Deivathin Kural Series - 170

Om Namah Sivaya.

Deivathin Kural # 170 of 19 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, 'Kamakshiyin Karunai' that is, 'Kamakshi's Grace', in pages 773 to 778, of Deivathin Kural, Volume 1.

2. Brhma, Vishnu and Siva, by Parasakthi's Rajo, Sathva and Tamo Gunas, do their respective jobs of Creation, Governance and Destruction, as I told you earlier. We the Jeevas of differing life forms, also have these three traits. We also do all these three jobs in three different 'Avasthas' or states.

3. In sleep when we are dreaming, we do the job of creation. In dream, we create many places and people. It seems that She has created this Dream State, as an indicator of Her Leela. Man has to be awake to work. When Man is tired after work, he has to sleep. So, these two states of Jagrat (Wakefulness) and Sushupti (Sleep), are good enough. What is the need for Dream state? The answer can only be, that out of Her extreme compassion and grace, she has enabled us to dream and thereby realise by comparison and logic, 'that the whole world, universe and all life forms are only Her dream'. So say the Gnanis.

4. We can still have a doubt as follows. "How to believe the Gnanis? We are seeing so many people, animals, creatures and other life forms, interacting in Time and Space. How to think of them all as dream characters?" To remove this doubt we, (that is each one of us,) have the Dream State, in addition to Jagrat and Sushupti. As we are all Her creations, we create, people, places and events, in our dreams! During the dream, do we think of them all as, imaginary? In the dream it is all real. We laugh, cry and do many things. What happens when we wake up? All the scenes, places, people and events are realised to be only a figment of our imagination! In the dream, it was all so real that, we may wake up with a sweat with our blood pressure and pulse rate high! Now, that you know that it was all a dream, the only common denominator, in dream, sleep and wakeful state; is your self. Similarly, the only common denominator for all the worlds, people, life forms and events, then, now, and ever, is Her! She is real, including everything, including ourselves! As we will not know it to be a dream, during the dream; till we are involved in the world affairs, we will remain unaware of it's non-reality.

5. Dream is also a test for self analysis. Our deep routed thoughts and past predilections are what is vaguely replayed in dreams. We do not know as to how clean or otherwise we are, inside. When we go to temples with some pious, saintly people, we feel very good and nice. We think that we have become very clean inside. We need little promptings to turn opposite. A cinema, an advertisement, a word will do, to make us violent or greedy or lustful! Then for a moment we may pause to think, how low we actually are! In truth, Ambal has intended the dream to be a touch-stone for assessing ourselves. Through the dream we can get to know our inner self. Outwardly however much we may show off our devotion and piety, we cannot fool ourselves. We do not have to feel bad, if we are not pious enough. We can remove our deficiencies and inadequacies only if we know about them. For that too, we have to seek Her help only. "Amma! I need to improve immencely. Instill in me the true devotion. Please lift me from the mire of crass desires!" To know our shotcomings, to enable us to correct ourselves, She has created the Swapna Awastha, out of Her Infinite Love and Compassion!

6. Swapna or dream is the creative power of ours. Then we are doing 'Srushti', as Brhma does with our Rajo guna. In Jagrat state of wakefulness, we are doing the job of Vishnu, that is protecting and sustaining our limited area of responsibility. In the sleep state of Sushupti, our senses and mind are as though destroyed, at rest. This is like the Samhara by Rudra. It is said that what is in the macrocosm is also in the microcosm. So the Srushti, Sthithi and Samhara of Parasakthi, are there in Jeeva too. But She is not only having these three jobs. She is beyond too. She is the 'Thureeya', the fourth State itself. That is pure sweetness, like tasting the powdered sugar candy. That is the state of unalloyed joy.

7. In Srushti and Sthithi(creation and maintenance, that is in dream and wakeful states), the permanent happiness is not there. In Samhara(sleep), happiness is there; but awareness that one is happy, is not there, which is not good enough. In Thureeya, all these activities are not there. Only the basic truth of being with total awareness; being knowing happiness; sat chit ananda. If and when relieved of the three states, the jeeva can enjoy the Thureeya, by Her Grace. While involved in the affairs of the world, we pray to Her for various things such as, passing exams, promotions, postings, being cured of desease and so on. If our prayer is successful, we say that, 'God has sanctioned our prayers'. But the real 'Anugraha' of Parasakthi, is relieving us from the involvement in worldly affairs. That is what we should be praying for.

8. Lalitha Sahasranamam talks about Her these five main jobs. It says, 'as Brhma you create, as Vishnu you protect, as Rudra you destroy, as Easwara you screen, as Sadasiva you do anugraha'. Srushti karthree - brhma roopa; gopthri - govinda roopini; samharini - rudra roopa; thirodana kari - easwari; sadasiva - anugrahada; pancha krutya parayana.

9. Regarding Jeeva, I said that dream, wakefulness and sleep are equivalent to srushti, sthithi and samhara. Thureeyam is here too. Have you seen the umbrella like device in some fairs or exhibitions? Elders and children climb on the horse / tiger / elephant seats that are hanging from the umbrella like top. Having collected money from each participant, the manager gets the wheel rotating. The wheel goes round and round. The participants sitting on various mounts, go around in a slightly wavy horizontal circular motion, seemingly overtaking each other. Round and round we all go. But all that remains within the circle. After some time, we get bored. Maya is like that. Up and down, forward and lagging behind; all that within the ambit of Maya. To relieve us of the boredom, sleep is a welcome medicine. But this is also within Maya only.

10. Beyond dream, sleep and wakefulness, is thureeya. Even when we sleep. there is something in us which does not sleep. When we wake up, we say, 'I have had a wonderful sleep! How did we know that fact? There was something that remains aware of dream, sleep and awarelessness too'. That is thureeya. It is outside of all wheels including Maya. It is inside too. That is truth. That is Ambal. Though She is called Maya, she beyond Maya too. Mooka says, "Oh Mother! Maha Maye! I merge in your feet, that is red like the tender sprout of leaves". 'Leeye purahara jaye maye thava tharuna pallava chaaye charane'.

11. Though he is saying that he is merging in Maya, he really means that he is dissolving his seperateness in the 'thureeya aananda', beyond Maya. Kamakshi who is the power of Maya, is also the power that can erase Maya and give us the 'Anugraha' of thureeya. The one who hides and screens is the one who can remove the screen and reveal too.

Sambhomahadeva.