DEIVATHIN KURAL # 78 (Vol # 7) Dated 13 Dec 2013

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 78 (Vol # 7) Dated 13 Dec 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 595 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)

23.           As a sign of identification Muthuswami Dikshidar used the catch phrase 'Guruguha' one of the names for Muruga / SubrahmaNya / Kumara Swami.  Guha means the cave.  He is the Guru who dwells in the inner heart of all living things, which is like a cave.  Dikshidar ended his bodily sojourn in the world of mortals on a Deepavali.  Exactly six days later happens to be Kandar Shashti, the sixth night of the growing moon which is said to be the Birth Day of Skanda / SubrahmaNya that we are talking about.  Thus the birth of Muthuswami Dikshidar and his passing away are both closely related to or having something to do with SubrahmaNya. 

24.          Dikshidar went to each and every temple town known as Kshetram and composed a song about the Presiding Deity there equally with ardent fervour and Bhakti.   In each of those songs there will be internal evidence about the station, the name of the Deity, secret mantra, some notes on the history of that place known as Sthala PurãNa and such things.  In this 'Sri SubrahmaNyãya Namaste' – Kruti, there is no such apparent evidence of the place where this song was sung.  It looks as though that, by this song he has combined all the SubrahmaNya Kshetrãs in to one main Moola Murthy.  So he starts his poem with infinite number of Namaskãra-s for Sri SubrahmaNya Swami. 

Muruga's Beauty and Grace

முருகனின் அழகும் அருளும்

25.          As the first line reiterated the Namaskãra, in the second line he is repeating Crore – Koti – கோடி and saying that his beauty is "Manasija koti koti lãvaNyãya".  This repetition of Koti can mean Crore or Ten Million, raised to the power of two or Crore/Ten Million.  That is the idea of repeating Namaste and Crore.  Manasija means the mind-born.  It is equally applicable to SubrahmaNya and Kãman or Cupid the God of Love.  As all love and passion, desire, wish and want are mind born, the word 'Manasija' is equally applicable to them all.  In the PurãNa there is the story bearing this idea.  This Kãman also known as Manmata is the son of Maha Vishnu.  But very surprisingly he was not born of Maha Lakshmi in the bio-logical sense as a series of events with a cause and effect relationship of passion, act of sex, conception, carriage and delivery.  But he happens to be the mind born son of Maha Vishnu.  So is the other son of Maha Vishnu born and borne in the Nãbhi or Navel of Maha Vishnu.  Swami does everything strangely like this. 

26.          Manmata is famous for his beautiful form.  We make fun of people who are egoistic by asking, "What do you think you are?  You think that you are Manmata the Cupid?"  That proves the adage that 'beauty is all in the eye of the beholder'.  SubrahmaNya is, as beautiful as Manmata raised to the power of crores.  In Bhagawatam it is said that Sri Krishna is 'sãkshãt manmata manmata:' – 'साक्षात मन्मत मन्मत:' – is so beautiful, as being a Manmata for Manmata.  He was born of his mind only.  So, all the beauty of the world must be in the mind of the beholder, the creator of the world, isn't it?  In Sri Krishna's life Manmata comes as his son Pratdyumna and thereby demonstrates that Sri Krishna is his father for ever. 

27.          It is natural that SubrahmaNya is Koti raised to the power of Koti Manmata.  Who is he?  He is the son of Easwara who had virtually burnt Manmata to ashes by the fire of his third eye and SubrahmaNya was born of the same fire from his third eye.  Instead of being born of Kãma, he was born of Gnãna.  Instead of passion, he was born of Grace as the KaruNa Murthy.  Anyhow, let it be so.  I came to say in fun that the son of Easwara who had burnt Manmata is, so much more beautiful than Manmata, Crore raised to the power of a Crore.  Kumara is his special name as the Son, isn't it?  In South India PiLLaiyar as the first son of Easwara and Parvathy is very popular, in North India the Kumara as the Son is Easwara and Parvathy is eulogised as 'Kumara' or 'Kumar'.  We in the South also call him Kumãraswami and Kumara that almost half the population of people in the country of Hindus especially are having Kumara or Kumar as the second or last name. 

28.          In Vãlmeeki Ramayana when Viswãmitra takes out Sri Rama and Lakshmana across country to assist him in the conduct of his Yagnyas, tells them the story of 'Kumara Sambhava' and at the end of it tells them the 'Phala Sruti', the advantages one stands to get by hearing that story.  Kãlidãsa picked up that phrase 'Kumara Sambhava' that came in the words of the Ãdi Kavi Vãlmeeki as it is, as the title for his Magnum Opus.   Let that special value of that word 'Kumara' be aside.  I came to talk about it because, with that meaning as the Son, there is another meaning of that word Kumara.  Manmata has another name as 'Mãra' – or Mãran.  The one to make this Mãran feel ashamed is Kumãra.  In Sanskrit the word is differentiated and integrated as, 'kutsita mãra: iti Kumãra:' – 'कुत्सित मार: इति कुमार:' – thereby bringing out the meaning 'Manmata of Manmata is 'manasija koti koti lãvaNya, as the words in the song. 

29.          He is the favourite God of People in the South India, calling him, 'tamizht deivam' – 'தமிழ்த் தெய்வம்'.  We say that he will take care of people who use Tamil to (not only praise him but also) curse him, thereby meaning that he loves the Tamil language so much!  In this language, we have named him as 'Murugan'.  This word Murugu – 'முருகு' means 'azhagu' – 'அழகு' that is beauty.  When Kãman was burnt to ashes, AmbãL herself took his sugar-cane bow and flower-arrow, becoming Kãmeswari.  That is why the Avatara of SubrahmaNya occurred.  Her name itself is 'Sundari' and 'Tripura Sundari' meaning 'The beauty in all the three worlds of here, there and everywhere and past, present and future; then, now and for ever!  Like Mother like son, he has to be beautiful, what else?  So he is, 'manasija koti koti lãvaNyãya' – 'मनसिज कोटि कोटि लावण्याय' and also 'dheena sharaNyãya' – 'धीन शरण्याय'.

30.          Beauty alone won't do.  We need God's Grace.  If he is of the form of beauty, that form of beauty itself is of the form of Grace!  'KãruNyam & LãvaNyam' – 'कारुण्यं & लावण्यं' are not apart and opposites but virtually go together!  SubrahmaNya Swami is the refuge for all who are 'dheena janã:'.  People who are poor, simple, sufferers, destitute, frightened and apprehensive; are all covered by that phrase 'dheena janã:'.  He is the refuge that gives them encouragement and solace.  So, Namaskãra: for that ' धीन शरण्याय'. 

Some Special Aspects of that Song

31.          Dheena sharaNyãya….lãvaNyãya….SubrahmaNyãya…. all similarly ending in 'yãya' in some rhyme or reason, he has sung.  Of course, they are all rhyming and that rhyme instead of being at the start or in the word, is in the ending.  This end-rhyme is known in Sanskrit grammar as 'antya prãsam'.  This repetition of 'yãya' is the fourth declension of how the verb is varied, to give the meaning of 'to him or her', who is the refuge of the poor, to that beautiful one, to that being who is kindness personified, to that SubrahmaNya, Crores and Crores of Namaskãra:.  To you Namaskãra is Namaste.

32.          Having started in the 'Chouka / ViLambita Kãlam' the first line 'Sri SubrahmaNyãya Namaste', the second line 'Manasija koti koti' is sung speedily, sung and turned around as a custom.  In Sanskrit this phrase 'ViLambita Kãlam' means singing in slow, deliberate and steady pace.  That can be understood as such.  But what is this word 'Chouka Kãlam', though we know it to be a synonym for 'ViLambita Kãlam'?  May be that word 'Chouka' derived from 'Sowkyam' to mean comfortably slow and deliberate!  When you sing slowly, it is pleasant and easily understandable, accommodating the pulls and bends of the Raga, especially bringing out the Bhãva, the mood of the Raga, isn't it?  This also gives time and enables the listener to dwell deeply in the word meanings and nuances of the Sãhitya.  This is the speciality of DikshidarvãL's Krutis with majestic Sanskrit language equally courtly and dignified style of the expression, like an Elephant decorated for the occasion walking in the main thoroughfare with the royalty seated on it.  Thus DikshidarvãL has given us many such 'Chouka Kãlam Krutis' aplenty!

33.          But we today are always in a tearing hurry, for I do not know what!  (If PeriyavãL said this 60 to 70 years back, it is more true to-day and I do not know how it is going to be another seven decades later, I wonder!)  By mind, by body with scattered attention and brains, we are always running helter-skelter in all directions all of the time with aspirations, doubts and confusion galore.  So if it is all 'Chouka Kãlam' we get satiated and overcome with ennui.  So, to off-set that often in almost every one of his Krutis as a relief for Chouka Kãlam, he has ensured that there are some speeding up installed with some Madhyama Kãlam turns.  So we do not get saturated with the sweetness after eating Laddus (which is a special sweet dish of Indian origin), they add some caryophyllus (a biology name for what is known as Lavang in Sanskrit and Hindi or Krãmbu in Tamil) to give some zest to our taste.    Similarly in music also to off-set the slow and majestic style, both in Pallavi and CharaNam DikshidarvãL has kept some madhyama Kãla Ãvartams.  But such Madhyama Kãla Ãvartams will be occurring mostly in Anupallavi and CharaNam.  But SubrahmaNya being ever youthful, as he is called 'enrum iLaiyãy' – 'என்றும் இளையாய்', he has come running bursting forth, like brooks coming down the mountain slopes, or like the famous pop-tune 'Baby Elephant Walk', in Madhyama Kãla!    

(To be continued.)

Sambhomahadeva