Did I ever, was partial in land disputes and spoil their livelihood?

In villages, peasants used to have an acre or two of land and lead their livelihood through the income of cultivation. Some may have only one acre of land and lead their livelihood through agricultural income from it. This land might have been their’s for two three generations. The neighboring landlord may be a wealthy man with sprawling acres. He will annex this piece of one acre land also with his. This poor peasant may appeal to the landlord that that piece of land was his and grabbing the same is illegal. But the landlord may unjustiably justify that that piece of land is also available in his land document. Moreover, he may challenge him to do whatever he can. This poor peasant may not be able to oppose him and plead for justice from the village head man.

This head man may be a relative of the landlord. Without application of justice the head man may give a detrimental judgment claiming that that was finding a place in the landlord’s land document. So the affected peasant and his

family members will shed tears as their means for livelihood has been grabbed. That sorrowful tears become a sharp edged sword and kills the man rendered unjust judgment and his descendents. Like this Avvaiyar also has sung about land grabbing in Athichoodi

“Do not grab land and live”

Athichoodi line 23

Avvaiyar says that it is sin to grab others land. “Do not be partial”

Athichoodi line 109

The poet Ulaganathar in his book “Ulaga Neethi” also tells as under:

“Thou shall not be partial in land disputes, Thou shall not wander with distracted mind,

Thou shall not misinterpret and exhibit sorrowfulness, Thou shall not concoct what you have not seen, Thou shall not hurt by your utterances ,

Thou shall not keep company of people carrying tales. Hail Thee O! Mind! My Lord

Son of Uma , sister of Lord who measured the land.

Ulaga Neethi . 9

We may not mind to grab others land and live. If we do so it is a Sin.

Athiveera Rama in his” Vetriverkai “ writes

“Both their versions be heard seven times, If justice delivered is not agreeable to both The tears of the lost in manu’s path

Even if the triad protect, It is a sword for the posterity Of the man delivered judgment

The accused and the affected shall be summoned several times and thoroughly enquired and judgment pronounced after that. Without doing so, if justice is rendered incorrectly, the posterity of the men who delivered such judgment will be perished forever.

To stand, like balance-rod that level hangs and rightly weighs, With calm unbiased equity of soul, is sages’ praise.

To incline to neither side, but to rest impartial as the even-fixed scale is the ornament of the wise

Thirukkural 118

10. Did I ever assist Killers?

Some people with helping mind take poor feeding for poor with whatever they possess. When they do not have materials, they approach people with facilities and helping mind, take help and cook quality food, first taste themselves and then feed the poor. Blessings are showered on the people who have offered material assistance. Some seek assistance for offering ram sacrifice to their family. If we help them, we become a party of their sin. Hence, helping such people offering life sacrifice is a sin. If we help people doing service of Dharma, it is a Punniyam. If we help people killing, sins accrue. If the head man of the family, his wife or children become sick, some people without understanding that that was due to the misdeeds of the past, pray to minor deities and offer life sacrifice. By doing so, instead of the disease getting cured, it aggravates and sins also get accrued. Persistent killing offer to minor deities, only bring everlasting enmity and incurable diseases. If there is sickness in family, if poor feeding is given for five or ten persons within their reach, the disease get cured and prosperity develops in family, enmity becomes friendship and moreover, health also improves. Except this if killing is offered only sins accumulate.

Sri Ramalinga Swamigal, the supreme grace light with a painful heart prayed the Almighty to grant these people grace towards living beings .

“Ferocious deities in names different exist in the country, To sacrifice they conduct the decorated

Goat, Pigs, Cock and Ram,

My intellect was hurt and my heart trembled on such sight And I was afraid to see such temples”

Tiruvarutpa VI canto 275

In those days, if anyone become sick they used to offer pongal(a mixture of Rice & Dhall boiled with Jaggery and other condiments) in Pidari Temple and give a life sacrifice in order to get cured. As you go on continuing sacrificial killing, your hands, legs and body bleed and they become diminished

“When your body become sick, Thou offer pongal And sacrificial killing of goat and cock, In Pidari temple And derision built up and day by day

Thou become weaker and weaker, And become like a musk-rat.

This is the thing wrought, is the truth by your Deity”

St. Siva Vakkiyar 535

Hence, if you help those who do good deeds, you also get punniyam in return. And if you assist life killers, only Papam comes to you.

What is the work of virtue? ‘Not to kill’; For ‘killing’ leads to every work of ill.

Never to destroy life is the sum of all virtuous conduct. The destruction of life leads to every evil.

Thirukkural… 321

The best among all virtuous acts, is non killing. If anyone kills all miseries befell on him. Some people kill their enemies by their anger. This creates an indelible reproach. If any one kills, poverty and sickness accrue. Poverty leads to stealing. If there is any hindrance during stealing, they commit murder. The Government will punish them with a rigorous punishment. Moreover, the blame will fall on them for crimes not of their

own. They undergo poverty, sickness and blame for the crimes of not their own and rigorous punishment and may desert their wife and children. This may lead to their wife and children undergoing miseries of poverty.

Killing may bring misery, poverty, sickness, punishments and blame for crimes of not their own.

Virtue means non killing of any living beings. People, who kill out of anger, get reproach and punishment. If anyone commit killing for minor deity worship, not only poverty, sickness, disunity in the family, burden of everlasting debts accrue but also multivarious miseries and suffer.

Who lead a loathed life in bodies sorely pained,

Are men, the wise declaring, by guilt of slaughter stained. (The wise) will say that men of diseased bodies, who live in degradation and in poverty, are those who separated the life from the body of animals (in a former birth).Its loss, as throngs dispersing, when the dances cease. The acquisition of wealth is like the gathering together of an assembly

Thirukkural 330

Parimelalagar interprets that the people who are with pitiable disease and poverty stricken and degraded are those who terminate life of the living beings in their earlier birth. The same aspect has been stressed in Naladiyar

“Like fire their palms shall glow Their fingers rot away, who Loved in other times on crabs to Feed and broke their joints

What time the guilt of “olden deeds”

Comes home and leprosy”s fears pangs assail

Naladiyar 123

This will be followed in future births also.

By these two verses, the evil that befall on the killers are explained.

From (Chapter 25 to 33) Compassion to Non killing of Thirukkural apart from what has been discussed, the hidden vows (Other Voluntary religious observance /rituals) will also be included. Understand those and observe thus extends the interpretation.

Manakkudavar interprets that people with deformity in body and who do not take food and have imperfect marital life are those who terminated life of living beings in their earlier births. This is a sequel to the crime of killing.

Paridiyar interprets that they shall be known as killers in the earlier birth because of their diseased body and poverty.

Kalingar interprets that they are those who unmindful of their suffering culled the life from the body.Such of those‘s suffering which never leave the body and lead a life of dreaded hell.

In the name of God, or for flesh eating, one who kills suffer from diseases beyond cure, gets ugly body and dies not immediately but only after being bedridden for long years. They will suffer due to unbearable foul smell during their bedridden. If foul smell persists at home, they may not bear the same while eating at all time and suffer. The dear wife and lovely children will yearn for his death.

“Path of non killing is the path of preceptor For ages Oh! true Siva, thou said unto me”

Arutperumjothi Agaval …964

“It is my will, Oh! Omniscient to spread the Vow of Non killing to all throughout the Universe.”

Thayumanavar .. Para para Kanni -54

“Oh! Omniscient, the men with Vow of non killing are only good. Others, I do not know who they are!”

Thayumanavar .. Para para Kanni 192

Though thine own life for that spared life the price must pay, Take not from aught that lives gift of sweet life away. Let no one do that which would destroy the life of another, although he should by so doing, lose his own life.

People advise to take soups of goat legs and meat as a cure for diseases inflicted on them. For the diseases wrought by evil deeds of earlier birth, suggesting meat eating as a medicine is also a sin. Hence, tolerating the disease is best virtue. Killing other living beings to cure diseases may bring papam and suffering.

Though great the gain of good should seem, the wise Will any gain by slaughter won despise.

The advantage which might flow from destroying life in sacrifice, is dishonorable to the wise (who renounced the world), even although it should be said to be productive of great good.

Thiurukkural 328

The great man may not choose to kill living beings in the name of worship, even if they were to obtain the post of king in heaven. They consider killing as a shameful act. Non killing is the best virtue.

Don’t Kill Even an Atom of Life

Flowers many to dear, loved Master’s worship; Even one atom of life, kill not:

The lovely garland, the steady flame, the firm will, The passionate heart—such the worship’s crowning part

Thirumanthiram 197

Those who worship the holy feet of Gnanis who have attained deathless grand life, and have understood all the three periods of time and are enlightened shall not worship their holy feet offering part of grass, plants, twigs, trees or their flowers. This is not an act of those who want to get rid of this birth.

“Thou shalt strew flowers best On the holy feet of Devi beatitude With happiness of soul and body

To cross this birth, search here with love”

The preferred flower for worship of the preceptor is “love”. This Love only can be of assistance to get the Blessings of the Guru. Moreover those who want to cross this birth, if they worship the holy feet of preceptor, the karana Guru with his blessing, idakala or the Chandrakala and pingala or Suryakala, if sent through bhrumadhya (the centre of the forehead), the suzhumna, the heat of the root appear and the gates of suzhumna opened. Once the doors are opened, there appears the effulgence. Then drops the Amrita (Ambrosia). Deathless grand life materializes. This is the biggest blessing and gift received by the people, who wholeheartedly pray the holy feet of the preceptor.