Dear Seekers after Truth,
Let us remember the date of 30.1.1874 whereon Saint Vallalar has demonstrated to this world the extraordinary feat of dematerialization which no one till date is able to achieve irrespective of the efficacy of the knowledge they claim to possess in the spiritual kingdom. It is history that all of them died a human death and their bodies decomposed within days.
Let us recall the commandments of Saint Vallalar;
Be Hungry, Be Alone, Be Wakeful
We should hunger after what?
We have to hunger after Truth.
When we shall be alone?
When we leave falsity, we are alone with truth. It is not necessary that we should know truth but it is enough if we know falsity and stay away from the same. We know truth but we live in falsity. We raise the crop and harvest the same. We also sift the grains from the chaff. But instead of eating the grains, we eat the chaff. We have to set aside the chaff. Then only we can be alone with the grain of Truth. It is not loneliness or living in isolation. One becomes unique by practicing; one becomes unique by living; one becomes unique by breathing the ideals of the Saint.
How we can be wakeful?
We have to watch every alphabet of our words and our deeds as to whether any of either our words or any of our deeds is riddled with even an iota of exaggeration.
We can recast the entire philosophy of Saint Vallalar enveloped in six cantos. One need not memorize all the songs more than six thousand to quote them at the appropriate place to bewitch the gullible audience; one need not translate them; we have to translate ourselves if we want to claim ourselves to be Sanmarkis, ie as one who walks on the Path of Truth. Vallalar is an extraordinary alchemist, the type of which the world is yet to see and will not witness for all the ages to come. The saint was not at all interested in transforming the base metals into precious ones but the saint was chiefly concerned with transforming the basest of base human beings rusting like iron due to exposure to falsity and exaggeration into glowing gold. Then, the soul receives the grace by special compassion from god and experiences the life of excellence.
Let us hear the self declaration of the Saint which still reverberates in the ears of our souls;
Be Truthful, Leave Falsity, Never Exaggerate
What is the Truthful state?
It is a state to be attained the moment one leaves falsehood and the element of exaggeration.
How to leave Falsity?
See the two songs no.3 of Olivil Odukkam written by Kannudaiya Vallal. It is pertinent to note that Vallalar has written his masterpiece of commentary on this monumental work. The capacity of the saint as a commentator of a spiritual classic is evident in all the fours.The saint has considered this work as a guide to the aspirants of wisdom on the Path of Truth. The work crystallizes as to how to leave falsity and how to choose truth. See the simplicity and the elegance with which the guidance has been formulated in this poetry. For the purpose of convenience, the rendering in English is provided herewith.
Teacher trading merchandise with the mercenaries,
Stay away from gymnastics of his gimmicks—Like time
Witnessing seasons, to prostrate at the master’s feet
No words are there as mind could not reach him.
The meaning of the poetry is like writing on a wall. It is crystal clear.
What is Exaggeration and how to set it aside?
Speaking in excess of what is not inherent in the message is exaggeration. Exaggeration is like a person born blind explaining what is light to persons born with sight. There are two sides to this virtue; one is that we should not exaggerate; we should stay away from the persons who exaggerate. The person who seeks to exaggerate is more dangerous than the person who falsifies truth. Siddhi Valagam and DharmaChalai themselves were not exception to such internal feuds.
Vallalar himself has admonished and advised his devotees congregating both at Siddhi Valagam and Dharma Chalai vide his guidelines dated 25.11.1873. Vallalar has ordered the disgruntled disciples who posed a threat to the spiritual evolution of other earnest members and caused impediment to the gain of soul by way of exchanges among themselves to leave the premises of Siddhi Valagam and Dharma Chalai immediately and advised other members to evict such elements from the premises forthwith so that peace could prevail there.
We can now formulate a new spiritual equation at the dawn of the year 2009 in the following manner and apply the same in our day to day life.
Be Hungry to Be Truthful
Be Alone in Truth by Leaving Falsity
Be Wakeful Never to Exaggerate
How beautiful are the commandments of the Saint?
Whether we have understood the true import of these jewels?
Whether it is the voice of the peacock or the cuckoo?
Vallalar just watches us as to how we live with his words.
Before eight years, the National Geographic Channel televised a unique documentary where an elephant led a herd of buffalo under the mistaken impression that it was a buffalo and the herd of buffalo followed the elephant that they were elephants. The thought provoking situation was transformed into a sublime poetry instantly which may provide food to the thoughtful minds.
Elephant leads a herd of buffalo
Elephant thinks it is a buffalo
Buffaloes think they are elephants
Identity is mistaken it is not what
We think we are, but it is what
We really are is truth to the third;
Moon never eclipses sun by shadow
Throb of life dances in drops of genetics
Seeds of trees never know roots of earth;
Rise beyond time and space
Hear beyond sound and silence
See beyond light and darkness;
Elephant, buffalo spokes of same hub
One has gone out of the fold
One has come into the fold
Oh intelligent, do you know
The meaning of ignorance?
With regards
sivajayakumar
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21. When perceptibility of the body is suppressed by practising Samyama on its visual character, disappearance of the body is effected through its getting beyond the sphere of perception of the eye.
Pasithiru Remain hungry
Thanithiru Remain in seclusion
Vizhithiru Remain Awake
Vallalar has advocated a great philosophy in his simple three words; the philosophy that sets the standard of life and elevates the person to the high level of realisation. He has prescribed these three guide-lines for the three elements of human personality, body, mind and soul. The human body which consists of senses generates various desires. Fulfillment of one desire leads to rise of another. The word “Pasithiru” implies exercising discipline by denying the demands of the body.
Just as body needs rest, the mind also needs rest. The mind, which creates the notion of ego and hovers around worldly objects, needs to be steadied. By remaining in seclusion, Vallalar means that the devotee should remain in meditation and free from worldly thoughts.
Now, we come to the third aspect, Vizhithiru (Remain Awake) which needs a little elaboration. Normally, an individual passes through three different stage; deep sleep dream state and wakeful state. During the deep sleep stage (Sushupti), only his supreme consciousness is active while his body, mind or intellect ceases to function. Though he seems to be in a happy state during sleep, he is not able to act or perform any function. Besides this condition does not last for ever and is likely to change.
In the dream state, (Swapna) one finds himself in a different situation, where the mind forms its own images and takes the individual to a different world. King Janaka dreamt that he was begging in the street. When he woke up, he found himself back to his royal rosary bed. If his royal affluence seemed to be real on waking up, his begging stage also seemed to be real during the dreaming stage. He asked Sage Vasishta which situation was real; the one during the dreaming stage or the one during the waking stage, as both seemed to be real in the respective stages.
As the individual enters into the third stage of waking up (Jagrata), with his eyes wide open, he sees the world around and thinks that this is the real stage. As he wakes up, his mind, body and intellect start functioning. Though awake, he does not act for his real self; rather he acts in accordance with the dictates of his mind and body. Though he walks, talks and performs various functions, he does them mechanically as if a sleep-walker would be opening the door and walking down the garden. The functions he performs are more to satisfy the mental and bodily urges. Though he enters into the third stage of waking up, the fact remains that he is not woken up yet. Even on waking up, he remains in deep slumber. Even with his eyes wide open, he is fast asleep. Even on seeing the light of the day, he remains in darkness. He needs to be woken up really and brought to realise the real role in his life and the real goal of his life.
By commanding us to remain awake, (Vizhithiru) Vallalar wants us to come out of the darkness of Avidya. He whose vision is clear and who is enlightened within remains really awake.
Sri Sivajayakumar is an ardent devotee of Vallalar and has done extensive research on the philosophy of the saint. His website “Unisoul Univerese” opens up a wonderful world of treasure that shows the way to Sanmarga and the way to Jeevan Mukti. I hope that he would continue to share with us the great knowledge he has gathered by viritue of his devotion towards Vallalar.
Yours truly,
V.S. Krishnan
www.thiruppugazh.org