Moolavar and relevance of science.

[Guest guest]

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.)