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.