AndAL's Prapatthi in Thiruppavai: 25th day Of Marghazhi

[Guest guest]

Dear Members of the Prapatthi Group :

 

I will summarize the thoughts of Professor A . Srinivasaraghavan

of PudukottA on the concept of Prapatthi as expressed by AndAL

in her Thiruppavai . Professor A.S is a great scholar of Srivaishnavism

and is the author of the English version of the Bhashyam of Parasara

Bhattar on Sri VishNu Sahasra Naamam . We will summarize the doctrines

of Prapatthi first taught by PancharArta SamhitAs and Upanishads

elaborated by Acharya RaamAnuja , Pillai LokaachAr and Swami Desikan .

 

*** Source Literature on Prapatthi

 

Prapatthi or the doctrine of self-surrender is known by the different names of

SaraNAgathi (seeking refuge at the Lord's sacred feet ) , BharanyAsam

( Transfer of the burden and responsibility of protection of the Jeevan

to the Lord ) and Aatma Nikshepam ( Surrender of the self ) .

 

*** Upanishads and Prapatthi

 

Upanishads as the siras of VedAs teach us about 32 Brahma VidyAs

( Knowledge about the supreme goal and the highest means ) to learn

about the Parabrahman . NyAsa VidhyA is one of the 32 VidhyAs. All these

VidhyAs have some differences amongst them , but the end result from

the practise of each of the VidhyAs is the same. BadarAyaNa deals

extensively with these Brahma VidyAs in his Brahma SutrAs .

 

The three well-known Upanishadic references about Nyasa VidhyA

are as follows :

 

**SvetasvatarOpanishad ( 6-18 ) :

 

yO brahmANam vidhadhAthi purvam

yO vai vedamsccha prahiNothi tasmai I

tam ha devam aatma buddhi prakAsam

mumkushurvai saraNamaham prapatyE II

 

(meaning ) : He who creates Brahma at the beginning of creation and

who teaches the Vedas to him is the Spreme Being , who shines by

His own knowledge ; the seeker after liberation from the cycles of

births and deaths as I am , I seek total refuge in Him .

 

**Taittiriya Upanishad

 

tasmAth nyasameshAm tapasAmathirikthamAhu :

 

(Meaning ) : Hence , they say that Nyasa (deposit of one's

soul at the Lord's feet ) exccells all these types of penances .

 

**Taittiriya AaraNyakam ( 3.11.43 )

 

sandhAm cha saamsandhadhE brahmaNaisha : I

ramathE tasmin utha seerNE sayAnE nainam I

jahAtyahasthu purvyeshu II

 

(meaning ) : A person(prapannA ) must cultivate a relationship with

the Brahman. The Brahman feels pleased then with the prapannA.

As a result of this , Brahman does not abandon the PrapannA

even in the far future , when the latter is feeble and is in the death bed .

 

Upanishadic Prapatthi was maintained as a quite secret instruction until

hte time of Acharya Ramanuja . This dayA sindhu of an AcharyA performed

prapatthi in his SaraNAgathi Gadhyam and proclaimed it to the world.

His successors elaborated on it and the tradition continues even today

with our contemproary AcharyAs .

 

***PaancharAtra SamhitAs and Prapatthi

 

Ahirbudhnya SamhitA and Lakshmi TantrA are part of PaancharAtra

saastrAs taught by Bhagavan Himself to help the erring Jeevans and

to save them . These two works have elaborate describtions of the act

of Prapatthi , the qualifications for a person to perform prapatthi and

the limbs of Prapatthi .

 

A famous passage of Ahirbudhnya SamhitA ( 37.30& 31) describes

the mood of the PrapannA and the act of prapatthi this way :

 

ahamsmi aparAdhAnAm aalayOakinchanaOagathi:

tvamevOpAyabhoohtO mE bhavEhti prarthanAmathi :

saraNAgathirityukhtA saa devEsmin prayujyathAm

 

(Meaning ) : I am the embodiment of every transgression; I do not have

any other means of protection. I have nothing else to attain but Thee .

Be pleased to be my UpAyA . This mind set (thought ) yielding the prayer

is known as SaranNAgathi. Let it be performed to the Lord .

 

Ahirbudhnya SamhitA describes elsewhere the six limbs of SaraNAgathi :

 

1. vow & practise to do whatever that pleases the Lord (aanukoolya sankalpam)

2. vow & practise to avoid whatever that displeases the Lord(PrAthikoolya

Varjanam)

3. The total faith in Him as the oneand only one , who will protect (MahA

visvAsam )

4 . begging for His protection (Gopthruva VaraNam )

5.Aathma Nikshepam ( The surrender of the Self )

6. the feeling state of helplessness (kaarpaNyam ) .

 

Out of the above six , Aatma Nikshepa/prapatthi is the angi

and the other five are its angaas (limbs ) . Prapatthi with all of

its five angAs can be performed for the attainment of material wealth

or for the spiritual wealth of eternal service to the ParamAthmA. For acheiving

the boon of eternal service to the Lord , one has to acquire the correct

knowledge of Artha Panchakam ( ParamAthma Svarupam , JeevAthma

Svarupam , UpAya Svarupam , Virodhi Svarupam and the pala svarupam ) .

 

In the next part , the idyllic Prapatthi performed by AandAL will be discussed .

 

GodhA tasyai nama idhamidham bhooyayEvAsthu bhooya :

 

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan