Vairagyapanchakam of Desika

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2.silam kim analam bhaveth analam oudharam baaDhithum

payaH prasoothipoorakam kimu na Dhaarakam saarasam

ayatna malamallakam yadhi pataccharam kaccharam

bhajanthi vibuDhaa mudha ahaha kukshithaH kukshithaH

 

 

Are not some grains scattered on the field is enough to satisfy the hunger and is not the handful of water from a pond enough to sustain life? Will the soiled cloth found on the road be not enough to use as a loin cloth? Even the learned ones resort to the mean kings for the sake of their livelihood. How shameful!

 

Desika ridicules the patronage of kings calling them kukshithah, , and says that even learned people, vibuDhaah, resort to them out of the need to fill their stomach, kukshithaH. He asks them if it is only for food water and cloth , the three basic needs of man, can they not get it by picking up few grains, scattered on the fields, silam, or by drinking a handful of water , prasoothipoorakam, from the pond, saarasa, or by taking any cloth soiled with mud, malamallakam pataccharam, from the street? This attitude show the extreme detachment as made out by Sankara in Bajagovindam,

 

`suramandhiratharu moolanivaasaH

sayyaa bhoothalam ajinam vaasaH

sarvaparigrah bhogathyaagaH

kasya sukham na karothi viraagah.'

 

He dwells under a tree outside the temple, and sleeps on the floor and wears a skin-cloth. The real joy is only in giving up all possessions and who will not revel in it?

 

When you do not have any desire except the basic requirements for sustenance there is no need to approach anyone for food, cloth or drink, not even for a dwelling. This is the idea conveyed by the sloka.

Desika used to live by unchavrtthi, which was not begging but simply going around singing the glory of the Lord and the people used to respect them and give them rice etc necessary for their living. Thyagaraja also lived in unchavrtthi . The Lord looks after their needs because they have surrendered completely to Him. There are many stories to prove this. The richest man on earth is not the one who has amassed millions but only the one who has no wants and lives happily with what he has.

 

Once when Vedantadesika came back from his unchavrtthi, his wife noted some gold pieces thrown in by some well-wisher and showed it to him. He told her that they were garbage and asked her to throw them out and she did! That is the vairagya of the great saint devotees.