DEIVATHIN KURAL #184 (Vol #4) Dated 30 Apr 2011

DEIVATHIN KURAL #184 (Vol #4) Dated 30 Apr 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 1,029 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)
227. Some Examples are Good Enough. If you take a single individual, the requirement is that, from being a flower to a ripened fruit that is sweet, you have to progress gradually step by step. If you take the society as a whole, only one in a million become fully matured like that. But, we do not have to feel bad about it. If you look at the society like a tree, think of how many leaves are likely to be in a tree. Every season think of how many thousands of leaves and flowers fall off. Compare with the number of flowers falling off, the number that turn in to small of the fruit are only a small percentage. Many of the small of the fruits (known as ‘pinju’ in Tamil) also fall off. Then, a further smaller percentage only continues to hang on to the tree till they attain full growth and ripening. Even amongst them, many are subjected to various obstacles in their growth like the vagaries of the weather, onslaught by insects, being tasted by birds or monkeys and so on! That is how it is in nature.
228. Amongst human beings also many vanish from the scene like a leaf or flower is blown away as dry and brittle pieces of wood. Like the fruits from a tree, amongst a million, only one raises above the pulls of the senses. Rest of the people get stuck in Kaama, Krodha et al! When a whole milky ocean was churned and we got a small quantity of the Nectar of perennial life. Like that one in a million is still a good batting average for the creation of such individuals of sterling character like a Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi or Rama Krishna Parmahamsa. To churn the Bhava Saagara and take out a little bit of the high value butter; God is visualised by our AachaaryaaL as the tool ‘Maththu’, when he says, “bhava jhaladi mathana mandara”. The poison also comes out of the same source, but be patient that in the end there will be Amirtam for sure. So, take heart that we are not to lose hope and become despondent!
229. Slowly and gradually everyone has a right to grow and improve. All that we have to do is to ensure that the Maththu does not slip off the rope that is turning it this way and that. Which is that rope? That rope is nothing else but, Bhakti that is Devotion! In ‘Sivananda Lahari’ our Aachaaryaal tells Siva, “drudam bhaktya bandva”, to mean, ‘Oh God! Please tie up this mind of mine that is as fickle as a monkey, with a strong rope of devotion’. If our grip of devotion is strong, He will churn the Samsaara Saagara and enable us to get across as well as obtain the Nectar of eternal Moktcha!
230. ‘Punarapi jananm punarapi maraNam, punarapi janani jatare sayanam’, the repeated cycle of birth and death is the Samsaara. When there is no death, there is no birth also. That is Moksham, happiness without any repeated going and coming. To get the Amirtam by churning the ocean of existence means that you realise your oneness with everything. That is getting the ‘Param’ here in ‘Iham’. By the path of Gnaana you cross the ocean of life by dispassion and totally giving up of all attachments. By the path of devotion here and now we partake of God’s eternity. Thus the Shatpadi Slokam starts in crossing of the ocean of life and ends in attaining to eternity without giving up or discarding anything, in the largesse of universal expansiveness.
231. The Essence of the Shatpadi Sloka – Removal of Life’s Sorrows. In the first sloka we start with praying to God to take us across the ocean of life saying, “taaraya samsaara saagarata:”. In the next we prostrate to the lotus like feet of God which is capable of mitigating all the sorrows and fears of life, when he says, “bhava bhaya khedachchide vande”. In the third sloka, there is no direct reference to the Samsaara, though there is an indirect reference to the ‘Samsaara Saagara’ in which the transactional relationship between the Paramaatma and Jeevaatma is similar to the ‘wave belonging to the ocean while being the same as the ocean without any separate identity of its own!’ The word ‘Saagaram’ in the first sloka and the word ‘Jhaladi’ in the sixth; both mean the ocean. Thus though we are separate, we need not be afraid of submerging in the ocean of life as we are part and parcel of the ocean itself. As the wave merges in the ocean, we have to merge in the Paramaatma. It is this idea that we have to constantly and continuously bring to our minds to overcome the fear of life!
232. As the ocean is also the wave, we are also the Paramaatma only or a wave of that ocean only! Keeping him in mind, we should rest assured that we are His! If we have such a mentality, what can this ‘Samsaara Saagara’ do to us? Maximum that can happen to us is to be absorbed by it, is it not so? OK. It is alright. So what does the third stanza do? From the point of view of Adwaitam, there is the simplicity and humility of Dwaitam. From the Dwaitam point of view, there is the gravity and seriousness of Adwaitam, that the ocean and the wave are one and the same! In the fourth stanza too there is mention of Samsaara that, ‘once we have His Darshan, how can the ephemerality of life last or continue? It has to vanish’, as he says, “na bhavathi kim bhava thiraskaara:”. In the next sloka he prays to God to ‘mitigate his fear of this worldly existence’ as he is “bhava taapa bheetoham”. In the last stanza, that is the sixth he describes God as the very power that churns the ocean of life to produce the quintessential Aatma Tattva. Thus the very purpose of the Shatpadi Stotram is removal of all the problems and obstacles of existence.
233. This slokam finishes in “paramam daram apanaya tvam may”. The word by word meaning is as follows – ‘daram’ means fear; ‘paramam daram’ means extreme fear; ‘tvam’ means You; ‘may’ means ‘for me’; ‘apanaya’ means remove! Look at what all the fears there can be. Will we be able to get through or not? Will we get Moksham or not? Fear of death. Will we be born again, if we die? Then there is the fear of Hell. Thus the ocean of life has many pronged fears, for the removal of which we have to pray to God.
234. First Verb in the End Too. He started the Shatpadi Stotram with the words, ‘avinayam apanaya’. He ends the Stotram also with the same word ‘apanaya’, when he says, ‘daram apanaya tvam may’. Thus the cycle is complete and the Stotram comes to an end. Bhagawat Gita also has the same connectivity in terms of Verb between the start and end. Starting from the 11th Sloka of the second chapter to the 66th Sloka of the 18th chapter, the 631 slokas constitute the main message of Gita. All that comes before and after those two points are like the preface and epilogue. There, in the 11th of the 2nd chapter, the words are ’asochyaan anva sochastvam’ and the 66th in the 18th chapter ends in the ‘maa sucha:’, respectively. The root word is ‘sucha’ meaning ‘feeling bad’. He starts with, “you are unnecessarily worrying about things which are unworthy of your concern” and ends with, “Do not worry”!
235. Like in Gita, in Shatpadi too, the start of the first sloka and the last of the sixth sloka make use of the word ‘apanaya’. First he says remove my lack of ‘vinaya’ and ends with the request to ‘remove my fear’. Whatever it is, removal of the negative tendencies is more important than bringing in the positive inputs. Both are beyond us anyhow. It has to be done only with God’s Grace. That is why, in the start as well as the culmination, he is insisting on removal of the negative tendencies. Please remove my haughtiness and my fear, he pleads. Fear is the exact opposite of pride! We have both. On the one hand we are afraid and that is why we act as though we could not care less, as though we are unafraid. AachaaryaaL is teaching us to pray to God, to get rid of our false pride and real fear!
236. As we have seen, ‘andaadi’ is a decorative way of forming the sequence of poems so that the last word of the previous stanza becomes the first word of the next. In addition to adding to the beauty of the poem, it enables the reader to remember the words of the poem. In this Shatpadi of only six slokas, we have seen as to how our AachaaryaaL has played with the words in many ways with rhyming of words and meanings. By making the first word of the sloka recur in the end line, he has made a special twist. Instead of just any first word – last word iteration; he has made the first verb repeat itself at the end. Verb as it is known as ‘vinai chol’ in Tamil and ‘kriya padam’ in Sanskrit, is concerned with action. In the Shatpadi, he has not only given work to God to remove pride and fear; he has meant it to be a job to be done by us too! We are to repeatedly chant the sloka till it becomes committed to memory! That is the idea I suppose!
(To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva.

DEIVATHIN KURAL #183 (Vol #4) Dated 28 Apr 2011

DEIVATHIN KURAL #183 (Vol #4) Dated 28 Apr 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 page number 1,023 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)
216. “Kuraive illaada” means that it is wholesome, complete without having any need for anything else to fill it up or compliment it. That is the eternal ‘poorNam brhma sanaatanam’ and ‘poorNa avataaram’; the epithets often used for KrishNa Avataara! Amongst the many special qualities for the Naama Govinda, is that it is the favourite of our AachaaryaaL as can be gleaned by the ‘Bhaja Govindam’ song. Unlike the ‘Sivaananda Lahari’, ‘Soundarya Lahari’ or the ‘Shatpadi’, this song ‘Bhaja Govindam’ is not one addressed to any God. It talks about how a common man should get along in life with dispassion; what should be his priorities; the noble principles worth living for; what self imposed control and discipline that he should adopt; and finally as to how he could arrive at the zenith of seeing his target of devotion in his own heart! The song does not differentiate between various sects and sub-sects of Hinduism or any religion. In such a script, instead of saying ‘so pray to your God’ it says ‘Bhaja Govindam’, clearly indicating his love for that God with that Naama of Govinda! Do not you agree with what I say?
217. Bhagawat Gita has a reputation as the best set of advices by a mentor to his ward. As the Sri KrishNa was the mentor to Arjuna, he has the right to be considered as a “Jagat Guru”, the preceptor to all the people of the world as, Arjuna in reality represents all the aspirants of the world in the spiritual path. We chant the sloka, “KrishNam vande jagatgurum”. Next the title ‘Jagat Guru’ devolved on our AachaaryaaL, who despite being the ‘Jagat Guru’ retaining himself in the role of a disciple, found happiness in praising his Guru! Yes, his Guru’s name was Govinda Bhagawat PaadaaL. So our AachaaryaaL had a special niche in his heart for the sound of ‘Govinda’, which reminded us all of KrishNa Paramaatma and he could lovingly think of his own Guru! The internal evidence for this statement of mine is in the first line of “Viveka ChudaamaNi”, which says, “govindam paramaanandam satgurum praNathosmyaham”!
218. There is one more special point of value for that name ‘Govinda’. Earlier I told you about 12 most important names of Maha Vishnu, did I not? In those 12 names ‘Govinda’ comes as the fourth. Then three names of Vishnu have been selected specially for doing ‘Aachamanam’. That is before starting any of the religious rituals, one has to take three sips of water ceremoniously without smudging and dirtying one’s hands and the spoon (uddriNi) with saliva. As this very ‘Aachamanam’ is a cleansing process, we cannot be sloppy about it, but be serious and attentive. At that time we chant three names of Maha Vishnu, “Achyuta, Ananta and Govinda”. Actually we are supposed to be prostrating before our beloved God while saying, “Achyutaaya Namaha, Anantaaya Namaha, and Govindaaya Namaha”. Then chanting the 12 names, “Kesava, NaaraayaNa, Maadhava, Govinda, Vishnu, Madusudana, Trivikrama, Vaamana, Sridhara, Hrishikesa, Padmanaabha and Daamodara; touch our own cheeks (first right and then left) with the tip of our right thumb; eyes with the tip of the right hand index finger; nostrils with the tip of the right hand middle finger; shoulders with the tip of the right hand ring finger; heart and head with all the five fingers of the right hand! Govinda is the common Naama between these selections of three and 12 names!
219. Our AachaaryaaL is feeling thrilled by repeating that ‘one in three and one in 12 names’ three times as ‘’Bhaja Govindam, Bhaja Govindam, Govindam Bhaja mooda mathe”, meaning, “listen my stupid mind, keep chanting Govinda’s naama repeatedly”. If something is to be affirmed as true legally, it is to be iterated thrice they say. Not only our AachaaryaaL has done so three times, AandaaL in Thiruppavai has also done the same thing in the 27, 28 and 29th songs, the 30th being only the Phala Sruti, talking about the gains to be attained by chanting the 30 slokas! In 27th she says, “koodaarai vellum seerk Govinda”; in the 28th she says, “kurai onrum illaada Govinda”; and in the 29th she says, “irtraip parai koLvaan anru kaaN Govinda”!
220. God is the Churning Block for the Ocean of Life! Calling on God’s name as Govinda having such special attributes, AachaaryaaL is saying, “bhava jhaladi mathana mandara”. Let us look at the meaning a little closely. ‘Bhavam’ means this worldly existence; ‘Jhaladi’ means an ocean; ‘bhava jhaladi’ means the ocean of worldly life; and ‘mathana’ means to churn. If you say ‘Madana’ that is the name of the God of Love, the Cupid, who creates intoxication through lust and erotica and that is not what is meant here. Here God himself is the Mandara Mountain used for churning the very life of existence!
221. Relate it to the churning of the Milky Ocean, when Devas and Asuras used the Mandara Mountain as the churning block and the Snake Vasuki as the entwining rope. Like that we are all stuck in the ocean of birth and death in which AachaaryaaL wishes that God should come as the Mandara Mountain itself. At the time of churning of the Milky Ocean, Maha Vishnu came as the basis on which the Mandara Mountain was resting. That is Koorma Avatara. Then he lifted the Govardana Giri in KrishNa Avatara. Thus he had been the ‘udruta naga’ twice. Here he wants God Himself to be the churning block also. What does it mean?
222. When the Milky Ocean was churned initially the Aalahaala Poison was the output and then only ‘Amrutam’ the nectar could come out. Similarly if our lives are churned, only after all the bad elements are thrown out as the muck, can the good coalesce and emerge from the lot. Pooja, prayers, visiting religious places, reading the scriptures, doing the rosary while chanting the mantras or God’s names, meditation and such efforts to bring one’s mind under control to focus; service to god through service to rest of the humanity; are all God’s blessings in this life. The good things of life come to the fore only after the bad intentions and flimsy aspirations are got rid of. You just cannot have the best of life straight away. There will be problems, desires, anger, lust, greed, hate, covetousness, will all be there. We have to learn to set aside such tendencies as avoidable pitfalls and then only reach to the Mukti or Moktcha of pure righteousness! So that we may not get disheartened by the bad things of life and so that we learn to avoid such things and drive through the obstacles of life, to encourage and give us hope; our AachaaryaaL is saying, “bhava jhaladi mathana mandara”.
223. When we try and get the butter out of the curd, look at how much effort we have to carefully put in to keep churning and give the correct amount of sustained push. Similarly to undo the effect of our past Karma and get rid of our old tendencies, we have put in the required effort. Only after we pass through many tests, the suitable configuration of butter will happen. If we know that all the tests and trials that we are undergoing are so arranged by God for our eventual graduation out of our deep rooted involvement, then all our cribs, crying and loss of hope will all go away. The KrishNa statue that Madva AachaaryaaL has installed in Udupi has the churning ‘Maththu’ in his hands! (The smooth wooden rod with a serrated globule at the end, which is dipped into the curd and the rod is quickly rotated this way and that for churning, is known as Maththu in Tamil.) God Himself comes as the Mandara Mountain and enables us to churn this Ocean of Existence, says Sankara AachaaryaaL.
224. As we enwrap the Maththu with a rope, when god Himself was tied by rope, He became Daamodara. Yashoda was breast feeding the Baby KrishNa while simultaneously she was also using the Maththu to churn the pot of curds. At that moment the milk being heated up in the oven was boiling over. So she stopped breast feeding the baby to take care of the milk that was boiling over! The baby got annoyed and he crawled up to the pot under the churner and took out the butter and fed the monkeys. That resulted in her tying up Baby KrishNa with the rope and thus, He became Daamodara. This sloka Shatpadi having started with the word Daamodara, and now God Himself in being called the Maththu, we see the beauty of a continuous spread of the poet’s imagination moving from one beautiful idea to another, like the branches of a plant.
225. While the Samsaara Saagara is churned, why should the poison come out first? Why should there be problems and tribulations in life? Why should there be evil also in life and why can it not be all ‘goody goody’? That is how it is meant to be in Nature. God has meant it to be like that. The small of the fruit should be bitter. Then the same has to become ‘thuvarpu’ (the nearest word for this taste is ‘bland’ like that of beetel nut). Then along the way it has to become sour. Then finally it has to become sweet with maturity and ripening. Thus we see that even the bitter fruit of the Neem tree, when ripe does become somewhat sweet!
226. So, we do not have to feel bad that we have so many bad habits, negative traits and tendencies. Let us persevere with the clarity that we can also become good! Thinking of God with trust and faith, we can also turn the corner. With devotion to God, if we go about doing our duties, service and spread cheer and kindness; with the passage of time, as a ripened fruit, we can become an embodiment of the quality of sweetness ‘Maduram’. Without devotion to God, and without doing of Karma Anushtaana, service to the humanity, with trust and faith in God; the bitterness will never go away! If we have neither discipline, nor are we ready to sacrifice our small idiosyncrasies for other’s happiness; then we have no right to be cribbing about our fate. Instead if we keep at it and go on doing our bit in our own small way, change will occur for the good and we will become all Maduram at our own time, like Mother Theresa or Sathya Sai Baba!
(To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva.

DEIVATHIN KURAL #182 (Vol #4) Dated 26 Apr 2011

DEIVATHIN KURAL #182 (Vol #4) Dated 26 Apr 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 1,018 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)
206. As omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent being God is like an emperor cum executive for the whole universe. Still He comes down to this land of Gopikas and Gopalas on the banks of the Jamuna River with infinite kindness as a simple shepherd taking care of the cattle and the folks. That is the occasion when He got the Naama as Govinda. Bhagawatam describes this story in detail, what is referred in that fourth sloka of Shatpadi starting with the words, “ud-druta-naga”
207. Indira is the King of Devas and is the God of rains. He started feeling too proud of the fact that people of this world are dependent on his mercy for the essential requirement of water. This was the time when Vishnu was in Gokulam in his Avatara as KrishNa. He wished to teach this Indira a lesson. The people in Gokulam used to do a pooja in celebration of Indira. He suggested to them that they should stop the pooja for Indira and instead celebrate and venerate the Govardhana Giri, the mountain located close by. He said that it is the mountain that stops the clouds and causes the rain fall. It is the mountain that harbours all the flora and fauna and birds! When they did so, Indira was very annoyed. He wished to teach these Yadavas of Gokulam a lesson forever! He caused a torrential rain to fall flooding the whole area. That is the time when Sri KrishNa became the ‘Giri Dhara Gopala’, lifting the Govardhana Giri like an umbrella protecting all the people and the cattle from being washed away. Then the Devendra ran out of ideas and pleaded to be excused for the mistake of a display of his anger.
208. This word ‘Go’ does not only indicate the cows but all animals including human beings and all living forms. He the God is the protector of all and so is called ‘Govinda’. Devendra so named Him in a public function accepting his fallacy that KrishNa is the ‘Indira of all living forms’ the Govinda. The word ‘vinda’ also means the final refuge of all. As all Gopalas, Gopikas, animals and birds of Gokulam took refuge in Him with all love and adoration. So ‘Go’ here does not only stand for the animals but the earth, air, space, speech and the five senses, as the aim and mission of all! They all search for Him and finally end up in Him and hence the name Govinda was endowed on KrishNa in a public function of celebration known as, ‘Patta Abhishekam’ (Coronation), presided over by Indira, the King of all Devas.
209. “Kurai Onrum Illaada Govinda!” In Ramayana Sri Rama was given Patta Abhishekam with which the epic comes to a conclusion. But in the case of Sri KrishNa, He never took over the reins of any state or country. But this coronation gains in added importance because of the fact that, it was done by the very King of all Devas! So we add a Raja to the word Govinda and say, Govindaraja! Amongst many names of KrishNa, it is only with this word we add this Raja as the King!
210. One thought occurs to me. In AandaaL Thiruppavai, she addresses KrishNa as “kurai onrum illaada govinda” to mean, ‘you Govinda who has no deficiencies or complaints’. Can anyone ever think of God having a complaint? Only man is forever cribbing and complaining. So, it would be in order to say ‘kurai onrum ilaada manushya’ if you ever come across a rare human specimen like that! So, why should we be saying such a thing about God, who possibly could never have a crib any how!
211. By calling God as the one with no cribs, it seems as though, he has one! Father and son were at home. The man who had given loan was coming to ask for return of the loan. Father not finding a suitable place to hide, got in to the huge drum known as ‘kudir’ in which normally they used to store the grains, telling the son to say that he has gone out. So, when this gentleman enquired the whereabouts of the Father, the son replied, “My Daddy has gone out somewhere,” he further added in all his innocence, “He is not in the Kudir!” Similarly, when you say “kurai onrum ilaada Govinda” it looks as though he does have a complaint! On deeper analysis it became clear that He did have a complaint in the past and it got cleared many eons later when he did become the Govinda!
212. What was God’s complaint about? I mentioned about the conduct of ‘Rama Pattabhishekam’ after Rama’s return from Sri Lanka. That is when there was a ‘kurai’ felt by Rama. The problem was in the way the event has been described by the author Vaalmeeki! There were eight Rishis who did the Pattabhishekam ceremonies to Sri Ramachandra Murthy. The eight Rishis were, Vasishta, Vaama Deva, Japali, Kashyapa, Kaathyaayana, Suyagnya, Gowthama and Vijaya. You know how it was? It was like the way the eight Vasus who supervised the conduct of Indira’s coronation! He said, - “vasavo vaasavam yataa”. This comparison did the damage.
213. In the Bala Kaandam of the same Ramayana, Vaalmeeki describes the ‘fall from grace’ of Indira, when he out of sheer lust went and misbehaved with Gowtama Rishi’s Patni Ahalya, who should have been treated with the same respect as one would towards one’s own Mother! He got a curse to have a thousand female genitals all over his body and so hid himself in some odd corners of the nether world. Sri Rama then stumbled over the stone form of Ahalya whose curse and stigma was then revoked for Rama to get the epithet as “pateeta paavana sitaraam” by which he is praised for generations to come.
213. When such is the story, to be compared with Indira’s coronation was a bit too much, that too when he was going through the Pattabhishekam ceremony after waiting for more than 14 years of living in forest and that too, when Sri Rama has been so firm in his devotedness to the idea of being a ‘one woman man’! Then, in the whole episode of Ramayana, that elusive Pattabhishekam was being consummated and at that juncture to be compared with the ancient offender whose stigma was erased by the dust of Rama’s feet; was a bit too much. Since after all, despite being God, Rama’s portrayal of his role in the Pattaabhi Rama Avatara was his acting as a true human being! So, even in his acting there was cause for true grievance!
214. There is one more cause for the grievance. All the Devatas including Indira were fed up of Ravana’s constant offending behaviour. Their complaint was the direct cause of Rama Avatara. Ravana’s son Meghnatha had defeated Indira and got the title as ‘Indirajit’! Despite defeating that Ravana, and despite the fact that his younger brother Lakshmana it was who defeated Indira’s victor; such a victorious Rama, when he was about to be coroneted; to be compared with his enemy’s, son’s, enemy’s Pattabhishekam was a bit of an undercut to say the least!
215. Vaalmeeki cannot be blamed also. He did not compare the characters really. Possibly he got carried away looking at the grand celebration going on in Ayodhya and felt the urge to draw a parallel to a celebration in the heavens. There were eight Vasus there in Indira’s Pattabhishekam and here there were eight Rishis. In his exuberance he simply wrote, “vasavo vaasavam yataa”! It was this unintended insult by the Epic Reporter Vaalmeeki that was offset when Indira fell at His feet accepting his defeat, eons later during the KrishNa Avatara after he lifted the Govardhana Giri. It is this that AandaaL was indirectly suggesting when she said, “kurai onrum ilaada Govinda”!
(To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva.

DEIVATHIN KURAL #181 (Vol #4) Dated 24 Apr 2011

DEIVATHIN KURAL #181 (Vol #4) Dated 24 Apr 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 second para on page number 1,014 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)
196. “Adwaitins should not be a devotee at all. Even if they happen to be a devotee, like our AachaaryaaL they should be considering all Gods to be one and the same God in different form.” That could be the type of opinion we can possibly have, if our opinion is formed by bookish knowledge, as most of us are. But, a person like Madusudana Saraswathi, an Adwaitin of deep rooted conviction, had a special niche in his heart for Sri KrishNa Bhagawan.
197. MadvachaariyaaL installed KrishNa Bhagawan in Udupi. Vyasa Teertha, who came later, emphasized and established Madhva’s views and strongly disputed Sankara AachaaryaaL’s Adwaita Siddhantam. This was well countered word for word by this Madusudana Saraswathi, who wrote copiously re-establishing Adwaita point of view and Anubhava. He himself has however sung so movingly about baby KrishNa waking up from sleep, stretching and yawning. He wrote one ‘Aananda Mandakini Stotram’ soaked in deep devotion, containing more than 100 slokas. He says in one place, “KrishNaat param kimapi tattvam aham na jaane”, tantamount to saying, “What is Adwaita philosophy and what is Dwaita Tattvam? Other than KrishNa, I do not know of any point of view of philosophy!”
198. In a sloka that starts with ‘dhyaanaabhyaasa’, he says, “If Yogis control their minds becoming NirguNa and Nishkriya, seeing some effulgence in the inner heart, let them do so. We do not have to cry that we are not able to so control our minds and not being able to visualise such Jyoti Darshanam of seeing effulgent light! That effulgence is playing around on the banks of River Kalindi (Yamuna) as a streak of brilliant blue dazzling radiance. (He is talking about KrishNa Paramaatma as a toddler baby.) Let us keep looking at Him happily. Let this give our eyes and our whole being all the bliss of existence, forever eternally!”
(For the sake of our readers who may be interested in the sloka under reference, let me give a transliterated version of the Sanskrit sloka:-
“dhyaabyaasa vaseekrutena manasaa yan nirguNam nishkriyam Jyoti: kincha, yogino yati brhmam pashyantibhir yantute I
Asmaakam tu tadeva lochana, chamatkaaraaya bhuyaat chiram kaalindi pulinodare kimapi yan neelam maho daavati II”)
199. Having given up everything else and having got hold of the Paramaatma, having known that everything is permeated through and through by that one only; you do not have to give up or forego anything anymore. It is in that state of total awareness that the Adwaitins eulogise and venerate the SaguNa Brhmam. In truth, there is no giving up at all. No separation. Only, there is the giving up of the wrong sense of being a separate, individual entity. There is no more the Saadhak who is still trying to reach or the devotee still standing apart. This is the state of being the wave in the ocean, to be the wave and the ocean at once simultaneously! That is how AachaaryaaL is saying, “daamodara, guNamandira, sundara, vadanaaravinda”, enjoying the traits and qualities of the Paramaatma.
200. As all the qualities and characteristics have taken permanent residence in Him, He is NirguNa Bhagawan. That is the meaning of the phrase, ‘guNa mandira’. If He were to have some of the qualities and traits then He is not NirguNa but, defined by some of the qualifying traits. A fair one is only fair. If you say some of the qualities of a person, it means that they are the defining characteristics of that person. If in reality a person is devoid of any traits but seen to be of varying shades and tinges on different situations – good, bad and ugly; Dharmam – Adharmam; PuNyam – Paapam; big – small; it means that He is the repository and depository of all the characteristics but is not qualified by any of them; that becomes the real truth, is it not so? He is ‘GuNa Mandiram’.
201. He who is normally ‘aroopa’ (form-free) comes before us in a supremely pleasing and powerfully attractive form, ‘sundara vadana aravinda’ with the beautiful lotus like face; says our AachaaryaaL. When the formless takes shape then the nameless gets names, not one or two, but a whole series of thousands of names of Sahasra Naamas! With ‘roopa’ comes ‘naama’ too. So, AachaaryaaL calls him ‘Govinda’; “sundara vadana aravinda govinda”.
202. Amongst God’s names as applicable to Vishnu, ‘Govinda’ is extremely special, like the name ‘Hara’ amongst names addressed to Siva. When people are assembled let us say for an ‘Upanyasam’ or some such thing, it is human nature for people to start a low hum noise of conversation which will pick up momentum to quite a din within a few minutes. Then how do we turn everybody’s attention towards the topic of lecture? The gentleman in a loud enough voice will say, “Namah Paarvathee Pataye” and the whole lot of them will respond with, “Hara Hara Mahadeva!” Then the Bhajan or Upanyasam will begin. That is the power of ‘Hara Hara’ to pull everybody’s attention towards God and divinity. As a young child Thiru Gnaana Sambandar could call out in his sweet voice, “haran naamam soozhga, vaiyagamum thuyar theergave”, emphasizing the value of the name of Siva as Hara to say, ‘let the name Hara envelop all our existence for the world to be rid of all sadness’!
203. Like this “Namah Paarvathee Pataye” another announcement that turns the listener’s mind at once towards God is, “Sarvatra Govinda Naama Sankeertanam”, meaning, ‘Let there be chanting of God’s name as Govinda, everywhere!’. One person says this and all others respond with a shout of “Govinda, Govinda!” Bhaja Govindam is a song that was composed and sung by our AachaaryaaL even when he was only a child. When millions of people do ‘Giri Valam’ that is, go around the mountain in ThiruvaNNamalai walking on bare feet a distance of 14 km, they will all be shouting “ANNaamalaikku Arohara” all the time for some three to four hours. (Actually when you go on the ‘Giri Valam’ you are supposed to go as slow as a woman in her 8th month of conception and not walk fast as though on a competition!) Similarly when people carry shoulder loads of milk or sandalwood paste (known as Kavadi), to the hill top temples of Lord SubrahmaNya, they will be chanting Muruga’s NaamaavaLi and for every sentence of the NaamaavaLi, accompanying devotees will end with a shout of ‘Harohara’! Similarly, devotees walking up to Sabarimala in the mountainous forests of Kerala will chant “SaraNam Aiyappa!” and those walking from Katra in J&K to VaishNo Devi will be chanting “Jai Mata Di”, throughout the way up for 14 Kms. So also devotees climbing the seven hills of Thirupati in A.P., will all be saying, “Govinda, Govinda!” Yes, we are forbidden to take the name of God in vain but, we are very much required to take His name in reverence and devotion!
204. (Before we proceed further, it is worth its while to go back to the series of e-mails from Deivathin Kural 146 onwards dated 02 Feb 2007; to review what has been said about ‘Siva – Vishnu Abhedam’, under that heading, available in this Blog Space. There is a clear elucidation of what two children spoke adoringly of Siva and Vishnu. One child was Thiru Gnaana Sambandar who spoke about his adoration for Siva and the other was our AachaaryaaL when was yet a small child when he composed the Bhaja Govindam song.)
205. More than the name of Hara, the name Govinda seems to be a little more special. When one person says, “Namah Paarvathee Pataye”, then only others say “Hara Hara Mahadeva!” In the case of the Govinda Naama, the first person also takes ‘Govinda’s Naama when he says that, let there be Govinda Naama Sankeertanam everywhere and people respond with, “Govinda, Govinda!” There is one more point. Ardent Vishnu Bhaktaas may or may not respond with the Hara’s name. But everybody including Siva Bhaktaas will join willingly in chanting the name of ‘Govinda’! That is why, the prefix ‘sarvatra’ is added to mean, ‘everywhere, all the time’. If someone were to ask me as to what is the most precious name of God in the whole of Hindu Sanaatana Dharma, I will say that it is ‘Govinda’!
(To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva.

DEIVATHIN KURAL #180 (Vol #4) Dated 22 Apr 2011

DEIVATHIN KURAL #180 (Vol #4) Dated 22 Apr 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 1,009 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)
187. If someone does get the Adwaita Anubhava, does he remain in that state of NirguNa? It does not seem so. Gnaanis of the world are seen to be doing many things interacting with people of this world, seemingly more effectively! Starting from Sukha Brhmam to our AachaaryaaL to Sadasiva BrhmendraaL recently, attainment of the oneness did not result in total delinking with worldly involvement! Does it mean that the Adwaita Anubhava left them?
188. The answer is that we are under the wrong notion that, ‘Samaadhi means a state when we are not seeing the world anymore; and that if and when the Gnaani is doing the worldly works, his Gnaanam has been held in abeyance or something like that!’ Though the Gnaani seems to be interacting with the world, he continues to be in a state of Samaadhi only. He has no sense of ‘Doer-ship’ and he does not look at the world as them or those others and his body as his self! That his mind has been annulled is a foregone conclusion and is not open for discussion anymore! Through him God gets things done. For the sake of demonstrating to the rest of the world, God may make use of him as a ‘role model’ to be emulated. Such a person may continue to function in various roles, which is all a play of God. (KTSV adds:- You may study the biography of such people from Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, to Nisarga Datt Maharaj, to Poondi Swami to RamaNa Maharishi; Sai Baba to Amirtananda Mayi Amma; to learn one lesson. That is, we may aspire and take efforts to get rid of the mind, ‘but this has to be done by using the mind only’, as Swami Dayanand Saraswathi says. ‘Drushtim gnaana mayam krutva pasyata brhma mayam jagat’, meaning, ‘having made your vision full of awareness of Sat – Chit – Aananda, see the whole world as an expression of divinity’.)
189. For such a Gnaani these differentiations of SaguNa and NirguNa Brhmam will cease to make any impact. In SaguNa Upaasana itself he or she may be able to enjoy the thrill of NirguNa Brhma Aanandam. On occasions with the certain knowledge that all the varieties of the world are play acting by the one Brhmam only, instead of the utter loneliness of the one, the variety may seem more enjoyable without any trace of ahambhaava or delusion. It is in this state that Sadasiva BrhmendraaL sang the song, “brhmaNi maanasa sancharare”, to mean ‘my dear mind you keep moving in brhmam’. Having told the mind to do so, he immediately sings eulogies of praise of SaguNa KrishNa Paramaatma, who is having the feathers of the pea-cock stuck jauntily in his hair!
190. That is how our AachaaryaaL also wrote many accolades and encomiums on SaguNa Brhmam’s many forms such as, Baja Govindam, Vishnu Paadaadi Keshaanta Stotram, Sri Vishnu Bhujangam, Govinda Ashtakam, Panduranga Ashtakam, Jagannatha Ashtakam, Sri Hari Stuti, Sri Lakshminrusimha KaruNarasa Stotram, Sri Lakshminrusimha Pancharatnam, Sri Ramabhujanga Prayata Stotram, Hanumath Pancharatnam, Achyuta Ashtakam, Sri Lalita Trisati, Sri Siva Keshaadi Paadaanta VarNana Stotram, Sri DakshiNamurthy Stotram, Sri Siva Paadaadi Keshaanta VarNana Stotram, Sri Mrutyunjaya Maanasika Pooja Stotram, Dasaslokee Stuti, Sri GaNesha pancharatnam, GaNesha Bhujangam, SubrahmaNya Bhujangam, Siva Bhujangam, Sivaananda Lahari, Siva Aparaadha KshamaapaNa Stotram, Sivashtakam, Siva Naamaavalyashtakam, Siva Panchaakshara Stotram, Veda Saara Siva Stotram, Sri DakshiNamurthy VarNamaalaa Stotram, DakshiNamurthy Stotram, UmaaMaheswara Stotram, Dwadasa Linga Stotram, Ardha Nareeswara Stotram, Kaala Bhairavaashtakam, SuvarNamaala Stuti, Soundarya Lahari, AnnapoorNaa Stuti, Amba Pancharatnam, Ambaashtakam, Aananda Lahari, Tripura Sundaryashtakam, Tripura Sundari Vedapaadastotram, Tripura Sundari Maanasa Pooja Stotram, Devi Bhujanga Stotram, Devi Chatush Shashtyupachaara Stotram, Sri Devyaparaadha KshamapaNa Stotram, Matruka Pushpamaala Stuti, Mantra Matruka Pushpamaala Stava:, KalyaaNa Vrushtistava:, Navaratna Maalika, Shyamala Navaratna Maalika Stotram, Sri Lalita Pancharatnam, Gowri Dasakam, Bhavani Bhujangam, Sharada Bhujanga Prayatashtakam, Meenakshi Pancharatnam, Meenakshi Stotram, Bramaraamba Ashtakam, Kamalamba Ashtakam, Kanaka Dhaara Stotram, Haristuti:, Bhagawan Maanasa Pooja, Srimad Achyutashtakam, Kaashi Panchakam, Ganga Ashtakam, Yamuna Ashtakam, Narmada Ashtakam, Gurvashtakam, Praata: SmaraNa Stotram, and many more! Please note that I have not touched upon his works on Adwaita philosophy at all here.
191. That is to say, our AachaaryaaL has wallowed in deep devotion describing the various Gods from head to feet and from feet to top of their heads and their qualities, traits and attributes and their Leelaas of what all they have done and can do! By calling God, ‘GuNa Mandiram’, it does not mean that he has forgotten the NirguNa Brhmam and is self contradictory at all! To me he seems to be still describing the NirguNa Brhmam only in which all the wonderful GuNas have taken refuge in. It is like the colourless white Sunlight, which is made of Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange and Red. There is no contradiction in terms here. It is that one nameless, colourless, shapeless Parabrhmam becoming all the varities of names, shapes and colours of the world.
192. The phrase ‘guNamandira’ following immediately after ‘daamodara’ is a word play of immense beauty. ‘Dama – udara’ means, having his hips tied by rope as we have seen and ‘guNa’ also has a connotation of a rope, as I told you already. So, the phrase ‘GuNa mandira’ seems to indicate that, the normally ‘NirguNa Brhmam’ without any defining traits or characteristics is seemingly tied-up as KrishNa let himself be tied by Yashoda, thus the NirguNa Brhmam becoming SaguNa Brhmam! “What a wonder and how surprising! The meaning and purport of all the Upanishads, that ‘NirguNa Brhmam’ itself is seen here to be tied to a household mortar!” There is a song in ‘KrishNa KarNamrutam’ with that sentiment. So I suppose, it is in the rightness of things that in the Shatpadi Stotra, the phrase ‘guNamandira’ immediately follows the phrase ‘daamodara’ very appropriately.
193. In appreciation of the beauty of the scene, he adds ‘sundara vadanaaravinda’. Word by word meaning is as follows - sundara – beautiful; vadana – face; aravinda – lotus; ‘a face as beautiful as a lotus flower’. Adwaitins not only in speech but, deeply immersed in their Adwaita Anubhava have become highly enraptured when describing the beauty of God’s form and figure. Those who are Adwaitins and also devotees are found to be devotees of Siva (the Nayanmaars who have sung the Tevaram songs) or Subrahmanya (such as Kumara Gurupara, Paamban SwamigaL, AruNa giri Natha, and Kachiappa Sivachaariyaar) or KrishNa (such as Leela Suka, Chaitanya Maha Prabhu and KrishNa Premi). There are more Adwaitins who have KrishNa as their Ishta Devata.
194. Leela Suka who wrote the ‘KrishNa KarNamrutam’ belonged to the Adwaita tradition. Talking about his family in Kerala, he says that their family deity is Siva and ‘Siva Panjatcharee’ is undoubtedly their Japa Mantra. Still he was a very ardent devotee of KrishNa, who has written the ‘KrishNa KarNamrutam’ with such intensity to virtually steal our hearts. Some five centuries back there was one Madusudana Saraswathi in Bengal. He has authored a book known as ‘Adwaita Siddhi’ and contributed much for the tradition of Adwaita Siddhantam. Then he has also authored a book known as ‘Bhakti Rasayanam’ to mean, ‘The Chemistry of Devotion’, to prove and establish the point that there is no conflict between the experience of NirguNa Brhma Gnaanam and being intensely devoted to the SaguNa Brhmam!
195. Madusudana Saraswathi was an ardent devotee of KrishNa Bhagawan too. There is a sloka known as ‘Siva Mahimna Stotram’ quite popular in Maharashtra State and the whole of North India! Here in South India people may not know about its existence even. But the point I am making here is that, Sri Madusudana Saraswathi has written a word for word translation with commentary of the ‘Siva Mahimna Stotram’, in which he has proved that the Stotram is equally applicable to Sri KrishNa also.
(To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva.

DEIVATHIN KURAL #179 (Vol #4) Dated 20 Apr 2011

DEIVATHIN KURAL #179 (Vol #4) Dated 20 Apr 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 1,005 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)
178. Meanings of the 12 Names of Maha Vishnu. We have seen in detail the meaning of the name Dhamodara. Now let us see the other 11 names. ‘Govinda’ means the one who commands and controls the senses. Here ‘Go’ means the ‘Indriyas’ that is, the senses. Thirumoolar said, ‘paarpaar agathup pasu aindu’. While on the one hand, we human beings are all animals or cattle only and God is the Good Shepherd; what Thirumoolar refers to are the inner senses, which are five and the controller mind is the sixth not really one of the senses! Similarly there is an interpretation about Kesava the next name. ‘Ka + a + eesa + va = Kesava’, in which ‘ka’ is Brhma, (Vedas say that ‘ka’ is Brhma),‘a’ is Vishnu (agara mudala ezhuththellam aadi bhagawan mudartre ulagu), ‘eesa’ is Easwara; put together it is ‘Kesava’. Similarly, ‘Ohm’ which is a single letter in Sanskrit, is said to be a combination of ‘a + u + m’ in which, ‘a’ is Vishnu, ‘u’ is Easwara and ‘m’ is Brhma; the Tri – Murthys in one is ‘Ohm’. So is Kesava!
179. Now let us look at Madhava. Like honey the Madu, Madhava is sweet natured. This is also a special name for Krishna. Maha Vishnu also has this name. Madu and Kaitaba were two Asuras whom Vishnu sorted out. So there is a meaning that because He killed Madu, He got that name Madhava. ‘Ma’ is Lakshmi the consort of Vishnu. In the word ‘Kaamaakshi’ too, the underlined ‘ma’ has the meaning as ‘great’ as a name for AmbaaL. Siva’s Patni is ‘Sivaa’. Like that ‘Ka’ that is Brhma’s Patni, Saraswathi is ‘Kaa’. Since for AmbaaL Lakshmi and Saraswathi are like the two eyes, she is having ‘Kaa’ and ‘Maa’ as the two eyes, making the name Kamakshi.
180. Appayya Deekshidar also in his Kruti ‘Neerajaakshi Kaamaakshi’, points out the fact that Lakshmi and Saraswathi are the two eyes of Kamaakshi when he says, “saarada ramaa nayana”. In Tamil language too, ‘maa’ stands for Lakshmi and ‘davan’ means husband and so Maadhava means the Lord of Lakshmi that is, Maha Vishnu. The woman for example who has lost her husband is ‘vidava’. Maadavan is also ‘Maaramanan’.
181. Amongst the 12 names, next is ‘Madusudanan’, which we saw already, as the one who killed the Asura Madu. This name is of Maha Vishu, but normally more in use as a name of Krishna, which is all one and the same. Similarly the name ‘Hrushikesa’ is for the one who is in control of his ‘hrushika’ the senses. The Easwara of the senses is Hrushikesa. In Gita, often the name Hrushikesa has been used for Krishna in many places.
182. Amongst the 12 names, Narayana, Vishnu, Sridhara and Padmanabha ; have all been directly indicative of Maha Vishnu. Trivikrama and Vamana are about Vishnu’s Avatara as the short brahmin boy who begged Maha Bali Chakravarti for only that much land as can be measured by three steps of his and then went on to become the ever growing Giant Trivikrama whose two steps measured all the Earths and Heavens! The rest of the six names of Kesava, Madhava, Govinda, Madusudana, Hrushikesa and Daamodara; are all considered as the names of Krishna only. The names meant for Sri Rama, Nrusimha and other Avataras are not to be found in these 12 special names known as ‘Dwadasa Naamas’. Veda Suktas make special mention of Maha Vishnu’s Avatara as Trivikrama while, late Puranas, Bhajans and Keertanas have all mainly eulogised Krishna as the PoorNa Avatara. Thus the Dwadasa Naamas cover only these two Avataras. Out of the 12 names, Daamodara and Govinda have both been used in the sixth sloka of the Shatpadi, while in the first one he has started with addressing Vishnu as already quoted, “avinayam apanaya Vishno!”
183. Our AachaaryaaL starts the sixth stanza with, “daamodara guNamandira”. I have already told you about the meaning of the word Daamodara. ‘GuNa Mandira’ means a person in whom all the virtuous qualities have found a refuge in. Birds find their place of rest in a nest. We live in houses. Kings live in Palaces. Though God is everywhere, we install God in a specially constructed edifice and name it the Temple that is called a Mandir in Sanskrit and many of the Indian Languages. So GuNa Mandira means living embodiment of all the endless salubrious qualities. The word GuNa has another meaning as a rope or cord. In the name Daamodara also we saw that the word ‘Daama’ has a similar meaning of a cord! In the entire Shatpadi Stotra, we notice thus a continuous braiding of words and their meaning. That is the logic of this word ‘guNa mandira’ following the word ‘daamodara’ in the sloka. So ‘GuNa Mandira’ is another name for God in whom, all the ‘ananta kalyaaNa’ traits have come to reside! That phrase ‘ananta kalyaaNa’ means, ‘the wonderful, pleasant and beneficial qualities that are endless’!
184. Those with some partial knowledge about Adwaita Saastra tend to raise a doubt with a question such as, “Is it not wrong on the part of our AachaaryaaL to be praising God’s traits and qualities? Because as we know Sankara Bhagawat PaadaaL firmly established the Adwaita Siddhanta, as per which the ultimate reality as the Para Brhmam is the Nishkriya NirguNa thing without any ‘to be performed duties and qualities and traits. So also is this Jeevaatma. Till this Jeevaatma has a mind of his own, he has qualities, traits, naama (name), roopa (including big, small, shape, size, colours, pleasing or repugnant), aspirations, desires and so actions to be done leading to planning, scheming in an endless cycle! He has to do ‘Gnaana Vichara’ tracing back all these things to his thoughts, from the thoughts to the source all thoughts the mind, bring that mind to a standstill, finally erasing it completely. In the process he realizes his oneness with the Nishkriya, NirguNa Brhmam. That is Moksham and Adwaita Anubhava, our AachaaryaaL’s confirmed view point! So is it not wrong on his part to be making prayers to God as a repository of all ‘KalyaaNa GuNas’, however salubrious they may be?
185. Both Ramanuja AachaaryaaL and Madhva AacharyaaL are of the view that Sriman NarayaNa is the source, spring as well the dwelling place of all such ‘KalyaaNa GuNas’. Our job as the Jeevaatma is to drop all our other inclinations and tendencies and finally reach the Param Dhaama of Vaikundam and eternally live rejoicing in appreciation of the wonderful and salubrious traits and qualities of His! That is their idea of what is Moksham. For our present discussion, these two above paragraphs are good enough, to bring out the salient differences in these three view points of Adwaita, Visishtadwaita and Dwaita. In brief we can say that Sankara talked about NirguNa Brhmam and the other two spoke about SaguNa Brhmam.
186. The question is, “Is it alright for Sankara Bhagawat PaadaaL who mainly spoke about NirguNa Brhmam, to be eulogising the SaguNa Brhmam with words such as ‘GuNa Mandira’?” “Yes”, is the answer to that question! What do we gather from Sankara’s Bhashyams? At the end when everything is one and the same NirguNa, is Moksham. That is when the Paramaatma and Jeevaatma are merged as one with no separate identity whatsoever. In them the Paramaatma as the supreme ruler Easwara creates, sustains, nourishes and reabsorbs all. While doing so, He is the SaguNa Brhmam. To be apart from that but to be managed, permeated and governed; and forever to be praying and serving Him is the job of this Jeevaatma. To love God and to love the act of loving God is the Upaasana approach that Ramanuja and Madhva AachaaryaaLs have both recommended. You would have realized from the talks so far on Shatpadi that our AachaaryaaL has also extensively dwelt on the Upaasana Approach! The only difference is in the end point of the devotee becoming one with the object of devotion!
(To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva.

DEIVATHIN KURAL #178 (Vol #4) Dated 18 Apr 2011

DEIVATHIN KURAL #178 (Vol #4) Dated 18 Apr 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 1,000 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)
168. People keep on doing intolerably wrong things adding to woes of Bhuma Devi (as the Earth is known as), which she will bear with up to a certain level after which she has no other recourse than to register a complaint with God. Once she complains in the form of a cow, immediately God will come down to this earth as the Good Shepherd, the Gopala or Pasupathi, says the Bhagawatham. “Thus you are ever taking care of the world and its life forms. As I am roasted by the fearful tribulations of this life, I am entitled to be saved by you”, is the meaning of this slokam.
169. Pointing out the fact of God’s extreme compassion with which he repeatedly comes down to the earth, to save and protect the lives from unrighteous ways; AachaaryaaL is reiterating the words in his poem with slight variations, “avataaravataa – avataa – bhavataa –bhava – taapa” and so on! “Repeatedly as Vishnu is taking Avataara, only your God Maha Vishnu has to go through life in the Mother’s womb, whereas our Siva does come down as himself and goes, whenever required!”, say the followers of Saivites derisively at the Vaishnavites. They retaliate in turn saying that, “Only our PerumaaL has infinite kindness that despite all the troubles He comes down to be with us, as one amongst us and guide us. Your Siva is not so kind!” That being the way people look at each other’s Siddhaanta, our AachaaryaaL has addressed PerumaaL Himself as Parameswara, describing all the Avataras bringing in oneness, parity, equality and balance in devotion!
170. “The best amongst all humans is ‘Purushottama’, who is Hari also having the titles as Maheswara, Easwara and Triyambaka and nobody else”, says the great Sanskrit poet KaLi Daasa. I quote Raghu Vamsam (3,49), “harir yatha eka: purushottama smruta: maheswara: trayambaka: eva naapara:”. The Sanskrit Dictionary known as ‘Amara Kosa:’ gives the title of Easwara to the one ruler of all, Siva by saying, “Easwara: sarva easaana:”. But our AachaaryaaL who does not recognise any difference between God in one form and in any other form; calls ‘Maha Vishnu’ as ‘Parameswara’ only and requests Him to save and protect him!
171. Now let us go on to the next sloka, the 6th that should complete this Shatpadi. It goes like this:-
“dhamodara guNa mandira
sundara vadanaaravinda govinda I
bhava jaladhi mathana mandara
paramam daram apanaya tvam me II”
The sound ‘nda’ has been made to occur repeatedly. Though the words mandira, sundara, aravinda, govinda and mandara have all found their place in the first three lines; in the fourth line, the word ‘paramandaram’ is actually ‘paramam + daram’. To the physical beauty of the poem, It adds intellectual relish like the sloka on PiLLaiyar; ‘anekadam – tam bhaktaanaam eka dantam upaasmahe’!
172. In the first two lines he is calling God as, “Dhamodara, Govinda”, two of His well known names. Then “guNa mandira, sundara and vadana aravinda” are also addressing the same God. There are twelve names of Vishnu, which are important. Parameswara that is Siva has eight special names such as, Bhava, Sarva, Easaana, Pasupathi, Ugra, Rudra, Bheema and Mahadeva. Like that Vishnu has 12 special names. Even when we do ‘Archana’ with Ashtotra Sata Naama (108) or Trisati (300) or Sahasra Naama (1,000); at the end, these Eight / Twelve names should be uttered for Siva / Vishnu respectively to wholesomely complete the Archana. On occasions when you do not have the time to chant all the 108 / 300 / 1,000 names, chanting of these special list of 8 / 12 names will do most sufficiently, for Siva / Vishnu Pooja!
173. For Maha Vishnu pooja these twelve names are rather important. The Vaishnavas wear on their forehead the sign that is called the ‘Naamam’. How was this name arrived at? Actually Vaishnavas, Saivites, Smarthas and Madhvas; all of them wear either Naamam of two vertical white lines on either side with a central red line; or three horizontal parallel lines of the Vibhuti (cow dung turned in to white ashes with certain herbals added to impart fragrance) or a single stroke upwards with a brown yellowish clay known as Gopi Chandan. When a person is seen with such marks on his body, we say that, “he has come with the twelve Naamaas”. The idea is to wear the mud / ashes in chanting the names of God, remembering that he has measured the whole universe and is the supporting power for its even functioning. So you chanted those eight or twelve names and applied those signs; thus the very process came to be called ‘naamam poduvathu’. In later days, this very act came to be derisively construed as a show of being very religious while in fact an indication of hypocrisy.
174. Let anybody say or construe anything. Even today religiously minded people are saying, “Keshava, Narayana, Madhava, Govinda, Vishnu, Madhusudana, Trivikrama, Vamana, Sridhara, Hrushikesa, Padmanaabha and Dhamodara” and applying God’s Naamas on their body. Surprisingly these Avatara names do not have Sri Rama and Sri Krishna amongst them, though they are all names of Maha Vishnu only. Kesava is the one who destroyed an Asura named Kesi; the one who protected the cattle is Govinda.
175. Dhamodara is the one with his hips tied with ropes. Dama is rope and udara is the stomach. Krishna used to steal the butter stored in pots and hung from the roof to make it inaccessible to children and insects. But Krishna would make his friends bend down, climb on their backs and shoulders to reach for the pots hanging in mid air. Yasoda said, “OK. I will see to it that you are not able to do such mischief anymore!” She tried to tie his hips with a rope. Krishna as we know is a practical joker and magician. His was a small tummy. Yasoda may use any number of ropes and join them up to tie up this small baby’s hip in vain. She was getting flustered. Seeing her plight, then Krishna allowed Himself to be tied. That is where, he got the name Dhamodara.
176. The other end of the rope she tied on to the solid stone mortar fixed on the ground, on which they used to beat the rice to remove the husk or pound the wheat to powder it. The 12 Aazhvaars who were renowned as great devotees of Vishnu have all referred about this event in their eulogies of Nalayira Divya Prabhandam. They have all pointed out as to how God who can never be tied in knots can easily be won over by Bhakti, saying with tears in their eyes, “You who is omnipresent beyond the ends of the universe, so easily permitted yourself to be tied that the soft underbelly of your baby form was so roughly rubbed and chaffed by the crude rope!” The lord as Dhamodara, crawled out with the mortar in his wake and passed through the two closely grown trees (which were Nalakubara and Manigriva, the sons of Kubera, the Lord of Wealth, standing there due to Sage Narada’s curse for their haughty behaviour) and got them uprooted (and released to their original form)!
177. AandaaL says, “Thaayai kudal viLakkam seida Dhamodaranai”, meaning that God as Dhamodara, clarified for the whole world that his biological Mother has conceived and delivered the very Lord of the Universe as her baby, while His adopted Mother could tie Him up with ropes, normally an impossible act made easy out of her motherly love! From another angle, ‘Dhama + Udara’ means that, ‘He is the end destination containing all in His folds within’!
(To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva.

DEIVATHIN KURAL #177 (Vol #4) Dated 16 Apr 2011

DEIVATHIN KURAL #177 (Vol #4) Dated 16 Apr 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 994 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)
157. In the second half of the sloka, by repeating the sound of the word “bhavathi” four times in four different directions, he has completed the meaning of the sloka. The astuteness that AacharyaaL has shown in word play in this sloka is simply breathtaking, in that even professional writers of poetry would have to take a back seat with a sense of awe! Let us look at the various shades of meaning that this word ‘bhavathi’ is taking in this sloka.
158. When he says, ‘drushte bhavathi’, the word ‘bhavathi’ here means, ‘with you or in you’. We use the word ‘bhavaan’ when we say ‘Your Highness or Your Excellency!’ If we are addressing a Lady, this word ‘bhavathi’ could be used to mean, ‘Madam’, as while saying, ‘bhavathi bikshaam dehi!’ When the word ‘bhavathi’ is used as a verb, the meaning is ‘happens’, that is the root word ‘bhavath’ of ‘male gender’ in the VII Declination becomes ‘bhavathi’. Here it would mean, ‘with you or in you’! So, ‘drushte bhavathi’ would mean, ‘if we have your darshan or that ‘if we happen to have a glimpse of your being’. Remember that we are talking about getting the ‘darshan’ of the God, the Master of the whole Universe; ‘if we happen to just be there in his sight or we happen to get a side long glance from Him or He happens in our vision’, can we have any more aspirations or wants or needs? So, then what happens?
159. He says, “na bhavathi kim bhava thiraskaara:” If we happen to read the last two words as, ‘bhavathi raskaara:’ that would be wrong. Someone asked his helper to go and buy from the shop, three things namely, Sukku (dry ginger), MoLagu (Black Pepper) and Thippily (another spice). The helper went to the shop and asked for, ‘Sukkumo, Laguthi and Ippily’ with the shop keeper confused at the meaning! That story is to explain as to what all can go wrong when you wrongly break the words and reconnect! This is similar to ‘anekadam tam’ becoming ‘aneka dantam’! The correct way to read the words is to say, ‘bhava thiraskaara:’ meaning, ‘to ignore or annul this samsaara’.
160. Earlier in the line when it says, ‘na bhavathi kim’, the word ‘bhavathi’ is a verb and the meaning of the phrase is, ‘does it not happen’? What ‘does it not happen’? The erasure of this life, that is. “Once having got your Darshan, does not this life become meaningless and so gets erased?” Instead of simply saying that “Vision of God leads to annulment of this life of illusion”, he is indirectly stating the same thing by asking God, “When we get a Vision of yours, will not this life of make belief become null and void?” That gives more emphasis to his statement.
161. At this moment it is worth its while to note what Bhagawat Gita (2.59) says in a similar vein. The text goes on to say, “vishaya vini vartante niraahaarasya dehina: I rasavarjam rasa: api asya param drushtvaa nivartate II” As he practices abstinence, his longing for things sensual, slowly dwindle; while one Vision of the Supreme completely causes the Saadhak to make a ‘Right About Turn’, completely away from all such temptations! As Krishna uses the words in Bhagawat Gita as, “param drushtvaa”, AachaaryaaL is saying “drushte bhavathi”. Anyhow, “whether that one Bhagawat Darshan (that is the Vision of God), takes us to Adwaita Aatma Satchaatkaara or simply a Dwaita Anubhava, it does not matter. Whatever it is, we are not going to get back in this rut of the cycle of birth being deluded by Maya  and again death followed by  birth”, is it not so? That is what AachaaryaaL is asking when he says, “na bhavathi kim bhava thiraskaara:?”
162. The Fifth Sloka of Shatpadi in which Vishnu is called – Easwara! Easwara and Hara are normally names reserved for Siva, like an unspoken agreement between scriptures and scholars. The next sloka of Shatpadi goes like this:-
“matsyaadibhi: avatarai: avataaravata avataa sadaa vasudaam I parameswara paripaalyo bhavataa bhavataapa bheetoham II” Here too twice he uses the word ‘bhavata’. First time the word is to be taken as ‘bhavata’ as being said by the devotee addressing God to mean, ‘By Your Highness’. The second time the word separates out as, ‘bhava taapa bheeta: aham’ meaning, ‘me who is much scared by, my own demands on myself!’. As I am much besotted by the demands that I set on myself, I am worthy of being rescued and protected by you, the Supreme Commander – Parameswara!
163. Generally we make use of the words Easwara and Parameswara to be indicative of Siva. AachaaryaaL however has the Adwaita attitude of non-differentiation in everything! For him God is one, Siva and Vishnu are one and the same. Even when addressing the various aspects of God as Krishna, AmbaaL, Govinda, Ganesha or Hanuman; he is still visualizing the same One God essentially! One of his grantha is called ‘(Prasna – Uttara) Prasnottara Ratna Maalika’ and is in the form of question and answers. One of the questions is “Who is God?” The answer is, “He is known as Sankara and Narayana, the one Aatma, Maheswara” (‘mahesa: sankara narayanatma eka:’). He never differentiated between Hari and Hara. It is all one and the same God for him. So, here in the Shatpadi, he is calling Maha Vishnu by the name of Parameswara and is telling Him that he is to be protected and ruled over by Him! OK! This is the later line, which you have well explained. But in the earlier line there is something repeatedly mentioned as, “vataa, vataa”. Will you please explain that?
164. Avataras. Maha Vishnu is said to have taken 10 Avataras as the Matsya (Fish), Koorma (Tortoise), Varaaha (Boar) and so on, for the sake of ‘loka rakshanam’. That is mentioned in short as, ‘matsyaadibhir avataarai:’ that is, ‘matsya + aadibhi: + avataarai:’. What is this ‘loka rakshanam’? Does it mean a big universal government with supreme court, police department and armed forces? To protect the Vedas and to let and enable everyone do their ‘Swa Dharma’ without being interfered with; is Loka Rakshanam.
165. To ensure that the atmosphere is resounding with Veda Mantras and all the spiritual powers of the Devatas are well cared for; which in turn would ensure systematic functioning of the natural forces, in consonance with the requirements of various life forms; is ‘Loka Samrakshanam’. Whenever things happened to disturb this balance; The Chief Executive of the Universe has had to recreate himself amidst us, as and when required. That is the promise made in those many words by Sri Krishna in the Bhagawat Gita, that he will reposition Himself whenever required; often quoted as, “yadaa yadaa hi dharmasya glaanir bhavathi bhaaratha abhyuththaanam adharmasya tadaatmaanam srujaamyaham”!
166. Somukhasura, Hayagreeva and such Asuras, collected all the Vedas and hid them in forests on the ocean floor. Maha Vishnu took the form of a fish known as ‘Meena Avatara’ which is eulogised by Jayadeva in his Ashtapadi, ‘pralaya payodhi jale’ in the Avatara as the Matsya. From his exalted stage He comes down to this worldly existence and that is known as, ‘Avatara’, meaning ‘down-coming’. ‘Taara’ means high and ‘avataaram’ means down from the heights. To catch hold of our hands and take us up, He has to come down. So in the sloka the phrase ‘ava – taara – vataa’ means, ‘the one who has come down from the heights’. This is followed by another ‘avataa’, in which the word ‘ava’ means ‘to protect’. For example ‘maamava’ in the songs like, ‘Maam avatu Sri Saraswathi’ or ‘’Maamava pattaabhiraama’; the phrase ‘maamava’, separate in to ‘maam + ava’ = save me or protect me!
167. So, the first line of the fifth sloka thus reads, “matsyaabhir avataarai: avataravataa avataa sadaa vasudhaam’. By various avataaraas starting from the Fish; (‘sadaa’ means ever;) the one who has been coming down to protect. Protect what? To protect ‘vasudhaam’ that is the Earth, which is a depository of all sorts of wealth and natural resources and life forms. It is called ‘Vasundharaa’ also. AachaaryaaL is talking about God having to take physical control of the situation when there is a crisis when the world becomes too disorderly!
(To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva.

DEIVATHIN KURAL #176 (Vol #4) Dated 14 Apr 2011

DEIVATHIN KURAL #176 (Vol #4) Dated 14 Apr 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 988 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)
147. Let us now look at the word meaning of the fourth sloka of the Shatpadi. In the phrase ‘ud-druta-naga’, ‘naga’ means non-moving or static. As the mountain remains immobile without any wavering, it is called, ‘achalam’, ‘agam’ or ‘nagam’. Parvata Raja Kumari is called Girija as she is the daughter of the King of Mountains. So also she has names such as, ‘agaja’ and ‘nagaja’. The sloka on Ganesha starts off with, ‘agajaanana padmaarkam gajaananam aharnisam’! You do not have to know much of Sanskrit to know that ‘agajaanana’ is the opposite of ‘gajaanana’! But this ‘gajaanana’ with a face of an elephant {gaja = elephant + aanana = faced} is the ‘arka’ (sun) who causes the lotus face of ‘agaja’, daughter of the king of hills, Parvathy’s face ‘aanana’ of a lotus to bloom!
148. So, ‘ud-druta-naga’ means ‘one who has lifted the mountain’. He is the ‘Giri Dhara Gopala’ about whom Mira Bai kept singing always. There are two main occasions when Maha Vishnu had lifted the mountains and held them high. First occasion was when they churned the Ksheera Saagara The Ocean of Milk, using the Mandara mountain as the churning block and snake Vasuki as the entwining rope; when they brought out many great things including the Aalahaala Poison which Siva was condescending enough to drink to save others from destruction thereby getting the name of ‘Neela Kanta’ or Blue Necked. At that time Vishnu was upholding the Mandara Mountain in proper position by assuming the Kurma Avatara as the Tortoise! The next time He upheld a mountain was when Krishna lifted the whole Govardhana Mountain to protect the Yadava community from being wiped out by the torrential rains caused by Indra’s anger. Our load of Karma is like the Govardhana Mountain, which Bhagawan Sri Krishna could bear with his little finger of one hand! He is capable of bearing such heavy burdens, ‘ud-druta naga’.
149. The next phrase is “nagabhidanuja”, which is ‘nagabid + anuja’. The word ‘nagabid’ means ‘the one who had cut the mountains’ and ‘anuja’ means ‘younger sibling’. The earlier born elder is ‘poorvaja’ and the later born younger brother is ‘anuja’. If it was a younger sister, the word is ‘anuja’! Raama’s younger brother is ‘Ramaanuja’. Rama’s younger brothers are Bharatha, Lakshmana and Shatrugna. But Lakshmana is more noticeable for having maintained a ‘Vrata’ of abnegation of not sleeping and maintaining celibacy for the entire period of their stay in the forest till they all returned to Ayodhya! Lakshmana is the Avatara of Adisesha. Vaishnava’s Guru RamanujachaaryaaL is also said to be Adisesha Avatara and he was also Lakshmana, as named by his parents!
150. When did Vishnu become Indra’s younger brother? That happened during Vamana Avatara. Starting from Indra all the Devas were children of Kashyapa Maharishi and his wife Atiti. When Vishnu assumed the Vamana Avatara, he was born to the same parents, namely Kashyapa Maharishi and Atiti. So Vishnu as Vamana was Indra’s younger brother. So, he had a name ‘Upendra’ too. So when he lifted Govardhana Giri to subdue Indra’s haughtiness, He was ‘ud-druta-naga’ in the later Avatara as Krishna. Earlier in the Vamana Avatara, as a younger brother of Indra, He was ‘nagabidanuja’. God does not play cheap tricks of popularity and favouritism, keeping some as ardent fans and some kept at arm’s length! If you are a sincere devotee simply being disciplined and duty conscious; He will make your way problem-free! If you are over complacent, brimming with unnecessary head weight, he may clip your wings, so to say. AachaaryaaL has brought out these two contrasting and varying attributes by these two phrases, ‘ud-druta-naga’ and ‘naga-bid-anuja’.
151. Now we have, “danuja – kulaamitra”; ‘danuja’ or ‘Dhanavas’ are Asuras, their name deriving from being the sons of ‘Dhanu’ who was also Kashyap’s wife. Kashyapa is the father of all Devas as well as Asuras through different Mothers. Kashyapa had another wife by the name of ‘Diti’, whose children were also Asuras, called ‘Dhaityas’. In ‘nagabidanuja’, to correctly break the phrase in to component words, ‘nagabi – danuja’ would be wrong and to say, ‘nagabid – anuja’ would be correct. This would mean the younger brother of the one who cut asunder the wings of the mountains who often used to fly off and sit down wherever they felt like, creating untold miseries for the common folk! Not only that, it suited the subsequent ‘andaadi’ ‘aNi’ for the next word ‘danuja kulaamitra’ to rhyme!
152. We see this sort of word play in many slokas. In the earlier quoted ‘agajaanana padmaarkkam’ sloka too we see, “aneka dantam bhaktaanaam eka dantam upaasmahe”. At the first glance it will mean as though, ‘many teethed amongst devotees the one toothed I pray too’, it looks and sounds somewhat an aberration! When you correctly do the ‘sandhi – break’, it should read as, “anekadam / tam / bhaktaanaam / eka / dantam / upaasmahe”, to mean; ‘that God with one tooth, who gives many favours to his devotees, I pray to!’ But it also sounds funny that the same person could be addressed as having ‘eka dantam and aneka dantam’! But we have seen that the first time in that line, it is not, ‘aneka dantam’ but, ‘anekadam tam’; is how we should break the ‘sandhi’ and read / understand!
153. ‘danuja kula amitra’ means the enemy of the ‘Kula’ of Dhanujas (who are Asuras, as I mentioned earlier, as the children of ‘Dhanu’, the wife of Kashyapa). As Indra’s younger brother when Bhagawan Vishnu came into this world, the ‘Dhanujas’ were also his brothers as his father’s children only. But as He did not care only for relationship but cared for righteousness, the Asuras were his ‘amitras’ that is, enemies. Lord Vishnu as Upendra, Indra’s loving younger brother, has recovered the empire from Maha Bali and given it back to Indra. But when Indra driven by ego, tried to show off his prowess by being harsh with Yadavas, He stood by in support of the Yadavas, uplifting the Govardhan Giri and vanquishing the Rain God’s might. The Asuras who were mostly ill behaved, despite being his brothers, earned Krishna’s wrath that they were called the ‘amitras’! Our AachaaryaaL as he is connecting the end of the previous word with the start of the next word; seems to also make the ideas of the meaning of the words also run into each other by punning on the words using synonyms and antonyms liberally.
154. Next are the words, “mitra sashi drushte”. Mitra means friend. Here while saying ‘mitra sashi drushte’, this word means the Sun. In Vedas, in many places the Sun has been referred to as the ‘Mitra’. In the days gone by, the Sun worship was practiced all over the world. This word ‘Mitra’ was being used as it is even in as far apart areas as Egypt and Cambodia. 1,300 years B.C., an agreement between Ramses II and the Hittites is said to have been witnessed by ‘Mitra and Varuna’! Mitra is the Sun and he is also a friend of Sashi, the Moon. Do you know the reason why the Moon has a name as Sashi? The fair Moon seems to have some smudge, which in some angles looks like a Hare, that is ‘sasam’ in the Sanskrit language. Having a Hare as a part of his body, the Moon is also known as ‘Sashank or Sashi’.
155. He is calling God as the one who has the friends Sun and Moon as His eyes when he says, ‘mitra sashi drushte’! In God’s Viraat (Macro) Swaroopa (form), the Sun is His right eye and the Moon is the left eye. Having reminded the devotees of Gods Avataras as Indra’s younger brother, Dhanuja’s enemy, lifting of Govardhana Giri to protect the Yadava’s from Indra’s wrath; as a continuation when the dwarf sized Vamana Brhmachari took the form of Trivikrama of Viraat Swaroopa of immense proportions; His eyes were seen to be the Sun and Moon. The poem reminds the devotee of all these things. In the early part of Vishnu Sahasra Naama, it says ‘bhoo: paadou .....chandra sooryous cha netre’. It is the same idea repeated here, as Vamana kept increasing his size and stature to become Trivikrama, while his feet were firmly rooted on earth, His eyes shown like the Sun and Moon of the Heavens!
156. One Vision of God’s Cosmic Form is Sufficient for Release from Bhava – Samsaara! In the next line, by repeatedly using the word ‘bhavathi’ in four slightly different meanings, AachaaryaaL has shown such fluency and facility of command over the language. He says “drushti bhavathi prabhavathi na-bhavathi kim bhava tiraskaara:”. (We will go deeper into the meaning of this line in the next e-mail.)
(To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva.

DEIVATHIN KURAL #175 (Vol #4) Dated 12 Apr 2011

DEIVATHIN KURAL #175 (Vol #4) Dated 12 Apr 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 981 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)
138. Our AachaaryaaL was at the peak of Gnaana, totally identified with the Parabrhmam. However till one is in this world interacting with all and sundry; there is only one as the Easwara who is omniscient and omnipotent. All others are of limited abilities and knowledge. While being amongst them it is wrong to claim our unity with God! So, does it mean that the idea of Adwaitam itself is wrong? No, and there is no confusion either. AachaaryaaL makes it succinctly and beautifully clear. Are the ocean and waves, one and the same or not? Seen from outside, peripherally waves and the ocean are different. Seen from within, they are not different but one and the same. In the one ocean, it is the wind and the earth’s rotation which causes the waves more like an occurrence than a thing! Similarly Maya causes the appearance of Jeeva Aatma, many of them. In that stage even after realizing itself to be the ocean and not the transitory wave, it is wrong for the wave to claim that it is the Ocean, is it not so?
139. So, AachaaryaaL says ‘sathyapi bheda apagame’; even after the differences have become void, removed or erased; you are not mine but, I am yours! It is the wave that belongs to the ocean, is it not so? Nowhere does the ocean become the property of the wave! He is addressing the ‘Naatha’ the Ruling Lord, “naatha tavaaham na maamakeena: tvam”; meaning, “I am yours, you are never mine”! Oh, Lord, I am yours, your property and you are the owner. You are not dependent on me or my property. Ocean is full by itself and can be without a single wave, whereas the wave can never be without being part of an ocean or lake! Similarly, without the world and Jeevas, you are there and can be all by yourself as it happens during ‘kalpa anta kaala pralaya’ or Armageddon/ apocalypse!
140. “saamudro hi taranga: kvachana samudro na taaranga:”. That means, ‘tarangam’ is the wave and it belongs to the ocean. The ocean can never be the property of the wave. ‘kvachana’ means never. Even by mistake one cannot think of God as being dependent or subservient to the man, the Jeevaatma! The wonderful principle of Adwaitam is not to be hoisted on this world of interactions and transactions; as that would lead to confusion confounded into chaos! To avoid that possibility he has used this word, ‘kvachana’. Thayum Aanavar said “Ellaam Un (your) Udaimaiye”, meaning, ‘it is all yours only’. Ownership is ‘swam’ and the owner is the ‘swami’. That is why Vaishnavas call their God, ‘Udaiyavar’ the ‘swami’ the owner. In earlier times Kapaleeswara Swamy or Nageswara Swami used to be referred as ‘Kapaaleesuram Udaiyaar’ and ‘Thiru Naagesuram Udaiyaar’, respectively.
141. When it comes to the end experience, AachaaryaaL had roundly criticised both the Saiva and Vaishnava Siddhaantams and held that the Jeeva and Brhma are one and the same. Despite having done that, keeping the practical aspect of life in view, while writing this poem of prayers, so that nobody may ever start getting too high headed and haughty; in all humbleness, as a typical embodiment of ‘vinaya’, he is presenting a model paper as though in devotion. His devotion is no less than any devotee of any religion or Siddhanta even while being simply cajoling with God!
142. We can make out from this as to how our AachaaryaaL was not a die-hard fundamentalist. He was not too sticky with his views and not impractical. Though his principled stand was Adwaitam, when it comes to the practical approach to God by this individual soul through devotion; more than anybody else, our AachaaryaaL is the first one to say, “My Dear, please do not bring in the Adwaitam here, now!” If there is a pleasure in being the God, there is also Aanandam in being a devotee of God! While being devoted, ‘He is Nathan the Lord. He is the owner who owns us all. We are only an iota of dust in His Service!’ We can have the pleasure in being a devotee only when we understand the fact of His Lordship. The quality and intensity of his devotion to God cannot be considered to be anything less in comparison with Madva or Ramanuja AachaaryaaLs. He is telling God, “If you are the huge ocean, I am only a small, negligibly small wave. I have no existence without you. I am all yours”, in absolute humility!
“satyapi bhedaapagame naatha tavaaham na maamkeenastvam I
saamudro hi taranga: kvachana samudro na taaranga: II 3 II”
143. In the Shatpadi Stotra in each stanza there is some special kind of beauty. In this fourth sloka of the Shatpadi the way AachaaryaaL has braided the words in an intricate work of art, as though. Normally there is a method of beautifying the poetry by using the end word of the previous stanza to start the next stanza. This is known as ‘andaadi’, which is derived by joining ‘antha(end) + aadi(start) = andaadi’. Kambar has written ‘Saraswathi Andaadi’ and Sadagopar Andaadi’. Nammazhvaar’s Thiru Vaaimozhi is all in ‘Andaadi’ style only. In Naalaayira Divya Prabhandam, the first three Aazhvars after getting God’s Darshan; have all sung in this style. Nowadays Abhiraami Andaadi is becoming famous and popular.
144. Paramaatma is said to be ‘aadyanta rahitan’ meaning, ‘the one without a start or end. Manikka Vaachagar starts his ‘Thiruvembaavai’ with the words, ‘aadiyum andamum illaa arumperum jyotiyai’, meaning, ‘the effulgence of the rare light without a start or an end’! Poigai Aazhvaar before singing praise of PerumaaL in the first Thiruvandaadi is mentioning the fact of DakshiNa Murthy sitting under the banyan tree and giving Upadesa to the four disciples. “aalamara neezhal aram naalvarkku anru uraitta aalam amar kantattu aran” ends up in the word ‘aran’. So, the next stanza starts off with the same word ‘aran’; “aran – naaraNan naamam aanvidai – puL oordy”
145. There is an advantage in such songs as remembering becomes easier. The last word of each stanza being the first word in the subsequent stanza greatly helps in committing long poems to memory. To write such poems however requires fertile imagination and mastery over the language. But our AachaaryaaL has done something far more difficult in the fourth song in which each word or phrase seems to be naturally taken off from the previous word or phrase!
“uddruta naga nagabhidanuja danuja kulaamitra mitra sashi drushte I
drushte bhavati prabhavati na bhavati kim bhavatiraskaara: II”
146. Upto the second word of the second line, it is in Andaadi style. Let me explain. Starting from the first word, ud – druta – naga – nagabhi danuja ; danuja – kulaa – mitra ; mitra - sashi - drushte I drushte - bhavati; till here it ‘Andaadi’ style. At the end of the first line there is ‘drushte’ and the second line starts with the same word. This is known as ‘mukta(what was left) pada(word) grastam(catch)’. (Mukta pada grastam is when it happens between two lines within the same stanza, while ‘andaadi’ is between two stanzas.) Then the second line is full of alliterations of the word ‘bhavathi’, so beautifully fitting and appropriate! Nowadays all the beauty seems to be only in the outer make-up. So far I have dwelt only on the beauty of the words used. Just go ahead and say the whole fourth sloka to yourself. Even without understanding of the meaning, it will come out like the continuous flow of oil, without a hitch. In this sloka along with the beauty of the words in terms of their rhyming and sounds, the beauty of the meaning of the words is also most pleasing, adding to the overall effect superbly!
(To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva.

DEIVATHIN KURAL #174 (Vol #4) Dated 10 Apr 2011

DEIVATHIN KURAL #174 (Vol #4) Dated 10 Apr 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 976 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)
130. ‘ParimaLa’ means fragrant. The presiding deity in Sri Rangam is called, ‘ParimaLa Ranga Natha’. ‘Paribhogam’ means what is to be cherished and enjoyed bit by bit. The satisfaction you derive from such an experience never makes you feel sated! What type of happiness is it? Is it a feast? Candle lit or moonlit dinner? No! In Taitreeya Upanishad, it talks about successive levels of happiness. Finally it mentions ‘Brhma Aananda’ as the very ultimate level of happiness. That is the happiness, the feet of Bhagawan is capable of imparting!
131. Brhmam is said to be Sat – Chit – Aananda, which means Being – Knowing – Happiness! Brhmam is the only true existence. So it is the Sat. It is also the knowledge, the thing to be known as well as the one who knows, that is the ‘Chit’! In that state as it is without a second, inclusive of all; it is also the eternal bliss. So, it knows about its being and knows it to be pure bliss. So, you combine these three qualities of being, knowing and bliss; and you have ‘Satchidaananda’! It is this ‘Satchidaananda’ that is showering as a rain of honey and also spreading its fragrance from the lotus feet of Sri Pathi: “divya dhunee makarande parimala pari bhoga sat-chid-aanande sripathi paada aravinde”. If it has to give that ‘satchidaanandam’ it has to annul the fear of the worldly life, ‘bhava bhaya’! So he adds, “bhava bhaya khedachchide vande”. What he said in the first sloka as “taaraya samsaara saagarata:” is the same as ‘bhava’ in ‘bhava bhaya’. This samsaara is the same as ‘bhava’ or the creation that comes into being.
132. You might have heard of ‘bhava vinai’ or ‘bhava saagara’ and ‘Saravana Bhavan’. Bhava simply means to come into being. What came into being in the Sarvana lake is Saravana Bhavan. ‘Udbhava’ is also another word that has emerged from something and is a synonym for the very act of coming into being! Samsaara is ever on the move, appearing and disappearing; coming into being and vanishing. As a thing that has been born or emerged from something else, it can also die or be submerged. So it has a start and an end and not swayambhu or self made. The Parama Aatma Tattva is the source or origin and the end or destination for all things created. That is the only thing without a start and an end!
133. Bhava is a name of God. Bhava, Sarva, Rudra, Pasupathi, Ugra, Mahadeva, Bhima and Easana; are the eight special names of Siva. The consort of Siva similarly has parallel names such as Bhavani, SarvaNi, RudraNi and so on. Using this word ‘Bhava’, Mooka in Panchasati speaks in a lighter vein saying, “Amma! Your feet are causing so much pleasure to Siva the Bhava, while simultaneously destroying the Bhava of the Samsaara! Thus Mookar spoke about the lotus feet of AmbaaL. Here our AachaaryaaL while talking about the feet of AmbaaL’s male form as Maha Vishnu says that, his feet are cutting and throwing off the fear of existence. The fear of life causes sorrow, pain and tiredness. This is what he has called as ‘kheda’. In Urdu and Hindustani too the word ‘khed’ has the same meaning! He says that the divine feet of God destroys all the pain and sorrow of life and that he prostrates before them. “bhava bhaya kheda chchide vande”.
134. Adwaita AachaaryaaL Who Has recommended – Bhakti. In the next sloka of ‘Shat padi’, that is the third stanza, our AachaaryaaL is talking about a great concept.
“satyapi bhedaapagame Naatha tavaaham na maamakeenastvam l
Saamudro hi taranga: kvachana samudro na taaranga: II”
When the words ‘bheda apagame’ come together, it becomes ‘bedaapagame’. The word ‘apagama’ means ‘what goes away’. Words ‘gamam’ amd ‘gamanam’ means to come and join and ‘apagamam’ is the opposite. So, ‘bhedaapagame’ means ‘when all differences have vanished’.
135. So, what are those differences? Now there is a Paramaatma and as different from it there is this Jeevatma, thinking of himself as a separate individual entity. The entire drama of worldly existence is based on this difference in perspective! They are not different but one and the same thing says, Adwaitam! That is the Principle that our AachaaryaaL established as a ‘Siddhaantam’ known as, ‘Jeeva Brhma Abheda Yogam’. This is the real truth. Still, ‘sathyapi’, means ‘despite that’. When such a clause as ‘api’ is added it means that, there is going to be a totally different view point! He says that, “My dear God! Even when all the differences between you and me are gone...” he starts off. He is known as the AachaaryaaL who has firmly established the Adwaita philosophy, seems to be about to say something contrary to his principles it seems!
136. Here he is just talking as an ardent devotee. As a Gnaani he talked of the principle of Adwaita. He clearly advised people who have to progress in the Gnaana marga as to how to go about it! Repeatedly he said that Jeevaatma and Paramaatma are not two different things. Brhmam is the only truth. The whole world of the earth, planets and stars are all unreal appearances. Just because he said so, it seems that there is a person saying it and others listening to it! If the whole world is an imaginary appearance; then who has to tell this to whom?
137. There is nothing not known to Sankara Bhagawat PaadaaL. Adwaitam is attained / understood and comprehended; when there is no more to be done or attained or desired! All differences have become cancelled out and total equality obtains. There is no Jeeva – Brhma differentiation whatsoever! The world of actions is unreal. The same Brhmam by Maya has exhibited itself as so many. So the real truth is for us to simply refuse to recognize our separateness. OK! Even if it is not an eternal truth, till we think of the world as real, it does seem to be as though real! Though this Gnaani may be in Nirvikalpa Samaadhi as that Brhmam only that Brhmam itself having assumed the role of Easwara to run this world in all its intricacies is likely to tell this Gnaani, “My Dear Son! Though you may know the intrinsic truth, for the sake of teaching and motivating the common masses, do the needful as a model to be emulated in behaviour, attitude and actions! That is the reason why, our AachaaryaaL did all that in his life time, in terms of Bhashyas, debates and establishment of Sanaatana Dharma over the length and breadth of this vast country! Though he was one with the state of Nish Kaamya Karma; he behaved with utmost humility and in the bargain did more than any actively involved person could have ever done! In the actionless state He absorbs the Jeeva unto Himself, whereas in the world of action, remaining the omnipotent He brings forth only a fraction of His capabilities through these Saints and Gnaanis. That is how AachaaryaaL felt about the whole thing! So, he said here, “the wave belongs to the ocean but, the ocean cannot belong to the wave”, in utter humility!
(To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva.

DEIVATHIN KURAL #173 (Vol #4) Dated 08 Apr 2011

DEIVATHIN KURAL #173 (Vol #4) Dated 08 Apr 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 972 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)
121. Rhyme in English is Edukai in Tamil and Praasam in Sanskrit. When the first word rhymes it is called the ‘Aaramba Praasam’. Normally it is the end word in each line that rhymes and that is known as ‘Antya Praasam’. For example in the end of Pooja in this Matam every time they say a sloka on Jagan Mata Kamakshi by Mookar in Panchasati.
“samara vijaya kotee saadhaka Aananda dhaatee
mruduguNa paripetee mukhya kaadamba vaatee
muninuta paripatee mohitaa jaandakotee
parama siva vadhootee paatu maam kaamakotee”.
Here we can easily take note of ‘Antya Praasam’ at the end of each line, which is further embellished by an additional rhyme in the middle of each line too! When the poem is already rich in merit in terms of literary nuances, nuggets of practical Anubhava and theoretical intricacies; these decorative word – play trinkets simply add to the beauty and overall allure! In this small Shatpadi Stotra of just six stanzas too there are many such word – plays.
122. The letters in Sanskrit are classified as per their pronunciation as ‘thick, middle and slim’, [or for example ‘vallinam, idainam and mellinam as they are called in Tamil], (here we are not quoting the Sanskrit words for them). When words with varying meanings are constituted with similar sounding letters while composing a poem, the poem becomes pleasurable to utter and easy to remember with the meaning getting etched in one’s memory as we keep repeating them. For example in words such as ‘avinaya, apanaya, damaya, mana:, samaya and such’ the letters ‘na, ya, ma’ enhance the beauty of the words and are pleasing just to say them. Then there are similar sounding words made of removing or adding a letter to another word such as, ‘vistaaraya – taaraya’! This particular method is known as ‘yamakam’ in Sanskrit and ‘madakku’ in Tamil.
123. While being sweet to utter, such decorative word – beautifications enable ease of utterance and memorising. In the second sloka that I told you about a few minutes back, our AachaaryaaL by using ‘Antya Praasam’ of ‘makarande, aanande, aravinde and vande’, has not only beautified the sloka but has also made it easy for us to commit it to memory!
124. ThirumagaLum Taamaraiyum. Bhagawan Vishnu’s feet are compared with the lotus flowers by our AachaaryaaL. He says, “sree pathi padaaravinde”. Pada means feet and aravinde means lotus flowers. Sri is Lakshmi and Sri Pathi is Lakshmi Narayana. It is very apt for Sri Pathi to have lotus feet because Lakshmi has a lot of connection with the lotus flowers. “padma priye padmini padma haste padmaalaye padma dalaayadaakshi” says the sloka in praise of Her! She loves the lotus flower, so she is called ‘padma priya’. Padmini is the creeper plant of the lotus. Maha lakshmi by her eternal youth is slim like the lotus plant. Women with classic physical characteristics are called the ‘Padmini Jaati’ the Lotus Race, that is, aristocratic royalty!
125. Lakshmi is said to be residing in five places namely, in the centre of the Lotus flower; the peak of elephant’s head; the top of cow’s back side known as the rump; the obverse side of the leave of the Bilva tree (known as Wood Apple with tri-foliate leaves); and a Sumangali’s fore head. (Sumangali is a married lady [whose tresses of hair are parted to the right and left and then braided, forming a centre line where customarily they apply the crimson red Sindur, also known as Kumkum,] who is faithful to her husband who is alive still, devoid of such complications as widowhood or divorce and remarriage.) Having said that, the most favourite place where Lakshmi resides is the centre of the Lotus flower, as depicted in drawings and sculptures.
126. So ‘Padmaalaye’ is an oft repeated name for her. In two of her four hands, she is holding a lotus flower. So she is also known as ‘Padma Haste’! Then her eyes are like the petals of a lotus flower and so she is also known as, ‘Padma + dalaayada + akshi = Padmadalaayadaakshi’’! Then her face is also like a lotus flower. Though in this sloka such a name is not there, in Lakshmi Ashtotra the name ‘Padma Mukhi’ is found. In it there are many names of her, related to the lotus flower. She is wearing a garland made of lotus flower and so she is also known as ‘Padma Maalaa Dharaa’. Her excellent body is spreading the fragrance of the lotus flower, leading to the name, ‘Padma Gandini’. She loves the lotus flower and so she is ‘Padma Priya’ and she is the favourite of the one who has a lotus in his naval (Naabhi) and so she is, ‘Padma Naabha Priya’. She has many such names as, ‘Padmaavathi, Kamala, Ambhuja and Pankaja’ all referring to the lotus flower. Befitting all this, her consort Sri Pathi’s feet are like the lotus flower only, ‘Sri Pathi Paadaaravinde’. Lakshmi resident of the lotus flower, in the ocean of milk, on the twined bed of Sesha Naga the snake, is gently pressing and massaging the lotus like feet of Maha Vishnu. So AachaaryaaL gives us a conjugal vision of the exalted couple Sri and her Pathi!
127. When you have the lotus flower, there has to be honey oozing out from it. From maha Vishnu’s feet which are like lotus flower what is that honey? “divya dhunee makarande”. Makarandam means honey. ‘dhunee’ is a river. ‘divya dhunee’ is a divine river. Indus or what is known as Ganges is a river which is flowing in the heavens, earth and the nether worlds with the names of Mandakini, Bhagirati and Bhogavathi, respectively. As per the PuraNas, when Maha Bali Chakravarthi was conducting a great Yaaga, Bhagawan Vishnu came as Vaamana Avatara as a young and short Brahmin boy. He begged for three feet of land which was granted by the Emperor. Immediately he took a huge form as Trivikrama with his size and stature growing even as people were watching. With one foot on the earth, next step he put on the heavens. At that time Brhma came running to pay his respects by doing ‘paada prakshaalanam’ (washing of the visitor’s feet). {Bhagawan asked Maha Bali as to where to put the third step. Maha Bali recognising the young Brahmin to be verily the Maha Vishnu presented his own head in submission for the Trivikrama to place his foot. With that Maha Bali was consigned to the nether worlds forever! That is a different story.} Here we are concerned with the fact that the water used by Brhma for doing Paada Prakshaalanam for Maha Vishnu became the River Mandakini as the Ganges River is known in the Heavens is what is called here as the ‘divya dhunee’.
128. The water used to wash Maha Vishnu’s feet, the growing and expanding lotus like feet of God, started flowing out but in the meanwhile the feet were further expanding that it seemed that the river may never flow out! So it looked as though this lotus like feet were containing the generating spring of honey, that is called – ‘divya dhunee makarande’!
129. God’s lotus like feet is spreading a natural fragrance too. We normally stink and need to offset the offensive smell by applying some scent or sprinkling some Eu de Cologne on us. God is a spring of fragrance without having to try to do so! That is the reason that epithets such as, ‘sugandhim’ and ‘gandha dwaaraam’; are used to describe him even in the Vedas! Here our AachaaryaaL is saying, “parimala paribhogha satchitaanande”.
(To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva.