Post by radha on Apr 4, 2012 2:04:03 GMT 5.5
OM SRI GURUPYO NAMAHA:, RESPECTFUL PRANAMS TO SRI PARAMACHARYA SWAMIGAL OF KANCHI KAMAKOTI PEEDAM. JAYA SANKARA,SIVA SANKARA !
VIBHUTI OR SACRED WHITE ASH
You may have heard of th incident of Saint Manickavachagar making the dumb daughter of the Buddhist King of Ceylon respond in verses to his philosophic questions, before Sri Nataraja of Chidambaram. This Saint was able to convince the Buddhist King that the ultimate end was not nirvana or state of nothingness. Sri Manickavachagar illustrated this with the help of vibhuti or sacred ash. When any object is consumed by fire, it becomes charred. If that black residue is burnt again, it becomes white ash. White ash continues to remain white even when burnt again. This shows that white is the ultimate and black is proximate to it. Science tells us that diamond and coal are basically one. White and black are not mentioned in the seven primary colours. So white and black are not colous. The primary colours get separated from the objects to which they are attached when subjected to the test of fire and the objects themselves turn black first and ultimately white. Similarly, in the mental and spiritual plane, the Ultimate Reality is Siva, who is white, and proximate to Him is Parvati who is dark. When we test everything in the fire of jnana, or true knowledge, the residue is white is Siva. Ash in the material plane corresponds to Siva m the spiritual plane. We smear our bodies with the sacred ash to remind curselves of Siva and the fact that the ultimate goal of life is Siva.
JNANA AND MOKSHA
Right conduct or seela, which is necessary for the realisation of Siva, has to be acquired through the process of anushtaana, discipline, etc. All these-actions done in a spirit of dedication to God, enable us to keep our hearts clean and single pointed (chitha suthii and ekaagrata). It is only in such a heart that God presents himself. We secure a good reflection only in a clean and steady mirror. Everything must be burnt in the fire of jnana. If we regressively trace the cause of things, we will find that one eternal substance is the sole and universal cause of all the variety and multiplicity of this world. It is to symbolise that Ultimate that we put on tiruman, signifying the earth, that is the source of all animal and vegetable life or vibhuti, the substratum of all material objects. The tiruman worn vertically tells us to strive to reach the heights of spirituality. The vibhuti smeared all over the body reminds us that everything is Siva Mayam. To obtain the grace of God, karmaanushtaana, seela, upaasana and jnana are necessary. We must acquire these means to moksha and foster them in our children. Thus we will obtain the grace of the Supreme Mother and be happy here and hereafter. Doing our appointed task, filled with love, let us burn all our troubles and desires in the fire of jnana and be happy in the consciousness of abiding grace of the Supreme.
VIBHUTI OR SACRED WHITE ASH
You may have heard of th incident of Saint Manickavachagar making the dumb daughter of the Buddhist King of Ceylon respond in verses to his philosophic questions, before Sri Nataraja of Chidambaram. This Saint was able to convince the Buddhist King that the ultimate end was not nirvana or state of nothingness. Sri Manickavachagar illustrated this with the help of vibhuti or sacred ash. When any object is consumed by fire, it becomes charred. If that black residue is burnt again, it becomes white ash. White ash continues to remain white even when burnt again. This shows that white is the ultimate and black is proximate to it. Science tells us that diamond and coal are basically one. White and black are not mentioned in the seven primary colours. So white and black are not colous. The primary colours get separated from the objects to which they are attached when subjected to the test of fire and the objects themselves turn black first and ultimately white. Similarly, in the mental and spiritual plane, the Ultimate Reality is Siva, who is white, and proximate to Him is Parvati who is dark. When we test everything in the fire of jnana, or true knowledge, the residue is white is Siva. Ash in the material plane corresponds to Siva m the spiritual plane. We smear our bodies with the sacred ash to remind curselves of Siva and the fact that the ultimate goal of life is Siva.
JNANA AND MOKSHA
Right conduct or seela, which is necessary for the realisation of Siva, has to be acquired through the process of anushtaana, discipline, etc. All these-actions done in a spirit of dedication to God, enable us to keep our hearts clean and single pointed (chitha suthii and ekaagrata). It is only in such a heart that God presents himself. We secure a good reflection only in a clean and steady mirror. Everything must be burnt in the fire of jnana. If we regressively trace the cause of things, we will find that one eternal substance is the sole and universal cause of all the variety and multiplicity of this world. It is to symbolise that Ultimate that we put on tiruman, signifying the earth, that is the source of all animal and vegetable life or vibhuti, the substratum of all material objects. The tiruman worn vertically tells us to strive to reach the heights of spirituality. The vibhuti smeared all over the body reminds us that everything is Siva Mayam. To obtain the grace of God, karmaanushtaana, seela, upaasana and jnana are necessary. We must acquire these means to moksha and foster them in our children. Thus we will obtain the grace of the Supreme Mother and be happy here and hereafter. Doing our appointed task, filled with love, let us burn all our troubles and desires in the fire of jnana and be happy in the consciousness of abiding grace of the Supreme.