Deivathin Kural Series - 144

Om Namah Sivaya.

Deivathin Kural # 144 of 30 Jan 2007.

1. These e-mails, are chapter wise translations of the lectures given by, Sri Chandra Sekharendra Swamigal, of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam. Every day, after the daily Puja, He used to talk, on various aspects concerning Hinduism. These are published, in Tamil, by Vanady Padippagam, T.Nagar, Chennai, as Deivathin Kural, in seven volumes of a thousand pages each.
2. To-day's talk is titled, 'Devargal', meaning, 'Deities', in pages 661 to 668, of Deivathin Kural, Volume 1.
3. People belonging to other religions make fun of Hindus, saying, "God is only one. How can you have 330 Million deities?" God is only one. Him we call in the colloquial, 'Deivam'. Deivam means fate. Fate is the result of our actions, by thought, speech and body, and God is the controller of fate. But we use the word, 'deivam', to mean, 'Swami' or God. Further, thinking that God as one amongst deities, we also make ignorant remarks like others, 'How can there be 33 crore Gods?'.
4. Deivam or God or Swami is one. Devas are different. Our religion also says that there is only one God. That one God, takes the shape of Brhma, Vishnu and Rudra. They are not different beings, but only a functional classification, depending upon, the job of Creation, Maintenance and Annulment respectively. They are not different entities. The Tehsildar, wears a suit and coat, when he goes to Court; when he does Puja at home, he is wearing, panchakacham; when the wife is not at home and he has to cook, he may wear a towel or apron, around his dress. We are simple humans. Depending on the work, we may change the dress. But the almighty God, can and does take many forms. In reality, this body is itself a dress like thing only. Baghwan says so in Gita.
5. With our limited capabilities, we wear different rigs, at different times. The all capable God can have many roles to play simultaneously. We can do only one thing at a time. He can do many things at one and the same time! These we call by different names in varied forms. The deities such as Mahavishnu, Easwaran, Ambal, Vinayaka, Subrahmanyar, inwardly know that they are the same one God. So they can and do, whatever required for their devotees, till the devotee realises Moksha. But not all Devas are fully aware of their Godliness.
6. There are innumerable life forms, with their own habitat, with their food. They all have space, air, water, fire and earth. All things, animate and inanimate, are made by a variety of combinations of these basic five elements. As we make thousands of eatables, with the basic six different tastes; with the mixing of the five elements, in a variety of ways, all the life forms and their basic needs are catered for. The five elments and their combinations, have to be suitable to the requirements of life forms. This job is that of Devas or Deities. As their are so many life forms, such as humans, birds, animals, insects, germs, fishes and so on, Devas are also a life form. As a King or Government, has many office holders, in the Executive, Judiciary, Police and Army, there are many Devas with their own work force. Like we have, many branches of the Executive, such as, Internal and External Ministries, Education, Agriculture, Electricity, Water Supply, Sewerage and so on, there are different gradations in the Micro and Macro levels, of Devas too. For Water, there is Varuna. For Fire, there is Agni. For Air, there is Vayu. Indra is their Head.
7. Some life forms, we see with our eyes. We are the human kind. Lower in the order, Kriya Sakthi is more. Some insects can jump hundred times their size. The bees can collect honey in driblets and store in litres. We cannot make hives or sand hills as they can do. The birds can make nests. Thookana sparrows can make such hanging nests, unapproacheable to crawlers. The entry is from below and even in the worst of rains, not a drop of water will wet the inside of the nest! Man cannot do such things. But He can and does copy nature, quite cleverly. He has more imagination. He has more Gnana Sakthi. The kind of life form, with greater Kriya and Gnana Sakthi, are the Devas. Amongst them too, there are a variety of sub-divisions, such as, Kinnaras, Kimpurushas, Yakshas, Siddhas, Saranars, Sadhyars, Ghandarvas and so on. As you cannot see air, you cannot see them. But we can know them and get their blessings. If we simply do our, Karma Anushtanas, we can win over their grace.
8. You may ask as to, 'what is the connection between our doing 'Karma Anushtana' and Devas showering their grace on us?' The officers of the Government are paid by the Government. That money comes from our taxes only. Exactly similarly, Devas get their all from our 'Karma Anushtana', only. We do our Tharpanam, Yagam and Yagna, from which the Devas get their shares, to be able to do their duties. As a worm cannot understand human practices and procedures, we cannot understand the Deva's 'modus operandi'. They do not have old age and death, as we have. But they are dependent on us, for sustenence.
9. The highest amongst life forms, the Devas, have three forms. In their Divya Sarira, they are in 'Adi Deivika Roopam'. Through asterities, when we get special powers, we can converse and interact with Devas in this state. In the world, they are in their formless state. this is known as 'Adi Boudikam'. In all waters, Varuna is in the 'Adi Boudika' state. So are other Devas. Any misuse and abuse will be known to them. This is the basic difference between human bureaucracy and Devas. Bureaucracy, will only take notice of things going wrong, on a petition or the first incident report, known as F.I.R. But Devas are programmed to identify, faults, misuse, and sins. If someone pinches you in the body, do you need an F.I.R? It is like that. The whole Universe is the body, in which the Devas are the Managers as well as the sensors like part of the nervous system, reporting to the central Computer, that is God.
10. "One Devatai for the Earth; one for Water, one for Air, one for Fire and one for Space, with their own army of reporters and soldiers and executioners! Wherever we do some thing wrong, that Devata will know. What is all this? They are only inanimate. What we see in actual life is that, only the innocent bystander is punished. The scoundrels and scalawags, rogues and renegades, misusers and exploiters; they all get away scot free; or rather become multi-millioners! Sastras seem to be off the grid." That may bay be your reaction to what I say!
11. Think a liitle more about this. We have a body. In it, there are many life forms, such as worms, germs, bacteria and so on. As we think of the Earth and oceans, the germs inside our body, may think about us; of the brains, liver, lungs and other body parts, as inanimate. Blood stream, may be thought to be one of the rivers with many branches and tributeries! We do not know about them normally. But the moment they misbehave, anti bodies are created, immunity system takes over, till the intruder or the errant, is sorted out. Similarly, whenever we misbehave, the respective Devata could punish us, whether it is cutting a tree or desecrating a water source. Some punishments are immediate and some are later. So we do not relate to the correctness of justice meted out.
12. In addition to 'Adi Deivikam and Adi Boudikam' (mentioned in para 6 above), there is a third form that the Devatas have. On the principle of, what is in the Whole, is also in the Parts ( or what is in Macro is also to be found in the Micro), they have a form known as 'Aadyaathmikam'. That is, they have an abode, in every limb of the animal. The Sun is in the eyes, Agni in the speech, Indra in the arms, and so on. That is, for every part of the body, there is a Devata. ( You may notice that before a major Pooja or ceremony, all these are invoked.) Since they are both outside(Adi Boudikam) and inside( Aadyaatmikam), we can never dupe them! As long as we are law abiding, without breaking Dharma, and doing our Karma Anushtana, they will protect and bless us. Otherwise, they can and will punish us.
13. Devata is also a life form only. As we suffer from hunger, they also suffer, when we do not feed them with their requirements. That is why, whenever Vedik rituals have declined, they are said to have complained to Swami and Swami took Avatara to retrieve the situation, as we see in the Puranas.
14. Let me tell you a few more things about Devatas. They do not learn the Vedas. They have no Karma Anushtana. Do you know why? We chant the Veda Suktas and do Yagas, addressed at the Devatas. Whom will they do such thngs to? They cannot do all that, for their own benefit. Though they do not do Veda Adhyayanam, they know the Vedas. That is why, when we chant the Veda Mantras, they come to bless us. Like a fishling knows the art of living and swimming in water, the Devatas have Gnana of the Vedas. That is why they have a name as, 'swayam pradi padita veda'.
15. They are also entitled to do 'Aatma Vichara' and rejoin Brhmam. Though they do not participate in Karma Anushtana, but 'they have every right to join the Gnana Marga', says Adi Sankara.
16. There is no time or place where Swami alias God is not! He, who is in all of us, is also there in all of the Devas. As we are not aware of His presence in us, many of the Devas too are not aware. It is very similar to many of the Officers working for the Government do not know the President personally. If we do 'Atma Vichara', that is Self Analysis, we will know that Easwara is in us as we! Then we have nothing to do with Devas. Then all Karmas drop out of their own volition. Till then we have to do our bit, if not for ourselves, at least for their sake. To get rid of our our past Karma, to get clarity of mind and heart, we have to do our duties for the Devas!
Sambhomahadeva.