DEIVATHIN KURAL # 105 (Vol # 6) Dated 28 Dec 2012

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 105 (Vol # 6) Dated 28 Dec 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 715 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 consonantly)

216.  From such a state of Sivam, we have come to the state of a Jiva, whose mind is ever keen on whatever is happening in the outer world – outside his body – anxiously and agitatedly looking out all the time – ignoring the self – or crudely interested in some crass pecuniary or fleeting selfishness – ever interested in worldly trade, commerce, transactions and business; feeling alternately awe, anger, fear, greed, jealousy, passion, hate, disappointment and a sense of being cheated or treated unfairly!  When will we get back to our real state of peaceful contentment without a sense of deprivation and want?  That can happen only when we merge back in that Sivam sans the worldly ties that keep us bound.  This Moksham is such a high state of bliss of peacefulness sans any agitation.  The Brhmam in which we merge in Moksham is such an ocean of peace and bliss with no action /transaction!  So, Brhmam, Parabrhmam, Sivam are synonyms indicating the state of being without any action, speech or apparent display of power.  When somebody is just keeping quiet not responding or reacting, without any speech or activity, don't we say, "It is just being Brhmam"?

217.  As we go on analysing like this there is scope for differentiating Sivam as made of two different entities, one Siva-Parabrhmam and Shakti-Parabrhmam or Shakti as the Power of Parabrhmam.  Though one is not without the other, there is a possibility of looking at them as made of two things.  Now with the three main jobs of Parabrhma Shakti of Srushti (सृष्टि) or Creation – Sthiti (स्थिति) including Sustenance/Maintenance/Administration/Governance – and Samhãra (संहार) of Destruction/Erasure/Re-absorption, we have to add two more activities.  We who were the same as Sivam, the form of Peaceful Siva Swaroopa, from us that peaceful form was hidden and instead a deluded sense of Agnãna that we are a separate individual known as Jiva was instilled – and this hiding or veiling of the truth and the illusion of something else – is also the job of the same Parabrhma Shakti – as we come to realise!  Many great saints of the past who have escaped from the Maya and have come to realise their unity and oneness with the Siva Swaroopa, have come to note that this realization is also the Anugraha of the same Parabrhma Shakti or Parãsakti.  So with Srushti (सृष्टि) – Sthiti (स्थिति) – and Samhãra (संहार), we have to add two more activities as being done by the Parabrhma Shakti.  One is to hide from us our real Ãtma Swaroopa by power of Maya and at a suitable time to enable us to realize our true identity.  The first is known as Tirodãnam (तिरोदानं) and the second is its Grace or Anugraha (अनुग्रह).  MaNikka Vãsagar Swami in Achchopadigam says, 'You relieved me from the clutches of Maya and made me realise my true identity' – 'சிவமாக்கி எனையாண்ட'.  The hiding and veiling as well as to relieve us from the binding ties of delusion is the jobs of the same power of Parabrhmam only. 

218. This power of Tirodãnam is also called the Tirobhavam.  The root word 'Tiras' means to secret or hide.  As part of Magic there is this art of 'TiraskariNi' which is to cause things or people to vanish! The Tamil word 'Thirai' (திரை) meaning a screen, is derived from this root word 'Tiras' only.  Like the screen that hides what is behind it, Maya hides reality from us and depicts what is not there, that is illusion.  So Maya hides like a screen and also shows something not there by creating an illusion, causing delusion in our minds!  By putting this screen of Maya we are prevented from becoming aware of our true identity and instead are caused to get deeply involved in the imaginary affairs of the world!  This is one of the jobs of Parãsakti known as Tirodãnam.  To cut this screen of illusion and grant us Moksham is called as Anugraha.  As Parãsakti has deputed officers as responsible for Srushti, Sthiti and Samhãra; Brhma, VishNu and Rudra respectively, the responsible officer for Tirodãnam is Easwara aka Maheshwara.  The first mentioned three jobs are also within the purview of Maya only.  So, the entire governance of the world of Maya is under Easwara's control.  To remove Maya and sanction Moksham, the Anugraha job is done by Sadasiva.

219.  There are other explanations about Easwara with his job of Tirodãnam and Sadasiva with his job of Anugraha.  But PeriyavãL sticks to Bhaskara Raya's explanation of the Nãma 'Anugraha Prada', in Lalitha Sahasranãma, which says, 'तिरोधानानुग्रहौ बन्द मोक्ष वा'.  These are called the Five Jobs – in Sanskrit as – 'Pancha Krutyam' – 'पञ्च कृत्यं' – or in Tamil as – 'Ainthozhil' – 'ஐந்தொழில்'.  This is there in Saiva Siddhaantam and such religions which has Siva as the main deity.  In Tamil these five jobs are known as Aakkal – 'ஆக்கல்', ALiththal – 'அளித்தல்', Azhiththal – 'அழித்தல்', Maraiththal – 'மறைத்தல்' and AruLal – 'அருளல்'.  Followers of Saiva Siddhaantam will say that these five jobs are that of Parama Siva, as they call Nataraja's Cosmic Dance as 'பஞ்ச க்ருத்ய பரமானந்த தாண்டவம்'.  The same thing is mentioned in Lalitha Sahasranãma as, 'पञ्च कृत्य परायणा'. 

220.  Not only because the subject under discussion is a Stotra of the Sãkta religion, but from an unbiased view point also, we will see that it is more appropriate to think of AmbãL as the C.E.O with five different officers individually responsible for getting the job done.  Krutyam, that is action or doing a job has to be done with energy or power that is, Shakti isn't it?  And Shakti is AmbãL isn't it?  In Saiva Sãstrãs too Siva is said to be inseparably with Shakti only.  That is, the wife of Siva is Shakti, a synonym for Power, with whom, he is said to be ever together.  In a branch of Saivam known as Kashmira-Saivam, which comes very close in principle to both Adwaitam and the views expressed in Soundarya Lahari; Paramãtma is given the agnomen as Siva-Shakti.   So, when it is not an inanimate principle and not an experience of the state of Samãdhi, the five important functions of 'Pancha Krutyam' is rightfully said to be the responsibility and look-out of AmbãL. 

221.  If she is getting these five jobs done by making use of five officers, it means that automatically that she is the greater authority above them, since after all, those five powers are derived from this one complete power isn't it?  Then only it can be superior to them all, isn't it?  That primordial power is the target of our stotra 'Soundarya Lahari', of Lalitha Tripurasundari, the basic power!  For the five functional heads, she is the Empress, Leader and Supreme Commander!  She is even above Sadasiva who grants Moksham!  When he is the Gnãna Swaroopa, he is just a being and not a doer!  In his state of just being, there is no up or down, inside or outside.  But when he is functional as the giver of Anugraha, there has to be a power that causes him to do so, isn't it?  That power has to be superior to him automatically. 

222.  To depict this idea in a practical way, in Lalitha Sahasranãma there is one of the Nãmas as 'पञ्च ब्र्ह्मासनस्थिता', she is said to be seated in a throne in which the four legs are Brhma, VishNu, Rudra and Isãna with Sadasiva forming the plank.  There is a drawing by the famous Raja Ravi Varma, in which Goddess Rãjarãjeswari is so seated in a Simhãsan, illustrating the above Mantra.  It is in this context when she is the complete Parabrhma Shakti that she is known as the Kãmeswari and he is Kãmeswara her husband.   You may think of a question at this juncture as to "When she is all in all, why should we be saying that she has a husband and his name is Kãmeswara"? 

223.  Though she is all in all, amongst her many varied forms, when she is thus as the Sri Vidya Devata, the form as the Mother is the most important for all to be devoted to her as her children.  More than being the Supreme Power, she is the Mother who is beautiful with apparent 'ease of access' – Lalitam as the main quality.  That is why Lalitha Sahasranãma commences with the name 'Sri Mãtã' – "श्री माता"!  Having created us all, nourished and taken care of us, in between our life-times given us rest in the name of Samhãra, showing us the illusion of Maya, finally reabsorbing us as one with herself, when she wears the guise as the Mother, there has to be a Father also shown to us as her husband, isn't it?  We cannot be led to a misunderstanding of her as a Mother without a husband, isn't it?  As a nubile young girl she is known as Bala and Kanya Kumari.  But that is a different matter.  The very form as Durga to control and destroy the evil forces of Asuras is yet another matter.  So, she has Kãmeswara as the husband.  He may be just for name sake, but following the worldly traditions, he has been given a high pedestal of status that in 'Lalitha Trisati', as the wife of Kãmeswara, she has one after another 15 different names!

224.  Though she has names such as Rãjarãjewari, Lalitha, Tripura Sundari and so on, there is a special value of the name Kãmeswari.  That is, in Saiva Siddhãntam Siva is said to be ever with Shakti.  In Sãktam too in this Sri Vidya Tantra, Shakti is said to be ever with Siva as her husband.  When she is the total Power, who can be her husband?  When you think about this, you can visualise that he has to be the totally inactive embodiment of peacefulness as the 'सत्यं, शान्तं, शिवं' and none else as the exact counterpart!  The power of that peaceful Sivam is exhibited as the five major jobs of 'पञ्च कृत्यं' through his wife the Parabrhma Shakti. 

225.  From this, what becomes clear is that, though Siva did not directly participate in the play of power (शक्ति विलासं), there seems to be such an urge to do so in Sivam itself!  'What was one, wished to be many' says the Taitreeya Upanishad (II. 6).  The quiet, peaceful Nishkriya Brhmam became the Kãrya Brhmam.  Then before that, there has to have been the wish to do so, isn't it?  The Upanishad itself uses the word 'akãmayata' (अकामयत), meaning that, 'it desired'!  This Sivam which was ever keeping the Chit Shakti within expressed the wish for the power to come into being to play the Leela of the Universal Game.  That is the 'Ichchã Shakti' (इच्छा शक्ति).  Then for that power to come into action is the 'Kriyã Shakti' (क्रिया शक्ति).  Let that be.  Now the point of our concern is that, what was by itself in itself, became 'outwardly' (बहिर मुख).  First there was the wish, desire or Kãmam (कामं), says the Upanishad.  Here this word Kãmam is not to be misunderstood as greed or lust.  The clean wish is the meaning here.  So, the first coming into being or manifestation (आविर्भाव) is the expression of the wish.  That is the position of his wife.   As Father and Mother together create off-springs, because of Shãnta Brhma Sivam combining with Ichcha Shakti, start all creation and manifestations and the whole drama of Prapancha Leela commences with the coming into being of Time and Space and Pancha Krutyam of the Five Jobs!  So they are considered as the original parents.  As an expression of their Kãmam, he is known as Kãmeswara and she is Kãmeswari. 

(To be continued.)

Sambhomahadeva