geethA sAstramum nedunthAndaka sAstramum-24

[Guest guest]

Sri Parthasarathi thunai

Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha

Sri Vara Vara munayE Namaha

Sri vAnAchala mahA munayE Namaha

 

For the past 23 postings we have been enjoying the similarity in the

words of the geethacharyan in his Srimad bhagavath geetha and the

kadai kutti azhvar, Sri Thirumangai azhvar in his charama prabhandam

thirunedunthAndakam. But at the end of the previous posting we had a

small doubt are they both contradicting in the last line? No, azhvar

will never talk against emperuman’s words. Let us see how they both

convey the same meaning.

 

Prappathi or saranagathi is of two types say our acharyas. It can be

either svagatha sveekAram (we holding on to his feet) or paragatha

sveekAram (emperuman catching us and putting us into his divine

feet). Both types of prapaththi have been conveyed by our dear

geethAcharyan in the 18th chapter of the bhagavad sAstram. In the

62nd sloka Sri Krishna says,

 

“tamEva sharaNam gachcha sarva bhAvEna bhAratha I

tat prasAdhAt parAm sAnthim stAnam prApsyasi sAshvatham II (18-62)

 

[Oh! the one born in bharatha kula consider the paramatma (myself) to

be your soul saviour in all ways. Due to his divine grace you will

get away from this sAmsAric pressures and will also attain the divine

abode of emperuman, the paramapadam]

 

In the previous sloka, Krishna said that only that emperuman vAsudevan

rules over all the jeevatmas and due to his maya makes them act held

in the cycle of the three gunas sattvam, rajas, tamas and act

accordingly . In the next sloka he advises arjuna to fall to the

divine feet of emperuman and get rid of the samsAric hurdles and

attain moksha by the divine grace of emperuman. Immediately in the

next sloka he says, “yethEchchasi tatA guru” I have told you all the

ways to attain moksha viz., karma, jnana, bhakthi and prapaththi

yogas all these are prime secrets but since you are very close to me

I have disclosed all these secrets to you now. Now it is your chance

to choose the suitable method for you to attain moksha and act

accordingly. Here Lord Krishna gives arjuna an independence to

choose the way in which he wants to attain emperuman. This is

svagatha sveekaram by which the jeevatma holds on to emperuman. If

arjuna was interested in prapathi he would have immediately said

“karishyE vachanam tava” [18-73] and would have fallen to the divine

feet of emperuman. But all along he has been in the pravriththi

mArkam (used to do something) and hence he wasn’t interested with the

nivriththi mArkam (Just leave everything and fall to emperuman’s feet,

“mArpilE kaivaiththu vuranga prApthi” is the essence of sharanAgathi

according to our acharyas). So arjuna felt highly confused and

didn’t know what to do. Earlier his confusion was due to ignorance

but now that emperuman has given him all the knowledge still he was

confused not knowing what to do.

 

Understanding arjuna’s state of mind, Parthasarathi emperuman

continues to show the path that would interest arjuna at the same

time make him attain the ultimate result. This is the path of

bhakthi yoga that emperuman has already shown arjuna in the 9th

chapter. Emperuman repeats the same sloka in the 18th chapter,

 

“manmanA bhava math bhakthO mathyAjee mAm namaskuru I

mAmEvaishyasi sathyam thE prathijAnE priyOsi mE” [18-65]

 

[Meditate on me with deep concentration on my divine qualities,

develop a deep love for me, further do pooja to me, fall to my feet

with all your three karanas (mano, vak, kayam). By this you will

attain my divine feet. I promise that this is truth as you are so

close to me]

 

In the next sloka, Krishna gives the ultimate rahasya, the essence of

geethA sAstram, charama slokam, to arjuna and instructs arjuna to

leave all dharmas and fall to his feet.

 

“sarva dharmAn parithyajya mAm Ekam sharaNam vraja

ahamtvA sarva pApEbhyO mOksha ishyAmi mAsucha: “ [18-66]

 

Here emperuman orders arjuna to leave all dharmas and fall to his feet

as a rule. This is paragatha sveekAram. Here Parthasarathi says,

“Leave all your dharmas and consider me alone to be your soul

protector (upayam and upEyam) and I will realise you from all your

sins and grant you the divine moksha. Don’t worry” There have been a

lot of discussion between our acharyas on the interpretation of this

sloka mainly what all dharmas the word ‘sarva dharmAn’ includes and

what all sins are removed by the lord whether this is anga prapaththi

or svathantra prapaththi etc. There is a slight interpretational

difference between the thennAcharyas and swamy desikan in this sloka

also. All these are not dealt by us here in detail as it is better

to be learnt from a well versed acharya to avoid any unwanted

confusion.

 

What is necessary for us now here is Lord Krishna says fall to my feet

and I will remove your sins and grant you moksha and Azhvar says,

“talir puraiyum thiruvadi en thalai mElavE” That lord who has stood

in my form now has placed his divine feet on my head. So without

azhvar trying to do anything emperuman himself has done all the

necessary things (“bhakthi vuzhavan” is the name given by

thirumazhisai azhvar to emperuman) and now finally has even placed

his divine feet on top of azhvar’s head. Azhvar says, “Emperuman

sowed the seed of bhakthi in the heart of azhvar, he put the

necessary fertiliser and watered the plant regularly and now that the

tree has grown adiyen is enjoying the fruit that is the sweet divine

feet of emperuman on top of my head. What did I do to attain this

fruit? Nothing all was done by that karunA sindhO! (Ocean of

mercy!)”. This is only termed as ‘paragatha sveekAram’. As geetha

was given by emperuman himself he puts it as a rule to educate all of

us using arjuna as the medium. But since thirunedunthAndakam is the

words of azhvar he shows us the result he has obtained by the divine

grace of geethAcharya. That is why our acharyas regard the words of

azhvars (tattvadarisi vachanam) more important and valid than even

the words of emperuman (tattva vachanam).

 

Hope now it is clear that there is no contradiction in the words of

thirumangai azhvar and geethAcharyan Sri Parthasarathi emperuman.

 

(To be continued)

 

Azhvar EmperumAnAr Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharanam

 

Adiyen ramanuja dAsee

Sumithra Varadarajan