DEIVATHIN KURAL # 120 (Vol # 5) Dated 30 Jan 2012

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 120 (Vol # 5) Dated 30 Jan 2012

(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 743 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)
682. There is a speciality in the Trichchur Kovil that the Mahalinga is given an Abhishekam of (being showered with) pure cow’s ghee. This showering with ghee has been going on for thousands of years that you do not see the statue of Lingam at all, but can see only a huge rock of ghee. Even in the peak season in summer and despite ghee/oil lamps burning all around, the ghee smeared over the statue does not melt. May be the God whose abode in Himalayan Mountains of Kailaasa is eternally surrounded by snowy glaziers, may have wished to stay inside frozen rocks of cow’s ghee, it seems. Instead of hills of snow, here it is hills of ghee! Another surprising thing is that, though the ghee is like a small hillock entirely covering the Shivling, you cannot see a single ant or fly!
683. Aayurveda is a line of medicine widely practiced in Kerala in which for many diseases ‘Puratana Grutam’ (ancient ghee) is one of the important ingredients in their preparations. Since in that temple even thousands of years old ghee is available, the practicing doctors of Aayurveda go to that temple and get this item by turn. It is this temple town that the couple of Sivaguru and AryaambaaL went to and stayed for a time, daily visiting the temple a number of times and otherwise spending their time in ‘Bhajanam’! This word ‘Bhajanam’, like Bhakti and Bhajan are from the root word ‘Bhaj’ to mean devotional activities including, physical and mental cleanliness, avoidance of all types of indulgence and sensual gratifications; spending all of one’s time in a mix of the following activities such as, Japa (silent repetition of a mantra or name while moving the beads of a rosary), Bhajan, Keertan, and Meditation. This they do for a period of one or two ‘Mandalams’, (each of it being for 42 days), depending on the vow of abstinence undertaken. Whatever is one’s wish, the reply will come forth during your dream or some indication will be there in some other subtle way. This they did praying to God for the boon of begetting a son!
684. On one of those nights Sivaguru had a dream in which God was there before him. He told him that he will grant him his wish, but he had a question. He said, “Do you want 100 children who will live long enough but will not be very bright or do you prefer one whose life time of existence will be short but will be very intelligent and knowledgeable?” If the choice was between 100 with long life and one of short duration, there would have been no problem in opting. But when you had an option to select 100 not so very bright children and one brilliant child with shorter life span it was slightly difficult. Like a good husband, Sivaguru said, “I will consult my wife and tell you”! When they woke each other up simultaneously, both husband and wife realised that they had, had a similar dream to talk about. She also said that she had told God that she would be able to give a reply after consulting her husband! From this you can make out the mutual love and respect between husband and wife in this particular case and between men and women in general those days!
685. They were both humbled by the fact that God had appeared in their dreams and asked their preference. They both could also discern that instead leaving it to God, by praying for a child, they had already transgressed certain levels of decency. Then they thought that it is not for them to literally ‘decide the issue’. So they decided to leave the decision in God’s hands and tell him so together. “Swami should not ask us to decide and test us like this! Whatever is God’s decision, we shall abide by that”, saying so they both prostrated in front of the Swami. Once there is a Divya Sankalpa (Divine Decision), how can there be anything happening against it? So, there was no question of there being a condition or choice. But, I suppose that God played a little drama here to demonstrate to the world, as to how intimate and close this pair of husband and wife were, and how hearts steeped in devotion responds. God was pleased with their response and told them, “OK, I will be born as your son but will live only for eight years” and vanished before they could say anything any further!
686. On one plate of the balance if you place 100 children and on the other plate one, physically the weight is more on one side. But if you give more weightage to brain power, then that one boy’s omniscience is as good as infinity and others’ equal to a zero! So, I suppose Swami countered it with less number of years and fixed it at eight. The couple were thrilled about getting a child and left the matter of age in God’s hands. They completed the Bhajanam and returned to Kaladi. When the period of Bhajanam is completed, it is the custom to do Swami Samaradhana with pooja and Homa. After feeding the conducting Brahmins the balance food is partaken as Prasaada. While eating that AryaambaaL felt fulfilled with the promise of God and thus our AachaaryaaL’s Avatara happened to start taking form in her womb.
687. The most sacred and auspices of all time, the Sankara Avatara happened in Nandana year in Visaka Suddha Panchami that is in the month of Visaka aka Vaikasi Star as per Indian Calendar in Abhijit Muhurtham. This Abhijit Muhurtham is the mid day when the Sun is at the zenith, considered to be capable of granting victory in all the ventures undertaken at that time. Then, the Suddha Panchami is the fifth day after New Moon as the crescent moon is growing towards becoming full. The Star of the day was Arudra aka Thiruvadirai. Some people have a different opinion, that the Star of the day was Punarvasu, the birth star of Sri Ramachandra Murthy. Normally it is noticed that every year on Visaka Suddha Panchami the Star of the day is either Arudra or Punarvasu.
688. There is no other day in the year as sacred as the Sri Sankara Jayanthi! When I say that, you may be seized of doubts as to, if I am praising that day so much because of the fact that, for the past so many days the subject under discussion is Sankara Vijayam! Or, since we all belong to our AachaaryaaL’s Sampradaaya / tradition and that we must think highly of our own AachaaryaaL and so, PeriyavaaL is praising it sky high! Staying in his Matam, all the time taking his name, he is calling himself also by that name as, Jagat Guru Sankara AachaaryaaL. So it may sound like any other propaganda gimmick by modern marketing standards.
689. I am not praising Sankara Jayanthi for such reasons and there is no personal imaginary exaggeration involved in it. In truth it is the holiest of the holies, most sacred of them all! There are many sacred days in the year. Shivaratri, Gokulashtami, Sri Rama Navami, Nrusimha Jayanthi, Saraswathi Pooja, Vijaya Dasami, Vinayaka Chathurthi, Skanda Shashti, UttarayaNa / DakshiNayaNa PuNya Kaalam, and so many more. Amongst them all, I say Sankara Jayanthi is the most important one. How is that?
690. Just now I mentioned a number of such holy days, didn’t I? They are all being celebrated from time immemorial, for many Yugas. This one has happened to come about only relatively recently, just about two thousand five hundred years back. Then how is that, this is the most important? OK. How did this day come about? Sankara Vijayam happened to come about, to re-establish the pride of place to Vedas and PuraNas when they were being ignored or going by default. If this had not happened, then what would have happened?
691. Religions which do not recognise the existence of God, such as Buddhism, Jainism, Sankhyam and Meemaamsai would have virtually spread in the length and breadth of this country. Then there would have been no more celebration of Sri Rama Navami and Shivaratri and such festivals. Their importance would have been washed away in the flood of Avedic onslaught! Such a situation was almost a certainty, when this Avatara of Sankara happened to come about. So this one divine, holy day revived and rejuvenated all other such days in our calendar that till day we are celebrating all other Jayanthi-s too! So I am re-iterating that Sri Sankara Jayanthi is the most important in our whole year, year after year! Then I told you about the importance of the sound of ‘Jaya’ specially connected with “Jaya Jaya Sankara, Hara Hara Sankara” resounding in the whole world. With that we should add the unique importance of this particular day also!
(To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva.

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 119 (Vol # 5) Dated 28 Jan 2012

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 119 (Vol # 5) Dated 28 Jan 2012

(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 737 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)
The Qualitative Requirements of the Place of Avatara.
672. The Namboodri Brahmins and their subsequent generations in Kerala were living exactly as required by the Vedas doing all the Karma Anushtaanaas and Aachaaraas as given in the Saastraas without any defaults in sincerity or practice. Not just a few families but all the Namboodri Brahmins were like that. They were not affected by the confusing state of affairs on the eastern side of those Ghats, in their own seclusion and privacy, following the well established systems of their tradition.
673. Why only then, even now when people are being pulled in every which direction saying, ‘No Saastra and No Sampradaaya’, if some Adhyayanam is happening as it is supposed to be done, it is amongst the Namboodri Brahmins in Kerala only! Only there, taking into account the period of stay in mother’s womb, before a child reaches eight years of age, boys are being given Upanayanam and then for some six years the boys learn their portion of the Veda Shaka (branch of the Vedas to which that child belongs). During the period of such learning of Vedas (Veda Adhyayanam) the boys wear only a Komanam (a loin cloth), sleeps on the skin of deer (if available or on just a wooden plank). He is to hold a Dandam (a branch of Palasa aka Poovarasa tree with three leaves). He is supposed to live on the alms he gets by begging. The idea is to live on the barest minimum without any mischief mongering. The begging is to inculcate the right mentality to be able to overcome ego related quirks. As per mythology, the Palasa or Poovarasa tree grew up in the sky and kept growing till it reached the heavens where Brhma, Vishnu Maheswara were discussing Brhma Gnaana related subjects. The holding of the Palasa Dandam is symbolically to save and protect the boy from his own tendencies to go astray from Niyama (discipline) and for others to keep off! The present Chief Minister of Kerala of the Communist Party, Sankara Namboodri Paad is one such, who has done Adhyayanam systematically. After all (smilingly PeriyavaaL says), even the Communist Party stands by ‘Abheda Vaadam’ of equality, which is also Adwaitam, isn’t it? Then look at his name, it is also Sankara, the name of our AachaaryaaL! There is oneness of Adwaitam in their names too! (This e-mail is based on a talk by PeriyavaaL in the year 1959, when Sankara Namboodri Paad was the Chief Minister in the Communist Government of Kerala.)
674. Later even children taking up English based education, had their basis on some years of Adhyayanam, a practice followed mainly by the Namboodri Brahmins of Kerala. If that is the state of affairs even in this 20th Century India, you can imagine what must have been the condition some two thousand five hundred years back! That is why Parameswara selected that part of India for his Avatara. His mission in life being specially meant to demonstrate the Vedic methods according to Saastraas, he had to be born where not only opportunities for Adhyayanam were available but, also where Gurukulam was an ongoing practice.
675. In Kerala, in the general area of Malabar, near Alwaye Railway Station, the village named Kaladi is located. It is 30 K.M. South East of Trichur. The river flowing there is called the Alwaye aka Periyar aka Poorna Nadi. In that village Sivaguru belonged to a well endowed family of religious fervour, wealth and education. He was the only son of his parents. If the name of Sivaguru as the father of a Siva Avatara was perfectly fitting, the grandfather’s name was also very appropriate as Vidyadiraja, meaning the King of all knowledge, as his grandson was going to ascend the ‘Sarvagna Peetam’ (that is, the Throne of Omniscience)! With Vidya and good moral and cultural standards, the family was also financially well off.
676. Generally in Kerala nobody is too poor. There every house is located in the centre of a big garden with plenty of fruit bearing trees and possibility of a functional kitchen garden. They used to be known as ‘Kaavu’. Like we often hear about ‘Aarianka’ these days, as everybody seems to be visiting Sabari Mala. We have in Tamil Nadu place names such as Thiruvaanaikka and Thirukodikka, isn’t it? That ‘Kaa’ is what is known as ‘Kaavu’ in Kerala. The area covered by the outer limits of a Kaavu used to be known as ‘Adhruti’. Within the Adhruti of a Kaavu all most the all the needs of the family would be grown and available. No need to go out for anything. One funny thing is that, the staple food that is the rice cannot be grown at home. But it can be obtained easily by barter. Some of the items like plantain, coconut, jack fruit, yam, and some of the other root vegetables can be cut and preserved for the rainy season. Thus one can manage with whatever edible things available from within one’s household. So if you do not have to run around for your livelihood, you can have all the time for the activities such as Adhyayanam and Anushtaanaas, isn’t it?
677. Thus with all facilities for a comfortable living, Sivaguru was living a meritorious life, having married an excellent specimen of a pious Brahmin lady AryaambaaL. He was from the KaippaLLi Mana and she was from the Melpaazhur Mana, reportedly. When you go from Ernakulam to Kollam, even today there is a Melpaazhur Mana located there. The couple were very devoted and pious. They lived a life of morality, integrity, rightfulness, virtue and worth. They were well endowed with all benefits and bounty except the one lingering grouse of not getting an offspring. We had earlier seen that DakshiNa Murthy had already received one petition from the divine beings of heaven and the second petition from a meritorious couple on earth was still pending for him to take Avatara. So here was the ideal would be parents for that Avatara to happen!
678. Entreaty at Trichchur: The Special Quality of the Place. For a good son to be born to them the couple Sivaguru and AryaambaaL went to Trichchur, prayed to the presiding deity there and lived a life of intense austerity there. Trichchur is a great Siva Kshetram known as Vrushachalam. ‘Vrushab’ as you may be aware, is the Sanskrit word for the Bull Nandikesvara. There in Trichchur, the hill is in the form of a Bull on which Siva is seated. In the temple also there is huge Nandi. Amongst all the Siva temples in Kerala, the one at Trichchur is very important and has the biggest temple in size too, located in the centre of the city. The temple is located in the centre of a huge field. The whole area was one Kaavu with lots of Oak trees. Oak is known in Tamil as Thekku Maram and accordingly the place also has a name ‘Thekking Kaadu’. The hill does not look like a hill at all but a round shaped high ground, possibly due to being filled up all around over the years.
679. Locally called the ‘Vadakku Naathar’, the Vrushachaleswar is in the central main Sannidy known as ‘Sri Kovil’. Though normally all the temples are square in the centre with the roof of a number of successive higher layers or stages; this Sannidy is round with a roof like an umbrella of one level only. Within this temple are co-located the Sannidy-s of Sri Rama and Sankara Narayana. The Sankara Narayana Sannidy is round and has two levels of roof whereas Sri Rama Sannidy is square shaped with two layered roof. It is quite normal in Kerala for both Saiva and Vaishnava temples to be located in the same premises. This is exactly as per the ‘Darsana Adwaitam’ that our AachaaryaaL has established. (Darsana here means ‘Point of View’.) Behind the Sannidy of Siva is the Ambal Sannidy and the Goddess here is known as Parvathy.
680. In the temples of Kerala, for conducting religious dance-dramas there are special covered enclosures known as ‘Koothambalam’. Amongst them the Trichchur Koothambalam is rather famous, full of decorative wood works. When we think of Trichchur, we cannot but remember the ‘Trichchur Pooram’ festival, in which many Utsava Murthys from various temples from nearby areas are brought here, mounted on elephants well decorated. It is a sight to see the massive line up of many elephants in two rows facing each other on either side. Interesting thing to note is the fact that all these Utsava Murthys are from the Bhagavathy temples all around. As they arrive the elephants with all the retinue go around the Vrushachaleshwar’s sanctum sanctorum and then join the line up. A similar festival is held on Maha Siva Rathri, once a year. In that also the main deity Vrushachaleshwar remains in his Sannidy and does not come out as Utsava Murthy.
681. While saying all this, I am reminded of another special custom practised in the Kerala temples. The Archagar or the priest, who does the daily rituals, does it by turns for a period. During their term of duty, these priests take a very strict vow of abnegation, abstaining from all avenues of self gratification and maintain absolute chastity. During their term of office they are supposed to live inside the temple only, all the time working for and thinking of God! Then, only after he hands over the term of duty to some other priest, does he come back to his own home. This is the reason that the apparent spirituality is well protected and tangible in the temples of Kerala till date!
(To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva.

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 118 (Vol # 5) Dated 26 Jan 2012

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 118 (Vol # 5) Dated 26 Jan 2012

(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 731 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)
663. When there is a spiritually sacred temple or tomb of a saint, its divine vibrations would be spread over a radius of ‘Pancha Krosa’, that is, some 10 to 12 miles all around. There is a Sivapuram located some 3 and ½ miles away in the SE direction from Kumbakonam, we can say that Kumbakonam falls within the Pancha Krosa limits of Sivapuram. Like we have Greater Bombay and Greater Delhi, Sivapuram will come within Greater Kumbakonam, so to say. As Sivapuram and Kumbakonam are located close to each other, in Kerala, Kaladi and Trichur (Sivapuram) are co-located. There is sufficient evidence that those Tamilians who went to Kerala named the new areas the same as what they had left behind. Then we can guess that the residents from Sivapuram (near Kumbakonam) named the new place also Sivapuram, which has retained the Sivapuram name in Sanskrit and become Trichchur in the colloquial. There in Trichchur the (would be) parents of our AachaaryaaL prayed to Siva there and got an assurance that he will be born as their child. AachaaryaaL’s connection to Kumbakonam does not finish there. I will give you details of a closer relation.
664. Our AachaaryaaL’s father’s name was Sivaguru. Guru means a big man. So, it was the custom to call the respectable gentleman who gives Upadesa as Guru and so also, since the child’s father is the first to teach many things to the toddler, the biological father is also referred as Guru only. Thus it is very appropriate that Siva Avatara’s father’s name is Sivaguru. Similarly the name of our AachaaryaaL’s mother also matches perfectly. A gentleman in Sanskrit is addressed as ‘Aarya’. Our AachaaryaaL was of course a perfect gentleman and so an Aarya. His mother is ‘Amba’ or ‘Amma’ as the mother of Aarya, has to be Aarya + Amba = Aaryaamba; and that happened to be her real name too!
665. Let us come back to the matter of Sivaguru. This is quite an uncommon name both in the South and North India. Siva himself is the Guru of all and so is Sivaguru. Kumara Swami as the one who gave Upadesa to his own father is also a Sivaguru. But, amongst mortal human beings, our AachaaryaaL’s father is the one and only Sivaguru by name! The name is so rare! But within Tamil Nadu, only in one area this name is quite common and that happens to be the general area of Kumbakonam! There are many people here with names such as ‘Sivaguru Naathan Chettiyaar, Sivaguru Pillay, and Sivaguru Udaiyaar’. Do you know as to why it is so? The presiding deity in the Sivan Kovil at Sivapuram is known as ‘Sivaguru Naathan’! Then also the Swami Malai, where Kumara Swami gave Upadesa to his own father Siva, is also located within that Pancha Krosa (ten to twelve miles) circumference of Kumbakonam. Having given that title to the son in Swami Malai, here the father has retained the same name for himself! He is Siva as the primordial Guru of all and his son is the Guru of his own father and the Malayala Brahmin Sivaguru is the father of the Siva Avatara, our AachaaryaaL! One name of which there are three different types!
666. This Malayala Brahmin has the name of the presiding deity of the temple at Sivapuram. He has prayed to God at the Malayala Sivapuram at Trichchur to grant him a boon to get a son! What is the lesson that we can discern out of the connections that I have brought out? It is crystal clear that, in the times of yore when Parasurama enabled the migration of Brahmins known as Sozhiyas, it was from Sivapuram near Kumbakonam and that the place they migrated to was Trichchur. When that class of Brahmins settled and spread around Trichchur, Sivaguru’s father or grandfather must have shifted slightly and settled in Kaladi. But, they must have remained faithful to the deity at Sivapuram and the same deity installed in the temple at Trichchur that; Sivaguru’s father Vidyaadiraja must have given that very name of their favourite deity to his son. Then that son Sivaguru wished for a son, he went to the same deity at Trichchur! So, we can guess that our AachaaryaaL’s ancestors must have been the Kumbakonam Sozhiyas only.
667. OK. What more can be the greatness of Kumbakonam? That is the place where at the time of Pralaya (dissolution of the world), the Amirta Kumbha is said to have come ashore. (Like the Noah’s Ark in Christian mythology, Indian mythology talks about a golden pot aka Amirta Kumbha, which survived the Armageddon and made it possible for creation to restart. The place got its name Kumbakonam from that incident only.) More than that, while the Amirta Kalasam initiates further creation and involvement in the affairs of the world, the Amirta Kalasam of Adwaita Anubhuti that our AachaaryaaL has installed as an eternal spring of nectarous flow, selected that particular class of Brahmins for his Avatara to be born amongst, is the greatest of its greatness!
668. This must have been one of the important reason that, when the 62nd Mataadipathy had to establish a second capital for his Matam, the fact that Kumbakonam was the original place of our AachaaryaaL’s ancestors, could influence the decision in its favour. Like Sri Rama is specially related to Surya Vamsam, our AachaaryaaL had a special relation with the general area of Kumbakonam. His life in the mortal body ended in Kanchipuram. But it all started in Kumbakonam. For the Avatara to take place, the boon was obtained by his father from the presiding deity of Sivapuram, Sivaguru Naathan! So, Kumbakonam was not only the starting point for all evolution but also the place of our AachaaryaaL’s ancestors!
669. If our AachaaryaaL’s father is so closely related to Kumbakonam, his mother Aaryaamba was connected to Kanchipuram, rather intimately! Like Sivaguru, Aaryaamba is also a rare name. In Kerala on the way to Sabari Mala there is place known as Aaryankaavu. Aaryan refers to the presiding deity at Sabari Mala also known as Aiyappa. Aaryan in Sanskrit becomes Ayyan in Tamil. This word Ayyan with apparent respect becomes ‘Aiyanar’, which is something like Sir! Appa is like Dad or Daddy in English. So, Aiyappa is something like ‘Sir, Father!’ What is considered as village deities all over Tamil Nadu are these Ayyappas and Aiyanar-s only.
670. Aaryaa is the name of Parameswara’s consort, AmbaaL. In the Sanskrit dictionary, a number of names for AmbaaL are listed as, ‘Uma, Kaatyaayani, Gowri and then Aaryaa, Daakshayani and Saiva Girija. Especially in the form of ‘Tripura Sundari’ with the bow, arrows, paasa (the lassoing rope) and ankusa (the sharp instrument in the hands of the handler of elephants), and is of the reddish hue, called ‘Aaryaa’! Kamaakshi AmbaaL in Kanchipuram is with those very form and defining features! She is referred to as ‘Kamaakshi Maha Tripurasundari Lalitaambika’. The methodology for doing pooja to Kanchi Kamaakshi was originally deviced by Durvaasa Muni. He has written a work known as ‘Aarya Dvisati’ of 200 poems. There is another work addressed towards Kamaakshi known as the ‘Panchasati’ of 500 poems by Mookar, in which the first hundred poems are together known as ‘Aarya Sadakam’!
671. It is a well known fact that AmbaaL did Tapasya to regain Siva’s favour, in Kanchipuram. This is referred in Kanda PuraaNam, Daksha Kaandam, 21st Padalam, 15th song which starts with the word ‘vaaridigaL’; says that the place was ‘aaryai tavam seipadi’ meaning where ‘Aarya did the Tapasya’! So the very special name of Kanchi Kamaakshi was given to our AachaaryaaL’s mother! As Siva’s father (Guru) is Sivaguru; our AachaaryaaL, who is a perfect gentleman and so an ‘Aarya’; and his mother rightfully is ‘AryaambaaL’! A well deserved parents of a very well deserved son, our AachaaryaaL!
(To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva.

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 117 (Vol # 5) Dated 24 Jan 2012

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 117 (Vol # 5) Dated 24 Jan 2012

(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 725 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)
654. Kanchipuram and Kumbakonam; Connections. Though our AachaaryaaL took Avatara in Kaladi, the place where Lord Siva gave a promise to his future father that he will be born as his son was in Trichur. Let me tell you about my research concerning Trichur and Sivaguru. As it contains more about the story regarding the evolution of Malayalam and less about our AachaaryaaL’s story, let me tell you that here itself. When people move from one country or place to another, due to love for the places left behind, they tend to give the old place names to the new ones. That is how in U.S.A., we find places named as New Jersey, New York, New Hampshire and so on, with a combined name for six of the north eastern states in U.S.A., together being called the New England. They did the same thing in Australia also and so you have a New South Wales and such names there! Similarly from Tamil Nadu when they went and settled in Malayala Desam, the names of villages and towns were also transported. Over time the names lost their original sheen and shine getting a bit changed in pronunciation, such as, ‘Aalawaai’ to ‘Alwaye’, ‘Pazhuvoor’ to ’Pazhoor’, ‘Kannanoor’ to ‘Kannur’ and ‘Maathur’ becoming ‘Mecheri’ and so on, are all names of places in Tamil Nadu becoming place names in Kerala.
655. From our AachaaryaaL’s time let us jump many centuries to the middle of the 18th Century A.D. At that time after having been located in Kanchipuram for many years, our Kamakoti Matam had to leave and shift elsewhere. Finally it was decided to shift to Kumbakonam. At that time, the general area of Kanchipuram was constantly being affected by the disturbed conditions due to what is known as the Carnatic Wars. There were a number of confrontations between Arcot Nawab, East India Company of the British, Commanders of the French forces, Hider Ali and some others. The very temples in and around Kanchipuram was being used as forts and strong points of the different armies. Armed fights and looting of villages was all becoming very normal activities using not only small arms but cannons and guns! So the Mataadipathy of that period, the 62nd Peetaadhipati Sri Chandra Sekharendra Saraswathi SwamigaL shifted the Matam to Kumbakonam. He had gone on a Yatra up to Rameswaram and on return went and stayed at Udaiyar Palayam in Trichy District.
656. Those days Tanjavur was a protectorate under the dominion of Maharashtra Kings. The King or Samasthana Adhipathi was a patron of the Matam those days. As per his wish, SwamigaL stayed in Udaiyar Palayam, a place well protected by forests all around, not much affected by the fights, wars and internecine quarrels all around in South India. There was one specific reason for the shifting of the Matam to some protected area. That is the Swarna Kamakshi statue made of pure gold. This statue used to be in one of the Sannidy-s inside the Kamakshi Kovil known as Kaama Kottam. That temple was and is under the control of our Matam. So, in the troubled conditions prevailing between people of other religions and countries, it was feared that anyone of the warring factions could grab this valuable Swarna Vigraha and abscond! So, when there was such a safe haven made available at Udaiyar Palayam, by the King of Tanjavur, promptly the invitation was accepted and the Matam shifted there. The Swarna Kamakshi was also taken away there. (From that time in the18th Century, till Kanchi Periyaval re-installed another statue of Kamakshi in Kaama Kottam in the year 1944, the sanctum sanctorum in Kanchipuram had remained empty.)
657. Not only Swarna Kamakshi, similarly in troubled times Nataraja of Chidambaram, Thiruvaroor Thyagaraja, Kanchipuram Varadaraja (Utsavar), Sri Rangam Rangaraja (Utsavar), etc., have had to leave their place and become mobile. They are all Rajas that too God in the form of Idols as Kings, instead of doing Royal Digvijayam, have had to hide themselves on the quiet and surreptitiously move about incognito! This pathetic state was reached because, the followers of our religion had lost faith in their own religion and did not have the temerity and gumption to stand and fight for their own. So, if you ask me as to why your Gods had to undergo such ignominy, I would say that this happened more as a divine punishment for the lack of courage, so as to rekindle their self respect and belief in their own Gods and not that the Gods had lost their powers! We as followers of our religion had to be punished for our lack of care and concern and may be by being taken around even secretively, so many more areas and people would have felt the pangs of our lack of cohesiveness and would have felt pin prick if not a jolt!
658. Not only Swarna Kamakshi, but also Nataraja, Thyagaraja, Rangaraja, and Varadaraja; they all finally found a temporary abode in the same Udaiyar Palayam as being well hidden, protected under the care of such Jamindars (land lords), as religiously very devoted. The Sanskrit word Swami has a meaning as ‘the owner who has a right of oneself’ and Tamil for that would be ‘Udaiyar or Udaiyavan’. True to that meaning all the important idols of God’s, from all over the important temple towns of South India, assembled as though for a meet in that Udaiyar Palayam. Then years later after peace had come about, they all went back to those temples from where they had been brought to Udaiyar Palayam except Swarna Kamakshi who finally reached Tanjavur! I will tell you about that story separately.
659. In Udaiyar Palayam both Sivan Koil and PerumaL Koil are there. There in the Sivan Koil, till date there are separate enclosures as, ‘Sabah Pathy Mandapam’, ‘Thyagaraja Mandapam’ and ‘Kamakshi Mandapam’, in memory of their temporary stay there. Similarly there is evidence of the fact that for a period Rangaraja and Varadaraja idols were located in the PerumaL Koil there. Those days the top man in Tanjavur was Pratapa Simha Maharaja. He wished to have the Sankara Matam itself shifted to Tanjavur, the capital of his state. At that time the Sankara Matam with SwamigaL and Swarna Kamakshi for a period stayed there. (This SwamigaL was the 62nd Pithadhipadhi known as Chandra Sekharendra Saraswati SwamigaL V in the years 1746 to 1783 A.D., whereas PeriyavaL who is narrating the Deivathin Kural is the 68th Pithadhipadhi of the same name Chandra Sekharendra Saraswati SwamigaL VIII.)
660. Then SwamigaL felt that he should shift to Kumbakonam on the banks of Cauveri River, (famous as one of the seven sacred rivers of India namely, Ganga, Yamuna, Saraswati, Sindhu, Narmada, Godavari and Cauveri; instead of being stuck in the hustle and bustle of a capital city like Tanjavur. The King also agreed to it. The task of shifting the Matam to Kumbakonam was entrusted to the Brahmin Minister from Maharashtra Sri Dabir Pant. Accordingly the Matam was shifted to Kumbakonam with a row of houses around it as Agraharam. As the King and people of Tanjavur had hosted them in times of trouble, SwamigaL returned the hospitality with utmost gratitude by arranging to install Swarna Kamakshi permanently in Tanjavur. A new temple was constructed within Tanjavur and Swarna Kamakshi installed there permanently. She is famous now as ‘Bangaru Kamakshi’, as the words ‘Bangaru’ in Telugu and ‘Bangara’ in Kannada languages are synonyms for Gold. Shyama SaastrigaL sang many Telugu songs on this Goddess Kamakshi only that instead of Swarna Kamakshi, the name ‘Bangaru Kamakshi’ has come to stay.
661. The stories about how Swarna Kamakshi shifted from Kanchipuram to Udaiyar Palayam to Tanjavur and the change in her name to Bangaru Kamakshi happened, and the shifting of Kanchi Matam to Kumbakonam and such things are OK. But, we were talking about how the name ‘Trichur’ came about isn’t it? Now what is the connection with that? Let me come to that. When there was a need to shift the Matam to the banks of the River Cauveri, I was wondering as to why the SwamigaL then, selected Kumbakonam? Especially when there were many great religiously famous temple towns on banks of that river, what was the clinching point about Kumbakonam? Near Tanjavur, there is Thiruvaiyaru; where the River Cauveri runs as five rivers, also known as Panchanada Kshetra. Then there is Mayavaram specially meant for ‘Tula Snanam’ (bathing in the river on the day of Maham Star in the month of Tula is considered to be very sacred and beneficial). So why was Kumbakonam selected? When I thought about it, a number of ideas about Kumbakonam came up in my mind like the waves after waves on the sea shore! Specially, it occurred to me that in our AachaaryaaL’s very Avatara, there is a connection with Kumbakonam! Many such links could be discerned, and I wished to talk about them.
662. Trichur is called as ‘Sivapuram’ by Namboodri-s. You know that Tamil was their original mother tongue. In Tamil the sacred places used to have a prefix ‘Thiru’ before their names. So it would have been ‘Thiru Sivapperur’ or ‘Sivapuram’. Like in Madras itself, we have seen ‘Allikkeni’ become ‘Thiruvallikkeni’ and ‘Orriyur’ become ‘Thiruvorriyur’. Similarly when you add ‘Thiru’ to ‘Sivapperur’ it would become, ‘Thiruchivapperur’ which in turn could become ‘Trichchur’. The earlier ‘Sivapperur’ is located three miles SE of Kumbakonam. Here comes the reason for Kumbakonam to be selected for the shifting of our Matam.
(To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva.

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 116 (Vol # 5) Dated 22 Jan 2012

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 116 (Vol # 5) Dated 22 Jan 2012

(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 718 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)
645. When I said that Tamilians are too fond of their comforts, I meant only the pulse-eating-brahmins and not the non-brahmins! (PeriyavaaL smiles while saying this.) Others are very hard working capable of high levels of tolerance. They knew all the tricks of agriculture and capable of doing aggressive marketing of their produce. So it was the Tamil non-brahmins who populated Kerala in a big way and started planting and cultivation of Black-Pepper, Oak trees, Coconut, Sandal Wood and a variety of Spices in a big way, making use of the plentiful water supply. Then fish was available both from the seas and a number of rivers, rivulets and ponds. Life was plentiful and satisfying. The Chera Kings were all of Tamil origin only for long. So, a parallel civilization came into being as in Tamil Nadu. As the majority was Tamils, others also spoke the same language. All this happened even before the historical times till Sozha, Chera and Pandya dynasties were alternately predominant at various times. When others from the East went there some Brahmins also must have migrated to Kerala due to divine interest as many temples and temple towns came into being in that land. Parasurama himself created some of them. Initially there was a restriction against immigration as imposed by Parasurama which got diluted over time. Anyhow he himself went incognito, not seen by anybody and after that some Brahmins from the mainland could have gone on visiting the religiously important temple towns and settled there.
646. Historically recorded period starts around Asoka’s time. In his Saasanam inscribed on stone slabs, about places where he spread his views on peaceful co-existence, there is mention of Kerala also along with other places of India. This is proof of the fact that there was civilised social life in that part of the country already. It was part of Chera Kingdom and Tamil was the language there. Silappadigaram a Tamil classic literature is from that land only. Cheramaan PerumaaL Naayanaar, who sang the Tamil divine songs of Thirumarais as part of Saiva Thevaram collections was a King in Kerala. So also Kula Sekhara PerumaaL, who sang the poems as part of the Vaishnava’s Nalayira Divya Prabhandam collections in Tamil was a King in Kerala. Therefore our AachaaryaaL also in his time must have spoken Tamil. All Brahmins those days must have been well read. There could not have been any Brahmin who had not done Adhyayanam and knowledgeable in Tamil and Sanskrit. Within themselves they must have spoken in Sanskrit and with others used the Tamil language.
647. Though our AachaaryaaL came down to the Earth as an Avatara for rekindling and rejuvenating the Sanaatana Dharma and did his all for re-establishing it on very strong footings, with the passage of time there was deterioration set in once again! In that flow of events, suitably misusing some of the traditions introduced by Parasurama, other than the first son of the families even amongst Namboodri Brahmins, started resorting to marriages with women of other castes. When such relationships were created, a mix of Sanskrit and Tamil did come about, which could have been the seeds of for a new language to sprout. By this intermingling causing some dilution of standards of austerity, some good by-products were also there. By this, in Kerala all castes became knowledgeable in Saastras and Puranas. The education standards did improve especially fluency in use of Sanskrit words. For example more than any other part of India, taking a bath early in the morning and visiting the nearby temple wearing clean clothes with much noticeable devotion and piety is the practice by people of all castes in Kerala.
648. I do not for a moment wish to say that non-brahmins are uneducated, unclean and things like that at all. Due to the type of work that they have to do especially the proletariat, cannot afford to care for cleanliness so much. Whether a factory worker or involved in agriculture or in the job of clearing the garbage, they just cannot be too finicky about cleanliness as a Brahmin is required to be in his duty! Then if you take any of the craftsmen, their children learn their trade from childhood from their elders, whether it is carpentry or masonry, separating and spinning the silk thread or sculpting a stone in to shape! Going to school would be a double unaffordable loss as it would mean, missing on the job training and being coached by one’s grandfather / father / uncle, and loss of cheap labour. So generally they would send one of the children to school so that he could act as the in house accountant, manager and correspondent, while others would be given on-the-job-training! Since such people contribute substantially to the well being of the society, the very Saastraas have been liberal in the standards of cleanliness expected of them and in their case Adhyayanam is also not a requirement. Still, the fact that in Kerala the standards of education, knowledge of the Saastraas and Do’s and Don’ts of the Sanatana Dharma, are way ahead of the rest of the country; indicates the apparent effect of the brahmin influence.
649. Though it was not an island all by itself, when it was not so well connected by means of transportation, Kerala was having certain benefits of inaccessibility and isolation from the Mainland, unaffected by some of the social irreligious tendencies! So, when a typical local lingo, developed into a full-fledged language by its own right, all people of Kerala accepted it with pride as their mother tongue. This is how the language Malayalam came into being. Having spoken so much about the story of Malayalam let me tell you the balance also. After Malayalam had become well established, for some reasons some brahmins from Tamil Nadu migrated there and settled closer to the Tamil Nadu instead of going deep inside Kerala. Some shifted from the area of Coimbatore to Palghat and settled near Pallasena. Others from Tenkasi through Sengotta went near Trivandrum. Their Tamil is another version with a scattering of Malayalam in pronunciation.
650. When I said that Kerala developed with its own culture unaffected by the happenings in the Mainland, you should not think that it was totally isolated and that its culture was alien to that in the Mainland. The Vedic culture is the culture of what is India. Like a main river in which a number of tributaries come and join, many flows such the different cultures of Kashmir, Punjab, Central India, Rajasthan, Bengal, Karnataka, Andhra, Kerala and Tamil Nadu joined to make what is the Indian Vedic culture. To give yet another example, if you think of Indian culture as a tree, these were its branches and the roots were the Vedic one. So when Parasurama settled brahmin-s from Tamil Nadu as the original citizens, he ensured that Indian Vedas, Puranas, Temples, Yagnas, Vratam-s such as for Shivaratri, Ekadasi, and Somavaaram; Karma Anushtaanaas, Adhyayanam, Adhyapakam, chanting of Veda mantras and establishment of Veda Patashaalaas were all brought in. So, even when elsewhere in India these were not being observed or becoming subdued, with the expanding influence of Buddhism and Jainism (Muslims followed by Britishers were to come much later), in Kerala these were more assiduously being observed. So, it was in the rightness of things that our AachaaryaaL’s Avatara also took place there.
651. Later, things happened topsy turvy, trending in the opposite way and I must mention that also. Since the whole of the eastern border of Kerala was the range of mountains, it was not much affected by the upheavals that occurred in the Mainland India alright. But what was in the west of Kerala? It was all the Arabian Sea. So with the thriving trade of Black Pepper, Cardamom, Sandal Wood, Oak timber and Ivory, there was also in influx of traders and visitors from the west and they started settling there. For many Jews, Christians and Muslims, Kerala became the Mother Land! Though unaffected by the changes in the mainland, they ended up accommodating all and sundry! Anyhow, all this is part of the side effects of our own culture which believes in ‘Atiti Devo Bhava’!
652. Let me tell you one more surprising thing. Though the people of Kerala accepted foreign religions, when it comes to Hinduism, after our AachaaryaaL, they did not accept the other Sampradaaya-s of Vaishnavas and Madhvas. Do we not see that even in Padmanaabha Swami Temple or Guruvayoorappan Temple they do not have Vaishnava Bhatta-s, but only Namboodri brahmin-s including in Sabarimala Aiyappa Temple. This can only be considered as their devotion to our AachaaryaaL who took Avatara there, after searching for a suitable place in the whole of India.
653. In recent times with the laying of roads and rail communications to and fro between Kerala and rest of the country and advanced education available all over, the somewhat secluded society of Kerala has started spreading all over the country as well become more international. In every foreign country today among expatriate Indians, Keralites form a major chunk. Without standing on prestige, they are ready to go anywhere and do any sort of work and thus have proved to be as industrious and ubiquitous as the Sardarjis of Punjab, making their presence felt in every nook and corner of the world! People from that part of the country where our AachaaryaaL was born are leading in literacy, today in the whole of India! There are still those in Kerala who are assiduously safe guarding our oldest religious traditions of Sanaatana Dharma on the one hand and on the other, it was there that ‘Aalaya Pravesam’ was done for the first time (entering of the temple by those not traditionally permitted from times of yore) and the first communist Government was installed democratically!
(To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva.

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 115 (Vol # 5) Dated 20 Jan 2012

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 115 (Vol # 5) Dated 20 Jan 2012

(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 711 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)
635. If you have a house and given it as a donation to somebody, can you continue staying there after that? That is how Parasurama thought about the situation. “Having given away this land as a gift, it is not correct for me to stay here anymore. Let me find a suitable place for me to stay and do Tapasya”, he thought. Instinctively Kashyapa could read his mind. So, he further escalated the situation by saying, “Please do not think of claiming ownership on any part of the land that you have gifted away. Better go outside the outer borders of this land.” Parasurama started out. He went to the Western Ghats on the western borders of the whole of South India and reached the Sahayadri Mountain peak known nowadays as Aanaimalai or Elephant Top. Close to the western side of the mountains was the sea. Those days there was no Kerala or Malayala Desam, but only water of the seas.
636. Parasurama spoke to the Samudra Raja (the Lord of the Oceans), “All the lands that I had captured have been given away in charity, as I have endowed them to Kashyapa. So I cannot live anywhere on the existing lands. I cannot also die or go to the heavens as I am one of the Chiranjeevis! (As believed, there are supposed to be seven immortal human beings known as Chiranjeevis. They are namely Aswaththaama, Bhali:, Vyasa, Krupa, Parasurama, Hanuman and VibhishaNa.) There is a command of God that I should do Tapasya forever for the sake of the well being of the whole world, like an everlasting machine that continues praying! Under the situation I seek your benign help for some spatial adjustment. By withdrawing yourself a little away from these mountains, can you kindly create some ground on the west of these ranges of mountains, for me to live?”
637. Samudra Raja who was ordered to control his waves when Rama had to construct the land bridge on the straits between India and the island of Lanka decided to help Parasurama. Knowing Parasurama to be a Brahmin very quick to take offence, he wished to give Parasurama as wide a margin as possible. So, Samudra Raja told Parasurama, “Dear Sir! In your hands you hold that Parasu (Axe) which you got from doing Tapasya to Parameswara. Throw it as far as possible in the ocean and I shall recede that much away, up to the point beyond where the water drops are thrown up to by the impact of the axe and make all that land available to you.” Accordingly Parasurama threw the axe in to the ocean as far as possible. Water from the impact splashed in all directions many miles in the N-S direction and less in the E-W axis. All that area was exposed to the Sun and the sea withdrew. That is the Malayala Desam or Kerala aka Parasurama Kshetra. Initially populated by fisher folk talking an unorganized cacophony of languages. Parasurama did not wish to be the only one doing Tapasya in such a vast area. So he decided to bring in and settle a whole lot of Brahmins who would be doing their share of Vedic activities of Homa, Pooja, Japa, Upaasana and other such Karma Anushtaanaas.
638. Brahmins of Tamil Nadu and Tamil Language in Kerala. From the land of the Sozha Kingdom he invited Brahmins known as Sozhiyas to this new land of his creation. They were Tamil speaking Dravidian Brahmins as any other community in Tamil Nadu. Brahmins are not alien to Dravidians but as much sons of the soil as others. There is nothing as Dravida caste. There is only a Dravida Desam. Everybody living there including Brahmins are Dravidians only. The Brahmins who have gone to North India are called by the name of ‘Dravid’. The Brahmins who came down South from the North India are called the ‘Vadamas’! There was no influx of foreign tribes from outside India through the Khyber Pass into India as claimed by some.
639. The very fact that some North Indian Brahmins are called by a special name of Vadamas (meaning northerners), indicates that the existing Brahmins in the south were very much southerners, isn’t it? The whole of Bharath Desh was one race of people only with a variety of tribes. The differentiation if at all was based on the type of land in which they lived such as the fertile riverine plains, forest areas, hills, semi deserts and deserts. The Aarya and Dravida differentiation on a so called influx of the Aryans from the North across the Khyber Pass was a British motivated fraud on the Indian People, in their vested interest of ‘Divide and Rule’ policy. Since all our schooling and education is by their English based system, we have come to believe in their concoctions and disbelieve in our own Puranas and Itihaasaas! Then within the country, we have had the so called ‘Paguththu Arivu’ movement of the so called Re-formers of the society and Religion; who have exploited the scam created by the Britishers, to their convenience! OK, let it be.
640. The Brahmins from Tamil Nadu are comfort loving used to the moderate climate of the area. As you go north both heat and cold can be extreme. So people of other areas are comparatively capable of withstanding harsher climates and adjust to any extremes. The Tamilnadu people especially the Brahmins are not like that. What I am saying is applicable to olden days, whereas today on the one hand the Brahmins in Tamil Nadu are themselves treated as untouchables; while on the other hand they have gone totally against the code of conduct of what a Brahmin is supposed to do and what he is required not to do! Contrary to his Dharma, he has become greedy and is ready to adjust to any extremes of not only climate but language, custom, food habits, dress and culture, whether it be U.S.A. or Russia, Saharan desert or Icelandic tundra!
641. Those comfort loving Sozhiyas from the banks of Cauvery River on arrival in Kerala were out of their elements literally. Endless rains, overflowing rivulets, with wet grounds full of mire everywhere, it just did not suit them at all. They were afraid of telling Parasurama who had a reputation as being quick to take offence. They were actively considering running away from there, secretly on the quiet. He knew all that. Let us just change one of their customs and they can never get back to their mother land after that, he thought. On the pretext of giving them a special identity, he made them wear their hair in their head differently. Normally Brahmins in Tamil Nadu shave off the front portion of their head above the temple and let the hair at the back grow abundantly long. Their long tresses are then cared for, oiled, braided and rolled into a knot at the back of their heads. This is known as Kudumi which would typically identify them. Parasurama introduced a twist in this custom. He made them wear what is known as ‘Oordva Shika’, in which the back of the head is shaved off and the hair on the peak of the head is permitted to grow long, which is tied in to a knot to fall forward just on top of the temple! Till date Namboodri Brahmins of Kerala follow this system only.
642. But the Sozhiyas thought that this one small change in the identity will not be such a hindrance in their acceptance back in Tamil Nadu, when there is no difference in the other customs and traditions. So, most of them did go back to the banks of Cauvery River once again and were accepted with open arms as expected. But the Oordva Shika remained on top of the head, giving raise to the proverb, ‘Sozhiyan Kudumi does not shake easily’, to mean that he does not listen to others suggestions and also that he is not easily ruffled! Parasurama’s plan however, had back fired. So, he imported Brahmins from Andhra and Karnataka en-mass and as a precaution, out of the 108 Aachaaraas that are there for the Brahmin, he changed some 64 of them to give them totally a new traditional identity. This worked and for generations they started staying there. They are known as Namboodri Brahmins, stricter in their observance of traditional Aachaaraas, than Brahmins elsewhere in the whole of India! There is a book by the name of ‘Keralotpatti’. I have given you the details from that book and a few PuraNas.
643. Amongst Namboodri Brahmins there were only a few Sozhiyas left. Rest were all Telugu and Kannada Brahmins. In Telugu, ‘Illu’ is a house or home and the word for that in Kannada is ‘Mana’. In Tamil we have both ‘Illam and Manai’ for one’s house. Amongst Namboodri Brahmins some claim to belong to so and so ‘Mana’ and some others as belonging to such and such ‘Illu’. Our AachaaryaaL’s household is said to be ‘KaippaLLi Mana’. My research on the subject leads me to believe that his ‘KaippaLLi Mana’ must have been from those ancestors of Sozhiyas from Tamil Nadu. This I will touch upon some time later. There could be one question in your minds. If the Namboodri Brahmins were mostly from Kannada and Telugu background and others were mainly fisher folks from the Arabian Sea islands with some local dialects; how is that Malayalam as a language contains a mix of words from mainly Tamil and Sanskrit languages?
644. The Malayala language evolved some 1,000 to 1,200 years back only. Before that Tamil was the main stay. Still some of you can say, ‘How can it be?’ I will answer that. No society can be complete only with Brahmins and fisher folks. There has to a king, army, traders and so on. Most of these were Tamilians only. The mountain ranges of Western Ghats are literally hugging the Tamil Nadu from North to South with many passages between Tamil Nadu and Kerala. From time immemorial Tamilians are known to trade across the oceans and their reach included Sri Lanka, Burma, Java, Sumatra, Borneo, most of East Asia and Western shores of Africa and the islands in between. So, the point to be noted is that the major population in Kerala after Parasurama created it were Tamilians who had moved there from across the Sahayadri Mountains.
(To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva.

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 114 (Vol # 5) Dated 18 Jan 2012

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 114 (Vol # 5) Dated 18 Jan 2012

(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 706 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)
624. I said that there are no books available as having been written by Mandana Misra. But in action he had done an enormous number of Yaagas and a whole lot of Karma Anushtaanaas, and fought with others with different views or Siddhaantam-s. Thus he had done yeoman service to that branch of Karma Marga. Our AachaaryaaL won him over with relentless logic and not stopping with that, gave him Sannyaasa and made him one of his own disciples, known by the name of Sureshwara.
625. The Reason for the Avatara of Kumara Swami and Brhma as Ardent Meemaamsakaas. Easwara caused the Avatara of Kumara Swami and Brhma as Kumarila Bhatta and Mandana Misra respectively, even before his own Avatara. I can think of one reason as to why this was needed. It was the complaint from the Devas that caused his own Avatara. Devas benefit by Karma Anushtaana only as they get their Aahuti offered to them in Yagnas. Devas are not interested in anybody progressing in the Gnaana Marga, as they do not get any Aahuti from a Saadhaka in the Nivrutti Marga. This has led to the coining of the proverb that the one ardently following the Karma Marga is known as ‘devaanaam priya’ (beloved of Gods) as he is sufficiently an ignorant idiot!
626. Now when Devas were coming and complaining about not getting their share of offerings; ‘if I come in to the world to talk mainly about Gnaana / Nivrutti / Sannyaasa Marga in which there is no Karma to be even talked about let alone doing it; that will be further undercutting the case for the Devas, isn’t it? It will not be kindness but poor manners too!’ (Saying this, PeriyavaaL laughs.) That must have been the analysis of the situation by Easwara. ‘To make up for a long period of time when the Yagnya related activities had drastically dwindled, let there be some 40 to 50 years of enhanced Yagnya like activities and let the Devas be compensated for lost revenues of Aahuti! For this let Brhma and SubrahmaNya precede my Avatara and develop Karma Meemaamsai in a big way. In the bargain automatically there will be countering of the Buddhist religion to a substantial extent, which will suit our purpose. Then, I should come on the scene.’
627. ‘Since the Buddhists also talk about NirvaNa that seems and sounds like Gnaana only, the general public is likely to be flummoxed as to what is Vedic and what is not?! So let these two precede me and lay a strong foundation for the observance of Karma Anushtaanaas in Vedic methods. Then we will come on the scene and tell the public, “Start by Karma Anushtaanaas only. Then as you mature switch tracks in to Gnaana Marga”.’ That must have been Easwara’s reasoning. Accordingly, SubrahmaNya Swami took Avatara as Kumarila Bhatta and Brhma as Mandana Misra; strongly countering Buddhism effectively and nourishing the Karma Marga.
628. Avatara-s by Indra and Saraswathi: AachaaryaaL’s Service Sans Governmental Support. Just to help Kumarila Bhatta, Indra was born as a regional King as Sudhanva as given in some of the books of Sankara Vijayam. It was but natural for Indra to be interested in wishing to help a person who was going to rejuvenate conduct of Yaagas and Yagnya-s; which in turn will benefit all the Devas. Even earlier, Kumara Swami aka Lord SubrahmaNya was responsible for saving Indra from the clutches of Soorapadma. So, Indra would have wished to express his gratitude in as many ways as possible to SubrahmaNya.
629. I must make an observation here. Kumarila Bhatta to some extent had the support of the local ruler in his efforts to counter the Buddhists. But our AachaaryaaL did not have any of the support from any of the kings of his time, but solely relied on his own intellectual acumen and strength of his own personal experiences and convictions in winning over people’s minds for Vedantam! Mostly Buddhism and Jainism relied mostly on royal patronage in spreading their religions and expanding their hegemony. Then when making an about turn to Vedic methods, in the times of Appar and Thiru Gnaana Sambandar; the Pallava and Pandya kings were won over and the whole lot of citizens were also regained to the Vedic practices, as we notice. There is no such thing in our AachaaryaaL’s history. Anyhow during his time there were no big kingdoms. In Brhma Sutra Bhashyam there is a reference that because there was no empire worth its name and VarNa – Ashrama Dharmas were not being ensured, that there was a total lack of social control and order in the whole country.
630. When other Devatas were all coming down to earth taking Avataras, Indra could not have remained a silent observer. So he also assumed a minor role in the drama. If your mission can be completed only with a major help from others, it is a bit of a loss of prestige for an Avatara, isn’t it? May be that is the reason that when Kumarila Bhatta and Mandana Misra were ready to tear the whole of Vedantam to pieces, without anybody’s help, singlehandedly our AachaaryaaL could defeat both of them and thereby display the power of the Avatara. Within these two also, AachaaryaaL did not have to wage a war of words with Kumarila Bhatta. They met only when Kumarila Bhatta was already in his last few days before dropping the mortal coil. But with Mandana Misra, he had continuous war of words, in an organized gentlemanly way, continuously for 21 days!
631. Kumarila Bhatta was a great Grantha Karta (author of books) while Mandana Misra was a great Anushtaana Karta (doer of Karmas) as a family man. So, there was a wife. Brhma as Mandana Misra and Saraswathi as SarasavaaNi his wife, were there. AachaaryaaL in winning the debate with Mandana Misra had to also prove the point that he is a Sarvagna (omniscient). Who could have been the judge in their debate? That role was played by the wife of Mandana Misra SarasavaaNi, as she was an Avatara of Saraswathi Devi, the Goddess of all learning and knowledge.
632. After Kumarila Bhatta and Mandana Misra were born and had already countered and defeated the Buddhists to a large extent, then only was our AachaaryaaL’s Avatara took place. That is even after the petition by the Devas, our AachaaryaaL’s Avatara must have taken place some 50 years later. If you feed after the person eating is hungry enough, then only the food will be well received and absorbed, isn’t it? Similarly I suppose, our AachaaryaaL’s Avatara took place after ensuring that the Avatara will have the necessary impact on the socio-religious conditions. Devas petition had been received. The petition from a suitably well qualified couple of would be parents had also arrived then. ‘Who were the pious would be parents for this Avatara Putra? How did this most pious Avatara take place? Where and in which place did this Avatara occur?’ – We will see answers to these questions after this.
633. History of Kerala. Despite the Avedic environment that was surrounding the whole of India those days, there was one place where Vedic Anushtaanaas had not been given up completely and that place is Kerala. God had pre-decided that he would be born as a son to a very pious Brahmin couple in that Malayala Desam of Kerala, in a place known as Kavadi, as it may be known to most of you all. You may also know that the Avatara’s parents were Siva Guru and AryaambaaL. The Malayala Desam is located on the west of the long series of hills known as Western Ghats. KeraLam is the Sanskrit name. ‘Kera’ is coconut and that entire area is full of coconut trees, hence the name KeraLam. One the one side are the hills – that is Malai and on the other side is ‘aazhi’ or ‘aazham’ so the Malayalam = Malai + Aazham! There is a story about how this narrow strip of land came into being.
634. Parasurama killed and vanquished 21 generations of Kshatriya kings and took their lands all over India, as you may have heard about. The whole world was virtually under his control. By that time he was seized by dispassion and regret! ‘Having taken birth as a Brahmin, it is sad that instead of doing things for the good of the society I have ended up killing so many people! OK, whatever has happened, I can’t even let the past be permitted to be by gone. How can I get away from the responsibility of having to rule all these lands? It is not correct to further get mired in the worldly affairs of administration and management!’ So, he donated all the lands to Kashyapa Maharishi. Why Kashyapa? Because all the animate life forms of this world came into being from him only. People born in Manu’s lineage are human beings aka Man or Manushya. Manu’s father was Vivasvan and his father was Kashyapa. Not only that, he was the forefather of Devas, Dhaityas, Dhanavas, Raakshasaas, Nagas and many others! Though there are many Prajapathis, only he is specially called the Kashyapa Prajapathi. So, ‘let him manage all these men and lands or do whatever’, was how Parasurama thought and donated it all to Kashyapa!
(To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva.

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 113 (Vol # 5) Dated 16 Jan 2012

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 113 (Vol # 5) Dated 16 Jan 2012

(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 703 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)
615. It is the followers of Meemaamsai and Nyaaya that helped our AachaaryaaL maximum indirectly, by effectively countering Buddhism. The followers of Meemaamsai criticised the Buddhists’ for their stand against Karma Anushtaana and the followers of Nyaaya countered the Buddhists for their Nir-Easwara Vaadam respectively. At the same time they were the recipients of maximum criticism from our AachaaryaaL! Let me explain. Nyaayam talks about not one Aatma but, many Aatma-s and thus was contrary to the idea of Adwaita Anubhava; so, it had to be disputed. Still this was not so vehemently objected to. AachaaryaaL vehemently opposed only the Meemaamsakaas’ religion. Next target of criticism was Sankhyam.
616. Sankhyam talks of Purusha and Prakruti exactly almost as Vedantam talks of Brhmam and Maya. Though some of its principles are acceptable to Vedantam, many are contrary. Sankhyam is a philosophy that does not reach the common masses and remains at cerebral level of some intellectuals only. To that extent our AachaaryaaL took pains to analyse and spell out how exactly it differs with Adwaitam and how it is objectionable. But Meemaamsai being concerned with what is to be done by everybody every day, it affects the common man and the society directly. So, it was the most important area of interest of the Avatara. Up to a certain stage, Karma Anushtaana has to be there. Without that the individual and the society can never be brought under any order at all. After a certain stage, it has to go or be dropped. Then only the Jeeva who is considering that he is this body and a separate individual can get rid of those ideas and remerge in the truest truth of all, as one with all existence. Therefore there is a need to carefully analyse as to how long should one continue doing these Karmas strictly and sincerely and come to a decision as to when to stop it. One has to go deep into one’s own motives, aims and attitudes to assess and come to grip with oneself without even a trace of ego before completely distancing oneself from observance of Karma Anushtaana.
617. Doing Karma should not become an end in itself. It should also not be done so as to obtain super human powers of Siddhies! For example as you carry on speaking the truth, what you say becomes a truth. People also start believing so. Here comes the chance to go astray that uncaring for truth, you start insisting that what you say is the truth! Karma should be done with the clarity that it is meant for achieving the clarity of one’s own mind, heart and speech, totally unconcerned with the fruits of such endeavour in Iham and Param (here now and in after-life later). Then one has to move on to Aatma Vichara of the ultimate reality.
618. Ultimate reality is transcendental. It is not perceived by the senses or comprehended by the mind. It is a matter of indubitable experience for the inmost consciousness of man. It is directly and immediately experienced without the instrumentality of the senses and mind, and does not depend for its proof upon any external authority. The perception of the external world is neither direct nor immediate, but is dependent upon the senses and the mind and is always coloured by them. On the other hand the experience of Reality is both immediate and direct, and becomes possible only when the senses and mind, through the practice of rigorous spiritual discipline, have been made absolutely calm. It is the consciousness in man that experiences the Universal consciousness, the two being, in reality, identical. As I told you earlier, after years of practice of Karma Anushtaana, through pranayama and meditation during the chanting of Gayatri Mantra, one starts experiencing flashes of this Anubhava. That is the time you cross the threshold unmistakably, setting aside all Karmas and start solely concentrating on DhaaraNa, Dhyaana and Samaadhi; the last three steps of Ashtaanga Yoga!
619. But there are infinite possibilities of self deception. To protect the aspirant from error and delusion the seers of Vedaanta lay down three criteria of Truth. These are scriptural authority (Sruti), reasoning (yukti) and personal (unbiased even in one’s own favour) experience (anubhava). Any one of these, singly, may enable the man to realize in flashes, but when all three point in the same direction to the same conclusion, you will know yourself! The meaning of the scriptures, which contain the recorded experiences of knowers of Truth of the past, must be explained by a competent teacher. In order to free reasoning from the pitfalls of rationalization, rigorous mental disciplines are prescribed so that the aspirant may be grounded in detachment not only from the external world but also from his own pet ideas and exclusive loyalties. The aspirant must be able to view his own thinking objectively and submit it to a searching analysis, by himself. Ultimate values must be judged by the standard of eternity and not of time. Lastly, the conclusions of the scriptures, reaffirmed by reasoning, must be experienced by the aspirant himself. Ultimate Truth, the basis of the Universe, is self evident, non-contradictory, and free from fear and friction. The seer perceives Truth everywhere and in everything, and thus becomes completely free from fear, sorrow, and expectations, which characterise the life of falsehood in the relative world. {Note: As they were very appropriate to our discussion, the last two paragraphs above, have been quoted mostly from the pages 17 and 18, of Introduction to the book on Self-Knowledge [Aatma Bhodha: by our AachaaryaaL], authored by Swami Nikhilananda, published by Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chennai -4. Now let us continue with our translation of what PeriyavaaL says further.}
620. So, one has to judiciously apply one’s mind and intellect in deciding as to how long to proceed with Karma Anushtaana not simply as Karma Marga only, but as Karma Yoga, in deciding which may be one could consult one’s Guru or finally one’s own inner conscience. Our AachaaryaaL pointed out the fallacies in the reasoning of the principles of Meemaamsakaas. For the common man Karma Anushtaana is what is within their scope. For Saadhaks aspiring for Adwaita Anubhava, Karma Anushtaana is only the primary class, so to say. So, though our AachaaryaaL encouraged doing and building up on Srouta (as per Sruti) and Smaarta (as per Smruti) Karma Anushtaanaas; as the philosophy of Meemaamsakaas was having a vice like grip on Karma Anushtaana ‘as the be all and end all’ of the whole thing, he had to dispute their views rather vehemently. As in our AachaaryaaL’s point of view, for progress towards Aatma Gnaana and Adwaita Anubhava, Karma was only the very initial stage.
621. If you are injured in your leg and not able to walk, you have to get the necessary medical care, medicines, apply some ointments and some bandages and then only you may be able to walk at least with a limp. That is how for many life times we are all walking wounded, injured by our own actions of ignorance and delusion, unable to progress on any of the paths towards Moksha! In such a situation, Karma Anushtaana acts as the bandage for our wounds. But, once you are healed and able to walk, what is purpose of the bandage? Now if you say, the bandage should remain forever and that you should walk only limping, what is the logic? It can only lead to further problems, isn’t it? Similarly the over attachment of the Meemaamsakaas to Karma Anushtaanaas was becoming an obstacle in progress towards liberation.
622. Once Narada brought one fruit to Kailasa and created a competition between Ganesha and Kumara Swami, you remember? At that time having lost it, Kumara Swami got angry, throwing away all his clothes and ornaments and ran away in anger wearing only a loin cloth, isn’t it? The father and mother then had to come down searching for him and after finally locating him in Palani, they had to beg him to return to Kailasa. Now when the same Kumara Swami, as Kumarila Bhatta was saying that Karma is everything and that there is no need for a Sannyaasa, the father could convincingly teach him a lesson or two about the necessity for discarding attachment to the peripherals such as clothes and ornaments and the need for taking Sannyaasa. On another occasion, Kumara Swami jailed Brhma and in continuation gave Upadesa to his Father, who had to bend his head in subservience. Now this time the father had sent the same Brhma as Mandana Misra as a support for Kumarila Bhatta. Finally in the last stages of his life as Kumarila Bhatta, he was given Gnaana Upadesa by his father, this time in the Roopa of our AachaaryaaL!
623. No book of authority in Meemaamsa is available as having been written by Mandana Misra. There is a book known as, ‘Meemaamsa AnukramaaNika’ said to have been written by one Mandana Misra. He is also said to have written a book on Adwaitam known as ‘Brhma Siddhi’. But it is different in many details to our AachaaryaaL’s points of views. So, pundits believe that they are two different people with the same name! However, after Mandana Misra became our AachaaryaaL’s disciple, (as Sureshwara) the books written by him are available today. It can be safely assumed that before his becoming a Sishya of our AachaaryaaL, no books have been written by Mandana Misra on Meemaamsa.
(To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva.

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 112 (Vol # 5) Dated 14 Jan 2012

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 112 (Vol # 5) Dated 14 Jan 2012

(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 698 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)
604. Upaadaana & Nimitta KaaraNa. We should clearly understand the meaning of these two words in Sanskrit, before we proceed further in the discussion about the difference between the view points of those who believe in the Existence of God and those who do not! Actually I should have explained this even before I talked about the differences between Adwaitam and some of these Vedic as well as Non-Vedic Siddhaantams, contrary to Adwaitam!
605. For a thing to be created or manufactured or made, it has to be from some basic material. For a jewel to be made there has to be either gold or silver or platinum as the basic material. For a house to be built you need bricks / hollow blocks / chiselled stones or some such thing. They make houses of bamboos in Mizoram. The basic material used is the Upaadaana KaaraNam. So the phrase Upaadaana KaaraNam can be understood as ‘Material Cause’. How did the brick become the house? The mason did so. How did the gold become the jewel? The gold smith did that. Here the mason or gold smith is the Nimitta KaaraNam or ‘Motive Cause’! Pot is the example used in our books on philosophy in explaining these two causes, in the coming into being of anything. For a pot to be made clay is the Upaadaana KaaraNam and the potter is the Nimitta KaaraNam! Using the material cause the one who makes the thing is the Nimitta KaaraNam.
606. For a thing like the world to exist, God is both the Upaadaana as well as the Nimitta KaaraNam, says Adwaitam. As per Adwaitam Jagat is a Mithya, which is defined as something that temporarily seem to be true but vanishes when you are aware and not deluded anymore! (May be the English word ‘Myth’ is derived from this Sanskrit word only.) Anyhow, the world which seems to be real in this practical and transactional milieu is known as ‘Vyavaharika Satyam’, meaning ‘functional truth and not real’! For it to be made or come into being there has to be some material (Upaadaana KaaraNa) using which some agency has to make or produce it (Nimitta KaaraNa). Adwaitam says that both are Easwara the God! If that were not so, God has to get the material from elsewhere, isn’t it? Then there has to be another world from which he has to get the material and the question arises as to who made that world!? That would lead to another God and become an endless loop or a vicious cycle. So, it is clear that the material cause and the intentional cause are both God himself for the creation, continuation and sustenance of all that is seen as the world and universe! God creates by himself, using himself as the material by Maya, as so many apparent and real, animate and inanimate things and life forms. This is all his play. The whole world is his dream world! Do we not see dreams ourselves? Is there any reality in it? Are we not both the upaadaana and Nimitta KaaraNa for our dreams? All the materials in our dream have come out of us only, isn’t it?
607. There are many principled viewpoints (Siddhaantam-s) like some which assert that there is no God (random chance), and those that claim that he is only the Nimitta KaaraNa and take the help of science to prove that the Upaadaana KaaraNa are the atoms of the atomic table of inorganic chemistry! Then there are some which treat some of the prophets as God! Adwaitam says that the cause, material, things and life forms including the prophets are all, the same one and only God!
608. Sankhyam says that God is not the creator of the Jagat. God is only the Gnaana – Awareness – Sentient – Being. From such consciousness, insentient materials cannot come into being, they argue. In reply to this view, AachaaryaaL says that, the root cause in truth has not created an insentient world at all. That is the Jada Prapancham (insentient universe) is not the eternal truth, but an appearance created by Maya, which resolves itself with awareness of its untruth! The physical world is also only a supposition. That is, as science says now, matter is also a type of energy only and so ‘matter does not matter’! As we imagine things, the root intelligence can imagine materials by itself. So, there is no contradiction or conflict between insentient matter and sentient spirit! So, our AachaaryaaL says that for the imaginary world there is a creator.
609. ‘Karta’ is a word in Brhma Sutra, which has been appropriated by Christians, as they call Jesus Christ as ‘Kartar’ in Tamil. Whether you call it Maya or imagination, for a world to be imagined there has to be someone who imagines it. This is the logic by which our AachaaryaaL countered the Sankhya views. He disproved the Meemaamsaka-s with the argument that, though action has an automatic reaction all Karmas do not have the same result and all efforts are not successful. So there has to be a Phala Dhaata or the adjudicating power, who takes all the observed and unseen factors into consideration. So the views of the Meemaamsakaa-s that there is no need for interposing an Easwara there, was opposed by our AachaaryaaL on the grounds that only an uninvolved omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent super brain can take all the interconnecting factors, that could weigh the actions and intentions, here, there and everywhere; then, now and in the future; into consideration and come to a decision and have the power to execute such decisions; call it God or Easwara or whatever you want!
610. Instead of further going into arguments and debates, our AachaaryaaL did his level best for inculcating, developing and spreading devotion in the entire society in the length and breadth of the country. He virtually ensured that there was no following for Buddhism and Jainism in the country. In the devotional procedures, he got rid of all secret, crude and cruel practices, making them noble, pleasing and satisfying; based on open, public and as per Mantras and Saastraas. He visited almost all the important Temples and enhanced their sanctity and orderliness. In many temples he installed divine Yantras to embellish the spiritual vibrations there. By writing such Slokas steeped in devotion, he enabled all the masses from children to erudite scholars to soak in the flow of Bhakti with melting hearts!
611. There are many Saastraas based on Tantras totalling some 64 of them meaning spells or charms. For each deity there is one Tantra, also called ‘Aagama’; though their literal meaning is Vedas only. But with a mistaken notion of achieving some esoteric powers, with a sense of accumulating super human powers for satisfying greed, people started some disgusting devotional methods. Our AachaaryaaL put a stop to all that by motivating people to adopt acceptably reasonable procedures as given in the Vedas. In the Tantra methods, there were three paths known as Koula, Misra and Samaya Margas. Amongst them Koula Marga was too independent unconcerned about Vedic practices. The Misra Marga as the name indicates was a mix of both Vedic and Non-Vedic methods. Our AachaaryaaL re-established the Samaya Marga completely as per the Vedas, setting aside the other two. That is how the Samaya Aachaara became synonymous with Vedic practices.
612. Then, Udayana Aachaarya who came after the time of our AachaaryaaL was an expert in Nyaaya Saastra, who using logical reasoning clearly established the existence of God and disproved the Buddhist lines of arguments as fallacious. The Buddhist’s ‘Nir-Easwara Vaadam’ was roundly blasted to smithereens by his book ‘Nyaaya Kusumaanjali’. He came on the scene immediately after the time of our AachaaryaaL and completed the balance job of his, in this respect in the relevance of the Bhakti Marga!
613. In the matter of the relevance of Karma Anushtaana, a major portion of our AachaaryaaL’s task in disputing and countering the Buddhist religious ways, was done by Poorva Meemaamsaka Kumarila Bhatta already. For AachaaryaaL Karma is only the first step for Chitta Suddhi. After such cleansing of the heart, mind, speech and actions, then you have to do ‘Gnaana Vichaara’ of trying to find the answers for questions such as, What is God, What is life, What is the purpose of existence and finally, Who am I?! That will lead to the Mukti / Moksha / NirvaaNa / that can also be called Self Realization / Adwaita Anubhava! So, as the Buddhism was not even letting the people take the very first step, our AachaaryaaL’s fight with that religion was only to that extent. For Kumarila Bhatta Karma Anushtaana was not only the first step but, the whole process, path or Marga! He was not interested beyond that at all. Gnaana is not required, Karma is Moksha, was his confirmed view point. So, he had more reasons to take up cudgels against Buddhism! He condemned Buddhism more strongly going deeper in to the whole thing as revealed by his Vaartikam on Sabara Swami’s Bhashya of Jaimini’s Meemaamsa Sutras.
614. Udayana Aachaarya countered the Nir-Easwara Vaadam of Buddhism and Kumarila Bhatta opposed their No-Karma policy, thus making our AachaaryaaL’s job that much easier, though they came on the scene some 50 years on either side of AachaaryaaL’s time. AachaaryaaL met him as a young man, in Kumarila Bhatta’s later years. But that story I will come to a little later. Here I wish to state only the fact that Kumarila Bhatta was our AachaaryaaL’s senior contemporary. 50 years before Easwara took Avatara as Sankara Easwara Kumara Kartikeya was born in the world as Kumarila Bhatta and had done enough to substantially reduce the work load to be borne by his Daddy, yet to come as an Avatara!
(To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva.

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 111 (Vol # 5) Dated 12 Jan 2012

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 111 (Vol # 5) Dated 12 Jan 2012

(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 690 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)
595. Addressing Brhma and other Devatas, Sambu said, “I will do the needful to solve your problem myself. I will be born as a human being for the main task of eradicating the pseudo religions and re-establish the Sanatana Dharma. Most importantly I shall write the Bhashyam for Brhma Sutra through which I shall reassert the purpose of the Vedas and bring back civility, morality and honesty in all our dealings. Forgetting that all the existence is made of one Parabrhmam people are blind to the fact that the indwelling spirit in every iota of existence is one and the same. We mistake the body which is constantly changing, aging, getting ill, to be the Self which is eternal, changeless and universal! This is the cause for all ignorance and faulty understanding. Being deluded by the power of Maya, people have opted for variety, separation and individuality, tending to forget the background of oneness. With the name as Sankara, I shall assume a Sanyasi Avatara and by the power of Aatma Gnaana remove all darkness and ignorance from the face of the Earth. In completing this task I will take help from four disciples of mine. Like in the Avataras by Maha Vishnu his four hands were a part of him these four disciples will be like my four arms.” In a continuous torrent Sambhu just showered them with benevolent sanctions – “ityuktvopara taan devaan uvaacha Girija priyaha”! Girija Priya-ha means the ‘AmbaaL’s sweet heart’! Even though DakshiNa Murthy is alone, AmbaaL is never apart from him. His Sankara Avatara was inclusive of Sambhu and AmbaaL!
596. His words:
“manoratam pooraishye Maanusham avalambya va: I
dushtaachaara vinaasaaya dharma samstaapanaaya cha II
bhaashyam kurvan brhma sutra taatparyaarta vinirNayam I
mohana prakruti dwaita dwaantam adyaatma bhaanubhi: II
chaturbi: sahita: sishyai: chaturair harivat bhujai: I
yateendra: sankaro naamnaa bhavishyaami maheetale II”
Even before the Devas came to him, he was ready with his plan for Avatara it seems. Even the name Sankara is also his own selection. This is one more proof of the special power of the name Sankara. He had also pre-decided that he will be a Sanyaasi by saying ‘Yateendra: ‘, which means Indra among renunciates, as ‘yati’ means a Sanyaasi!
597. There are two words ‘yama’ and ‘yata’ from the same root dhatu. Both indicate the act of keeping under control. Yama has that name as his job is to punish the errant Jeevas. The Jeevas go astray due to the promptings of the five input devices known as Indriyas and the manas or mind! The man, who has got his mind and Indriyas under control, is a Sanyaasi and so he is also a Yama. But the difference lies in the fact that instead of controlling others and being a pain on the side for them, he is exercising self control. So to make it nice sounding we put a ‘sam’ before that ‘yam’ and call such a person, ‘samyami’! This same self control of mind, heart, senses and their actions is conveyed by the word ‘Yati’. Easwara as he decided to take an Avatara as a Yati, that too as a Yateendra, meaning a man of eminence amongst such people; he had also decided to write his Magnum Opus, the Bhashyam for Brhma Sutra! That is what is conveyed by ‘bhashyam kurvan brhma sutra’!
597. Avatara of Devas. Easwara full of compassion wished to bolster up the morale of the Devas who were complaining to him as weaklings. So he enacted a play at the time of Avatara as though he would take help from each one of them! At the time of Tripura Samhaara, all the Devas gave him one weapon or equipment one by one and kept them before him. Without using any one of them, Easwara simply LOL! That laughter became a fire that scorched and burnt the Tripura Asuras! God wished to re-enact that scene in a slightly different way! In the drama of Easwara’s Avatara, it is given in some versions of Sankara Vijayam that he gave specific roles to different Devas. The whole of the army of monkeys at the time of Rama Avatara are supposed to be Avataras of various Devas.
598. Easwara had said that he will be assuming the Avatara role with four specially supporting cast, didn’t he? They were Maha Vishnu as Padma Paada; Vayu as Hastaamalaka; Agni as Thotaka; and Brhma as Sureshwara. With Brhma, Saraswathi also situated herself on earth and SarasavaaNi. SubrahmaNya Swami as the ever young one, came before all others as Kumarila Bhatta. Indra came as the King Sudhanva. Padma Paada, Hastaamalaka and Thotaka; took Sannyaasa directly from Brhmacharya like our AachaaryaaL did. Sureshwara was in Gruhasta Ashrama, older than AachaaryaaL in age and a staunch advocate of Meemaamsaka Vaada which was intolerant of Adwaita. He had argued with AachaaryaaL and lost in debate before becoming his disciple. In Gruhasta Ashrama, his name was Mandana Mishra and in Sanyaasa he was known as Sureshwara. He is Brhma’s Avatara.
599. In the Vedic Karmas, the most important is the Yagnya Karma that is managed by four officials working together and their overall supervisor is called the Brhma. May be that is the reason that Brhma’s Amsa Avatara became an ardent Karma Meemaamsaka. SubrahmaNya Swami’s Amsa was born as Kumarila another Karma Meemaamsaka, as a Brahmin he was famous as a Bhatta. The main thing in Yagnya is Agni the fire and Agni is Subrahmanya, the six sparks from the third eye of Easwara! He was also one to have been objecting the Adwaita Vedaanta, that his point of view was known as ‘Bhaatta Mada or Religion’! He had a dispute with Aachaaryal and finally at the end of it accepted the Gnaana Marga. But he did not take up Sanyaasa or become a disciple of our AachaaryaaL. I will tell you the reason why of his action later as, if I say that now, your interest in the story will wane!
600. AachaaryaaL stood for Gnaana Marga and the older Brhma and the younger SubrahmaNya; both stood for Meemaamsaka that is, Karma Marga and fought with him. You could possibly nurture a question as to why as Devas instead of assisting the Avatara Purusha, they fought with Easwara! Yes they fought, it is true. At the same time they assisted him also in a big way. More than his other disciples, their help was monumental. The funny point is that, as the proponents of the Karma Meemaamsai they were ardent opponents of Adwaita Siddhaantam. By that very fact they were also the greatest benefactors in our Sankara AachaaryaaL’s work. Whatever the amount of effort required to counter the Buddhism was reduced by half in countering their religion of Meemaamsai. Once the fallacy of their ways was proved beyond doubt, it was easy to argue against what Buddhism stood for!
601. Buddhism contradicts the Vedic religion’s Karma Anushtaana, Bhakti Upaasana and Gnaana Siddhaantam – all three completely! Still to some extent their principled point of view of Siddhaantam goes parallel to Adwaita. True to the adage, parallel lines never meet! They also accept Maya and believe in completely annihilating the mind. Then after the mind has been annulled or erased, we say that the residual balance is the effulgence and brilliance of Pari PoorNa Brhmam; whereas they talk about ‘Soonyata’ or in other words –Nothingness! This is a major deviation. There are some more subtle differences. But, those differences being too abstruse, it is extremely difficult to explain and make those things understood. All told still, the idea of NirvaNa is one area where Sanatana Dharma and Buddhism come very near each other. In the area of devotion, since Buddhists do not accept the existence of something like a God or Swami, there is a basic divergence of views with us. In the matter of karma Anushtaanaas, since it is forbidden to conduct Yagnya at all, there is total antipathy. Then they do not go with the VarNa – Ashrama Dharmas, and so apportioning of duties for various groups of people is also not acceptable to them!
602. In all these differences and oneness of understanding, as I have said earlier, Bhakti that is, Devotion is one area that is there in all of us naturally in the world, to which ever denomination or religion we may belong. When we look closely at any part of this world, the macro or micro part of it, one cannot help being flabbergasted and spell bound at the enormity, complexity, intricacy and orderliness of it all. Then every thinking brain has to come to the conclusion that all this cannot be the result of random chance but have to be systematic and controlled happenings, with a zillion feed backs, checks and balances! So naturally there has to be one controlling power, call it God or whatever! Actually it is more difficult to prove that there is no God, for which you have to resort to very complicated recondite logic! Buddhists did that and their followers did not know how to counter it. They were ready to accept Buddhism for reasons other than this, which I have explained earlier elsewhere. Then the followers of Buddhism did something very beautiful. They started praying to Buddha and other religious leaders down the line, calling them God or Bhagawan or whatever! So then, Buddhists had to give some space for devotional activities in their religion too! These things I have explained earlier in detail.
603. Such being the situation, to bring the masses back to the right Vedic religious Bhakti Marga, our AachaaryaaL did not have to argue or debate much! When it comes to matters intellectual such as Gnaana, much debates, arguments and counter arguments can be there. In matters of devotion that comes naturally in the heart even without understanding and comprehension, not much of arguments need be there. By simply composing many slokas soaked in devotion, by the power of Mantras making the existing temples live with divine vibrations as places of worship and by cleansing the methods of worship, making them easy and humane; cruel and crude methods of worship like Kaapalikam and Vaama Aachaara were easily done away with. To a large extent our AachaaryaaL preferred not to argue with the intellectual gymnastics of Buddhists, as he was well aware that nothing much can be gained by debates, as devotion is a matter of the heart and not the brains! So our AachaaryaaL clearly established the presence of an omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent principle as the material and purposeful cause for all existence including Maya and left it at that. This material cause and purposeful cause are called ‘upaadaana and nimitta kaaraNa’ in Sanskrit. I must proceed further only after explaining these two points more clearly.
(To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva.