Nava Rathina MAlai -2

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I. THE SELF

 

SwAmi PiLLai LokAchAryar explains the Self with five features attributable to the self.

 

i.Different from the physical body; ii. Permanent; iii. Not subject to

transformation; iv. Atomic; v. Seat of knowledge and happiness; vi. Owned by

EmperumAn and is paranthanthran to Him.

 

i. Different from that of the body: AtmA is different from that of

the body.

(adiyEan vuLLAn vudAl vuLLan—thiruvAi mozhi 8-8-2 – The Lord is in the AtmAn

and also the body which means that the Atman and body are different.)

 

ii Permanent : Not subject to either creation nor death. Then what is birth

and death? Birth is the Atman being settling in the body and death is release

from the body. (AtmA cannot be burnt by fire not doused by water or tortured by

weapons –Srimadh Bhagavath GethA)

 

iii.Not subject to Transformation: The soul neither grows not depletes or deteriorates.

 

Iv Atomic: The AtmA is atomic.

 

v. The Atman is seat of knowledge and happiness.

 

vi.The Atman is EmperumAn’s : As mentioned by Thirumangai AzhwAr in Periya Thriumozhi

 

“..madai Ar nElam vayal sUzh ThriukkaNNapuram vudaiyAnukku,

adiyEan oruvaRku vuriyEanOA?” Periya Thriumozhi 8-9-3;

 

vii.Parathanthran: The AtmA acts to the liking and desire of the Lord and for

the Lord.Therefore, AthmA does not do acts as per its wish.

 

-The word ‘adiyEan’ in the pAsuram ‘adiyEan vuLLAn’ refers to the soul as

adiyEan ThriuvAimozhi 8-8- 2 and GuruparampArA prabhAvam –ThriukkOshtiyUr

nimbi-s explanation and Edu aptly explains this.The AtmA is subservient to the

Lord though knowledge and anandham are its basic nature.

 

 

dAsan

vanamamalai padmanabhan