DEIVATHIN KURAL # 59 (Vol # 3) Dated 28 Feb 2009

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 59 (Vol # 3) Dated 28 Feb 2009
(These e-mails are translations of talks given by Periyaval of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, over a period of some 60 years while he was the pontiff in the earlier part of last century. These have been published 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 258 of Vol 3 of the Tamil original. The readers are reminded that herein 'man/he' includes 'woman/she' too, mostly.) (Note:- These e-mails are all available at http://advaitham.blogspot.com constantly updated.)
436. When Sage Vyasa had completed the writing of all the 18 Puranas, his disciples requested him to give the gist of those Puranas in a few sloka-s for easy memorization. "Why do I need a few sloka-s for that? I will give you the gist of not only those 18 Purana-s but, all that ever has been said or written in crores of Saastra-s in half a sloka", he said in the first part of the Sanskrit sloka, I Quote, "slokaardhena pravakshyaami yaduktam granta kotishu I ". In the second half of the sloka he said, "paropakaara: punyaaya, paapaaya parapeetanam II."
437. For all the crores of religious books on Saastraas, the highest philosophy is this:- "If you are desirous of earning Punyam(holy merits), do paropakaaram. If you wish to amass Paapam(sinful demerits),do such things that would hurt others." Our whole Hindu religion is about identifying what is Paapam and obviate that and identifying what is Punyam and doing it at all costs. The foremost authority in our religion is Vyasa Acharya, who collected, collated and serialized all our Veda-s into four parts of Rig, Yajur, Saama and Atharva Veda-s, wrote 18 Puranas and 18 Upa Puranas, Maha Bharata, Bhagavatam and Brhma Sutra; says that helping others (para + upakaaram) is Punyam and hurting others (para + apakaaram) is Paapam; the minimum that we can do is to, sit up and take notice! So, there is no chance to discuss whether there is place for Social Service in our Religion or not!
438. Though without knowing the facts some people say that our religion contains a lot about individual improvement and ennoblement, and not much about taking care of others, there is a point to be noted here. Unless a man attains to a certain degree of self improvement in terms of morality and discipline, there is no chance for his actions to be useful in social service for the public at large! Then it is his spiritual power of 'Atma Shakti' that will enable him to do effective social service, further ennobling him. So these two, individual and social efforts of empowerment go hand in hand, mutually complimenting each other. That is how it has been evolved in our religion!
439. Adi Sankara, our Acharyal who reawakened and rejuvenated the whole of Hindu Religion in the entire Indian sub-continent, has given us in the question and answer format, a book called, 'Prasnottara Ratna Maalika'. There is one question that occurs there, "kim manujeshu ishta tamam?", meaning, 'what is most desirable for man?' His answer is, "swa para hitaaya udhyatam janma", meaning that, 'we are born as humans to persevere for personal and social welfare!' There can be no room left for any doubt as to the importance of Social Service in our Religion!
440. In the same treatise in another place he says, the good are equivalent to the rays of the moon. The rays of the moon has a cooling effect after the hot Sunlight has done its job of heating up the whole planet. For this the Moon is not required to take any special effort. Its cooling effect is natural. Similarly, the good Samaritans (‘sajjan’ in Sanskrit,) do not have to go out of their way to be of use to the society. They do not have to make an effort to do service to others. Neither do they have to publicize the same. They just have to be themselves naturally. That will prove to be of much help to the general public automatically! The same idea is reflected when he describes the character qualities of the very supremely peaceful ‘Mahatma-s’ of this world, in Viveka Chudamani. There instead of likening them to the effects of ‘rays of the moon’, he likens them to the effect of the ‘spring season’!
441. “...vasantavat loka hitam charanta:...”, meaning that, such people breeze through the world imparting benefits galore all around. Do you see the spring season? At least the moon is seen. You only see the effects of the Spring Season! There is a pleasant breeze. Flowers bloom, especially the jasmine flower spreading its fragrance all around. All the trees which had dropped their leaves in the fall season of ‘Sisir Ritu’, now show the green flag of fresh green tendrils and sprouts, to the Spring Season. Similarly, the person who has realized his oneness with all that seemingly exists, knows also that none of these things are real! So, it is like an air-tight entity in which there are no You, Me or any one else! So, there is no chance whatsoever for anyone to do anything else to anybody! But as long as you attain to total reality, you by nature, by just being a realized soul, do good to others, like the moon light and or the Spring Season ! Without any intension on his part, sans deliberation, sans volition, goodness happens because of him, the realized soul! Adi Sankara, our Acharyal who demonstrated such a life, is actually talking about himself without being conscious of doing so!
442. "Generally there is no chance for Paropakaaram in Hindu Religion. That too, within that religion, Adwaitam is such a part which maintains that, 'there is no reality to the world or anybody else other than the Atma'. In such a situation, there is no scope for Paropakaaram as who is anybody else?" Even if such was the charge leveled against it, Adi Sankara as the Adwaita Acharyal is saying that such a man who has attained to Adwaita Siddhi will be roaming around the world for the sake of the world and not for himself!
443. Lord Sri Krishna and so many of the Jeevan Mukta-s like Janaka, who have no work to do of their own, are still very active for the sake of 'Loka Sangraha' only, He says in Bhagawat Gita. 'Loka Sangraha' means to guide this world lovingly towards betterment. Such people have no more achievements yet to be made or aspired for but, themselves the aims to be reached. Still they are ever active incessantly as 'pointers and examples' to be followed and emulated! This is exactly what our Acharyal says when asking 'kim saadhyam?' to mean, 'what is to be achieved?' and answering 'bhoota hitam' to mean,' to do the needful for the living beings'.
444. Our Adwaita Acharyal advised Paropakaaram only to the well established human beings in the higher rungs of the society. For the common man still enroute, he only says, "...be happy with what you earn and if you use that sensibly in the ways of dharma you could ennoble yourself...". He goes on to say, "...sing the Gita and Sahasranaama, do dhyanam on God's roopa, involve your mind in the teachings and company of great saints and give money to the poor people...":- geyam gita naama sahasram dyeyam sripati roopam ajasram I neyam sajjana sange chittam deyam deena janaaya cha vittam II
445. So, Veda Dharmam and even Adwaitam, (which holds the world in all its manifestations to be only imaginary Maya), requires that, all the actions for spiritual attainments should go hand in hand with actions for social welfare and for the benefit of all human beings and other life forms too! That is the way of our elders and forefathers. We should simply follow their guide lines and look at all life forms animate and seemingly inanimate as expressions of the same divinity and do our bit for the welfare of all! "...sarve janaa: sukhino bhavantu I lokaa: samastaa: sukhino bhavantu II ..."
Sambhomahadeva.