DEIVATHIN KURAL # 37 (Vol # 5) Dated 12 Aug 2011

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 37 (Vol # 5) Dated 12 Aug 2011

(These e-mails are translations of talks given by PeriyavaaL of Kanchi Kaamakoti 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 No 221 of Vol 5 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)
62. Siva Lingam, AmbaaL, PerumaaL, Thaayaar and such in the temple with their own Sannidy-s are known to be all powerful and so to them we are able to become totally devoted to and do Namaskaara. The Navagrahas and such others we know to be not so very powerful but could be useful in granting our wishes. So we perambulate around them and prostrate to them. So, we average devotees are able to get attached to either the all powerful or those with some suitably beneficial capabilities. The same thing does not apply to Chandykeswara or Vishvaksena, as we do not know much about them. While going around such Gods, are we able to think that through them also let Paramaatma bless us? No!
63. Our attitude towards the Nayanmaars, Aazhvaars and such AachaaryaaLs is slightly different in that, we know that they have been great devotees and or Gurus. We know that they can guide us even today by their lives and recorded words of wisdom. Thus we are devoted and respectful to three types of those represented in the temples namely, the Easwara Koti-s, those with limited but beneficent powers and the past masters. Let us imagine that amongst the three types of Gods or great souls described above, there is also a Sannidy of Brhma. We know that he is not one of the Easwara Koti-s. As part of the Holy Trinity, it is deep rooted in our minds that he is the Creator. We know as revealed in the Puranas that Brhma could be useful as a via-media to approach the Easwara Koti-s. But, for long the world has been under the grip of Kali that hardly is there anybody who is not disgusted with the very fact of being born. So devotion to Brhma has become a scarce commodity. Not only is it that Brhma could not be thought of as the primordial God, even to make use of him to approach one of the Easwara Koti-s is considered too circuitous.
64. He cannot be thought of as an ardent devotee like the Aazhvaar-s and Naayanmaar-s also. Then if we are to pray to him as we do for the other not so very powerful deities also, his power being the one of creation, based on as per our old stock of past Karma-s, all that he does to give us this life, is to ordain us to live by an unavoidable and unalterable ‘praarabda’ or fate, that we detest rather than appreciate! After that there is nothing he can do for us. In every Saastraas and sciences there are so many laws, which cannot be changed. He creates us with our ‘vidhi’ that is fate, that he is referred as ‘vidhi’ itself! So there is no logic or reason for us to feel beholden to him or have any sense of overflowing devotion towards him.
65. If he is to be revered because compared to our infinitesimal abilities and power, his is enormous; one peculiarity comes in the way. That is the fact that, despite not being an Easwara Koti, he is on equal footing with Siva and Vishnu as one of the Holy Trinity! We do not see him as omnipotent beyond the limited role that he has to anyhow play, whereas Vishnu and Siva despite being noticeably omnipotent are playing a limited role of Paripaalana Murthy and Samhaara Murthy respectively. In comparison Brhma seems to be part of the bureaucracy, doing his appointed role as per duties entrusted to him and not an executive. When we think of Vishnu, other than his appointed role as Paripaalana Karta, he seems visibly and evidently another form of the Primordial God is it not so?
66. Exactly similarly, looking at Siva we see him as the all capable Paramaatma and not just the Samhaara Murthy. Actually if he were to be considered only as the one who will destroy us, none of us will think of approaching him, let alone have a temple for him! So when we think of Trimurthy-s composed of Vishnu and Siva who other than being the Paripaalana and Samhaara Murthy-s, are directly noticeably are omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent Primordial God in different forms and then add the name of Brhma; in our average not so matured state of mind, there is an immediate confusion as to how is he part of that elite company? So, may be they have not bothered to construct temples for Brhma, I suppose.
67. Once such a question as to how is he considered as equal to Siva and Vishnu arises, then even in our being respectful to him there could be some reservations. May be to obviate such a question and resultant reservations, traditionally we have refrained from giving Brhma a place in the temples. Brhma is in no way less than many of the Devatas. But we are not able to be devoted to him. May be that if we have more temples for him people may start going to him, as after all that is the purpose of constructing temples. But having gone to his temple, standing in front of him, there may not be a natural flow of devotion for him, in our minds. Do we ever hear of anybody being devoted to Brhma? OK. It is alright if we are not abundantly over flowing with love towards him! Even with Chitragupta and such Gods, we do not have much of devotion. But with those we are not having any reservations or questions, but simply only accept. So, we are able to do one simple Namaskaaram of acceptance of their superior status. Only with Brhma there is the question as to how could he claim an equivalent status with Siva and Vishnu. May be that he is not claiming any such equality and we do not have to accuse him of that. But, having heard often ‘Brhma – Vishnu – Siva’ being mentioned in one breath, it is deeply etched in our minds that he is one of the Holy Trinity.
68. So the question arises as to how are we to consider him to be equal to Siva and Vishnu; and where there is a doubt and question, how can there be devotion? Let alone deep rooted devotion, with doubt and question, even normal respect cannot be there! Without even a tinge of respect, will our Namaskaaram be genuine? Since we are already doing plenty of frauds and shenanigans, we go to the temple to offset those capers. Now if we were to a Namaskaaram to Brhma without real respect that will be tantamount to yet another caper! May be that there is no temple for Brhma to obviate this insincere Namaskaaram. It is not something lacking in him, but us only. We are not able to assess his real worth and not able to bracket him with any of the three lots, namely not like Chtiragupta or Vishvaksena (just another Devata of no concern but better be respectful); or the lesser of the Devatas such as IruLan or Veerappan (as they can be of some benefit for some purposes); or Easwara Koti such as Vishnu, Siva and AmbaaL, though he is said to be one of the Holy Trinity about which we have a question! So out of kindness for us, that we may not do insincere Namaskaara, he has been left without a temple, I suppose.
69. Reason for the Holy Trinity to be there Inclusive of Brhma. The reason for Brhma to be included with Siva and Vishnu (both Poorna Sakta-s that is Easwara Koti-s), is different. That is explained hereinafter. What we call or refer to as Paramaatma or Parabrhmam that one Primordial God, decided to have a worldly life peopled by Jeevas with delusion of Maya and release the Jeeva from Maya and grant him the Gnaana Moksha. For this purpose the one formless and actionless decided to take forms with actions and responsibilities, one each for Maya Jagat and another for Gnaana Moksha. Each of these forms had to have male and female counter parts each. Accordingly Mahavishnu and AmbaaL came into being for Maya Leela. Both have similar jobs. In form too both are of the dark blue colour of the clouds. Since they are similar in form, colour and characteristics, they are said to be brother and sister. Similarly Parama Siva and Saraswathi came into being as responsible to release us from Maya and attain to Gnaana. So they are brother and sister, both fair in complexion.
70. After this Paramaatma thought, ‘This total separation as one pair for worldly life in Maya and one pair for release unto Gnaana; will not be sufficient by itself. Instead of being all capable, their roles and power will be rather restricted. Instead, let them be all capable with one pair mainly for life in Maya and another with the major task of Gnaana. Then he did some more mixing. Thus the decision was that Vishnu, AmbaaL and Siva were to have complete powers, capable of granting all sorts of boons to the Jeevas. Saraswathi with powers of sanctioning Gnaana is to be the Goddess of all Saastraas, Arts and Crafts. Then instead of just brother sister relationship they were to be mixed with other inter relations that will create a sense of family feelings amongst Devatas, especially to enable the devotees to have balance and egalitarianism in their approach towards the Gods.’
(To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva.