Deivathin Kural Series - 166

Om Namah Sivaya.

Deivathin Kural # 166 of 06 Mar 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. To-day's talk is titled, 'Kamakshi', in pages 756 to 759, of Deivathin Kural, Volume 1.

2. Without an iota of work, the self satisfied in itself, experiencing itself, sans responsibility, sans shape, colour, traits, characteristics and shape; that brhmam is Siva or Sivam. From it, all the universe, galaxies, stars, planets, oceans, mountains, plains, rivers and all life forms of so many types, shapes, sizes, colours, smells, traits; have all evolved by the power of Maya! That Maya power which shows the one reality as many, is Ambal. We have come in to being by that power. Actually we are not different from the Brhmam, that is One. But we think that we are different. This thinking is also due to Maya. To subject us to Her power of Maya, is Her amusement, called Leela.

3. Not only does She thus subject all of us to Maya and keep us bound, if we pray to her sincerely and truely, She can relieve us from all ties, remove the imposition of Maya and grant Brhma Gnanam too. To attain to Brhma Gnanam, there is no other recourse, but Her. It is She who creates this delusion, hiding the existing One Brhmam and displaying the multi various Prapancham. To get relieved from this play of Samsara, this cycle of birth - death, and if we are to get to know our reality, only Her Grace can do. She is the power of Maya. She has to become the Gnanmbikai, for us.

4. 'Maya', means, 'that which is not'. How the non-existant thing, plays merry with our lives! It is never not and it ever is! It is like the play of light and darkness, Till the light of Gnanam arrives, darkness of Agnanam does not go. Till then, looking at all the variety of existance, we think that they are all for real, individually, seperately. Some we like. We desire them. Some we do not like. We hate them. This leads to many actions on our part, some good and some bad. Thus we accumulate a bundle of effects of negative and positive actions, called, 'Karma Vinai'. Since this 'Karma Vinai' is of our making, we have to experience these effects, some good and some bad. To do so, we take many lives. 'Punarapi jananam -punarapi maranam, punarapi jananee jatare sayanam...'

5. By praying to Her when we get Gnanam, we will know that, you, me, he, she, this, that and everything is One only. Though the appearances are many, intrinsically they are all One only! Once we know this, likes and dislikes on the apperances will cease to be. The change is in us and not in the world. Our attention shifts from the appearances to the real. So no more likes and no more dislikes either! Our mind melts in to a non-entity and merges in the permanent, basic reality. The world disappears from our view, as our vision is focussed on the real. So in the Gnana Marga, or the Path of Knowledge, what disappears is Maya, which till that moment was making us dance like a 'puppet on a string!'

7. Ambal is the power of Maya, and She is the one to give us Gnanam too. It is Her Grace. However much She plays with us, She has the power to release us from its effects too. When we think about this indepth, what we see is that, in the Maya world, even when the Truth is staring in our face, we like to be deluded and remain under its effects, seemingly. So the delusion is of our making only. Our mind and the five senses have this propensity to get involved with the unreal. So we give in to the senses and the dictates of the mind, continuing the cycle of birth - karma accumulation - death, birth again, karma again, death again, endlessly! Thus we are unaware of our own reality. To relieve us from this vicious cycle, She comes as Kamakshi.

8. Kamakshi has four hands, In one she holds a bow. That bow is made of 'Karumbu' that is sugar-cane. In the other hand she holds five arrows made of flowers. Normally the Bow is made up of strong bamboo or some metal rod. But Hers is the soft and sweet sugar-cane! Instead of sharp arrows, Her arrows are made of flowers! Ambal with the sweet heart of Hers, attracts our minds in to amiability. Her arrows of flowers, pulls our five senses in to inaction.'Lalitha Sahasranamam', describes this, "....mano roopekshu kodhanda - pancha tanmatra sayaka...." To still our minds and stun our senses, she is using sugar-cane bow and flower arrows!

7. In the other two hands, She is holding 'Pasam' and 'Ankusam'. Pasam is the rope, by which we are tied. Ankusam is the sharp instrument to prod us into submission as used by the keeper of Elephants. We were tied up inextricably with too many connections of involvement, with the world. She relieves us from all those connections by untying all the knots, but connects us only with the Real, by that Pasam held in Her hands. This human mind is worse than a horde of elephants. So the Ankusam is to prod this mind into submission! 'Lalitha Sahasranamam', says, "....raga swaroopa pasadya krodha karankushojwala...."

8. Thus, Kamakshi Ambal, holding sugar-cane bow, arrows made of flowers, pasam and ankusam respectively in the four hands, from the colourless Brhmam, comes as red as morning Aruna of the eastern sky, just prior to sunrise, as red as the safron flowers or the flowers of the tree called, 'flame of the forest', for the specific purpose of granting Gnana to the deluded souls of this world.

Sambhomahadeva.