The Holy Sage Brahmarishi
Vasishta the ‘Kula Guru’ or the Spiritual-Master of the entire Ishwaku
dynasty also known as the ‘Raghu Vamsa’ gave his Upadesa (Spiritual-initiation)
to Lord Rama at this exalted revered Holy place known as ‘Thittakudi’
and known as ‘Thiru Vathittakudi’ in the ancient past after the Sage who
in Tamil is known as ‘Vatthitar’. (like the Sage Agasthya in Tamil is
known as ‘Agatthiyar’).
The young prince Lord Rama was greatly distressed and perturbed
after seeing much sorrow and suffering in the land and the Sage Vasishta
initiated him with deep insights in ‘Advaita tattva’ which is the
Oneness of God and there being nothing in existence apart from God. The
Yoga Vasishta has 32,000 slokas in 64,000 lines and one very
significant sloka tells that like the agitated waters of a pond reflect a
multitude forms of the moon, in a similar manner the One God is seen in
multitude forms when the mind is agitated.
The
exalted Sage Vasishta explains in detail the various techniques and nuances of Ashtanga-Yoga
(eight limbs of Yoga) and when Lord Rama hears that it is possible to
transcend space and time and attain immortality and to remain young
as long as one wishes known as ‘Saha kalai’ in Tamil and to welcome death
at the time one desires known as ‘iccha mrityu’ in Sanskrit, Lord Rama
asks how is this possible and whether he had met such a person. The Sage
Vasishta says: “ Yes! I have met such a person. He is known as ‘Kakabhujenda’
(Kakabhujendhar in Tamil). He is said to be in the form of a ‘Andamkaka’
or a black-raven or crow, but it actually means he is the “one who
protects the universe”, ‘andam’ – universe; ‘kaka’ – protects. He lives
in a cave north-east of the Kailash mountain. He welcomed me in all his youthfull,glorious
golden radiant-form. He has witnessed 7500 ‘Pralayas’ or global-level
destructions which take place at the end of every ‘Kalpa’ (eon) which is
a period of 4.32 billion years being a day-time for the Creator Lord Brahma.
When I asked him how was it possible for him to live for such a long period of
time retaining his youthfull-form,he said: “ I live the present moment to
its full,I watch the intervening-gap between the breathing-pattern of
exhalation and inhalation which is eternity and is the infinite-state of the
Lord! “
