DEIVATHIN KURAL # 117 (Vol # 6) Dated 21 Jan 2013

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 117 (Vol # 6) Dated 21 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 second paragraph on page No 800 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)

337.  In one body when the right half is the husband and she is the left half, I said that she gives greater power to the right side.  This right side is known as 'DakshiNa' Bhãgam or part and the left is known as Vãma Bhãgam.  This word 'DakshiNa' in Sanskrit has several meanings such as capable, honest, southern and right side or right curving and the word Vãma has meanings such as nice, beautiful, opposite and left side.  Both are absolutely befitting to the – 'अर्ध नारीस्वर स्वरूपम्' – 'அர்தநாரீஸ்வரர்' – concept in which AmbãL is the left half and Siva is the right half.  As composed by our ÃchãryãL as Soundarya Lahari, with beauty as the dominant quality, she has the left side and handing over all her Shakti to him on the right side, she stands as the very representative of adorableness, charm, allure and loveliness!

338.  Though the Sanskrit words DakshiNa and Vãma are slightly at variance to the fact that he is the non-moving entity and she is the driving force, the Tamil and English meanings for Right and Left, which are 'Idam' and 'Valam' respectively, are totally contrary to what I have said so far!  Between Valam and Idam, Valam stands for strength, and Idam just indicates the place, or station which is as good as stationary or non-moving.  Going further the word 'Left' in the English language is indicative of powerless paralysis, and weakness; while Right is more related to straight and the vertical.  This meaning is clearer when we use the phrase 'Right Angle' wherein the vertical line stands at 90° to the horizontal.  Only when someone is strong, can he stand straight as a ram rod!  If we are lacking energy we adopt the horizontal posture, don't we?  To stand up is indicative of strength as they teach you as the first lesson in Yoga Ãsana and that is known as the 'उत्तान आसन', the erect posture!    The Left on the other hand is supposed to indicate action-less-ness, against AmbãL – Swami Tattva we have discussed so far!  It looks as though AmbãL after handing over all her powers to Swami has surrendered completely with no will or action of her own as the most faithful woman – 'पति व्रता नारी'! 

339.  If we move into the arena of politics, the meanings take a turn to the opposite!  In politics the leftists are all the time working for revolution, change, rebellion and violence; whereas the conservative rightists mean the 'status-quo' and more peace-loving!  So, here it is the right side of Siva-Sãntam and left the hyper-active-Shakti!  With Tattva Artha, poetical traditions, Science; I have also brought in politics!  To instil the meaning strongly in the mind, we have to add the 'Artha-Balam' to it!  One more thing about the right and left that we must take note of.  What is right in the physical body becomes the left in the image in the mirror and vice-versa!  NirguNa Brhma Chaitanyam in the mirror of Maya becomes the SaguNa Brhmam that runs and manages the world.  That is Sivam in the mirror of Maya is AmbãL.  If you ask as to what is that Maya, Adwaitam says, "Do not ask such questions.  Maya is 'अनिर्वच्नीयं' – indescribable.  That Maya is also AmbãL only or her 'अम्सं', that is a part of her, as I told you earlier. 

340.  In Sãktam, when Sivam is expressed as Jivan, it is at that point there is mention of Maya.  To keep the Jivan unaware of the fact that he is none else but Siva is Maya or the action of Maya.  While his reality of immortality is hidden from him, he is caused to assume himself to be the perishable body – is the job of Maya.  Here the original – image dichotomy, again takes us to the positive/negative conundrum!  Earlier I talked about the positive and negative of electricity.  Here I am going to relate to the positive and negative of photography.  In the positive of the photo, darkness is shaded and light is enlightened and in the negative it is the opposite way with lighted portions darkened and dark portions enlightened!  That is to hide the reality and depict the unreal of ignorance or Agnãna – the job of Maya.  Since we are now deeply mired in the pit of ignorance and since AmbãL is the cause of it, we call her Maya. 

341.  But, one thing should never be forgotten and that is why I keep repeating what I have told you earlier.  Though she is the cause of our delusion, one day or the other, she will also open our eyes to the reality with extreme compassion and take us back to Gnãna too.  If we forsake everything else and remain very persistently resigned to her care, she will relieve us of our ignorance and do the needful for our enlightenment.  While talking like this another point about positive and negative comes to my mind.  What is the direct meaning of these two words?  Positive means 'Yes' and negative means 'No'.  However much the play of Shakti is interesting, alluring and captivating, it is not the eternal truth and so is a negative entity.  The Sãntam of Siva is the eternal truth and so it is positive.  But the very cause and basis of all things negative as Shakti or Maya is also the power that can pull us back to positivity!

342.  Thus in matters that are not acceptable to all, can be made acceptable by relating to science, Tatva Artha and poetical tradition, to the extent possible.  But subjects such as Mantra, Yantra and Tantra – matters which are not to be discussed in a general assembly and some literary nuances; should be left untouched.  Having tried to tell the meanings for such slokas meant to fetch us to the ultimate, we should not be ending up in elaborating unnecessary things and things which may cause unexpectedly wrong effects in people's minds.  That will be tantamount to being irresponsible and causing an unintended insult to AmbãL and our ÃchãryãL!

முதல் ஸ்லோகத்தின் பாடம்

Study of the First Sloka

343.  "But for your being with him, could Siva have even moved"?  When our ÃchãryãL starts like this, then itself as its inner import, we should be thinking, 'Without your Grace, my dear Mother, can I ever reach such a state of imperturbability?'  She is the supreme power that moves the immoveable.  She causes the Para Brhmam to become aware of itself, from that feeling of the primordial initial movement commences the Prapancha Leela!

344.  As shown by the first sloka, for the Para Brhmam to know itself the first original Chinmaya Chalanam, the first shiver of awakening is due to AmbãL.  The one leads to another with endless variations, expansions, modifications, creations and additions; has led to the day to day transactions of the whole universe.  These are described in the various Sãstrãs as 36 or 24 steps in the descending order, from that original first move of Siva by AmbãL.  This is not the same as Evolution by Darwin, where he talks of successive steps in the ascending order of manifestations.  This is coming down from the top most ladder of the state of Brhmam to us the mortals, in the bottom of the ladder.  Brhma Tattva becomes extroverted for other ideas and principles to evolve, this is evolution.  From this for us to become introverted, from Jiva Tatva to reach our reality is our Mukti or Moksham and that is ÃrohaNam – the ascending order like the 'sa ri ga ma pa da ni' in music, from Jivan to Brhmam!  From Brhmam to the Jivan is AvarohaNam – the descending order is Evolution like the blooming of the flower and the journey back from Jivan to Brhmam is beautifully called the 'Involution' is, back tracing to our origins and become merged in the basic root of our existence.  Though for this our effort is required, that alone will not do.  If that great mighty stuff of Brhmam evolved in to us as mortal human beings, it is evidently not of our own making.  All that we can do is to correctly identify this fact and take efforts to get rid of our delusion and refine ourselves to the extent possible and cognize the fact that with her Grace and Anugraha, we can get back to our origins.  The power that pushed us into Maya has also put this urge for self-realization in us and will pull us back when our maturity and ripeness is perfectly conducive!  The fan which started running when the switch was put on cannot come to a stand-still on its own. If AmbãL is the cause of Siva to evolve as the Jiva, as the other side of the coin, for the involution of Jiva in to Siva also, she has to do the needful to let it happen.  For that purpose, our ÃchãryãL is giving Upadesa to all of us as to how to go about it.

345.  In this process, I said that She, AmbãL has given us all an opportunity to make some efforts. They are the paths of Bhakti, Gnãna and Yoga.  Amongst them the easiest and the most comfortable method is the devotional PãrãyaNam of Soundarya Lahari that is the way pointed by our ÃchãryãL.  The principle that is not easy to be reached is made approachable to our minds as the loving form of AmbãL the Mother, thinking of ourselves as her children.  That is the love of the child for the Mother, Amma, Mummy, Mom and AmbãL!  So, that essence of devotion has been given in the easiest form of all such love as 'वात्सल्य रस' by our ÃchãryãL to us all as Soundarya Lahari, making it more palatable by adding the Literary Rasa to it.  If she is the Mother, there has to be the Father also.  So, at the very beginning, by the phrase 'शिव शक्त्या', our ÃchãryãL has enabled us all to have a darsan of our Universal Parents!  Along with that, to show her predominance in terms of importance, he has said that she is the provider of Shakti to the Father also!

அடிப்பொடி கொண்டே அகிலாண்ட வியாபாரம்

All the Universal Transactions by the Dust of Her Feet!

346.  "तनीयांसं पांसुं तव चरण पन्गेरुहभवं

विरिञ्चि: संचिन्वन विरचयति लोकान अविकलं |

वहत्येनं सोउरि: कथमपि सहस्रेण सिरसां

हर: संक्षुद्यैनं भजति भसितोत्दूलन विदीं ||" 

          [तव – Your – चरणपन्गेरुहभवं – what came into being from (your) lotus of feet – तनीयांसं पांसुं – very minute dust – विरिञ्चि: – Brhma –  संचिन्वन – having very carefully collected – लोकान अविकलं – all the worlds without any blemish – विरचयति – creates and organises –   येनं सोउरि: – these worlds Vishnu – कथमपि – somehow – सहस्रेण सिरसां – by his thousands of heads – वहति – bears and manages – हर: – Rudra – संक्षुध्य – having powdered them – भसितोत्दूलन विदीं – makes use of them as Vibhuti smeared all over his body – भजति – observes such smearing as a regular custom.]  This is the second sloka.  Expanding on the earlier idea that she is respected and adored by Hari, Hara and Virinchi, it is explained as to how the very dust of her lotus feet are the input for Brahma's creation of all the worlds; those worlds which are borne, governed and managed by Vishnu and which finally are rendered in to ashes for Rudra to smear all over his body!     Brahma is creating all the worlds with the dust of her feet!  In that also he makes use of just a little bit, is meant by the phrase तनीयांसं पांसुं.  When the Para Brhma Shakti takes a form the dust of its feet are enough for the creation of all the 14 worlds!  This is Creation!  Then is the matter of its management.

(To be continued.)

Sambhomahadeva