DEIVATHIN KURAL # 80 (Vol # 3) Dated 24 April 2009

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 80 (Vol # 3) Dated 24 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 348 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.)
43. Not only when you leave the mind to it’s own confabulations, even when you are doing ‘Nama Japam’ or chanting stotra-s, given the slightest chance, it will take you far away before you know that you have been whisked away! So by mind, speech and body, (‘mano-vaak-kaayam’), are these traditional rituals to be performed, to keep the mind pegged down! By chanting the mantra-s by mouth, while mulling over the meaning of the mantras; are the activities such as Yagna, Archana and Pooja are to be done!
44. Even when you chant ‘Kesava, Narayana, Madhava, Govinda, Vishnu, Madhusudhana, Thrivikrama and so on‘, the mind is not getting involved in the greatness of God’s attributes! So the elders have ordained that while chanting the 12 names of Bhagwan Vishnu, you are to touch each part of the body and apply the sign of Naamam with thirumann. Thrivikrama measured all the three worlds with his bare feet. The same God as ‘Sweta Varaha’ the Pig lifted the earth from the primordial flood waters with his white teeth projecting forward! Wherever that white teeth touched the earth, the whitish clay known as ‘Sweta mruttika’ is to be found. The mud under the Tulasi plant is also similarly very holy. That is reverentially called the ‘thirumann’. If you use this fine clay to make the signs on your body while chanting the names of God, you will experience the humbleness of feeling, “Oh! My God Thrivikrama! That part of the earth which was sacred enough to be touched by You, is being worn as a sacred sign on my body too!”
45. As You progress in this inner path, in later stages for total concentration of Dhyanam, even these activities such as, chanting of stotram and mantram; will all be hurdles. Then these things come to a stand still on their own. For this the example is a frog. Initially the mother frog lays the eggs in water. Then the eggs hatch and tadpoles emerge. They move around in the water like fishes only. At that stage they do not have the lungs to breath in open air! They have gills through which they absorb the air dissolved in water. Then as it grows further, the gills disappear and they get lungs for breathing like other animals. Similarly as you reach the higher rungs of Dhyana, automatically all the adjuncts of chanting and archana, drop off! But at the very beginning if you start saying that there is no need for all these Mantra, Archana, Pooja, Chanting and so on, then you will neither be here nor there! All the adjuncts for Dhyana and Nishtai should drop off on their own and not ignored by your will and volition! If you say that I do not want these things; all I need is a clean mind; then you will be like the tadpole who refused the use of gills!
46. Outer signs, actions and differences have a role to play in inner cleansing towards total dropping of all separate identity, action and differences! Instead if you tell your mind to go deep into dhyanam, without 'manasa, vaacha, karmana' aids, it will either put you to sleep or make you run from pillar to post! The cleansing of mind does not happen without inner and outer discipline! Unless you pay attention to the intricate details of the ritual, how can you ever hope to achieve perfection and concentration of the mind?
47. Though some of the modern neo-religionists may say that the will only pay attention to the 'Manas Shuddhi' and not bother about the rituals, some rare individuals may be able to do so! Others will prove to be slaves of their minds and not masters! I do not have to cry hoarse about this. It is apparent to all that ever since reforms have been introduced things have only gone from bad to worse, in terms of individual and collective discipline! Only that none is ready to accept the fact.
48. Let us leave these non-believing Nastik-s! They are only small in numbers. There is a concept that not believing in God, in some way is also 'Aastikam' only! More problematic are those who claim themselves to be the Real Hindu-s! They claim that, "We have objection only to orthodoxy. We are the true interpreters of the Veda-s and it's message! We are trying to bring it out of the clutches of orthodoxy!" It is these who in the name of reform are deforming the religion! This is more painful to me! Being host to a plethora of crass desires and unfounded ambitions themselves, they further spoil the sincere efforts of others in the path. Being neither here nor there, they are responsible for deterioration of all norms. The common man in India was famous for the disciplined outlook, believing in the rule of the law of the land. It is his respectful fear of God that has been the casualty.
49. Talking of human rights all of the time, shameless selfishness has become alright! The natural humility of the common man has been lost forever! In the resultant burning social cauldron, grab as grab can has become the social dictum! Their claim that they true believers in the religion is all a facade. In the name of religion they are prompting all actions which are anti-saastraa-s! What they are preaching is actually irreligion! "No saastraa-s, no rituals, only clean minds", is the hypocrite's front!
Modern Day Superstitions.
50. Looking at the physical effects only and not caring for the the 'Adrushta Phala' of unseen salubrious effects of chanting of Mantra-s and Veda-s, many things are being discarded in the name of 'superstitions'! Having done so, these national leaders insist on everyone responding to shouts of, "Jai Hind", at the top of our voices. 'Jai Hind', means victory to India. Victory in what? Against whom? In what field? You simply shout hoarse and feel mighty thrilled!
51. Not only in our country. In all other countries too, 'faith and belief' are becoming words to be abhorred. In it's place introduce so called Reason / Logic. This has degenerated to simply shouting of "Ho! Ho!" with promptings of 'Louder, Louder!' with some gadget showing the decibel levels on the screen as it happens in Basket Ball matches in U.S. of A! After all what is a Flag? It is alright to respect the National Flag. But now every Tom, Dick and Harry of every political party of infantile policies has a Flag, which has assumed significance of Life and Death! If someone spits on the flag, he is put in jail! How has a piece of cloth obtained such symbolic significance? Now when I invoke the presence of God in a piece of statue or icon, how does this become 'Superstition'?
52. Having criticized 'Punya Kaalam and Punya Kshetram', (sacred timing and sacred place), they prefer to conduct Nastik propaganda on the birth day of Buddha or Ambedkar in a place such as Eeroad or Kanchipuram! We may celebrate a birthday of Thyagaraja in Thiruvaiyaru and Sadasiva Brhmendra in Nerur. But visit to the 'Somali's' (place of burial of Gandhi, Nehru, Anna, EVR Periyar, Ambedkar statue, MGR and so on and so on!) of their leaders before swearing -in, is a must for every politician, if he wishes to survive in power!
(To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva