The Treasure

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Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

 

 

The Treasure

 

 

 

 

"Upanayana vivAhou utasavaika pradhAnou" says Sri VenkatAdhvari Kavi

in his "Visva GuNAdarsa ChampU", lamenting that upanayanam and marriage have

become mere social functions, shorn of all their rich ritualistic significance.

Shastras tell us that every eligible boy should undergo upanayanam or the

"thread ceremony" in his seventh year-"ashta varsham brAhmaNam upanayeeta". The

current practice of performing this "function" whenever convenient (irrespective

of age) and at times just before the boy's marriage, doesn't have the sanction

of Shastras, to say the least. The idea was to "catch them young" and instil in

impressionable boys the thought of the Lord and His worship, much before outside

influences started polluting their minds. The greatness of the Gayatri mantra

and its regular japa is beyond dispute. Thus when Gayatri enters the young boy's

soul early, it acts as a protective armour, fobbing off the tons of garbage that

assail us from all directions, polluting our mind, body and thought. This

mundane world keeps us so busy running here and there on worldly errands, that

we have hardly any time to think about our true selves, why we are here, where

we go from here, what is the purpose of our life and about the Lord and His

relationship with us. Sandhyavandanam is a karma ordained for our performance,

in the hope that we would devote at least that time in the contemplation of the

Lord, amidst our innumerable and unending mundane chores.

 

 

 

The benefits of an early upanayanam are thus manifold. Regrettably,

the performance of Sandhyavandanam, (glorified by all Scriptural texts as a sine

qua non for any other karma and as a must for all eligible people, thrice a day

without any sort of break or holiday) has now dwindled so much that it is now

confined to perhaps a few thousand families all over India and abroad. We hear

of times when parents would not give their daughter in marriage to eligible

bachelors who had given up sandhyOpasanam and none would either feed them or be

fed by them. Today, however, the situation has become so topsy turvy, that

people performing Sandhyavandanam are looked at as strange specimens and parents

of brides-to-be are reluctant to entrust their wards to adherents of this

"archaic" ritual.

 

 

 

Be it marriage, SeemanthOnnayanam, JAtakarmA, NAmakarma, or apara kriyAs, we

find the unseemly spectacle of people omitting Sandhyavandanam and going on to

perform the aforesaid karmas, oblivious to the Shastraic injuction that one who

has given up Sandhyavandanam is ever impure and ineligible to undertake any

Vaidika karma-"SandhyAhInO asuchi: nityam, anarha: sarva karmasu". Little do

people realise that the elaborate functions they organise, at considerable

expense and strain, be it marriages or other karmas, would be fruitful only if

preceded by SandhyOpAsana. Alas, Brihaspatis, whose prime duty it is (for they

are "purOhitAs", advising the KartA of what is to be done and when) to remind

the Karta to complete the essential prelude of Sandhyopasanam before beginning

the Karma proper, are also not insistent on this, knowing full well that the

proceedings would definitely be fruitless. After performing a boy's Upanayanam

with all the trappings of a secular celebration and with festivity associated

with a carnival, with a "Reception" et al, it is now customary for the parents

to forget completely about making their ward perform Sandhyavandanam thrice

daily. While some engage a VadyAr to teach the boy for a fortnight or so, in the

hope that a habit would be formed for continued performance, once the Brihaspati

stops, Sandhyavandanam is also bidden good-bye, with the father having neither

the time nor the inclination nor even the expertise to encourage the boy to

continue the karma. In many cases, the parent lacks the moral authority to

insist on the boy's performing the ritual, as he (the parent) has given it up

long back. Even if the boy himself wants to continue the practice, he would be

left without the requisite assistance. Thus the preparations of months, the

expenditure of several thousands or lakhs according to social status, the pomp

and show of the function itself-all these are reduced to nought, with the

abandonment of Sandhyavandanam. If parents were to remember that non-performance

of Sandhyopasanam is a direct contravention of the Lord's commandment and the

delinquent is counted among the betrayers of the Lord, it would perhaps enforce

better adherence, for the Lord says in the Gita,

 

"Shruti: Smriti: mama Eva AgyA yastAm ullanghya vartatE

 

AgyA cchEdI mama drOhI mama bhaktOpi na vaishnava:"

 

 

 

It is indeed surprising that many are reluctant to set apart the few minutes

that are required for this important part of our daily lives, while spending

interminable hours at school, college, office, club or other entertainment

spots. The reason, of course, is not far to seek-while the aforesaid hours at

worldly pursuits are directly and perceptibly rewarding, Sandhyavandanam doesn't

appear to be so. However, if we set store only by what we see, hear and feel

with our own faculties, there would be little difference between we who call

ourselves AstikAs, vis a vis nAstikAs, who deny the existence of God because

they are unable to see or hear Him. Sandhyavandanam cleanses the soul through

meditation on the Ultimate and bestows wonderful benefits, spiritual as well as

material, on its sincere votary.

 

 

 

The importance of this ritual can be understood from the fact that there is

absolutely no exemption from its performance any time in life, even when one

contracts "theettu" or pollution due to birth or death of near and dear ones.

Even during such Asoucham, an abridged version of the ritual is to be performed,

making it thus a part of our daily routine, akin to eating, sleeping or bathing.

There may even be occasions when we forsake these physical acts, but none on

which we may skip Sandhyavandanam. The importance our forbears attached to this

karma would be evident from the fact that Sri Ramanuja, at the ripe old age of

120, stood up with great difficulty and performed arghyapradAnam. This is

recounted by Swami Desikan in Srimad Rahasyatrayasaram, to emphasise the

indispensability of anushttAnam. If a paripoorNa Brahma gnAni like Sri

Bhashyakara felt it essential to perform Sandhyavandanam even after six score

years of a spirituality-filled life, it speaks volumes for the need for its

observance by ordinary mortals like us.

 

 

 

There are those who speak loftily of meditation, Yoga and Upanishadic dicta,

preferring the rarefied corridors of Vedanta to performance of mere rituals.

Alas, they don't realise that the topmost storey of God-realisation is to be

reached via the winding staircase of SamskArAs and that one can't just jump

from the floor onto the roof. Samskaras like upanayanam are meant to purify the

mind and body, to make it an ideal receptacle for wisdom, which would in turn

lead us to liberation by showing us the appropriate strategy. Thus, whatever be

one's age, occupation or persuasion, all traivarnikAs have to perform

Sandhyavandanam, whether or not they are spiritually inclined, for

non-performance could well impact on their material life too, due to the

cumulated offences resulting from the omission.

 

 

 

In the next stage are those who do perform the nitya karma, but without the

requisite degree of concentration. During the performance of Gayatri japa, the

mind wanders so far and wide as to traverse the whole world in a jiffy. The

enforced physical inactivity during Sandhyavandanam makes the mind super-active

and unable to concentrate on the Lord and His attributes, which is after all the

essential purpose of the ritual. It is an acknowledged fact that the mind is the

most difficult faculty to control-we can shut our eyes, our ears and nose

against the assault of external forces and keep our limbs inactive. However, we

have to admit defeat when it comes to controlling our mind, which functions with

a fierce independence and is obviously untamable. No less a person than Arjuna,

famed for his powers of concentration, laments to Sri Krishna that his mind is

fickle and uncontrollable-"Chanchalam hi mana: Krishna!...tasyAham nigraham

manyE vAyOriva sudurgraham". Even the Shruti attests to the fearsomeness of the

mind, which can lead astray even the most accomplished soul-"BhIshmO hi mana:".

If even acknowledged experts are ineffective at mind control, we despair at our

own fate. However, the Lord assures us that it is all a matter of

practice-"abhyAsEna tu KountEya.". Practice makes perfect and in course of time,

we find ourselves able to concentrate more and more on the Lord's lotus feet,

suffering less and less distractions as we proceed.

 

 

 

Of course, the process doesn't stop with performance of Sandhyopasanam.

Upanayanam is after all a Samskaram, a catalyst, which is not an end in itself,

but a qualifying degree to enable higher studies. The very word "Upanayanam"

means "leading near"-near the Brahmam. If we interpret the word "Brahmam" to

mean the Shruti, we arrive at the deduction that Upanayanam is an enabling

factor for VedAdhyayanam or the study of Vedas. Just as nobody stops with high

school studies, Upanayanam is not supposed to end with Sandhyavandanam. The

study of Vedas through an Acharya is ordained on every eligible person. "VEdO

nityam adheeyatAm" says the Scripture, commanding us to learn and recite the

Vedas daily. And why should Vedas be learnt? Because they are the first and

foremost body of spiritual knowledge, ("Adou VEdA: pramANam"-Sri Bhattar)

telling us all that is beyond the ken of our frail faculties; Because they are

an independent source of wisdom, untainted by human composition and the

resultant blemishes; Because they are eternal guiding lamps which are our source

of inspiration in birth after interminable birth; And because they can show us,

if properly propitiated, the way to Liberation and freedom from the vicious

circle of births and deaths. The Brahma SutrAs, (whose main purpose is to

clarify the nature of Paramatma, Jeevatma and attendant matters) tell us that

the VEdAnta Shastra, leading to an appreciation of the Ultimate, should be

imbibed only after completion of VedAdhyayanam-"atAthO Brahma jigyAsA". One who

is eligible to imbibe Vedas, but doesn't do so for whatever reason, has no hope

of liberation and is destined for the lower worlds reserved for sinners, says

the Manu Smrti-"anadheetya dvijO VedAn...vrajati adha:"

 

 

 

The glory of Vedas is beyond description. The Purusha Sookta Vakya, "EtAvAn asya

mahimA" would apply equally well to the Shruti as to the Paramapurusha. That the

Lord resides in the Vedas is confirmed by Swami Desikan- "adarpuL arasilum

andaNar mAttilum"and by Sri Nammazhwar-"Sudar migu SurudiyuL. paranduLan". Sri

Kalian calls the Lord "VEdiar muzhu VEdattu amudam". Worshipping the Lord should

be done through the medium of those who have mastered the Vedas, adopting such

BhAgavatAs as Purushakaram, says Sri Satakopa Muni- "VEdam vallArai koNdu viNNOr

perumAn tiruppAdam paNindu".

 

 

 

This is the priceless heirloom bequeathed to us by our forefathers, who

cherished and treasured the Shruti by learning it with reverence through an

Acharya, applying it in their everyday karmas and passing on the treasure to all

those who were interested, ensuring its propagation and perpetuation. Even those

who were unable to learn all the available portions of their own ShAkha,

compromised with reluctance by imbibing the portions for frequent use in nitya

karmas and for Bhagavat kainkaryam. If the meagre attendance today at VEda

pAtashAlAs is any indication, Veda adhyayanam has fallen on hard times, with

predictable consequences of truant monsoons or excessive precipitation

(anAvrishti and ativrishti), resulting respectively in terrible famines and

destructive deluges, strife and senseless violence, corrupt rulers and suffering

populace. If the good old times of peace and prosperity are to return, every

eligible person should take up Vedic studies through an Acharya. Those who are

unable to devote the time and energy for the full course could contemplate

imbibing portions of the Shruti essential for the performance of nitya and

naimittika karmas and for Bhagavat kainkaryam. The day the world resounds with

Veda ghOsham, the guns of war would fall silent, voices of discord would remain

muted and the plaintive cries of the needy would stand banished. Let us work for

restoring the Shruti to its former glory and magnificence.

 

 

 

Srimate Sri LakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana

Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

Dasan, sadagopan.