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.