Deivathin Kural Series - 137

Om Namah Sivaya.
Deivathin Kural # 137 of 15 Jan 2007.
1. To-day's title is 'Muruganin Vada Nattu Avataram', ie., 'Muruga's Incarnation in North India', occuring in pages 614 to 628, in Volume 1 of Deivathin Kural, Tamil version, published by Vanady Padippagam, Chennai.
2. Born in Seerkazhi, Kumara Swami won over the Jains of those days, in South India. The same Kumara Swami, was born in North India, in Prayag, when Bhuddhism was in ascendency. His name was 'Kumarila Bhattar'. The Kumara connection is in the name also!
3. At that time, there was a movement, within Hinduism, known as Karma Meemamsakars or Poorva Meemamsakars. They used to profess:- "Set aside Bhakthi and Gnanam. We have the delineated duties as per the Vedas. To do that itself is enough. To do analysis of 'why' is not required." They found that just by doing the duties, as per the Vedas, was providing individual satisfaction and collective well being. So they felt that there is no need to bring in the element of Easwara in contention, at all. When there is wholesomeness in Action, why consider the aspect of the inanimate Atma, which anyhow is not bounden by Karma? Then why bother about, Self Analysis and Gnana Vichara? Why leave Karma for the sake of Gnana? So they were anti-Bhakthi Marga and anti-Gnana Marga, both! In Meemamsa, there were three types. 'Bhatta Madam', was one of them established by Kumarila Bhatta himself. His establishing a Religion by his name comes later. Let us see as to what happened before that.
4. With the total conviction that, Veda Adyayanam, Yagas and Yagnas, can and will do most sufficiently, he was doing his, 'Karma Anushtana', quite happily. Those days, Buddhist's influence and belief was expanding very aggressively all over the country. They were against all that Vaidik Relegion preached and practised. Kumarila Bhattar wanted to know fully, the principles and practices of the Buddhism. He had no doubt in the effectiveness of the Karma Marga. Neither was he prepared to give up his beliefs and practices. He first wanted to know fully, whatever Buddhism had to offer. Then only he could know as to whether, Buddhism was better or not. Then if need be, it could be objected, opposed and won over.
5. At the level of his true self as Subrahmanya, He need not have taken pains to learn about anything. He could have known without trying. But that would not serve the purpose of coming down as a human as an Avatara.
It is the Human beings themselves who have to be raised to, think, analyse, evaluate and move towards perfection. Otherwise, He as a God will have to come again and again, to tell the Human beings, what to do and what to think! If that was to be so, what is the purpose of creation?
Using His divine powers He could, destroy every thing and keep quiet after that. If Adharmam was intolerable, God is under compulsion to use his super human powers, as Krishna did, in Dwapara Yuga. Other occassions, God comes down amongst ourselves, only as a Human being, with human powers, of a very high calibre indeed.
6. Thus Kumarila Bhattar decided to learn and master, whatever Buddhism had to offer. Buddhists would teach their secrets only to their ardent followers. They would not let a Brahmin, that too, a practicing Brahmin come anywhere near a Vihara. To be acceptable, Kumarila Bhattar did a great sacrifice. He assumed a false role. He claimed himself to be a Buddhist. He kept his Karma Anushtana a secret. He behaved and enacted the role to perfection. He was the best student in the Vihara. Somehow a finger of suspicion was raised against him. He was investigated and his antecedents found out. They decided that he should be punished. If he was a dullard, he could have been shown the door. But he was a brilliant student, who had learnt everything. They decided to kill him! Their principle of, 'Ahimsa paramo dharma :', was let go by default. He was pushed out of the seventh floor of the Vihara, by deceit!
7. Kumarila Bhatta was not surprised. He knew what was coming. While falling, his only thought was, 'If Veda is beyond doubt, I should not be injured even after this fall.' He was not injured! No fracture of the bones! He was partially damaged in the eye. He got slightly annoyed at the Vedas. He heard a voice telling him, that it was only due to his own lack of total trust, that he was injured in the eye. "Vedo rakshathi rakshitaha. Instead of the thought, 'If Veda is beyond doubt', it should have been, 'I will be protected by Vedas!'. His belief in the Vedas was redoubled. He established the Bhatta Religion and actively started opposing the Buddhism. Since He knew his own religion and the opponents', he could win over them 'hands down'.
8. You might have read in the history books that, 'Adi Sankara defeated the Buddhists and drove them out of India'. That is not true. It is an exaggeration. I am saying so myself, despite carrying His name. Those who have read His Bhashyas, will note that, Sankara roundly criticised these Vaidik Meemamsakars and another Vedik branch of Sankhyas, only. In His writings, we will see that, He has taken more pains to criticise the Meemamsakars and Sankhyas and criticism of Buddhists is hardly one percent! This is because, Kumarila Bhattar had defeated and trounced the Buddhists, already!
9. This may lead to some confusion. I said Kumarila Bhattar is Subrahmanya Avatara. He had already trounced the Buddhism, which was anti-Vaidik. Then I am saying that Adi Sankara, had countered Kumarila Bhatta's Meemamsakam! " Was Acharyal Adi Sankara, against Buddhism,which had nothing to do with Vaidk Karma Anushtanam or Meemamsakam, which was all for Vaidik Karma Anushtanam? ", you may wonder.
10. Acharyal was not against either! For Adwaitam, nothing is objectionable. All other view points are, included in Adwaitam! It goes step by step, covering, Ahimsa, Karma, Bakthi, Gnanam. Ahimsa and Jeeva Karunyam are essential, to start with. It goes on to the next step of Karma Anushtanam, as essential. Then elevates the Sadhaka to Bakthi marga. Finally Gnana. Karma is important in the early stages for cleansing of minds. In the end. Gnana is the only important thing. All Karma stops there. Acharyal took people to task by challenging, only when they stopped in the early steps of the ladder. When people had confusion and stopped at the lower levels of the steps, and thought that to be the 'be-all and end-all', He took pains to disprove them. Ahimsa < Jeeva-Karunyam < Karma Anushtana < Bakthi < Gnanam < Adwaitam. The earlier steps become ignorable, only when the Sadhak, reaches subsequent steps. When you stopped by the way side, He intervened and exhorted you to proceed further.
11. Everyone is not born at the same level of refinement and polish. One medicine cannot be prescribed for all patients. Each Sadhaka will need to take the path as suitable to his or her level of advancement already made. Buddha did realise himself that, desire is the root cause of all evils. When it came to practice as a religion, Buddhism had the same prescription for all ills that, was one common panacea, which was actually a placebo. For the common man, who could not bring in even a small fraction of Brhma Gnana to understanding, they were uniformly talking about, Maya, Sunyata and Nirvanam, to the utter neglect of minimum discipline of Karma Anushtana, which was quite objectionable. This defeat of Buddhism had already been achived by Kumarila Bhattar. Adi Sankara comes into the picture, now to pick holes in Kumarila Bhattar's logic! Buddhists had said, 'No Swami. No Karma.' Meemamsakars said, 'No Swami. Only Karma.' Adi Sankara's Adwaitam said, 'Yes for Swami. Yes for Karma, till Gnana. Then no more Karma. No seperate Swami.'
12. Before Lord Parameswara came as Adi Sankara, Subrahmanya had taken Avatara as Kumarila Bhatta and done half of Parameswara's purpose, by countering Buddhism. Acharyal continued on his Digvijayam from Kasi. His aim was to meet Kumarila Bhattar and turn him and his followers to Adwaita. At that time, Kumarila Bhattar was scrificing his body by the process of incinerating in the slow but intense fire of rice-husk. Why should he give up his life like that? 'Dushagni Pravesam' it was called. A very torturous method of self punishment, as expiation for the crime of duping his Buddhist Guru. He had come to this decision after carefully referring to many rule books. Had we got such a book, we would have possibly consigned the book to the fire. Kumarila Bhattar was happy that he had an opportunity to atone for the sin of, 'Guru Droha'! Not even real Guru Droha! He had become a student with an ulterior motive!
13. He, who had done path-breaking work in countering the tsunami of the spread of Buddhism and re-established, Veda Karma Anushtana, with a huge following; was courageously sacrificing his being in the fire of rice-husk. Adi Sankara, who was coming to meet him anyhow, was shocked. He came to him running. By Acharya's Darshan, Kumarila was relieved of the intensity of the heat. With the Nector of His Darshan, Acharyal gave Him Tattva Upadesa Amirtha. Till now I was telling you a story. Now I am going to give you some, 'Tathvam'. (Taththuvam in Tamil, Thathvam in Sanskrit, as a word, means, 'that - you'. What you see as other than you is also you. The word for 'principled stand, itself means intrinsically, 'adwaitam' meaning no-second or non-duality or oneness!)
(To be Continued.)
Sambhomahadeva.