Swamy Desikan's SubhAshitha neevi : Part II

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SrI:

 

Dear BhakthAs:

 

Let us start with the first of the 12 chapters of SubhAshitha Neevi

of Swamy Desikan : ANIPUNA PADDHATHI DESCRIBING THE STATE OF

ASAMARTAN . In this paddhathi , Swamy illustrates for our

benefit some of the ignoramus , who engage in stupid acts .

An AchAryan has to help his sishyAs with upadEsam on who to avoid

and who to get closer to for advancement in one's Saahanaa .

In this Paddhathi , he lists a dozen prototypes to be avoided .

 

1.1 PraTama -sujanaaya pumsE mahyamapi praTama-dhurjanaaya nama:

sarvam hatha: krutham yow sakruthupakAraarabhakaarAbhyAm

 

( Meaning): One who forgets the upakAram (help) rendered by others

is a despicable one(dhurjanan) . One who overlooks and forgives

the bad deeds done by the others is one worthy of respect . He is a good citizen/

sujanan . My praNAmams are for the first among the Sujanan , who is the Lord

Himself. I am the first among the dhurjanan or despicable one.Why is that ?

Both the Lord and myself have the power to nullify some thing . In the case of the Lord ,

He overlooks thousands of offenses , when some one performs a good deed

such as anjali or offering of a leaf of TuLasi . He does not hold all the aparAdhams

against the erring Jeevan. As for me , I forget the thousands of the acts of help

rendered by some one and bear grudges against that person because he

committed one aparAdham ( misdeed). I am therefore the first among

the despicable persons (dhurjanam).

 

1.2 Pramithiparishkruthi mudhrA sahrudhaya hrudhayai: samarpithA kavibhi:

bhavathy subhAshithaneevee paraguNa chOrai: ahaaryaartthaa

 

( Meaning): This SubhAshitha neevi is presented by one with the long range

well being of all in mind. Therefore , it can not be stolen by those thieves , who

misappropriate other's good deeds as their own .SubhAshitham is the core

fund. One can steal other wealth .If any one steals this SubhAshitha neevi , they will

be readily caught because these upadEsams have a stamp of their own and therefore are

readily identifiable .The knot associated with these subhAshithams can not be loosened.

It is presented to fellow good hearted ones ( Suhruths) with a good heart and hence it can not

be appropriated by other kavis and be branded as their own . There is no match for these

subhAshithams. Any one who tries to steal them is a dullard and anipuNan .

 

1.3: paSyathi parEshu dhOshAn asathOapi janas-sathOapi naiva guNAn

vipareetham idham svasmin mahimaa mohAnjanasyaisha:

 

( Meaning) : Here Swamy Desikan describes another kind of dullard (anipuNan)

who does things driven by his moham ( driving desire). Such a deluded man

sees blemishes in people , where none exists. He fails to recognize the auspicious

features inhered in these righteous souls . In his case , this situtation is totally reversed.

He does not recognize the dhOsham that he possesses and pretends that he has guNams

that he does not possess.He is faulty on both counts, when he evaluates himself .Moham

makes him committ these errors. With his Moham , he becomes an anipuNan (incompetent one).

 

1.4: Yathra bhaya: prabruthi svam bhukthvaa sathyAnushaktha-dhees chOra:

Pasu vrutthi gaNE tasmin api naama yasO dayaa vruttham

 

(Meaning) : Here Swamy Desikan asks : How can one show compassion

to an anipuNan , who is false , lacks good will , ungrateful and shows

enimity to the very same person , who showed compassion ? This ungrateful

person ate at the house of his benefactor , recieved much help and yet

showed hostility towards that benefactor and told lies about latter and

created unhappiness. Swamy Desikan comes down harshly on such

an ungrateful wretch and states that such a person is an animal edition of

a human being . Animals alone eat , sleep and reproduce and do nothing

else . This behavior is called Pasu Vrutthi ( the way of animals). Swamy

Desikan adds this ungrateful and hypocritical wretch and thief to Pasu Vrutthi

group and says categorically that such a person does not deserve any

compassion as a member of the assembly of ignoramus ( MooDa OParamparai).

 

1.5: Harikara pushkara hamsam haaramaNeenAm prasoothimiva LakshmyA:

pitthEna Paanchajanyam peetham pasyan bijashyathy kam

 

(Meaning): Here Swamy Desikan describes another kind of fool ( anipuNan).

He is the one argues that the Lord's white conch ( Paanchajanyam) has

the yellow color .This fool does not recognize that he has jaundice disease ,

which makes every thing look yellow. Without awareness of this distorting

effect of the disease , he insists that nothing is wrong with him and the conch

is truly yellow in color . Swamy Desikan asks : Who can cure this fool ? How

can he help others as a curing physician ?

 

1.6: spatika: svabhAva suddha: sa yeva sann vahathy sarvamArOpam

tadhapi na tAthrAnAstthA tadhupAthishA vaa bhavathyAstthaa

 

(Meaning): Sphatika gem has an intrinsic white hue. No body can question

this .If a colored object comes near it , the spahtikam takes on the hue of

that object. The intrinsic color of Spatikam does not change at all as a result

of the aarOpam of (superimposition of) the colored object . Similarly , Even if

a fool accuses a good man of all kinds of wrong doings , that good man

does not transform into a wrong doer. The one that accuses falsely

is the anipuNan .

 

 

1.7: sthala parisEshitha jaladhE: savithE sanjAthaDambharam jaladham

prahasanthy PaanDyanadhya: Sukthimukhair moukthikasdhyAnai:

 

(Meaning): Here Swamy Desikan equates the stupidity ( anipuNathvam) of

the Clouds , who can not comprehend the greatness of Sage Agasthyar ,

who swallowed in one sip ( aachamanam) the entire waters of the Oceans

due to the power of his penance . Sage Agasthyar had swallowed the entire

volume of sea waters through a single aachamanam . The floors of the ocean

were visible with all its shells and pearls now to the observer. Meanwhile ,

the cloud assembly promises to fill the dried up ocean with their rains without being

aware of their incompetence to take on such a gigantic task . The clouds in

their role as anipuNan do not comprehend the power of Sage Agasthyar's

tapas . Swamy states : If a man of limited intellect sits next to a great scholar

( Mahaa VidhvAn) and considers himself to be the equal of that genuine scholar ,

then this insignificant one can only be described as an anipuNan (an idiot) .

The clouds can only take in a small quantity of the ocean water and can never

come anywhere near the feat of Sage Agasthyar.

 

1.8: Prathipanna vaamadhrushti: sthana iva kaschith samunnathOpyadhikam

pathanam adhigamya samayE parihAsa-rasaAvahO bhavathy

 

(Meaning): Even a nipuNan can slide into becoming an anipuNan .There might be

a great scholar , who is recognized widely for his scholarship .If he is overtaken by

pride/ego and insults others , he is bound to stumble and will become the object of

laughter/ridicule by others. The situation is similar to beautiful , full breasts of

a young woman slumping as old age advances .With the passage of time , a nipuNan

can easily slide thus into being an anipuNan .

 

1.9: bahuvidhyathyupakArAn gupthyA dhuritham prakAsya Bhithathi cha

suhrudhi vihithAhithamathi: yannaprathyupakarOthi na tath

 

( Meaning): Swamy Desikan talks about an avivEki (anipuNan) , who resents

a true friend , who helps him always , tells him that he is doing the wrong thing ,

when this anipuNan pursues a wrong thing . This good friend tries to bring his

friend to the right road and tries to prevent this embarassing event get too much

attention . He thus behaves as a true friend to the anipuNan although the anipuNan

does not recognize him as one who means well . If he does not recognize the true help of

his friend , then this person is a true avivEki.

 

1.10: yEthAn dahanthy SaanthAn yEbhya: siddhyEurasitha vardhamAna:

agaNitha nijapraNAsai: kimAsrayAsai: anAsyamiha

 

(Meaning): Swamy talks here about other kind of anipuNan , who will be destroyed

when he harms the person , who brought him up. This is in reference to

the ungrateful one) , who forgets the upakArams done by the others and attempts to

destroy those helpers . Swamy compares this situation to the fire that destroys the logs ,

which is the cause for its existence. Swamy asks : What would these kruthagnAs

not do , when they attack the very person , who puts them in their positions .There is

nothing that they will not stop at.They themselves will be destroyed if they persist

with their foolish way of life .

 

1.11: nava-taLa-putE kalpyaa yasya prabhOrapi dalpathee:

naDapariBruDO yasyaatasthAth Sramam SamayishyathE

vaDaviDapina: tasyAngurAn anuthgatapallavAn

sthaputaSaDasAbhEkshi bikshu: prathikshaNam yeekshathE

 

( Meaning): Here , Swamy Desikan talks about another kind of anipuNan

( ignoramus) , who thinks about making a dhonnai for holding food from

the leaves , even before the tender shoots appear. Here he focuses on

a sanyAsi or BrahmachAri with such hasty and impatient thoughts .

Swamy says: It is the new , tender leaf on which the Lord floated on

PraLayam waters ( nava DaLa puDE kalpyaa: yasya PrabhOrapi talpathee ) .

This is the same Pupil tree full of tender leaves under which Lord NatarAja

rests after His strenous TaaNDavam. A SanyAsi or celebiant , who keeps

looking impatiently at the sprouting seeds of the Pupil tree every second

for making his leaf container ( dhonnai) to hold his bikshai . He waits

impatiently for the time , when he can stitch the donnai togethr from

the mature leaves of the pupil tree. The status of such a person is that of

an anipuNan.

 

1.12: niravadhi guNa-grAmE RaamE nirAgasi vaagasi

spharaNa-mushithAlOkaa lOkaa vadanthy sadanthikE

Varatanuhathim Vaali dhrOham manaak apasarpaNam

parimitha guNEna sphashtaavadhyE mudha kimudhAsuthE !

 

(Meaning): Lord Raaman is an ocean of abundant , auspicious guNams.

He is devoid of any sins and blemishes .The uncotrollable anipuNaas

accuse the Lord of three blemishes relating to (1) killing of a woman

named Taadakai (2) Destroying Vaali by deciet and (3) Stepping back

from Kara DhUshaNan in His fight with them because of their bad

odour arising from their flesh eating habits ( A Veeran is not take

a back step duirng the fight ) . Swamy asks: If they can question

the spotles Raamaa of these dhOshams , how come they are tongue tied ,

when it comes to those , who are an ocean of dhOshams ?

 

Swamy Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

Oppiliappan Koil V.Sadagopan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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