Sage of Kanchi –

Pranams at the lotus feet of Sri Paramacharya !

Paramacharya describes, a twice-born is reverentially greeted as deities on the Earth/Bhudeva, cow and twice-born are the pillar of righteousness, without cow and Vedic scholars none of the spiritual or religious rites takes place,  a twice-born who is dedicated his life for Vedic way of living performs daily rites, recites  Vedas and Upanishadh,  conducts sun worship thrice a day, performs  Yajja etc…. for the welfare of Universe and it's living, he is not doing any of the daily rites for personal motive all that performed for the well-being of the Universe, therefore he is addressed as deity on the Earth.  Nowadays, twice-born has forgotten his daily rites, people lost interest in Vedic study and as a result performance of Yajja has reduced significantly, eventually people lost interest in keeping cows at home, once the cattle shed is considered as the purest place as  the permanent abode of Goddess Mahalakshmi can be seen seldom.  Go Puja and Gaja Puja is regular events in our mutt to date.  Feeding a cow is considered as auspicious, this duty should be continued without any fail whether the cow stops giving milk or not, as long as it is alive, and otherwise it will bring severe sins.  Our Acharya urged the need for protection of cow legally and put a ban on cow slaughter.  Collecting vegetable waste from restaurants and shelter homes where meals are cooked in large scale and send to cattle shelter homes is a great idea to serve the cattle; even the women can do this simple task by setting apart from the vegetable waste and rice soup at home and feed the cows.  In this way, we can put an end to sending the cows to slaughter homes, feeding a cow brings an abundance of piousness and blessings of Lord Vasudeva.  It is the responsibility of every individual to make sure that no cow is sending to slaughter homes, instead construct shelter homes for the cows and contribute substantial money for feeding and protection of them, many of the cow owners are villagers from low-income group, they cannot afford to give away the cow for free, therefore provide a reasonable amount as compensation and send the cow to shelter homes.  We all are capable to do physical as well as monetary service, make sure we are utilizing our good energies for the welfare of the Universe.

Sage of Kanchi –

Pranams at the lotus feet of Sri Paramacharya !

Paramacharya continues, we have seen various usage of cow’s milk and supplementary products, cow-dung is used for burning fire and the remains are used as sacred ashes, it is used for fire sacrifices, it is used as cleaning property, it removes bacteria works as a disinfectant, it removes air pollution.    In olden day’s cow dung patties were kept in large stock in every home, it is used as burning fire during the winter season and for the religious and spiritual rites at homes.  Panchagavyam is a collective ingredient of milk, curd, ghee, cow dung, and urine, It is used as a purifying agent, it removes external as well as internal impurities.  Panchagavyam works as firewood, it removes the impurities in the air and when it is consumed it removes the sins of the individual.  Cow slaughtering brings severe sin, a sin equivalent to the killing of one’s mother; there is no Prayashchiththam/atonement for this sin.  When the cow get older, it reduces giving milk or completely stops, during this period of time it is our responsibility to take care of her and show gratitude for her long years of service to the family, when our mother get older and physically and mentally worn out, is not that our duty to take care of her?  It is not our practice to send her away from home; in the same manner, when a cow gets older we should protect her until the natural death takes place.  Gorochana is a bright yellow substance prepared from the bile of cattle after its natural death, it has various usages.  In Jabalopanishadh Lord Shiva describes the method of preparation of sacred ashes which remove the sins of the worshiper, and provides Moksha.  Usually, we take bath for bodily hygiene, smearing sacred ashes provides the same result of bathing.  The dust raised from the hooves of the cow is considered as sacred; it provides the piousness of sacred bath in holy rivers.  All the spiritual and religious practices are done for the welfare of the Universe and its living beings, Yajjas and various fire sacrifices are performed for the welfare of the people, all these Vedic rites require numerous ingredients from the cows and collective efforts of Vedic scholars/ priests for the performance, therefore Vedic scholar and cows are fundamental for the continuation of spiritual and Vedic rites, these two are vital for the Universal well-being and righteousness, none of the Vedic or spiritual rites takes place in the absence of these two.  Supreme Lord is the essence of Veda, he is the performer/Vedic scholar, and he represents the performance of Yajja/fire sacrifice and ingredients of Yajja as well.  Protection of cow is our prime duty, for the welfare of the Universe and its living beings.

Sage of Kanchi –

Pranams at the lotus feet of Sri Paramacharya !

Paramacharya continues endless attributes of cow, she is often compared with the Mother Earth for her forbearance, in fact, she is the Universal Mother who has embodied as Earth and cow, Earth has possessed rich mineral and soil, the cow is a source of wholesome milk which has high nutritional compounds, it multiplies the Swathik nature in human beings.  The supplementary products like curd, buttermilk, ghee, butter, cow dung, urine, etc.. are ingredients used for the performance of Vedic rituals as well as for personal consumption,  none of the spiritual or religious rites can be performed without these ingredients, she is the primary source for the existence Dharma in the Universe, so she should be treated in a well manner.  Cows constantly serve human beings like Earth which is the source of rich mineral and soil, therefore it is our responsibility to ensure her safety and protection.  In Dwaparayuga, Mother Earth assumed the form of a cow and appealed to Lord Vishnu, when she was burdened by the demons.  Even though Lord Vishnu has infinite incarnations, Krishnavathara is considered as Poornna Punyavathara, he lived on the Earth like an ordinary human being, he performed all the duties and responsibilities of a cowherd, he protected cows and took good care of them as a cowherd, he underwent all those sufferings, and miseries.  Lord Krishna came down to Earth for the accomplishment of a specific objective, he imparted knowledge of Bhramam, he killed numerous demons, he blessed his staunch devotee Devi Yasodha and Nandhagopa with his childhood pastimes, he performed various amusements in the sacred land of Gokulam and Brindhavan, he performed most glorious Rasaleela with the young maiden of cowherds and Sri Radharani, he crushed the pride of Lord Indhra and Lord Bhrama, he killed Kamasa and liberated Devi Devaki and Vasudeva from the detention,  he married to Devi Rukmini to prove that they are inseparable consorts, whenever Lord Vishnu incarnates on Earth, Goddess Mahalakshmi also follows him,  he performed the role of emissary of Pandava who symbolizes Dharmam, he carried out the role of Gitacharya and charioteer to Arjuna, he established a magnificent city Dwaraka, lived in this glorious city with sixteen thousand and one a hundred wives, once the objective of the incarnation was completed, he returned to the supreme abode.  This is one of the glorious incarnations of Lord Vishnu as a cowherd who protected cows.  Therefore, we should take good care and protection of cows, in every household the cow, should be worshiped and taken care in a good manner; it is the eternal abode of Goddess Sri Mahalakshmi.  

Sage of Kanchi –

Pranams at the lotus feet of Sri Paramacharya !

Paramacharya speaks about ‘Go Samrakshanam’/protection of cow, it is one of righteous deed should be done by all four Varnnas known as Bhramin, Kshathriya, Vaishya, and Shudhras, it is considered as one of the pious deeds by Buddhists and Jains as well.   The cow is believed as the mother of the Universe, except for cow rest of the living creatures feed their children only and that too for a short period of time.  The cow is the only animal which provides milk to the caretaker for a long period of time in their lives that is also one of the reasons the sacred scriptures strongly recommend the protection of cows.  All the Vedic rites begin with the veneration of cows, Veda praises the generosity of this animal, cows are considered as auspicious animals which abundantly supply with the ingredients for the performance of Vedic rites in this way they take a huge part in the life of a twice-born and performance of Vedic rites.  Protection of cows brings welfare to humans, milk is an essential part of our daily life,  not only milk various milk products like butter, ghee, buttermilk, curd,  cow dung, urine, etc.. are useful for personal as well as for religious rites,  therefore veneration of the cow is treated as most propitious act, it has the capacity to fulfill the needs of its calves and the people dependent on it.  Supreme Lord Krishna narrates the   three duties and responsibilities of a Vaishya, he should take care of agriculture and trade, he should protect cows, he should make sure to avail enough milk for the calves and rest of the milk should be utilized for personal use, he should take care of agricultural and farming for the welfare of other three Varnnas, business and trade is treated as the primary duty of a Vaishya, therefore a Vaishya who completely neglect his Dharma is a sinful deed.  A twice-born discarding his duties and responsibilities towards his family and dependents, living in woods and taking care of his needs also a sinful deed.  Vaishya doing his duty for the welfare of the society, therefore he should always remember that he is doing business not for personal motive, he should have remembrance of Lord who established the duties and responsibilities, it should be performed with intense faith then it is considered as a righteous deed.

Sage of Kanchi –

Pranams at the lotus feet of Sri Paramacharya !

Paramacharya describes the heroism of six warriors of Kali, The first warrior lust/desire says ‘I am capable to destroy an individual completely; I can make a person act worse than an animal.’ The second warrior anger speaks ‘I have a stronghold which causes  distress, afflictions, pains, sufferings, miseries, and sorrows, in that fortress even the arrow of lust/desire cannot enter, that is the heart of Sage Durvassa.”  It is a known fact that desire/lust cannot enter into the heart of Sage Durvassa, but anger permanently resides in it.  A book can be read in the shadow of light, but it cannot be read under sunlight, it creates darkness.  The illustrious Yogishvara Thirumoolar who compiled Shaiva Siddhantha in twelve Thirumurai,  in which the first one is Thirumandiram, he composed these glorious hymns when he comes out of the transcendental state once in thousand years, he elaborately described the difference in individual perception about a single thing, he explains, where is the subsistence of supreme spirit? How can we conduct a search for the supreme spirit? What has enclosed the supreme spirit?  Etc..  The whole Universe is the essence of supreme spirit; he is omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent.  A person who is aware of the truth of the all-pervading nature of supreme spirit will realize the eternal presence of supreme consciousness in his heart as well, it will remove the darkness of ignorance in him.  Veda concludes with the description of supreme consciousness, these are called Upanishad, Sri Adhishankaracharya who is divine personified on the Earth for exemplifying the glories of the supreme spirit.  The whole universe is in brightness; therefore we are not able to realize the supreme spirit which is the essence of brightness and Universe, our darkness of ignorance causes not to realize the supreme consciousness, Acharya explained the lack of duality which is the philosophy of Adhvaitha.  The Universal soul resides as a soul in all the living things, hence it is all-pervading, and it is the knower of all.  None has the interest to know the nature supreme consciousness, all are immersed in the material world, all want to earn and earn money, all are want to satisfy their comforts and feed their senses, all want to live in peace, is that worth for long run when everything has perishable nature.   When we accumulate wealth, we will find the source to harm others, we earn sin as well as illnesses.  Acharya suggests an ideal way to cure all kinds of illnesses, strictly follow disciplines and continue spiritual and religious rites according to Varnna.  An individual is highly admired in the society and always remembered for his good deeds, strict disciplines, generosity, morality, and performance of religious and spiritual rites.  A wealthy person who is not having any qualities or not following any of the basic rites will not earn any respect in the society and people will not remember him for long.

Sage of Kanchi –

Pranams at the lotus feet of Sri Paramacharya !

Paramacharya narrates the art of control over senses, darkness, and brightness are two segments, we realize the brightness when it gets dark, therefore the darkness is the cause for the realization of brightness, we cannot see the brightness of stars in the day light, but when it gets dark we can perceive the sparkling of stars, this is the essence of Vedantha, once we attain the self-realization and God-realization, the ignorance and illusions disappear.  If you concentrate on worldly matters, involuntarily the supreme consciousness vanishes.  If we learn to control anger, though it is difficult to bring into practice, many of the grief in our life will disappear.  There was a custom prevailed in our families, the woman of the house start her domestic work early hours of dawn, during these hours she will be singing glories of Lord in a musical form, therefore children in the home will be able to grasp some of it, in the later stages they will read stories from scriptures, further, they will listen to these glorious myths from the religious speakers.  Unfortunately, all those days are gone, later the theaters have come into existence, but most of the time they focus on worldly matters and little on the scriptures.  Now a day’s Orators has another responsibility to entertain his audience, he has to crack jokes to make the audience to sit and listen to his speeches.  Some have the opinion that scriptures are made up of stories, whatever it is, will it be soothing while listening or not? Scriptures have a sole purpose that is to bring peace and serenity to the listener.  Desire/lust is the major cause of sin and anger is more dangerous than desire.  Acharya beautifully narrates the story of Nalacharitham, in which Nala and Dhamayanthi were truly passionate to each other, it was the occasion of Swayamvaram of Devi Dhamayanthi, deities and Indras were enthusiastic to marry Dhamayanthi, they dressed up like Nala, but Dhamayanthi who has attained the blessings of Goddess Saraswathi, chosen the real Nala as her life partner, deities praised the virtues of Dhamayanthi and blessed her.  It stirred the anger in Kali, who was late to attend Swayamvaram, later he caught Nala for his minor mistake.  The poet describes desire/lust and anger is chief of army men of Kali, the rest of the warriors are greed, attachment, ego, and jealousy.

Sage of Kanchi –

Pranams at the lotus feet of Sri Paramacharya !

Paramacharya talks about ‘Vinayam’/humility,  Sri Adishankaracharya who composed beautiful verses of ‘Saundharyalahari’ in this work of art entire verses praising the splendor of  Supreme Goddess who symbolizes the epitome of beauty, every stanza describes the incomparable loveliness of  Goddess that is why it is called ‘Saundharyalahari’/stream of beauty, Acharya at the end of the composition humbly offering all those verses at the  lotus feet of supreme Goddess, it shows the altitude of humbleness.  Further, he says that the supreme Goddess is the source of excellence in the construction of words, therefore all those compositions belong to her.    Usually, at the end of every composition, poets who compose the verses put his name as a signature at the end, or describe the fruitfulness of recitation of the particular verses in the form of Phalashruthi.  Sri Adishankaracharya who is divine personified on Earth, composed the endless beauty of his consort with humbleness, even the deities incarnates on Earth will follow all the disciplines of an ordinary human, they do not reveal themselves as divine personified, they live with utmost humility and they will maintain this quality in every walks of their life.  They came down to Earth to fulfill an objective; during their lifetime on Earth, they follow the rules of an ordinary human, so that they can attain the objective of their incarnation.    It is a lesson for people like us to learn those virtues.  We should learn to live without ego; it is a bigger obstacle for attaining self-realization and God-realization.   The divine personified did not reveal their immense strength, they have shown endless attributes, and they were void of impurities.  Supreme Lord personified as Sri Adishankaracharya in order to teach us the true nature of a devotee.  Goddess Sita who was a personification of Goddess Sri Mahalakshmi taught the lessons of humility.  Sri Adishankaracharya composed numerous sacred hymns and dedicated all those to respective deities. 

Vidhya Vinayasampanne Bhramane  Gavi Hasthini| Shuni Cheva Kshapake Cha Panditha: Samadharshina: || (Srimadh Bhagavath Gita – V-11 )

Therefore, the essential requirement for learning all the art form is humbleness, an individual without humility is considered as dull even though he is prominent in all scriptures.