DEIVATHIN KURAL # 73 (Vol # 6) Dated 25 Oct 2012

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 73 (Vol # 6) Dated 25 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 501 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)

Devotion in Gnaana Marga is Superior to Devotion in Bhakti Marga

399.  We started our analysis with asking the question as to if there is any scope for Bhakti in the Gnaana Marga and are now ending with the clarity that, it is only devotion that can enable us to attain to the eternal Adwaita Moksham in this life-time itself!  That is the value of Bhakti in the Path of Gnaana!  It enables the Jiva to merge with the basic truth of existence.  But the devotion in Bhakti Marga only enables the individual to get close to the Brhmam in disguise – SaguNa Brhmam with Maya – however much alluring, it is still a disguise only.  At the end of Bhakti Marga the devotee still retains his individuality in duality.  This joining is only remaining connected and not merging!  You have to retain the individuality to enjoy that union.  It may go on for thousands or millions of years, still instead of being permanent; (the great Mahatmas of that path do claim that duration to be as good as eternal because of its being for so long!) then one day, this union comes to an end when the SaguNa Brhmam discards its own disguises and merges with NirguNa Brhmam!  Even if the devotee were to say, “I love being devoted.  So, let me continue, please”, God is likely to say, “How can it be?  I have had enough of wearing a disguise!  Who can ever keep wearing a ‘Vesham’?  I have decided to be just my natural self in one place for some time.”  That sometime happens to be for some 311,040 followed by 9 zeros, number of years!  So at once this devotee also has to go and merge in him for eternal Moksham.  Then after one life time of a Brhma, there will be complete rest with not only no India and America, but also no micro cosmos and no macro cosmos; and then the process of creation will start all over again.

400.  Now, the most important thing that we have come to understand is that, this Devotion that is Bhakti, melts, dissolves and merges the Ahankaara in the basic foundation of all existence.  When the target of such dissolution is NirguNa Brhmam instead of melting in love in the salutary and salubrious character qualities of the SaguNa Brhmam, the dissolution takes place in the ‘Akhanda Chaitanyam’ – ‘अखण्ड चैतन्यम्’ – meaning that it is pure ‘Uyir’ or ‘Life’ without any delimiting boundaries!  (By saying this, we are still making an effort to define it, isn’t it?  We are doing that knowing at the same time that we are only trying to help each other, with all good intentions!)  This man in the Gnaana Marga is intending to dissolve the root cause of ‘Ahankaara’, this sense of being a separate individual, this ‘Naan’ or ‘अहं’, ‘நான்’ ‘I’, ‘Me’, ‘Myself’ and every such idea, in that ‘Akhanda Chaitanyam’; without even knowing or thinking it to be Bhakti!  Instead of thinking that we are to join a state beyond our understanding or comprehension, or reaching a stage of total nullity, or being erased completely or some such thing; to think that we are melting in ‘Sat-chit-Aananda’ that is, ‘சத்சிதானந்தம்’ / ‘सच्चिदानन्दं’, is what we should be aspiring for!  With that intention, even if we do not know what is ‘Love for God’ or that unconditional and universal Love, ‘அன்பு’, will spring from the heart automatically.   “Why should this அன்பு remain unknown?   Since it is elusive to most of the people of the world, intellectually and as a term in philosophy, let people keep thinking deeply about the Brhmam and keep aspiring with all their hearts and thereby cut the root of the self-pride their Ahankaara and realize their oneness with ‘सच्चिदानन्दं’ – ‘சத்சிதானந்தம்’.”  With that intention only our AachaaryaaL shouted for all to here as though from the top of a hillock, “मोक्ष कारण सामग्र्यां भक्तिरेव गरीयसी”.

401.  I said Bhakti is to melt/dissolve ones Ahankaara in Love and unite with the root/basis/source stuff as part of the end processes of Gnaana in realizing the NirguNa Brhmam.  Normally it has been understood that to commit ones energies, thoughts and actions to the SaguNa Brhmam is Bhakti and that path had been considered as different to the path of Gnaana.  Why is this so?  A feeling or attitude, as long as it remains constant is not seen to be very bright.  When that ‘भाव’ / feeling comes out sprouting with branches and leaves in action with songs and dance, then we sit up and take notice.  Similar to how we take notice of music when the singer is coming out with a display of notes (Swaras) like colours in a kaleidoscope!   Except in Samadhi when the mind is quiescent, on other occasions when there is some residual activity of the mind, the ideas and thoughts of that period will not be very clear, not only to the onlookers but also the subject individual himself personally and conscientiously!

402.  When he is being devoted to the NirguNa Brhmam and is very keen that this infinitesimally small bit of his existence should dissolve in that being of eternity; his eagerness and avidity is like the singer singing the same note of one Swara in a long ‘Kaarvai’!  There is no chance of variations in it.  Variety is the job of the mind.  As the English adage says, ‘Variety is the spice of life!’  Whereas this man is keen on just annihilating the mind!  By Sama and Dama, he has already tied them up in knots if not completely erased!  Even to conscientiously notice the fact that he is simply harping on the same note is a thing that comes under his ego-consciousness and so an avoidable hazard.  So his level of Bhakti is unknown to him and evidently unknown to others too.

403.  If we analyse as to whether his target of devotion is doing anything to throw light on his devotion, we have to draw a blank there also.  It is the NirguNa Brhmam which does not react!  The supreme commander of world of all actions – the SaguNa Brhmam of course will be appreciating his intensity of Tapas and depth of devotion.  So there will be further maturing and ripening of the aspirant by the Grace of the SaguNa Brhmam going on all the time.  But his action too will be on the quiet.  As the aspirant is not to be turned again back towards duality of being devoted to the SaguNa Brhmam, his one-sided action will also be not apparent to that one-side also!  Though this is the most powerful form of Bhakti capable of totally dissolving the Ahankaara that is cause for all head-weight, pride and conceit, it remains hidden and unseen!  The Bhakti that feeds the Saadhak with the sense of sacrifice, keeps its own dynamism hidden from our eyes, sacrificing its own importance from the public.  That is why it is known as ‘Thyaga Raja’ – King of the sense of sacrifice!

404.  `Relate this Bhakti with the Bhakti for the SaguNa Brhmam.  The SaguNa Brhmam being the store house of endless number of wonderful and endearing character qualities of infinite variety and beneficence; it enables and exposes the devotee to a whole range of loving feelings for God!  Let me try and explain some of them as identified by such saints as Narada, the famous friend devotee of Sriman Narayana aka Bhagawan Lord Vishnu; Uddhava and Kuchela as friends and devotees of Sri Krishna in his life time; Krishna Chaitanya of Bengal; Bhakta Mira Bhai and AaNdaaL aka Kodai Naayaki who both drew Krishna to themselves as their betrothed husband; and Surdas, the poet – devotee of Baby Krishna; amongst others. 

KTSV adds: Some of those feelings felt by the devotees are as follows, as described in North Indian Vaishnava Sampradaya: –

          (a)  चापल्यं, சாபல்யம், Chapalyam, – Meaning small desires.

          (b)    ओउसुख्यं, ஔஸுக்ஹ்யம், Ousukhyam, – Pleasure of meeting someone suddenly after a long gap!

(c)     उद्भास्वरा, உத்பாஸ்வரா, Udbhaaswaraa, – Flashes of brilliance due to unexpected surprises such as Sri Sita seeing the ring that Sri Rama used to wear!

(d)      दीप्ता:, தீப்தா:, Deeptaa:, – Intense heat of Bhakti like red hot iron.

(e)     उद्दीप्ता:, உத்தீப்தா:, Uddeepta:, – When the red hot iron is further heated it becomes white hot!  This intense Bhakti loosens the Jiva Bhodha and enhances the Parabhodham, that is, the divinity in the devotee.

(f)      सूद्दीप्ता:, சூத்தீப்தா:, Sooddeepta:,  – The intensity reaches the condition as it exists on the surface of the Sun.  It is not any more solid or liquid form, but it is simply a heat wave!

(g)    स्तम्भ:, ஸ்தம்ப:, Stambha:, – The high intensity of feelings make the devotee still like a log of wood or pole.

(h)    स्वेद:, ஸ்வேத:,  Sweda:, – The devotee is sweating now.

(j)      रोमाञ्च:, ரோமாஞ்ச:, Romaancha:, – There is horripilation.

(k)     स्वर भेद:, ச்வ்ரபேத:, Swara Bheda:, – While speaking the devotee becomes too sentimental with the words running over each other!

(l)      वेपत:, வேபத:, Vepata:, – He is shivering.

(m)   वैवर्ण:, வைவர்ண:, VaivarNa:, – His complexion changes.

(n)    अश्रु, அஸ்ரு, Asru, – His eyes are full of tears.

(o)    प्रलय, பிரளய:, Pralaya:, – Out of body feeling.

(p)    दूमायिता:, தூமாயிதா:, Doomaayitaa:, – From the gross he is in a gaseous state.

(q)    ज्वलिता:, ஜ்வலிதா, Jwalitaa:, – Now he is in an effulgent state.

(r)     शौभा:, ஷௌபா:, Shoubha:, – Now he is shining with a divine beauty.

(s)      कान्ति:, காந்தி:, Kaanti:, – There is shining allure.

(t)      दीप्ति:, தீப்தி:, Deepti:, –  Brightness like that of the Sun.

(u)    माधुर्यं, மாதுர்யம், Maadhuryam, – There is all round sweetness.

(v)     प्रगल्बदा:, ப்ரகல்பதா:, Prgalbhadaa:,  – Instead of being reverent with God, behave with pride!

(w)    औधार्यम्, ஔதார்யம், Oudhaaryam, – To be liberal as all the greatness of God is also felt to be one’s own!

(x)     धैर्यं, தைர்யம், Dhairyam, – Indomitable courage.  When Krishna Chaitanya went about singing Bhjans in the forest, a tiger came to him and danced with him.  There was no fear in either of them!

(y)     तत्र लीला, தத்ர லீலா:, Tatra Leelaa:, – To play with God as the Gopi shepherds did with Sri Krishna with all freedom.

(z)     विलास:, விலாச:, Vilaasa:, – Friendliness out of mutual attraction.

(a1)  विछित्ति, விச்சித்தி, Vichchitti, – Being lost behaviourally.

(a2)  विभ्रम:, விப்ரம:, Vibhrama:, – Walking around like a mad man.

(a3)  किलकिन्चितं, கிலகிஞ்சிதம், Kilakinchitam, – Displaying of a range of feelings such as laughter, anger, and happiness.

(a4)   मोद्दायितं, மோத்தாயிதம், Moddaayitam,  – Silent exchange of love.

(a5)  बिब्बोक:, பிப்போக:, Bibboka:, – Acting as if annoyed with God.

(a6)   कुट्टमितं, குட்டமிதம், Kuttamitam,  – Acting as if ignoring God’s Grace.

(a7)    ललितं, லலிதம், Lalitam, – Be like a child in all innocence.

(a8)    विकृतं, விக்ருதம், Vikrutam,  – Ask for some favour from God, with a scowl on your face in all liberty.

(a9)    भाव:, பாவ:, Bhaava:, – Intense feelings in the heart.

(b1)    हाव:, ஹாவ:, Haava:,  – Exaggeration out of love.

(b2)    हेला, ஹேலா, Helaa,  – To make fun and tick-off.  

 (To becontinued)

Sambhomahadeva