DEIVATHIN KURAL # 122 (Vol #3) Dated 31 August 2009.

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 122 (Vol #3) Dated 31 August 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 the 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 page 536 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.)

241. Thus when the children are initiated in to the ideas of early morning bath, madi, adhyayanam, learning the sloka-s in Tamil and Sanskrit, singing of Bhajan songs and visit to temples, automatically bad habits will remain at arm's length. When you tell them, "do not go here or do not do this or do not eat such and such", the general tendency is to do the forbidden! Once you start the child in good Aachaaraa-s, bad habits will be avoided. Even if they show a tendency to go astray, others already deeply mired in such habits are likely to tell him nudgingly to get back. Discipline has to be inculcated by rote and not by instructions!

242. What we said about children is equally applicable to grown ups too! They should also stop going about to tennis court, billiards room, bar, cinema, bridge and rummy. Instead they should make an effort to learn about the Veda-s, Saastraa-s and Purana-s and practice the Aachaaraa-s as far as possible. At the least after retirement from service, instead of looking for extension, re-employment and starting ones own business, they should start living strictly by the Saastraa-s and Aachaaraa-s, so as to find one's real moorings, as well as be a role model for others!

243. We should not be afraid that living by the Saastraa-s would mean too much of discipline and control. Claiming ourselves to be in a world of Freedom and Free-will, cutting off all our moorings, what have we achieved? Like the occasional bright spots under a tree whose leaves are not letting the sun's rays through; under eternal pressure of unknown fears and risks of a variety of possible diseases and expenditure, we experience flashes of thrill and cheap pleasure, by this so called freedom of ours. This freedom, scientific discoveries and material advancement, have not been able to take us any closer to the real peace or bliss. Do these freedom and scientific discoveries have the power to identify the reasons and cause for sorrow in this world? They do not go to the core of the problem but, only keep increasing the disparities and emphasizing the greed for more! Can they undo the damages that they are creating on this earth, in the atmosphere, in the outer environment and more so in the inner world of ours?

244. Now let us look back to our elders. They could cut down on their sins, lessen the sorrows and increase the wholesomeness and contentedness of their lives, by following the behavioural patterns i.e., aachaaraa-s that they evolved! We can say with certainty that our fore fathers, in this country, lived a life of plenty, satisfaction and bliss of artistic, altruistic and cultural achievements. More than the greatness of monuments, it is their achievements in the fields of arts, fine-arts, literature, dance, drama and especially philosophy, that bears out the truth of my statement. More than all, it is the message of universal love borne out by the Veda-s, Sruti-s and Smruti-s, that sets this Sanatana Dharma of Hinduism apart! If you mull over this deeply, you will realize that, this freedom of thought, speech and action are actually the binding factors that prevent us from moving towards real freedom and keeps us tied down in sins and sorrows!

245. Similarly, the Saastraa-s which seemed to be very restrictive, in reality are the gateways for the Heaven! They are restrictions paving the way for real independence. There used to be some Gipsy artists called, 'thombak koothaadi'! 'Sthambam' in Sanskrit is a pillar. This man used to be tied with many ropes with many knots. They will cover him with a screen for a Ssplit second. With in that he will be rid of his binding ropes and will be seen to be free! Not only that, within another split second, he will be seen to be tied again to another pillar with all the knots!

246. He knew such a trick. First time when he is tied, he will keep his body, hands and legs in an expanded posture. The moment the screen is on, he will shrink his body, to let all the ropes fall to the ground. The process is reversed for the second part of the show. As the knots loosen when the body is shrunk, by shrinking our huge Ego, all the binding ties of life are loosened. Saastraa-s tie us up from above. As we mature in self discipline, these ties will be seen to be enabling us to shrink our Egos. It is our 'ahankaaraa'/arrogance/conceit(expanded posture), that is the cause for binding knots. The Aachaaraa-s are the tightening ropes over them, enabling us to loosen the inner Ego(shrunk posture)! Then all the ties will be apparently no more binding and we will be really free of all the ties! That is the 'atma swatantram' i.e., real inner freedom!

247. Call it the Path of Karma or Bhakti or Gnaana or Yoga, all the approaches are meant to control this mind of ours and take us to 'mano naasa:', that is, mindlessness! So what ever the restrictions by any of the approaches, have to be done strictly as per the Saastraa-s. Not only Pooja-s and other ceremonial procedures, starting from brushing the teeth and bathing in the morning, to going to sleep in the night, if all our activities are as per the Saastraa-s, by the dint of rote, the mind will be annulled to surrender. Instead of going astray while being unaware of it, we will come to the right path, equally unaware of mastering the mind, in the process.

248. Aachaaraa-s help in thrift, is a point that comes up here again. All our unnecessary expenses are due to catering for the multi various small and big desires of the mind. The taste buds on the tongue are the rogues, which inspire you to eat all sorts of things. If that was one sense, think of what can be the effect when all the five senses are pulling us in all directions, for more and more exotic sights, smells, sounds, taste and touch! So, to satisfy those desires, we get ready to take up any profession, role or work, in any place, in this country or anywhere, however much it may be against the observance of the Aacharaa-s. How does it matter whether you are working under the fisheries department in India or under Kentucky Fried Chicken in US of A? "Oh God, it is not correct for us to be eating this; it is a sin to be doing this". With such thoughts, if we look in to the Saastraa-s and cut down on the desires of the mind, we will automatically cut down on our expenses. Within the locality, we will lead a life of absolute simplicity. The mind relieved of all its pre-varications, would be able to concentrate on more important and more nobler pursuits. When unnecessary wasteful expenditure of time and resources are cut, that would enable us to spend all the time in 'Atma Vichara'! For variety and variation, one could always visit places of religious merit. When we visit such places with other devotees, that will give us greater pleasures than any other type of entertainment. Bhajans, Hirakata Kalatshepam and Utsava-s in Temples and such activities will certainly give qualitatively far superior pleasure and satisfaction than all the cinemas and clubs!

(To be continued.)

Sambhomahadeva.