DEIVATHIN KURAL # 110 (Vol # 7) Dated 22 Feb 2014

 DEIVATHIN KURAL # 110 (Vol # 7) Dated 22 Feb 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 para on page No 837 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)

36.          Because Sri Rama Chandra Murthy killed RavaNa, he was afflicted by three types of Dosha namely Veera Hatti, Brhma Hatti and Chãyã Hatti.  RavaNa was a great warrior and hence on killing him Sri Rama got Veera Hatti Dosh.  Then RavaNa was a Brahmin being the son of a Brahmin Rishi Visravas.   He had done Veda Adhyayanam.  In fact when he tried to show off his might by lifting the Kailas Mountain, Siva pinned him down under the mountain by pressing down by the right toe of his.  At that time RavaNa extricated himself by singing the Sama Veda while simultaneously playing on the VeeNa in symphony, there by pleasing Siva.  So, killing a Brahmin means affliction by Brhma Hatti Dosha.  Next is Chãyã Hatti.  Chãyã means figuratively elite qualities of grandeur, eminence and exaltation.  In such a person, there is a halo, lustre, glow and illustriousness.  RavaNa was a man of impressive physical presence, learned in Vedas and Sãstrãs, had in-depth knowledge of music and he was a great Siva Bhakta.  When such a person is killed then some of that lustre rubs-off negatively on the killer.  So Rama was affected by Chãyã Dosha too.  To get relieved of the three Doshas, he established three Shiv Lingas, one each in Rameswaram for removal of Brhma Hatti Dosha, in VedaraNyam for release from Veera Hatti Dosha and in Patteeswaram near Kumbakonam for erasing the Chãyã Hatti Dosha.  That there is Rama Lingam in Rameswaram is known to everybody.  But in the other two places also the Siva Linga is known as 'Rama Lingam' only as having been installed there and prayed to by Sri Rama.

Prãyaschittam As Advised by Easwara

37.          As he had done Siva Linga Pratishta in the previous Avatara as Sri Rama, Sri Krishna thought of asking Easwara as to how to get rid of Veera Hatti.  So he went to Kailãsa.  Between us as believers and followers of Saivam and Vaishnavam we have no major differences.  Only some amongst us think of party-politics in these things too.  But between them Easwara and Maha Vishnu, they know that essentially they are one and the same and not separate entities.  For the sake of divine Leela and management of apparently different areas of responsibility, they seemingly appear to be different.  In fact all the Gods are one only as other religions seem to emphasise and make a big issue out of. The differences are more for the convenience of our understanding and we also know that after all is said and done in fact, it is all one and the same as Adwaitam insists!  So sometimes this God will fall in the feet of that and some other time, that one will fall in the feet of this.  At times they may also fight with each other, either of them winning on various occasions.  Sometimes their friendship and love for each other will coalesce into their sharing one body called Shivanarayana or Harihara, as also depicted in Sankara-Narayana Swami Temple in Thirunelveli, deep down south in Tamil Nadu.   

38.          At the present juncture it is Sri Krishna Paramãtma who is visiting Kailãsa and consulting Siva as to what would be a suitable Prãyaschittam for the Veera Hatti Dosha.  It is said that there are many modes and means for expiation of one's sins, such as Tapasya-s and Karma Anushtãnãs, the best Prãyaschittam amongst them all being, just to think of Sri Krishna!   I Quote:-

"prãyaschittãn-yaseshãNi tapa: karmãtmakãni vai |

"प्रायस्चित्तान्यसेषाणि तप: कर्मात्मकानि वै |

yãni teshãm aseshãNãm krishNãnusmaraNam param ||"

यानि तेशामअसेषाणां कृष्णानुस्मरणं परम् ||"  Such a protector of the down-fallen is now going to Kailãsa in search of a means of expiation!  Siva also fully aware of the fact, that Sri Krishna's question is more for the assimilation by the general public that though they are beyond any Dosha, they only enact the scene as to how man should go about in such situations thought about what could be a suitable means of expiation.  'If I tell him that you are above such afflictions, Sri Krishna will not agree.  If I suggest Ganga Snãnam that will be considered like a not so effective cure, as it is already the All-Cure Palliative.  However much of an expert as a general practitioner our family doctor may be, when it comes to eyes, nose, throat or heart or lung, we would prefer to go to a specialist isn't it?  That family doctor also is likely to send us for consultancy to some specialist only.

39.          Similarly in the matter of these Gods, each one of the likes of Brhma, Vishnu, Maheshwara, Lakshmi, Saraswathi and Pãrvathy, in fact all of 33 Crores of Gods of the Hindu pantheon of Gods; as another individual form of the Para Brhmam; have all the powers of sanction as well as removal or erasure!  But they have entrusted or allotted as though, one particular area of responsibility to each Devata.  Like if the devotees wish to remove the obstacle in their way, they must approach Vigneshwara; for education they should worship Saraswathi; for health they should approach the Surya Bhagawan and so on.   So now I have to tell this Sri Krishna 'Something Special' and not what every child knows, such as, 'Ganga Snãnam Pãpa NivãraNam'!  If we tell that to him, it will be tantamount to calling him a fool!  He will claim that he has committed a sin beyond the powers of Ganga to erase and that the method of expiation should be more powerful!  Thinking on these lines, Easwara said, "This month is known as Tulã Mãsam.  During this month every day from sunrise for a period of six Nãzhigai, that is, for 2 hours and 24 minutes, all the 66 Crores of PuNya Teertam are in the waters of Cauvery River.  So if you do Tula Snãnam in Cauvery, you will be absolved of the Veera Hatti Dosha". 

Cauvery Tula Kattam

40.          Throughout the River Cauvery this 'All Teerta Sãnnidyam' is said to be there during this month of Tula.  As this is also a generalised statement, there has to be something special in that too.  So, in Mãyavaram in Mayilãduthurai only this Tula Snãnam is specially said to be effective.  The place name is in fact 'Mãyuram'.  As KalpakãmbãL became a peacock hen and did pooja to Siva in Mylapore, here too AbhayãmbãL did Easwara Arãdhana as a hen-peacock for this place to get the name of Mãyuram or Gowri-Mãyuram. 

41.          There, a spot with steps of stones leading down to the river on the Cauvery River bank is known as 'Lãkadam'.  In fact its original name was 'Tulã Kattam'.   Some people swallow some letters at the beginning or in the middle of words in usage.  Thus the words become unrecognizably modified over time.  Like 'ThoLLãyiram' – 'தொள்ளாயிரம்' becomes 'Tlãyiram' – 'த்ளாயிரம்' with some people, 'Mãyavaram' – 'மாயவரம்' becomes 'Mãyaram' – 'மாயரம்' and 'Vyãbãram' – 'வியாபாரம்' becomes 'Yãbãram' – 'யாபாரம்'.  Thus 'Thulã Kattam' – 'துலா கட்டம்', morphed into 'Tlã Kattam' – 'த்லா கட்டம்', and further to 'Lãkattam' – 'லாகட்டம்' to 'Lãkadam' – 'லாகடம்'!  In this Thulã Kattam / Lãkadam, people assemble in thousands throughout the month of Aippasi for Thulã Snãnam. 

42.          That Thulã Kattam in Mãyavaram is the place where Easwara told Sri Krishna to have a ritual Snãnam to get rid of the Veera Hatti and accompanied him there.  Yamuna Teera Vihãri having made Ganga Snãnam to be available to all of us wherever we are, he himself came to Cauvery to do Thulã Snãnam.  At once his Veera Hatti Dosha left him.  As a visible proof his effulgence that was subdued due to the Dosha, became brilliant once again in blue.  All Devatas were thrilled to see this and were happy to have a darsan of Easwara and PerumãL together simultaneously at one place and also did Cauvery Snãnam themselves.  It is all here given in Cauvery PurãNam that Bhumãdevi is said to have requested for the boons about Ganga Snãnam and related issues, in memory of Naraka Asura.

Cauvery Snãnam in DeepãvaLi

43.          So, it should be clear that DeepãvaLi is connected to Ganga Snãnam as well as Cauvery Snãnam.  That one day for a period of one Muhurtam that is for 48 minutes from AruNodayam, if Ganga is supposed to be present even in the hot water in your house used for bathing, throughout that month of Thulã /Aippasi, from AruNodayam for about 2 hours and 24 minutes, in Cauvery River water all Teerta-s including the Ganges are present.  So on DeepãvaLi we should first have oil bath in hot water before day-break.  Then within the next 2 ½ hours have another cold water bath thinking of Thulã Cauvery.  In the first bath we will remember Naraka Asura, Bhumãdevi, Satyabãmã and Sri Krishna.  In the second bath we will remember Easwara.

44.          This divine remembrance is the greatest of all bathing that gets rid of all inner dirt and bathes us in serenity and clarity of divine consciousness.  That is said as, 'govinda govindeti sadã snãnam' – 'गोविन्द गोविन्देति सदा स्नानं'.  By saying so, it does not mean that the Ganga and Cauvery outside are not required or unnecessary.  It is that Govinda who has granted us this Ganga Snãnam and demonstrated by bathing in Cauvery.  Such a Snãnam with his remembrance is not only the inner cleansing but also is as good as wearing of new clothes and partaking of choicest delicacies of eatables!

(Deivathin Kural will continue with a new topic.)

Sambhomahadeva