Thiruvaheendhrapuram RathnAngi Kaimkaryam series: Posting 250/Desika Prabhandham :GeethArTa Sangraham : Part 11

[Guest guest]

SrI:

 

Dear BhakthAs of Lord PaarTasArathy :

 

Today , we will study the SEVENTH Chapter of

SrImath Bhagvath GeethA , which is the first chapter

in the second hextad of Geethai adhyAyams .

 

First Hextad

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We stated earlier that Bhagavath Geethai is split by commentators

in to three hextads(Shadkams ). The first shatkam covers chapters 1-6;

The first hextad dealt with the jeevAthma and the methods of visualizing it

through karma and Jn~Ana yOgas . It was pointed out that Karma yoga

is the grand road that is suited for all saadhakAs to gain MOksham .

Performance of one's karmAs without seeking the fruits there of

is true karma yOgam . The vairAgyam and control of senses to

pursue Karma yOgam arises from , " one must have the knowledge of

being the Athman at the core and not the body-mind.To that extent ,

Jn~Ana yOga is involved in karma yOga " .

 

Second Hextad:

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The second shatkam has for its coverage chapters from 7 to 12 .

This hextad elaborates on the doctrine of Bhakthi (Bhakthi yOga) .

This hextad " deals with the Supreme Lord , who is Sriman NaarAyaNan ,

the seat of all power and auspicous attributes. He alone can grant us

salvation , which is a matter of His grace. None the less, one has

to be worthy to be the recipients of that grace . That worthiness

is attained through the practise of Bhakthi , which develops with

dawn of knowledge of the Self preceded by the performance of

duties ( Karma yOgA) " .

 

Swamy Desikan's summary of the SEVENTH Chapter of Geethai

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Swamy Desikan's deft summary of the 30 slOkams of

the SEVENTH chapter has taken on this form in his

GithArtha Sangraham Paasuram :

 

thAnn ninRa uNmayait-tann-tani mAyai maRaitthamayum

tAnn anRi maayaitanait-tavirppAn virahu aRRamayum

mEl ninRa bhattarkaL naalvaril JN~Ani tann mEnmykaLum

tEn ninRa sem-kazhalAn teLivitthanan PaarthanukkE

 

--- 8th Paasuram of GeethArtha Sangraham of Swamy Desikan

 

Meaning of First line of the Paasuram:

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The Lord with the sacred feet abundant with honey (nectar)

and reminding one of the beautiful red lotus , explained clearly

the following tatthvams: about Him (1) He is distinctly different from

the sentient and insentient entities in many ways (2) He has both sentients

and insentients as His property (sEsham) and as bhOga vasthus .

(3) Iswaran is the cause behind them (ChEthanam & achEthanam) ;

both dissolve in Him (attain layam) (4)They become His body (sarIram) .

(5) He is the abode of all kalyANa guNams . By every measure , the Lord

as Iswaran is the most superior tathtvam .There is no one or nothing

that is greater than Him.His Maaya serves as a curtain to conceal these

auspicious attributes of the Lord from us .This Maayai also known as

Prakruthi is also a creation of SrIman NaarAyaNaa and is made up of

different admixtures of the three guNams: Sathvam , Rajas and TamO

guNams..This Prakruthi transforms in to SarIram and the indhriyams

for us , the chEthanams .

 

Meaning of the second line of the Paasuram :

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This Maayai (Prakruthi) , which hides the glories of the Lord

has to be overcome and one has to go beyond it through

upAsanA and anushtAnam .The means for overcoming His Maayai is

to select the upAyam of SaraNAgathy at His sacred feet.There are no

other upAyams to overcome this Maayai except SaraNAgathy at His

scared feet .

 

The Meaning of the Third line of the Paasuram :

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Those who reach the Lord and perform SaraNAgathy to Him are of

four kinds : (1) AarTan (2) arTArthi (3) Jign~yAsu and (4) Jn~Ani .

 

AarTi is the one , who has lost his wealth and wishes to have it back .

One who wishes to have wealth for the first time is ArTArthi .

Jign~Asu is the One who wishes to attain the untainted

aathma svaroopam . Jn~Ani is the one , who comprehends his

aathma svaroopam as eternally serving the Lord as its Master.

He enjoys his aathma svaroopam without the blemish of Prakruthi.

He (Jn~Ani) does not stop there with just the enjoyment of the Self .

He enjoys further Bhagvath anubhavam without interruption

and is steeped in such anubhavam.

 

3rd Line: The Supermacy of Jn~Ani among the set of four ParamaikAnthis

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All these four categories of SaadhakAs devote themselves solely to

SrIman NaarAyaNa .They are unlike others driven by their deluded

minds to worship demi gods like Indhran et al . It is indeed rare to see

in this world these four groups of SaadhakAs , who worship SrIman

NaarAyaNan alone (NaarAyaNa PaarAyaNALs) .

 

Among these four types of SaadhakAs( ParamaikAnthis) ,

Jn~Ani is the foremost in glories .The other three will

stay focused on the Lord until they gain their desired phalans.

They (the first three) had to focus on Him (the Lord)

to gain their sought after boons .The Jn~Ani on the other hand

will not seek any phalans from the Lord and will always be

engaged in the meditation on His Lord.The Jn~Ani's devotion

and love for the Lord is immeasurable .Even the omniscinet

Lord can not quantify it and conclude that love of the Jn~Ani

for Him is to this extent . The Jn~Ani will not bear to live

even one second away from the Lord .The Lord also can not

bear even a moment's seperation from the Jn~Ani and has

the Jn~Ani as His life force (uyir) . Being the servant of the Lord

is recognized by the Jn~Ani as the inherent nature (Svaroopam )

of the Self (aathmA) . The Jn~Ani knows that the surrender

without condition at the Lord's sacred feet can result from

the progression through many puNya janmams. To come across

such a Jn~Ani --dearest to the Lord -- for us is the rarest of

the rare happening .

 

The meaning of the fourth line of the Paasuram

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" tEn ninRa sem-kazhalAn teLivitthanan PaarTanukkE "

 

Lord KrishNa with ambrosia present in His

sacred lotus feet clearly instructed Arjuna on

five principal doctrines : (1) The real svarUpam of

the Supreme Being , who is the object of one's

aarAdhanam (2) The concealment of that Supreme

One by Prakruthi (3)The UpAyam of SaraNAgathy to

remove that concealer (4) the four kinds of devotees

of the Lord and (5) the superiority of Jn~Ani among

the set of four devotees of the Lord .

 

Lord PaarthasArathy performed thus the upadEsam on

these tatthvams for Arjuna in the SEVENTH chapter of GeethA .

 

Swamy AlavanthAr's Summary of the SEVENTH Chapter

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SvayATaathmyam prakruthyAasya tirOdhi: SaraNAgathi:

Bhaktha-bhEdha: prabhuddhasyasraishtyam sapthama uchyathE

 

--11th slOkam of GeethArtha Sangraham

 

(Meaning): " In the seventh chapter is taught the exact knowledge of

Himself. His concealment by the Prakruthi , the surrender to Him as

the means to overcome the Prakruthi , observation on various types of

devotees and the superiority of the man of wisdom among the devotees " .

 

AchArya RaamAnujA " s commentary on the 6th adhyAyam (Highlights)

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KrishNa BhagavAn starts off by observing that among the thousands of men ,

suited to observe the directions of the SaastrAs , only one perhaps strives

for

perfection .Even among this subset of men , one alone will comprehend Me and

gain success in his strivings through My grace.

 

Our Lord instructs Arjuna that as the Supreme One , He is the origin

and the dissolver of the universe ( Aham kruthsnasya jagatha:

prabhava: praLayastaTA ---Chapter 7. 6). The Lord reveals

further that " There is nothing higher than Myself and all

this is ( Prakruthi , Jeevans) are strung on Me , as rows of

gems on a thread " ( Matta: parataram nAnyath kimchidhasthi

Dhannjaya , Mayi Sarvamidham prOttham soothrE maNigaNA iva ).

The Lord tells Arjuna that the thriguNAs have originated from Him

and that He is nothowever in them ( i-e: He does not depend on them

for His existence) .The thriguNAs merely are instruments for His sport .

My divine MaayA made up the three GuNAs and created by Me

has divine power and it is not easy to overcome that MaayA

of Mine.

 

Next the Lord points out there are four kinds of men , who

worship Him ( the distressed, the seekers after knowledge ,

the wealth seekers and the men of knowledge /AarThO Jign~Asu

ArTArTee Jn~Ani) . Our Lord identifies the Jn~Ani as the one

among the four , who is dearest to Him.He states that the Jn~Ani

finds refuge in Him at the end of the many births. That fortunate

Jn~Ani considers that " VaasudEva is ALL " and that such a Jn~Ani

is very hard to find in the world :

 

BahUnAm janmanAmanthE Jn~AnavAn Maam prapadhyatE

VaasudEva: Sarvamidhi sa MahAthmA sudurlabha:

---Geethai: 7.19

 

Lord KrishNa acknowledges that most of the people driven by

their inherent nature (VaasanAs) and lack of knowledge of the SaasthrAs

end up in resorting to other gods such as Indra et al.The Lord concedes

out of compassion that " Whichever devotee seeks to worship with faith

whatever form , I make that very faith steadfast " :

 

yO yO yAmm yAmm tanum Bhaktha: sraddhayArchithum icchasi

tasya tasyAchalam sraddhAm thaamEva vidhadhAmyaham

---Geethai : 7.21

 

That person worshipping other gods with faith gains the object of

his desire , which is granted really by Me alone ( Geethai: 7.22) .

The worshippers of demi-gods will go the world of the demi-gods but

those who worship Me will come to Me.Ignorant people do not

comprehend that I am the One , who is worshipped by all the rites

and I have incarnated as the son of King VasudEva without setting

aside my divine nature . These ignoramus think that I am the son of

a mere human being , who is born here as KrishNa due to My karmAs .

As a result , they do not offer worship to Me and seek My protection.

All their worship to other demi-gods ends at My feet (Sarva dEva

namaskAram Kesavam prathigacchathi). These demi gods derive

their power from a small portion of My omnipotence .

 

Swami Desikan ThiruvadigLE SaraNam ,

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan

 

SrImathE SrI Lakshminrusimha Dhivya PaadhukA Sevaka

SrIvaNN SaThakOpa SrI NaarAyaNa YathIndhra MahA DesikAya Nama: