DHEERGAAYUSH

[Guest guest]

SRIMATHE RAMANUJAYA NAMAHA.

 

Dear Sri Balaji,

 

Some nice insights have been given by learned devotees

to your question on Dheergaayush.

May I be permitted to add the following, drawing some

inputs from Taittria upanishad and Katopanishad.?

 

The very purpose of creation is to provide congenial

atmosphere for the jivas to take up sariram so that it

can discharge its karma and aim for libeartion.

To use the Vedic language, the jiva is capable of

discharging its functions of karma / rituals (karma

kanda) and realisation of the brahman (brahma kanda /

gyana kanda), only when it is enshrined in a sariram.

It might take many births (bodies) to perform these

two. But to the enlightened jiva, i.e., for the jiva

which knows how it has to conduct the journey, it is

desirable to finish the show as early as possible and

attain liberation. That is why one is blessed to live

a long life.

 

In the first category, discharge of karma comes in

the course of what you call ‘jana samooha kadamai’.

These have been laid down in many texts and in

particular in Taiittriya Upanishad as ‘swadhyaayam

and pravachanam’ , meaning that which have to be done

compulsorily and as a way of life.

 

In the course of one’s life, the person passes through

four ashrama levels and of the four, that of the

grihasthashrama has been identified as the most

important one. Because it is the grihastha on whom

others are dependent. It is he who has to carry out

multiplication of material wealth for the sake of

taking care of his immediate dependents and also of

the needs of the other ashrama- vaasis.

He has to bear the responsibility and duty

(swadhyayam and pravachanam) of taking care of others.

He has to do as many as 40 samskaras that directly or

indirectly benefit other ashrama –vaasis and also

other forms of creation.

He has to make offerings and sacrifices for the

benefit of the society.

These samskaras create in him certain rights and

previleges not possessed before, to enter upon certain

duties and responsibilities for attaining the goal of

perfection. This requires that he has a healthy body

and long life.

The Taiitriyam addresses the sishya ( the

brahmachari)as a Pracheena yogyan and lists down what

all he has to do after leaving the guru kulam. These

duties are characterised as “Tapas” by Rishi Naga,

the son of Modhgalya.

 

The foremost purpose of blessing one with long life is

that he may be capable of performing this “TAPAS” in

all effectiveness. The blessing ‘padinaarum petru peru

vaazhvu vaazhga’ is to emphasise that the person be

endowed with the 16 types of wealth in order to

discharge his ‘jana samooha kadamai’ effectively.

 

In the second category, the need for a long life is

for one’s own spiritual development.

We can find reference to the importance of the body in

Kathopanishad.

In his reply to Nachikrtas’s last question, Yama

dharmarajan tells about the means of reaching Sri

vaikuntham .Yama says that the sariram (body) is the

vehicle for the jiva to reach Sri vaikuntham. “The

jivan enshrined in the body enjoys paramaanandham in

Sri Vaikuntham. Therefore treat the sariram as a

vehicle capable of transporting the jivan to

Vaikuntham.”

 

“AthmAnam rathinam vidhdhi, SarIram rathamEva thu/”

Bhudhdhim thu sArathim vidhdhi mana: pragrahamEva

cha//

IndriyANi hayAnAhUr vishayAn thEshu gocharAn/

AthmEndriyamanoyuktam bhOkhthEthyAhur manishina://

 

Yama asks Nachiketas to treat the SarIram as a

chariot. The jiva is the yajaman of the chariot. And

Bhudhdhi is the charioteer. The chariot is being drawn

by the horses which are nothing but the Indriyas and

it is for the Bhuddhi (charioteer) to control / rein

them using the manas. The horse may stary anywhere as

they like, but unless the charioteer guides the horses

properly , he can not take the Yajaman (the jiva –

Bhokhtha) to his ultimate destination, Sri vaikuntham.

In the journey, the chriot, namely, the body is an

imporatnt carrier bacause, in the absence of it , the

yajaman can not undertake his journey. That is why

Yama concludes in his answer that the body is the

vehicle for the jiva to reach Sri Vaikutham.

When blessed with a long life, for the prapannan, or

even for the one who takes rejoice in doing the

Kainkaryam, every day in the sariram is a blessed day.

“ettraikkum, EzhEzh piravikkum, undranOdu utromE yAvOm

unakkE nA mAtchaivOm.

Therefore

“Matru nam kAmangal mAtru”

 

A pretty long life, even in good many births is

something great to ask for,

provided the jiva knows how to conduct its journey

well for the purposes it has been ordained to.

 

Jayasree sarnatahn

 

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha

My sincere pranams to everyone in the group.

I have a small one to add to this post.

"Pacchai maa malai pol meni, pavala vai kamalacchenkan

Acchudha amarar ere aayar tham kozhundhe ennum

Icchuvai thavira yaan poi indira lokam aalum

Acchuvai perinum venden..... Arangamaa nagarulaane"

This paasuram by thondaradippodiyar summarises everything and self explanatory.

For those who don't know tamil, all that azhwar says is that "I don't want the

moksham or the suvargam because the best is out here and that is nothing but

enjoying the archavadharam of the lord - Sri Ranganathan who has a body like a

huge long green hill, beautiful lips like a corel and lotus eyes. I would prefer

enjoying him exclaiming hey acchudhaa, hey the lord of the heavens.. rather than

living in that heaven or moksham". Just live a life lonnnnnnng and enjoy him

more and more and more. What else we need in life? We have to do everything as a

kainkaryam to him and at the same time enjoy him. That would be one good reason

why we need long life.

Adiyen Ramanuja Dasan

Lakshmi Narasimhan