Lend Me Your Ears--Part II

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Srimate

SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

Lend Me Your Ears!--Part II

 

What to hear

Well, Emperuman may listen to only what is pure and auspicious.

What about us? Alas, what we hear is mostly puerile, inauspicious,

contaminating and unwholesome. For each word about the Lord which falls on our

ears, a thousand words of impure stuff assail our ears from all sides.

Kulasekhara Azhwar tells us how we should use our ears—"Achyuta kathaa shrotra dvaya tvam shrunu!" (Mukunda Maala). "Lend your ears only to tales about the

glories of Emperuman!" exhorts Azhwar, telling us implicitly to avoid hearing

gossip and noises about all other mundane matters. Normally, to human beings,

what is pleasing to the ears is good and melodious music or praise about

themselves. However, to Azhwars, it is the Lord's names which are most

pleasurable—"Sevikku inbam aduvum Senkan

Maal naamam". If succulent fruits are tasty to the tongue, it is the Lord's

praises that are a treat to the ears, says Nammazhwar—"Sevigalaara nin keerti kavi

ennum kanigale" Sri

Pogaiazhwar swears, " en sevi irandum

kel avanadu in mozhiye kettu irukkum " ( " My ears listen only to

the glorious tales of Emperuman, who

is everybody to me " ). And what about ears that do not let in the Lord's

names or doings? Sri Kalian says that they are mere adornments to the sides of

the head, and do not serve any useful purpose at all--

" tolaada

maamaniyai tondarkku iniyaanai kelaa

sevigal sevi alla kettaame " --Concurs

Elangovadigal in Silappadhikaaram - " Tirumaal seer kelaada sevi enna seviye!"

 

One significant feature of our listening faculty is that

unlike our mouth or eyes, there is no in-built facility for automatically

shutting our ears, perhaps with the intention that man should listen a lot.

However, with the passage of good times and the preponderance of evil tidings

over good, we have to be selective in what we let into our ears. And the only

way we can perform kainkaryam with

our ears is to confine their intake to tales of the Lord's glory. It is not for

nothing that one of the Vedic Shaanti

paatas begins with " Bhadram

karnebhi: shrunuyaama deva: " (May the Gods let only good tidings fall

on our ears!). Here, the word " Bhadram " refers to the Lord's

praise, in the form of Veda mantras, stotras, Azhwars' outpourings,

etc. The word "Bhadram" also refers

to Nrisimhan. If we adopt this meaning, then the Veda vaakya referred to above tells us to listen to the praise only of

Sri Nrisimha. This prayer occurs also in the Taittiriyopanishad Seekshaavalli, thus-- " karnaabhyaam

bhoori vishruvam " . Another related Veda

vaakya is " shrotrena bhadram uta

shrinvanti satyam " . The Veda Purusha prays that we may listen only

to accounts of Emperuman's glory, and

not to mere mundane matters. While Azhwars

are particular about hearing only such things, they are also equally concerned

about what they should not lend their ears to.

Says Sri Poygaiazhwar - " pey

mulai nanju oonaaga undaan uruvodu per allaal kaanaa kan kelaa sevi " -

(My ears would not listen to anything other than Sri Krishna's haloed names).

Like the three monkeys that Mahatma Gandhi used to like, we too should shut our

ears to all mundane gossip, invective and unproductive sounds and lend our ears

only to tales of the Lord.

Are Snakes really deaf?

If the Lord has beautiful ears and hears only the best of

sounds like Veda ghosham, what about His most intimate servitor, Aadisesha?

Does he have ears at all? There are different opinions about whether snakes and

serpents have ears and can hear. We have the Tamizh saying "Paambu sevi", indicating that the

hearing of snakes is quite sharp. We have too the English idiom "deaf as an

adder", indicating that snakes do not have any hearing faculty at all. What

then is the truth? Peyaazhwar tells us that Adisesha does not have ears—"Sevi teriyaa Naagam". However, this doesn't mean that he can't hear--for, his

eyes double as ears too. Though he doesn't have separate ears, his eyes do the

job of hearing too, apart from seeing. This is why the snake is also known as "Chakshusrava:" and "Chakshu: shrutee:" ("Chakshu:"

means eye and "Srava:"refers to ears)

in Sanskrit and as "Katchevi" (Kan+Sevi) in Tamizh. There is thus no

dispute—while snakes definitely do not have ears, they can hear, through their

eyes. This explains why snake charmers are able to sway and entice snakes with

the haunting tunes they play with their pipes ("Magudi"). Azhwar says Aadisesha's ears are quite sharp and can

detect at distance apparently hostile sounds, which make him spit venom in his

anxiety to protect the Lord—"Aangu

aaravaaram adu kettu azhal umizhum poonkaar aravanai". "Can one faculty do the job of another!" I

hear you wonder. However, Aadisesha is reputed to perform several kainkaryams to the Lord with a single

body—acting as an umbrella, a throne, a supple bed, soft slippers, a beautiful

boat and a luminescent lamp—"Chendraal

kudayaam, irundaal singaasanamaam, nindraal maravadiyaam, neel kadalul endrum

punayaam manivilakaam poompattam, pulgum anayaam Tirumaarkku aravu". Hence it is definitely not impossible

for Aadisesha to hear with his eyes.

It is not only Adisesha who can hear with his eyes—His Lord

and Master too has the capacity to make one faculty perform the function of

another, as for instance, hearing with His eyes. While in ordinary mortals, one

faculty or indriyam can perform only one function, the Lord has no such

constraint and can use any of His faculties to use in any manner He likes, says

Sri Paraasara Bhattar—

"Nayana shravana

drichaa shrunoshi atha te Rangapate! Mahesitu:

Karanairapi kaama

kaarina: ghatate sarva pateenaam eekshanam"

Not only can Emperuman hear with His eyes, He can hear even

without the aid of His ears or, for that matter, any other faculty. The

Upanishad tells us that He is able to hear without ears, see without eyes, run

without legs.

Snakes for Ear Rings!

Aadishesha might not have ears—but his eternal companion in

the Lord's service, Garuda, indeed has beautiful ears. And these ears are

adorned by unique kundalams, long,

soft and supple—none other than snakes. Great snakes known as Padmam and Maha Padmam adorn Garuthman's right and left ears, says Swami

Desikan, who had the great good fortune of seeing Garuda in person and

obtaining from him the precious Hayagreeva mantram—

" Padmam karne apasavye

prathi bhavati Maha Padmanyatra bibhrat

Choodaayaam shankha

paalam gulikamapi bhuje dakshine Pakshimalla:"

Bells in the Ears!

Talking of ear adornments, have you heard of Ghantaakarnan,

who was so called because he adorned his ears with bells? These were not mere

adornments, but had a definite and diabolic purpose. When everyone in their

right mind prays for the Lord's names to be always filling one's ears, this

Ghantaakarnan hated Sriman Narayana so much that hearing the Lord's name was

like pouring molten lead into his ears. He therefore hung bells from his ears

and would violently shake his ears, making them ring loudly, whenever someone

uttered the holy names of Vishnu within his earshot. He was however a great

Shiva bhakta. Due to the accidental association with a Vishnu bhakta,

Ghantaakarnan developed a desire for liberation and went to Kailaasam to seek

the same from Siva. Since Moksham can be conferred only by Sriman Narayana ("Moksham icchet Janaardanaat"), Siva

directed Ghantaakarna to approach Sriman Narayana with his request. The scales

fell from Ghantaakarnan's eyes and he repented deeply for his unreasonable

hatred of Vishnu. He untied the bells from his ears and tied them to his hands,

wanting for ever to fill his ears with the nectar of Bhagavan naama. When he performed Sharanaagati to the Lord, Sriman

Narayana blessed him with liberation, despite his avowed and long-standing

enmity towards the Lord.

Adornments to the Ear are on the principal list of jewels of

every lady worth the name. We have never seen a girl or lady with her ears

un-pierced or unadorned. "Todu"

ranging from plastic ones to diamond ear rings, depending upon the economic

status of the female, are an indispensable part of female attire. (My wife, who

is reading this over my shoulder as it is being typed, tells me that it is time

we bought diamond ear rings for our daughter, which appear to be a sine qua non for Sri Vaishnavite marriages) We are hence not surprised to

find ear rings figuring prominently on Sri Andal's list of jewels, to be worn

at the end of Maargazhi Vratam—"Soodagame, tol valaye, Tode, sevippove, paadagame endru anaya palkalanum yaam anivom".

Ear rings are one of the five hallmarks of a "Sumangali", the other four being a "tilakam" on the forehead, use of turmeric, bangles and Mangala Sootram ("thaali")

Born from the Ear!

We have seen how beautiful the Lord's ears are. What about

those of His Consorts, especially those of Bhoo Devi? Vedas tell us that since

Bhoo Devi is none other than Mother Earth, Her ears represent projections from

earth—specifically, anthills (known in Sanskrit as "Valmeekam") are said to be Her ears. Just as mountains are said to

be Her breasts and the vast seas Her attire ("Kaaraar varai kongai kannaar kadal udukkai"), anthills are

veritably Her ears. Since he emerged after a long penance from the anthills

which the ants had built around him, the author of Srimad Ramayanam came to be

known as Vaalmeeki—"Valmeekata:

shravanato Vasudhaatmana:" says

Swami Desikan in Godastuti. We thus see that while the Lord's ears gave birth

to asuras like Madhu, Kaitapa, Loka and Kantaka, His Consort's ears originated

Maharshis and good people!

Purity personified!

The relative importance of Ears among the various parts of

the body is evident, when we find that they are considered to be places of

purity. A Braahamana's right ear, especially, is supposed to be a repository of

holy waters like the Ganga, and, as such, extremely pure. When water is not

available for purificatory rituals like Aachamanam, Smritis tell us that it is

enough if we touch the tip of our nose and our right ear, while uttering the Pranavam—

"Gangaadyaa: dakshine

karne naasikaagre Hutaasana:

Ubhou api sakrit

sprishtvaa tat kshanaat eva shudhyati"

This procedure, which confers on us instant purity, is known

as a "Shrotra Aachamanam".

This is further borne out by the fact that whenever a vaidika

karma is performed and the "Pavithram"

worn on the ring finger is to be temporarily kept somewhere, it is to be placed

only on the upper portion of the right ear. Parking the Pavitram anywhere else in the body renders it impure and unusable—

"Dehe nikshiptam

anyatra dakshina shravanaat tyajet" (Saccharitra Sudha Nidhi)

And when we perform excretory functions, when we are supposed

to keep our Yagnopaveetam out of the

way, the sacred thread is supposed to be rolled up and kept on top of the right

ear, again signifying the latter's purity.

"Cut them off!" says Sri

Rama

Again, Ears are supposed to be such an important part of the

body, that cutting off an offender's ears was deemed to be an exemplary

punishment. We find such retribution being meted out to Soorpanakha, in the

Ramavatara. Cutting off a woman's ears was supposed to inflict mortification

and ignominy. No wonder Soorpanakha ran to her brother Raavana to complain and

seek revenge!

The Ears appear to have an inalienable association with the

Lord. We have seen above how His ears originated the four Directions. During

the purificatory ritual of Aachamanam, when several body parts are supposed to

be touched with the ring finger while uttering various names of the Lord, we

find that the ears are to be touched with the holy names, "Trivikrama and Vamana".

Star of the Ear

We come next to the Shravana Nakshatram. "Shravanam", as we know, refers both to

Ears and to the act of listening. We are told that those born under this

Nakshatram are adept at listening and

learning. This constellation signifies eternal quest of knowledge. In yet

another association, we find that this is the Lord's own nakshatram—so much so that He is addressed by Periazhwar as "Tiruvonatthaan". Considering the

association between ears and the Lord, it comes as no surprise to us to find

that Vaamana and Hayagreeva descended to earth on that day. Attesting further

to its divinity, it is the aphorism under which Poigayaazhwar, Swami Desikan

and Sri Pillai Lokaacharya took birth in this world, to emancipate innumerable

souls through their words of wisdom.

"For Your Ears Only"

Normally, good things should be

shouted from the roof tops, so that the maximum number of people can hear and

benefit. However, there are certain matters like Mantras, which are to be kept

confidential and whispered into the ears of the beneficiary, without even a

third person hearing it. The upadesam

of Gaayatri mantram is done even today in this fashion, with a silk cloth

thrown over the heads of the father (who performs the upadesam) and that of the

son (who receives the mantra). Thus, the upadesam

of mantras is to be done with only four ears in attendance—two of the giver and

two of the receiver and no fifth or sixth ears (meaning a third party) are

permitted—"Ashatkarnam". This is

borne out by the dictum quoted by Swami Desikan in Srimad Rahasyatrayasaaram—"Mantram yatnena gopayet"—esoteric formulations are to be kept a closely-guarded

secret, with strenuous effort therefor.

 

 

Did Ramanuja shout mantras from rooftop?

This brings us to the question of

Sri Ramanuja's conduct at Tiruggoshtiyur—he is supposed to have acquired the Ashtaakshara mantram from his Acharya

Tiruggoshtiyur Nambi, with considerable effort, having been made to walk from

Srirangam to Tiruggoshtiyur no less than 18 times. And it was this holiest of

holy mantras that Ramanuja is supposed to have shouted out from atop the temple

gopuram, for all and sundry to hear, with the apparent intention of benefiting

all. We wonder whether Ramanuja would have violated such a sacred trust reposed

in him by his Guru, with the specific injunction that the mantram should not be

parted with except through proper means and to the appropriate person, after

comprehensively testing the receiver's eligibility. And now some

well-intentioned soul has even erected a statue of Ramanuja on the gopuram,

apparently lending credence to the tale.

The fact of the matter is that

Ramanuja, with his strong tradition of obedience to his Gurus and implicit

adherence to Shastras, would never have taken such a drastic step. Apart from ordaining

the secrecy of mantras to be preserved zealously, Shastras also tell us that

spiritual enlightenment should never be given unsolicited. Such indiscriminate

dissemination of Aatma gnaanam would

benefit neither the giver nor the receiver and may often prove counterproductive,

resulting in loss of longevity and riches, says the Smriti—"aprakaasa prakaasaabhyaam ksheeyate sampat

aayushi". It is therefore inconceivable that Bhaashyakara would have

willfully disobeyed both the Shastras and his Guru's advice, displaying callous

disregard for both. What is more likely is that he would have indeed addressed

the people from the gopuram, in a bid

to spread the good word of supremacy of Sriman Narayana and the need for

engaging oneself in spiritual endeavours like naama smaranam and sankeertanam,

the need for adherence to saamaanya

dharma, etc.

Point of Entry

The Lord is so enamoured of His

devotees that He seeks proximity to them not only at the mental level, but on a

physical plane too. He is extremely fond of being one with them. We only have

to look at the way He crowded in with the three Mudal Azhwars at Tirukkoilur on

that stormy night. Similarly, Sri Nammazhwar tells us that the Lord entered

into his body, desiring a physical closeness with Azwar—"ennul pugundaan". And when we see how the Lord enters Azhwar's

body, we find that of the nine entrances that the body has ("uromam veyndu onbadu vaasal taanudai

kurambai"), it is the ear that the Lord chooses for His grand entrance.

This is no mere idle speculation, but has been recorded by Azhwar himself in Periya Tiruvandaadi--

"Bhuviyum iru visumbum nin agattha—nee

en

Seviyin vazhi pugundu ennullaai—avivindri

Yaan periyan nee periyai enbadanai yaar arivaar

Oon parugu nemiyaai ullu"

Enough of the Ear!

Well, we could perhaps go on chronicling

the significance of ears. However, people would stop lending me their ears, as

this article has crossed ten pages in length. Shall we stop here then, with

just one more quote that amply demonstrates the greatness of the ears and of

the faculty of listening—"Kattralil kettale nandru". This old adage tells us

that absorption of wisdom is better done through the Ears, hearing to elders

and teachers, rather than by mere perusal of text books. This is all the more

applicable to Vedic studies, where the sounds are to be imbibed only through

listening, consequently bestowing the scripture itself with the name "Shruti"—that which is to be propagated

and learnt only through listening.

Srimate Sri LakshmiNrisimha divya

paaduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri NarayanaYatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

dasan, sadagopan