DEIVATHIN KURAL # 175 (Vol #3) Dated 13 Jan 2010.

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 175 (Vol #3) Dated 13 Jan 2010.
(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 the middle of page No 803 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.)

27. As I was saying, in Nrutyam, there is only movements of the body parts to the accompaniment of the 'Jati Swara-s', which evokes a sense of beauty, without touching on emotions, as there is no music, no song with meaning and no facial expressions. The very movement of the body parts has that effect. In Kathakali, more prevalent in Kerala, we see a contrast to the Nrutyam. In it without a word being spoken, the dancer would only convey all the meanings through slight movements of hands, legs, lips, eye brows and eyes. The body parts would hardly move as they would be heavily made up as though in straight jackets! They will speak through the eyes and eye brows! They will convey a story that is a 'Katha', through dance that is a 'Kali', making it 'Kathakali'.

28. In Tamil, we mean happiness, by the word 'KaLi'. (Please note that 'Kaali' is the name for Durga Maata Ambal or Mother Goddess, not to be confused with this word, 'KaLi‘.) Dancing with happiness is 'Kalikkoothu'. That is why the 'Ambalak Koothan' the cosmic dancer is revered by a sweet neivedyam of 'KaLi' on the day of 'Arudra' star. To express the 'mano bhaava' through words in a song, through movements of the body in dance and create an atmosphere of thrill and beauty; or without any 'mano bhava' being expressed, to convey a sense of beauty through the nuances of the Raaga and Taala and Swaraa-s; is all a celebration of beauty and our appreciation of it! The aim is to take the participant and the observer, nearer the inner Self, forgetting the world of business at least for a short period of time!
29. The flow of the sound of the beat is called 'Laya', do you know why? It is so called because of it's power to completely absorb you in it's flow, without any other thought whatsoever! When the percussion instrument 'Mrudang', the 'mrudu + ang' is played on, it can do the same! So does 'sruthi' the basic 'saa paa saa' sound repeating itself when the 'Taanpura or tambur' is sounded. You can have the same experience of 'laya', when you hear 'raaga aalaapanaa' of any raaga, without even the help of the song, which is yet to be sung! Like the colours of the rainbow and or flowers, the 'atma aanandam' is felt on such occasions, when you forget the world and are truly in your self, in your element. The one who gives that happiness then is your own self, or Atma or God, who else? So all this beauty of the art, all this soundaryam and maduryam is your real swaroopa, is your real self, which you are able to experience, those few moments! So it is all closely intimately in-sourced!

30. The basis of all beauty in and out of this world is all 'Easwara' or God only! Our Adi Sankara Bhagawat Paadaal calls the flow of beauty from Ambal as 'soundarya lahiri'! That is why one look at the evening sky sends us into raptures, that is if you have the time and inclination to do so and not otherwise preoccupied! A look at a flower can make you forget all your worries. When you hear cuckoo calling in the early morning of a spring or see a peacock dancing welcoming the rains, it touches the core of your heart, thrilling you. As I said before, a Raaga Aalaapanaa, (even when heard from a distance, no need for words or the accompanying music,) can do wonders to your mood. Your happiness will stop your world for a split second and bring tears to your eyes!

31 Just think of the sound of Krishna's flute, floating in the breeze can make you melt with a clean, sacred peacefulness. That something is divinity in a form recognizable by the being! Looking at the ice covered slopes of Himalaya-s, you can feel the chillness in your bones with a pleasure that comes of being one with nature at its purest. To see Taj Mahal in the full moon light, people from all over the world visit India, because the divine beauty of the Taj Mahal has that apparent serenity.
32. In the end of Vibhuti Yoga, in Bhagawat Gita, Sri Krishna says, 'Vibhuti' is the defining quality of 'Vibhu' that is all pervasiveness. The whole universe can be defined by the word, 'charaacharam', that is, 'chara + achara' of 'mobile and immobile' things. He says that in this whole world of static and moving things, there is not a single iota of existence other than me! "na tad asti vinaa yat syaan-mayaa bootam charaacharam". Those who are aware, know that there is nothing not permeated by divinity! They are known as 'Gnani-s'. They know that behind all, stone and sand; good and bad; positive and negative; ugly and beauty; the reality is God. They know that behind all triplets of seer, seen and sight; knower, known and knowledge; the truth is only Him!

33. In Vibhuti Yoga, he lists all those things that are rather famous for some reason or the other. You know that for every single Lata Mangeshkar known for her singing, there are thousands of equally great voices that are never heard. For every single Taj Mahal known for its architectural beauty, there are thousands of such wonders unknown to people, all over India. In answer to Arjuna's question 'how am I to recognize your presence?', Bhagawan gives this reply, as given in the subsequent paragraphs'!

34. "Intellect, wisdom, non-delusion, forgiveness, truth, self-restraint, calmness, happiness, pain, birth, existence or being, non- existence or death, fear and fearlessness, non-injury of Ahimsa, equanimity, contentment, austerity, beneficence, fame, ill-fame, that arise amongst people of different kinds are all me. The seven great sages, the ancient four of Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatkumara and Sanatsujata, possessed of powers like me, are all from me and come back to me." He goes on to say.

35. "Now I will tell you of my most prominent divine glories. As they are illimitable, it is not possible to describe all of them! I am the Self, O Gudakesa, seated in the hearts of all beings; I am the beginning, the middle and also the end of all beings!"
36. "Among the twelve Adityas, I am Vishnu; among luminaries, the radiant sun; I am Marichi among the (seven or forty nine) Maruts; among stars Moon am I. Among the Vedas I am the Sama Veda; I am Vasava among Gods; among the senses I am the mind; and I am intelligence among human beings. Among the Rudras I am Sankara; Among the Yakshas and Rakshasas, the lord of wealth (Kubera); among Vasus I am Pavaka(fire); among the seven mountains, I am Meru; among the household priests of Kings, O Arjuna!, know me to be the chief Brhaspati; among the soldiers I am Skanda; among the lakes I am the ocean."

37. "Among the great sages I am Brighu; among the words I am the one syllabled 'Om'!; among sacrifices I am the sacrifice of silent repetition (japa); among the immovable things I am Himalayas; among the trees, I am Peepul; among the divine sages I am Narada; among the Gandarvas, Charatha; among the perfected, I am sage Kapila; I am Ucchaisravas born of nectar, among horses; among lordly elephants I am Airavata; among men the king; among weapons I am thunderbolt; among cows I am the wish fulfilling cow called Kamadhenu; I am the progenitor, the God of Love Kandarpa; among serpents I am Vasuki."

38. "I am Anantha among the Nagas; I am Varuna among water-deities; Aryaman among the manes am I; I am Yama among the Governors; among the demons I am Prahlada; among beasts the Lion and among birds the Vinata's son the Garuda; among the purifiers I am the Pavana the Air; among warriors I am Rama; among the rivers I am Ganga the Jahnavi; among creations I am the beginning, middle and also the end; O Arjuna, among the sciences I am the knowledge of the Self and Logic among controversies."

39. "Among the letters of the alphabet, I am the letter 'A'; I am the dual among compounds; I am verily the everlasting time; I am the dispenser of the fruits of actions, having faces in all directions; I am Death among the all-devouring ; among feminine qualities, I am name, fame, prosperity, speech, memory, intelligence, firmness and forgiveness and I am prosperity among the rich; among the hymns I am Brihatsama; among the months I am the Margaseersha; among the seasons I am the flowery spring; I am gambling by the fraudulent; splendour among the splendid; I am victory of the victorious; determination of those who are determined; goodness of the good!"

40. "Among Vrishinis I am Vasudeva; among the Pandavas I am Dhanajaya the Arjuna; among the sages I am Vyasa; among the poets I am Usana the Kavi; of those who punish, I am the sceptre; among those who seek victory, I am statesmanship; among secrets, I am silence; among knowers I am knowledge. Whatever the seed of all beings, that also am I, O Arjuna; there is no being mobile or immobile that can exist without me! There is no end to my divine glories, O Arjuna, but this is a brief statement of Me and my divine glories. "

41. "Whatever being there is glorious, prosperous or powerful, that know thou to be a manifestation of a fraction of my splendour. But, of what avail to thee is the knowledge of all those details, O Arjuna? I exist supporting the entire universe with a fragment of Myself, I remain. 'yatyat vibhutimat sat-tvam srimat oorjitam eva vaa I tat tat eva avagasccha tvam mama tejomscha sambhavam II'

(To be continued.)

Sambhomahadeva.