DEIVATHIN KURAL # 77 (Vol # 6) Dated 02 Nov 2012

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 77 (Vol # 6) Dated 02 Nov 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 page No 524 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)

431.  Chapter 12 in Bhagawat Gita is about Bhakti Yoga.  There Sri Krishna describes the glory of his devotees in wonderful words selected very carefully for that very purpose ending each of the stanzas with the words that such a devotee is very dear to him!  Such a devotee becomes God’s beloved!  These eight stanzas are known as ‘Amritashatkam’.  (KTSV adds: – It is worthwhile reading Swami Sivananda’s commentary on these stanzas 13 to 21 in Chapter 12 of Bhagawat Gita.  Why stop at that, Swami Sivananda’s book on Bhagawat Gita is really worth reading.)   In it he says that for people who have strong identity with the body, the effort for approaching NirguNa Brhmam is confusingly and painfully difficult.  Having said so, he describes the method of Upaasana for SaguNa Brhmam.  That is, for people who are overly body conscious which most of us are, the Path of Gnaana is too difficult.  So, he is talking about the Path of Bhakti and not because it is better or best!  This point is quite clear.  Then describing such a devotee Saadhak in seven or eight slokas starting with “अद्वेष्टा सर्व भूतानाम्”, meaning that he is devoid of hatred towards anybody, repeatedly ending the stanzas with “...स मे प्रिय:”, that ‘for me he is very dear’!

432.  Interestingly all the description here fits appropriately with that of the qualities of a Gnaani as can be seen by anybody impartially!  Calling him a Bhakta, that is a devotee, Sri Krishna has not described any of the reactions or responses normally expected in a devotee such as, singing and dancing in celebration of God’s divine qualities and characteristics; horripilation, swooning, sweating, sense of subservience, vaatsalyam as the love shown to a baby, doing decoration, bathing, anointing with oil or doing any of the 64 Upachaaraas earlier described in Deivathin Kural 63 of 05 Oct 2012.  These qualities and responses are not part of the description by Sri Krishna, while what is found described are that of an aspirant on the path of Gnaana such as, universal unconditional love for all life forms, grace and blessedness, lack of pride, conceit or the urge to claim ownership; equanimity between sorrow and happiness; absence of anger, jealousy, or hate; total satisfaction in whatever one gets sans aspirations; happily forsaking one’s home and hearth!  These are the defining qualities of a Gnaani.

433.  The general description of a devotee is there in a sloka in Gita (X.9.), which goes: - “मच्चित्ता मत्गतप्राणा बोधयन्त: परस्परम् | कथयन्तश्च मां नित्यं तुष्यन्ति च रमन्ति च ||”.  He says that, “They are those who have totally set aside their minds for thoughts of me, enlightening each other and ever speaking about me, my qualities, attributes and divinity; that they are delighted and satisfied in such discussions about me.”  This description has not been given in the chapter on Bhakti Yoga, but in Vibhuti Yoga.  In Vibhuti Yoga while talking about how his power of Aishwarya (that is, Lordship) is omnipresent, he is saying this.  Thus, those who have known this fact are the ‘बुध-s’ of Vibhuti.  They are investing their breath, senses, mind and attention on God, and are all the time talking, discussing and exchanging notes on such doing (‘களிக் கூத்தாடுகிறார்கள்’), dancing and celebrating, he says.  These ‘बुध-s’ are people who are intellectuals only.  But instead of being just dry philosophers, they are ‘भाव समन्विताः’, as he says, involved because of their love of God; that is exactly like the Mumukshu in the Gnaana Marga!  Sri Krishna is not saying that he is going to grant them the Bhakti Yoga but, enable them to proceed on the Path of Gnaana and that he will erase any residual nescience that may be there in them.

434.  In the last Chapter (XVIII.55 &56) too, he says, “भक्त्या मां अभिजानाति”, meaning, ‘those who know me by their devotion’ – as a matter of intellectual and inner awareness only.  These words of ‘ज्ञानं & जानाति’, that is, ‘Gnaanam and knowing’ are both from the same root word ‘ज्ञा’.  By devotion he knows Me in truth, as to what and who I am, then having known Me in truth, he forthwith enters into the Supreme.  Doing all his actions always having taken refuge in Me, by My grace he obtains the eternal indestructible state of being!  Thus whatever he says here, is not ‘Bhakti Yoga’ but, ‘Buddhi Yoga’ as he himself advices Arjuna to undertake! Thus, without any of the ritual paraphernalia and expressions of feelings of Bhakti, to hand over oneself to the ‘Supreme Life of All’ has a very important place in the end stages is a fact; that should be known to all of us in the path of Bhakti and Gnaana!

‘மூன்றாவது கட்டம்’ – Third Stage

435.  After passing the Saadhana Chatushtyam is the third stage, the end stage of the path of Gnaana.  There will not be any, who will be going to that stage, amongst you all in the audience, not likely to be.  Because, that is the stage to be adopted after giving up one’s home and hearth, after taking Sannyaasa.  So, that need not be elaborated, in fact.  But having told you ‘so much’, I feel that I may cover that part also to some extent and complete this talk about ‘Adwaita Saadhana’.  (KTSV adds: – This subject of ‘Adwaita Saadhana’ has been covered since # 33 dated 03 Aug 2012.  It will go on for another 50 pages of the Tamil original and take some 8 more e-mails.  So please note that when PeriyavaaL says that, ‘he is going to cover that part also to some extent’, it is what he says, ‘to some extent’!)

436.  The parts of it, namely ‘To listen to the Advices’ that is, ‘श्रवणं’ aka ‘கேட்டல்’; then ‘To mull over what has been heard, reiterating and committing it to memory’, that is ‘मननं’ aka ‘நினைவு கூர்தல்’; and then ‘To install the Antah KaraNam in it and meditate on it’ that is ‘निदिध्यासनं’ aka ‘ஆழ்ந்து சிந்தித்தல்’; are all things required to be known and practiced by all aspirants on any of the spiritual paths, to the extent possible according to their abilities and keenness.  So, I should not leave them unexplained.  So, my next topic for discussion is ‘துறவறம்’, that is ‘सन्यास’ aka ‘The Path of Recluse Ascetics’.

Sanyaasi /துறவி /Ascetics

437.  As the topic under discussions is about Adwaita Saadhana, this issue of ‘Turavaram’ just cannot be ignored as it is the first step in the third stage of Saadhana Chatushtyam.  As it is, this is one of the four Aashramas of life as Brhma Charyam, Gruhastam, Vana Prastam and Sannyaasam, which all of us are supposed to go through.  Though others not yet a Sanyaasi, need not totally cut off all connections and relations, if your interest area is to know Aatma, whatever be your path, to a large extent delinking of your relationships and worldly involvement is necessary.  So, it is better to know about the ideal state of Sannyaasa or at least hear about it.  If you have to know about Aatma, it has to become your only aim, job and interest.  To get out of the clutches of Maha Maya is not an easy joke.  As the greatest of all achievements, to become the Brhmam, that has to be your only goal and obsession.  It is not done as a part-time-job or by fluke or happened to come by or incidental.  Do not believe in multi-tasking as an also done, as far as this aim in life is concerned.  If you have other interest areas, all that being part of Maya, then how can you try to achieve self-realization along-side?  That will be something like heating up water in a blazing fire, while trying to cool the water by frantically waving a fan at it!  To give up all other interest areas to the soul attention of this one and only endeavour of knowing the Brhmam, is Sannyaasa!

438.  Only after taking up Sannyaasa, one becomes fit for receiving the Maha Vaakhya Upadesa.  One meaning of Brhmam is Vedam, that which is to be known. The four Maha Vaakhyaas are:-
The First: ‘prajñānam brahma’ - ‘प्रज्ञानं ब्रह्म’"Consciousness is Brahman" (Aitareya Upanishad 3.3 of the Rig Veda).

The Second:  ‘ayam ātmā brahma’ – ‘अयं आत्म ब्रह्म’ "This Self (Atman) is Brahman" (Mandukya Upanishad 1.2 of the Atharva Veda).

The third:  ‘tat tvam asi’ – ‘तत् त्वं असि’ "Thou art That" (Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7 of the Sama Veda).

The Fourth: ‘aham brahmāsmi’ – ‘अहं ब्रह्मास्मि’ "I am Brahman" (Brhadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.10 of the Yajur Veda).

439.  These Maha Vaakhyaas, (Great Sentences) have not only great meaning but also potent power.  Whatever the sentence a particular aspiring Sanyaasi may get from his Guru, that sentence has to become a meaningful statement with life and that has to become the Anubhava of the hearer/ practitioner to know and become aware in the very core of his being!  This goal or Lakshya does not become Anubhava to anybody with even a tinge of trace Vaasanaas!  This idea, in that combination of letters, has to be repeatedly chanted, mulled over and persevered with and not easily done.  It is like digging a well yourself for getting at the water and not like opening a tap!  Depending on your individual past ‘good and bad Karma effects, together known as – Samskaaraas’, conditions will vary from individual to individual.  The hardness of the ground, size of your bucket, depth of required digging to reach the source, will all add up thus the total amount of effort required, that will all vary depending on Samskaaraas!  It is a protected source of water for which there is a watchman and his name is the Guru.

440.  The Mantras which are collections of sounds can tap the Paramaatma Shakti and its Anugraha spread in the space, in many ways and benefit the world and people at large.  Amongst all those Mantras, these four Maha Vaakhyaas are at the very apex of existence.  They tell the hearer of the non-differentiated oneness of the Jiva and the Parama Aatma.  These have the power of waking up the Jiva who thinks of his self as a separate individual, from his sleep and stupor of delusion.  “Guru’s words given as Upadesa of these Mantras are like a drum beat in ears of the sleeping disciple”, says our AachaaryaaL, in his Bhashyam for Aitareya Upanishad (1.3.13).  That Guru will assess the worth of the disciple before accepting him as a Sishya and then only give this Upadesa.  The ground for such selection is discernible advancement in what we have seen as Saadhana Chatushtyam, of Viveka, Vairaagya, Sama, Dama and such things.

(To be continued.)

Sambhomahadeva