DEIVATHIN KURAL # 142 (Vol # 6) Dated 16 Mar 2013

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 142 (Vol # 6) Dated 16 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 last paragraph on page No 971 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)

மூன்று கற்பூர ஆரத்திகள்

Three Times Neerãjanam

612.  In Soundarya Lahari there are three places, where the waving of burning camphor is done as part of the rituals in Pooja or at least allegorically, in the 22nd, 30th and the 100th slokas.  Here Mukunda, Brhma and Indra etcetera are prostrating before AmbãL almost touching her feet with their crowns inlayed with a variety of gems which are all coruscating with a brilliant scattering of colourful lights which are seen as Neerãjanam being done to her.  Another eight slokas later, there is a description of how the Jivãtma merges in AmbãL the Parãsakti without a trace or tinge of separateness, for whom the fire of Maha Pralaya is compared to waving of lighted camphor during Neerãjanam 'maha samvartaagnir virachayati neerãjana vidim' – 'महा संवर्ताग्निर विरचयति नीराजन विधिम्'!

613.  This devotee in the 30th sloka goes beyond the confines of time and space and becomes the true reality of AmbãL herself is the meaning.  This man is not some nondescript character referred as 'Ya: – य:' in the 22nd sloka.  He is not just well read, well-meaning and highly devotional somebody; but much higher than that, he is one who has been meditating on his inherent oneness with AmbãL.  Here in the 22nd sloka, this matter of 'me-becoming-you' is not what is intended by the devotee but happens to come in the poet's sight based on AmbãL's instant response!  But this devotee in the 30th sloka is very clearly and continuously meditating on 'You are me' – 'tvãm aham iti sadã bhãvayati ya: – 'त्वां अहं इति सदा भावयति य:' as the poet confirms.  Instead of thinking of himself as a servant who is a slave of AmbãL – 'Dãsoham' – he is meditating on 'Soham', very clearly!  For such a person even the devastating fire of apocalypse – the 'pralaya agni' proves to be not only harmless but salubriously benign and devotionally respectful as the 'camphor Ãrati' of Neerãjanam!

614.  The third Neerãjanam occurs in the 100th sloka again three times.  Even the earlier two in slokas 22 and 30 are really meant for her only and not for her devotees!  In the 100th sloka our ÃchãryãL says, "Mother!  This Stuti by which you are being venerated, by the very power of your own words, who is the source of all expressions, is like an Ãrati for the Sun being displayed by hand held torches by puny and tiny human beings; or like 'Argyam' being given to the Moon who is pouring out 'Amrita of Chandrama' to the whole world, with droplets of liquid oozing from the Chandra Kãnta stone; and like offering its own waters as 'TarpaNam' to the ocean!  So we have one Neerãjanam being offered by the crowns on the heads of Brhma, Vishnu and Indra etcetera to the Mother's feet; then what the Pralaya Agni does to the devotee who has come to the clarity of comprehension that he has no identity of his own but AmbãL herself and the third in which our ÃchãryãL is making an Ãrati with the power of the words of Soundarya Lahari. 

615.  These three Ãrati's are one each for Srushti, Stiti and Samhãra with their order changed to Stiti, Samhãra and Srushti!  Stiti – to manage with kindness and compassion is priority One for the Mother.  That is why the PraNava Mantra of 'அ + உ + ம = ஒம்' – 'अ + उ + म = ॐ', representing Creation, Sustenance and Governance followed by Destruction (of the present form) and Re-absorption (unto oneself) becomes; 'Uma as U + M + A' changing the order to Stiti, Samhãra and Srushti.  The three Neerãjanam-s in Soundarya Lahari is as per 'Uma' as PraNava Mantra.  'Mukunda-Brhma-Indras' are doing Neerãjanam with their crowns, means that they are functional and are playing their appointed roles, indicating that 'Stiti' is going on.  Interestingly, there is internal evidence that, instead of the normal order of Brhma, Vishnu and Maheshwara, here the order has been changed with Vishnu being mentioned first and with no mention of Maheshwara the Samhãra Karta at all. 

616.  The second one is by the Pralaya Agni, which anyhow is indicative of the Samhãra period as can be understood by all.  The last Neerãjanam is about Srushti as the poet says that as she is the source of all words, this poem Soundarya Lahari is created by her words.  Thus for what looks as my creation, the root material with which it has been created is AmbãL herself.  So, this Neerãjanam is similar to imparting a miniscule fraction of the brilliance of the Solar System on a small tablet of camphor! Thus Soundarya Lahari proves to be a very auspicious method of worshipping AmbãL.  In this the first Neerãjanam is by the gems in crowns of मुकुन्द ब्रह्मेन्द्र स्पुटमकुट नीराजितपदाम् in AmbãL's feet, throwing out a play of colours!

ருத்ரனைச் சொல்லாததேன்?  தூக்க-மரணங்களும்  துரீய ஸமாதியும்

Why is Rudra Unmentioned? Sleep-Death & Tureeya Samadhi

617.  Normally it is the custom to mention the names of the Holy Trinity as Brhma, Vishnu and Rudra or Maheshwara, while talking about three main divisions of responsibilities.  Such being the tradition, why was Rudra left out here?  Here our ÃchãryãL's intention was not to show that AmbãL is senior or superior to the Tri-Murthy-s, as it has been already done in the first two slokas of Soundarya Lahari.  Here the purpose is just to say that however big or whosoever he may be; AmbãL is paid obeisance by all the Devatãs as a matter of regular custom.  So, as the Ruler Potentate of all the worlds, Vishnu; the King of Deva Loka, Indra; as the creator –co-ordinator Brhma; are the three important ones that have been mentioned.  Indra in addition to being the King of Devatas is also one of the eight Dik-Palas, who reign over the eight cardinal directions.  Thus it is confirmed that the period under consideration is Stiti / Sustenance and so Rudra is not mentioned.

618.  There is one more reason that is abstruse and esoteric – 'of greater तत्वार्थ value'.  As you know there are three GuNa-s, namely Satva, Rajas and Tamas.  The fourth is the one beyond the three known as NirguNa.  In them we have combinations of Activity/GuNa/In Charge, such as, Srushti-Rajas-Brhma; Stiti-Satva-VishNu; and Samhãra-Tamas-Rudra.  The fourth stage is 'Tureeya' sans activity, GuNa and C.E.O for that, as everyone who thinks of himself as a separate individual Jiva; has the opportunity to realise that Tureeya stage!  These three stages are comparable with the day-to-day experiences of the Jiva as Jãgrat (wakefulness state), Swapna (dream state) and Sushupti (deep sleep state).  Jiva with his mind is capable of creating many people, places and incidents in his dreams; which is the state of Swapna tantamount to the stage of creation.  His wakeful state in which he deals with other people and manages the worldly affairs is equivalent to the stage of Stiti.  Then when he is in deep sleep is the stage of Sushupti equivalent to that of Samhãra, where there is no place, or time or other people and he is NirguNa, Nishkriya and Nishprapancha and all have been absorbed inside!  When he is in deep sleep, there is his reality inside unconcerned, uninvolved and standing apart; and that is Tureeya, the Fourth which is the basis as well as encompassing cover of it all!  Though we are going through it every day, for 365 days of the year, throughout our lives we are totally stupidly unaware of that fourth stage of Tureeya, which MãNdookya Upanishad says in a language we can understand as the Fourth stage / Chathurtham!  Jãgrat – Swapna – Sushupti are the stages in the human's life in the microcosm and Srushti – Stiti – Samhãra are the stages in the macrocosm.  Tureeya is common for both.  Like there is a NirguNa Brhmam as the basic truth behind the SaguNa Brhmam, that is, Easwara, similarly in the Jiva the basic truth is the Ãtma which is only another name for the same NirguNa Brhmam!

619.  If you are wondering as to, why is this man torturing us with so much of metaphysics, the answer is that I am saying all this to make you understand that it is Samhãra, though apparently it may not seem so, that is closest to the state of Brhmam that seems so far off as Tureeya!  The absolute peacefulness and calmness that is experienced by a common man (or woman) when in a state of Tureeya Samadhi is, not experienced in the wakeful state of Jãgrat or in the dream state of Swapna – except in deep sleep!  Now read only the underlined portion of the sentence above to get the meaning of it etched in your minds!  There is a difference here too.  In deep sleep – that is, in Sushupti – the bliss that is felt with awareness in Samadhi – is not there!  In deep sleep we are experiencing Ãnanda without awareness of the Anubhava, that is, we are ignorantly happy.  In Samadhi we are happily aware of being happy.  So it is true that these two stages are not exactly similar.  But compared to the pulls and pressures of Jãgrat and Swapna, the dreamless deep sleep of Sushupti is very close to the state of Samadhi!  That is why all the life forms of existence are so very fond of sleeping!

620.  The same point when expanded to the universal level, in the name of Samhãra it is Rudra who gives 'at least a temporary period of absolute bliss' and so can be called Samhãra Karta and Shanti Karta (like Srushti Karta Brhma and Stiti or Paripãlana Karta Vishnu).  In the above sentence, take the phrase between quotes, 'at least a temporary period of absolute bliss'.  Between a Samhãra by Rudra and the next time you may be born in this world again, there may be eons of lapse of time; we are still referring to it only as temporary.  Still Rudra is very close to that Para Brhmam that gives eternal Mukti or release than the Srushti Karta Brhma and Stiti Karta Vishnu.  It is that Para Brhmam that is said to be Sivam in Saiva Siddhãntam.  Without differentiating too much, in fact we are used to calling that Rudra himself as Siva along with so many other names of his.  Those who wish to be particular about it would say that Rudra is the Samhãra Murthy; Easwara is the Murthy for Tirodãnam that is, Maya Kãryam; Sadasiva is the Anugraha Murthy for granting Moksha; above that are the totally inactive Sivam and DakshiNa Murthy; in practice we think of them all as one only.  The point to be noted here is that as Brhma is the Creator / Srushti Karta and Vishnu is the Stiti / Paripãlana Karta; Siva is the Samhãra Karta.  We are not to think of that Samhãra only as destruction in the normal sense.  It is the destruction of our separateness for the purpose of realisation of oneness!

621.  What I said for Swami is also applicable for AmbãL.  Para Brhmam's complete power or Shakti known as Para Shakti is also thought of as the Kãmeswari the Devata to whom this Soundarya Lahari is addressed and is also thought of as Pãrvati; without any discrimination.  But we do not refer to them as Saraswathi or Lakshmi.  In Soundarya Lahari itself, she is addressed as, 'Hima Giri Sute' and 'Tuhina Giri Tanaye' but not as, Lakshmi or Saraswathi; though in their respective Ashtothram slokas, you may come across similar names for them all equally applicable to each of them.  For example 'Maha KãLyai, Shivãyai, Brhma Vishnu Shivãtmikãyai ' are to be found in all the three Ashtothram for Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswathi.  In Lakshmi Ashtothram when you find 'Nava Durgayai' in Durga Ashtothram, she is also addressed as 'Saraswathyai'!

(To be continued.)

Sambhomahadeva