Idol worship, rituals, Meditation and God - Part 2

Recently  I came across the following passage on Ganesh Chathurthi – extract of which is reproduced below:

Our ancient Rishis were so deeply intelligent that they chose to express Divinity in terms of symbols rather than words, since words change over time, but symbols remain unchanged.

 Let us keep the deep symbolism in mind as we experience the omnipresent in the form of the elephant God, yet be fully aware that Ganesha is very much within us.  This is the wisdom we should carry as we celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi.

Now read  the following quotes in Times of India on Shivarathri day

Shiva is the experiencer and the highest object of experience. Shiva is the goal of Sadhana. There is nothing other than Shiva. – Shiva dhun

Shiva is that blissful and innocent consciousness which exists in every atom of the universe and also in us. Celebrating the Shiva Tattva in oneself is called Shiva Ratri.  Shiva is your Self, your innermost core, the purest Self. – Sri Sri Ravi Shanker

Shiva is the formless absolute reality—the nature of pure Consciousness—Shiva is trilochana –The third eye is the eye of Wisdom.  The other two represent love and justice – Swami Tejomayananda

Every sub-atomic particle  is an energy dance. A pulsating process of creation and destruction… without end… For the modern physicists, then Shiva’s dance is the dance of the sub-atomic matter -  Fritzof Capra

Talking of Yoga and Meditation – let  me cite Vinayagar Agaval by Avvaiyar once again: - The key sentence in this first 16 line is 13^th line

சொற்பதம் கடந்த  துரியமெய்ஞ் ஞான

அற்புதம் நின்ற  கற்பகக் களிறே

Explanation

சொற்பதம் கடந்த : – Meaning that he is beyond letters ,words and their meanings.

துரியமெய்ஞ் ஞான : “Thuriyam” is explained as a state of realization of God -  highest state of meditation .

சித்தம் தன்னை அவனில் நிறுத்தி

இருக்கும் நிலையைத் துரியம் என்பர்

Explanation:   Thuriyam: A continuous state of mind focused on Self

Vinayagar is said to be permanently in this state and is termed கற்பகக் களிறே – who gives everything.

The next set of lines – shows the realization and awakening of   Kundalini  step by step through yoga.

மூலா தாரத்தின் மூண்டெழு கனலைக்

காலால் எழுப்பும் கருத்தறி வித்தே

Explanation:

Mooladharam in our body also is the place where dirty and waste is excreted from our body. This is also the place where all nerves in the spinal cord end. This is the place for Ganesha.  In yoga science you close the mooladharam to commence pranayamam and other yogic exercises. Some of the people who regularly practice Meditation have told me  that during deep meditation they get to a state unexplainable by words, but they would desire to remain in that state forever.

Avvaiyar’s Agaval points out the True self realization – as she sought to find it within her using Yoga and highest level of Meditation.

என்னை யறிவித்(து) எனக்கருள் செய்து –

Explanation: Made me realize “my self” and blessed me

Bhagavat Gita preaches Karma Yoga, Bakthi Yoga and Gnana Yoga as three different routes to reach the Self realization.  For the commoners,  it will be difficult to go to Gnana Yoga as it requires a totally different mind and body control, discipline. Hence the most followed is Bakthi yoga – in which rituals and idol worships are stepping stones. 

Where are we now after all this?

Whether it is Bhagvat Gita  ( second centure BC?), Avvaiyar who lived in 13^th Century AD, or Thirumoolar who lived in 8^th Century AD Or Kanchi Paramacharya  who lived amongst us –(19^th and 20^th Century AD) -we have all seen him many times – his saintly life and his preachings), Pandit Sri Sri Ravishankar  or Tejomayananda who are amongst us today (21^st Century)   - All of them at from different points of time in the past and present have all stated the same thing – i.e. God is formless.  He is Within us.  And  He is outside  us .

To realize this truth – True Self – both Idol worship (assisted by Rituals) as well as Meditation are the mediums to reach the True Self.

Idol worship, rituals and God - Part 1

Current thinking  and belief amongst present day young generation, especially from our families,  is that Idol worship, going to temples, conducting poojas and other rituals are all not necessary.  I would like to address this  as  a dilemma in them  and would like to put my thoughts in this blog.

Modi’s UN address as well as Madison square speech brought out two facets of Indian culture – Yoga science and Navarathri fasting.   One is a Science of Meditation and the other is a ritual.

Our ancestors, fore fathers, grand fathers and mothers knew more than what the present younger generation boasts of knowing in their finger-tips – using ‘internet’. What could then explain the  latitudinal alignment of Chidambaram Natrajar  temple ( which symbolizes shiva in the form of Outer space), Sri Ekambareshwar temple in Kancheepuram ( symbolizing shiva in the form of Earth) and Sri Kalahasthi (symbolizing shiva in the form of Air).   Or, the three main windows in the main gopuram of Shri Ananthapadmanaba Swamy temple is aligned in such  a way that on both the equinox days, sunlight passes through them. There are many such examples and proof, if we care to look into our heritage and history.

Have you heard of efforts to finding the God’s particle  Higgs Boson research being done in Switzerland?  Did you read Stephen Hawking saying that God’s particle  could destroy the world?  Our ancestors knew atomic and sub atomic particles in those days: There are many such examples of astronomical measurements of  exact distance between earth and son, that we need to hang our heads in shame.

Avvaiyar in Vinayagar Agaval   mentions  both sub-atomic particles and Universe beyond universe in the following line: அணுவிற்(கு) அணுவாய் அப்பாலுக்(கு) அப்பாலாய்க்  (65)

அணு: Atomic particle : அணுவிற்(கு) அணுவாய்: sub-Atomic particle within Atom 

அப்பால்: Universe அப்பாலுக்(கு) அப்பாலாய்க்:  Universe beyond universe.

சத்தத்தின் உள்ளே சதாசிவம் காட்டிச்

சித்தத்தின் உள்ளே சிவலிங்கம் காட்டி

அணுவிற்(கு) அணுவாய் அப்பாலுக்(கு) அப்பாலாய்க்  (65)

கணுமுற்றி நின்ற கரும்புள்ளே காட்டி

Avvaiyar thanks Ganesha in helping her see Shiva inside the Sounds – external, inside the mind – i.e., internal, also in seeing him inside  sub atomic particles, as well as in the Universe beyond Universe (flying in the outer space) and  in the sugar cane(descending to the earth )  .  Here comes the proof that our ancestors knew everything – Nuclear science, Astonomy and Agriculture above all Yogic science and meditation to realize that all roads lead to realization of self within oneself. All our ancestors, who possessed such a talent, also have handed over to us the traditions of idol worship, visiting the temple as well as practicing yoga.

The believer sees God in everything, and so he has no difficulty in seeing God in the idols in temples. The idol helps him focus his thoughts on God, and with this concentration, he is able to worship in peace. That is because he sees the stone as a representation of God.

மரத்தை மறைத்தது மாமதயானை

மரத்தில் மறைந்தது மாமதயானை –

Thirumoolar – ( 8^th Century AD)

Explanation:

A carpenter made an elephant using wood. It was carved beautifully, and those with artistic taste commented on what a beautifully made elephant it was. However, there were others who observed merely that wood had been used to carve the elephant. Observing this, Saint Thirumoolar said that for some, the elephant was obscured by the wood, and for others the wood was obscured by the elephant. This is like the believer seeing God in the stone and the non-believer seeing only the stone.

I would like to translate into English what Saint Kanchi Kamakoti Paramascharyar  (1894-1994)said as regards idol worship.

One of the unique features of our Hindu religion is the depiction and worshipping of Formless Paramatma in the form of idols ( vigrahas) many Gods and Godesses .  Because of this many outsiders consider that Hindus are followers of poly thesis.  This belief is totally wrong……..No knowledgeable Hindu will think that Vigraham or Idol alone is God.  He would use the Vigraha to focus his mind to worship the Omnipresence. In every Religion we see them worshipping or meditating using Symbols. Therefore it is totally unfair to say or criticise that Hindu religion is nothing but Idol worship.

Indian culture  is intertwined with Hindu  culture- beliefs, traditions and rituals. Even followers of other religion in India do observe or have adapted Hindu traditions and rituals to suit their religious faith and requirements.

Symbolism has always been the core in all our traditions and rituals.  The written medium of communications always tend to be lost – Palm leafs, sculpting on rocks, books, Magnetic tapes , films even computer digital files.  –

(Continued in part 2)

Save our Mother Tongue

It has been some time now since I wrote my last blog.  Since then I have been quite busy in certain official and personal exigencies. I hope to make amends in the coming months.

Our families pride themselves as “Gopalaiyer clan.   My maternal grand father Gopalaiyer was a great Tamil scholar and  Professor and Head of the Department of Tamil, in Madras Christian College which was set up by Britishers.  A large number of our family members have graduated post graduated ; and a couple of them even obtained Doctoral degrees from this college.  Our Uncle was the Head of the Department of English in the same college and obtained his PhD in American literature. My Elder brother obtained his Ph. D in Chemistry from the same college.

My thoughts wandered further to find that only my Uncle , my elder brother  and my younger brother ( who is a post graduate in Economics from the same college) inherited the genes of Gopalaiyer to keep  alive the Tamil literary legacy of our grand father.  In a recent family function in Chennai, we all discussed the Tamil works of my Uncle and were wondering how his detective serial entitled மஞ்சள்  ( Yellow) Bungalow could be converted to a Children film.  My elder brother has written a number of travelogues and books in Tamil. My younger brother who in his early college days was known as புலவர் (poet) Rajagopalan has many of his poems written down and is waiting for publishing the same. Once in a typewriting class in Tambaram, I was witness to his getting up and reciting a Tamil poem instantly to suit the occasion.  In many instances, I was recognized as elder brother of புலவர் (Poet) Rajagopalan.

My thoughts descended on our Children, and the stark reality that none of them have realized this legacy of our family struck me.  They may all speak the mother tongue and some of the elder children know how to read and write, but the younger ones do not know how to read and write.  This is a pathetic situation for which we are responsible. At this juncture,  the thought of picking up some very simple but old classical literature to be brought before the present generation manifested. I will try to do justice to this in my next few blogs.

 I would start with works of ஒளவையார் , a grand old woman of Tamil literature. In our primary school we studied the Tamil works of ஔவையார்.  (avviayar)   I am giving below a sample of her famous works – ஆத்திசூடி (Aathichoodi).  We remembered these by heart.  What is shown here is only 12 of the 109 one liners she had prescribed for children.  They followed the order of Tamil Alphabets – Vowels and consonants. ஆத்திசூடி (Aathichoodi), கொன்றைவேந்தன் Konraivendan, மூதுரை (Moodurai) and  நல்வழி (Nalvazhi) are the four ethical works associated with Avvaiyar.  The fifth one known as கல்வி ஒழுக்கம் Kalvi Ozhukam I believe has not been printed and a manuscript is available in a London Musuem?  (Can any one go and find out if this is so , get a copy of the same?).  

வி நாயகர்  அகவல் (Vinayagar Agaval) is another famous Tamil work of Avvaiyar possibly the last before She was transported to Kailash by Lord Ganesha . The story goes that  Avvaiyar  gave priority to worshipping him, when  both Cheran Senguttuvan ( a Chera King at that time) and Sundarer ( one of the four famous Tamil scholars who worshipped Shiva) were going to Kailash and they wanted Avvaiyar to join them.  She replied that her priority is to worship Lord Ganesha.  When she finished her worship and composed and sang Vinayakar Agaval at the request of Lord Ganesh, He lifted her by his trunk and put her in Kailash before Sundarer and Senguttuvan could reach Kailash.

Avviayar’s verses illustrate the simplicity of style and profoundness of the message.  People who used to find Thirukkural by Thiruvallur a little difficult to understand can look to Avviyar works to understand the richness of thought in Thirukkural.

Uyir Ezhuthu	ஆத்திசூடி	English translation
அ	அறம் செய விரும்பு	Desire to do good things
ஆ	ஆறுவது சினம்	Anger is to be controlled
இ	இயல்வது கரவேல்	Help others in any way you can
ஈ	ஈவது விலக்கேல்	Always be charitable
உ	உடையது விளம்பேல்	Do not boast about what you have
ஊ	ஊக்கமது கைவிடேல்	Do not give up hope/effort
எ	எண் எழுத்து இகழேல்	Respect learning
ஏ	ஏற்பது இகழ்ச்சி	Begging is despicable
ஐ	ஐயமிட்டு உண்	Give alms before eating
ஒ	ஒப்புர வொழுகு	Be virtuous
ஓ	ஓதுவது ஒழியேல்	Do not give up learning
ஒள	ஒளவியம் பேசேல்	Do not talk bad about others
ஃ	அஃகஞ் சுருக்கேல்	Never cheat on food

There are versions that there were 2 Avvaiyars one in the  1^st and 2^nd century BC and the other during the Chola dynasty. This should not bother us , as the tamil verses attributed to Avviayars are very profound and simple, we would simply enjoy them and try to brief our children on our Tamil legacy.

More on Avvaiyar’s life and works in my next blog!

இனிய பொங்கல் நல் வாழ்த்துக்கள் !

Sekar