Part2-"There is Salvation in numbers": The theme of "satsangh" in TiruppAvai

[Guest guest]

Dear friends,

 

In the classic Sanskrit hymn of Bhakti,

"bhaja-gOvindam", composed by Adi Sankara (5th century

AD), there is a crisp but eloquent verse hailing the

efficacy of collective worship through 'satsangh':

 

satsangh-gatvE nis-sangatvam

nis-sangatvE nirmOhatvam I

nirmOhatvE nischala-chittam

nishchala-chitthE jivan-mUkti: II

 

(Verse 9: "bhaja-gOvindam")

 

"The company of good-men rids one of attachments;

When attachments are rid, delusion dissipates;

 

When delusion is rid, the mind attains steadiness;

When the mind is steady, salvation is near".

 

The great statesman and freedom-fighter of India,

Rajaji (Sri C.Rajagopalachari), being an ardent

admirer of this hymn of Sankara, was once moved to

write a personal commentary on it. Many years later it

was serialized and published in a popular Tamil

magazine ("Kalki"). In his very insightful note on the

above verse of Sankara, Rajaji highlighted the

enormous power and utility "satsangh" possesses as a

spiritual tool in the hands of the traveller on the

road of Bhakti. Man's final destiny lies in individual

salvation -- i.e. "jivan-mUkti" -- says Sankara, but

the means to such End lies in common and collective

endeavour -- 'satsangh'.

 

Rajaji went on to explain the use of 'satsangh':

 

"Association with good and enlightened men

('satsangh') provides the easiest occasion for the

practice of withdrawal from desire and attachment.

Everyone is aware of the effects of good company. It

is more effective than mere precept. Calmness and

equanimity are the results of good company. As desires

and attachments become fewer and fewer, Man's delusion

which preys upon his life too diminishes".

 

Ancient hymns like the 'bhaja-gOvindam' help us

understand that throughout the history of religious

life in India, it was through the 'collectivism' of

'satsangh' that individual love of God, or Bhakti,

found its best and most enduring expression.

 

***********

 

Given 'satsangh's' generally exalted position as a

popular mode of worship, it should hardly surprise us

to see the protagonists of the TiruppAvai, those

comely maidens of AndAL's famous idyll, seeking out

each other's 'satsangh' or company first even before

they go forth seeking their tryst with God.

 

In the cold and misty pre-dawn hours of the month of

holy 'mArgazhi' (Dec-Jan) we see the milkmaids of the

TiruppAvai going from house to house virtually pulling

each other out of bed. They cajole and browbeat one

another, crying out "ElOr-empAvaay!" They entreat each

other to rise, shine and go out together for a ritual

bath of purification ("neerAda") in the icy but sacred

waters of the village stream. They beckon everyone in

the community to join in a ritual procession ("vrata")

that should convey them to the very doorsteps of God

("manikadhavu"). There they would beseech His Grace,

they say, and succeed in securing the ultimate goal of

human life (the "parai" or "parama-purushArtha") viz.

everlasting servitude to God. (In the parlance of

SriVaishnava theology this is called

"nitya-kainkarya-prApti").

 

The many curious and charming ways in which the

simple-minded girls of the 'aayarpAdi' village go

about gathering a 'satsangh' serve as perfect

narrative backdrop against which AndAl wonderfully

expounds for us the theme of Bhakti in the TiruppAvai.

 

 

And how AndAl tells the tale indeed! In 30 verses of

dazzling poetry that has remained to this day

unsurpassed in all the annals of Tamil religious

literature or scripture, AndAL beautifully and

seamlessly blends the fervor of Bhakti with the

flavour of Vedanta.

 

**********

(to be continued)

 

Regards,

 

dAsan,

Sudarshan

 

 

 

 

 

______________________

India Mobile: Download the latest polyphonic ringtones.

Go to http://in.mobile.