Thus Spake The Divine II

By Padmaa Thyagarajan

This is the second Volume in English.This is an adaptation of the renowned Deivattin Kural, which is a compilation of discourses of Kanchi Kamakoti Pithadhipati Sri Chandrashekhrendra Saraswati Mahaswamigal also known as Mahaperiyavaa. The original work was compiled by Ra Ganapathy and for the benifit of English speaking public, an adaptation in English is presented.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Giri Trading Agency Private Limited
• Release date: Jun 2, 2021
• ISBN: 9788179508114

Book preview

PART - 1 : Auspicious Beginning

1. Pillaiyar - The Child God

Pujyashri Maha Periyava, in his own passionate manner, speaks elaborately of Lord Ganesha and His Anugraha. He weaves in a poetic way the connection between Pillaiyar and Avvaiyar. Periyava says chanting Vinayakar Agaval composed by Avvaiyar will make the entire universe prosperous.

I am going to tell you some interesting things about two characters, whose natural traits are totally contrasting. One of the two is an old lady and the other a young child. Generally, what do old ladies do? They stretch their legs and relax in the same position without moving. But this old lady is different! Filled with enormous energy, she travels with enthusiasm into every nook and corner of the villages in Tamil Nadu.

Now, let us see the child. It looks quite plump and healthy. Generally, what does a child do? He or she is always active and agile, playing around, and moving and running here and there. But this child is totally different! With a stern expression, it sits in the same place without moving even a bit. Funny old lady, funny child!

The old lady is running around like a child and the child is sitting at one place like the old lady! However, the old lady is enthusiastic and energetic even at this old age only because of this Child’s Anugraha! Who is this Pillai? (A male child is addressed as Pillai in Tamil.)

The Pillai is none other than Pillaiyar (Lord Ganesha), who is held in the highest form of reverence and addressed with several other names. Let us examine these nomenclatures in brief.

Ganesha (Gana+Isha) and Ganapati (Gana+Pati): He is the Principal Chief Commander of the Bhuta-Ganas, who are the army and attendants of Lord Shiva.

Vinayaka (Vi+Nayaka): Generally, the prefix vi in any word highlights either the superiority or the opposite of that substance. Here, in Vinayaka, it means One who does not have any supervisor or boss. There is no one superior to Him; He is the supervisor of all.

Vighneshvara: He is the one, who destroys all obstacles that confront us. (Vighnam in Sanskrit means obstacle). That is why we first pray to Lord Vighneshvara before commencing any task, so that His Anugraha removes all obstacles. That is why the first puja is always only to Lord Vighneshvara.

Gajamukha and Gajaraja: He is elephant-faced (Gaja means elephant in Tamil). An elephant possesses massive physical power, but still does not injure or torment other animals, as lions or tigers do. They carry out mammoth tasks for people in places like Burma and Kerala. Similarly, Pillaiyar is very powerful and confers prosperity on people. Like an elephant is sharp in its intellect and memory, Pillaiyar also is an epitome of wisdom. Among the animal species, an elephant, with its face and eyes filled with calmness and compassion, is one that always enchants onlookers. The way it moves its body, swallows its food, sways its ears and lifts its trunk is most delightful to look at. Similarly, in human race, a child is the one, which keeps drawing one’s incessant attention. There is no place for any wicked or evil feeling in a child. The child keeps playing joyfully and we feel immense joy just looking at it.

Pillaiyar is a combination of an elephant and a child. No one feels tired or bored looking at Him any number of times. He possesses the most innocent heart, as that of a child, and physical power and sharp intellect like that of an elephant. Above all these, He possesses the insatiable beauty and elegance. His entire appearance is filled with bliss and happiness.

Many contradicting aspects are seen in Him, which, of course, is very natural. Below the neck, He is a child, the human race. Above the neck, He is an elephant, the animal species. However, in reality, He is a Deity of the Celestial Beings. He is the God to receive the first and foremost puja.

Though a Child, He is the personification of great philosophies, which denote the different contrasting factors within Him. That itself is an expression of beauty. These contrasting factors reveal that everything is engrossed within Him. For example, on one side, there is the broken trunk, and on the other, He is holding a Kozhukkattai (sweet coconut covered within rice flour). The sweet substance within the Kozhukkattai is known as Purnam, which means Absoluteness or Completeness. The broken trunk represents Deformity, while Kozhukkattai represents Absoluteness or Completeness. The revelation here is that the most absolute substance is only Pillaiyar. This realisation is the absolute bliss.

There is yet another contrast. Pillaiyar is a child and a celibate too! The irony here is that only after He chased Valli, she married Subrahmanya Svami, His younger brother! Even today, those yet to be married pray to this die-hard celibate for getting married! What does this mean? He showers grace on people to obtain even those substances that are not really relevant to Him in His current stature!

It is customary to call a person, who is sitting glued to his place without moving an inch, as Kallu Pillaiyar (Kallu in Tamil means stone). Similarly, though sitting like a Kallu Pillaiyar, He just lifts people in one sway and places them right on the top. This is how He lifted Avvaiyar from wherever He was sitting and dropped her in Kailasa in just one sway! His magnificence is unfathomable. There is an old Tamil adage that says, Where child and God are playing, it becomes a place of celebration. The very God has descended in the form of a child in Pillaiyar. That’s why, in Tamil Nadu, we see Pillaiyar sitting in every nook and corner, everywhere offering His grace and benevolence to everybody.

An old lady was able to run throughout Tamil Nadu only with His Anugraha. Who was that old lady? She was Avvaiyar. Just look at the two phrases; Avvai-Yar and Pillai-Yar!

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2. Pillaiyar and Avvaiyar

A vvaiyar is the most renowned female poet in the history of Tamil literature. If at all our country claims to be possessing virtuous civilisation and culture steeped in Bhakti, the entire credit goes predominantly to Avvaiyar. But for her, our entire country would not have got enriched in culture to such a great extent.

It is always believed that when discipline, virtuous qualities and Bhakti are instilled into a child during its nurturing phase itself, these traits last for years together. Numerous poets and devotees have lived in Tamil Nadu. But the target audience of all their works and compositions have been grown-ups alone. However, Avvaiyar’s vision was completely unique. Highly proficient in Yoga Shastras, her vision was to inculcate virtuous qualities in children as they grow. Hence, she focussed her preaching on good qualities, discipline, Bhakti and Codes of Ethics for Children.

It is like how a grandmother who pays attention to her grandchildren for instilling virtuous qualities in them. Avvaiyar is akin to such a grandmother for the entire children of Tamil Nadu. Though several generations have passed after Avvaiyar, the very first literature that we, as children, are exposed to in schools, especially in Tamil schools, is Avvaiyar’s Athichudi (Athichudi is a collection of single-line quotes written by Avvaiyar and organized in an alphabetical order. There are 109 of these sacred lines, which include Control anger, Don’t forget to do charity, Don’t be envious, Don’t forget gratitude and many such teachings).

The first puja is thus for Pillaiyar and the first learning is from Avvaiyar’s Athichudi!

One might wonder as to how Avvaiyar’s words of wisdom have remained resilient and long-lasting even after several thousands of years. The reason for this is only the supreme power of her eloquence and expression. If something is absolutely true, and if that truth is stated with absolute compassion and conviction, then that statement remains unscathed despite passage of time. Avvaiyar preached such absolute truth with a blend of love and compassion. There may be some amongst us who may not have read the works of great poets like Kambar, Pugalendi, Elango Adigalar etc. But there cannot be anyone who has not gone through at least a few of Avvai’s words of wisdom!

It is not only the power of eloquence; she also possessed enormous physical strength. That is why she was able to stride across the entire Tamil Nadu, with the concern that not one child is left out without being mentored. She went in search of each and every child to preach her works. Where did she get this power of eloquence as also the physical strength? That was only the grace of Pillaiyar. Avvaiyar was an ardent devotee of Pillaiyar. She turned biologically old at a very young age to escape the clutches of marriage. To her, marriage was detrimental to Bhakti and if she remained youthful, she would be forced to marry. Hence, she prayed to Pillaiyar for an early biological ageing and thus turned old.

Look at the irony here!

The One who helped Subrahmanya marry Valli graced Avvai into becoming biologically an old lady so that she could escape marriage! It is evident that Pillaiyar grants what one deserves. He is a Child God, isn’t it? That is why He was so fond of children; so much so he ensured that that Avvai’s preaching reached every child. Avvai, who did not want a family for herself, was given the entire world as her family! She also happily accomplished her vision. She spent her entire life in the worship of Pillaiyar and preaching children.

That old lady roamed around in those days and now, I am also roaming around. She roamed around only Tamil Nadu, whereas I am going to different parts of India, such as Kerala, Andhra, Bengal, and so on. From my experience of travelling across regions, I realise that the uniqueness of Tamil Nadu lies in Pillaiyar temples being there in every nook and corner, be it roadside or riverside of the state. A slight detour away from Tamil Nadu and this aspect is missing.

Pillaiyar is a very simple God! He does not want structural marvels for Him to stay! No gopurams or big praharams. All He needs is just a place to sit. Even a tin sheet as a roofing is enough for Him and, sometimes, He does not need even that! He sits gracefully under a peepal tree and blesses His devotees.

But why is this unique feature of Pillaiyar sitting all over the state seen only in Tamil Nadu? It appears that it is only because of Avvaiyar. There is no place Avvaiyar did not tread in Tamil Nadu. Thus, her favourite God Pillaiyar has also followed her and stayed in those places!

Many people attribute different specialities for Tamil Nadu. But to me, the speciality of Tamil Nadu lies only in Pillaiyar temples that are seen all over the region!

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3. Simple Form of Worshipping Pillaiyar

Pillaiyar is the most preferred God of the poor and needy.

This is because He can be invoked even into mud and cow dung. Pillaiyar is pleased and happy with even the smallest of offerings. He gets into any form, be it clay or mud or dung or stone and gives Anugraha to His devotees. One need not necessarily be a scholar in Shastras to worship Him. He is accessible even to the most illiterate human!

If you want to worship any other God, you have to follow certain sets of rules. You have to take bath, get the puja material meant for that particular God, and go to His / Her temple at a specified time. Even in the temple, you cannot directly enter the Shrine of that God. You have to go around the praharam to worship that God. Even then, there is a distance only from which you can worship the God. You cannot go near Him.

But worshipping Pillaiyar is completely different. There is no specific time or rule to worship Pillaiyar. Amidst your work, like whether going to school, office or even shopping, wherever you go, on the way, you may see a Pillaiyar temple. You can immediately knock gently on your forehead, do couple of thoppukaranam and worship Him. By this, you get a kind of happiness, peace and solace at heart.

Specific ways of worshipping Pillaiyar have also been ordained when carrying out certain activities, like breaking a coconut into pieces, knocking or tapping on the forehead, doing thoppukaranam etc. Let us examine them in detail.

We should knock the forehead with crossed hands. Ears must be similarly held with the left ear being held by the right hand and right ear held by the left hand before doing the thoppukaranam, with our body bent knees down on ground. Why have these formats been specified?

Yoga Shastras stipulate ways of controlling the mind and directing it towards virtuous thoughts utilising the vibrations within our breathing pattern (naadi). When we twist our bodies in different ways while exercising, our breathing patterns change. This helps us control our minds. Such controlled breathing can bring divine changes within our mind. Changes can clearly be felt if one does so with strong conviction.

Yoga Shastras and Philosophies are abstract and thus not easily understood. To come over this, Avvaiyar has composed Vinayakar Agaval, which contains simplified interpretations of Yogic Shastras that can be easily understood by anybody. Moreover, Vinayakar Agaval contains only short and simple verses. Some of the verses may contain words that could appear a little hard to understand. However, one must not worry about not understanding the literal meaning of those words. Just memorise them with the strong conviction that Avvai’s words are the most powerful. This will bring prosperity not only to our own selves but also for our entire mankind.

While worshipping Pillaiyar, if we also simultaneously think of Avvai, the benefits double. Therefore, every Friday, we should go to a Pillaiyar temple and chant Vinayakar Agaval composed by Avvaiyar.

Are you worried about not knowing the meaning of Vinayakar Agaval and thus refrain from chanting the same? Let me give you an interesting metaphor.

Just imagine that there is a beautiful box, which contains precious gems. But alas! The key is missing. In that scenario, will you discard the box just because you don’t have the key? Not at all! You will keep the box safely with you in the hope that you will find the key sometime. Now, if you throw away the box and then find the key, there will be no use, isn’t it? Vinayakar Agaval is similar to such a precious treasure box. The contents of Vinayakar Agaval are equivalent to the valuable precious gems inside the box. We may right now not possess the necessary knowledge and intellect to understand the inner meanings of the verses. It does not matter. Once we start memorising the verses and chanting them, we will automatically understand the meanings on our own. Pillaiyar will confer on us that capability.

I have told you that Pillaiyar belongs to everybody. One cannot see any deity associated with Shaivism consecrated in Vishnu temples. However, though Vinayakar belongs to the Shiva family, He is still seen in Vishnu shrines, where He is called Tumbikkai Azhvar, which means Azhvar with a trunk! Pillaiyar is beyond any religion or sect. That is why even Buddhists and Jains worship Him. Though Pillaiyar is not seen in as many places in the rest of India as in Tamil Nadu, He can be seen at least in one place in all the cities and towns of India. One ardent devotee of Pillaiyar used to proclaim Pillaiyar is seen in Kanyakumari (southernmost tip of India) and He is also in Kedarnath, the northern Himalayas.

Vinayakar idols have been excavated not only from within our country, but also in countries like Japan and Mexico. This makes it evident that people all across the world worship Him in different forms.

We should make it a point to worship such a God who belongs to the entire universe. We should submit a lot of naivedyas (offering) in the form of Kozhukkattai and other fruits and distribute them to children (As Pillaiyar is a Child God!). Generally, a child should look healthy and plump. So, we should feed Pillaiyar with lots of offerings. Every Friday, we should break a coconut into pieces in front of His shrine (sidaru tengai) and make the children happy with the prasadams. If we make children happy, Pillaiyar, who is the Child of the Universal Parents Uma and Parameshvara, will make us happy too!

Grown up people are always filled with sorrows. We should instead immerse ourselves within this Child-God and become blissful. He always appears with a pleasant face and thus is known as Sumukha or Prasanna Vadana. If we espouse Bhakti in its true sense, He will turn all of us into ones with a pleasing face.

Here is a funny, but a meaningful way of consecrating a Pillaiyar idol in a newly constructed temple. What is this unique custom followed in our region?

In a newly constructed temple, there is no need for sculpting a new Pillaiyar idol; it can be stolen from an existing temple and the same invoked in the new temple! Why so when, generally, stealing is a sin? When there is an option available that Pillaiyar can be stolen, people of a temple would be conscious and careful about their idol being stolen. With that concern, they will take care of the temple throughout the day following the customary rituals! This ancestral custom of allowing Pillaiyar idol to be stolen is only with the view that the thought of Pillaiyar never vanishes from the minds of people!

Therefore, we should hold on to Pillaiyar very strongly for the prosperity of ourselves and also the entire society. And the medium to hold Pillaiyar is Avvaiyar!

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Part - 2 : Guru : He Who Unravels Our Self-Identity

1. Story of a King and Queen

In this chapter, Pujyashri Maha Periyava brings before our eyes the significance of two vital Veda Maha-Vakyas, viz. Tat-Tvam-Asi (You are the Supreme Brahmam And Ayam Atma Brahma" (This Atman is Brahmam). To elucidate these two Maha-Vakyas, Periyava quotes a story in his own passionate style. He thrusts upon the Absolute Truth into the minds of his devotees by travelling extensively on different subjects such as Guru Parampara, Gurukulavasa, Guru-Bhakti and other allied subjects. He connects all the dots beautifully leaving no scope for ambiguity and arrives at the destination of Advaita. Go through the chapter and engross in absolute bliss.

I am going to tell you a short story.

There was a king. And, as usual, there was an enemy king too. Our king is in a battle with the enemy king and is, unfortunately, losing the battle.

Win the battle; else choose an honourable death, is the general dictum of some kings. And, some losing kings voluntarily choose to die in the battlefield for upholding their gallantry and honour. This does not mean that losing kings escaping from the battlefield are any less in gallantry or honour. A slouching tiger always aims to attack its victim. Great warriors and even Rajput Kings known for their valour have receded from battlefields only to regroup, acquire the required army, fight back and resurrect their kingdoms.

Our king also did the same thing. Once he realised he was losing, he chose to escape. He took his queen along with him on his horse and sped away. At that time, the queen was in her advanced stage of pregnancy. Seeing them riding away, one of his ministers also followed suit.

Alas! The enemy king sent his army in search of our king. The search party was hot on pursuit when our king came across the hut of a hunter. He quickly reined in his horse and got down there with his queen. He told the queen, The enemies will not spare me. My end is certain. However, I will not let you die along with me. You have to give birth to our son and successor. Through him, you must get the kingdom back. You don’t need to prove yourself a Pativrata (devoted to husband) by dying along with me. You can still prove it by accomplishing my vision after I die. Get into this hut and take care of yourself.

Saying this, the king rode away. The queen consoled herself and hid inside the hut. The enemy party caught up with the king and after a fierce fight slew him. The search party was unaware of the queen also escaping with the king. Thus, thinking that they had accomplished their mission, they rode back to their king with the corpse of our king.

Meanwhile, as days went by, the old mother of the hunter took care of the queen as if she was her own daughter. You must appreciate the helping tendency of the poor and illiterates, who are more generous than we, the seemingly most civilised and literate! The queen gave birth to a male child and died soon after.

Twelve years have passed. Our king’s kingdom is now being ruled by the enemy king. People are not happy with his tyrannical rule. They are reminiscing of their erstwhile king’s just rule and how they were a happy and comfortable lot. However, they are not aware of their king’s escape along with his queen and the birth of their male child.

As I told you, the minister of our king knew of the escape and the queen being pregnant. A thought ran into his mind. What if the queen has given birth to a male child? In that case, he will be around 12 years old now. It is the right age for running a kingdom. If that is the case, I should try and search him out, train him in archery and other warfare skills, so that he dethrones the enemy king. With this thought, the minister goes about his mission of searching for the heir of our king. In the process, he reaches the hunter’s hut. There he sees the prince playing with his hunter friends. He is wearing the attire of a hunter, but still has the radiance and resemblance of the erstwhile king. This enables the minister to identify him as the prince.

The minister approaches the hunter’s mother. Generally, tribal people living in forests are innocent, devoid of cunningness and outspoken. She informs the minister of what really happened. She says, Long ago, a pregnant woman sought refuge here. I took care of her as my daughter. However, she did not disclose anything about her and died after delivering this male child. I have been taking care of him as my own child. Though we presume this boy must be of royal lineage because of his behaviour and traits, we do not know the reality. He has been groomed as one of our hunter clan.

The minister was smart enough to connect the dots. He realised that this was the prince he was searching for. He provided the old woman various details and said he would like to take the prince along with him. The entire hunter clan was upset that they would get separated from the young prince, but they decided to send the prince along with the minister as they had no choice!

The irony here is that the prince too did not want to leave the hunter clan. He had come to like his association with hunters and had never heard of his royal lineage till then. He refused to go along with the minister.

The minister patiently explained the whole story to him and said, You are a prince! Your father was a king who lost his battle and escaped with your mother. He left your mother in this hut, so that you could be born in a safe atmosphere. Your father fought his enemies but died because he was outnumbered. You are meant to win back and rule the kingdom on his behalf now. More so, you have to come to the rescue of your kingdom’s people, who are suffering under the tyrannical rule of the enemy king. We want you to win back the kingdom, rule us justly and bring back our happiness. But you are refusing to accompany us. How can you ever do so? Thus, the minister reminded the prince of his responsibility, love towards his parents, and the relevant course of action to win back his kingdom and come to the rescue of his people.

The moment the boy-prince realised his past, his responsibilities and duties, the traits of royal lineage ignited within his blood and he agreed to go with the minister. The minister then taught him various warfare skills and helped him organise an army. People of the kingdom, who were waiting for such an opportunity, joined hands with the prince in utmost gratitude.

(In those days, gratitude to the royal family had strong roots, unlike today, when everything is superficial. Similarly, kings too were virtuous, disciplined, and helping to earn the gratitude of their citizens. They ran their kingdom with utmost honesty, unlike today’s governing authorities, who abuse their power and authority).

Post a fiercely fought war, the prince won and came to power and authority. He restored the just rule and happiness of his people.

(History also provides us instances of kings ruined after they had deviated from the path of Dharma. As the old adage goes, As is the king, so are the citizens. For good governance, both the governing and governed must have strong conviction in the rules of Dharma that they are ordained to follow).

Are persons who frame rules good enough to follow their own rules? This is the basic question that governing heads must ask themselves. When it comes to this universe, this question is different. Are people who govern and people being governed adhering to the rules of Dharma ordained by Parameshvara, who is the Emperor of all the three worlds? If the answer is Yes, then the universe functions effectively. Why I am saying this is that since people strictly followed the rules of Dharma in olden days, being virtuous was a natural trait for them. They treated their king with utmost reverence and dignity. The king, in turn, treated his citizens with utmost compassion. That is why people joined hands with the boy-prince of this story, battled against the enemy king, and conquered their kingdom back. The boy was then crowned the king.

The boy, who grew up as a hunter, shed all his erstwhile traits and transformed into a king in the fullest sense.

This story is not mine. I came to know of it from a great Advaita Acharya during one of his discourses. He had narrated this story to highlight the philosophy of Guru and the significance of having a Guru. I have just added some flavour to the story.

But the story has not ended yet!

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2. Guru Parampara

When I say Advaita Acharya, what comes to your minds is our own Acharya, Sri Shankara Bhagavadpada, isn’t it? Of course, it was Shankara Bhagavadpada, the incarnation of Lord Parameshvara, who expounded Advaita Vedanta and strengthened its foundations. However, this does not mean that He was the one who invented the doctrine of Advaita. There are mentions of Advaita much before him, even in the Veda, the very first text (Grantham). Rather, it is even not correct to call Veda as the first Grantham, as Veda was existent even before the creation of this Universe. Brahma created the entire Universe keeping Veda as the blueprint. All Upanishads, known as Veda Shiras (Heads of Veda), have a mention of Advaita philosophy. Lord Krishna, in His Bhagavad Gita, proclaims Advaita as the ultimate goal of an individual.

(While Gita is popularly associated only with Bhagavad Gita, there are also other Gitas, such as Devi Gita, Shiva Gita etc., which contain the great Puranas of the respective Gods or Goddesses. Even in such Gitas, only Advaita Philosophy stands as the ultimate pillar). Then followed the many Preceptors of Advaita, including our Acharya, Shankara Bhagavadpada.

Let us have a look at the list of Advaita Parampara (lineage of Advaita Acharyas). It is customary to first extend Namaskaram to Dakshinamurti, the first and foremost Guru, followed by Dattatreya, Narayana and Brahma as predecessors of the Advaita Parampara. After these God-cum-Acharyas, there emerged the class of Rishis, who propagated Advaita Philosophy as in father-to-son lineage. These were Vashishtha, Shakti, Parashara and Vyasa.

At this juncture, I would like to dwell on the point that Rishis should not be treated on par with mortals, the human beings. Rishis belong to a unique class. They are endowed with extraordinary supernatural psychic powers. They can comprehend, hear, see or do what cannot be comprehended, heard, seen or done by human beings. They are endowed with extraordinary mystic powers of experiencing the breaths of Paramatma permeating through the ether in the form of sounds and vibrations and deciphering them into powerful Mantras. Rishis are thus not to be equated with normal human beings.

Let us see the substantiating factors to zero in on Rishis as a separate class. For this, we will have to deviate a little and understand the basic classifications in this Cosmos.

The consecration (installation) of God’s idols in temples is classified into five types. They are:

1. Svayam Vyakta (Self-manifestation): This is when a Devata emerges on its own in the form of an idol or Linga. It is known as Swayambhu in Sanskrit, which means self-manifested or created of its own accord. We see Svayambhu Lingas in many Shiva temples, which are the Jyotir Linga Kshetras. Similarly, Vaishnavites have the following eight Kshetras, which are Svayam Vyakta Kshetras. They are: Srirangam, Tirupati, Badrinath, Srimushnam, Naimisharanyam, Pushkaram, Shalagramam and Nanguneri.

2. Daivika (Divine): This is when Devas consecrate the idols. In Kanchipuram, Ambal Herself moulded the mud into a Linga. In Tiruveezhimizhalai, Maha Vishnu Himself consecrated the Linga. There are stories that in many temples, Indra himself consecrated Shiva and Vishnu idols and performed Puja to them to eradicate his sins accumulated because of his erstwhile actions.

3. Asura: This is exactly opposite to Daivikam. Here, Asuras consecrate the idols. The temples Tiruchirapalli (Trichy) and Onakantan in Kanchipuram are places where Asuras consecrated the idols of Gods.

4. Manusha: Manusham means Human and you will easily understand that these are idols and statues consecrated by Kings and other devotees.

5. Arsha: These are consecrated by Rishis. In Kutralam, Agastya Maharishi consecrated the idol, while Vashishtha did the same in Sikkal, Durvasa in Tirukalar, and Jambu Maharishi in Tiruvanaikka.

I am pondering on these points only to underline that Rishis cannot be treated on par with mortals. While, generally, we say Deva-jati, Asura-jati and Manusha-jati, there is also yet another class of Rishis, which should be treated as a separate entity from human mortals.

Significantly, when we perform Tarpanam (an offering to dead ancestors), we have classifications, such as Deva Tarpanam, Pitru Tarpanam and Rishi Tarpanam.

Now, let us come back to the Guru Parampara of Advaita Acharyas.

We have already seen the spiritual lineage of Advaita. After Vyasa, the lineage did not continue as from father to son, but from Guru to disciple. Shuka, the son of Vyasa (known as Shuka Brahmam), was a celibate. Hence, after him, the Advaita lineage spread through disciples.

After Shuka came Saint Gaudapada. Gaudapada was a Sanyasi and he was followed by his disciple Govinda Bhagavadpada as Preceptor of Advaita. Our Acharya, Sri Shankara Bhagavadpada was the disciple of Govinda Bhagavadpada. The saints who emerged as Acharyas after Shuka, are known as Parivrajaka. Please note that all Rishis are not Sanyasis, who have completely renounced the worldly life. There are some Rishis who had lived with their wives. Arundhati was the wife of Vashishtha Maharishi and Anasuya the spouse of Atri Maharishi. Rishis have to follow rituals, such as Yajnya and Yajnyopaveetam (wearing sacred thread). Sanyasis are not bound by these kinds of rituals.

Even though being the incarnation of Lord Parameshvara, our Acharya lived the life of a human being and accomplished his mission. His eminence can be seen in resurrection of the Advaita philosophy as well as Vedic Dharma expounded by Him.

Govinda Bhagavadpada, being the immediate Guru of Shankara Bhagavadpada, gets a remarkable place in the Advaita Guru Parampara. Even our own Acharya, in His eternal composition Bhaja Govindam, directs people to chant the name of Govinda three times (Bhaja Govindam, Bhaja Govindam, Bhaja Govindam). While doing so, I think, along with Lord Krishna, he also recalls his own Guru Govinda Bhagavadpada! Even though there are innumerable names for addressing Vishnu, our Acharya selected the name Govinda only because it was the name of His own Guru!

Advaita Guru Parampara is also called Brahma Vidya Sampradaya Karta. (Here is elaboration of the shloka, which contains the entire lineage of Advaita.)

What is the need for Guru Parampara?

We need guru Parampara to ensure that the light of the Atma within us remains fully radiant and shows us the way to alleviate ourselves from our sorrows. One Acharya confers his authority on his successor to carry out these activities on his behalf. Thus emerges the Guru Parampara. Therefore, we should remember our Acharyas with great reverence and gratitude; because it is they who have shown us the way to preserve the treasure that keeps the light of our Atma radiating and shining forever. We should salute all the Acharyas who have handed down to us this treasure and obtain their grace. People who are engaged in introspection of their Atma should necessarily possess the knowledge of this Guru Parampara. We should do namaskaram to all Acharyas who identified the Empire of Atma (Atma Samrajyam), which is an eternal treasure. We should chant this verse every day and offer our salutations to all the Acharyas.

Listen to me carefully here – I said Atma Samrajyam. I told you the story of the hunter-boy who conquered his empire. Suddenly, I am now talking about Advaita Guru Parampara! What is the connection between the two? Let me give you the details.

There is a mention in the verse about two Preceptors of Advaita before Shankara Bhagavadpada, who were in the form of human beings viz. Govinda Bhagavadpada (Guru of Shankara Bhagavadpada) and Paramaguru (Greatest Teacher) Gaudapada (Guru of Govinda Bhagavadpada). Only these names are popular among people, though there are also other Advaita Preceptors in the human category much before our Bhagavadpada and after Shuka.

Similar to Advaita followers, adherents of other Siddhantas also pay obeisance to Advaita Preceptors commencing from Narayana to Shuka. However, since Gaudapada and Govinda Bhagavadpada were staunch advocates of Advaita Philosophy alone, these two are Preceptors only for the followers of Advaita. Prior to Shankara, there were other Preceptors who exclusively composed texts on Advaita. Let me tell some of their names for your benefit. They were: Atreya Brahmanandi, Sundara Pandiyar, Bhartru Prapancha and Bhartruhari. There is one Brahmadattha, who is said to have written a Bhashyam on Brahma Sutra itself. Another one is Dravidacharya. Vishishtadvaita followers proclaim that Dravidacharya subscribed to their own Siddhanta.

Though none of their texts is fully available to us, there are many Advaita Preceptors, including our Bhagavadpada, who have quoted these names in their texts.

Among them, Dravidacharya is the one who is connected to our story.

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3. About Dravida

Dravida means Tamil – Ta+mi+l. The first syllable Ta has become Dra. It is customary to add syllables ra to words in Sanskrit. If you look at the verse given earlier in the salutation of Acharyas, you will see the Totaka spelt as Throdaka. Some Sanskrit fanatics even go to the extent of adding ra to every word. They spell Deham (meaning body in Tamil) as Dreham! The second syllable ‘mi’ has become vi. Philologists will provide lots of examples for swapping of syllables ma and va in Sanskrit. Shalagravam has become Shalagramam. Mandodari in Sanskrit has become Vandodari in Tamil. Even Dravida becomes Dramida sometimes! The last syllable l (actually it is ‘zh’ in Tamil, which is not found in any other language!) turns to d. So, Ta+mi+l becomes Dravid"!

Nowadays, people are happy when there is a flavour of Tamil added to every subject. That is why I also thought of adding some flavour of Tamil while speaking about Dravidacharya too!

Even Bhagavadpada, in his 75th verse of Saundaryalahari, has used the term Dravida when speaking to Ambal. He has said You have breast-fed the ‘Dravida’ child. Here, Dravida child is Jnyanasambandar, the Tamil saint.

When I say Tamil and Dravida are identical, please do not misconstrue and bring in the race conflict between Aryans and Dravidians! There is absolutely no clue at all in Veda about any such classification! It is only the British who have brought in that classification, which was in accordance with their divide-and-rule policy. Arya means respectable. That’s all. There is no such class as Arya at all.

Even when Krishna speaks to Arjuna in Bhagavad Gita, He says, Why have you lost your confidence and become such a coward Unarya? Here, Unarya means one who is not an Arya, who has turned unrespectable. (Even in English, the prefix un’ brings the antonym of the adjectives, for example, happy and unhappy). Lord Krishna is sad about Arjuna becoming ‘disrespectful’ through his cowardly behaviour in the war field. Sita calls Rama as Arya Putra, which means ‘the most respectful citizen’. It has nothing to do with Dravidian-Aryan race classification. Dravida itself does not mean any race.

People in India were all united as one race. For convenience, they were divided into two broad segments based on the geographical locations they lived in. People living in north, up of Vindhya mountains (Gauda Desham) were called Gaudas and people living down South of Vindhyas were called Dravidians (Dravida Desham). The division was only geographical not racial. These two sects were further divided into five sub-sects each. They were called Pancha Gaudas and Pancha Dravidas (Pancha means five in Tamil).

The divisions of Gauda Desham were: Sarasvatas living in Kashmir, Kanyakupjas living in Punjab, Mythilas living in Bihar, Udkalas living in Orissa and people living in the extreme east were not given any name but just called Gaudas. Similarly, people living in the Dravida Desham were also divided into five sects, namely, Gujarati, Maharashtrians, Andhra, Karnataka and people in the southern most region of Tamil Nadu were not given any name and were called Dravidians. The reason for not including people living in Kerala was that Malayalam language came to be known as a separate language only within the last thousand years. Prior to that, it was also a part of Tamil Desham.

Therefore, Dravida and Arya are not two different sects. There are 10 sub-sects based on geographical locations but they all belong to one race. Today, Gaudas are the residents of Bengal. Krishna Chaitanya belongs to the Bengal region and that is why His Mutt is known as Gaudiya Mutt. Similarly, Dravidian refers to Tamil-speaking people. There is one unique aspect in this regard. It is only in Tamil Nadu and Bengal that the British culture spread rampantly. It is only people from these two regions who went on to serve the English Government across India.

When a person migrates from one place to another, he will be identified only by the latter region. Today, in Maharashtra, you can hear the surname of many people as Telang. The ancestors of these people migrated from Andhra Pradesh and settled in Maharashtra. Telugu is the language of Andhra Pradesh and the same has got distorted as Telang. Similarly, there are people whose surname is Dravid in places like Kashi up North in India. These are the ones who migrated long back from down South and settled in those regions.

One important point to be noted here is that all people having the surname Dravid belong to Brahmin community! If you go by the race theory, Brahmins are totally against Dravidians. Rather, you can say there is enmity even among Brahmins. But, in reality, in the Northern region, the surname of Dravid belongs only to the Brahmins living there. So, this strongly indicates that Dravida indicates geographic location alone and not any racial classification.

I actually wanted to talk about Dravidacharya but have made a long-twined story! Anyway, Dravidacharya was an Advaita Preceptor who lived prior to our Acharya. In the coming chapter, we will see how Dravidacharya connects with the story I narrated earlier.

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4. Hunter is King : Jeevan is Brahmam

Acharya and his successors have mentioned Dravidacharya in their texts. Acharya mentions him in Chapter 3 and 4 of his Bhashyam on Chandogya Upanishad, while explaining the concepts of Maduvidya and Samvarga Vidya.

It is only in the Chandogya Upanishad that we see the most vital statement (Mahavakyam) appearing for nine times as Tat-Tvam-Asi, which means You are that (Brahmam). This statement is also repeated to Shvetaketu by his father and Guru Utthalaka Aaruni, again for nine times.

Tat is the Brahmam who is the Paramatma. Tvam is Jeevatma. (Here it is addressed to Shvetaketu). Asi means – You exist. The Father-Cum-Guru preaches You are that Brahmam. This does not mean that Shvetaketu will turn into Brahmam after undergoing rigorous practices (sadhana), nor will he transform to be so at a future date. He is the Brahmam now and ever; everything and everybody is Brahmam now and ever!

Then, why should we do sadhana to become a Brahmam? This is because though being Brahmam ourselves, we are not aware that we are the Brahmam! Had we realised that we are the Brahmam, there would have been no need for so much of lamenting, lust, anger and fear within us! Had we known that we are Brahmam ourselves, wouldn’t we have been filled with absolute bliss and turned a silent ocean without any scope even for waves? We are living in a state of ignorance in which we are not even conscious that such a state does exist within us! In such a state of mind, how would one ever accept that You are the Brahmam?

It is only to make us accept this reality that Dravidacharya tells us the story of the Hunter-Boy-Turned-Prince.

Acharya quotes this story in his Bhashyam on Brihadaranya Upanishad while substantiating the absolute truth that the entire Cosmos has emerged only from the Atma. He gives several examples to substantiate this point of view. Spider spins its net only with the fluid it emits from its own body; fire emits sparks from its own self. Similarly, the entire Cosmos has emerged only from the Atma. Acharya does not name Dravidacharya directly in his quotes. He just says, There is a story narrated by a well-learned Acharya. It is Anandagiri who further expanded the Bhashyam and quoted the name of Dravidacharya.

In the story I narrated earlier, was there a physical metamorphosis of the hunter-boy into a Prince? Even while thinking that he was a hunter-boy, in reality, was he not the son of a King? He was not aware of the truth before; so he lived the life of a hunter. Once he came to know the truth of having been a Prince all along, he started to live in reality the life of a Prince. There were no two individuals; one did not transform into another. It was only one individual who did not know his status till he himself understood it later. In an ignorant state, he lived the life of a hunter at a lower economic level. And, on realisation of the reality, he turned into the Prince and went on to become an Emperor!

We are also in a similar state. As the Prince was in the guise of a hunter, we too are in the guise of Jeevatma, ignorant that we have been tied by worldly bindings. In reality, we are only Brahmam. Irrespective of the guise, the being within us is Paramatma forever. Driven by our own sensory desires, we are all running around hunting for substances to quench our desires. We should become aware that we are the Brahmam. Even if we become aware of this reality, we must know that our senses will still drive and prevent us from experiencing the Brahmam.

In our story, even though being the Prince, in order to attain the status of kingship, he had to learn warfare skills, fight with enemies and become the Emperor. Similarly, though being Brahmam, we do not realise this reality. So, we should also engage ourselves in the process of realising that reality. We must start performing our Karma, engage in Bhakti, take up the path of Jnyana, and triumph over our own internal conflicts to become the Emperor of our own Atma. These are the sadhanas that one should perform to realise the true state of Brahmam within us. The Upanishad calls an enlightened, self-realised person (Atma Jnyani) as an Emperor of Atma (samrat).

Both ice and sphatika (crystal) look identical externally. However, only ice melts and turns into water, but not the crystal, which remains as it is. This is because only that which was earlier in the form of water and takes the guise of frozen ice melts to again take its erstwhile original form of water. Similarly, Brahmam has frozen into the form of Jeevatma; when the Jeevatma melts, it will turn into Brahmam.

The irony is ice melts on its own; we don’t! Tayumanavar sings fervently on our behalf as follows:

At least even a stone will melt at some point, but my stone-heart does not melt!

We need a stimulant to melt ourselves. In the story, there was a Minister to transform the hunter-boy into a Prince. Likewise, we should have some guidance and help to explore our ‘real identity’. Initially, the hunter-boy stubbornly refused to go with the Minister. But the Minister forcefully brought him into the realised state of a Prince. Similarly, when we stubbornly refuse to take the spiritual path (Para Marga), we need an external force that will push us on that path. Is there anything or anyone like that, who will show us our own identity?

Yes! There is!!

Metaphorically, it was the Minister who told the hunter-boy that You are a Prince, taught him warfare skills and pursued harder than the Prince himself to make him realise his own real self. Like the Minister in case of Prince, in our case, it is the Guru. It is the Guru who preaches that supreme philosophy to us and then makes us do the sadhana to experientially realise the state of Brahmam. For this purpose, Guru is the one who undertakes rigorous penance on our behalf to extinguish our erstwhile karma and thus helps us reach our Brahmam within.

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5. Guru Bhakti

"Guru is much superior to Ishvar; Guru Bhakti is much more superior to Ishvara Bhakti. Why do people say that? They say so because nobody has ever seen Ishvara. Guru is one we can physically see. If we are fortunate enough to get a person who is impeccably pure, possesses wisdom and a resolute mind, then we can acquire mental peace and happiness by espousing Bhakti towards such a person. This will be the Guru, who will show us the path to God. That is why people say Guru Bhakti is much superior to Ishvara Bhakti.

See this verse, which brings the non-distinctiveness between Guru and Ishvara.

"gurur brahma; gurur vishnuhu

guru devo maheshvaraha"

The same verse also highlights the non-distinctiveness between Shiva and Vishnu. We too can instil equanimity within us as between these two Gods by chanting this verse.

Why is Guru Bhakti superior?

Ishvara has several functions, such as creation, sustenance and destruction. Guru is free from such duties. Ishvara runs an ‘office’, while Guru does not. Instead of disturbing someone who is simultaneously amidst numerous activities, isn’t it better to plead someone who is free enough to fulfil our wishes? Whatever virtuous qualities Ishvara possesses, so does the Guru. A Guru is impeccably pure; he does not lie; he is devoid of intrigues; he has conquered his sensory pleasures; he is compassionate; he is a great Jnyani. We see him with our eyes, whereas God is not visible to us physically. Therefore, if we espouse unidirectional Bhakti for our Guru, we will get whatever benefits we can get from espousing Bhakti towards Ishvara. That is why Guru Bhakti is much more superior to Ishvara Bhakti.

Of course, remember that one should never forget Bhakti towards God. It is only He who has endowed Guru with disciple! Without the grace of Ishvar, how can anybody identify his Guru?

durlabham trayamevaitat daivanugrahahetukam

manushyatvam mumukshutvam mahapurushasamshrayaha

This is the verse written by our Acharya at the beginning of His composition Viveka Chudamani. The meaning of this verse is:

There are three great boons that a man gets only with the Anugraha of God. They are: Birth as a human, desire to know the absolute philosophy, which is Moksha, and getting the most virtuous and noble person as his Guru.

Therefore, for everybody, Dakshinamurti is the eternal Guru.

How have our guru, our guru’s guru and his guru attained absolute wisdom? If we keep tracking the origin referring one predecessor for each, at the end, naturally the last one should be Ishvar, who must have been the Guru for the Guru to whom He disseminated wisdom, isn’t it? That is why one should never forget God.

There is also another interpretation to this. Instead of espousing Bhakti towards two different individual entities, one as Guru and the other as Ishvar, if we have Ishvara Himself as our Guru, then there is no need for espousing Bhakti separately to Guru. We can surrender absolutely to Ishvara Himself in the form of Guru. A Guru may not be impeccably pure or most virtuous and noble. But once we espouse our Bhakti to this everlasting impeccable and most noble Ishvar, then He will shower His grace on us in the form of Guru too. That is why, at the outset of one’s learning in life, it is taught that Guru is equal to Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva and also the Parabrahmam, who is the source for all the three.

"gurur brahma; gurur vishnuhu

guru devo maheshvaraha"

guru sakshat parabrahma,

tasmat shree gurave namaha"

The same verse, when used to describe Vyasa, who is also known as Badarayana – the foremost among Preceptors of Brahma Vidya, comes out in a fascinating manner as given:

achaturvadano brahma; dvibahuraparo harihi

aphala lochana shambhuhu bhaghavan badarayanaha

In this verse, Vyasa is compared with Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. It says, He is Brahma without four faces (with one face); He is Vishnu without four hands (with two hands) and He is Lord Shiva without the third eye!

There is no one greater than Guru. We should have absolute trust in him; the trust should be genuine. If we trust that Ishvara has descended within the Guru, then there is no need for a separate entity as God. The very Bhakti, the very trust that we have in our Guru will lead us to Moksha.

In case we commit a serious offense against God, it is not necessary that we seek His forgiveness. It is just enough if Guru forgives us of the offense; Ishvara will automatically forgive us. On the contrary, if we offend our Guru in any way, even if we surrender to God, there will be no redemption for the same. Ishvara Himself will direct us back to our Guru for his forgiveness and reparation, if any. If Guru makes a representation on behalf of the disciple, then Ishvara might relent and offer His grace. But if Guru becomes angry over the disciple’s acts, then there is no one to save the disciple. There is a shloka highlighting this truth.

gurur pita gurur mata gurur daivam gurur gatihi

shiverushte gurustrata guravrushte na kashchana

(Guru is father, guru is mother, Guru is God and Guru is the asylum. If Shiva becomes angry, Guru comes to your rescue; but if Guru is angry, no one can come to your rescue.)

That is the reason why Shastras keep Guru Bhakti on a higher pedestal. Even if your Guru does not possess virtuous qualities, you can still keep him as your guiding force and espouse Bhakti towards Ishvara.

Who benefits from Guru Bhakti? Is it the Guru, or the God? Neither! It is we, the devotees and disciples who benefit from Guru Bhakti. We are impure; we possess a vacillating mind; we are not competent in keeping our mind focused on one single point even for a minute. We can attain a state of equipoise and stillness only if we contemplate on one who is ever pure, filled with absolute wisdom, and is resolute, motionless and steady as a wooden log. We will become he who we contemplate on. It is not necessary that it should only be Ishvara. Even if we identify an individual similar to us, who possesses all the above virtues, and if we treat him as our Guru, we will become that individual. Only when the mind becomes still and motionless can Atma shine and true bliss felt. We need Guru Bhakti and Ishvara Bhakti only to stop our mind from wavering. That is what our Shastras denote.

Only with the Anugraha of Guru can we attain wisdom, says Chandogya Upanishad. It says, He alone shall attain Jnyana who has an Acharya (Acharyavan Purusho Veda). It is also narrated in the form of a small story.

There is a man living in Gandhara Desham (today’s Kandhahar in Afghanistan). He has been blindfolded and left in an uninhabited place away from Kandhahar. How will he ever return to his native place? Will he panic or be confused or both? Which direction will he take to return; North, South, East or West? Along comes a good samaritan who opens his blindfold. He guides the man about the correct route to reach Kandahar. Without lamenting or panicking, the person follows the route suggested by his benefactor and reaches his town. Chandogya Upanishad says Maya has, similarly blindfolded and left us in this Cosmos. But guided by the directives of our Guru (Acharya), we can reach the point of our origin, which is Brahmam.

Sri Shankara Bhagavadpada, the Jagaguru, speaks of the eminence of Guru again and again. He asks, "How does it matter if a man is great in many aspects? When there is no mental devotion towards the lotus-feet of the Preceptor, then what, then what, then what, then what?

The Jagadguru is not asking this question just once. He is asking it four times at the end of each verse of Gurvashtakam (a hymn with 8 verses in praise of the Guru) Tatah kim? Tata Kim? Tatah kim? Tata Kim?

Here, Guru means the Sanyasa-Guru, who initiates his disciple into Sanyasa. Only during this stage of life can one seek Moksha through Pranava Upadesha, Mahavakya Upadesha etc. This is the last stage of life of the four Ashramas (stages): Brahmacharya (student), Gruhastha (householder), Vanaprastha (retired) and Sanyasa (renunciation). In the Brahmacharya (student) stage of an individual, the Acharya mandates that the disciple learn Veda and practice other rituals as ordained under the Veda Shastras before proceeding to the next stage of life, which is Gruhastha, and ultimately reach the stage of Sanyasa.

What is the importance of adhering to Veda Karma? Only when one’s mind is calm and composed can Pranava Upadesha and Mahavakya Upadesha lead one towards attaining Moksha. (Vedas being four, namely, Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva, there are also four Mahavakyas. 1. Prajnyanam Brahma (Consciousness is Brahman), Aham Brahmasmi (I am Brahmam), Tat Tvam Asi (That Thou Art) and Ayamatma Brahma (This Self is Brahmam) respectively).

If the mind is disoriented, it cannot absorb any Upadesha. We go to a number of spiritual discourses; we listen to discourses on Bhagavad Gita. But why do we still remain entangled within our sorrows? Why does Jnyana not dawn on us? This is because our mind is not calm and hence retains nothing. In his Upadesha Panchakam, Acharya says, Carry out the Vedic rituals and other Karmas as ordained by Veda, and dedicate them to the feet of Ishvara without looking for any rewards. By this, he means that mind should be cleansed (Chitta Shuddhi) and turned unwavering.

Our mind is like a barren field. First, it should be ploughed with Karma. What comes next? The field must next be watered. Here, we need to water our mind by way of unidirectional Bhakti towards Ishvara and Guru. When there is Guru Bhakti, one’s mind automatically becomes motionless and unwavering. Our mind’s absorption capacity is strong when we are in the presence of great saints and Mahans. When they read or say something just once, our mind becomes calm and quiet only because of their sacred presence. The same state cannot be felt when we read something in a library; whatever we read just drains away from our mind.

That is why we should take Upadesha from people with great souls. We should learn everything with Guru as our medium. We may be very learned but ignorance remains in our mind. We should thus go to a place, where such ignorance gets eliminated and wisdom dawns. That place is the Sannidhi (Shrine) of an Acharya.

The entire journey of cleansing one’s mind goes like this: An individual in his Brahmacharya Ashrama learns Veda from his Guru; in his Gruhasthashrama, he carries out what he has learned and adheres to the Karmas as directed by the Guru; he acquires Upadesha on Mahavakya from the Sanyasa Ashrama Guru. This is the way one learns, just as a seed germinates and grows.

This means that, ultimately, Jeevan unifies with Brahmam. It is the Guru who facilitates this at the beginning and at the end.

Guru Bhakti is one that possesses all the above aspects.

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6. Gurukulavasa

A State or Government is meant to ensure the wellbeing of its citizens. It is expected to protect the innocent and weak from attacks of wicked and strong. The King or Ruler is also expected to provide the necessities of living to his citizens. Even now, we have a Government. In lieu of services rendered by the Government, we pay taxes and help in development.

The world in which we live is not a permanent one. While living here, we have to reserve our place in another world, where our stay will be permanent and eternal. There are six ‘inherent evil persons’ existing within ourselves viz. lust, anger, greed, lewd passion, egotism and envy (Kama, Krodha, Lobha, Moha, Mada, Matsarya). These prevent us from reaching that eternal world. Once we safeguard ourselves from these ‘inherent evil persons’ by walking the paths of Bhakti, Dhyana and Jnyana, we will reach that world.

The irony is that, that eternal, imperishable world is nowhere else; it is within our own selves! Reaching this ‘within’ requires a mammoth effort. In our case, Acharya acts as a King or State and steers our efforts towards reaching that world. Like a governing body is needed to regulate the requirements of citizens, an Acharya is required to help us reach the ‘other eternal world (the internal world of Atma)’. It is not enough if we live comfortably and happily in this world. Rather, it will be better if we do not have a happy and comfortable life while in this world. What is important is reaching the ‘other world’ without coming back to ‘this perishable world’.

Thus, within our lifetime, we must endeavour to find