DEIVATHIN KURAL # 94 (Vol # 3) Dated 01 June 2009

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 94 (Vol # 3) Dated 01 June 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 429 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.)
50. Some Exceptions. There have been some great saints who transgressed all existing norms of their times, without being aware of doing so. Their authority was their ‘uncommon inner experience’, which brooked no opposition! We cannot take them as role models. Neither can we delude ourselves to have reached their stage of maturity. Based on their ‘uncommon inner experience’, there have been some who simply did not know as to how to argue out their principled stand point of view. But they have gone ahead with their nonchalant behavior uncaring for any social or family norms.
51. Mira Bai amongst the Rajputs who used to be devotees of Chandika, is a case in point. She was a Krishna devotee of an exceptional order. Rajput women were famous for their very high devotion to their husbands. ‘Sati’ as a custom evolved amongst them that, when their menfolk fought against the muslim hoards, they used to walk into the funeral pyre of their husbands, without any hesitation whatsoever! Having come from such a background, Mira Bai had the temerity to not only go against her husband's wishes, but declared herself to be the wife of Giri Dhar Gopal only. In that ‘Turiya’ bhava, she has sung so many songs of love for her Krishna Kanhaia of exceptional literary merit that could create a mass movement of Bhakti. Any and all the efforts on the part of conservative Rajput royalty was of no avail, in diffusing the situation. She was administered poison on orders of Rana, her husband. She laughingly consumed that also and continued her singing! The poison had no effect on her. The point to uderstand here is that, she did not do it as a challenge. She did not pray to her beloved Gopal to save her from the poison either. She was in such a state of high elation out of her devotion that she was not even aware that she is being done away with. It was later that she became aware of the fact. By that time she was also aware that none of these things could hurt her!
52. There were also some Mahatmaa-s who could understand deep and subtle philosophical concepts and had the capability to argue their point of view in a debate. They also were well established in the supreme state of 'Atma Anubhava of Tureeya!' There have been cases of such people going against their Kula Aachaara to which they were born! There was one Hara Datta Sivachariyar a well known Siva Bhakta. He was born as a Vaishnavite in Kanjanur. He proved his Siva Bhakti by holding in his bare hands a red hot iron 'Mazhu' a weapon said to be held by Siva in His hnads! Similarly there was one Thiru Mazhisai Aazhvar, one of the 12 famous Vishnu devotees known as Azhvar-s. Earlier he was known as an ardent Siva Bhakta called 'Siva Vakkiya Siddhar'! These are not the rule but only exceptions We cannot take them as examples.
53. There was one Kumarila Bhattar. ( KTSV adds:- You have all read about him in the first volume of Deivathin Kural, as one of the incarnations of Muruga, the second son of Siva and Parvathi. Adi Sankara won over him in debate, in proving the ascendency of Bhakti and Gnaana Marga over Karma Kandam. Prior to that, Kumarila Bhatta in his turn had established the ascendency of Vedic Sanatana Dharma over Buddhism, there by contributing in the work of Adi Sankara in re-establishment of cohesiveness within the Hindu religion!) For a period he was a Bhikku in a Buddha Vihara, when he was trying to learn their concepts and methods. He was said to have been doing his Nitya Karma Anushtana on the quiet in secret!
54. 'Koon Pandyan' was known by that name as he had a bent back. From being a Hindu Siva Devotee, he had embraced the 'Samana Matam' that is, Jainism as it used to be known in Tamil Nadu those days. His wife Mangaiyarku Arasi and Minister Kula Chiraiyar, used to remain devotees of Siva. They used to apply the Vibhuti on their bodies under their clothing, in secret. Though fully convinced of their belief in the Hinduism, they had to make a show as though they had also embraced the Jainism. Later they were responsible for inviting Thiru Gnaana Sambandar to visit Madurai and defeat the Jains in 'Anal Vaadam and Punal Vadam'. The Pandya King was rid of his disease of high fever knwon as 'Veppu Noi' and was also cured of the bent back. Thus he returned to the fold of the Hindu religion. That was the cause for the Hindu religion's revival in South India! The King from 'Koon Pandyan' became 'Ninra Seer Nedumaran', to mean the 'The Tall Long Maran who stood up!' The King, his minister Kulachiraiyar and the Queen Mangaiyarku Arasi; all three were revered as 'Nayanmar-s' to become famous as part of the 63 All Time Great Siva Devotees!
55. Evidently they were all far ahead of us in their level of maturity and devotion. Kumarila Bhattar had left his Kula Aachara for the purpose of learning all the concepts and subtle ideas of the Buddhists, to be able to defeat them in debates later! His aim was to re-establish his Kula Aachaara more firmly in the minds of the general masses. Despite that, He an Avatara of the very Subrahmanya Swami, considered his action of duping the Buddhists as a punishable sin, and so arranged to immolate Himself by surrounding his body with burning rice husk! A slow excrutiating death! He demonstrated by example as to how, 'one becomes a patitan by reneging one's kula Aachaara'! That is a lesson for us to carry home. Similarly the Queen of 'Koon Pandyan' demonstrated how a wife should abide with her husbands wishes, instead of openly defying him, despite her deep inner convictions of Siva Bhakti!
56. The Duty of the Faithful. As faithful followers of the religion, we should abide with the traditional activities of that family in which we are born. Even if we believe in the Siddhanta of another sub-division of the Vedic Religion, out wardly we should abide with the Aachaara-s as being followed with in our Kula and Family. This is important for the sake of discipline and the purpose of Chitta Shuddhi, which is well served still. Inwardly we could silently be a Muruga Bhakta or Hunumath Devotee or Ayyappa Follower. If our devotion is deep rooted enough, there will be occassion for open declaration of our convictions later, as done by Kumarila Bhattar and Mangaiyark Arasi.
57. The only objection to this can be one of what is seeming hipocracy. But the point is in the intensions. If the aim was selfishness and self aggrandisement at somebody else's cost, then the objection can stick! If we favour some one while causing disadvantage to some one else, then our action is sinful! Neither are we being cause for other's indiscipline. The point is that as far as possible, we should stick to the Kula Aachaaraa-s.
58. What we should all watch out for is that already there is a lot of indiscipline in the name of being liberal and not orthodox. Things are in a downward trend in the matter of religious tradition and following of rules and taboos. We should not become cause for further deterioration in discipline. So, to follow our traditional Aachaaraa-s should be our committment, with the clarity that God in whatever form will grant us His Grace, eventually if for nothing else but, atleast for our sincerity and good intentions!
Sambhomahadeva.