DEIVATHIN KURAL #153 (Vol #4) Dated 27 Feb 2011

DEIVATHIN KURAL #153 (Vol #4) Dated 27 Feb 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 last para on page number 850 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)
480. How can we explain away this apparent variation in Adi Sankara AachaaryaaL’s explanations about the applicability of ‘praarabdam’ to a Gnaani in his Bhashyam for Bhagawat Gita, as compared with what he says on the same issue in Viveka ChudamaNi? In my opinion the explanation is like this. Bhagawat Gita is a subject of study and analysis for the followers of all these Siddhantas. In its Bhashyam the interpretation has to be something easily acceptable to the common man. When it comes to Viveka ChudamaNi, it is meant for study by people with special interest in Viveka (discrimination with prudence) and Gnaana Vichaara. So, he was more up to the point and closer to the truth there in saying that, for Gnaani there is no effect of Karma left in balance, including ‘praarabda’! May be he felt that the readers of Viveka ChudaamaNi would be mature enough to understand how they could remain in the body even after attaining to Gnaana, without the continued effect of ‘praarabda’ anymore.
481. But, now I seem to have committed a mistake in telling you all about this apparent anomaly in what Adi Sankara has said in two different contexts on the same issue! If I tell you to become a Gnaani by yourself and find out, that will be further compounding a fault, as I am reiterating that the way to Gnaana is through the path of Karma and Bhakti, sufficiently long and sincere enough! OK, to you I will give some hopefully more acceptable explanation as to how, (for Gnaani too after he attains to Adwaita Siddhi,) does he continue to remain alive in this world, seemingly?
482. After attaining to Gnaana, one could live in unvarying Aatma Aananda, without being affected by the dualities of opposites such as, good and bad; sorrow and happiness; gain and loss; as given in the Saastraas, is it not so? If we have to know if this statement is true, God should retain such Gnaanis to live amongst the common mass of people as examples to prove the point. Whether we get unbounded adulation and name and fame or become the butt of the crudest ridicule and innuendo; whether we have the best of health or have debilitating incurable diseases; whatever the ups and downs of this existence; if the point to be proved is that the Gnaani takes it all with utter equanimity; he has to live amongst us and demonstrate the point by his very being!
483. If the idea is that ‘Adwaita Moksham’ is obtainable here and now and that for it there is no difference between this worldly life and some life in a Heaven about which none of us know anyhow; in front of our eyes a Gnaani has to be a living example. Otherwise attaining Gnaana will be equated with dropping the mortal coil! That would mean that as long as you live in this world, you cannot hope to attain Gnaana! So, as far as life in this world is concerned you have to be stupid enough and getting the esoteric Gnaana means it is another worldly activity and not practical in this world of ours! There is one more way of looking at it. All the events in this life point out the right direction for us to follow, if we are ready to intelligently look for the clues. There are lessons to be learnt in every nook and corner, in every incident or event! So, for the benefit of humanity at large, there have to be excellent epitomes of sterling characters as living examples. In God’s scheme of things, the Gnaanis have a role to play as living models to be emulated for the general mass of people.
484. This the Gnaani does without intending to do so. Sloka No 37 of Viveka ChudaamaNi by our AachaaryaaL Adi Sankara is a beautiful one of inalienable logic on the subject under discussion. Let us look at it. “saantaa mahaanto nivasanti santo vasantavallokahitam charanta: I teerNaa: swayam bhima bhavaarNavam janaanahetunaanyaanapi taarayanta: II”. That means - “There are peaceful and magnanimous saints who live like the spring season, for the good of humanity. They have crossed the dreadful ocean of finitude through their own efforts and with no ulterior motives they also help others to do so.” A man of full realization instinctively becomes a lover of the whole universe. Like the spring season, his is a love which with no demands causes the whole country side to blossom out in a variety of colours. He who has discovered that the Self within himself is none other than the all pervading non-dual consciousness, instantaneously also discovers it to be the core truth of all pluralistic forms around him!
485. Living as he does in this intimate understanding of Oneness, he cannot but love others as his very own Self. In his case, universal love is not an art to be practiced, not a formality to be followed, nor a goal to be reached; it is his very life breath. This can be brought within the understanding of laity through a comparison. If your own finger happens to touch your eye accidentally, it may cause you acute pain. You may even get annoyed with the finger and jerk it with disgust. But almost immediately you realise the culprit is your own finger of your own hand and you cool down to a spirit of mercy and tolerance and paternally ignore both the offender and the offended! On understanding the essence of truth in ourselves, we gain a freedom from the sense of finitude which was ours so long as we identified ourselves with the body, mind and intellect.
486. Since these disturbances can no longer affect a man of Perfection, it is one of the surest symptoms of Aatma Gnaana and saintliness, if we can observe an individual who is, under all provocative circumstances, infinitely at peace with himself and with the world. Wherever he be, whether in a jail amongst criminals or temple amongst other devotees, irresistibly, instinctively, he will spread around him an aura of knowledge, light, cheer, joy and peace. It is his very nature. Sankara gives us an inimitable example when he compares the Mahatmas and the touch of joy they lend to the world with the spring season. When the spring comes it does not court every tree or plant to bring forth its flowers, nor does it reach the world and canvass the moon to be brighter, the sky to be clearer and cleaner, the grass to be thicker and every heart to be more joyous. The presence of spring and the concomitant conditions are complementary. The one cannot be without the other.
487. Similarly it is for the Mahatma / Gnaani to spread knowledge and cheer around him and whenever true seekers reach him, they are irresistibly drawn into his orbit to bask in the warmth of his personality. The poetic suggestion is that he, travelling in his own experience, is one who, unasked helps others to cross the shores of delusion and sorrow. Therefore, to surrender to such a one, requesting him to save us from our misunderstandings is to assure ourselves a true liberation --- almost a luxury liner to Truth!
488. There has been an abundance of such Gnaanis who have walked on the earth, especially in the Indian sub-continent. As he has no self intention or a mind of his own which would be scheming and planning, on his own he does not do or leave anything as Dharmam or Adharmam. God Himself uses the Gnaani as an instrument for the salubrious benefit of the humanity at large, as an ideal to be looked up to and emulated. So, there is no chance whatsoever that some action of Adharma or sin is got done through this Gnaani. As a principle, for a Gnaani, we say that there is no ‘Paapa or PuNya’, as nothing sticks to him. But bit does not mean a license to do sinful activities. So the accusation that Adwaita Siddhaantam will give an indirect freedom for people to go astray is blasphemy to say the least! This can only be a misunderstanding, may be with a vested interest!
489. There could be some peculiar situations of dilemma that for a major cause a lie may be made use of. But such situations are very rare when for the sake of the welfare of a majority of people individual interest may have to be compromised. May be in that situation it was the individual’s ‘praarabda’ which was instantly more effective, like the killing of Vaali in Ramayana or Drona’s downfall in Maha Bharatha. Anyhow Adwaitam as a principle cannot be blamed for such quirks of fate. Let me confirm here that nowhere do the Adwaita Saastraas ever recommend sacrificing the principles of Dharma! Yes, Bhagwan Sri Krishna says in the 18th Chapter of Bhagawat Gita, “sarva dharmaan parityajya maam ekam saraNam vraja”, where He is asking Arjuna to give up all Dharmas! (We will continue this discussion from this point in the next e-mail.)
Sambhomahadeva.