SrI UpakAra Sangraham Part - 14

[Guest guest]

srI: SrI upakAra sangraham – 14 --- adikAram – 1 poorva upakAra paramparai (The Foremost Series of Favours) (continued) --- SECTION – 2 (The Four basic favours provided by the Lord to the JivAthmA since time immemorial) --- In this section, SwAmi Desikan spells out the series of favours done by the Lord of lords (SarvEshvaran) for us since time immemorial. “sarvEshvaran namakku munbu cheitha upakAra paramparai yethu? mEl apEkchikkapadum upakAra paramparai yethu? yennil:-” In the opening remarks, SwAmi Desikan says, if it is asked, what were the favours conferred by the Lord earlier? And “What favours are expected from Him hereafter?” The reply is as follows:- SwAmi Desikan lists four kinds of favours done by the Lord. The first one is as follows:- (i) “icchAta eva tava vishva-padArthasattA” yenkiRapadiyE sarva vasthukkaLuDaiyavum svaroopa-svabhAva-pravrutthi-phala – ngaL thAn itta-vazhakkAmpadi niRkiRa sarvEshvaran, than owdaArya-ththAlE mEl namakkuth tharukaikkuth thanE sankalpithtthu vaittha nitya-nirdoSha-niratishaya-mahA-Ananda-anubhava-tthiRku Ashraya-mAna aham-artha-tthai anyathAkarikarikka vallanAi - yirukka, nitfya-icchai-yAlE -yAtE, “itu nityamAkak kadvatu” enRu nilai-niRtti

vaittatu “svaroopa-sattA-rakshNa-roopa”-mAna nitya siddhda –upakAram. In the first sub-section, SwAmi Desikan gives the message that the Lord has done a favour (UpakAram) which is permanent, to remain for ever. What is it? He himself says in a crisp form:- “svaroopa-sattA-rakshaNa-roopa-mAna” – That is the favour of “protecting the Atma svaroopam”. Atma svaroopam is its “j~nAna” form. It is said in various scriptures that not only our individual AtmA, i.e., jIvAtmA, but even the ParamAtmA is j~nAnam (consciousness) itself. While jIvAtmA is atomic in size, the ParamAtmA is vibhu, spread all over. That is why, It is known as ‘Brahmam’. It is the ardent duty of the jIvAtmA to attain the

perfect knowledge of the Brahmam, as said by the opening sootram of the Brahma sootra, which is also known as the Vedanta SootrA. Hence, this j~nAna form of the jIvAtmA has to be preserved as it is, on a permanent basis. This can not be done by jIvAtmA himself. Though he has a role in it, but it is the grace of the Lord that is most important for this. SwAmi Desikan

gives a detailed account of this upakAram of the Lord. He quotes from SrI VaikuNta stavam of SrI KooratthAzhvAn, the immediate disciple of SrI BhAshyakAra. SrI KooratthAzhvAn has left us five works known as “pancha-sthavam” – five stOtrams. They are, SrI-stavam, SrIvaikuNta-stavam, athimAnusha-stavam, sundaraBAhu-stavam and VaradrAja-stavam. Now, we shall study the slokam to which the quotation, “icchAta eva tava vishva-padArthasattA” belongs:- icchaata eva tava vishva-padaartha-sattA nityam priyAstava tu kEcana tE hi nityAH / nityam tvadeka-paratntra-nijasvaroopA bhAvatka- mangalaguNa hi nidarshanam naH // (SrIvaikuNtastavam – 36) (Oh Lord! It is obvious that all the things in the world exist only as per Your will. Of these, there are certain things which are eternally dear to You and so they remain eternal. Your auspicious qualities are eternal as You desire so. In fact, they are the appropriate illustration for us too.) Quoting the first line of this sloka, SwAmi Desikan points out that as the form, quality, conduct and experience of all the things are as per the will of the Lord. Out of His wonderful generosity, He himself has determined to provide us an experience of a permanent, blemishles, and wonderful great bliss. Despite His being capable of changing this for

a particular AtmA, He does not do so, out of His unchanging will. Thus, deciding that let it be so, He is protecting the nature of the AtmA on an eternal basis. This is the eternal favour done by Him for us. By this statement of SwAmi Desikan, it is very clear that our very existence as a j~nAna form is the Lord’s will (sankalpam). When He did us this favour is beyond our comprehension. The fact remains that we owe only to Him for our very existence in the form of knowledge (j~nAna form). (to continue) dAsan Anbil SrInivAsan -----

Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Search.