The Pearl of Wisdom - Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

Signs of Spiritual Significance

The four types of wives

Disciple: O Guru Swami, what is the world? Explain it to me.

Guru: O my eyes, the world is folly. It is a woman called Desire. That is the earth world. Everything appearing on earth is Maya. Women are the four religions. Religious scriptures are the attachments of all creations. Gold is a creator of mischief. There are seventy-three groups mixed with all human lives, entering the nerve, the skin and the flesh, as four kinds of destructive women.

Disciple: Swami, Master Guru, teach me in detail the four kinds of women. There is a great desire ceaselessly springing forth in me to marry one of these women.

Guru: O Dear Son, what is referred to as the four religions are divided into several races and religions. Race denotes an evil character. Religion is arrogance. These two have divided themselves into four faiths. They appear as four women. The first is Manaiyal (the one who looks after the home.) The second is Manaiyaddi (the one who shakes up the home). The third is Thadiyaddi (the one who causes the stick to be brandished).The fourth is Thandaddi (the one who causes the club to be brandished).

Disciple: O Guru Swami, which of these is good?

Guru: Listen. I shall tell you. You ask me which is good and which is evil. Earth, Air, and Water intermingled to form the shape of a ball. The earth is the first sign, Maniaiyal (the one who looks after the home). She has the characteristics of the earth. She is the best among these four types of women.

Disciple: What are her actions?

Guru: Dear son, listen to her work

Forgetful of the world,

Absorbing the truth within her,

Discerning clearly good from evil,

Always on the good path,

Singing without words,

The praise of the unsearchable thing,

Tasting the clear unquenchable nectar,

Unhesitatingly absorbing within her heart,

Making compassion her home each day,

Keeping noble deeds as her life,

Lighting the lamp of chastity,

Performing many a duty,

Fixing untold images with clarity,

Accepting the Guru and His Grace as divine,

Placing her body, wealth and life,

As a slave at the feet of her husband,

Conscious of her three duties,

Of noble deeds, wealth and offer of bliss,

She shines praising her husband’s feet.

O dear son, her actions, just as the earth, are full of patience and peace. She accepts those who praise and those who abuse, displaying her tolerance to all living things with virtuous conduct. Like the earth, she tolerates those who excrete and those who urinate on it, both men and cattle. She observes the peculiarities of their bodies, their bodily features and signs and endures them. She is Manaiyal (the one who looks after the home). She does not allow her heart to meander here and there. She protects her precious chastity and casts her starry, modest eyes at the feet of her husband, wishing that no harm should befall him – her deity. She prays with a melting heart and always seeks protection for him. She is Manaiyal, possessing the character of the earth. She destroys Maya, banishes her mental desires and establishes compassionate kindness. She goes to bed later and rises earlier. She bathes, polishes the floor, washes her body and purifies her heart. She destroys deceit. She opens her eyes and rubs them on the feet of her husband. She stands with folded arms and lights the lamp of chastity. She gets her husband to open his eyes in that light. She is the first type of wife, my son. Did you listen, my son, gem of my eyes?

The second type of wife is Manaiyaddi (the one who shakes up the house). She is of the fire sign and is of evil-character. She cannot discriminate between right and wrong. She has no awareness of excreta and urine. She burns each and everything within sight and reduces them into ash. She melts the rock, burns intelligence, breaks the mind, agitates the heart, burns character, brings turmoil into the family, tortures the analytical wisdom and torches the earth. She makes it appear as truth all the ideas that enter into her mind, whether true or false. Full of self-aggrandisement, she questions covertly, “Who is better than I”? This is the type of wife of the fire sign called Manaiyaddi. She behaves in various other ways to hurt the feelings of her husband. She torments him and eventually destroys him. She has yet more characteristics. It is this type of wife of many characters who is called Manaiyaddi. Do you hear my dear disciple, gem of my eyes?

The third type of wife is called Thadiyaddi (the one who causes the stick to be brandished). She has the character of the air. She flies like the wind. She winks her eyes, enters all possible places, ruins the heart, causes the breath to be withheld, holds the urine, blocks the urinary passage, causes the abdomen to distend, numbs the brain, breaks the mountain, destroys the forest, makes the sea rise, breaks the house, dashes the ships, hurts the mind, diminishes judgement, stirs up the world, tests the strength, accumulates sins and distances God. She alters fate, destroys destiny, misleads man, breaks his head and puts him to death. This is done by the wife with the air sign called Thadiyaddi. She looks wherever she wants to look, goes wherever she wants to go, winks whenever she wants to wink, walks wherever she wants to walk, lies down whenever she wants to lie, controls whom she can control, ruins whatever she can ruin, aims wherever she can aim, sleeps wherever she can sleep, laughs whenever she can laugh, hides wherever she can hide, wanders wherever she can wander, snatches whatever she can snatch and sends her husband’s life to the other world. So does Thadiyaddi,the wife with the air sign. There are yet many more traits in this third type of wife.

The fourth type of wife of the water sign called Thandaaddi (the one who causes the brandishing of the club) runs over hills and lies on valleys. She is bound where she should be bound, lies where she should lie, runs where she should run, rolls where she should roll, scatters where she should scatter, controls herself where she should be controlled, gets infested with worms where she should be infested, gives an offensive odour from where such odour should emanate, leaps where she should leap, and goes wherever she has to go. This is the wife of the fourth type of the water sign called Thandaaddi.

Do you see the mischief of these types of wives, my son, gem of my eyes?

Disciple: O Guru, is there any benefit in researching into the characteristics of each type of these wives, Swami?

Guru: Yes, there is. I shall tell you one more thing. Please listen. There are names depending on the circumstances for these types of wives. When men without wounds, itch or boils take one of these women, itch or boils appear on them with oozing ulcers.

For a man born as human, living as human, residing as human, the first type of wife I mentioned earlier, called the graceful Manaiyal, is the real marriage. Realise this well. The virtuous wife performs virtuous deeds, not deviating from the virtue of home-life. If this virtuous wife who loves the lives of others as her own, is herself a big burden to a man, should the rest be told? Son, know this with a little measure of caution and reason.

Further, if this same man were to marry a woman, one, two, three and four times by mutual liking between man and woman, he loses his wisdom, blinds his eyes, loses his discretion, emaciates his body, suffers and creates injury to his heart. As a cure for that hurt he takes another wife. This becomes a second burden. A third wife is a caustic remedy for his wounded heart and a fourth wife satisfies his ego. This common factor exists for both man and woman. Will this factor bring about happiness? No, it is very rare indeed! Nevertheless, having ourselves caused injury to our hearts and as a cure for it, we use caustic dressing material and a load of caustic medicine for the wound, will we die or survive? Contemplate on this.

Disciple: All right, Swami, I understand. People speak of “Illaram and Thuvawaram” (married life and the life of the recluse). Which of these is desirable ?

Guru: Listen, dear. As I said earlier, God is Love. If one were to get a Manaiyaal with a melting heart, who discards wealth and the pleasures of worldly life but reveres the feet of her husband, who is absorbed in the One and Only Almighty Lord, the God without form, then in such an instance, domestic life is an ocean of bliss. Nevertheless, this opportunity is very, very, very rare indeed! Be what it may, life itself is burdensome.