DEIVATHIN KURAL # 94 (Vol # 7) Dated 17 Jan 2014

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 94 (Vol # 7) Dated 17 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 page No 709 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)

Kannadian Kãlvãi

கன்னடியன் கால்வாய்

Disease from Past Sins & Power of Gayatri Mantra

1.             Some five to six hundred years back, there was a King of Kerala who was ruling over that state, was afflicted with an incurable disease.  Whatever the treatment the disease was not cured.  Don't we say 'Raja Vaidyam' – 'ராஜ வைத்யம்', meaning Royal Treatment?  Despite being given such care and attention, the King was not cured and was suffering for a long time.  One day he had been praying to God and had gone to sleep.  He dreamt in which a figure spanning the skies was seen, which said, "Your past sins have come to you as an incurable disease.  You have to cancel it only by suffering through it and not by medicines.  The only alternative is for you to make a figure of Sesame seeds, fill it up inside with gold.  On that figure your disease with past sins may be invoked and presented to a chaste Brahmin with plenty of power of mantra, to be able off set your Karma.  Whatever it is, the gold is to compensate for his noble gesture of taking your load of Pãpam on himself. 

2.            In the morning, the King made arrangements accordingly got a figure made of a suitable material covered with a complete layer of sesame seeds and got it filled with small beads of gold.  He got the fact of its make and purpose without hiding the facts, known to all the Brahmin communities in his kingdom.  Days passed and nobody came forward to receive it, as it meant that they had to take over his load of past sins, despite the compensation inherent in such a transaction.  'The King has to bear the weight of his own past sins. Just for the sake of the gold if we are greedy and if our accumulation of 'Mantra Shakti' – 'मन्त्र शक्ति' is not sufficient enough, you never know as to how much we may have to suffer!'  That was the general response, though people wished to help their King. 

3.            But the King was suffering so much that, he arranged for it to be made known in the neighbouring states also through a system known as 'Beating Dandora', as per which a few messengers will visit all towns and villages and in the village squire, first there will be beating of drums to draw people's attention, followed by someone making a public announcement of the facts, with a request to spread it also by word of mouth.  Thus this information about the King of Kerala reached the State of Karnataka also.  One Brhmachari bachelor boy who had good Mantra power and was also brave enough, decided to receive the Dãnam from the King and so, came all the way to Thiruvanantapuram, nowadays called Trivandrum. 

4.            The King was absolutely thrilled.  He formally handed over the Sesame doll with proper ceremony as a dãnam.  There was a surprising thing that happened.  As the Brhmachari looked keenly at the Pratima or Bimba, which was a look-alike of the King, that life less statue lifted three of its fingers of its right hand, high above the head, folding the thumb and the small finger.  Though only a statue, all the past balance of the Kings Karma of his past lives had been installed in that statue by the due process of 'prãNa prathishtã' – 'प्राण प्रथिष्टा'.  So, despite being only a statue, it had almost become sentient.  At once the Brhmachari shook his head and said, "Nothing doing"!  Then, the Bimba folded its ring finger, keeping two fingers straight.  Brhmachari said, "That is also not possible".  Then the statue folded the middle finger, keeping only the index finger straight.  After a few minutes of deliberation, the Brhmachari said, "OK!  It is alright, I will agree to your request as you wish!"  At once the 'Kãla Purusha', that is the sentient being in the statue fell at the feet of the Brhmachari in supplication and vanished leaving the statue standing mutely as before.

5.             The King and the assemblage were struck with awe at the happenings and looked at the Brhmachari at askance, who explained.  When I looked at the statue I posed a question to it mentally as to what is the amount of the Mantra Power that I have to surrender to it, for it to leave me, without affecting me in any way.  That was asking me if I am ready to surrender, the power as derived from 'Tri-kãla Sandya Vandana', that is, Sandya Vandanam done thrice a day!  I said that it is not possible.  Then he cut down the demand to at least 2/3rd, to which also, I refused saying that it is too much of a bargain.  Finally he agreed to accept the power as derived from one time observance of Sandya and the Kãla Purusha of Karma Sesha vanished from the scene after doing one Namaskãr to me in gratitude. 

6.            From this the assemblage could understand the power and effectiveness of chanting Gayatri Mantra formally in the manner it is supposed to be done and praised the Brhmachari quite a lot for what he had done.  The King looked at the Brhmachari wondering if he is the same Vamana Avatara who had come to Maha Bali to take Dãnam!  After all, it is in Kerala that event of Maha Bali – Vamana is celebrated as ThiruvoNam, isn't it?  In fact the King was at once cured of his ailment.   

Regret Afterwards – 'paschãtãp' – 'पस्चाताप्'

7.            Though everybody was praising him, the young Brhmachari was seized of a doubt in his mind, if he has unnecessarily gone into this venture.  He thought, "Yes it is true that I have become a rich owner of so much gold alright.  But it is still stupid on my part.  In Dharma Sãstrãs a Brahmin is defined by his poverty and lack of greed.  At least if I were a householder, I would have had the responsibility to take care of a family.  More than that, I am supposed to take care of visitors coming with a need for help, known as 'atithi satkãr' – 'अतिथि सत्कार'!  More than that, we are permitted to take alms known as 'pratigraham' – 'प्रतिग्रहं', so that we may be able to conduct various Yãga and Yagnya activities for the benefit of the public at large and not so that we may become stinking rich!  When I have the wealth of Gayatri Mantra as the greatest asset, why was I foolish enough as a big show off and taken so much gold as Dãnam?  I have got rid of the King's Dosha alright and enabled to expiate for his sins, but have collected enough demerits in the bargain and what is the Prãyaschittam for this? Even this giving away of one third Gayatri Mantra power, is an unpardonable error on my part!  The power that is supposed to be made use of for Loka KalyãN and carefully guarded as a trustee by a Brahmin, I have frittered away for one individual!  The only way I can now undo the error I have committed is by spending all this gold for some such venture which will benefit maximum number of people and other living beings.  That is the way I have to do Prãyaschittam for the Pratigraha Dosha that I have earned now.  So, what can be such a project of expiation?"  Though his analysis was on the right lines, having got rid of the King's disease, it looked as though this Brahmin boy will now become a mental wreck!  After much soul searching, he decided to somehow meet Agasthya Muni and take his advice on how to go about expiating for his sins!

8.            If your question is as to why should the Brhmachari think of Agasthya Muni, the reason is that there is no match for his power and prowess amongst human beings, not only in this country, but also anywhere on the earth!  Despite being of a short stature, he walked on the earth like a colossus as big as two great mountains, because of the power of his tapasya!  When people assembled so massively for the marriage of Parvathy – Parameswara that the whole of Himalayas was getting depressed, Easwara sent Agasthya deep down south, as a counter to correct the balance.  Thus he helped mountain to rise again instead of going down.  Similarly when the Vindya Hills started becoming too tall with pride, he just pressed on its head to stop its further growth.  He has swallowed an ocean as a spoonful, as though doing 'Ãchamanam' – 'आचमनम्', that is sipping drops of water, thrice with mantras, before and after religious ceremonies from the palm of the right hand!  More than all this, the most important social service of lasting value that he has done is, granting the Cauvery River from his Kamandalu for the benefit of Tamilnadu!  Before coming into Tamilnadu, it flows in Karnataka isn't it? There many families used to think of and worship Agasthya Muni as their family and caste Guru, proctor, protector and Ãchãrya, till date! 

True Story

9.            This Brhmachari we have been talking about was from such a family for whom Agasthya Muni is the Guru.  Though I am calling him a Brhmachari, I do not know as to what was his name.  But what I am telling is not fiction but a true story of real events of the past!  There is true historical evidence in support of what I am saying.  There is a compendium of ancient recordings by etching on stone known as 'Shila Sãsanam' and inscriptions on copper plates known as 'Tãmra Sãsanam'; as published by Nirnaya Sãgar Printers, Bombay, in their 'Kãvya Mãlã' series.  In it, in a Sãsanam in the third part, there is clear evidence of the fact of occurrence of the events of the story that I have been describing.  Not only that, when the Britishers were ruling over this country, in the yearly report of the year 1903-04, in page 84; the Sãsanam related to our story under consideration is given.  It is one of the recordings available in 'Sermã Devi' and you will know the connection between our story and Sermã Devi, shortly.

10.          I wished to emphasise that this is not a concoction of my imagination.  If it was just a cooked up story, I could have given any name for that Brhmachari.  As the story is true, I could not give him a name of my own imagination.  From this we can also make out that our fore fathers, who have done yeoman service of lasting benefit to the society of immense and monumental proportions, have remained content with the achievement, while being utterly unconcerned about their own name and fame! Whereas we without an ounce of work are madly running after recognition and fame!

11.          Since it was known that Agasthya was doing tapasya in the Malayachal Mountains as a 'Chiranjeevi', our Brhmachari started on a voyage of search and discovery to locate his Kula Guru Agasthya in Malay Hills.  In South India the southerly wind known as 'Thendral' – 'தென்றல்' is also referred to as 'Malaya Mãrutam'.  As the wind passes through these sandal-wood trees of Malaya Mountains, it is cool, pleasant and fragrant.  As much as this 'Thendral' is welcome in summer, the flow of wind from North known as 'Vãdaikkãrtru' – 'வாடைக்காற்று' will make us shiver to the very bones and also have some bad smell of decay also!

12.          These mountains known as 'malaya parvatam', are much gloriously celebrated in Tamil Literature as 'Podigai Malai'.  After the coming into being of the Malayala language areas west of these mountains came to be known as Malayala Desam.  In times further back, this was part of Tamizh Nãdu, and was known as Sera Kingdom.  The whole of South India was either Sera or Sozha or Pãndya Kingdoms, while the Pallava Kingdom nearer Madras was a later day addition.  So the whole of present day Kerala was part of the Sera Kingdom.  During the time of Britishers, some areas of these hilly regions became part of Thirunelveli district.  Having generated the Cauvery River in Kodagu, there by benefitting Kodagu, Karnataka and Tamizh Nãdu; to benefit this area of Podigai Malai Hills and eastern reaches Agasthya enabled TamrabaraNi River to flow partly in Kerala and then in Tamizh Nãdu earlier known as 'Thenpãndi Nãdu' – 'தென்பாண்டி நாடு '.

(To be continued.)

Sambhomahadeva