DEIVATHIN KURAL # 95 (Vol # 7) Dated 19 Jan 2014

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 95 (Vol # 7) Dated 19 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 first paragraph on page No 717 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)

Directions by Agasthya

13.           The Brhmachari who started from Thiruvananthapuram for Podigai Hills, realised that to carry all that gold was too much of a burden and also dangerous in terms of inviting to be robbed!  In Ambã-Samudram he identified a Temple priest who are known as GurukkaL professionally and entrusted the gold to him to take care of it, till his return from the Podigai Hills.  (Please do not ask me as to how he reached Ambã-Samudram from Thiruvananthapuram covering, a distance of 144 Kilo Metres!  He must have walked with the load and hired a donkey.)  He handed over the bag containing gold beads, each of the size of the grains of Lentil to that GurukkaL.  In place of coins, such gold beads were being used by the government and people those days.

14.          He walked with great expectation and keenness, without caring for hunger, sleep and the pain in the legs, all the way to the Podigai Hills.  Out of sheer exhaustion he fell somewhere along the way and almost swooned.  Just at that moment, he noticed that there was this old Brahmin standing before him.  He was Agasthya himself in that form. That this child was coming from very far off, undertaking enormous strain and exertion, was clear to him by the 'deerga dhrushti' – 'दीर्ग धृष्टि' that is vision of intuition.  So he wished to come forward and receive this child.  In doing so however, he wished to play around with this child a little more, thereby further publicize and enlighten the greatness of the Brhmachari.  The old man took proper care of this Brhmachari.   

15.          After some rest, the Brhmachari was again wishing to be on his way again to Podigai Hills.  Having questioned the boy as to why he is in such a tearing hurry, as though he did not know, the old man commented, "Who the hell is this man called Agasthya Muni or whatever?  Don't you have anything better to do? They say these Rishis and Munis will be roaming about, wherever their feet take them following their minds and sights, as it is said in the proverb, 'sittam pokku sivan pokku' – 'சித்தம் போக்கு சிவம் போக்கு'. So, as we can never be certain as to where he will be, what is the use of searching for him?  Even if you finally locate him, what is so great about what he is likely to say?  In other words, I sincerely feel that you are wasting your time here".  He said all this in trying to deter the Brhmachari and testing his level of sincerity!  But the Brhmachari was clear about his intention to meet his family Guru at all costs.  He was not one to take back a step once taken forward. 

16.          He said without any dilution of his faith and trust, "Agasthya Rishi is of such a nature that he will certainly come to my help.  Please do not try to deter me!"  With that he was on his way once again.  At once, Agasthya assumed his normal form and blessed this Brhmachari.  He told the boy, "There will be a cow seen on the bank of this River Tãmrabarani.  At that point if you construct a dam and dig a 'kãlvãi' – 'கால்வாய்' that is a canal, it will be useful for many.   You catch hold of the Cow's tail.  The canal should follow the path as taken by the cow in its journey.  So, you have keep to noting the landmarks for reference, to make the route map of the canal.  Wherever the cow drops its dung, there a sluice gate should be constructed. Wherever the cow passes urine, subsidiary channels should be created for irrigation purposes.  In places where the cow lies down on the ground, lakes should be created.  Wherever the cow disappears from sight, finish the canal there.  Since you will be making water available for people for washing, drinking and irrigation, all your 'Pratigraha Dosha' will vanish and your name and fame will last 'Ãchandrãrkam', meaning till the Sun and Moon are there".  Having said all that, Agasthya disappeared.  What other advice will such a person, who had made available the Cauvery and Tãmrabarani Rivers for the wellbeing of humanity give except, ways and means of improving the arability of lands and making people's life more comfortable?

 17.         The moment Agasthya vanished, there was a cow seen on the banks of the Tãmrabarani.  That place is known as Sermãdevi.  Presently what is now in the Thirunelveli district was earlier a part of Kerala.  You can make out that, the name must have been 'Sera Ma Devi' which has become 'Sermãdevi' as, the erstwhile 'Sera Rajyam', has now become Kerala.  There the Coconut is the major crop.  The place is semi mountainous with a river flowing in between, full of greenery with innumerable number of wild growth forests interspersed with a number of orchards, gardens and coconut groves.  Coconut is known as 'nãreekelam'- 'नारीकेलं' in Sanskrit.  It is this 'nareekelam' that has somehow morphed into Kerala.  The first two syllables 'kera' have become 'sera' in Tamil.  The syllable 'ka' and 'sa / cha' are mutually interchangeable between Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu and many other languages!  'Kavurimãn' is called 'Savurimãn' and 'Keerthi' can be said to be 'Seerthi' and what we call 'Kai' – 'கை' in Tamil becomes 'sei' in Telugu and the actions we do with that hand or 'கை' becomes 'seivadu' – 'செய்வது' in Tamil.

18.          Thus what was 'Sera Rajyam' in Tamil became Kerala State.  One of the important towns of Kerala was this 'Sermãdevi or Sera-Mã-Devi' in the name of the Queen Empress of that time.  Similarly Mangayarkarasi, the queen of the Pãndya Kingdom was called 'Pãndya-Mã-Devi' by Thiru Gnãna Sambandar in Thevãram.  Similarly the 'Sozhas' as descendants of 'Sibi' were known as 'Sembiar'.  One of their queens was a great devotee of Siva, who was famous as 'Sembian-Mã-Devi'.  Among the 12 Saiva Thiru MuraigaL, the Ninth one is the 'ThiruvisaippãkkaL' sung by one Kandar-Ãditya-Sozha who was one of the Kings of the Sozha Dynasty.  His wife was this Sembiyan-Mã-Devi, in whose name also there is a township.

19.          The Brhmachari caught hold of the tail of the cow at Sermãdevi and it started running.  He continued recording the route map in his mind taking notes in a note book, while on the move, with the help of landmarks enroute.  He also noted down wherever it dropped its dung or passed urine.  What is dirty excreta of other animals, from this 'pasu' – 'பசு' or animal, becomes germicidal disinfectants, as copiously described by Ayurvedic scriptures.  If that is so in the Ayurvedic books, in the Dharma Sãstrãs there is much more about how they are holy and divine in getting rid of all sorts of Dosha and unclean attitudes! I am pointing this out to emphasise as to how, we should not be talking about them deprecatingly as 'shit and piss'!  He also noted down wherever the cow took some rest, lying on the ground, where a lake was to be created. 

Prostitute's Noble Thoughts

20.              Prostitutes are known as 'Dãsi' in the colloquial.  When this Brhmachari was going hither and thither wherever pulled by the cow, for the noble idea of making use of the funds for the benefit of humanity at large, in a place known as Sceniapuram, it entered a prostitute's house.  Having forsaken even his reputation for the ideal task before him, this Brhmachari entered that house also, with the cow.  As he had been taking note of all the places covered in his travel so far, he took note of this house also.  Noting this, that Dãsi, Kalãsi by name, came in front blocking the way and asked, "Who are you and why have let that cow come into my house and you are taking the address also of my house, why?" 

21.              This Sandya Vandana Brhmachari told her the whole story.  "I am not supposed to block the cow from proceeding wherever she wishes to go.  When digging the canal, I shall pay you sufficient compensation for your loss.  This house has to be demolished to make way for the canal."  Agasthya Muni had told him to give compensation for all the value of immoveable assets that happen to fall in the way of the canal.  At once Kalãsi told him with a big heart, "There is no need for that.  It is enough that you are enabling me to participate and contribute in this noble venture of helping the countryside becoming arable.  With that when the water flows through here, my land will also get water, isn't it?  That is enough compensation!"  Whatever the caste or creed or profession, there are people with a noble bent of mind.

22.              Thus after continuing on like this till a village known as, 'Parandãri', near a dried up lake, that cow just vanished.  That village is nowadays called 'Pranjãri'.  Brhmachari realised that the cow was a divine creation of Agasthya Rishi.  There is no other animal of such divinity as the cow.  All the 33 crores of Devatas are included in the cow.  Agasthya who wished to demonstrate the value of that canal, from the River Tãmrabarani, that removes all the sins of people, arranged for the route map to be made for the canal thus. 

Fraud by the GurukkaL

23.              Realising that the canal is to end in Parandãri village, Brhmachari ran to Ambã-Samudram for bringing the bag of gold from the GurukkaL with whom he had entrusted all the gold.  If you are involved in social service, you have to keep running for everything repeatedly like that only.  In the process whatever the obstacles, disappointments and failures; you have to bear with them all, and continue relentlessly, till the goal is reached.  That is what happened to the Brhmachari now.  The GurukkaL at Ambã-Samudram returned the bag alright.  But when he looked inside, instead of golden pellets, they were all real grains of lentil!  "This is what you gave me", said the GurukkaL categorically!

24.              Brhmachari now ran to Trivandrum to complain to the King, as Ambã-Samudram was part of Kerala Rajyam those days.  If the King had come to know of the reputation of Brhmachari earlier, now he was doubly aware of his greatness because of the noble intention of Brhmachari to spend all that gold for public service.  The King was also keen that the gold he had donated was going to be used for a public cause.  But since the person accused of fraud was a Sivãchariyãr, he did not wish to irritate or insult him in any way.  The King instead of called for him quite came to Ambã-Samudram himself.  That GurukkaL was repeating his earlier contention only.  The King could think of only one way of sorting out the muddle.  He told him, "OK!  In that case, you take vow of truth touching the Kachyabeswara Mahalingam, to which you are doing Pooja every day and vouchsafe your part of the story and we shall believe you".  GurukkaL agreed to do so because he was very knowledgeable in Mantra Sãstrãs and clever too.  He had a devious plan which will unfold shortly.

(To be continued.)

Sambhomahadeva