DEIVATHIN KURAL # 34 (Vol # 7) Dated 03 Sept 2013

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 34 (Vol # 7) Dated 03 Sept 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 236 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)

332.            If someone is zealously looking for a Guru, all the time thinking as to how a Satguru will be and as to how to reach such a person, by being moved by God, Satguru himself will come searching for the disciple, for which there are many examples in life.  When the disciple did not know as to whom to catch hold of, the Guru himself comes to get hold        of him.  Here it looks like the Mãrjãra Kishora Nyãya.  But immediately after that, the disciple has to catch hold of the Guru like the baby monkey attaches itself to its mother.  There is one more correction to what I said earlier.  As the disciple needs the Guru, The Guru is also in need of a suitable Sishya!  What he has learnt and experienced, he certainly would like to teach such students who will continue the tradition.  In fact he would not only be aspiring but virtually perspiring keenly looking for a Sishya to come to him, so that his knowledge and experience through that knowledge may not die after him.  In fact In Taitreeya Upanishad this avidity of the Guru, seriously looking for a Sishya, is expressed in the form of a Mantra, that many schools conduct an elaborate Homam using this mantra, known as 'Avahanti Homam' at the start of the year so that more and more students may enrol. 

333.            Even when he does not know as who is that person, or who will be his Guru, someone searches for a Guru and then when the Guru comes and assumes total command, control and ownership, it is really difficult to say who searched and found whom!  The future would be student, had an idea if not Guru the person or concept of a Guru en-captured in his mind.  Thus he is the one who caught hold of the Guru first and this can be considered as 'Markata Kishora Nyãya'.  But there are also such people who are already so dispassionate that they do not aspire for anything.  Even such people are taken over by a Satguru entirely, on his own volition and raise the Sishya the highest levels of existence at times.   This can be thought of as, instead of Mãrjãra Kishora Nyãya, as Mãrjãra Mata Nyãya, (PeriyavãL says with a chuckle). 

334.            Generally what we can say is that, the would-be Sishya's action is Markata Kishora Nyãya and we do not have to classify or comment on how or what the Guru does, without even any expectation.  His job is to give us the Gnãna, isn't it?  Let him do it in whatever way he does.  As complete 'Shraddhãvãn' – 'श्रद्धावान', with total trust let us leave him without justifying or commenting on his approach or methods.  When both these two 'Nyãya-s' are so inter-twined why classify them as, 'Mãrjãra / Markata' Kishora Nyãya?  If that is your question, please note that in both there is this clause 'Kishora'.  We see that in both the cases of the monkey and the cat, this happens only when they are kids or babies. Once they are big enough to search for food on their own, mostly they are left to fend for themselves.  Then neither the young one nor the mother, bother about each other.  In the case of the cats the young one may get a lick from the mother sometimes or a nudge from the elders if they are not waiting for their turn while eating the prey.  In the case of monkeys the young ones may sometimes be found to be parting the hair of the elder to pick lice. But for such licence, they do not care for each other much.  Only to show that the case of Guru – Sishya relationship is forever, I spoke about those two Nyãya. 

335.            The way that, after having been the mother and the baby, they part company, in the case of Guru – Sishya relationship, this element of parting from each other's company is never there.  Even after the Sishya gets Ãtma Gnãna by the milk of kindness from the Guru and experiences oneness with all existence, the duality-like relationship continues to exist.  The Guru also gave him Upadesa, only after he was aware that he is everything and everybody else is also him, while treating the disciple as another entity other than him!  Guru catching hold of the Sishya as the 'Mãrjãra mother' and the Sishya catching hold of the Guru as the 'Markata baby' – this duality sort of a relationship goes on for ever.  Even after the Guru is no more in his mortal frame, his memory lingers in the disciples mind to be thought of with respect and Guru's grace continues to facilitate the disciple's life in eternal beneficence.   This is practically felt and experienced by many people on earth.  But, we cannot say as to how it happens, except saying that this is God's Play!  All said and done, Guru-Sishya relationship is eternal.

336.            We can make out a clear Dwaita Bhava of our ÃchãryãL, in his stotras addressed to his Guru, Parama Guru and all the Gurus of Brhma Vidya Parampara.  Similarly we can see that his disciples Sureshwara, Padma-Pãda and Thotaka Ãchãryãs also, despite their absolute Adwaita Gnãna, display a clear Dwaita Bhava in their Stotras of our ÃchãryãL.  The fact that our ÃchãryãL and many other Adwaita Gnãnis have written so much about Guru Vandana for the sake of the present and future generations of people is clear indication of the relevance of this Dwaita Bhava of respect for the Guru.  I can only say that I suppose, in God's making of things and AmbãL's scheme for the world, to underline the value of love, this dual-like Guru-Sishya relationship, of loving kindness of the Guru for the disciple and the loving respect of the disciple for the Guru, are forever.   The disciple has to surrender completely and implicitly.  If there is more than one Guru, he should completely surrender to the one Mukhya Guru and be sincerely and lovingly respectful to the others.

அரசு – Government

(The chapter on Guru is completed.  From here PeriyavãL is talking about governance of the country and other subjects of social relevance.  Possibly this talk was on or around 15 Aug 1947.)

धर्म चक्रं – 'Dharma Chakram' – Indication of God's Grace

337.            At this time when India has attained Independence from the British, all the people as citizens of this ancient country should pray to God with a melting heart in gratitude for this release from slavery and for continued blessings in  the future.  Let us pray for renewed vigour and strength so that, this country well known for its greatness in many areas of life may continue to do so, in the fields of devotion, spiritualism and humaneness.  We pray that God may bless us with the strength of heart and mind for us to deserve, retain and protect this freedom and be able to work for peace, prosperity and happiness of humanity as a whole. Our prayers to God have always been, 'sarve janã: sukhino bhavantu' – 'सर्वे जना: सुखिनो भवन्तु' and 'lokã: samastã: sukhino bhavantu' – 'लोका: समस्ता: सुखिनो भवन्तु', meaning 'let all people be happy' and 'let all the worlds be happy and comfortable'!

338.            Luckily, as though indicating God's blessings the 'धर्म चक्रं' – 'Dharma Chakram', the wheel like circle of that name has obtained the central spot in our National Flag.  Though the leaders who planned and decided on the design of the National Flag might have had some different ideas in their minds, we look at it as an assurance of God, for the continued protection of independence of this country and prevalence of Dharma as a commitment for all of us in this country.  It is a reminder to all of us in this country that all our life is centred on God, remembering the principles of justice and morality in all our actions within the country and in our interactions with people of other countries.  So we feel that, God has willed it for us to have the 'Dharma Chakram' as the central design in our National flag!

True Secularism

339.            The independent national Government of India has opted for Secularism as its policy towards religion, by which they have come to believe that the government should not take up the side of any religion and should remain aloof in the matter of religion.  But I am afraid that this should not be the attitude of the government.  Instead, a government remaining impartial without joining any one religion and work against other religions should be supportive of all religions equally and work towards their mutual amity and that would be real secularism.  (KTSV adds: - What we have seen in the past 57 years since Independence is that, somehow the Indian Governments in the Center and States, playing the Vote Bank politics on the one hand and the lack cohesion between the various component divisions within Hinduism on the other, is seen to be playing one against the other within the Hinduism while being supportive of other major religions on the grounds of their being a minority.  One example is ample evidence of this.  While the governments have their appointees as the Executive Administrators in every one of the Hindu Temples, they do not have any appointees in any Church or Masjid.  In the bargain the Governments have access to the enormous money that pours in as contributions by the devotees in the Hindu Temples.  The Central and State Governments have no such access to the funds in the Churches or Mosques in India.) 

Government's Duty to Raise the Character of Its People

340.            To take care of the citizen's physical and mental well-being including Health and Hygiene, Internal and External protection and defence against threat, Maintenance of Law and Order, Agriculture, Economics and such things are the responsibilities of a Government in any country.  But with that, their responsibilities do not end.  Aren't the Citizen's Character, Conduct and Attitude more important than their physical well-being?  Are people to be treated at par with materials and commodities?  When you are very much concerned about the quality control of the matter, how can the heart of the matter be ignored?  Can a Government afford to ignore cultivating the people's attitudes and behaviour?  Are not the humaneness, morality, discipline and good behaviour of its people important inputs in the national ethos and national character?  Can a nation be made by a mass of crude numbers of people only?  There is a beautiful adage in Tamil on this issue, 'uyarndor mãtte ulagu' – 'உயர்ந்தோர் மாட்டே உலகு', meaning 'The level of the world is as high as its excellent specimen of human beings'!  So, a government which has taken over the responsibility to administer and run a nation has to take care of its citizens' moral, attitudinal and behavioural ennoblement and maintaining those standards.  Since this inner ennoblement is through religion, the government has a role to play in progress and development of all religions. 

341.            (KTSV adds: - We in the Indian Army have a sensible approach to this matter of religions.  Officers and soldiers may be from any religious background.  Even in Regiments made of one ethnic community, at officers' level anyhow there is a mix of religions.  So we have a prayer hall with a room each for a Temple, Gurudwara, Church and Mosque; so that each can go to his own and have a few minutes of privacy and communion with his own God.  Normally Sunday mornings and or any other special day depending upon the particular religion you belong to, is given off if the operational conditions permit. Let us continue with what PeriyavãL has to say further, in the next issue of Deivathin Kural.)

(To be continued.)

Sambhomahadeva