Kainkaryam-4

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Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra

Maha desikaya Nama:

 

Kainkaryam-4

_______________

 

Continuing the saga of the hands, you must have

noticed how a pair of palms folded in supplication

resembles a lotus yet to bloom. Thus the best flower

suited for the Lord’s worship need not be sought from

outside sources, for it is ever present in one’s

hands. One has only to fold one’s hands in the

“anjali” mudra, which has the effect of melting down

Emperuman (“am jalayati iti anjali”). This anjali, an

abbreviated version of Saranagati symbolised by folded

palms, is an extremely effective instrument in

achieving one’s goals, for it brings around even the

most intransigent of Gods- (“anjali: paramA mudrA,

kshipram dEva prasAdinI”). The best possible offering

or kainkaryam to the Lord is self-surrender or Atma

SamarpaNam, which is symbolised by the anjali mudrA.

Extolling the efficacy of anjali, Sri Alavandar says,

“tvat anghrim uddisya kadApi kEnachit

yata tatAvApi sakrit krita:anjali :

tadaiva mushNAti ashubhAni asEshata :

shubhAni pushNAti na jAtu heeyatE »

Says Sri Yamuna, addressing the Lord, ”an anjali,

whenever and by whoever it is, done in whatever

fashion, directed towards your lotus feet, destroys

all things bad in us and ensures the growth of all

that is auspicious.”

This makes it clear that Saranagati is subject to

absolutely no restrictions, caste-wise, time-wise or

otherwise. It is an “anyone, anytime, anyhow”

instrument to liberation.

 

The hands that worship the Lord would never fall a

prey to the bonds of Karma, would never ever peek into

Hell, nor would evil times ever befall them. Sri

Poigai Azhwar avers,

“VinayAl adar padAr, vennaragil sArAr

TinayEnum tee gati kaN sellar-ninaidarku

AriyAni sEyAnai Ayiram pEr senkaN

KariyAnai kai tozhuda kAl”.

 

Sri Nammazhwar too confirms that folded hands or

anjali is the best possible adornment we could offer

the Lord-“dEsamAna aNikalanum en kai kooppu seigayE”.

We saw that the act of anjali has no age-restriction:

but Sri Poigaiazhwar performs this while he is still

an unborn child in the mother’s womb, as he himself

attests-

“andru karu arangatthuL kidandu kai tozhudEn kandEn

Tiruvarangam mEyAn disai”.

Normally, hands folded in supplication are held in

front of one’s chest, so that they form a simultaneous

offering to the antaryAmi or inner-dweller. Sri

Periazhwar speaks of another position for this

anjali-hands folded on top of one’s head-“matthagatthu

idai kai kooppi”.

It is not only ordinary mortals like us who resort to

this “handy “ kainkaryam: the thirty-three crore

devatas, headed by the eight Vasus, eleven RudrAs,

twelve AdityAs and the two AswinI dEvAs, with their

crores of acolytes, all holding colourful flowers in

their hands, offer floral tributes at the Lord’s feet.

And this they do always.

“eNmar padinoruvar eeraruvar Oriruvar

vaNNa malar Endi vaigalum-naNNi

oru mAlai paravi OvAdu- eppOdum

TirumAlai kai tozhuvar sendru »

 

Are they hands, which do not fold by themselves in

bhakti when before the Lord with the darkest of

complexions? They are as good as worthless pieces of

wood, says Sri Tirumangai mannan in the following

pasuram-

“MayyAr kadalum maNi varayum mAmugilum

koyyAr kuvaLayum kAyAvum pOndru iruNda

MeyyAnai Meyya malayAnai sangEndum

KaiyyAnai kai tozhA kai alla kaNdAmE ».

 

After the hands, ears attract Sri Kulasekharazhwar’s

attention, and he says, “Achutha kaThA shrOtra dvaya

tvam shruNu” (Oh Ears! Do listen to the Holy tales of

Achutha).

One significant feature of our listening faculty is

that unlike our mouth or eyes, there is no in-built

facility for automatically shutting our ears, perhaps

with the intention that man should listen a lot.

However, with the passage of good times and the

preponderance of evil tidings over good, we have to be

selective in what we let into our ears. And the only

way we can perform kainkaryam with our ears is to

confine their intake to tales of the Lord’s glory.

 

It is not for nothing that one of the Vedic Shanti

pAtAs begins with “Bhadram karNEbhi: shruNuyAma

dEvA:”(May the Gods let only good tidings fall on our

ears!). Here, the word “Bhadram” refers to the Lord’s

praise, in the form of veda mantras, stotras, Azhwars’

sreesooktis, et cetera. This prayer occurs also in the

TaittiriyOpanishad SeekshAvalli, thus-“KarNAbhyAm

bhoori vishruvam”. Another related Veda vAkyA is

“shrOtrENa bhadram uta shriNvanti satyam”.

The Veda Purusha prays that we may listen only to

accounts of Emperuman’s glory, and not to mere mundane

matters. Sri Nammazhwar, who, in defining what is

sweet on the ears, says it is only Bhagavan nAmA-

“sevikku inbam Avaduvum sengaN Mal nAmam”

 

While Azhwars are particular about hearing only such

things, they are also equally concerned about what

they should not lend their ears to-

Says Sri Poygaiazhwar-“Pey mulai nanju ooNAga uNdAn

uruvOdu pEr allAl kANA kaN kELA sevi”-(My ears would

not listen to anything other than Sri Krishna’s haloed

names)

A noteworthy feature of this sloka from Sri Mukunda

MalA is its close reflection of sentiments expressed

by Sri Poigaiazhwar, Sri Bhootattazwar and Sri

Peyazhwar, as would have been evident from the

numerous quotes furnished above. Here too, Sri

Pogaiazhwar swears,

“en sevi iraNdum kEL avanadu in mozhiyE kettu irukkum”

(“My ears listen only to the glorious tales of

Emperuman, who is everybody to me”).

And what about ears that do not let in the Lord’s

names or doings? Sri Kalian says that they are mere

adornments to the sides of the head, and do not serve

any useful purpose at all _”TOlAda mAmaNiyai tondarkku

iniAnai

KELA sevigaL sevi alla

kEttAmE”

Concurs the Aycchiar Kuravai of Silappadhikaram-

“TirumAl seer kELAda sevi enna seviyE”.

 

-----------to be continued-------

 

Srimate SriLakshmiNrsimha divya paduka sevaka

SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana yatindra Mahadesikaya

Nama:

---------------dasan,sadagopan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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