SrI sArasAram -- I(24)

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srI:

SrI sAra sAram – I (24)

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I – ThirumantrAdhikAram

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The Significance of the ‘m’ in PraNava (continued)

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We just saw that the pure jIvAtma is atomic in size; is of the form of j~nAna;

and has j~nAna as the attribute, that is he is capable of knowing objects. This

is known as dharmabhoota j~nAnam. This fact that jIvAtma has this attributive

knowledge is based on a Brahma-sootra. The sootra is;

“j~nOta Eva†(Brahma Sootra, 2-3-19) – (The jIvAtmA is a knower, that is,

he possesses the attributive knowledge and this is from the Sruti itself.)

Though the jIvAtmA is generally of the essential nature of knowledge, yet, this

nature is said to be also pleasing and agreeable, that is, full of bliss.

According to pramANas, his attributive knowledge has no restriction or limit.

This should be understood to be in the state of mukti (liberated state), in

which this attributive knowledge is all-pervasive and not limited by conditions

(upAdhi) and without any restriction or limit. But, in the state of bondage,

that is, in samsAra, it is very much constrained in the human form and it is

almost zero in the case of jIvas in non-sentient objects. The seeker after

salvation, that is, mumukshu, should meditate on the jIvAtmA as absolutely pure

and blissful only as the SEsha to the Supreme Lord. This is indicated in the

following Brahma Sootra:

“vytirEkastadbhAvabhAvitvAt na tu upalabdhivat†(Brahma Sootra, 3-3-52)

(No, only in the state (of jIvAtamA) that differs from the state of samsAra

(should be meditated upon), for that is the state which will ensue in mOksha as

in the contemplation of Brahman as He is.)

SwAmi Desikan explains this further now:

“ ‘dAsabhootAh svatah sarvE’, ‘AtmadAsyam harEha svAmyam’,

‘svatvamAtmani samjAtam’, ‘dAsOham vAsudEvasya’, ‘dAsatvAt

vAsudEvasya’ ityAdikaLiRpadiyE thannai Sriyah-pathikku

ananyArha-SEshabhootan-enRaRiyavE thannudaiya guNa-vigrahAdikaLilum ic-SEshatvam

kaimutika nyAyatthAlE siddhikkiRathu. ithu upalakshaNamAkavumAm. ingu

‘akArArthO vishNuh’ enkiRa SlOkatthaip padippathu.â€

The fact of the jIvAtmA being the SEsha of the Supreme Lord is established

through the pramANas from which SwAmi Desikan has given the above quotes.. We

study them in detail:

The first quote: ‘dAsabhootAh svatah sarvE’, -- This is from the Eswara

Samhita- MantrarAjapada StOtram-12:

“dAsabhootAha svatah-sarvE hyAtmAnah paramAtmanah /

atOhamapi tE dAsa iti matvA namAmyaham //â€

(All the souls are indeed the servants by nature of the Supreme Lord. That is

the reason why, I bow before You thinking that I am also Your servant.) – This

is uttered by Siva.

The second quote: ‘AtmadAsyam harEh svAmyam’ is from SrI VishNu Tatva. The

full SlOka is as follows:

“svOjjeevanEcchA yadi tE svasattAyAm spruhA yadi /

AtmadAsyam harEh svAmyam svabhAvam ca sadA smara //†(SrI VishNu Tattvam)

[if you desire to attain the highest state and to adopt the means for it, always

remember that Hari is your Master and that you are His servant and that this

relationship is natural (and not created by anyone).] Here, it is implied that

the jIvAtmA should remain engaged in the service of the Lord and his devotees

which is the highest state to attain. And this thought should be there always in

his mind.

The third quote: ‘svatvamAtmani samjAtam’ – is from an unknown source.

The full verse is:

“svatvamAtmani samjAtam svAmitvam brahmANi sthitam ,

ubhayOrEva sambandhO na arObhimatO mama //†(source is unknown)

(The jIvAtmA is the property of the Supreme Lord. He is the Master of the jIva.

This relationship between the two is the most desirable and none else.)

That is, one must long for the memory of the Lord-jIva relationship as the

Master and the servant to remain for ever, as this is the only relationship is

not only true but the most pleasant one too. No other relationship with any one

else is not only unreal but not pleasant too. These relationships are only

transitory so long as one remains in this material world.

The fourth quote is: ‘dAsOham vAsudEvasya’ is from the itihAsa samucchayam,

31-56. The full verse is:

“dAsOham vAsudEvasya dEvadEvasya cakriNah /

Sankhacakra-gadApANEh trailOkyasyaika cakshushah //†(itihAsa samucchayam –

31-56)

(I am the servant of SrI VAsudEva, the God of all gods, Who is holding the

conch, the discus, the mace and the bow; and Who is like the eyes of the three

worlds.)

This pramANa is quoted by Swami Desikan to emphasize that, once the jIvAtma

firmly believes that he belongs only to the Lord and none else, the Lord keeps

Himself ready with all the weapons to protect His dAsan, the jIva.

The fifth quote, ‘dAsatvAt vAsudEvasya’ the source of which is not known,

means, “As I am the servant of VAsudEvaâ€.. The source of this is also not

known.

SwAmi Desikan futher says:

“ityAdikaLiRpadiyE thannai Sriyah-pathikku ananyArhaSEshabhootan-enRaRiyavEâ€

-- According to these pramANas, one should know that he is the servant only to

the Supreme Lord and to none else.

Once this firm knowledge comes to one, then what happens? SwAmi Desikan

reveals:

“thannudaiya guNa-vigrahAdikaLilum ic-SEshatvam kaimutika nyAyatthAlE

siddhikkiRathu.†–

This Seshatva, being the servant of the Supreme Lord, will automatically be

reflected in his character as well as in his appearance. This results by the

principle of ‘kaimutika nyAya’. When a greater thing is known, will not the

lesser great thing be known? That will be obvious. Here, the knowledge of

SEshatvam is the greatest one. When it is known firmly to a person, will it not

reflect in his behaviour and appearance? There is no need to mention it

separately as it is obvious.

SwAmi Desikan futher says:

“ithu upalakshaNamAkavumAm.†– It is also a distinctive mark. A person

with such a firm knowledge of he being the servant of the Supreme Lord, will be

a marked person. His appearance and his style of conduct will bear the stamp of

his status of being the Lord’s servant.

SwAmi Desikan recommends:

“ingu ‘akArArthO vishNuh’ enkiRa SlOkatthaip padippathu.†– Here one

should study the SlOka beginning with ‘akArArthO vishNuh’ which is from SrI

ParAsara Bhattar’s work, SrI ashThaSlOkee. The full SlOka is as follows:

“akArArthO vishNuh jagad-udaya-rakshA-pralaykrut

makArArthO jeevah tadupakaraNam vaishNavam-idam /

ukArah ananyArham niyam-ayati sambandham-anayOh

trayeesArah trayAtmA praNava imam artham samadiSat //†(ashThaSlOkee-1)

(The syllable ‘a’ in the praNava is VishNu Who creates, sustains and

destroys the world; the letter ‘m’ in the praNava means the jIva, who exists

for the fulfillment of the purposes of VishNu; the ‘u’ in the praNava

indicates that this relationship between the two can exist only between them

(and not others). So the praNava, which consists of the three syllables and is

the essence of three Vedas, reveals this meaning.)

 

(To continue)

dAsan

Anbil S.SrInivAsan

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