SrI UpakAra Sangraham - II (19)

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SrI UpakAra Sangraham - II (19)

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SAdhanAdhikAram

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Section - 8 (2)

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(The Favours being done by the Lord to the mumukShu

when he leaves the body)

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We studied, in the previous sub-section, SwAmi

Desikan’s description of the favour being conferred by

the Lord to the seeker of mOkSha who is leading a pure

life totally dedicated to Him, at the time of leaving

of his body.

In this sub-section, SwAmi Desikan reveals that the

Lord is kind to His devotee who has adopted the

bhakti-yOga as the means:

(2) ‘yam yOginah prANaviyOga-kAlE yatnEna cittE

vinivEshayanti’ enkiRapadiyE, bhaktiyOga-niShThnukku

svayatna-sAdhya-antima-pratyaya-vishEShatthait

thalaikkattik kodukkumathuvum;

SwAmi Desikan begins with a quote from a verse in the

MahAbhArata. We shall study the verse in full:

“yam yOginah prANa-viyOga-kAlE yatnEna cittE

vinivEshayanti /

sa tam purastAt harimeekShamANah prANAn jahau prApta

phalO hi bheeShmah //”

(MahAbhArata, ShAnti Parva, 47- 189)

(The yOgis think of the Lord with great effort at the

time of leaving their bodies. BheeShma gave his body

looking at the Lord in front of him.)

This brings us to the important factor of the last

thought at the time of death.

It is an accepted fact that there must be some last

thought or other for the jIva at the time of casting

off his body. It must be about an object. The object

should be the Lord for a jIva to attain Him.

Otherwise, it would be dangerous. It has been said:

“antakale ca mAmEva smarnmuktvA kalEbaram /

yah prayAti sa madbhAvam yAti nAstyatra samshayah //

” (Bhagavadgita, 8-5)

(He, who at the time of the end of his life,

remembering Me exclusively, gives up the body and

departs from life, he attains My nature. In this there

is no doubt.)

Thus says the Lord to Arjuna. He further says:

“yam yam vApi smaraN-bhAvam tyajatyantE kalEbaram /

tam tamEvaiti kauntEya sadA tadbhAva-bhAvitah // ”

(Bhagavadgita, 8-6)

(Whatever object one thinks of, at the time when he

gives up the body at the end of his life, he attains

the same object after death.)

Therefore, the Lord advises Arjuna:

“tasmAtsarvEShu kAlEShu mAmanusmara yudhya ca /

mayyarpitamanObuddhih mAmEvaiShyasyasi asamshayah

//” (Bhagavadgita, 8-7)

(Therefore, remember Me constantly at all times and

fight. With your attention and intellect dedicated to

Me, you will attain Me surely. There is no doubt about

this.)

Remembering the Lord at the time of death has to be

done by one’s own effort for the mumkShu who has

adopted other means than prapatti. For a bhakti-yogi,

if such a last thought of the Lord does not occur, he

will have to take birth again and continue to practice

the bhakti-yOga and again has to go through the

process at the time his death. His next birth takes

place in a yoni in accordance with the object he

remembers as the last thought. We have the episode of

Jadabharata narrated in SrImadbhAgavata. Though he was

practicing bhakti-yoga, when the end came he was

thinking of the deer which he had been looking after

with great attachment. He had to take the next birth

as a deer. But, as he had the memory of his previous

birth, he could overcome this block. The essential

requirement of the last thought has been clearly

stated by the Lord Himself in the Gita slOka we just

saw. He advises Arjuna to remember Him at the last

moment of his life.

But, BheeShma had surrendered at the feet of SrI

KriShNa and had great devotion for the Lord as he said

during his discourse to Yudhishtira. That was why the

Lord Himself was present in front of BheeShma to

enable him to leave his body directly seeing Him with

his own eyes.

This is the crux of SwAmi Desikan’s statement in this

sub-section:

“‘bhaktiyOga-niShThnukku

svayatna-sAdhya-antima-pratyaya-vishEShatthait

thalaikkattik kodukkumathuvum”

The Lord graces the bhakti-yogi to succeed in his

self-effort for remembering His form as He did in the

case of BheeShma. This is yet another favour the Lord

confers on His devotee.

 

 

(To continue)

dAsan

Anbil S.SrInivAsan

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