THE ESOTERIC
KANDAR ANUBHUTI
THE SECRET TEACHING ON
GOD-EXPERIENCE
(A Treatise on Adwaitic Realization)
OF
SAINT ARUNAGIRINATHAR
| THE ESOTERIC KANDAR ANUBHUTI THE SECRET TEACHING ON GOD-EXPERIENCE (A Treatise on Adwaitic Realization) OF SAINT ARUNAGIRINATHAR | |
 | by N.V. Karthikeyan |  |
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| inclination of devotees differ, according to their practice from their earlier lives. As the six cults do not lead to different Goals but to one and the same Goal, they are meant to bring unity among the followers of the different cults. Also, it implies that one cult is not superior or inferior to the other, as they all lead to the same Goal. Each and every cult has the transcendental (Nirguna Brahman, as the Goal) and relative (Saguna Deity worshipped, as the means) aspects implied in it. The transcendental aspect of every cult includes the relative aspects of all the cults and does not contradict them. Thus the saints who have realised the Absolute through any cult do not belong to that cult alone but to all of them. Cults are only paths or practices for the practitioners, not for those who have attained the Goal; also not for God, the Absolute. To which cult does Lord Murugan, or Devi, or Lord Siva belong? To which cult does Sankaracharya, who instituted the cults, belong? So is the case with Saint Arunagiri, Swami Sivananda and others. They do not belong to any cult but provide guidance to the followers of the different cults. Swami Sivananda gave initiation to devotees of all cults according to whoever is their Ishta Devata (cult) and guided them to realisation. He even allowed himself to be attired as Krishna, Siva, Devi, Murugan, Jesus, etc. when devotees so desired, to help them in their worship/meditation. Arunagiri has sung the glory of all the Deities in his Tiruppugazhs though they are primarily addressed to Lord Skanda. Even as God does not belong to any cult but all the cults lead to Him, so also Saints of the highest Advaitic Realisation do not belong to any cult but help followers of all cults to reach the Goal. They are interested in the welfare of all -- 'Sarvabootahite rataah'. They belong to God, to the whole of humanity and their teachings are universal. They cannot be confined or limited to any particular cult. To dub them as belonging to this or that cult would be a poor understanding of them and not a proper respect paid to them. To emphasise the unity among the cults he instituted, Sankaracharya also introduced it in the lives of his followers. So, the heads of Mutts appear as Saivaites wearing Vibhuti strips and Rudraksha Mala; sign letters of blessing as 'Narayana Smriti' and repeat 'Narayana, Narayana' when devotees bow to them; and do daily Puja to the Divine Mother. Now we continue the story. The Murugan that Arunagiri manifested was not so much the cult-God but the Supreme Reality that is behind the different manifestations. Hence, there should be no question of the Devi holding Skanda or vice-versa somewhere in Kailasa. It does not, however, mean that one God is inferior or superior to another. Every manifestation of God has different aspects: at least two, --- the Absolute and the relative. Lord Krishna was not merely the friend and charioteer of Arjuna but also the Bhagavan or Supreme God who gave the Gita-Upadesa as also showed Arjuna the Visvarupa. Similar is the case with all gods, - Lord Skanda, Devi, etc. The Lord is all aspects at once, and it is the attitude of the devotee with which the Lord is invoked, viz. Sattvika, Rajasika or Tamasika, that determines matters. Arunagiri had pure devotion and his invocation was not motivated by personal ends, while that of Sambanthandan was prejudiced and motivated. This accounts for the spontaneous manifestation of Lord Skanda and the non-appearance of the Devi, | ||
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