tAtparya ratnAvaLi - Submission 60, Slokam 23 Part 1, tiruvAimozhi 2.1, pASuram 2.1.1..

[Guest guest]

SrImate Ra’nga RAmAnuja MahA DeSikAya namaH |

SrImate nigamAnta MahA DeSikAya namaH |

 

tAtparya ratnAvaLi - Submission 60 - Slokam 23 Part 1,

tiruvAimozhi 2.1 Introduction and pASuram 2.1.1.

 

tAtparya ratnAvaLi - tiruvAimozhi 2nd pattu.

 

The subject matter of the second pattu is identified as 'prApyatvam' -

that BhagavAn is the final goal to be attained - by svAmi deSikan. He

has also referred to the guNam sung in this pattu as 'bhogyattvam' -

that BhagavAn is the most enjoyable - ati-bhogyan, to the point that He

bestows moksham on the seeker. The subject matter is also described as

upeyam - that BhagavAn is the ultimate Goal to be attained.

NammAzhvAr describes the great joy that results from worshiping Him -

leading to moksham itself, which is final goal to be attained by the

jIva. (Note that the terms 'prApayam, upeyam, bhogyam etc., convey the

same meanings - that He is the Ultimate Bliss to be attained.)

 

In the first pattu, AzhvAr pointed out that BhagavAn gives the

enjoyment of Himself freely and without limit or constraint to His

devotees. AzhvAr concluded the 1st pattu by singing that BhagavAn is

seated permanently in his mind and is giving him intense joy by His

presence. This extreme delight leads AzhvAr to want to physically

embrace Him now. This is mutual - BhagavAn also feels this intense

love towards AzhvAr who is His great devotee.

 

In the first tiruvAimozhi of the second pattu, AzhvAr again longs for

union with Him in the role of His nAyaki who has been separated from

Him - as parA'nkuSa nAyaki. The deep meaning of the nAyikA bhAvam in

the case of a yogi experiencing BhagavAn has been discussed in Slokam 3

by svAmi deSikan. Also recall that in tiruvAimozhi 1.4 - 'am-SiRaiya

maDa nArAi' - AzhvAr had sent several birds etc., as messengers to Him

in his nAyikA bhAvam. The subject of that tiruvAimozhi was one of

recognizing the jIva's limitations and sins, and seeking His protection

- signifying upAyatvam, or His being the means to attain the ultimate

goal. The sense of sending messengers in the current tiruvAimozhi is

the intense longing to attain Him - upeyatvam or prApyatvam - enjoying

His bhogyatvam and longing for the joy of union with Him. SrI UV

points out that this is along the lines of interpretation for the

ashTAkshara mantra - the interpretation for the first part of the

mantra vs. the interpretation for the word 'nArAyaNa' . The sorrow of

separation expressed in the current tiruvAimozhi is much more intense

than in the earlier one seeking His protection.

 

In tiruvAimozhi 1.4, AzhvAr was willing to accept that the relation of

the messengers with Him was at a different level from his own

relationship with BhagavAn. Here, AzhvAr sees all beings as equal to

himself, and sees that all his messengers are also suffering because of

their separation from Him - Atmavat sarva bhUtAni yah paSyati sa

paSyati - 'The true knower is one who sees himself in all things around

him'.

 

VAlmIki describes in SrImad RamAyaNam that when Lord RAma left for the

forest, all the plants, trees, shrubs, etc., dried out in sorrow, and

the rivers dried out too. Thus it is true that His dayA - compassion -

extends towards all beings, and separation from Him is intolerable to

all beings. This is the state that AzhvAr reflects in this first

tiruvAimozhi of 2nd pattu - 2.1.

 

SrImad ANDavan notes that in tiruvAimozhi 1.4, AzhvAr had had the

experience of enjoying Him through 30 pASuram-s, amd was feeling sorrow

that he was not able to enjoy BhagavAn in His vibhava incarnations - as

KRshNa, RAma, tri-vikrama, vAmana, etc. Since then he has sung

BhagavAn's glory through 70 more pASuram-s, and his longing for Him has

become much more intense, and he is feeling his separation from the

arcA tirumEni of BhagavAn in His form as tiruk-kuRu'nkuDi nambi etc.

Earlier, AzhvAr was feeling that the messengers were all happy, while

he was suffering from separation from Him; now, he is crying for the

sake of the messengers too, because he feels they are all suffering

from the same separation from which he is suffering.

 

The crane's natural color is white, but AzhvAr feels that the crane is

'pale' because of separation from the Lord like himself. The nature

of air is to be moving back and forth, but AzhvAr feels that the air is

disturbed because of its separation from Him, just as he is feeling.

These show the extent of AzhvAr's feeling of separation from Him, and

his nature of looking at all others as himself. We will immerse in

these experiences of AzhvAr in singing emperumAn's guNa-s in more

detail as we go through the pASuram-s.

 

· Slokam 23 - tiruvAimozhi 2.1:

 

nidrAdic-chedakatvAt (2.1.1) aratijana nataH (2.1.2)

ajasra-samkshobhakatvAt (2.1.3)

anveshTum prerakatvAt (2.1.4) vilaya vitaraNAt (2.1.5)

kArSya dainyadi kRtvAt (2.1.6)

cittAkshepAt (2.1.7) visagj~nIkaranataH (2.1

upasamSoshaNa (2.1.9) AvarjanAbhyAm (2.1.10)

dRshTAsvAdasya SaureH kRshNa viraha daSA

duH-sahatvam jagAda || (2.1)

 

In support of BhagavAn's guNam of ati-bhogyatvam (extreme likeability

and joy that results from our attaining Him), the first tiruvAimozhi of

the second pattu (2.1) sings the impossibility of putting up with

separation from KRshNa - SaureH kRshNa viraha daSA dus-sahatvam.

 

· pASuram 2.1.1:

 

vAyum tiraiugaLum kAnal maDa nArAi!

Ayum amar ulagum tu'njilum nI tu'njAyAl

nOyum payalaimaiyum mIdUra emmE pOl

nIyum tiru mAlAl ne'njam kOT paTTAyE.

 

VAyum tiraiugaLum kAnal maDa nArAi! Ayum amar ulagum tu'njilum, nI

tu'njAiyAl, nOyum mIdUra, nIyum emmE pOl tirumAlAl ne'njam kOT paTTAyE

-Oh crane standing at the backwaters of the sea where the beautiful

waves are washing constantly! Even when your mother and others in this

world, and the nitya-sUri-s above who don't know sleep may go to sleep,

you are not sleeping because of your separation from emperumAn. I now

know that your very pale in color is because this great longing of

separation from Him is affecting you, just as it is affecting me.

 

The crane is standing still at the backwaters looking for food, and its

natural color is white. AzhvAr in his nAyikA bhAvam laments: Oh

crane! You are oblivious to the huge waves of the ocean, and you are

meditating on Him intensely by standing without moving even when the

waves are splashing like this on you! It is like the yogi who will

continue on the yoga without being conscious of rain falling on the

body while immersed in yoga.

 

svAmi deSikan describes the gist of this pASuram with the words

'nidrAdric- chedakatvAt' - Because the joy of association with Him is

intensely blissful, the separation from Him even for a moment is

unbearable, to the point that the devotee won't even be able to sleep -

Ayum amar ulagum tu'njilum nI tu'njAyAl. SrI UV suggests an alternate

pATham - nidrA vicchedakatvAt - because of interrupted sleep. If one

asks how 'inducing the state of sleeplessness' can be considered a

bhagavad guNam, this is one aspect of His guNam of being ati-bhogyan -

One who delights the devotee by His association to the point that the

devotee cannot tolerate even a moment of separation from Him, and ends

up not being able to even sleep without interruption.. The words

'nIyum tirumAlAl ne'njam kOT paTTTAyE' convey that Azhvar's ne'njam is

out of control and is unable to involve in acts such as sleep because

of separation from Him.

 

SrI UV refers us to a Slokam in SrImad bhAgavatam that has the same

subject as nammAzhvAr's pASuram:

 

kurari vilapasi tvam vIta nidrA na Seshe

svapiti jagati rAtRyAm ISvaro gupta bodhaH |

vayamiva sakhi kaccit gADha nirbhinna cetA

nalina nayana hAsodAra leelekshitena || (bhA. 10.90.15)

 

" My dear friend kurari (osprey bird), it is now night, and Lord SrI

KRshNa is sleeping. You yourself are not asleep or resting but are

lamenting. Should I presume that you, like us, are affected by the

smiling, liberal, playful glances of lotus-eyed KRshNa? If so, your

heart is deeply pierced. Is that why you are showing these signs of

sleepless lamentation?’

 

 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan

(To be continued)

 

 

______________________________\

____

Never miss a thing. Make your home page.

http://www./r/hs