Post by saidevo on Sept 21, 2012 8:06:11 GMT 5.5
Pages 125-128
For many other things, however, we can only infer about them much later, when some day we meet with their effects.
For example, we watch with our own eyes that he listens to numerous supplications from people day after day. We also watch with clarity, listen and celebrate how he listens to all the supplications, from the most naive to the loftiest, with utter compassion and utmost sympathy, and tells solutions, taking into account what is sAdhya (possible) and what is svabhavikA (natural) for each person.
But then the solution he says with his mouth later becomes for those devotees an actuality, made possible by his kRupA shakti (power of compassion) that entered into it a thousand times more powerfully than his verbal solution!
And this will be revealed by inference only to the devotee who received the solution from him. It will never be known to another person who is watching it today, standing next to the devotee!
It is not with such big matters of anugraha; even in small things such as brushing the teeth that is done by everyone, he would hide his speciality and let it be known only by inference.
After he is back from the 'koTTAi' (washroom), his next chore would be brushing the teeth. He would do it as the very danta dhAvana samaskAra of the Shastras, selecting only those twigs that are allowed, and gorgling only that many times as ordained.
One particular tree belonging to the milky and thorny variety, and is recommended as the best for brushing the teeth with, was found in a place where he camped. During those days he was there, PeriyavaaL would do his danta dhAvana using its twigs daily.
A kinkara (assistant) one day tried to brush his teeth with such a twig. After that he could hardly take his food for a week! So much bitter was that twig.
For PeriyavaaL however, that bitterness was not felt at all! So he had not mentioned about it to his assistants, when using the twigs of that tree for many days for brushing his teeth. From this incident, the kinkara inferred about the sage's jitendriyatva (the ability of subjugation of the senses)!
*** *** ***
I said that only his antaranga kinkara (personal assistant) would know when PeriyavaaL gets up in the morning. Saying that would not mean that he was sleeping before he opened his eyes and got up! The personal assistant only knew when he got up, not when he awakened. Whether he would sleep before getting up or just stay in a sleepless state, only he knows.
Even at that time of early morning when he gets up before dawn after lying down in his mEnA (palanquin) or other kIkkidam (narrow place), a small growd would start forming around him with the yearning 'let this dawn be the time of dawn for our life too'. The KaruNalayar who took avatar to bless crores of people with soft words, would give them his blessing.
adAdA, what difference between the hero of this essay and its author! That Karmayogi of compassion would start his task of giving blessings as soon as he awakens to the outer world from his real sleep or sleepless state whatever, even before the first crowd of people gather around him. The author has failed to inform as such in writing the act of his blessing that the hero of this essay had as his daily practice!
Yes, this task of compassion would start even before he gets up and goes to the 'koTTAi'.
Is he not the holy figure of simplicity and concealment? Therefore he would not mostly show his blessings as the blessings he gives. Instead, he would disguise them as his own act of prayer for the sake of his praying devotee.
In that manner, after he awakens daily, as a first task he would say the prArthanA shlokA (prayer verse) that seeks sarva jana kSema (welfare of all people), with a mellow heart.
Sarve bhavantu sukhinah
Sarve santu niraamayaah |
Sarve bhadraani pashyantu
Maakaschit duhkha bhaag bhavet ||
May all be happy! (sukhinah)
May all be free from disabilities! (niraamayaah)
May all look (pashyantu) to the good of others!
May none suffer from sorrow! (duhkha)
Occasionally, this shlokA would come out of his mouth audibly. On other days, this prArthanA would take place only within his mind, in his typical way of veiling things about him.
An assistant who happened to listen to his audible chant of this shlokA one day had requested the sage to teach him the shlokA. PeriyavaaL had said then, "Oho, did I tell it audibly today?"
shrEyO bhUyAt sakala janAnAnAm! (May the whole of humanity attain excellence!) is not just the concluding line of his song of blessings to the United Nations Organization. He is the shrEyo nidhi, Ashraya nidhi who always keeps it in his thoughts.
Thus, even before the shAstra pUrva kArya kramam (routine of scriptures) starts, the karuNA pUrva kArya kramam (routine of compassion) would start!
Is there any start, or end? Don't the North Indian musicians have a double tambura sruti--a tambura for pancamam and another for madhyamam? In a like manner, throughout his life of euphony and harmony (isai, isaivu), a tambura for advaita jnAnam and another tambura for dvaita karuNai have incessantly been buzzing as the AdhAra sruti (basic note)!
*** *** ***
Glossary:
dhAvana - washing, cleaning, rubbing off.
jitendriya - an ascetic, subjugation of the senses, having suppressed the organs of sense.
For many other things, however, we can only infer about them much later, when some day we meet with their effects.
For example, we watch with our own eyes that he listens to numerous supplications from people day after day. We also watch with clarity, listen and celebrate how he listens to all the supplications, from the most naive to the loftiest, with utter compassion and utmost sympathy, and tells solutions, taking into account what is sAdhya (possible) and what is svabhavikA (natural) for each person.
But then the solution he says with his mouth later becomes for those devotees an actuality, made possible by his kRupA shakti (power of compassion) that entered into it a thousand times more powerfully than his verbal solution!
And this will be revealed by inference only to the devotee who received the solution from him. It will never be known to another person who is watching it today, standing next to the devotee!
It is not with such big matters of anugraha; even in small things such as brushing the teeth that is done by everyone, he would hide his speciality and let it be known only by inference.
After he is back from the 'koTTAi' (washroom), his next chore would be brushing the teeth. He would do it as the very danta dhAvana samaskAra of the Shastras, selecting only those twigs that are allowed, and gorgling only that many times as ordained.
One particular tree belonging to the milky and thorny variety, and is recommended as the best for brushing the teeth with, was found in a place where he camped. During those days he was there, PeriyavaaL would do his danta dhAvana using its twigs daily.
A kinkara (assistant) one day tried to brush his teeth with such a twig. After that he could hardly take his food for a week! So much bitter was that twig.
For PeriyavaaL however, that bitterness was not felt at all! So he had not mentioned about it to his assistants, when using the twigs of that tree for many days for brushing his teeth. From this incident, the kinkara inferred about the sage's jitendriyatva (the ability of subjugation of the senses)!
*** *** ***
I said that only his antaranga kinkara (personal assistant) would know when PeriyavaaL gets up in the morning. Saying that would not mean that he was sleeping before he opened his eyes and got up! The personal assistant only knew when he got up, not when he awakened. Whether he would sleep before getting up or just stay in a sleepless state, only he knows.
Even at that time of early morning when he gets up before dawn after lying down in his mEnA (palanquin) or other kIkkidam (narrow place), a small growd would start forming around him with the yearning 'let this dawn be the time of dawn for our life too'. The KaruNalayar who took avatar to bless crores of people with soft words, would give them his blessing.
adAdA, what difference between the hero of this essay and its author! That Karmayogi of compassion would start his task of giving blessings as soon as he awakens to the outer world from his real sleep or sleepless state whatever, even before the first crowd of people gather around him. The author has failed to inform as such in writing the act of his blessing that the hero of this essay had as his daily practice!
Yes, this task of compassion would start even before he gets up and goes to the 'koTTAi'.
Is he not the holy figure of simplicity and concealment? Therefore he would not mostly show his blessings as the blessings he gives. Instead, he would disguise them as his own act of prayer for the sake of his praying devotee.
In that manner, after he awakens daily, as a first task he would say the prArthanA shlokA (prayer verse) that seeks sarva jana kSema (welfare of all people), with a mellow heart.
Sarve bhavantu sukhinah
Sarve santu niraamayaah |
Sarve bhadraani pashyantu
Maakaschit duhkha bhaag bhavet ||
May all be happy! (sukhinah)
May all be free from disabilities! (niraamayaah)
May all look (pashyantu) to the good of others!
May none suffer from sorrow! (duhkha)
Occasionally, this shlokA would come out of his mouth audibly. On other days, this prArthanA would take place only within his mind, in his typical way of veiling things about him.
An assistant who happened to listen to his audible chant of this shlokA one day had requested the sage to teach him the shlokA. PeriyavaaL had said then, "Oho, did I tell it audibly today?"
shrEyO bhUyAt sakala janAnAnAm! (May the whole of humanity attain excellence!) is not just the concluding line of his song of blessings to the United Nations Organization. He is the shrEyo nidhi, Ashraya nidhi who always keeps it in his thoughts.
Thus, even before the shAstra pUrva kArya kramam (routine of scriptures) starts, the karuNA pUrva kArya kramam (routine of compassion) would start!
Is there any start, or end? Don't the North Indian musicians have a double tambura sruti--a tambura for pancamam and another for madhyamam? In a like manner, throughout his life of euphony and harmony (isai, isaivu), a tambura for advaita jnAnam and another tambura for dvaita karuNai have incessantly been buzzing as the AdhAra sruti (basic note)!
*** *** ***
Glossary:
dhAvana - washing, cleaning, rubbing off.
jitendriya - an ascetic, subjugation of the senses, having suppressed the organs of sense.