Nacchiar who had been listening daily to the greatness of the 108 divyadesham from Periazhwar developed love for Sri Ranganathar. Listening to all of the greatness of divyadesham perumal, one thinks of the "Koviladi" or "Appala Ranganathan" or "Appakudatthan". "Sthalasayana Perumal" temple at Mahabalipuram. "Nithyakalyana perumal" in Tiruvadandai. "Parthasarathy" temple in Thiruvallikeni. "Veeraraghava perumal" in Thiruvallur and the "Aaramudhan" in Kumbakonam. After hearing about the greatness of all these divyadeshams, only the love for Sri Ranganathar was present in Sri Andal as such is the beauty of the Lord. The love was actually due to the separation (viraham) both in the mind and body. The food we
eat, essentially a part of it gets converted to mind and our sastras clearly say there is a connection between food and the mind. If you don't want desire and anger to surface within you, then the level of salty, spicy, sour, savory, sweet foods should be reduced. Even when Sri Rama asked Sabari
eat, essentially a part of it gets converted to mind and our sastras clearly say there is a connection between food and the mind. If you don't want desire and anger to surface within you, then the level of salty, spicy, sour, savory, sweet foods should be reduced. Even when Sri Rama asked Sabari
"kaHchittE nirjita vignaha kaHchittE vartatE tapaHa kaHchittE niyataH kOpa AhArascha tapOdhanE" -
Have you reduced food, are you consuming sattvic foods? There is a connection between the food and the mind. One of the reasons are the salty, sour and spicy food and the other is the constituents of the food themselves. There is "vizhampazham (Wood Apple)", "Naavalpazham (Java plum/ Black plum/ Jambul/ Indian blackberry)" and then there is the "Elantha pazham (Indian Jujube)" - ALL THESE THREE HAVE THE CAPACITY TO KEEP THE MIND IN PEACE.
By and large those who perform meditation will eat only these fruits. Also "thoothuvalai leaves (Solanum trilobatum)" give "chitta suddhi (clean chitta)" and helps to develop Jnana in one and such is the greatness of this leaf. These foods have great benefit and have to be consumed with very less of salt, sour and spicy content in at as well as by first offering this food to the perumal just before starting to eat. Also there are reasons wherein it is said, that the mind of the person preparing the food has certain influences that act upon it.
Once upon a time, there was an ashram and a sage came to this ashram to perform meditation. Daily, as he started to meditate, he would begin to think about what is happening in the world today, the news, politics and affairs etc., He wondered about this interest in him all of a sudden as he was not a worldly sort of person at all. Such a person being amidst the ashram surroundings, meditating, performing namasankeerthanam was to get this thought, he wondered. When meditating however, we find that there are two kinds of enemies - one is the enemy from outside, one is from the inside - the vasanas that surface within us. If you see a thing and desire it, that is the enemy coming from the outside. When there is nothing, nothing outside but something springs up from inside on its own, that's our internal enemy, our vasanas. So when this worldly thinking started to disturb the sage no end, day in and day out, he went to meet an elder there and described this problem to him. The elder told him to go and find out as to who was tasked with the preparation of his daily food and then to find out what his activities were when be was performing the act of cooking. He found that the cook who prepared his food daily would read the newspaper as he was cooking and stirring the pot and consuming the news in his mind. The cook had a lot of interest in reading all the news from the newspapers in the morning. So when a person like this prepares food, the person consuming also will get the same thoughts of the cook himself. Well, all this may sound as fun but this is certainly true. Such gunas will come to stay in our mind. Food and body are connected, the food and mind are also connected. How the mind operates, so the heart acts. Sometimes when references to our Hinduism culture is made, one would jokingly call this as a "kitchen religion".
By and large, if the food is under control and with a good quality, almost all things will fall into place. All the indriyas will calm down and not surface. The reason why there are so many changes in the body is mainly a result of the changes in the mind.
Sri Andal, who is immersed with the beauty of Sri Ranganathar is constantly thinking of HIM. Not just thinking of Sri Ranganathar alone, there is such a viraham (separation) in her heart with the desire to see the Lord, waiting when will the bhagavan come to her and when can she have the darshan of the bhagavan. The separation and suffering is akin to a fish thrown out of the water. This suffering is also evident in her since her body has become thin and her bangles are slipping from her hand. But even though her body has become thin, there is a tejas in her, her eyes and they possess a shine being very bright. This makes a distinct difference which can be found in her eyes. Such a separation from the bhagavan cannot be easily understood by us. Why? because we don't have that experience, never had and even we don't desire to get that experience. But even if we desire such an experience, it won't come easily to us. If we have a headache, toothache, leg pain or hunger we can easily understand. Usually whatever we have experienced and also when that experience is told by another person we can easily understand. If one says "I am having an hunger to see the bhagavan and am suffering for that", one would easily brand him as a madman. By and large, when the world sees a Jnani, the first title they would give him would be to call him a "madman". How is it so? Say, in a room there are ten people and let's say that amongst the ten, only one of them can see the bhagavan and rest of the people cannot see. But, when the majority claim they cannot see, then it becomes the truth. When the majority say the same thing and if the one lone person says a different thing, then of course, the majority would claim that the voice of the single person is not telling the truth. That's how the world determines everything normally. Such, being the pang of separation from the bhagavan makes one wonder about the disease that would have taken over Sri Andal. Would some devil have taken over her? "krishna-graha-grihitatma" - as was Prahlada, the one whose thoughts were always of the lord. As everyone wonders what has taken over Andal, Andal herself says "I know what has taken over me, please leave me alone. You will not understand this. I alone know what this disease is and what is the remedy for this". Thinking of the Lord Krishna always and not even moving away from that even for a second is the bhakta lakshanam of an illustrious bhakthar. Bhakthi won't change, instead bhakthi it will keep on increasing. Is there such a state, yes there is, it is not just for the sake of telling one or for the others, it is the state maintained very secretly. "kaNNan ennum karundeivam kATchi pazhahi kiDappEnai".
If one is suffering from a raw wound, then if instead of a medicine, someone were to squeeze tamarind juice upon the wound, how it would burn, likewise Sri Andal says "if you don't understand my problem, leave it and get on with your work. Please don't sit around me and just talk, your talk itself is increasing my pain more. I can't hear worldly matters as my ear hurts, please leave it. Nobody can find the cause of this disease. Just by finding a medicine and doing a research one cannot find the cure. This is a disease called krishna viraham" says Sri Andal herself. Only Mahans will only know this. Everyone will ask "is he a Jnani, is he a bhakthar", the question itself is unnecessary here. Just because one is a Jnani or a bhakthar it has no consequence for you, it is indeed you who have to aspire to become one. This is not a thing to be researched and even if researched it is not a thing for one to know of as well. Only a bhakthan will come to know if the other is a bhakthan. Only a Jnani will come to know if the other is a Jnani. Similarly a Yogi himself will know if the other is a yogi therefore there is no need to worry about knowing about such a thing. This krishna viraham was felt by sakshath Radha devi and all the gopikais. Has the disease come with any complaints, as doctors would usually ask the ailing person if there are also complaints such as vomitting, nausea or headache, body pain, weight loss. Therefore, for this disease of Sri Andal, there are nineteen bhava lakshanams. The eyes are full of "ananda bhaspam", as there are two different types of tears, one coming out of anandam and the other out of bhagavath viraham. We go to a temple and stand with lot of distress in front of the thiruvadi of the perumal and thinking of the distress we cry, which is not bhakthi. That is self pity. But still we get some fruit out of that cry anyway. But this is not bhakthi. The tears coming out of the eyes due to bhagavath kripa are really the tears of bhakthi. Thinking of the kripa of the bhagavan and the soulabhyam as a result, the tears flow and that is really the tears of bhakthi. Such a tear will flow from the middle of the eyes. That is called Ananda bhaspam. Hair will stand on end, the eyes will look upwards, in one would feel unconscious and the body will start shivering. Such are the bhaktha lakshanams which number about 19 and which is told in the bhakthi sastras. Out of these 19 lakshanams, even if just 1 or 2 of them materialises for one, is quite rare to find. But the greatness of nacchiar and radha is such that, all the 19 lakshanams are found fully in them. Such a viraham it is which also manifests in the body even. The bhakthi for one such as this will not stop even if they are sick, for example they will not get sleep or can't eat even. Only when the bhagavath darsanam is ultimately sought, can they be free from this viraham. Therefore Sri Andal herself says "yaarkum en noi ariya unnathu". This disease is krishna viraham and the only medicine for this is bhagavan darsanam and only after that there will be peace. Therefore azhwar here says "kaDalniRak kaDavu Lenthai aravaNait tuyilu mAkaNDu, uDalenak kuruku mAlO" - thinking of HIS kripa, HIS beauty, HIS saulabhyam, my body shrinks. Azhwar asks the devotees "why don't you cry so" - "uDalenak kuruku mAlO" - "why don't your bodies shrink"? You are all performing bhakthi yet nicely eating, sleeping, eating tiffin on time, taking medicines on time and are you all taking some gold bhaspam. If so, could you please give me some too. Because this viraha bhakthi is torturing me so much, that I am not able to sleep, not able to eat, the body is shrinking. Kabirdas tells beautifully in a doha - "all the world is sleeping but in the night Kabir is crying". "Such a viraham it is", says azhwar. "I am lost in HIS beauty, in HIS greatness, in HIS kripa, in HIS saulabhyam, in HIS saucheelyam, in HIS vaibhavam" becoming lost in each of this, my whole body has become thin "uDalenak kuruku mAlO enseygEn ulagattIrE!
Subham!
