DEIVATHIN KURAL # 22 (of Vol 3) Dated 29 Nov 2008

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 22 (of Vol 3) Dated 29 Nov 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 95, of Vol 3, of the Tamil original. The readers are reminded that herein the word 'man' includes 'woman' too. )
(Note:- These e-mails are all available at http://advaitham.blogspot.com constantly up-dated.)
56. “na kaamaye (a)ham gathim easwarat paraam ashtarti yuktaam apunar bhavam vaa I aartim prapadye (a)kila deha bhajaam antas sthito yena bhavantyaduh:khaa: II”. Now let me give you the detailed translations of the two sloka-s. 'Ruddhi' is 'Siddhi. The eight Maha siddhi-s are those miraculous powers that one attains as one progresses in the spiritual path. The popularly known paths are, Raja, Karma, Gnaana and Bhakti Yoga-s. (KTSV adds:- There are more paths which are a mix of these four. In fact there are as many paths as there are people in this world. However they will finally merge into one of these paths, end destination being the same! Enroute, one is certain to be empowered with some or various combinations of these powers. Though they are great attainments, the Sadhak (that is the aspirant), is likely to go astray at any time, if he gets too carried away by his achievements. When the aim is to realize one's identity with the Ultimate Supreme power of God, any thing short of it is only peanuts!)
57. These eight siddhi-s together are what is being referred as 'ashtarti' in the sloka. If you have all these powers, you can evidently play around with the worlds and nature, replicating God's actions! What Rantideva says herein is that, paraam gatim = the high royal path of getting the eight maha siddhis; easwaraat = from God; na kaamaye = I do not wish for. Then what does he want? Is he praying for total inertia of Samaadhi? Is he asking for such nirvana or mukti in which he will not come back in to this cycle of repeated births and death? That is 'punar bhavam'. I do not want that, 'a- punar bhavam' either. He says, "na kaamaye (a)ham (a)punar bhavam vaa". Then what is that he is wishing for?
58. Whether you are born as a germ, insect, animal, bird or human being; for all of us, there seems to be some trouble, fear, pain, sorrow and danger, waiting in store to be issued as due. Put it all together and call it 'aarthie'. For all (akhila), embodied (deha bhajaam) people, there seems to be some deep sorrow (aarthie) pending, which is felt by the inner (antah stita:) heart. If I can somehow be there in all their hearts, all that sorrow can be felt by me and not by them! Give me that power of receiving all their sorrows and make them devoid of sorrows! By which (yena), devoid of sorrow (adu:khaa:), they will be come (bhavanthie); that is what I pray for!
59. Du:kha: is sorrow and du:khaa: is the plural sorrows. This happens only by one's own past ill deeds. To take over other's sins and suffering is known as vicarious suffering. It is said that Jesus Christ appropriated all our sins and let himself be put on the cross, so as to suffer on our behalf thus! That extreme sense of sacrifice is not unknown to our religion either! That is what Rantideva prayed for, when he said, "akhila deha bhajaam aarthim prapadye", meaning, 'I may take over all the embodied souls sorrows"!
60. In this, note the word 'prapadye'. In many Sri Vaishnava writings, you may have noticed the repeated usage of this phrase as, "saranam prapadye". In the Veda-s, in Sri Suktam and Durga Suktam, this phrase occurs. It means that one is declaring a 'total surrender'. When one has given up all connections and attachments; and has foregone all initiative, it is said to be "sarva sankalpa rahita: and sarva aarambha parityaagi". That is total surrender! That is, the person surrendering has to render oneself to a veritable zero, at which point the individual is filled completely by the divinity.
61. Various sloka-s talk about surrendering to Maha Lakshmi or Durga Devi, repeatedly saying, “saranam prapadye”. In the Upanishad Shanti Paata Krama, it is said that, “Me who being interested in moksha is a ‘mumukshu’, I surrender unto Parama Atma who makes our Buddhi, the thinking, analyzing, understanding and comprehending faculty to shine effulgently”.
62. Rantideva did not ask for this! He said, “aartim prapadye!”, meaning, ‘I surrender to the difficulties and problems’. Instead of saying ‘let me be absorbed by God’, he is saying, “Give me all your problems. I surrender to the problems of this world! Let me be totally absorbed by them!” I think that, Thiruvalluvar while writing his Kural Number 625, was thinking about Rantideva! That Kural means this:- “Behold the man whose heart sinketh not even at a whole host of troubles arrayed against him: the obstacles in his path have themselves met with an obstacle!”
63. Normally what will we all ask for, given a chance? ‘Let me be happy. Let me be rich! Let me have more and more wealth! Let me get all the pleasures of this world!’ Rantideva is totally different! He says let everybody’s unhappiness come to me. Let me relieve them of all their unhappiness! Through me let all their unhappiness come to an end! I am the end of the unhappiness of this whole universe!’ Then he said one more sloka. That we will see in the next e-mail as I seem to be running out of exclamation marks!!!
(To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva.