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