Deivathin Kural Series - 187

Om Namah Sivaya.

Deivathin Kural # 187 of 17 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, 'Annapoorani', in pages 885 to 890, of Deivathin Kural, Volume 1.

2. Not only in our country; all over the world, 'Durbiksham', is on the increase. You can make any number of machines; can create any number of factories. But the growth of plants is not in our hands. Without agricultural well being and suffiency of production, without suffiency in availability of food; whatever other 'subiksham', you may have; the net effect will only be 'durbiksham'. (Have you got the meaning of the word 'durbiksham' now? Biksham means, what is given to the begger. Durbiksham, means 'bad alm'.)

3. All our intelligence and industrial capabilities cannot make a plant grow. Cannot create a rain fall. (Though we are trying to tinker with nature, in seeding the clouds for artificial rain fall; and our forays in to genetic engineering of plant seeds; these remain, 'random, sporadic and ineficient'.) The most effective alternative is to sincerely pray to 'Annapoorani', who can exhonerate our errant behaviour and grant us the alm of 'sufficiency in food'. When our Acharyal, Adi Sankara was in Kasi, that is Varanasi, sang a song on Annapoorani, a name by which Ambal is addressed. In that song, at the end of each stanza, he sincerely beseeches Ambal; who is like a staff installed on the ground for enabling a youg plant to catch hold of and grow; with a melting heart, to grant 'bikshai'
or alm:-
"biksham dehi krupavalambanakari
mata annapoorneswari".

4. 'Biksham dehi', when he says, he is not begging for himself. He must have been very well looked after and revered wherever he went, those days. More over, Acharyal never had much care for body, nor was he interested in filling his stomach. He had risen much above the ideas of 'me and mine'. Once he was accosted by a Kapalika named Kirakasa, who said that 'he had to offer the head of an Emperor or an Ascetic for Kapali's Darshan'. Acharyal told him, 'by looking for an Emperor's head, you are likely to lose your's, you better take this, a Sannyasi's head', he said, pointing out by hand, at his own head. Note that he did not say, 'take my head'. Such was his lack of 'deha abhimanam / ahankaram', that is 'body consciousness or ego'. So when he says, 'give me alms', evidently he is praying on behalf of all of us.

5. Look at the last of the slokas, in which he says, "My Mother is Parvathy. My Father is Parameswara. All Siva devotees are my relatives. All the three worlds are my home". So when he begs, he is begging the Supreme Power in being, on behalf of all the three worlds. He makes the request to Ambal to suit us, who do always pray for ourselves only.

6. It is not enough to pray for food only. What is the use of only eating and filling this gross body of ours and putting on weight? Is it not more important to grow in understanding and awareness? Annapoorani Ambal, who stands readily with the utencil full of 'Annam and milk' with the serving spoon, also imparts the 'food for the mind and soul'. It is this 'alm' that Acharyal specially asks for.

7. In Kanchi Kamakshi, Annapoorneswari is included. Traditionally She used to be offered, 'two Nazhi Nel' (two nazhi measures of rice ), with which She managed the growth of 32 different Dharmas. (So Nazhi must have been a substantial measure.) Amongst them 'Anna dhana' was one. In Kama Kottam, there is the Sannidanam of Annapoorneswari. Sundara Moorthy Swamigal, while addressing the Easwara in the Bikshandi Kolam, in Ona Kantan Thali, asks Him in a lighter vein, as to why He should resort to the role of a begger, when, there is Annapoorani in Kamakottam?
"vaarirum kuzhal vaal nedunkan
malai magal madu vimmu konraith
thaarirun thada maarbu neengath
thialaal ulagu uyya vaiththa
kaarirum pozhilkachi moodoork
kaamakottam undaga neer poi
ooridum pitchai kolvadenne
onkanthan thaliyuleere !"

8. Let us also pray, on behalf all life forms, to Annapoorneswari, who feeds the body, mind and soul, to remove all 'durbiksham' and bless us all with 'subiksham'.

9. As a punishment for our sins, we suffer in 'durbiksham'. But Kamakshi as Annapoorani blesses that even sinners should not suffer of hunger. In Kerala there is a place, 'Serukkunnam', which is also Annapoorna Kshetram. There they feed all visitors. In addition, they hang food packets, in the tree outside the temple, so that not only late comers but even thieves may not go hungry.

10. When such a Mother is available, to day in the world, when things are going so awfully wrong, we can easily assess as to how much we have sinned individually and collectively against ourselves and nature. In 'Sarak Samhita', there is a prediction as stated by 'Athreya'. He says, "In a country or city or village, if the people in power misbehave, the common man is left with no choice but to copy and follow. When 'Adharma' thus becomes the norm, the Devas decide to forsake the people, since after all Devas are like the bureaucracy of the Government. When the Devas forsake the common man, seasons fail, atmosphere, oceans, rivers and the earth start with innumerable aberrations. It either does not rain or there is too much of rain. Out of season rain can be equally harmful as lack of rain in season. Floods, earthquakes and melting of ice-caps occur. New mutations of disease causing germs happen.

11. (In short, Athreya seems to describe the effects of what we call Global Warming, Tsunami, Ozone Depletion and Aids. To get relief from all these ills of 'durbikshai', we have to cut down on industrialisation, cut down on use of carbon based fuels, remain truely faithful to one male / female in our sexual relations and most importantly abide with the directions of Kanchi Sankaracharyal.)

12. To get out of this vicious cycle of self destruction, we have to realise our errors and make an about turn in our attitudes. Then Annapoorani Herself will give us Anna Bikshai and Gnana Bikshai. Her entire being is Gnanamaya. Like from A to Z, from 'a' to 'ksha', she is of the form of all letters, 'mantra matruka roopini'. "Aadikshanta samastha varnanakari", says Acharyal. She will not only take care of our physical well being, but also our behavioural and attitudinal well being.

13. What sort of 'Gnanam', will Annapoorani give us? This is clarified in the end of 'Annapoorani Sthuthi'. At that state, Parmeswara and Parvathi will be recognised as our parents. All the life forms will be seen to be our brethren and siblings. All the three worlds become our home town. We will automatically raise above the confines of all restricting parochialism of even National loyalty. This is even beyond International Brotherhood. No more need for any lectures and propoganda. She is the Mother and we are the children.

14. From very old times, in practice there has been such a sense of unity, in the minds of the people of this country. For God's sake, the South Indian went to, Kasi, Kashmir and Kailasha. For the sake of God, the North Indian went to Balaji, Kalahasthi, Guruvayoor, Madurai and Rameswaram. Without speeches on National Integration, and without being addressed as Brothers and Sisters, by religious unity of beliefs and faith, we were children of One Mother. At the level of intelligentia, Sanskrit was the language of mutual unity. By harping on 'secular credentials', we have in some way sorted out the religion. Sanskrit has also been made defunct. Actually there is unity in the whole country, in all the four corners, in uniformly setting aside the Hindu Religion and Sanskrit language.

15. Even language is only a secondary matter. It is enough to encourage Devotion. Then the divisive feelings of, my district, my caste and my language, within ourselves will vanish. When to-day, there is more talk on the need for unity, only now there is more caste based divisions. Only now neighbouring states are ready to fight on the basis of not being ready to share water! There is more division on not being ready to share food. By painting an imaginary picture that, 'there has been much atrocities and unfair exploitation, on the basis of Caste and Language', there is more caste based politics and vote gathering tactics. The one binding force was Religion and resultant Devotion. Even now that is the only, 'Cure All' panacea. Real devotion can and will only metamorph itself into unconditional, universal Love! There will be no place for anything other than mutual helpfulness. Thirumoolar says, 'Anbe Sivam', meaning, Sivam is Love. That is knowledge and awareness, says Thayumanavar. If you know and are aware, you will be loving and kind. Let us beg to Mother Annapoorani for that knowledge, awareness and love. That is prayer made by Acharyal, on our behalf!

"annapoorne, sadapoorne, sankara prana vallabe!
gnana vairagya sidhyartham biksham dehi cha Parvathy II"

Sambhomahadeva.