DEIVATHIN KURAL # 135 (Vol # 6) Dated 02 Mar 2013

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 135 (Vol # 6) Dated 02 Mar 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 page No 924 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)

534.  As we have been observing, it is true that the saintly devotees, aspirants in the process of refinement towards attainment of realization of their oneness with their ideals, experience divine darsan of immense beauty and not able to keep all that bliss to themselves have had further thrill in sharing it with all, as can be seen in their outpourings, for example the Nãyanmãrs who have sung the Thevãram songs, AruNagiri Nãtha with his Thiruppugazh, MaNikka Vãsagar with his Thiru Vãsagam, VaLLalãr with his Arutpã, Tukaram with his Abhangs and so on, to name only a few! So also our ÃchãryãL must have had the pleasure of sharing with all, his blissful experiences through poems such as Sivãnanda Lahari, Ãnanda Lahari and Soundarya Lahari!  It seems that his intention was that others reading his poems, slokas and stotras may also worship AmbãL, get the Vãk Siddhi by her grace and be able to do this social service in their turn.  That is the reason why, he seems to have repeatedly emphasised this particular boon of Vãk Siddhi from AmbãL!

நோய் நீக்கம்; பல்வித பலன் தரும் மந்திர துதி

Eradication of Diseases; Multi-Purpose Mantra Stuti

535.  The poet has described Vasinyãdi Vãk Devatas, the Ladies waiting on AmbãL, as having the complexion of the Chandra Kãnta stone in the 17th sloka.  That stone has been described there in the 17th sloka as, 'Shashi MaNi Shila' – 'शशी मणि शिला'.  The same item has been called 'Hima Kara Shila' – 'हिम कर शिला' in the 20th sloka.  Shasam in Sanskrit is the rabbit.  The number of people who might have wondered, as to what is that scar on the face of the moon, over the ages must be a legion!  As it looks like a rabbit at times, the moon itself gets to be called the Shashi and so the Chandra Kãnta Stone came to be known as Shashi MaNi Shila. It is believed that flow of Amrita is from the moon and so Moon is also known by the name of 'Sudhakar', a popular one for naming boys these days.  Moon is also thought of being responsible for the snowfall and hence is also known as 'Himakar'.  Himalayas mean snow-capped mountains and so, Hima Kara Shila and Shashi MaNi Shila are one and the same Chandra Kãnta Stone.  AmbãL being the daughter of Himalayas is herself of the complexion of this very stone, that is almost transparent, which also is the source of the flow of nectar.  The special point to note here is the fact that having started saying that she is responsible for the eternal flow of Amrita, the poet has ended up saying that the devotee of AmbãL too causes the flow of Amrita by his very sight, look and glance!

536.  The 20th Sloka is as follows: –  

"किरन्तीं अङ्गेभ्य: किरण निकुरुंबामृतरसं

"kirantheem angebhya: kiraNa nikurumbamruta rasam

हृदि त्वामाधत्ते हिमकर शिला मूर्तिमिव य: |

hrudi tvãmãdatte himakara shilã moorthimiva ya: |

स: सर्पाणां दर्पं शमयति शकुन्ताधिप इव

sa: sarpãNãm darpam shamayati shakuntãpa iva

ज्वरर्प्लुष्टान् दृष्ट्या सुखयति सुधाधारसिरया"

jvaraplushtãn drushtyã sukhayati sudhadharasirayã ||"

[अङ्गेभ्य: = from the body-parts; किरण निकुरुंबामृतरसं किरन्तीं = essence of Amrita pouring out from a spring; हिमकर शिला मूर्तिमिव = as though from a Chandra Kãnta stone (when the moon light falls on it); त्वाम = you; य: = whosoever; हृदि आधत्ते = installs in his heart; स: = he; शकुन्ताधिप इव = like the king of birds (eagle); शमयति सर्पाणां दर्पं = controls even the virility and poison of snakes.  Further he; सुधाधारसिरया दृष्ट्या = by his nectarine glance, cures even; ज्वरर्प्लुष्टान् = people who are being withered by fever; सुखयति = making them feel comfortable.]   

537.  The special point in this sloka is curing of diseases.  There are many types of diseases nowadays compared to the past and they seem to be on the increase as the days go by.  Mostly, when people come to visit me, as the head of a religious institution they come out with all their problems.  I become aware of what all varieties of sickness, infections and afflictions can be there!  So also our ÃchãryãL would have known about such complaints.  Not only that, he was also aware of how to get rid of them.  Out of his compassion for the welfare of the humanity at large, wishing to alleviate their problems of sicknesses and diseases, he thought possibly on the following lines.  "All the people of future generations may not think of us as a Swamiji.  Even those who consider us as an Avatara may think of us as meant only for Gnãna.  They may think that from this man we should only pray for attainment of Gnãna and dispassion and not for alleviation of bodily sickness and such things, as it would not be very proper".

538.  (Having started describing the likely thought process of our ÃchãryãL, PeriyavãL is telling about his own responses.)   When we meet a Mahatma in person, as we become aware of his traits and qualities, instead of looking at him only as a Saint or Mahatma, we can approach him as a mother, father, child, doctor, employer, marriage counsellor – and many other things, and get his blessings for all that.  But once he is not there physically, and we think of him mentally, a Gnãni can be thought of only as Gnãna Dhaata.  If that person was a Siddha Purusha, even after he is bodily no more, we may pray for alleviations of problems.  So, our ÃchãryãL decided to write poems such as 'SubrahmaNya Bhujangam', that people may chant for the alleviation of all sort of physical and mental diseases.  In Soundarya Lahari also many of the slokas are quite useful for curing of diseases and obtaining other varieties of boons.

539.  I think that I have mentioned this point even earlier, the whole of Soundarya Lahari is a Mantra Sãstrã.  In it each sloka can be considered as a separate Mantra and chanted for obtaining those particular ends.  For ease of reference, they are listed hereinafter: -

Purpose	Slokas to be Chanted
Saraswathi Katãksha	3, 12, 15 to 17, 60, 64, 75, 96 to 99.
Lakshmi Katãksha	23, 45, 71, 91 and 99.
For both Lakshmi and Saraswathi Katãksha	96 and 99.
Musical Talent	66 and 69.
Getting Children	6, 11, 46 and 98.
Return from foreign lands	9
Entering other's bodies	30 and 84
Removal of negative Influence of Spirits	24, 37, 85 and 90.
Removal of negative Influence of Planets	48.
Attaining to Gnãna / Mukti	27, 63, 73, 84, 97 and 99.

540.  If we do chanting without any particular purpose or intention, one may be endowed with either AmbãL's SaguNa Sãkshãtkãrã or NirguNa Sãkshãtkãrã, depending on one's own maturity and refinement.  Anyhow, it is good to chant the slokas whether we have or do not have any specific purpose in our minds.  In fact, the first and the last sloka-s are known as 'sarva siddhi pradam', that all our known or unknown needs will be met with!  Just looking at the meanings of the slokas one can make out as to what would be the fruits. Normally in the books with meaning, the details may not be clearly stated, that for this Devata, such and such should be the mantra, yantra, the number of times it has to be chanted & over what number of days.  We already noted that in some of the slokas on the fair hued Saraswathi, AruNa Saraswathi and AmbãL surrounded by Vasinyãdi Vãk Devatas, as to how one stands to get remarkable expertise in poetical expressions.  Some of our ÃchãryãL's direct Sishyas or some great saintly persons of later periods, who have found and revealed that doing the Japa of the each sloka, will be tantamount to Upãsana of that Devata. There are two books that could be referred to for this.  One is by Brhma Sri Tediyur SubrahmaNya SastrigaL and another by Sri A Kuppuswamy, both in Tamil, which clearly enunciate as to what should be the Yantra for each Sloka, drawn on which metal plate, how many days the Japa should be done, how many times they have to be chanted every day and what should be the Neivedyam offered and what would be the fruit of such efforts!

541.  Some slokas are such that, from the meaning of the words we can guess as to what would be the benefits of chanting those slokas.  There is one sloka (the 66th) for example, that states that the sweetness of AmbãL's talking is such that Saraswathi Devi herself will feel ashamed and pack up her VeeNa.  In another (the 69th), there is description of three folds or lines in her neck.  On the one hand they seem to be like the three threads which have been used in making the Mangalya Saradu at the time of her marriage to Siva and on the other, they are like the clearly defined demarcation between Shadjama, Madhyama and Gãndhãra Raga definitions in Music.  We can guess that by chanting these slokas as Mantra Japa, we can hope to become well versed in Music.  Then there is Sloka No. 28, which says that, when all other divine beings are erased out of existence in Maha Pralaya (Armageddon) despite partaking Amrita, Siva continues to thrive despite gulping the Ãlahãala Visham (poison), because of the 'Soumãngalyatvam' power of the Ear Studs of AmbãL!  One can make out that by chanting this sloka we can eradicate the effect of poison and ensure longevity for oneself or for whosoever the chanting is intended!

542.  But more than such slokas where we can safely guess the effect of chanting them as Japa, there are slokas in which we cannot easily make out the purport despite understanding the meaning.  For example, in the 35th sloka it is said that AmbãL is present as six entities of the mind + the five Bhootha-s (of air, water, fire, earth and space), in the six chakras of the subtle body on Moolãdhãrã, Swadishtaana, MaNipuraka, Ãnãhata, Vishuddhi and Ãgnã.  Chanting this sloka it seems, one can be relieved of Kshaya Roga, that is TB!  You cannot make it out from the meaning of the sloka.  There are many such slokas.  That is the difference between Sloka Artha as word-meanings and Mantra Artha as the inner effect of the sound of Mantra Aksharãs.  Sugar is powdered and made in to small figurines such as a soldier, baby or even red-pepper!  None of them may have anything to do with the sweetness of sugar.  But if you eat that Red Pepper, it will not be hot but sweet.  Similar is the effect of Mantras.  Those very sounds when put together to form words, they may convey some other meaning like the figurines made of powdered sugar!

543.  Then we also come across some slokas which have different effect on different people.  One gentleman asked me as to how is it that the 84th sloka, said to be enabling the user in a trick known as, 'கூடு விட்டு கூடு பாய்தல்' (meaning 'leaving one's own body and entering into another's body which may be dead') is also meant to assist the Sãdhak in attaining Moksham that is total deliverance from all attachments?  Here we must understand that there is a value for the attitude, needs, faith and the mental make-up of the devotee / aspirant.  If someone is suffering from insomnia, honey may put him to sleep.  But if someone is usually lazy, on partaking honey, he may become hyper active!  The same honey is found to have different effect on different people, isn't it?

(To be continued.)

Sambhomahadeva