DEIVATHIN KURAL # 202 (Vol #3) Dated 24 Mar 2010.

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 202 (Vol #3) Dated 24 Mar 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 last para on page 936 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.)

63. A totally unread too went on to say, ‘gavayami, vayami, yami’ ! The story is like this. Bhoja Raja was a great patron, benefactor and champion of all art forms and artists. He himself was an avid man of letters. In his capital city of 'Dhaar' he had given an order that all people should be of literary merits! Otherwise, they should go away to the villages, was his order. He was a devotee of Saraswathi the Goddess of Learning and was within his means to decree so!

64. Life was one of high literary merit and scholarly pursuits. One day they brought one weaver as one who did not know head or tails of poesy! Bhoja Raja asked him, “Don’t you know how to compose a song?”
The poor craftsman looked at the radiant face of the King, on whose very eyes there was the Grace of Saraswathi virtually effervescing ! The weaver felt an immediate urge to express himself in poetry ! Without any further hesitation he said, "kavyam karomi nahi charutaram karomi yatnaat karomi yati charutaram karomi" !

65. He said, "Yes I will create a verse, though I cannot be very sure of it being good... may be if I try, I may be able to do it well also !" When the poetic urge hits you, you should not give way to pride, Yes ! At the same time one should not be too lacking in confidence too. He had to encourage the king also, after all ! Having said these two lines, he decided to make it a stanza of four lines. That coincided with the flow from within. Those two lines became really high class poetry with meaning, rhyme and meter! He said:- "bhupaala mouli maniranjita padapita he saahasanga, gavayami, vayami, yami II" ! It means that, "you Bhoja Raja whose foot rest has been reddened by the reflection of many a Kings crowns with inlays of rubies, Hey King for whom it has become simply natural to do daring things, 'gavayami' I shall sing, 'vayami' me who normally do weaving, 'yami' I am going and so, 'Good bye' ", he finished with a flourish !

66. "Had I not sung a song, I would have been punished. Now, that I have managed to say these four lines luckily, I am saved ! I do not know if I can do it again. Before the King can ask me 'once more!' let me get out of here, it does not matter if he does not give me honour and awards ! OK. Good Bye, God be with you, I am going ! Yaami ! ", so saying he walked away from there without even waiting for permission ! Here 'gavayami vayami yami' is gopuchcham.

67. Using words with more than one meaning is known as 'sleshai or siledai'. Our Aachaaryal Adi Sankara has done this. Bhavani is the name of Ambal. As a verb it means, 'I am becoming'. Using both these meanings he has written this poem, 'Bhavani tvam daase'.., in Soundarya Lahiri. His disciple Thotaka addressed him, 'bhava eva bhavan...', there by meaning that 'he is himself Lord Siva' !

68. There was a Bhavani Naik as a Diwan in Pudukkottai. He had a penchant to patronise the learned Pundits. He often conducted Vidvat Sadas attended by the learned luminaries of the time, widely known for their erudition especially in Sruti, Smruti, scriptures and vedantic literature. In them Raju Saastrigal, known as Mannarkudi Periyaval has participated. There is style of literature known as 'saadu' in which individuals are praised for their contributions in nurturing spread of vedantic knowledge. One such poem uses the word Bhavani as a noun and verb, which says, "It is not necessary to call for much knowledge of grammar to establish the fact that Bhavani is a 'Uttama Purusha' ! It is sufficient to look at this man Bhavani Naik !"

69. What is first / second / third person in English grammar is known as uttama / madyama / prathama respectively in Sanskrit grammar. Though these are only positional names to indicate first, second and third person respectively, there is also another meaning for the words. Uttama means super and Madyama means a little inferior ! There is a word play in this as Bhavani means, 'I become' which is after all in the first person, that is Uttama purusha!

70. There is another such sloka. Some 150 years back there was one Venkatrama Sastry, a Vidwan. Please do not mis-understand me when I say, that normally Vidwan-s were receivers and not givers. Though Yaachagam and Danam were both part of the 'shad karma niratha:' the six jobs of a brahmin, they specialize in Yaachagam (begging) than Danam (giving alms)! There were some exceptions to the rule. Tediyur Subrahmanya Saastrigal is one and so was this Venkatrama Saastrigal

71. Let him be. Now, let me teach you some grammar. Most of you would know this word, "Dehi". This is the word, asking others to 'give'. When you are saying, "You give", you say, "Dehi". The root word is 'datta'. When you say, "I shall give", you should be saying, "dadyam". That is the first person (uttama purusha) saying that he will give.

72. Venkatrama Saastrigal used to honour other vidwan-s and pundit-s and give them in kind and cash. One such recipient praised him by making use of the points of grammar I told you about, in a beautiful manner. What he said was something like this:- "Till recently Saraswathi Devi was rather worried and sad." Do you know the reason why? She was sad because, whosoever She nurtures is mostly the second person 'madyama' learned but poor, whereas the ones favoured by Lakshmi Devi are all rich and wealthy. Now, because of Venkatarama Saastrigal who is learned, rich and a giver of daanam, Saraswathi Devi is much happy! He is really a Uttama Purusha!
73. Those who kept on the chant, 'Dehi, Dehi' and so on, were all those who spoke the language of the Madyama Purusha. It was Venkatarama Saastrigal who spoke the Uttama Purusha words of 'Dadyam'! By the words of theirs, as per grammar, they are Uttama or Madyama, as per this sloka:- "etaavantam anehasam bhagawathi bharathi anaisheet aho ya dehi ihi madyamena purushena atyanta kinna sathi I srimad venkatarama namaka sudhi doureyam asadyasa dadyam iti atuna uttamena purushena anandam aavindati II "

74. Aho! = How bad! etaavantam anehasam = till this time; dehi iti = by the word give; madyamena purushena = by second rate people; atyanta kinna sati = much worried; bhagawathi bharathi = Saraswathi Devi; anaisheet hi = was much depressed; atuna = now; srimad venkatarama namaka = respectable person of name venkatarama; sudhi = well read; doureyam asadyasa = having reached as a support; dadyam iti = (who could say) the words 'I’ll give'; uttamena purushena =by this great man; anandam = happiness; aavindati = is experiencing!

(To be continued.)

Sambhomahadeva.