DEIVATHIN KURAL # 72 (Vol # 5) Dated 25 Oct 2011

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 72 (Vol # 5) Dated 25 Oct 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 last para on page No 432 of Vol 5 of the Tamil original. The readers may note that here in 'man/he' includes 'woman/she' too mostly. These e-mails are all available at http://Advaitham.blogspot.com updated constantly)
216. Though the Brhmachari does not have as many Yaaga Karma Anushtaanaas to observe as applicable to a Gruhasta, he has sufficient number of things to do such as Veda Adhyayanam, Brhma Yagnam, Samitaa Daanam etc., and go and beg for alms. Instead of doing these things mechanically as some dry activity one should put ones heart and soul in it. If you learn developing devotion by other means, by begging for alms one inculcates the very quality of humility. Then with love and respect one could be a personal assistant to the Guru and learn how to be and how not to be. Having lived like this meticulously, one could take up Sannyaasa and go on to do Ashtaanga Yoga. Instead of being one of the upstarts of the present day, one should endeavour to behave in such a manner that the world will say, pointing you out to you, “Do you know who this child is? He is one who has done Gurukula Vaasa systematically. He has been given Adhyayanam as per the Saastraas and then by ‘Guru Mukha Upadesa’ that is the words spoken by the Guru he has received the Sanyaasa Deeksha!”
217. Though he may not have been able to do the duties of the Gruhasta such as taking good care of wife, children, parents, guests and the souls of the departed relatives; the Brhmachari has to do justice to his duties towards his Guru and Mother. An Avatara meant to recreate faith in Vedas and Saastraas, instead of being born as a Gnaani who anyhow has no duties towards anybody, preferably may go through at least Brhmacharyam and be a model for others to emulate as a Brhmachari, God must have decided.
218. Luckily the Saastraas have not kept it necessary that everybody has to go through all the four Ashramas! There could be variations. Some highly evolved souls could remain a ‘naishtika Brhmachari’ and remain a celibate throughout life as a bachelor. If he becomes more mature with discerning dispassion, there is scope for direct entry in to Sanyasa, bypassing the Gruhasta completely. In the Smrutis by Bhodhaayanaa, Gowtama, Vasishta, Usanas, Angiras, Yaman and Kaatyaayana; this bypassing is permitted. The Sruti by Jabala also confirms that eligible and matured Brhmachari-s can directly go on to Sanyaasa. So in this Avatara, it was God’s decision that he should be a Brhmachari for some eight years and then carry out the mission to be accomplished, as a Sanyaasi. As the people of this Yuga have some untoward notions about the Gruhasta Ashrama and as, such is not the case with Brhmacharyam and Guru Kula Vaasa; God’s decision must have been on these lines.
219. Avatara to Take Place among Brahmins. More than what we have discussed so far, there was an additional reasoning in how God arrived at his decision. Krishna amongst many things he did also carried out ‘dushta sikshanam’, that is, sorting out the renegades, Asuras and Raakshasaas-s. Rama lived an exemplary life as a man, but also did ‘dushta sikshanam’. From the Matsya Avatara till Krishna Avatara, they all did this ‘fighting and killing of renegades’! That was their main purpose. Like the Kings of yore used to combine in themselves the jobs of policing and judiciary, the King cum Chief Executive Officer of all the worlds, Maha Vishnu did this in every one of his Avatara-s as the Paripaalana Murthy of the whole existence! This job of identifying and punishing the culprits is basically the job of the Kshatriya Varna. As though to openly declare this, his last three Avatara-s as, Rama, Bala Rama and Krishna were in that caste of Kshatriya.
220. Now in the Kali Yuga, ‘dushta sikshanam’ is impossible. Anyhow this Avatara was mainly meant for ‘Upadesa’ of advising, counselling and mentoring! Accordingly and appropriately this Avatara had to be in the Brahmin community with pleasant and amiable tendencies, well known for their teaching acumen and instructional abilities. Though AachaaryaaL’s Avatara was as per the promise given in Gita in Krishna Avatara, amongst the many differences between the Avatara-s of Krishna and AachaaryaaL, this is one of them. In Krishna Avatara Kshatriya Dharma was mainly depicted. In this, it was purely the Dharma of Brahminism.
221. Krishna Paramaatma enacted every possible role of how a human being could be, endearing himself to us all. Be a thief or a lover, a soldier or a shepherd, a driver of chariots or a messenger; he play acted in all those roles so expertly that he could make us all feel that he was one amongst us! In an Avatara as purely a Gnaana Aachaarya, other roles just do not fit in. There it is Kshatriya Dharma and here it is Brahmana Dharma mainly. I wished to depict how, though all Avatara-s are for the purpose of re-establishment of Dharma, depending on the conditions of environment, there could be many differences between them.
222. Siva – Vishnu Avatara-s – Similarities & Differences. Having repeatedly talked about Krishna Avatara and also having repeatedly quoted his Bhagawat Gita, with it since I have connected AachaaryaaL’s advent, there could be one question that may arise. “We have heard the AachaaryaaL is Parma Siva Avatara. Krishna is Maha Vishnu Avatara. Then what is all this talk that his Avatara is as per Krishna’s promise in Gita? Because of change of time and the conditions existing, though the method or approach of the two was different, the mission of purpose remained the same, you are saying. How can you connect up these two?”
223. My dear Sir! Siva and Vishnu are not entirely two different Gods! It is all one and the same. At the end of ‘Prasna Uttara Ratna Malika’ our AachaaryaaL asks a question, “kascha bhagawan?” meaning ‘who is Bhagawan?’ He also replies, “mahesa: sankara narayana aatmaka:”. In Vedanta, when it is mentioned ‘Easwara or Easan’ it does not mean only Siva. The omnipotent power that runs all the activities of the universe is what is referred as ‘Easwara’. When referring to ‘Mahesa’ it is the SaguNa Brhmam that is the Bhagwan, says AchaaryaaL. Immediately he does not go to the next question. Since in our religion there are two main divisions of followers of Siva as Saivam and followers of Vishnu as Vaishnavam, people will not leave it at that. As they asked the question as to who is Bhagawan, they are likely to ask, “Who is Mahesa, is it Siva or Vishnu?” So, AachaaryaaL added the reply for that likely follow up question also, when he said, “mahesaha sankara + narayaNa + aatma + ekaha = mahesaha, sankara narayaNatmaikaha” meaning, the ‘Aatma of both Sankara and Narayana, which is the same one’ or in other words, ‘the one Aatma that is seen as Sankara and Naarayana’! All that exists is that one Aatma or Brhmam, that is Siva and that is Vishnu. At once follows another question, “OK! If that is all and everything including us, then why did he take those two names specifically?”
224. Yes it is true that all of us also are the same thing. But between us, do we ever realise that the person we are talking to or interacting with, is also us only? Each one of us has an ego that causes us to think that we are something apart and different from others. If we realise our reality of oneness, will there be so much competition, hate and dislike? Do we know or feel that we are the Aatma? Siva and Vishnu are not like that. They know that they are seemingly different for a purpose, while being one and the same Aatma or Brhmam. Siva knows that he is Maha Vishnu and Mahavishnu knows that he is Siva or Maheswara. In the play of the world, while being responsible for their say department of duties, to run the Maya Prapancham and supervise the Pravrutti Dharma is the Mahavishnu’s role and to relieve us from our involvement and oversee the Nivrutti Dharma is that of Paramasiva.
225. There are two types of Moksha given by Siva. One is to give Moksha to all without considering individual merits and demerits. That happens in Pralaya when all Jeevas are given an interim rest for a period. In the next creation of the world, they will restart as before and be born again. Another type is the eternal Moksha. That is to give Gnaana to only the deserving meritorious cases, who have realized! Even the so called temporary pralaya will last for some 4,32,00,00 years! It is alright to give permanent release to deserving cases. But even the undeserving ones will be at rest (like in our sleeps) for 4,32,00,00 years! Does this not seem to be ‘overly kind hearted’ on the part of God? To compensate it somewhat I suppose, Siva is in the form of Samhara Murthy as Rudra, an apparently fear invoking form; whereas the deserving few without a qualm come under DakshiNamurthy in the absolute quietude of total peace! For attainment of Gnaana, read dropping of ego, ahankaara and separateness!
(To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva.