carama slOkam - 2 (Rahsya That Grants Moksha)

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srisailEsa dayApAtram dhIbhaktyAdi guNArNavam |

yatIndrapravaNam vandE ramya jAmAtaram munim ||

 

carama slOkam(Supreme secret that grants mOksa)

 

sarvadharmAn parityajya mAm Ekam saraNam vraja |

aham tvA sarvapApEbhyO mOksaiSyAmi mA suca: || (BG 18:66)

 

--

Chapter 4 deals with jnAna yOga and chapter 18 deals with

SamyAsa/mOksa yOgA.

 

paritrANAya sAdhUnAm vinAsAya ca duSkrtAm |

dharmasamsthApanArthAya sambhavAmi yugE yugE || (BG 4:8)

--

 

Continuation of "sarvadharmAn parityajya"

 

Srirangam AchAryAs insist that the gerund "Iyap" form of the

verb "tyAga" is interpreted as an injunction/vidhi as opposed to

kAnchi AchAryAs view that "Iyap" refers to a statement of "what has

already occurred(anuvAda)"

 

PiLLai lOkAchAryA[Mumu 202]says: "Iyap" states that we first have to

completely relinquish other means/dharmAs and then surrender to the

Lord just as "having bathed one should eat - snAthvA bhunjItha". The

Lord who said in BG 4:8,that He is born in every age to establilsh

dharmA now reveals the Supreme secret by saying that "give up all

those dharmAs and surrender to Me alone-mAm Ekam saraNam vraja". MM

in his commentary on the same says: since "sarvadharmAn parityajya"

precedes it immediately,the interpretation given by PL that "having

relinquished all the dharmAs,one surrenders to the Lord" is justified

and hence kAnchi AchAryAs view that "sarvadharmAn parityajya" refers

to the statement of what has already occurred and arjunA's difficulty

of performing the same and therefore now he should resort to God is

wrong.

 

For kAnchi AchAryAs bhakti/prapatti is an upAya. Those who are

qualified(varNAsrama dharmA)can follow bhaktimArga and those who are

not qualified can follow prapatti as a means/upAya to reach the same

goal/Him.

 

For Srirangam/Tennkalai AchAryAs, since the Lord taught the difficult

way(bhaktiyOgA) and also easier way(prapatti),neither can be a upAya.

He alone is the upAya.

 

MM in his commentary[Mumu 203]explains: when rAvaNA wanted to leave

RAmA did not let him go as rAvaNA was still holding the bow. But the

moment rAvaNa dropped the bow, RAmA granted him permission to leave -

"gachAnujAnAmi". It's not "rAvaNA's act of dropping the bow" but

the "bow" which was an impediment. MM[Mumu 204]says that dasaratha

chakravarthy lost the fortune to live with RAmA by clinging to

the "vow" he promised kaikEyi and didn't want to dishonour the vow.

What's dharmA? "RAmO vigrahavAn dharma",and "KrSNAm dharma

sanAthanam". Meaning living with RAmA is dharmA and KrSNA is Eternal

dharmA.

 

Instead of DhrtarAstra uvAca,it could have have been BhagavAn

uvAca:"sarvadharmAn...suca:" but arjunA would not have accepted. So,

 

PiLLai lOkAchAryA[sVB 127-8] says: for those who will not take the

medicine,people mix it with a substance they like. Similarly the

bhakti is only enjoined mixing in the Lord/Isvara. MM in his

commentary on the same(MM extends the metaphor to bring in the

affectionate mother motif AH[14-5]) says if the Lord had initially

taught them to first desist from their own actions and employ

siddhOpAya(Lord),Who removes this illness of samsAra quickly,the

chEtanAs would not have accepted it, because of their

proclivity/inclination(vAsanA) toward self-effort which has been

going on since time immemorial! In the example shown, the loved

substance "bhaktiyOgA" does not remove the illness. Similarly it is

not the "upAsanA" but the "Lord" mixed in with it is the "real

upAya". When medicine is taken directly,it cures the disease

immediately but when mixed with desired substance, the "effect" will

be delayed. Same way,the Lord delays in granting the goal(mOksa)when

He is mixed with upAsana.

 

What does the Lord teach in BG? "SanAthana dharma". That is

HE HIMSELF and the rest(karma,jnAna etc) are all transient.

 

For Srirangam/TennAchAryAs,since the Lord is the Cause of all,"prapatti" is

the "effect" of His Grace.

 

To be continued...

 

AzhvAr EmperumAnAr Jeeyar TiruvadigaLE saraNam

RAmAnujasya caraNau saraNam prapadyE

nappinnai