DEIVATHIN KURAL # 6 (Vol #4) Dated 06 May 2010.

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 6 (Vol #4) Dated 06 May 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 fourth paragraph on page 34 of Vol 4 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

67. Thus both father and mother have given all the credit for their victories to PiLLaiyar. His younger brother Subrahmanya too had to request PiLLaiyar for a favour at a critical juncture in his life. This was not for fighting a war with the enemy! This was asking for the elder brother’s support in his efforts to win over the heart of a damsel. When they were younger, this elder brother was responsible for the younger brother’s adopting Sanyaasa, when the lone fruit brought by Narada was given to the elder brother.
68. You must have heard of the story about how, while SubrahmaNya was rushing around the three worlds on his carrier peacock, his elder brother went around his parents and claimed that 'for him his parents were more than the three worlds, inclusive of past, present and future; here, there, everywhere; 'jaagrat' the world of wakefulness, 'swapna' the dream world and 'sushupti' the world of deep sleep! Having ambled around his parents in a jiffy, he claimed the fruit.
69. The younger became so cut up about this that, he shed all his ornaments and accoutrements, wearing just a loincloth and holding a wooden pole became, 'dandaayudha paaNi' and was called an 'aaNdi paNdarum', that is a wandering, begging monk almost! That is how he came to occupy Palani and many such isolated hillocks. It was then that Easwara and AmbaaL went to him to molly-coddle and make up with him. They told him that his coming into being was for the specific purpose of sorting out the demon named Soora. VaLLi born in a family of hunters was pining for SubrahmaNya's love. He went to her in the disguise of an old man, in whom VaLLi was just not interested. Had he revealed his real identity, she would have gladly accepted. But he had a plan to involve his elder brother in the match making! If there is any hurdles ('vignam') in any endeavour, it is best to take the blessings of Vinayaka, to overcome that problem. SubrahmaNya the younger brother wanted to prove this fact to the whole world. So he prayed to his elder brother GaNesha.
70. The moment the younger brother thought of him, the elder brother came on the scene as a huge big elephant and started chasing VaLLi. She ran hither and thither shouting, "Muruga! Muruga!" Murugan did come there, but in the form of an old man. Like a child catching hold of any elder while in fear, VaLLi was embracing the old 'Thaatha' the grandfather! Having had his fun, SubrahmaNya revealed his real self to the thrill of VaLLi. Then VaLLi KalyaNam (marriage of VaLLi and SubrahmaNya) took place. The ever celibate PiLLaiyar helped in the wooing and marriage of his younger brother with VaLLi!
71. AruNagirinathar in his Thiruppugazh song on PiLLaiyar has mentioned about GaNesha's role in Tripura Samhaaram and the marriage of VaLLi with SubrahmaNya thus :-
"muppuram eriseida achivan urai ratam
achchadu podiseida adhidheera
attuyaradukodu suppiramaNi padum
appunam adanidai ibhamaagi
akkura magaLudan achchiru muruganai
akkaNa maNam, aruL perumaaLe!"

Sri Ram &Vinayaka
72. This uncle Maha Vishnu has shown much respect to his 'maruman' Vinaayaka. Not only that he had to do 'dobir karNam' to get his 'chakra' back from him, in his Avatara as Rama and Krishna, he has done formal worship of PiLLaiyar, as is required to be done as given in the saastraa-s! After RavaNa samhaaram, that he did install Ramalingam and did formal worship of Siva may be known to many. Even before he set out for the destruction of RavaNa, prior to construction of the bridge across the straits, he installed the 'Nava Graha-s' with nine different rare stones, known as Nava PaashaaNam, in a place of that name, also known as Devi PattaNam. Those who go for the religious journey of Rameswara Yatra, will visit these places.
73. In that order, there is another place which is a must, which should be visited at the start of such a journey! That is the place known as, 'Uppoor', where Rama worshipped Vigneswara. When you are coming from the North, that place occurs even before Nava PaashaaNam, as it should be! Since before doing pooja for the nine planets, worshipping Vigneswara has to be done, as the first 'suklaambaradharam' 'kuttu' on the head, is it not so?
74. Sri Rama showed by action as to what is required to be done, as a mortal human being, on all occasions as per the Saastraa-s. For future generations to emulate, Sri Rama lived a life so exemplarily as a 'role model'! So prior to Sethu Bandana, before Nava Graha pooja, he did worship of Vigneswara at Uppoor! This Uppoor PiLLaiyar, who sanctions all boons to whosoever asks, is sitting without a roof over his head! He never lets anyone construct a roof over his head! (The roof over ones head is called, 'vimaanam'. The word 'vimaanam' has another meaning as, 'plane', 'aero-plane' that is!) He is locally known as 'Veyil Uganda PiLLaiyar', meaning, 'the PiLLaiyar who appreciates the sun's rays'!
75. As PiLLaiyar has a huge belly, he has names referring to the size of his stomach. One such name is 'Dhundhi'. In Kaasi, the GaNapati is famous as 'Dhundhiraja GaNapati' In Tamil Nadu too there is a 'Dhondhi' Kshetram. Here too Sri Rama is said to have worshipped PiLLaiyar. From Vedaaranyam if you move south along the sea shore, this place is located exactly half way between Vedaaranyam and Uppoor. Here Rama started his worship of Vigneswara, before starting the construction of the Sethu. PiLLaiyar gave his 'darshan' and blessed Sri Rama and assured him of victory in the venture. However he adviced Sri Rama to go further south and start the construction, by which the work load will be cut down considerably and will take Rama and his army directly near the fort of Lanka.
76. In this place Dhondhi too, Vigneswara is sitting without a 'Vimaanam' over his head. When the uncle is persevering in rain and sunshine, preparing for a bridge and invasion, the nephew must have thought it to be bad manners to have a roof over his head! That is how he is in both Dhondhi and Uppoor, sans a vimaanam! The GaNesha Pancharatnam that our AachaaryaaL has sung is on this Dhondhi GaNapati.
77. As Rama thus prayed to the son of Easwara, he was successful in the launching of 'Sethu Bandana' and 'RavaNa Samhaara' and return as Vijaya Raghava, having recovered his lost wife Sita. In all gratefulness, he installed Easwara as Ramalingam! I told you about the breaking of the axle in the truck carrying Adi Sankara's figure etched on marble, at the place known as 'Achchara Pakkam'. Here at Uppoor too 108 coconuts were offered to PiLLaiyar as 'Chidaru Thengai'! AachaaryaaL as an etching in marble, indicated obliquely in 1963, his direct connection to Rama, Siva and Vigneswara and the related events of the Puraanaa-s.
78. This maternal uncle worshipped the nephew in Krishna Avatara too. That becomes the subject of the next e-mail!

Sambhomahadeva.