The Pearl of Wisdom - Chapter 21

CHAPTER 21

The Six Faces

Disciple: Swami, O leader guru, you mentioned six wisdoms. What do you mean ? Swami, you also said that the Father has six faces. How is it? Teach us this in detail.

Guru: O son, listen. Six faces ( Arumugam ) do not refer to Kandan ( Lord Skanda ). They are the six wisdoms which are beyond estimation, beyond imagination and beyond pleasure. They distinguish the truth that surrounds God, discipline the body, melt the heart and like the season of Spring sprout the six kinds of wisdom. They are known as Kandam, Kandampan, Murugan, Velan and Veliraivan ( God of the Vel ) and by several other names as well. They exist in every religion. People refer to them according to the depths of their understanding. But nobody has discovered the true meaning and reached the end.

A person draws a line and questions what it is. One person replies that it is a line. Another says that it is # 1 ( one ). Yet another says that it is 1 ( Alif ) . Similarly, others say many things. Instead of this, if you stay with a good guru you will understand good reason, justice, meaning, grace, joy and bliss ( anadam). The meaning of all these will be made clear to you. The qualities of our inner selves will become virtuous. I shall explain further, listen.

A son was born to a mother. She brought him up. When the son reached his third year of age, he asked for his father. The mother sent him to school. In school he was called, “Fatherless child ! Fatherless child !” and was ill- treated. The son shed tears and cried out, “ Where is my father? Where is my father? Show me my father or I shall die !” On hearing this, the mother wondered,

“ My son is going to die. How can I show him his father ? Isn’t He in a Place Unknown ? Aiyo ! I must protect my son. What shall I do ? I know You and You know me, but the child does not know ! He will not understand whatever that is said to him. What am I to do ? I must protect him either through craft or cunning. O My Father, I only know You ! I do not know Your form. I do not know Your appearance or shape. I do not know the O ( Onkaara Rupum ), the state of resonance of theOnkaram of the One who is always in my heart and glistens therein, the Beauteous Blissful Being ! Forgive me for this day’s fault and rule over me, for I have cunningly gathered some earth and made a wisdom less form, a dumb statue in Your Name to save my son. It will give him relief and he will live. But when wisdom dawns and he comes to know You, he will worship You with clasped hands. O God, the Gem of my eyes, the Compassionate One, give me Your Grace and Your Compassion. My son will now call this statue his father. But when he knows the truth, he will forgive me. O My Father, The Incomparable Lord, Lord ofManomani ) ( Goddess Parvathi ), I have made a figure, given it a name and made it an exhibit for the sake of my innocent child. Forgive me, Your slave for this

Your Father in Unknowable. He is beyond Knowledge. He is Incomparable. He has no helper. He is Omnipresent. He is everywhere. He has no form. How could I have shown Him to you when you were an infant ? This is why I had to adopt this method. Now, wisdom has dawned on you and you yourself can know and analyse the six wisdoms and see your won real Father. Now there is no obstruction. This is the true secret” So said the mother.

Likewise, my son, for the word “ Kandan” people show a figure with six faces. This is an ancient trick. The Entity that ever shines, the Form that moves around without form, the Light of Effulgence, the Father of the Universe, the Father – Light that engulfs all lives is it not this ?

Some people in the world mould various figures according to their fancies, using stones and earth and leave them on plants and garbage. They give them names and call them their “Father”. But the Father who vibrates with love, that Effulgence is not fashioned like this! How can we love or worship any form fathered by these people themselves, having made them out of their own hands ? Which of these two can we worship ? Which of these can we pray to ? This is where serious thought, intelligence, intellect and wisdom should be employed to think, reason and analyse. Be informed, disciples, gems of my eyes.

Guru: I shall tell you about the marvels of the six faces that you have been intermingled with you. How many faces have you, my son ?

Didciple: Father, I have only one face.

Guru : No, you have six faces. Know it now. You have six face with a separate division for each face. You six faces are called Moolaatharam, Swaathiddanam, Manipooram, Anaakatham, Visuththi and Aagnagni. They are also referred to asKaamam ( lust ), Kurotham ( hatred ) , Lopam ( miserliness ), Moham ( delusion ), Matham ( bigotry ) and Machariyam ( envy ).

They have other names also. These six divisions of consciousness show the figure of Kandan with his six faces, “ Aaru – Muham “. That which is beyondcomphrension has been reduced to a symbol of a figure or a picture and displayed in the streets, paths and kovils. They are engraved on trees, gold, brass, stone, lead and other materials and referred to as Aaru- Muham and by various other names. But my son, this is a distortion of truth and a grave sin.

If wisdom dawns, clarity will appear and you will realise the truth. You will know him as six levels of wisdom. Each face depicts a level of wisdom. I shall tell you an easy method to know this. Listen.

A person may stay in one place but his levels of consciousness can stray here, there and everywhere. One of the six consciousness will go round the country, one will go towards his children, one to the temple, one to the lake, one to take a bath, one to worship and to many other places, even while he is standing in one spot and talking to another person. The six levels of consciousness travel everywhere and come to various secrets which they report to the resplendent, gracious guru, the glow of wisdom. The gnana guru on hearing this says : “ Hey, you appear as individual faces doing different things !” The five other levels of consciousness reply, “ Swami, great guru, each face has come to each one of us. Should we not perform our different tasks ? If not, Swami, who should there be six faces ? Our names are the six meaningful names of the six plexus. We are also called by several other names. Give us work suitable for our faces and we will do it, O great guru.”

The Kingly Wisdom addresses the five and says, “ You do not seem to know the words “reasoning “ and “analytical wisdom “ Did you not say Aaru – Muham ? When I look at Aaru – Muham I can notice my “ Ochchams “ ( patterns ) there. Listen,

Guru sings:

On the tip of the cynodon grass, built I six houses,

Five houses were barren, one had no roof.

The roofless house alone fetched a rent of six coins,

Five coins were dud, others had no embossment.

With the embossed coin, I bought six elephants,

Five elephants were blind, one had no eye.

Mounted on the eyeless elephant, went I to six forest paths,

Five paths were in ruins, one had no people.

From the peopless paths, I picked six people,

Five were ugly women, one had no ear,

For the earless woman, I made six earrings.

Five pairs were ordinary, one had no stone.

To keep the stone less earring, I made six boxes,

Five boxes were with holes, one had no lock.

In the lockless box I kept six pairs of earrings,

No trace of their disappearance, O no trace at all.

O, your story has no truth,

Life in this body has likewise no truth.

Son, as in this song, you must know the six faces, one by one, and analyse them atom by atom. The six faces of the six wisdoms display many more scenes. Among many other names, one face is called Divine Grace while the other five faces represent the wisdom of the gnana guru (Gnostic guru ). They do things other than what has been said. These six people reside within the six- cornered heart. Each occupies a corner and rules over us. Five of them should be assaulted and chased away. You should deal only with the Majestic Spark of Wisdom. We must have one face. Five of the six faces should be plucked out and thrown away. We must always appear as one face, join the Omnipresent Effulgence and be a Substance existing here, there and everywhere. That substance is the Limitless One full of Grace. It is the object devoid of darkness becoming “ Murugan “ – rightful Owner’s only Wisdom with the “O” sound as “ Laa ilaaha , Ilal Alaahu “ meaning “ Other than Allah there is nothing. You are Allah. You are the Only One who does not diminish.” Thus the Incomparable One – God and the Wisdom that stood one- faced, both together is the place where they assemble. That is the point of the nose where the breath assemble together, the art of the sun and the moon.