Kainkaryam-3

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Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra

Mahadesikaya Nama:

 

Kainkaryam—3

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Having dealt with kainkaryas to be performed with the

tongue and the mind, Sri Kulasekharazhwar turns next

to the good work that idle hands could be put to.

“JihvE keertaya Kesavam, Mura ripum chEtO bhaja

Sridharam PANi dvandva samarchaya”

.. Archana usually means a floral tribute with the

hands to the Lord. Azhwar’s use of the word

“samarchaya” is noteworthy, for it means comprehensive

worship (samyak archanam). This is perhaps intended to

convey that while the hands are engaged in showering

the Lord’s tiruvadi with flowers and tirutthuzhAi,

simultaneously the lips should be chanting His praise

and the mind concentrating on His innumerable

auspicious qualities, with the eyes fixed on His

glorious form. Given the fickleness of our minds and

other sensory organs, it is usual that while our hands

are busy performing archana to Bhagavan, our minds are

miles away, thinking quite unrelated thoughts. Azhwar

insists that all our organs should function in unison,

while worshipping the Lord.

 

And another function that hands are meant for is to

fetch and carry –carry water, flowers, incense, etc.,

meant for Emperuman’s worship. This is clear from Sri

Nammazhwar’s sreesookti,

“Sumandu mAmalar neer sudar dhoopam koNdu

amarndu vAnavar vAnavar kOnodum

namandrezhum Tiruvenkatam nangaktku

saman koL veedu tarum tadam kundramE »

.. These lines remind adiyen of an instructive episode.

When Sri InjimEdu Azhagiasingar and Sri Madhurantakam

Swamy were before Sri Parthasarathy ‘s sanctum

sanctorum for mangalasasanam, they had to wait for a

few minutes outside, as the Lord was adorning Himself

after tirumanjanam, perhaps trying to look His best to

the two mahAns who were awaiting His audience.

Noticing Srimad Azhagiasingar bearing in his hands the

rather heavy garland intended for Perumal, Sri

Madhurantakam Swamy requested the former to put down

the garland in a suitable place, till the sannidhi

opened for worship. With his usual smile, Srimad

Azhagiasingar replied, “adiyen would rather carry this

garland, as this too is a form of kainkaryam, for

didn’t Sri Nammazhwar say, ‘sumandu mAmalar’?”

 

The Mudalazhwars too agree with Sri Kulasekharaperumal

that the hands are indeed meant for Emperuman’s

worship.

Says one-

“tozhudu malar kondu dhoopam kai Endi

ezhudum ezhu vAzhi nenjE”

 

“painkamalam kaiyAl aNindEn un sEvadi mEl anbAi” etc.

This is true not only of human beings but of other

species too, as is proved by Sri Gajendrazhwan, whose

practice it was to gather lotus flowers every day for

the Lord’s archanam.

Sri Peyazhwar elevates this archanam to a level much

beyond penance (tapas) performed with considerable

torture of one’s physique. He wonders,” why do you

strain yourself so much, performing tapas standing on

steep mountains, immersed in the coldest of waters and

in the midst of the five fires, when you have a much

easier and effective way to cleanse yourself of your

sins? All you have to do is to worship the Lord at

TiruvekkA (a divyadesam in Kancheepuram) with flowers,

which are easily available.” Here is the beautiful

pasuram-

“poruppidayE nindrum punal kuLitthum-aindu

neruppidayE nirkavum neer vENdA-viruppudanE

VekkAvE sErndAnai meymalar tooi kai tozhudAl

AkkAve teevinaigal Aindu”.

 

As archanam constitutes worship of such high order, it

cannot be accorded to all and sundry. According to Sri

Nammazhwar, only Emperuman Sriman Narayanan is

entitled to such worship, and none other- “dEvan

Emperumanukku allAl poovum poosanayum tagumE?” he

enquires rhetorically.

 

“tOL avanai allAl tozhA”-Sri Poigayazhwar rules out

worship of others with his hands. “mandirangaL

karpanavum MAl adiyE kai tozhuvAn” reiterates the

Azhwar in another Mudal Tiruvandadi pasuram.

 

Discerning bhaktas would also detect the benign shadow

of the Dvaya mantram in the sloka we are currently

analysing.

While there is no dispute about Emperuman being the

sole recipient eligible for such archana, Sri

Kulasekharazhwar’s use of the tirunamam “Sridharam ”

(Emperuman who sports Tirumagal on His chest), while

allocating the kainkaryam for the hands, is

significant. This denotes that all kainkaryam is to be

performed to the Divine Duo- the Lord and His Consort-

and not merely to Emperuman.

 

What is the periodicity of this archanam? Is it to be

performed on special days, monthly, yearly, or once in

a few years? Sri Nammazwar says it should be

continuous, without even a second’s interval-“kaigaL

Ara tozhudu tozhudu unnai, vaigalum mAtthirai pOdum Or

veedindri”

 

The hands are versatile instruments of kainkaryam, as,

unlike other organs, they can be put to multifarious

use, like fetching and carrying for the Lord, for

preparing garlands for Him, cleaning and decorating

His temples, and any number of kainkaryas, according

to one’s capability, aptitude and ruchi.

 

While we have only one tongue, mind, nose and head,

we have been blessed with two hands, which is not

without significance. It means perhaps that the

quantum of kainkaryam expected of the upper limbs is

more than that of its singular counterparts. Ipso

facto, while closing the current instalment of

“kainkaryam”, it struck adiyen that the hands, being

two, deserve two instalments devoted to them. In the

next part, adiyen shall try to show more of my hand.

 

Srimate Sri LakshmiNrsimha divya paduka sevaka Srivan

Satakopa Sri Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya Nama:

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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