DEIVATHIN KURAL # 83 (Vol # 6) Dated 14 Nov 2012

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 83 (Vol # 6) Dated 14 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 last paragraph on page No 561 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)

The Great Value of Mananam & Nidhidhyaasanam

489.  What is repeatedly analysed and clarified in Mananam is often cognized as an experience also and thus fetch you and abide into Nidhidhyaasanam.  Then there is no more wavering and analysis but abidance in deep introspection only. Our AachaaryaaL has a favourite sentence for expressing this idea as, “समान – प्रत्यय – प्रवाह करणं”.  He has used this set of words in many places, for example at Brhma Sutra Bhashyam (IV.1.7.8) and Gita Bhashyam (XII.3).  That can be translated as, “equal flow in one direction”.  There is another phrase with the similar meaning, “तैलधारवत्”, ‘like the continuous flow of oil out of a container’.  Such orderly flow in one direction is Dhyaanam.

490.  We use a word ‘Muni’ to mean great saints and sadhus who are highly capable and accomplished spiritually.  ‘Muni’ is the Sanskrit word and in Tamil certain amount of respectability is assumed to be added when ‘var’ is added to ‘Muni’ as ‘முனிவர்’. For some reason, in Tamil, this word has come to mean some village deities which are normally very crude and cruel.  May be because the word ‘Munivu’ in Tamil means anger!  Let it be.  I was talking about how highly accomplished saints were, who were known as Muni.  Actually the word came into being for a person who was good at Mananam’, says Our AachaaryaaL in Sutra Bhashyam (III.4.47), “मननान मुनिरिति च व्युत्पत्ति संभवात्”.  He also says there that the word ‘Muni’ has especially surprising meaning when he says, “ज्ञान अदिसय अर्थत्वात्”.  So Mananam is not just a cerebral exercise but goes beyond intellect to intuitive comprehension and clarity. 

491.  Our AachaaryaaL has given much value and relevance to the disciple’s receiving of Upadesa from the Guru, known as SravaNam.  Still, he goes on to say that Mananam is a hundred times superior to the former – “स्रुते: शतगुणं विद्यान – मननम्”.  He doesn’t stop there, if Mananam is a hundred times superior to SravaNam, the act of imbibing the comprehension within aka Nidhidhyaasanam is bigger by a hundred thousand times that of Mananam, as he says,    “मननादपि निधिध्यासं लक्षगुणं”.  Mananam is not just dry knowledge but sentient.  Still, even that live knowledge is negligible in front of experience, isn’t it?  Your store-house may be stacked with bags of sugar up to the ceiling, whose number and cost you may know.  But all that knowledge is nothing compared with a thimbleful of sugar in your mouth isn’t it?

492.  Even in Nidhidhyaasanam this aspirant does not permanently get established in the Brhma Anubhavam.  He does this ‘निदिध्यासना’ only as a personal effort.  When we say that he is doing it and by so doing it gets flashes of experiencing oneness; there is duality still.  Instead of going in and coming out of such experience, instead of flashes of such experiences, when he is completely ‘electrocuted’ so to say, when all efforts ceases and this trier becomes that goal, is the final stage, isn’t it? Like actions by the hands and legs, this Nidhidhyaasa too is only an act of thinking, however high an action it may be.  As long as there is an action of trying, the event of becoming is not yet over.  However, as long as there is a Saadhak, the only thing that he can do is to keep at it non-stop!

Worm Becoming the Wasp / Worm Being Made in to the Wasp

493.  From the act of constantly thinking of Brhmam, the stage of no action of becoming the Brhmam itself will happen.  There is a line of logic known as ‘ब्रमर – कीट न्यायं’. This worm inside the cocoon known as pupa or chrysalis would keep thinking of becoming a wasp one day, it seems.  That continuous thought converts it into a wasp that it breaks out of the confinement and flies off.  ‘Keeta’ is the worm and ‘Bramar’ is the wasp.  Worm by doing Nidhidhyaasana is ‘bramara – keeta nyaayam’.  Similarly this aspirant day and night, by Nidhidhyaasana, every living moment cogitating and mulling over the idea that ‘I am that Brhmam’, becomes that, our AachaaryaaL has said.  (KTSV adds: – A difference that occurs to me here is that while the worm becomes another wasp, the Saadhak does not become another Brhmam but the same one and only Brhmam!)

494.  This he has said, so as to prevent the aspirant’s attention from turning towards SaguNa Brhmam, that by the power of his constant thought itself, automatically he becomes the Brhma Swaroopa.  In fact this happens by Easwara Anugraha only.  It is by God’s Grace or Prasada only, that the Jiva becomes the Paramaatma.  This is not unknown to our AachaaryaaL.  He knows fully well that no action gives the fruit by itself and the Phala Dhaata is always Easwara only.  It is this powerful weapon with which he countered the Meemaamsakaas’ logic.  So, he could not have thought that the Saadhaks’ thought itself could have fructified and grant the ultimate!

495.  The screening or veiling action of Maya is known as ‘तिरोधानं’, – Trodhaanam.  Now, the real ‘I’ of ours is so hidden from our view by such veiling effect of Maya.  Having said that this will be revealed by doing Dhyaana on Parama Aatma in Brhma Sutra, at once lest it may be misunderstood as an automatic result of Dhyaanam, he clarifies that such veiling effect is also by the will of Easwara only and that if we do Dhyaana, to remove the veiling and granting Moksha is also by Easwara only, as given in the Bhashyam for Brhma Sutra (III 2.5).  While explaining this our AachaaryaaL has clarified that, “Anybody, just naturally cannot get this revelation; but only a rare one amongst many after arduous efforts, by God’s Grace, by Easwara Prasada only, such ‘Aavirbhaava’ by Parama Aatma happens – “न स्वभावत: एव सर्वेषां जन्तूनां” but, “ईस्वर प्रसादात् संसिद्धस्य कस्यचित् एव आविर्भवति:”.

496.  “Normally traditionally in Adwaita Saastraas, Easwara’s Grace is depicted as the Guru’s Grace only, whereas our AachaaryaaL in Viveka ChudamaNi which is the foremost amongst his PrakaraNa Granthas, he has spoken of Easwara’s Krupa as superior to Guru’s Krupa.”  Someone posed this question to me as to why it is so?  In fact in Sloka No 477 and 478 of Viveka ChudamaNi our AachaaryaaL says, “Standing apart the Teachers and the scriptures instruct the disciple; the man aspiring for Self-Realization crosses over Avidya by illumination and the Grace of God.  Knowing his own Absolute Self through Realization, becoming perfect, a man should stand face to face before the Aatman, with mind free from all concepts of dualism.”  This gentleman’s question was about this, as to what is the role of the Guru here!

497.  In the years to come, there may not be many Gurus who have attained to the highest of Gnaana Siddhi.  Hence he might have described them as still standing on the shores, while advising the disciple in deep waters.  But the fact remains that, from within them also God will show the way for the genuine aspirants and so our AachaaryaaL might have said so.  That is one part of the reasoning.  One more logic is also there.  Once the disciple’s surrender to the Guru is complete, then there is question that remains as to, ‘who does what to whom?’  Guru’s Krupa will become a boat and suitable breeze to push him and his boat to the shore, undoubtedly.  But the student has to keep up his efforts.  If he is lackadaisical in his efforts and his surrender is also not complete on the lines that it is Guru’s job to take care; that would be gross negligence!  To obviate such a state of affairs our AachaaryaaL could have said that Guru’s job is from the shore and it is you as the aspirant who has to face the odds in the turbulent ocean of ‘Samsara Saagara’!  While saying so however, he had to guard against the likelihood of instigating the ego of the aspirant, lest he may start feeling, “Oh I see!  Finally it all amounts to the power of my efforts!”  To prevent such a reaction from the Saadhak and guard him from becoming another RavaNa, or Hiranya Kasipu, he must have said, “Though you are the one aspiring and trying, Easwara Krupa would encourage you suitably and assist and compliment your efforts”!

498.  If you take note of what Bhagawan Sri Krishna says in Gita, we can see that Our AachaaryaaL has also said the same thing.  At the end of his Upadesa in Bhagawat Gita, in the Chapter No. 18, Sloka No. 66, he says, “सर्वधर्मान्परित्यज्य मां एकं शरणं व्रज | अहम्त्वां सर्व पापेब्यो मोक्षयिष्यामि मा सुच: ||”, meaning, “Leaving all rules and regulations simply surrender unto me and I shall save you from all sins, do not worry!”  Sometime before that having said that the Lord dwells in all living beings, in Sloka No. 62, he had said, “तमेव शरणं गच्छ सर्वभावेन भारत | तत्प्रसादातपरां शान्तिं स्थानं प्राप्स्यसिशास्वतं ||”; meaning, “Fly unto him for refuge with all thy being, O Arjuna; by His Grace thou shalt obtain supreme peace and the eternal abode”.  Now relate this to his advice in the Sixth Chapter, Sloka No. 5, where he says, “उद्धरेदात्मना आत्मानं नात्मानमवसादयेत | आत्मैव ह्यात्मनो बन्धुरात्मैव रिपुरात्मन: ||”; meaning, “One should raise oneself by one’s Self alone; let not one lower oneself; for the Self alone is the friend of oneself, and the Self alone is the enemy of oneself.”  Unless one surrenders totally, the effort cannot be effective.  That the personal effort has to be very strong and continuous is the purport.  Then in all your efforts and Guru’s Krupa; God’s Grace is concurrent and synchronous!

(To be continued.)

Sambhomahadeva