Post by saidevo on Sept 24, 2012 8:58:44 GMT 5.5
Pages 133-137
Our Gurunathar is one who does everything according to the Shastras. As for our Shastras, they have given precepts for everything, including the dAmpatyam (husband-wife intimacy) considered parama laukikam (completely worldly), with the purpose of making every act fit for the Atma shreyas (liberation of soul). Sri Periyavaa is one who observes in an unblemished manner all the precepts given in them for a renunciate who is a maThadhipati (pontiff).
People ask about why so much Achara bindings for an Advaitin. In reality, however, only a true advaita anubhUtimAn (one established in Advaita) can observe all the (Achara) bindings and show that it can be done. In Dvaita, the mind will always remain. Only when it is present, can the duality of another thing be experienced (right)? When mind comes up, with that in Dvaita comes the inevitable difference in perception. And if that comes up, then likes and dislikes would surely follow. The mind does not like to be bound. When there are likes and dislikes, even if it a question of the Shastras, the two would stand up for a clash. The Advaitin has no illusion of the mind as the Self. He is one who has realized that he is the unbound Atma. He plays in the Dvaitic world only with a disguise that appears to us as his mind. He has no perception of differences. He looks at everything as one. So the one that appears as mind would accept whatever comes by, without liking or disliking it. Since it does not reject anything, it would accept anything that comes by.
In the kolam (state) of Kali, when everyone rejects the bindings of Shastras, to compensate and balance it, the responsible position of a Jagadguru was given to our anubhUtimAn. He is the one who has already realized the boundless Atma svatantra (freedom of the soul)! Therefore he shows the disguise that is his mind as the one that obeys all the bindings.
*** *** ***
We saw about his mukkAla snAnam (bathing at three times in a day). Even that snAnam is shAstravat (according to Shastras)! He does it according to the precept that the bather should not scoop up water and pour it over him; instead he should immerse himself in the water. This is known as avakAhaha snAnam.
When he camps in places where there is a river or a pond, this is done without any difficulty. In places where this facility is not there, water will be drawn from a well and poured into a large tub. If there is no such tub available, a new tub for this purpose would be built. If the well itself is not there, even a new one will be dug. There is no puNya (good) in the 'progressive thinkers' curving up their faces!
[On the occasion of SriCharaNar's camp during 1932 in the Mylai Sanskrit College, the well that was there was converted into a taDAkam (tank). It bears the name 'Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi Tirtham'.]
He would recite the aghamarshaNa sUkta (recited for ablution) and other mantras that are to be recited at bath time while taking bath.
After that vastra dhAraNam, vibhUti dhAraNam, japa mAla(s) dhAraNam (wearing of clothes, holy ash and rosaries).
There is no one who has not praised it; none who has not prostrated to him. The kAshayAmbara (saffron-clad) giving darshan as the very form of the paripUraNa (fullness) of parishuddha (purity), with vibhUti on his forehead, kANDikA on his neck, Kamandalu in one hand and the dhandam in the other, held as the scepter of Sanatana Dharma!*
The (onlooker's) mind will only say 'ParamaSivan, ParamaSivan' in that dharshan that PeriyavaaL who is the prema dIpam gives blending his Jnanagni and Achara jvAla (the flame of Acharas, referred to as neruppu (fire) in common parlance)!
In the morning, a vedavid (a Vedic pundit) would perform the puja in the ChandraMauleesvara Sannidhi for the kArAmpasu that is reared for this purpose in SriMaTham. Our Gurunathan who is like GoLakshmi that comes carrying its burden of compassionate nectar, would also be present at the time of this Go-puja (puja to the cow) in nirmala svarUpam (spotless form), after his bath, his already pure frame purified more by his bath. He would worship the cow that gives the nectar to perform abhiSheka (ablution) for Ishvara who is the VisvaNathan (lord of the universe). An illustration for what Lalitha SahasraNamam utters in adjacent terms as Gurumurti, Gunanidhi, Gomatha[/i]!**
The cow is beauty mixed with simplicity. The elephant is beauty mixed with majesty. After the Go-puja, the Gaja-puja would be held.
After this, our Gurunathan would finish his morning anuSTAnas (religious practices). The avatara who came to do pratiSTAbanam (establishment) of anuSTAnas! To talk of niSTai (meditation), only what he does is niSTai. If the Lokacharya who takes all the worldly affairs into his ears and gives solutions for them sits in an hour's japam, for that one hour, the world would totally slip away from him. Though it is referred to as 'an hour of japam', he would then be totally immersed in his Atman that is Brahman and is the root of the japam and dhyAnam. In other words he would be one with the ParamPoruL (Absolute Reality). Exactly an hour later, he would open his eyes. Even to put it that way is wrong. To say that he 'would open his eyes' would mean that he would be closing his eyes during his niSTai? That might not be the case. If our Gurunathan starts his niSTai with his eyes open, he would remain in the same state for that entire hour. His eyelids would not wink even for a fraction of a second. Whatever lights play before him, his eyes would not move; they would remain like the netrAs in a chitra (eyes in a painting).
Once when our Gurunathan was doing his japam, a pAriSada (attendant) who came to the place felt like having set his foot on a snake. This was because opposite our Gurunathar and very near to him a cobra lay coiled, raising its head, its hood in full spread before the sage's face, and its eyes looking at the sage's eyes. His eyes were open too, but they neither looked nor moved. Withdrawing silently, the pAriSada brought a cane basket, deftly inverted it and covered the snake. In addition, he kept standing there, to ensure that our Gurunathan did not accidentally open the basket after his niSTai dissolved. We have seen a similar later day's event in an earlier essay.
Note:
* In Tirumantiram, Saint Tirumular describes the insignia of the Siva yogin:
To smear holy ashes is the first step to tapas.
Rings of copper in the ears,
And garland of rudraksha around the neck--
These, too, are other emblems
For Siva to reach.
Thus does the blemishless Siva yogin
For tapas prepare. Kundala for ears to adorn.
Kamandalu for water to hold.
Kandika for neck to fill,
A conch to blow, a bowl to beg,
And a kappara to hold the ashes,
The correct sandals and yogic seat,
The yoga sash and yoga staff--
These ten are the yogi's appurtenances.
Tirumantiram, Verse 1662 and 1664
(http://www.himalayanacademy.com/resources/books/vows/holy_orders.html)
** The relevant passage in Lalitha SahasraNamam reads:
Darandolita dirghakshi darahaso jvalanmukhi
Gurumurtir gunanidhir gomata guhajanmabhuh .. 121
Darandolita dirghakshi: Who has shapely, wide and elongated eyes tremulous with mercy.
Darahaso jvalanmukhi: Whose face is lit with a gentle smile.
Gurumurtir: Who assumes the form of the Guru.
Gunanidhir: Who is a treasure house of virtues.
Gomata: Who is the source of speech.
Guhajanmabhuh: Who is the mother of Guha (Kartikeya).
(http:///www.astrojyoti.com/ls3.htm)
Glossary:
kArAmpasu - (Tamil) a cow with black tongue and nipples
shreyas - good quality, virtue, virtuous deed, auspiciousness, blessing, Moksha
taDAka - a tank, pool, shore
*** *** ***
Our Gurunathar is one who does everything according to the Shastras. As for our Shastras, they have given precepts for everything, including the dAmpatyam (husband-wife intimacy) considered parama laukikam (completely worldly), with the purpose of making every act fit for the Atma shreyas (liberation of soul). Sri Periyavaa is one who observes in an unblemished manner all the precepts given in them for a renunciate who is a maThadhipati (pontiff).
People ask about why so much Achara bindings for an Advaitin. In reality, however, only a true advaita anubhUtimAn (one established in Advaita) can observe all the (Achara) bindings and show that it can be done. In Dvaita, the mind will always remain. Only when it is present, can the duality of another thing be experienced (right)? When mind comes up, with that in Dvaita comes the inevitable difference in perception. And if that comes up, then likes and dislikes would surely follow. The mind does not like to be bound. When there are likes and dislikes, even if it a question of the Shastras, the two would stand up for a clash. The Advaitin has no illusion of the mind as the Self. He is one who has realized that he is the unbound Atma. He plays in the Dvaitic world only with a disguise that appears to us as his mind. He has no perception of differences. He looks at everything as one. So the one that appears as mind would accept whatever comes by, without liking or disliking it. Since it does not reject anything, it would accept anything that comes by.
In the kolam (state) of Kali, when everyone rejects the bindings of Shastras, to compensate and balance it, the responsible position of a Jagadguru was given to our anubhUtimAn. He is the one who has already realized the boundless Atma svatantra (freedom of the soul)! Therefore he shows the disguise that is his mind as the one that obeys all the bindings.
*** *** ***
We saw about his mukkAla snAnam (bathing at three times in a day). Even that snAnam is shAstravat (according to Shastras)! He does it according to the precept that the bather should not scoop up water and pour it over him; instead he should immerse himself in the water. This is known as avakAhaha snAnam.
When he camps in places where there is a river or a pond, this is done without any difficulty. In places where this facility is not there, water will be drawn from a well and poured into a large tub. If there is no such tub available, a new tub for this purpose would be built. If the well itself is not there, even a new one will be dug. There is no puNya (good) in the 'progressive thinkers' curving up their faces!
[On the occasion of SriCharaNar's camp during 1932 in the Mylai Sanskrit College, the well that was there was converted into a taDAkam (tank). It bears the name 'Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi Tirtham'.]
He would recite the aghamarshaNa sUkta (recited for ablution) and other mantras that are to be recited at bath time while taking bath.
After that vastra dhAraNam, vibhUti dhAraNam, japa mAla(s) dhAraNam (wearing of clothes, holy ash and rosaries).
There is no one who has not praised it; none who has not prostrated to him. The kAshayAmbara (saffron-clad) giving darshan as the very form of the paripUraNa (fullness) of parishuddha (purity), with vibhUti on his forehead, kANDikA on his neck, Kamandalu in one hand and the dhandam in the other, held as the scepter of Sanatana Dharma!*
The (onlooker's) mind will only say 'ParamaSivan, ParamaSivan' in that dharshan that PeriyavaaL who is the prema dIpam gives blending his Jnanagni and Achara jvAla (the flame of Acharas, referred to as neruppu (fire) in common parlance)!
In the morning, a vedavid (a Vedic pundit) would perform the puja in the ChandraMauleesvara Sannidhi for the kArAmpasu that is reared for this purpose in SriMaTham. Our Gurunathan who is like GoLakshmi that comes carrying its burden of compassionate nectar, would also be present at the time of this Go-puja (puja to the cow) in nirmala svarUpam (spotless form), after his bath, his already pure frame purified more by his bath. He would worship the cow that gives the nectar to perform abhiSheka (ablution) for Ishvara who is the VisvaNathan (lord of the universe). An illustration for what Lalitha SahasraNamam utters in adjacent terms as Gurumurti, Gunanidhi, Gomatha[/i]!**
The cow is beauty mixed with simplicity. The elephant is beauty mixed with majesty. After the Go-puja, the Gaja-puja would be held.
After this, our Gurunathan would finish his morning anuSTAnas (religious practices). The avatara who came to do pratiSTAbanam (establishment) of anuSTAnas! To talk of niSTai (meditation), only what he does is niSTai. If the Lokacharya who takes all the worldly affairs into his ears and gives solutions for them sits in an hour's japam, for that one hour, the world would totally slip away from him. Though it is referred to as 'an hour of japam', he would then be totally immersed in his Atman that is Brahman and is the root of the japam and dhyAnam. In other words he would be one with the ParamPoruL (Absolute Reality). Exactly an hour later, he would open his eyes. Even to put it that way is wrong. To say that he 'would open his eyes' would mean that he would be closing his eyes during his niSTai? That might not be the case. If our Gurunathan starts his niSTai with his eyes open, he would remain in the same state for that entire hour. His eyelids would not wink even for a fraction of a second. Whatever lights play before him, his eyes would not move; they would remain like the netrAs in a chitra (eyes in a painting).
Once when our Gurunathan was doing his japam, a pAriSada (attendant) who came to the place felt like having set his foot on a snake. This was because opposite our Gurunathar and very near to him a cobra lay coiled, raising its head, its hood in full spread before the sage's face, and its eyes looking at the sage's eyes. His eyes were open too, but they neither looked nor moved. Withdrawing silently, the pAriSada brought a cane basket, deftly inverted it and covered the snake. In addition, he kept standing there, to ensure that our Gurunathan did not accidentally open the basket after his niSTai dissolved. We have seen a similar later day's event in an earlier essay.
Note:
* In Tirumantiram, Saint Tirumular describes the insignia of the Siva yogin:
To smear holy ashes is the first step to tapas.
Rings of copper in the ears,
And garland of rudraksha around the neck--
These, too, are other emblems
For Siva to reach.
Thus does the blemishless Siva yogin
For tapas prepare. Kundala for ears to adorn.
Kamandalu for water to hold.
Kandika for neck to fill,
A conch to blow, a bowl to beg,
And a kappara to hold the ashes,
The correct sandals and yogic seat,
The yoga sash and yoga staff--
These ten are the yogi's appurtenances.
Tirumantiram, Verse 1662 and 1664
(http://www.himalayanacademy.com/resources/books/vows/holy_orders.html)
** The relevant passage in Lalitha SahasraNamam reads:
Darandolita dirghakshi darahaso jvalanmukhi
Gurumurtir gunanidhir gomata guhajanmabhuh .. 121
Darandolita dirghakshi: Who has shapely, wide and elongated eyes tremulous with mercy.
Darahaso jvalanmukhi: Whose face is lit with a gentle smile.
Gurumurtir: Who assumes the form of the Guru.
Gunanidhir: Who is a treasure house of virtues.
Gomata: Who is the source of speech.
Guhajanmabhuh: Who is the mother of Guha (Kartikeya).
(http:///www.astrojyoti.com/ls3.htm)
Glossary:
kArAmpasu - (Tamil) a cow with black tongue and nipples
shreyas - good quality, virtue, virtuous deed, auspiciousness, blessing, Moksha
taDAka - a tank, pool, shore
*** *** ***