SrI deSika stotra-s - 11. SrI nyAsa tilakam - Part 1.

[Guest guest]

SrI deSika stotra-s - 11. SrI nyAsa tilakam.

 

We have so far visited three stotra-s of svAmi deSikan dealing with the

topic of prapatti - SaraNAgati dIpikA, nyAsa daSakam, and nyAsa vimsatih.

The current write-up relates to nyAsa tilakam. This stotram consists of 32

Sloka-s. The name nyAsa tilakam was bestowed on this stotram by svAmi

deSikan himself (Slokam 32). SrI rAmadeSikAcArya svAmi points out that just

as a tilakam enhances the appearance of the wearer's face, nyAsa tilakam

brings out the beauty of prapatti exquisitely, consistent with its name.

Lord SrI ra~nganAtha is the mUrti at whose Feet svAmi deSikan does

SaraNAgati in this composition.

 

Of the 32 Sloka-s, the matter dealing with the theory and practice of

prapatti is dealt with in the first 22 Sloka-s. The remaining 10 Sloka-s

deal with the remorse the prapanna should feel if he transgresses the life

he has undertaken as a prapanna, the lack of the very need for such

transgression in the first instance, the lack of need for a prapanna to

praise anyone else other than bhagavAn, and a re-affirmation that true

knowledge consists in realizing that He is the only Truth, and that true

wealth lies in doing kaimkaryam to Him.

 

One aspect of nyAsa tilakam is that svAmi deSikan elaborates on the unique

role of pirATTi in the cetana's prapatti. In nyAsa daSakam and nyAsa

vimSatih, the concept of prapatti was explained and some of the issues

raised by its opponents were explicitly addressed. In nyAsa tilakam, svAmi

deSikan outlines his own experiences and the results of his prapatti, and

thus reinforces the thoughts conveyed in the other works. This is also the

only stotram for which svAmi deSikan's illustrious son, SrI kumAra

varadAcArya, has furnished a commentary out of the 28 stotra-s by svAmi

deSikan. Some of the highlights of this stotra are summarized below.

 

1. prapatti for moksha should be done only once:

 

prapatti for moksha should be done only once. svAmi deSikan poetically

points out that it is as if this is the significance of the abahya mudra of

Lord ranganAtha's right hand (bhagavAn indicating to the prapanna that there

is no need for him to fear any more after the prapatti has been done once).

SrI D. rAmasvAmi aiye~ngAr svAmi gives reference to the same idea expressed

by svAmi deSikan in his tamizh composition aDaikkalap-pattu - umadu aDigaL

aDaiginREn enRu oru kAl uraittavarai amaiyum ini enbavar pOl a~njal enak

karam vaittu. This commentator also points out that our great AcArya-s

instruct those who perform prapatti that after they have performed prapatti

at the feet of the Lord, they can from now on fix their gaze on the abhaya

mudra of the Lord and derive solace and comfort from the way it promises

protection.

..

SrI kumAra varadAcArya gives the interpretation that if prapatti is done

more than once, bhagavAn will feel in debt because He has already given the

ultimate pleasure one can seek after the first prapatti, and will have

nothing more to give if the prapatti is repeated (Slokam 2).

 

2. piRaTTi, bhagavAn, and prapatti:

 

In the AcArya paramparA, bhagavAn and pirATTi are the first and foremost

(Slokam 1). svAmI deSikan points out that pirATTi and bhagavAn are

inseparable, and prapatti done to one is prapatti done simultaneously to

both. svAmi deSikan gives a simple example to illustrate this point. When

the veda prescribes a yAga to mahendra, one cannot do yAga to indra without

associating him with the epithet "mahA", or cannot perform yAga to the guNa

called "mahA" and a separate yag~na for "indra". So also, when we do

prapatti, there is no distinction between pirATTi and bhagavAn, and our

surrender applies to both (Slokam 4).

 

pirATTi's purushakAratva (recommendation, support, advocacy):

 

The only thing that is in between us and SrIviakunTham is the enormous sins

that we have committed. The only prAyaScitta that is available to most of

us for our heaps of sins is prapatti. The greatness and efficacy of

prapatti has been taught to us by bhagavAn in His rAma and kr*shNa

incarnations, and also by the great sages and AcArya-s. As the first step

in seeking prapatti, we should seek the protection of our divine Mother,

pirATTi, who speaks for us and pleads for us with bhagavAn --tadArambhe

tasyAh giram avadhAnena manasA akhila nAthasya ekAm ahishIm tAm Sriyam

prapadye (Slokam 3). In lakshmi tantra, pirATTi's words to us are:

"Surrender to Me when you perform the prAyaScitta for your sins".

 

"prAyaScitta prasange tu sarva pApa samudbhave |

mAm ekAm devadevasya mahishIm saraNam Srayet ||

 

As our divine Mother, She takes the responsibility to plead our case when

bhagavAn is vexed with our enormous sins. Without Her pleading our case, we

have no chance of approaching Him (adhr*shyatvam - non-approachability -

Slokam 4).

 

SrI D.rAmasvAni aiye~ngAr points out that SrI rAmAnuja in his SaraNAgati

gadyam, also first seeks pirATTi's Grace, and after obtaining Her blessing,

perforsm prapatti at the feet of the Lord. SrI deSika follows SrI rAmAnuja

in performing SrI prapatti here. This is also called purushakAra prapatti.

 

3. bhagavA's dayA and soulabhya:

 

It is out of His dayA that He created brahma and gave him the knowledge of

the veda-s so that brahma could create and maintain the rest of the beings.

He is the Supreme Lord of all the gods (Slokam 5). It is out of His

soulabhya (being easily accessible to even the lowliest of beings) that He

took the incarnation as the cowherd kr*shNa in the midst of the gopi-s, and

it is out of the same soulabhya that He has taken the incarnations in the

form arcA-mUrti in various puNya-keshetra-s such as SrI ra~ngam (Slokam 6).

bhagavAn's kaTAksham is all that is needed for the removal of the all the

sins that we have accumulated (Slokam 8).

 

4. Importance of AcArya kaTAksham in prapatti:

 

The point was made in the introduction that in nyAsa tilakam svAmi DeSikan

illustrates the principles of prapatti that had been stated in other

stotra-s such as nyAsa vimSatih. An example of this is found in Slokam 9.

Here svAmi deSikan sings the praise of Lord ranganAtha for having led him to

a great AcArya, and indicates that bhagavAn has in the process completed a

major part of His responsibility in leading him to moksham. Another way to

understand this Slokam is that choosing an AcArya with the AcArya lakshaNa-s

described in nyAsa vimSatih is a major and very important part of prapatti,

and this also happens only with bhagavAns' anugraham.

 

For a cetana who is full of enormous sins, unable to undertake j~nAna yoga,

karma yoga, and bhakti yoga, and really unclear and confused about prapatti

but all the same comes forward to utter the mantra-s required for prapatti,

it is bhagavAn's karuNA that He reveals an AcArya to the cetana. The

AcArya's mere kaTAksha starts removing the confusion and makes the

prapatti's underlying significance clear and assures ultimate moksham

(Slokam 20).

 

svAmi deSikan compares the help of the AcArya to the prapanna by giving

three examples (Slokam 21) which are significant in their difference. First

is the case of as that of someone with clear eyesight leading someone who is

totally blind. The analogy here is that even though we don't have the

j~nAna, the AcArya takes care of this deficiency. Next he gives the example

of a lame person being ferried across from one shore to the other. Here,

unlike in the first example, the person cannot even take any effort as in

the case of holding the hand of the person who leads, but needs to be

carried into the boat and carried out from the boat on the other shore. The

third example is the family of a king's servant who has received enormous

gifts from the king for his service. Even though the family enjoys the

benefits of the gift, they have nothing to do with the king directly. The

AcArya's help is similarly both direct and indirect, and he lifts up the

Sishya in many different ways as needed in order to ensure that the Sishya

gets moksha through prapatti in spite of his lack of knowledge and any other

deficiencies. The importance of this Sloka is evident in that svAmi

deSikan refers to this Sloka again in his rahasyatraya sAra.

 

To be continued ....

 

 

-dAsan kr*shNamAcAryan

[Guest guest]

"Krishnamachari, N (Krish)" <nkrish wrote:

> [...]

> The only thing that is in between us and SrIviakunTham is the enormous sins

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

> that we have committed. The only prAyaScitta that is available to most of

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

> us for our heaps of sins is prapatti. The greatness and efficacy of

> prapatti has been taught to us by bhagavAn in His rAma and kr*shNa

> incarnations, and also by the great sages and AcArya-s. As the first step

> in seeking prapatti, we should seek the protection of our divine Mother,

> pirATTi, who speaks for us and pleads for us with bhagavAn --tadArambhe

> tasyAh giram avadhAnena manasA akhila nAthasya ekAm ahishIm tAm Sriyam

> prapadye (Slokam 3). In lakshmi tantra, pirATTi's words to us are:

> "Surrender to Me when you perform the prAyaScitta for your sins".

>

> "prAyaScitta prasange tu sarva pApa samudbhave |

^^^^^^^^^^^

> mAm ekAm devadevasya mahishIm saraNam Srayet ||

>

> As our divine Mother, She takes the responsibility to plead our case when

> bhagavAn is vexed with our enormous sins. Without Her pleading our case, we

> have no chance of approaching Him (adhr*shyatvam - non-approachability -

> Slokam 4).

> [...]

 

I was under the impression that all kaamya-karma (whether puNya or paapa) keep

us away from paraM-dhaama.

 

But according to underscored part of the cited message above, it seems like

only paapa keeps us apart from shrii-vaikUNThaM.

 

It is also interesting that bhagavaan kR^ishhNa , in His carama-shloka,

mentions about paapa only:

"... ahaM tvaaM sarva-paapebhyaH mokshayishhyaami..."

 

Also, it is said that after leaving his gross body, jiivaatma cannot cross

the transcendental "virajaa" river with any trace of karma.

 

Wonder happens to prapanna's karma-remainder after kR^ishhNa clears

just jiiva's paapa.

 

also, wonder what precisely is definition of "puNya" and "paapa".

 

- Ram