DEIVATHIN KURAL # 39 (Vol # 5) Dated 16 Aug 2011

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 39 (Vol # 5) Dated 16 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 the middle of page No 234 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)
82. There is one more reason for there being no temple for the foremost of all devotees of God, Narada. Once Daksha Prajapati got so annoyed with him that he cursed him that he will keep roaming about and never stay permanently in any one place! That is how Narada has a name as ‘Triloka Sanchari’, meaning the man on the move in all the three worlds forever! So, for a man who is ever mobile, to be installed in a temple is to try the impossible. Talking about the three Murthy-s of the Holy Trinity, as to how Guru is all of them rolled into one, we have also gone everywhere and finally ended up with Narada. That is also in the rightness of things in a way.
83. Because Narada is also a Guru, the Sankeertana Guru. He is the Guru of ThyagayyarvaaL famous for his devotional songs on Sri Rama especially. (Thyaga Raja Swami is one amongst the famous trio of Carnatic Classical Music. The other two are Muthuswami Deekshidar and Shyama SaastrigaL.) While being the Guru of ThyaagayyarvaaL, he is also the first disciple to get the Mantra, specially meant for this Kali Yuga, “Hare Raama Hare Raama Raama Raama Hare Hare I Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare II” He got this mantra from his father Brhma as a ‘Mantropadesa’ in his childhood itself.
84. Talking about this, I am reminded that other than being the ‘Srushti Karta’, Brhma is also the Guru for Bhakti and Gnaana Margas. Since the undercurrent of my talk is about the Guru, it is appropriate that we recognise the fact the Brhma is also the Guru for the paths of Bhakti and Gnaana. Amongst the followers of Sankara Bhagawat PaadaaL known as Smaarthaas’ tradition of Brhma Vidya Guru Parampara; Brhma, Vishnu and Siva are all there. The first original Guru who sanctions Gnaana silently without ever opening his mouth is Dakshinamurthy, the Siva’s Parama Gnaana Roopa. Then is Dattaatreya a combined form of Brhma – Vishnu – Maheswaras, with three heads. Only after Dattaatreya the tradition of systematic oral Upadesa to disciples started. First it was father to son for five generations. In this the first Guru is Vishnu and then his son Brhma. Then after Sukha Achaarya, who remained celibate throughout his life, the system of Sanyaasa Guru to Sannyaasa Sishya (celibate renunciate Guru to celibate renunciate disciple tradition) started.
85. Narayanam – Padmabhuvam. First is Narayana who gave Upadesa to Padmabhuvam. That is the Brhma born in a lotus, as a disciple got Brhma Vidya from his father. He in turn gave Upadesa to his Maanasika Putras (mind born sons) Vasishta on Brhma-Vidya and Narada on Bhakti. Actually Brhma had ten Maanasika Putras known as Prajapati-s in which Vasishta and Narada are included. (Prajapati in Sanskrit means Leader of citizens. In the Vedas, the word Prajapati stands for Brhma.) Vasishta got pure Adwaita Upadesa from Brhma which later he gave to other disciples of his. Many may not be aware that Sri Rama got this directly from Vasishta; before he was taken away by Viswamithra. That is even before he went to give protection to Vishwamitra’s conduct of some Yaagas. Then he goes on to Mithila to get the hand of Janaki in marriage! That would mean that Sri Rama, an Avatara of Vishnu got Brhma Gnaana before he was launched into the Adventures of Ramayana! Keep that fact in some corner of your minds safe and sound, that even God when he comes amongst the human beings is covered by some Agnaana and needs some reminder to wake up to his reality by way of Upadesa from a Guru! What was originally 32,000 slokas are now available in a much abridged form of some 1698 slokas known as Yogaavaasishtam, a book by Samata Publications from Chennai.
86. In the Vaishnava Guru Parampara, first is MahaVishnu, then Maha Lakshmi, known as Periya PerumaaL and Periya Piraatti respectively. Then it is not Brhma, but like Siva’s son GaNapathi who is the leader of all GaNaas, there is a Senapathi known as Vishvaksena, the next Vaishnava Guru. Then are the Aazhvaars in human form starting from Nammaazhvaar. In Smaartha Sampradaaya, after Maha Vishnu it is Brhma. So, though there is no temple and procedures for worshipping Brhma, while starting Vedaanta Abhyaasa, Smaarthaas when they do Guru Dhyaanam, they say, “Naaraayanam padmabhuvam, vasishtam...”, and thus do Namaskaara to Brhma the Lotus born. Thus it is heartening to note that there is a system of at least doing Namaskaara to Brhma!
87. Similarly, when Sanyasi-s do Guru Parampara pooja on the day of Vyaasa Pooja, they include Saraswathi and Narada. Though students of Vedanta going deep into the philosophy do not give much importance to this imaginary world of Maya and its Creator Brhma, they do give him the due as a Guru. Amongst the general public however this is more as an exception to the rule.
88. From what I have spoken so far, it seems that if I say that Guru is Brhma, Vishnu and Maheswara, so we should do Namaskaara to him, ‘tasmai sri gurave namaha’, that is a mistake! (PeriyavaaL laughs saying this.) Whatever other reasons one may forward, for being the Srushti –Paripaalana – Samhaara Murthys, in that status they do not deserve any Namaskaara from any one of us! (He laughs again!) No Namaskaaram-s! “Guru saaktchaat Parabrhma: tasmai sri gurave nama:”, meaning that Guru is virtually the primordial Parabrhmam. Now at least does he deserve a Namaskaara? Is it OK now, at least now?
89. ‘No, that is also not correct!’ ‘Why not correct?’ Parabrhmam is beyond the reach and comprehension of our mind and speech. So you cannot meaningfully interact with it and or do Namaskaara to it. Even if you do, that which is Nishkriya – NirguNa will not receive your obeisances. The state of total inertness and inactivity is what is known as ‘Parabrhmam – Jagannaatham’. So, what is the use of doing anything with it, let alone doing Namaskaara! When it happens that you have understood and comprehended it, then ‘you are that’, is it not so? So again there is no chance for a Namaskaara. How can you do Namaskaara to yourself? Thus as the first sloka that is taught to the student starting his life as a pupil – disciple itself is so confusingly complicated like a self inflicted injury! (PeriyavaaL laughs for long saying this!)
90. So, what is the real purport? Guru is not doing the job of Brhma – Vishnu – Maheswara-s. He is not granting this life, protecting it and or finishing it. For those jobs the three deities are there. When saying that Guru is Brhma – Vishnu – Maheswara-s, it means that Guru is doing something on those lines but, not the same as them. If you call your dear child, ‘My darling’, does it mean the child has become a darling of the eye? It only means that the baby is as dear as the darling of the eye! It means that the baby is to be protected as well as the eyebrows take care of the most important part of our body. We pet the baby with words like, ‘My pearl, my Gem, and so on’. God is coddled with words of endearment saying, ‘MazhapaadiyuL MaaNikkame!’ MaaNikkam is emerald. That is only a way of expressing one’s endearment!
91. We take an item and compare it with other things like that. The item being compared is ‘upameyam’. The thing compared with is ‘upamaanam’. Some characteristic between the upamaanam and upameyam will match, not all! You can compare one thing with another, but they cannot become the same! You cannot compare the moon with the moon! When you compare someone’s face with the moon, the face must be beautiful, shining, effulgent and cool. But like the moon, the face cannot be waxing and waning. In comparing Guru with Brhma, Vishnu and Maheswara, there must be some points of similarity. What are they?
92. Before going into it, let me talk about another such sloka, that I am reminded of. That sloka is about Vyasa AachaaryaaL, who is honoured as being responsible for dividing the Veda mantras in to four distinct groups, authoring the 18 Puraanaas, the Bhagawatham and on whose name we celebrate the Guru PoorNima. In that sloka Bhagawan BadarayaNa, that is Guru Veda Vyasa is compared with Brhma, Vishnu and Maheswara by pointing out the differences, instead of similarities! “If I were to say that he is Brhma, he does not have four faces (achaturvadano brhma)! If I were to compare him with Vishnu, this BadarayaNa has only two hands (dvibaahuraparo hari:)! If we compare him with Siva, where is the third eye gone? (apaala lochana: sambu:)” (Rishi Vyasa sat under the berry tree in Badrikasram and did tapasya for a long number of years and thus got the name of BadarayaNa.) Now let us look at the sloka. “achaturvadano brhma dvibaahuraparo hari: apaala lochana: sambu: bhagawan badarayaNa:” Meaning of the sloka has already been given!
(To be continued)
Sambhomahadeva.