Nikshepa Raksha- Part 2

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SrI:

SrImathE rAmANujAya namah:

Dearest Srivaishnavas,

 

Continuing with Nikshepa Raksha of Swamy Desikan, let me post the remaining

part wherein Swamy refutes the nine points crystal clear listed in the

earlier post as Poorvapaksham:

Recap: [Desika states the prima facie view that Prapatti is not a distinct

and different means of moksha - at the very first outset and raises nine

objections against this statement (or view of Prapatti as follows:

 

swarUphalakshmAnushtAna vidhyadhrashtErnishEDhatha: |

EkyAdhaSakthErAKhyAthE: sampradhAya virODhatha: ||

 

The nine incompatibilities pointed out are:

 

The anupapatthi (or incompatibility) regarding its essential nature of being

different from Bhakti;

the anupapatthi regarding lakshana or definition;

anushtAnAnupatthi - or the absence of its adoption for moksha;

the absence of any authority enjoining it;

the fact of negation of any means other than Bhakti for attaining moksha;

the incompatibility of its non-difference from Bhakti as it is only an

accessory to Bhakti

the inability to perform Prapatti;

it is not prominently known from the saasthraas and

it is contrary to tradition as it is not bequeathed by the line of teachers

i.e. Guruparampara.

 

These anupapatti's are described in detail one after the other in the former

portion of this treatise that forms Poorvapaksha BhAgam- meaning Opponent's

view]

 

In the latter part of this work these objections are refuted on after the

other in the same order and the conclusion is established that Prapatti is a

distinct and valid means for mukti and that it is a sufficient substitute

for Bhakti yoga or upasana. It is a universal means that can be adopted by

one and all for the attainment of their desired object inclusive of moksha.

 

A brief summary of the objections and their refutations is given here under:

1. swarupaanupapatti

Objection:

Prapatti is neither Siddharupa nor SaadhyarUpa. If it is Siddharupa, it can

not be enjoined to be performed. If it is Sadhyarupa, it will not be of the

form of jnAna, as it will be of the form of an action through speech or

body. It will be just like sthuthi - an accessory to Bhakti yoga-

vAkhyarUpathvAth sthuthyAdhivath jnAnAthmakathvAbhAvEna etc.. This results

in the abandonment of the truth " jnAnAdEva mOksha: "

 

Answer: We admit that it is not SiddharUpa, and so the objection does not

arise. It is SaadhyarUpa. But we do not admit that it is vAchikAdhi

kriyArUpA | So, there is no room for abandoning jnAna as the means to

mOksha. Saranagathi is admitted as maanasika and it is saasthrajanya

jnAnADhikavishayA | It is of the form of viDhEyajnAna and this objection

does not arise.

 

Objection: Is Prapatti having any accessories or not? If you say it had,

then it is opposed to your statement that it is nirapEkshOpAya.

 

Answer: The elaborate Karmas and others that are required for the Bhakti

Yoga and others are not required for Prapatti- this is what is meant by

nirapEkshOpAya. This does not mean that Prapatti is not having the unqiue

and particular accessories that are established by Pramanas.

 

Objecion: Is Sarvadharma parithyaga a vidhi? Or an anuvaada? It can not be

either.

 

Answer: It is not a vidhi. It does not mean that one should abandon all

dharmas. Dharmalopa is not admissible for a Prapanna (one who has performed

Saranagathy). SarvadharmaSabdhEna prasthuthamOkshOpAyAntharANAm

vivakshithathvAth |

 

It means that one should give up a desire to follow any other means of

liberation on account of his utterance of inability.

prabadhanA~ngabhUtha AkinchanyapuraskAra virudDhOpAyAntharASAprahANamEvAthra

thyAga ithi na virODha:

 

Similar doubts that arise regarding the swarUpa of Prapatti are all

dispelled according to the authorities of jithanthE sthOthra, lakshmI

thanthram and ahirbudhnya samhithA.

 

The swarUpAnupapaddhi is answered as follows:

 

swanirbhara tvaparyantha rakshakai kArThyabAvanam | thyaktharakshA

phalaswAmyam rakshasyAthmasamarpaNam ||

 

The SwarUpa of Prapatti, its accessories and the nature of Sarvadharma

parithyaga have been thus expounded by the great Acharya in this work.

 

The second objection raised against the definition of Prapatti is answered

as follows:

 

athra sauhArdhE thu AkhyApthyAdhiahitham lakshaNam vadhAma: |

ananya saaDhyaswAbishTa sADhanasamarThavaSikaraNam saraNAgathi: ithi: |

there is no angi over and above the six factors mentioned. Of the six,

nikshEpa is described as the main and the others are accessories. Prayer is

described as Saranagathi on account of the fact that it gets included in

Saranagathi and that it is a PraDhAnabhUthAnga. According to the

Satyakithanthra, nyAsa is described as the main or angi in the primary sense

in the statement, " anEnaiva thu manthrENa swAthmAnam mayi nikshipEth . It is

thus established that Prapatti can be properly defined.

 

3. The objection that it is not seen among ancients that anyone was

liberated thorugh Prapatti alone as evidenced in the scriptures is refuted

as follows:

 

It can not be said that Prapatti was not at all observed. Nor can it be said

that Prapatti was not performed for mOkshA. Vibheeshana and others have

performed Prapatti as known from Ithihasas and PurANas. It is very well

known that Kshathrabandhu, Muchukunda and others have performed Prapatti as

a direct means to moksha. " thvamEva SaraNam prApya nistharanthi manISiNa: is

a well known statement.

 

4. The objection that there is no injunction enjoining Prapatti as " one

should perform Prapatti " is countered next as follows:

 

It is established that mantras are a;; viDhipara (order or command). The

scriptural authorities such as mumukshurvai saraNamaham prapadyE.. " and

OmithyAthmAnam yujjItha " prescribe Prapatti for being saved. The sum and

substance of Sri Rama charama sloka is- " abhayaprApthikAmO mAm prapadyEtha

and yAhi sarvAthma bhAvEna " are all positively enjoining Prapatti. The

saatyakithanthra says " tham gaccha saraNam harim " . This is established by

Sruthi and so it can not be said that it is not established in sruthis.

 

5. It is also argued that any means other than bhakthi is negated in the

statement " thamEnam vidwAn amrutha iha bhavathi; nAnya: panThA ayanAya

viDhyathE..

 

The answer is: nAnya means bhakthi prapatthivyathiriktha: . The rule

regarding the general and exception points out that the negation applies to

that which is other than presecribed. Just as there are different mdoe of

Upasana, nyAsa vidyA also is one included among them. So this objection too

does not arise.

 

6. The next objection raised is that Prapatti is one with Bhakthi Yoga,

being an accessory to it. The authorities that presecribe Prapatti do so as

am anga or an accessory to Bhakti yoga. So, it is not an independent and

direct means to moksha.

 

The answer to this objection is as follows:

 

Prapatti can be an anga or accessory to Bhakti Yoga or a direct means (angi)

according to the purpose required, as pointed out by the rule of

viniyOgapruThakthva. Just like any mode of upasana, Prapatti can also

function as direct means to moksha. This is made clear by the following

authorities:

 

sathkarma nirathA: SudDhA: sAnkhyayOgavidhasthaThA |

nArhanthi SaraNasThasya kalAm kOtithamImapi ||

 

yadhyEna kAmakAmEna na sADhyam sADhanAntharai: |

.... thEna thEnApyEtha thatthan nyAsEnaiva mahAmunE ||

 

So, it need not be doubted that Prapatti is one with Bhakti Yoga (though it

is an anga to it - similar to praNavam can be combined with nama +

nArAyaNaya and also be uttered independently, having the same importance and

significance.

 

7. The next objection relates to the impossibility of Prapatti being

observed as Prapatti requires cessation of all activities.

 

The objection has got no foundations and as such a requirement is never

possible; nor it is envisioned or accepted. A Prapanna is never seen to be

totally actionless. Even the savants of the past have expounded " the giving

up of all activities that are opposed to the command of the Lord or that

would displease the Lord. Nowhere it is said that sarvapravrutthinivrutthi

is Prapatti. What is to be discarded is the idea that one can save oneself

by one's own efforts independent of the Lord. One should give up all efforts

to seek protection from anyone other than the Lord. The involuntary

functions like the blinking of eyes, breathing, and the performance of the

ordained duties (like Sandhyavandhanam) as devout worship of the Lord are

not required to be given up. So, this objection that Prapatti is impossible

to be performed after giving up of ALL activities does not stand anymore.

 

8. The next objection is that Prapatti is not well known as a mOkshOpAya. In

all 18 vidhyAsthAnas, the four thanthras, or the Shilpasaasthra, Prapatti is

nowhere mentioned as a distinct means to moksha. What is Prapatti is not

clearly known. So it is an unknown or unclear means. Moreover, MahAviswAsam

cannot also be visualized or actualized.

 

Answer: By the term aKhyAthi you can not intend to say that the essential

nature of Prapatti is not existent. This view has already been refuted

above. You can not even state that it is not a distinct and direct,

different means, because it is taught as DIFFERENT, DIRECT and DISTINCT

means on Ahirbudhnya Samhitha and Lakshmi thanthram, etc. The here fact that

it is not profusely taught except for these few places and sruthi statements

[like mumukshurvai saraNamaham prapadyE and MuNdaka Upanishad where it is

mentioned that like an arrow is aimed on target, the soul is surrendered

once at the target- ambena naan amizhandhEnE.. ].

 

The testimony of other schools like Sankhya and others is of no avail to us

as we do not follow them closely. The great masters of the yore, like

Vaalmeeki, Parasara, Vyasa, Shuka, Saunaka, and others have glorified this

doctrine in their great works and so the above objection is totally

untenable.

 

9. the ninth and final objection is that Prapatti is opposed to Sampradya or

tradition. The ancient acharyas have not traditionally taught or practised

Prapatti as an independent and direct, different means to moskha. It is

taught only as an anga or accessory in Sri Bhashya and Githa Bhashya. There

might be references to Prapatti, but there are also for Karma, jnana and

bhakti yoga. So, Prapatti is not the means according to tradition.

 

Answer: Tradition or Sampradaya is of three types, namely, upaddEsa

parampara, anushtAna parampara, and nibhandhana parampara. All these are

found only in performance of Prapatti. This is evidenced by Srithis and

smruthis and these truths are also taught by the preceptors to their

disciples.

 

The fact that anga prapatti is taught in Sri Bhashya and Gita Bhashya can

not contradict that Prapatti is an independent means as there is no

statement to that effect anywhere. Moreover, Sri Bhashyakarar himself has

practised and performed Prapatti and taught Prapatti as a direct means and

sufficient means to mOksha (refer to Sri Nadadur ammal's Prapanna Parijata

for details).

 

Conclusion:

The fact that Prapatti is different and distinct from Upasana and that it is

also a direct and independent means to mOksha becomes established as

Prapatti is free from all incompatibilities like Swaroopa anupapatti and

others. Thus this much celebrated treatise has carefully examined and has

once for all refuted all arguments against it. Sri Vedantha Desika has thus

ably expounded and established the doctrine of Prapatti on infallible and

valid grounds.

 

I have merely reproduced (almost) Sri U Ve Dr NS Anantharangachar Swamy's

article and anything good in it, is to his credit and all faults and

mistakes are mine and mine only.

 

There is also an exhaustive work " Prapanna PaarijAtham " by Sri NadadhUr

ammAL [on esstablishment of Prapatti pramANams from sruthi/smruthi vAkyams].

who is a praachaarya (acharya's acharya) of Swamy Desikan. When time

permits, adiyEn will attempt to translate SrI UttamUr Swamy's Tamil

commentary on this great work.

Acharyan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

Regards

Namo Narayana

aDiyEn dAsan

 

 

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