Sri Alavandhaar's SthOthra Rathnam- verse 22- Utterly helpless and having no other refuge, I perform Saranagathi at Your Feet!

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SrI:

SrImathE Gopaladesika mahadesikaya namah:

Dearest Srivaishnavas,

 

Though you have jnAna, vairAgyam, unless you perform

the deed as prescribed in saasthrAs and aniticpate

merely my grace as the sole reason for mOskham, it is

not possible for Me- says the Lord [else there will be

partiality and bias towards few]; Further

investigating and analysing, Alavandhar finds that he

doesn’t possess qualification and capability for

performing bhakti yoga, and as the prerequisite he

does not even have capability /qualification for

karma, jnana yoga and feels remorse for the same.

Taking that as the very reason and qualification [or

the lack of] he performs his ultimate un flinching

Saranagathi [self surrender]

 

nadharma nishtOsmi na cha AthmavEdi

na bhaktimaan tvaccharaNaaravindha

akinchanOananya gathi saraNya!

tvat paadha moolam SaraNam prapadyE.. [22]

 

Oh Lord- the most worthy of being sought after as the

Sole Refuge! SarvalOka saraNyaa! I am not capable of

performing karma yoga; not capable of performing jnAna

yoga; nor do I have a sembalcne of devotion on Your

Lotus Feet and hence not capable of performing bhakti

yoga; Hence with no other ways or means, and no other

refuge for me (except You); I have firmed up my mind

and surrendered at Your Lotus feet as the Only UpAyam

(the feet being the Only means].

 

With saatvIka thyAga, one should first perform one of

various kinds of Karma yoga like Deva archanaa etc..,

[pooja for the Lord]. For lomg time, if one does so,

then, the mind gest purer and hence one starts the

practice of jnana yoga to contemplate and comprehend

the jeevathma. When a person realises his self through

Karma, Jnana yoga, he becomes qualified for bhakti

yoga. Karma yoga is the performance of a particular

karma, with saatvika thyaaga, that is possible by the

person, without having attachment of karthruthvam,

phala (doership and fruits), and sambandha along with

the performance of Nitya, naimittika, and kaamya

karma. With of course the essenitial knolwdge of jeeva

and paramathma from the saathrAs.

 

The particular karma thus should be performed without

any desire for the fruits. And to be performed as

worship to the Lord until it becomes fruitful. As

karmayyoga involves in itself the essential knowledge

of jeevathman, it may directly lead to the realisation

of the jeevathman thorugh jnana yoga.

 

Jnana yoga is the incessant remembrance of the

essential nature of jeevathman who is different and

distinct from the prakrithi [matter] and who is the

sareera [body] of Paramathma, by virtue of being

supported, ruled over and used for His own purposes

and pleasure invariably. This jnana yoga can be

performed only when one has gained control over mind

which is through karma yoga. Even while performing

Karma, jnana yoga, one should perform saranagathi to

the Lord. “mana: samyamya maCChitha: yuktha aaseetha

mathpara: Thus when a person realises the true nature

of jeevathman through karma yoga and jnaya yoga, he

gets perfectly qualified for performing bhakti yoga.

If he is not tempted by the enjoyment of jevathman and

its glories, he gets attarcdted to serve Paramaathman-

which is the very nature and duty of jeevathman, he

will start yearning for attainment of Paramathma. Thus

when a person realises the essential nature of his

jeevan as subservient to the Lord as ever as eternal,

and his ultimate object of attainment is the Supreme

Paramathman, who is his inner self, he gains the

relevant qualification for becoming and performing

Bhakti yoga. [Thus jnana yoga as per Gita, is the

reflection upon nature of jeevan and not meditation

upon the oneness of athman or meditation on

Paramathma]. Thus one is qualified for bhakti yoga,

only when he realises that he is sesha bhUthan to the

Lord or utterly subservient to the lord.

 

That is approach for attainment of Your Lotus Feet. I

am not qualified for any of these. And hence please do

not expect me to perform any of these means. But I can

not drop the yearning or desire for attainment of Your

Lotus Feet. I will never ever aspire for any other

fruits [worldly, material, and jeevathma kaivalya

anubhavam]. If you ask, that I can go for other

demigods, no- not even that. you alone [as per my

earlier verses] are capable of granting moksham. Hence

I catch hold of only Your Lotus Feet as I have no

other refuge; and being utterly helpless, I surrender

at Your Feet. I do not aspire for anything else. By

hiding myself underneath and beneath Your Lotus Feet,

at least I can escape from the yama kinkarars. [yama

dhoothas]

 

If I am not able to perform karma, jnana yoga, bhakti

yoga now- it does not mean that I had already

performed Karma, jnana yoga in my earlier births and

not am qualified for bhakti yoga. Not so… Hence

Alavandhar mentions here all three yogas individually.

 

 

Though You have not performed before, at least you can

try now. Alavandhar says: no.. He is aakinchanyan. He

is utterly helpless; He can not perform them as he has

got no control on senses and can not contemplate on

Lord’s ThirumEni uninterruptedly. And Alavandhar says:

he does not have anyone else except Him. Thus

aakinchanyam and ananya gathithvam are very essential

pre-requisites for

 

Thus here Alavandhar performs prapatti saying: Oh you

worthy of being sought as refuge! I am not one

established in Dharma, nor am i a knower of the self.

I have no fervent devotion to your lotus-feet. Utterly

destitute as I am, and having none else for resort, I

take refuge under your feet.

 

Also one thing needs to be understood here- which is

essential and important: There are two kinds of

dharma- pravartthi dharma and nivrtthi dharma.

Pravartthi dharma –is all that leads to material and

worldly pursuits including aspiring for heaven… while

Nivrtthi dharma is the act leading towards mOksham –

redemption or salvation. The realisation of jeevaathma

– being its true and essenitail nature of subservience

to the Paramathma – is also important and relevant for

mOksham- [this is called thathkrathu nyaya] .

 

For this, Karma, jnana yoga are prescribed and hence

when starting for Karma yoga, with no other aspiring

for any other fruits, and with saathvika thyaaga..

Thus all Karma, jnana and bhakti yoga are nivrtthi

dharmas. That’s why LakshmI thanthra et al show the

three means i.e. Karma yoga, jnana and bhakti yoga –

 

upAyaaccha chathurtthasthE prOktha: seegra

phalapradha: - poorvE thraya upAyAsthE bhavEyu

ramanOharaa: - chathurtthamaaccharyan yEvam upAyam

SaraNAsrayam….

 

Thus discarding the three (karma, jnana bhakt yoga),

the fourth means- namely Saranagathi or Prapatti is

prescribed. Based on that, Gita too mentions the same:

First the three are described. NammAzhwAr also

mentions: nORRa nOnbilEn; nuN aRivilEn (karma, jnana

yoga).

 

Hence Alavandhar mentions the three and then, prays to

the Lord, surrendering completely with five angas and

with the prerequistites of aakinchaynam and ananya

gathithva.

 

Alavandhar ThiruvaDigaLE SaraNam

Regards

Namo Narayana

dAsan