DEIVATHIN KURAL # 162 (Vol #3) Dated 13 Dec 2009.

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 162 (Vol #3) Dated 13 Dec 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 No 745 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://Advaitam. blogspot. com constantly updated.)

42. Of the 100 sloka-s of Soundarya Lahari, each of them are known to have the curative power against many a disease and mis-fortune. While composing the ‘Narayaneeyam’, Narayana Bhattadri had a humanly incurable disease of the stomach. As he composed his songs he was sitting in the outer periphery of the sanctum sanctorum, directly leaning to the side and looking in to the Idol of ‘chinna krishna’. Krishna was giving his approval of each song by nodding his head. At the end of his ‘magnum opus’ Narayana Bhattadri had no stomach pain and he was fully cured of whatever was the disease. So chanting of Narayaneeyam is also used as a curative.

43. From the collection of songs sung by Arunagiri Nathar, collectively known as Thiruppugazh, there is a song starting with the words, ‘irumalu roga muyalagan vaada...’, which is used as a panacea for all types of illnesses. Sambanda Murthy Swamigal cured Koon Pandyan, the King of Madurai of his fever and bent back, by singing ‘Thiru neer padigam’. This song is also used as a cure all, by being sung a number of times. While these sloka-s or songs are repeated a number of times, an effort is made to instil the power of such chanting in water or vibhuti, honey or milk, by either the sick person or someone else on their behalf and a drop of that water or honey or milk is partaken or the vibhuti applied to the fore head. Gayatri known as the top most of all mantra-s, is also used this way.

44. Vibhuti has some special power in this respect. In the colloquial it is called the ‘thunnooru’, though the Tamil word for that is, ‘Thiru Neeru’. We notice that the village folks receive this with reverence and apply it on their body and put some of it in their mouth too! Adi Sankara Bhagawat Paadaal has sung the ‘Subhrahmanya Bhujangam’ in which the 25 th sloka talks of the vibhuti obtained at the Subrahmanya temple at Thiruchendur, having the power to cure all types of diseases! ‘That vibhuti has the power to cure by being seen for a fraction of a second,’ he says. There is no need to swallow it or apply it on the fore head, “vilokya kshanaat”, fits, fever, all types of incurable diseases, insanity, leprosy and mischief by supra normal spirits, will all vanish. It is said that the Moolavar Statue in Palani temple is made of a hardened material of extracts of herbs. So the Abhisheka Teertam has all the power of a curative. Similarly, the oil that has been anointed on the Guruvayurappan known as Guruvayoor Thailam, Thiruchoor Nei that is Ghee that has been applied on the Sivalingam at Thiruchoor, and many more such divine prasadam-s from many other temples, are said to have such powers.

45. You make a prayer to Venkata Ramana Swamy Balaji at Thirupati that, ‘you will come walking up the foot path route’ or ‘do anga pradakshinam in the temple praharam’ or ‘present a mangalyam’ or ‘conduct the marriage ceremony of Balaji with Padmawaty Ammawaru’; presto any and every long standing problem or disease disappears! Parameswara the Siva too, cures us of not only the disease named ‘this worldly life’, but also any and every other disease too! He is known as ‘Vaidya Natha Swamy’ in Vaitheeswaran Koil, as the Doctor of all Doctors! As a tradition, the devotee is required to dissolve some salt or jaggery in the temple pond, for solving of whatever the problem!

46. You take a clutch each of Bilva (belladonna) leaves lovingly offered to Siva, Tulasi (holy basil) leaves offered to Vishnu and the bitter Neem leaves (Veppilai in Tamil) that is the favourite of Ambal and eat it every day, to be impervious to all sorts of diseases and infections! Even the wind blowing through a Neem tree is said to be capable of cleansing the blood in the human body and removes infections of the uterus and the womb. Similarly Arasa Maram is also known to have curative qualities. It has been an age old custom in India to plant a Neem Tree and Arasa Tree close to each other and conduct a symbolic marriage of the two. Those who have no children, even after years of being married, should perambulate around the tree-couple, to get in the family way, is the advice of a Naattu Vaidyar in a book that I have read!

47. The waving of lit agar bathie (incense sticks) and burning of camphor in Pooja-s and use of cow’s dung to spread and smear the floors in mud houses; are all done not only as a ritual but with an additional purpose of disinfecting the surroundings as a preventive against diseases. More than all this, with unshakeable trust in God and destiny that come what may, whatever happens, however the way it happens, is taken as the best for oneself, it becomes a positive input into the system! Then your resilience becomes so powerful that you do not go under but, overcome any and every disease! In this the mantra-s (not mentioned in Ayur Veda), the mani, oushadi from herbs, neem, arasa maram, cow dung are all included.

Ayur Veda and Religious Practices.

48. Ayur Veda considered as a medical science is not so much part of Hindu Religion. However, as compared to Allopathy and Unani disciplines, it is not far away from gnostic ideas either! The dictum that ‘an agnostic is not to be treated by this method’, itself is a proof of what I am saying. All treatment in this method is to be done only after invoking God’s blessing. Especially we take the name of Dhanvantri, (the Avatara of Maha Vishnu who brought out the Amirta Kalasam from the ocean of milk,) before studying and practicing this discipline.

49. More over, amongst the Upaveda-s, Ayur Vedam is generally free of any contradiction or deviation from what is given in Saastraa-s. If you take the Allopathy and Unaani, amongst the medicines and methods, there are many details totally unacceptable to our aachaaraa-s and saastraa-s. Normally in Ayur Vedic preparations you will rarely find any forbidden item being made use of, except for possibly garlic being used in some preparations, that too only rarely. Even when they do so, it has to be immediately followed up by some rituals of expiation such as, ‘prayaschittam and punyaha vaachanam’ and so on. Those who are sticking to gnostic views, better refrain from shifting to the Allopathic treatment as far as possible.

50. Ayurveda takes time to become effective, while other methods are fast acting, they say. But the fact remains that Ayurveda though may be slow acting, it is effective enough to go to the root of the problem and remove the cause for the disease. People who are qualified in both, clearly say that Allopathy does not go so far in to the diagnosis and its alleviation effect is rather temporary. Then there are more after effects and side effects, which are not there in Ayurveda. Initially it may activate some dormant problems, which would be cured as the treatment continues.

51. This Ayurveda as a Vaidya Saastra, has to be in tune with the Veda Saastraa-s. As I said quite clearly earlier, yes, it is important to protect and save this human body for obvious reasons. But protection of this physical body is not to be at the cost of letting go of the rules and restrictions of the Sruti, Smruti and Dharma Saastraa-s. To do so is agnostic and so forbidden

(To be continued.)

Sambhomahadeva.