma mayam jagat!". In English, "By divinising your eye-sight, see everything as an embodyment of God!"
Thus all that we see is one only. The second or other, leads successively to, desire, hate, anger, sin, next-life. Once we know that everything is one, no more desire or hate or anger or sin or next life or suffering. Do You see the logic?
7. How to get this awareness? Mother breast-feeds the baby, for physical growth. Mother Ambal feeds us with the milk of human kindness, which eventually leads us to the Awareness. Let us catch her holy feet, and sacrifice I-Me-Mine in Her Swaroopa of total Gnanam. First Man has to be made into Man instead of being an animal. Then slowly and gradually He can be raised to the level of Devinity. With this aim in view, religeons have come into being. Whatever be the differences between religions, in Principles, Concepts, Rituals, Procedures, Methods, Dogma, 'TO MAKE MAN A BETTER HUMAN BEING", is the common goal. To lead, ManFrom ignorant non-being, unto aware-being; from darkness unto light; from death unto death-less-ness; from here to eternity; is the aim of religions.
"Asato ma sat gamaya; tamaso ma jyotir gamaya; mrtyo ma amirtam gamaya." In saying this all religions speak in the same voice.
Sambhomahadeva.