Deivathin Kural Series - 74

Om Namah Sivaya.
Deivathin Kural # 74 of 26 Sept 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'.
2. To-days chapter is from his lecture, titled, 'Kanakka Irukkanum' ie., 'Be Calaulative', in pages 367 to 373, in Volume 1 of Deivathin Kural. Unless specifically mentioned, he or man includes, she or woman.
3. 'Kanakka Irukkanum', meaning, 'be calculative', is a phrase heard form the common man all over Tamil Nadu. To-day there are many visiters from the Accountant General's Office, who do the audit of accounts in all Government Departments, and so I am reminded of this. In money matters, we are all quite calculative. No body has to teach us this. Do we ever pay anything more than the cost of the item? No. But we pay money for many acquisitions, and are not calculative about how much we acquire. For our life we need very little. If we work to earn only what is required for living, we do not have to try too very hard. We do not have to go to other countries, in trying to earn more, and give up our, 'acharams' ie., mind ennobling traditional rituals. We have to earn endlessly, for unnecessary things. The result is that we have no time for, self analysis, meditation, praying to God and helping others. We have no accounting of the time wasted in such pursuits. We waste time in earning money and then in identifying and locating the particular brand, and in purchase of that item. Once purchased the item looses its value till it is lost, or there is something else in the market, better and cheaper! Desire--purchase--disappointment--earn more--next item in the list, is the endless cycle.
4. Is this item necessary? Asking this question, is being deliberately calculative. To bargain for an essentially unwanted item, using one's wits in doing so and purchasing it at cut-throat rates, is not being calculative.
5. Not only money, we should be calculative, in using speech. We must measure the words and optimise. This will save time to all concerned. By learning to speak measuredly, with brevity, our minds will get a clarity and lucidity. The ABC of speech are, Accuracy, Brevity and Clarity! That comes from an uncluttered mind. By optimising our speeking, we save energy and obviate misunderstanding and heartburn. Even unread use a phrase in Tamil, 'kottividalam, vaara mudiyuma?', ie., 'words once uttered cannot be recalled'. Thiruvalluvar too says, 'Ya kavarayilum na kakka'. It means that, whatever you may not control, you must control your tongue. It has two meanings. To avoid the modern day disease of obesity, you must control your tongue. You cannot be too flippant in speach either. But to-day the whole world is a 'talk show'! All the News Papers are full of so many people saying so many things. Is any thing being done in action? Next to nil. Just to confuse the issue, people talk high faluting bombast!
6. I touched on money and speech as two things in which you should measure your output. Third one is our action. In what ever we do, we have to be very deliberate. We should not do things just for the sake of doing it, especially wrong actions. You can list the things, you should not be doing and religiously avoid them. Specifically, actions that do not contribute to ennobling ourselves, actions that are intrinsically demeaning, or are not useful to others, should be avoided absolutely.
7. More important than, money, speech and actions, control of thoughts is very essential. In a split second, our mind is capable of a million thoughts. There is just no accounting of it. It should not be permitted to run uncontrolled. However much hard it may be, this is the most important area where control should be exercised. To think of one, to the exclusion of others, is 'ekagratha'. As of now, such one pointed concentration is very very difficult. But it can be done. To start with, give space in your mind to only constructive, positive, good thoughts. With practice, we can make the mind into a powerful tool. We are very quick in identifying a 'scatter brain', in others. In ourselves, no. Ramana Maharishi says, 'Look at your thoughts as you would at the waves of an oceon. Instead of putting the thought into words, instead of taking any action on the thought, ask yourself, as to whom is the thought. Answer is 'to me'. Then who am I? The answer to this question, is more important than whatever the thought!'. It is here you have to be, 'kanakka irukkanum'.
8. Since money seems to be important in everybody's mind, I started with money and then added, speech, actions and thought, as the four things, in which we should be careful about. Thiruvalluvar himself said, 'porul illarku ivvulagam illai', that is to say, 'for a poor man, this world does not exist'. But it is wrong, to earn a lot limitlessly, spend wastefully, and save avariciously. If you earn a lot limitlessly, all your mind, time and energy. will be utilised in making more of it. If you spend wastefully, you will run in to the debt-trap. If you save avariciously, someone else is going to enjoy all that, without your ever knowing it even. Contrary to this, earn with moderation and temperance, with a sense of sufficiency in your heart. Spend with care. Minimise personal expenses. Whatever you donate / dhanam / dharmam, should be considered as an income, as it is getting in to your account as credit. It is only by this, that we become worthy of God's grace. Even poor people can give something. Actually the poor man's pennies and paisas, are more valuable than the rich man's thousands. You know how Sabari's berries, and Sudama's rice-powder, were recieved by Rama and Krishna, respectively. There are many such poor people who are noble, about whom the world never comes to know about, because they are wary of publicity, name and fame.
9. Every rich man, has a dream of becoming richer, while simultaneously is afraid of losing what he has alrady earned. He spends much ostentatiously, takes loans and gets into a vicious cycle. Only rich people of the world, have much loans. Poor people have no loans. This is funny but surprisingly true. If he leaves his pretentious habits, neither will he have so much expenditure nor compelled to take so many loans. The question we have to ask ourselves is that, when there are so much suffering in this world, should I spend exhorbitantly on my self? If we tie ourselves to the dictates of Dharma, we will know that there are so many other rightful claimants to our money. Without denying ourselves the essentials, we can contribute so much more for the welfare of the rest of the humanity. Whether rich or poor, the question to be asked is, whether this purchase is unavoidably necessary? Can I not live without it? Did my Father and Grand Father, not live happily without what I am now thinking to be needed? Such control of expenses on oneself, will enable us to 'give' more. The more you give, like a perennial spring, more will flow into you. Maha Lakshmi's blessings will abundantly come to You.
10. In our country they used to say, 'dont spend money as you would pour water'. That is to bring a sense of conservation and economy, without being miserly. So the sense 'kanakka irukkanum', is very much a prerogative in spending. This will enable you to be generous in philanthropy.
11. In to-day's world, the other point which should be emphasised, is being measured in speaking. When there is a infectious disease rampant, we take precautions. This is the disease of the modern times. In our books of morality, it says, 'mounam kalaham na asti'. In English there is comparative injunction, 'speech is silver and silence is golden'. This is very important. In Tamil they say, 'mounam gnana varambu', meaning that, 'Silence is the border of wisdom'. We may not attain to that limit. But we can and should control our speech. The news papers carry tomes of pages of what somebody or the other have said. Nothing follows in action. Just talk and talk and yet more of the same. There is no meaning in our wasting the saliva in talking about their talks. Let us take a vow of talking without hurting others. We may not be able to control our thoughts. It is allright. But speech can be controlled. We should not express in words, whatever comes to our mind. I am wondering if I am myself running away with my speech. 'Kanakka irukkanum'.
12. Progressively, there has to be control in our words, actions and thoughts. A limit, control, conservation and optimisation is essential in 'mano, vak, kayam', ie.,mind, speech and action. If these three come under control, we will be very effective. Control is Yoga. Not to be scattered is Yoga. In Bagawath Geetha, Sri Krishna says, 'Sankya and Yoga', are the same. Sankya is control. Accounting and audit are not only meant for money matters. It is meant for everything in our lives. To be absolutely accountable to ourselves is Yoga. What started as a talk on worldly matter, about being calculative, has brought us back to the highest Vedanta. Thirumoolar in Thirumandiram, says the right Education, is to differentiate between what is good and what is bad; what is truth and what is untruth. Understanding the devine essence of what is God, is only available to the person who is very calculative:-
'Kanakku arindarkku anri kanavonnadadu
Kanakku arindarkku anri kai koodakkatchi'.
Sambhomahadeva.