Namasthe- Njanappaana 33

August 4, 2009

Njanappaana 33

Ethrayum panippettingu maathaavin

Garbha paathrahil veenatharinjaalum

Pathu maasam vayattil kazhinju poy

Pathu pantheeraandunniyaayittum poy

Thannethaanabhimaanichu pinnedam

Thannethaanariyaathe kazhiyunnu

Please understand or know (arinjaalum) that after a lot of struggle and effort (ethrayum panippettingu), finally we come or end up in a human mother's womb (garbhapaathratthil veenathu). Ten months we survive in her womb (patthu maasam vyattil kazhinju poy) and about ten to twelve years we spend in childhood (patthu pantheerantuunniyaayyittum poy) . Rest of the life (pinnedam) we live identifying the body as " I " (thannetthaanabhimaanichu) (separate from Paramaathma) and with out really knowing who we are (thannethaanariyaathe kazhiyunnu).

As explained in the previous stanza, after spending several janmaas in different animal forms, a soul gets a unique chance to be born as a human and takes birth in a mother's womb. It is said that the baby in the womb remembers all the previous janmas. During the ten months of pregnancy, the baby is trapped inside the womb with no space to move around and during that time it contemplates about his existence and promises God to lead a life completely surrendering to Him when he gets out of the womb. But during of the trauma of birth, memory of the previous janmaas are completely wiped out and the baby becomes a slave of Maya. Here the poet says " patthumaasam vayattil kazhinju poy " and this indicates that even though the child remembered and took decision to lead a detached life with attachment only to God, all the good intentions were lost during his arrival on earth.So poet describes that as a waste of time or loss of time.

Then the next ten to twelve years are spent as a playful child. Here also the word " poy " at the end of line four indicates the loss of his childhood years doing nothing to move towards God. When the baby is born he forgets about all the sufferings of the past janmaas and then starts building attachment to material things and relations influenced by the parents. Each day baby gets attached more and more to the people and things around him. If the parents do not teach him to think of God and surrender to God in the form of prayers, then the unfortunate child will never get a chance to remember or follow what he had promised God when he was in the womb. Swami Vivekananda stresses the importance of parent's role in reminding the children, their hidden love and attachment for God through daily prayers. So parents can lessen the loss of precious time as a child by giving them the faith in God which they will carry all through their life. This faith in God and love of God given during the childhood years will help them to use their precious time as adults in youth and old age more effectively to advance spiritually amidst their other material commitments.

Fifth line says that the rest of the life we live with terrible ego with out the real knowledge of who we are. So in our youth, we forget ourselves and take credit for all the success we meet with and blame others for every failures we encounter. So youth also is lost with out any contemplation about our own existence and we go after transient material pleasures. When one spends almost all of one's life with out ever thinking of a higher power who controls everything in the universe, at the fag end of life one gets depressed and confused by the material world. Because of the lack of training of the mind to think and surrender to God, we get lost in the material world. Thus the most precious human life we obtained after a lot of struggle is wasted, ready to repeat the never ending cycle of birth and death. Poet says that God gives us a chance to escape from this and it is unfortunate that we are not making use of the golden opportunity given to us.

I happened to read an explanation by an unknown author about the word " soham " and ego and I would like to share that in this context. What does " soham " mean?

It is split as

sa: + aham

He or That + I

Sa: means He, That or God and Ham means " I " .

" It is the identification or dissolution of the ego with " that " or God. " I " merges with God or Easwara of the Vedas, Brahman of the Upanishads or Bhagavaan of the puraanaas. The meaning of the phrase might be expressed as follows: " I " am obviously not this body because the physical constituents of the body are changing every moment. Ultimately, the body dies. Atman the soul or self never dies – it is " That " . " That " is Absolute Reality. It is the witness of all, it is what the mind does through the body. This self is always on the path of progression, which is the consciousness. This is called spiritual awareness. "

Poet says that we live all our life and die with out this spiritual awareness " soham " . That is the meaning of the last line. What is the method to know ourselves or to identify ourselves with Parmaathma for materialistic people like us in Kaliyuga? Poonthaanam has one and only one solution: Naamasankeerthanam. This solution is easily accessible to all sadhakaas or yearning devotees and can be practised anywhere at anytime . One does not need any initiation or training.

(During praanaayaamam some people say " so " while inhaling and " ham " while exhaling. While inhaling we take God or God's power as prraanavayu and leave out ahamkaaram or I while exhaling. This happens 21,600 times a day and that means we are welcoming God and driving out ego that many times- Saibaba)

Let us chant the divine names of Bhagavan along with Shri Poonthaanam and millions of other devotees around the world

Krishna! Krishna! Mukunda! Janaardana!

Krishna! Govinda! Naaraayana! Hare!

Achyuthaananda! Govinda! Maadhava!

Sachidaananda! Naaraayana! hare!

Samasthaaparaadham Kshamaswa.

Sreekrishnaarpanamasthu

Regards and prayers

savitri