Padhuka Sahasram-740: A few more Reflections

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Sri:

 

SrimatE Gopaladesika MahadesikAya Namaha,

 

Dear Bhaktas,

 

Adiyen wishes to share a few additional reflections on verse 740 from

the Padhuka Sahasram. Swami Desikan reveals here the mahOpakaram of

the Padhukas to yogis engaged in meditation of the Lord residing in

the cavity of the heart. The mahanarayanOpanishad extols the Lord

as " yO antha samudhrE kavayO vayanthi " . The Padhukas (Swami

NammAzhwar's Pasurams) outline the procedure for such an exalted Lord

to remain enshrined forever in the heart-lotus.

 

The ChandOgya Upanishad glorifies Brahman, who resides in the cave of

the heart. This enables us to readily recognize that the deity being

meditated upon in Dahara vidya discussed in the 8th Chapter of the

Chandogya Upanishad is Lord Narayana. Let us see how.

 

Specifically, the Chandogya Upanishad states " aTha yadhidham asman

brahmapurE dhaharam pundarIkam vEshma, dhaharOsminnanthara AkAsha:

thasmin yadhantha: thadhanvEShruvyam thaddhAva vijijnyAsithavyam "

 

Meaning: The body is the city of Brahman There is a small abode here

that is the heart. There is a small ether within that abode. That

ether and that which is within that ether are both to be meditated

upon. The Upanishad further explains that the eight qualities like

apahathapApmA (unaffected by sin), vijara: (unaffected by old age),

vishOka: (free from sorrow), vimruthyu: (imperishable) vijiDhathsa:,

apipAsa: (free from thirst), sathyakAma: (lover of truth),

sathyasankalpa: (he who wills the truth), AthmA (soul) Esha: for the

Brahman. In the Vedanta Sutras, Veda Vyasa establishes that dhahara

is Brahman. Brahman is characterized by eight qualities and he is to

be meditated upon as such.

 

Dahara vidhya is also expounded upon in the Mahanarayana Upanishad

mantram

" dhaharam vipApmam paramEshva BhUtham yath puNdarIkam

puramaDhyasaggamsTham I thathrApi dhaharam gaganam

vishOkasthasminyadhantha sthadhupAsithavyam "

 

Meaning: That small lotus of the heart, which is opposed to all that

is defiling and which is the abode of paramatman, is stationed in

the middle of the body of the aspirant. Even there, the small ether

which is within that abode, and which is characterized by

sinlessness and others and that which is within that ether-both are

to be meditated upon.

 

The very next mantram of the Mahanarayana Upanishad connects this

upasana to Lord Narayana through the mantram

 

YadhvEdhAdhoU svara prOkthO vEdhAnthE cha prathiShTitha: I thasya

prakruthilInasya ya: parassa mahEshvara:

 

Meaning: The pranava is ordained to be recited at the beginning of

the Veda and also at the end of it. The letter akAra into which it

merges is the source of it. He that is denoted by that akAra is the

supreme Lord.

 

We may note here that " A " is the vowel without which no consonant can

be pronounced. This indicates the all-pervasiveness of Lord Narayana.

Eloquent testimony in support of this fact can be seen from Lord

Krishna's Bhagavad Gita declaration " aksharANAm akArOsmi " .

 

Swami NammAzhwar, whose pasurams it may be remembered embed the

essence of the Upanishads (sahasra shAKhOpanishad samAgamam), affirms

that the Supreme Being, Brahman, glorified in the Dahara Upasana of

Chadogya Upanishad and Mahanarayana Upanishad is Lord Narayana, who

is never separated from Sri. Swami Desikan brings out this message in

the Sri Stuthi salutation " yOgAramba tvaritha manasO

yushmadhAikantiyuktam " , i.e., the purport of AshtAnga Yoga, the

process by which Yogis meditate on the Supreme Being enshrined in

their heart lotus is to eulogize the Lord and his consort Sri

together.

 

Swami Desikan brilliantly eulogizes this mahOpakaram of Swami

NammAzhwar through the analogy of the gentle moonlight helping

illumine the dark cavity in the dark cavity of the heart-Lotus. It

may be asked how lotuses can blossom in moonlight? Swami Desikan

answers this right away by noting that the moonlight is merely a

reflection of the sunshine radiated by the Golden Padhukas. What a

brilliant word-play!

 

Another important meaning from this verse is that the Dahara vidya is

an extremely complicated Upasana adopted by Bhakti Yogis. Success in

their efforts comes about only on account of the limitless blessings

of the golden Padhukas, which radiate sunshine that is subsequently

reflected as moonlight in the cave of the heart lotus of Bhakti

Yogis.

 

Namo Narayana,

 

SriMuralidhara Dasan