DEIVATHIN KURAL # 205 (Vol #3) Dated 30 Mar 2010.

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 205 (Vol #3) Dated 30 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. Today we are proceeding from the third para on page 953 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.)

99. Kamakshi removes all problems and hurdles in one’s way and gives ‘Parama Aanandam’! In Jyotisham, that is Astrology, all our problems in life are said to be originating from the various influences of the Nine Planets, known as Nava Graha-s. For those who are often thinking of Her Lotus Feet and their divine influence on their life, the effect of the Nava Graha-s are completely nullified! This is the message in a sloka in ‘Mooka Panchasati’, containing word play too!

100. ‘Mooka Panchasati’ is a work of 500 sloka-s by one Mooka, which is a treasure house of Bakti, Gnaana and principles of Sakta saastraa-s with high literary merit. In it, in one of the chapters on Mother’s Lotus Feet (Pada Aravinda Sadakam-59), is this sloka with description of how all the nine planets are there in Mother’s feet:-
Tadano bhaswattaam amruta nilayo lohita vapu:
Vinamraanaam soumyo gururapikavitvam cha kalayan I
Katou manto gangadara-mahishi kaamaakshi bhajataam
Tama: ketur-maada:stave charana padmo vijayate II

101. As those feet are effulgent, he says ‘bhaswattaam’. The Sun who is the first of the nava-graha-s, has that characteristic of effulgence! One of His names is ‘Bhaskara’. From Mothers feet the nectar of immortality is oozing out. The poet calls this ‘amruta nilaya:’. When the Yogi-s experience this flow of ‘charana amrut’ on their heads, they would say that their peak is cooled, ‘uchchi kulirndadu’. Similarly, Chandra the moon is famous for showering Amruta on all. That is why he is called the Sudhakara.

102. Then the feet are described as ‘lohita vapu:’ the red orb, referring to the Mars i.e., the Mangal. Then it says that the feet are, ‘vinamraanaam soumya:’, meaning that it is, the most pleasant to those who prostrate to the feet with due humility. That ‘soumya’ is a quality of pleasing softness like the moon light! Soma is Chandra the Moon and the word ‘soumya’ is derived from Soma. The planet Mercury i.e., Budha is the son of Chandra. So he is called ‘Soumya’.

103. Then the poet says that Her feet are, ‘guru: + api =gururapi’, meaning that they are big too. The bigness is not in term of size but, in terms of their being powerful enough to grant the devotee everlasting bliss of ‘Brhma Gnaana’ by not only a touch, but even by a thought. That is why it is ‘gururapi’! Guru is the name of the biggest of the planets in the solar system, the Jupiter.

104. The poet says ‘kavitvam cha kalayan’, that it endows the capability in the devotee to compose songs also. This is due to Sukhra i.e., Venus. If Guru is the Preceptor of Deva-s Sukhra is the Preceptor of the Asura-s. Poesy is his portfolio. Adi Sankara in Soundarya Lahiri says that Ambal’s ‘paada teertam’, that is water used to wash her feet has the power to turn a congenital deaf and dumb person into a poet of world reknown! That is exactly what had happened to our poet ‘Mooka’. He was born deaf and dumb. It is his poem that we are discussing here!

105. Then Ambal’s walk is a slow ‘gatou manda:’ or in other words, ‘sanais chara:’ that is the planet Sani or Saturn. Then, ‘bhajataam tama: ketu’, the South Node. Mother’s feet have the power to remove all sorrows and darkness of the devotees. The biggest darkness is that of ignorance that is, Agnaana! Ambal’s feet have that power to remove our ignorance. Though Rahu is not directly mentioned, Tamas includes Rahu and Ketu.

106. There is no subject on earth that these poets have left uncovered. Starting from God, right down to the smallest insect, they have made use of in their ‘sabda jaalam’ or picture painting with words! Come to think of it, this talk on ‘paandityam’ will not be complete till mention is made of this poem, which is on Maha Vishnu and the Mosquito! One set of meaning will indicate that it is about Maha Vishnu. Another interpretation will point out a mosquito! Let me first quote the poem:-
Chakra-bramana-karatwaat
kudhrushtibhir- dhooravarjya maanatvaat I
srutyanta-kelanatvaat
machaka twaameva maadhavam manye II

107. You can imagine that the poet must have tried to sleep. Evidently, his sleep must have been badly disturbed by the ubiquitous mosquito! The poet in him breaks out in to a poem about the mosquito, while the devotee in him thinks of God even then! Chakra-bramana-karatwaat – means, ‘by the fact of its endless spinning in circles’ –this could apply to the chakra in the hands of Maha Vishnu and the continuous buzzing around by the pest! The word ‘Kara’ will mean, for Maha Vishnu ‘the hand’ and for mosquito ‘doing’.

108. kudhrushtibhir- dhooravarjya maanatvaa – means that, people with bad intention can never come near Maha Vishnu. Those with eye problems will run miles away from places where there are mosquitoes. srutyanta-kelanatvaat – means that, Maha Vishnu plays around with ‘srutyantam’ that is the end of all Veda-s, called Upanishads. In the case of mosquitos, they keep playing around with a ‘ngoing’ sound of its own, more noticeable when near the human ears!

109. machaka twaameva maadhavam manye - The poet ends by saying ‘Hey! You mosquito, you are none other than the Very God Maha Vishnu, I believe! Let us finish also on the same note. I have been talking all this time about the nuances of poesy with word play, alankaaram, upama, siledai and such. So, you people have been listening raptly. Now I can see that mosquitos have started their singing. Let us break off with the idea that it is God Himself who has come to us in the form of these mosquitoes and is doing this ‘ngoing’ sound in our ears!
Sambhomahadeva.