Sri VNV's second article

[Guest guest]

Dear BhakthAs :

 

Namo Narayanaaya !

 

It is my pleasure to share with you the Part II

of the article specailly contributed by

Dr.V.N. Vedantha Dessikan for the Saranagathy Journal.

This article has insights into the ways in which

we should condiuct ourselves as the true servant of

Our Lord Sriman NaarAyaNan .

 

Daasan , Oppiliappan Sannidhi V.SatakOpan

 

A SPIRITUAL OVERVIEW - II

 

Pranava is a holy mantra of the Hindu. It is part of all major mantras.

Very interestingly most branches of Hinduism try to render some

interpretation at will, without adhering to canons of linguistics, etymology

and diction. Since it is Vedic, holy and highly sacrosanct, its recitation

requires certain purity and austerity.

 

It is given a simple meaning A-U-M "Akararthaya eva ayam Makaraartha: jivah"

 

This jiva meant by Ma is only for the Brahman, who is the meaning of A or

Akara. A-U-M have this significance.

 

The consonant Ma implies thinking. It means consciousness. So it is a

secret indicator for the soul, the jivatma. Indeed, according to a peculiar

enumeration process, tattvas or realities are reckoned upto 24, and the 25th

is jiva the 26th being Paramatma. In Sanskrit consonants - only in

Sanskrit, mark it, we have Ka series (5), Cha series (5) Ta series (5), Ta

series (5) and Pa series (5) - which ends in Ma. This means of reckoning,

too, points at the meaning of Ma as Jiva.

 

Akara means Vishnu, primarily. He is the first, the actual creator of

Brahma himself, who is assigned the creation role subsequently. We should

remember that Thiruvalluvar, in his first kural, refers to Aadi Bhagavan as

the import, and natural import at that, of the Akara (the letter m in

Tamil). Indeed A, alpha etc. is the first alphabet in all languages. The

letter A incorporated in the Pranava can imply God Vishnu-since He alone in

the Hindu theism is origin-less; all else are born of Him. There can be,

therefore, no other appropriate interpretation for the A sound.

 

The meaning of U (which in conjunction with A leads to the sound O), in

between A and M, has two interpretations.

 

i) it is esoterically taken to imply an emphatic dependence, a stress that

Ma, the jiva, exists only for the sake of Lord Vishnu, who is implied by A.

 

ii) it means the Consort, Mahalakshmi for which a beautiful authority is

taken for Srimad Ramayana.

 

Rama walks first; next follows Sita, with a beautiful (ie. thin) middle

limb, the hip. Then follows Lakshmana.

 

As Lakshmana, the incarnation of Adisesha, the first, the complete and

perfect, role model of Seshatva - a concept that is unique to our religion -

was, in the Ramayana, the ever-serving liege, dependent, servant, to the

Divine Couple that Rama and Sita were, all of us - if we are sensients! -

should imbibe the Seshatva and live accordingly.

 

I am to digress here for a few minutes. This is my own comment useful for

the moderns: Sri Vaishnavism gives a new meaning for Man, for his life and

goal, for his approach and for his attitude. The world will be beautiful if

all humans imbibe this subject of Vaishnavism, even if they do no become

transformed into holy Bhagavatas! (Vishnu - worshippers). What is the

concept? Individual souls are completely dependent on the Lord; they have

an individuality only in respect of contributing to the service of God, His

laws and His order of things. All are brethren in His service. Anyone's

goal and ambition, aspiration and strife can only be within this ambit and

he should totally negate his self insofaras it violates the Law of God;

exists as god's liege. What a man does ought to be only for the pleasure

and satisfaction of Bhagavan (to cite our uniform sankalpa in rituals, " by

the Lord's mandate, to His satisfaction"). If we order our life in this

manner, how would we ever have disappointment, depression, jealousy, etc.

Even if someone does you harm, think - that is the actual fact - that he is

doing it by God's order of things, as per what God has ordained! He is no

longer an independent, a power to reckon; he is merely a liege, another like

you. How can my hand work against my chest? Both are links, both are, of

course, insensients, you would think. But, then, all beings, even when

sensients, act as per God's laws, almost as if they were insensients. That

is why we are hearing a beautiful mandate - that is emphasised by our

Acharya at the time of Prapathi- that we should never seek anything from

God; that Kamya karmas are taboo, that if we want this or that, which may

run counter to the Lord's order of things, it is violation of our norms of

life. Not only that; it is equivalent to your abandoning your Seshatva

faith itself. If some one does you harm, that is, if you think that some

one has harmed you, the impression is itself basically wrong. It is not

permissible. None can do you harm if the particular event - which gives you

the impression of that person having done you a harm - had not been so

ordained. All things proceed as ordained by God, The moment you harbour

ill-will towards anyone on the grounds of your having suffered, (sic), you

have betrayed your disbelief in God! You have apparently forgotten your

paratantrya, your self-effacing servility spirit. Having surrendered

yourself to the Lord-in Bharanyasa- you have entrusted your protection to

the Lord. He knows best how and what should occur to you. Then why grieve,

why complain, why curse another person for an apparent suffering inflicted

on you? "That is God's will" should be your spirit.

 

In this context, I wish to emphasise that the import of Bharanyasa should

mark our mundane life in all its phases. We ought to have an integrated

life wherein our spiritualism, seshatva, atma - samarpana, complete

subordination to Bhagavat-sankalpa, etc. should mark our overall spirit and

attitude in day-to-day mundane life also. We should not forget the basic

implication of Atma-samarpanam in our day-to-day activities. That is, we

ought not to play double role; say my Atma is the Lord's liege and then

question what the Lord has meted out to us in life!

 

It would just then be equivalent to an Advaitin saying that his atma is

identical with the Supreme Brahma, which is devoid of qualities, form etc.

and then performing panchayatana pooja to a Brahman that is itself his soul

in identity! What a paradox!

 

Ours is true, practical and realistic philosophy. But let us practise it in

that spirit every moment!

 

Oppiliappan Sannidhi V.N.Vedantha Desikan