To: meykandar@yahoogroups.com
From: "Dr.K.Ganesalingam" <kganesalingam@...>
Date: Tue, 8 May 2007 07:39:27 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [meykandar] Re: Towards the Divine

Advaita Relationship (contd.)

 

According to Advaita Vedanta, God or Brahmam is the only Reality. Soul is not different from Brahman. Individual self is Brahman himself. Among the varying views in Vedas, this view is also seen among them. “It is One only; Brahmam is without duality (without a second)” (‘Ekam eva, Athvidiyam Brahmam’) is a sentence giving this view. Sankara’s Advaita concept is consistent with it.

Vedanta is considered as the culmination of Vedas. Similarly, Saiva Siddhanta is considered as the culmination of Saiva Agamas. It is for this reason Siddhanta is sometimes referred to as ‘Agamanta’. Unlike the Vedanta, Saiva Siddhanta considers three kind of relationship of God with the Soul. God is one with the Soul, along with the Soul, and different from the Soul. This aspect of relationship in three states (onraai, udanaai, veraai) is the Advaita relationship mentioned in Siddhanta philosophy. Above-mentioned Vedic sentence is interpreted in this background. According to the Saiva Siddhantists, after telling, “It is One only” (‘Ekam eva’), it is not necessary to tell again “Advidiyam Brahmam” (Brahmam is without a second’); It only means that there is no Being equal to or same as Brahmam.

The three kind of relationship of God to the soul can be explained with an analogy. Soul is one with our physical body. Similarly God is one with the soul. The soul is along with the body and animates it. Similarly God is along with the soul and animates it. Yet the soul is different from the body. Similarly God is different from the Soul.

The second Aphorism of Sivagnanabodham speaks of the Advaita relationship in Siddhanta philosophy as follows:

“The primal Being, God, is non-separable from the souls, being one with them, different from them and making them to take births and deaths ceaselessly, experiencing the fruits of the twin karma. This is done by His Sakthy who is eternally in implicit union with Him.”

We have been in union with Anava malam from the beginning-less period. St. Thayumanavar says that this advaita relationship with Anava should cease and we must have this relationship with God who is One of wisdom. (‘Anavaththodu athuvitham aanapadi meignaanath thanuvinodu aththuvitham aakunaal ennaalo’).

The Advaita relationship of God with us always exists. Only we don’t realize it and are not prepared to understand this relationship. St. Meykandar says that once this realization comes, we will be moving towards the Divine.

Our true nature is not to be with sensual objects, but to be with the Divine. This is a message given by Meikandar. This is a Saiva Siddhanta concept, which is seen even in early Tamil works. Thiruvalluvar speaks extensively of it in the chapter on ‘Realising the Reality’ (“Meiyunarthal’) in his Thirukkural text.

 

By nature, man associates himself with the sensual objects, his body, the internal instruments and the world surrounding him. He clings to them for his support. They condition his thoughts, words and deeds. This state of association often becomes the root cause of his illness, his problems. To free himself from this illness, he must understand the One, which is a real support to him and stop his clinging on to the sensual objects. This is explained in Thirukkural as follows:

“Sarpunarnthu sarpukeda ozhukin matrazhiththu

sarthara sartharu nooi”

Meaning of this verse is, ‘if one realizes the One (God) with whom he should associate and behave himself by cutting off his association with (attachment to) the sensual objects, then he would not suffer the illness caused by them’.

Ganesalingam

 

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