Deivathin Kural # 20 (of Vol 2 ) of 21 Aug 2007.

Om Namah Sivaya.Deivathin Kural # 20 (of Vol 2 ) of 21 Aug 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, 'Adwaitamo Dwaitamo? -- Aduvum Parasakthi Vasame ~!' i.e., 'Adwaitam or Whatever, That's All Hers ~!', in pages 157 to 174, of Deivathin Kural, Volume 2. Evidntly it will be covered by two e-mails.(Unless otherwise specified, 'He' herein includes 'She'.)2. Water's fulfilment is the ocean. Tumbler, utencil, pot, tank, well, lake, river, the series goes on becoming bigger till ending up as the ocean. Similarly, for Awareness and Blissfulness, the Ocean is Ambal or Parasakthi. We have some knowledge, some love. Animals have less of these things. There are some greats amongst us, human beings, with much greater Awareness, Gnana and Benevolence. Where all these are at the highest magnitude; is God, Swami or Parasakthi.3. It is the all knowing knowledge. Not only does it know; but the totality of all the knowledge and knowers too~! There is nothing apart to know it, to make the distinction between, Knower, Known and Knowledge! If there can be something other than 'It', then 'It' is incomplete! Even if there is a small bit of something else, then 'Its' 'Purnatvam' cannot be. There is some deficiency, which means the 'It' is incomplete. Is it not so? All this analysis means that, there can never be another thing, that can know the Paramatma. There is no second.4. Then all these life forms, so many lacs, millions, crores of them; all the germs, microbes, viruses; insects, worms, slitherers, birds, fishes, animals; particles, anti-particles and non-particles; planets, suns, stars, galaxies and milky-ways; what is all this? All this is a huge make-believe. Drama of Maya. A facade of enormous bluff! You call the bluff and the totality of It all will remain in all It's splendour as the only worth while, 'Arivu', of whom, Thayumanava Swami says, ~chiththamisai kudi konda arivaana deivame ! (Meaning of this line in Tamil is:- that all knowing deity which has taken residence in my 'Chiththam' that is, inner awareness.) Since it is 'complete', there is nothing else required to be known by it. It is such a knowledge that, knows itself!5. Thus, to take yourself, the Jiva`atma to that Parama`atma and dissolve oneself, secondlessly is the real fulfilment. Even a small quantity of 'otherness' means a bit of deficiency / incompleteness / apurnatvam. Even what is seemingly something else, is also that. That is all. All is that only. "Idam sarvam purusham eva", says the Veda. This total contentedness is 'Adwaitam'.6. Upanishads talk about how this incomplete Jivatma becomes total by dissolving seperateness; and thereby becoming or realising his totality, completeness, poornatvam. What the Upanishads say, Sri Sankara Bhagawath Padacharyal, has elaborated with many examples, explanations, evidences and proofs. Even If we do a solely intellectual analysis of what He has said, we cannot but agree. Even science today says that, 'There are no more seperate elements. Everything is energy. Even matter does not matter. That is also energy only. Thus Science also has arrived at 'Adwaitam'.7. OK. OK. Everything is one only. Intellectually we agree. But ~ this is a very big 'But'! How to bring this philosophy into practice? In the world of interactions, exchanges, responses of give & take; all the differences are so unavoidable, insurmountable, unignorable! It is comparison and contrast which seems to be the very essence of life. Variety seems to be the very spice of life. In every action, we have to discard some and add some. If you do not see the differences, you will not only miss out on the fun, but also, spoil everything. The whole thing is a matter of selection, whether it is for education or employment or as life-partner or as an elected representative. The value of a pearl or gem increases with selection. Subtle nuances in expression goes to enhance the beauty. Small changes in the colour combinations adds to the easthetics of art. Some notes have to be dropped in the ascendent 'Aarohana' and some notes may have to be included in the descendent 'Avarohana' in Ragas in Music and so on.8. What do we understand from this? As long as there is some work to be done, there is no meaning in talking of Adwaitam. Till there is work to be done, we have to identify and recognise the differences. Even when we do so, it is prudent to keep in the background of one's mind the following. "In essence everything is the same. That includes ourselves too. By sanctifying one's own mind and vision, see and know everything as One. However much one may be aware of the differences, when it comes to one's relations with others, never give into hate. Inwardly have the same unconditional love towards all." This is the advice by all the great saints of the past, who had realised the Self. 9. When it comes to work, even thinking is work only. To think is the job of the mind. The mind goes on thinking without even a second's break. Till this is happening, there is work. Adwaitam cannot be there. The moment there is thinking, there is a thing that thinks and a thing that is thought about. That is Dwaitam! Thinking has to come to a stand still. Thought processes have to cease. Then only Adwaita Anubhava can be experienced.10. But, what to do? Whatever mighty effort one may undertake, this mind keeps running helter~skelter! It's attention is completely on noticing the differences, expanding on it, cubby~holing like a postman does! To stop outer work and involvement; to stop the mind's oscillations; to become an embodiment of love; these things are all easily said than done! What can we do about these things?11. What to do? Wecan only do what we can. It is OK, that we have mentally accepted that, Adwaitam can be the only, back-drop! Let it be. That conviction itself will give a fractional peace and quititude, in all this endless bustle of thoughts and running about. There will be some miniscular clarity and 'Shantam'.12. But, this 'alpa' / miniscular shanthi, does not give satisfaction. Everytime one experiences this partial peace, the mind itself wonders as to why we cannot be entitled to, more of it! We are neither able to shut~up the mind nor able to give~up the worldly confabulations! To become an embodiment of love does not seem to be within our capability. Why only the majority of us, 99.999999% of us are sailing in this self-same boat of dilemma, of wanting something and being something else! Till total inertia of Adwaitam is attained or realised, we have to keep doing something, is it it not so?13. So, let us do something that is easily possible by this mind. Are we not experiencing the world as different from us? When we look at the order, unity in diversity and discipline, in this Universe, we can see that there is some super~intelligence~ capability~ knowledge that is creating and maintaining, all this. We do not want discussion now, on how all this creation and maintaining, is all Maya! There is no gain-saying that Maya is unreal and all that! There is a super-power that is running all this mighty show. It is different from us. We are of limited capabilities, limited power and limited knowledge. What is the meaning of saying, 'let it be so'? It is so! Let us pack all our understanding of Adwaita Anubhava in a parcel and put it in the loft or attic. Now is not the time for consideration or discussion about that, super-power- knowledge as the only thing to be known. Let us stop at the level in which we are aware that, It is beyond our limited powers of comprehension and understanding and that, though being different, It is capable of knowing every single thing about us.14. From the smallest living organisms to the fly and ant to elephant and whale, It has give certain wherewithal, capabilities, enviroment, habitat, food and protection; for birth, sustenance, growth and pro-creation of its species. If It can and does all this, then It must have the ability to know, all our problems too. It is not only an Ocean of Knowledge, but also an Ocean of Kindness and Benefaction. If each one of us are capable of Love and Affection; hasn't all that, come from the same source? So It Has to be an Ocean of Kindness. Let us tell that Ocean of Kindness, "Oh! Instead of being the totality of contentedness, I am so short of anything and everything. You make me complete!" Let us keep at this prayer, till that Parasakthi or Paramatma, sanctions us the Adwaita Anugraham.15. Even such prayer is only secondary. To that Gnana Samudram, which knows our deficiencies too, Yes, there is no need to make such prayers, saying, "give me Adwaitam, give me Gnanam, give me fulfilment, give me contentment" and so on. There is no need for such begging. It is enough to happily keep singing the praise of the Lord. 'There is the God, who is not perennially crying and cribbing like us. He is clear, unruffled, undisturbed, peace incarnate, and an ocean of 'Karuna', to think of whom, gives us some solace'. Just let us think of that 'Karuna Sagara' and be happy. We do not have to keep telling Him or Her, "give me this, give me that and so on". Let Him give whatever and that is acceptable.16. Now, there are His orders like Vedas, as per which, we have our duties to perform. Let us happily do those duties. Yes, all duties are work / Karma, only. Karma and Duties and Bakthi, are all in a state of Dwaitam only. Does not matter. Let us do all that, with the clarity that, we are doing nothing untoward but, as required only, by His orders. Is the mind not coming under control. Doen't matter either! Instead of thinking of odds and sorts of unnecessary things, let us think of the 'ineffable Love of that Ocean of kindness'. Like this, let us carry on doing purposeless devotion and complaintless duties. That itself will give us contentedness.17. If there is a final stage of complete, total, contentedness, which is also mindlessness~ ~let it be. As of now, that stage does not seem to be within our reach. Why should we cry for that now. We seem to have many deficiencies already. This cry is another, which we need not nurse. Let us simply, continue in this stage itself, with our wholesome duties, devotional activities of Veda Karma Anushtanam, Bakthi etc., and offer them as Easwararpanam, with love and happiness in our hearts. Thus we can avoid carping, complaining and cribbing.18. Thus, let us do all our actions happily, without a demand or complaint, and build up our devotion fully to such an extent; that God has to think, "It is enough of leaving this devotee to himself; let us dissolve him unto ourselves', and grant us the Adwaita Anubhava! That is His and only His job. There is nothing for us to do there. There is no meaning in our breaking our head, in a matter of no concern to us. It is His entirely. For the present, we are seemingly different. This is also His will only, is it not so? We did not decide to be a seperate Jiva like this. He is our creator. He has given us this feeling of seperation. It is His big drama, wherein He is different from us and we different from Him. Let it be so! Even in these circustances, the only thing we can do about it, is to think of Him as the Ocean of Love and melt ourselves in devotion happily. That is enough.19. It is humanly imposible even to comprehend, let alone understand and express in words, that Parabrhmam, which is beyond time and space, sans traits, charecteristics, form and shape! Saguna Brhmam is more 'mind~friendly' . The Love and Devotion for such a form of God, is Bakthi. Though this is Dwaitam, I say 'let it be'. The power that is omnipotent and omniscient, is also immanent in all iota of existance. Is it not so? Then, He is very much present in the small 'icon' of God that we pray to also! If He is to make us 'Experience' Him, let Him do so, when He will. Whether He does so or not, still, it is His job. Why should we bother about it? It is enough for us to be devoted. This happiness will do! With Love, we will continue to be devoted, with this wholesome clarity!20. In truth, let Him be He or She. Let Him be total, completeness. Let Him be traitless and the 'secondless One' of Adwaitam. So what? After all, we are not able to understand or comprehend That or He or She or thing! Such Beauty, Grace, Love and Knowledge, as we can comprehend, is all from that source, fountain head, spring! So, let us love That, for That. Let Him make Himself apparent to us, when He does. There is no action on our part, towards that understanding. So, let us lose ourselves in such devotion!21. That is what He says in Bhagawat Gita XVII, sloka 55. He says, "the one, who continues to be devoted to me, gets to know me as I am; thereby sans seperatedness, become me". I quote:-baktyaa maam abhijaanaati yaavaanyaschaasmi tatvata: Itato maam tathvato gnaatvaavisate thath anantaram II(To be Continued.)Sambhomahadeva.