DEIVATHIN KURAL # 126 (of Vol 2) Dated 28 June 2008

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 126 (of Vol 2) Dated 28 June 2008

(To-day’s e-mail is a continuation of Deivathin Kural # 125 dated 26 June 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. To day we are proceeding from page number 903, of volume 2, of the Tamil original. )

102. What is the use of my telling all this? What ever people are thinking as their personal advantage or gain seems to be more important than the concept that we should not be a hindrance to others in the society! That sense of justice is totally lacking. In some families both the husband and wife are earning, getting a double income while in some others, neither of them is employed, suffering in penury! At least if women stop their being employed after marriage, would not that job be available to someone more in need of the same? Those who talk of making women equal to men should look in to this aspect too.

103. This principle of Equality or Parity itself should not be applied uniformly everywhere on all occasions. If everything is equal and meant to be so, you can have no variety, no colours, no music, no art, no world; all Adwaitam, all one! As it is though everything is one and the same, in practical life you have to have variations and gradations. Nature intends everything to be different but complimentary collectively to every thing else. To say that everything should be simply equal is being stupid to say the least. Each separate entity has to do its own natural role to fulfill its part of the totality. Thus its ‘poornatvam’ or ‘integrity’ depends on its role playing. To quote an example, the tire cannot do the role of the axle; the steering-wheel by itself cannot turn the wheels, without a tie-rod in-between! Leaving this integrity of the whole, if you look for an imaginary equality, it will not only be unnatural but lead to confusion, imbalance and agitation at the individual and collective level. The effect will be dissatisfaction in the family, and society.

104. However much man may advance in so many fields, there are some inalienable ways of the natural world. It is the female part which produces the egg for fertilization by the male sperm, for the forming of the off-spring. It is the female that has to hold the child for a period of nine months and beget the newly baby. However much we may fight for equality, we cannot change these roles. For her to bear and deliver the baby and breast feed it is the Dharma of the female species! To do so is not only their duty or role, but also their naturally appointed job and pride of place! To do so is not slavery but a pleasureful share of the workload! There is nothing higher or lower in this. Doing so is no slight to their being and not to do so is no great achievement either!

105. What is the Use of Telling All This? Like we add ghee and reduce the burning effect of chilly added to the food, for the natural animal tendencies in human beings, Vivaham as a Samskara, adds control and balance. You need the chilly also and ghee too. Actually there are nine ‘rasa-s’ in food known to Indian culinary experts, for which there are no parallel words in English. There is undeniable physical comfort and ease of convenience, in the arrangement known as marriage. That is why it is so universally accepted in all communities all over the world! But in the arrangement of what is Grhastashram, the fire of man is kept under control, by so many Do’s and Don’t’s and other Samskara-s and rituals demanding his attention and effort. For the woman counter part, faithfulness to the male coupled with child bearing and nurturing the new born; and taking care of the house-hold; keeps her sufficiently and gainfully engaged! If this is understood, there will be no problem.

106. We in this country with this clarity, with the prayer in our hearts for God’s blessings, have to keep highlighting these very facts, with the hope that someday or the other, there will be a way. The way it is going on, will eventually prove the wisdom of the Sastra-s and bring the woman back, I am sure. To show the way out of the blind-ends of the present faux-pas, I have to keep telling you as to what is given in the Sastra-s.

107. I am hearing loud and clear you rightful question as to what is the use of talking about Varnashrama and Balya Vivaham and such things? Especially when nine-tenth of these things have virtually disappeared! In most of these things Government’s Law of the Land is contrary to the dictates of the Sastra-s! Yes, it is true that in many matters, the enactments of the Government has kept our hands tied behind our backs! Our Government is supposed to be a Secular State . That means ‘not leaning towards any one religion’. It does not mean irreligious! That means the Government cannot interfere in matters of Religion but only in matters social. But in religions, all things concerning life are considered in an integrated way, without this separation between social and religious matters, as made out by the Government. So whatever enactment done by Government on subject concerning social matters does have an effect on purely religious matters too. This is not accepted by the politicians.

108. OK. Now if look into how this subject is dealt with by other religionists, you find a very painful situation. Though it is said that in a secular state all religions are equal, the fact is far from that! The people belonging to the minority religions of Muslims and Christians object to these enactments of social reformation on the grounds of such enactments being against what is said in the Koran or Bible. Finish there ends the matter. Politicians will immediately give in to their demands, by making these reforms not applicable to those people. So the full impact of all this legislation falls on only the Hindus, as though their religion is the crudest of one of aboriginal country brutes! Over the years this has resulted in the very comical situation that, it is only Hindu religion that has been played around with that it has gone out of shape. First of all there will be no one who will feel motivated to make an issue out of it. Even if some people do, our own politicians will declare them as ‘retrogressive, reactive obscurantists’ and put them in jail if need be!

109. Though while giving lectures, there will be words coated in sugar used, that secular does not mean anti-religious and all religions should develop independently and so on, what happens in practice, is as though Hindus are, ‘no body’s baby’! Now your question will be, “When you know all this, why are you still trying talk about this irrelevant, impossible and irretrievable state of affairs?” I will answer you. Firstly, I do not think that they are irrelevant or impossible or irretrievable!
(To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva.