SrI sAram -- I (31)

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srI:

SrI sAra sAram – I (31)

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I – ThirumantrAdhikAram

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The Significance of ‘namah’ (continued)

---

SwAmi Desikan has shown that the jIva has no independence to act on his own. He

is totally dependent on the Supreme Lord under whose will power only he exists

and acts. Then, a question may arise in our minds: If it is so, then we see

people engaged in various activities using their organs of action. How is it

possible? This is a natural doubt that comes up in our minds. This will

disappear if we study what Swami Desikan explains now:

“lOka-drushTa-dAsAdi-kaLin padiyanRikkE jeevarkaLuDaiya kartrutvam

svArthamAka svatantra swAmi koDutthathAi avaniTTa vazhakkAyirukkaiyAlE keezhc

conna paraSeshatvatthODE kooDap para-Ayatta-kartrutvamum ingkE

anusandhEyamAyiRRu. kAraNatvam tattvatraya-sAdhAraNam. kartrutvam

jeeva-ISvara-sAdhAraNam. ithil para-adheena-kartrutvam

trividha-cEtana-sAdhAraNam. svAdheena-kartrutvam ISvaranukkE asAdhAraNam.

ippadiyirukkka, anAdi karma vasatthAlum pravrutti-SAstrangkaLil

ApAta-prateeti-yAlum piRantha nirapEksha-kartrutva-abhimAnatthai viDukaiyE ingku

nivrutti-SAstra-nishThai.â€

First we must understand that it is natural for the jIva to engage himself in

activity. This nature is gifted by the Lord, so he should think. SwAmi Desikan

explains this in this way:

“lOka-drushTa-dAsAdi-kaLin padiyanRikkE jeevarkaLuDaiya kartrutvam

svArthamAka svatantra swAmi koDutthathAi avaniTTa vazhakkAyirukkaiyAlE keezhc

conna paraSEshatvatthODE kooDap para-Ayatta-kartrutvamum ingkE

anusandhEyamAyiRRu.†–

In the world, we see a servant serving his master. He does all the works

assigned to him by his master. But, his ability to work is not given by the

master. He does the work on his own. Unlike this worldly servant, the capacity

to work is gifted to the jIvas is gifted by the Supreme Lord, Who is the Seshi,

that too, for His own purpose (svArtham). Therefore, while the jIva realizes

that he is Sesha to the Lord, he should also think that the doer-ship is too

given by Him. In this respect, the Lord has the full freedom. The Lord has the

total right to enjoy the result of the work done by the jIva. The work as well

as the capacity to do it are also given to the jIva by the Lord. It is therefore

necessary that one should feel that the capacity to work too is gifted by the

Lord, along with the feeling of one being the Sesha (servant) to the Lord as

described earlier. This is stated by Swami Desikan in the above sentence as:

‘paraSeshatvatthODE kooDap

para-Ayatta-kartrutvamum ingkE anusandhEyamAyiRRu.’

SwAmi Desikan now points out the subtle difference between the Lord on the one

hand and the sentient beings and non-sentient objects on the other:

“kAraNatvam tattvatraya-sAdhAraNam.â€---

Being a cause for something is common to all the three tattvas. There is also a

common aspect between the Lord and the three types of jIvas:

“kartrutvam jeeva-ISvara-sAdhAraNam.†--- The ability to be active is

common to both the Lord as well as all the three types of jIvas – those in

samsAra, those who are liberated from the bondage (muktas) and those jIvas who

are ever-free (nityas).

But the difference between the Lord and these jIvas exists in the following

aspect:

“ithil para-adheena-kartrutvam trividha-cEtana-sAdhAraNam.

svAdheena-kartrutvam ISvaranukkE asAdhAraNam.†--

This capacity to perform action being under the control of some one else, that

is, the Lord, is common to all the three types of jIvas. They cannot act on

their own without the Lord’s grace. But, as far as the Lord is concerned, He

has full freedom to act without depending on any one else. Such a freedom does

not exist in the case of the three types of jIvas.

While this is the fact, some jIvas think differently, says SwAmi desikan:

“ippadiyirukkka, anAdi karma vasatthAlum pravrutti-SAstrangkaLil

ApAta-prateeti-yAlum piRantha nirapEksha-kartrutva-abhimAnatthai viDukaiyE ingku

nivrutti-SAstra-nishThai.â€---

While the true situation is that the jIvas can not do anything without the

Lord’s consent, some jIvas think that they can do things without depending on

any other person. The reason for this type of thought is their past karmas.

Moreover, they are misled by the scriptures which speak about fruits enjoyable

in this life. They do not study these scriptures in depth but they are carried

away by the superficial statements and wrongly think that they can act

independently. If a jIva gives up this thinking, he can be said to be firmly

rooted in the scriptures that teach about the benefits of mOksha.

 

(To continue)

dAsan

Anbil S.SrInivAsan

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