DEIVATHIN KURAL # 130 (Vol #4) Dated 12 Jan 2011

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 130 (Vol #4) Dated 12 Jan 2011

(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 717 of Vol 4 of the Tamil original. The readers may note that herein 'man/he' includes 'woman/she' too mostly. These e-mails are all available at http://Advaitham.blogspot.com updated constantly)
282. Depending on the level of maturity the advice has to be different. Especially in the subject that we have now taken up, what we have to pay attention to is that the same material content cannot be there for all the students from class one to the school final and the aspiring college student to post graduate curriculum! Initially they have to be made fully conversant with the need for moral discipline in performing their duties and devotional activities of Pooja, Prayers and Bhajans involving SmaraNa and Manana and Chintan leading to meditations. After some grounding on such dualism (Dwaitam) they could be considered as entitled to receive some introduction to the principles of monism (Adwaitam). They should not simply stop at the Dwaitam level only, but enabled to move on to the concepts of Adwaitam. Once they have advanced more on the Adwaitam, they should not be permitted to go back to prayers and pooja. Without any mention of dualism their minds should be fully weaned away and completely riveted on Adwaitam only.
283. The Dwaitins have to be told about progressing to Adwaitam little by little whereas the Adwaitins should never be permitted to slide back into dualism. They should be enabled to completely forget dualism. That is the reason for the Adwaita Saastraas not talking about the role of Easwara. In our country these principles instead of remaining only as intellectual discussions were more on making them practical inner experiences. This led to the creation of many traditions with detailed step by step instructions. Evidently these should not be told to every Tom, Dick and Harry and given as a lecture for the general public! The Adwaita Saastraas were written for such people who have progressed already by regular practice of Karma Anushtaana and Upaasana and left those practices also while taking Sanyaasa. At the time of taking Sanyaasa, they get the Maha Vaakya Upadesa. Having thus officially renounced all worldly involvement of action with desire and abandoned the fruits of all actions, they are to meditate on the Aatma / Para Brhmam. The Adwaita Saastraas are meant for their study and consumption. As I said earlier, till they are persevering mentally but still short of complete realisation of Adwaita Anubhava; bringing in the element of the Grace of God, will take him back to Squire One! So, that point about the role of God is not so mentioned!
284. Easwara is a great ‘Mayavi’ that is a magician. It is said that “avan anri oraNuvum asaiyaadu”, meaning that, ‘without him not an atom can move’! He having entered our minds makes us think of Him while keeping us totally in the dark about Him! When we get all sorts of stupid ideas we know clearly that these cannot be his thoughts! Those ideas cannot be worthy of His nobility and omniscience, we feel! Then we pray to Him to guide us and grant us the right attitude, correct thoughts and actions! That is what the Gayatri Mantra is for. Though all that happens in the world are His action only, some of those things we assign to ourselves as our actions and feel guilty or proud about them varyingly! Sometimes it looks as though He has given this mind to test us as to how we make use of them. All the fun seems to be His watching us, as he is known as the ‘sarvadhee saakchi bootam’, the Eternal Witness! If everything is His plan, His action; then what is there for us to do? What is the idea of correcting us, progressing on which path and go where?
285. How far will He let us proceed with our own plans and actions? When will He take over completely? Nobody can answer these questions. After entering Aatma Vichaara, as He progressively raises our level, before taking over completely, He may play with our minds. He may let us have much liberty and independence to come to the right conclusions on our own too. Somewhere on the way, there is a distinct possibility for our minds come to the conclusion that, “Easwara’s Blessings are so wonderful and so why not continue to be a devotee of the God?” Exactly this sentiment has been expressed by one of the Azhvaars when he said, “ichchuvai tavira yam poi indira lokam aaLum achchuvai perineum vendane Arngamaa nagaruLaane”, meaning ‘compared to the pleasure of being a devotee of yours, Oh God! I would not care even for ruling over the Heavens as Indira the King of the Devaas’! God may Grant that and Adwaita Anubhava will remain only a hazy forgotten dream!
286. What is the Need of Saastraas for What God Does? God Himself may Grant anything without showing that He has done so. He could also Grant Adwaita Anubhava itself without revealing His hand! Such greats who have attained to Adwaita Anubhava, have written the Adwaita Saastraas, have come to realise that their effort is taken over completely by the Grace of God as nothing of their being remains in balance! They having lost their separateness have become one with the only reality, call it whatever you may! By then they would have lost all sense of being a separate human individual. So, the Saastraas are meant for others on the path for them to make the required initial efforts as aspirants to reach that level of maturity when God can take over. So, the Saastraas are needed for what we have to do and not for what God has to do or may do! Let the aspirant go deep into meditation. The curtain of ignorance lifts when all relativity is no more.
287. But, in Gita Bhagawan Sri Krishna has clearly mentioned that Adwaita Anubhava happens with God’s Grace. Not that he has said all that without considering the fitness or worth of the recipient. Actually He has said clearly that, “Gita is not to be told one who is devoid of ‘tapas’ that is austerities or devotion, nor to one who does not render service or who does not care to listen, nor to one who cavils at Me” (Bhagawat Gita Chapter 18 Sloka 67). But His Gita is unlike other Adwaita Saastraas. In fact the first six chapters of Gita are considered as Karma Shatkam, the next six as Bakti Shatkam and the last six as the Gnaana Shatkam. This is not a very strictly correct classification, but remains generally true. In purely Adwaita Saastraas, Karma and Upasana are dealt with only in passing. They will only say that at the initial stages Karma and Bakti, have a role to play in the eventual maturity of the individual without elaborating the idea.
288. In the Gita, Bhagawan Sri Krishna has given very relevant advices concerning the paths of Karma, Bhakti and Gnaana. So he has covered both Dwaitam and Adwaitam in detail, covering also their interplay and overlapping areas. He has spoken much about both interlinking them without treating them as totally opposed to each other. So He has said even those things not normally covered in the Adwaita Granthas. So He has also said that it is the Easwara who lifts the aspirant from Dwaitam unto Adwaitam. It is not due to the effort of the Saadhak that the curtain of ignorance is lifted but by the God’s Grace!
289. Arjuna is not the one renouncing the world and taking up Sanyaasa. In a mistaken notion deeply mired in the ignorance of his self as this person a Pandava and the army arraigned against him as his relatives Kaurava, killing whom will be a sin; he has dropped his bow and decided not to fight! He is not the Uttama Adhikaari to receive the Sankhya Gnaana. He is only to be motivated to do his Swadharma of playing his part as a soldier and commander. To do Swadharma without desire for such doing of duty so as to get clarity of mind is what he is required to do just now. So he is only a Yoga Saadhak. He is a Madhyama Adhikaari as established by Adi Sankara in his Bhashyam on the Gita. Madhyama is middle level between Uttama and Adhama. So, he is told of the link between Dwaitam and Adwaitam and the point up to which the Saadhak can aspire for and the role of God in the final upliftment!
290. At one place He says, “Maya is my power of the form of Satva, Rajo and Tamo GuNas. So they are divine powers. How can they be just crossed by human efforts? If man surrenders unto Me completely then, by My Grace man can go across” (Gita 7.14.). “If you surrender to God, by all means by God’s Grace the eternal peace of Adwaita Moksha will be attained,” He says (Gita 18. 62.). “Even when you start of as a devotee and God as something to be approached, slowly you will know Me in truth, what and who I am; then having known Me in truth, he forthwith enters into the Supreme”, He says (Gita 18.55.).
(To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva.