DEIVATHIN KURAL # 136 (Vol #4) Dated 24 Jan 2011

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 136 (Vol #4) Dated 24 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 752 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)
328. How did it come about that independent Aatma became enmeshed in worldly ties inextricably? None of the Principled Stands (Siddhantam) have any satisfactory explanation for this question. But we need not worry about it. Adwaitam which says that the cause of all worldly complications are due to Maya also does not satisfactorily provide an answer to the question as to how did the Aatma come under the influence of this Maya? Once again I must underline the fact that we need not feel bad or befuddle our brains about it. Because once we know that we are trapped in a mesh, we should exercise our brains about how to get out of the trap instead of going in to how we got trapped! That is how we have somehow got enmeshed in a net of Maya Jaal. Jaal means a net as well as a Magic show. It is a bluff which looks like real. The illusion that Aatma is influenced by Maya itself is a magic. It is not real. Aatma can never ever be in the clutches of Maya. But practically we see its effect on people. A short time magic show entertains. But this show by Maya is a tear jerker. So we have to make an effort to get out of its clutches. Our aim should be not about debating as to how we got trapped, but about how to get out. Instead of wracking our brains about questions such as, ‘How this came about? How were we embodied? Where from did this Maya trap us?’ we should simply pay attention to way and means of finding release from it! Even if we find the answer to these questions, there will be hundreds of interpretations, which put together make no difference to the fact of enslavement!
329. One point in which all the different principled stands (of the Siddhantam of Adwaitam, Dwaitam, Visishtadwaitam, Saiva Siddhantam and other religions too) agree is that all the problems of life can be solved. Whether we do Self Realization by Aatma Vichara or Surrender to God, in some way or the other, we can find a solution. Come to think of it somehow even at the cost of becoming inert like a piece of log, seems preferable than not trying to get release. One end of the spectrum of these Siddhantis talks about becoming Chaitanya Swaroopa of the highest level of clarity and animation. The other one talks of enjoying immense pleasure of the bliss of Paramatma’s love and kindness. This is also not inertness of a dull dead wood! The third party talks about being immersed in the effulgent glow of Chaitanya’s brilliance! Whatever the end, they are decidedly preferable to remaining in the clutches of Maya! That we should make a start in cutting down all our ties of involvement, whatever be the difference in the end state yet to be reached, all different Siddhantis are in total agreement! By doing our duties dispassionately we have to make a serious effort to cut away all the binding tethers and by devotion to the Supreme remove all sinful and negative tendencies. For Adwaita Saadhanaa too this is the start!
330. There need be no confusion about this. “Are we not adherents of Adwaita tradition? Do we not believe in the oneness of all apparent phenomena in the ultimate reality? So our efforts should mainly be directed towards achieving the Adwaita Anubhava, is it not so? So, why should we be interested in Karma Anushtaana and ritualistic devotional practices?” We need not befuddle ourselves with such doubts. Our AachaaryaaL Adi Sankara has clearly directed us to do so. We should give our minds to ‘Saadhanaa Panchakam’! Having been living in the dual world of relativity for so long, practicing dual methods of devotion, how can we suddenly get the Adwaita Anubhava? All the sins committed in duality may be corrected by devotional procedures first. Then we will be able to shift to Adwaita Saadhana. So at the initial stages our AachaaryaaL has completely approved of all the devotional procedures without any reservation. Then as you attain to inner maturity, without recourse to our pride of Ego, we will be able to drop all the props of duality and sail into Adwaitam!
331. Other Principled Stand people of Dwaitam, Visishtadwaitam and Saiva Siddhantam do not accept Adwaitam. But Adwaitins accept the others and their methods in the initial stages. Before reaching the Adwaita stand point, there are many improved stages of duality, our AachaaryaaL clearly states. In explaining the Bruhad AaraNyaka Upanishad mantra, (5.1.1.), that too the one which says, “poorNamada: poorNam idam”, meaning ‘that is complete and this is also complete’, AachaaryaaL says the following. “na cha dwitasya anrutatva buddhi: pratamam eva kasyachitsyaat”, that is ‘nobody in this world is likely to have the awareness that this world is unreal, from the very beginning’! (KTSV adds: Here it is worth the while to give your minds to the fact that Ramana had the experience of Adwaita Anubhava which cascaded on him whenever he heard the word Arunachala mentioned before him even in passing. Finally he had the Death experience opening his eyes to reality when he was 17 years of age!)
332. Brhma Sutram second chapter talks of many postulates as to how the world originated! Though it is agreed that Brhmam is the cause of the world and universe (Jagat), did it make the world with certain other inputs or by metamorphosis of itself? If there were other inputs, then the postulate that Brhmam is the Jagat KaaraNam, falls by the wayside! If there was a change of one thing becoming another, like the change of milk into curd, that is also not acceptable as Brhmam is defined as devoid of change! If it completely became the Jagat, then there is no more Brhmam. So, none of these ideas are correct. AachaaryaaL has established that neither were there any additional inputs nor was there any metamorphosis. All the changes are unreal appearances seemingly noticed like the snake is seen in the rope due to poor light. This is known as the ‘rajju – sarpa nyaasam’ often mentioned in books on Adwaitam.
333. This basic concept of Adwaitam while being discussed in the 2nd Chapter, 1st Sec, 14th Sutra of Brhma Sutram, I Quote, “tananyatva maaraNamba sabdaadibhya:”, literally meaning, “there is non-difference of those cause and effect on account of the texts about origin etc”, while establishing the inviolability of the tenet; our Aachaaryal Adi Sankara reconciles and accepts all the other non-adwaitic Siddhantams of their principled stands, very clearly. He says, “when you are dreaming all the events in the dream are so real that no one can deny them while still dreaming, and are found to be only a dream event, ‘only after you wake up from the dream’! Similarly till the Jeevatma wakes up to his reality as the Parmaatma, of necessity has to take all that happens in the world of duality as true only! I quote, “sarva vyavahaaraaNaam eva praak brahmaatmataa vignaanaat satyatvopabadde: swapna vyavahaarasyanpraak prabhodanaat”.
334. Thus accepting the way things are as they are; as adviced by our AachaaryaaL, (in Saadhanaa Panchakam, Atma Bodha: Tatva Bodha:, Viveka ChudamaNi and so many more places), we have to do 100% observance all our duties of Nitya Karma Anushtaanas and Deotional procedures and cause our mind to be perfectly cleansed to nullity and then only can we venture to step into Adwaita Vichaara and not before! We do not have to hesitate as to, “being believers of Adwaitam, should we be doing things meant for Dwaitins at all?” We do not have to worry about being laughed at by others who may not understand, that we are also following the same devotional procedures! If the Truth is our aim, then we have to be prepared to set aside all sorts of pride and prejudice! That is way of our AachaaryaaL!
(To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva.