AruL

[Guest guest]

Dear BhakthAs:

 

In the context of the posting on AruL ,

SrIman Sampath Rengarajan of Thirukkudanthai

refreshed my memory on a posting on AruL

that he had in the SaraNAgathi Journal few

months back. It was one in a series of six

deep articles that he posted in the SaraNAgathi

Journal .

 

It is a brilliant analysis of the concept of

AruL in SrI vaishNava sampradhAyam . It is my

pleasure to forward you that note.

 

BTW, we restarted SaraNAgathi journal after

a break of 6 months in publication. We have released

three issues this year. Our intention is to publish

one issueper week. Those who wish to to

this electronic journal are welcome to send e-mail to:

saranagathi-

 

The focus on the last three issues starting from

Jan 19, 2002 ( Volume 04.002) upto Purattasi SraVaNam

of this year 2002 and beyond will be on two main items:

 

1. ChillaRai RahasyangaL (CR)of Swamy Desikan (32 CR).

2. Desika prabhandham (405 paasurams ).

 

Those intersted in the above SrI Sookthis are

welcome to join this study group .

 

I have attached full text of SrI Sampath Rengarajan's

earlier article on AruL that appeared in SaraNAgathi.

 

Swamy Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan

 

 

> " Sampath Rengarajan " <srengara

>mcadambi

>Cc: sgopan

>

Hello Sri Malolan,

 

Hope you are doing well.

The following is an article written by

adiyEn long ago on AruL in saranagathi Journal.

Some useful additional points may be found,

in addition to Sri VS's wonderful explanations.

It just occured to adiyEn's mind about extra

research adiyEn did about this word and so

adiyEn wanted to send this

to you.

 

adiyEn

SR

 

**************************************************

>http://www.srivaishnava.org/sgati/volume1/v01007.htm

 

Saranagathi - Part 6 by Sampath Rengarajan

 

**************************************************

 

In the last part we saw as to how this pAsuram

conatined the three thaththuvams in it and also

as to how the three layers of meanings namely ,

the essence of 3 thaththuvams, the prapatti

yOgam and eswaran connects to each other.

 

The thathuva artham thus forms the physical body

and the prapatti angam the soul and the Isvaran

the paramAthman,and HIS lotus feet. There are many ways

as to why the inner most meaning contains only Isvaran

and nothing other than HIM. ie. as the antharyamin of

this pasruam it is only eswaran who is present in it.

 

One way of seeing, is from the very first and

last words of pAsurams as where it starts and

where it ends. The first word if " nin " ie " Oh lord Your "

and the last word is ninnaiye " Oh Lord

yours only " . ie. , the pasuram itself starts

from HIM and ends in HIM as similar to how the creations

orginate from HIM and ends with HIM. This itself is

sufficent to show that the antharyAmin for this

pAsuram is the LORD HIMself.

 

It is now our desire to go into each and every

line of this pAsuram and serach for the links

for our soul with the antharyAmin in it. The first line

explains about kArpanyam angam. nin aruLAM gathi anRi

maRRonRillEn

 

Swami Desikan reached a stage at which he addressed

the Lord as " nin " , ie., this is a very personal way of

one to one relationship the jivAtma has reached with

the paramAtmA. The word " nin " is a second person.

One must note that azwars and swami desikan have addressed

the Lord en kaNNan, en appan,thirumAL, pugunthavan, and

many others.These are all the examples as to how they

addressed the Lord as third persons. Here, the intimacy

is reached such that the pura vulagu or the external world

and its attachments have thinned out as Swami Desikan

addresses the Lord as " nin " ie., I have no other state of

freedom or gathi than Your aruL sudanthiram.

Thus,the word aruL has to be understood prior to

understanding this kArpanyam angam.

 

aruL : AruL in tamil has many meanings. The notable

philosopher Mr Paul Brenton who mastered Hindu philosophy

once said that there is no equivalent word in any language

to substitute the complex and layers of meanings

that the tamil word " AruL " has. Such is the word that

offers the central theme for this line and this angam.

 

The first meaning for aruL is such that it is

thAyAr or mahAlakshmi. ie., aruL itself means

Lakshmi. The meaning for aruL is also such that

aruL is addressed as aruL veLi or the " domain of aruL " .

ie., aruL is itself a veLi or something that is spread

outside in this universe without any limits. If someone

starts drawing borders for aruL then the word will lose

its very meaning. That is why it is also presented

earlier that when one surrenders all their freedom they

need not feel shy or sad, as they then enter the domain

of the Lord and qualify for the freedom known as Lord's

aruL sudanthiram. This aruL freedom is a domain that

has no limits.

 

AruL also means one's thaNmai or one's nature. ie.,

it is natural for the lord to have this sakthi or

domain with HIM always it seems. AruL also means

anAthi iyaRkai ie., the nature that has no begining

and end. ie., aruL was never created as one's nature

and it is always been part of one as its nature

eternally.

 

arul means para nYAnam. para nyAnam means

the knowledge that is ever present. aruL also

means most importantly the asaivu or movement of

the Athman. This is the most importanat meaning

for prapanna as this movement is the one he is

left with at the end. Lord's compassion is

also known in tamil as aruL. aruL is also the

capacity or pakkuvam of the buddhi to catogerise good

and bad, and to understand the vedic srutis and

through that pave the way for the good of the Athman

and according to each and everyone's tharam or standard

or level what ever vasthu such person want to know,

such capacity becomes the aruL for them.

AzwAr delivered aruL in scores of pasurams.

Only a few are mentioned herewith.

 

Thirumangai delivered " aNdAy unaik kAnbathOr

aruL ennaku aruLithiyEl " ie., here he addressed

arul first as a bAgyam or koduppinai or the " gathi "

to have the prathyaksha darshanam of thiruviNNagarAn.

Secondly he is asking the same as a boon or something

divinley given ie., the word aruL is addressed as a boon.

 

In another pAsuram on oppiliappan he delivers " un aruL ennum

Or vaL uruvi erinthEn " . Here, he addresses aruL as a

karuvi or the holy sword that cuts off all the samsaric ills.

Azwars have also called aruL with various adaimozhis

such as pon aruL, un aruL, pEr aruL, thiru aruL etc.,

and Saint vaLLalAr in his magnum opus " thiru aruL paa "

addresses the param poruL as aruL perum jOthi thus

glorifying the different forms of aruL. AzwArs themselves

used aruL for several pathams also. It is worth discussing

aruL for several hours in a lecture as referred from

AzwAr pAsuram itself. However,we move on to understand

aruL and its nature of existance further.

 

How is aruL existing in this universe ? what are

the different common modes inn which aruL can be

identified ? kAnbAr kAnumidam kAnap padumidam - ie.,

for those who see a place, it is seen there

 

aRivAr ariyumidam ariyap padumidam - ie., for those

who learn from a source, it is that source for such

learners;for those who tastes it - it is the material

that they taste.anubavippAr anubavikkumidam anibaviakka

padum idam - ie ., for those who experience it, it is

such state of experience.mugaruvAr - mugarumidam - for those

who infer it is the thing that they infer. kEtpar

kEtkumidam - for those who listen, it is the aruL mozhi

that they listen (from achAryALs).

 

How can one get such aruL ? One just have to enquire

through his or her buddhi, the three thaththuvams

and analyse the good and bad, and approach an achAryAL

who is the embodiment of good alone, and involve in serving

him by doing his thiru paNi and do the errand and other works

or assignments that he will assign as aruL kattaLai

(order of aruL) and one must do such without pausing to ask

questions or stopping ie.,non stop. Only such bAgwatha bagwath kaimkaryam

will fetch one the aruL of the Lord.

 

Swami Desikan thiruvadikaLE saraNam

Sri Boomi devi thAyAr samEtha Sri Oppiliappan thiruvadikaLE saraNam

Sampath Rengarajan