tAtparya ratnAvaLi - Submission 7 - Slokam 5 of avatAeikA.

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SrImate SrI ra'nga rAmAnuja mahA deSikAya namaH.

 

tAtparya ratnAvaLi - Submission 7 - Slokam 5 of avatArikA.

 

 

 

Sunmission 7:

Slokam 5:

 

Adau SarIrakArtha kramamiha viSadam vimSatir-vakti sAgrA

samkshepo'sau vibhAgam prathayati ca RcAm cAru pAThopapannam

|

samyak gItAnubaddham sakalam anugatam sAma SAkhA sahasram

samlakshyam sAbhidheyair-yajurapi Satakaih bhAt-yatharvA

rasaiSca ||

 

The basic concept involved in understanding this Slokam is that it

its accepted tradition by elders to draw certain conclusions based on

the number of Sloka-s in a grantham. For instance, we know that the

gAyatrI mantra has 24 akshara-s. We also know that SrImad rAmAyaNam

consists of 24,000 Sloka-s. Based on the relationship between the

numbers 24 and 24,000, our pUrvAcArya-s declare that SrImad rAmAyaNam

is gAyatrI vyAkhyAnam.

 

In the current Slokam, svAmi deSikan points out that nammAzhvAr's

tiruvAimozhi contains the essence of the SarIraka mImAmsA (the brahma

sUtra-s), the Rg veda, the sAma veda, the yajur veda, and the atharva

veda. It shows the message of vedAnta in the form of SarIraka

mImAmsA through 21 pASuram-s from the first three tiruvAimozhi-s, in

the same sequence in which Sage bAdarAyaNa (veda vyAsa) presents the

message of the vedAnta to us through the 16 pAda-s of brahma sUtra

(SarIrakArtha kramamiha viSadam vimSatir-vakti sAgrA).

 

These same 21 pASuram-s reveal to us the message of the esteemed Rg

veda with its 21 SAkhA-s (cAru pAThopapannam RcAm).

 

The sAma veda consists of 1000 SakhA-s. Counting ten pASuram-s (not

counting the phala Sruti pASuram), from each of the 100 tiruvAimozhi-

s in nammAzhvAr-s SrI sUkti the total of 1000 pASuram-s (one hundred

times ten) are considered to reveal to us the message of the

melodious sAma veda (gItAnubaddham sAma SAkhA sahasram).

 

There are 101 SakhA-s in yajur vedam. The 101 pASuram-s that are

considered as revealing the message contained in the yajur veda

through tiruvAimozhi are: (a) The 100 phala Sruti pASuram-s of the

100 tiruvAimozhi-s' and (b) the 12th pASuram from `kESavan tamar',

which is considered as one pASuram along with the 11th pASuram of

this same tiruvAimozhi. This is further explained below.

 

The `kESavan tamar' tiruvAimozhi has thirteen pASurams. Excluding

the ten pASuram-s that have been counted as explaining the sAma veda,

and the last pASuram (phala Sruti) that has been accounted for along

with the other phala Sruti pASuram-s, there are two pASuram-s left

(pAsurams 11 and 12); these two together are considered as one

(pASuram 11 starts with padmanAbhan and ends with dAmodaran, and

pASuram 12 elaborates on `dAmodran' further, and so can be considered

as an extension of the previous pASuram). Adding this to the 100

phala Sruti pASuram-s, we have a total of 101 pASuram-s. These 101

are considered a gist of the yajurveda with 101 SAkha-s (samlakshyam

sAbhidheyaih yajurapi Satakaih)

 

The atharva veda has nine SAkhA-s, and the nine pASurams of the third

tiruvAimozhi starting pASuram 1.3.2 (recall that the first pASuram of

the 3rd tiruvAimozhi was grouped with the pASuram-s that give the

gist of the Rg veda earlier), are considered to summarize the atharva

veda (athatvArasaiSca bhAti).

 

Further support regarding the SarIraka mImAmsA:

 

upanishad bhAshyakArar has explained that the first 21 pASuram-s of

tiruvAimozhi summarize the SarIraka mImAmsA (the brahma sUtra-s).

svAmi deSikan also points out the above in his dramiDopanishad sAra,

in the 4th Slokam:

 

dvikAbhyAm dvi ashTA'nghriH dur-adhigama nIti sphuTitA

yadantyA mImAmsA Sruti Sikhara tattvam avRNata |

tadAdau gAtAbhih munih adkika vimSAbhih iha nah

kRtI sAra grAham vyataradati sa'ngRhya kRpayA ||

 

uttara mImAmsA consists of four chapters, each with four pAda-s, or a

total of 16 pAda-s for the four chapters. dvi asTa a'nghrih – 16

parts.

 

adhika vimSatibhih gAthAbhih – by songs exceeding twenty; this is

interpreted as referring to the number 21.

 

SrI UV makes the correlation between the 16 pAda-s brahma sUtra and

the 21 pASuram-s of tiruvAimozhi, in his vyAkhyAnam for tiruvAimozhi,

particularly establishing that the order in which the 16 pAda-s of

brahma sUtra explain the Supreme Brahman, is the exact same order

(SarIrakArtha kramam) in which the 21 pASuram-s of tiruvAimozhi

concisely summarize the Supreme Brahman. . We won't go through the

detailed mapping in this write-up, but give the first three or four

as examples to illustrate the point.

 

- 1st pASuram – uyarvaRa – conveys the meaning of the brhama

Sabdam that is the topic of the first sUtra – athAto brahma jij~nAsA.

- 2nd pASuram – mannan agam malar aRa – The fact that Brahman

is different from the cetana-s and acetana-s – satyam j~nAnam anantan

brahma.

- 1st pAda establishes that Brahman is the sRshTi kAraNam, the

Creator of all – this is also the subject of the first two pASuram-s,

1.1.1 and 1.1.2.

- pASuram-s 3 and 4 – covey that all the cetana-s and a-cetana-

s form part of His Body, and He is the AtmA of all – the sense of the

2nd pAda

- pASuram-s 5 and 6 – convey that He is a svatantran, and is

not subject to any other being's control – pAda 3

- pASuram 7 – paDar poruL muzhuvadumAi – His niravadhika mahimA

is sung; He is the upAdAna kAraNa and the AtmA of all; SuDar migu

SurutiyuL uLan – He is the One who is sung by all the veda-s; - –

pAda 4, etc.

 

Additional comments about the Rg veda:

 

SvAmi deSikan has used the phrase `cAru pATha upapannam RcAm' to

describe the correlation between tiruvAimozhi and the Rg veda. cAru

means `beautiful. `upapannam' means `endowed with'. The common

meaning that we all know for the word `pATham' in the current context

is a reference to the `svara' – melody, sweetness (as in Ghana

pATham, karma pATham etc.). So, one interpretation for the phrase

could be `the Rg veda with its associated beautiful melodious svara-

s'. This immediately raises the question – are the other veda-s not

endowed with `cAru-pATha-s'? SrI UV raises this question, and gives

quotes such as `yajureva Sirah' – declaring the special beauty of

svara-s etc. for the yajur veda. SrI UV gives an interpretation that

overcomes this objection – the word `pATham' means the number 21

in `gaNana rIti'. Thus, the phrase `cAru pATha upapannam RcAm' is

interpreted as `the esteemed Rg veda consisting of 21 SAkhA-s'. The

interpretation in terms of the number of SAkhA-s is also consistent

with the other statements that are based on the number of SAkhA-s.

 

Additional comments relating to the yajur veda:

 

SrI UV's interpretation given above counted all the phala Sruti

pASuram-s in establishing the basis in tiruvAimozhi for the 101

SAkhA-s of yajur veda. There is another view, that counts the 100

tiruvAmozhi-s as counting towards the 101 SAkhA-s of yajur veda. SrI

UV analyzes the support for both the interpretations, and seems to

prefer the count using the phala Sruti pASuram-s. His arguments are

simple to understand, but they are not being included here in order

to avoid too much detail.

 

Additional comments relating to the atharva veda:

 

SrI ve'nkaTeSAcArya's vyAkhyAnam refers to `eight SAkhA-s' for the

atharva veda (ashTa SakhamAna atharvaNa vedam), and SrI UV refers

to `nine SAkhA-s'. It is considered by some that the atharva veda

reflects all the nava rasa-s (the nine rasa-s: SR'ngAra – love;

hAsya – comedy; karuNA – pity; raudra – fury; vIryam – heroism;

bhayankaram – fear; bIbhatsam – disgust; adbhutam – wonder; SAntam –

peace). In the very first Slokam of tAtparya ratnAvaLi, svAmi

deSikan had indicated that tiruvAimozhi is the ultimate limit of

SAnti rasa (SAnti SuddhAnta sImA). The other eight rasa-s are

contained in tiruvAimozhi as accessories to the SAnti rasa. SrI

ve'naTeSAcArya comments that the gist of the atharva with its eight

SAkhA-s is thus reflected in tiruvAimozhi. SrI UV prefers to

continue the interpretation in terms of the number of SAkhA-s, rather

than in terms of the `rasa-s', for consistency with the other

comparisons.

 

 

As can be seen, there are several ways of explaining which specific

pASuram-s are to be included in order to explain svAmi deSikan's

thoughts reflected in the current Slokam. The point to take for us

from this pASuram is that it is svAmi deSikan's considered opinion

that nammAzhvAr's tiruvAimozhi contains the gist of all the four veda-

s, as well as the SarIraka mImAmsA that summarizes the message of the

upanishad-s. This is one more greatness of tiruvAimozhi.

 

Note that ian the previous Slokam (Slokam 4), svAmi deSikan pointed

out that tiruvAimozhi is an upabrahmaNam like the itihAsa-s, purANa-

s, etc. – tiruvAimozhi being the best among those that explain the

message of the upanishad-s. In the current Slokam, he points out

that tiruvAimozhi is in all ways equal to all the veda-s and the

upanishad-s.

 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan

(To be continued)