DEIVATHIN KURAL # 134 (Vol # 7) Dated 16 Apr 2014

 DEIVATHIN KURAL # 134 (Vol # 7) Dated 16 Apr 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 second last paragraph in page No 1032 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)

196.                  We talked about the last sloka of Bhagawatam.  In Gita (18.66) I said that there is an exact reflection of this idea conveyed.  In it Sri Krishna is telling Arjuna, "Forget about all the rules and regulations of all types of Dharma and simply surrender unto me and I shall save you from all sins and release you to Moksha, don't worry"!  He says clearly, 'aham tvã sarva pãpebhyo mokshayishyãmi' – 'अहं त्वा सर्व पापेभ्यो मोक्षयिष्यामि'.  That is exactly what is said at the end of Bhagawatam as, 'sarva pãpa prNãsanam'.  Then Sri Krishna adds very encouragingly, 'mã shucha:' – 'मा शुच:' meaning 'Do not worry!  Be happy!'  That is the same as what we saw in Bhagawatam as, 'Du:kha shamanam'.  As Suka ÃchãryãL intended to complete the Bhagawatam as a SaraNãgati Sãstram, he pointed out that principle by mentioning the act of Namaskãra.  There can be no greater benefit for an entity born in this world than merging in God.  That benefit of becoming one with God is given by this Namaskãra, if done truly and sincerely.

Namaskãram is an End in Itself

197.                  To do Namaskãra and through that praying for some wish fulfilment is stupidity in a way, since it gives the greatest return of Vinaya automatically.  That by itself is a benefit, gain, luck, return and pay off.  Our ÃchãryãL too, when praying to Maha Lakshmi, asked for a shower of gold for the sake of a poor lady and did not ask for anything for himself.  When it comes to praying for himself, he says that to be able to pray to you is enough for me; 'tvad vandanãni…mãmeva mãtaranisam kalayantu mãnye' – 'त्वद् वन्दनानि ... मामेव मातरनिशं कलयन्तु मान्ये'.

Manaskãram

198.                  As Thyagaraja Swami said, 'entaro mahãnubhãvulu antariki vandanamu' – 'एन्तरो महानुभावुलु अन्तरिकि वन्दनमु', meaning that whosoever has been great at whatever time in the past or present wherever, I reverently pay my respects to them all; you may do Namaskãra to any and everybody as Sãshtãnga or Panchãnga Namaskãra, as many times as you can.  But it does not mean however that you should do that even in crowded places.  As I said, it will be inconvenient to others and you may be running the risk of being trampled over!  Anyhow these things should be done only as feasible, depending upon time, space and situations existing.  In crowded places you may make the Namaskãram in to a Manaskãram, felt deeply in your mind and heart.  In other places, so as to free and refine the mind it is good to drop this body on the ground doing Namaskãram on as many occasions as possible.

Materialism is to be Limited by Spiritualism – An Essential Need of the Present Day World

199.                    I have dwelt in depth about the value of Namaskãra for deeply imbedding the sense of Vinaya in our minds and as a means of attaining oneness with our own reality, instead of remaining deluded under the influence of Maya.  I took up this topic today because as time goes on the basic essential quality of 'Humility' – 'பணிவு' – 'विनय' is on the vane.  Especially one gentleman told me about the truly regrettable state of affairs existing today that, my mind started thinking about it and possible antidotes, which I wished to share with you all.  Ever since people started talking about equality, liberty, fraternity and self-respect; humility was the first casualty.  Now it has reached the stage of total anarchy and application of brute force with the slightest provocation.  As the whole mass of people started asking for their 'rights', social life has become one of endless agitations and 'fights'!  Agreed that there is logic in these ideas, which became known world-wide from the French Revolution onwards and which I accept without any objections.  But isn't there a limit, an outer line drawn so that all the individual body-parts of the society could function efficiently without stepping on each other's toes? Only if we define the outer limits of each entity of materialism by intrinsic spiritualism, the class struggle taking ever new shapes will cease, for the world to experience peace, mutual respect and unity!

200.                  If your question is about how to control this and where to draw this line, it can only be done by developing mutual trust and respect through humbleness and modesty.  Material opulence alone cannot give wholesomeness to one's life.  (Here PeriyavãL   coins a new word 'AruLãdhãram' – 'அருளாதாரம்' as a counter to an already existing and much in use word in Tamil, 'PoruLãdhãram' – 'பொருளாதாரம்' aka materialism!  Basically AruLãdhãram will depend on mutual respect between various strata of the society and Divine Grace exhibited as mutual acceptance, tolerance and accommodation!)  When your attention and attitude shifts from PoruL that is Material, to AruL that is Grace, which can happen only with inculcating Vinaya through Namaskãra, you would have clearly delineated the borders correctly.  This can happen when your basic want is that you wish to develop your quality of humbleness and modesty like an ornament that you go in search of elders to do Namaskãra to!  Basically, you do not have to get anything from elsewhere.  You have to forego conceitedness from within!  Thus the quality of Vinaya that was there at the basic level will become a huge edifice.  In this country by the power of the traditions going on over eons of time, however much you may be too keen on self-respect, a slight change in understanding and intention will bring out the Vinaya as a power already in you as the basic mentality!

201.                  Even now that basic attitude is not erased but present as the underline.  This period is the era of independence in which everybody is his own King, subservient under no one.  Still everybody is going and falling in the feet of some Swami or the other.  If they cannot find a Swami, they are identifying a cinema or political or sports super-star who are held in high adulation, falling in their feet.  The so-called self-respecting atheists are the ones who are so subservient to some leader, endlessly doing Namaskãrãs to them and heaping encomiums of praise on them.  As the end sloka of Bhagawatam says, they are doing 'PraNãma' with 'Nãma Sankeertana' to such leaders!  So having been born in this part of the earth, they have a natural tendency to readily fall in the feet of such people.  All that is required is to rightly channelize such tendencies.  For it let NãrãyaNa himself show the way.

Exceptions

202.                  Hearing me talk about, this is how the Namaskãra is to be done, that it has so much value and what not so extensively, if some of you because of old age and physical conditions are not able to do so, you do not have to strain yourselves physically.  It is enough if you do so symbolically.  More than those who do so physically, it is those who are not able to do it physically, who will be more sincerely feeling for it.  Those who are doing it physically may be too mechanical about it that, when the body is doing Namaskãra, their minds may be roaming about elsewhere.  When Namaskãra itself is basically Mãnasikam, the mind is the integrating force there.  Anyhow where there is big crowd of thousands, everybody cannot be doing full Sãshtãnga / Panchãnga Namaskãrãs.  On such occasions and when physical conditions do not permit otherwise it is enough to do an Anjali.  For all rules there are exceptions, which I wished to enlighten.

Namaskãram that Removes Darkness

203.                  In a country where the priority area was always self-improvement and Ãtma Abhivruddhi, it is sad but true that material advancement seems to have become the only concern, which is really a disease of Ahankãra.  For that Namaskãra is the remedy as known to me, as one 'kãra' will counter the other, that I spoke on the subject for so long.  The life's Andakãra (darkness) created by Ahankãra can only be got rid of by the act of Namaskãra with an attitude of Vinaya, please note!

204.                  More than anybody else saying this, as I felt that it will be more effective if I say this, I have been telling you all along.  While saying this, am I feeling mighty proud about it?  No, that is not the purport.  It is the status, standing and position based on which all this clamour for equality – independence – and self-respect movement starting as a voice, becoming a chorus has become a war of words.  In this situation, if you get to know that a man thrown in to the highest position by some quirk of fate as a 'Jagat Guru' and a Matãdipathy, instead of feeling mighty proud that he does not have to respect or show respect to anybody, is feeling much depressed that he does not get opportunities of doing Namaskãra to anybody; the necessity for Vinaya will deeply touch the core of your hearts, is the reason for my elaborating this point.  I do Namaskãra saying 'Namo Nam:' to NãrãyaNa, praying that he may enable you all to benefit immensely by that wonderful opportunity to be able to do Namaskãra, which has been denied to me!

Sambhomahadeva