A Speck of Dust

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Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

 

 

 

 

Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

 

 

A Speck of Dust

 

 

 

 

The evening Sun sent a slanting shaft of light through the window, reminding me

that it was time for Sandhyavandanam. Casually glancing at the beam of light, I

found innumerable dust particles swimming lazily in the shaft of sunlight,

setting me thinking (an exercise I normally don't indulge in, having neither the

mental energy nor the aptitude therefor). I took to wondering how dusty the

atmosphere was, if the millions of dust particles inhabiting the narrow shaft of

sunlight were any indication. And the thought processes led me to some "dusty"

references, with which the Scripture seems to abound.

 

 

 

Normally, particles of dust are considered extremely insignificant, due to their

size, multitude and apparent lack of utility in any form. We hear people

complaining about being treated little better than dust, when they feel they

have been ignored, slighted or not given their due. However, from the highly

complimentary references that Dust finds in our Scripture, the subject is

perhaps worth going into in some detail.

 

 

 

Anything derives its value through association. While the integer 0 is worthless

by itself, when it is preceded by another number, it acquires value and

importance. Similarly, Dust too, though considered too trivial to merit mention,

takes on quite a holy hue, when it emanates from an exalted source. Thus we are

not surprised to find Swami Desikan devoting an entire chapter of 30 slOkAs

(ParAga Paddhati) to a "dusty" description, in his Paduka Sahasram. The dust he

takes up for adulation is that emanating from the glorious sandals of Sri

Ranganatha-the PAdukAs.

 

 

 

We have heard only of dust spoiling things by settling on them and having a

generally undesirable effect on anything it comes into contact with. However,

Swami Desikan tells us that dust from the Padukas, instead of dirtying those on

whom they fall, make the fortunate recipients' minds clear as a bell, shorn of

all impurities of thought that normally abound in everyone's mind. We

are used to regarding dust as harmful to health and take all possible effort to

ensure a dust-free environment. However, dust emanating from the Padukas is

panacea for all ills and is used by devotees to smear their children with, to

save them from the influence of evil spirits. Those who adorn their heads

with the dust from Emeperuman's Padukas, reach exalted positions like those of

BrahmA the Creator, with absolutely no further effort on their part, we are

told. Swami Desikan prays to the Padukas to bless him in his final moments with

a shower of dust, to relieve him from the heat and pain occasioned by the

process of parting with the mortal coils.

 

 

 

However, is there any proof or pramANam for all these hyperboles-is the question

that rises in our "reasoning" intellects. To dispel the impression that all the

adulatory references to dust are mere poetic embellishment and exaggeration,

Swami Desikan points to the Ahalya episode, where the hallowed dust particles

from Sri Rama's lotus feet restored the accursed Ahalya, standing as an inert

stone, to her original human form. An ordinary way-side stone was turned into a

venerated RishipatnI, merely by association with the "pAda dhooLi" of

Raghunandana-"Prastarasya padavI gatasya yat vyAchakAra muni dharma dAratAm".

Just imagine-a lady who had been cursed to be a stone and had been standing by

the roadside, all but invisible due to the encrusting dirt, filth and grime of

centuries, being miraculously transformed into an extraordinarily beautiful

damsel, cleansing her in the process of her infamy and the original misconduct

responsible therefor! This is what the dust from the Lord's lotus feet is

capable of.

 

 

 

Lest we conclude that the role of the glorious dust from the divine sandals is

limited to conferring only beneficial effects on its votaries, Swami Desikan

hastens to clarify that this Dust is quite capable of wreaking havoc too, where

the antagonists of the Lord and His devotees are concerned. Since they

comprehensively deal withand vnquish the armies of opponents, the weapons the

Lord sports on His four hands remain as mere adornments, says the Acharya-

 

 

 

"PanchAyudhee bhooshaNam Eva ShourE: yatastava EtE maNi pAda rakshE!

 

VitanvatE vyApta disha: parAgA: shAntOdayAn shatru chamoo pArAgAn".

 

 

 

It is no wonder therefore that Swami Desikan prays Lord HayagrIva to

bless him with minute particles of dust from the lotus feet, which are capable

of changing our fortunes for the better and form coveted adornments for the

heads of exalted celestials like Indra and Brahma. Here is the beautiful sloka

from Sri HayagrIva StOtram-

 

 

 

"vilupta moordhanya lipi kramANAm surEndra choodA pada lAlitAnAm

 

tvat anghri rAjeeva raja: kaNAnAm bhooyAn prasAdO mayi nAtha!

bhooyAt"

 

 

 

ShAstrAs tell us that the glory of the Lord's devotees is much greater than His.

Accordingly, we are told that the dust of their feet is extremely potent and can

destroy all our sins, purifying us completely-"punantu mAm brAhmaNa pAda

pamsava:". This is borne out by the ParAga Paddhati slOka, which says that those

who bear with pleasure the particles of dust from the Lord's padukas would

themselves sanctify the entire world with the dust of their own feet-

 

 

 

"SanchAra pAmsu kaNikA: shirasA vahanta:

 

Visvam punanti pada padma parAga lEsai:"

 

 

 

Sri Vipranarayana considered the dust of devotees' feet to be so adorable that

he assumed the tirunAmam "Tondaradippodi" or "BhaktAnghri RENu". Such dust from

the soles of the Lord's bhaktAs is capable of curing us of all ills, says Sri

Nammazhwar-"MAyan tamar adi neeru koNdu aNiya muyalin, mattrillai kaNdeer".

Rather than go in for costly and unseemly propitiations of lesser deities, mere

smearing on the patient's body of the dust of devotees' feet would cure them

forever, opines Sri Satakopa Muni.

 

 

 

It is Sri Krishna, however, who comes to our mind, when we think of dust. This

Emperuman is so enamoured of horseplay and boisterous behaviour that He

constantly sports a coating of dust-- "VeNNai aLainda kuNungum, viLayAdu

puzhudiyum koNdu"-- which sits rather well on His black complexion, imparting it

a golden hue. Sri Yasoda might cry herself hoarse pleading to the Kutti Krishnan

not to play in the dust and dirt ("angam ellAm puzhidyAga aLaya vENdAm"), but

the brat doesn't listen. Like a playful elephant calf covering itself with

trunkfulls of dust, the mischievous Lord too acquires a liberal coat of the

same, which sticks to His black body due to the film of sweat cause by active

play-

 

 

 

"veN puzhudi mEl peidu koNdu aLaindadOr vEzhatthin karum kandru pOl

 

teN puzhudi Adi Trivikraman siru pugar pada viyartthu".

 

 

 

The simile here is really apt. It is a wasteful exercise for an

elephant to have a bath, for, after having a long and purifying sojourn in

water, the pachyderm gathers up a trunkful of dust from the ground and pours it

on its head, getting dirty again. Similar too is the case with Krishna: Yasoda

might scrub off with great difficulty the accumulated dirt and grime from the

little brat's body and make it glistening and spic and span, only to find Him a

little while later, back to His usual state of encrustment with dirt.

 

 

 

We know that devotees of Sri Rudra wear ashes on their forehead and other parts

of the body. There was once an unnecessary controversy concerning this practice,

with reference to Sri Krishna, based on a perfectly inoccuous pasuram of Sri

Nammazhwar, describing the former as "Karia mEni misai veLia neeru siridE idum

peria kOla tadam KaNNan". These lines were interpreted erroneously (as are

others, to suit people's convenience) to mean that Sri Krishna wore VibhUti on

His tirumEni. A perusal of the erudite VyAkhyAnams on the subject reveals,

however, that it is not VibhUti that the Lord wore, but "anjana choorNam"

lovingly applied by Sri Yasoda to enhance (as if such a thing were possible!)

the beauty of His broad and beautiful lotus eyes, just as ladies wear mascara.

Swami Desikan tells us that this "neeru" or white dust was aromatic camphor

("pacchai karppooram"), which the Lord wore on His tirumEni, ostensibly to

augment His natural fragrance, or, perhaps, to subjugate His natural and

overwhelming odour of dairy products ("mudai nAttram")-"karpoora AlEpa shObhE".

 

 

 

Not only does Sri Krishna like dust and dirt Himself, He likes to give His

friends too a liberal coating thereof, if Sri PeriyAzhwar is to be believed. He

throws dust in the eyes of other children, complain their mothers-

 

 

 

"kaNNil maNal kodu toovi kAlinAl pAindanai endru endru

 

eNnarum piLLaigaL vandittu ivarAl murai padugindrAr".

 

 

 

Additionally, He is fond of dirtying new clothes worn by GOpis, by

throwing dust and dirt on them.

 

 

 

When dust envelops us, as often happens on a highway with heavy traffic, we

immediately think of a cleansing bath to get rid of the pollution. Can you

imagine, however, that exposing oneself to a cloud of dust could be considered

to be a type of bath by itself, more purifiying than that using ordinary water?

Seven types of taking bath are prescribed by Smritis-"SnAnam sapta vidham

smritam". One of these is the "GO dhooLi snAnam", which involves standing by

when a herd of cows passes, in such a way that the cloud of dust from their

hooves envelopes one from head to foot. The cow is considered to be so holy that

even the dust from its hoof is regarded sacred and sanctifying.

 

 

 

While He prescribes bathing in the dust from cow's hooves, Sri Krishna Himself

was to be seen enveloped in the dust emanating from the hooves of war horses at

KurukshEtra, discharging His role as PArthasArathy. Even hearts of stone would

melt down, if we consider the extent to which the Supreme Being, the

Parabrahmam, lowered itself to such a level of Souseelyam as to allow its being

sullied by the dust and grime of the battlefield, holding the reins of Arjuna's

chariot in one hand and a small stick to goad the chariot horses, with the

other, His holy feet (the refuge of exalted beings like Brahma and Rudra)

planted firmly on the KurukshEtra bhoomi. Here are the relative sreesooktis from

Mumukshupadi of Sri PillailOkachArya, describing the SArathya vEsham-

 

 

 

"kaiyyum uzhavu kOlum, pidittha siru vAi kayirum, sEnA dhooLi

saritamAna tiru kuzhalum, tErukku keezhE nAttina tiruvadigaLumAi nirkira

SArathya vEshatthai "MAm" endru kAttugirAn".

 

 

 

Considering that this sreesookti occurs in the Charama slOka prakaraNam dealing

with performance of Sharanagati to the Supreme Lord, it would appear that

Emperuman is to be meditated upon in the aforesaid way during the actual

performance of Prapatti, the dust on His tirumudi and curly locks signifying the

ultimate in Souseelyam and dispelling our misgivings on account of His

unapproachably exalted stature and our own extremely base natures, discarding

forbidding Paratvam in favour of inviting Soulabhyam.

 

 

 

The following pasuram of Sri Nammazhwar also features our subject matter, Dust,

albeit in a sober vein-

 

 

 

"adi sEr mudiyinar Agi arasargaL tAm tozha

 

idi sEr murasangaL muttratthu iyamba irundavar

 

podi sEr tugaLAi pOvargaL Adalin nokkena

 

kadi sEr tuzhAi mudi KaNNan kazhalgaL ninaiminO"

 

 

 

Even exalted Emperors who reign with splendour, with their feet constantly

touched by the submissive crowns of vassals, are reduced to a handful of dust at

the end of their lives, all the pride, magnificence and glory disappearing in a

trice. Such being the case, should we not rid ouselves of all conceit and

delusions of grandeur and meditate upon the Lord's lotus feet, to prevent such

an ignominous end and ensure for ourselves an everlasting and blissful existence

at the most coveted of worlds, viz., Sri Vaikunttam, enquires Azhwar.

 

 

 

To conclude, apart from everything else, dust is also a stark reminder of what

we would be reduced to, at the end of our lives, however long, comfortable or

distinguished. The long arm of Time never spares any mortal, whether he be the

President of a nation with population in billions, or a pauper struggling to eke

out his existence, knowing not from where his next meal is going to materialise.

Erudite scholar, acclaimed artiste, distinguished doctor or a wrestler of

repute-all must indeed return to dust, once their sojourn on earth draws to an

end. The moment life ebbs out of this body, irrespective of the mode of its

disposal, this proud, greedy and up(t)right bag of flesh and bones is reduced to

heap of insignificant dust, all that remains of a life full of intolerance,

cunningness, deceit, hypocricy and other allied virtues that we proudly sport

and display every living moment.

 

 

 

Srimate Sri LakshmINrisimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana

Yatindra Mahadeiskaya nama:

 

Dasan, sadagopan