The Treasure

[Guest guest]

Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri

Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

The Treasure

 

 

“Upanayana vivAhou utasavaika pradhAnou” says

Sri VenkatAdhvari Kavi in his “Visva GuNAdarsa ChampU”,

lamenting that upanayanam and marriage have become mere social

functions, shorn of all their rich ritualistic significance. Shastras

tell us that every eligible boy should undergo upanayanam or the

“thread ceremony” in his seventh year-”ashta

varsham brAhmaNam upanayeeta”. The current practice of

performing this “function” whenever convenient

(irrespective of age) and at times just before the boy’s

marriage, doesn’t have the sanction of Shastras, to say the

least. The idea was to “catch them young” and instil in

impressionable boys the thought of the Lord and His worship, much

before outside influences started polluting their minds. The

greatness of the Gayatri mantra and its regular japa is beyond

dispute. Thus when Gayatri enters the young boy’s soul early,

it acts as a protective armour, fobbing off the tons of garbage that

assail us from all directions, polluting our mind, body and thought.

This mundane world keeps us so busy running here and there on worldly

errands, that we have hardly any time to think about our true selves,

why we are here, where we go from here, what is the purpose of our

life and about the Lord and His relationship with us. Sandhyavandanam

is a karma ordained for our performance, in the hope that we would

devote at least that time in the contemplation of the Lord, amidst

our innumerable and unending mundane chores.

 

The benefits of an early upanayanam are thus manifold.

Regrettably, the performance of Sandhyavandanam, (glorified by all

Scriptural texts as a sine qua non for any other karma and as a must

for all eligible people, thrice a day without any sort of break or

holiday) has now dwindled so much that it is now confined to perhaps

a few thousand families all over India and abroad. We hear of times

when parents would not give their daughter in marriage to eligible

bachelors who had given up sandhyOpasanam and none would either feed

them or be fed by them. Today, however, the situation has become so

topsy turvy, that people performing Sandhyavandanam are looked at as

strange specimens and parents of brides-to-be are reluctant to

entrust their wards to adherents of this “archaic”

ritual.

 

Be it marriage, SeemanthOnnayanam, JAtakarmA, NAmakarma, or apara

kriyAs, we find the unseemly spectacle of people omitting

Sandhyavandanam and going on to perform the aforesaid karmas,

oblivious to the Shastraic injuction that one who has given up

Sandhyavandanam is ever impure and ineligible to undertake any

Vaidika karma-“SandhyAhInO asuchi: nityam, anarha: sarva

karmasu”. Little do people realise that the elaborate functions

they organise, at considerable expense and strain, be it marriages or

other karmas, would be fruitful only if preceded by SandhyOpAsana.

Alas, Brihaspatis, whose prime duty it is (for they are

“purOhitAs”, advising the KartA of what is to be done and

when) to remind the Karta to complete the essential prelude of

Sandhyopasanam before beginning the Karma proper, are also not

insistent on this, knowing full well that the proceedings would

definitely be fruitless. After performing a boy’s Upanayanam

with all the trappings of a secular celebration and with festivity

associated with a carnival, with a “Reception” et al, it

is now customary for the parents to forget completely about making

their ward perform Sandhyavandanam thrice daily. While some engage a

VadyAr to teach the boy for a fortnight or so, in the hope that a

habit would be formed for continued performance, once the Brihaspati

stops, Sandhyavandanam is also bidden good-bye, with the father

having neither the time nor the inclination nor even the expertise to

encourage the boy to continue the karma. In many cases, the parent

lacks the moral authority to insist on the boy’s performing the

ritual, as he (the parent) has given it up long back. Even if the boy

himself wants to continue the practice, he would be left without the

requisite assistance. Thus the preparations of months, the

expenditure of several thousands or lakhs according to social status,

the pomp and show of the function itself-all these are reduced to

nought, with the abandonment of Sandhyavandanam. If parents were to

remember that non-performance of Sandhyopasanam is a direct

contravention of the Lord’s commandment and the delinquent is

counted among the betrayers of the Lord, it would perhaps enforce

better adherence, for the Lord says in the Gita,

“Shruti: Smriti: mama Eva AgyA yastAm ullanghya vartatE

AgyA cchEdI mama drOhI mama bhaktOpi na vaishnava:”

 

It is indeed surprising that many are reluctant to set apart the few

minutes that are required for this important part of our daily lives,

while spending interminable hours at school, college, office, club or

other entertainment spots. The reason, of course, is not far to

seek-while the aforesaid hours at worldly pursuits are directly and

perceptibly rewarding, Sandhyavandanam doesn’t appear to be so.

However, if we set store only by what we see, hear and feel with our

own faculties, there would be little difference between we who call

ourselves AstikAs, vis a vis nAstikAs, who deny the existence of God

because they are unable to see or hear Him. Sandhyavandanam cleanses

the soul through meditation on the Ultimate and bestows wonderful

benefits, spiritual as well as material, on its sincere votary.

 

The importance of this ritual can be understood from the fact that

there is absolutely no exemption from its performance any time in

life, even when one contracts “theettu” or pollution due

to birth or death of near and dear ones. Even during such Asoucham,

an abridged version of the ritual is to be performed, making it thus

a part of our daily routine, akin to eating, sleeping or bathing.

There may even be occasions when we forsake these physical acts, but

none on which we may skip Sandhyavandanam. The importance our

forbears attached to this karma would be evident from the fact that

Sri Ramanuja, at the ripe old age of 120, stood up with great

difficulty and performed arghyapradAnam. This is recounted by Swami

Desikan in Srimad Rahasyatrayasaram, to emphasise the

indispensability of anushttAnam. If a paripoorNa Brahma gnAni like

Sri Bhashyakara felt it essential to perform Sandhyavandanam even

after six score years of a spirituality-filled life, it speaks

volumes for the need for its observance by ordinary mortals like us.

 

There are those who speak loftily of meditation, Yoga and

Upanishadic dicta, preferring the rarefied corridors of Vedanta to

performance of mere rituals. Alas, they don’t realise that the

topmost storey of God-realisation is to be reached via the winding

staircase of SamskArAs and that one can’t just jump from the

floor onto the roof. Samskaras like upanayanam are meant to purify

the mind and body, to make it an ideal receptacle for wisdom, which

would in turn lead us to liberation by showing us the appropriate

strategy. Thus, whatever be one’s age, occupation or

persuasion, all traivarnikAs have to perform Sandhyavandanam, whether

or not they are spiritually inclined, for non-performance could well

impact on their material life too, due to the cumulated offences

resulting from the omission.

 

In the next stage are those who do perform the nitya karma, but

without the requisite degree of concentration. During the performance

of Gayatri japa, the mind wanders so far and wide as to traverse the

whole world in a jiffy. The enforced physical inactivity during

Sandhyavandanam makes the mind super-active and unable to concentrate

on the Lord and His attributes, which is after all the essential

purpose of the ritual. It is an acknowledged fact that the mind is

the most difficult faculty to control-we can shut our eyes, our ears

and nose against the assault of external forces and keep our limbs

inactive. However, we have to admit defeat when it comes to

controlling our mind, which functions with a fierce independence and

is obviously untamable. No less a person than Arjuna, famed for his

powers of concentration, laments to Sri Krishna that his mind is

fickle and uncontrollable-“Chanchalam hi mana:

Krishna!…..tasyAham nigraham manyE vAyOriva sudurgraham”.

Even the Shruti attests to the fearsomeness of the mind, which can

lead astray even the most accomplished soul-“BhIshmO hi

mana:”. If even acknowledged experts are ineffective at mind

control, we despair at our own fate. However, the Lord assures us

that it is all a matter of practice-“abhyAsEna tu

KountEya…”. Practice makes perfect and in course of time,

we find ourselves able to concentrate more and more on the

Lord’s lotus feet, suffering less and less distractions as we

proceed.

 

Of course, the process doesn’t stop with performance of

Sandhyopasanam. Upanayanam is after all a Samskaram, a catalyst,

which is not an end in itself, but a qualifying degree to enable

higher studies. The very word “Upanayanam” means

“leading near”-near the Brahmam. If we interpret the word

“Brahmam” to mean the Shruti, we arrive at the deduction

that Upanayanam is an enabling factor for VedAdhyayanam or the study

of Vedas. Just as nobody stops with high school studies, Upanayanam

is not supposed to end with Sandhyavandanam. The study of Vedas

through an Acharya is ordained on every eligible person. “VEdO

nityam adheeyatAm” says the Scripture, commanding us to learn

and recite the Vedas daily. And why should Vedas be learnt? Because

they are the first and foremost body of spiritual knowledge,

(“Adou VEdA: pramANam”-Sri Bhattar) telling us all that

is beyond the ken of our frail faculties; Because they are an

independent source of wisdom, untainted by human composition and the

resultant blemishes; Because they are eternal guiding lamps which are

our source of inspiration in birth after interminable birth; And

because they can show us, if properly propitiated, the way to

Liberation and freedom from the vicious circle of births and deaths.

The Brahma SutrAs, (whose main purpose is to clarify the nature of

Paramatma, Jeevatma and attendant matters) tell us that the VEdAnta

Shastra, leading to an appreciation of the Ultimate, should be

imbibed only after completion of VedAdhyayanam-“atAthO Brahma

jigyAsA”. One who is eligible to imbibe Vedas, but

doesn’t do so for whatever reason, has no hope of liberation

and is destined for the lower worlds reserved for sinners, says the

Manu Smrti-“anadheetya dvijO VedAn…….vrajati

adha:”

 

The glory of Vedas is beyond description. The Purusha Sookta Vakya,

“EtAvAn asya mahimA” would apply equally well to the

Shruti as to the Paramapurusha. That the Lord resides in the Vedas is

confirmed by Swami Desikan- “adarpuL arasilum andaNar

mAttilum”and by Sri Nammazhwar-“Sudar migu

SurudiyuL… paranduLan”. Sri Kalian calls the Lord

“VEdiar muzhu VEdattu amudam”. Worshipping the Lord

should be done through the medium of those who have mastered the

Vedas, adopting such BhAgavatAs as Purushakaram, says Sri Satakopa

Muni- “VEdam vallArai koNdu viNNOr perumAn tiruppAdam

paNindu”.

 

This is the priceless heirloom bequeathed to us by our forefathers,

who cherished and treasured the Shruti by learning it with reverence

through an Acharya, applying it in their everyday karmas and passing

on the treasure to all those who were interested, ensuring its

propagation and perpetuation. Even those who were unable to learn all

the available portions of their own ShAkha, compromised with

reluctance by imbibing the portions for frequent use in nitya karmas

and for Bhagavat kainkaryam. If the meagre attendance today at VEda

pAtashAlAs is any indication, Veda adhyayanam has fallen on hard

times, with predictable consequences of truant monsoons or excessive

precipitation (anAvrishti and ativrishti), resulting respectively in

terrible famines and destructive deluges, strife and senseless

violence, corrupt rulers and suffering populace. If the good old

times of peace and prosperity are to return, every eligible person

should take up Vedic studies through an Acharya. Those who are unable

to devote the time and energy for the full course could contemplate

imbibing portions of the Shruti essential for the performance of

nitya and naimittika karmas and for Bhagavat kainkaryam. The day the

world resounds with Veda ghOsham, the guns of war would fall silent,

voices of discord would remain muted and the plaintive cries of the

needy would stand banished. Let us work for restoring the Shruti to

its former glory and magnificence.

 

Srimate Sri LakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri

Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

Dasan, sadagopan.