DEIVATHIN KURAL # 111 (Vol # 6) Dated 09 Jan 2013

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 111 (Vol # 6) Dated 09 Jan 2013

(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 756 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)

275.  The Saiva and Sãkta Sãstrãs say that once you are a human being, it is evident that there have been such lives earlier in which we have done Karma with positive and negative merits / demerits.  The combined effects of such past known as Karma Vinai have to be cancelled out and the balance brought to nil, before one can think of being fit enough for Moksham.  How to do that?  This has to be done by noble thoughts of the mind and noble deeds by the body.  To do this you need to have 'तनु – करणं – भुवनं – भोगं'.  Body with functional limbs, senses, mind, intellect and AntahkaraNam are needed and to make use of your tools and equipment, and you need the भुवनं as the arena of your actions.  You may avoid getting stuck with the last भोगं.  But nobody need be a cry baby so as to avoid the pleasures of existence.  You may keep a balanced mind towards the enjoyments of life.  But only by making use of these 'तनु – करणं – भुवनं – भोगं' that you have to relieve yourself from the binding ties of Karma Bandham!  So these are not to be hated but considered as Anugraha of AmbãL.  But we know as to how difficult it is to make prudent use of these tools.  We generally end up misusing them and adding to our Karma Vinai.  So, we have to pray that we may be guided on the right lines to cancel out our Karma Vinai and aspire for Moksham and realisation of our oneness with the Param and that is true Anugraha!  Moksha Ãnandam – after cancelling out all the past Karma Vinai – for the Jiva instead of becoming an inert piece of dead wood – to realise his totality as one with the Param and that to be granted by AmbãL is real Anugraha of Ãnandam!

276.  Now, having listed many Shaktis before this, I am going to talk about one more Shakti that is, Ãnanda Shakti.  There is nothing more blissful than the Ãtmãnandam of the inner being.  That is what AmbãL gives us in Moksham.  But in her case she does not stop at being Siva Swaroopa in Ãtmãnandam.  Instead of stopping at what is our wholesome state of bliss; making use of her powers, she plays the game of creation.  Being the wholesomeness of happiness, while continuing to enjoy the Ãtmãnandam within, in play she causes herself to become so many replicas of herself and ever different beings, manifesting herself as the multiplicity of existence and enjoys the fun.  When our level of happiness increases we throw things in the air and catch them.  We play drums on the table or a piece of wood.  We can see this more clearly in a child.  She improvises games, singing and dancing while doing that.  This Maha Shakti of Brhmam also plays many games in the outpouring of its happiness!

277.  We call the play of divine beings as Leela or ThiruviLaiyãdal – 'திருவிளையாடல்' in Tamil.  What else can you call the games played simply in effervescent out pouring of happiness?  But since her bliss is already wholesome, to allude that she gets happiness by the duality of creation of the world and universe and so she plays these games does not sound very right!  There is nothing yet to be attained and reached by her.  She is the totality of completeness!  It is play just for the intrinsic pleasure of it.  Do we not play beyond the apportioned time just enjoying the act of playing?   Comparing her actions with our own just doesn't gel!  It is like saying that the man in front of the mirror is copying what the reflection does!  Do we not say at times that we did or said something just for the heck of it? Though it does not make much sense and the dictionary does not accept this word 'heck', but still we use it, don't we?  Though she did not necessarily start this act of creation for the pleasure of it, having started evidently there is some pleasure for the creator too, I suppose!  So, in summation play is anyhow a fun activity.  Hence we call that involvement of the stuff of totality of blissfulness in the actions of creation, as a play or Leela! 

278.  Such a massively huge game is played for so many Kalpas of existence and it is going to continue endlessly for many more; then just imagine if you can as to, how great must have been her power of blissfulness, as she is the basic source of such continuance!  Kambar as the author poet of RamayaNam in Tamil, in the first poem of his 'magnum opus' says, 'அலகிலா விளையாட்டு உடையார் அவர் அன்னவர்க்கே சரண் நாங்களே'.  That means 'He is of immeasurable playfulness, we are surrendered unto him!'  'அலகிலா விளையாட்டு' = 'immeasurable playfulness'.  Thus the creator must be the very form of immeasurably vast amount of playfulness, though in life we do come across the exact opposite of Ãnandam as sorrow, fear, crudity and cruelty in abundance, if she is going on with it, all other ethos and pathos of this drama of existence are only meant as comparison and contrast, like a piece of pickle in the main course.  Starting from mother's nipple when she is breast feeding us; to every lolly-pop and ice-cream all the pleasures and satisfactions till very final – Ãtma Sãkshãtkãram; all the pleasures of existence are given by her!

279.  The principle of Brhma Tatvam seen as Siva-Shakti is also seen as Radha-Krishna by certain sect of people.  They call Radha the 'Hlãdini Shakti' of Krishna.  This word 'Hlãdam' is a synonym of Ãnandam.  The English word 'laugh' is from the root word 'Hlãd' in Sanskrit via the German language.  The very nature of life and existence is Ãnandam only.  Prema and Soundaryam that is, Love and Beauty are meant to give and receive happiness.  What is lively, sentient, and full of feelings, sensations, knowledge and awareness is said to be 'Chit' isn't it?  In Lalitha Sahasranãma, immediately after the name 'Chit Kala' (चित्कला), the next name is 'Ãnanda Kalika' (आनन्द कलिका), meaning the 'bud of bliss'!  The next name is 'Prema Roopa (प्रेम रूपा) and Priyam- kari' (प्रियन्करि), meaning 'the very form of Love', followed by 'the doer of pleasing actions'!  Each Nãma and its meaning are so well inter-linked!

மாயா உபகரணங்களாலேயே ஞான நிலை அடைய

To Reach Gnãna Making use of Tools of Maya

280.  So, to berate and criticise such an endearing AmbãL as only Maya and refuse to worship her is not in the rightness of things, isn't it?  "But, Swami, hasn't she tied us all up in the binding ties of Maya, hasn't she?"  If that is your question, in answer in Sãkta doctrine and in all of Bhakti Marga, whatever ties up in Maya have all been termed as divine ways.  Though Maya and Gnãnam are exactly and diametrically opposite, they have been described as the very path of Gnãna, that by involving our minds and Antah KaraNam in Prema and Soundaryam happily soaked in the salubrious qualities of AmbãL, we have been given the ways and means of Sri Vidya Pooja.  Thus if our minds are deeply involved in her Pooja and Stotram and get Chitta Aikãgrata by that, Gnãna Vichãra will happen by itself easily!  So, our ÃchãryãL has streamlined the procedures in the path of Bhakti that the aspirant could easily graduate to Gnãna making use of the tools of Maya.

281.  Those who are very clear that they can control their minds and senses and are firm about their dispassion, they may not need to rely on devotion and devotional procedures and do not need the help of the tools of Maya.  They can practise the methods of shaking off the effects of Maya and go by a short-cut to Brhmam directly.  For such people, our ÃchãryãL emphasised the path of Gnãna with Ãtma Vichãra and Sãdhana, through his books such as Viveka ChudamaNi, Ãtma Bhodaha and Tattva Bhodaha.  For others whose minds are keen on base instincts and crass gratifications and get more bound by the ties of Maya, he recommended the clean pleasures of divine thoughts, devotional procedures, listening to stories about divine beings, visiting holy places and temple towns; through which – 'tat-dwara' – to inculcate maturity, he showed the Path of Bhakti.  In the process our ÃchãryãL who roundly ridiculed the effect of Maya also wrote enormous amount of Stotra-s on AmbãL – the Maha Maya, including the Soundarya Lahari!

282.  What is to be delineated and side-lined as Maya in Adwaitam; for those who cannot do so, to make them think of it all as the Leela of Brhmam and Para Shakti, as the divine acts of God, all the Pooja and devotional procedures have been levied.  All the things of the universe of Maya, the attractions, titillations, sceneries and temptations; our minds and senses which experience those things and get ruined; all get cleansed and purified through Pooja, Stotras, reading of Purãnãs, visit to temples, doing Dhyãna, Japa as devotional procedures.  Using them as tools of Upãsana of the very executive officer of the Maha Maya, our minds are cleansed of the cob-webs.  For example we use the fragrant 'Javvãdu Pottu' as a decorative item on our bodies to demonstrate our 'happy-go-lucky' attitude.  Instead when we use it as part of the 64 Upachãra of the Goddess, we make the act an expression of our obeisance!  Similarly, offering of valuable clothes, make them ride on horse or elephant or on a chariot; what we cook at home, offer all that first to God as Neivedyam; our dance, vocal and instrumental music instead of using them for our distraction, to be offered for the divine beings with all our love and devotion; our drawings, paintings and sculpture and artistic talents, instead of being simple show offs, to be depicted as our presentations in the divine presence; making it all somehow related to divine worship – 'गन्द-पुष्प-धूप-दीप-नैवेद्य as पन्चोपचारं' have been levied. 

283.  The speech if it is used in singing praise of the Lord, ears are made use of in hearing the ennobling qualities of divinity, eyes are used in 'darsan', body is used in laying oneself down doing prostrations of Namaskãra and 'anga pradakshinam' (physically rolling on the ground while doing Namaskãra that is holding both the hands together high above the head with the palms joined, around the temple Prãhãras) and the mind is deeply involved in Japa and Dhyãna!  Thus we use the tools of Maya, while in Maya, to get the deep attachments to the Maha Maya as the Maha Shakti as the Omni Potent Power in being! 

284.  The Maya matters cannot be easily got rid of.  Except for some who have strong dispassion and discrimination, others will be ever buffeted by the pulls of worldly and sensual attachments.  People, who are not ripe enough, even if they directly try to cut these knots of attachments, will not be so successful.   That can lead to a sense of disappointment and hopelessness.  So, instead of trying to get rid of them, make use of the matters of Maya as supports in your efforts to get the very perspective changed with devotion to the very cause of Maya.  If you make it a matter of divine providence, the Maya will not affect us so deeply.  If we touch an electrical wire with bare hands, we are subjected to shock, isn't it?  But if you are wearing rubber gloves, you are able to handle live wires.  Like that if you make it a series of action as part of the divine effort to come to a clear understanding of existence, with constant remembrance that every iota of our existence and every small bit of events has divine sanction, you will divinise your life itself!  So, even to think of God, you have to have his permission and hence, if you are reading this, it means that you do have his permission that is, Anugraha!

(To be continued.)

Sambhomahadeva