thiruvaimozi-1.2.4

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4. illadhum uLladhum alladhu avanuru

ellaiyil annalam pulgu pattRattRe

 

 

The Lord is different from the sentient and insentient and His nature is of boundless bliss having endowed with infinitely auspicious qualities. Hence give up all other attachments and embrace that supreme self.

 

Illadhu here means that which has no permanent existence, meaning the non-self which is always changing. uLLadhu is the individual self which is permanently existent, being eternal. Alladhu avan uru means that the form or nature of the Lord is neither the insentient matter nor the sentient self. It is ellai il annalam, of the nature of limitless bliss. So one should give up the attachment towards the body and all its possessions, including our kith and kin which are all non-self and even the individual self should be looked upon as being subservient to the inner self, the Lord.

 

Brahman is described as chidhachithvilakshnam, something different from the sentient and the insentient. But at the same time it is said that the relationship between Brahman and the world of sentient and insentient beings is one of aprthaksiddha, inseparable relationship. This appears to be self contradictory. But if we remember the body-soul relationship between Brahman and the world the term chidhachitvilakshanam makes sense. The soul is different from body but the latter cannot exist without the former. Similarly the world which is the body of Brahman, has no separate existence than Brahman who is its inner self, yet it is not identical with Brahman. This is what is meant by the sentence illadhum uLLadhum alladhu.

 

In the Bhagavatgita, the Lord says, `ksharaH sarvaaNi bhoothaani kooTastho akshara ucyathe,' all beings are transcient and the self is eternal, utthamah purushah thu anyah paramaathmaaithi udhaahrthah, the supreme self is other than these two.

 

Commentators say that the words illadhu alladhu, meaning , it is not non-existent refutes the sunyavada of Buddhist nihilism and the mayavada of advaita.

 

According to the sunyavada of Buddhism nothing is real and there is no absolute reality at all. This is denied by the words illadhu alladhu, meaning that Brahman is not illadhu, unreal like the horns of the hare,saSavishaana. Advaita claims that everything except Brahman is unreal and the world is an appearance like the silver perceived in the shell or like the serpent seen in a rope due to illusion, maya. This is also refuted by illadhu alladhu, where the word illadhu refers to the concept of the world as illusion.

 

Azvar asks the devotee to embrace (pulgu) the Lord of infinitely auspicious qualities and of the nature of bliss which means that one should approach Him with love.