The Writing on the Wall

[Guest guest]

Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya Nama:

 

 

 

The Writing On the Wall

 

 

 

People take life for granted. They are sure that day would follow night

and vice versa, and that they would indeed wake up to see the next sunrise. They

enter into all sorts of commitments, personal and professional, presuming their

continued existence. All business and commerce is based on an abiding but

misplaced faith in the permanence of life. Such faith is indeed touching, for,

when you really come to think of it, there is no assurance that anybody would

live to be a ripe old age. We often see instances of people being snatched away

in the prime of their youth, with whole lives of promise ahead of them. And even

when such an unexpected event happens, people do not learn its lessons, and

invariably fail to associate such an eventuality with themselves. They do not

even think of the possibility that they themselves could have easily been in the

place of the victim.

 

 

 

When queried as to what was the strangest thing on earth, Sri Yudhishttira

tells the Yaksha (in the Yakshaprasna of Sri Mahabharata)

 

" We see the body of a dead man being carried away for disposal, and remark to

ourselves, 'how sad!' little realising that we ourselves are destined to go the

same way, if not tomorrow, then someday in the future".

 

In fact, our attitude is nothing new, and mankind has always been blissfully

unmindful of stalking end, as the following sloka from Srimad Ramayana would

indicate:

 

"nandanti udita AdityE nandanti astamitE Ravou

 

Atmana: na avabudhyantE manushyA: jeevita kshayam"

 

Says Chakravartthi Tirumagan to Sri Bharata-"People are so unaware of their

lives slipping away gradually. They greet every sunrise with happiness, excited

at the possibilities each fresh day brings. And when the sun sets too, they are

happy at the opportunities for revelry in the pleasures of the night. Little do

they realise that each sunrise and sunset bring them closer to their death."

 

 

 

The following sloka graphically describes the fallacy of our attitudes -

 

"vYAghreeva tishttathi jarA, paritarjayantI rOgAscha shatrava iva praharanti

dEham

 

Ayu: parisravati bhinna ghatAt iva ambha: lOka: tatApi ahitam Acharati iti

chitram!"

 

Old age and senility stalk us like a ferocious tiger, diseases lie in wait for

us at every step, and the body troubles us verily like a sworn enemy. Time, and

with it, life too, slips away slowly but surely, much like water leaking from a

cracked pot. Oblivious to all these afflictions, people continue to be wayward

and errant. How strange and what a pity!

 

 

 

However, even in the midst of all this lack of awareness, there is always

a vague fear lurking at the back of people's minds of the "unthinkable" (as

insurance agents euphemistically put it)-of life coming to an end, either

suddenly or in due course. This is why they provide for their near and dear, so

that the latter are not unduly affected financially, in the event of an end,

untimely or otherwise.

 

 

 

However, even such people with financial foresight lack real perspicacity, as

they do not bother to consider themselves and their souls, and pulling

themselves out of the unending, vicious cycle of births and deaths.

 

"ThAyE tandai endrum tAramE kiLai makkaL endrum nOyE pattu ozhindEn" rues Sri

Tirumangai Mannan, highlighting people's tendency to set so much store by the

so-called relatives, as to ignore their own long-term spiritual interests.

 

Most people also lack the realisation that this human body has been attained

after innumerable other janmAs as inanimate objects, etc., and the body is

endowed with a limited life. We should hence make the most of the precious life

in preventing our souls from being sucked again into the vortex of karma. This

is the theme of the following couplet from Sri Varaha Purana-

 

"MahatA puNya paNyEna kreetEyam kAyanou: tvayA

 

prAptum dukha udadhE: pAram tvara yAvat na bhidyatE"

 

This human body is a gift to us, a reward for innumerable good deeds performed

in our previous lower births. However, the body, with all the frailties of

flesh, is little better than a leaky boat. Hence, the wise man should hurry to

cross the ocean of SAmsAric sorrow, before the leaky craft sinks.

 

Sri Nammazwar too concurs with this idea-

 

"Minnin nilayila mannuyir AkkaigaL

 

ennumidatthu irai unnumin neerE".

 

 

 

Having realised that life is but ephemeral and fleeting, what does the wise man

do in the short time left for him to redeem himself? There is but one way for

him to save his soul, as karma, gnAna and bhakti yOgAs are too long-drawn and

impossible of performance. Sharanagati or absolute surrender to the Lord,

through the good offices of an understanding Acharya , is the only option open

to people in a hurry to redeem themselves from Samsara.

 

 

 

Paradoxically, we find that even after realisation of life's impermanence and

the need for Prapatti dawns on people, they are still complacent under the

mistaken notion that Prapatti is for the old and infirm, not for the young and

active.

 

The following anecdote from the life of Sri Koorattazhwan graphically

highlights the need for urgency in such matters.

 

Sri Embar was the Acharya for Sri Parasara Bhattar and Sri Vedavyasa Bhattar,

twin sons of Sri Koorattazhwan. Once when the father of the twins was expounding

on the purport of a Tiruvaimozhi pasuram, he found that it incorporated the

essence of Tirumantram (ashtAksharam). As the Mantra and its significance are to

be learnt only from one's Acharya, Azhwan sent the children to Sri Embar for

obtaining upadesam. Immediately realising the impermanence of life, Sri Azhwan

called them back and performed the upadesam himself, lest something should

happen to them on the way to Sri Embar, and deny them the MantrOpadesam. One may

think, "what could possibly happen to the children during the short journey it

involved in reaching Sri Embar's residence nearby?" However, it was Sri Azhwan's

realisation of the extreme fragility of human life that made him act the way he

did.

 

 

 

The moral of this itihyam is that when we resolve to do something good, it had

best be executed immediately, without procrastination and postponement. If we

intend to recommence the abandoned sandhyavandanam, if we intend to obtain

mantrOpadEsa from our Acharya, if we have the intention to perform Prapatti

either for ourselves or for our children, if we intend to learn a stotra- for

all these, Today is the day to begin. For, who knows what tomorrow has in store

for us?

 

Srimate Sri LakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana

Yatindra Mahadesikaya Nama:

 

Dasan, sadagopan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Namo Narayana,

Excellent Article. Thanks to my Archaryan, parents and

the Divya Dampathis that we were graced with

Bharanyasam when we were very young (we did not know

the meaning of these words 7-8 yrs).

Today the same Perumal has pulled us back into his

fold and has given us Satsangam at every opportunity.

 

Thanks again and I'll send this article to my friends

and relatives too.

 

Ramanuja dasi

 

 

--- sadagopaniyengar <sadagopaniyengar

wrote:

>

> Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra

> Mahadesikaya Nama:

>

>

>

> The Writing On the Wall

[Guest guest]

SrI:

SrImathE Gopaladesika Mahadesikaya namah:

Dearest Sri Sadagopan Iyengar Swamin,

 

We have been thoroughly enjoying your immaculate posts on various subjects;

sweet, simple; divine, thought provoking and also with a message. Simply

brilliant posts are they.

 

This is one - is my most favourite and it brought tears in my eyes. What a

beautiful narration about the fleeting time! What an excellent depiction of

impermanence of life!

 

I request all Bhagawathas to read it and pass to all their relatives,

spouses, children, parents and everyone whom they love. It is very important

messaage and very pointive.

Thanks again Sri Sadagopan Swamin. (I hope I was named Sadagopan- at least

that would have changed my posts from average to brilliance.)

Regards

Acharyan thiruvadigaLE SaraNam

Namo Narayana

dAsanu Dasan Madhavakkannan

 

 

"sadagopaniyengar" <sadagopaniyengar

The Writing on the Wall

 

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