Deivathin Kural # 91 of (Vol 2) of 03 Mar 2008.

Om Namah Sivaya.

Deivathin Kural # 91 of (Vol 2) of 03 Mar 2008.

(Note 1. We are to remind the readers that herein, 'he' as a word stands for 'she' as well. When Tamil or Sanskrit words are transliterated in English, the single vowel will indicate a short utterance and a double vowel will indicate a longer pronounciation. Words in Sanskrit script not being available, the transliteration spellings and thereby the pronounciation, especially of names may be at variance from what it should be! I offer my sincere apologies for the likely errors, as the one doing the translation. ---KTSV Sarma. Note 2. It may please be noted that the talk is dated some time in the late 1930's to early 60's.

PURANAS

(Continued from DK # 90 of (Vol 2) of 29 Feb 2008. I am at page 709 of the volume 2. Periyaval is talking about this in 1962.)

62. So we should take it that, in Puranas when some God is praised over and above all other Gods, it is not with the aim of denigrating others, but to reinforce the devotee's love and admiration for the Ishta Devata. The purpose is to develop 'Ananya Bhakti' in the devotees mind. The one God only is depicted as so many.
Each person gets attached to one particular God of one particular temple located in one corner of the city or village in which he or she lives. It may be the 'Venkatachala Pati Balaji in Thirumalai' or it may be 'Malaik-kottai Uchchip-Pillaiyar in Tiruchi', or it may be 'Ennoda(My Own) Pillaiyar' on the road corner. How many children have passed exams with flying colours on the grace of their ishta Devata! How many millions have lived and continue to depend on that sort of faith! Just for the sake of a particular devotee, God has carried earth on his back, He has rushed to help the Gajendra the Elephant when siezed by a crocodile, He has come out of that particular pillar for the sake of Prahlada, in the form required. I cannot describe all those occassions, when God has come in some form to help a particular devotee, as that is well described in the Puranas.

63. To reinforce the devotee's faith in Himself, God boosts up the image of one of his forms against another. If you take the Tanjore district; in Thirukkandiyur Siva is shown in lesser light, before MahaVishnu. Siva is supposed to have 'Brhma Hatthi Dosham' for having beheaded Brhma, and by praying to Vishnu, gets his Dosham removed, like getting a pardon from the judge these days. Just close by is Thiruveezhi Malai where, that Vishnu is the devotee of Siva. He is doing Siva Sahasranama archanai with a thousand lotuses. Towards the end, God in the form of Vishnu runs short of one flower. So the lotus-eyed Pundareeka-Aksha Vishnu, immediately plucks one of his own eyes and offers it 'in-lieu' of a lotus. Easwara is pleased to appear before Vishnu and grants Him the weapon of 'Chakra'. Here Easwara is called, 'Netra-Arpana-Easwarar' and in Kandiyur, Vishnu is called, 'Hara-Saapa-Vimochanar'. In Kandiyur, we should get the feeling that God as Perumal, is supremely compassionate to remove all our negative tendencies and demerits! In Thiruveezhi Malai, we should get the message that God as a devotee, is ready to surrender His all, including His eyes; and God as Easwara is very prompt in responding to the Devotees gesture! We should not be crude enough to debate as to which God is better or greater, but have the sense to look at the cosmic perspective.

64. Electricity came to our homes in India only in the 1950's. Prior to that we had only street lamps burning vegetable oil. Then it was kerosene burning lanterns. They used to have glasses on four or three sides. Even the four sided one used to have a reflective surface like a mirror on one side. The other three sides used to have painted surfaces. The one God does all Srushti, Sthithi and Samharam, like the light in the
center of the street lamp. Amongst the three sides one used to be red painted. That is Srushti. In the spectroscopy, if you seperate the red, from the white, all other colours too would refract. That is why Brhma, responsible for Creation is indicated by the Red colour. The second colour is Blue, the colour of the Sky and the Ocean. That is the left end of the spectrum of Ultra-Violet to Violet-Indigo-Blue. While excercising the suzerainty over the created world, it indicates that, 'there is no reality in this created world'. This is all Paramatma's make-up only. In that 'Gnana Agni', the Jagat is only burnt, dark blue black coal. They are all Vishnu only. "...Sarvam Vishnu Mayam Jagat...". The third side of the street lamp, where they wanted the maximum light to fall on the road, was colourless or white. What was red on creation, blue-black on being burnt in the Gnana-Agni, becomes the white of the Sacred Ash. White is the nearest to the pure light of the Sun. It is from this that all other colours seperate or emerge and it is this in which they re-merge. All worldly transactions get cancelled out and the end residue, balance reminder is the Maha Bhasma of the white ash! All Leela is over and so, "...Sarvam Brhma Mayam Jagat...", becomes simply, "...siva mayam...", no Sarvam and no Jagat either!

64. One light--that is Brhma Chaitanyam. That when seen through the red glass is the Brhma, the Creator; through the blue glass, it is the Vishnu the Sustainer; the transparent white reveals Him to be Siva. Our ancestors have sung, "...ore uruve moonru uruvai..", meaning, 'the one as three shapes'. Instead of insisting only on one Philosophy or Siddhantam, with open liberal mindedness, wide visions and broad perspectives, when they were sincerely telling only what was intrinsically felt and experienced as true; those poets have all said; that the ONE has become the TRINITY is seen as the 33 Crores of the Devatas! The poet Baana says, "...sarga-stiti-naasa hetave...", the one has exhibited itself as three. Maha Kavi Kalidasa says more clearly, "...eka eva moorthi: bibithe tridhaa saa...", meaning, one is the Paramatma, becoming a triad for the three jobs.

65. Out of the 18 Puranas, if we start quarreling that only Siva or Vishnu oriented Puranas are true or more important; only misunderstanding and confusion will result. There will be no clarity or peace. There is no other proof or authority required beyond the Veda Vaakhya of, "...one is the truth; that the learned say in so many ways!...". In Sanskrit, it is, "...ekam sat; vipraa: bahuda vadanti...". So, instead of looking at it as my God and your God, we should have the attitude of 'the one God seen as many'.

66. Three centuries back in Thiruveesa Nallur, there was an Ayyaavaal, whose name was Sridhara Venkatesa Ayyar. But out of respect people would only refer to him by saying the place name with an 'Ayyaavaal', added to it. He was a senior contemporary of 'Bhagawan Naama Bhodendraal'. Bhodendraal used to spread the name of 'Rama and Govinda'. Ayyavaal used to spread the name of 'Siva'. But they both had no hatered or dislike for Saivam or Vaishnavam. There are occassions when they have participated in functions together. They had mutual respect and regards for each other. Their main message was that in Kali Yuga, chanting God's names singly and collectively is the only effective method for salvation. Do not take the God's name in vain, but take His name with love and devotion as many times as you can! Wherever people gather to conduct Sampradaya Bhajanai even to-day, names of Bhodendraal and Ayyaavaal are taken with love and veneration, in that order; before proceeding with the Bhajan!

67. On a day meant for his ancestors, Ayyaavaal gave a feast to a poor hungry man from the lower caste. This was against the accepted traditions of that period. The village elders decided that Ayyaval should absolve himself of the 'demerit' of Paapam, by taking a bath in 'water from the Ganges'. Abiding with the ruling of the Village Elders decision, Ayyaval went to the nearest well. To the surprise of all present, the well overflowed, on his approach! Even now, in the month of Kartik New Moon, people in thousands have a bath in that well, as it is considered as most holy!

68. Ayyaval in one of his Keertanas, while talking about Sri Rama Chandra Murthy's breaking of the Siva's Danush / Bow in Janaka's assembly in Mithila prior to his marriage to Sita, says, "...swa kara pratipaadita swachaapa:...", with brilliant poetical licence! You may be aware that people argue about how after all it was only the Bow of Siva, which had already been damaged by Narayana, on an earlier occassion and then again when He came as Sri Rama in another Avatara, it was broken. For many thousands of years, this had been a suitable anvil on which to strike down the fallibility of Siva's reputation! But for Ayyaavaal, Siva, Rama and Narayana, were only different names for the same Parabrhmam. For him Siva and Rama were the same. Siva Danush and Rama Danush were the same. So he said that, 'He broke His bow by His own hands'.

Many Routes for the Same Destination.

69. Aazhvars sang the Nalayira Divya Prabahndam, in praise of Vishnu. The Nayanmars sang in praise of Siva. But we cannot see any difference in their intensity of Love and Devotion to the Parabrhmam, call it what you want! If you take the Upanishads, they talk of Atma Tatva, without taking any names for the God. If you take Thiruvalluvar, his devotion to the principle of Godliness remains perfectly neutral, logical and moral. If you take Thirumoolar, he concentrates more on the Eight tiered Yogic approach of Iyama, Niyama, Aasana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi. Now if you tell me that you are confused as to which to follow, my answer will be, telling you to take any path. Does not matter, which path you take. It is more important to start out on the journey, (as Ramakrishna Paramahamsa said), because, 'all the paths lead to Rome'. Though they all seem to be different routes, destination is the same. A Tamil song epitomises this spirit:- "devar kuralum thiru naanmarai mudivum / moovar thamizhum muni mozhium---kovai / thiruvasakamum thiru moolar sollum / oru vaasakam enru unar".

70. Similarly it is said in 'Siva Mahimna Stotram', by Pushpa Dantar. He was a Gandharva, an astral being, who for some reason was born as a human being. He has said, in a Stotram which talks of the greatness of Siva, "...vedam, sankhyam, yogam, paasupatham, vaishnavam and other religions too, are as per individual preferences; meant to take you to the paramatma tatva only---as what ever river, finally reaches the same ocean...". The same idea again is in the Upasthaana mantra of the daily Sandya Vandana, which says, "...aakaasaat patitam toyam yada gattchati saagaram, sarva deva namaskaara: kesavam pratigatchati...".

(To be continued.)

Sambhomahadeva.