Deivathin Kural # 33 of (Vol 2) of 11 Oct 2007.

Om Namah Sivaya.Deivathin Kural # 33 of (Vol 2) of 11 Oct 2007.(continued from DK # 32 of 08 Oct 2007.) 112. "Devas are responsible for rains on the Earth. They shower on human beings all the largesse of food, wealth and health". Having made such a statement, to say in the same breath that, "human beings in turn should conduct Yagas and give Aahuti for Devas and feed them", cannot be acceptable. "What is this, 'parasparam bhavayantha:'? If they are a superior race, let them be. We will be respectful towards them. Do Namaskars and pray to them. Let them be happy with that and do whatever blessings that they are supposed to grant us. But, why make it look as though, raising us on equal footing it is said that, we have to mutually look after each other? You feed them with Yaaga and they will feed you with rains!"113. Thinking about this, it occurs to me that, Devalokam is like England and Devas are like the Englishmen. In England, is there enough agriculture? No. But, how were they rulers over the world? How are they able to claim that, "The Sun never sets on the British Empire!". How did they come in to so much dominance? Agreed, that England does not have enough arable lands and its food production is limited. Then if you see as to what else have they got, you will note that they have plenty of Coal and Chalk. Black coal and white chalk neither of which can be eaten! In countries which produce plenty of palatable grains, if you create industries, they will have to consume Coal and Chalk, not yet found in their own countries and England can get grains in exchange. This is what they did. In the name of Industrialization and in the name of progress, they created demand in the 'so called backward' nations, for coal for power and chalk for cement. They sold their coal and chalk at exhorbitant rates and virtually ransacked those countries of their natural wealth, grains, spices, diamond, gold and so on. 114. In Devalokam too there are no fields. No water. There is no way that they can get their food. Veda itself says, "...durbiksham devalokeshu manunam udakam gruhe..."(Taitreeya Aranyakam First Prasnam.) The clouds from above bring rains to earth and fill up, rivers, lakes and wells. The useable water is available only on Earth, the home of Man. You can use the water for irrigation and do agriculture only on Earth. The Devlokam not having arable lands, has to face 'durbiksham', that is, scarcity, says the Veda. But for water to come as clouds and fall as rains, you have to have the help of the Devatas, ie., natural forces! If we do 'Yagnam', they will enable rains to pour their largesse; otherwise no! There will be draught. All the rains will go to the oceans! Or, there will be torrential rains as to destroy the crops. Either there will be, 'adivrushti or anaavrushti'! That control is only with Devas. Like the Britisher having coal and chalk, the Devas have the power to control the natural forces. They cannot feed on their power. But, it is us, who can enable them to have this power. Our offerings with Mantra in 'Aahuti', becomes their food. 115. We produce cotton. When there were not many textile mills in our country, Britishers purchased our cotton, took it to Lancashire, made it into muslin and sold it back to us at four time the cost of production and transportation! He made profit while importing from us and while exporting to us! (Mahatma Gandhi's satygraha in trying to save 'Dacca Muslin' is another aspect of the same exploitation!) Devas too return the water that went up as steam from oceans of the Earth only. But they do not fleece us as Britishers did in the Indian sub-continent. But we must keep up our end of the bargain, in taking care of the Devatas through 'Aahuti' in the Yagaas. They are more powerful than us. But God has made it look as though, we are at equal footing with the Devatas; having given us the responsibility to conduct Yagnas and offer the oblations; making the Devatas satisfied with that much. That is why this encouragement to both by, "...parasparam bhavayanta:...". Labour and Managerial Powers.116. God has given us the power to work and the power to manage and protect has been given to the Devtas. In this world too we have this division of responsibility. The fields and factories are the places for work. Corporate and Governmental Offices, Police Station and the Judiciary are meant for management, security and protection. Offices are meant for control and co-ordination. There will be no production of materials there. In offices there will be no harvest, no dust, no noice of machines, no smell of chemicals or animal excreta! No physical work there. Fans, chairs, air-conditioners, and all comforts, so that the paper work may proceed uninterrupted. Devalokam is like this. It is the office meant for smooth running of all the worlds and for their protection. We cannot find faults that they are not running machines. Offices will have to be run for all the world's benefit and Officers cannot be expected to behave like workers!117. The world is the field of irrigation and factory shop floor. Lot of haphazard movements and noice; wet earth and sand; oil smoke and smell; bodily sweat and hard work; smoke from the Homa fire, hunger, fasting; amidst all that the karma Anushtanam goes on. But this does not mean that the Office goers are superior to the labour force or Devas are too superior to humans. Without the worker in the fields, even the so called officer will have to starve. All work is equal and Work is worship for some and worship is work for some, that is all! For the man sitting comfortably in the office, it is the Agricultural and Industrial Labourer, who produces food and other finished goods. Without the one the other is a lost case. They are both dependent on each other. One affects the production and the other controls and manages its planning, preparation, provision of raw materials and after production, its equitable distribution in the society. That is why there is a Government with various departments controlling and organising and guarding against wrong doing and pilferage. The relationship between the human beings and the devatas is very similar to the one existing between the labourers and white collar workers. That is why, the phrase, "parasparam bhavayantha:". Point to understand is that, though Devas are to some extent dependent on us, we should never forget that they are a 'superior life form' and accordingly remain devoted to them as representatives of the bureaucracy of God's government!118. Other religions pray directly to their one God. There is no 'authorised procedure to' please God's other representatives, as there is no such concept. There is no Yaaga or yagna, in any other religion! In our own religion, the only person who is authorised to do direct worship of God is the ' Sanyasi', the one who has renounced everything of life! Others have to go through the order. They have to progress successively by Nitya Karma Anushtana, weekly, monthly and special occassion anushtanas, yaagas and yagnas. If there is a big King, can all and sundry go to him directly always and everytime? They have to go to the various department heads, is it not so?. They are acting on the powers of the King. But, not all your problems may need the King's attention. His personal involvement may be needed only on rare occassions!119. That is how it happens in our religion. Parameswara is the Supreme Emperor. All people and life forms are his citizens. Varuna, Agni, Vayu, et al., are all his Office Bearers. We have to go through them. We feed them with nourishment through the Fire God, by way of 'Havir bagam'. It is said, "agni mukha: deva:". What we offer in oblation with the clarity that, 'it is not ours', ('na ma ma'), go to the Devas. Similarly, in the line of ancestory in which we are born, we do certain actions for the well being of 'Pithrus', that is those who have lived and died before us in our lineage of ancestory, who may not yet be reborn; or may have taken yet another life. What we offer them as 'gingelly seeds and water' will go to benefit them in the form required. Ancestral worship is prevalent in other religions too, to some extent.120. Deva Karyam and Pithru Karyam. For Deva Karyam, what we need is Bakthi ie., devotion. For Pithru Karyam, we need Sraddha or sincerity of purpose. What is done with Bakthi is Yagnam and what is done with Sraddha is Srardham. Deiva karyam is done with the hair well 'tied up' with a knot if need be; with the Yagyopaveetham on the Left shoulder, very devotedly. While doing Pithru Karyam, the hair is left hanging untied with the Yagyopaveetham on the Right shoulder, with intense care of Sraddha. Both the hair and the sacred thread have a demonstrative symbolic role in both Deva and Pithru Karyas. Those who go directly to God have nothing to do with the hair or the sacred thread. Neither do other religionists bother with these things, as they claim that they would not like to have anyone to come between, 'me and my God!'. (If you go deeper into it, Pastors and Bishops and Mullahs, do seem to have a role to play between the devotee and God in other religions too. Khalil Gibran, Kabir and Sai Baba, have commented on this!) 121. I will tell you about why the 'poonool' or Yagyopaveetham has to be on the Left shoulder for actions addressed at Devatas and on the Right shoulder for actions directed towards Pithrus. All 'Karyam' is supposed to be done facing the East. North is the direction going towards Devatas. South is towards Pithrus. Even Thiruvalluvar calls the 'ancestral-have-beens' ie., Pithrus, as 'then pulaththar'. Dakshin is South. Dakshinaayanam, or move towards South, (or when southern hemisphere of the Earth is tilted nearer the Sun), is the 'pithru loka margam'. Uttarayanam, or move towards North, (or when northern hemisphere of the Earth is tilted nearer the Sun), is the 'deva loka margam'. ({Here Swamiji comments about how these two words are to be written in Tamil. He says that, in Uttarayanam, the 'na' has to have the letter with three connected circles and in Dakshinayanam, the second letter 'na' should have only two connected circles; as per the rules of grammer! Since he often has noticed printing errors, especially in the newspapers, he feels compelled to make this point. Those who know Tamil may take note.})122. The Northern route of Deva Marg of Uttarayana and the Southern route of Pithru Marg has been talked about in Baghwat Gita, by God Himself. We face the East, while doing Pithru Karyam. At that time the Right shoulder is towards South. So the Yagyopaveetham should be on the Right shoulder, towards South. To do 'pradakshinam' means also going towards South only. All the temples in India, especially the Rajha Gopuram would be facing East. Having entered the temple, we go around it, starting from the South. Similarly, when facing East and doing Deva Karyam, our Left shoulder is pointing towards North. So the Yagyopaveetham should be on that shoulder. When not doing Deva karyam or Pithru Karyam, on all other occassions, the Poonool should be hung like a necklace. No one seems to follow this rule! At all times, the Poonool is left on the Left shoulder; as though everyone is all the time doing only Deva Karyam!123. While doing Deva Karyam, this 'poonool'(meaning flower-thread), or Poonal on the Left shoulder is known as 'Yagnopaveetham' that is, 'Yagnya + upa + veetham'. At the time of Pithru Karyam, when the Poonal is on the Right shoulder, it is called 'prachinaveetham'. To hang like a garland is called, 'niveetham'. In Brihat Aranyaka Upanishad, there is a description of a Gyani, leaving all karmas, starts off as a renunciate begger. While commenting on that, Acharyal says that, the 'Upa Veetham' is so as to enable a man to do Deva, Rishi, Pithru karmas. Once he has renounced these duties, there is no need for the Poonal for him. During such commenting, he quotes the Sruthi Vakyam, "...niveetham manushyanaam...". Somehow this seems to have been ignored for too long!(To be continued.)Sambhomahadeva.
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