A 'mArgazhi' diary: some reflections - 5.3

[Guest guest]

Dear bhakti-list members,

 

Today (27 Dec) adiyen again looks at Standard No:2 of

Kamban's "Benchmarks of Poetic Excellence" i.e. "Anra

porul taral".

 

According to this standard of Kamban a work of Tamil

poery must comprehensively deal with the subject of

"purushArthA-s" which are 4 in number:

(1) "aram" (virtue of charity) (2) "porul" (wealth)

(3) "inbam" (pleasure) and (4) "viDu" (spiritual

emancipation).

 

According to pundits and the "AchAryA-s", Goda's

tiruppAvai treats the subject of "purushArthA-s" in a

way that meets and far exceeds the above Kamban

standard.

 

All of us, at some time or other, find ourselves

smitten by the pensive mood when silently we pose the

question to ourselves "What am I living my life for?".

 

This is indeed a very difficult question to answer

with any degree of honesty or objectivity at any time

in our lives. But the Vedic religion gives us a very

simple and clear answer to the question. It says that

all of us live on earth only to fulfill 4 principal

objectives viz. (1)"kAma" (2) "arthA" (3) "dharmA" and

(4) "mOksha" which are the same as the Tamil "inbam",

"poruL", "aram" and "veeDu".

 

The fulfilment of desire ("kAmA") to derive pure

pleasure ("inbam") is one of the principal ends of

human existence. From the moment of birth as a baby

until the time it goes to death as an old man, the

soul is ceaselessly engaged in the search for

Pleasure.

There is no doubt about this fact of life.

 

Unfortunately, in the course of life, man's appetite

for Pleasure ("inbam") never remains constant. It

varies in nature and in intensity. It waxes and wanes.

At one time man hungers for objects of pleasure

belonging to the realms of the "flesh" viz. wealth,

fame or power (i.e. "arthA" or "porul") or sensual

pleasures ("ulpa-kAma") i.e. wine, women and creature

comforts. At other times, however, man hankers after

the Pleasures belonging to the realm of the "spirit"

--- knowledge, ideas, social achievement, intellectual

fulfilment, emotional bliss or simple familial

contentment.

 

In the course of thus having to pursue and attain the

objects ("arthA"/"porul") of the Pleasure-Principle of

life ("kAma"/"inbam"), Man employs "dharmA" --- those

modes of conduct needed to achieve the desired goals.

 

"Dharma" is essentially the sum of all the right

efforts Man expends in order to realize "purushArthA",

his goals in life. When such modes of conduct are

inspired by high purpose they are called "dharmA".

When inspired by ignoble ideals and low ethics they

are called "a-dharmA".

 

Thus, within this ever-dynamic matrix of 4 principal

Vedantic "purushArthA-s", every man lives and strives

ceaselessly to enrich his existential condition and

make it meaningful.

 

The power of "arthA" or "porul" to satiate "kAma" or

desire is extremely limited. Human appetite for the

pleasures of the "flesh" or "spirit" is voracious but

not insatiable. A point is reached in life when the

"inbam" of "acquisition" ceases. When that happens Man

begins to gradually savour instead the "inbam" or

pleasure of "giving" or "charity". A wealthy man who

did nothing but amass wealth all his life will

suddenly turn to giving it all away in philanthrophy.

He will set up innumerable trusts and foundations of

charity in the hope they will be his living monuments

after death. A man famed for some branch of learning

or performing art will suddenly find "inbam" in

"giving back" to society his knowledge, his skills or

his acumen instead of trying to profit from it. He

will probably suddenly at the end of his career put

his heart and soul into teaching students, doing

honorary work, community service etc. Such "giving

away" of "porul" is called "aram"(charity). Conduct

that is charitable in nature is said to conform to

"dAna-dharmA" or ("ara-kattalai" in Tamil).

 

Now, there are some men however who (due to the Grace

of God or "purva-janma-visEsha-karma" or both) achieve

in life a rare awareness of the unique possibilities

of "purushArthA-s". Such men are known to easily tire

of the "inbam" that "arthA" and "aram" affords. They

see the small Pleasures yielded by worldly life as

erratic, inconstant and unworthy. Such souls are

variously called "gnyAni-s", "mumukshu-s", "seekers of

truth" etc.

 

"gnyAni-s" do not reject the world of "flesh" and

"spirit" but they do not embrace it either like other

ordinary men do. The mental constitution of "gnyAni-s"

is such that they are naturally led to seek that

"inbam" which is not at all of this world but of an

altogether different "Order" existing beyond the

boundaries of temporality and corporeality. (The

"purusha-suktam" picturesquely describes this "Order

Beyond" as "athyaTishta- dasAm-gulam"... "that world

which is at least 10 feet beyond the reach of this

one"!).

 

Such exalted souls or "gnyAni-s" have no time for

anything else in life but the pursuit of "mOksha-

inbam" of "mOksha" or "veeDu" which the Upanishads

also describe as "mOkshAnanda" -- the pleasure derived

when freedom from the shackles of bodily destiny

("prakriti-sambandham") is attained forever. This the

4th "purushArthA".

 

"MokshA" is also known to be a state of existence

which is beyond the pale of the "purushArthA-s". This

in SriVaishnava faith is called the state of the

"dAsa-bhuthan"... the state of eternal and blissful

servitude to the Supreme One in His Celestial Abode

("parama-padam"). Swami Desikan in his poem

"paramArtha-stuthi" spoke of this very aspiration of

the "gnyAni" for "parama-padam" in simple but

soul-stirring lines: (Verse 7)

 

avadheerya chaturvidham pumartham

Bhava-dhartE viniyukta-jeevitah: sann I

labhatE Bhavatah: falAni jantuh:

nikhilAn-yatra nidarshanam jatAyuh: II

 

(Any living being that transcends the 4-fold

"purushArthA-s" of life and dedicates itself wholly to

You, O Almighty One... such a soul does easily reaps

all the fruits of Thy World of Bliss which Jatayu (of

the Ramayana) too earned!").

 

********** ************ *********

Now, it is not at all easy to comprehend and ingest

the Vedantic concepts of the 4-fold "purushArthA-s"

and/or to be able to put them to good use in living

out our lives. It demands a great deal of

self-knowledge ("atma-svarupa- gnyAna") and knowledge

of our relationship to this world and to the Almighty.

 

 

But the chief purpose of life, according to Vedanta,

is to understand and trancend the "purushArthA-s".

Once we do attain an intuitive understanding of the

principles of "aram", "porul", "inbam" and "mOksa" we

are said to be on the certain road to Godhead.

 

Andal's "tiruppAvai", scholars and "achAryA-s" remind

us, actually teems with several scintillating

references to this great Vedantic matrix of

"purushArthA-s" described above.

 

adiyen will study them in the next page of this

"mArgazhi diary".

 

dAsAnu-dasa-bhuthan,

Sampathkumaran

 

 

 

 

 

_______

 

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[Guest guest]

dear srI sampathkumAr,

> This is indeed a very difficult question to answer

> with any degree of honesty or objectivity at any time

> in our lives. But the Vedic religion gives us a very

> simple and clear answer to the question. It says that

> all of us live on earth only to fulfill 4 principal

> objectives viz. (1)"kAma" (2) "arthA" (3) "dharmA" and

> (4) "mOksha" which are the same as the Tamil "inbam",

> "poruL", "aram" and "veeDu".

>

 

The reason for our existence is *NOT* to fulfill the above

4 purushArthAs. I think that wording the above could be

- The objectives of those who live on earth can be classified

into 4 purushArthAs - rather than what is said above. adiyEn

hopes that the intent of your statement above was NOT

"jIvAs exist to fulfill the 4 principal objectives".

 

> "purusha-suktam" picturesquely describes this "Order

> Beyond" as "athyaTishta- dasAm-gulam"... "that world

> which is at least 10 feet beyond the reach of this

> one"!).

>

 

adiyEn hopes you will not interpret this post as personal criticism.

We all need to be very very careful while we write in public.

We should be first and foremost accurate AND be consistent

with what our AchAryAs say. This is the first time adiyEn has come

across such an interpretation of that verse of purusha suktam.

Is there any pramANa for this? The above line is usually

interpreted by our pUrvAchAryAs as "One that is beyond the reach of

10 fingers" - a possible understanding would be "One that is not

subjet to understanding based on anything that is derived from

the 10 digits - i.e. all the sciences that have been developed by

human beings (since counting with the 10 fingers form the basis

for everything).

>

> Andal's "tiruppAvai", scholars and "achAryA-s" remind

> us, actually teems with several scintillating

> references to this great Vedantic matrix of

> "purushArthA-s" described above.

>

> adiyen will study them in the next page of this

> "mArgazhi diary".

>

 

please do write on thiruppAvai. But my request is for you

to be faithful to pUrvAchAryAs' commentaries.

We have a wealth of pUrvAchAryAs' commentaries and

interpretations on thiruppaavai. There is no need for us to have

our own interpretation.

 

 

adiyEn has taken the liberty of cutting and pasting from

a different post of yours

-----begin quote---

adiyen's feels Goda's poetry is a many-splendoured

gem. It appeals in a variety of ways to varied

literary tastes and religious dispositions. It offers

infinite scope for "yukti" and adiyen is not at all

pretending to offer authentic SriVaishnava achArya

"vyAkhyAnam". That is why adiyen is openly saying in

my posts that these are 'diarized reflections' of

mine. Nothing more, nothing less.

-----end quote---

 

adiyEn agrees that thiruppAvai can be appealing in

different ways to different people. However, this list

is NOT the place for such musings. This is a srIvaishNavA

list - Hence, anything said (let alone thiruppAvai, which is

probably one of the most important paasurams for us), should be

consistent with what our pUrvAchAryAs say. Anything that

is different from what our pUrvAchAryA's/AchAryAs have said

is not something that should be encouraged. If we want to

appreciate the tamizh literary aspects of thiruppaavai, then

there is soc.culture.tamil for that purpose.

 

adiyEn quotes another paragraph from your post

----begin quote

adiyen finds it very difficult to believe that

"vratam" and "yagnyam" are to be regarded as, what

Sri.Mani calls, "pretexts" in the 'tiruppAvai'. AndAl,

adiyen thinks, intended them as real. They ARE real.

Reading the lines of the "pasurams" you cannot deny

that there is a clear message viz.: "perform "yagnyam"

and reap universal welfare".

---- end quote

 

If your interpretation of thiruppaavai can be summarized

as you so succintly did in the last line of the above paragraph,

adiyEn suggests that you check with your AchAryan

about that interpretation. ThiruppAvai's message is NOT

"perform yagnyam and reap universal welfare".

If you need a copy of our pUrvAchAryA's vyAkhyAnams,

adiyEn will be glad to arrange for you to get one. If you need

upanyAsam tapes, please let me know and adiyEn will

be glad to arrange for them too.

 

 

adiyEn madhurakavi dAsan,

Thirumalai Anandanpillai Varadhan

[Guest guest]

Dear bhakti-list members,

 

adiyen received this very valuable note/feedback from

Sriman Sadagopan which is worth sharing with all of

you.

 

Sampathkumaran

 

--- Sadagopan <sgopan wrote:

> Dear Sri Sampath KumAran :

> I have a question ofr you on the passage

> quoted from Purusha Sooktham below:

>

> ( Sa BhUmim VisvathO vruthvA ,adhyathishtath

> dasAngulam )

>

> This passage salutes the MahA vyApi , who transcends

>

> every thig in this Universe and is beyond the

> arithmetic

> of counting with ten fingers (digits) . That

> Purushan ,

> who is sarva vyApi is not subject to the rules of

> mathematical count . "anantha yOjanAn adhIthya

> athishtathi "

> is the commentary of SaayanA . The order beyond

> regference

> is some waht correct , but "atleast 10 feet beyond

> the reach of this one " does not go well .

>

> Hope you do not mind my pointing this out !

> Best wishes,

> V.Sadagopan

>

>

>

 

 

 

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