DEIVATHIN KURAL # 03 (Vol # 7) Dated 29 June 2013

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 03 (Vol # 7) Dated 29 June 2013

(These e-mails are translations of talks given by PeriyavãL 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 14 of Volume 7 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 continually)

20.           Maha Vishnu has more than a thousand names vide Vishnu Sahasranãma and Purusha Suktam which says that God has thousands of heads, eyes and feet – 'sahasra seershã purusha: sahasrãksha sahara paat, sa bhoomim visvato vruthva atyadishtat dwashãngulam' – 'सहस्र शीर्षा पुरुष: सहस्राक्ष सहस्र पात स भूमिं विश्वतोव्रुत्वा अत्यदिष्टत द्वशान्गुलम्'.  Purusha Suktam further says that he is omnipresent in that, he is in every part of the space from the earth to all Universe as well as present in ten inches!    You can take it as an enormously huge being like some of the animated and digitalised characters that roam about the screens of cinema / TV / laptops and so many of the electronic gadgets or  as the in-dweller in all human beings and living things.  Till that idol was being venerated as the family deity by the Ikshvaku Royal Dynasty, it must have been referred as Maha Vishnu or Sesha Sayee.  How did the name Ranga Sayee come about? 

21.          The word 'Ranga' in Sanskrit and so in Tamil also, could mean colour as well as an amphitheatre or stage or platform.  You might have heard of the word 'Arangam' – 'அரங்கம்' meaning a stage and the hall in which people are assembled.  The one running the World Drama has to do so in a theatre isn't it?  When he does so as Parameswara, the place where he does it as a dance-presentation is in Chidambaram.  His Arangam or Sabha is known as 'Chit Sabha'.  As it is a golden arena, it is also known as the 'Kanaka Sabha'.  All the organizations and associations, that run music / dance / drama events on stage in the city, call themselves as 'Sabha' only, isn't it?  Here Chit Sabha and Sri Rangam match each other as the respective arenas of Siva and Vishnu.

22.          Making use of the words as they are generally understood I said 'music / dance / drama' events.  In Bharatha's reference book of 'Nãtya Sãstrã' this word 'Nãtyam' includes all these three mediums of music, dance and drama.  The Sanskrit 'nata' – 'नट' is the root word for, Natanam, Nãtyam, and the Tamil word 'nadappadu' – 'நடப்பது' indicating walking or any movement or event.  For the dancing father when there is a Temple, Arangam, Stage, Kanaka Sabha and Kovil – 'all in one'; PiLLaiyar's uncle, this creator of this drama of a dream like world in his dreams, there had to be an arena or stage.  Hence he named this island as 'Rangam'. The CEO of this world, (that is his dream, of which he is the master creator and administrator) as the King of the Arena, was titled by PiLLaiyar as the – Ranga Raja.  Since he is in the reclining position, doing all this in his 'Yoga Nidra', he came to be known as Sri Ranga Sayee!

PiLLaiyar's Leela and its Aptness

23.          I do not know what the Sthala PurãNam says, as I do not remember clearly.  May be the idol was already known as Ranga and possibly the Vimana of the statue was known as Sri Rangam.  I do remember however that, it is a VaishNava Sthala PurãNa, and that there was no mention of Vinãyaka there.   The Sozha King at the time of Sri Rama was Dharma Varma, as till date the outer periphery of that temple is known as 'Dharma Varman Surtru'.  This Sozha King did tapasya for a long period to get the family deity of Ikshvaku Vamsam, visit his kingdom,  So, when the idol was brought here, once put down on the ground it got established permanently, as per the Sthala PurãNam.  But what is more widely known is the prank played by PiLLaiyar, and as the story goes on, it only confirms the Saiva – VaishNava balance and Samarasam.

24.          How did the story progress?  PiLLaiyar ran and ran to the top of the hillock in Trichy.  Vibhishana chased him.  Finally PiLLaiyar condescended enough to be captured by Vibhishana who had his satisfaction by giving Kuttu on his head and as evidence of that the 'Uchchi PiLLaiyar' has three marks or dents in his pate.  Normally PiLLaiyar is to be seen in easily accessible places like where roads meet or the village squire under a huge tree like Arasa / Aala Maram, on the banks of river / lake / wells where people are likely to assemble or come to collect water.  It is very rare for him to be seen on hill tops unlike his younger brother SubrahmaNya who prefers hill tops!  This further confirms PiLLaiyar's running away and being cornered there that he had to condescend to come in to the clutches of Vibhishana and get the three 'Kuttu' on his head.  In this itself there is also the 'Tatva Artha' of connecting the Moola Ãdhãra and Sahasrãra, which I shall not elaborate now. 

25.          In this connection between Sri Ranganatha and Vigneshwara, there is one more link.  You remember that the very person who toppled Agasthya's Kamandalu and let the River Cauvery flow is PiLLaiyar, in the form of a crow as I told you.  Like Vibhishana in this story, Agasthya also ran after him with folded fists.  The crow became a Brhmachari boy like in this story.  There even before getting the Kuttu on the head, PiLLaiyar displayed his real Roopa.  "Oh God!" said Agasthya, "What a mistake I was going to commit.  For this I should punish myself in redemption", and did 'Dobir karaNam and gave himself three Kuttu-s.  This act became a tradition to be followed by all devotees of Ganapathy.  These two stories while complementing each other further connect up Maha Vishnu.

26.          This place where toppling of Agasthya's Kamandalu occurred was under a goose berry tree in the Sahayadri Mountains and that is the starting point of the Cauvery River.  That goose berry tree was Sãkshãt Maha Vishnu himself!  One Amsam of Vishnu's Mahã Mãyã became a woman as Lopãmudra, who became Agasthya's wife and who was in his Kamandalu as Teertam, water in the Kamandalu.  It is this Lopãmudra who became Cauvery River!  Then Vishnu Bhagawan told her, "Like the Ganges, you have had the 'pãda sparsanam' – 'touch of my feet' now.  Later you will have 'sarvãnga sparsanam' when you flow as the River Cauvery you will be able hug me with both your arms as Ubaya Cauvery", He said.  To give such a boon that day, it was PiLLaiyar who had initiated the process with a 'PiLLaiyar Suzhi' to let her flow through the roots of that Goose Berry Tree, that enabled the establishment of Sri Ranga Sayee's temple to come up in this island between the two arms of Cauvery.  So it is in the fitness of things, that in the language of poets it is fit to be called, 'sãla poruttam' isn't it?

The Earlier Anecdote of PiLLaiyar's Meeting with RavaNa

27.          I will tell you one more thing to further balance between Saivam and Vaishnavam, the story about the elder brother of Vibhishana and PiLLaiyar.  If Vibhishana got the Ranganatha Vigraha from Sri Rama, on an earlier occasion his elder brother RavaNa also got the 'Ãtma Lingam' from Siva himself in Kailãsa.  That was the time when RavaNa was roaming about on top of the earth showing off his mighty prowess to the whole world.  He had gone to the Himalayas and wanted to shake up the Kailãsa Mountain with his bare hands.  Siva knew as to what was happening.  He nudged the mountain with his right toe and RavaNa was stuck like a wedge.  He was a great Siva Bhakta.  Slowly he started singing the ancient rhymes of 'Sãma Gãna'.  Then slowly he extricated himself and started playing on the VeeNa, for the hearing pleasure of Siva.  Having punished him for the mischief of trying to move the mountain, in appreciation of his singing and playing on the VeeNa, Siva presented him with an idol of Siva Lingam known as 'Ãtma Lingam' after warning him that till ceremoniously installed where required, the idol was not to be placed on the ground.

28.          Situation is very similar to the Vibhishana's story.  PiLLaiyar was noticing the events and was looking for a suitable opportunity and place to come in!  This place was Gokarna, an island like Dwaraka of the west coast of the mainland, a little south of Goa.  When RavaNa was thinking of morning ablutions, PiLLaiyar came in front of him as a young Brhmachari and obediently accepted with a similar promise that if required, he would call for RavaNa three times.  Without any need for further elaboration, RavaNa also fell for the ruse and the Ãtma Lingam was established permanently at Gokarna.  The three dents on the head is very clearly seen as whosoever was the sculptor had done it so realistically without giving too much importance to the normal identification marks in a statue of PiLLaiyar, (such as his prominent head, the noticeable trunk, huge tummy and the ivory tusks,) but the three dents on the top of the head with the hands hanging as though resigned to his fate, that the onlooker virtually sympathises with the poor boy!  Despite his well-known power and prowess, RavaNa could not move the Ãtma Lingam.  As even the 'balam' or power of RavaNa had been annulled, the Siva Lingam there is famous as 'Mahã Baleshwar'!  PiLLaiyar was equality personified in dealing with both elder and younger brothers and equally so in safe-guarding Ãtma Lingam and Ranganatha idols; at par between Saivam and VaishNavam!  Having prevented the elder brother from taking away the Siva Ling, would he let the younger brother take away the Ranga Sayee idol?  The earlier incident proves the veracity of our story of Sri Ranga!

The Uniqueness of Bharat Desh – that is India

29.          OK Swami!  So, it all means that PiLLaiyar did not wish to let the divine statues go out of this country of India, You say.  What does it mean?  Is it reasonable and should PiLLaiyar be partial to one country like this?  I answer such questions with a counter question.  When you water the plants, where do you put the water, on the leaves or flowers or the roots?  Sprinkling of water on the leaves and the body of the plant may be required at times, on a hot summer evening to make it feel cool.  But normally if you water the base, from the root the water reaches every part of the plant, as required isn't it?  If you think of the world as a plant, Bharat Desh is the root.  If you think of the world as a living entity, India is the heart for all divine and spiritual matters.  So, if we do the religious activities here, the salubrious and salutary effect will reach every part of the globe. 

30.          In the way that God has created this world, some places have excellent climate all through the year, some are moderate and some are extremes.  Some are snow bound and some are full of green forests.  Some get rains, some are seasonal and some are dry mostly.  So there is trade and commerce in almost all materials produced by man and naturally occurring materials.  In such a set-up, India is meant to be the power-house, the spiritual power-house.  Like the heart supplies and receives blood from all parts of the body, India is the Heart of the world for all divine and spiritual matters.  If you take the world and even Universe as the Viswa-Virãt Roopa of God, this Bharat Desh – this India is the producer, supplier of the divine force to the rest of the world.  Like the doctor may apply a medicine or bandage or a tourniquet to any part of the body, if and when required, religious processes may go on, on any part of the world, some times.  But here it must go on for the sake of every body-part, all the time!  Religious discourses, Pooja-s, Dhyãna, PãrãyaNa, conduct of festivals, celebrations, Yagas and such things must go on forever, for the world to continue to benefit as our message has always been, "lokã: samasthã: sukhino bhavantu – sarve janã: sukhino bhavantu" – "लोका: समस्ता: सुखिनो भवन्तु – सर्वे जना:सुखिनो भवन्तु" meaning, 'Let all the worlds be comfortable and happy – let all the people be comfortable and happy'!

(To be continued.)

Sambhomahadeva

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 02 (Vol # 7) Dated 27 June 2013

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 02 (Vol # 7) Dated 27 June 2013

(These e-mails are translations of talks given by PeriyavãL 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 07 of Volume 7 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 continually)

11.                    It is true that as compared to the number of Siva temples on the Cauvery bank the VaishNava temples are much less.  But, PiLLaiyar has given the VaishNavas a pride of place on the Cauvery bank as not available to the Saivites.  When Saivites say 'the Kovil' they refer only to the Chidambaram temple that is not on the Cauvery bank!  Similarly, when Vaishnavites refer to 'the Kovil', it is the Ranganatha Temple situated on a land with Cauvery on either side, lovingly known as 'Sri Rangam'!  The river here is known as 'Ubaya Cauvery'.  It is PiLLaiyar who has bestowed this honour on Vaishnavites!  How did that happen?

12.                    Sri Rama had given the statue of 'Sri Ranganatha' with its Vimana or mounting of the form of PraNava Roopa to Vibhshna, at the time of Sri Rama's coronation when they had returned to Ayodhya after the war.  This Sri Ranga Vigraham aka idol had traditionally been the family (Sri Rama's Ikshvaku Vamsam) deity to which they had been doing daily prayers to, for generations.  At the end of Sri Rama's Pattãbhishekam, he had honoured all the visitors with plenty of gold and presents.  He had wished to honour Vibhishana a little specially.  Both Sugrieva and Vibhishana had rebelled against their respective elder brothers on moral grounds.  But the difference was that Sugrieva was interested in getting his wife and leadership back, whereas Vibhishana was mainly keen on surrendering to Sri Rama, without any expectation of returns!  In fact amongst VaishNavas, Vibhishana is quoted as the model for sacrifice and surrender – 'thyaga and prapatti' – the two most admired qualities required in a Bhakta.  Hence, the award of the statue of his traditional family deity by Sri Rama, in particular recognition of Vibhishana's model behaviour, was carried out. 

13.          In fact when Vibhishana surrendered to Sri Rama just before the war on the battle field, all others such as Angada and Sugrieva suspected his motives except Hanuman.  At that time Sri Rama was pained to note that they were finding fault with a sincere devotee and so had to make a major declaration that, 'sakrud eva prapannãya tavãsmi iti yãchate |  abhayam sarva bhootebhyo dadhãn etat vratam mama ||' – 'सकृद् एव प्रपन्नाय तवास्मि इति याचते |  अभयं सर्व भूतेभ्यो दधान एतत् व्रतं मम ||' – meaning that,  "I, Sri Rama will stand by and save that person from all threats and  protect him from all dangers, whosoever surrenders unto me forever, this is my promise!"  Accordingly now at the time of giving leave to Vibhishana to return to Sri Lanka, he wished to go out of his way to give him something really valuable!  So he gave him the idol of his traditional family deity!  Leaving Ayodhya, Vibhishana had come way down south to this island around which Cauvery was flowing on both sides.  Vigneshwara, who was watching the drama for so long, now decided not to let go the statue of Ranganatha from the mainland of India and that too from the soil of Tamil Nãdu, from this land on either side of which there was this River flowing known as Ubaya Cauvery, as I said a little earlier! He simply tricked Vibhishana and ensured that Sri Ranganatha is installed then and there between Ubaya Cauvery immovably forever!

14.          The idols with Vimana already energised by years of pooja is not to be kept on bare ground as they will get installed and established on the spot forever.   Sri Rama had given a clear warning about this to Vibhishana while handing over the idol and told him that only after reaching Sri Lanka and necessary preparations for its instalment, is it to be placed on ground.  Till then he could hand over the idol to somebody else temporarily if required.  Vibhishana was alone without the normal entourage.  It was this factor exploited by PiLLaiyar.  He took the form of a young Brhmachari and came in front of Vibhishana while causing in him a desire to take a bath.  Vibhishana addressed the boy, "My dear Son!  Will you please be kind enough to hold this idol in your hands, till I take a dip in the river and come back?"  "Oh!  Yes Sir" said the boy.  "But please remember that it is not to be placed on the ground", said Vibhishana.  The boy agreed to that on the condition that if he feels the idol to be too heavy, he will call the elder man three times and Vibhishana agreed to that.  It was a pleasure to bathe in the running waters of the river and had almost gone to the other bank swimming.  PiLLaiyar called for Vibhishana three times quickly in staccato style and kept the statue down and it got established there forever!

15.          As the story goes, till then it was only a small sized statue as can be carried by a person, not very heavy, as they say 'portable size' only.  The kings of the Ikshvaku dynasty had been keeping that idol in their pooja traditionally for many generations at their home.  So we can presume that it must have been a small sized statue only, isn't it? But on the ground today it is a huge statue bigger than a normal human figure of someone happily reclining with the head resting on one hand with the other hand raised in 'abhaya hastam', from the back.  Around that statue there is a huge edifice of a temple now.  Having finished his bathing when Vibhishana came running, he was disappointed to see the statue on the ground!  He was very angry with the boy, but he was saying, "I called you three times.  It was too heavy and so, I had to put it down!" 

16.          Vibhishana tried to move the statue from the ground in vain.  He wanted to punish the boy and so came forward with raised hands to knock with the knuckles on the boy's head.  Then there was this chase, with the boy running away and Vibhishana running after him.  The chase ended only near Trichy Rock Fort.  PiLLaiyar, who had gone to the top of the hill there, (known as 'uchchi-piLLaiyar' – 'உச்சி பிள்ளையார்' meaning 'hill-top-PiLLaiyar' there), came down to let Vibhishana catch him.  He was condescending enough to let Vibhishana sate his anger by knocking on his head with his knuckles.  You can catch God only when He lets you, isn't it?  Krishna did a similar thing to Yashoda.  As she had had enough of his mischiefs, the Mother wanted to tie up the toddler Krishna with the 'UraL' – that is, the grinding  stone, for which she got hold of some ropes.  Then try as she may, she could never tie him up even after using yards and yards of rope!  She was sweating profusely.  Then Krishna permitted her to do as she wished and then only this act of tying him up to the grinding stone could be done!  Then that story goes on as to how, Krishna still crawled on his hands and knees like toddlers do, pulling the heavy grinding stone behind him and knocked down two Asuras standing in the way as two trees! Let us come back to our story!  Normally devotees of GaNesha while paying their obeisance, pull on their ears with the hands crossed on their chest and knock on their own heads with their knuckles, before doing sit ups three times while still pulling on their ears; asking pardon for all their past sins!  Here PiLLaiyar was getting some of it back!  That act of knocking on the head with the knuckles of closed fists is known as 'kuttu' – 'குட்டு', in Tamil.

17.          Immediately after that PiLLaiyar revealed his true identity to Vibhishana.  With that itself Vibhishana's anger and complaint was gone. To appease him further PiLLaiyar told him, "But do not worry.  Sri Ranganatha is lying facing south towards the direction in which you were proceeding only!  He will take good care of you and your people from here itself!  Though normally divine statues are never installed facing the southerly direction, here I have planted him on the ground in such a way that, He will continue to shower his grace and protection towards Sri Lanka, rest assured!"

Three Deities Facing the South: Saiva VaishNava Equality.

18.                    It is the father of Vigneshwara, DakshiNa Murthy who is solemnly sitting facing South in eternal silence, instructing his four disciples through that 'Mauna' which is said to be most eloquent!  Then there is PiLLaiyar's father once again as Nataraja in Chidambaram dancing his ebullient 'Ãnanda Thãndavam' or 'Koothu' facing the South!  Now PiLLaiyar has made his uncle that is, mother's brother also to face the south!  While DakshiNa Murthy is sitting as an immobile statue totally unaware of the world, Nataraja is causing the entire universe to rotate and spin in eternal motion!  But this PerumaL is in deep sleep – 'ananta sayanam'.  Of course like DakshiNa Murthy, he is also in Samadhi only, but they call it 'Nidra'.  Of course he is also in Samadhi only but it is said to be 'Nidra' because, he is a magician – Mãyãvi   whose actions are beyond our understanding.  As we create a dream world in our dreams, populated with all that is there in this world with people, animals, birds, plants and places; this so-called world of creation is said to be his, PerumãL's dream world! So, while remaining in a Samadhi like DakshiNa Murthy, simultaneously he is also in a dream creating, running and managing this world.  So to dream he has to sleep, isn't it?  So, he resorts to 'Nidra'.  If all others go into Samadhi sitting up straight, he does it his Mãyãvi style, lying in Nidra.  So this is given a special name as 'Yoga Nidra'!  We sleep with our 'Arivu' in a state of suspended animation, whereas He is animating the whole world by his 'Arivu'.  So there is a beautiful word in Tamil for this rare sleep as – 'Arithuyil' – 'அறிதுயில்'.  'Thuyil' in Tamil means sleep and when Hari is in Thuyil it is Hari's sleep as well as a rare sleep and so it is 'Arithuyil'.

19.          When daddy's Samadhi statue and active, dynamic dance-state statue are both facing south, his uncle's combined samadhi-sleep-dream-business-state statue should also be facing south; PiLLaiyar must have decided!  When he got hold of the Ranganatha statue from Vibhishana Ãzhvãr, (PeriyavãL says smilingly with the tongue in the cheek humour), as the customs officer seizes our treasure like statues from being smuggled out of our country to foreign lands; he also must have taken cognizance of the fact with extreme compassion that, Sri Rama's Anugraha for such a great devotee as Vibhishana Ãzhvãr should not be interfered with in any way; and so the statue should be installed in the most appropriate of places, in the island between the two branches of Cauvery on either side, overseeing Sri Lanka.  Simultaneously the child in him must have taken great pleasure in making the uncle do what his daddy is already doing, that is overseeing the South!  Like daddy, like uncle!  There is also equality between Easwara and PerumãL in the process.  So then, it also happened that, Sri Ranganatha as Rangaraja got the status as the King of all such PerumãL temples in 108 Divya Desas!  So also, the Saivites consider the Nataraja Temple in Chidambaram as their 'Kovil' and Vaishnavites consider the Rangaraja temple in Sri Rangam as their 'Kovil'; both are 'Kovil', both are 'Rajas' and both are overseeing the South!  Equality and amity that is Samarasam between these two major arms of Hinduism continues!

(To be continued.)

Sambhomahadeva

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 01 (Vol # 7) Dated 25 June 2013

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 01 (Vol # 7) Dated 25 June 2013

(These e-mails are translations of talks given by PeriyavãL 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 01 of Volume 7 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 continually)

(Readers may please note that in earlier times, what was Madras Presidency was inclusive of states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala (other than Travancore) and parts of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh short of Krishna River in the North.  Anyhow the whole of South India, south of Vindhya Hills had a similar culture and common heritage.)

விநாயகரும் தமிழும் - இவரும் தமிழ் தெய்வமே!

Vinãyaka & Tamil – He is also a Tamil God!

1.             If there is a God, it is common for all the people of the world though, everybody will adore that God as their own calling by whatever name!      In this, we Tamilians have SubrahmaNya Swami, claiming him to be our favourite, calling him as 'Murugan' we have stamped him as our own Tamil God!  In my opinion, his elder brother GaNesha aka Vinãyaka is also a Tamil Deivam, as much as his younger brother or even more so.   So we should not be separating those two brothers, but think of them, do pooja to them, and pray to them together always.  We should think of both of them as 'tamizh deivangaL' – 'தமிழ் தெய்வங்கள்' only.  So as to officially declare them as Tamil Gods, I am going to bring a resolution.  The resolution has to be 'passed' isn't it?  For that I am going to fight for and place before you solid reasons and proof.  I am certain that you will pass my resolution unanimously!   

To-days Politics is Full of Fissiparous Tendencies.

2.            I spoke about passing a resolution and fighting for it out of fun only.  Till the Britishers were here, there was this intension to fight with them and they called it 'peaceful fight' and 'War of Ahimsa'.  In fact except for Mahatma Gandhi and a few who were faithfully his followers, the majority without undergoing any of the sacrifices or deprivations of war, had the same amount of disgust for the white-man's rule.  So there is nothing wrong in my saying that I am going to fight, in the way of Ahimsa.  Though from the 'asethu-himachalam' that is, from the Southern Tip of India to the Himalayas, we were united together, from the day the Britishers started packing their luggage, our integration was a thing of the past and internecine differences and quarrels started based on caste, creed, sub-divisions of caste, inter-state/district or even between taluka and streets; full of hate, mutual distrust and competitiveness, everybody claiming special rights with arguments, debates, innuendoes, objections and protests; we are becoming good for nothing except fighting and quarrelling with each other!  Qualities such as adjustment, accommodation, discipline, sacrifice, love, hard-work and such things seem to be things of the past and most importantly, feelings of nationality seems to be lost forever. There is no body to talk about these things after Gandhi and his direct followers are no more!

3.            Once they decided to give votes for all adults calling it 'Universal Franchise', politicians started creating their own majority or minority within sections of the society and on the grounds of fighting for their rights, using that as the 'Brhma Astram', tapping that portion as a captive vote bank.  In doing so, they have created more and more rifts and mutual enemies.  That is how politics is being conducted in this country now-a-days vitiating the very basis of democracy.  In the bargain the entire population of this country has lost track of its high human ideals of the past and deteriorating day by day with an outward display of name sake oneness!  It is a regretful and shameful state of affairs that we could unite only when faced with a common enemy and within ourselves we have no integrity whatsoever.  Without even a show of decency, there is open war between factions of the people, that I am afraid of a likely scenario as it happened with the Yadu Kulam at the time of Krishna's demise.

4.             In the existing situation, the most dreadful factor is that, the political and other so-called leaders of the country do not seem to be aware of the inherent danger of balkanization of the country!  There is something known as Dharma, which is the combination of individual righteousness and collective humane attitude and behaviour.  It is this Dharma which has given the culture of this country a place of prominence unmatched in terms of excellence and longevity; with ability to adapt and refine with changes over time, without sacrificing tradition!  This has been going on for many Yugas and not just thousands of years, this power of Dharma.  It is very sad to note that, even by chance to-day, the so-called leaders of this country do not seem to be talking about this power of Indian righteousness of Dharma at all!  Other than confabulating by hook or crook as to how to win the elections, they do not seem to be talking about our Dharma!  When winning the elections is the only priority, it leads to being prepared for all immoral Adharma activities. If the Britishers in their time exploited all the cleavages and sowed the seeds of sorrow to create more divisions; after getting independence from them, instead of correcting those wrongs the general attitude now seems to be one of further creating new divisions and enlarging the existing ones, uncaring for Dharma and Adharma with winning elections as the only main criteria.  An election won by such methods means that after the elections, your main aim will be to make money in every which way and possibly political vendetta.  As a result what suffers most is proper governance!

5.            While such is the situation existing, when everybody is asking for special rights creating further isms, like adding further fuel to the fire, if I instigate you to ask for one more so-called right of Tamil people; that Vinãyaka who is common for all will not spare me unpunished!  In fact both PiLLaiyar and SubrahmaNya are All-India or Universal Gods only.  There is enough evidence to prove that point.  First I must place before you two arguments of the other side, that is, contrary arguments against what I am going to prove.  Knowledgeable historical researchers, claiming that they have unearthed the truth, say further adding to divisions, two arguments.  One is that, PiLLaiyar was introduced to South India only during Nrusimha Varma Pallava Raja's time when his commander of the Army, Senãpathy Paranjyoti, later in his life known as Siruthonda Nãyanãr, brought the Ganapathy statue to Tamil Nadu after defeating the army of Chalukhyas in Vãtãpi!  Prior to that PiLLaiyar was not known to Tamil Nadu at all they say and that he is not a 'தமிழ் தெய்வம்' but imported stuff' is one of the arguments.

6.            Second one is that, Muruga is originally a Tamil local God whom North India has borrowed and created Mantras, Agama and pea-cock & cock stories around him if not cock and bull stories!  There is enough proof that both stories of import of GaNesa and export of Muruga are fictitious.  I do not want to take part in these disputes further, agitating people's minds and become liable to be accused of instigating conflicts.  But on the other hand, I do not want to commit the sin of being ungrateful to PiLLaiyar, who has been so beneficial to Tamilians both for 'இம்மையிலும் மறுமையிலும்' aka Iham and Param.  So let me do Namaskãr to him for all the wonderful grace he has showered on us, without putting forward any 'Rights Issue' and starting a new agitation!

Contribution for 'Immai'

7.            If we take 'Immai' aka Iham that is, this worldly life; for consideration, the greatest benefit for Tamil Nãdu is from the River Cauvery and who has let that river flow through our lands?  It is PiLLaiyar's contribution only isn't it?  He went to the Kodagu hills in the form of a crow and toppled Agasthya's Kamandalu that the River Cauvery started flowing through Tamil Nãdu.  Otherwise this part of the world would have been famous as the Deserts of Tamil Nãdu!  It is PiLLaiyar's contribution that we have all this flora and fauna and plentiful water for the coming into being of a Cauvery Valley Civilization with its own identity and character!

Contribution for 'Marumai'

8.            Now taking note of advantages accruing for 'Marumai' that is, for Param meaning one's inner spiritual life, PiLLaiyar's contribution in other words Cauvery Rivers contribution, (the river being his gift to Tamil Nãdu) has been immense! All over the world we do see that like the Nile and Indus Valley Civilizations, rivers are like life-lines for the coming into being of major human flowering of culture and ennoblement of human character.  When the conditions of existence are harsh, all the time and efforts are spent on the art of survival only.  But when life is easy in terms of easy availability of water, ease of agriculture and pleasant environment; there is more time for the development of arts and crafts, sculpture, dance and drama, literature and thinking about philosophy and such other interests.  Thus in Tamil Nãdu it is all due to Cauvery and due to Vigneshwara who let that river flow.  (KTSV Sarma adds: - That to-day various political entities of Karnataka are doing their level best not to let water in to that river, is very much on the lines of how we have been behaving after independence as described by PeriyavãL in the earlier paragraphs!)  This Cauvery Valley Civilization is not about some historical events of the past.  It is an on-going civilization that has withstood the tests of time!  It is not only epitomised by endearing and ennobling human behaviour of hospitality and care of others but also, the high peaks of human endeavour and excellence in arts, crafts, science, culture, music, dance, drama and most importantly the pinnacles reached by a steady stream of great Mahatmas who have been sired by the soil, who have contributed for the Marumai – the inner development of human being, the other worldly benefits of spiritual progress and self-realization.  All that has been made possible by kind courtesy Cauvery River, for which we have to be thankful forever to Vigneshwara!

9.            Instead of remaining only as satisfaction and pleasure for the senses, whether it be through sculpture or painting, dance or music; the community centres where these arts were born, nurtured and built up were the temples, which also contributed immensely to inspire and elevate man to higher inner plane through devotion to divinity.  The daily, periodic and seasonal rituals and celebrations in the temples paved the way for such human development.  For your information the number of famous temples located on southern and northern banks of Cauvery will not be matched anywhere else in the world in terms of numbers, size, and being acclaimed by great saints through songs like Thevãram of the Saivites and Nãlãyira Divya Prabandam of the Vaishnavites!  To put it in other words, Tamil Nãdu must be the leading most in terms of the total number of temples per square mile or Kilometre in the whole world and within Tamil Nãdu the either side of Cauvery banks must be tops! 

10.          Amongst stations of interest to Saivites, those which have been mentioned in the songs by Nãyanmãrs such as Appar, Sundarar, Sambandar, and MaNikka Vãsagar are known as 'Pãdal Pertra Sthalangal' totalling some 274.  Out of them some 90 temple-towns are on either side of Cauvery River in Sozha Nãdu.  Similarly the places about which the Ãzhvãrs have sung songs are known as 'Divya Desam' totalling 108.  Out of them 40 are on the banks of Cauvery within Sozha Nãdu.  Rest of the temple-towns are distributed between Sera/Malai Nãdu or Kerala, Pãndya Nãdu, Thondai Nãdu (in the south), Nadu Nãdu and Vada Nãdu (in the northern part of the state), of what is the Tamil Land.

(To be continued.)

Sambhomahadeva

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 191 (Vol # 6) Dated 23 June 2013

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 191 (Vol # 6) Dated 23 June 2013

(These e-mails are translations of talks given by PeriyavãL 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 1325 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)

தீர்காயுளும் வேண்டுவதே

Longevity Also Required

1.             We acclaim that Hanuman is 'Chiranjeevi' that is, having eternal life and then in the same breath we also say that a sinner lives long!  Longevity without good health is a curse, as we experience more and more physical discomforts, inconveniences and problems.  The body becomes sluggish, our senses of sight, hearing, smell and responses get adversely affected.  Digestion gets bad with these problems having a cumulative effect!  In such a state, long life will be a burden; the result of our past sins.  These are the individual's own problems.  Then there are other problems such as, people of the next generation or the next dying before your eyes.  Those whom we love most seem to pass away earlier!  This is the period of Kali Yuga, remember?  So, every day if there is an increase in individual, collective, social, organizational, and governmental errors, blunders and faux-pas; which are unintended anyhow, then there are breaking of rules, felonies, arsons, atrocities, political killing, breaking of law and order and vendetta.   Then after all this, there is this ogre of corruption from the grass root level to top echelons of the government, governmental misrule, tyranny; terrorism and natural calamities!  Thus longevity seems to be a punishment for our past sins rather than an endowment, as we have to face such events galore in one's life!

2.            Then the question arises as to why did Sri Rama punish thus, this Ãnjaneya Swami, who was the foremost amongst his ardent followers, instead of taking him along to Parama Padam, telling him to, "Live as a Chiranjeevi (immortal) on earth"?  Why did Sri Rama, who had taken the whole lot of people of Ayodhya 'lock stock and barrel' to Parama Padam, deceive this No. 1 fan of his?  On a deeper analysis, we will know that it is not a punishment but an award only.  More than for him, for us the people of this world, it is Sri Rama's gift!  Our ÃchãryãL refers to him as 'Anjanã Bhãgyam' in 'Hanumat Pancha Ratnam' sloka 2, that it is his Mother's good-luck that he was born to her!  That happens to be all our Bhãgyam also.  The purity that knows no desire with such Bhakti, Gnãna, fearlessness, bravery and efficiency!  Just to think of him that, despite being so valiant and powerful, uncaring for any personal benefit, as a slave of Sri Rama he could devote   his entire life in the service of Sri Rama; is to soak in such blissful devotion ourselves.  That is our prise and award!

3.            By showing such an exemplary person as our model, Sri Rama has ensured that there will be at least some light flickering as a beacon in some corner of the world that, Sri Rama has arranged for Ãnjaneya to continue to stay here on earth.  Though he is invisible to our eyes, he has ensured that we will be aware of his presence by certain tell-tale marks and indicators.  That is why, though there are supposed to be six other Chiranjeevi-s namely Aswattãma, Bali, Vyãsa, Krupa, Parasurama and Vibhishana, it is only the presence of Hanuman that is fully felt by the masses!  Similarly there are other great devotees of other aspects of God such as, Garuda Ãzhvãr, Ãdi Sesha, Nandi and Chandikeswara; it is only Ãnjaneya Hanuman whom the world over, is referred as a great devotee and revered!  His continued stay with us is alright and wonderful for us; but how does he take this point of having to share with all of us, good-for-nothing characters?

4.            His real greatness lies in this only.  He does not take this worldly life too seriously real as we do.  In his views the whole world is a drama stage in which, all the characters are enacted by the same Sri Rama.  In that drama, he is adorning the role of the man who has the task of removing all Adharma, injustices, cruelties and work for upholding of justice, Dharma and good-sense.  Like an actor on stage, he knows that all parts of hero and villain are that of Sri Ramachandra Murthy only, he goes about his task without carrying any ill-will towards other actors on the stage!  That is how he fought against all injustices.  Here one is reminded of Shakespeare's 'All the world's a stage dialogue': -

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players. 
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.
Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then, a soldier,
Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden, and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lined,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slippered pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side,
His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank, and his big, manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange, eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything
(William Shakespeare is almost there, but a little short of totality of understanding that in life's stage, all the parts are played by the same one God as so many!)

5.            Like Badrãchala Ramadasa's 'antã rama mayam' song, when you know that all the parts are enacted by Rama and all that happens in the world is but enactment on stage, how can one be troubled by longevity, that too when you also never suffer by old age?  You know that you do not have to go somewhere else for a Parama Padam or heaven, but here and now is the omnipresence of the bliss of Moksha!  So it can never be a punishment for Hanuman!  'OK, he may not think of it as a punishment, but what is there in it for his taking it as an award?'  Yes, there is award!  Though everything is the same Rama, more than that Adwaitam, there is a higher level of Anandam to be experienced which Rama had kept in the 'Rama Nama' itself!  By repeatedly chanting, merging and meditating on the 'Rama Nama', Hanuman had become the essence of that taste of that name! Without his knowing, like a lamp that spreads light in all directions, the rays of devotion from him are kindling Rama Bhakti, devotion to God in minds of the people.  Though only a fraction of his intensity could come out, it is permeating in all directions of the globe, spreading spirituality in the midst of all that is negative and contrary to goodness; kindling and instigating Bhakti like bits of forest fires here and there!  If and when 'Rama Nama' from the world at large falls in his ears, happiness and thrill will effervesce from him like from a spring.  Like from a huge pot of water you pick up some in a smaller vessel and pour it back and what do you see?   It looks as if the water in the big pot is jumping up in all direction receiving the water back in fulfilment of anticipation and joy!  Like that he will experience a peculiar joy!  If there is Rama Nama Bhajan in the Heavens too, it would only be like a lighted candle in Sunlight, nothing much to be noticed or talked about!  As light is more noticeable in darkness, it is in our world of inner darkness that the Nama Deepa (the light of God's names) shines more brightly.  Only the mouth that has bitten on the hot chilly appreciates the taste of sugar candy, isn't it?  To serve the common masses through Rama Nama is of special interest for Ãnjaneya!  So he is also happy in being retained here in the world instead of being consigned to some heaven like Parama Padam, it seems.  There is nothing for him to do in the heavens or anything to look forward to either!  He loves the role that he is playing.  Only on the earth he could keep spreading the radiation of righteousness and Bhakti.  What is the use of such things in Parama Padam, like 'Is there a need for rain in the oceans?'  Where there is drought, there should be rain and so Hanuman will consider his eternal life on earth to be a great boon.

6.            If loved ones die earlier, elders do not feel sad.  If life is like a drama, there will be actors walking in when required and walking out when their part is over.  If life is a drama, death is also a drama only.  Does it ever happen that all the characters come in together and go back together?  When people were killed in the war, it is nowhere mentioned that Hanuman cried for any of them.  Then when he brought the Sanjivini herb for Rama and Lakshmana, many of the soldiers who had died earlier were revived.  Hanuman did not do a 'Bhãngra' dance for that or shout 'Ole Ole!'  Then at the end of the war, Sri Rama got a boon from Indra for reviving all the dead.  There was no reaction from Ãnjaneya for that either.  He was far above being affected by these meetings and separations of birth and death in life. 

7.            He never was affected by these old age related problems.  He had a body that was hard like a granite – Vajra Sareeri – known as 'Bajrang Bhali' in the Hindi speaking North India, which means that he is as strong as the thunder-bolt that is the weapon of Indra called the Vajra!  But the point I am making is that he would not have bothered by deafness or blindness or any such debility either but, would have accepted them all as part of life's role-playing!  Do not actors, play act the role as the blind Surdas or Dhrutarashtra happily?  If by our old age debility we are being a burden on others, he would have taken that also in his stride, as an opportunity to enable them to reduce some of their negative Karma balances!  If he was ill-treated by others, he would have still been happy that by our stoic tolerance we can reduce our own back-balances of Karma!  If ever he can be a debilitated- Ãnjaneya, that is how he would have taken it. 

8.            The gist of my statement is that, if we develop the attitude to look at the world as the Drama conducted by God, we can never feel agitated or dejected or bored.  Then old age or whatever cannot affect us adversely.  The taste of dramatics is much more here on earth than any heaven of Parama Padam!  There if we think of God in a well maintained place, on a high pedestal in rich and sparkling splendour in heavens; so is he here too in temples.  But here that magician is also play acting in a whole lot of variegated roles!  All that we have to do is to bring that perspective to see God in all human beings and non-human beings; in animals and other life forms; in flora and fauna; and in nature in all its splendour!  'Variety is the spice of life' says the English proverb.  Heavens cannot be so interesting.  Oh! God!  What variety, what magic, anger, fear, sadness, disgust, laughter, humour, so many forms, colours, shades, sizes, textures, gradations; if only we develop the child's perspective of wonder; there can never be a dull moment in our lives!  Then we will look at God and keep saying, "அலகிலா விளையாட்டு உடையான் அன்னவர்க்கே சரண் நாங்களே", and "மனித்த பிறவியும் வேண்டுவதே" – 'meaning that God is of immeasurable playfulness and we are asunder unto Him & human life is also essential [if life is to be understood and get over that cycle of life and birth!]'.  Then to be born as a human being will be understood to be needed and essential and we can take life in the right perspective and have the right attitude!  Then whether we all become Chiranjeevi or not, Longevity is very much required as it is our custom to give blessings / Asirvadam as elders to people of the younger generation to say, "deerga ãyushmãn bhãva dhida gãtra siddhirastu" – "दीर्ग आयुष्मान भव धिड गात्र सिद्धिरस्तु", meaning 'May you live long with excellent health', is all appropriate and quite meaningful!  Anyhow today, Ãnjaneya Swami has come in my talk and blessed you all, through my words!

"மங்களம்"

(With this Vol # 6 comes to an end.)

(Deivathin Kural Volume # 7 commences in the next e-mail.)

Sambhomahadeva

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 190 (Vol # 6) Dated 21 June 2013

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 190 (Vol # 6) Dated 21 June 2013

(These e-mails are translations of talks given by PeriyavãL 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 middle of page No 1316 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)

1127.      There are many words with shades of differences for humbleness such as modesty, humility, chastity, contentment and subsidence are all 'adakkam' (that is, contained or included) in the Tamil word 'adakkam'.  Hence, there is a Tamil saying, 'adakkam amararuL uikkum adangãmai ãriruL uithuvidum' – 'அடக்கம் அமரருள் உய்க்கும், அடங்காமை ஆரிருள் உய்த்துவிடும்', meaning 'humility can easily fetch you amongst the immortal beings and arrogance will reach you to eternal darkness or damnation! So, if we thus start being subservient to Parãshakti, in the end we will become inalienably one with her in Adwaitam!  As this last sloka teaches us a lesson in 'adakkam', it paves the way for quintessence of all education that is, Brhma Vidya and its soul and substance the Adwaita Anubhava!  This is the Phala Sruti unsaid by our ÃchãryãL – the surprise bonanza.  Only when you have someone as the doer or Karta, the 'I' or me, then only that someone will bargain for the effect of one's actions.  If he slowly and gradually reduces himself to a perfect zero of nullity, he or she does not vanish but, only the pride is erased!  How to achieve this Adakkam with a capital A?

1128.      But, how to subside the mind and ego?  The only way is to think of Parãshakti.  Since we do not know as to how she will look like and in what form she will come before us, she is beyond our thinking.  But here in Soundarya Lahari, ÃchãryãL has picturized her in a way that we can understand and comprehend.  By his words of expression he has drawn a complete picture from the head to foot, adding beauty to beauty from her crown, ('kireetam te haimam' – 'किरीटं ते हैमं', meaning your crown is the snow of Himalayas), decorating every part of her body, face, neck, hands, wrist, hips and feet with ornaments of beautiful words with beautiful meanings; finally making himself a trinket in her feet!  To decorate her by words and thoughts is the medicine for putting down our ego and pride.  As our ego subsides, if we return those items which are the cause of our ego such as mind, intelligence and abilities, back to her as her ornaments; that will effectively put a full-stop to our conceit.  When not only words, any art, any capability or knowledge, if they are assigned as her gift and returned back, the sense of me and mine will automatically dissipate.  That attitude itself will become a tool for self-improvement and ennoblement. 

1129.      Thus, our ÃchãryãL has devised an easy gadget, by describing the mother who is the very form of beauty, in beautiful words and feelings, to enable us to read and absorb, singing his words happily, by our love for AmbãL!  It is that love, as I told you earlier that became a flow of beauty, that is, Soundarya Lahari.  So, as we repeatedly read it and meditate on the words, meanings and her divine being, each one of us will become a flow of beauty in mind, thought, speech and action!  This is another Adwaitam wherein the stotra of adulation, the aim of the eulogy and the reader; all are one as Soundarya Lahari!  Oops, I beg your pardon!  I have left out the author, the poet aka Sahitya Karta!  Though he disclaimed being the author, how can we leave him?  He is the biggest Soundarya Lahari, isn't it?  On the one side he is the Soundarya Lahari by his effervescent love of AmbãL and on the other side he is the Soundarya Lahari by his compassion for the well-being of all of us!  It is to join these two sides only he has composed and written these 100 slokas.  Normally it is the custom to join two sides by constructing a bridge.  Here he has joined the sides by letting the flood flow!

1130.      By repeatedly bathing in the waters of Soundarya Lahari, by merging and soaking in it, we should also become that!  Does it mean that we will become 'body-beautiful' as they say in some advertisements for gymnasiums or some diet supplements?  We do not have to become bodily beautiful, but attitudinally we will become certainly beautiful and also in the eyes of the world!  We will look beautiful because of the unique aura of grace imparted to our being and body by our love that every part of our body will also look beautiful!  If there is a Mahatma who is an ardent devotee and Guru say, look at the devotion that he causes in the minds of his followers.  (In fact, anybody who comes across such a person even by chance becomes a follower instantly.  Take the case of Ramana Maharishi, Sai Baba, Mata Amritananda Mayi, Sri Sri Ravishankar and amongst many such others, including PeriyavãL himself whose words are these e-mails known as Deivathin Kural; are all examples of what he is describing here!  In a tremendous outpouring of emotions and feelings, he said these few words, some in a staccato narrative and some haltingly, using some of the phrases occurring in the text of Soundarya Lahari, as adjectives in describing our ÃchãryãL, befittingly incorporated!  If ÃchãryãL said that he has used AmbãL's words in describing her; here PeriyavãL has used the words of ÃchãryãL in eulogizing him!)

1131.      If someone is an ardent devotee of AmbãL why do our eyes tell us, "Look at him without closing your eyes even for a second?"  Like we say, 'thãyaippola piLLai noolaippola selai' –   'தாயைப்போல பிள்ளை நூலைப்போல சேலை' – meaning that we see the mother in the child; we see AmbãL in our ÃchãryãL and in his words!  Once AmbãL's 'Swaroopa', her form and her CharaNa are installed in one's heart, however angular, crude, dark, ugly and disfigured he may be, being deaf or dumb, with protruding teeth or pot-bellied; he seems a child that has drunk the milk of Gnãna, innocent, happiness effervescing, over flowing with love and absolutely fetching that you do not mind standing on your heels behind a thick multi-layered crowd, just to have a glimpse of that person!  Let it be a bald head, since it is bent in AmbãL's feet, it is as attractive as wearing a gold crown – 'kireetam te haimam' – 'किरीटं ते हैमं'!  Still, how beautiful it is to look at, his having prayed to her feet repeatedly saying, 'tava vadana Soundarya lahari' – 'तव वदन सोउन्दर्य लहरी'; that you wish to do Namaskãr to him saying the same words!

1132.      How does it matter if he or she is blind?  Those eyes also are pouring out honey-like AmbãL's Grace, don't they?  So those eyes are also 'dara dalita nilotpalam' – 'दर दलित नीलोत्पलं' only!  The mouth may not be much to look at.  But as they are showering the sweet and kind words of AmbãL they seem fetchingly red like the coral and Bimba fruits – 'vidruma lata and bimba' – 'विद्रुम लता & बिम्बा' and seem to be AmbãL's mouth itself!  Let whatever be his or her complexion, in the endearing love of divinity and its echo of its kindness towards all living and non-living objects, to our minds it is 'jayati karuNã kãchid aruNa' – 'जयति करुणा काचिद अरुणा' as the reddish halo of benevolence, as felt by us.  If that person's every movement of the hands seem to be bestowing blessings on the world, can there be a greater benefit from the ochre pouring from Lakshmi's feet or redness of 'nava naLina rãgam' – 'नव नलिन रागम्'?  Don't we wallow in the dust wherever such a person walks with our inner self experiencing bliss that very instant?  That place is the lotus feet of AmbãL where the bee of our inner self wishes to merge in that is, 'karaNa sharaNa shat charaNa' – 'करण शरण षट् चरण'!

1133.      When someone becomes or realises the fact of his being a child of AmbãL, his form becomes different.  His eyes, face, words, actions, gestures and so on; they all change, metamorphose.  The inner beauty becomes apparent not only on the face but in the whole body, attitude, outlook and behaviour!  That is how we should aspire to become Soundarya Lahari.  For that, by repeatedly submerging in Soundarya Lahari, we should become or really realise, understand and comprehend our being her children!  We should call her 'Mother of all expressions', 'vãchãm Janani!' – 'वाचं जननि!' and say here are your words as your song of love and obeisance – 'vãgbhi: stutiriyam' – 'वाग्भि: स्तुतिरियम्'.  Thus our ÃchãryãL has taken this baby of 'words of praise of AmbãL' to AmbãL and completed Soundarya Lahari!  In Sivãnanda Lahari, he made the stotra the words of a nubile damsel and got her married to Siva.  For a male God the author has to assume oneself to be the aspiring 'Nãyika' and do the self-surrender.  As our AmbãL is the Mother, the poet has taken the form of a child surrendering to the Mother.  So here since the poet has nullified himself to a perfect zero, the magnum opus Soundarya Lahari has been made into a baby and handed over to the 'Vãchãm Janani' and completed.  In that path, he has made us all into babies and asked us to get attached to her.  Not only told us but with extreme compassion paved the way and shown us.  It is his blessings that we should be reading these slokas, ever singing the praise of AmbãL with these words and melt ourselves in bliss, in that ocean of love.

1134.      As a blessing and greeting for that, doing the pooja by this very stotra, to finish in MangaLa Ãrati, the end sloka has been made into a 'Neerãjana Vidhi:' by ÃchãryãL.  The lighted lamps of Thiru Kãrthigai festival not only enlightens the area but endows happiness and 'janana nivrutti' – 'जनन निवृत्ति' meaning relief from the cycle of repetitive births to all life forms including humans, animals, birds, insects, plants and all animate and inanimate objects.  So when the Jagat Guru is praying to Jagan Mata, let us also join with the prayers that 'sarve jana: sukhino bhavantu & lokã: samastã: sukhino bhavantu' – 'सर्वे जना: सुखिनो भवन्तो & लोका: समस्ता: सुखिनो भवन्तु', meaning let all people world over may be happy and comfortable and let all worlds be pleasantly at ease!

Nama: Pãrvathy Pataye!

Hara Hara Mahadeva!

Sambhomahadeva