DEIVATHIN KURAL # 79 (Vol # 3) Dated 22 April 2009

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 79 (Vol # 3) Dated 22 April 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 second para on page 343 of Vol 3 of the Tamil original. The readers are reminded that herein 'man/he' includes 'woman/she' too, mostly. These e-mails are all available at http://advaitham. blogspot. com constantly updated.)
33. The leaders of reform movements having separated religious virtues and moral ethical values, though have objections to the former, set very high standards for themselves of the latter! So they create a new set of traditions in the name of reform! Virtually this becomes a religion by itself, like the Sikh, Radho-Shyam and Goudiya Mutt movements to name a few! Their own followers would not be ready to accept that their leaders were reformers. Let the leader's matter be set aside. Let us now consider the followers' state of affairs!
34. Mostly the followers join these leaders for the immediate material gains and social advancement. Yes there are likely to be many sincere and ardent followers also. But the majority of the followers are more attracted by the new found liberalism. They are unlikely to have either the maturity or the commitment of their leaders. Thus there is a sudden loosening of control and discipline. They may not be bound by the earlier religious restrictions or by the later ethical value systems!
35. Once the reform leaders teach them as to how to break the religious taboos, they become enamoured of the new found liberty and develop the knack of bypassing and breaking rules. We have seen clear examples of this! Once the national leaders started asking as to why should all the rituals be conducted only in Sanskrit, the mass of India turned against the National Language of Hindi also! Having got some taste of Satyaagraha and civil-disobedience, the same tactics were applied even to worthless ideas and concepts. Then from a disciplined civil-disobedience movement, it was only a short hop to Rasta-Roko, burning of buses and trains and destruction of national property!
36. There is a story on this. The man who had lent money filed a case in the court against the man who had taken a loan from him and refused to pay much beyond the due date. The defending attorney taught the a trick to the man in debt. He told him to play as though he had gone mad and reply every question put to him with a simple, "Beb beb bey!" So, in the court that was his stock reply. The judge had to rule in favour of the man in debt! When they came out of the court, the lawyer asked him to pay the fees. His reply was, "A beb beb bey to you and another beb beb bey to your father too!"
37. Exactly similarly, having obtained some advantages like that man in debt, the followers of reforms could tell their leaders, "A beb beb bey to the rules of the saastraa-s and another beb beb bey to the rules you have created too!" On such occasions those leaders who are sincere to their cause having ticked off some mainly resort to fasting and such self abnegation to register their disapproval in people's minds. Some times this leads to political gimmicks such as party hopping of 'Ayaa Raam Gaya Raam' situations and expulsion from the party on grounds of discipline in some cases. By now there is no discipline and that leads to mutual expulsions and creation of new parties. From the religious grounds the stage has shifted to political manipulations and becomes, 'kissa kursi ka'!
38. These are all what we have practically seen in this century! But for thousands of years, this Hindu religion has withstood differences of views, opinions and conceptual ideologies! Sankyam and Meemamsam are far apart. Karma, Bakti and Gnaana Yogas are rather parallel than similar paths. But the beauty of this Hindu Religion is that there have been such great thinkers who would somehow see some inter connections, some balance and some acceptance between paths poles apart! Adwaitam and Visishtadwaitam and Dwaitam are totally different approaches. But to a Hindu the Nirguna Parabrhmam and Saguna Vishnu and Unni Krishna are equally welcome. That is how Sufi Sants and Sai Baba and Kabir Das become equally acceptable! That is how the 'nireaswara waada' (non-God movements of) Buddhism and Jainism have become acceptable to all. That is how this country of India has become the host country to diverse ethnic and religious diaspora from other countries over the centuries.
39. Most of the Hindu traditions were based on Apasthamba, Aasvalayana and such soothra-s, Manu Dharma Saastra and some Nibandana Granta-s. Whatever the difference in the subtle points of understanding, the procedural traditions have generally been the same or similar with some additions or subtractions. But the Vaidik Aachaara have mostly remained undisturbed for many thousands of years. But these reform movements of the Hindu religion of recent genre have undergone enormous changes and trans-mutations to be totally unrecognizable from their origins!
39. Those movements which came into being initially on the platform of religious reforms and then conveniently bifurcated in to the political milieu have shown utter lack of stability and undergone many transformations. This itself is clear proof of the lack of truth in their philosophy and purpose. It is the truth of their philosophies and intensity of purpose of the Saints and Rishi-s of yore that has saved and protected the Vaidik Sanatana Dharma Aachara from dissipation over thousands of years. Proof of this is evident in the fact that despite the onslaught other religions from elsewhere and so many of the so-called reform movements, Hinduism still stands firm on its own merit!
40. Even those who pay lip service to the reform ideas, inwardly remain loyal to the religious aachaara-s which is flowing in their bloods as though. The rituals that are called ‘superstitions’ outwardly, are still being followed on the quiet. I am aware of many such instances. For paying the election deposit for example, despite claiming oneself to be a rationalist, they still consult the astrologer for the right time and date!
41. Do we need the old traditional rituals of aachaara to continue or do we need the reforms? This question can be answered by simply looking at one statistic. What was the condition in this country when it was supposed to be superstitious, and after all the enlightenment of reforms, in terms of social indiscipline, corruption, bribery, fraud, murder and prostitution? If this is our reformed condition, we may as well have been better off with our old blind beliefs!
42. Many of the traditional rituals are set aside by the reformers on one simple logic. They ask, "You are interested in the 'cleansing of heart and mind'. What is the need for rituals and formalities for this?" Here is the crux of the problem. To oscillate between all grades of selfishness and aggrandizement is the in the nature of the mind. Very rarely, one in ten million will have the mind in control directed towards the goodness of all. Rest of the people can hope for 'manas shuddhi', only when it is completely handed over to the Guru or God and involved in 'aachaara anushtaanam and paropakaaram'! That is the value of Hindu dharma aachaara Anushtaanaa-s!
(To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva.