DEIVATHIN KURAL # 92 (Vol # 7) Dated 12 Jan 2014

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 92 (Vol # 7) Dated 12 Jan 2014

(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 692 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)

11.           The incident of Sozha Raja getting the boon from Agasthya Rishi and bringing Cauvery River to Tamil Nadu is described in the famous literary piece in Tamil 'MaNimekalai', in which the name of the king has been mentioned as Kãndaman.   I quote:-

senkadir selvan thirukkulam viLakkum

செங்கதிர் செல்வன் திருக்குலம் விளக்கும்

kanja vetkaiyil Kãndaman venda

கஞ்ச வேட்கையில் காந்தமன் வேண்ட

amara munivan agathiyan tanãdu

அமர முனிவன் அகத்தியன் தனாது

karagam kavizhtha Kãvirip pãvai

கரகம் கவிழ்த்த காவிரிப் பாவை 

sengunak kozhugiya sambapathy ayal

செங்குணக் கொழுகிய சம்பாபதி அயல்

ponguneerp parappodu porundit tonra…

போங்குநீர்ப் பரப்பொடு பொருந்தித் தோன்ற...

Sambapathy mentioned here is the area known as Cauverip Poompattinam in Tamil Nadu.  It is there that the River meets the sea, as known to everybody.  That place is also known as 'Pugãr or Poompugãr' – 'புகார் அல்லது பூம்புகார்', and it was the capital of the Kingdom of Sozha Nadu.

The Peril that Came in

12.           The Cauvery that came following the Sozha Raja came up to a place some four miles short of Kumbakonam near Kottaiyur known as 'Thiruvalanchuzhi' – 'திரு வலஞ்சுழி' and ended there.  It did not flow up to the sea.  Normally a river either flows in to the ocean or joins another bigger river, like the Yamuna joins the Ganges at Allahabad.  Four miles west of Kumbakonam, where is the sea or another river?  What happened to the River Cauvery there was this that it literally fell in to a huge cavern with a subterranean tunnel.  In that hole on the Earth it looked as though somebody had made a huge and massive tunnel winding in the clock wise direction beautifully.  The River Cauvery just entered that all-consuming hole on earth and vanished out of existence twisting like a whirlpool that the place came to be known as 'thiruvalanchuzhi' – 'திருவலஞ்சுழி', meaning a hole-with-a-clock-wise-twist!

13.          "Oh God!  I was hoping that the Cauvery River will flow for another 50 to 60 miles and then fall in the sea, whereas it seems to have fallen into an abyss", thought the King of Sozha Nadu and felt very sad.  The point is that had the river gone by the normal course, it would have created a delta area of rich arable land.  Instead of it now, all the natural wealth that would have accrued to this part of the country will be wasted unclaimed, making the King rue his fate!  We have seen that when they were trying to unearth lignite in Neivéli, NW of Chennai, they had to pump out millions of gallons of water from that subterranean grotto, isn't it?  Similarly in some mines, when they go digging into the earth at times, tremendous amounts of water from reservoirs under the earth, gushes in causing enormous material and human losses, that would have been a river which got trapped under the earth sometime in  the past.

14.          The King was highly perturbed by this predicament!  "The useful benefits that would have accrued to Sozha Nadu have been lost by this unexpected event of the river running in to a hole.   I thought that Cauvery was going to prove to be Mother of Grace for my country and she should not be allowed to go waste like this.  What can be done now?  How am I going to prevent this River from vanishing like this and take her to the ocean?"  Deeply thinking on these lines King Kãndaman was taking a stroll.  By chance he reached this Kottaiyur where this sage EraNdakar was sitting in deep Dhyãna of absorption in the Self!  The King prostrated before the Rishi doing a Sãshtãnga Namaskãra, praying and requesting the Sage to suggest ways and means of saving the river from disappearance or simply accord sanction so, by his divine grace!

Problem Solving by the Maharishi

15.          A review of the situation enabled the Maharishi to hit upon a quick fix.  "Evidently people have done some great sin for a Mother of Grace like the Cauvery River to vanish like this, without being beneficial to the world at large.  It is divine justice which caused the River to disappear under the earth!  As a counter to it only some great sacrifice as a 'Prãyaschittam', can have the opposite effect of making the River flow again on the earth's surface."  This was clear to the Rishi.  There is an adage which says that 'rãjãnam rãshtrajam pãpam' – 'राजानं राष्ट्र्जं पापं', meaning that, 'the sins of the citizen accrue to the King who has failed to guide them correctly'!  So, the accumulated sins of the people will cause a major calamity.  As atonement for that in expiation, the life of a King or Yogi may be offered.  As it is in a Gnãni there will be good-will and compassion towards all living beings quite naturally, as he would have realised the indwelling inner being in all people as Easwara.  So, within him all people are included.  Hence sacrifice of such a Gnãni can achieve universal beneficence. 

16.          This is what EraNdakar told the King.  At once the King came forward and said, "Very Good!  In that case, I shall sacrifice myself for the welfare of my people for their future well-being.  My bringing the Cauvery River from Kodagu is nothing much to talk about.  That I have been given a chance to offer my life for the sake of the welfare of my people and in the bargain, if I am able to take this River further on up till the ocean, that is a great opportunity."  Happily he was about to sacrifice himself.  Kings are rather used to much pomp and show known as described by the phrase 'raja bhogam' – 'राज भोगं', meaning 'Royal Pleasure'!  When the King was ready for self-sacrifice, will EraNdakar being such a great Gnãni, keep standing as a witness to such a sacrifice?  He said, "My Dear Sir!  We are people who have or supposed to have already given up all bodily identification, sense and luxuries and are supposed to think of this body as a burden obtained by chance.  So, if for the sake of common good, if a human body is to be sacrificed, it is us who have the first right for it." 

17.          Normally we see in the world people fighting for their rights for getting some benefits.  Here the King Kãndaman and Saint EraNdakar were fighting as to who has greater priority to give up their life in sacrifice!  "People's burden of sin should rightly go to the King who has failed to correct them, I am sure", said the King.  Rishi also did not give up.  He said "You get a chance to sacrifice yourself in the battle field too.  I cannot be participating in battles.  In age also you are younger than me.  If you give up your life now, as you have not yet lined up and trained the next in line, there will be chaos as to who should be the ruler for this country.  Your sacrifice in good faith may create more chaos.  I am the one who gave an answer to your problem and am in a position to demonstrate the solution too.  I will not just stand around and let you sacrifice your life, as that will add to my discredit as having been responsible for the killing of a King!"  Saying so, he came to the place where the river was flowing in to the abyss and jumped in to it headlong. 

The Risk Taken in Giving Advices

18.          A witness to this scene is credited to have made an observation in the form of sloka meaning, 'It is better not to say anything, as to say what is not good is anyhow forbidden and saying what is good for others may also land you in trouble, as it happened with EraNdaka'.  The sloka is like this: –

hitam na vãchyam ahitam na vãchyam

हितम न वाच्यं अहितं न वाच्यम्

hitãhiteva naiva vadet kadãchit

हिताऽहिते नैव वदेत् कदाचित् |

hitasya vaktãpi vibhattimeti

हितस्य वक्तापि विबत्तिमेति

erandako nãma bilam prvishta:

एरण्डको नाम बिलं प्रविष्ट: ||

19.          There is some justice there in that sloka.  Lots of things keep happening in this world.  Much that happens, are by divine order based on one's own good and bad Karma. If a person is only keeping his mind on the good / bad and right / wrong actions by others, he is likely to be issuing advices to all and sundry, without any time for personal ennoblement of self-analysis and self-realization!  So, understanding one's own limitations, one should restrict the tendency to give advices to others, except when asked for.  This is true for most of us, common people of the world.  That is the lesson from the sloka.  If after giving advice to others, if we are not mature enough to live by our own advice, it is better to keep quiet.  Especially as a follow up of our advice, if we may have to do some sacrifice and we are not prepared for it, then silence is golden!  However if not today, we have to cultivate the right attitude and train our minds, to be able to do the supreme sacrifice, one day in the future at least. 

20.          The matter of Mahatmas is different.  They have attained the maturity and ripeness.  Having understood the God's divine will and human vacillations, they will simply accept whatever happens most submissively without any regrets or grievances.  By their devotion and piousness they may change the course of events, without an iota of thought that they are doing it!  That is, the absence of conceit and pride will characterise their actions.  Or they may ask for or even force the issue with God, like Sundara Murthy SwamigaL.  Or they may sacrifice all the power of their years of self-denial and through that neutralize the load of sin in the world, thereby cause some good for the common weal. 

21.          May be someone witnessing what happened to this excellent specimen of EraNdakar, that he had to sacrifice his life itself, might have made this sloka that it is better not to give any advice to anybody.  Another version is that EraNdakar himself said this sloka before entering that hole on earth.  But I do not contribute to this version.  A person of his stature and nature, even while doing the supreme sacrifice of their lives, will be doing so cheerfully with a whole heart, thinking about benefits likely to accrue for the common people of the world and not be cribbing, cringing and cursing their fate!  What occurs to me is that, if at all there were tears on the eyes of EraNdakar, it could only have been 'ãnanda bãshpam' – 'आनन्द बाष्पम्'.  He would have thought, "One day or the other this body has to drop dead anyhow.  That instead of dying due to some disease or accident has been so enabled to be made into an offering for the welfare of humanity and that is welcome indeed!"  As he was ViLakkeNNai Swãmiyar, like the ÃmaNakku Kottai gives the castor oil by squeezing itself helping the world, he must have been wholesomely blissful, while sacrificing his body!

(To be continued.)

Sambhomahadeva