DEIVATHIN KURAL # 46 (Vol # 7) Dated 02 Oct 2013

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 46 (Vol # 7) Dated 02 Oct 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 last paragraph page No 385 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)

Past & Present Life-Times: Dirt of Pride & Conceit

13.     Why do others in this world seem to be better endowed?  Why should there be other students so good in studies or sports that we have to compete with them?  All of us go through many life-times.  Those who have been well behaved and done a lot of good deeds in their previous life-time are endowed with some better abilities, talents and endowments to start this life with!  Looking at them we should not feel jealous at all.  Similarly looking at people who may be less-endowed with beauty or abilities or material comforts to start with, we should not feel too proud.  This conceit and head-weight is a worse disease than all other infectious diseases.  Because they may have done certain more sinful activities than us in the previous life-time, they may start this life-time seemingly with a bit of a handy-cap in wealth or beauty or intelligence.  But looking at them, if we start feeling too proud; that could be a greater sin than all their errors and in the bargain, we could be born in a worse situation in our next life.

14.          There are many other types of dirty habits.  To talk ill of someone who is not present, is another such hazard that you should always avoid.  Just because it is a cheap thrill, we should not be doing so!  If you notice something wrong or derogatory about someone, you should tell that person nicely and lovingly, so as to enable him to correct himself.  But to do so in his absence and feel happy about to it is a very bad habit.  In fact it is nothing but gossip.  That person may not be there, while you are doing so.  But, the omnipresent God is there also.  So one day you will be punished for it, which cannot be avoided. 

15.          Detergents.  We use things like soaps and shampoos; seeyakkai and powder of the pulses for removal of oil from our body.  The most effective cleansing agents for all dirt and muck such as lies, fear, jealousy and scandal mongering are truthfulness, courage of convictions, accommodative tendency and kindness in thought, speech and actions.  Though soaps and other agents can be used for cleansing, finally you have to use water for rinsing yourself, isn't it?  Similarly to remove the dirt and muck from one's mind, in addition to other qualities such as truthfulness and kindness, the water that is needed is devotion to divinity.  Prayers to God are like a River of Eternity with plentiful flow to cleanse all our sinful thoughts and attitudes.  From childhood sitting in privacy we should develop the habit of meditating on God.  There is a proverb in Tamil which says that, what cannot bend at five years of age, will not bend at fifty – 'ஐந்தில் வளையாதது ஐம்பதில் வளையாது'! So, this good practice of prayer should be started at once.   First we should think of our parents and Guru and pray expressing our gratitude and requesting for continued guidance.  Then we should do the same to God, who is the immanent presence in every living being from a fly to our parents and in in all inanimate things of the world.  As it is not good enough to bathe only one day, these prayers should be continued every day for getting our minds cleansed.

God's Love & Moral Discipline

16.          Think of how huge is this solar system.  Bigger than that is the Milky Way containing many galaxies with each of them made up of innumerable such solar systems!  However much they may all seem to be, one thing is certain that it is not all chaos but order.  In all that, it is certain that there is one power that is balancing and controlling all this.  We call that omniscient power by the name of God.  So how huge must be this Universe and in turn how magnificent and vast must be the capability of that God!  He has not only that power but the ability to cause them to come into being and the food to sustain them!  One can only imagine how much love he must have in his heart for his creation.

17.          Not only love, but he has to have many more capabilities.  Unlike us he does not commit mistakes.  Just observe the order in the movement of the planets and the regularity between day and night, year after year.  He so manages the movement of the earth and sun for the perfect co-ordination of seasons.  Order is the one catch word that comes to our mind if we carefully look into nature.  We should also endeavour to have that sort of a love in our hearts.  It is that order and love known by one word as 'Dharmam' – 'धर्मं' or 'Aram' – 'அறம்'!  To think of God as an embodiment of Love and Aram is to be thankful and bathe in his love as a holy ablution and cleansing known as 'snãnam' – 'स्नानं'!  

Prayer for Becoming Good Children

18.           It is easier to become a bad boy or girl.  But once you get such a reputation think of how much insult and loss one has to suffer!  You cannot come up in life.  It may seem that to get a good name is difficult.  If nothing else, one cannot do away with one's own conscience, let alone getting a good name from others.  But anything can be achieved if you take God as your friend.  Only a good name with a clear conscience will enable you to advance in life to really become a good human being.        One day or the other, the bad will get punished.

19.          Catching hold of God's feet strongly we should pray to God, "Oh God!  You are my solace and refuge.  Other than you, I have no other recourse.  You have to show me the way!"  God will respond to such a prayer from a child's heart.  It is easier to get such a purity of heart and mind at a young age.  Later by accumulation of dirt one will even forget about searching for a good way in life.  From today itself, make a regular habit of praying to God.  God will keep you clean, bright and cheerful and protect you from going astray!

(To be continued.)

Sambhomahadeva