शिवज्ञानबोध (मेय्कण्डार - शैव सिद्धान्त का आधारभूत दार्शनिक सूत्र ग्रन्थ)

88 SIVAGNANA BOTHAM.
one common law and common principle. Through sheer forget-
fulness of this common principle and through distance of time
and place, the true belief and practice has been lost sight of ;
and if preserved, the mere shadow of them are preserved ; and
when people speculate on them fresh, all sorts of theories and
explanations are given. And these remarks apply with very
great force to the doctrine in question. So far is true, that unless
God comes down as Man and Guru and touches man with His Arul
or Grace, he cannot attain salvation. But when we proceed further
and ask who this Guru is, when and how he appears and acts, why
and wherefore he appears, whom he purifies, and how he purifies, the
answers are returned as each man's fancy dictates to him, without
any reference to God's and Nature's laws. The doctrine of atone-
ment is as puerile as the belief of the villager who seeks to
appease his village deity by sacrificing a cock or hen ; and the
doctrine of mediation, admittedly based on no higher principle
than that of human agency, instances of which are the Judge,
prisoner and lawyer, King, subjects, and Viceroy, &c., which
clearly involves the impairing of the Omniscience and Omni-
potency of the Supreme Ruler of the universe, is equally unsatis-
factory. If the Guru is Himself God, how could he be a mediator.
God is in man and can appear to him as man but cannot become
man. He dwelleth in our hearts and understands all our wants
and He meets all our wants. He knows our disease and our
sufferings and He has a balm already prepared for us. No body
need therefore tell Him, what we want, what our disease and
pain are and to crave His mercy for us, as He is all Love and All
mercy. There is no mediation. The touch of the Guru converts
the already prepared baser metal into Gold. His touch is as the
surgeon's lancet which opens out and heals an abscess fully matured.
Just as the loving mother runs and takes to her breast the
crying child, so God reaches us the instant we lift our voice to
Him. It is also seen that it is necessary for God to appear as Man,
only so far, man and Sakalars are concerned ; and that as far as

EIGHTH SUTRA. 89
other advanced souls, Vignana Kalars are concerned, He induced
Gnanam in them intuitively. The necessity so far as man is
concerned arises, because man cannot know otherwise.
Again the sinner to expect salvation, as he lisps, while he
dies, some dead names and words is absurd, as also to expect
that some dead names will produce such effects for all time to
come. Tested by the truth as laid down in this Sutra, the
ordinary observances and beliefs of almost every religions, Saiva
and other Hindu Religions included, will be a mere mockery and
sham; but still it will be observed, that even among Hindu
Religions, the Saiva Religion does not tolerate hierarchy in
any form.
3. The human soul is compared to the son of a king
stolen by savages, at his very brith and living among them and
who can never understand his identity until informed recognized,
by the King himself. The soul, in its nature, of pristine purity,
developes itself only, as its cosmic covering also evolves, and will
recover itself only with the touch of the Divine Guru. The soul is
again compared to a painted glass or mirror in which the identity
of the mirror is lost and will not be recovered unless the paint
is washed away.
4. The language 'Reaching the Feet of the Lord' is signi-
ficant. The freed soul does not become co-extensive (if we can
use the word) with God. It simply becomes imbedded in it, a
mere drop in the vast ocean, a mere trace as it were. Even
among Saivas, not to say of other schools among Hindu Philo-
sophers, even among the commentators of this very book, there
are differences of opinion as regards the condition of the freed
soul in union with God. The opinion of the author may be
however taken as stated above. The soul is like the flickering
lamp tossed by the wind and darkness and which loses itslf com-
pletely in bright noon day light and remains still and quiet.
12

90 SIVAGNANA BOTHAM.
There is eternal joy however in such a change and passage,
and it may be compared to the great joy of the person passing
from darkness to light and of the blind person recovering his
eyesight.
(c.) This illustration points out that the bodily infirmities or
the effects do not cease altogether even after the touch of the Di-
vine Guru. These infirmities have been so firmly rooted in man
and had become so strong that it takes even sometime after Surguru
Darsan to remove the effects of its former association completely.
During this interval, the soul becoming freed is enjoined to con-
template God, and this last injunction is what is elaborated in
the next Sutra.

NINTH SUTRA. 91
IX.
NINTH SUTRA.
ON THE PURIFICATION OF THE SOUL.
Sutra.—The soul, on perceiving in itself with
the eye of Gnanam, the Lord who cannot be perceiv-
ed by the human intellect or senses, and on giving up
the world (Pasa) by knowing it to be false as a
mirage, will find its rest in the Lord. Let the soul
contemplate Sri Panchaṭchara according to Law.
Commentary.
This treats of the manner of purifying the soul
and consists of three arguments.
First Argument.
Churnika.—The soul can perceive Hara only with His
Gnanam.
Varthikam.—That the soul should see the Lord by its
eye of Gnanam, is established by the fact that the Lord
cannot be perceived by the human senses and faculties and
is otherwise perceivable.
Illustrations.—(a) A person after examining the nerves,
bones, pus, phlegm of which he is composed of and not find-
ing, what he is, arrives at the knowledge that he must
understand with some other intelligence ; and unless he then
understands his God and his own self with the aid of Hara,
how else is he to understand his own self ?

92 SIVAGNANA BOTHAM.
(b.) The eye, which points out all things, cannot see
itself nor can it see the soul which enables it to see. And
the soul, which enables the eye to see, cannot see itself nor
God who enables it to see. As God is one with the soul
when it so understands, so examine the way in which he so
exists in thy understanding.
Second Argument.
Churnika.—Hara will appear to the soul when it re-
linquishes the world (Pasa.)
Varthikam.—It should be found by experience when
the soul sees the world which is Asat as Asat, it will find
its being, where it was, before in Gnana Sorupam; just as
when the colours reflected on a mirror are understood to be
colours, we can see the mirror itself.
Illustrations.—(a.) Will not the Lord who is Nirguna,
Nirmala, eternal Happiness, Tatparam (above all things)
and beyond comparison, and appears to the soul when
it gets rid of the Tatwas such as Akas, &c., will not He
appear as a far transcending Wonder and as an inseparable
Light of its understanding ?
(b.) When thou seest all the world as Asat, then
understand what remains is clearly Sat. Yet thou who
hitherto hadst knowledge of the world art not Sat. If thou
unitest thyself to Sat and obtainest its Divine Form, Asat
will altogether leave thee.
(c.) When the soul leaves Asat on finding that what
he had known is not Sat, and examines the Lord of the
universe in itself and perceives Him as itself, it leaves its
Pasam by His aid, as the snake bitten man is cured by the
Snake charmer contemplating on Garuda.

NINTH SUTRA. 93
Third Argument.
Churnika.—If the soul contemplates Sri Panchatchara
its Vasana Mala will disappear.
Varthikam.—Understand that the contemplation of
Sri Panchatchara according to Law is herein enjoined for
the purpose of freeing the soul of its hankering after evil,
which it does by its long association, even after attaining
the knowledge of the Gneya, just like the worm feeding
on the bitter margosa bark returns to it even after tasting
the sweets of the sugar cane.
Illustrations.—(a) If the soul perceives by pronouncing
Sri Panchatchara that it is the servant of Hara and does
puja to Him in the region of the heart by means of Sri
Panchatchara and performs Homam by the same means in
the region of Kundalini (navel) and contemplates Him
between the eyebrows, the Lord will appear to the soul and
the soul will become His servant.
(b.) If the soul sees the Lord in his heart as the
shadow Planets Ragu and Kethu are seen in the Sun and in
the Moon, the Lord will appear as the Light of the soul, just
as the latent fire appears when pieces of wood are rubbed
together. The soul will then become His servant, just as
the iron becomes fire when heated. Therefore contemplate
on Sri Panchatchara.
(c.) If the real nature of the Heart of the Lotus is
examined its stalk will be the 24 Tatwas beginning with
earth; its petals will be Vidya Tatwas and Sutta Vidya ;
its pollen the 64 Kalas of Iswara and Sathasiva ; its
ovary Sakti, the essence of the Kalas ; and the seeds the
51 forms Natham ; and the Arul Sakti of the Lord Siva
rests on it. Therefore contemplate on Sri Panchatchara.

94 SIVAGNANA BOTHAM.
NOTES.
This Sutra treats of the Sadana that is required for the
Gnana padha, and during the period after Sarguru Darshan, and
before becoming Jivan Mukta, and while in the human body.
The necessity for any Sadana at all during this period is because
as is indicated in the 3rd argument, the human soul by its long
association with Asat, sometimes forgets itself even after it has
found out its own nature and though it cannot do evil, there is
an hankering after evil. This is what is called Vasana Malam
or Thosham, evil of habit or association. The man whose sight
is restored in the beginning loves to shut his eyes a little. The
worm even tasting sweetness forgets it and delights to eat the
bitter bark by its long habit previously contracted. The reason
why it lingers is shown further on by the illustrations of the
potter's wheel which revolves even after the potter's hand is with-
drawn, and the empty asafœtida pot. The Sadana given in
this Sutra for removing this Vasana Malam is the contemplation
of Sri Panchatchara or say Pranavam, and here we pass into the
subject of Aha Dyan as distinguished from Pura Dyan, esoteric
worship from exoteric worship. There is, however, a corres-
pondence between these two and the correspondence is that be-
tween a reality and a Symbol. The various rituals employed in
Temple worship correspond to various real spiritual practices
employed in esoteric worship. The subject is too abstruse even
for me, especially as I am not yet an initiate, and any elaboration
of it is altogether beyond the scope of this work. The object of
the original work itself is to lay down and explain the founda-
tions, the basic principles of our Philosophy and Religion and I

NINTH SUTRA. 95
need not pass beyond this either. The principle of this Sadana
is contained in the 2nd argument and brought out more fully in
illustration (c). This principle is what is called Soham bavana
Soham is from the root 'Ṣa' meaning It (denoting Brahm) and
Aham meaning I or Me (denoting soul). The word 'Sivoham'
is also its equivalent; and the word means Brahm is myself or I
am Brahm. This in fact is also the purport of the four Maha
Vakyas in the Veda which are 4 Mantras intended for practice
or Sadana and to be taught by the Guru to the initiate. Like
every other Sadana provided for the first three stages which are
mistaken for the end itself, this Soham Sadana is mistaken for
the end itself by Vedantists and these proclaim that they are them-
selves God. And the caution is therefore conveyed and repeat-
ed several times in the 1st and 2nd arguments and in the illustra-
tions (see especially illustration 2 (b)) that the soul practising
Soham bavana should not mistake itself for God. This practice
of the Gnani therefore is as much a symbolic worship or Bavana
as that of the Yogi (illustration 2 (c) Sutra VI.) But the Yogi
gains certain Sudhia or Siddhis by his Bavana and the Gnani
also gains something and what this is shown in the 3rd argu-
ment. The great mistake of Vedantic writers and Vedantic books
consists in this that instead of treating of the Maha Vakya in
its proper place and confining it within its proper scope, they
discuss it, when they speak of proof or in the argumentative or
expository stage. And this is what makes many of these books
ridiculous. To say to ordinary mortals that he is God and he must
believe himself to be God is certainly absurd when as we have
seen above, to whom and by whom this instruction (Mantra) has
to be imparted and even then, accompanied with proper caution.
This then is what constitutes throwing pearls before swine and
who is the more blame worthy of the two?
I must now proceed to explain the principle of Soham bavana
contained in 2 (c). As the illustration of the Snake charmer points

96 SIVAGNANA BOTHAM.
out, this is the under lying principle of all Mantras. By frequent
practice of the Mantra, by contemplation of the principle under-
lying the Mantra, the person contemplating becomes converted
into the Mantric idea or principle itself, i.e., the idea becomes the
actuality and this also explains the Siddhis acquired by Yogis by
Will-power. So when the Gnani contemplates on Sri Panchat-
chara and that he is Brahm or Sivam, he becomes Brahm itself.
Here note again the difference. It is not total conversion. What
happens is this. What was before non-apparent and in himself
becomes apparent as the invisible shadow planets become
visible in the Sun and Moon at Eclipse time. With this effect again,
however, that the first (soul) goes down and becomes non-appa-
rent and the other (Brahm) becomes apparent and Supreme, as
the invisible oxygen always in contact with a piece of wood, when
it chemically combines with the wood, altogether changes its
form into its own as a living, shining fire (3rd argument illustra-
tion b). Here it is seen, it is the fire or oxygen (Brahm) that it is
supreme, and not a piece of wood or iron (soul) which the former
subordinates. So even in Mukti, the soul is really the servant of
God.

TENTH SUTRA. 97
CHAPTER IV. PAYANIAL.
X.
TENTH SUTRA.
THE WAY OF DESTROYING PASA.
Sutra.—As the Lord becomes one with the Soul
in its human condition, so let the Soul become one
with Him and perceive all its actions to be His.
Then will it lose all its Mala, Maya, and Karma.
Commentary.
This Sutra treats of the way of destroying Pasa, and
consists of two arguments.
First Argument.
Churnika.—Become one with Hara.
Varthikam.—It is pointed out, here, that the Soul
should become one with Parameshwara as He had become
one with it, as, when it does so, it joins His feet by losing
its pride of self and self-knowledge.
Illustration.—When the Soul asserts its own know-
ledge by distinguishing its acts from those of others, the
Lord losing His identity, will appear as the Soul. But the
Soul which says that there is no such thing as itself and
that all actions are His, the Lord unites to His feet and
reveals His real self to it.
Second Argument.
Churnika.—Consider all your actions to be those of the
Lord.
10

98 SIVAGNANA BOTHAM.
Varthikam.—It is enjoined that the Soul should
perceive its actions to be those of the Lord’s, unceasingly,
as it will not act, except with His Arul, and, in consequence,
ignorance and Karma will not enter it.
Illustrations.—(a) If the soul determines that the
senses are not itself, and that their actions are not its own,
and that the perceived objects are also not itself, and that
it is the servant of Hara, and then arrives at the conclusion,
that everything is His work, then none of the actions of
the Soul which, thus, attributes every work to Him, will
affect it, in whatever body it may be encased. And
Praraptha Karma will also then cease.
(b.) As it is the prerogative of the great to protect
those who resort to them, so God raises those who approach
Him and yet bears no ill-will (to the rest). He transforms
His devotees into His own Form ; and the rest who do not
approach Him, He makes them eat the fruits of their own
Karma. These two functions He performs according to the
deserts of each.
(c.) Like the smell which is present in the pot, even
after the asafœtida is removed, the effects of the Gnani's
previous Karma will be felt in the material body and
yet they will not furnish food for a future birth, as it,
having been transformed into the Lord is fixed in Him.
(d.) Like the Siddha who, sitting in fire, is not burnt
by it, and like the horseman who, riding on the fleetest
animal, does not lose his hold, the Gnanis who, ascertaining
the true path, fix their thoughts on the Divine Feet of Hara,
will not, though, having perception through the senses,
be affected by such perception, and leave their true nature.

TENTH SUTRA. 99
(e.) If one, finding the truth that he is Satasat, under-
stands only with Sivagnanam, he will not be affected by
Anavamala and will become united to Sat. Then will not
the affections of the senses influence him, just as the dark-
ness will have no effect before the fierce light of the Sun.

100 SIVAGNANA BOTHAM.
NOTES.
———◇———
In the last Sutra, it was enjoined that the soul should contem-
plate on Sri Panchatchara for the purpose of effecting its purifi-
cation. The present chapter treats of the Palan or ends to be
achieved by the Sadanas mentioned in the foregoing chapter.
The end, it is agreed on all sides, is what is called Moksha or
Mukti or "Veedu" in Tamil. The word literally means freed or
freedom and it therefore imports two things. When the soul
attains Mukti it is freed from ignorance or Pasam (Pasa and
Pasu Gnanam) and attains Pathi Gnanam. The very act which
separates the soul from Pasam (Jagat) unites it to the Pathi
(Brahm) as was before illustrated by the case of the man reach-
ing the ground by the breaking of the rope of the swing. Of
these two results of Mukti, this Sutra treats of Pasatchaya or
the mode by which the soul is freed of Pasu. This is achieved
by the soul becoming one with God and by considering all its
actions as those of the Lord. Becoming one with God means
attaining Adwaitha relation, and to remove all doubts about what
this Adwaitha relation is, the Sutra points out that the soul
should become one with God in Mukti as God was one with the
soul in its bantha condition. This relalionship is further ex-
plained in the next Sutra in explaining the attainment of Pathi
Gnanam. Some of the Purvapaksha theories relating to the
condition of the soul in Mukti are as follows :—
Freedom or unity is reached,

1. when the Akas of the pot unites with the enter Akas
   by the breaking of the pot ;

TENTH SUTRA. 101
2. when the man mistaken for a post is ascertained to
be a man ;
3. when the cause of the earthen pot is found to be
earth (causation) ;
4. when the color or quality of a thing is found to be
united to the thing itself, (a thing and its inseparable attribute);
5. when the iron becomes red hot, (iron and heat);
6. when water is mixed with the milk ;
7. when the charmer becomes one with the object of his
Mantra ;
8. when the heated iron absorbs water ;
9. when the man becomes one with the devil when
possessed ;
10. when the fire-wood is covered up by the flames ;
11. when the lamp is lighted before the midday sun ;
12. when two lovers become one by the result of their
love ;
13. when two friends become united by friendship ;
14. when two animals are one by mere resemblance or
similarity such as color, &c.
It would be noticed that some of these relationships are exact-
ly what have been already used as illustrations in the preceding
pages, but it should be carefully noted that they are used as
mere illustrations only and nothing more. These are not to be
mistaken for the actual truth itself and the only similarity in
nature which appoximates almost to truth itself is found in the
relation of the soul and God in the bantha condition. In the
bantha condition soul exists and God is non-existent ; in

102 SIVAGNANA BOTHAM.
Mukti, God exists and Soul is non-existent ; yet in either case
neither God nor Soul is non-existent.
The relationship contemplated in the last Sutra is what is
called that of Gnathuru, Gnana and Gneya. Mukti cannot be
attained if this relation is preserved and unless Adwaitha
relation is established. It is not even sufficient if it becomes
one, for the purpose of rooting out all Karma ; and the soul is
therefore enjoined to consider its actions as those of the Lord.
These injunctions are of course for the Gnani attaining Mukti
even in this life. So long as the human body lasts, the effects
of Praraptha will sometimes linger as the smell of the asafoetida
lingers in the pot, or as the author of Sivagnana Siddhi adds,
the wheel of the pot continues to revolve for sometime even
after the hand of the potter is removed. Sanjitha Karma is
destroyed by the very touch of the Gnana Guru as the seed com-
ing in contact with fire. Praraptha continues and it is des-
troyed by practising the Sadana contained in the last Sutra; and
its effects or Vasana are destroyed by the condition attained
by the Jivan Mukta. But so long as the human body continues,
some acts will have to be performed by the Jivan Mukta, and it
is shown by the illustrations, these acts will not produce any
other acts or form the seed for any future Karma or Akamia and
no other births will be induced.
The arguments point out why the condition attained by
the Jivan Mukta has the effect of destroying Pasa. It is be-
cause the soul thereby loses its Ahankara and Mamakara or
Anava and this last is the source of all evil, all Karma and
successive births.
The learned commentator of Ozhivilodukkum and the author
of several excellent devotional works argues out the existence of
the three padarthas and the rest of the doctrine from the word
Mukti or Veedu itself, in the following stanza ;—

TENTH SUTRA. 103
வீடென் றறைதரு சொற்குப் பொருளோ விடுதலை யாதலி
னால் ;
வீக்குண் டோனும் கட்டுண் டோனும் விளங்கும் திடமாக,
பீடுறு கட்டுத் தானாய் விட்டுப் பெயராது இது சடமாம்,
பிணி பட்டோன் அசதந்தரனாகும் பிணிபெயரச் செய்வோன்
நீடு சுதந்தர முண்டா மொருவன் எனுமிவ் வேதுவினால்,
நிகழ்பதி பசுபாசம் மென முப்பொருள் நிச்சய மென்றருளி,
வேடனை வெல்லும் குருவா யெனையாள் மெய்ப்பொருள் நீ
யன்றோ,
வேதகிரிப்பவ ரோக வயித்திய வேணி முடிக்கணியே.
" As the word Mukti or Veedu means freedom, it imports
clearly a Free Being and an unfreed or fettered being. The
fetters can never become removed of themselves. Hence this
Bantham is Jatam or Asat. So saying, O Thou Healer of Sins !
Thou hast appeared to me as my Sar Guru, the victor of the
savages (of the senses) and hast taught me to infer for certain
the three Padarshas, Pathi, Pasu and Pasa from the word Mukti
and hast graciously taken me as thy servant.

104 SIVAGNANA BOTHAM.
XI.
ELEVENTH SUTRA.
THE WAY BY WHICH SOUL UNITES WITH
GOD.
Sutra.—As the soul enables the eye to see and
itself sees, so Hara enables the soul to know and
itself knows. And this Adwaitha knowledge and
undying Love will unite it to His Feet.
Commentary.
The Sutra treats of the way by which the soul unites
with the sacred foot of the Lord and consists of two argu-
ments.
First Argument.
Churnika.—Hara feels what the Gnani feels.
Varthikam.—It is proved that the Lord knows what-
ever the soul knows, as the soul cannot perceive anything,
except with the aid of the Lord.
Illustrations.—(a) As the soul becomes conscious of
such objects only as it comes in contact with each of the
senses separately, it cannot apprehend all the objects of the
five senses at once, but apprehends them only one by one.
But God sees and understands all things at once.
(b). When the soul unites itself to God and feels His
Arul, God covers it with his Supreme Bliss and becomes

ELEVENTH SUTRA. 105
one with it. Will He not know Himself who is understood
by the soul through the intelligence of the soul ?
Second Argument.
Churnika.—If the Gnani has unfailing Love for Hara,
he will become united to Him.
Varthikam.—It is shown that the soul unites with the
Feet of the Lord, through unfailing Love, as He, dwelling
in each man inseparably, metes out to each, according to
his desert.
Illustrations.—(a) The blind will only see darkness even
in the presence of the Sun; just so, the soul entangled in
Pasa cannot see Isa (though he is present in every thing).
Just as the Sun only opens the Lotus flower (when it is
matured), so the darkness of those who understand Him by
their Love will be removed by his Arul.
(b). As the Moon dispels the deep darkness, so God,
who is connected with the soul from eternity, in His Love,
removes the Mala of the soul and attracts it to Himself, just
as the magnet attracts iron and brings it under control.
While so operating, He incurs neither weariness nor change.
(c). When becoming one with God, if the soul perished,
there will be nothing to unite with God, as it perishes. If
it did not perish, it cannot become one with God. Just
like the salt dissolved in water, the soul, after loosing
its Mala, unites itself to His Feet and becomes the servant
of God (looses its individuality). Then it will have no
darkness (no separation.)
(d). Just as the rising Sun is enshrouded by the
clouds and then appears, little by little, and when all the
14

106 SIVAGNANA BOTHAM.
clouds are driven away, spreads its shining rays every
where, so the soul's intelligence is enshrouded from eternity
in Mala and brightens a little from its experience of the
world ; and getting rid of its Mala altogether, recovers
its original intelligence and unites itself to the Feet of God.

ELEVENTH SUTRA. 107
NOTES.
The last Sutra treated of Pasatchaya and the present one
treats of attaining Pathi Gnana or Anubava. Leaving the case
of those who postulate utter annihilation at this stage, in which
case of course there could be no union (illustration 2c) and of
those who postulate no Anubava at all, this Sutra points out how
this Anubava arises. This Anubava is an Anubava of the soul
in one sense, though not so in another sense. Here there is
Adwaitham again. Dr. Bain instances the case of a man enjoying
the keen pleasures of a warm bath as one of pure objective feeling
or attitude; or as we would put it, it is the case of the man
enjoying the pleasures of a cool bath during a hot day or what
comes to the same thing, of the man who gets under the cool
shelter of a spreading banyan tree (அடி நீழல்) after a hot and
weary walk during the midday sun. Now substitute for the
mind, the soul freed of Pasa and for the cool bath or cool
shade, the Glorious Divine Light and its effulgence which per-
meates the soul through and through and diffuses all round 'it.
and completely bathes it in its Arul, and conceive then the soul's
feeling of pleasure, its Anantha, Bliss. It is the soul that no
doubt feels primarily but it ceases to live as such, and that
very moment it becomes transformed into the Divine Feeling or
Anubava itself. Just as the mind, when enjoying the pleasure
of a bath, becomes purely objective, the soul becomes purely
Divine when it feels His Arul and God covers it with Bliss
(Illustration 1 b). As you feel the coolness of the bath or the
shade more and more, your pleasure increases, so, as the soul feels
His Arul more and more, its love of the Lord increases. So
it is this (அயரா அன்பு) undying love, True Bhakti, that is the