Where God doesn't exist

In common Hindu philosophies, God is everywhere and in everything, including oneself. Is there a place without God?

Namadeva, the Marathi saint and the Bhaktha (devotee) of Panduranga (a form of Vishnu/Krishna), had his ego pricked by a child, Mukta Bai in Gora Kumbar's house. (Read the story here). He was later instructed by the divine to find a Guru. He was asked to go and find Gorakh Nath. He finally finds Gorakh Nath in an old Shiva temple. Gorakh Nath was an Aghori.

Aghoris follow Vama Marga (the left path). The common Hindu philosophies that people know about is Dakshina Marga (the right path). Yoga (Ashtanga, Jnana, Bhakthi, Karma), Purva Mimasa, Uttara Mimamsa all follow Dakshina Marga. There is a murkier Vama Marga. Tantra & Yantra are part of Vama Marga. Aghoris would do things that would appear odd & disgusting to a casual onlooker. However, they are a valid, yet different path to realization. Aghoris themselves would recommend Dakshina Marga to most folks, which is the slow & steady path to the divine. They would initiate only a select few who are inclined towards Vama Marga.

When Namadeva arrives, he sees an extremely old & frail Gorakh Nath, sleeping resting his feet on the Shiva Linga. This is sacrilegious to anyone following Bhakthi Yoga (the path of devotion to God). Namadeva was a Bhakthi Yogi, singing several songs in praise of the divine. Disgusted, he initially turns back. Then, he decides to at least correct this old man.

He addresses Gorakh Nath and asks him to remove the feet that he has on God. Gorakh Nath awakens, and responds that he's very old and frail. He requests Namadeva to help move his feet. Namadeva obliges. Wherever he moves his feet, to Namadeva's astonishment, a new Shiva Linga pops up to rest his feet. The entire place is now full of Shiva Lingas, for every attempt of Namadeva to move Gorakh Nath's feet.

Now, Gorakh Nath questions Namadeva. "You'd stated that I had my feet of God. Now, where do I move my feet? Where does God not exist?" Namadeva responds that he now understands. Requests Gorakh Nath to be his Guru. Gorakh Nath refuses, saying that Namadeva was still very egoistic. Namadeva pleads. Finally, Gorakh Nath relents. But with one condition.

"Put my feet on a place where there is no God. Then, I'll accept you as my sishya (disciple)".

Gorakh Nath had just shown Namadeva that God is everywhere. What is this riddle now? Where will Namadeva find such a place?

Namadeva thinks for a while. He then picks up Gorakh Nath's foot. Then, he says: "Where ego exists, God doesn't exist. The only place is my heart, so full of ego." And he keeps Gorakh Nath's foot on his chest. This becomes his Pada Deeksha, and he's accepted as Gorakh Nath's sishsya, and the Deeksha dispels his ego, and he becomes enlightened.

Jnana Yoga of Hinduism teaches that the sense of I, which comes from the ego, is what prevents all of us from knowing the true self (Jivatma), which is divine in nature. When a true Guru arrives (will take several lives for most of us), there is one point where the Guru enlightens a sishya through a Deeksha. Deeksha is a type of touch: in most cases physical, in some cases non-physical as well.

References:

Haridas Giri's upanyasam (sishya of Gnanananda Giri)

Aghora by Robert Svaboda

The Yogic caste system

Caste is a poorly defined word (originally from the Portugese word: Casta meaning class) that is overloaded to mean Varna, Jati, Kula & Gothra. The word fails to capture the nuances of each term. When Karma is Karma and Guru is Guru, maybe keeping the original Samskritam words would be better in explaining the concepts. In this post, I'll call out the Varnaashrama as the Yogis call it. Varna means color, meaning color of the personality.

1. Shudra: One who is a slave to the senses and to the mind. This should comprise most of us. 
2. Vaishya: One who collects the wealth of knowledge & starts developing Viveka (power of discrimination to differentiate between right & wrong).
3. Kshatriya: One who fights the urges of the mind & senses. Have you ever meditated? Just try it. See the restlessness of the body and your own mind, which is completely out of control. And the creative arguments of the mind to avoid meditation. If you still try to do it, you're in this state.
4. Brahmin: One who has has realized the Brahman (Self). Yogis call the mind the Antha-karana (inner organ). If you meditate, you can observe the mind as a separate entity from you. From then, try to determine who's the observer of the mind and start going further inwards. That, the Yogis say, will help you understand yourself and truth behind everything.

One common aspect of all world villains is that they don't meditate & are all slaves of a hyperactive mind. One common aspect of great people of this world is that they meditate. All of us have the choice. Just try to meditate 5 minutes every day. Just 5 minutes, away from TV, internet, the Smartphone or any screen. With practice, we'll all get better. Om Shanthi. Peace.

Reference:

Teachings of Swami Yogananada Giri (sishya of Swami Yukteshwar Giri)

The saint against religion

What is the main purpose of religion? Religion is the entity that markets itself as the path to God. Many 'saints' and prophets market a religion and a path, as the only true religion and the only true path to God.

In such a world, Vallalaar (திருவருட் பிரகாச வள்ளலார்) aka Vadalur Ramalinga Adigalar (வடலூர் ராமலிங்க அடிகளார்) Swamigal was unique. He said that religion is not required for attaining the divine.

As a child, he was deeply spiritual. He would meditate a lot. (Meditation seems to be a recurring theme among the great saints of this world, who have really promoted the well-being of this world.) He was also deeply moved by Manikkavachakar's Thiruvasagam (chalk another divine soul attracted to Thiruvasagam). He famously was reading the Thiruvasagam on his first night after a forced marriage.

Later in his life, he was involved in spiritual preaching & practical social reforms. At one point, he said famously: "I opened a shop, no-one came to buy, I closed it" (கடை விரித்தேன், கொள்வார் இல்லை, கட்டி கொண்டேன்), implying that he came to teach people the spiritual path to the divine but no one was interested.

Then came his preaching that religion is not required for attaining the divine. In fact, it could be a barrier to attaining the truth. On the face of this, it could be surprising. However, when you really consider the core Hindu philosophical teachings, this is actually not surprising.

Hinduism says that the true identity of every person is the soul (Jivatma). The true identity is covered by several veils and attachments (created by us) that prevent us from knowing our true self. The only way to know your true self is through meditation, when all other desires are removed.

Isn't this a paradox then? If I'm meditating, am I not following Hinduism? If I have a desire to realize the divine, isn't that a desire itself? Yes, it is a paradox. But the Upanishads resolve this paradox using an analogy. A desire in the right direction is like a lamp that burns itself out. The path in the right direction (towards finding the true yourself) will eventually remove itself.

Vallalar would later call divinity as a light that blesses (அருட்பெருஞ் ஜோதி). He would open a temple that has a light that is always kept burning (symbolically representing divinity's ever present light). There are seven veils covering the light (implying the seven veils of the soul).

Vallalar was also a deeply compassionate person, who preached Ahimsa (No cruelty) & Jiva Kaarunya (compassion towards all beings) and was a staunch vegetarian. Indeed, in the practice of Yoga, the first Anga (limb) is Yama (control). One of the Yamas is Ahimsa. Over time, this has codified into Indian society. Even today, India has the largest vegetarian population in the world in numbers and in percentage, and even the people who eat meat don't eat a lot of it.

In his last Upanyasam (lecture), he requested everyone to make spiritual efforts through meditation, entered a room & locked himself. He asked followers not to open it and said that he would no longer be there. The room was forced open by the British Indian government after a few months and the room was empty, with no clues towards his disappearance.

Much later, the government issued a stamp with religious marks on his persona. His followers objected & filed a legal case, since he had spoken against the need for religion. However, they had missed his point. All beings are soul. Everything else is desire & attachment. The objection is the result of attachment. Attachment to their Guru's form, attachment to the non-religious comment, attachment against the religious mark on the persona. It is safe to say that his followers involved in this case were not truly following his teachings.

References:
Suki Sivam's upanyasam on Vallalar
Wikipedia

Debbie Wasserman Schultz's Karma?

Earlier in the run up to the primaries, Tulsi Gabbard, one of the VCs in the DNC asked for more debates (just half of the RNC's debate count) and a better debate schedule (scheduled during sports games & holiday weekends). Debbie refused and asked Tulsi to not speak at a Las Vegas convention. Tulsi resigned in protest.

Fast-forward to this week. In the wake of the Wikileaks DNC email leaks, Debbie was forced to not speak in the DNC convention and forced to resign. Did the bad Karma gained in her dealings with Tulsi cause this? ;)

There is something to say about people who sign up and serve in the armed forces. People who are willing to put their lives on the line for a higher cause are in general, much better people than the rest of us. In a world where people want to advance their careers in every manner possible, Tulsi resigned for her principles. Maybe once you serve in the armed forces, you have experienced the worst that this life has to offer. And maybe, you are no longer willing to tolerate political machinations by small-minded politicians. 

Tulsi didn't care about her future career in resigning as the DNC VC. She asked for more debates & a better schedule. She supported the politician who would take the USA out of unnecessary wars against the politician who has voted to take the USA to unnecessary wars. She spoke out against the super-delegate process calling it undemocratic. And she now spearheads a campaign to reform the super-delegate process in the DNC, which will no doubt meet with opposition by the entrenched.

The Yogic death posture

Let's say that you are feeling tired. Very tired. What would you do? You'd probably lie down on the bed and go to sleep in a supine pose, wouldn't you? Now, let's take it one step further. How would we feel when we're dying? At the moment of death? We'd probably go to the sleeping, supine posture, the posture that we'd take at the moment of extreme tiredness.

Recently, I watched a documentary: Awake, about the life of Paramahamsa Yogananda Giri. Yogananda is credited with spreading Yoga in USA. One image stuck with me when watching the documentary. When Yogananda's Guru, Sri Yukteshwar Giri, leaves his body, he's in the lotus pose (Padmasana), with an erect spine. On a different note, in Balathal, Rajastan, archaeologists excavated a 2700 year old skeleton, in Padmasana, with an erect spine, with the fingers in Jnana-Mudra. This is true for saints in Mahasamadhi as well. It is clear that saints who choose to leave their body, do so in this pose.

References:
Documentary: Awake
http://www.indiadivine.org/2700-year-old-yogi-samadhi-found-indus-valley-civilization-archaeological-site/
https://swarajyamag.com/heritage/kodumanal-awaits-a-museum

Related links for additional research:
http://www.indiadivine.org/mummy-found-inside-1000-year-old-buddha-statue-in-lotus-position/ 
http://www.jamyangnorbu.com/blog/2012/01/03/self-immolation-and-buddhism/

Identifying true & false preachers of God

There are so many prophets and teachers that the world has seen. Which ones are true? And which ones are false? How do I find someone who is really a person of God?

There's a saying in Tamil. Kandaar vindilar, Vindaar Kandinar (கண்டார் விண்டிலர். விண்டார் கண்டினர்). One who has seen will not talk, one who talks has not seen.

If you hear claims that someone is a prophet, has seen God, can take you to God and knows the true or only path to God, take these claims with a lot of skepticism.

Now, there is a problem. The one who has seen will not talk. Why won't they talk? The divine experience is something that can only be experienced but not explained. It is not that they don't want to talk about it, but they can't find the words to describe it. How will you find that person? That person can probably help you and show you the path. What to do?

There are some guidelines given as to how to find such a person.

• That person would be silent for long periods of time & would probably meditate for long periods of time.
• If you go to the person's presence, you'll find that your mind calms. You'll feel peaceful. You'll feel like staying. You won't feel like leaving.
• Once you leave, you'll feel like coming back. And experience his presence & peace of mind.

It is very rare that you would find such a person. It can take several lives to even chance upon such a being. But if you have the good fortune to chance upon someone with these attributes, hold tight.

Reference:
Upanyasam of Swami Haridas Giri of Selaiyur (Tapovanam's Swami Gnanananda Giri's disciple)

Kabali & the Portuguese rule

Now that the Kabali film is released and many of my friends have watched it, what does the term mean? What is the history & philosophy surrounding it?

The character's name in the film is Kabaleeshwaran. This is derived from Samskritam (Kapalam, Eshwaran). Literally, it means, Lord of the skull. This refers to the topmost portion of the head is called the Sahasrara Chakra, which is where the soul/Self/Jivaatma resides (per Kundalini Yoga).

There is a Kapaleeshwaran temple in Mylapore, Chennai. And there are Thevarams sung by the Nayanmars. Intriguingly, Thirugnanasambandar sings of this temple being on the beach beside the ocean. However, the current temple is not on the beach. What happened?

In the 16th century, the Portuguese colonists secured a foot-hold in the sea-port of Mylapore, Chennai. Once established, they started demolishing the Hindu temples in the areas under their control. The Kapaleeshwarar temple was demolished and the Sao Tome church built in its place.

Rama Raya, the Hindu king of Vijayanagara waged a battle with the Portuguese and defeated them. He extracted a tribute from them and also an agreement to stop further temple demolitions. However, Vijayanagara was later to fall to ruin & defeat by the Deccan Sultanate. Once Vijayanagara fell, the agreement was no longer honored.

In the 17th century, the Portuguese were defeated by the British. After the end of the Portuguese rule, the Kapaleeshwarar temple was rebuilt with whatever could be salvaged from the old ruins, but in a different location. The British later renovated the Sao Tome (Santhome) church.

The colonial Portuguese, in history, ran stomach-churning inquisitions on the locals in the territories that they conquered. Brazil was the prime victim. In India, the Portuguese inquisition on Goa had brutal tortures & executions. Other infamous expeditions were by Vasco-da-Gama in the Malabar coast in Kerala. The Pope, who had apologized for the Christians' behavior in Africa, was called upon (unsuccessfully) to do the same for Goa as well.

After India's independence from the British, Portugal continued to hold Goa, refusing India's requests to relinquish control. India filed a case in the International court of Justice, Hague. In 1954, the locals performed Satyagraha in true Gandhian tradition to ask Portugal to relinquish control. Unsurprisingly, given Portugal's historical behavior, they were brutally suppressed. India broke off diplomatic relations & imposed economic embargoes. India also unsuccessfully tried to persuade the Portuguese government & the international community. In 1960, the ICJ issued a compromise verdict. In 1961, India militarily invaded Goa with a far superior force & brought it under its control. Portugal setup a government in exile for these territories. It wasn't until 1974 under a new government when Portugal would recognize Goa as Indian territory.

References:
Book: The Myth of Saint Thomas and the Mylapore Shiva Temple by Ishwar Sharan

The meaning behind the story of Ganesha

Some time back, a video was doing the rounds where Dr.Zakir Naik, the Indian muslim preacher, narrates (derisively) the Shiva Puranam story of Ganesha & challenges Hindus to prove that Ganesha is God. Unsurprisingly, this irked many Hindus. There were many scholarly rebuttals to this video. However, there is an inner symbolic meaning to the story.

Per Hindu beliefs, when life if formed, the soul (Jivatma) is in the Sahasrara chakra, on top of the head. This is unmoving, unfeeling, without attributes & is the symbol for Shiva. Its counterpart is Shakthi, which gradually moves down from the head and through the spine, lending power to all the senses & organs. Finally, it settles down at the base of the spine as a coiled serpent (Kundalini), which continues to provide the power for material life. After long & difficult meditation, the Kundalini can be awakened, gradually moved up through the Chakras & made to unite with Shiva, ultimately destroying material existence.

In the story, Shakthi removes her dirt & creates Ganesha, her son. Once one of us removes the dirt of restlessness (body & mind), the Kundalini Shakthi is awakened & moves to the first Chakra (right above it), the Muladhara chakra, representing the earth element. Every hymn of Ganesha invokes him as Muladhara.

Let's see the counterpart. Shiva represents the Sahasrara Chakra. The fire of Shiva through the third eye produced Karthikeya, his son. The chakra right below Sahasrara Chakra is the Ajna chakra, located at our third eye, represents knowledge (Jnanam). Karthikeya is referred to in the hymns as Jnana-Panditha (the learned one with knowledge).

Shiva doesn't recognize Ganesha when he sees him first. What does that mean? The true self of every human is the soul. The soul is veiled by Aham (ego), Avidya (ignorance), Manas (mind) & our body. We don't recognize our true self & the divine power & chakras within us.

With Shakthi locked in & guarded by the Muladhara Chakra, all attempts at getting Shakthi (awakening the Kundalini) by all divine forces are thwarted. This indicates the difficulty in awakening the Kundalini Shakthi.

Shiva's Trishula (Trident) represents the three energies: Ida, Pingala & Sushumna Nadi. All these originate in the Muladhara Chakra, the first chakra. This trident cuts of the head of Ganesh (the resistance), revives it (with wisdom) and awakens it. Being the first Chakra, Ganesha is also the first deity.

This Shiva Purana story is deep in symbolism and represents the task of awakening the Kundalini & getting it to the first Muladhara Chakra, to make progress in escaping permanently from the material world. Kundalini Yoga states that every life eventually has to awaken the Kundalini & realize the self. If not in this life, eventually in some subsequent life.

Further reading:

http://vedham.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-divine-mango.html
http://vedham.blogspot.com/2018/10/lalitha-sahasranamam-inner-meaning.html
http://vedham.blogspot.com/2021/09/notable-ganeshas.html

The missionary whose heart melted

In the 1800s, a Catholic missionary, George Uglow Pope sailed to India with the purpose of showing the 'heathens' the 'true path to God'. He arrived in Tuttukodi (Tutikorin), Tamil Nadu. Pope was a proficient linguist and learnt Tamil, Samskritam and Telugu.

After translating some important Tamil works to English, providence led him to chance upon the Thiruvacakam by the Shaivite mystic, Manikkavachakar. What is so special about this work? There is a saying in Tamil about this work: "திருவாசகத்துக்கு உருகார் ஒரு வாசகத்திற்கும் உருகார்", meaning: "The one who doesn't melt for Thiruvacakam will not melt for anything".

Devotion to God is a concept that can be difficult to understand for many people. How can one be devoted to someone or something that may or may not exist? We've never seen it or heard it or tasted it or felt it. What is this God to who some are devoted? However, in societies with people who are raised religious based off faith & beliefs, you can see devotion to God. From this devotion has emerged some wonderful works of literature. Devotion is called Bhakthi in the Hindu traditions.

George Pope was a devotional person. He was raised to believe in a one true God of a different religion. However, when reading Thiruvacakam, his heart melted & he was in tears. He started speaking loftily of this text.

The missionaries were alarmed. Has George Pope converted to the heathen religion? They sent a high-ranking Church official to talk to him. The official returned & said that George hasn't converted. However, he's so much in love with this text that it is a miracle that he hasn't converted. Leave him be.

George Pope ended up making the first translation of Thiruvacakam to English. However, he carried its elements throughout his life. In his last letter & sermon before his death, he writes about Thiruvacagam & Siva Gnana Bodham.

The greatness of Thiruvacakam is that it melted the heart of someone who belonged to a different religion, different culture & different language. George Uglow Pope has been honored by the Tamil Nadu government with a statue in the Triplicane (Tiruvellikeni) beach, Chennai.

References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Uglow_Pope
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMLfiE52C8g (Suki Sivam's Tamil speech on Thiruvasagam

The missing Saivite saint

I had always thought of Manikkavachakar to be part of the 63 Nayanmars (Tamil Saivite saints). I was interested in knowing about his story in detail. I eagerly bought & started reading the Periya Puranam. Finished the book. But no story about Manikkavachakar. He didn't even exist in the book. I was puzzled. Why?

In Tamil, there's a saying there refers to what 4 people would say, if you said anything. (நாலு பேர் என்ன சொல்லுவா.) The 4 refer to the Saivite saints: Sundarar, Thirunavukkarasar (Appar), Thirugnanasambandar & Manikkavachakar. Periya Puranam had stories about the first 3. Not the 4th. Why?!

Finally, I found the answer.

The 3 saints, Sundarar, Thirunavukkarasar (Appar) & Thirugnanasambandar, referred to in Periya Puranam follow Saiva Siddhantham. They worship Shiva as the supreme Paramatman & they are the Jivatmans who worship Shiva with devotion (Bhakthi). (This follows the Purva-Mimasa philosophy of Hinduism).

However, Manikkavachakar, constantly yearning to be one with Shiva, merged with Shiva himself. He's no longer considered a devotee of God and doesn't find a mention.

Reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMLfiE52C8g (Suki Sivam's Tamil speech on Thiruvasagam)