"pancha-sayanattin mElEri": Of Beds and Jealousy

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Dear friends,

 

Stanza #19 is a very important verse for SriVaishnavas since it is

said to contain some cardinal principles of doctrine.

 

The first 2 lines are of utmost philosophical significance to the

adherents of SriRamanuja 'darsanam':

 

"kuttu-villaku-eria kottukAl kattil male

metth-enra pancha-sayanattin male-Eri...".

 

In this verse, the damsels from the 'aayarpAdi' village of

Nandagopalan, give vent to slightly vehement feelings as they address

"nappinnai-pirAtti". Their feelings are at best described as one of

"platonic jealousy".

 

They feel really jealous that while they are left fretting and fuming

at the gates of "napinnai's" house, impatient to have audience with

Krishna, the girl "napinnai-pirAtti" however chooses to remain

completely unmindful of their restiveness. She seems wholly

insensitive to their gnawing anxiety to quickly meet with Lord

Krishna. Napinnai simply continues to remain supine in Krishna's warm

embrace

("vaittu-kidantha-malar-mArbA"), savouring its warmth on a grand

"ivory bedstead" ('kOttukAl-kattil") and blissfully ensconsed in the

deep and delicious valleys of an incredibly "soft mattress"

("metth-enra

pancha-sayanam").

 

Thus, the girl "napinnai" ("thAyyAr") appears to be giving the

'aayarpAdi" damsels a sort of "cold-shoulder" and the latter (in this

verse) seem to resent it. And the resentment apparently arises from a

twinge of platonic jealousy they cannot help feeling towards

"napinnai".

 

(If you ask if there is ever such a special variety of jealousy on

earth, adiyEn can only say, "Yes, there is indeed such a thing ...a

human feeling which one may perhaps call "sAtvika-porAmai" ...

"platonic envy" which does sometimes overtake a spiritual-aspirant

when he sees the rapid spiritual progress another more "advanced"

'bhAktA' is making towards God. He espies the latter is "much nearer"

God than he is himself and hence is also far better off. It is such a

variety of "jealousy"... the platonic type.. that also afflicted the

"aayarpAdi" girls who beseeched "napinnai-pirAtti" to let them a

little nearer bhagawan Krishna, although not, and never, as near as

pirAtti herself was. I must confess here that I always feel a pang of

"platonic jealousy" fill my heart whenever I'm standing far behind in

the 'dharma-darsana' queue in the Tirumala temple and resentfully

watch a "VIP-vAru" being led right royally past me by

temple-officials straight into "Sri-vAru" Venkateshwara's Presence.

In those moments adiyen usually conquers feelings of jealousy by

reciting silently this verse #19 of the "tiruppAvai" in praise of

"tiruvEngada-mudaiyAn"!)

 

****** ******** *******

 

Scholars and "achAryA-s" point out that the expression

"pancha-sayanattin-male-Eri" is to be interpreted in more ways than

one.

 

One is to understand it as: "the Lord and His Consort Napinnai lying

on a cotton-bedding or mattress". This meaning is appropriate from a

literal and contextual point of view. To take it a little further we

may even say that "pancha-sayanam" refers to a "mattress" that has

the 5 excellent features of beauty, coolness, whiteness, softness and

fragrance. Or, it may be taken to mean a "mattress" made out of 5

excellent substances viz., tendrils, flowers, cotton-fluff, soft wool

and pieces of finest silk.

 

(Once again here, adiyEn must recollect the "pancha-sayanam" that is

usually provided for the "utsava-murthy" of Lord Venkateshwara who

goes out in ritual procession, with the two "pirAtti-s", on a grand

palanquin. Adiyen once had the opportunity to feel with his hands

those "mattresses" which the temple priests had used to upholster the

palanquin. Believe me, they are truly pure "pancha-sayanam" as they

have all the qualities and excellence that bedding as described in

the 'tiruppAvai' is said to have! Next time you visit Tirumala please

make it a point to observe the "cushions and mattresses" on the

Lord's palanquin and you will instantly remember AndAl's phrase!).

 

"pancha-sayanam", our "purvAchAryA-s" remind us, however has a

deeper, more esoteric significance of doctrine than the literal

context would ordinarily suggest.

 

"pancha-sayanam" in this verse of AndAl refers to "artha-panchaka"

.... which is 'sine-qua-non' for the understanding of the SriVaishnava

conception of Godhead.

 

What is the "artha-panchaka"?

 

The "AchAryA-s" explain it as one's 5 inner states of realization.

The states of realization are wholly experiential. They are not

measurable by applying external yardsticks. They are

 

(1) The state of realization of the true nature of God known as

"paramAtma-svarupa" or "Iswara-svarupa". In Tamil, this is also

called "mikka-iRanilai".

 

(2) The state of realization of the completely helpless nature of the

individual soul known as "jivAtma- svarupa" or as in Tamil,

"uyir-nilai".

 

(3) The realization of "upAya-svarupa" or the means of attaining

"mukti" or salvation. This is called "takka-neRigal" in Tamil. These

means or "upAya" include GnyAna, karma, Bhakti yoga and "prappathi"

or

"saranagathi".

 

(4) The realization of the various pitfalls on the road to

attainment of "paramAtma"... the realization of sins and fates that

can impede one's progress towards salvation. These are called

"virOdhi-svarupa"

or "jivAtma-virOdhigal" (in tamil). These pitfalls are again 5 in

number: (a) 'svarupa-virOdhi' or what is anti-soul (b)

'paratva-virodhi' or anti-God © 'purushArtha-virodhi' or what is

inimical to the ultimate goals of life (d) 'upAya-virodhi' or what

impairs adoption of the right means to attain mukti (e)

'prApti-virOdhi' or what is antipathic to one's natural destiny

 

(5) The realization of "purushArtha-svarupa" which is the actual

experience of "paramAtmA". This in Tamil is called "vAlvinai",

eternal and undiminishing bliss.

 

According to SriVaishnava doctrine every Man must strive to the above

5 States of Realization with the help of an "achArya" and the Grace

of Isvara. And that indeed is the true goal of all human existence.

 

Parashara Bhattar talked of the same 5-fold States of Realization,

the "artha-panchaka", in his famous 'tanian' (doxology):

 

"mikka virai-nilaiyum meyyAm-uyir-nilaiyum

takka neriyum taDaiyAgit-tokkiyallum

Uzhvinaiyum vAlvinaiyum Odhum kurukaiyarkOn

yAzh-inn-isai vedat-tiyal".

 

dAsan,

Sudarshan

 

 

 

 

 

 

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