DEIVATHIN KURAL # 64 (Vol # 6) Dated 07 Oct 2012

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 64 (Vol # 6) Dated 07 Oct 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 last paragraph on page No 445 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)

312.  In fact without being in one place, Aatma is omnipresent everywhere.  So, being everywhere a particular place or space to be specified for it is an error in terms.  But to divert this mind-complex of Chittam/Buddhi/intellect/ego, which is constantly going for not only duality but, multiplicity in everything (including in colours, sounds, shades, music, feelings and sensations), to cause it to become single-pointed and meditate on the Aatman, seems to be well neigh impossible.  So, we have to give it some crutch or support or at the least a walking-stick!  For that you over lay a set of attractive and exceptional qualities and characteristics on the Aatma, even if only imagined; to think of a God as (a SaguNa and Saaroopa, that is,) with form and qualities.  But the problem here once again is going astray from the path of Oneness of Adwaita. 

313.  So now, what is the compromise?  On the one hand that God or Aatman is all pervasive and is the ‘Antar Yaami’, the immanent reality in all of us and simultaneously as the NirguNa, Niraakaara Para Brhmam is beyond the ambit of space and time, totally not understandable or comprehensible.  So even if we were to think of some point in the human body, as the place where we can assume the Aatma to be located, if only to bring our extrovert attention inwards, that would help in meditation and that is the हृदय स्थानं – (Hrudaya Sthaanam,) the Heart Space.  Who has selected this place?  That is done also by Para Shakti, who is responsible for all Dwaita Maya, has also out of Her Infinite Kindness, fixed a place where this Antah KaraNam can be caused to merge.  The very power that causes the sense of separation and individuality in each one of us as the Jiva Bhaava, strengthening it to such an extent as to be able to chart our individual paths for competitive and successful living; also points the way to do an about-turn and move inwards to the centre of our being, breath and life source as the one root, where we have to merge back – that is the point!  The Aatma SpuraNam also happens as a splash of light there.  We emerge from there and merge back in the same place.

314.  That place is a point, a small dot, an aperture which is a dot.  NarayaNa Suktam says, “नीवारशूकवत्तन्वी पीता भास्वत्य अणूपमा |” – that is like the sharp end of the grain of rice still covered by the husk – such a small point!  Inside the Hrudayam that is like an inverted bud of the lotus flower is this very subtle hole; from which the whole body is permeated by a warm life force of a fire; in the centre of that spark of life is the ‘PraaNa Agni’ – ‘प्राणाग्नि’ that is ‘नीवारशूकवत्तन्वी’.  As it is said that this small point of aperture – the dot is in the Hrudayam, means that the Hrudayam is around that dot.  That is also infinitesimally a small point.  In the language of the Upanishad-s, there are two words as ‘Daharam and Dahram – ‘दहरं अण्ड दह्रं’ meaning small, very small.  The Hrudayam and the Aatma Sthaanam in it has been described as ‘daharam inside the daharam and dahram inside the dahram’, in the Upanishad-s.  “In that minute point is the ‘Sathyam’ (that is, the Brhmam) is expanded as all the vast expanse of the ‘Aakaasam’ – the sky – the space,” say Chandokya Upanishad (VII. 1) and Taitreeya AaraNyakam (XII.16).

315.  When the whole world is seen as the ‘Viraat Purusha’, in his Hrudayam, the city of Chidambaram is this ‘Chit Sabai’ that point of ‘dahram’, as Aakaasa the Rahasyam – the Secret.  Amongst the five ‘Pancha Bhoota Kshetra-s’, Chidambaram is called the ‘Aakaasa Kshetra’, for this reason. Chit Sabai is also called the ‘Dafra Sabha’ which in Tamil is ‘chirrambalam’ – திருச்சிற்றம்பலம். It is not correct to say that this சிற்றம்பலம் became Chidambaram.  Chidambaram is Chit + Ambaram.  Ambaram basically means in Sanskrit the Sky and Vastram – the cloth or the covering.  The Tamil word ‘ambalam’ has the meaning of ‘open sky’ and ‘Sabai’, where the meeting is convened.  When any secret is revealed, we say in Tamil that it has become an open secret that is ‘அம்பலம்’.  It is the secret that is revealed to all as Nataraja in his Cosmic Dance posture, where the NirguNa, Niraakaara Parabrhmam is seen as SaguNa Saakaara Nataraja!  If that is how Virat Purusha is seen in Chidambaram, in each one of us, in our hearts is this small sky, as a point, dot as a small aperture!

316.  Our Jiva Bhaava has to be rubbed off in to nullity and in the end go there and abide in that spot or dot.  This is what happens when the Jiva becomes the Siva and Aatman becomes the Aatma.  There is a beautiful word for it as ‘Involution’!  What comes out expanding as huge and big, to get back to its origin, has to focus and concentrate its attention and size, isn’t it?  On one end of the spectrum is the Siva, only Siva as the Sat that is the Paramaatma – from which as the Jiva with body, limbs, senses and Antah KaraNam comes out; in evolution.  In his heart there is the idea that he is made up of something vastly great but, identifies itself with this physical body, with a sense of separateness and that is the sense of ‘I am’, called the ‘Ahankaaram’!  I told you some time back that I will talk about this ‘Ahankaaram’ or Ego, didn’t I?  I am coming to that ‘samaachaaram’ or subject.  As different from Brhmam, I am a separate entity, with my own being, body and mind, when Siva evolves as the Jiva and thus the illimitable vastness becomes a limited person, with a sense of ‘no end to himself’!  This is the start of the so called ‘Evolution’ with a PiLLaiyar Suzhi – பிள்ளையார் சுழி!

317.  Evolution is known as ‘सृष्टि क्रमम्’ ‘Srushti Kramam’ – and Involution is known as ‘लय क्रमं’ ‘Laya Kramam’.  ‘Layam’ is also known as ‘Samhaaram’.  Since you people are likely to be afraid if I say that word, I polished it slightly and said ‘Layam’.  Actually there is no need to feel afraid at all.  The word ‘hara’ means to take; forcibly take – like snatching away.  So ‘Samhaaram’ actually means God taking us unto himself totally, which after all is the best that could happen to us!  At the time of ‘srishty’ or creation that we as Jiva separate out as an individual with an ego, is the same point at which we re-join at the time of permanent integration, instead of temporary Laya; when the Antah KaraNam is focussed at the centre of the Hrudayam and Aatma-spuraNam takes place.  So this separation and integration takes place at the same dot or Daharam.

That entry point for coming out and going back is the same.

318.  We have seen that this Antah KaraNam is a combo of Chittam, Manas, Buddhi and Ahankaaram.  Normally the place for Manas is the neck and that of the sense of Ahankaaram is the Hrudayam.  Buddhi’s place is the face – as the Tamil proverb says, “அகத்தின் அழகு முகத்திலே”, meaning that the beauty of your inner being is seen on the face.  Chittam which is normally related to memory and intentions, is said to be in the ‘Naabhi’ – ‘नाभि’ or the navel.  In fact the common product of ‘thoughts’ produced by the combo of Manas – Buddhi – Ahankaaram – and Chittam is basically emerging from the Chittam only.  So it does not have to be given a separate place of its own.  When undecided, Chittam will be in the throat; when you have made up your mind, it will be in the face; when asserting yourself with Ahankaaram, the Chittam will be in the Hrudayam.

319.  Ahankaaram and Anbu.  There is a Tamil word ‘நான்’ that is pronounced as ‘Naan’, which means ‘I, Me and Myself’ put together.  This sense of the self from being the egoistic prideful Naan has to become the true self.  Having distanced itself from the reality of Brhmam, it has become variegated.  Now it has to turn away from the dualistic world towards re-integration and so should be handed over to a helpful something.  Having accumulated a lot of various seemingly different assets as mine, by the promptings of Ahankaara, it has added on a lot of obesity to its Manas, Buddhi, Chittam and Ego, together known as Antah KaraNam; has to be forced back to the Hrudaya Sthaanam.  How can you make a fat man enter a subtle and small entrance?  When somebody is too fat, in fun we say that “The entrance should be broken down and widened”!  We cannot do that here.  Only, this man has to be put on a diet and made to lose the unnecessary flab. 

320.  Having been seeing all the multi various things, smells scenes and objects with greedy and covetous eyes, he has added weight by grabbing and making them his own as personal properties.  All the outer coating has to be dissolved physically and materially and then he has to get rid of this sense of separateness and individuality, thereby starving his Ahankaara.  Then only, he could hope to go back to his heart – Hrudaya and enter the small dot like entrance to be able to expand in to the ‘Dahara Aakaasa’!  That is how he can get back to his Adwaita Anubhava of Brhma Anandam of Aatma Saakshaatkaara!  If you still have a question as to how is he to get rid of his obesity caused by Ego and conceit, the answer is that, he can do so only by practicing அன்பு, the unconditional Love towards all!  Changing of the mistaken notion of the egoistic ‘நான்’, ‘me, mine and myself’; as he identifies himself with the ‘universal unconditional love’, all that flab will go.  That is the only way back to the Aatma Sthaanam. 

321.  You may still wonder as to when our Antah KaraNam was scrubbed clean by the practices of Vairaagya, Sama and Dama, how effective where those measures of abnegation and controls in getting rid of the egoistic flab?  Those steps were effective in polishing and refining the Mind and Buddhi.  But the Ahankaaram is still a very subtle one, which without our knowing sinks us deeper in the mire of delusion!  We may not be aware that we have made some progress in Sama, Dama and Vairaagyam; but the ego will claim success and try to look for advantages to oneself – at least in Self Aggrandisement!  The Ego will claim victory even in the things we are doing to get rid of the Ego / Ahankaara!  So its fattening and tendency for accumulation will go on.  The one thought before all other thoughts is that egoistic ‘நான்’.  You can test this yourself.

322.  So as to prevent all the benefits of our Saadhana from being waylaid by this Ahankaaram or egoistic ‘நான்’ and further reinforcing it, the only way is to inculcate ‘universal unconditional Love’ of giving oneself to others.  Luckily at this point of one’s endeavour, as Viveka, Vairaagya, Sama, Dama, Uparati, Titiksha, Shraddha and Samaadhaana; have all ripened the Antah KaraNam; it is possible if the Saadhak is carefully guarding against the Ego, to ignore it and thereby starve it, to be able to develop effectively the அன்பு, that is the ‘universal unconditional Love’!

(To be continued.)

Sambhomahadeva