Thiruvaheendhrapuram RathnAngi Kaimakryam: Part 135 ( Desika Prabhandham-- XXV: Paasurams 123-125

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SrI:

 

Dear Swamy Desika BhakthAs:

 

We will now enjoy three more Paasurams of Amrutha SvAdhini

Prabhandham . These Desika Prabhandha Paasurams ( 123-125 )

deal with the 25th among the 32 ChillaRai Rahasyams(Viz).,

UpakAra Sangraham .

 

VidvAn Dr. Ananatha NarasimhachAr Swamy of SrIrangam has

brilliantly summarized this SrI Sookthi (UpakAra Sangraam)

of Swamy Desikan in SaraNAgathy journal in 5 separate postings:

 

http://www.srivaishnava.org/sgati

 

Volume 2.3 ( 22 Jan 1999) to Volume 3.01 ( 12 April ,2000).

 

Bhagavan's 40 upakArams to the JeevAthmA are covered

in SrI U.Ve. Anantha NarasimAchAr Swamy 's essay .

Please refer to them .

 

123) EmperumAn's MahOpakArams

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As the children and adiyArs of EmperumAn , all of us

have the right to enjoy Moksha Sukham . Our Lord blesses

all of His children with Svaroopam and Dharma BhUtha Jn~Anam

and protects us this way always . Further , He directs us towards His

SadAchAryans so that we do not drown in the ocean of SamsAram

due to previous karma vaasanais ; further , He helps us to perform Prapatthi

to Him through the SadAchAryAs after understanding rahasyArTams

from them . After that , He waits impatiently for us , the PrapannAs to join

Him at SrI Vaikuntam at the end of our life on earth and to perform

nithya kaimakryam for Him there. We prostrate before this Lord ,

who renders such great upakArams for us and stands as the protective

Father . We are blessed to know about the power of the holy feet

( Thiruvadi ) of our Lord through the SrI Sookthis of Swamy NammAzhwAr ,

who is our caring Mother.

 

The key passage is : " Desikar tamm munnE sErtthu , Manthiramum

Manthiratthin vazhiyum kAtti , vazhippadutthi , vAnn yERRi ,

adimai koLLa , Tanthai yena ninRa tanit-ThirumAl tALil

SatakOpan aruLinAl talai vaitthOm "

 

Prior to uniting us with His DesikAs (AchAryAs) , our Lord

renders important UpakAram to us , who are entitled to enjoy

the ParamAnandham of Moksha Sukham (anthamilA

pErinbham aruntha yERkkum adiyOmai) as His children .

He protects us next with the anugraham of Dharma bhUtha

Jn~Anam ( yenRum aRivudanE kAtthu). After that , He makes

sure that we do not get affected by our previous karmAs and their

influences ( Yemmai munthai nirai vinai vazhiyil ozhuhAthu

Kaatthu). After taking care of all these upakArams ,

He unites us with His AchAryAs to let them take over from

there .

 

AchAryAs perform three more upakArams for us at the behest of

their Lord : (1) upadEsam on the AshtAksharam and

the other two manthrams (2) Instruction on their meanings

focused on Prapatthi mArgam and (3) performance by us of that

Prapatthi upAyam at the sacred feet of the Lord for ascending to

SrI Vaikuntam ,where He stands as our Father to recieve

our nithya kaimkaryams ( Vaan yERRi adimai koLLa ,

Tanthai yena ninRa Tanit-ThirumAl tALil talai vaitthOm ).

All of this happened due to the grace of the first AchAryA

of the Lord on this earth , Swamy NammAzhwAr ( ThirumAl

tALil SatakOpam aruLinAl talai vaitthOm ).

 

124) Comprehending the Svaroopam of the Jeevan

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If JeevAthmA were to know about some thing other

than itself , it can only know about it only through its

GuNam of DHARMA BhUtha Jn~Anam.The Jeevan is

described as DHARMI BhUtha Jn~Anam since Jeevan is

also Jn~Ana Svaroopan . When JeevAthmA wishes to learn

about itself , he does not need the help of DHARMA

BhUtha Jn~Anam . Jeevan is appearing as a well defined

entity.This nature of existence is known as Svayam

PrakAsathvam. Jeevan gains for itself the phalan from

its appearance .This attribute is known as PraTyakthvam.

Just as the Sun's lustre does not ever part from Him ,

the DHARMA BhUtha Jn~Ana guNam of the Jeevan

does not ever disassociate from the Jeevan .Therefore ,

the Jeevan can recognize itslf without the help of

the DHAMA BhUtha Jn~Anam. Our doctrines state

that DHARMA BhUtha Jn~Anam is essential to understand

the atomic size and the eternal nature of the Jeevan. Since

DHARMA BhUtha Jn~Anam does not have its own chith

( aRivu), it is classified as achEthanam (insentient category) .

Only when DHARMA BhUtha Jn~Anam is applied towards

the Lord , Jeevan can be uplifted (Ujjeevanam) . For that

to happen , one needs Saasthra Jn~Anam. When one gains Saasthra

Jn~Anam , Jeevan develops the visEsha Jn~Anam that (1) it is different

from the achEthanams and that (2) it (Jeevan) is the eternal

servant of the Lord. This Saasthra Jn~Anam is blessed by

the Lord Himself through His SaasthrAs .

 

This is a difficult paasuram to understand on first

reading. Swamy Desikan describes the relation between

Jevan and Dharma BhUtha Jn~Anam as being similar to that

between the radiant Sun and its lustre . Dharma BhUtha

Jn~Anam is a guNam of Jeevan and it is directed towards

the Lord to recognize that Jeevan is totally different from

the achEthana dravyams.The application of the Dharma BhUtha

Jn~Ana GuNam towards the Lord also lets the Jeevan gain

the visEsha Jn~Anam of its eternal dependence on the Lord as

the Iswaran (Its unconditional Master) .

 

125) The Limitlessness of the UpakAram of The Lord

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

Lord VaradarAjan intends to protect us from our sinful deeds

that land us residence in many kinds of wombs ; when our good

fortune (Bhagyam) is ripe , He blesses us to approach the sacred feet

of a SadAchAryan. Afterwards, He moves us towards the performance

of SaraNAgathy as an upAyam and at the end of earthly life leads us

to His Supreme abode with the help of AdhivAhikAs populating

the ArchirAdhi mArgam ( the path of Light ). At His Supreme abode,

He blesses us to enjoy ParipoorNa BrahmAnandham and perform

Nithya Kaimkaryam to Him . Who can really measure these limitless

help of our Lord to us ? It is impossible for anyone to succeed

in such an effort .

 

The key passage of this Paasuram is: " AzhiyAtha AruL Aazhip-PerumAn

seyyum antham ilA udhavi yellAm aLappAr Yaar ? " . ( Who indeed can

venture to count the limitless upakAram rendered to us by the Eternal and

the Most Merciful Lord ? Indeed any one's attempt to engage in this

effort would be futile).

 

The details on the ArchirAdhi Maargam and AadhivAhikAs are

covered in the 67th Desika Prabhandha Paasuram.

 

Swamy Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam , Daasan ,

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan

 

Srimate Sri Laksminrisimha Divya Paduka Sevaka

SrivaNN Satakopa Sri Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya Nama: