Deivathin Kural # 21 (of Vol 2 ) of 30 Aug 2007.

Om Namah Sivaya.Deivathin Kural # 21 (of Vol 2 ) of 30 Aug 2007.(Continued from Deivathin Kural # 20 (of Vol 2 ) of 21 Aug 2007.)22. We can be devoted to Him only till we are apart from Him, not a part of Him. Once we enter Him and remain with no more seperate identity, we become one. 'Such inalienable oneness is possible only when, by devotion, we get to know Him as He is', He says. In the words 'tato mam', 'tata:' means then / later / after. Immediately now, what we can do is only Bakthi; then later, whatever is to happen, let it happen, in its own time! "You remain faithfully devoted, then I will make you understand as to who or what I am and take you unto me sans seperateness" , is His assurance. Twice He says, "tatvata: tatvata:", so as to emphasise that, 'through bakthi, as the devotee comes to understand God's qualities and powers, the devotee imbibes His qualities and completely loses his identity, thus dissolving into divinity.23. Through devotion, if we come to understand Him, it would mean that, while going through that process evidently, we do not understand Him, as He is, 'tatvata:'. It is only as a result of the process of devotion, He enables us to understand Him! So, this means that, we do not know or understand Him, 'as it is ~ tatvata:'. Right?24. Necessarily, you are bound to ask, 'how to be devoted to some thing that we do not know or understand?' . Point to ponder now is that, 'God is not totally unknown either, to start with'. Yes, it is also true that, He is not fully or totally known or understood, to start with. Let it be so. Does not matter. We start being devoted to God, based on some qualities of His, slightly known and understood. After total understanding, we become so absorbed, that there is no scope for devotion; as seperate identity as a devotee vanishes. So let Him remain as God, not fully known or understood; so as to permit us to be devoted to Him. To that extent, let Him remain 'incomplete ~apoornam' not including us! 25. Let us not think about a state when, we are no more seperate, but one with Him. How to think about something unthinkable? For the time being it is enough that, 'the unlimited totality of God', be the repository of all the admirable qualities, that we adore. Let Him be within our capability of comprehension and admiration! With Him let us continue to be devoted and enjoy being a devotee. Let Him remain a 'baktha~vatsala' of easy approachability. To make us understand Him and comprehend Him, is all His job. Why should we bother about it now? I accept, that when we are doing or practicing Bakthi, the object of our devotion, is only a limited aspect of that totality of what is God. What to do? There is no other method!26. 'bakthyaa maam abhijanathi' , meaning, 'through devotion, the devotee gets to know me'. Not just understanding - not just janathi; 'abhijanathi' - that is total understanding. Once that happens, devotee does not remain a devotee. That is to happen later. Now let us keep thinking of God, as something other than us. Let us remain happy in whatever satisfaction we recieve in the process of that devotion.27. Even in scriptures on Adwaita, it is said, "easwara anugrahath eva pumsaam adwaita vaasana", to mean that, even the slightest aptitude for the concept of Adwaita, happens only by the grace of God. This would mean that, God is existing apart, considering the Jeeva as an entity other than Himself, while granting this taste for Adwaita! How can this happen otherwise, if God remains in the 'bhaava' of complete Adwaita? So the mystery deepens in the Maya of this worldly life in which, not only are we as Jeeva, thinking of ourselves as apart from God; but God is also making the same assumption. The Jeeva on his own is not clamouring after the concept of Adwaita but, God creates that taste for Adwaita in the Jeeva! Having kept Himself apart, He instills the wish in the Jeeva not to be apart! Is this not the meaning? The moment there is a granter of Adwaita Gnaana, and a reciever of that Gnaana; there are two entities, which is Dwaitam! OK, let it be so! Till He sanctions that Adwaita Gnaana, we also can think of Him as different from us and continue to be devotees!28. To grant us the Adwaita Gnaana, He stands apart. Even the inclination towards that Adwaita, is His creation. So let Him do whatever, whenever; and grant us the Anubhava. He instills the urge and only He can fulfil that urge. After all, what He has started, He will complete it. That is His onus. We have no role to play there.29. Ours is to be devoted to Him as the repository of all good virtues, power, beauty, grace, love, kindness, charm and quality. We do not have to feel bad that by qualifying Him, we have degraded Him. Take careful note of what He says, "Initially I will be in the form as per your wishes and then later, I will shine in my true reality!" To shine in all His true glory is His job. We can't throw light on that literally! To try to do what we cannot is only an effort in futility. 30. There is nothing other than One, says Adwaitam. Though there is Jeevatma and Paramatma, that One Paramatma, is life of all lives and the indwelling spirit as 'antaryaami', in all life forms, says Visishtadwaitam. He is different and we are different. The two can never be the same but, He is the Director and we are the Directed, says Dwaitam! It is this last one, Dwaitam, within our comprehension and understanding. If we catch hold of what we can understand, then it is His job to enhance our capacity to comprehend and understand, if need be. Then we will start enjoying Him as Life of Life and the indwelling 'antaryami'. Then, may be, we will go beyond, 'being the experiencer' and become the experienced! These are all to happen by His Grace. What is within our capability is to, do our duties as God's wish. To be devoted to Him. If you say, 'just be loving', it does seem to be possible. Till there is work to be done, anger and hate are concommitant. But when we do our duties, with our thoughts focussed on God as an ocean of blessedness, automatically we become a form of graceful love. This itself is a great satisfaction and fulfilment.31. If we cannot make our minds stand still and experience the truth of Adwaita, let us remain in the level of Dwaita, with God as different from us; but to whom we are devoted. That happiness is enough. Whether He makes it Visishtadwaitam and indwell in us, in all His Glory; or, grant us the 'Adwaita Anubhava', that is of no concern to us, as it is all His look~out!32. Most importantly, it is this 'sareeram' or body, with it's limited capabilities and pre-occupations; that is the reason for this differentiation. If we stop at the state of Dwaitam, without even thinking of God as the indwelling 'antaryami', let us remain different as an embodied person only. Still we have the option to be devoted to God, thinking of Him or Her as an ocean of love and compassion and get that satisfaction and happiness! So, we need not aspire or perspire for the total oneness of Adwaitam or differentiated~ oneness of Visishtadwaitam! We can remain content with the Duality state of Dwaitam. "We have taken this body. We are this body only. Even with this, we are able to think of God, is it not so? Let it be. Why only this body? Even if we are born as a worm, does not matter, as long as, we are enabled to think of God with gratitude, it is enough!" With such an attitude, we should learn to be content.33. "puzhuvai pirakkinum punniya unnadi enmanaththe vazhuvadu irukka varam thara vendum", says Appar Peruman. (He says, "Oh God! Even if I were to be born as a worm, grant me that, my mind may remain rivetted on Your feet".) To constantly think of God itself is a unique pleasure. When that happiness is available, why bother? Why bother, about this body, mind and lack of Gnana, because of them?34. Appar was a great devotee of Siva and it is but natural for him to have expressed such a sentiment! There is a parallel expression by the Parama Acharyal of Adwaita Gnana, in 'Sivananda Lahari'. He says, "Let me be born as a worm or a bull or even a mosquito. It makes no difference to me, as long as, my mind remains submerged in the flood of glorifying Your feet." '....narathvam devatvam nagavana mrugathvam masagatha pasuthvam keetathvam.. ..' Keetam is worm. Keetathvam is what Appar's, 'puzhuvai pirakkinum'. Masagatha is 'mosquito'hood. Note how the Sanskrit root word, 'masagatha' for the English word 'mosquito'. As long as we can remain devoted to God, it is immaterial as to what we are born as!35. Even if it is a human body, with it happily being a devotee, as long as we can be loving and kind towards all life forms, we do not have to pray for the termination of the cycle of repeated birth and death. Whatever the body, the unbroken devotion to God, should continue as the connecting thread. She is Gnanambikai. She will give us the milk of Gnana. By action and devotion, She will wipe our minds clean. When clean, our minds will become spotless, blemishless surface of mirror that will reflect the brilliance of divinity! She will grant that on Her own. We do not even have to pray for such and such boon! We do not have to ask for Heaven or Vaikundam or Kailasam. Let Her keep us anywhere. Some where let her grant us an opportunity to serve; or grant us the awareness of Herself as the indwelling 'antaryami'; or make us realize our undifferentiated oneness with Her! It is OK, whatever it may be!36. That state is unknown to us. The granting power is also someone else. All that we know is Dwaitam. Even that knowledge of Dwaitam, is because of the fact that, this mind of ours does not stop. The reasons for the mind's oscillations are, desire, attachment, hate, fear and sorrow. Our minds keep running from one or the other such feelings and sentiments that, it has become very dirty. First what we need is cleansing of our minds and heart. For that, the only way is to happily do our duty with full devotion to God.37. If we try this, it will be very pleasureful. We will not even think of cleansing of our minds and heart. We will be happily devoted. We will do our work lovingly and contentedly. Parasakthi will bless on Her own volition. We have no say in that. Once we are truely devoted, we will know not to express our will, let alone impose it. Her 'Anugraha' can be in the form of Dwaitam or Visishtadwaitam or Adwaitam. Whatever it is, why bother our heads on that? Leaving it all in Her very capable hands, let us continue to be devoted for the pleasure of it.38. I have been thinking on the following lines. "Adwaitam is the essential truth and reality, Yes! Yes, it is true that, to experience 'Adwaita Anubhava' is something vry special! That is why, 'Gnana Marga' has been thought of. But most of us are not able to progress at all in that path. So do we have to keep on crying about it?" Then I came to a clarity of thinking, that there is no need to cry. We can rest content with Karma and Bakthi, which is within our grasp. That Parasakthi, organising and running the entire universe knows, when and how to grant us the Adwaita Gnana, if need be. So I shared these thoughts with you all.Sambhomahadeva.