Deivathin Kural Series - 41

Om Namah Sivaya.
Deivathin Kural # 41 of 08 Aug 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'. When he adds any personal observations he uses the phrase, 'KTSV adds'.
(To day's mail is a continuation of yesterday's, ie., # 40 of 07 Aug 2006)
16. Whatever is in the 'Akhanda Aakasam', ie., Undivided Space, is also there in the individual body. In the human body, they are there, in a manner not discernible to the senses. If we can make a sort of noice, any sound; in space there is a corresponding counterpart. As a radio reciever recieves the radio waves and converts it in to Audio waves, the subtle recievers in the human are capable of recieving the space vibrations and converting them into, audible sounds. It means that, what is required for human wellbeing can be achieved through such receptivity. Yoga is the science, that could fine tune the human body for this purpose. Having cleansed the nervous system, it creates the clarity of mind and body, to enble one to log on to those universally beneficial spatial sources. Through Yoga Sadhana, ( Sadhana means sustained and concentrated effort), it is possible to bring whatever is in the Andam to Pindam; or in other words, inter connect.
17. It is next to impossible, if you ask for proof, in a way you can understand this with your brain or mind. In our present condition, Yoga is beyond our comprehension. With our limited understanding, how can we comprehend, what is beyond comprehension? The only way is to believe in elder's statements. Either personally experience through Yoga Sadhana your self or listen to yelders. All the people who ask these questions, may not be able to do Yoga Sadhana. If I say follow a true Yogi, question will arise, as to how to identify a true Yogi? How to make you believe that so and so is a true Yogi? Somewhere, some time, you have to have that faith and believe. Actually, that is the first requirement, to believe, to have faith. Then sustained effort, then individual experience; each successive step confirming and reinforcing the faith, leading you on to understanding and comprehension. I can have nothing to do with those who say that, neither will they believe nor will they do sadhana.
18. 'There is a stage at which, one's perception is all comprehensive and sees the whole and parts interconnected; Andam in Pindam and vice-versa. There are people who have reached that stage. They can convert what is subtle in one, into tangible in the other.' I am telling this to those who can believe.
19. When we look at the Universe, functioning so smoothly, so effectively, with multi-dimentional arrays of inter-connected systems, from the sub-atomic-micro level to the super-cosmic-macro level; we have to cognise the presence of one-central-power, creating / sustaining / co-ordinating; call it by whatever name we may. It is from that one, the first movement, must have taken place, leading on to all that came into being. The world of sound is the initial, followed by the world of sight. All that sound vibrations are lodged in space. Whatever is in the space is also in the body. What is in the outer space, ( Akhanda Akasam ), is contained in one's heart, ( Hrudaya Akasam ), too. Yogis experience this Space of the Heart, while in Samadhi. Then, the seperate perception of inside and outside, disappears and everything becomes one. Hrudaya Akasam and Outer Space, becomes one. In this stage, yogis can absorb the sounds of the akasam and give it to the world. Such group-of-sounds, which are immensely fruitful to the world, are called Veda Mantras. They have not been created by any human being. Though each Veda Mantra is in the name of a particular Rishi, in actual fact, that Rishi is not it's author. When we say that for each Mantra, so and so is the Rishi, what is meant is that, he was the first one to identify the Mantra and revealed it to the world. He is called, 'Mantra Drashta', the seer of the Mantra and not, 'Mantra Karta', the doer. In our bodies, the breath moves in so many ways and makes human life possible. Similarly, God's breath is Veda Mantra. In other words, Veda Mantra is God and vice versa. They are both, 'Anadi, Anantha', that is without a start and finish, ie., always present.
20. The speciality of the Veda Mantras is that, even without the meaning, or 'artha', they are world-do-gooders, in their sound form itself. In addition they have excellent esoteric meaning too. All the Vedas in one voice say, that all the world, with all it's variety, is one and the same truth. More over, their sound is also their devine forms and cause us the needful benefits, of understanding, realization and blessings.
21. The sound does not do good on it's own. All the benefits accrue from God only. But instead personally giving all the benefits himself; as a King or President, governs through his sub-ordinates; God too, makes use of Deputy Devinities or Devatas, for the distribution of benefits. The sound is the Devata's form. By chanting the mantra, you can see the form of the Devata, with your eyes. But it does take some genuine effort. If you chant the Mantra and offer oblations in the sacred fire, that becomes the food for the Devata's form or body. When you do Yagna like this, the Devatas can be pleased to give fruition. We do not pay taxes directly to the King or the President. We do it through his officers. Similarly, as God's deputies, we can and do pay the cess, through the Devatas, for the benefit of the world at large; by Veda Adyayana and Yagnas. This benefits not only our country, but the whole world.
22. 'Even from a literary point of view, Vedas do not seem to be the meaningless 'abracadabra' of uncivilised brutes, but have expressions covering the whloe gamut of human emotions,' say some of the foreign scholors who have studied the Vedas. Over and above, Veda, directly introduces the sadhaka, to the Mantra Devata and evokes his/her blessings. More than anything else, the portion of the Vedas, known as Upanishad, gives us the supreme knowledge of the self. In addition to the high meaningfulness of Vedas, the Veda-sounds are no less valuable. In actual fact, whether we understand the Vedas or not, the value of the sound is enough by itself to have the necessary salubrious effect. This principle is true of all Mantras, ie., Sound > Meaning, or equal to.
23. In many Mantras, the sound is greater than the meaning! There is special power to the particular, 'akshara', (or letter) and 'swara', (or pronounciation ) and so meaning is only an explanation, meant for the novice or unread. For example, the Mantra used to relieve a person of the toxic effect of a scorpion bite, has no meaningful meaning, but it is effective against the 'scorpion bite!'. Actually we are forbidden to talk of its meaning. But if you chant, that set of letters in that style of intonation, it has effect against the scorpion bite! The vibration in space by the Mantra, neutralises the poison. Each type of sound has power. There is a variety of Mantra usage known as, 'abicharam', meant to hurt others. In this, the power is totally on the ~ correctness of the pronounciation and intonation ~ only. If someone was suspected of misusing such, 'abichara' powers, their teeth used to be removed, to make their powers ineffective. If we understand thus, the power of sound, then the demand for translation of the Mantra, form one language to another will not arise. When the 'Divasa Mantras', are being chanted at the obsequies, the demand to translte the mantras, in a language understandable by the departed father or mother, will cease. ( KTSV adds. Mantra is the most precise, accurate, succinct,brief,clear, meaningful, _expression. So it stands to reason that, any thing written or said about the Mantra's meaning, can never be more meaningful. That is why, chanting the Vedas is considered to be more powerful, than any exposition about it's power, like my this explanation!)

24. The sounds that will benefit all living things, in this life and hereafter, are in Veda Mantras. This is so, if you believe so. We should not ask questions such as, 'how can those be audible to Rishis, when they are inaudible to us'. To see what is unseen, we need devine vision or 'divya drshti'. To hear what is inaudible to our ears, we need devine powers of hearing, or 'divya srotram'. By practising Yoga, such powers beyond human capabilities can be obtained. (KTSV adds. Science proves the statements following. Human eyesight is limited to the visible spectrum of VIBGYOR. On either side of this spectrum lie, Ultra~Violet and Infra~Red. With some special devices these can be seen. Human hearing is limited to between zero to 200 decibles. We cannot hear the sounds made by bats and whales for example without amplification. In smell similarly, human capability is limited. The fly and bees, dogs and sharks, have superior olfactory abilities. Touch and taste vary remarkably and the only common point about them is that, the human capability is limited. The human mind gets the input from these five periferals, which are focussed out. The sixth inputting device is the Intution, which is internal and mostly silent. Yoga brings the five periferals under control, to enable the sixth to play it's part.)
25. It is an incorrect approach and attitude, to try and test what the Veda say, by human capabilities. In fact Veda is there to tell us about, what is beyond the limitations of human capabilities of hearing and seeing, mind and brain. What we get to know, we do so directly. For this we do not need the Veda. What cannot be proved by evidence, what is beyond the reach of our brain and mind, it is such truths, that Rishis with devine capabilities, have come to know and given us. We do not see, what is happening in other parts of the world. The newspapers tell us about it and we immediately believe them. What is not knowable by any instrument in the world, it is to know such information, that Rishis have given us the News Paper of Veda Mantras. They have to be accepted on belief and faith, at least initially. The faith will be re-inforced with the passage of time, as some benefits accrue, leading us on to the firm conviction, that Vedas are pure truth.
(To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva.