DEIVATHIN KURAL # 59 (Vol # 6) Dated 27 Sept 2012

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 59 (Vol # 6) Dated 27 Sept 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 page No 415 of Volume 6 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)

Mumukshu: Our AachaaryaaL’s Definition

269.  To get out of the influence of the Maya, focussing one’s mind on Self Realization of oneself to be the Brhmam, remaining true to that endeavour is Mumukshuta and such a person is a Mumukshu.  Our AachaaryaaL has defined the Mumukshuta in Viveka ChudamaNi Sloka No. 27, like this, “अहंकारादि देहान्तान बन्धानज्ञानकल्पितान | स्वस्वरूपावबोधेन मोक्तुमिच्छा मुमुक्षुता || (This has already been quoted in Para No 262 above and translated.  Here PeriyavaaL is expanding on the meaning of the Sloka.)  Here you may note that our AachaaryaaL has mentioned both release from Maya and ‘Swaroopa Avabhodham’ – that is, Self-Realization to be experienced after release. 

270.  Ignorance or अज्ञानं is Maya.  It is by Maya, the otherness and separateness from the only Real Brhmam is imagined, as ‘I, me and this person’!  For all ‘anartha parampara’ of a whole generation of problems, this ‘Ahamkaar’ is the root cause, source and origin.  Starting from this subtle Ahamkaar, it encompasses the gross body of every individual, causing him or her to think of the body as the self.  Such an idea takes birth a few days after one’s coming in to this world.  Then we are all responsible in instilling and reinforcing this delusion in each one of us mutually.  The very first thought in each one of us is ‘I’, in relation to which other thoughts take birth.  This is what is mentioned as अहंकारादि देहान्तान बन्धानज्ञानकल्पितान.  The last phrase should be paraphrased as ‘बन्धान् + अज्ञान + कल्पितान्, meaning that ‘all ties are imagined by ignorance’!  From this we can make out that, this very urge in us to get the release from the binding ties – is Mumukshuta.  This is the negative definition of Moksham.  Without forgetting as to what is the end stage, he has imbedded the idea in the centre of the definition as ‘स्वस्वरूप अवभोधेन’ – meaning by waking up to one’s inner reality – that is the awakening from Agnaana / ignorance! What is the Gnaanam that we are waking up to about?  The waking up is to one’s own inner reality.  So, instead of getting Gnaana as though getting something from outside, we wake up to our own inner Self the Aatma / Aatman!  This awareness and Gnaanam and Aatma are all synonyms and not different things.  If Maya is ignorance, or अज्ञानं; then ज्ञानं is Brhmam and ‘स्वस्वरूप अवभोधं’.   

271.  To be released from the binding ties is not an end in itself!  “To be bound is problematic.  So let it go.  Then let us be like a log of wood or sand or stone!”  If someone were to look for such an end, our AachaaryaaL will not consider such a person as a Mumukshu at all!  As Patanjali had identified only ‘Chitta Vrutti Nirodam’ that is, stopping the mind from its vacillations as the Mission and left it at that, our AachaaryaaL would not remain happy with that, without correctly identifying the ultimate aim!.  Wasn’t “ब्रह्म जिज्ञासा” the subject and object of his famous ‘Bhashyam for Brhma Sutra’?  So, he would call only that state as Mumukshuta in which the seeker intensely wishes to get released from ignorance so as to be able to realise his oneness with the ultimate reality.  That point is very clear from this Sloka we have discussed. 

272.  “स्वस्वरूपावबोधेन” means, ‘awakening unto Aatma Gnaana’ of the Self being the same as our inner form is the positive message imbedded within the Sloka, which instead of being about Aatman, is being Aatman!  By such awakening we have to endeavour to get free from the ties of ignorance, our AachaaryaaL is saying.  By saying so, it seems to mean that first ‘avabhodham’ aka ‘awakening’ happens by which we are to get free of the ties of ignorance.  That will be like putting the cart before the horse and convey the meaning contrary to what we have been saying for so long, as though the positive ‘Aatma Saakshaatkaara’ also leads to the negative Moksham!  Nobody who understands the aim and mission of the Religion of Vedaanta and has read our AachaaryaaL’s books and correctly understood them will ever jump to such a conclusion.

273.  Let me explain this puzzle with the help of an example.  Between release from ties (bandha moksha) and Self-Realization (Saakshaatkaaram), there can never be the question of which is first and which is later, as they are simultaneous.  In absolute darkness let us say we strike a safety match stick and there is light.  Is there a time gap between appearance of light and removal of darkness?  Both are simultaneous, isn’t it?  But, a point to note here is that, it is because of light that, darkness goes and not the other way around! 

274.  Here is the unique greatness of the Religion of Vedaanta.  It, keeping the identifying of our inner light of Aatma Jyoti as the central mission or end goal, starts from ‘नित्या अनित्य वस्तु विवेकं’ and goes ahead.  The Rishis as Seers of Vedas and Upanishads, the author of Brhma Sutra, the Veda Vyaasa and our AachaaryaaL have all focussed on Brhma Saakshaatkaaram; unlike Buddha’s aim of ‘Duhka Nivrutti’ or Patanjali’s aim of Chitta Nirodam. Actually our Rishis right down to our AachaaryaaL have all asked us to launch ourselves in ‘Satya Anveshanam’ – that is, ‘investigation of truth’.  Whether the life is good or bad, happy or otherwise; let it be whatever.  If life as a flow has been going on from infinity, to the extent that we know about it; there has to be an absolute static basis on which life is dependent.  Similarly in the case of all of us as Jivan or so many ephemeral life forms too, there has to be some eternal indestructible basis which gives us life, knowledge, power, motivation and sustenance!  It is our inalienable duty to find it out as to what it is!  We have to find out that eternal Truth with a capital ‘T’!  It can be done.  With such firm conviction, faith, enthusiasm, courage and seriousness; those great thinkers have endeavoured to find the Truth!  They were not the crying and cribbing worried lot, too concerned about difficulties or sorrows or obstacles in their path!  They were not the ones negatively too concerned about ‘Chitta Nirodam’ but thought of their mind and intellect as powerful tools in their repertoire.  They were not the ones who were so fed up with their present condition that they couldn’t care less as to where they reached or ended up!  They dared to question the darkness of Maya and ignorance; to find the torch of Aatma Jyoti.  They endeavoured to do so themselves and motivated the posterity to do so too!

275.  The one about whom I said that he started out cribbing and crying, was Buddha.  About him also when people of other religions talk with worshipful admiration for his ‘Bodham’, say that he ventured from a comfortable life as a king with a beautiful wife and young child for the attainment of positive Gnnana and got it under a Bodhi tree and hence got the name of ‘Buddha’.  Before sitting down for meditation under the Bodhi tree he is said to have uttered a few words of his intension which is available in the form of a Sloka.  Reading it even today, we will wonder if anyone could have been more dispassionate and if there can be a better example for ‘Mumukshuta’!  The Sloka (found in the biography of Buddha titled as ‘Lalitha Vistaram’) is as follows: - “इहासने सुष्यतु मे सरीरं त्वक् अस्थि मांसानि लयं प्रयान्तु | अप्राप्य बोधं बहुकल्प दुर्लभं नैवासनात कायमिधं चलिष्यति ||” That means, “Let this body dry up here in this seat!  Let the skin, bones and flesh become desiccated unto dust without attaining to Bodham.  However long it may take – may be many ‘Kalpa-s’ – for that Bodham to occur – till then this body is not moving from here”!  (Here he has used word ‘Kalpa’ – which is supposed to last for 432million years of the mortals – and constitutes a day in the life of Brhma!)  Whatever it is, we cannot but take note of the ‘maha drudha sankalpa’ (awesome determination) of Buddha.  Point to note here is that, so were many of the Rishis of yore who were Seers of the Vedas and Upanishads, who had courageously left their all when they set forth to find the ultimate truth of reality!

276.  For a person who goes about determinedly working towards achievement of the ‘true light’, for them the ‘satya jyoti’ will only be the mission worth the effort.  Others are likely to fall by the way side, going astray due to the enormous temptations enroute, known as ‘Ashta Maha Siddhi-s’.  Let that be. When they see the light of Aatma Gnaana, by that very enlightenment, they will have to assume or rather we will have to assume that the darkness of ignorance is gone.  If you collectively analyse as to how the great Gnaanis have described this incident in their lives; you will notice that they went on doing ‘Aatma Vichaara’ and the realization came to them in a flash!  They would not have said that they, ‘Realized the Aatma’ or ‘came face to face with the Reality’ or talk about any removal of the ties of Maya Bandham or attainment of Aatma Saakshaatkaaram!  You do not need all that high philosophy!  Whatever it is, the Aatma Saadhak just kept at it trying to understand or comprehend the meaning of life and existence, kept ruminating on the Maha Vaakhya-s and practically experienced the non-differentiation of Jivan and Brhmam.  By that very experience he also would have known that he is not bound anymore!  So our AachaaryaaL has placed ‘bandha moksham’ that is, removal of the ties after Saakshaatkaara. As though one is after the other – as “स्वस्वरूप अवभोधेन मोक्तुं” – that is all!

277.  I said that ‘avabhodham’ is awakening. Does sleep run away somewhere for waking up to take place after that?  We suddenly wake up and we know that we are awake.  That is how one wakes up to Gnaana too.  We could say this in yet another way that, “स्वस्वरूप अवभोधाय” that is, for the very purpose of awakening unto awareness of one’s reality, as a ‘Mumukshu’ one wishes for the release from the binding fetters of ignorance.  At the time of awakening he also knows that the fetters are no more!

(To be continued.)

Sambhomahadeva