Guest guest Posted March 4, 2006 Report Share Posted March 4, 2006 The Story of Saint Poosalar: Conquest of “kaama” --------------- through Sublimation of Desire -- “bhakti yOga” ----------- The third "mArga" (pathway) in the Vedantic theory of "hita" is called "bhakti": it is the way of sublimating selfish human Desire ("kaama") in order to reach the highest pinnacle of Bliss recognized in Vedantic philosophy as true "purushArtha" (i.e. "inbam", "kaama"). The sublimation of "kaama” -- i.e. Desires of ordinary flesh -- in fact, is the central theme of the whole of the TiruppAvai. It lies too at the very core of the expression “maRRai nam kaamangaL maaRRu”. The English word 'sublimate' is derived from the Latin "sublimarE". It means "to direct the energy of an impulse (or desire) from its primitive or gross aims to one that is ethically or culturally higher" (Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary). The idea of "sublimating" the energy or power latent in human desire, by re-directing it away from "primitive aims" towards "culturally higher" ones in life, through undivided Love and Devotion to a personal Deity, is at the core of Vedantic “bhakti”. This idea is not mere lofty philosophy. It translates into a whole way of life. It is a fine and great "art of living". *************** Such an art is well illustrated in the life of a great Tamil saint who belonged to the mystic order called "nAyanmAr-s". The "nAyanmAr-s" were "63" in number (known collectively in popular Tamil as "aaru-pathu-moovar") and in the rich cultural and religious history of Tamilnadu, they are regarded as the Saivite counterparts of the "12" Vaishnavite "AzhwArs". The "nAyanmArs" were mystic saints who were the chronological seniors of the AzhwArs. They too, like the "AzhwArs", devoted their lives, wholly and exclusively, to the experience of Godhead in that elevated emotion called "parama-bhakti" (intense love and devotion to a personal Deity, who in their case was "Shiva", while it was "Vishnu" in the case of the AzhwArs). Like the "AzhwArs" again, the "nAyanmArs" too poured out their "bhakti" in thousands of heartfelt and mystic Tamil verses that have been handed down the centuries and to this day celebrated and cherished by millions in the Tamilian laity. The lives and works of these saintly "63" were made famous by a Tamil classical work of hagiography called "peria-purANam" written by a great literary figure, Sekkizhar, who lived more than 1200 years ago in the Tamil country. In the "peria-purANam" one finds the story of one such "nayanmAr" who was called Poosalan or Poosalar. When we read the life of Poosalan, we are not only moved by his example of extraordinary "bhakti" but, more importantly, we are also able to grasp the Vedantic principle of how the power of "bhakti" can be harnessed by us to transform, through improvement or refinement, the basic quality of our desires in life. It is exactly the sort of transformation conceived in the phrase of the TiruppAvai: "maRRai kaamangaL maaRRu". Poosalar's life is a shining example of how "bhakti" can be used by Man to sublimate "primitive" "kaama" and then re-invent and redefine it into another qualitatively different "kaama" --- "one that is ethically or culturally higher" or, to use a Vedantic term, one that leads to the ultimate goal of life ("parama-purushArtha").... In other words, once again, "maRRai nam kaamangaL maaRRu". ************** Now, in some SriVaishnavite "die-hard" circles ("veera-Srivaishnava"), it is generally frowned upon to make even the vaguest allusion to examples drawn from Tamilian hagiography other than those of the holy AzhwArs themselves. Such circles even regard it as blasphemeous to speak of the Nayanmars and the AzhwArs in the very same breath. Likewise, the vice versa may perhaps be the case too with hard-core Saivites ("veera-Saiva"). For the purpose of this series of postings, however, I am going to ignore the great and ancient sectarian divide amongst Saivites and SriVaishnavites. My aim is to concentrate solely on the common bond of "bhakti" that is the hallmark of saints within both sets of pantheon. I believe there is no such thing as "saivite bhakti" or "srivaishnavite bhakti" nor anything remotely like "advaitic bhakti" or "visishtAdavaitic bhakthi". When one reads the hagiographic accounts of the saints on both sides of the sectarian divide, one cannot help being convinced that the emotion of pure "bhakthi" itself --- that which took possession indeed of the hearts of both the Saivite and SriVaishnavite saint -- was somehow essentially of the same nature, intensity and fervor wherever you looked. Hence, for the limited purpose of our ongoing inquiry into the subject of "kaama", and its conquest through "bhakti", it is my view that it is equally profitable to take examples from both sides of the sectarian wall of the Vedantic faith and subject them to study. In the last few postings, we enjoyed the life of Sri Tondar-adi-podi AzhwAr. Now let us turn to the life of another great saint, Poosalan, who centuries ago lived in the little town of "tiru-ninnravoor" (very near Chennai, India). ************** (to be continued) Regards, dAsan, Sudarshan ________ India Matrimony: Find your partner now. 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Guest guest Posted March 4, 2006 Report Share Posted March 4, 2006 Dear svami, A small clarification. Sri ANDAL has come a long way and talked about the means in the 28th pAsuram of ThriuppAvai. The 29th is one where the 'end' is being spelt out explciitly. 2. Sri Azhagiaya maNavALap perumAL-The commentator of the ARAyirappaDi vyAkyanam- questions whether Sri ANDAL would request the Lord at this juncture to remove other desires. Their only desire now is service at the feet of the Lord -nE kuThEval engaLaik koLLAmal pOgAdhu. 3. Then what does maThai nam kAmangaL maThu at this juncture cannotes? a. Sri PeriyavAchAn PilLLai's nAlayirappaDi nAngaL 'engaLukku' enRu irukkumadhuvum, , nEyum 'ivargaLukku' enRu irukkum adhuvum -ivai iraNdum-virOadhi AgaiyAlEa , athai thavirthu thara vEaNum engiRargaL. The Service should not be done with a self motive. This is being requested to be removed by the terms ' mathai nam kAmangaL mAThu' b. Sri Azhagiay maNavALap perumAL nAyanAr's ARAyirappADi. Apart from pont 2 above, the term kAmangaL is explained in this context. ...vishaya vaiLakshanyathAlum Asrayathin inimaiyAlum, migavum prEthi rupamAyiREa parimARRam iruppadhu. adhil svarUpathukku virOdhiyAna ahankAra garpamAna adimaiyum apurushArthamiREa. Due to the greatness of the subject matter and the sweetness the excange between the jEvAthmA and the ParamAtmA is bound to be very emotional and joyful. However, during the excange and service there is a possiblity of emergence of ego during the service. This ego and self-conscious service is sought to be removed by the terms 'maRRai nam kAmangaL maRRu' 4. This is being corroborated by coherence of the 28th and 29th pAsuram at a macro level by Sri Azhagiya maNavALap PerumAL nAyanAr in the ARAyirAppaDi. 'kaRavaigaL pin senRu' enRu--upAyAnthrithalEA anvyama sollugaiyAlum....svarUpa virOdhi kazhindha padi solliRRu. in the 28th pAsuram namely -kaRavaigaL pin senRu -the means procedure is clearly detailed and the hurdles/defects in the means stage is removed. ippATTil -muRkURRAl -mARRai nam kAmangaL mARRu - engiRadhAL -pala virOdhiyai kazhikkiRadhu That is, in the 29th pAsuram namely, SiRRam siRu kAlEa - by the words -mARRai nam-kAmangaL mARRu- the defects at the end/goal stage is remvoed.That is the end stage being Service to the Lord -which has also been clearly spelt out as 'kuRREaval' and the defect in the end stage being egotism and self-conscous act of service is sought to be removed. 5. This is further, correlated to Thriumandhiram. GovindhA -vunakku - AkArathai sollugiRadhu. vunakkEa --------------vukArathai sollugiRadhu. nAm ------------------enRu makArathai sollugiRadhu. vundhannOADu vuRRomEAvOm-----------nArAyaNa padhathin artham solliRRu eRRaikkum yEzh yEAzh piRavikkum ---engaiyAlEa chadurthiyiartham sollithu. maRRai nam-kAmangaL mARRu ---engaiyAlEa namassil artham solliRRu 'nam' refers to not for me but for Him and for His sake. That is service for Him and not for ourselves. Summary: Therefore, going through the abvoe vyAkyAnam-s the terms 'maRRai nam-kAmangaL mARRu ' in the 29th pAsuram of ThriuppAvai refers to seeking of removal of defects at the stage of Service to the Lord and not removal of other desires. adiyEan rAmAnuja dAsan vanamamalai padmanabhan - sudarshan madabushi tiruvenkatam ; ; oppiliappan Saturday, March 04, 2006 6:20 PM "maRRai nam kaamangaL maaRRu"- (PART 22) The Story of Saint Poosalar: Conquest of "kaama" --------------- through Sublimation of Desire -- "bhakti yOga" ----------- The third "mArga" (pathway) in the Vedantic theory of "hita" is called "bhakti": it is the way of sublimating selfish human Desire ("kaama") in order to reach the highest pinnacle of Bliss recognized in Vedantic philosophy as true "purushArtha" (i.e. "inbam", "kaama"). The sublimation of "kaama" -- i.e. Desires of ordinary flesh -- in fact, is the central theme of the whole of the TiruppAvai. It lies too at the very core of the expression "maRRai nam kaamangaL maaRRu". The English word 'sublimate' is derived from the Latin "sublimarE". It means "to direct the energy of an impulse (or desire) from its primitive or gross aims to one that is ethically or culturally higher" (Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary). The idea of "sublimating" the energy or power latent in human desire, by re-directing it away from "primitive aims" towards "culturally higher" ones in life, through undivided Love and Devotion to a personal Deity, is at the core of Vedantic "bhakti". This idea is not mere lofty philosophy. It translates into a whole way of life. It is a fine and great "art of living". *************** Such an art is well illustrated in the life of a great Tamil saint who belonged to the mystic order called "nAyanmAr-s". The "nAyanmAr-s" were "63" in number (known collectively in popular Tamil as "aaru-pathu-moovar") and in the rich cultural and religious history of Tamilnadu, they are regarded as the Saivite counterparts of the "12" Vaishnavite "AzhwArs". The "nAyanmArs" were mystic saints who were the chronological seniors of the AzhwArs. They too, like the "AzhwArs", devoted their lives, wholly and exclusively, to the experience of Godhead in that elevated emotion called "parama-bhakti" (intense love and devotion to a personal Deity, who in their case was "Shiva", while it was "Vishnu" in the case of the AzhwArs). Like the "AzhwArs" again, the "nAyanmArs" too poured out their "bhakti" in thousands of heartfelt and mystic Tamil verses that have been handed down the centuries and to this day celebrated and cherished by millions in the Tamilian laity. The lives and works of these saintly "63" were made famous by a Tamil classical work of hagiography called "peria-purANam" written by a great literary figure, Sekkizhar, who lived more than 1200 years ago in the Tamil country. In the "peria-purANam" one finds the story of one such "nayanmAr" who was called Poosalan or Poosalar. When we read the life of Poosalan, we are not only moved by his example of extraordinary "bhakti" but, more importantly, we are also able to grasp the Vedantic principle of how the power of "bhakti" can be harnessed by us to transform, through improvement or refinement, the basic quality of our desires in life. It is exactly the sort of transformation conceived in the phrase of the TiruppAvai: "maRRai kaamangaL maaRRu". Poosalar's life is a shining example of how "bhakti" can be used by Man to sublimate "primitive" "kaama" and then re-invent and redefine it into another qualitatively different "kaama" --- "one that is ethically or culturally higher" or, to use a Vedantic term, one that leads to the ultimate goal of life ("parama-purushArtha").... In other words, once again, "maRRai nam kaamangaL maaRRu". ************** Now, in some SriVaishnavite "die-hard" circles ("veera-Srivaishnava"), it is generally frowned upon to make even the vaguest allusion to examples drawn from Tamilian hagiography other than those of the holy AzhwArs themselves. Such circles even regard it as blasphemeous to speak of the Nayanmars and the AzhwArs in the very same breath. Likewise, the vice versa may perhaps be the case too with hard-core Saivites ("veera-Saiva"). For the purpose of this series of postings, however, I am going to ignore the great and ancient sectarian divide amongst Saivites and SriVaishnavites. My aim is to concentrate solely on the common bond of "bhakti" that is the hallmark of saints within both sets of pantheon. I believe there is no such thing as "saivite bhakti" or "srivaishnavite bhakti" nor anything remotely like "advaitic bhakti" or "visishtAdavaitic bhakthi". When one reads the hagiographic accounts of the saints on both sides of the sectarian divide, one cannot help being convinced that the emotion of pure "bhakthi" itself --- that which took possession indeed of the hearts of both the Saivite and SriVaishnavite saint -- was somehow essentially of the same nature, intensity and fervor wherever you looked. Hence, for the limited purpose of our ongoing inquiry into the subject of "kaama", and its conquest through "bhakti", it is my view that it is equally profitable to take examples from both sides of the sectarian wall of the Vedantic faith and subject them to study. In the last few postings, we enjoyed the life of Sri Tondar-adi-podi AzhwAr. Now let us turn to the life of another great saint, Poosalan, who centuries ago lived in the little town of "tiru-ninnravoor" (very near Chennai, India). ************** (to be continued) Regards, dAsan, Sudarshan ________ India Matrimony: Find your partner now. Go to http://.shaadi.com Hinduism Fund raising Beliefs Religion a.. Visit your group "Oppiliappan" on the web. b.. Oppiliappan c.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 Dear SwAmin, Very grateful for the scholarly references. It is very useful to know the nuances and niceties of the traditional "vyAkhyAnam". But I must add here that the focus of my series is far more on the subject of "kaama" than on the TiruppAvai per se. I am taking the liberty however of forwarding your mail to the Tiruvenkatam Group for the benefit of members there who would be interested too. Regards, dAsan, Sudarshan ******************* Oppiliappan, "Padmanabhan" <aazhwar wrote: > > Dear svami, > > A small clarification. > Sri ANDAL has come a long way and talked about the means in the 28th pAsuram of ThriuppAvai. The 29th is one where the 'end' is being spelt out explciitly. > > 2. Sri Azhagiaya maNavALap perumAL-The commentator of the ARAyirappaDi vyAkyanam- questions whether Sri ANDAL would request the Lord at this juncture to remove other desires. Their only desire now is service at the feet of the Lord -nE kuThEval engaLaik koLLAmal pOgAdhu. > > 3. Then what does maThai nam kAmangaL maThu at this juncture cannotes? > a. Sri PeriyavAchAn PilLLai's nAlayirappaDi > nAngaL 'engaLukku' enRu irukkumadhuvum, , nEyum 'ivargaLukku' enRu irukkum adhuvum -ivai iraNdum-virOadhi AgaiyAlEa , athai thavirthu thara vEaNum engiRargaL. > > The Service should not be done with a self motive. This is being requested to be removed by the terms ' mathai nam kAmangaL mAThu' > > b. Sri Azhagiay maNavALap perumAL nAyanAr's ARAyirappADi. > > Apart from pont 2 above, the term kAmangaL is explained in this context. > ..vishaya vaiLakshanyathAlum Asrayathin inimaiyAlum, migavum prEthi rupamAyiREa parimARRam iruppadhu. adhil svarUpathukku virOdhiyAna ahankAra garpamAna adimaiyum apurushArthamiREa. > > Due to the greatness of the subject matter and the sweetness the excange between the jEvAthmA and the ParamAtmA is bound to be very emotional and joyful. However, during the excange and service there is a possiblity of emergence of ego during the service. This ego and self-conscious service is sought to be removed by the terms 'maRRai nam kAmangaL maRRu' > > 4. This is being corroborated by coherence of the 28th and 29th pAsuram at a macro level by Sri Azhagiya maNavALap PerumAL nAyanAr in the ARAyirAppaDi. > > 'kaRavaigaL pin senRu' enRu--upAyAnthrithalEA anvyama sollugaiyAlum....svarUpa virOdhi kazhindha padi solliRRu. > > in the 28th pAsuram namely -kaRavaigaL pin senRu -the means procedure is clearly detailed and the hurdles/defects in the means stage is removed. > > ippATTil -muRkURRAl -mARRai nam kAmangaL mARRu - engiRadhAL -pala virOdhiyai kazhikkiRadhu > > That is, in the 29th pAsuram namely, SiRRam siRu kAlEa - by the words -mARRai nam-kAmangaL mARRu- the defects at the end/goal stage is remvoed.That > is the end stage being Service to the Lord -which has also been clearly spelt out as 'kuRREaval' and the defect in the end stage being egotism and self-conscous act of service is sought to be removed. > > > 5. This is further, correlated to Thriumandhiram. > > GovindhA -vunakku - AkArathai sollugiRadhu. > > vunakkEa --------------vukArathai sollugiRadhu. > > nAm ------------------enRu makArathai sollugiRadhu. > > vundhannOADu vuRRomEAvOm-----------nArAyaNa padhathin artham solliRRu > > eRRaikkum yEzh yEAzh piRavikkum ---engaiyAlEa chadurthiyiartham sollithu. > > maRRai nam-kAmangaL mARRu ---engaiyAlEa namassil artham solliRRu > > 'nam' refers to not for me but for Him and for His sake. That is service for Him and not for ourselves. > > > > Summary: Therefore, going through the abvoe vyAkyAnam-s the terms 'maRRai nam-kAmangaL mARRu ' in the 29th pAsuram of ThriuppAvai refers to seeking of removal of defects at the stage of Service to the Lord and not removal of other desires. > > adiyEan > > rAmAnuja dAsan > vanamamalai padmanabhan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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