tAtparya ratnAvaLi - Submission 19 : Slokam 12 (tiruvAimozhi 1.2 - Part 3).

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SrImate SrI ra'nga rAmAnuja mahA deSikAya namaH.

 

tAtparya ratnAvaLi - Submission 19 : Slokam 12 - part 3

(tiruvAimozhi 1.2).

 

 

· pASuram 1.2.7 starting with "aDa'ngu ezhil sampattu". svAmi

deSikan describes the guNa that stands out in this pASuram as "Subha

vibhavatayA" – Because all His belongings are auspiciously disposed

to our reaching Him. (vibhava – wealth, Subha – auspicious).

 

In the previous pASuram we saw that bhagavAn is a suhRt (well-wisher,

friend) for everyone without bias. But He has as His wealth, both

the nitya vibhUti and the leelA vibhUti. In His nitya vibhUti He

has the nitya sUri-s who are far above us in realization. Some of us

might feel hesitant to approach Him, feeling that these nitya sUri-s

may laugh at us because of lowly status. BhagavAn also has as His

possession the devatA-s in His leelA vibhUti, and they are known to

create obstacles to our approaching Him as evidenced by the Sruti.

bRhadAraNya upanishad (1.4.10) says: tasmAt eshAm tan-na priyam

yadetan-manushyA vidyuh – The gods do not like us to know Brahman.

This is because the deva-s consider that we are all like animals that

should toil for them alone, and if we worship bhagavAn and stop

worshipping them, it causes pain to them. This is also declared in

the bRhadAraNyaka Upanishad – yathApaSurevam sa devAnAm | yathA ha

vai bahavah paSavo bhu~njyuh | evamekaikah purusho devAn bhunakti |

ekasminneva paSavAdIyamAne'priyam bhavati " . But we should

remember that the nitya sUri-s in His nitya vibhUti and the gods in

His leelA vibhUti are both His belongings, and are subject to His

will. They will have no choice except being auspicious to us if He

wills so, as declared in the same mantra in bEhadAraNya Upanishad –

tasya ha devASca na abhUtyA ISate. If we surrender to Him with the

realization that we are also part of His vibhUti just as these deva-s

etc. are, and if we realize that it is our birthright to perform

eternal kai'nkaryam to Him, nothing can interfere with that. And

His wealth is available for all of us to enjoy, as we are all His

children, just as a father's wealth is there for the son to enjoy.

This is the message conveyed by the phrase "Subha vibhavan".

 

AzhvAr's instruction to us in this pASuram is that we should clearly

realize that all that exists is under His control, and we should

therefore surrender to Him with mahAviSvAsam without the slightest

doubt – ISan aDa'ngu ezhil ahdu enRu uL aDa'nguka.

 

 

..ig

Subha vibhavatayA – kaTTaDa'nga nanRAna sampattai uDaittAgaiyAlum

(V); kaTTaDa'nga nanRAna sambbandattai uDaiyavan (A); SiRanda iraNDu

vibhUtikaLai uDaiyavan (PBA); vibhava – wealth, sampat.

...

 

· pASuram 1.2.8 starting with "uLLam, urai, Seyal". Whatever

we need for worshipping Him is available to us all, without our

having to look for something new – our thoughts, words, and actions.

SvAmi deSikan reflects this through the guNa "mAnasAdi arcya

bhAvAt". To meditate on Him, to sing His praise though our words,

and to prostrate to Him – these are means that are available to

everyone equally. One does not have to undertake any effort

whatsoever to acquire these three; He has given these to all, and

this again illustrates that He is sarva saman, or equally accessible

to all without any distinction. These three instruments – thought,

word and deed, are given to us for the sole purpose of devoting them

to His kai'nkaryam. AzhvAr's message to us that we should realize

this simple truth, turn these three from the pursuit of worldly

interests, and devote them to His worship instead. AzhvAr

explicitly tells us to think – uLLi, as to why we have been the mind,

the body and the ability to speak, and realize that these are all

given to us for His kai'nkaryam. Once we have realized this, the

next step is `keDuttu – diverting them from the external

materialistic distractions and turning them inwards, and iRai uLLil

oDu'ngu – get them immersed in thoughts about Him.

 

AzhvAr describes the activities of his own "uLLam, urai, Seyal" in

pASuram 8.10.4 –

 

po'ngEzh pugazhgaL vAyavAi pulan koL vaDivu en manattAi

a'ngEi malargaL kaiyavAi vazhi paTTODa aruLilE? (tiruvAi.

8.10.4)

 

"Being immersed in eternal kai'nkaryam to the Lord, my mouth will

utter the infinite kalyANa guNa-s of emperumAn. His captivating

tirumEni's beauty that would madden my senses will remain in my mind,

and my hands will offer flowers at His Lotus Feet" – note uLLam,

urai, Seyal – manasAdi arcya bhAvAt.

 

BhUtattAzhvAr echoes the same thoughts in his 2nd tiruvantAdi pASuram

21.

 

tAm uLarE; tam uLLam uL uLadE; tAmarayin

pU uLadE; Ettum pozhudu uNDE – vAman

tiru maruvu tAn maruvu SenniyarE SevvE

aru narakam SErvadu aridu. (2nd tiruvanTAdi – 21).

 

"We have been given this body and the indriya-s for His worship; We

have been given our minds to think of Him; He has created the lotus

flowers that we can offer to Him; There is plenty of time to worship

Him; We have the head so that we can bow to Him. When we have been

given everything needed to worship Him, there is no narakam for us"

(if only we use all these for His worship!).

 

poigai AzhvAr conveys the same message in his 1st tiruvantAdi pASuram

95 –

 

nA, vAyil uNDE; namo nAraNA enRu

OvAdu uraikkum urai uNDE; - mUvAda

mAk-kadikkaN Sellum vagai uNDE; en oruvar

tIk-kadikkaN Sellum tiRam?

 

"We have been given a tongue inside our mouth for praising Him; We

have benn given the ashTAkshara mantra that we can repeat

continuously without interruption; we have been the easy path to SrI

vaikuNTham from which we never have to return; When we have all

this, why is it that some people insist on following only the path to

narakam?"

 

..ig

po'ngEzh pugazhgaL vAyavAi – A true devotee `s words will only

consist of the praise of bhagavAn's infinite kalyANa guNa-s.

 

mAnasAdyarcya bhAvAt – mano vAk kAya'ngaLAlE bhajikkap paDubhavan

AgaiyAlum (V); mano vAk kAya'ngaLAlE ArAdhikkap paDubhavan (A)

...

 

· pASuram 1.2.9 starting with "oDu'nga avan kaN". svAmi

deSikan describes the key guNa sung in this pASram as "sa'nkoca

unmocakatvAt" (oDu'ngalum ellAm viDum) – because He frees us from all

the limitations to His kai'nkaryam. "avan kaN oDu'nga, ellA

oDu'ngalum viDum" - Once we turn the three instruments (namely uLLam,

urai and Seyal) towards Him, He removes all the enemies to bhagavat

kai'nkaryam that we encounter, such as our sins, our ignorance

(avidyA), etc. avidyA or ignorance is the lack of realization that

we are eternally subservient to Him, tae lack of realization of our

role as a jIva - to be performing eternal kai'nkaryam to Him, and the

lack of realization that He is the only goal to be attained, and that

He alone is the means to attain Him. Meditaing on His kalyANa guNa-s

will automatically lead to the intense desire to perform kai'nkaryam

to Him. lakshmaNa declares: aham asya avarah guNaih dAsyam upAgatah –

It is my sa'nkalpam to perform kai'nkaryam to rAma because of His

kalyANa guNa-s.

 

..ig

It does not suffice to just be content with the feeling that mokshama

is guaranteed. SrImad tirukkuDanthai ANDavan gives several examples

of the state in which our mind should be, once we have successfully

started devoting our uLLam, uRai, and Seyal towards Him.

...

 

All the obstacles to attaining Him – such as avidyA, karma, etc. are

not natural attributes of the self; if we resort to Him by turning

the karaNa-s towards Him, these obstacles disappear automatically.

 

If we devote our thought, word and deed in His kai'nkaryam, then once

the body falls, moksham is guaranteed – Akkai viDum pozhudu eN – once

we get control of our karaNa-s, we should eagerly look forward to the

time that our body falls, so that we attain Him.

 

Again, all that is needed from us is the control of the three karaNa-

s of thought, word and deed, and diversion of these towards Him. He

takes care of the rest in attaining Him. This is available to

everyone who has controlled the three karaNa-s and turned them

towards Him, and so He is sarva yogyan.

 

..ig

sa'nkoconmocakatvAt – avidyAdikaLilE uNDAna j~nAna sa'nkoca'ttai

viDuvikkaiyAlum (V); avidyai mudalAna sa'nkocattaik kai viDukirRavan

(A)

...

 

- pASuram 1.2.10 starting with "eN perukkanalattu". svAmi

deSikan captures the essence of this pASuram through the words "jagad

avanan" – (nAraNan tiN kazhal SEr) - The Protector of everything in

all the Universes. An alternate pATham is "jagad ayanan", a direct

reference to nArAyaNan, the name that has the word "ayana" embedded

in it. ayanam means `abode'. Since He is the final resting place

for all the beings, the nArAyaNa nAma uniquely applies only to

emperumAn. AzhvAr's instruction to us in this pASuram is - "vaN

pagazh nAraNan tiN kazhal SErE" – "Resort to the divine Feet of Lord

SrIman nArAyaNa who is endowed with infinite kalyANa guNa-s, and

whose divine Feet will never ever forsake anyone who surrenders to

them".

 

There are several interpretations for the nArAyaNa nAmam. The one

that AzhvAr specifically picks in this pASuram is

- He who is the Lord of the countless jIva-s who by nature are

j~nAna Ananda svarUpa-s" – eN perukku an-nalattu eRu ila oNporUL;

- Has infinite kalyANa guNa-s Iru ila vaNpugazh nAraNan

- Has the auspicious and never-failing Lotus Feet to those who

surrender to Him

As the Lord and owner of all the jIva-s, He is the Protector of all –

jagad avanan, the guNa described by svAmi deSikan. His infinite

kalANa guNa-s are there solely for the protection of the jIva-s - na

tE rUpam na cAkArO nAudhAni na cAspadam tatA'pi purushAkArO bhaktanAm

tvam prakASasE" - (jitantE - 1-5) - His AtmasvarUpa, His ma'ngala

vigraha, His divine weapons, His dwelling SrIvaikunTham, none of

these are for His benefit; they are all for the benefit of His

devotees, and He Himself belongs to His devotees. His Lotus Feet

never fail anyone who seeks their protection – "sakRdeva prapannAya

tavAsmIti ca yAcate | abhayam sarva bhUtebhyo dadAnyetad vratam mama

|| AzhvAr himself declares that it is bhagavAn's nature to protect –

kAkkum iyalbinan kaNNa perumAn" (tiruvAimozhi 2.2.9). All these are

captured by svAmi deSikan in the phrase "jagad avanan".

SrI ve'nkaTeSAcArya uses the version "jagad ayanatayA", and gives the

explanation – "Sine He is the AdhAra or Support for all the worlds,

the antaryAmi in everything, and the sole means to attain Him". He

is sarva ArAdhyan because of these attributes or guNa-s.

 

Thus, AzhvAr is instructing us through the 10 guNa-s sung in the 10

pASuram-s of tiruvAimozhi 1.2 that bhagavAn as `sarva yogyan' - as

described by svAmi deSikan in the last line of Slokam 12 of tAtparya

ratnAvali - "upAdiSat sarva-yogyam".

 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan

 

(To be continued)