DEIVATHIN KURAL # 100 (Vol #4) Dated 12 Nov 2010

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 100 (Vol #4) Dated 12 Nov 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 middle of page number 556 of Vol 4 of the Tamil original. The readers may note that here in 'man/he' includes 'woman/she' too mostly. These e-mails are all available at http://Advaitham.blogspot.com updated constantly)
64. In the last issue I had said that in true Karma Yoga, while not seeking personal sensual pleasures, we should not even look forward to general common benefit for the world too! Let me make this point clearer. The rules and regulations as given in the Saastraas, require us to do those actions which will intrinsically benefit the society and humanity at large! There is no doubt about this. Only when this man instead living only for himself alone and starts living for the world, then only will he be able get to the blessings of God, who is the root cause of all. So, when he does the Swa Dharma Anushtaanam, he cannot be all the time assessing if he is effectively causing Loka Kshemam! This purpose may or may not be served. Even when the correct effect is there, it may not be within what we understand as justice, because of the limitation in our comprehension and understanding! For the highest ideals, we often see people making the supreme sacrifice with their lives and failing. Unless we learn not to assess our own effectiveness, we cannot guard against becoming cynical! The Hindi proverb says, “neki kar dhariyaa men daal”. The Tamil one says, “nalladai seidu kiNatril podu”. The meanings of both are similar. The first one eggs you on to do morally the right thing and throw it in the river! The second one tells us to throw it in the well! In both the proverbs, the thing to be thrown in the river or well is nothing else but the sense of pride of having done something good! Otherwise we are likely to comment cynically, “What is the use of doing the right thing anymore! It is all the effect of ‘Kali Yuga’! There will be no good out of such actions anymore. Let us just ignore all this social responsibilities and keep quite!” Thus the attitude will encourage laziness and defeat mentality! Instead, our attitude should be one of simply doing our duties as per the Saastraas!
65. “Why Does Satkarma Fail? Does it mean that the Saastram is a bluff? How can they fail to not have the effect they were meant to have?” These are the sort of questions that can rise in your minds. Like the individual has to suffer for individual errors of commission and omission, the society also has to suffer for the collective errors! So, some time the effect of Karma may seemingly go waste. Though not known, our good Karma can never go waste. The Law of Karma is inviolable and inexorable! We are kept in the dark about questions such as, “What is our old sin? What is the collective sin by the society as a whole? What is the value of our good actions? To what extent does our action reduce our individual or collective quantity of negative points?” Instead our attitude should be one of thinking on the following lines. “Once we believe in a God, of all power, knowledge and capabilities; let us not question these every now and then! Whosoever is keeping account of all this, let him do it. Instead of questioning others’ actions, intentions and capabilities all the time, let us go on doing our bit and contributing in our own way!” That is the only way of doing the right as per the Saastraas. Otherwise, we will start looking for short cuts, the wrong routes contrary to the dictates of Dharma of what is morally correct! That is the ‘Nish-Kaamya Karma’ of disinterested action!
66. The Reduction of Fear. This is the start of loosening of the binding ties. To make the mind prefer the good and right actions over the wrong and bad actions is the start. This is the turning of the corner for the better. As we get more and more habituated to making this right choice, our own mind is cleansed of the dirt and cobwebs. By then as we sit down to do meditation, our own minds instead of running hither and thither, starts behaving like a trained horse! Our progress picks up speed, momentum and starts accelerating! The more it rests with Easwara or abides in the Atma, (which is saying the same thing with two different set of words,) the bundle of Samsaara starts loosening up! First the mind loses its hold on us and slowly we shed our sense of being a separate entity other than Atma or Nature or God. Suddenly, we are no more the separate bubble or wave but, the ocean! We are the one and only oneness! We know ourselves to be the one Atma and abide in that!
67. It is at this time that the cause of all fear, the Dwaitam goes! While doing Karma and or Dhyanam this Dwaitam is unavoidable. As Dwaitam gave us the fear when we had no control over our thoughts or actions; in this adventure ‘In Search of God and In the Vision of God’, we are not flabberghasted anymore in Nish Kaamya Karma and Dhyana! Initially when we think of God as something else, He is something other than the one aspiring or working or meditating. Now this devotee vacates the scene and God alone is! Now, who is to feel the fear of what? With the disappearance of the ego or ahankaar, there is no more fear! Till this Adwaitam happens or realized; there is an element of fear as well as the chance to go astray. Till God is another thing outside, there is at least the fear as to when we will be bemused in to the unfathomable depths of Maya! Then he is now seen and understood and again a little later not seen or understood. The clarity of a few minutes back is over taken by the clouds of confusion! There is a parallel fear along with this that, any moment this mind may start investigating avoidable refuse! We may not be subject to the type of bewilderment as in the bygone days till we were dancing to the tune of the whims and fancies of the mind. But, fear is still some type of a fear only! It is not complete state of fearlessness, though lesser in intensity.
68. Even morally correct actions of Dharma Karma, which should be loosening all the binding knots leaves the fear of a different type of enslavement to ties again! Once it is some action, even Dharma Karma, requires us to get materials and resources; and organise, administrate, socialise and expect if nothing else at least Co-operation! Again the requirement is to deal with people leading to may be anger, irritation, deception and or infatuation! Then the question remains as to when will this enslavement go for liberation to occur! So as long as we are not even looking for a favourable response from people and uncaring about the effectiveness of our actions, we will be able to avoid anger and such feelings; stopping at our best!
69. However much we can go on talking on this subject, there can never be complete fearlessness obtaining in the double combination of Dharma and Bhakti! Still, for that final stage, these are the via media transit stages. We are now in ‘Ever Afraid Station. From here we go through ‘Sometimes Fearful Station’ to the final end station of ‘Complete Fearlessness’! For that station to be reached, initially what helps are the conduct of Pooja, Nitya Karma Anushtaana and a belief that everything will work out towards the stage of, ‘All is Well’! That is why Bhagwan Sri Krishna says in Bhagawat Gita, “Even if you die doing your duty of Swa Dharma, it is better (‘Sreyas’, remember earlier explanation about what is ‘Sreyas and Preyas’) than taking ‘Para Dharma’ which will lead to fearful mortification!” Swa Dharmas are the duties as per your caste, creed and religion! Para Dharmas are duties as per any other caste, creed or religion. Nidhanam is death. Now read that Sanskrit sentence again:- “swa dharme nidhanam sreyaha para dharmo bhayaa vahaha”!
(To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva.