Deivathin Kural # 1 (of Vol 2 )

Om Namah Sivaya.
Deivathin Kural # 1 (of Vol 2 ) of 28 May 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, 'Kuzhandai Swamy', that is, 'Baby God', in pages 01 to 16, of Deivathin Kural, Volume 2.
2. I am going to talk to you about one old grand mother(called 'paatti', in Tamil). Paatti normally will be seated in one place, with her legs extended. But this Paatti was not like that. Instead of staying in one place, she kept moving from place to place, all over Tamil Nadu. Not sparing even a small, tiny village, she kept on spreading the word of God and a stream of advices on humaneness and good behaviour. Let us leave the Paatti to her circumambulations, and come back to her later.
3. Let us take a look at this Baby. It is a rolly-polly, well fed baby. Normally one would expect a baby to be running about, playing and prancing, without a second's let up. No. Not this baby. This one does not move easily and remains static in one place. Funny twosome! Baby like, the Paatti is ever active and mobile. Paatti like, the baby is inactive and static. But the baby is the reason for Patti's hectic power of mobility.
4. Who is this baby? If you ask this question in Tamil, it will sound, "pillay yar?". That will also be the answer, 'pillaiyar'. He is the Pillay or Son. With respect we add '.....ar' and call Him Pillaiyar. If somebody remains seated firmly in one place, we tick him or her off by saying, "why are you sitting on one place like a 'Kallu Pillayar'?" He is the first son of the Parents of the whole world and Universe, Parvathy Parameswara. So we call Him with respect, ' p i l l a i y a r '.
5. In other states, He is called Ganapathy or Ganesh. For the army of Siva's Bootha Ganas, He is the Pathy or Easar or Chief. So He is Ganapathy or Ganesar. As the Head of the Ganas, He is also known as Vinayaka. Nayak is Head. The prefix 'Vi' is added either to enhance the emphasis or indicate the opposite. So He is the 'vi + nayak = vinayak' to mean, the special chief or 'for whom there is no other chief'! There is nothing in this world that, He cannot bless us with! Especially, He can and does remove all obstacles in one's way. So He is also addressed as 'vigneswarar'. Before embarking on any venture, we invoke His blessings to off-set any likely obstacles enroute! So the first Pooja is to Him, as He is at the top of the 'pecking order'.
6. He is also known as, 'gajamukha or gajarajan', since He is depicted with the head of an elephant. Elephant is physically very powerful. Still it does not hurt or injure as does a Lion or Tiger. In places like Burma and Kerala, Elephant do the job of tractors and carriers elsewhere. Pillaiyar also does many big jobs as He is very powerful. But He does not show off His powers and never hurts but always does good to us all! Elephant has a sharp intelligence, incisive and analytical brains and a fine memory. So is Pillaiyar the embodyment of Knowledge and Awareness.
7. Whatever an Elephant does is a pleasure to watch. It's pendulous walk, it's use of the trunk and mouth while eating, it's ears and small tail flapping and relentlessly chasing away the flies, the way it uses the trunk to lift a flower delicately or a tree trunk effortlessly; is all a trmendous show! It's face is absolute peace. Those small eyes while being observant, seem to have so much Love in them, without any agitation. Out of all animals, we prefer to watch an Elephant. Similarly, out of all human beings in various activities, we prefer to watch a baby. A baby with no bad thoughts, absolutely innocent, happily playing, is again a 'sight for sore eyes'.
8. Pillaiyar is an elephant and a baby too. One can never have enough of Him. His is the innocent baby heart. Like an elephant He is powerful and brilliant and sharp. More than anything else, such a beauty that can never satiate; a fountain of happiness and a bundle of joy! Opposits and contrdictions coalesce in Him so beautifully naturally! Below the neck, a baby; human. Above the neck an elephant; an animal. In reality He is neither animal nor human; but a Deity! That too, foremost amongst deities.
9. Despite being a baby, He is the personification of immence, mammoth principles and ideas. In Him a variety of contrasts so beautifully merge; that everything seem to unify. For example, He has a piece of broken tusk in one hand and in the other a sweet 'kozhukkattai', (made of rice powder, kneeded, made in to small receptacles in which a mix of cocnut powder and jaggery is kept, sealed and steamed). This mix is known as 'Poornam', or complete / wholesomeness. So, in one hand is incomplete / half / broken tusk. In the other, complete wholesomeness. The totally complete being is Pillaiyar Himself. He is the 'poornam'. To know 'poornam' is happiness. Another name for happiness is, 'modam or modakam'. This 'kozhukkattai' is known as Modakam too.
10. Another contrast. Pillaiyar is a baby. He is a Brhmachary or ever celibate. He came as an elephant and drove Valli in to the hands of Subrahmanya, His younger brother, to enable them to get married. Even to-day, when people want to get married, they take Pillaiyar's help; this permanent bachelor! What does it mean? What He may not need in His State, He is willing to provide for the devotees and there by; lift us slowly above our wants. As a 'kallu pillaiyar' made of stone, though He is static, He can lift us to the highest level of existance. He did so for 'Avvaiyar', lifting her in one fluent stroke, from South India to Kailasa in the Himalayas.
11. As we keep looking at Pillaiyar, many such ideas and deep rooted meanings will become apparent. Actually the limitation is our brains and not His infinite abilities or grandeur. They say that, 'kuzhandaiyum deivamum kondadum idaththil', meaning, 'children and gods thrive where they are adored'. The divinity itself has come as a baby, in Pillaiyar. So in Tamil Nadu, which celebrates Him as the Infant-God, He is there in every nook and corner, blessing all and sundry. It is His blessing that the old lady paatti, ran around every village of Tamil Nadu. 'Who is that paatti?', in Tamil will be, 'paatti yar?' She is 'paattiyar' or 'Avvaiyar'. 'Pillaiyar - Avvaiyar', what a combination, as a boon for Tamil Nadu!
12. There is nobody who has done more social and religious service for Tamil Nadu, as Avvaiyar. If there was, good behaviour and devotion, for thousands of years, in this part of the country, it is undoubtedly due to Avvaiyar. From early child-hood, if good behaviour and devotion to God becomes deep rooted, based on the correct attitude to self and the world; then that attitude and behaviour becomes permanent. There have been many great poets and devotees in the past. But what they wrote or sang were mainly for elders. Avvaiyar did not lack in poetical abilities or devotional intensity. Actually she was too great a Gnani; extremely well grounded in Yoga Sastra. She correctly identified children as the target audience of her advices. So whatever she sang were in the form of 'teachings for children'. When it comes to these matters after all; even grown ups are children only.
13. She adviced all the children with the same concern that any grand mother has for her grand children. Her love is so great that, even generations later, when it comes to teaching children, 'Aathichudi' comes first. First puja is for Pillaiyar; first reading is Avvaiyar's teachings. For thousands of years, if her words have sustained and flourished; the power of her words is apparent. When you make a sincere true statement, soaked in love; that becomes universally and eternally acceptable. Avvai's words are such that they have retained their charm even after translations into other languages! Amongst us there may be many who have not read the poetry of Kambar, Pugazhendi, Ilango; but there cannot be any who does not know at least one saying of Avvaiyar.
14. Where did Avvaiyar get such power in to her words? She was also very strong physically. Walking on foot, she went to every small Patty, Thotty, Kukgramam, Puri, Puram, Palli and Halli. Assembled the children and tought them her 'Upadesas'. Where did she get such power in her being? Both power of words and physical power are Pillaiyar's blessings. She was a great devotee of Pillaiyar. It is His blessings that she became an old woman, even in her young age! She wanted to avoid the normal route of falling in love; getting married and begetting children. She got this obstacle to a life of devotion and service removed, by praying to Pillaiyar to give her the looks of an old woman, in her youth!
15. Pillaiyar, who assisted Subrahmanya Swami to get married; helped this woman to short circuit the very process of growing. When the world is full of people who want to retain their youth even in old age, (King Yayathi to Richard Gere ad infinitum ad nauseam), she asked for and obtained old age, so as to obviate lustful thoughts from the onlooker's minds! Pillaiyar agreed with her views totally. He decided that it is not enough to only retain her devotion. He spun her off as the Ambassador and Minister of Devotion, to catch the young minds of generations yet to come. From a woman with no family, He made her the grand mother of all children, including those yet to be born! She fulfilled her appointed role quite willingly. She spent her life in Pooja and Dhyana of Pillaiyar; and teaching children.
16. That old woman went around thousands of years back. I have also done so now. She went around Tamil Nadu. I have included the whole country in my ambit. What I have noticed is that, it is only in Tamil Nadu, that Pillaiyar is seated in every nook and corner, on the river banks, under a tree, with or without a roof! He is as happy under a tin roof, as with elaborate Praharam, Gopuram and Vidhanam. If nothing else, the sky as the roof will do most suffiently, thank you. This is the speciality of Tamil Nadu. Wherever she went, Pillaiyar happily took station there.
(Like Adi Sankara and Avvaiyar, in the past and Mahatma Gandhi in recent times; Periyaval as He is reverentially referred to; also went around on foot only, for more than sixty years. Here is a very rare reference to His so doing; to make a point that in other states of India; Pillaiyar is more noticeable by His absence, as compared to Tamil Nadu! The overwhelming preponderance of Pillaiyar in Tamil Nadu can only be due to Avvaiyar's influence. To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva.