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Oppiliappan List Archive: Message 00301 Jul 2004

 
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SRIMATHE RAMANUJAYA NAMAHA.

Dhyaanam.
??karkum kalvikku ellai elanE ennum
karkum kalvi yaavEnum yaanE ennum
karkum kalvi seivEnum yaanE ennum
karkum kalvi theerpEnE yaanum ennum
karkum kalvi shaaramum yaanE ennum
karkum kalvi naathan vanthErakkollO
karkum kalvi-yeerku ivai en sollugEn
karkum kalvi en magaL kaNgindravE? (Thiruvaimozhi)

Dear all,
I bow with reverence to the clarity of purpose, the
genuineness in search for knowledge  and the
unshakable faith in our Sanatana Dharma as an 
embodiment knowledge of the Highest order- the real
glow of which is mired in dust due to our ignorance
cultivated over generations- that is found in Sri
Gopinathan?s mail. The following observation made by
him in his mail gives me the courage to speak up that
which I normally won?t when not asked for, due to the
conviction which I understood by experience that we
should not speak unless  asked to. Still I wish to
continue because of the belief that there will be
someone at some place and during some time, now or in
future who comes across this would stand to refine it,
improve it and use it  for some useful or noble cause.

(Sri Giopinath said:-There are a lot of hidden
treasures in Hinduism that have been lost in
course of time. If we desire, we can bring back the
glory. Hinduism is 
not
just a pack of superstitions. Its customs and beliefs
have deep 
meanings
that are usually veiled and invisible to the normal
eyes, unravelling 
only
those who delve deep into it.)

Let me frame in concise form the doubts, questions and
accusations that arose as a result of the research
information on moolavar published in Indian Express
and analyse them for the merits and demerits.

Q 1- SHOULD WE NEED TO DO SUCH RESEARCH?
A ? One need not if one knows the in and out of what
constitutes and what results in temple worship! But
when the query is raised why specific materials are
chosen to go into the making of moolavar, none of us
had the answer. But when we get information from the
research done by someone, it is only prudent to look
into whether such information holds scrutiny from our
point of view that has been handed down to us by
tradition. For instance, the information about
relevance of granite in the walls and the need to keep
the garbha griha wet and cool must make us ask
ourselves whether we are right in having ceramic
tiles, electric lamps etc in the newly built temples
or renovated temples. How many times and in how many
places the agama rules are being followed only in
breach is everybody?s knowledge.

To tell more on this, let me tell you that I have
visited the stall mentioned in the newspaper report in
the Island grounds in Madras in Jan, 1981 and came to
know more about  the research and findings. The
students and professors who conducted the experiments
were not U.S. trained (as that might have given them
immunity from questioning their credentials as some
devotees did) but are very pious, god fearing and a
devoted lot like you and me whose sole interest region
in conducting these experiments was to establish the
fact  (as what Sri Gopinath had said)  that ours is a
wonderful tradition rich in essence in every possible
way. In the course of the research that they landed up
with some unique information on certain practices that
we must certainly look into is what they tried to
impress. There was nothing in our tradition that was
not done without a purpose or relevance. These
practices are of course found in our agamas, but have 
been given a go-by or diluted in course of time.

One finding is that the garbha griha must be always
kept cool and moist. The practice of karpoora haarathi
was non-existent in olden days and only one or two
thoonga vilakku were lit inside the garbha griha. In
the name of not violating this rule, we find in many
temples powerful electric lamps set just outside the
garbha griha but focusing  the light on Murthy. Is
this practice right, asked  these students.

Next one is about alankaaram. The effects were
profoundly different when the moolavar is adorned with
pushpa alankaram, sandana kaappu and the like. We must
admit that we need a research like this to remind us
how we have to  be stickler of rules with reference to
 alankaaram too.

The next one and the most important one which was not
mentioned in the newspaper report is that there exists
a connection in the form of some circuit between
moolavar and the bali peetam or the moolavar and
nandhi (in saivite temples). Parallel movement along
this did not alter the flow whereas continuous
interception across anywhere in the detected circuit
resulted in hampering / reducing the flow. We must
remind ourselves that traditionally the practice has
been that we enter the garbha griham one way and leave
through the side door  which is found in many of the
ancient temples or come out through the same way.
Today these doors have  been permanently closed in
many temples and  we freely allow the movement of
pilgrims to cross the circuit near the sannidhi  in
the name of regulating the crowd. The movement and the
number of persons to be present at any time must have
been stipulated in the agamas. Lack of knowledge about
the agamas or lack of interest to know them, or the
lack of willingness to follow them are the grey areas
which we must look into and not showing an accusative
finger at science which in effect is adding to our
knowledge. 

Two years ago we came across another experiment by
college students in Tamil nadu which showed an unique
property of silver which was not told by western
scientists mainly because they have not known the uses
that silver vessels are put into in a traditional
society like ours. The students filled water drawn
from the same source in vessels of different metals,
one such being silver and kept under identical
conditions as applicable to experiments of this kind.
They found growth of micro organisms in all vessels
except the one made of silver. Infact the level of
micro organisms drastically reduced in the water
stored in silver vessel. The level became almost nil
on the 10th day in another experiment when micro
organisms were added to the water in all vessels to
observe their growth. Needless to remind the readers
of the important place for silver pancha paatram,
ramanujam and kinni in our homes for austere occasions
etc. Silver is considered dosham ?free and the above
mentioned property tells us at least one type of the
dhosham ?free quality of silver. Further research is
going on to establish that property of silver
responsible for the dhosham ?free nature.

Q-2- HOW CAN SCIENCE EXPALIN THE SUPREME LORD WHO IS
BEYOND COMPREHENSION AND WHO CAN BE REALISED THROUGH
BHAKTI?

No one claims so. But science, like other branches of
knowledge such as  philosophy, meta physics etc is
also capable explaining certain phenomena is something
that can not be brushed aside. The mail that sparked
off the controversy spoke about possibility to see
religion (Brahman) in science and not through science.
It is like you realise the presence of God in all
?kaaNgindra poruL?. It spoke about how we are getting
reminded of God in many shades of science, how the
many things happening inside us and around us are in
harmony with what Hinduism tells us. It happened with
most astronauts who went to space. Collins in one of
memoirs spoke about how he felt the indescribable
presence of God while he was in space. 

This kind of vigyana-tattwa relationship needs to be
understood as one way of knowledge leading to brahma
gyana. The Taiittriya passage (II chapter) on Vigyana
mayan accepts this.  When it is said ?Vigyana performs
sacrifice? and ?vigyana performs karma? it is
considered as both knowledge about the sacrifice and
also the agent of sacrifice (that which consists of
understanding) who is described as vigyana mayan.
Bhaashyakaara in his explanation of the 13th Vedantha
sutra establishes that it (vigyana)  is in the nature
of the soul by virtue of it in being the ?intelligent
thing? (He, i.e, the Supreme person became the
intelligent and the  non-intelligent thing, (Taiit)).
This passage  ?separately points out the intelligent
thing (or the individual self) and the non-intelligent
thing (or Matter) by means of their characteristic
peculiarities of having  a home and of being homeless
(respectively); and accordingly this passage indicates
by means of the word vigyana (i.e., knowledge or
understanding) the intelligent being who possess that
vigyana as his characteristic quality?. He goes on to
say that this Intelligent being which is different
from the earlier levels such as annan mayan, praana
mayan and purusha mayan is indeed the Soul created as
the manifestation of Brahman in Intelligent form
(vigyana mayan) possessing Intelligence which (as
vigyana) does the sacrifices and karma.

The implication in this and the following passages in
Sribhashya is that Anandamayan is Brahman which is
different from Vigyana mayan ?though It had entered
this individual self as Myself?(Chand). Let me stop at
this and bring it back to our discussion on hand, for,
the continuing passages in SB (are not related to our
question as they) go on to establish the equality of
Soul with Brahman except in  possessing the
prerogative to initiate Creation.

Coming to our discussion, it is established in
Taittriya passages that the Soul is capable of
possessing  knowledge (by virtue of Brahman having
entered it as an Intelligent Being) and using it for
realisation of the Brahman but it is found wanting in
achieving its goal (of describing Brahman) because
?yatho vaacho nivarthanthe?. (Without being able to
attain Him, speech returns with the mind).

The following is what I request the readers to ponder
over. 
In the above verse from Taittriya upanishad, one
inference can be made. 
When does a thing, sent to reach another thing,
return?
When it strikes it but unable to go further, it is
returned back to its source.
This is the principle of echo.
If it be said that speech and mind are returned
without attaining Him, does it imply that the
Intelligent soul, the Vigyana mayan though capable of
knowing him till his boundary level (if something like
that exists) but can not go further because if it goes
further  that amounts to  Liberation from where it
would not return to tell us what had happened.
(kandavar vindilar, vindavar kandilar). But until that
threshold level the Soul?s speech and mind keep doing
the shuttle and re-shuttle trips.
 If this logic is accepted plausible, then we say that
the Soul?s urge to employ whatever means of Knowledge
that it has at its disposal is justified because it is
only too natural for that Soul and it is almost
possible to go almost near the Supreme.
It is like this.
We can understand the meaning of every word of Sage
Bhrigu?s version of his search for Brahman in the 3rd
chapter in Taittriya upanishad. We can also recite his
words with full knowledge of the meanings but only
until he says ?ha vu, ha , vu, ha, vu?. What he
experienced when he screamed in Bliss these words can
not be understood by us nor can it be measured by any
instrument. But until he reached that level we were
able to follow his mind. 
This is similar to establish scientifically what kind
of satisfaction that a mother experiences when she
rushes to the crying baby, lifts it and feeds it. One
need not kill the mother or the baby (as some one
believed in doing so with experiments with music and
its effect) to know what they actually experience. We
do have instruments to measure every type of activity
in their brain at that moment of experience but no
instrument to measure the real satisfaction that is
something special to them.

By this it is being stated that science and other
branches of knowledge are capable of going farther
than we believe but shorter than the real experience
of Brahman. This is due to the upanishadic injunction
of the shred of difference between vigyana mayan and
ananda mayan whereby it is held that Intelligence can
not explain Bliss (ananda).
But once again some thinkers have tried to use our
existing level of knowledge to explain the status of
Liberation as something akin to osmosis ( Dr K.C.
Varadhachari in Ramanuja?s Theory of Knowledge) which
is also the established Truth in  Mumukshuppadi, that
?Mutthanaar, mukundanar pervades us (Mtthanar
mukundanar pugundu mammuL mEvinaar ? Thiruchanda
viruttham). 
Thus employing different  branches of knowledge to
know the Brahman is within the nature of the Soul and
it does achieve it till the time ?the speech and mind
return from the Supreme?

Some more on science in our tradition;-
 The researchers on moolavar also found that
Vaikuntha Ekadasi is the day when the earth is
farthest away  from the centre of our galaxy.  That is
the day the farthest sanchara in dhakshinayana is
concluded and the turn towards north begins which
actually gets completed  on shankaranthi.
(Implication)  that is the day when the earth is
closer to outer space or in religious parlance shall
we say closer to vaikuntham (since our galaxy is still
racing away  from the point of creation which is the
seat of God)
 they also said that ashtami and navami are
the days when the combined impact of Sun and the moon
on the earth is minimal since they are at right angles
to each other.
(implication) varahamihira in Brihad samhita speaks
about this minimal effect of the two on the fluids in
our body and recommends  administration of medicines
on these days or surgery on these days. But would any
one of us agree to this? It seems Gods themselves have
deliberately wanted us to use these days for spiritual
progress and were born these days (gokulaashtami &
rama navami). Is it probably to make the maximum of
these two days when mediation on Him  would be
yielding excellent results, that elders forbade us to
do mundane jobs on these days?

*agnihotra has now been proven by German scientists as
making Vayu energetic and removing pollution of the
air. (the process as documented by experiments 
exactly testifies the Lord?s words in verses 10,11 &
12 in chapter 3 of B.G.  Further corroboration is had
from Taitt, and Adhitya Hrudhayam) This was first
found out when two families who were doing agni hotra
at the time of Bhopal gas leakage survived. The
details of this, if needed by any will be disclosed in
a separate mail.

_____________________concluded-------------------------------------
Quote of the mail:-
Sollinaal thodarchi nee
Solappadum poruLum nee.
 Sollinaal sollappadaathu 
ThOndrugindra jyothi nee.
Sollinaal padaikka nee
Padaikka vandu thOndrinaar.
Sollinaal surunga nin 
GuNangaL solla vallarE.
(thiruchanda viruttham)

(The above mail is not intended to hurt anyone?s
sentiments as it is by itself a product of one whose
faith in Sanatana Dharma is unshakable. the writer is
ready to be corrected for discrepencies in concept and
presentation.)



                
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