Canto 41

Puthana, having played her role of the demoness, is released from bondage. The release comes directly  at  the hands of the Paramathma Himself.  He is the final liberator for each and everyone of us, whether dharmic, or adharmic.

To be liberated at the hands of the Paramathma, one must go through a life of great sacrifice, either on the good or on the bad side.

Realization happens only with detachment, and detachment does not come without significant experience of victory, defeat, success and failure.  That experience can be very painful and excruciating. The experience is meant for learning that we are a witness to the forces that sway and shake us every moment. Once we are able de-link ourselves from the forces,  these will cease to function.  We are then set on our path to complete freedom and eternity.

The cremation of Poothana is the symbolic representation of the “cremation” of the forces within us that move and destroy our peace and tranquility. These forces keep us attached to the world of illusion. When we are attached to an illusory world,  that keeps our mind and consciousness latched onto the fascination with a constantly changing world, we lose our perception of the reality within.  Accumulation of the knowledge of the world of illusion takes precedence over accumulation of the knowledge of absolute reality and truth.  We are then trapped in the cycle of births and deaths. 

The death of Poothana at the hands of the Paramathma and her cremation,  is the message that the Poothana within us can be destroyed only by the Paramathma Himself.

The Paramathma is both the creator and the liberator of Poothana.  The demon in the form of lust, greed, etc, invades us through  disguise and masquerading to be the pathway to  pleasure, wealth, etc.  This happens naturally to all of us,  because we are all born with the Kalakutha known as desire, which is born out of needs of the physical world.

So it is easy to attract the demon of lust and greed into our minds.  We all have no problems falling into the traps of life.  Hunters catch animals only by setting traps. Life’s traps for us are very similar.  When animals fall into a trap, they are mercilessly annihilated. They don’t have the ability to learn from mistakes. We have the ability to learn. So life gives us multiple chances to learn  and evolve.  The challenges that we face are meant only to make us learn. Only a certain number of chances are given. After that,  if we still continue to fail,  we will be pushed down the evolutionary ladder,  and made to start all over again. The cycle of births and deaths continues on and on until we attain moksham. 

The Paramathma very clearly says in the Bhagavath Gita that those who continueto livein passion and ignorance will be pushed into the abominable world of animals.  The word “abominable” is a clear indicator of what a hellish life the world of animals offers. 

The Paramathma clearly has crafted a path of evolution for all of us.  The destination is to attain Him. In traversing this path, we gain the capability of continuous adaptation to the everchanging circumstances, without ever being attached to anyone or anything.  It is to reach a state of consciousness that does not need any anchors to hold onto. 

Our so called identity,  our so called responsibilities and obligations in this world are all to be cast aside, while continuing to perform our assigned duties.  When we merge with the Paramathma,  we are letting go of things that do not belong to us. We are casting away layers and layers of protection that the Poothanas of this world made us acquire to protect ourselves.

May we cast off these “protective layers” and the forces that bind them together such as greed, lust and recognition, at the feet of the Paramathma.