DEIVATHIN KURAL # 79 (Vol # 5) Dated 08 Nov 2011

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 79 (Vol # 5) Dated 08 Nov 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 475 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)
285. At the start of our story, I had said that the epitome of Nishkriya, the DakshiNa Murthy was thinking with supreme kindness, “here we are sitting without having anything to do, without a care or worry; whereas the people in the world are all doing all sorts of unnecessary works and are undergoing untold miseries as a result of their activities, as well as causing problems for others!” When I said that he was thinking with supreme kindness, it means that he also did something with his mind, isn’t it? Then, what is the meaning of saying that he is submerged in the bliss of Moksha as pure Nishkriya Aatma?
286. There is an important point to understand here. God is not in the same situation like all of us human beings on earth. He could function with Maya or he can be totally bereft of Maya. Even when with the Maya he is not in delusion as we are in Maya. Maya in us has given us the mind, which prevents us from recognising the reality in us. God is not exactly like us human beings. So he can play with or without Maya like the Sun covered by the clouds some times. Even when covered by the clouds, the Sun is seen to be covered to our eyes and is not actually covered! The clouds are only like a screen on earth and can never reach anywhere near the Sun. Similarly Maya cannot affect God. When the Yogis show some miracles or even a simple magician shows some magic, the Yogi or Magician are not affected by the illusion. Maya is like that only. Inwardly God remains above all such magical illusions and is never deluded. That is how, DakshiNa Murthy that is Easwara plays around. Our AachaaryaaL has said exactly this in so many words in the very second stanza of DakshiNa Murthy Stotram!
287. Quote – “beejasya anta: iva ankuro jagat idam praak nirvikalpam puna: maayaa kalpita desha kaala kalanaa vaichitrya chitree krutam I maayaaveeva vijrumbhayatyapi maha yogi iva ya: swechchayaa tasmai sri guru murthaye nama idam dakshina murthaye II” Unquote. Let me give you the word to word meaning. ‘idam jagat’ – this world or universe; ‘beejasya anta:’ – inside the seed; ‘ankura iva’ - like the sprout; ‘praak’ – before creation; ‘nirvikalpam’ – having been the undifferentiated stuff; ‘puna:’ – then; ‘maayaa kalpita’ – made to appear by Maya; ‘desha kaala kalana’ – by the combination of space and time (both non-absolutes); vaichitrya – by variation; ‘chitree krutam’ – became variegated; ‘ya:’ – who; ‘maayaaveeva’ – like a magician; ‘maha yogi iva api’ – like a great yogi of (super human powers) too; ‘vijrumbhayati’ – causes (the world) to pop out as though; ‘tasmai’ – to that; ‘sri guru murthaye’ – of the form of Guru; ‘sri dakshina murthaye’ – Sri DakshiNa Murthy; ‘idam nama:’ – this Namaskaaram.” – Unquote.
288. Now, if you have a question as to how, ‘Easwara can be, while being with – Maya, simultaneously can be rid of Maya – as a Gnaani?’, my answer is this, ‘That is because he is Easwara, he can be both with and without Maya, at once’! After all God is omnipotent, isn’t he so? So, how can it be right that we think that anything is beyond his ability? If God has made us like this with limited abilities, what is the logic that he should also be so only? He has made us Agnanis and some of us only he has enabled to become Gnaanis. Why can he not be like both of us simultaneously? We have seen that he as the NirguNa Easwara has within himself the SaguNa Parasakti also, isn’t it? That clarifies all our doubts. All that looks as contradictions get equalised there! So in all his ineffable kindness, he was concerned that his Magic Show, the world was getting topsy turvy! So he wished to correct the imbalance.
289. The Mission of the Avatara: To Enable the Masses to Attain to Gnaana Through Karma and Bhakti Margas. ‘He intended to go and tell the people of the world who were hurting themselves by doing all sorts of things, about Adwaitam to stop all incorrect, immoral, incoherent, irresponsible, immature, over and under actions and reactions by not doing anything but accepting life as it is! He knew that people will not so easily and quickly come to the way of total inactivity which will sound like the dreaded inertia! To do work is difficult but though seemingly easy, to keep quiet not doing anything is even more difficult!’ Try it for yourself just now for five minutes. See for yourself, as to how many arguments for and against, your own mind puts up, about this very matter of ‘keeping quiet’! Your own mind will be pestering you to do something about the whole situation or about some other matter!
290. ‘Bhagawan Sri Krishna has correctly analysed this, when he said “na hi kaschit kshaNam api jaatu tishtati akarmakrut” – never not even for a fraction of a second, none is capable of keeping quiet not doing anything! (Refer to Chapter III of Bhagawat Gita, slokas 4 to7.) Bhagawan Sri Krishna has correctly felt the pulse in saying this. If it is difficult not to do anything with your hands, legs and other body parts, it is even more difficult, nay impossible to be thoughtless! You are supposed to control the mind to a state of not letting even a single thought arise! Who is ever going to listen to this and abide with it? The doctor told the patient, “This green tablet take one in the morning. This yellow tablet, take two in the afternoon. Before going to bed take this red one, OK? Then lest I forget, ‘do not think of the monkey’ while taking your medicines!” The monkey will come before the minds eyes ‘n’ number of times a day! That is why Avvayyaar said in Tamil, “sindaiyai adakkiye summa irukkum thiram aridu”, meaning ‘the ability to keep quiet controlling one’s mind is rare and difficult indeed!’
291. ‘Whether people listen or not, we have to keep telling this to all and sundry and go everywhere spreading our message day and night. If we thus relentlessly go on, at least one in a thousand will listen and amongst them at least one in a thousand may take it upon him to share the pleasure and beauty of the intrinsic value of the message with the people of the world! We will put all this also in writing for posterity. Even if one in a thousand, or maybe even one in a million is seen to get the release from bondages that will be enough. This venture of creation of billions and trillions of life forms, instead of going waste will fruition into a success!’ That is how God must have analysed the situation!
292. ‘Rest of the people have to go on the path of Karma and Bhakti only. Even that devotion cannot be the matured variety – dispassion towards all and love for God only. It is alright if it is so. Mostly people will be devoted to God for the benefits likely to accrue only. Instead of continuing in the existing trend, as it has now gone totally against Veda, if people turn the corner and start doing their Karmas as far as possible and start going to temples, visit holy places and such things, it is good enough. For all this I have to take birth on this earth and visit every village and hamlet and make them function and do their Karmas as per Varna – Ashrama delineations. I must clean up the Vedic procedures and rituals, getting rid of unwanted practices that have infiltrated. I should also ensure that the religious holy places are embellished with tangible presence of divine vibrations that pulls and attracts the masses towards themselves!’
293. ‘While doing all this – above all such activities – the people have to be repeatedly reminded and made to realise that the end aim is to come to a standstill – that is bodily and mind wise stop all vacillations, efforts and endeavours, in deep abidance in one’s own Aatma. Each man should be enabled to think inwardly that, though I am doing all this Karma, one day or the other I should also step into the Nivrutti Marga and reach the state of utter stillness! If it is too difficult, let them not go to the Nivrutti / Gnaana Marga, as it is no more a Marga or Path, but the destination, not yet to be reached but what is here and now! Anyhow there is no question of going there. Automatically you cannot go there till totally ripened and when you are ripe, you will find that you have already arrived! God’s order is that we should keep moving in Pravrutti Marga till Chitta Suddhi is achieved. Then you will automatically know as to when you have reached the end of the road. But before that if you make a show as though you have given up all your Karma and act as though you are making great strides in Nivrutti Marga, it will be an utter failure. That will further lead to hypocrisy in trying to avoid the fact of your failure. The very Pravrutti Marga has been so streamlined for the achievement of clarity of mind, so as to avoid this vicious cycle.’
294. ‘But though we are not to jump into Nivrutti before being matured enough, sometime it will have to happen. Then how long it takes for total realisation of Adwaita Aatma Anubhava is anybody’s guess. Every man on the path should hear about and know that there is something like Moksha, that is the end Lakshya, the purest truth and the everlasting bliss that is proclaimed by the Upanishads bringing fame and glory to the Vedas; so that he will be motivated towards that one day, isn’t it? So we must while recommending Karma Marga, Karma Yoga, Bhakti, visiting temples and holy places, Upaasana and so on; we should also talk about and emphasise the end state of Gnaana of utter inactivity also right from the beginning, for that one in a million to come into being!’
(Note: The readers may note that from para 289 above, PeriyavaaL is analysing how Lord DakshiNa Murthy would have appreciated the situation existing and what should be achieved by the Avatara of Sankara. To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva.