DHANUR MAASAM : 20TH DAY: ARTHA PANCHAKAM--UPAAYA SVARUPAM

[Guest guest]

Dear Members of the Bhakthi Group :

 

I am hopelessly snarled in my own numbering systems and

"random walk /Brownian movement " activities , while

enjoying the Bhagavadh Vishayam of Thiruppaavai in Dhanur

Maasam . Instead of sorting out the numbering problems ,

I will cut the tangled knot and start resynchronizing the clock .

Hence , on this 20th day of Dhanur Maasam , I will start

numbering the postings with the day of the month .

Now , we will continue with the study of the third pentad

of Artha panchakam : Upaaya Svarupam . We will continue to base

these postings on Dr.Rangarajan's insightful article and the

fourth chapter of Swami Desikan's Rahasya Traya Saaram .

 

UPAAYA SVARUPAM AND THIRUPPAAVAI VERSES

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In AndAL's Thiruppaavai , Marghazhi NeerAttam and Paavai

Nonbu are VyAjams ( excuses )for approaching the Lord and

to appeal to Him to bless the JeevAthmA to perform Kaimkaryam

for the Divya Dampathis . This is indeed the central message

(Vishaya VailakshaNyam ) of Thiruppaavai according to our AchAryAs .

We have to be blessed to receive the PurushArtha Kaimkaryam from

the Lord Himself is the underlying message . He thus becomes the

UpAyam for Kaimkarya Purushartham . AndAL reminds us of this central doctrine

in the very first verse with Her declarative statement : " NaarAyaNanE

NamakkE parai TharuvAn " . Almost at he very end of Thiruppaavai ,

she meets the Lord face -to-face and requests Him : " IraivA nee parai

thArAi " (Verse 28 ) . He is again pointed out as UpAyam .

 

Parai in ThiruppAvai is the symbol for the service to the Lord , which is the

PurushArtham that is being sought from the Lord . Aayar maiden seek that

purushArtham from the Lord and describe how they came to Him for

that boon with the statements : " pORRiyAm vandhOm "

(paasuram 21 ) , " unnai arutthitthu vandhOm ( Paasuram 25 ) ". They state

their vratha anushTaanams in number of places of Thiruppaavai . Although they

have declared right at the beginning and have unambigously asserted

that He is the one and only Upaayam for obtaining the desired

PurushArtham , AndAL talks about the "seyyum girisaigaL " at many

paasurams of Thiruppavai to indicate their depth of desire

to attain the PurushArtham of eternal service to Him .

 

The deep belief in the Lord as UpAyam comes through in the steps

of Vratham : Paramanadi Paaduhai , NaatkAlE Neeraduthal , Eiyyamum

picchayaiyum aandanayaium kai kaattuhai , neyuuNNaamai ,

paaluNNAmai , maiyittu ezhuthAmai , malarittu mudiyAmai , seyyaathana

seyaamai , theekkuraLi senrOthAmai , uyyumaaru eNNi irutthal . All of

these acts and declaration of these intents are the natural manifestations of

those , who have no doubt about the Lord being the Upayam for PurushArtham.

They undertake the above bhagavadh PrAptha ruchi kaaryams . This ruchi

or taste for the purushArtham of eternal service to the Lord will end only

when that goal is fulfilled by approaching the Lord as UpAyam

with MahA visvasam .

 

In the paasurm " karavaigaL pin senru " , AndAL concludes that

the Lord is the Ubhaya Bhoothan and has indicated the six attributes

of those seeking the kaimkarya purushArtham from Him :

 

1) declaration of their unfitness (sva YogyA kathanam )

2) Declaration of their helplessness 3) Celebration of the Lord's

limitless auspicious guNAs 4) celebration of the newly established

relationship between the prapannan and the Lord 5) begging the Lord for

forgivenness of earlier trespasses and 6 )praying to Him to bless them

with the purushArtham of eternal servitude at His feet with deep desire .

 

Prior to leaving this topic of UpAya Svarupam , it is appropriate to remember

that AndAL approaches first Nappinai as mediatrix ( PurushakAra bhoothai )

in the 18 th paasuram ( Undhu MatakaLiRRin ) . Nappinnai responds and joins

with AndAL and wakes up the Lord , the UpAya Bhoothan . Then Napinnai

leaves AndAL and joins her Lord on the throne to hear the appeal for

purushArtham from AndAL and her group . When they are seated together

on" the seeriya singhAthanam" , AndAL pleads passionately for

the boon of Kaimkarya purushArtham ( Iraivaa nee Thaaraai parai ) .

The address is to the Lord (Iraivan) . Subtly , AndAL indicates here that

the Lord is the granter of the fruits of the vratham ( pala prathan )

and Nappinai is the mediatrix (PurushakAra Bhoothai ) .

 

In the 26th paasuram of Thiruppavai , AndAL clearly expresses

her mahA visvAsam in the Lord as UpAya Bhoothan and points

out that SaraNAgathi is the " poRRamarai adiyE poRRum

poruL " . She translates into Sanga Tamil the Veda manthram :

" TasmAth nyAsamEshAm tapasAm athirikthamAhu: " , when she

reveals the meaning of the lotus feet of the Lord , the upAya Bhoothan .

 

In the Rahasyams , UpAyam and its svarupam is hinted

in the Nama: sabdham and ayana sabdham in the Mula manthram .

The UpAya svarupam is hinted in the Purva khanTam of Dvayam

and in the purvaardham of sarama slokam according to Swami Desiakn .

 

In the next posting , we will discuss the Virodhi Svarupam , the fourth of

the pentad of Artha pnchakam , the obstacles that come in the way

of one during the quest for Kaimkarya PurushArtham .

 

AndAL ThiruvadigalE SaraNam

 

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan