"maRRai nam kaamangaL maaRRu"- (PART 14)

[Guest guest]

The Conquest of “kaama”: 3 Vedantic Solutions

 

 

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The ‘Bhagavath-Gita’, as a text-book of Vedantic

Theory and Practice, is the best resource to rely upon

to address the most fundamental question of life: “How

to conquer “kaama””? “How can Desire be tamed so that

it begins serving our higher goals in life rather than

enslaving us to our lower impulses?”. The Gita

prescribes 3 practical means which, when expansively

delineated, constitute the entire sum and substance of

the vast body of Vedantic inquiry called “hita”. They

are:

 

(1)“gnyAna yoga” – the Way of Contemplation or true

Knowledge

(2)“karma yOga” - the Way of purposeful Action in

life

(3)“bhakti yOga” – the Way of Love and Devotion

 

Although in India, various schools of Vedanta follow

different commentaries of the Gita, with each

emphasizing particular doctrinal aspects or

theological themes consistent with or sub-serving

respective sectarian traditions (i.e. “darsana” or

“parampara”), there is one thread of understanding and

broad acceptance, however, that is common to all of

them. What is it?

 

It is found in a “shlOka” from the fifth chapter of

the Gita:

 

"shak{}notiihaiva yaH soDhuM

praak{}shariiravimokshaNaat.h .

kaamakrodhodbhavaM vegaM sa yuk{}taH sa sukhii naraH"

... 5\.23..

 

(meaning): “All through life, before the moment

arrives eventually when the mortal body must be given

up, if a man has well withstood the pulls and

pressures of the material senses, and has not

succumbed to the passions of either desire or anger,

such a man can truly rejoice: he has emerged

well-situated and happy in the world”.

 

All Vedantins, irrespective of doctrinal or sectarian

difference, are in agreement with the Gita “shlOka”

above that true happiness in this world --- leaving

aside for a moment the prized happiness of other

worlds whatever they are --- true happiness, here and

now, indeed lies at the other end of a long journey of

human struggle. It is the struggle involved in coming

to terms with the overwhelming power of Desire, Man’s

“kaama”, and ultimately getting the better of it.

 

 

The 3 Vedanta “mArga-s” of “gnyAna”, “karma” and

“bhakti” all reiterate that there is only one key

available to Man with which to unlock the great secret

of joy and happiness in life, the highest

“purushArtha”. It is Conquest of “kaama” through

TRANSFORMATION. And that transformation is really

about just one thing: “changing desires”. If we can

change our desires we can change our inner persona. If

persona is changed, the spirit within us can, at last,

begin to discover and experience (as Sage

YagnyavAlkya did) true Joy and Pleasure, true "kaama"

and "purushArtha". Such ‘change in desires’ is exactly

what is signified in the TiruppAvai in the Tamil

expression “maRRai nam kaamangaL maaRRu”.

 

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According to Vedanta, “change” in “kaama” can be

effected in one or more of 3 different ways. They are:

 

(1) CHANGE IN THE DIRECTION OF DESIRES brought about

by deliberate exercise of the human Will --- a Will

that has grown ripe and enlightened through

Self-knowledge. This is called “gnyAna-yOga”. The best

illustration of this "yOga" is in the example (we saw

in an earlier posting in this series - #13) of Sage

Yagnya-vAlkya in the "BrihadAranyaka Upanishad". We

are about to see a little later (in the next posting)

one more fitting illustration, also from the

Upanishads, of how "kaama" may be changed through

"gnyAna yOga".

 

(2) REDUCTION IN THE QUANTITY OF DESIRES through

“kArma-yOga”. This is essentially the idea of

“unification of desires” explained in an earlier

posting in this series (Post #10). To amplify on this

"yOga" once again, yet another example of a great

Tamil saint of the past will be narrated in the next

posting in this series.

 

(3) IMPROVEMENT IN THE QUALITY OF DESIRES through

“bhakthi-yOga”. This is called “sublimation of

desires” and it is, in fact, the central theme of the

whole of the TiruppAvai. It lies at the very core of

the expression “maRRai nam kaamangaL maaRRu”.

 

What is meant by "sublimating" desires? The 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-mArga”. This idea is not mere

lofty philosophy. It translates into a whole way of

life. It is a fine "Art of Living".

 

The extraordinary life of one Tamil saint of the past

bears clear and glorious testimony to the efficacy of

this great Vedantic 'art-of-living'. In the following

posting that saint's life also will be briefly

recounted. But saints and spiritual-adepts are not the

only practitioners of this great 'Art-of-living'

called "bhakti-mArga". It is meant for ordinary people

like us too to practise and master it. As AndAl's

"tiruppAvai" shows us, the poor and simple-minded

pastoral maidens of the the "aaypAdi" too beseeched

the Almighty for mastery of perfection over precisely

such "Art" when in chorus they sang: "maRRai nam

kaamangaL maaRRu!".

 

Over the centuries, "bhakti-mArga" --- the way of

sublimation of human "kaama" to reach God --- became

the undying living faith of the common peoples of

India. It is faith that neither "custom stales" nor

"age withers”. It is their pride and birthright and

their sole means of everlasting redemption... in much

the same way it was for the "aaypAdi" girls of the

TiruppAvai.

 

(to be continued)

Regards,

 

dAsan,

Sudarshan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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