DEIVATHIN KURAL # 51 (Vol # 7) Dated 14 Oct 2013

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 51 (Vol # 7) Dated 14 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 the last paragraph in page No 419 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)

Taking Care of the Cow as the Mother

1.             In Tamil the whole lot of animals which cannot speak are called 'vaayilla jivan' – 'வாயில்லா ஜீவன்', to literally mean that they are 'animal life forms without a mouth'.  They do have a mouth to eat their food alright but, they are so called, for not being able to talk.  But amongst all such animals it is only the Cow which makes a call as though calling for the Mother, "Amma" exactly as a human being would be saying it.  Closest to that is the goats bleating a sound of 'm..m..me..me..e..e!'  That cow which says 'Amma', itself is like a Mother for all of us.  What is the first defining characteristic of the Mother?  Isn't that the act of giving milk?

2.            When we were children the Mother who gave birth to us in this world, breast-fed us for some time.  From that childhood itself, the cow has been giving us milk and protecting our life from hunger.  Mother giving us milk is over with childhood.  But the Cow gives us milk and all those things derived from the milk such as, butter, ghee, butter-milk, cheese and whey; which we continue to make use of as important ingredients of the food, till the end of our life.  Even in very old age, when all other foods are less or stopped altogether; still the Cow's milk continues as part of the diet!  If our biological mother gives us milk only for a short period of life, shouldn't we be calling the Cow that sustains us till our last days on earth, as the Mother for life?  So we do here in India as the cow is revered in all the Indian languages as the 'Go Mãtã' – 'गो माता', the Mother Cow, giving the most important place amongst all human relations!

3.            'Go' – 'गो and गौ:' in Sanskrit and 'Gayi' in Hindi and 'Pasu' in Tamil, are all names for the same animal.  The English word Cow is derived from the Sanskrit original 'Go – गौ:' only.  We have looked at the cow with genuine love, reverence and devotion from time immemorial.  Looking at that peaceful face with its known characteristics of pliant accommodation and adjustment; one automatically is reminded of one's own Mother. The Mother, who carries us in her body before our birth, gives us birth by delivering us into the world and feeds us with her milk, is the 'Janaka Mãtã'.  Similarly other Mothers are revered amongst which, 'Go Mãtã' is also one.  Two more Mothers are thought of with a sense of gratitude and devotion, named as 'Bhu Mãtã' – 'भू माता' and 'Sri Mãtã' – 'श्री माता'!

Go Mãtã and Bhu Mãtã 

4.            Like the Janaka Mãtã and the Cow give us milk, the earth gives us grains, pulses and fruits; ores for all metals and gems and more than anything else water the source of all life!  So the Earth is also revered as a Mother as the 'Bhu Mãtã' with a sense of gratitude and love.  Like animate Cow and inanimate Earth, our ancestors recognized the Motherhood – 'mãtrutvam' – 'मात्रुत्वं', in all Nature to which they are ever beholden.  Bhu Mãtã herself has also taken the form of 'Go Mãtã the Cow'.  Dwapara Yuga was coming to an end and Kali Yuga was about to commence.  That was the time when in the form of cruel and anarchic monarchs, the demonic forces were making life miserable for the people of the world.  Bhuma Devi aka Bhu Mãtã couldn't tolerate their atrocities any longer.  So, she complained to Brhma who along with her pleaded with Maha Vishnu, in response to which the Krishna Avatara took place.  So that her plea may be given due attention, despite being one of the two wives of Maha Vishnu, Bhuma Devi, instead of being in that form, took the form of 'Go Mãtã' as the very loveable Mother Cow, when she went to plead with Maha Vishnu as the PurãNa tells us.  True to it, Bhagawan took Avatara as Sri Krishna aka 'Gopãla' the protector of cows and cattle.  The word 'Go' also has a meaning as Bhumi the Earth, in Sanskrit.  (KTSV Adds: – It is interesting to note that if Sri Krishna is known as Gopãla, as the protector of cows and cattle, Siva is the 'Pasu Pati' the lord of all animals, {as he is the Lord and all the people of the world are 'Pasu', his beloved cattle} and Jesus Christ is often picturized with a small calf on his shoulder and is known as the 'Good Shepherd'!)

5.            Sri Krishna is a 'PoorNa Avatara' meaning that God in all his completeness descended to the Earth as an Avatara.  There are also occasions when only a particular speciality of his, known as 'Amsa Kala' – 'अंश कला', is incarnated in this world.  Normally we know or have heard of the ten Avataras of Vishnu.  In addition there have been 14 other partial or fractional incarnations of Vishnu.  One of them was known as Prthu Chakravarty who was said to be a master in Social Organizations and designing Cities and Townships. He viewed the Earth as a Mother Goddess in the form of a Cow.  He advised his people to have a similar vision of looking at the Earth as a Mother Cow who would give milk as necessary to her off-springs, the symbolic licence being, their own 'swa-dharma' as the individual and natural self-discipline, like a calf of Mother Earth (ref to Bhagawatam 4.18)!  I mentioned this to bring out how Bhagawan is so fond of the 'Go' as a representative form of all animals and human beings.  Similarly the 'Go' is also equally fond of Sri Krishna as Gopãla, as depicted in pictures in which Gopãla will be standing with one foot firmly planted on the ground and the other foot slightly raised, when his lotus-like inner feet will be shown as being licked by a Cow.

Sri Mãtã and Go Mãtã

6.            Like Go Mãtã, Bhu Mãtã and Janaka Mãtã, there is also Sri Mãtã, as another Mother.  She is the Mother of all mothers, sisters, wives and children as well as all other living beings and inanimate aspects of existence as the Mother Para Shakti, AmbãL as Sri Mãtã.  It is her milk of divine kindness that causes all other flow of milk from the mothers and the way the nature protects life on earth!  That Sri Mãtã herself has been addressed as 'Go Mãtã' – 'गोमाता', as Lalitha Sahasranãma lists her one thousand names.  In fact the very first name in that Lalitha Sahasranãma is 'Sri Mãtã'.  Later it says 'Guru Murthi:, GuNa Nidhi:, Go Mãtã, Guha Janmaboo:' – 'गुरु मूर्ति:, गुण निधिः, गो माता, गुह जन्मबू:', meaning respectively that; she is of the form of the Guru; she is a mine of excellent qualities; she is the Mother Cow; and she is the Mother of 'Guha', which is another name for Muruga aka SubrahmaNya, the second son of Siva and Parvathy. 

7.            There is connectivity of absolute logic between those names.  She is in the form of Guru, who feeds us with the milk of Gnãna.  Then she is also an ocean or mine of all excellent humane qualities. Then she is the Mother Cow, who feeds the whole world with milk, butter, ghee, cheese and butter-milk!    Then, she is also the Mother of our favourite divine SubrahmaNya as Guha!  In fact there is Sthala PurãNa of Therazhundur, where Sri Mãtã, AmbãL came as 'Go Mãtã'. Later her brother Maha Vishnu, when he took Avatara as Sri Krishna, took special care of all the Cows and got Sri Mãtã married to Pasu Pati Parameswara in ThirumaNancheri, as the story goes as gleaned from the Sthala PurãNãs of five or six divine stations. 

Worldly Achievements and Vedic Refinement

8.            This world with all its people, places and events is the 'seen' world called 'pratyaksham' – 'प्रत्यक्षं', in Sanskrit.  In fact other than what is seen, there are many things unseen also, known as 'apratyaksham' – 'अप्रत्यक्षं'. This Cow which is of much use to us in the seen world is also of much more utility and usefulness in the unseen world of 'Aloukikam', that is also 'अप्रत्यक्षं'.  Instead of calling it as unseen, if we call it 'Deivikam' or divine and Vedic it would be more appropriate, because it is the Vedas which have pointed out and given us some idea of the Divinity.  So all talk of God, divinity and Ãtma should correctly be called Vedic or 'Vaidikam' – 'वैदिकं'.  The world as discerned by our senses and provable by science is all 'Loukikam' – 'लौकिकं ' aka worldly.  Instead, what is useful for the inner man the Ãtma is Vaidikam aka Vedic.  In both these we observe the greatness of Pasu the Cow!  Even in the 'this worldly' advantages, as derived from the Cow we notice its Vedic value and greatness.

Cow's Milk: Whole Food that Also Nourishes Satva

8.            For example let us take the milk for consideration of the usefulness of the cow.  (In trying to understand further analysis we need to understand the human qualities of Satva, Rajas and Tamas.  This is being done just two paragraphs later, the way PeriyavãL spoke about it.  You may have to trace your steps back to have a clear understanding of what is being spoken about here.)  What is seen practically in a worldly wise way is that, only the Cow's milk is a wholesome and complete food, providing energy, stuff, carbohydrates, protein as well as vitamins, nourishing as well as easy to digest for young and old.  If it can be acceptable for children who have not yet teethed, it is also most suitable for old people who have lost their teeth and also for a weak convalescing patient!

9.            Looking at it from the view point Vaidikam, it is that milk which has the ability to nurture the Sãtvic nature in human beings.  Even Buffalo's milk is not exactly right for this purpose, being not so eminently suitable, because the buffalo is not Sãtvic but Tamasic.  Though this being Aloukikam, being not directly measureable, is to be acceptable on faith, but is also discernible because of the fact that, the Sadhus who are maintaining such a 'only cow's milk' diet are known to be justifying the name of Sadhu, as the word refers to someone who remains peacefully quiet and pliant.

10.          Among the names of AmbãL, that I quoted from Lalitha Sahasranãma, before 'Go Mãtã' are the names such as Guru Murthy and GuNa Nidhi.  For anyone to become a Guru Murthy as a Gnãni and to become a depository of all excellent character qualities as GuNa Nidhi; one of the important in-put is the food consumed, how clean and Sãtvic it is.  Cow's milk is such a clean food instilling the quality of Satva in the person who consumes it.  It is interesting to note that all other in-puts as food from the animal world are all generally harmful to this quality of Satva and cause reinforcement of the qualities of Rajas and Tamas.

(To be continued.)

Sambhomahadeva