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Ananda
3115 Posts |
 Posted - Feb 13 2011 : 09:24:16 AM
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#346;r#299; Dak#7779;i#7751;#257;murt#299; is an epithet of Lord #346;iva as the Primodial master, #256;d#299; Guru seated facing south and imparting supreme knowledge to his disciples, the Sanak#257;di munis. Almost every ancient temple of Lord #346;iva in Tamil Nadu has a shrine dedicated to Lord Dak#7779;i#7751;#257;m#363;rti facing South. This aspect of Shiva is his personification as the supreme awareness and knowledge.
He is verily the form and essence of the Pra#7751;ava (the primodial sound), the form of pure knowledge, the one without blemishes, the he who is serene and peaceful one, unto that Lord #346;r#299; Dak#7779;i#7751;#257;m#363;rti I prostrate.
He who assumes of cit, sitting under the banyan tree, and the form of saccid#257;nanda, unto that Lord #346;r#299; Dak#7779;i#7751;#257;m#363;rti, I pay my obeissance.
Sitting under the banyan tree, the disciples are aged and old while the preceptor is a youth. The disciples’ doubts are destroyed as the preceptor imparts them knowledge by means of mauna or silence.
Once upon a time, the Lord resonsible for creation, Lord Brahm#257;, lost interest in the work of creation and thought of taking a life of ascetism. So thinking, he created Sanaka, Sanatkum#257;ra, Sanandana and Sanatsuj#257;ta, with the intention to hand over his job of creating life to them. In due course they grew up and mastered all branches of knowledge. At this juncture, Brahm#257; decided to hand over his job to his four sons and retire to austerities. Sage N#257;rada came to know of His father’s intentions. However knowing that his brothers the Sanak#257;di Munis were full of dispassion and were fit for being initiated into Brahmavidy#257; or the supreme knowledge of the self, he warned them about their father’s intentions beforehand. On hearing these words from N#257;rada, the four brothers who had no intentions to follow the path of action and abandoned home in search of a Guru, without informing their father.
The four brothers proceeded to Vaiku#7751;#7789;ha, the abode of Lord Vi#7779;#7751;u where they observed Lord Vi#7779;#7751;u with his consort Lak#7779;m#299; who was massaging his legs. At this sight, the four brothers thought, “How can this family man bound by the intimate glance of his consort render us any help in learning the supreme knowledge. Look at the splendour of this palace and this city! This is enough. Let us seek the help of Lord #346;iva”. So saying they proceeded in the direction of Mount Kail#257;sa.
Lord #346;iva who was at Kail#257;sa along with his family, knew about their approcaching him and understood their plight. He was sure that they would be disappointed on seeing Him with a family and so taking pity on them, He decided to imart the sublime spiritual knowledge to them. The Lord of infinite compassion left Kail#257;sa and retired assuming the form of a youth seated in Cinmudr#257; under a banyan tree (Va#7789;a V#7771;k#7779;a) on the northern banks of Lake M#257;nasarovara.
When the Sanak#257;di Munis were on their way, the beheld the young Dak#7779;i#7751;#257;murt#299;, they were atonce attracted to him and understood that He alone was the true Sadguru. They approached him, circumambulated Him three times and prostrated to Him in a manner that befitted a disciple master relation. Then settling at His feet, they began to ask shrewd and pertinent questions about the nature of reality and the means of attaining it. Because of the great compassion and fatherly Love (v#257;tsalya) which He felt for His aged disciples, the primodial master was overjoyed to see their earnestnesss, wisdom and maturity and gave apt replies to their questions. But as he answered each consecutive question, further doubts arose in their minds and they asked further questions. Thus this questioning and answering continued for one whole year.
Finally, #346;r#299; Dak#7779;i#7751;#257;m#363;rti understood that if he continued answering their questions, further doubts would arise in the minds of His disciples and their ignorance (ajñ#257;na) would never end. Therefore, supressing even the feeling of compassion and fatherly love which was welling up within Him, He merged himself into the Supreme silence, the state of samadhi.
Owing to the great maturity which had further ripened owing to their association with #346;r#299; Dak#7779;i#7751;#257;m#363;rti, their master, they too automatically merged into the supreme silence as soon as their master assumed Silence, the true state of the self and all their doubts were cleared.
Drawing inspiration from this epithet, a #347;loka beautifully euologizes #346;r#299; Dak#7779;i#7751;#257;m#363;rti and describes the whole scene as follows -
I praise and salute that Dak#7779;i#7751;#257;m#363;rti, Who faces the south, Who explains the true nature of the supreme Brahman, Through his state of silence, Who is young in looks, Who is surrounded by disciples who are old Sages, Whose minds are fixed on Brahman, Who is the greatest of preceptors, Who shows the Cinmudra by his hand, Who is personification of happiness, Who is in the state of extreme joy within himself, And who has a smiling face.
When this story was narrated by #346;r#299; Rama#7751;a mahar#7779;i, #346;r#299; Murugan#257;r, an ardent and close disciple of Bhagav#257;n Rama#7751;a was wonderstruck and remarked that in no book was there an account of the Lord and His disciples conversing for a whole year. But Rama#7751;a mahar#7779;i curtly and authoritatively said “But that is what actually happened!”.
Source:
http://www.flowersofdevotion.22web....inamurti.htm |
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Sri Ramana Narrating The Story of Dakshinamurthi
