bhOgyAmrutam - yOga vidAm nEtA

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yOga vidAm nEta (star-aSwini) = The one who guides the yOga vidAs (those who

know the means) and effects the fruition of their endeavours.

 

pASuram : Tiru-eluk-kutrirukkai (Tirumangai ALwAr tiruvaDigaLE SaraNam)

 

samanvayam with pASuram : Since He leads those who know the means, He is the

'yOga vidAm nEta'.

Brahma is a yOga vidA as He is erudite in the process of

ensconcing the soul in the body. "He" provides full succour and direction to

Brahma in his creation.

Dvaya manthram advocates the best means of bringing the Atma to

the paramAtma. He propagates it with extreme care through the AchArya parampara.

Thus, He directs the dvayam too.

 

What does He achieve through this?.

 

We have seen through the previous nAma (yOgaha) that He Himself (with His

kaLyANa guNAs) forms the sublime means to reach Him. However, there are other

established means (involving self-effort) like the karma, jnAna and bhakti

yOgAs. Even their accomplishment finds its end in Him only. For, He guides those

yOga vidAs (those who resort to such paths of self-effort) in their noble

expedition right from its inception stage to the attaiment.

 

pASuram :

oru pEr undi yirumalar taviSil

On the huge Lotus emanating from the great navel.

 

orumurai ayanai Inranai

You were the one who once gave birth to Brahma

 

orumurai iruSuDar mitinil | iyankA mummatin ilankai

Once when the sun and the moon were afraid to move above the three walled Lanka

 

irukAL vaLaiya oruSilai Onriya Ir yeyittu

>From the nicely curved teeth of the mighty bow, bent at both ends

 

azhalvAi vAliyil aTTanai

You shot arrows spitting out monstrous fire.

 

Detailed Interpretation (with the pASuram) :

1) You were the one who once gave birth to Brahma on the huge lotus emanating

from the great navel : Brahma knows full well the yOgam of creation(process of

uniting the soul and body). Such a yOga vidA is directed by the Lord in his

efforts. Brahma derives His sustenance and capabilities from the Lotus which

originates from the great navel of the Lord. Thus, He is the nEta of Brahma.

 

He became the "Haya vadana" and "Matsya" to impart the supreme

knowledge to Brahma and perpetuate it continuously. Thus He ensures that the

beginning (our creation) is secure.

 

There are innumerable BrahmAnDAs in His universe. Each one has

its own progenitor, a Brahma. He is the sole nEta (leader) of all such

progenitors.

 

2) Once when the Sun and the Moon feared to move above the three walled Lanka -

You shot arrows spitting out monstrous fire from the nicely curved teeth of the

mighty bow :

 

Moon - AchArya

Sun - ParamAtma

Lanka - SarIram

 

Lanka with the three walls (signifying 3 openings) - There are three ways out of

this SarIram :

1) Attaining heavenly abodes (svargam) through the accumulation of merits.

2) Going to hell due to deplorable self-centered thoughts.

3) Coming back to a similar state (another Lanka) due to the balancing of

virtues and vice.

 

Bow - Signifies the praNavam

 

The two bent ends of the bow forming curved teeth - Signify the upAyam and the

upEyam (means and end).

 

The arrow originating from such a bow is the dvaya manthram.

 

Once, my indisposed mind used to discard the commands of the

AchArya. The rock-like heart used to be an unfit place for the paramAtma. He won

over such a body by shooting the arrow (dvayam) and thus forged the thought of

total subservience to the AchArya and Him.

 

He through His KaLyANa guNAs entices one and all to do complete

surrender to Him. If we realize His overflowing love for us, we will be

immediately relieved of all our worries. We are atonce reminded of the joyful

veracity that His love itself is the panacea for all our afflictions. The Loving

parents they are (Our Mother and Lord), Do they expect any effort on our part to

get to them?. Absolutely No!!.

 

What is required on our part is a firm conviction cemented with

the realization of His extreme love for us. This conviction would lead us to do

a total surrender to Him by casting aside all the worries.

 

In case there is still an iota of doubt in this matter, it may

urge us to do something to please Him. Then we resort to the other established

means like the karma, jnAna and the bhakti yOgAs. All these paths involve

self-effort. Those who know well about these means and practice them assiduously

are the yOga vidAs. Since such a propensity for self-effort arises out of an

intensified longing for Him, it too serves as an infallible means to reach Him,

if directed properly. He ensures such a fruition, by guiding those yOga vidAs

continuously in their endeavours.

 

This He does by propagating the Dvayam (which is pregnant with the

thought of total surrender to Him) through our AchArya parampara. The Dvayam is

fully efficacious in re-uniting the Atma (SIta) with the paramAtma (Sri Rama

Chandra). He directs that powerful arrow at us. We at once realize His mad love

for us and our complete surrender follows suit.

 

He ensures that this thought is there in the creator at the time of

our creation (beginning). Also, He sees to it that we do not loose sight of this

supreme truth, by propagating it through our AchAryAs from time to time.

 

The dvayam treated as His weapon, knows well (contains) the yOgam

(means to re-unite the soul with Him) - hence it can be considered as the king

among all the yOga vidAs. He directs the dvayam to perfection and thus gets the

famous epithet - "yOga vidAm nEtA".

 

Happy TiruppAvai celebrations to all of you.

 

Jai Sriman Narayana

 

 

 

 

 

 

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