Ullaganar: February 2017

Monday 27 February 2017

The Science of Tamilar Agamic Temple: Scientific Treatise of Saiva Religion

A masterpiece by Dr R Sivakumar, University Science Malaysia, Penang.

The Secret Of The Tamil Siddha Prophecy - Part 6

By Dr Sivakumar, University Science Malaysia, Penang.

The Secret Of The Tamil Siddha Prophecy - Part 5

By Dr Sivakumar, University Science Malaysia, Penang.

Wednesday 22 February 2017

The Metaphysical Gynecology of Tirumular - Part 13

It is Sexual Union that Allows us access to Civanjaanam, the Absolute Understanding, the Vittai

In Saivism that worships the Androgynous Form of BEING where there is neutralization of sexual polarities, sexual union is also sacred. The SivaliGkam also communicates the same message. However it is also recognized that it is NOT the bodily cravings of sexual desires but rather the psychic cravings for the union of souls through LOVE that is more important for the spiritual well-being of the soul. The sexual union leads to self forgetting and becoming egoless and which is possible only where the union takes place within Deep Love.

Thus the sexual union between a man and a woman becomes also a spiritual Sadhana for understanding Vittai, the Civanjanam. The Love that makes people egoless during such moments creates an interior context for the burst of this Civanjanam and which then becomes something they can contemplate upon.

This verse also contains to well-known PuraNic theme where GaNesha, in competition with Muruka wins the Mango of Njaanam just by circumbulating His Father-Mother while Muruka goes on His peacock to see the whole of Cosmos. It is GaNesha who is the deity of Civanjanam; the Mango for it is He who draws the anmas towards the deeper spiritual grounds where LOVE dominates human relationships including that between a man and woman that may also result in bodily union. It is GaNesha who implants the possibility that each soul can become Androgynous and through that FREE of sexual desires.

23.

1946

வித்திடு வோர்க்கன்றி மேலோர் விளைவில்லை

வித்திடு வோர்க்கன்றி மிக்கோர் அறிவில்லை

வித்தினில் வித்தை விதற வுணர்வரேல்

மத்தி லிருந்ததோர் மாங்கனி யாமே

உரை:

மேலே விளம்பியவாறு, தன் துணையோடு அன்பு மேலீடக் கலந்து வித்துவை வெளியிடுவோர்கன்றி, மகட்பேறு என்றும் ஞானப்பேறு என்றும் ஆகக்கூடிய மேலதாகிய விளைவுகள் இல்லை. இனி அன்பினை வளர்க்கும் வகையில் கலவி செய்து வித்திடுவோர்க்கன்றி, ஆழமான தத்துவ ஞானம் அமையாது. இப்படிப்பட்ட விந்துக்களில் அடங்கியிருக்கும் வித்தையாகிய ஞானத்தை ‘அது' ‘இது' என்னும் சுட்டுணர்வு அற உணர வல்லராயின், அவர்கட்கே உடம்பாகிய மத்துவிலிருந்து கடைந்தெடுக்கப்பட்ட மாங்கனியாகிய சிவஞானமாகும்.

விதற- இதற : இது அற : இது அதுவெனும் சுட்டுணர்வு அற

23.

1946.

vittidu voorkkanRi meeloor viLaivillai

vittidu voorkkanRi mikkoor aRivillai

vittinil Vittai vitaRa vuNarvareel

matti liruntatoor maaGkani yaamee

Meaning:

Except for those who discharge the seminal fluid in sexual union, there cannot be metaphysically higher forms of outcomes. And except for such people the higher reaches of metaphysical understanding are impossible. For those who access the Vittai, the Absolute Understanding buried in the seminal fluid by escaping from the the consciousness of ordinary life, they in fact enjoy the Mango of Divine Wisdom buried in the body.

Comments:

Here I believe Tirumular is referring to the Mythology where GaNapati wins the Njanak Kani, the Mango of Absolute Understanding in the competition for it between himself and Tirumurukan and where while Muruka left on His peacock to round the whole universe, Vinayaka quietly just circled His Father and Mother. It carries the message that the Vittai, the True Wisdom is gained by Understanding the Father-Mother of all universe and NOT the external spread as the whole of the Cosmos.

The Civanjanam, the Vittai, the understanding that lights up all, the Civanjanam, the Absolute Understanding is already in the BODY, buried in the capacity the body has to regenerate itself though sexual unions.

But isn't strange that sexual union, an act of deep cravings for the regeneration of the species, should be linked with the Sadhana for metaphysical illuminations of the deepest kind?

Not really if we understand the psychology of sexual union especially as enunciated in the Ardhanari form where the Female and Male interpenetrate each other so that separate existence of these two are no more available, where there is Female there is also the Male and vice versa, a neutralization of the biological polarities.

While remaining biologically male and female, how is this neutralization possible?

It is possible where there is psychic union through LOVE and at which the body is forgotten and along with that also sexual polarity. The DEEP LOVE between a Male and Female makes them self-forgetful and egoless. These may be very precious moments but certainly takes place between a man and woman truly in LOVE each other even within desires for sexual union. During these precious moments they also enjoy the state of being androgynous and at which point Civanjanam, the Vittai also dawns.

Ganesha and the Mango

I want to return to the meaning of the Icon, GaNesha, using the following verse of Tirumular where, I think he refers to the puraNic episode where GaNesha wins the Mango by going around Siva-Parvati while Muruka takes to roam the whole cosmos on his peacock.

But before that I want to say something about the possible causes of misunderstanding both on the part of some Western Psychoanalysts and some Hindu patriots.

We must note that an ICON like GaNesha is a TEXT with a DUALITY of structure, a double-text where we have both the man and god and hence it is man-god complex. Seeking out the Mango does not pertain to God, as he does not seek out anything, being Himself ParipuuraNan, a complete and integral whole lacking in nothing. The seeker of the mango is the man and he becomes GaNesha when in his unconscious emerges a presentation of BEING to direct his behavior so that his actions are not only ethical but also such that he is freed of the sexuality inherent to him. Sexuality pertains to man, but its transmutation into LOVE belongs to the actions of the Divine Powers and all as expressions fo the Grace (aruL) of BEING.

In this while some of the Western Indologists who bring the psychoanalytic framework to the study on Hindu icons sees ONLY THE MAN and confuse it with the god, the Hindus see the God and His Grace in which his own sexuality is transmuted into LOVE and with that he is also FREED of sexuality. Thus GaNesha evokes reverence and Bakti unto God as it disclose Divine grace.

Here too there is a difference between the Saivites ( Tantrists) and Vedanties.

The Vedic tradition has from ancient times opposed the worship of SivaliGkam as is evidenced by the story of CaNdiicar who chopped off his Vedic Brahman father's leg when he tried to smash the sand SivaliGkam CaNdiicar built and was worshipping. (I shall attend to this in my analysis of Sisna deva in progress). The Vedantic tradition does NOT provide an UNDERSTANING of the human nature and how the Divine Powers interfere in their existence and transmute them into spiritually PURE beings. The Vedantic tradition is concerned only with Brahmanahs and with their thirst for Brahmavidya, they are BLIND to the sexual dimensions of human beings. I believe that such Vedanties get emotionally worked up when the sexual dimensions of man are exposed for it forces them to come out from their Vedantic preoccupations and SEE also the reality. It also exposes a huge weakness in the whole of Vedantic tradition where in seeing man only as Brahmanah they FAIL to see sexuality as vital force shaping human ( and animal) behavior.

In Saivism that worships the Androgynous Form of BEING where there is neutralization of sexual polarities, sexual union is also sacred. The SivaliGkam also communicates the same message. However it is also recognized that it is NOT the bodily cravings of sexual desires but rather the psychic cravings for the union of souls through LOVE that is more important for the spiritual well-being of the soul. The sexual union leads to self forgetting and becoming egoless and which is possible only where the union takes place within Deep Love.

Thus the sexual union between a man and a woman become also a spiritual Sadhana for understanding Vittai, the Civanjanam. The Love that makes people egoless during such moments creates an interior context for the burst of this Civanjanam and which then becomes something they can contemplate upon.

This verse also contains to well-known PuraNic theme where GaNesha, in competition with Muruka wins the Mango of Njanam just by circumbulating His Father-Mother while Muruka goes on His peacock to see the whole of Cosmos. It is GaNesha who is the deity of Civanjanam; the Mango for it is He who draws the anmas towards the deeper spiritual grounds where LOVE dominates human relationships including that between a man and woman that may also result in bodily union. It is GaNesha who implants the possibility that each soul can become Androgynous and through that FREE of sexual desires.

A Brahmanah is a Brahmacaarin, someone who practices celibacy with Vairakkya and so forth and therefore NOT someone who enjoys states of selflessness in sexual union where LOVE dominates. This is Tantrism, as its best and something, I believe, implicitly disliked by the Vedanties especially the Advaities. In the vast range of texts on Advaita, nowhere we can find any EXPLANATION of the sexual nature of man such as those available in Tirumanthiram, Tevaram, Divvya Prabantam, the Siddhas treatises and so forth

Dr K Loganathan @ Ullaganar

( editing and re-paragraphing by his student )

( photo courtesy of http://legacyofwisdom.blogspot.my/ , with thanks )

Thursday 16 February 2017

The Hermeneutic Analysis of Religious Experience as Expounded in Jnanamirta Kattalai - Part 2

THE LAKSANAS OF PACU

2.0 As some maintain there is no Ego, its reality is now being proved.

2.1 The Ego is not an empty object, a vacuous thing (sunya); it is not also the body.

2.2 It is not the bodily sense competencies as dream consciousness where these are not functioning is known.

2.3 It is not the internal cognitive utensils(antakaranas) or the life breath as there are states of consciousness such as cuzutti, turiyam and turiyatitam where neither the life breath nor the antakaranas are functioning.

2.4 It is not the kanikan (a chain of momentary particulars) as when a person wakes up he tends to continue and finish what was left behind as unfinished.

2.5 As there is grasping of object outside the body i.e. externality, the Ego is not atomic or somewhat intermediate;

2.6 It is also not autonomous as it does not learn anything on its own;

2.7 As the pleasures and pains are many and different, the psyches are many and distinct;

2.8 It is not the Supreme Being as there is experiencing of pleasures and pains;

2.9 Know that the Ego is indestructible, non-autonomous, extended, distinct from Pati; there are an innumerable number of them too and capable of consciousness however delimited by many constraints.

Even though the Ego is distinct from the internal cognitive utensils (antakaranas), like the King functioning with the ministers, the Ego functions with the cognitive utensils for the purposes of perceiving and enjoying (vitaya pokam) the objects of the world. It also suffers all the five states of consciousness as its consciousness is constrained by DARKNESS (malas) i.e. absence of consciousness.

2.10 Premises for the reality of the Ego: The bodies that are seen to do various kinds of actions (tolil) are non-intelligent (catam) and therefore, like the pots and so forth will not initiate an action. That which initiates actions, that is the Ego.

2.11 Now the Ego endures three different states of consciousness (avattai) of kevalam, cakalam and cuttam because of anavam, mayai and civacakti.

2.12 Among these the kevalavattai is: being without any body and so forth, without any gunas, without any enjoyments, without capacity for any agency, being like a crystal in complete darkness, enveloped completely by anavam and hence being without any consciousness and existence (viyapi).

2.13 The cakalavattai is: being an entity in view of the five different envelopes (panca kosas), being an entity of limited consciousness or finite understanding (kinciknan), acquiring numerous births as a result of the beginningless karma (anati kanmam) with which it is associated and perceiving/enjoying objects of the world.

2.14 The cuttavattai is: the state of being amoral (iruvinai oppu), without the delimiting constraints (malapari pakam), with the innermost being flooded with Grace-Energy (Caktinipatam), transcending the three deep limiting constraints through knowing the right cariyai, kriyai, yokam, and jnanam by the Grace of Guru and being an Ego like Civa that is intrinsically cat-cit-ananta.

2.15 Now these Egos are also three in kind. The lowest are cakalar, the middle the pralayakalar and the highest the Vinjnanakalar.

2.16 Among these the cakalar are: those Egos that are inflicted with anavam that delimits cognitive processes (nanak kriyai), who have material bodies and so forth in view of a gradual weakening of anavam, and also karma for the purpose of various kinds of enjoyment. Thus the cakalar have all three deep limiting constraints.

2.17 The pralayakalar are: the Egos that have only the anavam that delimits the cognitive processes and karma that is weakened and hence with a capacity to regulate the tattvas of the objective world (kalati) and have acquired karma that affords regulatory power (isurattuva).

2.18 The Vinjnanakalar are the Egos that function cognitively as if they are not afflicted much with anavam.

2.19 All these three different types of Ego ground themselves in the twenty four anma tattvas that are the forms of mayai, and in the centre and the limit of the seven vittya tattvas. After acquiring the state of vinjnana kevalam i.e. transcendental states where only the Supreme Being remains the Unknown, they ground themselves in the highest Civa tattvas.

NOTES as per numbering above:

2.2 By indriya is not meant here the bodily sense organs instrumental for perception and cognition but rather the competencies underlying the seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting and smelling activities.

2.3 The antakaranas are the manam, buddhi, ahankaram and cittam. Manam is that function of the psyche which in conjunction with the sense organs it perceives the sensory particulars. When the psyche further reflects on these and establishes the identity and so forth of the things perceived we have the cognitional activity of buddhi. When self reactions are noted in the wake of object identifications, we have the function of ahankaram ___ the emergence of I-ness in cognitional experience. When the psyche brings in the higher rational functions to bear upon self experience we have the functions of cittam as such. (See also sec. 7.0, and 8.0 )

2.10 The states of consciousness or existential states are five in number - cakkiram, coppanam, cuzutti, turiam and turiatitam. Cakkiram is the state of vigilance and attention, and coppanam the state of dream consciousness. Cuzutti which is experiencing through the CUZI munai nadi i.e. that channel that affords transductive perceptions, can be taken to be the experiencing of the deeper and hidden archetypes. Turiam means literally 'distant' and here denotes it the transcendent noumenal experience. Turiatitam is the state of consciousness beyond even turiam and hence the absolutely transcendent.

2.11 The states of consciouness cakkiram and so forth are different from what can be rendered as existential states related to PURITY of the soul. These are enumerated as kevalam, sakalam and cuttam. Both are called, unfortunately, avattal in literature. The existential states are global modes of Being and are related to the personal growth of a person. In each existential state of kevalam and so forth, the five fold cognitional states of cakkiram and so forth can arise with characteristic qualitative differences of their own. (See also sec. 12.0)

2.14 The cariyai, kiriyai, yokam and jnanam are standard terms in the Agamas and they describe the different religious practices. The cariyai are practices in terms of bodily actions. The kiriyai are the more ritualistic kind of practices. The yokam pertains to the deeply contemplative and reflective activities requiring bodily controls of various sorts. The jnanam are the philosophical inquiries particularly the hermeneutic efforts that bring about the gaining illuminations of a deep kind. (See also sec.16)