tAtparya ratnAvaLi - Part 12 - Slokam 10.

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SrImate SrI ra'nga rAmAnuja mahA deSikAya namaH.

 

tAtparya ratnAvaLi - Part 12 - Slokam 10.

 

Slokam 10:

 

icchA sArathya satyApita guNa kamalA kAnta gItAnta sidhyat

SuddhAntAcAra Suddhaih iyam anagha guNa granthi

bandhAnubaddhA |

tattAdRk tAmraparNI taTa gata SaThajit dRshTa sarvIya SakhA

gAthA tAtparya ratnAvaLir-akhila bhayottAraNI dhAraNIyA ||

 

This is the 10th Slokam in sequence in tAtparyAnAvaLi, and is also

the formal conclusion of svAmi deSikan's avatArikA (Introduction)

consisting of the first 10 Slokam-s of tAtparya ratnAvaLi. In the

current Slokam, svAmi deSikan gives the phala Sruti for tAtparya

ratnAvaLi. He summarizes the greatness of nammAzhvAr, his

tiruvAimozhi, and the greatness of emperumAn who is sung in

tiruvAimozhi. He also points out the greatness of those who will

benefit from the knowledge of tiruvAimozhi as captured and described

in tAtparya ratnAvaLi, and the benefit that they will attain by

having in their hearts the message communicated in this work.

 

 

- iyam anagha guNa granthi bandhAnubaddA gAthA tAtparya

ratnAvaLih – This poetic compostion titled tAtparya ratnAvaLi that

has been strung together into a garland made of auspicious bhagavad

kalyANa guNa-s (just as a garland of ratna-s is strung together using

a string)

- tattAdRk tAmraparNI taTa gata SaThajit dRshTa sarvIya SakhA

tAtparya ratnAvaLih – consisting of the string of ratna-s (precious

gems) extracted from the drAviDa veda SakhA-s that are composed by

SrI SaThakopa muni who took his incarnation on the sacred banks of

the tAmraparaNI river, and that are fit to be chanted by one and all

without distinction of varNa-s etc.

- SuddhAntAcArya siddhaih dhAraNIyA – is fit to be supported

and meditated on by those devotees that have become purified by

conducting themselves according to

- icchA sArathya satyApita guNa kamala kAnta gItAnta siddhyAt –

the teachings of the carama Slokam at the conclusion of SrImad

bhagavad gItA by Sriyah-pati (kamala kAnta – the Consort of lakshmi)

who vividly manifested His kalyANa guNa-s such as as His sauSIlyam,

His ASrita pAratantRyam (being subservient to to His devotee) etc, by

voluntarily becoming the Charioteer for arjuna by His own Free Will.

- akhila bhayottAriNI – for the removal of all fears arising

from the ocean of samsAra.

 

tAtparya ratnAvaLi is a poetic composition that consists of the ratna-

s extracted from tiruvAimozhi, sung by nammAzhvAr who took his

incarnation on the banks of the sacred river tAmaraparNI, and sung in

the form of the drAviDa veda that can be chanted by any one without

distinction of any kind; each of these ratna-s is an exposition of

the blemishless kalyANa guNa-s of the Consort of lakshmI. The

tAtparya ratnAvaLi is fit to be enjoyed and cherished in the hearts

of the devotees who have understood and benefited from the teaching

of Lord kRshNa, who demonstrated His kalyANa guNa-s such as His

ASrita pAratanRyam, sauSIlyam etc. by His becoming a Charioteer to

arjuna of His own Free Will. The teaching referred to is captured in

the form of the carama Slokam of SrImad bhagavad gItA (sarva dharmAn

parityajya mAm ekam SaraNam vraja).

 

- sarvIya SakhA – One of the principal greatnesses of

tiruvAimozhi is that it is common to (fit to be sung by) all varNa-s

without any distinction, unlike the veda-s in samskRt; it reveals

the same truth that is sung in the veda-s, but in an easily

understandable form. This one SAkhA alone – sarvIya sAkhA, is

sufficient to convey all the deep meanings contained in all the veda-

s in samskRt and all the other veda-s in tamizh (the prabandham-s of

other AzhvAr-s etc.). tAtparya ratnAvaLi captures the essence of

tiruvAimozhi, and presents it to those who are are not knowledgeable

in the drAviDa bAshA or the tamizh language.

 

- gItAnta sidhyat SuddhAntAcAra Suddhaih – Those who have

become pure by realizing the truth as taught in the carama Sloka at

the conclusion of the bhagavad gItA, and by conducting themselves

(AcAra) in this path. svAmi deSikan declares that these are the

people who will treasure tha tAtparya ratnAvaLi in their hearts. Who

are these people, and what is this path that is being referred to?

SrI ve'nkaTeSAcArya describes these devotees as "ananya upAyatva,

ananya-prayoja'ngaLAlE pariSuddharAna paramaikAntikaL" – those who

are single-minded in their devotion to Him and who realize that He is

the only upAyam or means for salvation and do not seek any other

means to attain Him, and those who deem Him as the only goal to be

attained. SrI UV describes this path as "antahpura AcAram" – the

conduct appropriate to the Consorts towards a husband – not seeking

anyone's protection except their husband, not depending on anyone

else for anything whatsoever, etc. - the result of the knowledge that

the jIva is eternally subservient to the Lord, and to no one else

(ananya Seshatva j~nAnam). This is the realization that is

necessary for us to totally and unconditionally surrender to Him

(prapatti or SaraNAgati). Those who have been purified by this

realization, and have been cleansed of all other incorrect knowledge,

are the ones who are fit to cherish tAtparya ratnAvaLi in their

hearts.

 

SrI ve'nkaTeSAcArya gives an example of the conduct of a

paramaikAntin who conducts himself as per the teachings of the carama

Sloka. These are people who are purified by realizing the ananya

upAyatvam (not resorting to anyone other than emperumAn as the means

for liberation), and ananya prayojanatvam (not having anyone other

than Him as the goal to be realized). He gives the example of sItA

pirATTi, who declared "tat tasya sadRSam bhavet" (sundara. 37.62),

and refused to be rescued from rAvaNa by hanuman when he offered to

carry her on his shoulders, insisting that she will only look for Him

to rescue her; she also single-heartedly saw Lord rAma alone in

everything she saw – ekastha hRdayA nUnam rAmam eva anupaSyati

(sundara. 16-25). A paramaikAntin is one who has this depth of

ananya upAyatvam, and utter dependence and meditation on Him as the

sole goal to be attained.

 

SrI UV comments that those who enjoy the Sloka-s of tAtparya

ratnAvaLi, and dwell in thought on the meanings of the words that

represent bhagavad guNa-s, especially keeping in mind the

connectivity between a given guNa with the one that precedes and the

one that follows it, will get great clarity om the message of

tiruvAimozhi, and also realize the greatness of tiruvAimozhi over

other grantha-s.

 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan

 

(To be continued)