1. The Serpent

2. The Indian Elephant

3. On the Roots of Morality

4. Shastric and Sectarian Traditions

5. The Monkey

6. New Year

7. The Swan

8. BEING Conceals and Reveals - Vallalaar

9. Concluding Thoughts

10. The Two Ways of Merging

11. The Margosa

12. Tirukural - Moral Value of Knowledge

13. Timeless Message of Vedas

14. Tiruvaasagam - Purity is Freedom from Caste Identities

15. BEING is Beyond  Vedantic Philosophies and Sciences - Vallalaar

16. Thirugnaana Sambandhar Thevaaram

17. Humility and Divine Grace - Tiruvaasagam

18. BEING is Not only Illuminating but Also Nourishing - Tiruvaasagam

19. Tirunaavukarasar Aruliya Thevaaram

20. BEING is about to destroy ALL religions - Vallalaar

21. God, Soul & World - Sri Ramana Maharshi

22. Buddhist Parinirvana

23. BEING is One but who SHOWS Himself as MANY - Metatheism

24. Dreams and Visions

25. Dreams and Visions - Transductive Perceptions

26. Dreams, Visions & Memory

27. The Equals of Men (women)

28. On the Virtues and Vices of Atheism

29. Selections From Tayumanavar - Being is Real Happiness

30. The Mystery of BEING that Invites Meditation on Him - Tayumanavar

31. Dreams & Visions

32. BEING is the Substance of All Substances - Tayumanavar

33. All Religions are False and Insane - Vallalaar

34. The Meaning of Polycephalic Icons

35. Vegetarianism: Recommended in Vedic Scripture

36. Conception and Consciousness

37. Being Must be Installed in the Heart - Nammalvar

38. BEING is the Deepest of the Deep Structures of the World- Tayumanavar

39. Einstein on Panentheism and Spinoza's Pantheism

40. BEING does not Punish the Evil Doers - Vallalaar

--------------------------------------------------------------

.

.

The Serpent

The serpent is not an attractive creature. With its ill-repute for venom and
silent creep, people fear and avoid them. But serpents are fascinating.
Biologists have erased misconceptions about the creatures which have eyes
without eyelids, which smell through their mouth, detect without an external ear
sound waves from the ground which are transmitted via skin to a spot near the
ear-bone, which don't use tongue for tasting. Some snakes discern changes
temperature by sensing infrared rays: and locate warm-blooded preys. Snakes emit
an anal odor to allure a mate. Strange creatures indeed!

From the most ancient times serpents have been viewed with reverence in many
cultures. In Babylonia, Greece, Africa, the old Americas, and India, the serpent
have been worshiped. In India, the practice persists. In the Judeo-Christian
tradition it is looked down upon. Like the Hindu legend which says elephants
once flew, the Old Testament suggests that snakes once walked, and lost their
legs because they persuaded Eve to bite the forbidden fruit. But the Bible also
says that the serpent is "more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord
God had made."

The cobra is the most dreaded snake. It can be as long as six feet and six
inches thick. It can raise its anterior ribs and expand its neck into an
impressive disk, often with white patches on the back. In this posture it is
awesome. It has two rows of teeth in its upper jaw, and fangs con-nected to
poison glands. The creature feeds on frogs, lizards and rodents. It shies away
from humans, but responds vigorously if stepped on. Its venom is not as potent
as that of some other snakes, but it can be fatal. Thousands of people have died
of cobra bite. Yet, there is a taboo against killing a cobra; this is so in some
Islamic countries also.

Symbolized in the thousand-hooded snake of Vishnu (Sesha), the serpent is sacred
in India. It is venerated and periodically propitiated. On the fifth day of
Sravan, Naga Pancharni is observed in some parts of India: On this day people
fast and pour fresh milk into snake pits.

The reverential name for serpent is Naga: the term refers particularly to cobra
Capella. Much mythology has grown around this also. One imagines. a Naga god,
with human face and serpentine body, wielding enormous power. There was a race
of Nagas in Hindu lore, born of Rishi Kasyapa and his wife Kadru, daughter of
Daksha. They populated the nether world, Patala Loka. Female Naginis, were
supposed to be beautiful.

There were three serpent lords who ruled over the Nagas. Sesha was the major one
who also carries the weight of the earth. But the one who reigns in the kingdom
of the Nagas is V?k¬€Takshaka is the third Naga king.

According to the puranas, the Nagas once lost their kingdom to the Gandharvas.
But they regained it with the assistance of their sister, the River Narmada. It
is said that Narmada persuaded Vishnu to help the Nagas in this recovery.

Ancient Indian geography refers to Nagadveepa, a mountainous country as one of
the seven subdivisions of the subcontinent. It was inhabited by the Naga race.
Maybe it referred to a people who worshiped serpents. The city of Nagpur derives
its name from that mythic country. Certain semi-savage tribes have been
identified with the Nagas, but it has also been suggested that the Pallavas came
from the Naga race.

Not all cobras are benign. There is the legend of the aquatic Kalia which
attacked Lord Krishna when he jumped into the Ganga to fetch a ball that had
fallen there during a game he was playing. When Krishna summarily defeated him,
the serpent offered its hood to lift Krishna to the surface. This episode is
celebrated in a festival called Nag Nathaiya.

In Hindu mysticism the coiled serpent represents the kundalini: a mystical power
that lies dormant at the base of the spinal cord, which can, in principle, be
aroused through yogic means. Some say it is this power that is represented in
the serpent seen twirling around Shiva in his iconography. Others have said that
the serpent on Shiva represents his anger through which he dominates the world.
The coiled serpent is also said to stand for Time which, in the Hindu vision, is
cyclic in nature.

In India, one may see street jugglers handle the cobra with remarkable skill, in
some cases while the animal still carries its poison fangs. The creature seems
to react by raising its hood and swinging with half its length in a vertical
posture to certain tunes that the snake charmer plays on a wind instrument. It
extends its ribs and pumps air with its lungs. One gets the impression that the
cobra is enjoying the music. This has prompted composers to create special
music and songs for the cobra. Actually, like any snake, the cobra does not
possess the usual auditory system, and can barely hear the (to us) audible
frequencies. The sway of its hood is a reaction to the motion of the snake
charmer's head which it follows with characteristic eagerness. Certain tunes are
not to be played in the evenings for fear of attracting the cobra in the
neighborhood.

V. V. Raman
April 7, 2006

The Indian elephant, or Elephas maximus indicus, as biologists refer to it, is a
sub-species of the mammoth beasts that roam the wilds of Africa and South-Asia.
Elephants are gentle and slow in their sway, but they can become excited and go
berserk. They have thrived over the ages in many parts of India: from Himalayan
slopes to the southernmost tip of the subcontinent. For all its massive
strength, the elephant is a vegetarian, thriving on grass, leaves, shoots and
fruits. It avoids direct sunlight as much as possible, prefers dense forests,
and thoroughly enjoys bathing by itself.
Elephants wander in large herds, led
by a female. Occa-sionally does an unsociable rogue elephant move away.

Indian kings had elephants as part of their armed forces. In the 4th century BCE
Porus checked the Alexander's advances with his elephants at the Battle of the
Hydaspes River.

The elephant has an unusual appearance: tusks and trunk several feet long,
weight of several hundred pounds, peaceful gait, small eyes for a large body,
large ears, etc. Like other noteworthy things on the Indian landscape, it became
part of the Indic mythic lore.

Among the many mythic beings that arose during the Churning of the Ocean there
was a magical white elephant called Airavata. It was an incarnation of a serpent
king (Naga). When it emerged Indra promptly appropriated it as his vahana
(vehicle). In the 1950s I visited a place called Darasuram, near Tanjavur, where
I saw the ruins of an ancient temple dedicated to Airavatesvara: Lord Shiva whom
Airavata had worshiped.

Airavata, is also sacred in Thailand, known there as Erawan. During a brief
visit to Bangkok in 1960 I went to a Brahma temple there which they call the
Erawan Shrine.

The Vishnu Purana says that at one time Brahma held to egg shells in his hands.
Eight male elephants emerged from his right, and eight female ones from his left
hand. These were white in color, and they had four tusks each. They are the
Titan Atlas of Hindu mythology, bearing the planet Earth. According to the
Balakanda, however, there are only four such elephants. Their names are
Vir?ha, Mah?dma, Saumanasa, and Bhadra. When Vir?ha, out of fatigue,
gently moved his hear, the whole earth would tremble: that's how earthquakes
came about.

Then there is a legend to the effect that at one time elephants had wings and
they used to fly freely in air. But it happened one day that an elephant crash
landed on a large tree under which a rishi was instructing his disciples. The
branches broke, rudely interrupting the lecture. The enraged rishi cursed all
elephants and deprived them of their wings. Out of pity they were allowed the
power to produce clouds. So today, all they can do is trudge along on ground,
having lost their capacity to fly.

Perhaps the most charming of all Hindu deities is Lord Ganesha: the gentle
elephant-faced god who guides the devout through solemn undertakings: whether
the writing of a book, a travel to a destination, the conduct of a wedding, or
whatever. There is insightful symbolism here. The elephant's face is huge
compared to that of a human. This is to remind us that the Divine is far greater
than the human. By fusing the two elements of grandeur and smallness in one
body, the Ganesha figure may be understood as representing the link between
the finite and the infinite. The imperceptible continuity in the figure between
these two aspects is meant to suggest a similar seamless connection between Man
and God. If humans seek communion with the divine, we need the assistance of
this linking principle. That is why practically all Hindu ritual-worships, at
home and in the temple, at a consecration of a building or in the performance of
a recital, begin with an invocation to Lord Ganesha.

If the elephant stands in our way, it could block us in our forward march. But
it can itself walk through thick jungles, fallen trees, thick bushes and all,
sweeping away any hurdle that may come on its course. For this reason Ganesha is
also regarded as the god of obstacles, (vighneshvara), as one who removes or
destroys hurdles (vighnavinayaka), and also as a boon-giver: varadm? Ganesha
transcends sectarian boundaries

The elephant's twisted trunk is to remind us that the road to higher truths is
never straight or direct: it has many twists and turns. The single-tusk is often
taken to remind us of the Oneness behind Multiplicity. As for the modaka -
Ganesha's favorite edible - it is sweet inside like the inner soul, while the
white insipid shell is like the gross physical body surrounding the soul. Even
Ganesha's mouse has been given a meaning: This creature is regarded as a thief
that steals away things, indifferent to whether these are good or bad. So it is
viewed that the inner spirit which experiences everything is itself indifferent
to their intrinsic virtues or lack thereof. Ganesha's winnow-like wide ears are
meant to say that he dusts away the irrelevant words addressed to him.

The magnificent animal does reflect the magnificence of the Divine. I take
inspiration from the imagery of Ganesha every morning.

1. Human beings are, among other things, moral beings: This means that, unlike
other creatures, our behavior is often influenced or conditioned by the notions
of right and wrong, good and bad.

2. The question is: Where do such moral principles come from? Philosophers, religionists, and ethicists have been arguing about this for at least a couple of thousand years.

3. There are three kinds of laws in the world we know:

First there are the laws of nature uncovered by science. These cannot be
violated by anybody.

Next, there are the statutory laws, formulated by common consensus in most
countries. They can be violated only under threat of penalty.

Thirdly, there are the moral laws, such as don't tell a lie, do not cheat, be
faithful to your spouse, don't look down upon fellow humans, be kind to others,
help the needy, etc. The question is, what would happen if one broke such a
moral law?

Religions say we will be punished one way or another, sooner or later.

Indeed, historically, most moral laws may be traced to various religions.

Religions have formulated ethical frameworks which restrain our instinctive urge
to behave in self-serving and self-gratifying ways.

4. For the vast majority of people, ethical principles become significant when
they have as their source a higher authority. According to the Divine Command
Theory, we must be moral because God told us to be so, through the Ten
Commandments, through the Shariya, through the Vedas, through Tirukkural,
through a Shastra, a swamiji, or whatever. Unfortunately, religious authorities
also instill (now and then) convictions of self-righteousness for one's own clan
or tribe, and sometimes instigate the hurt of others who are affiliated to a
different group or a different moral code.

5. One of the insights of the 18th century Enlightenment was that it is possible
to be decent and kind and compassionate and just and moral without being
affiliated to any traditional religion or on the basis of some scripture or
ecclesiastical authority. I subscribe to this view.

6. One may still wonder about the source of moral principles. Evolutionary
psychologists have tried to explain this in many ways. I will not go into those
theories here.

7. My own views: A moral principle can never be justified on a rational basis.
What some have said about belief in God: "I believe because it is absurd," may
also be said about some moral principles: "I want to be helpful to others even
when it is hurtful to me." The ultimate moral principles are quite simple:
"Don't consciously hurt others in any way. Try to be helpful to others in some
way." I don't care where these principles came from.

8. So, to come to what we are grappling with in NS: We must stop personal as
well as institutionalized dehumanization and exploitation of fellow Hindus. It
is not enough to proclaim that in ancient times low-caste Hindus wrote great
epics and anti-caste poetry, and that the Vedas and the Agamas don't sanction
caste-discrimination. All that is fine.

But I couldn't care less, because they have not prevented the horrific
discrimination in Hindu society that has been perpetrated for ages.

I will not engage in caste or race discrimination: not because it does or does
not say so in sacred Sanskrit or in terrific Tamil. I would also like to see my
fellow Hindus do the same, no matter what their source of inspiration is.

Regards.

Pathmarjah

http://forumhub.mayyam.com/hub/viewlite.php?t=2171

Original Agamams were in Tamil in addition to it being in Sanskrit

These original four Agamams were in Tamil in additon to them being in
Sanskrit which is gleaned from the references in the verses in Saint
Thirumoolar's Thirumanthiram which are as follows:

"Ariyamum Munth Thamilum udane solli
kaarikaiyarkku karunai seithaane"
Then did He in Sanskrit and Tamil at once,
Reveal the rich treasure of His Compassion to our Lady Great.

Thirumamthiram - Verse 65

"Thamil sol Vada sol enum ivvirandum
unarththum avanai unaralumame"
The Lord who in Tamil sweet and northern tongue
Life's mystery revealed.

Thirumanthiram - Verse 66

"Thangi mihamai vaiththaan Thamil Saththiram"
He contained too the Tamil Sastra, in lone splendour set,

Thirumanthiram - Verse 87

Agamams the source of early Saivite philosophy of Tamil Nadu

From all available evidences it could be proved beyond doubt that Siva
Agamas in Tamil were the original holy texts of Saivaism of Tamil Nadu, long
before the Vedic religion from north India having Vedas in Sanskrit as its
principal holy texts, gradually took a place of pride along with Saivaism in
Tamil Nadu in the subsequent periods.The God Siva's forms such as
Sivalingam, Siva with Gangai and crest moon in his knots of hair with snake
around his neck and a blue kandam on his throat, and the trident in one
hand, the Nadarajar, Lingothbavar, Somaskandar, Thedchana-murthi,
Arthanadiswarar etc etc are only known to us from Agamams.

(8) Saivaism and Vedic Religion

The Siva Agamas were also known as Thanthiram and Saiva Nool, while the
Vedas were also known as Manthiram, Aranam and as Veda Nool. The
religious scriptures - namely the Agamas & Vedas - of the two religions the
Saivaism & Vedism, were practised side by side in Saivite Temples in the
pre-medieval, medieval, and post-medieval Tamil Nadu. This is confirmed by
the following references.

"VedaNool, Saiva Nool, entru irande nookal,
veru uraikkum nool ivatrin virintha nookal
aathi Nool anaathi amalan tharum nool irandum
Arana Nool, Pothu Saivam arun sirappu noolaam."

Meikanda Nool

"Aravu oli Agamangal, Arivar ari Thoththirangal,
viraviya Veda oli, vinnellaam vanthe ethirnthu issaippa"

7th Thirumurai - pathikam 100, verse - 8

"Vethamodu Saivaneri vilanga vantha kavuniyanaar"

Periyapuranam 453

"Saivam muthal vaitheekamum thalaiththonga"

Periyapuranam 302

Simian primates are our closest cousins in the biological world. Monkeys belong
to this group, and there is a rich variety of them. The word monkey came into
English from the name Moneke of an animal in the German translation of a fable.

It is bad enough that we trap these innocent creatures from their natural
habitats and put them in cages in zoos for our amusement. Even more sadly,
though with undeniable benefits to our species, thousands of monkeys are
subjected to various degrees of discomfort, pain, and even torture on occasions,
in the name of medical research. Humanity owes them heart-felt gratitude for
all the suffering inflicted they have been subjected to in our quest for
remedies for human ailments.

But in many parts of India one can see monkeys happily sporting on tree branches
and road-sides, sometimes snatching away an article or two from a careless
passer-by. In some places of pilgrimage they are even treated with reverence.
This is the extraordinary cultural impact of the Ramayana where the monkey chief
Hanuman is a pious and unswerving devotee of Lord Rama. Any monkey is therefore
regarded metaphorically as a manifestation of Hanuman. A hymn to Rama says:

"yatra yatra raghun?a k?anam tatra tatra mastaka anjalim

bh?av? p?locanam m?tim nammascha r?has antakam

Wherever the story of Rama is sung, there Hanuman sheds his joyous tears.

Since Hanuman is in that place, of evil forces we need have no fears."

Hanuman was erudite and wise, virile, virtuous, and highly intelligent. He had
magical powers which enabled him to change his shape and size, shorten and
elongate his tail, and fly across land and sea. His progenitor was Varuna, the
Vedic God of the air. He impresses us, not as a monkey, but as an extraordinary
personage who exemplifies wisdom and piety. The hymn of the forty couplets that
the poet Tulsidas composed for Hanuman has become a devotional classic in the
Hindi-speaking world, recited religiously by millions of people. If Hanuman is
represented as a monkey in the austere presence of the powerful prince Rama, it
is perhaps to remind us humans that we bear to the Divine the same humble
proportion: the image of Hanuman-Rama puts the Man-Divine stature in the right
perspective.

The monkey is also one of the animals honored on the Chinese calendar: the ninth
month in the twelve-year cycle is named after it. Then there is a famous legend,
dating back to the Tang dynasty, in which a monkey named Sun Wu'kung emerged
from a rocky egg which had been fertilized by the wind (v?putr?). He became
the Monkey King. He mastered the arts, the sciences, and the magical craft by
which he could change his form at will, and even fly. He knew about the secrets
of immortality. The resemblance to Hanuman has not been lost on scholars of
comparative cultures.

In Tibetan lore there is a legend in which Avalokiteshvara initiated a monkey
and sent him to Tibet for meditation. There, while the blessed creature was
contemplating on Buddhist virtues, a demoness, imbued in lust, approached him,
and begged him to marry the monstrous maiden. (This reminds us of the encounter
between Shurpanaka and Rama.) The meditating monkey refused, but she implored,
threatening to marry another ogre, and beget more ogres in the land, and they
would devour thousands of children. Finally, the Bodhisattva monkey, with
blessings from Avalokiteshvara, relented. From their union were born children
with two broad natures: some had the qualities of stupidity, impatience,
harshness, etc.; while others had qualities like patience, sensitivity, wisdom,
etc. This explains why the people of snowy Tibet (as indeed all over the world)
have both good and bad qualities.

Since monkeys are not common in temperate zones we don't find them mentioned in
Norse or Eskimo mythology. But there is a reference to them in Greek story.
Passalus and Akmon stole the bow of Hercules, for which offense the brothers
were tied to a pole and carried upside down by the gigantic hero. The duo made
jokes which made Hercules laugh, and they were set free. But Zeus wasn't amused,
and he transformed the two (known as Kekopes) into monkeys.

In the Aztec culture of South America we have the Ahuizotl who is said to be an
android simian. He is known for his ferocious behavior.

And who can forget the Three-Monkeys of Japanese lore with the see-no-evil,
hear-no-evil, speak-no-evil (mi-zaru, kika-zaru, iwa-zaru) motto? Some have
suggested that this is may have been a pun, for the Japanese word in that
motto means a monkey. In any case, these monkeys are world famous today as
statuettes of the simian trio.

Thus, if monkeys are our progenitors, as per Darwin, they have also permeated
human culture in a variety of ways.

Today is New Year,

Puthandu Vaalthukal to Indians and Sinhalese,

Happy Vaisakhi,

Happy Songkran (Thailand),

Happy Thingyan (Myanmar),

Happy Bon Chol Chhnam (Cambodia),

Happy BoumPimai (Laos),

All of mainland Buddhist southeast asia use the Indian calendar except Vietnam which follows the chinese calendar.

In Bali they follow the Saka calendar and celebrate new year - Nyepi, on 21st March this year.

Like the duck and the goose, the swan is a water bird. But it is more beautiful
than either. So, inspired by Hans Christian Andersen, we talk about the ugly
duckling, or we refer to someone as a silly goose, but we never talk about an
ugly cygnet or a silly swan. No duck or goose has been transported to the
heavens, but the swan has been taken up there: there is a constellation named
after it. It is called Cygnus, which is Latin for swan.

The swan has a grace of its own. We don't know who preached monogamy to them,
but swans are known to have only one mate, except when that mate dies. Perhaps
the symbol of white for purity came from this. But only swans in the northern
hemisphere are white in color. In Australia and South America, one can find
black swans as well. Unaware of this, the Latin satirist Juvenal wrote, "Rara
avis in terris nigroque simillima cycno: As rare a bird on earth as a black
swan."

The bird is too beautiful to be ignored by myth-makers. So the Celts thought the
swan represents the soul, that humans are eventually transformed into
swan-souls. This reminds us of a Hindu idea. The word for swan is hamsa in
Sanskrit. Now, if one were to repeat continuously the syllables ham-so, one will
be chanting the beeja-mantra so-ham: That am I, the identification of the
individual self with the Supreme Self.

The swan also stands for eternal time which is why the bird is associated with
the creative principle Brahma. Sometimes Brahma is pictured as riding on a swan,
giving him the epithet of Hamsavahana: one with the swan as the rider, and as
Kalahamsa: the Time-Swan. The Agni Purana lists Hamsa (swan) as one of the
twelve s?yas or modes of attaining self-realization.

Unlike the goose or the duck, the swan does not make loud noises. The so-called
mute-swan does not quack or coo, but it generates low-decibel sounds.

There is an ancient belief in the Western tradition that a swan sings a special
song when it dies. Perhaps Socrates started this belief. Speaking of swans, he
says in Plato's Phaedo that "when they sense that they are about to die, they
sing quite frequently and most beautifully. They rejoice because they are about
to approach the Gods whose servants they are. Men, however, in their fear of
death, relate false tales about swans." The Roman poet Martial wrote in his
Epigrams that "the swan murmurs sweet strains with failing tongue, itself the
minstrel of its own death." And Shakespeare's Othello says, "I will play the
swan, and die in music." But in the Hindu (Karnatic) tradition the raga
Hamsadhvani (Swan-sound) often begins a recital because it was in that raga that
a beautiful invocation to Ganesha (of Vatapi) was written by the great composer
Muttuswami Dikshatar. It is one of the most beautiful ragas of this school of
music.

Hindu mythic vision saw the fluffy clouds in the sky as celestial lakes where
beautiful swan-like apsaras swim. A nineteenth century commentator wrote that
the apsaras "skim as swans over the lotus-pond of heaven, or, laying aside their
feather-dresses, bathe, as beautiful females, in the limpid flood. These
swan-maidens . receive to their arms the souls of the heroes. Sometimes they
descend to earth, and become the wives of mortals; but soon their celestial
nature re-asserts itself, and they expand their luminous wings, and soar away
into the heavenly deeps of tranquil azure."

In Vedantic thought, the flight of the swan is like liberation from the cycle of
birth and death. It is said that just as the feathers of the swan don't get wet
by the waters wherein they swim, the Advaitin can live in this material world,
unblemished by the maya of its materiality. There is also a folk belief to the
effect that swans can separate water from milk in a mixture of the two. So
Ramakrishna is called Paramahamsa (The Great Swan). Another traditional belief
is that swans thrive on pearls.

In Greek mythology, there is the story of Zeus who once assumed the form of a
swan to seduce Leda. It was from that union that Helen of Troy was born who,
like Sita, was abducted; and this lead to the Trojan War.

One reads that when Apollo was born, many swans flew all around the island. They
made not one but seven rounds. The swan was also associated with Orpheus whose
music, like that of Krishna, entranced the flora and fauna around. The swan was
often pictured as playing on a lyre. This brings to mind Sarasvati of the Hindu
tradition with her gorgeous veena: she also has a swan with her.

In the Buddhist tradition, there is the story of a swan which had been shot by
an arrow by Devadutta, the Buddha's cousin. But it was saved by Siddharta. The
question arose: to whom did the bird belong. A wise man settled it by saying
that it belonged to the one who saved the life, and not to the one who tried to
take away the life.

So the lovely swan, which is almost extinct in India today, has a proud place in
the cultures of the world.

BEING Conceals and Reveals to Bring About Evolution of Metaphysical Understanding

VaLLalaar looks at the vast range of religions including the atheistic like the Indian Lokayatas Buddhists and so forth and seeks to provide an explanation of all these metaphysical phenomena in terms of the central Universal Praxis of BEING viz. that of concealing and revealing noted here as karitaaki veLitaaki i.e. becoming the Dark or mystical and the OPEN or conscious.

There is an evolutionary dynamics in all such majestic metaphysical cultures where we can see a development where the higher emerges from the lower only because there is MORE of DISCLOSURE in the higher metaphysical forms and because of which it can deconsttruct the lower and dispalce it.

Thus when BEING hides or conceals Himself, He becomes someone extremely difficult and rare to comprehend and which drives people to DENY the presence of BEING and hence become the Nastikas, the atheists. They are also driven to SUBSTITUTE BEING with historical figures, gurus, and such other tangible objects, monuments, mortal remains and so forth and charge them with sacrality by way of intuiting BEING in such objects that become so emotionally charged because of this.

It is here VaLLalaar sees the origins of RITUALS of various kinds, the so-called religious arts where  the hiddenness of BEING is slowly destroyed and BEING discloses Himself in some small measures so that metaphysical life is sustained.  But here too the finite human mind would seek to FIXATE even the rituals by saying that only some that are prescribed by the Agamas and so forth are AUTHENTIC, others are not and so forth. To destroy this tendency of the human mind BEING discloses Himself as the One absolutely BEYOND all kinds of rituals (karaNaatiitam).

To understand the presence and essence of BEING, what is required is a mind that is Pure and transparent, a metaphysical innocence so that that there is no opacity caused by the presence of DIRT, the Malam deep within. For such people who struggle to PURIFY themselves BEING begins to shine brilliantly in their mind as an immensely strong Radiance that wipes out all doubts and uncertainties.

Al metaphysical doubts as to the presence of BEING how He stands in relation to the world, whether He is the same as the cosmos or different and so forth disappear with the burst of a clarity of understanding that comes with apodictic certainly.

Thus this apodictic certainly with respect to the most fundamental metaphysical questions belongs to the final stages of evolution of the human understanding of the deepest kind and is brought into being there within the experience of a person only by a dialectics of BEING where He hides and reveals and in that stimulates deeper and deeper metaphysical pursuits.

Only in the end He discloses Himself very clearly by way of putting an end to this metaphysical struggle of man that he has waged across millions and millions of births.

14.
aritaaki ariyatinum aritaaki
        anaatiyaay aatiyaay aruLataaki
peritaaki periyatinum periyataakip
        peetamaay apeetamaayp piRaGkaa ninRa
karitaaki veLitaakik kalaikaL aakik
        kalai kadanta poruLaakik karaNaatiitat
teritaana veLinaduvil aruLaam vaNmaic
        cezuG kiraNac cudaraaki tikazun teeveee!

For more than a year now I have been reflecting on various aspects of Hindu
heritage which is part of my cultural roots. That heritage is rich in variety,
diverse in perspectives, and immense in scope. There are countless more items
under this broad theme on which I could reflect. One can talk about historical
personages which have brought glory or gloom to India' long history, great
writers from our literary traditions, saints and sages, festivals, and on and
on. One can continue doing this for the rest of one's life, and still not
exhaust the topics. So any conclusion would be at an arbitrary point.

The Hindu world has always been in a state of flux and transformation. But in
recent decades it has been tossed by tension and turmoil such as it has perhaps
never before experienced. Maybe this is simply an impression one gets because of
the ease of communication in our own times, and the fact that bad news spreads
more easily than good news. When I was in India a couple of months ago, I saw
people cheerful and contented, hard-working and productive, well-dressed and
hopeful. Stores were bustling with customers, youngsters were going to schools
and colleges, and temples were crowded and noisy with homage to the Almighty.

Yet, it can't be denied that caste controversies have swelled, for the good and
for the bad. For the good, because all the dirt of discrimination against fellow
Hindus and dehumanization of our Dalit brothers and sisters that had been
invisible under the fancy rugs of books on philosophy and swami-talks have been
exposed; movements have been initiated to cleanse an otherwise grand system of
anachronistic practices unworthy of an enlightened society. This transformation
to a better world is wrought with birth-pangs.

It finds expression in some unpleasant ways. It alienates millions of Hindus
from the tradition, and draws them to religions that promise greater spiritual
equality. The clamor for reform and equality has divided Hindus into two main
groups: One consists of people who are afraid of or reluctant to change the
status quo, or honestly believe that all the talk of caste-injustice is blown
way beyond legitimate proportion, instigated by external forces which are
inimical to Hinduism. The other group consists of no less loyal Hindus, but with
a less passionate affiliation to traditional doctrines. They make no bones about
recognizing that our ancestors had been guilty, perhaps unwittingly, of actions
and attitudes which, from current perspectives, were downright unconscionable.

It may be of some consolation to be reminded in this context that the acrimony
between religious conservatives and liberals - if one may so simplistically
characterize the two groups within Hinduism - is not unique to the Hindu world.
It is certainly there in Judaism and Catholicism, in Islam and in the Protestant
world also.

For my part, though I sincerely extol ancient sages for their wisdom and poetry,
I am deeply interested in seeing current wrongs corrected for
scripture-independent moral reasons. Moreover, even while recognizing that
outside forces have often been hurtful to India, I am not as eager to throw the
blame for every malaise and malpractice in Hindu society on Christian
missionaries and Islamic invaders.

Then there is the confrontation between Hindu Indologists who take their
tradition seriously and other Indologists (mostly Western) who examine it all
with the objectivity of microbiologists, analyzing Indic culture as if those of
the tradition have no feelings or love for their heritage. The recriminations
between these two groups have taken on ugly and unbecoming modes in the past few
years. As I see it, such mutual name-calling in avoidable, because deep in their
hearts all the people involved, except perhaps for a few, are deeply hurting at
the plight and predicament of the Hindu world today.

The world is perilously polarized on practically every issue. And there seems to
be no hope of harmony in sight. This is not like a freedom struggle or an
all-out war where, sooner or later, there will be the defeat of one and victory
of the other. The confrontations in today's world don't hint at a denouement. If
a quarrel or conflict lasts unabated, it can only grow, and is likely to explode
at some point disastrously.

This is the gloomy context in which I have been looking into my remote roots. In
my moments of reflection I have tried to take my mind away from rude reality to
thoughts that are fascinating and to times that are distant enough not to jolt
me emotionally. I have also been trying to tell myself and others that even if
there have been painful persons and episodes in history, there is also much that
is positive, fascinating, and interesting in the past. That was one of my
inspirations for reflecting on my remote roots.

As I rambled every other day during the past year on a variety of themes, I was
well aware that my reflections were colored by my own prejudices and constrained
by the bounds of my knowledge and understanding. I wish to thank all who
corrected my errors, gave different perspectives, and commented in other ways.

Differences between Merging and Moksha

At pralaya led natural calamities, like the one underway now and which is
consuming the lower half of the antarloka and its effects spilling over here,
the souls who have a long way to go in the normal transmigration route of
resolving karmas are 'exempted' and 'absorbed into the jaws of Lord Rudra'
at their untimely death. Ninety percent of souls during this period merge this
way, without any understanding of the OneLord, the gods, the worlds,
without even awareness of merging. At the instance of death they merge
immediately with the Lord like water into the ocean, with no stay in the
antarloka or svarloka, never knowing a dualistic or monistic experience with
the OneLord, and therefore never to return again in individual consciousness.

This 'immediate merging' is the grace of god called the 'Aghoraaya Way of
Merging'. Karmas are shattered immediately and the soul absorbed into the
Lord right away on death with immediate and permanent loss of separate
identity. Pralaya is a period where there is a mass rapid absorption of souls.

The others who willfully strive for unfoldment with diksha, prayers and
meditation, meaning those who innately know that they have lost their free
will, are slowly led to insights and inner experiences of Twoness, then
Oneness with the Lord and moksha is attained. Though not all souls. Those
who dont fully realise are born again in the sat yuga. They then experience a
merging with the OneLord right here on earth while still retaining a human
body and exclaim 'There is only me', and 'I am Him'. Less than one percent
souls experience merging in this way, which is called the 'Sadashivaaya' Way
of Merging'.

These souls leave the body on invitation, or at will, and stay long periods in
the upper antarloka as 'gods', then trancend into the svarloka and can even
choose to become a great God and assist people on earth. Or not. They can
choose to merge with the OneLord right on death at any time.

It is among these souls that a few, just two or three, are chosen to take birth
again in a new sat yuga and lead life as gods on earth.

The words were heard deafeningly clearly.

"Aghora"

"Aghoraaya"

"Sadashivaaya"

On this day of the Tamil New year I will reflect on this important tree. It is
customary in many Tamil homes to have as an important dish in their New Year
feast a delicacy made of the Margosa flower (Veppamp?ich is bitter in taste,
mixed with sour mango, and sweet sugar. It is symbolic in two ways. First it is
to remind us that the coming year, like previous ones, may be expected to bring
pleasant and unpleasant (sweet as well as sour and bitter) events. Secondly, if
we can put up with the taste of the Margosa flower, we will be able to handle
any unpleasantness the year may bring. In an ode to the first month of the year,
Seshendra Sharma wrote about the branches of the Margosa tree thus:

Their fragrance unparalleled
by that of any flower in creation-
The lavishness of the scent of the new flowers
intoxicated me-
My thoughts got vanquished.
I stood like an innocent boy
before the Neem tree.
I too grew little branches
with twinkling star like flowers on them.
Then the Neem tree took me into its arms-
If experience is a reality
for the deity of illusion
then dream is its temple.

Margosa is known as mah?mba in Sanskrit, whence the popular name Neem in many
Indian languages. The botanical name for this beautiful tree with its broad
leaves and fragrant flowers is derived from Farsi: Known as Azadirachta indica,
it means the Free Tree of India. Indian lore traces its properties to what
happened during the momentous Churning of the Ocean: When Garuda was carrying
amrita to the gods, a few drops fell on the leaves of this ancient tree. This
accounts for the Margosa's extraordinary properties.

Chemists tell us that the tree contains some precious compounds which have
remarkable properties. Indeed, the tree repels insects, even kills them, thus
making it effective in the preparation of pesticides. It is safe to sit under
its shade without being bothered by bugs. Twigs from its branches have been used
for cleaning teeth since ancient times. Neem-oil is known to be soothing and
remedial for skin ailments. Some say that it can prevent hair from graying and
the head from balding. An alkaloid from the tree's bark is used to eliminate
lice from the head. Powdered Neem is an ingredient in some Indian cosmetics.
Some have claimed that extracts from Neem leaves prevent pimples. There are many
other medicinal properties embedded in this extraordinary tree which is
essentially of Indian origin. In the words of one expert, the Neems's "powerful
antibacterial, anti-fungal, antiviral and antiseptic properties make it
particularly effective in treating anything from dandruff to acne, eczema to
malaria and cold sores to warts!"

Traditionally, all the benign properties of the Neem were discovered by trial
and error, but modern science has identified their particular chemical origins.
One does not always realize how much scientific information of practical value
the ancients discovered without the benefit of the instruments, analytical
techniques, and conceptual framework that guide and assist the scientists of our
own times.

We may recall in this context what Madame Blavatsky wrote in the nineteenth
century in her Isis Unveiled: "No country in the world can boast of more
medicinal plants than Southern India, Cochin, Burma, Siam, and Ceylon. European
physicians--according to time-honored practice--settle the case of professional
rivalship, by treating the native doctors as quacks and empirics; but this does
not prevent the latter from being often successful in cases in which eminent
graduates of British and French schools of Medicine have signally failed. Native
works on Materia Medica do not certainly contain the secret remedies known, and
successfully applied by the native doctors (the Atibba), from time immemorial;
and yet the best febrifuges have been learned by British physicians from the
Hindus, and where patients, deafened and swollen by abuse of quinine, were
slowly dying of fever under the treatment of enlightened physicians, the bark of
the Margosa, and the Chiretta herb have cured them completely, and these now
occupy an honorable place among European drugs."

As often happens, associated with medicinal trees are also practices which some
may regard as primitive superstition. Thus, tribes in India used to tie frogs to
sticks adorned with Margosa leaves in their supplications to the Almighty for
rain showers. When there was rain, one caught frogs and tied them to bamboo
sticks with Margosa leaves and sang to them in hopes of getting more rain. One
also circumambulated the tree for obtaining benefits, and used its leaves to
ward off evil.

The Tamil year begins with the Margosa, and I conclude my series with this
essay.

We have already following Tiruvalluvar have discussed about the
tools of knowledge (number and letters) and of the sources of
knowledge (reasoning and experience).Whether knowledge is value
oriented or not is a subject of debate among scholars. Some scholars
say that knowledge is to be bound by social, political, economic,
moral and aesthetic values human beings have developed in the long
history of life. But some other scholars, particularly the science
researchers, opine that knowledge is knowledge in its purity, and it
should not be bound or limited or soiled by any kind of values; any
limitation to knowledge cannot be called knowledge in real terms.

Tiruvalluvar justifies and holds that only when knowledge carries
values, it is knowledge in real sense of terms. He says that
knowledge is the powerful weapon that prevents man from his
destructions. If it does not do so meaningless and a useless tool to
be thrown out. Arivu arram kaakkum karuvi, is his statement.
Knowledge is a tool with which good or bad can be performed; it is a
torch which may throw light on both right and wrong paths. To
Valluvar knowledge is knowledge in the real sense of term only when
it helps and guides man to avoid the wrong and choose the right
ones..

Sentra vitaththar selavidathu theethori
Nantrinpaal uippathu arivu. (Tirukural transliteration)

Aram pola koormayarenum marampolvar
Makkal panpilla thavar  ( Tirukural transliteration)

Valluvar says, however sharp and great a man's knowledge is, he
shall be considered a useless tree on the side of a road'. He shall
be considered a man of knowledge only when he is guided by humanism,
that is human values.

Western scholars who have discussed exhaustively about the concept
'knowledge' have not said anything about the value oriented character
of knowledge. Is it not a mater of pride for the Tamils?

k.narayanan

By J.G. Arora
jgarora@vsnl.net

Central Chronicle, Bhopal: October 7, 2005

Vedas are ancient India's divine scriptures to guide humans in their day to day life as also in their pursuit of self -realization. And as per Atharva Veda (10.8.32), "Divine scripture neither grows old, nor ends" (Devasya pashya kavyam na mamaar, na jiryati).

Vedas, the proud possession and earliest books of mankind, are the foundation of Sanatan Dharma (timeless religion), commonly known as Hinduism. Vedas contain sublime thoughts in sublime language. First Mantra of Rig Veda is the first known poem in the world.

Four Vedas viz. Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda and Atharva Veda contain altogether 20416 Mantras. Rig Veda is the oldest Veda and has maximum number of Mantras. Each Vedic Mantra has its Devata; and the Rishi (sage) to whom the Mantra was revealed and its Chhanda (metre). And all Vedas have got their respective Mantra Samhitas, braahmana, aaranyaka and Upanishad books.

Let us have a small glimpse of fascinating vistas of Vedic lore.

Casteless and classless society

Vedas, the foundation of Hinduism, are all-embracing and stipulate a casteless and classless society. Vedas treat all humans with the same affection. Vedas speak of nobility and one-ness of entire humanity (krinvanto vishvam aryam). Mantra number 10-13-1 of Rig Veda addresses entire humanity as divine children (Shrunvantu vishve amrutsya putraha).

Innumerable Mantras of Vedas emphasize one-ness, universal brotherhood, harmony, happiness, affection, unity and commonality of entire humanity. A few illustrations are given here. Vide Mantra number 5-60-5 of Rig Veda, the Divine Poet declares, "All men are brothers; no one is big, no one is small. All are equal". Mantra number 16.15 of Yajur Veda reiterates that all men are brothers; no one is superior or inferior." Mantra number 3-30-1 of Atharva Veda wants all humans to be affectionate and to love one another as the cow loves her newly born calf. Underlining harmony still further, Mantra number 3-30-6 of Atharva Veda commands humankind to dine together, and be as firmly united as the spokes attached to the hub of chariot wheel.

Last Mantra of Rig Veda further emphasizes unity and harmony of entire humanity, "Samani Vha Aakuti, Samana Hrudyani Vha, Samanam Astu Vo Mano, Yatha Vha Su Saha Asti." ("Let your aims be one, let your hearts be one, let your minds be one, and let your unity go from strength to strength").

Tribute to Mother Earth

Though ecology is a modern concept, the best tribute ever paid to environment is found in Vedas. 63 Mantras of Atharva Veda (12.1.1. to 12.1.63) pertain to Prithvi-sukta, the Hymn to Earth, which glorifies Mother Earth. Vedic sages regarded Earth as sacred and inviolable.

Mantra number 12.1.12 of Atharva Veda calls Earth as the mother and humanity as its children (Mata bhumih putro aham prithivyaha). Prithvi Sukta proclaims Earth as the mother of all creatures, and solicits its blessings.

According to Prithvi Sukta, Mother Earth is adorned with heights, slopes, plains, hills, mountains, forests, plants, herbs and treasures; and She takes care of every creature that breathes and stirs. May She give us joy, wealth, prosperity, good fortune and glory!

You are 'Supreme'

While addressing humanity, Atharva Veda (2.11.15) informs every seeker, "You are pure, you are radiant, you are blissful, you are enlightened" (Shukro-asi, bhrajo-asi, swar-asi, jyotir-asi). Carrying this message further, various Upanishads proclaim, aham brahmasmi (I am the Supreme: Brihad Aaranyak Upanishad 1.4.10); tat tvam asi (you are the same: Chhandogya Upanishad: 6.8.7); pragyanam brahmam (Know the Supreme: Aitreya Upanishad: 3.1.3) and ayam atma Brahmam (This Atma is Supreme: Mandukya Upanishad I.2). These four maxims are called four Maha Vakyas (Great Maxims).

Universal peace and harmony

Universal peace and harmony is integral to Vedas. Famous Shanti Mantra (Hymn of Peace) in Yajur Veda (36.17) wants peace and harmony to pervade the entire universe; and is as follows:-

"I pray for peace to pervade all the worlds; I pray for peace in the Sky and Earth; peace in waters; peace in herbs, vegetation and forests; peace among all people and rulers of the world; peace in entire universe; peace for every one everywhere. Peace, real peace. I pray for that very peace!"

And as per Atharva Veda (11.15.6), "Let dwellers of all directions be my friends". Vedas propagate universal harmony and well-being of entire humanity. Vedic sentiment is "Sarve janah sukhino bhavantu." (May every one be happy)!"

Share your wealth

Many Vedic Mantras direct humans to share their wealth with others. Rig Veda (1-15-8) stipulates, "Let us become God's instruments and distribute fortune to the poor and needy." Rig Veda (10.117.6) further declares that not sharing your wealth with others is sinful, and any one who eats alone incurs sin. Similarly, Atharva Veda (3-30-7) commands humans to share their comforts with others. If affluent Hindus utilize even a small fraction of their income to help vulnerable sections, expansionist religions will be unable to prey upon Hindu society.

Gayatri Mantra

Gayatri Mantra is also known as Savitri Mantra, Guru Mantra, and Maha Mantra. It appears in Rig Veda as also in Yajur Veda and Saam Veda.

Any discussion on Vedas includes the prayer of Gayatri Mantra i.e. Aum bhoor bhuvah swaha / tat savitur varenyam / bhargo devasaya dheemahi / dhiyo yo naha prachodayat. It means, "May the Almighty God, remover of pain and sorrow, the bestower of happiness, enlighten our intellect to lead us in the right direction".

Gayatri mantra is a prominent Mantra for self-realization and is said to represent the Supreme Lord. In Bhagvad Gita (10.35), Lord Krishna says that among the verses, He is Gayatri.

Sanskrit aphorism: Gayantam Triyate iti Gayatri means that since it protects its chanter, it is Gayatri Mantra. This Mantra directs the intellect to the right path; and gives inner peace and bliss.

Live for hundred years

Apart from helping humans in inner-discovery, Vedas emphasize supreme success in worldly life. As per Yajur Veda (36.24), "May our eyes see for hundred years; may we live active life for hundred years; may our ears hear for hundred years; may we speak for 100 years; may we lead active and independent life for hundred years; may we enjoy these faculties even beyond hundred years. (Pashyem shradah shatam / Jivem sharadah shatam shrunuyam sharadah shatam / pra bravam sharadah shatam adeenah syam sharadah shatam / bhuyashch sharadah shatat)".

Similar prayers for leading dynamic life for hundred years are also found in many other Vedic Mantras.

Will Vedic heritage survive?

It is shocking that Hinduism, the faith proclaiming universal brotherhood and one-ness of humanity is being attacked by anti-Hindu forces, and is threatened with extinction. Anti-Hindu forces are bent upon demolishing Hinduism, and are spreading misinformation about Hindu scriptures including Vedas.

Vedic language Sanskrit which is known as the best, sweetest and divine language has already been driven out of Indian schools and colleges by Macaulay's education system. With the ouster of Sanskrit, most of educated Hindus are ignorant about Vedas.

Losing our Vedic heritage would mean losing our identity. Apart from propagating them, Sanskrit and Vedas must also be taught as regular subjects in secondary schools and colleges since their survival is a must for survival of Hinduism.

Be Pure is to be FREE of Caste and Such Other Identities

It is quite amazing that in the vast range of Sacred Tamil literature and developed over at least 2500 years, there is NO ONE great genius who has ever sang in favor of caste and such birth-based identities. The Sacred Tamil is in fact truly and genuinely SACRED- there is a genuine SANCTITY and which is spiritually uplifting. As one explores the various metaphysical insights and personal struggles of these notable mystics,  one feels that one is in the company of very pure souls and who by their nobility and purity put us into shame.

We as ordinary individuals and where the soul is ATOMIC and all because infected with the Mummalam particularly the aaNavam that finitizes the mind by blinding the soul are naturally egoistic. And enjoy various kinds of social identities like the breeding caste in to  which one is born, the social group or VarNa and so forth.  These identities create various kinds of useless passions that are more egoistic than anything else. The atomic minds, unable to reach a university of understanding enjoy these very emotion-bound little social identities and with that find some kind of egoistic meanings for existence.

Maanikkar sees himself as one of such individuals and recognizes that in being so he is aatam ili, one without any wisdom and in that lowly like street dog. He feels so ashamed of himself to be such an egoistic individual , enjoying various kinds of social passions that are in fact useless. Such social passions lead to various kinds of social combats and which in turn lead to various kinds of psychological stress and so forth.

Here Maanikkar observes that to be PURE is to be FREE of such social identities but which  one can enjoy only as a blessing of BEING. For to free oneself from such stress-breeding egoistic identities, one has to DESTROY oneís very ego and which is NOT possible unless BEING enters the soul and illuminating it, destroys the asat-self and allows the self shine forth as the sat-self.  BEING destroys all alienating and differentiating thought processes where the birth into a caste  dispositional traits, the body color and so forth can be used to create the asat-self categories and allow the enjoyment of  various kinds of strong but silly emotions. The purification is so total that even speech of such alienating thought processes are not allowed to prevail.

The soul becomes so totally pure and in that also absolutely free of stress-producing racial and caste emotions. Thus BEING becomes on this account the very Amutu, the ambrosia for being-with-BEING in such a way provides a continuous supply of this Amutu that serves the soul as a medicine that frees it from all kinds of stress.

5.
caati kulam piRappenum cuzippaddu tadumaaRum
aatamili naayeenai allal aRuttu aadkoNdu
peetai kuNam piRar uruvam yaan enatu en uraimaayttuk
kootil amutu aanaanai kulaavu tillaiayil kaNdeenee

Meaning:
Out of metaphysical ignorance . like a street dog  I enjoyed various kinds of very emotional social identities arising from breed caste VarNa and so forth. While I suffered various kinds of stresses because of all these , BEING overpowered me and FREED me from all such stresses by PURYFYING my soul so that I became totally egoless. I was freed of all kinds of discriminatory thinking where I could use the ignorance of the soul  dispositional traits the bodily shape and so forth to create identities  of self and other . But BEING illuminated me so thoroughly that not only such discriminatory thinking but also the very articulation  of such matters was rooted out from me. This BEING who becomes because of this  faultless Ambrosia, I saw in the Tillai where all the gods are also present.

Loga

.

As you noted 'caati kulam' means jaati, varna kulam, race, skin
color, intelligence, heritage and all sorts of attachment and pride
one may have to identities.

It also indicates the name the saint uses to describe these people.
They are an aimlessly wandering emotional and shameless 'street dogs'
- the 'unblessed' for whom the self-soul qualities dont shine.

Pathmarajah

BEING is Beyond  Vedantic Philosophies and Sciences

VaLLalaar here is looking at the long Indian philosophical or metaphysical traditions and how even here the caste mentality has crept into spoiling the very function of philosophical thinking.  In India we have the Vedantic philosophies that pretend to be the most authoritative as the insights are REVEALED in the Vedas and the Vedanta traditions are simply a tradition of clarifications of the essence of the Vedas. Such Vedantic philosophers disallow other philosophic possibilities and remain closed with the attitude that while there can be various kinds of mental speculations but they cannot lead to Moksa where only the Vedic tradition can as the Vedas are Apurushya and so forth. Anyone not well versed in the Vedas and follow the prescriptions there can never enjoy Moksa and redeem themselves.

Now opposed to these authoritarian traditions are the hermeneutic scientific that go by the name of Siddhantas like Suriya Siddhanta and so forth.  Such people  also remain opposed to authoritarian claims of the Vedists and hence remain also mentally closed to truths that could be revealed by BEING through some scriptures in general.

There is  caste mentality in both and this DISALLOWS comparing both traditions and LEARNING from both and with that transcend all to reach BEING who is BEYOND such philosophies and sciences.

VaLLalaar observes that people can spend enormous amount of time and energy in pouring over these Vedantic and scientific texts but with closed minds.  When the mind remains closed disallowing other possibilities then it imprisons itself in a certain mode off mental functioning and with that remain PREJUDICED forever. The mind that remains prejudiced is, as Tolkaappiyar has noted,  is a mind that is fettered ( vinaiyin aRivu). Such a mind will NEVER understand BEING let alone enjoy being-with-BEING.  For BEING is ParipuuraNam, an absolute wholeness without any defects and one who shines forth as an immensely radiant gem in the deepest layer of the soul of all i.e. citta cikaamaNi. Any philosophical discourse while clarifying some aspects cannot clarify wholly for all intellectual attempts be it scientific or exegetical are only PARTIAL - cannot be whole. The soul has to transcend and go beyond such attempts to reach BEING and who incidentally is already there in the soul of all.

BEING is NOT in the Vedas or any scriptures scientific treatises and so forth. Such  attempts of the human intellect can only clarify some aspects but not all. One has to be OPEN and be receptive to all possibilities and climbing up in the metaphysical pyramid reach the PEAK and enjoy what is called Civakati, a way of being-in-the-world without ever becoming embodied and hence suffering death. BEING is  in the deepest recess of the human mind, the Cittam, Dancing away in Bliss with Sakti so that the soul keeps on moving and break out bravely from all FIXATIONS.

15(5590)
cattiya veetaatamellaam sittaanntam ellaam
        tanittani meel uNarntu uNarntum tanai uNataRkaritaay
nittya ciRcabai naduvee niTaintu nadam puriyum
        nitta patipuuraNanaic citta cikaamaNiyai
attakaiyoor perum patiyai arumaruntai adiyeen
        aaviyaia en aaviyilee amarnta tayaanitiyaic
cittiyellaam enakkalaitta civakatiyai ulakiir
        cintai ceytu vaazttuminoo nintaiyellaam tavirttee

These are 383(+3) (about 4,000 hymns) in number and are set in 21 (22) paN (melodies - rAgas). They are arranged as the first three thirumuRais grouped according to their melody. These have been sung on 219 (+2) abodes.

It is marvelous to see that his compositions range from simple and sweet to sophisticated and splendid. He wrote songs that dwell over the various special poetic constructs of thamiz like thiruvezukURRirukkai, n^Aladi, Iradi, thirumukkAl, thiruvirAgam, thiruvirukkuk kuRaL, yAzmUri, thiruththALachchadhi, thiruviyamakam. If one wants to feel the splendors of thamiz language constructs the suggestion would be thirunyAna champan^dhar thEvAram; if one wants to feel the splendors of music the suggestion would be thirunyAna champan^dhar thEvAram; if one wants to feel the splendor of devotion the suggestion would be thirunyAna champan^dhar thEvAram !!!

thirunyAna champan^dhar's thEvAram generally follows a pattern. The eighth hymn in the compositions pities the ignorance of the valorous rAvaNa who tried to lift the mount kailAsham and notes the boon rAvaNa received when he worshiped in humbleness. The ninth hymn adores the Lord who stood beyond the reach of vishNu the protector and braHma the creator. The tenth hymn cautions against false propagandas. The eleventh one completes the padhikam with his signatural salutations to the Lord and indicates the benefits one gets by praising the Lord shiva with those hymns.

champan^dhar's thEvArams are highly revered not just because of their sweetness and constructs but mainly due to the depth of its contents. It makes the people wonder how deep knowledge of vEdhas and purANas this young three year old child had which is very obvious from his compositions ! It certainly could not have been possible without the Supreme's blessing.

Some of these hymns were sung creating marvels (making male palms to female, resurrecting girl pUmpAvai and so on) while all of them bring the Marvel mahEshwara to the heart of one who involves in them. Even today some of these padhikams are sung for accomplishing specific needs(2). It would be concise and correct if it is said that these hymns are the simple sweet easy way to spiritual enlightenment.

This is the first padhikam(song) of Thiru Nyaana Sambandhar. This is in the paN of Nattappaadai (Carnatic Raga Naattai). In this song Sambandhar has indicated the five actions of the God in a very nice way.

The Holy Bull signifies the Dharma or Justice. The God comes on the Holy Bull. This indicates creation. The Moon once when he was cursed to lose his "kala"s by Dhaksha, surrendered himself finally to Lord Shiva and pleaded for rescue. The Graceful Lord wore him on His matted hair so that he grows. Sambandhar refers to this incidence of protection.

He smears the ash that is spread in the cremation ground. This deed indicates He alone is immortal. This is the act of destruction. The next one is creating illusions. It is the thief who covers up the fact. God is also a thief. Because he steals our hearts ! The Vedhas also praise Him as, stheenaanaam pathi (head of thieves), thaskaraanaam pathi (head of robbers).

The fifth one is the act of love in which He blesses the persons who involve themselves in His Holy feet. Sambandhar indicates the puraaNa of Siirkaazi where Brahma offered prayers to Lord Shiva, and thus got His blessings. (Hence the town is also called Brahmapuram).

One nice thing to note in this song is it starts with the first letter as the PraNava. (th+oo). Yes He explains the act of that PraNava ruupa in this song ! Salutations to the God of Brahmapuram

Translation:
thOdudaiya cheviyan vidaiyER yOr thUveN madhichUdi,
kAdudaiya chudalaip podipUchi yen uLLam kavarkaLvan,
Edudaiya malarAn munain^At paNin^dhEththa aruLcheydha,
pIdudaiya piramA pura mEviya pemmAn ivananRE.

thOdudaiya cheviyan - He wears a ring in His ear, vidaiyERi - Comes on the Holy Bull, yOr thUveN madhichUdi - wears a Moon (in Head), kAdudaiya chudalaip podipUchi - smears the ash in the cremation ground, yen uLLam kavarkaLvan - He is the thief who steals my heart, Edudaiya malarAn - One with a flower or the One on the flower having the book (Vedas) - Brahma, munain^At paNin^dhEththa aruLcheydha - when prayed earlier blessed him, pIdudaiya piramA pura - Brahmapuram which having a lot of pride, mEviya pemmAn ivananRE - This person is the God who resides there.

Humility and Divine Grace

There seems to be a hidden but important reason why Maanikkar mentions the Ambalam of Tillai as a place where the four Vedas are chanted.  Right from ancient times there has been Vedic chanting among the Tamils and this probably because the Vedas were taken as texts in Archaic Tamil or at least not something imposed on them by some alien Aryans and so forth. In the whole of CaGkam literature where there are many places where the Vedas are mentioned nowhere it is said that it was alien to the Tamils and so forth.

My study of Rig Veda along with the recovery of the original Tamil Base and meanings indicates that the celebration of Fire was related to PURIFICATION of the soul understood as already polluted with Nicinna (Darkness) and antar nikhita and so forth i.e. inner darkness. It is this notion that is mentioned here as Malam also meaning Darkness.

As Sambantar mentions in several of his hymns there was eri oombal, the celebration of Fire only to prevent the onslaughts of Kali and which is actually kari, the Black Stuff again the metaphysical Darkness.

It appears that there came to be a DEVIANT Vedism with its evil VarNashrama Dharma and all because it lost sight of the presence of Malam in the deeper recesses of the souls and which makes them do evil and so forth.

The point is that it is only when the soul recognizes the presence of Malam that it becomes HUMBLE and refuses to exult in various kinds social constructs like race birth and so forth and social rewards that come because of that. Anyone like this like all those who are caste-minded are not only ignorant but also ARROGANT for they are NOT aware of the presence of DIRT, the DARK deep within their soul.

Maanikkar manages this deep metaphysical insight and because of which he calls himself a street dog and which is his metaphor for saying that he is in fact a rotten kind of fellow, nothing good in him. However he also notes in this interesting verse that it is this HUMILITY and self abasement that stands opposed to self-aggrandizement of Brahmanism, that earns him the Divine Grace, the flow of lumens into his soul and which purifies him of all the dirt and with that in fact make it possible to become a person wholly in LOVE with all.

He also notes that it is this CARE and CONCERN for all that further purifies his soul and with that enable him to enjoy the vision of the Dance of Bliss of Siva-Sakti in Tillai, the Paradise.

9.
paaGkinodu pariconRum aRiyaata naayeenai
ooGki uLattu oLi vaLara ualappilaa anbaruLi
vaaGki vinai malam aRuttu vaan karuNai tantaanai
naanku maRai payil tilai amabalayyrr kaNdeenaa

Meaing:
I remain the lowly street dog not deserving any merits that are rightfully mine. But Lo! As I realize my lowliness, there is growth of an inner radiance in my soul which destroying the atomicity and the dirt within made me full of love and care for all.  This BEING who destroyed the finitude and blessed thus, the one who was Love itself I saw in the vast Assembly of Tillai, the Paradise where are recited the four Vedas in earnest.

BEING is Not only Illuminating but Also Nourishing

It has been a part of very ancient metaphysics that there is a flow of illuminating LIGHT that not only purifies the soul but also dispels the metaphysical Darkness or as the Saivites would put it, the hold of Malam where the Malam is just as anati as BEING and the innumerable souls. Here in this verse Maanikkar understands BEING not only the Pure Radiance that illuminates but also the Green Gem that spreads the Green Light and which is a metaphor for life rejuvenation.

This is the metaphysics of COLORS where while the color of Fire spells out the destruction of Malam, the Darkness of Ignorance,  the GREEN signifies rejuvenation, the bringing back the freshness of the green pastures and so forth.  Here the Fire not only burns and illuminates but also brings about senility and which is offset by the GREEN color, the color of the marakatam the green gem stones.  This is also one of the colors Siva assumes as Mritiyunjayan, the one who vanquishes death.

But what is the metaphysics of it all?

Maanikkar notes that BEING becomes not only the five basic elements by differentiating the Maayai the Proto-matter but also becomes the infinite number of differentiated individual things and along with that the FIVE senses in terms of which these things are apprehended. It is here that  there emerges DIFFERENCES not only in understanding but also in biological forms and which acts on the mind makinf them exult in DIFFERENCE.  The PeetanGkal, the differences including what he has mentioned earlier- jaati kulam piRappu and so forth. The lowly man uses birth community religion language nationality and what not to CREATE differences and putting down others as exercises in egoism celebrate DIFFERENCE. Here certainly Manikkar must have in mind the caste and VarNa differences that he deplores and celebrating which in his ignorance led him to say that he was a street dog because of it all.

But what is the way to overcome this egoistic tendency to celebrate difference and exult in self-aggrandizement?

It is the TRUE understanding of BEING for BEING shows Himself as beyond such discriminations where in Himself He is the Great One who does not entertain at all any discriminations.  It is only those who are distant from BEING or who have not understood BEING at all  who would be discriminatory putting others down in order put oneself above others.

In nearing BEING in understanding and existence not only the soul enjoys the purifying flow of inner radiance but also the Green Light that rejuvenates the soul and body. Here Manikkar is NOT making an outlandish claim, a claim that requires evidences from scripture and so forth. It is a TRUTH already there in the understanding of all and anyone can ascertain it for himself by living it out. Living the life of Love and nondiscrimination brings as part of oneís direct experience such benefits.

10.
puutaGkaL aintaakip pulanaakip poruLaakaip
peetaGkaL anaittumaay peetamilaap perumaiyanaik
keetaGkaL keduttaaNda kiLar oLiyai marakatattait
veetaGakal tozuteettum viLaGku tillai kaNdeenee

Meaning:
BEING, the Great one becomes the five basic elements as well as the innumerable individual things and the five senses in terms of which the creatures apprehend them. Here there also emerge differences of all sorts but where BEING stands as the One who is above all differences and discriminations. Thus BEING stands as one the dispels all miseries that arise due to the discriminating tendencies  by allowing the inflow of illuminating light as well the Green Light that rejuvenates the soul and body.  I saw such a BEING in person in the Sacred Tillai where all the scriptures worship him.

5th thirumuRai

cAththiram pala pEcum cazakkarkAL
gOththiramum kulamum koNDu en ceyvIr
pAththiram civam enRu paNithirEl
mAththiraikkuL aruLum mARpERarE.

Meaning:
Oh the morons who talk a lot of processes (shAstras)!
What will you do with lineage (gOththiram) and clan (kulam)?
If you salute saying 'Essence is Lord Shiva',
The Lord of thirumARpERu will bless within a second.

Notes:
All the processes and procedures are intended
to make easy the journey to attain the goal.
They are not the goal in themselves. Without
realizing Lord Shiva and worshipping Him, one
who just adheres to shastras is as stupid as
the one who gets to the bus but misses the
destination.

Irrespective of what the background is, one who
makes sincere effort to reach Lord shiva, will reach the Lord. God would pave the route for that person.

cazakkar - stupid;
pAththiram - destination;
mAththirai - small part of time like second.

shaivam.org

VaLLalaar 134-17

VaLLalaar On Life Free of Death - 17

Life is for Learning and San Maarkkam is the Way for All Dravidian culture is founded upon PEDAGOGY and right from very ancient times where even in Sumerian times we see this thrust and because of which schools and academies became important institutions. The temples were also colleges of sorts and where various kinds of researches were conducted. Astronomy, Agriculture, Poetics, linguistics and so forth were developed within the temples and palaces.

VaLLalaar in this very interesting verse recalls this basic presupposition of the Tamil folks and says that the Can Maarkkam, the Way of Metaphysical Illumination is about to be installed all over  the world by BEING Himself and who would for that purpose destroy all the religions which cultivate only stupidity and ignorance.
The word religion,  by their very mind fixating character are muuda matam, systems that CLOSE the mind in fixating it to certain scriptures persons institutions traditions and so forth. This may be because the human soul seeks the False Security of continuity of cultural identity and so forth and that installs also FEAR of breaking out from all fixations and move ahead always in search of TRUTH and nothing else,  The Way of Enlightenment , the Can Maarkkam  involves  the destruction of the mind fixating religions but which is only  the first step. The mind must be kept MOVING or dancing and moving in the direction of TRUTH and in that should never allow itself to be imprisoned by a religion which by it very structure is very fixating in creating a very strong group identity and amking a person cling to it very stubbornly.

To free oneself from a religion and move in the direction of Can Maarkkam is like waking up from a deep slumber and enjoying many clear visions. Those who are lost to Can Maarkkam are people who are DEAD to the TRUTH and hence not living really at all. They may be  breathing eating  acting and so forth but really NOT LIVING the authentic life.

But the Can Maarkkam is NOT available in religions but only in the LEARNING  what BEING teaches as a Living Reality. BEING (God) is NOT dead - He is immensely alive and keeps on TEACHING all souls from within and without only that because of the various religions we remain forgetful of the living presence of BEING and that He teaches.

VaLLalaar feels that historically the present cultural ethos is for the death of the mind fixating religions and all only in order to make the mind RETURN to BEING by moving away from books gurus messiahs and so forth. To be religious is to be spiritually dead and we have to KILL the tendency within us to follow a religion and find a false security in order to be truly spiritual and be healthy physically and mentally.

17.
muyanRulakil payan adaiyaa muuda matam anaittum
        muduki azittidavum oru moosamum illaatee
iyanRa oru canmaarkkam eGku niLai peRavum
        em iRaivan ezuntaruLal itu taruNam kaNdiir
tuyinRuNarntee ezuntavar pool iRaibavarkaL ellaam
toonRa ezukinRatitu todaGki nikazntidum niir
  payinRaRiya viraintu vammin padiyaata padippaip
        pdittidalaam uNarntidalaam paRRidalaam cukamee

Meaning:
If all the world religions that have been useless and only have developed stupidity and ignorance, are destroyed, there is nothing bad at all.  Now BEING has arisen to destroys all such religions and bring people into Can Maarkkam the Way of True Enlightenment and the world situation now is ripe for such a Play of BEING, my Lord. Those who are lost in religions are like those who are in deep slumber. And when they get into Can Maarkkam it is like becoming awake and enjoying real consciousness. It is also like being dead and now all of a sudden becoming ALIVE to the real form of existence. So O those of you who remain lost to worldly life! Wake up and come an LEARN the metaphysical truths you have not learned at all and which BEING is pleased to teach you from within. If you learn and understand His teachings and as taught by Him, you will begin to enjoy real physical and mental health.

A Reconstruction  of the Solar Cosmology of the Indo-Europeansî (RSCI)
Author: alexander jacob dr_alexander_jacob@yahoo.co.uk

How accurate is Max Muller in describing these ancient religion as Henotheism? Now the Indian Tantrism is certainly the continuation of the Sumerian (and possibly also the Nubian, Kemetian) religion where we have the Solar Cosmology.  The Indian Tantrism is Metatheistic where BEING is One