DEIVATHIN KURAL # 87 (Vol # 5) Dated 24 Nov 2011

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 87 (Vol # 5) Dated 24 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 page No 524 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)
356. From the end of 17th till the end of 18th century A.D. there was a gentleman by name of Bhaskara Raya, who lived for some 96 years. From his Guru, he had obtained the name Baasuraananda Naatha. Bhaskara and Baasuraa are synonyms indicative of the Sun, light, brilliance and effulgence! True to his name he was radiant in erudition like the early morning Sun. Especially he was an authority in Mantra Saastra. Many of the secrets of Mantra Saastra that we are enlightened about to-day are through him only. He has written widely on the procedures concerning Sri Vidya and a much appreciated Bhashyam on Sri Lalita Sahasranama. That revered gentleman has written slokas in praise of our AachaaryaaL too. From one of them only, it became known that there is an allusion about Sankara Bhagawat PaadaaL being an Avatara of Sambhu DakshiNa Murthy Swami, in Rik Veda.
357. The sloka is as follows: “sri ramam prati pushkarabita mahaa yakshena vedatraya vyaakhyaana avasare visishya katitam sri vishnu dharmottare I etaam tenum upahvayaami sudukaam ityaruktam sankara aacharyam sishya chtushtyena sahitam vande gurooNaam gurum II”. At the end saying, ‘vande gurooNaam gurum’, our Guru Sankara AachaaryaaL has been revered as the Gur of all Guru-s! As the sloka starts off with the words ‘Sri Raamam’ we can make out that our AachaaryaaL has been connected to Sri Rama. How are these two connected?
358. Rama’s story does not finish with what is given in the RamayaNa. There are other books which tell us about other details not given in the RamayaNa, such as ‘Yoga Vaasishtam or Gnaana Vaasishtam and Sri VishNu Dharmottaram’. At the end of the second line of the sloka quoted above, it is this book that is referred. Sri Rama in behaving exactly like a human being, took Upadesa from two different Gurus, one for Pravrutti Marga and one for Nivrutti Marga. He got the Nivrutti Marga that is, Gnaana Marga Upadesa from Vasishta as the ultimate end of all advices known as Yoga Vaasishtam. (There is an interesting story as to how he got this Upadesa. Actually after he got this Upadesa, instead of taking Sanyaasa immediately as required, he had to proceed with Sage Vishwamitra to conduct certain Yaagas, finally ending in Mithila and marrying Sita! This story we will cover elsewhere later.) The book Yoga Vaasishtam is rather famous with all students of Vedaanta.
359. This other book known as VishNu Dharmottaram is not so well known. It describes as to how Sri Rama got Pravrutti Marga Upadesa from one Pushkara Maha Yaksha. This book is considered by some as a later addition to VishNu PuraNa. By the fact that the Yaksha has been given a prefix of Maha, it can be discerned that he was great enough to have given Upadesa to Avatara Purusha such as Rama on Rik – Yajus – Saama Vedas’ Karma Kaanda. A Yaksha is one of the divine beings such as Kinnara, Kimpurusha and Gandarva-s.
360. Coming back to our present story under consideration, while the Rik Veda mantra’s meaning is being explained, there is an indication of the future Avatara of our AachaaryaaL Aadi Sankara. The line – ‘tenum upahvayaami sudukaam’ is pointing at Rik Veda – 1st Mandalam – 164th Suktam – 26th Mantra. It is talking about how Easwara protects and takes care of the world as does the cow while feeding the calf. In VishNu Dharmottara when the Yaksha was explaining the meaning of the Mantra to Sri Rama, he is saying that one day in the future when the principle of Adwaitam will be forgotten by the people of the world, Parameswara will come as an Avatara to feed the people of the world with the Adwaita Tatva as a cow feeds it’s calf with milk, as indicated in the Rik Veda Mantra.
361. He did not stop at talking about AachaaryaaL’s Avatara only. He is to take an Avatara with the four disciples, as explained by Bhaskara Raya, “...avateerNam bhuvi sankara aachaaryam sishyair chaturbhi: sahitam...”. Word of a person like Bhaskara Raya, by itself has value. Then what is said in a PuraaNa Grantha like ‘VishNu Dharmottaram’ has immense value by itself. Now over and above all that, as the matter is as per what is said in the Vedas, the thing has further enhanced value. Thus this matter of the prediction of a future Avatara of Sambhu DakshiNa Murthy Swami, coming amongst our midst as Sankara, has triple value of truth and integrity. Further to add to the glory of the statement, the one making the statement that it occurs in the Rik Veda is Pushkara Maha Yaksha. Then the person said to be receiving the message is Sri Rama himself! (Further this is being told to us by Maha PeriyavaaL, that too in Deivathin Kural! What else do you want as proof?)
362. Now let me come to the reference in Yajur Veda. Though we keep saying that there are four Vedas, in practice for all Karma Anushtaanaas there are only three important ones, namely Rik, Yajus and Saama. So the Vedas when referred together, there is a practice to call them as ‘Veda Thrayee’ – as a ‘threesome and not as a foursome’! Even in the sloka by Bhaskara Raya referred above, there is a phrase, ‘veda traya vyaakhyaana’, isn’t it? Amongst these three Vedas, 1, 2 and 3; as 2 is in the centre, amongst Rik, Yajus and Saama, Yajur Veda is the central one. The centre is always the more valuable and important as the controlling power in any set up, organization or arrangement. At the centre of the temple will be the Sanctum Sanctorum or Garba Graham! Thus the Yajur Veda holds central place among the Veda Thrayee.
363. What is the centre of Yajur Vedas? Yajur Veda is in seven parts, known as Kaandam or Cantos 1 to 7. Amongst them, isn’t the fourth Canto the central one? In that fourth Canto too the fifth section, again the central section is ‘Sri Rudram’, also known as ‘Sri Rudra Prasnam’ or ‘Sata Rudreeyam’. It is chanted in adoring and venerating Parama Siva aka Parameswara. OK, what is the centre of that Rudram also, as that would be the very vital principle of all the Vedas, isn’t it? For the huge edifice of the temple of all Vedas, the centre of the sanctum sanctorum as the Moola Murthy of Mahalinga, is middle portion of the eighth Anuvaaha, that is the Siva Panjatchara Maha Mantra of ‘Nama: Sivaya’. Fetching us to that Maha Mantra are the leading two Mantras of Sambhu and Sankara. Let me give you that Mantra of Sri Rudram, 8th Anuvaaha, 1st Mantra is, ‘nama: sambhave cha mayobhave cha nama: sankara ya cha mayaskaraya cha nama: sivaya cha’.
364. First mentioning the name of ‘Sambhu’ then ‘Sankara’, ending in ‘Nama: sivaya’ as the Panjatchara Mantra, the order in which these names occur is very supportive of the argument we have been making. There is a requirement that the ‘Panjatchara Mantra’ is to be obtained by the mouth of a Guru and then only uttered. The moment you take the name of a Guru, our AachaaryaaL the Jagat Guru Aadi Sankara Bhagawat PaadaaL comes before our mind’s eyes. Before he came as an Avatara, we have seen that he was as Sambhu as the incarnate roopa sans actions, speech and desire. Then as Jagat guru he was of the roopa of dynamic action and speech. Then from him we have to get the Mantra ‘Nama: Sivaya’. Sri Rudram goes on with its narration in the same order of the Mantras! Here is the clear proof of the fact that Sambhu is the later Sankara! This is what occurred to me. Amongst those who have written the Bhashyam for Sri Rudram, one Sri Abhinava Sankara has pointed out that our AachaaryaaL is the very Avatara of Siva, for which he has identified the supporting proof from within the Rudra Suktam. Let me explain that. (The 38th Mata Adhipati of Kanchi Kaamakoti Peetam was also one Sri Abhinava Sankara. He is not the same as the one of the same name who did the Bhashya for Sri Rudram.)
365. Sri Suktam Anuvaaha 2nd to 8th describe as to how all the animate and inanimate parts of what is seen as the world are all Rudra Swaroopa only, that is various forms of the same God only, who is ever the only one! As there are serially 300 mantras, these are together known as ‘Rudra Trisati’. We convert these in to a Naama AavaLi (that is, a garland of names) and do Pooja / Archana with flowers of Bilva dala – a combo of three leaves. Carpenters, pot makers, shoe makers, hunters, fisher men, gypsies, nomads, thieves, dacoits, soldiers, archers; the ones shooting arrows from afar and those who are shooting at you from near and so on and so on; are all Rudra Swaroopa; it goes on to say! The chief of the thieves, the thief of thieves is described as ‘taskaraaNaam pati’, who is also the thief of our hearts, as Thiru Gnaana Sambandar says, ‘uLLam kavar kaLvan’! A tree or grass or weed; mountains or dales; flood or waves; the cloud, the sky the river and oceans; a bird or animal, a cattle or a dog or a man who eats the meat of the dog; the ‘chara + achara = charaachara’ of all that moves and does not move; amongst them all, the inner reality in all of them is the one and only, Parama Aatma Swaroopa! That is the message of Sri Rudram!
(To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva.