DEIVATHIN KURAL # 156 (Vol # 6) Dated 14 Apr 2013

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 156 (Vol # 6) Dated 14 Apr 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 1068 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)

753.            The end two lines of the sloka says, "These two do these Thãndavam and Lãsyam dances, for the re-generation of the world as their aim in view.  Thus this world becomes endowed with the rightful possession of a Father and Mother!"
उभाभ्यामेताभ्यामुदयविधिमुद्धिस्य दयया
ubhãbhyãm etãbhyãm udayavidhimuddhisya dayayã
सनाथाभ्यां जज्ञे जनकजननीमज्ज्गदिदम् ||
sanãtãbhyãm jagnye janaka jananeemajjagadidam ||

754.            'Etãbhyãm ubhãbhyãm' = by these two who are keen in the two varieties of dance forms known as Lãsyam and Thãndavam; 'udaya vidhim uddhisya' = as you have so decided to organize the start of re-generation of the world, (it is enough if they so decide, it gets done instantly and automatically); 'idam jagat' = this world and all life forms in it; 'janaka jananeemat' = endowed with the care of parental concern; jagnye = becomes!  (Instead of being orphaned, the whole world with all its living forms, come under authorised parental control!)

755.            ÃchãryãL is telling us, who are fretting and fuming that once again we have got involved in the 'Srushti' with all its tendencies of pulls and pressures of Maya and are afraid, "Do not worry Son!  Do not be afraid!  Why are you looking only at the creation?  If you do that, you cannot help being afraid.  Instead, think of the creator.  As our Mother and Father, it is a creation of AmbãL and Easwara only!  Will the parents ever harm the child?  They have done this for our good only.  If you think of them we can avoid all the pitfalls of life and safely reach ashore.  Only if you feel like an orphan, can you be affected by the Maya.  If we think of AmbãL and Easwara as our parents, then we can be rid of all apprehensions.  Think of it!  We are not 'anãtha' – 'अनाथ' as orphans but 'sanãtha' – 'सनाथ', well taken care of by our parents!  Such a thought is enough to chase away the Maya!  

756.            Only when both parents are there to take care of us in various ways, do we feel properly taken care of and protected as 'Sanãtha'!  If the Mother is there and Father is not there, we become a target of pity, however much she may take pains to look after us!  Similarly if the Mother is not there, we do feel the pinch of it!  That is why, instead of saying that God takes care of us all; it is normally said the God as, Uma-Maheshwara, Lakshmi-Narayana, Radha-Krishna, Sita-Rama or some such name of couples that is mentioned as being our parents!  Both are required for you to feel 'sanãtha' instead of 'anãtha', that we are genuinely protected and taken care of!

757.            In the sloka there is the phrase 'sanãthãbhyãm'.  The surprising thing is that it is not said about all of us who are like orphans, but about both of them – 'upãbhyãm, ethãbhyãm sanãthãbhyãm' meaning, 'the two of you who are well taken care of'!  What does it mean?  Is there someone who is in a position of a master for them also, taking care of them?  Isn't this very funny?  For us there is Easwara and so we are not orphans!  For God since there is none above them to take care of, it is Easwara and AmbãL who have none to care for them!  So it is God who is 'Anãtha' without a master to take care of God, as somebody said!  Has our ÃchãryãL changed this or confirmed such an opinion?

758.            The answer is, 'No, neither!'  They are within themselves one who is the master for the other mutually!  There is no Siva without Shakti and vice versa!  In one way she is Sesha and he is Seshi and in yet another way he is Sesha and she is Seshi!  In their Leela, there are occasions when she remains beyond and takes care of him protecting him from Maha Pralaya and Kãlakoota poison; while when she is Parvathy or DãkshãyaNi, he takes the leadership role.  Even from the point of deeper import of philosophy, the principle of Sivam remains above that of Shakti and on other occasions it is the principle of Shakti which dominates as mentioned in Mantra Sãstrãs, Sivãgama scriptures and 'Thiru Mandiram' by Thiru Moolar.  Both are related to each other in many ways like the warp and weft in weaving of clothes!  Both their favours are needed and their individual grace is conditional on the others'!  That is why they are revered as Father and Mother!  Even then, their blessings are mutually conditional, both having the veto power! That is exactly the meaning conveyed by the 333rd sloka of Thiru Mandiram, which says,

சத்தன் அருள் தரிற் சத்தி அருளுண்டாம்

சத்தி அருள் தரிற் சத்தன் அருளுண்டாம்!

(Here, the word சத்தன் means Sivam and சத்தி means Shakti!)

759.            Even Parameswarã is addressed as 'Thãyum Ãnavar', meaning that he is also the mother, it is clear that both the parents have equal importance!  Just because he is also the mother in Trichy Malaikkottai temple, is there no Sannidy for AmbãL? Even there with great presence there is the Sannidy of the shape and form of Sri Chakra in which there is the Goddess Suganda KuntalãmbãL.  I told you earlier that in the inner walls of that Sannidy, the slokas of Ãnanda Lahari have been engraved on granite!  Thus the Ãnanda Lahari part gets completed by the ultimate divinity coming to us as the Father and Mother, for our own intrinsic benefit in this worldly life and in the deeper reality of existence!  "Do not think that it is some play-acting for the purpose of duping and submerging us all in utter delusion!  This 'Janaka-Jananimat' – of having the security of parental care – that too of the Ultimate Divinity in that role is something you can be rightfully proud of! This is the real protection for all children and that is available to all the people of the world, says our ÃchãryãL!

760.            (KTSV adds: In these days of multiple marriages and multiple divorces, further complicated  by same sex marriages, when you do not necessarily know, as to who is the real father and as to who is the real mother; isn't this looking at the Ultimate Divinity as our parents, the most positive message?) Though in between these 41 slokas, there are discussions of Sri Chakra Yantra, Mantra Bhijam, KuNdalini and such matters, at the basic point of Moola Ãdhãra, it is reassuring to know that our parents are there, lovingly approachable and very concerned of our welfare!  That is the greatest assurance required for the children of today!  'Janaka Jananimat' is the assurance of having our own parents as our legal guardians!   Our ÃchãryãL is saying that all the people of this world have that assurance and nobody need feel uncared for!  Thus Ãnanda Lahari gets completed with this positive note, wherein the child representing all the people of the world, having had the wonderful opportunity of locating and identifying its parents!

பல நிலைகளில் சிவ-சக்திகள்

Siva & Shakti in Many Stages

761.            The general approach or Bhãvam required is to think of AmbãL and Swami as ones Mother and Father seriously and sincerely.  With that as the 'Sthãyi (or static) Bhãva', if we take into consideration a number of other varying relations between them as 'Sanchãri (or transient) Bhãva', as it happens during enactment of drama on stage; we will be able to review and recollect a kaleidoscopic changes of scenarios!  So, shall we have a re-cap?

762.            To be able make him move from total immobility is a feather on her cap is the first sloka.  Though he is the much feared and ferocious force of destruction, it is an iota of dust from her feet that empowers him as per the second sloka. Thus for Swami, she is in the position of divinity as said in the first sloka itself that she is in a venerable position to be worshipped 'athastvãm ãrãdhyãm hari hara virinchãdibhir api' – 'अथस्त्वां आराध्यं हरि हर विरिन्चादिभि: अपि'.  A little later in the 7th sloka, the idea that is brought out is that, 'for him to know himself, he has to know her' as that – he is included in she; male is already in female and 'purusha' is included in 'Aho Purushika'!  Thus we see that AmbãL has made him, her equal counterpart as Kãmeswara and is seated in his lap as Kãmeswari, in the next sloka (the 8th sloka) where it says 'parama siva paryanga nilayãm' – 'परम शिव पर्यङ्ग निलयाम्'.  Then we see them as the supreme Empress and Emperor, having added two more to the three jobs of universal governance, she as the SaguNa Brhmam merging in him as the NirguNa Brhmam 'sahasrãre padme saha rahasi patyã viharase' – 'सहस्रारे पद्मे सह रहसि पत्या विहरसे'.  Then the 11th sloka tells us as to how they are united in the form of Sri Chakra in which, four Chakras are his and five are hers.  As a totally devoted woman of fidelity, she reveals herself fully only to her husband says the next sloka.  If she is so devoted and obedient here, some 12 slokas later, she is accused of not being satisfied in occupying half his 'sareera', aggressively occupies his other half also, as given in the 23rd sloka!

763.            The next sloka at No 24 has to be dealt with in a little more detail.  This sloka starts with a description of the how the holy trinity of Brhma, Vishnu and Rudra do their respective jobs of creation, governance and destruction as – 'jagat soote dhãtã' – 'hari: avati' – 'rudra: kshapayate' – 'जगत्सूते धाता' – 'हरि: अवति' – 'रुद्र: क्षपयते'.  Then are added the next two jobs also that the 'Pancha Kritya Murthy-s' have to do such as 'Tirodãna and Anugraha'.  One of them is Easwara who hides the reality by Maya 'easha: tirayati' – 'ईश: तिरयति'.  So though Easwara as we understand is the Lord, the Ruler, he is also one of the five 'Pancha Kritya Murthy-s' only!  The real Empress is the 'எஜமானியம்மா' who details and gets the work done by the five main appointments.  She does not believe in sending circulars and memos or even verbal commands!  She is the 'Maha Rãgni; and the officers will respond for the slightest indications by her!  For a fraction of a second the creeper like eye brows of hers may move ever so slightly – look at the way the words have come about 'kshaNa: – chalitayo: – broo: – latikayo:' – 'क्षण: - चलितयो: - ब्रू: - लतिकयो:'; that is considered as your command 'tava ãgnyãm ãlambya' – 'तव आज्ञ्यां आलम्ब्य', they do all their respective jobs!

764.            Though she is said to have all the pomp and show here, it is still a bit of a come down than the beginning where she is said to be worshipped by the Tri-Murthys with devotion!  There she was the deity and they were the devotees.  Here however much she may pull her weight of authority and they may salute her, still the relationship is somewhat lower as between the queen and the servants when compared to that between the beloved divine being and the Bhakta!  One amongst the servants who does the job of 'Tirodãna' of hiding the reality from the eyes of the people of the world has a very big name as 'Easwara'!  Of course he is powerful enough to tie up everybody including the other three Murthys – 'tiraskurvan etat' – 'तिरस्कुर्वन एतत्'. Not only that, without knowing that he is doing that, he hides his own power from his self – 'swayam api vapu: eashas tirayati' – 'स्वयम् अपि वपु: ईश: तिरयति', it is said!

(To be continued.)

Sambhomahadeva