Deivathin Kural Series - 183

Om Namah Sivaya.

Deivathin Kural # 183 of 20 Apr 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, 'Acharyal Kattum Ambal', that is, 'Ambal as Shown by Acharyal', in pages 855 to 862, of Deivathin Kural, Volume 1.

2. Our Acharyal has written many works in praise of Ambal. Other than, 'Soundarya Lahiri', 'Ananda Lahiri', 'Devi Bujangam', 'Thripura Sundari Manasa Pooja Stotram' and 'Thripura Sundari Veda Pada Sthavam', are big ones. The smaller ones are like, 'Annapoorna Ashtakam' and 'Ambashtakam'. It is enough, if we just keep chanting them. We can be floating in Mothers 'Anugraha Vatsalya'. These are all in wonderous language. With no tinge of pride, Acharyal praises Ambal, who is the source and depository of all power, in true sincere devotion, in them. On many occassions, in them, Acharyal in all humbleness indicates that, He is the reciepient of Her Grace, despite being undeserving.

3. Especially in 'Soundarya Lahiri', in two places, His humility melts our hearts. In one sloka, starting with the words, 'drucha thrageeyasya', He is requesting Her to turn Her 'side long glance' on Himself. He does not say, 'turn your kataksham towards me', but, '....towards me also'! In another sloka, He asks Her to touch Him with Her 'two lotus feet'. This sloka is the one starting with the words, 'drutheena murdhano'. Here too He does not say, 'give me your Pada deeksha'. Instead He says, 'touch my head too','....mam api sirasi....'. It is clear, that He thinks of Himself a very undeserving case.

4, Whether in devotion, or brains, in speech or writing, in capability or humaneness, in humility or compassion and sinlessness, there was no one to match Acharyal in the past nor is going to be anyone there, in the future. Then what can be the reason for His assumed undeservedness?
The only logic I can think of is that, He is talking on our behalf. When we read the sloka, we should feel humble enough. He is saying so, without saying it in words. When He says, 'mam api, mam api', ('direct Your side long glance towards me too; touch me too with Your lotus feet'), He is indicating to us, the humbleness with which, we should be making such a request!

5. 'How can we ask for something, when we know that we do not deserve it?', can be your question. But He dwells on those, which do not care about our deservedness, but still showers their goodness on all! The moon light for example, falls on Raja's palace and thorny bush in the forest with equal felicity. Like that, Your flood of 'Kataksham', may fall on 'me too', and submerge me too, in its Gnana Prakasam and Cool Compassion.

6. Similarly, when praying for the touch of Her lotus feet, He says, 'Your lotus feet, which are being borne by the Vedas, as the coronet on their head; may touch my head too. If You say that my demand is unjustified, Your Compassion is not concerned with justification. You are Compassion personified. So place Your feet on my head too'. (...dayaya dehi charanow...)

7. There is an inner meaning, in saying that Mother's feet is on the head of the Vedas. Upanishads themselves have a name as, the 'head of Vedas', ('sruthi siras'). I have spoken as to how, when the Devas got too much head-weight, She came as the Gnanambikai, to teach them a lesson, as in Kenopanishad. Here Acharyal seems to have that incident in mind that, attaining Gnana can only happen with the total annihilation of 'ahambhava'. So truely humble, that He says, 'please grant 'me too' a little touch of Your lotus feet!'

8. For every action, as there is a direct effect, there are also some side effects. Even though they may not be intended, they just happen. In Kenopanishad, there is a direct mention of Ambal as Gnanambikai, who bestows on us the 'Atma Gnana'. Unrelated to Gnanam and the principle of Ambal, there is a byproduct, for modern-day scholors. Many amongst the researchers claim that, "Parvathi, Parameswara, Vishnu, etc., are only later day derivations. There is no mention of Names and Form, for Gods as Devatas, in Vedas. Vedas were mainly concerned with the shapeless, formless, principles of divinity. Names and forms are later day additions, during the period of the eighteen Puranas". This is roundly refuted by what Kenopanishad says. It clearly says that, when the 'Yaksham' vanished, 'a woman, Uma Haimavathi appeared'. By calling Her a woman, it is clear that, male and female forms, were already acceptable as applicable for divinity, even prior to the time of the Upanishad. Not stopping at calling Her by just a name, 'Uma', the Upanishad also mentions Her name as, 'Haimavathy'. Himavan's daughter is Haimavathy. Parvatha Raja's daughter is Parvathy. This is internal evidence that, the story of Himavan's daughter was already in vogue and Hindu Religion's Idol Worship, is pre-dated to the coming into being of Puranas and Upanishad.

9. Acharyal prays for Ambal's feet to be placed on His head. This proves Ambal as Guru. Sastras affirm that Guru Padukas are ever on ones head. This means that 'thiruvadi deeksha' is eternally available. ('Deeksha' means the process by which Guru passes on His Anugraha to the Sishya. This is of three types. 'Nayana Deeksha', is Guru's glance at the Sishya. 'Sparsa Deeksha', is by touch. Third is 'Mantra Upadesa', when Guru tells a Mantra to the Sishya, by word of mouth. The Mantra could be anything, such as, 'Om Namah Sivaya', or 'Om Namo Narayanaya', or 'Sambhomahadeva', or 'Sri Rama Jaya Rama Jaya Jaya Rama', and so on. Though these Mantras are all powerful, Mantra obtained by word of Mouth from the Guru, is considered to be more effective. Though 'nayana deeksha' and 'sparsa deeksha', will also do most sufficiently. Here Periyaval says that, 'thiruvadi deeksha' is ever available to every one of us, all the time!)

10. Ambikai, who appears as the 'Gnanambikai' in Kenopanishad, keeps Her feet as the ornament of 'Veda Siras'. Acharyal further describes eloquently, the greatness of Her 'pada kamalam'. The feet of Elders, Mahatmas, Rishis and Munis, are to be revered. When we do welcome such, they are supposed to be given a 'sixteen tiered' action of veneration, called, 'shodasa + upacharaas = shodasopacharas'. One of them is 'Padyam', that is to clean the visitor's feet with water. As 'padyam' for Ambal, from Siva's hair, 'Ganga jal', is ever flowing on to Her feet. Though He is 'Pasupathi', the Head of all living beings, He too is paying obeisance to Her, as the 'Parabrhma Shakthi' or the Power in Being. So when He prostrates before Her, His 'Jhada Mudi' touches Her feet. The river Ganges originating from His matted hair, does 'Padyam' to Her feet. After all, His power of Mastership of the whole universe, is also from Her only. So, He is also prostrating without a tinge of 'aham bhava'.

11. Ladies of class used to be decorated in their feet, by artistic designs painted with red lac, as a mark of their status. (Actually the word lac derives from the Sanskrit root word, 'laksha', which also means 'mark'.) For decorating Ambal's feet however, there is a different 'red marker'. Vishnu, who is variously addressed as Hari, Narayana, etc., is also prostrating before Her. After all, His Rulership evolves from Her Power only. He is wearing His Crown, in which the central Gem is the 'Chooda Mani', which is a red stone. That is illuminating Her feet with the red colouration substituting the mark of lac. The decoration for His Head, becomes a decoration for Her feet! He is also prostrating without a tinge of 'aham bhava'.

12. Devas, including Parameswara and Mahavishnu, are doing 'Namaskar' to Her without 'aham bhava'. Let Her be kind enough to remove our silly sense of pride too. For that purpose, we should be chanting the slokas, that Acharyal has left for us as a legacy, available in print and meditate on Her feet in the Chandra Mandala.

13. Acharyal, who in many places enlarged on Her being very devoted to Her Husband, now talks of His prostrating before Her, may sound rather funny. But everything is Leela. Both are the same. Their respect for each other is mutual and reciprocal! We have to think of Him as the 'peaceful being', or 'shanta sat' and Her as 'true awareness', or 'satya chith' and think of both of them together, as 'sat + chith + anandam' or 'sachidanandam'.

14. In the very first sloka of 'Soundarya Lahiri', starting with the words, 'Siva saktya yukto yadi bhavathi sakta :', He says, "Amma Sakthi! Parameswara Siva Himself, is capable of any movement, only when He is with You! Without You He is incapable." Since it is everything, Brhmam is not capable of knowing anything. Still, in this world, there is so much knowledge and movement. In the entire cosmos, starting from the mevement of stars and galaxies, down to the oscillations of the electrons, everything is ever moving! Not to talk of our minds, which is for ever oscillating. All this knowledge and movements seems to have come into Brhmam somehow. When we seperately identify Brhmam as Sivam and Sakthi, then Acharyal's statement, "Amma, it is You who is making Siva move", becomes meaningful. The world that is not there, is from Her only. "YA MA", what is not, is "MA YA", that is 'maya'. It is again She who can remove 'maya', from our minds!

15. All the seen world is Her doing or Herself. Still, when our minds becomes still, in some special 'Roopa' of Hers, dhyanam or meditation is effective. The vast, wide, shapeless, space that accommodates all that is seemingly there, is also our Prana Sakthi or breath. Space, air, fire, water and earth; is Herself, Her Forms. The 'manas' or mind is also Her. Acharyal says so in the sloka starting with the words, 'manasthvam'. In a prior sloka, starting with the words, 'sariram tvam', He says, that Night and Day, are Her forms only. In day, the Sun's rays, give all the energy for all Earth. All plants recieve 'chlorophil' from it only. All food is from that! All living things, either eat plants or plant products(vegitarian) or eat what eat the plants and plant products(non-vegitarian). In the night, the Moon showers its own nourishment, (though, not yet identified by science). Night and Day, Sun and Moon, are also Her forms only!

16. As per Mantra Sastra, 'Kundalini Sakthi', which starts from the lower tip of the spinal chord 'Muladhara', and rises to the top of the head 'sahasra dala padma', is as subtle and delicate as the, thread like thing of the lotus plant's stem. Lalitha Sahasranamam, calls it, 'bisathantu thaneeyasi'. Though very subtle, it is as brilliant as 'ten million suns' and as cool as equal number of moons. Other than all shapes and forms, She is also all sounds, speech and thoughts. Especially 'Mantra Roopas' or esoteric chants are also Her forms. These are subtle forms.

17. For common people like us, She is in 'Sthula Roopa' or gross forms as, Lalitha, Durga, Buvaneswari and so on. These forms, visible to our eyes, in many sacred temples and holy places, as the ever beneficient 'Vigraha Moorthys', are energising and ennobling millions of devotees. In North Himachal, born as the Parvatha Raja Kumari, She is showering Her largeese as Kanya Kumari in deep South. Known as Baghawathi in Kerala, Chamundeswari in Karnataka, Kamakshi in Kanchipuram, Meenakshi in Madurai, Gnanambal in Kalahasthi, Bramarmbika in Sri Sailam, Tulja Bhavani in Maharashtra, Ambaji in Gujarat, Jwala Mukhi in Punjab, Vindya Vasini in Uttar Pradesh, Vaishnavi in Katra,Jammu; Kshira Bhavani in Kashmir, Kali in Bengal, Maihar Devi in Madya Pradesh, Kamakya in Assam; She has taken many shapes and forms, for sake of the common folks, (the list being evidently incomplete), She is forever showering Her blessings on all of us, in the entire length and breadth of what is India!

Sambhomahadeva.