Truth and the world

 'If I would have met my Master, I would have raised a spiral ladder from here in earth to Sri Vaikunta bringing down all separating walls in-between.' so said Sri Ramanuja regarding his Guru, Swami Alavandar. And one thing becomes certain that there is an impassable wall between this earth and that Transcendent Abode. Are not all ideologies simply this enthusiasm in various forms, the enthusiasm to make this earth a heaven.? To think 'has it ever been possible?' is reckoning. To ask 'Is it first of all possible?' is criticism. To opine 'It is never possible' is pessimism. To be confident that such a thing is after all possible is optimism. Perhaps to think 'we will rest content with whatever is possible to whatever extent' - is it realism? may be. A game of words?

But Michel Foucault has a point here when he says :

Truth is a thing of this world.

Or Martin Heidegger :

The all-decisive question - What happens when the distinction

between a true world and an apparent world falls away? What becomes of the metaphysical essence of truth?

One talks about truth in a singular world. Another tries to tutor us about two worlds, one apparent, another true. So two truths? or one truth in the twin-world?

But is it not funny that all these persons were talking in and about this world, where it has become the custom to make truths saleable.!

Do you want me to say the truth? Who is Ayn Rand?

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Srirangam Mohanarangan

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Down to Earth in the Divine

 Earth symbolizes all the domestic cares, concrete values, immediate concerns and inevitable necessities. Earth is rooted in our senses. None can differ in these objective conditions, which are quite independent of our subjective acceptance. But the human soul, is it of this earth alone? If it would have been such, will we be talking like this now? Nay. The human soul, even though it stems from the soil yet fulfills itself in the transcendent beyond, perhaps symbolized by the sky.

That transcendent flight is hatched deep in the consciousness. Meanings cascading meanings measure out the symbolic sky of Chit or Consciousness. That is what is called Atmikam, may be you translate it as spirituality provided you sterilize the linguistic moorings. Otherwise we are left with a dichotomy, earth vs sky, matter vs spirit. But the ancient Hindu goal as visualized by the sages has been the integral vision of Abhyudaya and NisrEyasa. Mind you, not Abhyudaya 'vs' Nisreyasa, but 'and'. Pulling oneself out of the society, achieving in the inner reach finds its fulfillment only by ultimately taking the society along up the path and by bringing the eternal waters back to the parched earth!

Mahakavi Bharati sings in a poem -

‘கனவென்றும் நனவென்றும் உண்டோ? - இங்கு

காண்பது காட்சி அல்லால் பிறிதாமோ?

மனையில் இருப்பது வானம் - அந்த

வானத்தின் வந்தவர் தேவர் முனிவர்

நினைவது செய்கை அறிவீர் - எந்த

நேரத்தும் தேவர்கள் காப்பது வையம்

வினவிற் பொருள் விளங்காது - அக

விழியைத் திறந்திடில் விண்ணிங்கு தோன்றும்.

தத்தரிகிட தத்தரிகிட தித்தோம்.’

Dream and wake never two apart

Here what is seen from vision never depart

In our courtyard is the heaven

From Dyaus descend Devas and Munivars

Thought fabricates action

And ever anon Devas protect our Earth

Querying no meaning dawns

If inner eyes open manifests the Beyond

Tattarikida tattarikida titthom'

And does not our great Nammalwar say, 'Never is seen That Form by the eyes of embodiment but by the eye of Inner Awakening That is verily seen in intuition'? - ’என்றேனும் கட்கண்ணால் காணாத அவ்வுருவை நெஞ்சென்னும் உட்கண்ணேல் காணும் உணர்ந்து’

Srirangam Mohanarangan

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Tamil Alphabets, Thirukkural and Nammalwar

 It is highly thought-provoking if we study the Tamil alphabets, the nomenclature of vowels and consonants. Vowels in Tamil are called 'uyir' letters. Again the name given to 'letter' is very significant. 'Letter' is called 'ezhutthu'. The base of the word 'ezhutthu' is 'ezhu', meaning 'giving rise to'. Now back to vowels. Why vowels are called 'uyir' ezhutthu? And again consonants are called 'mey' ezhutthu (consonants mute). Vowels are called 'soul letters' and consonants are called 'body letters'. Without soul body does not function. Without vowels consonants are not 'moving', operational. When 'uyir' letters combine with 'mey' letters 'uyirmey' letters, consonants which can be sounded are obtained. So the philosophical thought of soul animating the body, 'uyir' 'ensouling' the 'mey', is right there inscribed at the level of learning the alphabets.

Now how the great Tamil savants down the time have made use of this philosophical aspect inscribed in the nomenclature of the alphabets, is another quite interesting matter. Thiruvalluvar in his Thirukkural, in the very first Kural, viz., 'akara mudala ezhutthellAm Adibhagavan mudaRRE ulagu', brings this philosophical aspect to the right and full focus. In the first Kural he says: 'Vowel A is the prime-most and fundamental to all the letters of the alphabet. Likewise is Adibhagavan for the world.' Vowel A is also called the uncaused and natural sound which again forms the most basic letter. Why is it called natural and uncaused? Because it does not require any strain or effort to make the sound, vowel A. Just opening the mouth and start of the vocal chords you get the vowel. All the other vowels and consonants are acquired just by the various phonological efforts of the mouth, lips, tongue, throat and the jaws. The physical system of speech providing by various contortions, the different contexts which occasion the other vowels and consonants, for all of which, the basic vowel A forms the natural and uncaused fundamental sound. The natural vowel A forms the basis and soul of not only all other 'soul letters' but also of all the 'body letters' as well. Just like that is the case of Adibhagavan with the world. The world consists of both souls and matter. As Vedanta Visishtadvaita will say 'the world consists of chit and achit, conscious beings viz., souls and material substances devoid of consciousness.' ParamAtmA or the Uncaused and Natural Almighty Soul or Adibhagavan is giving existence to both the souls and the matter by being the inner soul of both chit and achit, souls and material substances. The simile employed to bring home this philosophical concept is the relationship of the basic uncaused natural sound, the vowel A forming the inner soul of both the 'uyir letters' and also 'the mey letters, other vowels and consonants. The commentators of Thirukkural have done well by employing hermeneutics to explain this beautiful point of Vedanta.

Again we come across this concept succinctly illustrated and explained in detail in TolkAppiyam, Ezhuttadikaram, commentary by Nacchinarkkiniyar. Tolkaappiyam aphorism says - 'meyyin iyakkam akaramodu sivaNum'. While commenting on this sootthiram or aphorism Nacchinarkkiniyar says :

“இங்ஙனம் மெய்க்கண் அகரங் கலந்துநிற்குமாறு கூறினாற்போலப் பதினோருயிர்க்கண்ணும் அகரங் கலந்து நிற்குமென்பது ஆசிரியர் கூறாராயினார், அந்நிலைமை தமக்கே புலப்படுத்தலானும் பிறர்க்கு இவ்வாறு உணர்த்துதல் அரிதாகலானுமென்று உணர்க. இறைவன் இயங்குதிணைக் கண்ணும் நிலைத்திணைக் கண்ணும் பிறவற்றின்கண்ணும்

அவற்றின் தன்மையாய் நிற்குமாறு எல்லார்க்கும் ஒப்ப முடிந்தாற்போல அகரமும் உயிர்க்கண்ணுந் தனிமெய்க்கண்ணுங் கலந்து அவற்றின் தன்மையாயே நிற்குமென்பது சான்றோர்க்கெல்லாம் ஒப்பமுடிந்தது. 'அகரமுதல' என்னுங் குறளான், அகரமாகிய முதலையுடைய எழுத்துக்களெல்லாம்; அதுபோல இறைவனாகிய முதலையுடைத்து உலகமென வள்ளுவனார் உவமைகூறிய வாற்றானுங், கண்ணன் எழுத்துக்களில் அகரமாகின்றேன் யானேயெனக் கூறியவாற்றானும் பிற நூல்களானும் உணர்க.”

(நச்சினார்க்கினியர் உரை; தொல்காப்பியம்)

Again coming to Nammalwar we see him singing surcharged by this concept:

'நிலம் விசும்பு ஒழிவறக் கரந்த சில் இடம்தொறும்,

இடம்திகழ் பொருள்தொறும் கரந்து எங்கும் பரந்துளன்’

‘திட விசும்பு எரி வளி நீர் நிலம் இவைமிசைப் படர்பொருள் முழுவதும் ஆய், அவைஅவைதொறும்

உடல்மிசை உயிர் எனக் கரந்து, எங்கும் பரந்துளன்’

‘Earth or Sky, leaving nothing, in all the finest material forms everywhere and also in all the subtle souls embodied in such matter-forms, He has pervaded everything, immanent everywhere'

'The so-called firm Sky, Fire, Wind, Water, Earth in all these and in all the objects, He has become every existing thing and in all existents He has become immanent in each and everything like the soul embodied in the form, immanent in all'.

Starting with the alphabet and in very erudite and mystical works, the philosophical spirit is suffusing through out.

Srirangam Mohanarangan

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Vaidyanatha Dikshita and Harmony of Sampradayas

 Sri Vaidyanatha Dikshita was a great scholar who lived in Thanjavur, Nannilam, Kandramanikkam. He lived perhaps some 300 years ago. He made an exhaustive compendium of the principles and practices of achara, prayaschitta and dharma. It is called Smrutimuktaphalam and it is of six parts. Many years ago one Brahmasri Srinivasa Sastri of Nadukkaveri published Smrutimuktaphalam with the Tamil meaning. Then Veda Dharma Paribalana Sabha in mid twentieth century brought out the book again. Then again in 2010 the same reference work was brought out by Vaidhya Sri Radhakrishna Sastrigal. The speciality of the work is - under different subject heads various references and ancient authors like Dharma Sastras, Nirnayasindu, Mitakshari, Madhaveeyam were all arrayed together in one copious reckoning.

There an important idea is given as occurring in a work called Paddhathi. The quote says to this effect : in Puranas in various places may be you find one deity extolled and one deity not so i.e. May be Vishnu is praised over Shiva, Shiva prasied over Vishnu, in another place Brahma praised and so on. The purport of this practice was not to belittle any deity. Because all the deities are various forms of the self-same Ishwara. Then the reason for doing like that is to enhance one's devotion towards one's Ishta Devata and not anything else. This applies to all puranas, epics and Vedas. This is clearly in line with the ancient and prominent concept of Hinduism, which is so clearly expressed even in Rig Veda - 'Ekam Sat vipra bahuda: vadanti'. The Ultimate Existent Divinity is One. Sages describe it various ways. This same idea is elaborately explained in the quotation from Paddhati. The quote is follows :

"Eka eva IshwarO jagatshrishtikaraNAya mAyayA brahmavishnurudrEndrAdi vigrahAnusvIkrutya tattat vigrahE baktAn tEna tEna rUpENa anugruhNan vardatE | ashtAdasa purANAnAm kartA vyAsOpi tattat vigraha baktAnAm tatra tatra baktyadisayOdpAdanAya tattat rUpam sthauti | 'ayam Eva sarvagna: sarvEswara: sarvatmA nAnyE | athO ayam Eka Eva sEvya' ithi | sA thu nindA thEshAm na nindAparA bhavati | kintu prakruta vigraha stutiparA |"

One cannot but wonder at the uniform importance and focus this concept has occupied down the time from Rig Veda till date in Hinduism.

Srirangam Mohanarangan

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Five meanings and Upanishad

 Sri Vaishnava Sampradaya talks about five inevitable meanings that anyone interested in their own Mukti should know and know those meanings well. You can call those five confirmed learnings. About Jiva, about Brahman, about the final state of existence to attain, the means to be adopted towards the attaining and the hurdles one must manage on the way. This in Sanskrit is called Artha Panchakam or in Tamil 'anjartham'.

Sri Vidyaranya, while discussing about the meaning of the term 'Upanishad' nearly strikes a resonant card to this concept of five meanings. Sri Vidyaranya says that the term Upanishad itself indicates Brahma Vidya or knowledge about Brahman. Who acquires that knowledge? It is the Jiva or the human being concerned. So of the five meanings only three are remaining - the way, the goal and the hurdles. Sri Vidyaranya beautifully explains that in the very term Upanishad itself all these three meanings are derivable. Only you have to view the word-formation in different ways. In the word Upanishad there are three parts upa + ni + shad. The syllable 'upa' itself indicates nearby or vicinity or near access. That which takes the Jiva near to Brahman is Upanishad. So the meaning of means is indicated. The syllable 'ni' indicates definiteness, verified certainty or confirmation. The syllable 'shad' has three meanings suggestive by the roots. 'shad' means to vex, to loosen out, to deprive of strength. Also 'shad' means becoming the means by which one is made to attain something. Also 'shad' means destroying, eradicating. The root formula which is quoted for this triple meaning is - 'shadl visraNa gati avasAdanEshu'. 'visaraNa' means to loosen out, to tire out, 'gati' means path or means, 'avasAdanEshu' means to destroy. Upanishad does all these three functions to whoever studies it. Upanishad means the goal and Upanishad means the way to attain the goal and Upanishad clears away the hurdles on the path by eradicating the root-cause of all troubles viz., ignorance. Upanishad is indeed an all-comprehensive term!

Srirangam Mohanarangan

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Sankarananda and Chidgananandagiri and Tamil Vedanta

 Sankarananda was a great 'Mahaan' of 13th - 14th CE. He was said to be the teacher of Sri Vidyaranya Swami, who has written Panchadasi, a work explaining Advaita tenets. Swami Sankarananda was also a great Yogi. He was said to be keeping himself under the earth by the feat of Lambika yoga. He wrote a rare work called Atma Purana. The ultimate import of even all the Puranas is said to be the knowledge of Atman. So it is in a way more fitting to write Atma Purana. Are we not all, adepts in 'I' Purana? Day in and day out, every second we are extolling our ego, unabated. Perhaps he thought of teaching us a new way of talking not about oneself but about one's Self, to be involved more deeply into our Atman.

A couple of centuries ago one great person translated this Atma Purana into Hindi. We do not know where he was born, when and all that. But his name was Swami Chidgananandagiri. Perhaps he was born in Sindhu Desa as people used to say. In his Brahmacharya stage he learnt Grammar residing in Kankal and went to Kasi to learn Vedanta under Paramahamsa Swami Uddhavanandagiri. He was initiated into Sanyasa by the same Swami. He was then for quite some years deep into Samadhi and then it was perhaps divinely communicated to him his mission in life. He started Theerthayatra and while at Bavanagar in Kathiyawad, due to earnest requests of Diwans SriGaurisankar and Vijayasankar, who were highly matured Sadhaks in spirituality, he stayed there for thirteen years and composed a lot of works. The Diwans requested him to venture upon a project. It was to compose compendium-like works in Hindi, one Atma Purana, two, SriGudartha Deepika on Gita, three, a work on Brahma Sutra, viz., Thathvanusanthanam, four, a summary of all the views in both old and new schools of Nyaya called Nyayaprakasa. His Nyayaprakasa was also a comparative summation of both Nyaya and Vaiseshika systems.

Perhaps you may be taken aback if I say all these four Hindi works of Swami Chidgananandagiri have been translated into Tamil, even by 1917 itself. Atma Purana has been translated by Sri Veera Subbaiyya Swamigal of Kovilur Math. Again Sri Veera Subbaiyya Swaamigal has also translated Sri Gudartha Deepika on Gita. The work on Brahma Sutras viz., Thathvanusanthana has been translated by Sri K Aranganatham Pillai. Nyaya Prakasa, which is a thousand pager has been translated by Sri Nagarathina Nayakkar of Sadhu Rathina Vedantha Vicharanai Sabha, Chennai, ably published by Sri Murugesa Mudaliyar. From 1907 to 1917, all these four great works of translation from Hindi to Tamil have been brought out. All the four together numbering more than 3500 printed pages !. Are not all these illustrious, our forefathers? Have they not done what best they could in their times to advance the cause of Hinduism and the betterment of Hindu society? Coming after them will we just be bickering and quarrelling, definitely not. With all our added technic comforts how much we can do ! Is it not?

Srirangam Mohanarangan

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