DEIVATHIN KURAL # 66 (Vol # 6) Dated 11 Oct 2012

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 66 (Vol # 6) Dated 11 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 458 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)

Lively and Pleasant Anbu

333.  There is another special aspect in this.  The thing in which we have interest is a lively one.  This small life form as our selves is claiming relationship with affection with that universal being. Then cancelling that relation and erasing ‘I, me and mine’ this small entity is to become that completely, without a trace of what this was earlier!  Such is the intermingling that they (the Saadhak and the Aatma) go through and become one with each other.  Thus when one life form that is, the உயிர், joins the Aatma, it is not only just the meeting of minds and body; it is like the tributary joining the main river; or the rivers meeting the ocean, losing their name, stuff and separate identification.  So, this becomes that like a உயிர்த் தோழன் meets his life’s partner.  Do the games of chess, cricket, tennis and liquor and tobacco, which become obsessions, have apparent life? They all give temporary euphoria to the player or imbiber and leave him ‘high and dry’ afterwards!

334.  There are people who practice and work for music, dance and literature also, treating that profession like a living divine being and sacrifice their all including their self in learning, practicing and teaching that art form to their disciples.  So when they reach the pinnacle of achievement in their selected line of profession, we say that they did so, “Forgetting their being – forgetting time and space, their own life and body – மெய் மறந்து – (mei marandu) – that is the phrase in Tamil”.  As that art form has a life of its own, it enters them and totally occupies them that they become a living embodiment of that art form!  When the separate, individual ‘I’ goes, you become the universal ‘I’ causing you to do some remarkably superlative achievement, whether it is in music or dance or sculpture or literature!

335.  In science also it is in that stage of ‘மெய் மறந்த நிலை’, when only your intuition is at work, the greatest discoveries are made.  Even then you do not do anything new but, you only ‘dis – covered’ what was already there.  But to do so, you had to be in a state of ‘மெய் மறந்த நிலை‘.  If you argue, “How can it be?  Science was not considered as a deity as we thought of those art forms”; my answer is that, “Above all life forms, there is a super life form.  For all arts, works, science, and disciplines; there is one root cause – the apex knowledge base!  When the disciplined aspirant in whichever line of knowledge is ready to forget his self, personal name and fame, uncaring for returns, gains and personal comforts – that is ‘மெய் மறந்த நிலை’; through him the super ‘I or Ego or Mind or whatever’, starts functioning and enables such discoveries!  Or in other words reveals that part of the secret that they are looking for!” 

336.  Even in chess or cricket or any other discipline of sports or arts, if the aspirant’s dedication is complete; in appreciation of their single-mindedness and whole heartedness, the super-mind will reveal an aspect of truth much beyond the comprehension of the Saadhak, the sports person or aspirant!  When the dedication is complete, it can happen in any walk of life.  But in these things, that is in mundane worldly activities; the beauty and satisfaction of, one life’s self-sacrifice being reciprocated by the other in causing one to realize that they are not different but, one and the same; that sweetness will not be there.

337.  Starting from ‘Nitya – Anitya Viveka Vichaaraha’, going through Sama, Dama, Uparati and so on; in which you confine yourself into an inert being considering all as Jada, keeping all thoughts and actions under strict con troll; this sweetness of this oneness with life is not there and so it seems to be very dry like the environs of a desert only.  If you continue like that, it will only end in ‘Soonyata’ or nullity that Buddhism talks about.  The Brhmam that Vedaantam talks about is not nullity but totality.  It is called ‘PoorNam’ – ‘पूर्णं’, sweet like the nectar of flowers and liquid juices of fruits!  The Taitreeya Upanishad (II.vii) says that the individual becomes a personification of bliss as ‘आनन्दमय‘, ‘Aanandamaya’.  Listen to a partial translation of the Seventh Anuvaka of that Upanishad by Swami Gambiraananda of Ramakrishna Mission, Calcutta: – “In the beginning all this was but un-manifested Brhman.  From that emerged the manifested.  That Brhman created ‘Itself by Itself’!  Therefore it is called the self-creator.”

338.  “That which is known as the self-creator is verily the source of joy; for one becomes happy by coming in contact with that source of joy.  Who, indeed will inhale, and who will exhale, if this Bliss be not there in the supreme space within the heart?  This one, indeed, enlivens people.  For whenever an aspirant gets fearlessly established in this unperceivable, bodiless, inexpressible and unsupported independently existing Brhman, he reaches the state of fearlessness.  For, whenever the aspirant creates the slightest difference in ‘It’, he is smitten with fear.  Nevertheless, that very Brhman is a terror to the so called learned man who lacks the unitive outlook.” 

339.  It is the thing full of life as the ‘चिद् वस्तु’, also known as ‘चिदानन्द रसं’ that is, சிதானந்த ரசம்.  It is what is known as ‘चिदानन्द पूर्णं.  That should be thought of as the life of life and the being of all being!  Having established a contact with our selves, its aim is to dissolve us in itself and absorb us completely.  For this purpose, it is sprouting this Bhakti and this thought to do so, in our minds.  For the dry and hot desert like atmosphere of our Saadhana Order (Krama), to be irrigated and cooled and made குளுகுளு!  That is why this Bhakti is, coming back here in to the series of steps taken by the aspirant!  The process was kept dry earlier quite purposefully.  In Aayur Veda, there is a method by which the patient is made to dry up for a period before the medicine is administered, for better absorption of the medicine.  Similarly in agriculture, for certain plants, they keep the surface dry for some time before irrigating it again, thereby providing a fillip for quick absorption,  That is how it is done here too.  Since we are from such a background in which in our mind and Buddhi all thoughts and intentions were fodder for our pride and Ahankaara only; there was a need to starve and dehydrate the whole system!  By doing so, we train ourselves to develop the devotion to be able to offer our ego, pride and Ahankaara as an offering or oblation – Neivedyam – ‘नैवेद्यं’ or Havis – हविस, to the Life of all, the Para Brhmam!  Then only there will be sprouting of Love – அன்பு in our hearts, when we surrender our very being as an offering of Love to the only life – ‘பிராணம்’ or ‘உயிர்’, of us all!

340.  Along with Bhakti for NirguNa Brhmam the Aatma, devotion for Easwara as the SaguNa Brhmam, to Guru, and so on; we have to have devotion for one other important thing!  We have already done all the Saadhana. We are just about to take up Sannyaasa and are going to receive the ‘Maha Vaakhya Upadesa’ from our Guru.  Now we are going to make a very serious in depth study of the Upanishads and Saastraas.  Now is the time for us to come to a clear understanding that, these concepts, principles and mantras are ‘living axioms and precepts’, and are not simply so many words put together at random!.  Actually, they are as much living beings as you and me.  In Sanskrit, there is a phrase for it as ‘अक्षर ब्रह्मं’.  Here the word ‘अक्षर’ has two meanings.  One is the ‘imperishable’ and the other is the ‘letter of the Alphabet’.  So the words made of such imperishable letters of the alphabet are also equally imperishable! (In Christianity too there is this statement: - “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God”.  So, they also consider the word as divine and a living thing!)  So, what I am saying is that the words of the scriptures are not to be taken as simply so many words; but as living entities, representing the same ‘अक्षर ब्रह्मं’, that is Brhmam in the form of so many words!   They are to be treated as providing direct access to the very ultimate!

341.  There is a mistaken belief in people that Philosophy is too dry a subject, as they say in Tamil, ‘வறட்டு வேதாந்தம்’ (that is, pronounced as ‘varattu vedaantam’).  Though the words may seemingly rhyme, nothing can be farther from the truth!  Philosophy should be studied as a living entity and lively endeavour. We should have love and devotion for the words of the scriptures.  Till now our Saadhana was really dry.  From now onwards with the yet to be taken up third stage of our spiritual endeavour of, ShravaNa (श्रवण), Manana (मनन ) and Nidhidhyaasana (निदिध्यासन); are to be coolly practiced with Love, Devotion and Liveliness!

342.  If we now notice that the next stage of our endeavour is to take up Sannyaasa, suddenly it may strike us that we are about to enter the desert area as though.  In fact, only now there is going to be much hydration that is to become a lively spring turning in to a copious flow in to a flood!  For the rest of the world it will be dry, absolutely so.  This is the stage when everything of the world is to be totally discarded as unworthy of our consideration.  But inside is the cool of ஜிலுஜிலு ‘coconut water’ with the dry matting of coir outside!  Our AachaaryaaL has shown that such should be our attitude towards all, including the things we discarded as delusion of Maya; since the indwelling reality in all is the same ‘antar yaami’.  Now is the time when our heart is to become a fountain spring of Universal and Unconditional Love towards all. 

343.  Removal of Pride.  One thing is that the aspirant should not become too dried up like the leaves of the trees in the autumn season!  But at the same time neither should he become much afflicted by ego, egoism, egotism, pride, head-weight, ahankaara, conceit, haughtiness and Ahambhaavam!  They are all synonyms with some slight shades of difference like between the inner ahankaara as part of the Antah KaraNam and its outer manifestation.  As a traveller in the path of Adwaita Gnaana, if at any point you feel that, “See how far we have travelled!  We have been manda, madhyama adhikaaris and then we have progressed beyond Karma, Bhakti and come far ahead and become a Uttama Adhikaari”, that is enough to take you back miles and eons away!  So that we may not go astray or be tripped and derailed from the path, our AachaaryaaL has laid that we are to simply melt in loving devotion, without any chance for our humbleness to wane!

(To be continued.)

Sambhomahadeva