tAtparya ratnAvaLi - Submission 31 - Slokam 15 Part 2, tiruvAimozhi 1.4 svApadeS

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SrImate ra'nga rAmAnuja mahA deSikAya namaH.

tAtparya ratnAvaLi - Submission 31 - Slokam 15 Part 2,

svApadeSam for tiruvAimozhi 1.4 contd.

 

· svApadeSam for pASuram 1.4.2 – " en Seyya tAmaraika kaN

permAnArkku.. " . In this pASuram, AzhvAr sends the sweet-voiced

cuckoo as his messenger to emperumAn. svAmi deSikan describes the

AcArya guNam reflected in this pASuram as " su-vAcah " – kuyilgAL -

those who always instruct their disciples through sweet words. SrI

UV refers us to the SrImad rAmAyaNa dhyAna Slokam " kUjantam rAma

rAmeti madhuram madhurAksharam | Aruhya kavitA sAkhAm vande vAlmIki

kokilam || " , where vAlmIki is compared to the kokilam bird for his

sweet words through SrImad rAmAyaNam. SrI ve'nkaTeSAcArya

comments: " 'samSrave madhuram vAkyam' enkiRa paDi SobhanaiyAna SrI

sUktikaLai uDaiya AcAryarkaLai madhura vacassukkaLana kikila'ngaLaga

nirdeSittAr " – where reference is given to Hanuman's sweet words

spoken to sItA pirATTi, and AcAryan's SrI sUkti's are compared to the

sweet words of kokilam and to Hanuman's words to sItA – extremely

comforting, revealing truth, conferring benefit to the listener.

 

In the previous pASuram, the j~nAnam was praised, and in the current

pASuram, AcAryan's skill in communicating that j~nAnam in a way that

appeals to the disciple is being brought out.

 

SrI UV comments that AcArya-s are re-incarnations of Lord hayagrIva,

and resemble vAlmIki in their skills of expression. He points out

that in one onpadAyirappaDi vyAkhyAnam, the pAThanm given for thie

guNa is sad-AptAn. One meaning for the word Aptan is " received,

accomplished, abundant, full. Sad-Aptan would mean those who are

abundant in the necessary good attributes. The attributes of

relevance here are: the realization of the dharma-s as laid down in

the SAstra-s, the magnanimity and compassion to share these

truthfully as they have realized them, and the propagation of these

accordingly.

 

SrImad tirukkuDanthai ANDavan points out that in the first pASuram of

this yiruvAimozhi, AzhvAr in his nAyikA bhAvam only asked the crane

to go to Him as a messenger, but in this pASuram he is giving his

message – mun Seida muzhu vinaiyAl etc. (See the previous write-up

for this pASuram). Enjoy the thread – the connectivity in the

pASuram-s, which is also the purpose of tAtparya ratnAvaLi.

 

· svApadeSam for pASuram 1.4.3: " vidiyinAl peDai maNakkum.. "

pASuram. In this pASuram, AzhvAr calls on `men-naDaiya anna'ngAL " –

the swans with their gentle gait, to be the messenger to emperumAn.

svAmi deSikan characterizes the AcArya guNam expounded in this

pASuram through the words " su-carita subhagAn " – explained by SrImad

tirukkuDanthai ANDavan as " sAra asAra vivekamuLLa naDattaiyai

uLLavargaL " – those whose conduct is based on a careful analysis of

the desirable and undesirable aspects in everything they undertake " .

SrI ve'nkaTeSAcArya explains svAmi deSikan's words as follows: sAra

asAra vivekam paNNi sAra-taramAna naDavaDiyai uDaiyarAi irukkiRa

AcAryarkaLai nIra kshIra vibhAga kshama'nkaLAi manohara'nkaLAi

sa'ncariA ninRa hamsa'nkaLAga aruLic ceidAr (ve'nkaTeSAcArya) – those

who analyse the aspects of interest and those not of interest in

everything, and implement those that are worthy of implementing,

those who can separate the good from the bad like the hamsa birds

that can separate the milk from a mixture of milk and water, and that

lead a dharmic way of life that resembles the beautiful gait that

thrills the mind of the observer.

 

SrI UV comments that in their intellect, the AcArya-s are like the

hamsa bird that is able to separate milk from a mixture of milk and

water - they can separate the good from a mixture of good and bad,

they are pure like the pure while color of the hamsa pakshi, and they

conduct their life with sadAcAram – exemplary conduct according to

dharma and SAstra-s, by treading their path carefully like the gentle

walk of the swan. Careful treading of the path followed is stressed

in the following quote attributed to mahAbhArata – vastra pUtam jalam

pibet dRshTi pUtam padam nyaset.

 

· svApadeSam for pASuram 1.4.4: - `en nIrmai kaNDu ira'ngi'

pASuram: In this pASuram, AzhvAr is sending the blue-colored

krau'nca bird as the messenger. In the pASuram, nammAzhvAr describes

bhagavAn with the words " en nIla mugil vaNNarkku " – My Lord whose hue

is that of the dark-blue water-laden clouds, a reference to His guNa

of showering His Mercy on all without distinction; AzhvAr is sending

as the messenger the " nan-nIla maganRilkAL " – the dark-blue hued

krau'nca birds. As in previous pASuram-s, the messenger here is a

reference to AcAryan, and the dark-blue hue of the krau'nca bird is

to bring out the resemblance of the AcAryan to the dark-hued

emperumAn. It is this aspect that svAmi deSikan chooses to bring out

as the svApadeSam in this pASuram, and the AcArya guNam he describes

is " kRshNa sArUpya saumayAn " – AcAryan who resembles emperumAn in all

respects, and who is gentle, pleasing, agreeable (saumya – handsome,

pleasing, agreeable, gentle, soft, mild). svAmi deSikan reveals to

us in his nyAsa vimSati Slokam 2, that AcAryan should be worshipped

the same way as we worship bhagavAn, and he gives the reasons for

this:

 

aj~nAna-dhvAnta-rodhAt agha-pariharaNAt Atma-sAmya-AvahatvAt

janma-pradhvamsi-janma-prada-garimatayA divya-dRshTi-prabhAvAt |

nishpratyUha-AnRSamsyAt niyata-rasatayA nitya-Seshitva-yogAt

AcAryah sadbhiha-pratyupakAraNa-dhiyA deva-vat syAt-upAsyah || (nyAsa

vimSati 2)

 

- The AcArya removes the darkness of ignorance in us,

- leads us in the right path and thus removes our sins,

- helps us lead a life like him by helping us adopt the life that is

conducive to realize Him,

- gives us a new birth that will lead us to moksham by imparting the

right kind of knowledge,

- bestows his kaTaksham on us no matter how sinful a life we have led

before and redeems us,

- is unlimited in bestowing his kindness to his Sishya-s no matter

how undeserving they may be for this,

- is the non-satiating sweet nectar for those who surrender to him,

and

has the natural relation to the Sishya as Seshi to a Sesha.

 

All these are no different from the role of emperumAn with respect to

His devotee. BhagavAn Himself has taken the form of AcAryan, and

thus he is `kRshNa sA-rUpya saumyan', and should be respected and

surrendered to as such. This point is repeatedly stressed by SrImad

nammANDavan (AcAryan of SrImad tirukkuDanthai ANDavan) in his pAdukA

sahasram commentary also.

 

The commentaries for the AcArya guNam described by svAmi deSikan

through the words `kRshNa sA-rUpamya saumayam' emphasize this

resemblance between bhagavAn and AcAryan. As an example, SrI UV's

description is: avan mugil pOlE tApa'nkaLaip pOkkukiRavan;

AcAryarkaLum tApam nI'nga dayaiyinAlE nanmaiyai varshippar (UV) –

emperumAn removes our sorrows by drenching us with His unbounded

mercy, and the AcAryan also removes our sorrows by soaking us with

his mercy.

 

-dAsan kRshsNamAcAryan

(To be continued)