Abuse and Adulation

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0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra

Mahadesikaya nama:

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Abuse and Adulation

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      Most of

the things and concepts in this world are relative: but for a few tenets which

we hold absolute, all others are interpreted with reference to the time, place,

person and context. If we take Dharma or righteousness for instance, it differs

from Yuga to Yuga, the requirements of Krita Yuga being vastly different from

those of the current Kali Yuga. Dharma differes too from person to person, the

King having duties entirely dissimilar to those of a trader or farmer.

Similarly, what is Dharma in a particular context may not hold good for other

situations. For instance, the primary requirement of honesty is waived, if the

situation is such that it would involve a life being lost, whether one’s own or

others’. The purpose of this piece is to divine Sri Kodai Nacchiar’s

tiruvuLLam, when She apparently calls Sri Krishna all sorts of names, the most

insulting of which is perhaps “Dharumam ariyA Kurumban” (the miscreant devoid

of all sense of right and wrong).

 

   Azhwars are

exemplary bhaktas, with nothing but unalloyed love, affection and devotion for

the Lord. Their infatuation with the Lord and His endearing attributes is

phenomenal, each of His characteristics appearing to them to be beyond compare.

They wax eloquent on every single aspect of His kalyana gunas, losing

themselves totally in their unfathomed depths. It is therefore inconceivable

that any of their outpourings should contain even a single derogatory reference

to the Lord, however remote, whether implicit or by inference. It is in this

context that Sri Andal’s reference to “Dharumam ariyA Kurumban” too has to be

viewed.

 

  Sri AmudanAr

says in IrAmAnusa NoottrandAdi that words of abuse from the ignorant and

uninitiated should be deemed indeed as praise—“isayakillA manakkuttra mAndar

pazhikkil pugazh”. For instance, if a nototrious criminal were to pass a

disparaging comment about the sentencing judge for his  arbitration, it could be very well construed

as a compliment to the arbiter’s impartial implementation of statutory

provisions. If a fool abuses a vidvAn as being ignorant, the latter could

justifiably accept the abuse as an accolade.

The same analogy holds good for Azhwars too, when they

apparently call the Lord uncomplimentary names. Even if Azhwars are neither

ignorant (far from it, they have been blessed with unblemished wisdom) or

biased, whatever they say about the Lord has to be adulatory, anything

appearing otherwise being merely a matter of interpretation. Thus, even if a

particular appellation addressed by an Azhwar appears uncomplimentary, it

merely masks an accolade.

 

 If Sri Andal

really feels that the Lord is an unrighteous urchin, why would She pine day and

night to wed Him and record the same for posterity too in such prabandams as

“VAraNamAyiram”? And why should She go to considerable trouble and expense to

offer  Him 100 huge pots of butter and

“akkAravadisil” (whether She Herself did it or had it done by Sri Ramanuja)?

Unless all She felt for the Lord was unalloyed affection and admiration, She

would hardly have devoted 143 nectarine pasurams in His praise. Taking all this

together, we would have to conclude that the lone reference to “Dharmam ariyA

Kurumban” too is indeed adulatory, albeit it may appear otherwise, prima facie.

 

The Lord is the Supreme Ruler of the Universe, the

Emperor of all Emperors—“RajAdhi RAja: SarvEshAm”. The role of any King is to

preserve the rule of law in his territory. This involves rewarding the

righteous and punishing the delinquents. Establishment of Dharma on a firm

footing necessarily comprises of both protecting the good and destroying the

wicked, as the Lord Himself lays down in the Gita—“ParitrANAya sadhUnAm,

vinAsAya cha dushkritAm, dharma samstthApanArtthAya sambhavAmi yugE yugE”.

Though it is a two-fold function, while the Lord performs SAdhu paritrANAm with

boundless joy, to destroy anyone is anathema to Him, which He does as an

unavoidable chore incidental to the main purpose of preservation of Dharma.

 

We thus find that it is the duty of the Lord, His

Dharma, to weed out the wicked. However, He is loathe to performing this

unpleasant task and prefers to look the other way, wherever the offences of His

devotees are concerned—“Bhakta dOshEshu adarsanam”, as pointed out by Swami

Desikan. Even if we sinners commit a hundred transgressions, He magnanimously

forgets them—“na smarati apakArANAm satamapi AtmavattayA” (Srimad Ramayanam).

Thus the Lord hardly performs His appointed role of the Universal Father,

intent on meting out just punishment for all infringements, major and minor.

For all practical purposes, He adopts the role of a lenient mother, saying to

Himself, “Boys will be boys!”, whenever His deovtees commit some misdemeanour or

the other. Instead of awarding them appropriate punishment, He brings them to

the notice of a merciful Acharya, who takes the sinners under his wing and

brings them back to the straight path leading to Paramapadam, through

repentance and adoption of strategies like Bhakti or Prapatti.

 

 Therefore, Sri

Andal finds that the Lord has all but forgotten His Dharma of being the

punitive Arbiter, dealing out just reprisal to all offenders, and, instead,

turns a blind eye to their transgressions. The Lord’s line of argument is that

if He were to strictly invoke every rule in the divine statute, there would be

none left in this wide world, who would be beyond the sweep of 

rigorous retribution. It is for this reason

that He has almost abandoned His Dharma of awarding exemplary punishment to His

devotees for their various acts of commission and omission. And this is why Sri

Andal calls Him affectionately as “Dharumam ariyA Kurumban”, the Judge who has

forgotten His gavel and sentencing procedures. We thus see that what appears

prima facie to be a mortal insult being hurled at the Supreme Lord of the

Universe, turns out in fact to be an encomium par excellence.

 

Having seen the justification in Sri Andal’s words, we

must also see who has made the Lord the “Dharumam ariyA Kurumban” He is accused

or adulated to be. It is said that Periya Piratti knows not what punishment is,

however great be the offence—“nityam agyAta nigrahAm” and is said to be the

personification of benefaction—“Anugraha mayeem”. It is to the tunes of this

lovely lady that the Lord dances forever, according to Sri Koorattazhwan—“tat

ingita parAdhIna:”

If we take Sri Bhoomi Devi, She is the embodiment of

infinite tolerance, so much so that even the Lord’s patience is compared to

Hers—“KshamayA prithivI sama:”. And the other Consort, Sri Nila Devi, seduces

Emperuman with Her wily charms such that He has nary a glance to spare for the

sins of mortals like us. Sri Andal being the synthesis of all the three

NacchimArs, is thus Herself responsible for the Lord forgetting His Dharma of

punitive reaction and turning out to be a “Dharumam ariyA Kurumban”.

 

Another of Sri Kodai’s apparent insults, “Puram pOl

uLLum kariyAn” (one who is as black of the heart as He is of the skin) is

similarly an adulation in disguise. The Lord’s exterior resembles a black,

rainbearing cloud—“mEgha shyAmam” says the prelude to the Vishnu Sahasranama

Stotra, with which all Azhwars are in unanimous agreement, describing Him

variously as “Mugil vaNnan”, “Kar mEgha vaNNan” etc. Inside too, the Lord is

akin to a rain cloud, which is ready to precipitate a shower of mercy at the

slightest provocation, and most of the times, without any provocation too.

Thus, He resembles the rain-bearing cloud, bringing cheer and joy to parched

earth and poverty-stricken humanity, as much in His interior as His black

exterior. This is what prompts Sri Andal to praise Him as a blackie, in and

out.

 

When we think of Sri Andal and Her bewtiching bridal

mysticism, we are indeed moved beyond measure by Her ananya bhakti, growing up

with the Lord occupying every waking moment of Hers and even Her dreams,

devoting Her mind, body and soul solely to Him, rebelling even at the thought

of relationships with mortals (“mAnidavarkku endru Agil vAzhakillEn kandAi

ManmathanE”), considering Emperuman to be Her all (“uNNum sOru parugum neer

tinnum vettrilai yAvum Kannan Emperuman”), loving Him beyond measure,

ecstatical when in His company and desolated when deserted by Him even for a

second and living out the tenet “KannanukkE Amadu kAmam”. Azhwars like Sri

Nammazhwar and Sri Kalian might pose to be ParAnkusa nAyaki and ParakAla nAyaki

: they are however poor pretenders at best when compared to Sri Kodai, for it

is only She who can voice with any authority the authentic feelings of joy and

misery which a girl feels in the company or the absence of Her beloved. Is it

any wonder that Acharyas have felt that Andal’s outpourings are indeed what the

Upanishads are comprised of—“Shruti shata shira: siddham adhyApayantI” and form

the very basis of the venerated Shruti—“Vedam anaitthukkum vitthAgum Kodai

tamizh”?

 

“VaN Puduvai nagar Kodai malar padangaL vAzhiyE”

 

Srimate Sri LakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka

SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

Dasan, sadagopan

 

  

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