DEIVATHIN KURAL # 84 (Vol # 7) Dated 25 Dec 2013

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 84 (Vol # 7) Dated 25 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 last paragraph on page No 636 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)

 Arangam inside Sleeper:  Universal Dance of Elements

13.           Everything else is alright, but one question remains.  It is alright and appropriate for a person named Sabhapathy to be dancing in the Sabha.  How about this sleeper who has made not just a name for himself but many such names as, Rangasãyi, Seshasãyi, Pannagasãyi, Bhujagendrasãyi and Kshirãbdisãyi – to come to a public place as a Rangam, just spread out his bedding and go to sleep?  His action does not seem to be in order, isn't it?  What is your answer for that?

14.          He has not come to any public place and spread out his snake-y mattress and gone to sleep.  That Sabha or Arangam are spaces in his own mind that spreads out as a dream of all gross, subtle and causal worlds.  He has not come to an arena or stage in our world, but we, this world and this arena and stage; are in him.   It is this world that is dancing.  The whole universe of all the seen and unseen worlds from the micro to the macro level are all dancing, spinning around themselves and around each other, without revealing as to which is the inner and which is the outer and what is the centre!  That the Earth is rotating around itself is one dance and orbiting around the Sun is another dance, being done simultaneously – like the Gopika women do around themselves and around Sri Krishna in Rãs Leela.   All the planets in the Solar System are doing this rotating around their own axis and around the Sun.  Then Astrophysicists tell us, that similarly other star families and galaxies, the whole Milky-Way and many such systems are all moving, spinning, twisting, circling doing circumambulations around we do not know what.  We do not know as to which is the centre and as to where the world is heading to and whether the universe is expanding or contracting! 

15.          What has been described is the Universal form and sized – 'Vishwãkãra' macro dance and on the other side, at the farthest end of the spectrum, is the dance of the micro world at the atomic and sub-atomic levels.  It is the movement of electrons around the nuclei and the adjustments within the atom!  Then if you take the living beings, especially the human being, there is the blood circulation system, digestive system, breathing system, nervous system and internal secretions of glands.  All of them involve the cyclic processes of input – process – output and feed-back with internal and external circumambulations and dances galore!  Then if you take all our minds and now take stock of the dance of our feelings, imaginations, apprehensions, fears, doubts, distrust, anger, desires and disappointments; we will be astounded beyond belief, words and expressions!  All this happens in his dreams in his mind.  The arena or stage for all these happenings is also in his mind only.

16.          We, being only characters in his dream, can never hope to know him or comprehend him the dreamer.  It is not a form that can be seen.  Gnãnis know him only as an intrinsic experience – Anubhava.  Out of his immense kindness, to make us realise that, "What is believed to be true out of delusion by us all, is in fact only a dream scene", that Reality of Existence, takes a gross form for our understanding by becoming a part of his dream, having assembled an audience in the Sabha on a stage in the arena and gives us a physical demonstration of his being in deep sleep!

Both Sabhas are Silent Indivisible Vastness Only

17.          The constantly changing Jagat is not real at all, but only a scene of delusion as it is a pure and unadulterated lie.  Appar calls it in Tamil as 'poimmãyai' – 'பொய்ம்மாயை', meaning 'false depiction by Mãyã.   It is this message given by the dancer in the 'Chit Sabhai' in Chidambaram too.  That the Jagat sprouted in his mind-borne Chit Sabhai, he makes us understand it to be a creation of his movement, shake and dance, in extreme benevolence.  Gopala Krishna Bharathiyar in intense gratitude says 'krupãnidhi ivaraippola kidaikkumo' – 'கிருபாநிதி இவரைப்போல கிடைக்குமோ' meaning 'can you ever get such a fund of bounteousness as him? With such grace, benevolence and kindness he executes this dance of happiness known as 'Ãnanda Natanam or Thãndavam' that is appreciated by all visiting foreigners as tourists, saying that there is no other statue in the world to match this one!

18.          Seven billion was the total number of people in this world in the middle of 2012 that is climbing by 2% every year.  All the minds of every individual of seven billion with his divine will and mind subside in that outer Siva as seen and the inner Sathyam, Shivam and Shãntam, put together is the Gnãna Ãkãsa, which is the only basis and the purest Truth.  Without any shake or movement, by being absolutely static, it is the substratum as well as the super dome – Chid Ambaram – the Gnãna Ãkãsa, showing it to be the stage for his dance.  The same silent and indivisible vastness is shown as his Nidra by the Sleeper.  So, all told as the unforgettable principle that we have to understand is that, these two though apparently seem to be two different entities demonstrating two different aspects of dynamic action and complete inactivity of inertia, they are both intrinsically one and the same with the same message, in two different modes. 

Dream and Play or Leela

19.          What is not true will be seen as a play or dream.  We expect something true to happen.  When that does not come true, we say that, "It was all a dream".  The Sleeper in Sri Rangam is demonstrating this dream in sleep as 'Poimmãyam'.  Games are all untrue only.  As children we play with dolls.  Small wooden and metal pieces are presumed to be kitchen utensils and for a short period of time children assume themselves to be elders, as uncle, auntie or grand-father and grand-mother, cooking food and serving imaginary food of drinks and dishes, even asking others about the taste and if they want more of it, is all play acting, isn't it?  So also grown-ups dividing themselves to be two teams of eleven persons on either side, drawing some lines on the ground, kicking some balls from either side, across some imaginary goal line, making such a fuss about it, spending enormous amounts of money for tickets, paying astronomical salaries for the players and further fortunes in gambling!  So are other games of infinite varieties.  Can anyone tell me as to, why is it so very important for life, that some stupid ball should be kicked across some stupid goal line?  Why should people break their heads in pushing chess players on that board of 64 black and white squires?  What answer can be given, if you ask similar questions about this or so many other games that are mush-rooming every day that gets people glued to their smart phones, I-pads and what not!

20.          "I just told you for the fun and play of it.  Oh!  Did you take it seriously?"  When we ask such questions, evidently we know that we are taking game and play as not true, isn't it?  But even games in fun do become deadly serious!  We know that play is all in fun and is not to be taken seriously.  But for some reasons such things do become too true, as it happens in fiction, dramas, cinemas and reality-plays!  So the dream as well as games and play are equally unreal as part of Mãyã from which we have to wake up.  So our reality of existence has merged with Mãyã inalienably and irrevocably.  In it, this sleeper from Sri Rangam is depicting the dream and the Chidambaram dancer is demonstrating the play!

21.          If our very existence is only a play, then all the things we take very seriously also are some play or make-believe only, isn't it?  Assuming poses and imaginary expressions, steps of so many metres, turning, twisting, slanting; imagining other characters, plucking flowers from imaginary plants, playing, gaming, assuming it to be real, making others to follow your imaginations and assumptions; it is all play only isn't it?  They say, Bharatha Nãtyam as a fine-art, starting from mundane beginnings, through Abhinaya is said to slowly take you from here, in which world and all this is real; to there, where at the highest level you are suddenly faced with the reality of this world's falsity!  So, dream has become real and our life in this world is a play and play is a game and sometimes suddenly it becomes too seriously real and the lines or limits vanish.  (For a few minutes PeriyavãL is smiling to himself mulling over the way it happens and how his speech has proceeded so far.)  Did the play suddenly become real or did reality suddenly become a play?

22.          Similar play of divinity is this creation of this whole world and universe in which nothing is what it seems to be, from the start till the end.  Starting from arrival in this world or its creation till the end stage of his absorption of all unto himself, are the three major chapters or areas of activities as, Creation or 'Srushti',  Maintenance or 'Stiti', and Assimilation and Reabsorption or 'Samhãra'; are the three major jobs of God as generally known to all and sundry.  All these three further enable continued hiding of reality from our eyes; happenings on this side of the screen, reality being still remaining hidden from our eyes and understanding.  That hiding from our eyes and comprehension is known as Screening or 'Tirodãnam', is the fourth job of God.  The fifth job is to remove the screen and allow and accommodate us metaphorically in the space of Gnãna Ãkãsa is the fifth job of divine Grace or Anugraha.  The most peaceful Shãntam-Sivam demonstrates this as a dynamic dance; while that Mãyãvi demonstrates the same in all peace of Shãntam-Sleep; thereby they are both proving the adage, 'unity in diversity'!

Oneness of Identity of Siva and Vishnu

23.          When there is the violent storm brewing, there is a calm or still-centre in it.  Inside an atom also around a still-centre the electrons are moving at the speed of light.  Similarly that dynamic dancer is indicating the non-moving still centre as Gnãna Ãkãsa and the sleeper is indicating as the Mauna Nidra.  What the Saivites call the Kovil is the dancer's Chidambaram and for Vaishnavites the Kovil is the sleeper's Sri Rangam.  In both places are the synonym of Stage or Theatre as Sabha in one and the Rangam in the other, as a special name for the Sannidy of their respective Gods.  This shows that our ancient past masters were well aware of their oneness. 

24.          For both Saivites and Vaishnavãs, the most important day occurs in Dhanur Mãsam known as 'Margazhi' – 'மார்கழி' in Tamil or 'Mrugaseersham' – 'मृगशीर्षं' in Sanskrit.  Both of them have the 'Thiruvempãvai' and 'Thiruppãvai' respectively, meant to be sung during this month mainly.  Because of its message of cancelling out the Siva-Vishnu differences and indicating their oneness is the greatness of this month in the whole year.  That is why Sri Krishna has said in Bhagawat Gita that he is this month particularly amongst all the months of the year, 'Masãnãm Mrugasèrsha: aham' – 'मासानां मृगसीर्ष: अहं'.

(To be continued.)

Sambhomahadeva