SrI UpakAra Sangraham Part -24

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srI: SrI upakAra sangraham – 24 --- adikAram – 1 poorva upakAra paramparai (The Foremost Series of Favours) --- SECTION – 4 (The Favour in the form of Chastisement) ----- SwAmi Desikan so far showed us how the Lord, in His matchless compassion for the jIvA, grants a great favour even for a small good act done by the jIvA, that too, unknowingly. That is the beginning of His series of favours leading to mOkSham – elevating the jIvA to His own paramapadam, SrIvaikuNtam. Such a jIvA who unknowingly does a tiny good act, cannot be considered pure one for direct liberation. He has to be made eligible for it. Since the Lord has found a jIvA with a little qualification to be admitted into the course, which will ultimately take him to the ultimate goal, i.e., enjoying the Bliss of His company for ever. Hence, in this Section, SwAmi Desikan describes the way the Lord refines the jIvA to make him eligible for further promotions. It is a common knowledge, how a teacher deals with his student by removing all his defects. This he does it through impositions to ensure that the student acquires the correct knowledge. Similarly, the Lord, Who is the parmAcharya, the very first AchArya, refines the student on the spiritual course. Now let us see this Section:- Text :- “avasara-anuguNa-sarvakArya-karttA-vAna Ishvaran paNNukiRa kAdAcitka-upkAra-Arambhattile, “ inRennaip poruLAkkit tannai ennuL vaittAn, anRu ennaip puRampOkap puNarttatu en ceyvAn?”enkiRa vicArattai vaittu, sarva-tantra-saiddhamAna anAdi-sAmagarI-pravAha-vaicitrikk anuguNamAka allAta bhoga-vyavasthAdikLiRpOla ingum kArya-darshanattAle oru vyavasthApakam uNdu enRu potuvile buddhi paNNi “naduve vantu uyyak koLkinRa nAtan” enkiRapadiye ikkAla visheShattil avanudaiya upakArakatvame anusandheyam. IShvaran keezhum mElum paNNum daNda-visheShankaLellAm shikShA-visheSha-roopankaLAna upakArankLAm. ivRRAl oruvanukku appOtu puritalanRikkE ivRRAl oruvanukku appOtu puritalanRikkE teLivu ozhintAlum puruShAntarattiRkum avan tanakkum teLivu varuvatu oru kAlattilum ivai shikShaiyAyt talaik-kattum.” SwAmi Desikan says, the Lord does all actions appropriate to the need of the moment:- “avasara-anuguNa-sarvakArya-karttA-vAna Ishvaran” However, as stated earlier, such opportunities are very rare even for the Lord. That is why He has to remain ever watchful for such an occasion to arise. Though He is ready to do any favour for the soul, unfortunately, no one turns towards Him, being immersed in material pleasures and involved in the birth-circle consequent to the good and bad deeds done out of selfish interest. Even then, the Lord gets an opportunity. His long wait does not go waste. He takes advantage of a very small virtuous action on the part of some one among the jIvA-s and pours His love on him and leads him to the

holy path. It seems to work. This particular jIvA realizes the reality of his AtmA and the compassionate Isvara in the archA roopA in a temple and starts worshipping the deity. That is the beginning. This scene is described by SwAmi Desikan realistically in these words:- “Ishvaran paNNukiRa kAdAcitka-upkAra-Arambhattile, “ inRennaip poruLAkkit tannai ennuL vaittAn, anRu ennaip puRampOkap puNarttatu en ceyvAn?” enkiRa vicArattai vaittu” “kAdAcitka-upkAra-Arambhattile” -- The Lord’s favour may come at any time. It is not pre-determined. It is totally unexpected. As such help comes at the right moment when the jIvA is in a hopeless

situation and he is let down by all his blood-relatives, opportunistic friends, -- and not to say about the strangers--, he turns towards, for the first time in his existence, the Lord. In that initial moment, tears burst out from the eyes of the jIvA. He starts wondering if such a helping hand really exists at all. After seeing the Lord not moving away from him and offering to do further help, the jIvA becomes very emotional and starts crying :- “ inRennaip poruLAkkit tannai ennuL vaittAn, anRu ennaip puRampOkap puNarttatu en ceyvAn?”enkiRa vicArattai vaittu” This is a quotation from nammAzhvAr’s Tiruvaimozhi. He says, “Today He made me an entity and entered in to me. What for? In past, He allowed me to wander elsewhere in disgraceful activities. What for? ” (Tiruvaimozhi, 10-8-9). SwAmi Desikan says that the Lord’s action kindled this kind of thoughts in the mind of the jIvA. The jIvA starts the probe mentally in to the reasons for this sudden turn of events (vicArattai vaittu). SwAmi Desikan says:- Yet, the jIvA is not able to find out what he did to earn this favour from the Lord:- “sarva-tantra-siddha-mAna anAdi-sAmagrI-pravAha-vaicitrikku anuguNamAka allAta bhoga-vyavasthAdi-kaLiRpOla ingum kArya-darshanattAle oru vyavasthApakam uNdu enRu potuvile buddhi

paNNi” All religions and scriptures say, every being has to eat the fruits of his earlier actions whether virtuous or sinful. These come in a wonderfully arranged series of pleasures and miseries, according to the virtuous and sinful acts. The results also will be of the appropriate intensity. This jIvA also knows about it. But, in this case, he is not able to fix the virtuous act he did, to get this kind of divine favour. He thinks that there must have been some good action by him. He leaves it at that. However, what is most important is to keep in mind the favour done by the Lord at this moment. Here, a statement of nammAzhvAr comes as a pramAnam to SwAmi Desikan for quoting:- ‘naduve vantu uyyak koLkinRa nAtan’ enkiRapadiye ikkAla visheShattil avanudaiya upkArakatvame anusandheyam” It would be appropriate to look at the entire verse which comes in Tiruvaimozhi:- viduvEnO? en viLakkai ennAviyai naduvE vantu uyyak koLkinRa nAthanai toduvE ceytu iLavAcchiyar kanninuL vidavE ceytu vizhikkum pirAnaiyE (Tiruvaimozhi, 1-7-5) (Can I leave Him, my Lamp (which drove away the darkness of my ignorance), my very Life-breath and my Soul? When I was wayward, He intervened and saved me. He is my Master. The generous Lord, who played loving sport enthralling the young cowherd-damsels with gestures visible only to them, can I leave Him?) SwAmi Desikan high-lights the way the Lord intervenes and saves the jIvA who has gone astray. After that, the jIvA realizes that the Lord is everything for him. The way he conquered the soul is known only to the soul and to others. Mentally alert persons at times feel the invisible helping gestures of the Lord in their testing times. This is known only to them. The favours He does at such special occasions are worth remembering by those persons. This is what emphasized by SwAmi Desikan by the expression: “ikkAla visheShattil avanudaiya upkArakatvame anusandheyam” (To continue) dAsan Anbil S.SrInivAsan ----

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