Thiruvaheendhrapuram RathnAngi Kaimkaryam series: Posting 245/Desika Prabhandham :GeethArTa Sangraham : Part 6

[Guest guest]

SrI:

 

Dear BhakthAs of Lord PaarthasArathy :

 

Today we will study the FIFTH Paasuram of Swamy Desikan's

GeethArTa Sangraham dealing with the FOURTH adhyAyam of

SrImath Bhagavath Geetha .This chapter has 42 slOkams.

 

330. The Essence of the FOURTH chapter

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PiRavAmai tanthidat-thAnE piRakkum perumaihaLum

thuRavAk-kirisaikaL thoomathi tannAl tulanguhayum

iRavA uyir nannilai kaNDidum ulahin nilayum

maRai vAzhum Maayavan nEyanukku anRu aRivitthananE

 

MEANING OF THE FIRST LINE OF THE PAASURAM

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The Lord , who is celebrated by the VedAs decided

to give to the Jeevans freedom from future births in the karma bhUmi

and instructed them through His friend Arjuna about the secrets

relating to His own avathArams ( incarnations) amidst us .

 

Those who understand the glories of His avathAra rahasyams will never

ever be born as a result of securing Moksham (PiRavAmai tanthida

thAnE piRakkum ) . Those who comprehend the secrets associated

with His avathArams have no more births ; those who comprehend

the ways in which He performs KarmAs during those avathArams

will be freed of their own karmAs. Swamy Desikan sums up this

visEsha anugraham of the Lord in the First line of the Paasuram:

 

" PiRavAmai tanthida ThAnE piRakkum Perumai " udayAn .

 

To bless us with apunarAgamanam ( nonreturn to the SamsAra

MaNDalam ) , He Himself incarnates in this Karma BhUmi .

Those who comprehend His avathAra rahasyams have thus no more

births ( ithi janma rahasyam yO vEtthi , na asya Punarbhava:) ;

as a result , that jeevan gains Moksha Sukham in SrI Vaikuntam.

 

What are these avathAra rahasyams of the Lord ? There are SIX

aspects to His avathAra rahasyam:

 

1. Sathyathvam: His incarnation is TRUE and not some kind of

unreal , " make believe " magic .

 

2.ajahath-svabhAvam: Our Jn~Anam in the Karma BhUmi is shrunken.

In contrast , the Lord's Jn~Anam during His avathAram here is fully

blossomed as always and does not suffer any dimuniiton .He does not lose

in any one of His endeavours . He continues to be the Supreme Lord .

 

3. Suddha Satthva Maya Sareeram during His incarnation : His body

is not formed by the admixture of the thre eguNams ( Satthvam , Rajas

and Tamas) as in our case . His body is completely Satthva mayam

(Suddha Sathvam).

 

4. SvEcchA-mAthra nidhAnathA : His birth does not arise from the maturation

of His KarmAs like us. His birth is a result of His own sankalpam

(volition).

 

5. Dharma-glAnou Samudhaya: His incarnation happens , when the dharmam

declines and adharmam ascends. The timing of our birth in contrast

is linked to the ripening of our karmAs.

 

6. Saadhu SamrakshaNArTathA : His birth here has nothing to do with

the enjoyement of the fruits of karmAs , which are a mixture of Sukham

and Dukkham . It is for uplifting the Saadhu Janams ; they can not bear

even a moment of seperation from Him and He incarnates to protect them

from their enemies . He shows them His form (Narasimhan) , converses with

them ( KrishNa and Gopis) , establishes Dahrmam (Raama) and destroys

the unrighteous ( Varaha avathAram).

 

MEANING OF THE SECOND LINE OF THE PAASURAM:

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" ThuRavAk-kirisaikaL thU mathi tannAl tulanguhayum " is

the second line . KirisaikaL refers to the divisions of Karma yOgam

such as AarAdhanam for the Lord , Control of senses (indhriyams) ,

PrANAyAmam , Yaagam , DhAnam , hOmam , Tapas , Bathing in

holy waters, Vedic study and understanding of the meanings of

the Vedic passages . These are " thuRavAk-KirisaikaL " , the karmAs

that can not be abandoned ; they are prescribed for each varNam and

aasramam. Any one who does not seek the phalan of these karmAs

and yet performs them with a detatched mind is practising the highest

form of Karma yOgam . For such a one , who has cultivated the disassociation

with karma phalan , the enjoyment of aathma svaroopam without prakruthi

sambhandham becomes possible. The Karma yOgam practised in this way

contains inside itself , Jn~Ana yOgam . Since , this saadhakan considers

the performance of all the KarmAs as Parabrahma Svaroopam , Karma

yOgam becomes Jn~Ana Svaroopam ( thUmathi tannAl tulanguhayum) .

The words " thU math tannAl " refers to the ideal Karma yOgam housing

inside it the Jn~Anam about the pristine Aaahtma Svaroopam . " Tulanguhayum "

alludes to that ideally observed karma yOgam shining as Jn~Ana yOgam .

 

MEANING OF THE THIRD LINE OF THE PAASURAM

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" iRavA uyir nannilai kaNDidum ulahin nilayum " is the third line.

The aathma Jn~Anam arising from the shining of the Jn~Ana

yOgam embedded in the Karma yOgam destroys the jeevan's

puNyams as well as the Paapams and gets the jeevan safely

across the terrors of hte ocean of SamsAram . " iRavA uyir "

is the eternal, imperishable AathmA . SaakshAthkAram

( direct visualization ) of that AathmA in its true state

( nal nilai=nannilai) is a great accomplishment resulting

from the proper practise of Karma yOgam that houses

Jn~Ana yOgam inside it .

 

MEANING OF THE FOURTH LINE OF THE PAASURAM

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" maRai vaazhum Maayavan nEyanukku anRu aRivitthananE "

is the fourth line. Our Lord is Maayavan , who is celebrated by

the VedAs ( maRai Vaazhum Maayavan) . As a mysterious Swamy ,

He takes on many incarnations . He taught/informed ( aRvitthaan) His friend

( nEyan ) the mysteries ( the six rahasyams ) behind His many

incarnations ( avathArams).on the first day of BhAratha yuddham

( anRu aRivitthAn ) .

 

SWAMY ALAVANTHAAR'S SUMMARY OF THE 4TH CHAPTER

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PrasangAth sva-svabhAvOkthi: karmaNOakarmathAasya cha

bhEdhA Jn~Anasya mAhAthmyam chathurTAdhyAya uchyathE

 

Please refer to Bhakthi archives ( Bhakthi archives November 1996)

for the detailed meanings of this slOkam summarizing the meanings of

the fourth chapter.

 

ACHAARYA RAAMAANUJAA'S COMMENTARY

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In the fourth chapter , the need for practising ( elaborated in

the third chapter ) is confirmed . The purpose of the anushtAnam

of Karma yOgam is identified as " Jagath uddhAraNam "

( the deliverance of all beings). As Karma yOgam includes

within itself , the knowledge of the Self (aathman) , it is considered

that " such Karma yOgam includes Jn~An yOgam in its scope "

( anthargatha Jn~AnatayA asya yEva Jn~AnayOgaakArathAm pradarsaya) .

In addition to that , the nature of Karma yOga with its bhEdhams(divisions)

and the dominance of the Jn~Ana portion in the Karma yOgam

is elaborated in the fourth chapter . The avathAra rahsyams of the Lord

are also covered in this chapter.

 

SPECIAL SLOKAMS of the FOURTH CHAPTER TO REFLECT UPON

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SlOkam 8 :

 

parithrANAya SaadhUnAm vinAsAya cha dhushkruthAm

Dharma SamsTApanArTAya sambhavAmi yugE yugE

 

For the protection of the Saadhu Janams and the destruction of

the evil doers ( enemies of My BhagavathAs) and for establishment

of righteousness in this world , I incarnate in every yugam .

 

SlOkam 9: He who comprehends the truths of My divine incarnation

and actions during those avathArams has no rebirth and comes directly

to Me (Janma Karma cha dhivyam--) .

 

SlOkma 11: " Whoever resort to Me in any manner , in the same

manner do I favour them ; men experience Me alone in different

ways " (yE yaTA Maam prapadhyanthE---).

 

SlOkam 22: " Content with what chance may bring , rising above

the pairs of opposites, free from ill will, even minded in success and

failure , though he acts, he is not bound " ( YadhrucchA

llabha-santhushtO--).

 

SlOkam 23: " Of One whose attachments are gone , who is free ,

whose mind is established in knowledge , who works only for

sacrifices , his karma is entirely dissolved " ( Gatha-sangasya

mukthasya ---).

 

SlOkam 24: BrahmArpaNamBrahma havirbrahmAgnouBrahmaNA hutham

Brahmaiva tEna ganthavyam Brahma-karma-samAdhinA

 

" Brahman is the instrument to offer with ; Brahman is the oblation;

By Brahman is the oblation offered into the fire of Brahman; Brahman

alone is to be reached by Him, who meditates on Him in his karmAs " .

 

SWAMY DESIKAN'S COMMENTARIES IN TAATHPARYA CHANDRIKAA

ARE EXCEPTIONALLY BEAUTIFUL AND INSIGHTFUL. INVIEW OF

THE LENGTH OF THIS POSTING , ADIYEN WILL NOT COVER THEM HERE.

 

Swamy Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

Daasan , Oppiliappan KOil VaradAchAri Sadagopan

 

SrI Lakshminrusimha Dhivya PaadhukA Sevaka

SrIvaNN SaThakOpa SrI NaarAyaNa YathIndhra MahA DesikAya Nama: