DEIVATHIN KURAL # 178 (Vol # 5) Dated 23 May 2012

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 178 (Vol # 5) Dated 23 May 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 going ahead from the second para on page No 1108 of Vol 5 of the Tamil original. The readers may note that herein ‘man/he’ includes ‘woman/she’ too mostly. These e-mails are all available at http://Advaitham.blogspot.com updated constantly)

1224. With many of differences in form, this Raja Rajeswari is the Tripura Sundari, as given in Sri Vidya Saastram of Sundari Vidya, with four arms holding the bow (Dhanush), arrows (BaaNas) , rope (Paasa) and the hook (Ankusa). It is the same Sri Vidya that AmbaaL had bestowed on our AachaaryaaL at Kailasa, enabling him to complete the Soundarya Lahari Stotras. That Tripura Sundari is the Shakti (Power) of the main Swami, Chandra MouLeeswara being venerated and adored, in the pooja in the Matams established by Sankara AachaaryaaL. For these reasons, for AachaaryaaL, Kaamaakshi AmbaaL is very important!

1225. (After a meaningful laughter and a smile, PeriyavaaL continues.) “What is this logic? What AachaaryaaL advocated was the total inertness of Adwaitam, whereas AmbaaL is ever so active, full of power, dynamic activity and unreal illusion of Maya! How can he be interested in her? It is she who has caused vibrant activity in what was standing apart unconcerned as Simply Sivam! (There is way of saying in Tamil, what is lying inert, not participating in any activity as being, ‘sivane endru summaa iruppadu’! This I have translated as being ‘Simply Sivam’!) It is she who has caused ‘Sambhu’ to become ‘Sankara’, to work endlessly for the welfare of the very world that he named as ‘Mithya’ – a non-being unreal that seems true – Prathibhasika Satyam! So, she as the one who has generated all the multi-various diversity, is also the power that sends this man capable of guiding us back to the Oneness of it all. If that man is doing something, or doing the enormously huge work of an Avatara Karya, to do that the power and energy is coming from the root source Parasakti only isn’t it? So, it is clear that she who brings out the variety in one, also merges the medley conglomeration back in to unity of Oneness by her compassionate grace! In addition, whatever we may make in terms of enterprise, effort and Saadhana, are all pathetically ineffective unless her grace is there! She is the one who has separated and it is her job to unify. On his or her own effort nobody can do or undo or rejoin the source. It is clear that many in the past have returned to their source to be known as Maha Gnaani or Brhma Vit, by her sweet will. So, she has to show the way for Adwaita Anubhava by her Anugraha. Our AachaaryaaL who is ‘Anta:sakta’ – inwardly an inalienable part of Shakti – very well was aware of this that ‘the deluding Maha Maya is the one to feed the milk of Gnaana also’. He knew her to be the Gnaana-AmbaaL the Brhma Vidya SwaroopiNi by practical experience!

1226. Sri Vidya which sanctions completeness on the one hand is the same as Brhma Vidya that enables the Saadhak to realize the oneness of Siva – Shakti Aikyam on the other hand. That is the reason why our AachaaryaaL who did a lot in Gnaana Marga on one side, also gave a lot of importance to Upaasanaa Marga of Sri Vidya on the other side. Whatever the Devi-Vidya methods, generally she is the Maha Sakti of Omnipotence, while simultaneously being the Mother of extreme compassion who can sanction complete release from all involvement too. That is the reason for attaching a Sakti Peetam with all his Matams such as, Kaamakoti Peetam in Kanchi Matam; Sarada Peetam in Sringeri; Vimala Peetam with the Puri Matam; KaaLika Peetam with the Dwaraka Matam and PoorNa Giri Peetam with the Matam at Badrinath!

1227. After the Kanchi city had been reorganized in the shape of Sri Chakra, he came to the Kaamaakshi temple, pacified the AmbaaL by installing the Sri Chakra there. In the sanctum sanctorum she AmbaaL, is the space of the cave as ‘Bilaakaasam’. There AachaaryaL himself drew the Sri Chakra Yantra and caused the Devi of ‘Ugra Swaroopa’ (fierce dispositions) to become pleasantly salubrious. ‘Guru Ratna Mala’ says, “Our AachaaryaaL who did that may cause us to become more morally and religiously oriented” – ‘prakrutim cha guhaatrayaam maha ugraam swakrute chakravare pravesya yogre I akrutaasrita-sowmya moortim-aaryaam sukrutam nassa chinotu sankaraarya: II’ Amongst all Yantras (divine engines) the royal one is the Chakra Raajam aka Sri Chakram. That AachaaryaaL drew the Sri Chakram directly in front of AmbaaL is mentioned in ‘Chid Vilaaseeyam’, “kaamaakshyaa: purato dese sri chakram swayam aalikhat”. In Aananda Gireeyam also the greatness of Kaamaakshi and instalment of Sri Chakra are both described in detail. AachaaryaaL thus established the Kaama Koti Peetam to shine with lively power as before. Then all over Kanchipuram he reorganized all the procedures in all the temples strictly as per Vedic methods.

1228. The six disciples went to their respective areas of responsibility all over India, and ensured that people do pooja to their Ishta Devata without any disrespect or insult to other devotees’ Gods, through Shanmada Upaasana and Panchayatana Pooja. Having done all that he had to do in terms of devotional procedures to correct existing imbalances and establishing the correct methods, as a final gesture of proclamation of unquestionable supremacy of Adwaitam, thought of ascending the Throne of Omniscience. Putting a full-stop to all discussions and disputes, our AachaaryaaL clearly ensconsed in the minds of all followers and opponents, the truth of Adwaitam. The one had become many. So the knower of one becomes the all knowing Gnaani! Our AachaaryaaL is omniscient not only as a knower of the one that has become many. In becoming many, the one has given rise to innumerable arts, crafts, sciences, disciplines and Saastraas; as well as a multitude of methods of intellectual gratifications! In the ways of the world, only a knower of all these avenues of knowledge is considered as omniscient. Only the person, who can satisfactorily answer the questions by experts in everyone of these fields of knowledge, can ascend the Throne of Omniscience, not any Tom, Dick and Harry!

1229. In common usage people often tend to ask, “Is it a Brhma Vidya?” to mean if it is so difficult to know and be aware of. Our AachaaryaaL is one who had absorbed and assimilated much more of any and every discipline. The Throne of Sarvagna Peetam would have many steps. Each step would be represented by an expert in some field of knowledge or the other. Each one of them will pose a question. The one intending to ascend that throne would have to fully satisfy that master or expert representing each of those steps, before going to the next step! The final step will be represented by Saraswathi Devi, the Goddess of Learning and Knowledge. Only after satisfying her can anybody ascend the Throne of Sarvagna Peetam! As the knower of the One that has become all, he was also aware of the ‘nuts and bolts’ of everything. So he could answer all questions and ascend the Throne of Omniscience, the Sarvagna Peetam!

1230. A careful study of his books of poems and treatises will reveal the vastness and depth of his knowledge. He is said to have authored a book on the discipline of Jyotisham (Astrology) known as ‘Sankaraachaaryam’. A Vidwaan of Music told me once, “Many of us who are supposed to be experts in our fields, still do not know many of the technical matters of Gati – Gamakam - Birka and so on; while our AachaaryaaL surprises us all by his depth and fineness of knowledge in Music, as revealed by his sloka in Soundarya Lahari that starts with, ‘Gale rekhaas thisro’! Music is known as ‘Gandarva Vedam’, as a discipline of Fine Arts. Value of Music is not only in terms of ability to entertain but, because of the possibilities of infinite varieties for freedom while still remaining within the parameters of discipline.

1231. AachaaryaaL’s acumen and awareness was not only about such fine arts but also about the techniques and slangs in various fields such as carpentry and climbing trees! I had told you earlier as to how he learnt the Mantra for making Coconut trees obey your commands from a ChaaNar, in entering the locked house of Mandana Mishra. There is another story. It seems that a cobbler once asked him if he knows anything about stitching a foot wear. Our AachaaryaaL quietly picked up the needle with thread from the hands of the cobbler and started rubbing the point of the needle against the tip of his nose! There is supposed to be a trace of some sort of oil that materializes on the tip of the nose. The needle when rubbed against that surface enters even hardened leather easily. Looking at our AachaaryaaL’s response to his question, the cobbler was simply flabbergasted. He fell on our AachaaryaaL’s feet in total awe and admiration saying, “Oh! So, you know this also?” On the request of the King, AachaaryaaL did the ‘Peeta AarohaNam’ – the crowning ceremony done by the King of the Land for the King of the Empire of Moksham!

1232. The establishment of the six religions of Shan Madam and Adwaitam at the peak of his achievements of the Avatara Kaarya, he ascended the Sarvagna Peetam to indicate that he had no more ‘To be done duties’, like the Sri Rama Pattabhishekam. The only difference was that Sri Rama’s rule was after his crowning and AachaaryaaL’s was at the end of his tenure as the culmination of Gnaana Saamrajya! He, who was continuously running around, for some time was quietly involved in Aaraadhana for Kaamaakshi. This Aaraadhana that he did without running about also contributed for the well being of all the three worlds! Sankara Abhyudhayam says that, “By praying to Kameshwari residing on the banks of Kampa River, this Sankara AachaaryaaL whose actions benefit all the three worlds, attained to Brhmaanandam. He composed so many slokas like so many ornaments for Tripura Sundari such as Ashtakam, Maanasa Pooja Stotram, Chatush Shatyupachaara Pooja Stotram and Veda Paada Sthavam, each of them with Tripurasundari as the prefix, by which he was decorating that Mother. His biographies also talk extensively about how he installed the Yoga Lingam Chandra Mouliswara in Kanchi Matam and did pooja for it. This Yoga Lingam is also mentioned in Sri Harsha’s Naishadam also.

1233. 32 Years of age was over. The Avatara that happened in the Nandana year in Vaisaka Sukhla Panchami was completed in the year Raktaakshi Vaisaka Sukhla Panchami. The 16 years added by the wish of Vyasa AachaaryaaL were also over. He was intending to stop this mortal sojourn on earth with the following Ekaadasi. Knowing about the approaching end, all his disciples assembled and requested him to give them the final Upadesa. Accordingly he gave them what is known as ‘Sobaana Panchakam’ also known as ‘Upadesa Panchakam’, about which we will see more in detail in the next e-mail.

Sambhomahadeva