DEIVATHIN KURAL # 13 (of Vol 3) Dated 31 Oct 2008

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 13 (of Vol 3) Dated 31 Oct 2008

(These e-mails are translations of talks given by Periyavaal 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 55, of Vol 3, of the Tamil original.)
(Note:- These e-mails are available at http://advaitham.blogspot.com constantly up-dated.)
Deities as Disciples.
1. We lack in our devotion to our Guru-s. But the original pioneers of the various traditions known as Sampradaya, though great in themselves as Guru-s, in their young age have been great disciples to their Guru-s.
2. Adi Guru Dakshinamurthi himself had to be an obedient disciple to receive Upadesa from a Guru. He got the Upadesa from His own son, Kartikeya. He had to stand with reverence for receiving the Guru-s Upadesa, hold his two hands in respectful supplication, while holding the palm of the right hand in front of his own mouth so that, no particle of saliva may inadvertently besprinkle on the Guru! It was then that the Gnaana Guru Murugan gave him the meaning of Pranava Omkaaraa as 'saravanabhava'.
3. Ambal the very manifestation of Gnaana, also had to be a disciple of Her husband Siva and receive many Upadesa-s of Aagama and Tantra Saastra-s. For example, the 'Taraka Mantra' of Raama Naama, that by repeating Raama's name thrice, is as good as chanting the Sahasra Naama, was given for the first time by Siva to Ambal! The mantra as under may be known to many who regularly chant the 'Vishnu Sahasranaama' :- "sri raama raama raameti rame raame manorame I sahasra naama tattulyam raama naama varaanane II".
4. In many temple towns of significance such as Thiruvaanaikkaaval, the Stale Purana-s talk of Ambal receiving Upadesa from Easwara. Mahavishnu in His avatara-s as Rama and Krishna has done Guru Kula Vaasa under Vasishta, Sandipani respectively, with great respectful humility.
5. Sri Krishna during such stay in the Guru's place has gone to the forest to collect faggots for the Agni Karya of His Guru, along with class mate Sudama aka Kuchela, in thundering rain. This is described in Bhagavatam. Sri Rama refused to return to the capital Ayodhya, when Bharata had come to fetch Him with Vasishta in Chitra Koota. It is a scene to be seen, heard and enjoyed, as to how politely Rama declines their request and how He takes His Guru's permission for doing so.
6. In the lineage of Guru-s, Dattatreya has a very high position of eminence. With very becoming humility, He lists 24 different entities as His Guru-s from whom He has learnt valuable lessons. The list includes sand, earth, water, python, wasp, a prostitute, a hunter, a baby and so on! In Bhagavatam, he describes as to what lessons he has learnt from them. If you are humble and receptive enough, you can learn from every aspect of Nature, even when things apparently go wrong! One can learn from accidents as to how to avoid them. One can learn from very bad behaviour of others, as to 'how not to behave!'
Adi Sankara's Acharya Bhakti.
7. Though there have been many who rightly deserved the prefix 'Acharyal', somehow the world over, the word brings to mind Adi Sankara as 'Jagat Guru'. In Badrinath he came across his Guru Govinda Paada and Parama Guru (i.e., Guru's Guru) Gowda Paada. He saw in them Dakshina Murthy himself and so instantly composed the Dakshina Murthy Ashtakam. For each line of the Ashtakam he prostrated himself. He himself was an Avatara of the very Dakshina Murthy Swami that he was venerating. He compares his Guru with 'sparsa vedi' which turns brass into gold and says that the Guru is far superior. Because, the 'sparsa vedi' only turns a piece of brass into gold, whereas the Guru turns his disciple in to such completeness that the disciple goes on to continue the tradition by becoming a Guru himself! In Kaasi when Parameswara Himself comes before him as a 'Chandala' (of the fourth caste of Paraya) and teaches him a lesson in 'Aatma Gnaana', he goes on to say that, "once someone is an 'Aatma Gnaani', irrespective of which caste he belongs to by birth, He is my Guru!" The one who was called the 'Jagat Guru' announces his conviction thus in the market place, for all the world to hear!

Ramanuja's Guru Bhakti.
8. You all might have heard as to how Ramanujacharyar transgressed his Guru's advice that the Guru Mantra that he gave was to be kept a secret. The mantra was "Om Namo Narayanaya!" Out of his love for the common man, he made a public announcement of the 'Guru Mantra' from the top of the Temple tower. His Guru was Thirukkottiyur Nambi. His intension was not to rebel against his Guru's directions. He knew that it was a sin to do so. But, he was prepared to take the punishment for the sin, so as to be able to impart the Guru Mantra to all and sundry!
9. However, there was never a doubt about how acquiescent he was towards his Guru! His Guru tested the disciple's sincerity of purpose by making him walk from Sri Rangam to Thirukkottiyur 18 times, before he gave him the 'Guru Mantra'. He did those 18 trips with never a complaint in his face or heart!
10. It was the normal custom to do 'Sashtaanga Namaskarams' to one's Acharya, four times. But Vaishnavas would do that till the Acharya tells them to stop. Once Thirukkottiyur Nambi was standing in the water or may be in a Mandapa with overhead roof. The sand in the river bank was terribly hot under a scorching Sun. There was Ramanuja who kept doing the 'Sa + ashta + anga namaskara', uncaring for his body getting burnt! Nambi had to directly tell him to stop, to save his disciple from further inconvenience!
Sankara's Disciples.
11. Similarly, Sankara's and Ramanuja's disciples too, though great by themselves, had extreme veneration and admiration towards their Guru-s. One of Adi Sankara's disciples, Thodakacharyar says addressing his Guru, "You are yourself Parameswara! You are the one with the flag which has a bull as an emblem." Once, Vyasa himself came to have a debate with Adi Sankara, on esoteric concepts, in the garb of a poor brahmin. Looking at the Guru and the visitor, Padmapaada another disciple of Sankara Acharya says, "I can see that my Guru is anyhow the God Parameswara Himself. Now I can make out that the visitor is Vyasa himself who is none else but Maha Vishnu Himself. One is Siva and the other is Narayana! Oh! How wonderful!" He says, "sankara: sankaras satchaat vyaso narayana: swayam!"
12. Vyasa had authored the Brhma Sutra to which, Acharyal was writing the Bhashyam. The discussion between them was about that Bhashyam only. Finally Vyasa showed his real swaroopa and gave his approval for the Bhashyam by Acharyal. Later Padma Paada was to go on to write a piece further elaborating this very Bhashyam! In that to-day we have only five steps known as 'Pancha Paadikaa'. In it also while paying his obeisance to his Guru the Acharyal, he repeatedly refers to him as "apoorva sankaram", meaning, 'the original sankara'.
13. His own original name was not 'Padma Paada' but Sanandana. He got the name Padma Paada, because of his implicit obedience to his Guru. Actually he was a Brahmin from Tamil Nadu. We will see as to how he got the name of Padma Paada and as to how his short life term of 16 years got extended, all due to his overwhelming Guru Bhakti; in the next e-mail!
Sambhomahadeva.

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 12 (of Vol 3) Dated 29 Oct 2008

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 12 (of Vol 3) Dated 29 Oct 2008

(These e-mails are translations of talks given by Periyavaal 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 the middle of page number 50, of Vol 3, of the Tamil original, as a continuation of Deivathin Kural # 11 (Vol 3) Dated 27 Oct 2008. )
(Note:- Deivathin Kural e-mails are available at http://advaitham.blogspot.com which is being updated every time this e-mail is sent. )
74. There is Guru Kula Vaasam. We have never heard of Acharya Kula Vaasam! The day of expressing gratitude to one’s preceptor is ‘Guru Poornima’. The lineage of Vyasacharya, Sukhacharya, Gouda Paada Acharya, Govinda Paada Acharya, Sankaracharya, Sureshwaracharya and Thotakacharya; together are known as ‘Guru Parampara’ only. Similarly paying obeisance to the lineage after Ramanujacharya or Vallabhacharya or Madhvacharya; are also known as ‘Guru Vandanam’ only.
75. The old customs and traditions of the Tamil language and culture very closely follow the Vedik methods. So, the dictates of the Veda such as, “matru devo bhava, pitru devo bhava, acharya devo bhava”, gets reflected in ‘mata pita guru deivam’. Here too, the word ‘Guru’ replaces the word ‘Acharya’. In the tradition of Saiva Siddhantam too, their lineage of preceptors are known as, Meikandacharyar, Samayacharyar, Sandanacharyar, Sivacharyar and so on. Their rememberance day Aaradana is called ‘Guru Pooja’.
76. So, instead of being in a state of attachment and involvement, like the rest of us, Guru is someone in a state of absolute freedom like a bird of paradise! For our sake, so as to motivate and encourage us to follow a life of discipline, he leads the life of a role model to be emulated. We should look at Guru as an incarnation of the God and adore him. That reverence will give us faster results. Since it is God who is everything, in the form of Acharya and Guru too, it is God only. So there should be no problem in looking at the Guru as an incarnation of God!
77. From that perspective, the question arises, "Are we also not the same God?" That leads to, "When we are ourselves God, why should we be subservient to somebody else, thinking of him to be God?" Yes everyone and every thing is God! But, how many of us are truely aware of our Godlyhood? Even if we were fractionally aware, will we be slave to so much of, passion, greed, anger, hate fear, untruth and falsehood? So though we are all Him only, unaware of our greatness, we seem to be play acting only the minor roles! We are blind to our true being and are totally unrecognizable. Acharyar on the other hand is not play acting the joker's role!
78. In him Godliness is easily recognizable. So, if we rever and adore him as a form of God, we will eventually get rid of the unwanted qualities and characteristics in ourselves. The very Easwara who play acts all these roles, comes infront of us as the Guru to cleanse ourselves of all the dross. If we understand this much and be devoted, he will remove all the make-up and reveal the truth to us. Reveal Himself to us! Then and only then will we be cleansed of our foolishness and made to realize our oneness with Him! To reach that destination, all that we have to do, is to think of the Guru as God and abide with his instructions!
Adopt the Customs and Traditions to which Born.
79. Saastraa-s say that, "our birth is decided by our own past actions by inviolable and interconnected set of rules of nature, that is God!" So if we are born in any religion of any tradition, we should think that as His Decision (by our actions of the past). Having accepted that, we should try to remove the Karma by refining and ennobling ourselves. For this all that we have to do is to follow the advice, "While in Rome do as Romans do"! Abide with the instructions of the Aacharyar in the Kulam or Gothram to which born. There will be an Acharyar, if you belong to Adwaitam or Dwaitam or Visishtadwaitam or Saivam. There will be a Monk or Pastor or Mullah or Rabbi or a Woodoo Priest; if you were born in any one of those religions! It makes no difference if the concepts and principles of them were somewhat lacking in refinement in your opinion. All that you are required to do is accept those as 'God given' and abide by them.
80. See the beauty of it all! You are born in that due to some deficiency in your past actions. Accept your birth as God's own direction and that very religion which you think is not good enough will do the needful to make you complete! There will be a preceptor in that religion. Simply but sincerely follow his instructions and advice. Have complete faith in God and say, "Oh! God! You have given me this life in this tradition. I follow this Acharyar. Decision is all Yours!" Leaving everything in the hands of the very competent and capable hands of the God, do as Acharyar tells you to do. Once you have the trust, belief and faith that Acharyar is God in human form, He will never let you down. Upanishad Santi Pata Krama, says exactly this. Once you surrender to any Acharya / Guru / Preceptor, thinking of him as God only, it is as good as having surrendered to God. The effect is the same.
81. "yo brhmaanam vidadaati poorvam - yo vai vedaascha prahinoti tasmai I tam ha devam aatma buddhi prakaasam - mumuktchur vai saranam aham prapadye. II" This means, 'The one who created Brhma and gave Him the Veda-s that God of Gods is the one who makes our minds and intelligence shine. Having decided to follow the path of liberation from all limitations, I surrender unto that God'.
82. If we do not submit ourselves to any system, by our own selves, we are bound to create more chaos and confusion. Such brilliant self righteous characters do more harm than is done by all the fools put together. Our Acharyal says so in 'Upadesa Manjari', that those who do not follow any system are worse than idiots! For Gnaanam, more than bookish knowledge, devotion to one's Guru is what is essential!
(The discussion on Guru - Acharyar comes to an end with this. Next topic is, 'The Guru-Bakti as Shown by Great Mahatma-s!')
Sambhomahadeva.

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 11 (of Vol 3) Dated 27 Oct 2008

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 11 (of Vol 3) Dated 27 Oct 2008

(These e-mails are translations of talks given by Periyavaal 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 45, of Vol 3, of the Tamil original, as a continuation of Deivathin Kural # 10 (Vol 3) Dated 25 Oct 2008. )
(Note:- Deivathin Kural e-mails are available at http://advaitham.blogspot.com’ which is being updated every time this e-mail is sent. )
63. This silence is our natural state. We having lost our real self, are stuck in unnatural endevours and exploits. They call it Maya. Then we are told that Maya is Ambal! The same Ambal comes as the Gnaanambigai or Guru and nurture us back to Gnaanam from nescience. She excels in variety. You take anything in nature and look at the infinite variety that is there! For example, take animals, birds, insects, human forms and flowers. Simply take one variety the flower and see what variations in colour, shapes, shades, fragrances and sizes are there in them!
64. Take the human mind and see the variety there. To suit each of them you need a different Guru. That is why you have teachers, tutors, trainers, lecturers, professors, readers, deans, upaadhyaya-s, aacharya-s, guru-s, gnaana guru-s and satguru-s. The list is endless. As many traditions are there, each tradition with many variations in speech, arguments, words and actions; there are guru-s to suit the disciple, than the other way around. But the truth is one and so inherently the real Guru is one only. The Guru that removes the darkness of nescience and spreads the light of Atma Gnaana, in what ever form is God!
65. So in essence what I have said is that, the very person who gives us Gnaana is called in the two names of Guru or Acharya. By the inner weight of a person's greatness, we call him Guru. The outer behaviour, education, knowledge, instructional ability are the qualities based on which we call someone Acharya. One is beyond the parameters of any system and the other is within systemic tradition. One causes the change in you just by a glance or touch or thought. The other guides you in the right direction through the behavioral constraints of traditions and scriptures.
66. Thus though we talk of them as different beings, the Acharya if he is fully capable, will also be a Guru. That is, inwardly he will be beyond all rules, regulations and systems; individually he would be one to have had personal experience of divinity capable of erasing the disciple's ignorance. Simultaneously, he will be living as a role model of disciplined behaviour. All our Acharya-s of each and every tradition in India, in the Hindu Religion have been intrinsically a Guru also. Since only a small percentage of the disciples are likely to be so matured as to attain to the absolute by the slightest glance or touch or thought of the Guru; for most of the disciples, he is likely to be an Acharyar only! If we correctly understand the situation, we should note that no one can play-act greatness without being so!
67. Discipline as a binding is like the egg shell. That is, the feeling that one is bound by those restrictions, is the covering only. If someone is living exactly as per the dictates of 'good-behaviour-Do's and Don't's', he is not an Acharya but only a disciple! When the control is not imposed from the outside but inherent from within, then only the beauty of such a life becomes a source of inspiration for all. When discipline is a natural inclination and a free choice, instead of being a compulsory force from outside, then and only then, it leads to the finest expressions in the fine arts of painting, music, sculpture and the art of Instructional ability too.
68. Till discipline is forced on us, we are only students, disciples or Sishya-s. As time goes on, what we initially did under compulsion, becomes our second nature. When thus discipline becomes a natural intelligent choice, the individual imbibes in himself such leadership qualities capable of motivating others. When he instructs others from that position, it touches the core of the disciple's hearts to cause emulation!
69. In to day's world, it is enough if the Teacher has sufficient knowledge base. No one is bothered about their attitude and behaviour. Whether he practices what he preaches, is nobody's concern. This hazard is due to the very wrong notion that, ones private life is not a concern of others. On the one hand, everyone is avidly following all real and unreal gossips of private life of politicians, cine personalities and sports persons in the name of news in tabloids and social gatherings. On the other hand they will profess sanctimoniously that we should not be 'peeping toms'!
70. In times long past, 'Anushtaanam' (the fact whether the teacher practices what he preaches), was very much a matter of everyone's concern, especially that of the student. More than even the student, the Acharya was very keen that there should be no smear or smudge in his attitude and behaviour even seemingly! This 'Anushtaanam' is also not the be all and end all! There is another place where this 'Anushtaanam' gets completed. That is Anubhava or Swanubuti, meaning personal experience. When this happens, good behaviour becomes automatic! When knowledge fructifies in to personal awareness of the truth of what one is teaching, that person is on the 'auto-mode'! Knowledge becomes firm on the basis of Anushtana. Anushtana in turn rests on the foundation of intrinsic experience.
71. Guru is one who has gone through the whole process from scratch to completeness. The distinction that Acharya is the practicing yet to be Guru and Guru is the fully experienced; is all not very correct. Till you experience the truth, you are still a transient. It all comes down to the fact that the true Acharya is one who having become fully experienced, continues to be the practicing demonstrator. So the inner Guru is the outer Acharya. For the sake of the disciples, so as to bring them under discipline, he lives as a role model. Keeping absolute silence inwardly, he preaches a lot outwardly!
72. Guru and Acharya are one and the same. If he is a true Acharya, he cannot but be a Guru too. When we do not know either way, we were looking at both of them as one. Then I started telling you that there are some points of differences and described those differences. Having gone to the depth of the matter, now I am confirming to you that both are one and the same. The differences in them rather depends upon our level of understanding and maturity!
73. From olden times these two words have been used as synonyms. In the Upanishad-s considered as the ‘Veda Siras and Veda Antam’, that is the head as well as the end of the Veda-s, it says, “Acharya Devo Bhava”. It also says that the disciple should give the Acharya, the type of ‘Dakshina’ that he loves. It also says that the disciple who is ‘Acharyavaan’ that is totally devoted to his Acharya, will be the one who will eventually get Gnaana. Having said so, when it comes to living with the Acharya, it is Guru Kula Vasam and not Acharya Kula Vasam!
(The discussion on Acharya & Guru will continue.)
Sambhomahadeva.

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 10 (of Vol 3) Dated 25 Oct 2008

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 10 (of Vol 3) Dated 25 Oct 2008

(These e-mails are translations of talks given by Periyavaal 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 the middle of page number 41, of Vol 3, of the Tamil original, as a continuation of Deivathin Kural # 9 (Vol 3) Dated 23 Oct 2008. )
(Note:- Deivathin Kural e-mails are available at http://advaitham.blogspot.com’ which is being updated every time this e-mail is sent. )
50. Desikan / Desikar, it is said is the name of a person who knows the ins and outs of a 'Desh' or country. Similarly, someone who knows all the ins and outs of the Saastraa-s and guide you through the maze of their intricacies is also given the same name.
51. To name the esoteric act of giving Deekshai by the names of animals or birds such as, Chicken, Fish and Tortoise, is rather funny and odd indeed. But within that is much deeper meaning, not normally known to many in the world! When the Deekshai is effective enough, the Sishya from thence completely changes from leading an inane and stupid existence to a meaningful new life. He literally turns a corner and re-invents himself! It is in this sense, a brahmin is supposed to have a second birth, when he is given the Yagnopaveetam and given Gayatri Mantra and hence known as a 'Dvija'. Dvija means twice born. It is interesting to note that, this Chicken, Fish and Tortoise are all 'Twice Born'.
52. However in one way it is not very appropriate to give the impression as though before he was something else and after Deekshai, the individual is entirely changed. When he was blindly unaware as a agnani and brilliantly aware as a gnani; he was always and ever the same brhmam only. Only the perspective has changed. Inside the shell he was covered by the nescience and so remains inert, as though. Once the covering nescience is removed, then not only does he become intensely aware but liberatingly mobile too; like the bird in the air, fish in the water and tortoise in land and water!
53. In this process of hatching of the egg there are three methods. That is where the Chicken, Fish and Tortoise differ remarkably! What does the mother hen do? It physically sits on the eggs. It may not put all its weight on the eggs but there is complete envelopment of the eggs by the body parts. This is the touching 'sparsa deekshai', by which the Guru breaks the Sishya's nescience, known as 'Kukkuda Deekshai'.
54. The fish delivers its eggs in the water of the river, which will be moving if not flowing. Fish also cannot remain at one place. But she will keep an eye at all times on the eggs. I do not know as to what they say in Zoology or Biology. But our Saastraa-s say that it is the loving look of the mother fish that incubates and causes the eggs to hatch! This is the 'Nayana / Matsya Deekshai'.
55. Now what is the 'Kamata Deekshai'? The mother tortoise comes to the shore of the ocean or river, digs the earth painstakingly with its hands and legs which are not really suitable for such action. Lays the eggs a few inches under ground and goes back into the water. So there is total separation between the mother and the eggs in space. But the mother will be continuously and constantly thinking that, "the eggs may not be ransacked by predators and that they should nicely hatch in time and get back to the water which is their abode!" By the intensity of its thoughts, eggs will hatch and the young ones will find their way to the water. Similar is the 'Manasa Deekshai' of the Guru, known as 'Kamata Deekshai'.
56. Ambal's beauty of the eye is specially praised and her name is derived from that, in three famous Kshetra-s, namely Kanchipuram, Madurai and Kaasi as, Kamaktchi, Meenaktchi and Visalaktchi respectively. Though in all the three places, it is Ambal's glance of the eyes that is adored, they are not all considered as 'Nayana Deekshai'.
57. It is the eyes of Meenaktchi that is compared with the eyes of the fish. 'Meen, Meena, Meenam and Matsya' is fish, in Sanskrit and many of the Indian languages. It is the glance of the fish which hatches the eggs and is compared with the Guru's 'Nayana Deekshai'. It is thus Meenaktchi who is the Guru giving 'Matsya Deekshai' by a glance of her eyes.
58. In Soundarya Lahari, it is Kanchi Kamaktchi being described. Adi Sankara is telling Her, who is holding in Her hands, the Baana of sugar cane bow and arrows made of flowers, Paasa the Rope of attachment and Ankusa the instrument of control; to place Her feet which are being reverently held up by the Veda-s, on his head too! Out of extreme kindness She will lightly touch the devotee's head with Her feet and remove his nescience in no time. He says, “...maataha sirasi dayayaa dehi charanou”.
59. Ambal who is known as Visaalaaktchi in Kaasi, is the one who gives the devotee Kamata Deekshai by a mere thought of Hers, as a tortoise does. It is the Ambal who gives all these Deekshai-s and it is Ambal who comes as the Guru in our lives as I said before.
60. Thus there are many methods of giving Gnaana to the Sishya and the paths in which he is made to progress. Though the destination is the same, neither the initiation nor the routes taken are the same or similar. For the one pinnacle of the top of the mountain, there could be many routes. The same Guru may change the method for different Sishya-s depending on his level of maturity! The same Guru may change the direction to the same Sishya at different times, depending on the progress made by the Sishya.
61. Thus there are Guru-s who give Deekshai in Mantra / Tantra / Yoga and in various sampradaya-s of Adwaita, Dwaita and Visishtadwaita or Saiva Siddhanta. Taayumaanavar says that his Guru was someone who was all types of Guru roled into one and finally calls him as, "...moolan marabil varum mouna guruve!" . By 'moolan' he refers to Thiru Moolar who in 'Thirumandiram' covers all the traditional paths and finally ends in Yoga and Gnana Marga-s. There was a Guru parampara which started from Moolar in which there was a Sarama Munivar, who established a Matam in Trichy. In that line there was a Mouna Guru Swami in the 17 century AD. That was the time period of Thayumaanavar. Later this Matam came under Dharmapuri Aadeenam of Saiva Siddhantam.
62. Though Thaayumaanavar in his writings refers to his direct Guru, Mouna Guru, he seems to be addressing the Dakshinamurti from eons past, who is said to have given Deekshai to the four 'Maanaseeka' putra-s of Brhma, namely Sanaka, Sanatana, Sanandana and Sanatkumara. The remarkable thing about His medium of upadesa is Silence. Thayumaanavar ends many of his poems with, "siragiri vilangavaru dakshina murtiye, chinmayananda guruve".
(To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva.

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 9 (of Vol 3) Dated 23 Oct 2008

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 9 (of Vol 3) Dated 23 Oct 2008

(These e-mails are translations of talks given by Periyavaal 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 35, of Vol 3, of the Tamil original, as a continuation of Deivathin Kural # 8 (Vol 3) Dated 21 Oct 2008. )
(Note:- Deivathin Kural e-mails are available at http://advaitham.blogspot.com’ which is being updated every time this e-mail is sent. )
Deekshai
38. I have been telling you that this link that is established between Guru and Sishya, is Upadesam. The technical term used for this in the Saastraa-s is 'Deekshai'. In Tamil this is 'Deekkai'. They call it 'Initiation' in English. What originates from the Guru, enters the Sishya and motivates and directs him in a new path, is Deekshai. If the student is just launched in a new path, it could be called Initiation. But what not only initiates but helpfully accompanies throughout the path and takes you to the destination; is the power of Deekshai.
39. As Mantropadesa or as a look of 'Nayana/Kataksha Deeksha' or a physical touch as 'Sparsa Deeksha' or just a thought of blessing as 'Smarana Deeksha'; once the Guru links up with a person, that becomes a permanent connection! Like once a switch is on the light keeps on being lighted, there is continuous supply of power. In books such as, 'Kaivalya Navaneetam', these Sparsa/Kataksha/Smarana Deeksha are called the Hasta / Nayana / Manasa Deeksha-s respectively.
40. Acharya has to physically keep in constant touch for long periods with the Sishya and train him in education and behaviour. Guru needs to have this physical contact only for a fraction of time. But this subtle link that is established between him and the Sishya becomes life-long or even goes beyond life cycles, till the Sishya attains to Totality, i.e., Completeness, i.e., Poornatvam!
41. To give this Deekshai is the most important defining characteristic of the Guru. By tradition this called, 'Guru Deekshai'. So, the one who gives Deeksha is the Guru. If you look into the Purana-s, Itihasa-s and literatures, you will find that the father of the child is called the Guru. Whether he has any inherent worth or not, as far as the son is concerned, father is equivalent to God, is it not so? While in the Upanishad a Guru is telling a Sishya, "matru devo bhava, pitru devo bhava, acharya devo bhava, atiti devo bhava", Thiruvalluvar is telling us all, "annaiyum pitavum munnari deivam". That is, the Upanishad is saying, 'mother, father, acharya and guest are to be revered as God', while Thiruvalluvar is saying, 'mother and father are the earliest known Gods!'
42. Similarly, the teacher in the school who imparts knowledge of the written word, is God says, 'ezhuttu arivittavan iraivan'! There is another reason as to why the father is as good as a Guru. What is the most important Mantra Upadesa? It is Gayatri only. The one who gives that mantra is the father in 'Mantropadesam' during Upanayanam. Even in the case of those not entitled to the Gayatri Mantra, all Hindus do something known as Aksharabyasam, in which the Father starts off the son or daughter, with a Panchatchara of '1NA 2MA (H) 3SI 4VA 5YA' or Ashtakshara of '1OM 2NA 3MO 4NA 5RA 6YA 7NA 8YA'! By this Mantropadesa too, he becomes the Guru.
43. Once you have surrendered to Father or any teacher, (who may or may not be having the inner weight of Gnaana and Anubhava), the very fact of your Surrender (or what is known as Saranagati), entitles you to your ennoblement and Realization! The very God who causes the Anugraha through the able Guru, does the same through a worthless man who has been raised to the high pinnacle of Guru-dom! As long as the surrender is complete, as long as the Sishya cannot find any fault with the Guru, whether the Guru attains to the exalted status or not, the Sishya attains! (This point has been elaborated in the second Volume under the heading 'Saranagati'.)
44. Such devotion to the Guru, reminds me of an incident. Once I happened to ask two boys of the Veda adhyayana class in the Matam, if their teacher has arrived. One boy answered in the affirmative and the other said no. In truth the teacher had no arrived. So I asked the first boy as to why did he lie when bluffing is sinful? He answered that despite the teacher's absence, to talk ill of the Teacher was the greater sin! "So I thought it is better not to tell the truth!", he said. I tend to agree with him. Our sincerity in surrender to the Guru, enables us to get whatever our due, as God's blessing.
45. When we learn something on our own, this sense of submission is not there. Instead, there is only a sense of egoism and pride. Good education should erase our haughtiness and not reinforce our pride. That is why in the Saastra-s, to learn a mantra or vidya on one’s own is not recommended. That it is not done is emphasised rather pungently, by comparing such self learning with extra marital sex! (Even at times when you may happen to do a Karya on your own, to get the full effect of the mantra, it is said that, it is better to offer some thing as a‘sort of fees’ to some one who could have been the Acharya saying, ‘mantra saat gunyaartam, yat kinchit hiranyam Acharyaya tubyamaham sampradate’!)
46. Coming back to what you get from a well qualified and capable Guru. The Deekshai by word of mouth is ‘Mantropadesam’. By a look is ‘Chatchu / Kataksha / Nayana Deekshai’ and by touch is ‘Sparsa / Hasta deekshai’! There are many variations in this. When the Guru touches the head of the Sishya by his hands and transfers his spiritual energy unto the Sishya, is known as ‘hasta mastaka deekshai’. When the Guru touches the student with his feet it is ‘paada deekshai’. Kabir got both ‘paada deekshai and mantra deekshai’ from Ramanand Swami. This is what is called as ‘thiruvadi deekkai’ in Tamil.
47. Sishya should think of Guru’s feet as on his head and meditate. Instead of such being the case just in words and imagination, those who experienced the lotus feet of the Guru of all Guru-s, God’s resting on ones head all of the time; are those who are referred to as, “adiyar or paadar or sri charanar or bhagawat padaal” and such epithets in various languages. At the highest level of maturity, Adi Sankara Bhagawat Paadal, wearing the lotus feet of God on his head, became that itself. It is him that we should wear on our heads. Such a Guru does not have to do Upadesa, or touch or look. His one thought will lift us to high heavens; whether he thinks of us or we think of him!
Ambikai Arulum Deekshaigal.
48. Ambal is Gnanam. She is Sat, Chit and Anandam. In that ‘Chit’ is the Gnanam. She is ‘chaitanya roopini’. Lalita Sahasranamam says “chid eka rasa roopini”, meaning that ‘she is of the form of the one pointed awareness’. In Kalahasti she is effulgent as ‘Gnanambal’. Elders have confirmed that it is Ambal who comes in to our life as our Guru. Kalidasa has said in 'Navaratna Malika' that she comes as the Desika to guide us in the right path saying, "desika roopena darsita abhyudhayaam". 'Desika' is another word for Guru. The Vaishnava sampradaya Acharyal are referred by this word only. Instead of the formal respectful 'desikar', they prefer to use the informal but more endearing singular 'desikan'! When respect matures into intimacy, the singular is preferred to the plural form of address. Thotakachariyar calls our Sankara Acharyal as 'Desika' at the end of each stanza in Thotakashtakam, saying, "bhava sankara desika me charanam".
49. As I said, Ambal it is who comes in the form of a Guru. Especially the 'sparsa / nayana / manasa deekshai are dsaid to be, 'kukkuda / matsya / kamata deekshai' respectively. In Sanskrit Kukkuda is the hen, Matsya is the fish and Kamata is the tortoise. We will see as to how these animals and the concept of that particular variety of Deekshai relates, in our next e-mail.
(To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva.

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 8 (of Vol 3) Dated 21 Oct 2008

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 8 (of Vol 3) Dated 21 Oct 2008

(These e-mails are translations of talks given by Periyavaal 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 the last para of page number 33, of Vol 3, of the Tamil original, as a continuation of Deivathin Kural # 7 (Vol 3) Dated 19 Oct 2008. )
(Note:- All these Deivathin Kural e-mails are available in ‘http://advaitham.blogspot.com’, which is being updated every time this e-mail is sent. )
The story of Kabir and Ramanand Swami, as heard from Asa Ram Babu.
28. Brahmins are very fond of mischief. Some of them cannot just let an opportunity for sensationalism go unattended. The Pandits of Varanasi were no less. Kabir in his two liners known as 'Dohe', used to tick off Hindus and Muslims with equal relish. He could never be faulted for his ideas and concepts, which were pungent and hurting but indisputable! So they were always looking for opportunities to put him down. They caught on to the idea that Kabir had no Guru. So they called him 'Niguda'. Niguda means one without a Guru. This epithet was considered worse than being called an idiot or fool, those days.
29. So wherever and whenever they could, they used to pull Kabir's legs with a derogatory reference to his being a 'Niguda'. But he used to quietly claim that they were not correct as, he was Swami Ramanand's Sishya. Some of these mischief mongers had to take it up with Ramanand Saheb as to how Kabir is claiming him to be his Guru, as after all he would never take a Muslim as his 'Chela'! Ramanand Sahib rightfully insisted that Kabir was not his student. The matter came to a head, when there was a big get together on some pretext, attended by both Ramanand Swami and Kabir.
30. Somehow the purpose of the gathering went into the background. Whether Kabir was a Sishya of Ramanand Swami or not became the main agenda. In the hearing of all present, Kabir was again questioned as to who was his Guru. As usual he claimed to be a Sishya of Ramanand Sahib. Ramanand Swami was questioned whether Kabir a Muslim, was his Sishya. He rightfully answered in the negative. Now Kabir had to substantiate his claim. Now Kabir related the story as to how he had waited, lying prostrate on the steps to Ganga, early in the morning and caused Ramanand Saheb to step on his body and utter the words, 'Ram Ram!' in alarm, which Kabir took as 'Sparsa Deeksha' and 'Mantropadesa'!
31. Thus Kabir told everyone that, knowingly or unknowingly Ramanand Sahib was his Guru. The audience was shocked into silence. But, this led to a slow murmuring of disapproval which picked up momentum to a din! Voices arose that Kabir had duped Ramanand Sahib and became his Sishya for which Kabir should be punished. After a lot of confabulations, it was decided that Kabir should be punished and that Ramanand Sahib himself should be the one to dish out the punishment. So the whole audience waited with bated breath. There was Ramanand Swami standing with a cane thrust in to his unwilling hands and there was Kabir willingly subservient to receive the thrashings!
32. Ramanand Sahib the great Saint that he was, firmly rooted in the principles of 'Ahimsa', incapable of hurting even a worm, raised the cane high in the air, virtually caressed Kabir's body with the cane to the accompaniment of a loud, "Ram, Ram, Ram"! Now Kabir told the assemblage, "Whether I was a Niguda till now or not, I am not a Niguda anymore! You are all witness to Ramanand Sahib's 'Sparsa Deeksha' with the cane and 'Mantra Upadesa' which you have all heard! Now there can be no doubt in anyone's mind that Ramanand Sahib is my Guru!" That is the addition to Periyaval's narration, as heard from Asa Ram Babu, which I promised in the last e-mail! Now to continue with our translation from the last para of page 33 of the Tamil Original Volume 3.
33. The moral of the story is that, there has to be a Guru for spiritual progress, which is the only progress from 'darkness unto light'! All other worldly progressions are in reality, only regressions! The 'Mantropadesa' thus is the living link between Guru and Sishya. This Mantropadesa in Tamil is known as, 'Vaarthai or Thiruvaarthai or in poems, Oru Vaarthai!', 'The Word'! No other words are needed to complete the Mantropadesa.
34. Taayumaanavar is the name of a poet-saint of Trichy. As the story goes, there was this pregnant woman, on the one side of Kaveri. The river is known as 'Akhanda Kaveri' around Trichy (short for Thiru Chiraappally), for it spreads like a vast ocean there. As the night approached, the pregnant woman's mother who had gone across the river had not come back. Labour pain started. The girl was sincerely praying to Siva the Resident Deity of that place. Luckily, the mother arrived and assisted the girl in delivering the new arrival in to this world. With exhaustion they all slept. In the morning the real mother arrived with the news that due to the river being in spate, she could not cross the river and come this side! Then it remained a mystery as to who came in the night and assisted in delivering the new born? Who could it be but, God Himself in that form! So He is known as, 'the one who became Mother too', that is, 'Taayumaanavar'!
35. This poet of the name, 'Taayumaanavar', got this mantra from his Guru, 'summaa iru', meaning, 'keep quiet'! That was all the Mantra he got! He says, 'moorti talam teertam todanginaarku, ore vaartai sola sarguruvum vaaikkum paraaparame', (that word ore is to be pronounced as it is, in English, hence not italicized), meaning, 'for those who start in a humble way with visiting God's statues in the temples; or visit to Punya Kshetraa-s; or sacred rivers / water sources; a word is enough as mantropadesa from a Satguru'!
36. So, Guru is the one who gives Mantropadesam. This inner greatness of the Guru gets revealed to the world only when thus related to a Sishya, through Mantropadesa. Once that is done, Guru’s job is over. He does not have to keep on persevering with explanations of the subtle meaning and implications of the mantra and or the practice to be done by the recipient of the mantra! This long term training is the responsibility of the Acharya. Guru may just walk away from the situation totally unconcerned, having blurted out the mantra! Pronto! The link is established for ever, never to be broken. With inexorable logic, the power of Anugraha through the Mantra or the power of Mantra through the Anugraha, starts working.
37. If the Guru is far advanced or the Sishya is far matured, even this ‘word of mouth’ Mantropadesa may not be needed. Some how the link has to be established. May be a ‘touch’ will do the trick. May be a look is enough. May be just a kind thought ‘let this child be blessed’, will do most sufficiently!
(To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva.

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 7 (of Vol 3) Dated 19 Oct 2008

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 7 (of Vol 3) Dated 19 Oct 2008

(These e-mails are translations of talks given by Periyavaal 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 the last para of page number 29, of Vol 3, of the Tamil original. )
(Note:- All these Deivathin Kural e-mails are available in ‘http://advaitham.blogspot.com’, which is being updated every time this e-mail is sent. )
20. I was telling you as to how, many of the Acharya-s were also Guru-s, while all the Guru-s were not necessarily Acharya-s. Though they may not have thought of teaching systematically, all the Guru-s would have had some blessed thought towards the Sishya, which was good enough to do the needful. Even if the Guru had reached the state of 'Mano Nigraha' and so would not have had even a thought of blessing the Sishya, God would have done the needful through that Guru and that is 'Anugraha'.
21. So, Guru may not have aspired to become anybody's tutor or behave like one. But when a Student comes to him on his own, starts treating him as one, god's blessings starts flowing through him and the student gets enlightened. This is when yet another meaning of the word Guru, gets validated. What is that other meaning? 'Gu' means darkness, 'Ru' means to route out. So, Guru means the one who removes darkness or in other words, the one who enlightens.
22. The literal meaning of the word 'Deva' in Sanskrit, (deity in English), is 'effulgent being'. Removal of darkness is something that just happens when there is light. The darkness we are talking about is agnosticism or agnaana; as against gnosis or gnaana which is brilliance. Upanishad says, "tamaso maa jyotir gamaya" meaning, 'take me from darkness unto light'. Tamas is agnaana that is, darkness. Jyoti is gnaana that is light. Let it be any subject. When you do not know it, you are in darkness about it. When the teacher or instructor or Guru makes you aware of that, you are enlightened! If all other teachers and instructors and tutors make you aware of many aspects of knowledge; Guru gives you 'Atma Gnaana' and takes you from darkness unto light! While all other teachings are about various things of the world, this 'Atma Gnaana' is about your self. Not knowing about oneself, we go through much avoidable tribulations. Once you know this, there is nothing else required to be known anymore! Guru gives that knowledge.
23. The interesting point about this arrangement is that, even if this Guru is not qualified in the Saastraa-s, even if he is not in the habit of tutoring anybody, the very act of a sincere approach from the student causes the flow of 'Anugraha' from the Guru! It is like some flow of unseen grace, which erases the Sishya-s agnaana and suddenly he will know the answers to all questions, even in subjects he never knew existed!
24. When the Guru is defined as the one who removes all ignorance, his inner greatness now functions and becomes apparent. He used to be a lone individual. Now he is related to another by the act of removal of agnaana! Either by word of mouth or by being a living example, or by the apparent flow of 'Anugraha' either intended or by God's blessing; somehow, he is instrumental in the removal of the Sishya's ignorance! That is all!
25. When this action or work gets done, in the student by the Guru, there has to be a connection or link created. It could be a pipe line or wire or wireless! For the electricity to flow in to the bulb and light it, there has to be a connecting wire. For the water supply from the Red Hills to flow in to your house-holds, there has to be a pipe-line. Between the transmitter and receiver, there has to be at least a radio link! This link known as 'Upadesam' is a communication or media, whether gross or subtle.
26. Initially I told you that, by word of mouth or as a living example, the one with the duty to give ‘Upadesam’ is the Acharya. Now I said that the link between the Guru and Sishya is also 'Upadesam'. Thus all teaching between the teacher and the taught is 'Upadesam'. Generally mostly, Guru's blessings as Anugraha flows to the Sishya, through this link of Upadesa and that too a 'Mantropadesa'! This we read in stories and see in actual life too. Often many Sishya-s go to a Mahatma and wait around hoping for a 'Mantra Upadesa' from him by hook or crook. They expect a complete change in direction, in their own life to occur after that!
27. That phrase 'by hook or crook', reminds me of a story. Kabirdas wished to become a Sishya of Swami Ramanand and get 'Sri Rama Mantra' from him. Kabir was a Hindu by birth. But he did not know that. He had been brought up by a Muslim, as a Muslim hand-loom worker. When he grew up however, he had grown into such wisdom, beyond the confines of religious parameters. He wanted to be given 'Upadesa' by Ramanand Swami. He was afraid that Ramanand Swami may never accept him, a Muslim as a Sishya and give him 'Upadesa'! So he thought of a brilliant idea.
28. He observed Ramanand Swami's routine for some time. He noted the fact that, Ramanand Saheb goes to the Ganges river everyday at about four in the morning. This time is known as 'Brhma Muhurtam'. Kabir went and lied in the steps going down to the river, in the very path taken normally by Ramanad Swami. As per his custom, Ramanand Swami came down the steps and happened to step on the prostrate Kabir. He immediately realised that he had stepped on somebody. He was shocked to blurt out 'Rama, Rama'. Kabir took this, being touched by Swami Ramanand's feet as 'Paada Deeksha' and his blurting out, 'Rama, Rama', as 'Mantropadesa'. I will talk about this, 'Deeksha', namely 'Nayana Deeksha and Sparsa Deeksha', later.
(KTSV adds:- The story of Kabir's getting the 'Sparsa Deeksha and Mantropadesa' from Ramanand Sahib by a ruse, is rather well known, which Periyaval mentions. There is more to this story of Kabir's cleverness as a Sishya and Ramanand Swami's greatness as a Guru, which I heard from Asa Ram Babu, who gives Satsang in Hindi, these days. We will start the next e-mail with that story.)
Sambhomahadeva.

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 6 (of Vol 3) Dated 17 Oct 2008

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 6 (of Vol 3) Dated 17 Oct 2008

(These e-mails are translations of talks given by Periyavaal 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 the last para of page number 25, of Vol 3, of the Tamil original. )
(Note:- All these Deivathin Kural e-mails are available in ‘http://advaitham.blogspot.com’, which is being updated every time this e-mail is sent. )
10. The word 'Guru' means heavy or big. We prefix the word Guru to someone's name, who is great and respectable. In Tamil, we refer to people of respectability, as 'Ganavaan' or 'Mahaganam'. May be that the word, 'Magnum' is derived from 'Mahaganam'! Similarly, Brhmam, Mahan or Mahatma also means something big. What is this big about? Is it the size or weight? Big in what?
11. You people refer to me also as, Periyaval and Guru. You cannot be thinking of me as big in height, weight and size. The reference is mainly to experience, knowledge, refinement and grace. In my case however, whether I have any of these qualities or not, that I am called Jagat Guru Sankaracharya, carrying the name of Adi Sankara Bhagawat Paaadaal, is good enough qualification.
12. An Acharya has to be inherently very well endowed with admirable qualities of kindness, compassion, love, humaneness and knowledge refined constantly by experience. Very learned, he has to have high moral standards and instructional ability. His character should be one of truly impeccable behaviour with very sincere and faultless attitude. He should be someone who practices what he preaches. He should be such a role model, capable of influencing and motivating others to emulate him, despite the apparent hurdles. He should be a charismatic leader able to evoke the best in the student.
13. In the case of a Guru, there is no qualification required of Him. He may or may not be well read. He need not be an expert, erudite scholar. He need not be an authority in the Saastraa-s. He may not adhere to any Sampradaaya. He does not have to practice and or preach. He does not have to be a role model to be emulated! Let alone preach, he does not have to open his mouth even! There have been 'Mouna Guru-s' who remained silent forever.
14. That person wholly immersed in himself may be seated in some odd corner of the world, all by himself, uncaring for his self and the world. But there will be someone who will come around the corner and recognize the greatness in this person and accept him as his Guru. He does not have to impart any 'Upadesa' or Instructions. He may not have even thought of the person who has come to him as a 'Sishya'. But the purpose for which the one who arrived later is fulfilled. By word of mouth the Guru's name and fame spreads! (KTSV adds:- When Ramana reached Thiruvannamalai, he was a strapping youth of 17. He had thrown away all his belongings enroute. The first few years often found him in a state totally unaware of the body and the world. Unwashed, unkempt and uncared for, he was entirely lost to this world! He used to be sitting in the underground 'Paadaala Lingam', where ants and insects used to feed on his body! It was Seshadri Swami, who recognized the greatness of Ramana. It was he who saved him from pestering urchins who used to throw stones. He used to bathe, dress the wounds/injuries and feed the body of Ramana, who was later known to the world as Ramana Maharishi the Sat Guru!)
15. There have been many a Guru, who had no formal education whatsoever. They never taught anything to anybody. The earliest known Guru is Dakshinamurthi whose medium of instruction was silence! Not bounden by any rules and regulations of Society or Saastra-s, their have been Guru-s who used to roam around like a mad, ghost like specter of no known caste or creed or origin! They eight directions of space was their clothing. They used to be known as 'digambara swamiyar'. Dattatreya was one such Avadoota Guru, held in very high esteem!
16. Acharya on the other hand is a very systematic person. He has to be the representative of some traditional Sampradaya. He should be well read and knowledgeable about all the principles and concepts of that tradition. He should have learnt all the books of that Sampradaya systematically. That he should be teaching very methodically to his students. Above all he should be a living example of what he teaches.
17. That does not mean however that a Guru is necessarily a unsystematic person. It only means that he is not an easily understandable person. He is under no compulsion that he should be within definable parameters of behaviour. He is a man of inner maturity. He has risen above character, conduct and such recognizable qualifications. Will you think of yourself capable of assessing God's conduct against any standards? Similarly once someone is accepted as the Guru, you do not assess Him or Her anymore! They are through to the ultimate, in direct communication with the Parabrhmam / Bhagwan with no sense of differentiation. From a person with a mind of his own, they would have evolved through a state of mind that has subsided, to no-mind! That is 'Mano-laya' to 'Mano Naasa'.
18. Those who are like this inwardly, may have been outwardly shining with much erudition and Saastra Gnaana, teaching their students, living by and practicing what they preach. Adi Sankara Bhagawat Paadaal, Srimad Ramanujacharyar and Madhvacharyar; have been such Guru and Acharyal rolled in to one!
19. Even if not reached a state of 'Atma Saatchatkaaram', that is realized their oneness with God, mostly the Acharya-s were almost in a state of great inner maturity. It is this greatness that caused them to be identified as Guru and to go and live with them for learning, to be known as, 'Guru Kula Vaasam'. Though not within the parameters of any already existing system, there have been many pioneers who marked a path of their own, as founders and creators of a fresh approach to the same destination, combining the characteristics of Guru and Acharya in themselves. (KTSV adds:- Adi Sankara, Ramanujacharyar and Madhvacharyar were such Guru cum Acharya-s. So were Gautama Buddha, Guru Nanak, Mahavir, Jesus Christ of the Christians and Allah of the Muslims too; were Guru and Acharya rolled in to one!)
(To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva.

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 5 (of Vol 3) Dated 14 Oct 2008

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 5 (of Vol 3) Dated 14 Oct 2008

(These e-mails are translations of talks given by Periyavaal 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 the page number 21, of Vol 3, of the Tamil original. )
(Note:- All these Deivathin Kural e-mails are available in ‘http://advaitham.blogspot.com’, which is being updated every time this e-mail is sent. )
GURU - ACHARYA
1. Guru and Acharya, are two words generally used in the same sense. But experts do find the difference between the two. In next eight to nine e-mails, we will analyze all the implications of these two important words.
2. Definition of Acharya. The word 'Acharya' is related to the words, 'Acharanam' meaning, behaviour, comportment, observance etc; 'Aachaaram' meaning good habits or moral discipline; and 'chara' meaning, to move. Charitram from the word chara, means conduct, history, character and picture of life. It has connotations of mobility and movement as against being static, like the difference between, 'sthavara and jungama'. To follow a particular path is 'ozhukkam' in Tamil to mean discipline. 'Ozhuguvadu' in Tamil has connotation of regular movement and not only leaking! When the water falls as a stream, isn't there a continuity between the drops of water. This is more easily observed with the fall of oil. That is the continuous 'flow' as per the rules of behaviour given in the Saastraa-s. That is Aachaaram. One who does that is 'Acharya'.
3. Thus, it is important for the Acharya to behave in a disciplined manner, to be a role model for the student. In our Hindu religion, there are some common norms for all, such as Ahimsa(that is not to hurt others) and Sathyam(that is to abide by the Truth). In addition, there are many Sampradaya-s ( traditions ) that have evolved within what is the Hindu religion, with their separate rules and regulations, procedurally binding on the followers. So the Aachaaram part is slightly but compellingly binding, for Madhva-s. Vaishnava-s, Chaitanya-s, Nimbarkar-s and so on. So each separate sect has its own traditions of dress, procedures and methodology with their own implications.
4. Within Saiva-s, there are Saiva Siddhantists, Veera Saivam, Kashmiri Saivam, Pasupatam etc. Within the followers of Vishnu, there are Ekanti-s, Pancharatri-s, Vaikanasa-s, Vadakalai, Tenkalai and so on! They all have their own set of rules totally binding, exclusive of other's way of doing things. (KTSV adds:- Seen from this angle, Hindus in Democratic India are not a majority but a loose collection of many minorities! This is simultaneously, their greatest strength and weakest loose link too.) In each of these Sects or Sub-Sects, the person who lives abides exemplarily observing strictly the Dharma as per the Saastraa-s binding on them is the Acharya!
5. Some of you may have heard the definition (lakshana slokam), for the word, 'Acharya':- "aasinoti hi saastra artaat achaare stapayityapi I swayam aacharate yascha tam aacharyam prasatchate II". Let me translate this sloka. It means, 'one who knows by analysis the meaning of the saastraa-s, (it is understood that he also teaches the younger generation) and makes others observe the saastraa-s strictly by being an exemplary role model himself, is an Acharya. So he practices what he preaches. That is why 'aachaaram and anushtaanam' goes together, as does 'saastram and sampradaayam'. All these are closely interconnected. The Do’s and Don'ts of the Saastraa-s, when put into practice by the Acharya-s, the Sampradaaya or Tradition is automatically created such as, Sankara Sampradaaya and Ramanuja Sampradaaya.
6. While talking about Saastraa-s and Sampradaya-s, another point of differentiation comes to my mind. Saastraa-s as written scriptures would generally be like enactments of law. Sampradaya-s though equally binding the followers, would vary between places, regions, castes and or families. When a method is indicated by the laws and that is practiced by people for a long time, that becomes a habit of procedure, which over time becomes tradition. When you follow that path which is approved by the community traditionally, such behaviour becomes the disciplined. The one who does that is the Acharya.
7. He cannot be an Acharya all by himself. He has to have some students or at the least one Sishya, to whom he should teach the Dharma and make him live by his precepts. So, he has to be very learned and knowledgeable. then only will he be able to remove doubts and counter any arguments. The student has to have sufficiently a long period of apprenticeship to be able grasp all the teaching. Then only the teachings can go on to become a tradition! Now-a-days however, in the place of Acharya, are school / college teachers, readers and professors. There are teachers in all walks of life, wherever anybody is trained in any subject. But in their personal life and in their teaching there is no reference to morality or dharma!
8. In the olden times too, there were Acharya-s of Sciences, Arts and Crafts. For example, Krupacharyar and Dronacharyar were experts in Dhanur Vedam. Even those days they were known as Acharya-s. They were knowledgeable in Dharma Saastra Sampradaya-s and were respected not only for their expertise, but also for their impeccable moral standards of personal behaviour.
'Guru' Definition.
9. To live with Acharya and learn, is known as Guru Kula Vasam and not Acharya Kula Vasam. How is that this word Guru, so easily replaced the word Acharya? Are these two words synonyms? Adi Sankara and his protégées are called Jagat Guru Sankaracharya, they are seemingly both Guru and Acharya. Then, these two words seem to have some different connotations too. What is the direct meaning of the word 'Guru'? What is the definition of the word 'Guru'?
(We will continue with the definition of 'Guru', in the next e-mail.)
Sambhomahadeva.

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 4 (of Vol 3) Dated 13 Oct 2008

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 4 (of Vol 3) Dated 13 Oct 2008

(These e-mails are translations of talks given by Periyavaal 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 the middle of page number 15, of Vol 3, of the Tamil original. )
(Note:- All these Deivathin Kural e-mails are available in ‘http://advaitham.blogspot.com’, which is being updated every time this e-mail is sent. )
32. In Maharashtra I said, there used to be more number of people who for generations were ardent devotees of Ganesha to the exclusion of all other Gods collectively known as Ganapatya-s. There are eight Vinayaka-s known as Ashta Vinayaka temples, amongst which, Mayuresa of Morgaon is famous. Here in Tamil Nadu, what is Mayur in Sanskrit or More in Hindi is known as Mayil, that is the Peacock. This is well known as the official carrier for Kartikeya or Murugan, the second brother of the divine couple of Parvati-Parameswara and not of the rather heavy Pillaiyar! He is well known to have the lowly Rat as His official carrier! Amongst Rats also, not the big and burly Bandicoot, but smaller Moonjooru or Mooshik! It is the incongruousness of the poor carrier with His rather heavy load, which at once touches one's heart with awe and wonder!!
33. Here in Morgaon, the very capable Peacock that is Vaahan for Pillaiyar. His whole family of deities have taken residence around Morgaon. Here in the Kshetra Purana of Morgaon Thiruvalamchuzhi of Tamil Nadu is spoken of highly! Thiruvalamchuzhi is mentioned as Dakshina (valam) + Aavartam(suzhi) = Dakshinavartam(valamchuzhi). In that Sthala Purana, Thiruvalamchuzhi has been praised as the capital city of Pillaiyar's.
34. In Thiruvalamchuzhi however, Valambury Pillaiyar is located within the precincts of the Siva Temple. In addition, outside the Siva Temple, there is a White Pillaiyar. White in Tamil is Vellai. So He is known as Vellai Pillaiyar. He is only Edambury type but rather famous. The Siva in this place have been eulogized by Gnana Sambandar and Appar through their Tevaram songs. But, the Vellai Pillaiyar takes away all the fame and name for Himself! The Mandapam in which He is housed has very intricate craftsmanship, especially the white marble grills!
35. In olden times, when temples were being constructed, it seems that while entering into contractual agreements, the Stapathi-s (experts in sculpting), used to agree upon all sorts of constructions except five specific types! Those five were said to be super human efforts. They are, Kodungai in Aavudaiyar Koil; the outer wall known as Madil in Kadaarankondaan; the main Tower of the Big Temple in Tanjore; the huge hall in Thiru Veezhi Malai known as Vowwal Otti (frequented by bats?) Mandapam; and the Marble Grills of Thiruvalamchuzhi, respectively!
36. Those grills known as, 'palagani' to let light and air inside closed spaces, are very intricately carved with sixteen symmetrical holes in each of them. The number 16 known as 'shodasa' has special significance in Mantra and Tantra Saastraa-s. Number 16 is indicative of totality / 'shodasa kala poornam'. This Vellai Vinayagar was prayed to by the King of Deva-s that, nectar of the Gods came out from the Ocean of Milk. Because He is made of the Milk He is absolutely white and so is known as 'Sweta Vinayagar'. His pooja is done without touching Him. In this station 'Brhmotsavam' is done periodically for Him and not for Siva. One more specialty of this place is that, as one of the Ganesha is Valambury, the river Kaveri is also turning right before proceeding Eastwards.
37. Kaveri river and Ganesha are closely related. Agasthya Rishi had imprisoned the Kaveri river in his Kamandalu in the Sahya mountains of Coorg. People of the plains were all suffering in conditions of draught due to the river going dry. It was Ganesha who in deference to the wishes of the suffering humanity, flew in as a crow and tripped the Kamandalu, letting the river flow again. All the people of Tamil Nadu are forever indebted to Ganesha for this act of kindness on His part.
38. Coming out of Karnataka, Kaveri flowing through Tamil Nadu, went into a hole in the earth after Kumbakonam. With extreme kindness, Maharishi Herandar sacrificed himself to make the Kaveri flow once again. It is then that Kaveri went around this Ganesha Kshetra from the right in Pradakshinam and flew towards East again, further adding to the logic of it's name as Thiruvalamchuzhi.
39. Pillaiyar who came as a black crow in Talakkaveri, is absolute white in this station as an Edambury Pillaiyar. "Pranava swaroopa vakratundam" Pillaiyar's another Murthy in this station is Valambury, with the Kaveri river also flowing Valambury! Let us all go around the Edambury or Valambury Pillaiyar from the Dakshina Aavartam as an embodiment of Pranava Swaroopa, and receive His blessings!
Sambhomahadeva.

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 3 (of Vol 3) Dated 11 Oct 2008

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 3 (of Vol 3) Dated 11 Oct 2008

(These e-mails are translations of talks given by Periyavaal 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 the middle of page number 12, of Vol 3, of the Tamil original. )
(Note:- All these Deivathin Kural e-mails are available in ‘http://advaitham.blogspot.com’, which is being updated every time this e-mail is sent. )
26. Valambury Yanaiai Valam Varuvom. We will go around the God Pillaiyar of the form of an elephant with His trunk turned to the right. Devotees tap on their forehead with both the fists lightly, when in front of Ganesha and that is known as 'kuttik-kolvadu'. They may catch both their ears with the crossed hand and sit down on the haunches and stand up and do this a number of times, that is known as 'thoppuk-karanam' from the Sanskrit word, 'dobir-karanam'. They may smash a coconut on hard ground, in front of Ganesha, so that pieces of it are spread all around, for children to pick up the peices and that is known as, 'sidaru thengai poduvathu'. Then they may offer 'erukkan' leaves and flowers and 'arugu' grass to the Elephant God in 'archanaa'. To circumambulate His form or statue or temple from around the right, is known as 'valam varudal'. These are all methods by which devotees display their reverence to Pillaiyar!
27. You go around a minimum of three times, or may be 21 or 108 times. Going around 'valam' is to start at the front of the temple or statue, go behind from the left and come to the front from the right. That is known as 'pradakshinam'. Pillaiyar Suzhi is also started from the left, taken up and to the right in a semi circle and then extend to the right as a straight line. I hope you remember the story of how Pillaiyar got the fruit that was brought by Narada.
28. One day in Kailash, Narada brought a rare variety of fruit. Siva and Parvati knew straight away that there will be some problem brewing. Narada himself was asked to decide as to how to give this one fruit to the two children, Pillaiyar and Kartikeya. He told the children that the fruit will be given to whosoever goes around the whole world three times and come back. Pillaiyar was still deliberating by which time, Kartikeya had gone around once on His Mayur the Peacock! Pillaiyar quickly made up his mind that His parents were more than the whole world and so went around them and got the fruit! (That the second son Kartikeya reacted violently at this seeming injustice, is a separate story, which has been covered in one of my earlier talks.) If we go around that Vinayaka, we will be benefited with physical and mental well being. {Periyaval puns on the word 'palam (means fruit) and balam (means strength)' as it is written the same way in Tamil!} Then, going around Vinayaka is as good as going around the whole world!
29. He is Valambury Vinayaka too. There are many differences in the shape, form, figure, dress and postures of Vinayaka in the statues and paintings of old times. (In these days of digitalized electronic capabilities, His figure has lent itself most fluently and resiliently, for a prolific profusion of icons in a variety of modes and media!) Mostly in the statues and paintings of Vinayaka, the trunk will be found to be having a turn towards the Left. They are known as 'Edambury Vinayaka'. In some of them the trunk may be having a turn to the Right. That is the 'Valambury' Vinayagar which is a rarity. For example it is a Valambury Vinayaka in Pillaiyar Patti known as ‘Karpaga Vinayaka‘.
30. Valambury Vinayaka is said to have special powers and as per the scriptures the worship procedures are somewhat complicated too. Whether Valambury or Edambury, this is the Suzhi that Pillaiyar Himself makes with His own body part! Pillaiyar's very figure is the Pranava Onkara. Looking at the face of Pillaiyar, if you draw a line starting from the right edge of the mouth, along the cheeks, the head, down along the left cheek, the tusk and reach the end of the tusk turning towards right side; it will make the figure of ‘Omkaaraa’ as written in Tamil! You will not get that ‘Omkaaraa’ figure if the tusk is turning left.
31. Another Valambury Vinayaka is in a place known as ‘Thiru Valam chuzhi’, in Kumbakonam district. I will share with you a piece of information which clearly brings out the greatness of the deity in that place. In Maharashtra State people are rather fond of praying to Ganesha and Anjaneya. During the British rule, Bal Gangadar Tilak hit upon the idea of collecting bigger and bigger crowds through religious festivals, so as to spread nationalism. It is interesting to note that prior to the advent of Adi Sankara, Hinduism was divided into six seemingly different religions of, Gaanaapatyam, Koumaram, Saktam, Saivam, Vaishnavam and Souram. These were made up by the followers of, Ganapathy, Kartikeya, Sakti, Siva, Vishnu and Surya respectively. Adi Sankara’s contribution it was to bring these six religions together, back into the mainstream of what is Hinduism. In the State of Maharashtra traditionally there were more Ganapatya-s. That is why even now Ganesh Chathurti draws very big crowds in that State. {There was a picture in the news papers recently, of some people counting the collection at a Ganesh Pandal in Mumbai. The total amount it seems came to above Rupees one crore!}
(The first chapter of ‘Pillaiyar Suzhi’ will get completed in the next e-mail.)
Sambhomahadeva.

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 2 (of Vol 3) Dated 09 Oct 2008

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 2 (of Vol 3) Dated 09 Oct 2008

(These e-mails are translations of talks given by Periyavaal 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 8, of Vol 3, of the Tamil original. )
(Note:- All these Deivathin Kural e-mails are available in ‘http://advaitham.blogspot.com’, which is being updated every time this e-mail is sent. )
14. I said that these two words, ‘kombu(the semi circle) and kodu(the straight line), both have come to represent the tusks of Ganesha the Pillaiyar! He is called ‘eka dantar’, meaning single tusked, because as the story goes, He broke one and used it as a weapon. ‘Perumbarak-kodum’ means ‘the heavy line’, which again is talking about the tusk. When Avvai Patti says, ‘kOdu aayudattal kodu_ vinai kalainde’, she is talking about the same tusk. The first ‘kOdu’ is tusk, the second ‘kodu’ means ‘given’. She is saying that, ‘using his tusk as a weapon, He removes the given bundle of good and bad effects of our past Karmas, known as 'praarabdam'.
15. Avvai Patti wanted to avoid having to go through the rigmarole of falling in love, married life, child bearing and so on! She approached the forever young Baby-God Pillaiyar to give her instant-old age! So, at a young age itself she suddenly got the looks of an old woman. When you really come to think of it, you will observe that there is continuity between one birth and the next. Our present and future is dependent on our past deeds. The positive lesson that we can draw from this is that, by ensuring that our present actions are well measured and guided, we can eventually control our future! That refinement may come over many lives. The end point of this process is when, our individual will or ego becomes identical with that of God's. By then we have ourselves become a Mahatma or Realized Soul!
16. Till that happens, we are all like a piece of wood in the river current, with no control over ourselves. What happens to us is our fate or 'praarabdam', which is said to be written in our foreheads by Brhma, known as ‘thalai + chuzhi’, meaning the script in our heads! It is this script that would be suitably corrected by Pillaiyar Suzhi! So, Avvai Patti says, ‘kOdu aayudattal kodu_ vinai kalainde’.
17. Vinayaka’s Connection with Written Works. The small Pillaiyar Suzhi that we write indicates Vinayaka only symbolically. But in old time writings, it will be clearly written ‘Sri Ganatipataye Namaha’. Though it is customary to take His name before the start of any activity, I was wondering as to why, taking His name is so important in written literature. In that, I was wondering as to why, when He has many names such as, Vigneswara, Vinayaka, Vakratunda and so on; why Ganapati is preferred in written literature? When I discussed this with learned scholars, I got some understanding.
18. The word ‘gana’ has many meanings. Out of them, meanings related to written language are more. In Sanskrit grammar known as Vyakaranam, ‘gana’ means the root word from which many other words evolve. All the words from one root word, collectively would be known as a ‘ganam’. He is the Head or Leader of them all as, Ganaadipati or Ganapati. He is also the appointed leader of the, ‘Bhoota Gana-s’ the soldiers of Siva’s Army, and so known as Ganapati, Ganesar, Gananaathar and so on. Words are supposed to have emerged out of the sounds of Siva’s Damaroo or Udukkai, which He was holding in His forefingers and rotating alternately Right and Left, generating all the sounds. They are all Gana-s and Pillaiyar as their Leader is Ganapati. That is why, before writing anything, the custom is to write, ‘Om Sri Ganaadipataye Namaha’.
19. Vinayaka is the embodied form of Pranava. That Pranava is the basis of all sounds and words. So it is in the rightness of form to take His blessings before writing anything. There is one more reason too. He was the greatest copy writer Himself! The biggest book in the whole world is Maha Bharatam, as you will agree. If somebody talks too much, beating around the bush, do we not say, ‘cut out all that Maha Bharatam, come to the point straight away’! Maha Bharatam has One hundred thousand couplets divided into 18 major chapters.
20. The four Veda-s are 'ezhudak-kilavi', unwritten but continued to be remembered over tens of thousands of years by word of mouth! The Maha Bharatam considered as the fifth Veda was the first to be written down. Veda Vyasa who organized the Veda-s in to four parts, is also the author for this Maha Kavyam. He continuously narrated the text of Maha Bharatam and it was Pillaiyar who wrote it on the rocks of Mount Meru. We may consider Pillaiyar as the first known Writer of a major epic, though not the Author!
21. In olden times, not everybody knew writing. There were professional writers. Anyhow the Veda-s were not directly authored by any human being. Those were the times when, when even enormously huge original works were heard from the Guru and memorised by re-iteration. Even well read scholars, not necessarily knew how to write. There were some specially trained to write, like the calligraphists. These professionals used to think of Ganapati as their first.
22. He broke His own tusk and using that as the sharp instrument to etch, He wrote. Elephant's most valuable asset is it's ivory tusk. There is a saying in Tamil with a pun on the word, 'irandalum / irundalum' to mean that, 'the elephant is very valuable when living and equally so when dead too'! He was sincerely concerned that this book of Dharma should be known to the world. As an embodiment of the Pranava Mantra, as the foremost of Deities and Gana-s, as the first Son of the First Couple of Parvati Parameswara, this Maha Ganapati was ready to work as a mere Scribe, just for the sake of the spread of Dharma!
23. In another occasion, Lord Nataraja Himself is supposed to have written as Manikka Vaachagar poured out his heart in poetry. In Gita Govindam, Sri Krishna Paramatma Himself is said to have come in the garb of Jayadeva the author and wrote a few lines! But without a let or tiredness, it was Ganesha who wrote all the one lac couplets of the Maha Bharatam. So whosoever writes "Sri Ganaatipataye Namaha", gets the power to write without any interruptions! Having not been able to match the writing speed of Ganapati, Vyasa composed many complicated, intricate poems of very subtle interpretations, to delay Ganesha.
24. The contract between them was that Vyasa should dictate non-stop! The counter to this was that Ganesha should understand whatever is dictated. So, there was an intellectual war on! Vyasa interspersed at suitable intervals, Vyasa threw in a few difficult to understand poems, called Bharata 'Guttu'! When Ganesha stopped to absorb the meaning, Vyasa had his 'sort of commercial breaks'!
25. 'Guttu' in Kannadiga language means something secret, a tricky puzzle. Many of the words from that language have been absorbed in Tamil. There is an expression in Tamil that, when some hidden enigma has become revealed, they say, "the guttu has been broken!" We normally tap with closed fists, on our heads to show our subservience to Pillaiyar. That is called, 'Kuttu'. Vyasa kept the Guttu-s to put a break in Ganesha's speed of writing. Ganesha as the very essence of cerebral brilliance, would grasp the meaning in a flash! Instantly the 'guttu will be broken'. He will start writing again. By remembering Him, all our puzzles will get solved instantly and we will get the self confidence for progress.
(To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva.

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 1 (of Vol 3) Dated 08 Oct 2008

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 1 (of Vol 3) Dated 08 Oct 2008

(These e-mails are translations of talks given by Periyavaal 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 1, of Vol 3, of the Tamil original. )
(Note:- All these Deivathin Kural e-mails are available in ‘http://advaitham.blogspot.com’, which is being updated every time this e-mail is sent. )
Pillaiyar Suzhi
1. Whatever is written in Tamil (and most of the Indian Languages too), is started with a squiggle of a ‘round and a flat horizontal line’, known as Pillaiyar Suzhi. Pillaiyar literally is a respectful way of referring to a son, like a few decades back, the eldest son of the family used to be referred as, ‘Prince of Wales’! This was the effect of English education in India. It is a Hindu custom to start any writing with Pillaiyar Suzhi, whether it is a post card or grocery list, or the preamble of a literary work! The idea is to think of God before launching oneself on any endevours. Especially if you want to complete the job without any hindrance or obstacle, you think of Ganapati or Ganesha, who is known as Pillaiyar in Tamil! He is known as Vigneswara and Vinayaka too. So, Pillaiyar Suzhi is the written proof in black and white that we have correctly abided with the protocol of starting with the invocation of Ganesha!
2. Whatever we are going to do or write subsequently, so that it may not go in to vicious cycle, we start it with the Pillaiyar Suzhi. There are those who start with a ‘Ohm’ / ‘Aum’. But, that is also Pillaiyar Suzhi in another form symbolic of the Pranava Onkara! Since after all, the real ‘Swaroopa’ of Pillaiyar is also Pranava and vice-versa!
3. Suzhi is a curve; called ‘vakram’. Pillaiyar’s trunk’s front end is curved. So one of His names is ‘Vakra Thunda’. (The trunk of the elephant in Sanskrit ‘thunda’ is pronounced with a light touch between, ‘tunda and thunda’. So, it has been typed here with a smaller ‘h’.) The half circle or curve if completed will become a full circle. The world, of the Earth, planets, stars and all the galaxies are all of the oval circular form of the ‘egg’ known as ‘andam’. If the micro egg form is andam, the macro is ‘Brhmaandam’! This complete cipher is also zero and it is surprising that, in Mathematics too, zero or cipher is indicative of ‘nothingness’ on the one hand as well as, the Universe which contains everything!
4. I am thrilled to note that this zero, which is nothingness and totality, is also representative of ‘Poornatvam’(completeness) and ‘Parabrhmam’, that is another name for God the Universal Ultimate! So, the Suzhi is symbolically indicating ‘Parama Atma’ principle. When somebody comes back having failed in the task, he will be twisting and turning as though he will go under the earth, given a chance! We are likely to say, “What happened I say? Is it a suzhi?”
5. The Pillaiyar is holding the Modakam in his hands, and that modakam contains sweet ‘poornam’. ‘Poornam’ here again means completeness, as well as, a sweet filling inside the modakam, made of jaggery and fine grinded coconut. Invoking that Pillaiyar, we are writing the Suzhi which will turn all half done works in to completed whole!
6. The Pillaiyar Suzhi, which starts with a twist, ends in a straight line. As He is ‘poornam and nothingness’, He is also the ‘curve (vakram) and straight line (aarjavam)’. That is the meaning. The opposite of the curve is the straight line. Completeness is the opposite of nothingness, vacuum or zero. God is a combination of all opposites that we can think of and what we cannot even imagine or comprehend. This ‘aarjavam’ is known as ‘nermai’ in Tamil and ‘straight forwardness’ in English. ‘Guna and guna heenam’ that is, characteristics and absence of it, are all of the same Para Brhmam!
7. Ohm is also Aum. This combined form of ‘a + u + m’ is ‘aum’. The first letter is ‘a’ creation; Brhma. The second letter ‘u’ is sustenance and governing; Vishnu. The third letter ‘m’ is destruction / samharam / assimulation; Siva. (May be that is the reason that on gobbling up and assimulating some eats, we say ‘mmm’!) This ‘aum’ change places and becomes ‘uma’. These three forms of Brhma, Vishnu, Maheswara are known as ‘Trimurthy’, who have all evolved from the one Parasakti only. But this ‘Aum’ is not called ‘Devi Pranavam’. ‘Uma’ is the Devi Pranavam! In Aum, ‘a’ as the creative ‘srushti beejam’ is the first akshara, while in the Devi Pranavam, ‘u’ as the ‘paripalana beejam’ is the first. Because Ambal Uma is the loving Mother form, who with kindness and compassion takes intimate care of the children, this ‘Uma’ is itself the Devi Pranavam!
8. The heart like central ‘u’ in ‘aum’, is in the primary first place in the lovingly compassionate Devi Pranavam ‘uma‘. Pranava Swaroopa Pillaiyar, on the other hand, is the lone u’kara less the ‘a and m’! This tells us that He is not only ‘like mother like son’, but a couple of steps further higher. How? At least She still is keeping the ‘m and a’ after the protective ‘u’. He has dropped all those other works or responsibilities or interests. Simply he has kept for Himself the only job of protecting and blessing His devotees.
9. In the Pranavam, ‘u’ is the Vishnu roopam or form. As ‘Vishnu roopini’, as the sister of Narayana, as ‘padmanaabha sahodari’, as ‘Vishnu maya vilasini’, she is named Narayani. Everybody for all types of work, chant a sloka at the start for Pillaiyar, which also commences with the words, “suklaam baradaram vishnum…”, where the word ‘vishnum’ means omnipresent. So this ‘u’ relates the son of ‘Siva-Sakti’ with Vishnu and thereby brings equality and complimentality between Saivam and Vaishnavam!
10. There is much inner symbolic and allegorical meaning in the Suzhi. Whatever rotates, it has to have an axis as the basis around which the rotation can happen. That axis has to be a straight line. Vishnu holds His pointing finger straight around which the Chakrayudham rotates spraying sparks all around, as shown in the statues or drawings. This is the light effect. Then there is the rotating drum around a stick held in the hand making a ’rat-a-tat-tat’ noice, as you move your hand in a circle. This is the sound effect. Similarly, the whole lot of galaxies are going around an axis and so does the milky way itself! So if all the planets, stars, pulsars and quasars and what not, are going round and round, there has to be a powerful straight line, though not visible to our eyes, cameras and telescopes of whatever sophistication, around which all this rotation can take place! We draw the Pillaiyar Suzhi as a symbolic representation of the, “rotating universe (the Suzhi) and the axial (straight line of) power”!
11. Some where I have read or heard that, energy is created in the form of ‘Pillaiyar Suzhi’ only. Water falls on a series of moveable surfaces, which causes the axle holding the surfaces to rotate. Converting gravitational energy into kinetic. This movement of the axle in a circle, when done inside the flux of a series of magnets, causes it to generate electricity, a straight line! That electricity is again in three phases, in waves and or particles, is further going into subtler aspects! In the Pillaiyar Suzhi, the curve or ‘kombu’ is the rotation; ‘nerkodu’ or straight line is the emergence of electricity / sakti. These two can be thought of as Siva-Sakti Swaroopa of Naada-Bindu. That will be further going into subtler aspects!
12. The circle which comes back to where it started from, can be taken as indicative of the one Brhmam. Having come half way around the circle, the Pillaiyar Suzhi becomes a straight line. This can be taken to mean that, having indicated the Brhmam, it is indicative of the emergence of the creation. ‘The Brhmam or Creator is complete or poornam and so is the created world’, says the Shanti mantra in the Upanishad. So this Pillaiyar Suzhi brings to the mind the Creator, by the half circle and the Creation by the straight line. Having said so, it also reminds us that the creation is from the creator.
13. I talked about ‘kombu and kodu’ for the ‘half circle and straight line’. Interestingly, both these two words have gone to mean Pillaiyar’s two tusks! About that in the next e-mail! (To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva.

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 159 (of Vol 2) Dated 06 Oct 2008

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 159 (of Vol 2) Dated 06 Oct 2008

(These e-mails are translations of talks given by Periyavaal 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 1,035 till 1040, i.e., the end of Vol 2, of the Tamil original. So, this e-mail is the last of Deivathin Kural of Vol 2 and we will be starting with Vol 3 after this.)
(Note:- All these Deivathin Kural e-mails are available in ‘http://advaitham.blogspot.com’, which is being updated every time this e-mail is sent. )
Start of the Beginning & End of the Finish
(This talk was given in Rameswaram in the Sri Sankara Mandapam, constructed by the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, in 1963.)
1. In this mandapam, in the center there is a pillar on top of which is the statue of Adi Sankara. At the back is a hall in which Saraswathi Devi has been installed, making it a ‘Saraswathi Mahal’. If you think of a question as to how we can position Saraswathi behind the back of Sankara Acharya, there is an interesting point there. Adi Sankara, when he won over Mandana Mishra, an avatara of Brhma, he immediately also defeated Mandana Mishra’s wife, Sarasa Vani, an avatara of Saraswathi Devi! Mandana Mishra at once became one of the important protégés of Adi Sankara, called Sureshwaracharya.
2. Sarasa Vani after being defeated in the debate, regained her celestial form and was leaving for Brhma Loka. But Acharyal wanted to install Saraswathi Devi in a suitable place on earth, so as to bless the mortals with the brilliance of Her proximity. So, Adi Sankara used the ‘Vana Durga’ mantra to make it impossible for Her to leave the environs of the Earth! He requested Her, “Mother, I am about to go about the whole country. I wish that you would come with me. Whichever place appeals to your fancy, I will establish the Sarada Peetam and install You there. From there You could bless the whole world!”
3. Goddess Saraswathi agreed to abide by his wish. She said, “OK. I will do as you wish. I will follow you. But, you are not to look back. If you do, I will get established on that spot.” For Her all the spots in the world have the same value or attraction. So, playfully She countered with a condition which had to be agreed upon. Acharyal started walking. Goddess Sarawathi’s golden anklets were tinkling with every step of Hers. Acharyal could hear it. There was no need for him to look back. Adi Sankara Acharyal, who was omniscient as an Avatara of the Siva, was only play acting as a mortal human being.
4. As Acharyal was going around various parts of India, on the Tungabadra river bank, he noticed that a snake was holding its expanded hood as a sunshade for a pregnant frog, that was in the throes of delivery. For a snake, a frog is a like a cherished snack; it will be gobbled up without a thought! But, “a place which could kindle such love and affection in the snake for a frog that too, was the most appropriate site for a Saraswathi Temple”, thought Acharyal! He noticed that the tinkling sounds of the anklets had also stopped. He looked back wondering as to what happened to the Saraswathi Devi. She got permanently established on the spot. Anyhow, Acharyal had to remain content that his very thought a few seconds back, got frutioned! The reason for the stopping of the tinkling of Her anklets was due to the partially wet sands of the river bank!
5. As She had promised that ‘She will follow him behind his back’, here too, in Rameswara Sankara Mandapam, Her statue is installed behind Acharyal‘s back! If you write a book too, first there is invocation of Guru, then Ganapati and only then is Saraswathy’s invocation. So similarly here too, it is in the rightness of protocol, that Saraswathy, the Goddess of Learning and Wisdom, is situated after Guru the Acharyal. Now if you ask me, “OK! All that is accepted. But at the end of everything, when ‘Mangala Aaratie’ is sung, we take the name of Anjaneya Swami. Now how can it be in the rightness of things that, Anjaneya Swami is standing here at the very entrance?”, I have the answer.
6. Anjaneya was already located here before anybody else! His statue was not sculptured for this occasion like other’s here. He is the original occupant of this place. Acharyal has come to Anjaneya’s place and not the other way around. There is some appropriateness of logic in Acharyal coming to Anjaneya’s place.
7. Sri Rudram when chanted in the ‘Krama Pada’ method, the word ‘Sankara’ occurs 13 times. According to our Saastra-s 13 is not an unlucky number. It is very auspicious. The word ‘Sankara’ which means ‘ doer of all good’, occurring 13 times, is further proof of its benign power. Anjaneya is ‘Rudra Amsam’. He keeps chanting the 13 lettered mantra of, “sri rama jaya rama jaya jaya rama”. In north India, this mantra is specially referred to as, ‘tera akshar’, meaning the thirteen syllabled! It is this ‘thriyo-dasa-akshari’ mantra which is the one constantly chanted by Hanumar when He was born as ‘Samarta Ramadasa’, who guided Sivaji to establish a Hindu Kingdom, by the power of the mantra japa! So, it is in the rightness of things that, the Rudra avatara Sankara, whose name occurs 13 times in Sri Rudra Ghana Paata, has come to Rudra Amsa Anjaneya, who forever is chanting the 13 syllabled mantra!
8. So as not to push that Anjaneya to the background, rest of the temple has been constructed behind Him! How is He? He is holding one hand held up with the fingers spread out. This is not only the ‘abhaya hasta’, but also a signal to stop. There is a trijunction of two seas and an ocean in front. He is holding his hand aloft, as though telling the waters of the ocean to stop on its tracks and not come forward any further. Accordingly the King of the Oceans has abided by Anjaneya’s orders for tens of thousands of years. Thus Anjaneya’s standing guard in front is the best for all of us.
9. Now I will give you the logic as to why, Anjaneya who normally comes at the end of all ceremories and functions, has come forward to stand in front on this one occasion. Similar to Acharyal’s obeying Saraswati Devi’s order that she will come behind him, Acharyal himself has requested Anjaneya to stand guard in front always. He did so in ‘Hanumat Pancharatnam’, a beautiful poem of five stanzas written by Acharyal. The one prayed to is Anjaneya, a ‘Rudra Amsam’. The one composing the poem is an avatara of the very Siva! Both were embodiment of humility, modesty, reticence and ‘adakkam’. Acharyal with extreme humbleness is praying to Anjaneya, ‘purato mama paatu hanumato moortihi’. That means as under:-‘mama-my; purato-in front; hanumato-Anjaneya swami’s; moortihi-form; (may) paatu-shine!’ Acharyal himself had requested that Anjaneya’s form should be effulgent in his immediate front. That is the logic of Hanuman being there in front of Sri Sankara Mandapam, in Rameswaram!
10. Start and End are one. Origin and Culmination are one. We all end back in our source. The Param that we all search for finally is found to be the very first thought of one’s ‘self, me, my, I, hamm, aham, naan, nenu’, in whichever language! So, naturally then, the last Hanuman is the first here, as the ‘role-model’ for Adwaitam. He stoops low in front of Sri Ramachandra Swami, with a ‘daasoham’ stance of ‘I am your slave’ and conquers the highest pinnacle of oneness with the supreme! So He is the start of the beginning and end of the finish!
11. The Ocean is bounden by the raised hands of Anjaneya, like a pet. We are the specks in the ocean of life. Our mind is endlessly oscillating, twisting and turning, like the waves of the ocean. Anjaneya is one who has won over his heart and senses. He is the foremost amongst such people who have won over their hearts and senses! He is said to be, “jitendriyam buddhimataam varishtam”. If we think of Him and meditate on Him standing with His hand raised, He will not only give us fearlessness but bring this ocean of life under control, remove the agitations of our minds and give us peace.
Subham.
Sambhomahadeva.

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 158 (of Vol 2) Dated 04 Oct 2008

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 158 (of Vol 2) Dated 04 Oct 2008

(These e-mails are translations of talks given by Periyavaal 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 the last paragraph in page number 1,029, of volume 2, of the Tamil original. This e-mail is a continuation of Deivathin Kural # 157 (of Vol 2) dated 04 Oct 2008.)
(Note:- All these Deivathin Kural e-mails are available in ‘http://advaitham.blogspot.com’, which is being updated every time this e-mail is sent. )
118. Since independence, instead of eradicating casteism, there are more number of sub and sub-sub-castes coming into being, creating further divisions within the society, with added number of competitiveness and confrontations. The patient was told not to think of the monkey while taking the medicine. Every time the patient was about to have the medicine, he invariably thought of the monkey, that he had a brand new phobia! Similarly, the very slogan against casteism has been reinforcing the inferiority and superiority complexes.
119. So if all the castes join hands in combined activities such as, repairing and cleaning a temple premises or dredging a lake or pond that has been silted, the evil of casteism will get that much ignored. ‘A lazy mind is a devil’s workshop’, it is said. We should spend all our spare time, resources and energy; in such social service, that there will be no chance for mischief mongering! More time available for entertainment and ‘time-pass’ leads to gossips, scams and conflicts! Some people are in their elements only if there is some excuse if not logic for some agitation. They feel happy only when there is a crowd around them shouting some slogans. Rabble rousing and kicking up a raucous or at least a storm in a tea-cup, is their way of life. They will then look forward to opportunities for exploiting the situation for some personal benefit.
120. Shouting hoarse till their throats are dry, saying ‘down down’ for some thing or other, some people feel happy only when they have tired themselves to exhaustion. The sadistic trend in them can only be satisfied when they have hurt others and themselves in the bargain! If all this man-power can be redirected in the positive direction, much real progress can be made. This can only be done by mutual LOVE and not ever by mutual HATE! To visit temples, getting involved in productive social works, give ones mind to ‘Pravachanam’ by listening to numerous stories of Love and Compassion as in the Puranas, these nefarious agitations and motivated conflicts will vanish.
121. There is no higher and lower castes. Great saints have taken birth in each and every Jaati. Appar, Nammazhvar, Sekkizhar, Nandanar and Kannappar, the list of Non-Brahmin saints is endless! They are deified by being installed in temples as Statues, for being revered by generations yet to be born! Peria Puranam in Tamil, Bhakta Vijayam in Marathi and many other such literatures in other languages are all singing encomiums of praise, for such Saint Devotees. Saastraa-s say very clearly that all are equal. It is a sin to think of oneself as superior to anybody else. The great Mahatma-s have repeatedly shown the same path of humbleness and ’Adakkam’. Self deprecation is OK but not pride and ego! With self effacing humility, Manikka Vaachagar and Thayumaanavar have referred to themselves as “naayinum kadayen”, and “naayadiyen”, and such meaning, ‘the dog that I am’.
122. The problem of the present day world is that, this sense of humility and humbleness has completely gone out of favour! If that, ‘adakkam’ is revived, there will be the difference of Jaati at the functional level, but not in the mind and heart. Once we become equal in our life style and economic status, there can never be any grounds for hate or jealousy.
123. Whether we have the courage of convictions and readiness to sacrifice and create such a state of affairs, at the least if we try to understand such an Ideal state could exist, there may be some hope for us! For this we essentially need the Grace of the Mother Para Sakti! May God’s blessings be showered on us for it! ‘Tadaastu’. ‘Amen’.
Sambhomahadeva.