DEIVATHIN KURAL # 116 (Vol # 7) Dated 07 Mar 2014

 DEIVATHIN KURAL # 116 (Vol # 7) Dated 07 Mar 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 middle of page No 880 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)

51.          That Kunchita Pãdam verily is AmbãL herself!  If you wonder as to how can it be so, isn't it the left foot?  Swami's left side is AmbãL, isn't it?  That is when Siva and Shakti as representing Adwaitam and Dwaitam have become inalienably one, that Kunchita Pãdam is the very essence of Parãtpara Tattva.  'Kunchita Pãdam' as a word ending in 'm', is quite common as a name of persons in the South India at least in Tamil Nadu.  Adho Mukha as the sixth face of Siva is thus indicating the divine couple of Siva and Shakti, especially giving importance to the fifth job of divinity known as Pancha Kritya, that is, the job of giving Anugraha.  It is said that Siva as the five faced with AmbãL as the sixth, have become Kumara Swami aka SubrahmaNya Swami.  

Sat and Chit Becomes Ãnandam = SubrahmaNyam

52.          Let me come to the matter of Shanmugam – Ãrumugam.  Like Kunchita Pãdam here if we wonder if this name finishing in 'm' is also one from one limb of the body, the answer is a 'No'.  There is no custom to do pooja only to the six faces of Ãrumugam.  That sort of pooja only to the face is meant for Mãriamman.  The matter about Shanmugam is that, from Parameswarã's six faces six sparks flew out from each one of the third eye, which became six children and they then became one with six faces, twelve shoulders, and twelve hands to be known as the SubrahmaNya Murthy, about which we have heard a lot.  If there were only five faces from which five sparks as one from each came out, then there could have been only five babies.  But since Ãrumugam Swami is a combination of six babies, with five the sixth spark from the Adho Mukha has also combined as given in Sãstrãs and Skanda PurãNam, known as Skãndam.   So it is not only Siva Tejas but also that of Shakti with Siva Tejas.  It is AmbãL including in herself the Sadasiva as one of the Pancha Kritya Murthys, as the sixth Adho Mukha who created Shanmuga.  Sat the Siva and Chit the Shakti combined for the coming into being of SubrahmaNya Swami as the Ãnanda Swaroopa.  As in Ardha Nãreeswara Roopa they are 50:50, though 5:1 is the ratio as far as the faces are concerned, in terms of relevance and participation it is equal weightage here. 

53.          AmbãL does the important job of Anugraha through Sadasivan as an important executive of divinity.  That is the crux of the point here.  That is, to indicate that the beneficence of AmbãL that grants Bhogam (meaning worldly benefits) will fetch us to the Anubhava of Moksham too, with Sadasiva Nãma PraNava joined, that the extended PraNavam became shortened, to cause Sadasiva into Sadasivam, as we had seen earlier.  For the same reason, the PraNava Mantra with the Nama of SubrahmaNya becoming 'SubrahmaNyam + ॐ = 'सुब्रह्मण्यों', which is a Veda Mantra. If the PraNava Mantra has been added to the Sadasiva Nama once and mentioned as Sadasivam, with SubrahmaNya Nama this 'सुब्रह्मण्यों' has been repeated thrice.  (Refer to AruNa Prasna in Surya Namaskãra in which the Mantra said to be Vedic Mantra for Muruga occurs, in the 58th Panjadi starting with, 'nighrushvai rasamãyutai:'.)  Britishers also use the phrase, 'thrice blessed'.  May be to clearly indicate this coalescing of the trinity of Swami, AmbãL and this baby God and the integration of Sat, Chit and Anandam, I suppose it has been iterated three times.  That is how the Name of 'SubrahmaNyam' came about, I believe.  In this unity of the six faces of the Siva and Shakti as Ãrumugam, to show the higher gender of 'uyar thiNai' – 'உயர் திணை' far above female, male and neuter genders, all the six names of Shanmugam are ending in 'm'.  That is how AruNagiri Nãtha has emphasised the 'aruLal' – 'அருளல்' of the higher gender above all, when he said 'ãrumugam ãna poruL nee aruLal vendum' – 'ஆறுமுகம் ஆன பொருள் நீ அருளல் வேண்டும், it seems!  

Satyam, Sivam, Sundaram

54.          The greatness of Sadasivam is more as the parent of these six Names of SubrahmaNyam.  What is the use of it, to us as the common man deeply mired in the worldly involvement and ignorance, if it remains beyond the Dwaita Loka as the Parama Tattva?  The very important principle of Adwaita Ãtma Swaroopa itself is also of the very form of 'Unconditional Love'.  If our love, trust and faith are true, we could melt in that Love and lose our sense of being a separate individual Jiva, that will dwindle away, without our being even aware of much effort for Gnãnam, Brhma Vidya, Adwaitam and such super-high flown terminologies, we will become one with God as 'anbe sivam' – 'அன்பே சிவம்'. 

55.          As it does not seem to be a great achievement, with no necessity for it to be seen as a great achievement also, he does it as his Leela.  So, there is no prefix as 'Maha' over here.  As a big job, the one who is making the whole universe run around in Maya, though has that prefix as Maha and is known as Maheshwara, (or Maha Vishnu by Vaishnavites) in this act of Anugraha of Love he has dissolved us in his self and remains simply Sivam!  Still our dissolving in him is forever and that is why he has this prefix of Sada meaning forever. That being the true state eternally we refer to him as 'Sadasivam'.  No other Swami has neither this 'adai mozhi' – 'அடை மொழி' nor do they do this act of, 'simply loving' and making available true 'Sãkshãtkãram' by maturing us unto fruition of dissolving in him, that he becomes so close a relation and since there is no alienation after that, it is not relative anymore!  So the comparative term of 'Maha' has no relevance here and 'Sada' will simply do!  By his unique relationship, as the relationship also goes and as he makes us one with him unifying us into oneness, this unique adjective 'Sada' is aptly befitting!  

56.          Though it is Love, it has no such adjectives as 'Love' or 'Prema' or "Priyam' or some such name.  As Anbu is Sivam, we simply say Sadasivam.  Love imbibes and inculcates Ãnandam.  So, there is a custom to name people as 'Sivãnandam' instead separating the words as Siva and Ãnandam.  Though nowadays, 'Ãnand' (which somehow sounds like 'Un&') as a name is more in usage, Ãnandam is the super-higher neuter gender terminology that has come down to us over the ages for generations after generations traditionally.  One more affirmation to be made: that Sivam as Anbu is also 'azhagu' – 'அழகு', meaning Beauty that is 'Sundaram'. So we also name children as 'Sundaram', but not as 'Siva Sundaram'.  I suppose that, when 'Siva' is already 'Sundaram' people may not be opting for a name as 'Siva Sundaram'.  Using the synonym of Siva, 'Kunchita Pãdam' we see some names such as 'Sivapãda Sundaram' – 'சிவபாதசுந்தரம்'.  Combining AmbãL's name as Meenãkshi, there are names as 'Meenãkshi + Sundaram = Meenãkshi Sundaram' – 'மீனாக்ஷிசுந்தரம்'; as the to-be-son-in-law there are KalyãNa Sundaram – 'கல்யாணசுந்தரம்'; as a decoration for the bride-groom when he wears a crescent moon we have 'Soma Sundaram' – 'சோமசுந்தரம்' and so on.  As there is no space or place where Sri Rama does not manoeuvre into, there is 'Rama Sundaram' – 'இராமசுந்தரம்'.  Sri Krishna will closely follow Sri Rama isn't it?  So we have 'Mohana Sundaram' – 'மோஹனசுந்தரம்'; that chases away our delusion of Maya.  That is, Gnãnam itself is known as Mohanam here.  Then there is also a name as 'Gnãna Sundaram' – 'ஞானசுந்தரம்'.  Before I forget and end this series of names, let me tell you that connecting Sivam and Shanmugam, there is 'Shanmuga Sundaram' – 'சண்முகசுந்தரம்'.  Amongst ladies though they have a plentiful supply of names from Lalitha / Lakshmi / Saraswathi Sahasra Nãmas, there is the name as 'Soundaram' – 'சவுந்தரம்' bringing in Sivã. 

57.          As Love is Beautiful, the basis for all these names is 'anbe sivam' – 'அன்பே சிவம்'!  That is why as the name of God the Paramãtma, we name some children by combining beauty in Tamil 'Azhagu' – 'அழகு' and in Sanskrit 'Sundaram' – 'सुन्दरम्'; we have a name as 'Azhagu Sundaram' – 'அழகுசுந்தரம்'.  (It is interesting to note that Ramana Maharishi's mother's name was Azhagu – 'அழகு' and his father's name was Sundaram – 'சுந்தரம்'!)  Somehow only recently the members of Brhma Samaj have popularised the phrase 'Satyam-Sivam-Sundaram' as a parallel to 'Sat-Chit- Ãnandam'.  But in the tradition of South India, especially Tamil Nadu, more than any other name this 'Sundaram' – 'சுந்தரம்' has already been in vogue; bringing to our minds, 'Satyam' and 'Sivam' as synonymous with beauty; that the concept of Satyam-Sivam-Sundaram has always been with us all from time immemorial quite naturally, without our noticing it or being too conscious of it.  That Sivam which is true and beautiful should spread in the whole world.   So, I pray that Sadasiva Murthy may grant it as he is the very source and fount of such Anugraha!

(Deivathin Kural will continue with the next Chapter.)

Sambhomahadeva