DEIVATHIN KURAL # 71 (Vol # 6) Dated 21 Oct 2012

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 71 (Vol # 6) Dated 21 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 middle of page No 488 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)

380.  Dying During UttaraayaNa: Its True Meaning.  The Sun is seen to be travelling towards North, from the Tropic of Cancer, some 21 days after the Southern Solstice, (that generally occurs on 20 or 21 Dec).  The next six months are known as UttaraayaNa PuNya Kaalam as per our beliefs.  Similarly some 21 days after the Northern Solstice, (that generally occurs on 20 or 21 June, every year), the Sun will be seen to be travelling towards South from the Tropic of Capricorn and this period is known as DakshiNaayana.  (Of course the Sun is static in the centre of the Solar System and it is the earth which is tilted and going around the Sun due to which, the apparent movement of the Sun is seen.  For exact details you must refer to the Yearly Almanac or Indian Panchaangam.)  The point that is made is about a popular belief that if you die during UttaraayaNa period, you will gain Moksham and those who die in the other period will all go to Hell!  Amongst the followers of our religion, this is not the only canard.  If it were to be true, half the people of world will be attaining to the Heavens and the other half going in the opposite direction!  Our AachaaryaaL never meant that.  I am talking about what is given in our AachaaryaaL’s Bhashyam for the Slokas / Mantras at Gita, (VIII.24.), Brhma Sutra (IV.3.), Chandokya Upanishad (V.10.1.), and Brihad Aaranyaka Upanishad (VI.2.15.).

381.  His purport is this.  The Yogi or Upasaka other than the one in the Gnaana Marga, including the devotee in the Bhakti Marga and the Karma Yogi (doing Nish-Kaamya Karma) and all such aspirants, when they die, their Uyir from the heart goes out through the Naadi that goes to the head and out, through the divine path known as ‘Deva Yaanam’ or the path of effulgent light, to the Brhma Loka.  Before he reaches the terminus, there are many Junctions enroute like in the Railways.  Each is a place of a particular Devata that is a divine being.  First is the place of Agni, the God of Fire.  Next is that of the Devata for the bright fortnight of the waxing moon, known as Sukla Paksham.  Then is the Sthaanam or place of the Devata for UttaraayaNa PuNya Kaalam.  This could have been misinterpreted as talking about the period in the year when the Sun is seemingly moving to North!  After crossing a few more junctions like this the Uyir is said to reach Brhma Loka. This is what is said in the Upanishads (considered as the words of God), such as Brihad Aaranyaka and Chandokya; then repeated by Sri Krishna in Bhagawat Gita and explained and elaborated by our AachaaryaaL in his Bhashyam. 

382.  Similarly the passage of the Uyir which has to take birth again, goes by the path of ‘Pithru Yaanam’ with certain other different Devata’s places and not talking about dying in that period after June to Dec!  One more thing that I should clarify; this passage through   the places of Devata-s such as for Fire, Sukla Paksham and UttaraayaNa, covering each junction and then reaching Brhma Loka and then merging in Brhmam at the time of Aadhyantika Pralaya; are all of no concern whatsoever for the Gnaani.  So, looking at the date of passing away of such people, it is not correct to wonder if they have attained Mukti, if the date happens to be not in UttaraayaNa PuNya Kaalam! 

383.  Two Different Effects of Karma Yoga.  I have told you many times that when and if you do the Karma Yoga Anushtaanaas faultlessly, as a result, Chitta Shuddhi will happen and you will get qualified to proceed in the Gnaana Marga.  Accordingly if a Karma Yogi attains to the perfect status in this life time or in the next one or two life times, and starts the Gnaana Yoga practices, in that life itself or the next he will get the Adwaita Mukti.  While that is so, now having accepted the Karma Yoga also as one of the Upaasana method, instead of then proceeding by the Gnaana Yoga, if you say that he may go to Brhma Loka and then after the passage of some millions of years, at the time of Aadhyantika Pralaya, he will get Adwaita Mukti; isn’t it being too unfair to him?

384.  The crux of the matter lies in the Saadhaks aim, goal, intention and Bhaavana or attitude!  If he originally had an aim of Adwaita Anubhava and may be due to the fact that he felt the lack of maturity and so started progressing, on a combination of Karma and Bhakti; with attainment of sufficient maturity, he will automatically be progressing in the path of Gnaana, in quick time before he even notices as to when he changed tracks!  But if he had no interest and intention in the path of Gnaana and felt, “I have to get out of the clutches of repeated involvement in these worldly affairs, as it is proving to be detrimental to my personal advancement spiritually!  For that it is best that I put my heart and soul in social service, uncaring for any personal benefit or gain.”  Thus if he stops as Karma Yogi only, he will only go to Brhma Loka.  As I told you earlier, Bhagawan is not going to grant you what you did not ask for!

385.  All these matters came up for discussion in trying to answer these questions such as, “Is there scope for Bhakti in the path of Gnaana?  How is that, it is considered as ‘gareeeyasi saamagri’ (meaning essential equipment)?”  Having explained as to how to control the Indriyas, Manas, Buddhi and Chittam; while trying to explain as to how to control, stop and annihilate the Ahankaara; it was suggested that Bhakti is the ‘gareeeyasi saamagri’  as the most suitable equipment or tool.  The Ahankaara is the very basis for Jiva to think of itself as separate, unique and as an individual standing apart from his own inner reality of the Aatma.  To cut this assumption at its roots, devotion was suggested.  The heart that is said to be the place of Ahankaara also happens to be the subtle place for Bhakti as well as Aatma.  So, using Bhakti the Ahankaara is to be made almost subtle and erased along with the impression of being a separate Jiva.  All that remains is the Aatma, as we had seen before.

386.  As part of that discussion, there was this question as to, “If this is what happens to the Gnaani, then what happens to others, since for them also the Hrudayam is the place for Ahankaara and if it does not go inside the Aatma Sthaana, what will it do otherwise?”  There are many Naadi-s (Nerves) emerging from the Hrudayam going to all parts of the human body.  There are some amongst them which finish in the Nava-Dwara-s, the nine holes that I mentioned earlier.  For people whose ties binding them to the worldly desires, likes and dislikes aka Vaasanaas remain strong till the end, the hold on them by Karma – Bandham continues; their manas, Buddhi and ahankaara continue to become heavier.  The last breath carries all this out of the body by one of the nine holes and goes out leaving the body dead.  Then when another body with yet another life happens, this breath with all its load of the previous manas, buddhi and ahankaara; enters that new body.  Of course there is that Naadi that goes to top of the head, Sahasra Dhala Padma, through which the Uyir goes, for those people who, instead of aspiring for Adwaita Gnaana, are simply looking for Nivrutti from worldly involvement; and reach the Brhma Loka; all of which I have already explained to you.

387.  The Misunderstanding about the Nerve Going to the Hole in the Top of the Head.  Like the mistaken notion about death in UttaraayaNa, there is a wrong view about the nerve leading from the heart to the top of the head. Even those who are knowledgeable about UttaraayaNa MaraNam, (that it is the progress of the Uyir along the path through the place of that Devata for UttaraayaNa and not about death in UttaraayaNa period); despite having such a high reputation of having written books to explain our AachaaryaaL’s Bhashyam; are mistaken or are not having the correct opinion about this Naadi leading to the top of the head in the human body!  They are wrongly under the impression that it is the Sushumna Naadi mentioned in the Yoga Saastraas!  But it is not the Sushumna Naadi. 

388.  Sushumna is the Naadi that starts from the Moola Aadhaara Chakra and goes through the six Chakras in the power-body finally going to the Sahasra Dhala Padma at the top of the head.  But this one mentioned in Upanishads and Brhma Sutra is starting from the heart and going to the hole in the head!  To make the PraaNa Shakti move through the Sushumna is a Saadhana done by Saadhak-s practicing the Yoga Saastra methods.  They catch hold of the basic power of the world (Loka Aadhaara Shakti) and moving it through the Sushumna they unite with Siva in the head.  That is a particular Yogic procedure.  The Vedaanta Religion based on Upanishad does not deal with the Yogic procedures.  It is not a devious or roundabout route dealing with breath, power and movement through some unseen, esoteric and subtle paths inside the gross body.  The Vedaantic method is most direct in which with clear cut logical reasoning and analysis, you are required to simply set aside this sense of ‘Me’ or ‘Naan’ and catch hold of the real ‘Naan’ which is the Reality in you, me and all of us!  To do so is the clear cut Saadhana high-way laid out to make the aim or goal, a practical experience! 

389.  The Naadi-s mentioned in Vedaantam are those directly related to day to day experiences of the people at large.   The eminent one amongst the Naadi-s goes from the heart to the head and finishes there.  It is mentioned as the ‘Moordni Naadi’ – ‘मूर्ध्नि’ that goes to the head.  Especially in the Bhashyam for Chandokya, Brihad Aaranyaka and Brhma Sutra, there is no mention of the Sushumna Naadi.  In Bhagawat Gita too (Viii.12.) where it says, “मूर्ध्न्याधायात्मन: प्राणं”, it talks about fetching the PraaNa to the head and the life going out through that hole known as Brhma Randra.  There is no mention of the Sushumna Naadi in the Gita or in the Bhashyam for that.  Our AachaaryaaL while writing the Bhashyam one by one, about Katopanishad (II.16.), Prasnopanishad (III.7.) and Taitreeya Upanishad (I.6.1.), has made a mention of the Sushumna Naadi.  Moreover in Taitreeya Upanishad, he has talked about the Hrudayam as the well-known physical heart that pumps the blood.  Naturally, there is a question as to why he has said so and if this is not a contradiction in terms?

390.  The Aspirant in the path of Gnaana towards the end, as he becomes a devotee so as to nullify his Ahankaara, the activities such as, manas and buddhi coming to the semi-gross Hrudayam, the Hrudayam being filled by subtle prema, the Ahankaara becoming thinned-out and going into the fine aperture of the heart – are all processes that happen without this aspirant’s knowledge and awareness only.  Since the Aatma is NirguNa, the idea being rather vague for the mind, he has to pay attention to what he thinks is the originating point of the breath and thoughts as taught by the Guru.  He would have known it to be the centre of the Hrudaya as told by the Guru.  But immediately his whole inner Antah KaraNam / mind / Chittam and Ahankaaram may not just go there and come to a stand-still straight away.  Between the Ahankaaram reaching there and totally stopping, standing-still and ceasing to be, there is much time and distance involved, isn’t it?  Before that, all that process concerning the Hrudayam, Naadi and the mind’s grinding to a halt; are not things that happen in his state of awareness or will not be noticed by him.  Because, all his attention would be keenly riveted on that experience of Aatma – SpuraNam, which also is not something that he would have already known!  Saakshaatkaaram would be his only aim and he just would not be paying any attention to the way, the path, processes that he goes through enroute and how he arrives there!   Because, if he gives attention to them, he would lose the goal or mission!  The whole attention is at what is happening uncaring for the ‘how’ of it and alternatives!

(To be continued.)

Sambhomahadeva