DEIVATHIN KURAL # 137 (Vol # 6) Dated 06 Mar 2013

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 137 (Vol # 6) Dated 06 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 the second paragraph in page No 938 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)

554.  Raja Matangi is the one in Madurai as Meenambika and as the presiding deity in Meen KuLathu Bhagawathi in Chittur, Palghat, in the State of Kerala.  She is said to be the reigning Queen as RãNi there.  It is hard to think of her as Nakuleswari as a Mongoose.  But for the snake known as KuNdalini in Moola Ãdhãra with 'Anãtma Pravrutti', that is the general tendency against Ãtma or not being aware of Ãtma, she is the counter veiling force, so as to endow us with the wealth of awareness of Ãtma.  In one tradition Moola Ãdhãra is known as 'Kulam'.  In the Soundarya Lahari itself the poet is telling her, "What is this?  Without any awareness of the world of Ãtma, you are sleeping in Moola Ãdhãra" – in the 10th sloka when he says, '…kula kunde swapishi…' – '…कुल कुण्डे स्वपिषि…'!  Quite opposite to that state of sleep, the one to give bright awareness of Ãtma Prakasa is this 'Na + kula = Nakula' aka Nakuleswari.

555.  Amongst the enemies of the snake, between Garuda, Peacock and the Mongoose aka Nakula / 'கீரிப்பிள்ளை', there is a speciality about Garuda the Eagle King.  He is not only the one to kill snakes but also the one to bring the Amrita.  The Mother of all snakes was his step-mother.  She had enslaved and jailed his mother.  He requested his step-mother many times to release his mother.  She put up a condition that, "Only if you go to the Heavens and bring Amrita and give my children (meaning the Snakes), I shall release your mother!"  So, Garuda went to Deva Loka and fought with Indra the King of all Devas, won his battle and brought the Amrita Kalasam.  But as the story goes the snakes could not eat Amrita and Garuda ended up eating them!  That is a side story, to prove his connection about bringing of Amrita from the Heavens.  In the birth place of AndãL, that is Sri Villiputhur, they make a Neivedyam as an offering in obeisance to Garuda known as, 'Amrita Kalasam'.     It is made in the form of a small Kalasam that is, a miniature pot like utensil, made of rice/wheat flour batter with a sweet filling and fried in cow's ghee or cooked in steam.  That small pot is to be thought of as the Kalasam and the sweet filling inside is to be taken as Amrita! 

556.  The same principle is applicable in what is known as Modak or 'கொழக்கட்டை', which GaNesha is said to be very fond of.   Vigneshwara is seen to be having the Ratna Kalasam or Modak or Pomegranate fruit in his hands, which are all depiction of a similar idea.  Pomegranate fruit has the same shape of a Kalasam.  When you pry off the hard shell what do you see inside?  Edible layers of red ruby like kernel as though it is a pot full of gems and very similar to the idea of a Kalasam full of Amrita.  Similar pot full of treasure is the idea in a Modak / கொழக்கட்டை also. 

557.  In Sri Villiputhur temple Garuda Ãzhvãr has much importance.  In all other temples of VishNu Garuda will be in front facing PerumãL like the Nandi in Siva temples.  Only here in Sri Villiputhur Garuda Ãzhvãr is besides PerumãL in the centre of the sanctum-sanctorum!  In Sri Rangam PerumãL merged ÃNdãL unto himself and Periãzhvãr, her father was completely disheartened!  He cried in front of the Bhagawan, "What is this?  I am given such a noble soul as my ward to be taken care of and brought up and even when I am still living, in my old age, my darling daughter is taken away from me!  How cruel can you be?"  So PerumãL responded with a promise, "Please do not cry, my dear devotee.  I shall bring her there to Sri Villiputhur and get married to her in your presence and stay there for ever".  At that time it was Garuda Ãzhvãr who fetched ÃNdãL before you could wink your eyes!  In appreciation of his this act in the temple there PerumãL is the centre with ÃNdãL on left side and Garuda Ãzhvãr is on the right, in the Garba Graha / Moola Sthãnam!  Periãzhvãr himself is supposed to be an Amsam of Garuda!

558.  Garuda has a connection to the power of Amrita.  He relieves people of the pain and agony of the poison.  The devotee who meditates on AmbãL in the form of Chandra Kãnta stone, spreading the rays of the power of Amrita, is said to be annulling the potency of poison like the Garuda who subdues the effect of the snakes poison, as we have seen already, 'स सर्पाणां धर्पं समयति सकुन्दादिप इव'.  The last two words in the above quotation – 'सकुन्दादिप इव', means 'like the King of birds'!  'Sakundam' means the bird.  Menaka the celestial damsel after begetting the child of Vishwãmitra left her to fend for herself on the earth only; that was brought by a bird and hence it came to be known as Sakuntala, about whom Kãlidãsa wrote the famous Sakuntalam.  The VaishNava Ayyangars often name their boys as 'Pakshi Raja' which in fact refers to Garuda only.  They would allude to him as 'Periya Thiruvadi'.  But while naming their children they do not use this word 'Thiruvadi' or Garuda but only Pakshi Raja!  Madvas call him as 'Garudachar'!

559.  By chanting this sloka, there is relief from two perils.  One is poisonous bites of snakes and scorpion and viral fevers, which is also due to spread of poisonous germs in a way.  Another is the generally occurring fever due to infections.  As said here, if a man continues to go on meditating on AmbãL as Amrita Varshini, that man will himself develop  what is known as Amrita Nãdi or  we can construe that there will be the flow of Amrita all over his body from the Sahasrãra.  One look at him or by him will cure anyone of fevers – 'ज्वर प्लुष्टान् दृष्ट्या सुखयति सुदाधार सिरया'!  Vãk Devatãs are also like that Chandra Kãnta stone oozing, on receiving the moon-light on them.  In some places you may come across temples where the presiding deity is known as 'Jvara Hareshwara'.  AmbãL here can be called 'Jvara Hareshwari'.  There is one befitting correlation here in saying that AmbãL is also of the hue of Sphatika in that, the eight triangles in which these Vãk Devatas are seated with AmbãL in the centre is known as 'सर्वरोग हर चक्रं'.  The idea is to indicate that by the sounds of the Mantras all sorts of diseases will simply vanish.

சிவப்பின் சிறப்பு; வசீகரத்தின் உட்பொருள்

Speciality of the Red Colour; Inner Meaning of Allure

560.  Though here AmbãL is said to be transparent like the crystal, as Sri Vidya Devata, AmbãL is known to be of reddish hue only.  That is the speciality, red like the early morning Sun!  The whole sky is red with AruNodayam isn't it?  If one meditates on AmbãL as reddening not only the sky, but the whole of the firmament of the universe by the brilliant red hue of her being, he will gain the power of infinite allure and attraction; the poet says just two slokas back in the 18th!  I did not want us to be overwhelmed by these matters of allure and attraction, as it is likely to give a wrong twist to our understanding, I skipped the issue then.  Since now I thought that it is necessary to tell you about the special value of that red hue and that it would be better to inform you of the inner meaning of 'attraction', I have come back to that sloka.

561.  In Soundarya Lahari and other Sãkta stotras, there is mention of allure, attracting women and obtaining a body like Manmata the God of Love aka Cupid.  If these things are literally understood there is certain to be a mistaken notion and the urge to use them for nefarious purposes.  If one is attracting others, what does it mean?  The obverse is true that he is attracted by them.  So he wants to grab as grab can!  If He wishes to have more money, lands, property and women, it only means that he is their slave.  By attracting he gets trapped and his wants and needs are becoming greed!  Then thinking of God for the sake of love of God, realising one's reality, Ãtma Sãkshãtkãram and the way for it gets blocked.  Do you think that, our elders and Rishis of Mantra Sãstrãs would have ever told us to go that way?  While talking about the mind-set of the devotee in sloka No 21, the poet is saying, "मृदित मल मायेन मनसा"!  That means 'one whose mind has virtually done away with all shameful, degenerate and vile tendencies along with the delusion of Maya'!  A devotee of AmbãL would have crushed and conquered his base instincts like the Sri Krishna's dance on Kalinga.  Then to talk about his being subject to low level attractions, will not be justified at all. 

562.  When we say that he will become very attractive and will be full of allure, only means that he would have imbibed the qualities of divinity to such an extent that, others will feel a natural sense of attraction.  In Bhagawat Gita, Sri Krishna says (in Chapter II, Sloka No.70), "…samudram ãpa: pravishanti yadvat tadvat kãmã yam pravishanti sarve…" – "…समुद्रमाप: प्रविशन्ति यद्वत् तद्वत् कामा यं प्रविशन्ति सर्वे", meaning that whatever is attracted by him, like the rivers naturally get pulled towards the ocean get absorbed and the ocean remains full from all sides and still in itself.  Once absorbed then there is no differentiation of you, me and him or that for any relationship to continue to exist!  Becoming Adwaitic one he attains to peace, 'शान्तिं आप्नोति' – 'as all the desires subside in absolute peace'.  That is why all the pulls and attractions fall into him and get absorbed.  Till the idea of Dwaitam persists, whatever attracts, are pulled unto his self and become one with him.  It is this process of becoming Adwaitic oneness, that is figuratively called 'vasyam' aka allure or attraction.  Only when something is the object, it can instigate desire.  When it is me, one's self, there can be no more object of desire.  If all the three worlds becomes a female and gets pulled unto his self, it only means that he has realised that there is no world outside and it is all within and not without and so that means, he has become a Gnãni.  If he becomes Manmata like, (as given in the sloka No.99), then how can Manmata win over him and push him in to the mire of Kãma again?  So we should understand that he has won over all such pulls of the skin!

563.  Let us understand clearly that on the one hand AmbãL is directing Parameswarã in to creation (सृष्टि) and constantly endeavouring to redirect the created, towards Moksham.  She is of the redness of the flame, as said in Sri Vidya.  Parvathy is of the emerald green colour, Gowri is white or yellow, KãLi is black, Durga is blue and Kãmeswari is the redness of the AruNodayam.  The special quality of the colour red is that as per physics if white light is the source before being diffracted in to V – I – B – G – Y – O – R; be compared with  creation aka सृष्टि, then this colour Red is one end of the spectrum.  For the reverse process Red colour is the starting point.  For the various life forms deeply mired in the affairs of the world, to go back in the return journey to Sãyujyam, to the oneness of Adwaitam, Redness of AmbãL is the starting point.

(To be continued.)

Sambhomahadeva