vijayarayara kavacha - part 5

[Guest guest]

Dear vaishNavas

 

Here is the fifth part of the kavacha. It covers verses 13 to 18.

 

In the service of vijaya viThThala

 

Shobha Srinivasan (srinivasan),

CR Madhusudhana Rao (madhu_cr)

Hunsur Sriprasad (sripi)

 

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(vijayadAsara kavacha - part 5)

 

These six verses form a set and are part of an integrated

picture that the author wants to present us. It does not make

sense to look at them individually. Hence we will present the

verses and their simple translation individually and one

integrated commentary at the end.

 

Verse 13:

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gange mindarE malavu hingitalladE

ranganoliyanO bhaktara sanga dorakadE || 13 ||

 

Translation:

============

When one dips in the holy ganga, associated dirt decreases (here,

one may treat sins or blemishes as dirt). But, without the company

of true devotees it is impossible to get the grace of ranga.

 

Verse 14:

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vEda Odalu baride vAdamADalU

hAdiyAgadO budhara pAda nambadE || 14 ||

 

Translation:

============

Just studying the vEdas, shastras, and indulging in debates will

fetch no results unless one surrenders at the feet of learned men.

 

Verse 15:

=======

lekkavilladA dEsha tukki bandarU

du:khavalladE lEsha bhakti dorakadU || 15 ||

 

Translation:

============

Just visiting countless pilgrimage centres (without any devotion)

will only strain you physically and not fetch any devotion.

 

Verse 16:

=======

dAna mADalU divya gAna pADalU

gnyAna dOreyadO ivaradhInavAgadE || 16 ||

 

Translation:

============

Giving alms or singing devotional songs will not fetch any gyAna,

unless one surrenders or yields at his (vijayadAsaru's) feet.

 

Verse 17:

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iShTu yAtakE kanDa kaShTavyAtakE

diTTa gurugaLa pAdamuTTi bhajisirO || 17 ||

 

Translation:

============

Why do all these things (the activities mentioned above like taking

a bath in the ganga, giving alms etc) and undergo so many difficulties?

Surrender at the feet of a capable guru and worship them steadfastly.

 

Verse 18:

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pUje mADalu kanDa gOju bILalU

bIja mAtina phala sahaja dorakadU || 18 ||

 

Translation:

============

Just doing puja, and subjecting oneself to various hardships

will not help one understand the true meaning of the scriptures.

 

Commentary for verses 13 to 18:

==============================

People perform various pious actions with the objective of pleasing

God, gaining knowledge, getting devotion etc. Some of the more

" popular " pious actions are:

 

- taking a bath in the ganga

- reading the vedas and engaging in scholarly debates

- touring holy places

- offering alms to needy people

- undertaking different holy actions (vratas) like fasts etc

- performing pujas and subjecting oneself to different hardships

 

The verses follow a common pattern - the first line identifies

an action from the above list, and the second line bemoans the

ineffectiveness of this action in fetching some desired result.

Let us take a closer look.

 

While it is true that the activities identified earlier, are pious in

nature, they are never decisive by themselves, there is something

else that determines success or failure. This factor X is the

attitude or spirit in which the action is performed. Any pious action

steeped in bhakti, based on yathArtha gyAna (correct knowledge of

the Almighty) and performed solely with hari-prIti (pleasure of the

Lord) as the objective will definitely yield results, everything else

is bound to fail in the long run.

 

This is beautifully described by shrI jagannAtha dasaru in his

hari kathAmruta sara:

 

" ninna sarvatradali nenevaru anya karma mADidaru sari

puNya karmagaLenisuvavu sandEha venitilla

ninna smarisade snAna japahOmAnnavastra gajAshva bhUdana

dhAnya modalAdikhiLa dAnava mADi phalavenu "

 

" Actions performed by people who are forever thinking of you (everywhere)

are deemed as meritorious acts, even if they appear to be otherwise.

What is the use of performing meritorious acts like taking holy baths,

meditation, hOma (a sacrificial ritual), different types of alms (rice,

elephants, land, food grains etc) without your remembrance? In other

words, such acts are totally useless. "

 

The same spirit is echoed in hundreds of songs by other haridAsas. So

it may be safely concluded that all gyAnis are unanimous on this count.

The question that next comes up is - how does one get the proper frame

of mind (and associated attributes like devotion, knowledge and

renunciation). The author gives us the answer in the second half of each

verse. The gist of his advice is - seek refuge at the feet of a competent

guru and surrender to him completely (i.e., forsake your ego and follow

his lead totally), stay in the company of true devotees and soak your

mind in devotion (the understanding is that other activities like

shravana, manana, nidhi-dhyAsana automatically happen in such company).

 

What kind of guru or teacher should one look for? The author replies

" diTTa gurugaLu " . This means a teacher who is steadfast, tenacious

and unyielding. The questions that next come to mind are - why is

steadfastness needed? And in what aspect or parameter should this

quality be demonstrated?

 

Steadfastness and tenacity in the guru is needed on two aspects - faith

in (or knowledge of) the basic tenets of dvaita, and commitment to the

student.

 

The guru's faith in the basic tenets of vedAnta - hari sarvottamatva

(the supremacy of hari), vAyu jIvOttamatva (vAyu being the primary

jIva), the reality of the world, gradation of souls etc - should be

firm and unshakeable. This should not be blind faith, but must have

come from a true understanding of what the scriptures say. He must have

learnt these concepts from a competent guru (this is generally covered

under " shravaNa " ) and performed manana and nidhi-dhyAsana (contemplation,

reflection, meditation etc). In addition, as postulated by the IshAvAsya

upanishad, this knowledge should stem from acceptance of correct

knowledge, and rejection of false theories or doctrines. The guru should

have grasped the true essence of all scriptures, and should be able to

explain the true meaning of statements in the scriptures, which appear to

be mutually conflicting. A corollary to this is that the guru should

practice these tenets in his life. He should be steadfast in condemning

false doctrines and spreading correct knowledge, wherever possible. This

is in line with what the IshAvAsya says about rejecting or condemning

false doctrines.

 

The guru should also be firm in his commitment to the student. The

student is bound to have numerous shortcomings, and is likely to

stumble several times in his quest for true knowledge. Like a parent

who lends a helping hand to a struggling toddler, the guru should

stand by his student, inspite of all problems and setbacks.

 

Another component of the advice was to seek the company of true devotees.

The questions that come up are - who are true devotees? what are their

characteristics? Our scriptures have answered this question quite

unambiguously, and so have our haridAsas. I would like to quote from a

famous devaranama by jagannAtha dAsaru titled " ranga ninna konDADuva

mangaLAtmara " . He provides the following characteristics of true

devotees, and begs God to bless him by giving him the pleasure of

their company:

 

(all references in the second person are to God)

- they don't know any God other than you

- they never forget the selfless help that you have rendered them

- they will never forsake the service of your feet even for a day

- they do not know anything other than paratatva (knowledge pertinent

to you)

- they look like deaf and dumb people for bystanders

- they do not indulge in crooked thinking

- they treat all the following equally : victory/defeat, profit/loss,

honor/calumny, fear/courage, happiness/sorrow, gold/a clod

- they treat likes / dislikes and praise / insult as being under your

control, and as your gift

- they would like to pray to you in solitude (not making a big show)

- they are interested in performing actions that are appropriate for

the region and time they are in

- they do not forsake their dharma under any circumstances

- they are free of the arishadvarga (anger, lust, greed, delusion,

arrogance, jealousy)

- they have the power to curse or bless

- they see your vishvarUpa everywhere

- they considering eating as yagna and the food they eat as your

Ahuti (offering)

- they do not accept anything that has not been offered to you first

- they do not hanker for liberation or comforts of any type

- they indulge in drinking the nectar that is your name

- they treat their wife and children as your gifts

- they do not want to associate with people who hate you

- they are always remembering your sportive acts and keep laughing

and crying in free abandon

- they will never lift their minds away from you

- they treat poverty or richness with equal disdain.

- they are truly blessed since they are devotees of jagannAtha viTTala