Fear is the reason for most of the problems
Fear is used to subjugate people, sell products and services.
More people pray due to fear rather than logic or devotion
Freedom is living with out fear. It can be also defined as independent state. When you are dependent, you have fear that support may disappear in future. Not in your control
Background
There was a King Saurasena ruling ancient kingdom Kanakagiri or Suvarnagiri, near Hampi. He had a slave girl or concubine Ratna from Anegundi (place for hanuman). She was good in sword fighting and once saved the King. So, she is very close to king, favorite companion, guide and best mate. Saurasena is very learned and considered as an expert in philosophy. Saurasena believes in Gnana marga.
Once an young saint Sivanandha from Himalayas visited Saurasena. He was lecturing/discussing on philosophy and promoting bhakthi marga. Sivanandha offers to have a duel with any of his experts to illustrate greatness of his path Bhakthi marga. Saurasena felt he and his scholars can not match Sivanandha. Ratna offers to take up the challenge, though scholars are against her as she is not a scholar and had no formal education, from a Guru. Ratna replies that experience is a good teacher. The gurus can help only in acquiring knowledge, but wisdom is individual effort. She considers she had many gurus, as she learns from every one or every thing.
Discussion
Sivanandha and Ratna, will ask each other questions by turn and winner will be judged, based on how they answer. Saurasena offers the winner anything they want.
Sivanandha: ப்ராணம் ஆசார்யான்ஹ் (respects to Guru)
Ratna: ப்ராணம் அனுபவம் (respects to Experience)
Sivanandha: Basis of everything?
Ratna: Rhythm or balance between Good-evil, dark-light, enlightenment-ignorance, ...
Ratna: Basis of everything?
Sivanandha: Dharma or order or perfection or Goodness
Sivanandha: When will Goodness win?
Ratna: Good-evil is relative, based on viewers perspective. Nothing is absolute. What is good today, will not be good tomorrow. Everything is changing. There is no winning or loosing. Everything just balance.
Ratna: What is Ultimate reality?
Sivanandha: Brahman which resides in everything.
Sivanandha: What is Ultimate reality?
Ratna: Ultimate reality is Knowledge. Everything is illusion - infinite cycles of dreams with in dreams. Each cycle (Universe) begins with emptiness and ends with emptiness
Ratna: What is problem affecting us?
Sivanandha: Greed. With out accumulating, living for today like a saint praying to God.
Sivanandha: What is problem affecting us?
Ratna: Fear. Because of fear of not having anything tomorrow, one becomes greedy.
Ratna: Objective of life?
Sivanandha: Samadhi - Merging with Ultimate reality killing one's ego or individuality - Ultimate bliss, which can not be explained. Bhakti is the embodiment of eternal bliss, and it is tasteful to the utmost extent. Prema-bhakti, love of Godhead and glorifies conjugal love of God.
Sivanandha: Objective of life?
Ratna: Searching for answers for everything. Many things are unknown. We still have to search, knowing that it can not be known.
Ratna: Bliss, you mentioned is nothing but idealisation of conjugal bliss. As King’s consort, I know conjugal bliss and feel loving God ora human are same. Experience is more important than knowledge. Can you differentiate?
Sivanandha: !!! Surrenders.
கட்கம் தேகம் வஜ்ரம் சித்தம்
மேதம் வசனம் த்வம் சார்ஜனம் நமாமி
Sword like body, intellect like a diamond, wisdom speech, Self, surrendering to you, Salutations!
Ratna: Bows to Sivanandha, who has understood real freedom
தேகம் நஹம் கொஹம் ஸொஹம்
வித்யாசாகரம் த்வம் சாயாம் நமாமி
I am not the body ; who am I? I am that, the infinite.
ocean of knowledge, Let Self, be your female companion, Salutations!]
Freedom
Ratna asks the King for her freedom, so that she can leave with Sivanandha, as a fellow wanderer. King wants to know, why she is not happy to live as the King’s most powerful and favorite companion. Ratna says, life at Palace is one that of fear. One has to hide their feelings and can not express one self. Simple life with Sivanandha, will be free and better.
She converts her palace garden in to chouldry and lead a peaceful life. Both have jointly written some poems/texts, which were destroyed during muslim invasion. One such poem is Ratnakaram (only 10% available). There is a myth that they attained nippana together. Some have been preserved partially by Vidyaranya.
Some contents from this story series has been used in Sankara Vijaya and Siddhartha by Herman Hesse. Sankara has to learn love/passion as part of wisdom. Hermann Karl Hesse was a German-born Swiss poet, novelist, and painter. His best-known works include Steppenwolf, Siddhartha, and The Glass Bead Game, each of which explores an individual's search for authenticity, self-knowledge and spirituality. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Appar on Freedom from service of King
நாமார்க்குங் குடிஅல்லோம் | நமனை அஞ்சோம்
நரகத்தில் இடர்ப்படோம் | நடலை யில்லோம்
ஏமாப்போம் பிணிஅறியோம் | பணிவோம் அல்லோம்
இன்பமேஎந்நாளும் துன்பமில்லை. - அப்பர் -
No need to report to any one or we are not any one's subject. Not afraid of death as we will not be put in hell by grace of Siva. We are free from bondage, pleasure and pain. We will not bow to any ruler or any one except Siva who assures us ever happiness and freedom from suffering.
makara samwatham
Their words will end with m, called makara samwatham.
புத்தி ஆ சாஸ்திரம் நகிம் அனுபவம்
ஆதாரம் கிம் தர்மம் நகிம் துலாம்
நித்யம் கிம் பாகவதம் நகிம் ஞானம்
சங்கடம் கதம் லோபம் நகிம் பயம்
லக்ஷ்யம் கிம் ஆனந்தம் நகிம் பிரச்னம்
This is similar to Madhurashtakam
Ratna uses similar to Thirumular concepts.
முகத்திற்கண் கொண்டு பார்க்கின்ற முடர்காள்
அகத்திற்கண் கொண்டு காண்பதே ஆனந்தம்
மகட்குத் தாய் தன் மணாளனோடு ஆடிய
சுகத்தைச் சொல் எனல் சொல்லுமாறு எங்கனே.
[Thirumular – limitations of idol worship, how can anyone visualize the Lord through the normal eyes? one can only see the Divine through the mind ; You have to experience it yourself as others can not explain this for you. For example, how can a mother explain to the child the pleasure she had with her beloved]
Ratnakaram
- Value of an item is known, when it is lost
- Sorrow can be known only by a person who has lost his whole family to a war or murder
- Compasssion is understood, when you can save a person, who is responsible for killing your whole family, as a duty
- Real joy is by delivering a baby, after pain.
- .... more to come
...
Website maintained by: NARA
