DEIVATHIN KURAL # 143 (Vol # 6) Dated 18 Mar 2013

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 143 (Vol # 6) Dated 18 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 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)

622.  The crux of the matter is that, Rudra has 'Siva Sãmyam' meaning equality and homogeneousness with Siva while Brhma and Vishnu do not have that. Here the intention was to talk about the divine beings falling flat in the feet of AmbãL.  Then it is not correct to take the name of her husband as being slavishly subservient to her, as it is not acceptable to the ways of social norms of the world.  Later in the second part of Soundarya Lahari, while giving greater importance to poetical nuances, describing the pseudo quarrel between the hero and heroine, it would have been in order to describe how Siva falls in the Feet of AmbãL to cajole and mollify her.  But here in the first part where emphasis is on esoteric values of Mantra, Tantra and Yantra; such depiction would not have been in order.  In the very first sloka of Soundarya Lahari after all, he has already shown her greatness and his dependency on her even for the slightest movement of his, isn't it?  In the next sloka it has been said that, he carries out all the worldly affairs, by the dust of her feet!  So as not to make a habit of putting Siva down as a regular feature, Siva's name (and Rudra's name too as his equal) have not been added to 'Mukunda Brhmendra…', who are doing Namaskãr to her!

623.  On a cursory glance, contrary to my contention, in sloka No. 25 it may seem as though, it is clearly being said that Siva is also doing namaskãr to her, when the poet says, "It is enough to do pooja to your feet since it is as good as doing pooja to the Tri-murthy-s of Brhma, Vishnu and Maheshwara, because they are doing namaskãr at your feet with their hands held together above their heads.  So doing Archana at your feet is as good as doing the same at their heads!  If it is so, it means that Siva is also one who is prostrating in total supplication!  But again, on a closer look at the words of the sloka, it is talking about the Tri-murthy-s of Creator, Sustainer and Destroyer that is, Srushti-Karta, Paripãlana-Karta and Samhãra-Karta.  So the Tri-murthy-s who are doing namaskãr are the three who have evolved from her three GuNa-s of Satva, Rajas and Tamas – 'trayãNãm devãnãm triguNa janitãnãm tava sive' – 'त्रयाणां देवानां त्रिगुण जनितानां तव शिवे'!

624.  Here the discussion is about Rudra, who is born of one of her three character qualities.  If born of one of one of her three GuNas, he is as good as her child isn't it?  Then it is in order for that child to be doing namaskãr to his mother.  The one in the status of a husband cannot be doing that, is all that I said.  The three born of her three character qualities are automatically included in a pooja to her and so it could not be helped that Rudra's name is mentioned though he is considered as an equal as well as another form of the same Siva.  But generally while developing the idea that even great divine beings are paying respects to AmbãL, not including any of the names such as Siva, Easwara, Rudra, Bhava and such, the poet confined himself to Mukunda, Brhma and Indra only!  These are all such that, they disappear or vanish during Maha Pralaya and the one, who continues to be even after that, is not there in this line-up. 

அத்வைத பக்தர்களுக்கு அழிவேயில்லை

No Destruction for Devotees of Adwaitam

624.  While I am still remembering it, let me tell you something about that sloka No 30, in which there is mention of Neerãjanam by the fire of Maha Pralaya. If for those who do pooja to AmbãL with the clear conviction in their minds that 'she is verily themselves' – 'tvãm aham iti'; it means that they are not destroyed even during Maha Pralaya!  In an earlier sloka No 26, the poet says that at the time of Maha Samhãra except for Parameswarã (who would be playing around with her even then), all others including Brhma and Vishnu are erased or destroyed; how can this man of 'tvãm aham iti' genre can continue to survive?  The poet can say that because, if they were something other than AmbãL, they also have to be erased.  But they have become one with AmbãL indivisibly – with SaguNa AmbãL.  There is no question of Neerãjanam for NirguNa Brhmam anyhow!  As it says in this sloka, 'swadehotbhoothãbhir-ghruNibhir-aNimãdhyãbhir- abhito' – 'स्वदेहोत्भूताभिर्-घृणिभिर- अनिमाध्याभिर-अभितो', all the eight types of Siddhis are emanating from her feet only as rays of brilliant light and surrounding her; which means that we are talking about her being in the SaguNa state only.  So this devotee 'like the Bhavãni tvam dãse', has attained to 'nija Sãyujya padavee' and so also we should include 'tvãm aham' devotees here. 

625.  Whether SaguNa or NirguNa, whatever it is, they have become one with her inalienably.  They have lost their separateness and identity irretrievably.  There is nobody as they to be referred anymore.  Still they will be enjoying looking at her play and admiring her.  Devotional appreciation and pleasure will still be there.  With that there will also be a trace of feeling that they are doing all this!  In fact no Jiva can have the powers of Srushti, Stiti and Samhãra – that is, to become one with SaguNa Brhmam and also get complete powers of that Brhmam is just a sheer impossibility!  (This above statement has one exception that the Jiva can have powers of creation, maintenance and destruction in his own limited way in worldly life, arts and crafts!)  But, at the highest level, there would be no residual sense of I or me or lingering separateness of identity and also no awareness of the lack of it.  So you may be enjoying whatever the SaguNa Brhmam does as your own actions with a continued sense of love and devotion!  This is the peak experience as given by SaguNa Brhmam that may be attained by one in a 'கோடானு கோடி' which is 'one in ten million raised to the power of ten million!'?  May be for this purpose, Paramãtma retains the SaguNa form sometimes!

626.  Thus some rare exceptional cases retain a trace of their separateness as a mix of Adwaitam-Dwaitam to be able to witness the end play of Pralaya, without getting involved.  Within the worldly drama, while some are deeply involved like the cast who are acting in the play which means most of the population of the world.  Some rare individuals will be like the audience in the drama, not involved except watching the scene!  So, as those who have Adwaita Bhãvam with the SaguNa Brhmam will be as witnesses to the drama of whatever is happening, these 'tvãm-aham' characters are still not part of the scene and remain uninvolved.  From within those who are involved only Siva escapes the destruction, while all others are destroyed, annihilated or erased, is the poet's contention.  So, there is no contradiction in the statement that, the 'tvãm-aham' characters get the Pralaya Agni itself as the Neerãjanam.

627.  Siva is the general name for Kãmeswara as well as the NirguNa Tatvam as Sivam, when he is not involved in the affairs of the world.  But as Rudra, Maheshwara and Sadasiva etcetera; they are also very much involved in their respective role playing and have to be erased at the end of Pralaya.  Rudra as the Samhãra Murthy also has to vanish when everything else is erased.  How can he hang around without a work load?  When an office is scrapped all the office bearers also have to go isn't it?  Whether it is creation or management or erasure, whether to involve you in Maya or relieve one from Maya; when there is nobody as Jiva, all the office bearers can and should disappear.  That is how it happens.  AmbãL and her unchangeable oneness of Siva as the Kãmeswara are the eternal couple.  As the so called husband, he is her partner to play around with.  They as one entity is the only one that remains – as the poet says in sloka No 26, 'viharati sati tvat patirasou' – 'विहरति सति त्वत-पतिरसौ'.  She is the 'Para-brhma-mahishi' of Siva as the poet calls her in the 97 the sloka, and their being the primordial couple is famous.  But as the two partners playing around with each other all the time, we have to think of them as Kãmeswara and Kãmeswari here. 

628.  In the sloka in which the devotee is one who thinks of her as one's self – the 'tvãm-aham' – types are those that think of Easwara's Aiswaryam as only equivalent to a blade of grass.  The poet lifts them to the high pinnacles and places Easwara low down in the dumps!  With beautiful rhyme and reason, the poet says that for these type of devotees who think of her as themselves – 'trinayana samruddhim truNayata:' – 'तिर्नयन संवृद्धिं तृणयत:'!  They could afford to say this because, though his name is 'Easwara' what is his wealth?  It is all hers – by Her Leave he may claim them as his!  By her leave, he is the reigning Easwara!  But these devotees are convinced that they are one with her!  She might have so absorbed them but, for them there is no difference between themselves and her!  So, all her wealth and power are theirs.  Before such mighty pride that they feel in their realization of their oneness with AmbãL, all the so called wealth of Easwara is only a speck of dust in their view and vision!  Whereas in the case of Easwara, there are many other office holders to share the wealth and power!  That is why they feel - 'तिर्नयन संवृद्धिं तृणयत:'!

629.  The mix of devotion and Adwaitam has been so boosted, that such a statement has been made, to encourage the devotee.  This is not to be taken literally.  She and Easwara are not two different entities.  They are not to be thought of as another man and another woman!  AmbãL is not different and Easwara something else!  All that is hers is his too.  She herself is his biggest asset!  Mookar has sung, 'aiswaryam indu mouLe' – 'ऐश्वर्यं इन्दु मौळे', meaning that 'She is the wealth with the moon as the crest'!  I spoke about the profoundness of 'tvãm aham' attitude of the devotee instead of just saying or feeling 'I am as good as you'!  In the former statement with adoration there is humility coupled. 

630.  In the Maha Vãkyãs, one is 'aham brhma asmi' – 'अहं ब्रह्म अस्मि' meaning that 'I am Brhmam'! Another one says, 'ayam ãtma brhma' – 'अयं आत्मा ब्रह्म', meaning that 'this Ãtma here is verily the Brhmam'!  Though the meaning is the same, there is a possibility for misunderstanding.  Many are said to have created a lot of problems to the rest of the world, thinking no end to themselves with the claim 'अहं ब्रह्म अस्मि' with indomitable pride and conceit!  It is supposed to be the understanding that you are to arrive at without an exaggerated sense of pride!  Once you come to this understanding, possibly you could also have arrived at, 'sarvam khalvidam brhma' – 'सर्वं खल्विदं ब्रह्म', meaning, 'The whole lot of all these, (who may not have realized) are also the same Brhmam!'  So where is the scope for foolish pride instead of experiencing universal oneness?  Only in the Maha Vãkya received through the spoken word of a Guru, one comes to realise without a chance for conceit!  So, the aspirant comes to the correct comprehension that, "Without you I am nothing and nowhere.  It is you who has become me.  With realization also comes a profound sense of humility and humaneness!  It is only to encourage the devotee that our ÃchãryãL has added that for him all the wealth of Easwara is as good as a blade of grass!  The point driven home is that for the Jiva who has come to realise his oneness with the undivided oneness of Ambal and Swami, there is no disintegration whatsoever!

(To be continued.)

Sambhomahadeva