DEIVATHIN KURAL # 89 (Vol # 3) Dated 19 May 2009

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 89 (Vol # 3) Dated 19 May 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 393 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.)

128. Aachaara inculcates discipline. It is wrong to think of traditional rituals of Aachaara as an outer activity only. It cultivates the most noble attitudes and mental control. Once your intentions are orderly and attitude and behavior are disciplined, you attain exceptional powers. Not only that individual controls his own nature, he starts controlling others' and the environment's nature too! When the Brahmin observes his Adhyayana Aachaara, for that reason itself, there will be one of the three rains per month, says a Tamil Proverb:- "...vedam odiya vediyarku ore mazhai...".

129. Similarly for the women who remain faithful to their husband, there will be one rain:- "...maadar karpudai mangaiyarku ore mazhai...". The same message is given by Thiru Valluvar's Thirukkural (much acceptable to the 'Paguthu Arivaalar Iyakkam', one of the so called reform movements of the Tamil speaking world), too. Thiruvalluvar says, "The woman who does not adore and revere God, but adores and reveres her husband, has the power to cause the rain fall, whenever she orders so!" I quote:- "deivam thozhaal kozhunar thozhudu-ezhuvaal, peyuenap-peyyum mazhai". The King who rules without failing in justice, also has this power to cause the rain fall! I quote:- "...needhi mannar neriyinarkku ore mazhai...". On the flip side, if these people are undisciplined, the brahmin, the wife and the king; the Mother Nature is bound to misbehave!

130. Valluvar himself says that is the king fails in his duty of impartial justice, others will also forget their discipline. The brahmin will forget his Aachaara of Veda Adhyayana- "...aru thozhilor nool marappar...". If one link in the chain goes off track, the train will derail. Similarly the in the society too, indiscipline in one sector affects the discipline in other sectors too. Not only that! When the king fails in his duty, says the Divine Poet Thiruvalluvar, 'the availability of milk in the market will be affected'. I quote, "...aaa payan kunrum...". Your common sense logic of 'paguthu aridal', that is, 'inference by differentiation' will not work here.

131. Even the immutable, inviolable natural forces are subservient to the mind of a disciplined human being. The One God's expression of Dharma is the outer manifestation of discipline in Nature and inner manifestation of the discipline of the human mind. In this whole set up, it is only the human mind which can knowingly bring the divine ambience palpable by its disciplined orderly conduct! No other form of living and non-living beings, ( animate and inanimate ), can do this. That is why, it is said that even the divine beings have to go through the human form eventually for their own sublimation. Possibly the word 'emancipation' came into being, for that sole reason! It is only with that divine power of God that, man could control the outer natural forces of the physical, chemical, organic, inorganic, micro and macro world!

132. It is discipline that keeps the Sun Moon, Planets, Stars and the inter play of their gravitational forces in an order. Not only physics, only when the 'Manas' is in order, these forces will remain under control. When the 'Manas' is not in order, then there will be aberrations in the outer nature of the world says 'saraka samhitai' of Ayur Veda!

133. We see many wonderfully remarkable occurrences done by highly disciplined beings, in the stories depicted in the Puranas. Like the faithful wife who has the power to order the rain to fall, Kannagi as the 'Queen of Faithfulness', order the fire to pounce on the whole city of Madurai, to avenge the unfair killing of her husband Kovalan! In the same city of Madurai, when 'Samana-s' torched the building in which Thiru Gnaana Sambandar was staying, he could not only escape but could direct the fire to punish the Pandya King, for abetting the arson! The Pandya King was afflicted by 'Veppu Noi', possibly of high fever! That was only to retrieve the King back in to mainstream as a devotee of Siva.

134. Newton's Law says that 'action and reaction are equal and opposite. This law is a finding by Re-search by Newton (and not his creation!) A law that was already existing as a part of the theory of Karma! Let me explain. Not only actions have that effect. Even thoughts have that effect. In addition one has to take into consideration the power of a disciplined mind over other minds and the forces of Nature. Thus Karma theory is equally applicable in the mental, metaphysical and physical plane. A part of that, knowingly or unknowingly, has been identified by Newton as applicable in the physical plane.

135. A point for correct understanding here. 'Reaction is equal and opposite' is not to be understood as qualitatively opposite but only in direction. When you throw a ball against a wall, the ball comes back with the same force but in the opposite direction. But if you throw a ball, you cannot expect a flower bouquet in return! Your good thoughts will generate favourable responses. You reap what you sow. Your unconditional love will generate good will. You cannot do a sinful act and expect to benefit. That is the Law of Paapa (sinful acts) and Punya (meritorious acts), which remains applicable now and forever!

136. If this Nature was simply a physical phenomena, the Sun would have cooled down to inertness many millions of years back say the scientists! Somehow the heat continues to be generated from inside the Sun. There are many guesses being forwarded as postulates for this. The oldest postulate is that it is the power of God or Easwara. It is this power that for the universal Dharma continues to nurture Sun with undiminishing heat. Though the scientists may carry on raising questions and finding answers for that, they will finally arrive at the question of 'origin' of the Universe, the blind end. There are some greats like Einstein who call it the power of God with all their reverence and humility. Man's discipline of mind, thoughts and action or the lack of it; is yet another aspect of the same divine power and order.

137. In Vishnu Sahasranama Phala Sruthi, it is beautifully brought out that, the order of the inanimate world and the order of human nature are both held up by or borne by the power of Dharma. The way the stars, planets and galaxies are held up in their places in space; the way the oceans are held without spilling over from the round earth; the way the Directions are held in space without any reference point; is all by the subtle power of the God who is of the form of Dharma, the Rightness of things! "dyough: sa chandra-arka-nakshatra: kam disho bhoor-mahodadih: I vasudevasya veeryena vidrutaani mahaatmana: II"

138. Having said that it is the vitality of Vasudeva which is holding all this in place in space, it goes on to say that, this man who is of the animate Chaitanya Prapancham, his senses, mind, intelligence, character, liveliness, strength, bravery, the physical being that is the 'kshetra' and the indwelling 'kshetragna' the Atma; are all of the form of Vasudeva. "indriyaani mano bhuddhi: sat-tvam tejo bhalam dhruti: I vasudevaatmakaan-yaahu: kshetram kshetragna eva cha II". So it is all of the form of God, inside and outside, here there and everywhere, both animate and inanimate, then, now and forever!

139. Even the seemingly lifeless, inanimate and inert materials of this world and universe, are all inter connected and tied up in the path of Dharma by the power of God. At the top of the animate world of living things are the human beings, who have a mind of their own with freedom and option to do good or bad. The most important point in this is the fact that, Man has the option to successively correct and discipline and ennoble himself. In that the helpful adjuncts are the Saastraa-s. In them the Aachaara-s are the foremost. That sloka is like a full stop to the series of talks on Aachaara that I have been giving in the past few days:- "sarvaagamaanaam aachaara: pratamam parikalpate I Aachaara-prabhavo dharmo dharmasya prabhur-achyuta: II" , For all the Aagamaa-s, that is the Saastraa-s, the first step is the discipline of Aachaara, from which Dharmam evolves. The Lord of Dharma is Achyutam the God. Achyuta means the static and steady basis of all existence. Everything else can move, change, metamorphose, transform and vary only when there is one thing at least remains without variation! That is Achyuta.

140. Thus the universe of living beings and non-living things have been systematically coalesced in to uniformity of oneness, through the discipline of Aachaara. Through Aachaara, our individual life, family life, social life and the existence of all animate beings and inanimate things; are to get cohesiveness! However much modern you may get, you cannot undo or undermine the value of discipline in all our dealings with each other, other living beings and seemingly lifeless material world! That is Dharma inculcated by the Aacharaa-s. May that God Vasudeva, Achyuta grant us that.

Sambhomahadeva.