geethA sAstramum nedunthAndaka sAstramum-14

[Guest guest]

Sri Parthasarathi thunai

Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha

Sri Vara Vara munayE Namaha

Sri vAnAchala mahA munayE Namaha

 

(VilakkoliyAi) Similar to the light of a lamp removing the outside

darkness, emperuman through the sastras destroys all our ignorance

(inside darkness, agnAnam). He with ultimate grace has bestowed the

sAstras for the upliftment of poor souls like us (“vedAntha krith

vEda vidEva chAham”).

 

BrihadAranya upanishad says, “AthmAvA arE drushtavya: srOthavya:

mandhavya: nidhithyAsithavya:” That is first stage is the learning

about the athma through listening to what the sastras say. Then a

person starts to analyse and think about it. When we feel that the

thought is good to us we start to meditate on the divine qualities of

the athma and finally we attain the athma sAkshAtkaram. But in the

above upanishadic verse, the order is a little different. It first

says drushtavya: that is to see or obtain athma sAkshAtkaram. Why?

It is to increase our interest to know. When I say the athma attains

athma sAkshAtkaram the next question will be how? Then the sruthi

answers, first learn about it, then do mananam (thinking) then

meditate and finally you will visualise. Such rearranging due to

the importance of the meaning are seen in a few other places also.

 

In one of his periya thirumozhi paasuram, thirumangai azhvar says

“vAthamAmagan markadam vilangu maRRorjAdhi” Here actually the

paasuram should be read in the reverse order. Rama showered his

grace on a person who did not belong to his clan (maRRorjAdhi), that

to not even a man but an animal (vilangu), even among the animals it

is not a king animal but a monkey (markadam) not an ordinary monkey

but son of vayu (vAthamAmagan). Here immediately all of us will ask,

“How is being the son of vayu be treated as lower than an ordinary

monkey?” Yes it is low because the other ordinary monkeys will

consider themselves to be inferior but due to the greatness of the

birth surely ego and pride, our prime enemies will creep in. Where

there is ego and pride (ahankAram and mamakAram) emperuman never goes

near them. Only when we leave our self-effort emperuman showers his

grace on us. (“erukaiyum vittEnO drowpathiyai pOlE”- thirukkoloor

ammal varthai)

 

In bhagavad geetha, slokas 55,56,57and 58 of chapter 2 are similarly

misarranged. The ordering according to the meaning should be

58,55,56,57. These were given to prove that at times rearranging for

proper understanding of the meaning is not wrong. Coming back to our

upanishadic verse, the ordering for understanding the meaning

properly should be “srOthavya: mandhavya: nidhithyAsithavya:

drushtavya:” The same has been translated by thirumangai azhvar in

his thirunedunthAndaka paasuram. “vilakkoliyAi mulaiththu ezhundha

thingalthAnAi”

vilakkoliyAi – srOthavya:

mulaiththu – mandhavya:

ezhundha – nidhithyAsithavya:

thingal thAnAi – drushtavya:

 

Our dear geethAcharya puts the same in his words as:

“sruthivipradhipannA tE yathA stAsyathi nishchalA I

samAdhA achalA buddhi: tathA yOga mavApsyasi II” (2-53)

 

SruthivipradhipannA – due to those specially understood meanings

listening to me (sruthi-listening, sravanam) – “vilakkoliyAi”

–“srOthavya:”

achalA tE buddhi: - your knowledge will get deep rooted (orupadipatta

jnAnam) – “mulaiththu” – “mandhavya:”

samAdhow yathA nischala stAsyathi – when that leads to deep meditation

– “ezhundha” – “nidhithyAsithavya:”

tathA yOgam avApsyasi – you will attain athma sAkshAtkAram – “thingal thAnAi” – “drushtavya:”

 

Here azhvar explains with moon as the example. First while the moon

is seen on top of a mountain (mulaiththu) it is brighter than a

normal lamplight (vilakkoli). So just listening removes a little of

darkness and then when we think about it, it gives more light.

Further as the moon rises to the sky (ezhundha) it spreads the light

to a larger area so more darkness is removed similarly when we start

meditating without any stop on the same subject as shown by the

sastras all the darkness inside us gradually vanish and finally we

are able to visualise the athma that is athma sAkshAtkAram (thingal

thAnAi).

 

(To be continued)

 

Azhvar EmperumAnAr Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharanam

 

Adiyen ramanuja dAsee

Sumithra Varadarajan