Vision of God

(based on Swami Paramarthananda’s Guru Purnima lecture 2017)

Lord Krishna classifies bhakthas into four categories In Gita (Ch.7 verse 15). They are Aartha, Artharthi, Jijnasu and Jnani bhakthas.  Aartha bhakthas are the devotees in distress who worship God seeking freedom from their problems.  Artharthi bhakthas are the devotees who worship God seeking success in their various material pursuits. Both see God as a means for achieving their material goals and their prayer is aimed at getting things they want or getting rid of things they don’t want.  To this end they choose any means of worship to any form of God and they don’t mind shrine shopping and temple hopping with no interest in enquiring about the nature of God and the underlying philosophy about His/Her form.  For these bhakthas God is different from them and also distant from them having His/Her abode in heavens.

Jijnasu bhakthas are those who want to understand the nature of God they worship and also seek the vision of God.  To this end they seek guidance from spiritual books and spiritual Gurus.  Most of them speak of the path of meditation and mystic experiences.  Those who follow it expect the vision of God to bless them in meditation or in dreams or God to appear in guise as is depicted in various stories.  But there are a few who seek guidance from a traditional Guru who has himself undergone training and studied the scriptures under a Guru of Vaidhika parampara  and also lives according to it.  This blog only deals with such Jijnasu bhakthas.

Scriptures teach that God is not only intelligent cause but also the material cause for this Universe.  That means that God not only created the Universe but also pervades the Universe as gold pervades all golden ornaments. The ornaments are only gold with different names and forms.  Same way everything in the Universe is only God with various forms and names. When once this idea is imbibed, jijnasu bhaktha’s attitude to the world undergoes a change.  Now he understands that vision of God as per the scriptures involves only a change of attitude towards the objects of the world and not a vision of God in any particular form.   In short, he understands that the vision of God only involves Iswara bhavana  replacing  prapancha bhavana i.e.God perception displacing world perception.  
Isavasya Upanishad opens with the line which echoes this idea.

ईशा वास्यमिदँ सर्वं यत्किञ्च जगत्यां जगत् ।(Ishaavaasyam idam sarvam,Yad kincha jagatyaam jagat.)

Whatever moves here in this world, everything is pervaded or covered by God.

Everything in this world is pervaded by God. Whatever we see is manifestation of God alone. God here means the Supreme Brahman who is of the nature of pure Consciousness.  So whatever a person sees is only pure Consciousness with a name and form. 
A verse in Thirumandhiram, tamil work of saint Tirumoolar illustrates it beautifully.

மரத்தை மறைத்தது மாமதயானை (Maraththai maraithathu maamadha yaanai)

மரத்தில் மறைந்தது மாமதயானை  (maraththil marainthathu maamadha yaanai)

பரத்தை மறைத்தது பார்முதல் பூதம் (paraththai maraithathu paarmudhal bhootham)

பரத்தில் மறைந்தது பார்முதல் பூதம் (paraththil marainthathu paarmudhal bhootham)

The elephant (toy) hides the wood (with toy vision).  The elephant (toy) disappears in wood (with wood vision).  Pancha bhuthas hide the supreme (with world perception).  Pancha bhuthas disappear in the Supreme (with God perception)

Thirumular gives the example of toy elephant made of wood here.  A child is given a toy elephant made of wood.  The child only sees the elephant and not the wood and enjoys playing with it as elephant. But a carpenter who comes there sees only the wood and comments on the quality of wood and he has no eye for the elephant.  In the same way when you have the world vision you see only play of Pancha bhuthas and not the Supreme pervading it, while with God vision you see only the Supreme pervading the world and not the pancha bhuthas that make up the world. So if one replaces prapancha bhavana with Iswara bhavana, world vision is replaced by God vision.  Then that Jijnasu bhaktha sees God in every object of creation itself.

As the Jijnasu bhaktha blossoms into Jnani bhaktha with the study, doubt-free understanding and absorption of import of Mahavakhyas, he realises that for his vision of God he does not look elsewhere apart from himself  as his true Self is God, and  it is His prescence as Athma that makes him sentient as revealed in Kenopanishad (mantra 1-2)

श्रोत्रस्य श्रोत्रं मनसो मनो यद्वाचो ह वाच्ँस उ प्राणस्य प्राणः । चक्षुषश्चक्षुः----  (strotrasya strotram manaso mano yad vacho ha vacham sa u pranasya pranaha I Chakhusas chakshuhuh--)

He (God) is the Ear of the ear, the Mind of the mind, the Speech of speech, the Prana of prana, and the Eye of the eye.

As Athma, God i.e Brahman animates all senses. For the indriyas, prana and mind which are made up of pancha bhuthas are material only as the pancha bhuthas themselves are material only. Kenopanishad goes on to point out in 2-4, प्रतिबोधविधितं मतं (pratibodhaviditaṃ matam)  meaning It (Brahman) is realised in every state of mind.  That means knowledge of Brahman is the knowledge of the factor which is common to all experiences which again means knowledge of the pure Consciousness that is present in all three states of Jagrat, Swapna and Sushupthi.  So a Jnani knows that wherever he is and whatever he is doing he is always experiencing God.  In other words all his actions, physical and mental constitute Brahmanubhava only.  So with this understanding and realisation “இருப்பதெல்லாம் இறைவனே.” (iruppathellam Iraivanae) i.e. whatever is there is God only, he now realises that God as Nirguna Brahman cannot be seen, as one cannot see one’s own eyes except as a reflection, while God as Saguna Brahman can be seen in every object of creation.

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Meykandar and Saiva-Siddanta

“The Saiva Siddhanta system is the distilled essence of Vedanta ------ It is midway between Sankara’s Advaita and Ramanuja’s Visishtadvaitha” observes Swami Sivananda.  Today Saiva Siddanta is more known as Southern Saivism associated with Tamilnadu and with Tamil diaspora all over the world.  But Saiva Siddanta, considered as the culmination of Saiva Agamas as Vedanta is the culmination of Vedas had been in existence from 2^nd century BC, though not in the form as it is today and the first known guru of Saiva Siddhanta tradition was Nandinatha, who lived around 250 BC in Kashmir.   The present form which is popular in Tamilnadu and all over the Tamil speaking world has as its scriptural basis not only Agamas and Vedas but also Nalvar Thevaram and Siddantha Sastras, most important of which is Sivajnanabodham written by Meykandar.  In fact Sivajnanabodham is considered as primary text today of Saiva Siddantha Philosophy.

In thirteenth century there lived in Pennadagam of present day Cuddalore district, a pious Saiva peasant by name, Achyutha Kalappalar.  He had no children and he sought the advice of his guru, Sakalagama Pandithar.  Sakalagama Pandithar after praying to Lord shiva, brought the holy Thirumurais and put a thread inside the Thirumurai palm leaf book (kayiru charththal). The song that came was “peyadaiyaa piriveydhum---(பேயடையா பிரிவெய்தும்)“ in Thiruvengattu Thiruppadhikam.  The verse of Thirugnanasambandar declared that one, who took bath in the three temple tanks and worshipped the Lord of Thiruvengadu, would have all his wishes fulfilled including the birth of a son.  As per that he asked Achyutha Kalappalar to go to Thiruvengadu with his wife and bathe in the three tanks in the temple and offer worship to the Lord of  Thirunengadu.  Accordingly Achyutha Kalappalar went to Thiruvengadu with his wife and together they bathed in the three tanks; Surya Theertham, Chandra Theertham and Agni Theertham, singing songs from Sambandar Thevaram and went and worshipped the Lord of Thiruvengadu praying for a son.

In due time a son was born to Achuyutha Kalappalar’s wife and was named Svethavanaperumal, the name of the Lord at Thiruvengadu. He was growing as a pious child. As a child of three he went to his uncle’s house at Thiruvennainallur and was playing in the street.  At that time time a miracle happened.  Paranjothi munivar who was travelling in the air towards Podhikai hills, noticed the boy playing in the street.  He was struck by the divine glow in the little boy’s face and could foresee a great spiritual future for him. He came down and took the child in his hands giving him Sparsa deeksha and Nayana deeksha and also imparted him cryptic essence of Sivajnanabodham.  He gave him also the deeksha name of Meykandar, a Tamil rendering of Paranjothi munivar’s guru’s name, Satya Jnana Darsini.  Like Tirugnanasambandar, who was blessed with divine milk from Goddess Parvathi at the age of three, Meykandar had also blessing of the last of the Akha(அக) Santhanakuravars to blossom into first Pura Santhanakuravar.

Enlightened child prodigy Meykandar compiled the essence of the sacred knowledge received, in a work of 12 sutras, known as Sivajnanabodham. This work of 40 lines has become the basic work of Saiva Siddantha.  He pioneered the line of preceptors called Pura Santhanakuravars who produced great philosophic works elucidating the philosophy outlined in Sivajnanabodham.  His fame started spreading and many became his disciples. Sakalagama pandithar heard about Meykandar’s rising fame and came to see him with a superiority complex that after all Meykandar was only the child whom he had helped to bring about and he wanted to test Meykandar’s depth of knowledge.  At the time he came, Meykandar was taking lessons on Aanava Mala and Sakalagama pandithar who burst into the class asked Meykandar to define Aanava Malam.  Meykandar without uttering a word pointed straight at Pandithar himself as answer to the question.

Shedding his arrogance, Pandithar prostrated at the feet of Meykandar and requested he be taken as one of Meykandar’s disciples.  It was a case reminiscent of Lord Dakshinamurthy and his disciple where Guru was young and disciple old.  Meykandar accepted him as a disciple with a diksha name Arulnandhi Sivam. Soon he became the foremost student and became the second Pura Santhanakuravar after Meykandar. We only know that Meykandar also wrote a commentary for his work and breathed his last in Thiruvennainallur and his time was around 1232 AD. Nothing more is known about his personal history.

Santhana Kuravars are Gurus of philosophy in Saiva Siddantha. All Santhana Kuravars bear a chain relationship of Guru Sishya, from one to next. Of them Akha Santhana Kuravavars are ones of Deva parampara and live in Mount Kailash.  They are four in number and they are; 1) Thiru Nandhi Devar,  2)Sanath Kumarar, 3)Satya Jnana Darshini and 4)Paranjyothi Munivar.  Pura Santhana Kuravars are ones born as mortals and are also four in number.  They are; 1) Meykandar, 2) Arulnandi Sivam, 3) Maraijnana Sambandar and 4) Umapathy Sivachariyar.

According to Saiva Siddhanta, Lord Siva is the Paramathma, called Pathi, the primal being and the supreme deity.  Pathi is infinite consciousness, infinite intelligence and infinite bliss and is omniscient, omnipresent and unbound. He is free from defects; the all-doer and all knower. He brings forth the worlds and their beings through his dynamic power, Sakthi.  Sakthi alone is the conscious energy of Lord Siva. The five activities (Pancha-Krityas) of the Lord are Srishti (creation), Sthiti (preservation), Samhara (destruction), Tirobhava (veiling) and Anugraha (grace). These, separately considered, are the activities of Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra, Mahesvara and Sadasiva. For a pot the potter is the efficient cause; clay and wheel the instrumental causes and clay the material cause. Same way for the Creation, Lord Siva is the efficient cause, Sakthi, the instrumental cause and Maya, the material cause.

The Jeevathmas or the individual souls are called Pasus. They are not the same as Siva, but they are made of the same essence   Thus in Saiva Siddhanta there is a fine distinction between the Jeevathmas and Paramathma; and their relationship is not a state of oneness but of sameness.  Pasus are by nature infinite, eternal and all-knowing like Pathi; but they think they are finite, limited and little-knowing because of Pasa, bondage.

Pasa consists of three impurities, Malas. These three Malas are Anava, Karma and Maya.  Anava Mala is the natural impurity (Sahaja Mala) which is born with the Jeevathma that clouds its consciousness and makes it think it is limited and of finite knowledge and leaves the Jeevathma only at the time of liberation, called Kaivalyam. Karma Mala binds the Jeevathma to the consequences of its actions and brings about its conjunction with the body. Maya Mala binds the Jeevathma to the sense objects through desires and ignorance. The Jeevathmas are of three types called Sakalar, Pralayakalar and Vijnanakalar. Sakalar have all the Malas, Anava, Karma and Maya; Pralayakalar have Anava and Maya, and Vijnanakalar have only the Anava Mala.

Liberation is attained when Jeevathma freed of all Malas knows that its intrinsic nature is the same as that of Paramathma but that it is not Paramathma and this realisation comes through the grace of Paramathma.  In its liberated state Pasu enjoys Pathi (Siva) consciousness as its true consciousness free from all Pasa, though it does not become Pathi.  Sadhanas for liberation are stated as Chariyai, Kiriyai, Yoga and Jnana.  Cleaning temples, making garlands of flowers, singing Lord’s praises, burning lamps in the temples, running flower gardens constitute Chariyai.  Kiriyai is to perform Puja, Archanas. Yoga is restraint of the senses and contemplation on the internal light. Jnana is to understand the true significance of Pathi, Pasu, Pasa and to become one with Siva by constant meditation on Him after removing the three Malas.

Thirumoolar gives in a nutshell the essence of Saiva Siddanta:       

      பதி பசு பாசம் எனப் பகர் மூன்றில்

      பதியினைப் போல் பசு பாசம் அனாதி

      பதியினைச் சென்று அணுகாப் பசு பாசம்

      பதி அணுகில் பசு பாசம் நில்லாவே.   (Thirumanthiram)

Pasu and Pasam are eternal like Pathi. Pathi is the supreme. Pasu with Pasam by itself cannot reach Pathi.  When Pathi bestows His Grace, Pasam and Pasu consciousness disappear and Pathi Consciousness only shines in Pasu. 

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