For instance, suppose one is trying hard to imbibe the Advaita bhavana. How can one forget the body or not respond to hunger and thirst, one may ask. Is it not clear that the three entities, Brahman, the atma and the jagat are distinct? How can anyone accept the jiva and Brahman as one? It is shown that when a jiva can conjure impossible objects and possibilities in dream state, what is not possible for the omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient Brahman? One has to accept that in each state of waking, dream, etc, there are different levels of truth pertaining to that state. Examples such as those of the rope and serpent can clear the doubts.
Still another hurdle remains in the form of inherent avidya vasana that keeps one chained to wrong notions. This can also be dispelled by nidhidyasa, when one engages in deep reflection and meditation on the idea of “Aham Brahmasmi.” Just as cycle balance is gained by sheer practice, this conviction will also get assimilated by constant exposure to Vedanta.
Thirumoolar, in his Thirumantiram, talks of sages who worshipped Lord Siva, said R. Narayanan in a discourse. He mentions four sages — Sanaka, Sanatana, Sanandana and Sanatkumara. He mentions four others, too, who also became spiritual gurus. These four are Sivayoga muni, Vyagrapada, Patanajali, and Thirumoolar himself.
Thirumoolar was originally Sundaranatha. When a cowherd called Moolan died, Sundaranatha exited his body and entered Moolan’s body and became Thirumoolar, the saint. Thirumoolar acknowledges that all this happened because Lord Siva wanted Vedanta and the knowledge of the Agamas to reach everyone. Thirumoolar had seven disciples, and he gives their names — Malankan, Indiran, Soman, Brahman, Rudran, Kalangi and Kanjamalayan. Thirumoolar’s teachings were carried down from generation to generation. This is seen from one of Thayumanavar’s statements.
Thayumanavar’s guru was Mauna guru, and Thayumanavar says that Mauna guru followed the tradition of Thirumoolar. Thayumanavar lived in the 18th century. So clearly, Thirumoolar’s teachings had an impact that continued to extend for centuries, and the impact still continues. Thirumoolar says that Sanaka, Sanatana, Sanandana and Sanatkumara learnt about the greatness of Lord Siva, and they wanted to communicate it to everyone because they wanted everyone to have the joyful experience they had had. It is not enough if we have jnana. Imparting knowledge to others is important. Thirumoolar says Lord Siva has no desires. He is not subject to temptations. His good qualities are limitless, and cannot be described. He does not show His greatness to everyone. He reveals it only to a few. Thirumoolar again repeats the names of the sages who had this blessing.
Among the characters in the Mahabharata, we find men like Duryodhana who are ambitious, envious and unjust in their thoughts, words and deeds. We find characters like Sanjaya, whose very name means ‘he who has won in the right way.’ Sanjaya had conquered his indriyas and had acquired jnana. Among the most virtuous ranks Vidura. We must not hesitate to take the advice of a person, even if he does not have a high position. Vidura was the son of a servant maid, and yet he was virtuous, whereas Dhritarashtra, the king, was not, said Kidambi Narayanan in a discourse.
Vidura never swayed from the path of dharma, and Dhritarashtra turned to him for consolation. Dhritarashtra sent Sanjaya to the Pandavas, with a request that they avoid war. But because of the adamance of Duryodhana, it was clear that war was going to break out soon. Dhritarashtra knew the war would go against his sons, and he was worried. Moreover, when Sanjaya returned, an anxious Dhritarashtra asked him what Krishna and the Pandavas had said. But Sanjaya said he would tell about that in court the next day, in the presence of the ministers and elders. Dhritarashtra was sleepless, and sent for Vidura. He asked Vidura for advice.
In the Mahabharata, Vidura’s advice to Dhritarashtra is covered in 450 slokas, and it is advice not just for Dhritarashtra, but it is advice for all of us, and has validity at all times. Vidura adhered to dharma and so was qualified to offer counsel. In the Rama avatara, the Lord adhered to dharma. Mareecha said, “RamO vigrahavAn dharmah - Rama is the embodiment of dharma.” In the Krishna avatara which comes later, the Lord talks about dharma. So, the Lord shows us the importance of keeping to dharma, before we preach dharma to others.
There are four types of poets: Asu kavi — the spontaneous poet; madhura kavi — one whose verses are pleasing; vistaara kavi — one whose poetry is elaborate and chitra kavi — one whose words come together to form an image. Thirumangai Azhvar could compose in all four genres and was, therefore called Naalu kavi Perumal. His Thiruvezhukoottrirukkai, in praise of Lord Aravamudhan, the deity of Kumbakonam, falls in the category of ratha bandham, and it is because of this work that he is considered a chitra kavi. In this work, he uses words that represent numerals, to form a chariot. He uses the numerals in ascending and descending order to build the ratha of words. Thirumangai Azhvar’s ratha of words, can be represented in a figure as a ratha with seven decks. He cleverly describes and praises the auspicious qualities and amazing exploits of the Lord, while all the while using only words that refer to numerals from one to seven, said V.S. Karunakarachariar, in a discourse.
Often, he resorts to puns — the same word meaning a number but also meaning something else. In one case where he has to represent three, he talks of the three-fold fortification, which Ravana’s capital city of Lanka had. A capital city should ideally have three types of protections, to keep enemies at bay — a moat, hills and forests. Lanka is blessed in this respect, for instead of a moat, it has a sea, and of course, it has forests and hills too. When having to represent two, Thirumangai Azhvar says Rama’s arrow shot out of His bow, with the hiss of the forked tongue of a snake. Forked tongue can also be expressed as two tongued. Once, with His two feet, He measured the three worlds, and so on, using numerals up to seven, Thirumangai Azhvar’s work deals with philosophy, and also describes the Lord’s attributes.
Prabuddha is one of the nine yogisvaras who feature in Srimad Bhagavatam, said P.T. Seshadri in a discourse. King Nimi asks the yogisvaras for spiritual advice. Prabuddha says that in this world, people want to lead a comfortable life. They do not want to experience any difficulty. And so they begin to acquire wealth, so that they will not lack any comforts. But the very wealth which they seek so ardently, leads to sorrow. You have to work hard to get wealth. And this wealth eventually becomes the cause for the loss of a person’s peace of mind. His possessions and his relatives are all impermanent. While these do give him joy, the joy does not last. Being mindful of the results of his actions, a man may do a lot of deeds that will earn him punyas. But punyas only enable him to go to svarga, which is not a peaceful place, as we imagine. It is a place where he will witness quarrels between the devas. So, there is no true joy in svarga either. The only lasting joy comes from knowing about the Supreme One, says Prabuddha.
He tells Nimi that a person should find an Acharya, who will guide him. He must also serve the deity of his choice. He should have affection towards devotees of Lord Narayana. He should see God in all creatures. He should dress in simple clothes. He should not have a permanent dwelling place of his own. He should learn the Sastras and contemplate on what he has studied. He must have tolerance. He must observe a vow of silence. He must delight in hearing about God’s qualities and His avataras. He must meditate on Him, and spend his whole life in serving Him. He must perform yagas; he must give to the deserving; he must resort to penance. He must do japa. He must have good conduct. He must help God’s devotees, when they are in distress.
Prakarana granthas are aids to help beginners get initiated into Vedanta study which alone can equip one with the drive, means and practices to attain Brahma Jnana, said Sri R. Rajagopala Sarma in a discourse. This is the final goal that liberates one from the cycle of samsara, say the scriptures. They also show the difficulties in knowing/ realising/ attaining Brahman though He is all pervading, all knowing and all powerful. When caught in this world, the jivatma is mired in ignorance of the true values. Just as it is difficult to try to identify objects in dim light, the jivatma gropes to seek the eternal truth in this immediate world of change and sense perceptions which he considers as the reality. But even in this context, there is no guarantee that his observations and conclusions are true and valid since he has to deal with layers of misconceptions that can easily distort his opinion and judgment.
For instance, it is possible for one to mistake a rope for a snake in inadequate light and then experience fear and confusion about its presence until such time when with the help of light only the rope is seen. All along, there was no snake at all. This is the analogy quoted in scriptures to show that this universe and creation is the superimposition on Brahman. Lack of knowledge or partial knowledge makes one think of this world as the reality. But it is Brahman who has created this entire universe and is also present in each and every aspect of it. Brahman supports all of this and is the cause for its dissolution as well. Brahman alone is the eternal Truth and the jagat is a superimposition. The inner self in each being is of the nature of this Brahman. This is the Brahma Jnana that dispels ignorance and thereby gradually leads one into the path of liberation.
