DEIVATHIN KURAL # 107 (of Vol 2) Dt 12 May 2008

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 107 (of Vol 2) Dt 12 May 2008

(Continued from Deivathin Kural # 106 (of Vol 2) of 10 May 2008. These are translations of talks given by Periyaval of Kanchi Kamakoti peetam, over a period of some sixty years while he was the pontiff in the earlier part of last century. These have been published in Tamil by Vanadi Padippagam, Chennai, in seven volumes of a thousand pages each, as Deivathin Kural. Today we are proceeding ahead of Page 811 of the Tamil original. )

50. Jatakarma, Namakarma, Annapprasanam, Soucham etc are commonly applicable to people of all castes. Upanayanam is meant only for Brahmins, Kshatriyas and Vaisyas. It is not required for the fourth Varna. The moment I say this, you should not come to fight with me saying that, ‘this is partiality’. The people of the fourth caste are meant to do service for the benefit of the society and make their earning of livelihood through that duty of theirs. They will get their mental equipoise and ‘Chitta Shuddhi’ through that very physical labour of theirs. During the period meant for ‘Vidyabhyasam’ they are to learn the subtle nuances of their trade from their Fathers/Grand Fathers. They need not do 12 years of Veda Adhyayanam and Guru Kula Vasam. So Upanayanam is not for them.

51. Upanayanam is the first step of Guru Kula Vasam. The very word Upanayanam means, ‘to take the boy near the Guru’. Since the learning of the Vedas is more mind and brain oriented, the very process of learning may lead to Ahankara and head-weight. That is why, instead of the Father who is likely to spoil the child with indulgence, you take him to the Guru, who is likely to enforce discipline a little more strictly.

When the learning process involves more of physical labour, it is not likely to create head-weight. You can learn from your Father itself. For them Guru Kula Vasam and Upanayanam are not required. On the other hand, their contribution as a labour force is rather an unavoidable essential.

52. When the people of the fourth Varna, learnt all the tricks of their trade, at their home itself, for special intricate points they had to approach a specially qualified Brahmin for that. Whether it was archery or carpentry or agriculture or Ayur Veda, it was the Brahmin who was qualified in the advanced special application areas of other’s professions too. But the condition was that the Brahmin was not supposed to use this specialised knowledge for his own livelihood. He was required to take only the bare minimum as Dakshina, to sustain himself doing Vaidik Kriyas of Veda Adhyayanam and Yagnas.

53. Samskaras were and are contributory and complimentary to the type of profession and the attitudinal needs of that job. So if some people did not have a specific samskara, it was not meant to be taken as an insult. I will go even a step further and say, that one with more number of Samskaras was the more unclean one. His Chitta Shuddhi was not so easily attainable. The one taking more medicines evidently is more sick!

54. Rishis of yore cannot be faulted for partiality, narrow mindedness and parochialism. They had the more liberal and universal outlook. They were not like so many who talk of equality for their own vested interests. They were so universal in their outlook, that they saw the supreme Paramatma in all living beings. Let us look at some of these samskaras in connection with Upanayanam.

Sambhomahadeva.