Sharanagati Deepika - 10

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Sri:Srimathe Ramanujaya Nama:

 

Shriman Nigamanta Mahadeshikai: anugrihitam

Sharanagati Deepika

 

Shloka 10:

sattAsthiti prayatnapramukhairupAttam svArtham sadaiva bhavatA svayameva vishvam |dIpaprakAsha tadiha tvadavAptaye tvAm avyAjasiddhamanapAyamupAyamAhu: ||

 

Meaning:

dIpa prakAsha - O Deepa Prakasha!sattA - The creation, sthiti - sustenance, prayatna - actions pramukhai: - and such things vishvam - of (all the beings in) this world bhavatA upAttam - are done by You, svayam eva - by Yourself alone, sadA eva - forever, svArtham - for Your purpose only.tat - Therefore, Ahu: - (great people) say iha - in this world, tvat avAptaye - that to attain You tvAm - You Yourself are thesiddham - already present avyAja - causeless anapAyam - and indestructible upAyam - means.

 

Vyakhyana Saram:

In the prior shlokas, Swami Desikan showed the greatness ofsharaNAgati and to whom it must be done. This may lead someto believe that the act of sharaNAgati itself is the meansto attaining Him. In this shloka, he is clearing thatmisconception and shows that it is He who is the means toattaining Him and nothing else. Swami Pillai Lokacharyar says "pullaik kAtti pullai iduvAraip pOle" - that is, a cowherd will show grass to attract a cow; once the cow comes near, he will not give it something else;he will feed the cow the same grass that he showed it.Similarly, the Lord shows His feet to the chetana and askshim to surrender at that feet ("mAm ekam sharaNam vraja").When he does, it is the same feet that He gives to thechetana. Therefore, it is His divine feet that are boththe upAyam and the upeyam. Nothing else is upAyam. VedantaDesikan is showing that our sampradhAyam is siddhOpAya

sampradhAyam and not sAdhyOpAya sampradhAyam.All the acts of the chetana are due to Him and are for His purpose only. The act of sharaNAgati is also included in this and cannot be taken as a separate thing. Thus, He alone is the means. Just as Brahmastra does not accept anything else working with it (in Ramayana, when the rakshasas tied Hanuman withordinary ropes after he had been bound by the Brahmastra,the Brahmastra released him), so too His being the means does not tolerate the idea that anything else including the act of sharaNAgati could be the means.His being the means is also causeless - nirhetuka krupa.He does not require anything from the chetana to showerHis mercy on him. All that the chetana has to do is toresist receiving this mercy and accept it with open hands.

 

 

Azhvar Emberumanar Jeeyar Thiruvadigale Sharanam