DEIVATHIN KURAL #167 (Vol #4) Dated 27 Mar 2011

DEIVATHIN KURAL #167 (Vol #4) Dated 27 Mar 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 page number 933 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)
48. Even when dharma as per one’s caste and ashrama was being meticulously observed, the Brahmin had the restrictions of Aparigraham (not wishing for anything more than the barest minimum) and a ban on travel to foreign countries across the seas; while the Vaisya had the duty and licence as permitted by the Saastraas, to venture even across the oceans in search of materials and resources for trade and commerce. The reason is very clear to discern. Plentiful availability of wealth with the Vaisya trickles to the society invariably. Even if the Vaisyas were self indulgent in matters of luxury, by their contributions for the society’s wellbeing they more than make up for all their sins. As the days wear off, their love of luxury will wane and interest in public welfare will increase. They may have a huge bungalow to start with, but as they see the plight of poor people, they will provide for many poor people’s sustenance and living space.
49. So, the point is that all the people cannot be Gnaanis or aspirants to become Gnaanis either. They may be destitutes or Arthaarthees also. As long as you believe in God and start praying to Him, the very devotion will refine your attitude with passage of time. Desires will get moderated and you will start praying with a sense of gratitude, instead of for overcoming problems and diseases. Then you will start praying for Gnaanam and dispassion. Then this will also stop and Bhakti will be for the pure pleasure of being a devotee! So we can take it that there is much sense in Bhagawan Sri Krishna bracketing all these four type of devotees together as “sukrudina: janaa;” and “udhaaraa: sarva evaite”!
50. Towards the end of Soundarya Lahari there is a slokam which starts with the words, “Saraswathya Lakshmya” which conveys that AmbaaL bestows on the devotee all the worldly attainments such as education, money, beautiful physique, position, power, name and fame; from the beginning and then, goes on to severe all attachments of the devotee and grant the supreme happiness of Paramaananda. So I suppose that, up to a stage in ones refinement and progress, there is nothing wrong in wishing for these worldly achievements and pray for them. Somehow if you inculcate the habit of praying for something, that very act will develop you to the level where, you do not have to pray for anything anymore, but divine grace!
51. Unfulfilled Prayers and Agnosticism. Are we granted whatever we pray for? Not necessarily. Sometimes our prayers are gainful and on other occasions they may not be fulfilled. But because they are not heeded to, we do not stop praying to God! Whatever little bit of devotion we have, we do experience some solace in it. So, even when our prayers are futile, we do not give up on our devotion.
52. Many people come to me also with some prayers such that their girl is to be married, that their son is to get a job, some disease is to be cured or some case in the court is to be won and such things. Not all their prayers are fulfilled at once. Still, that does not mean that they lose their trust and faith straight away. Somehow we know inwardly that our prayers may or may not be fulfilled. But, we do not give up on our faith. Very rarely do we become non-believers because of failed prayers. People who are agnostic are so from some conviction based on their own sense of logic and reasoning, rather than a sense of disappointment! That is why Krishna Paramaatma said, “Whether you are a Gnaani already or desirous of Gnaana or Aartan or Arthaarthee; as long as you have come to me with your prayers for whatever reason, you are also my devotee and I shall save you!”
53. Prayers for Self Improvement. In this life whatever prayers we have or not, till we get the wholesome feeling that we have no deficiency no demands and that we do not have to pray for anything; as long as we remain devoted to Him, that very fact will be a pacifier. God knows best as to what we need and when we need it! He will give it to us without our asking for anything. Still, there is an inner satisfaction in submitting our longings to Him. Thus, what we need to ask Him for is our self improvement, AachaaryaaL tells us in the first sloka of Shatpadi.
54. In SubrahmaNya Bhujangam, our AachaaryaaL has told us as to how by the greatness of Patra – Vibhuti of Senthil Naatha Murugan as Vaidya Naathan (that is the divine doctor), all diseases are cured. In that sloka for the sake of destitute Aartan, he demonstrates as to how to be a devotee and pray. In Kanakadaara Sthavam, as though approving the Arthaarthee’s demand for more wealth, he prays to Goddess Lakshmi to shower gold while saying, “dadyaat ...draviNaambudaaraa”. But here in this Shatpadi, instead of acting as the Aartan or Arthaarthee, he teaches us as to how the Jigyaasoo should pray for attainment of Gnaana!
55. Vishnu for Gnaanam Also. Maha Vishnu is the functional C.E.O for this world who manages all the transactions, business, law and order. To take care of the destitute and greedy is anyhow His job! Above all this does He not have the power to sanction dispassion and Gnaana? No! The Brhma Vidya AachaaryaaLs themselves have prioritised Him as the top most to be prayed as, “naraayanam padmabhuvam”, for obtaining Adwaita Anubhava! The very C.E.O., who involves us and lords over us, is also the power who can relieve us of this involvement and be the Gnaana AachaaryaaL, to whom we can very well pray to.
56. For the people who are mistakenly of the view that, ‘only Siva will give us Mukti and Gnaanam, may better learn that Vishnu can also impart the Aatma Gnaanam’; with that intention only, our AachaaryaaL has written this Shatpadi, I feel. That is why, he has prayed to Vishnu to grant all the preparatory requirements for the cleansing mind of ours in this sloka. Our AachaaryaaL has taught us that Maha Vishnu will grant us iha – bhogam and para – gnaanam and also as to how we should pray for the latter especially in this sloka.
57. Not only in Shatpadi, in many other slokas too, our AachaaryaaL has addressed Maha Vishnu as Gnaana Dhaata only. In ‘Bhaja Govindam’ song also, he has prayed to ‘Govinda’ for Gnaana Vairaagyam mainly, saying in the last poem that a devotee who has unshakeable faith in the lotus feet of his Guru, by discipline finally sees that God in his own heart! He has further done a Stotram ‘Harimeede’ in pure Adwaitam, in which in each sloka, he has ended that Hari that is Vishnu, removes all confusion of darkness from one’s life, ending every stanza with the words, “tam samsaara dwaanta vinaasam harimeede”! There are many such examples that can be quoted to prove this point that, for removal of ignorance and attaining to Gnaana, it is Vishnu that we should pray to!
58. Cleanse the Mind. Our AachaaryaaL starts the Shatpadi Stotram with the prayer that unless we cleanse our own minds we can never hope to find a way out of the ignorance. Whatever may be the luxuries we are having, unless we have the right attitude, we are prone to be confused, fearful and sorrowful. Even when we have none of the luxuries, if we have the right attitude, we will not feel any problem. As Appar sang, “inbame ennaaLum tunbamillai”, meaning, ‘happiness forever, never a problem’, we can be eternally happy with that attitude!
59. What is that right attitude? That is next point to be understood. Our mind is continuously craving for something or the other; money, position, status, name and fame. So forever it is disgruntled and disappointed with whatever it has. Can you ever satisfy the mind? No! Like the end of the rainbow which can never be found or the horizon that is always far away, it has a fresh demand when the previous one is fulfilled. It is compared with the fire, which burns fiercer when fed. The more you put in it, more voracious it becomes. When you have stopped this tendency, it means that you have the right attitude! As long as we have desire and the ‘anartha parampara’ that arise out of it such as, disappointment, sense of deficiency, jealousy, hate, competition and sorrow; peace of mind will never be found. Till then however much well read or rich, serenity, amity and contentment are never ours. That is why Thyaga Iyer said, “saantamu lekha soukyamu ledu”, which seems to be an exact reflection of what Bhagawan Sri Krishna said in Gita (2-66), “ashantasya kuta: sukham”, meaning, how can an agitated man ever find comfort? This mind uncontrolled can never be peaceful. To train one’s own mind to be peaceful and contented at all times is to have the right attitude.
(To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva.