Bhagavatgita a detailed study-chapter2

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1.5.2

 

ninaindhu naindhuL karaindhurugi imaiyor palarum munivarum

punaindha kaNNi neer sanndham pugaiyodEndhi vananginaal

ninaindha ellapporuLgaLukkum vitthaaimudhaliR sidhayaamE

mananchey jnaanatthunperumai maasooNaadhO maayonE

 

When the devas and sages, with their hearts and body melting on thinking about Your qualities, offer garlands, water, sandal paste and fume-sticks to worship You, is it not decrying the glory of You, who has Maya in Your control and who is the material cause of the universe through Your will alone.

Azvar , in this pasuram says that not only he but even the devas and the sages whose hearts melt thinking of the glory of the Lord and approach Him with materials of worship , are not fit to do so. It is because He was far above their status and they worshipping Him is like small insects praising the elephant. The glory of the Lord is inconceivable even to them because He created the Universe with His will and thus He is the material and only cause of all beings.

 

The Upanishad says, ` thath aikshatha bahu syaam prjaayeya, it willed to become many.' Hence there is no material or any other cause of the universe except Him which He created by His will.

 

Ninaindhu naindhu uL karaindhu urugi- mind and body melting on thinking of the Lord and His qualities like souseelya and soulabhya.

 

punaindha kaNNi- flower garlands

 

neer- water for washing His feet

 

sandham- sandal paste as inguent.

 

Pugai- incense

 

Endhi vaNanginaal- when they come and worship You thus.

 

maasooNaadhO- Is it not decrying Your glory? Because

 

maayOn- You wield Maya as your power and all beings including he devas and sages are under the influence of maya and hence do not understand You as such.

 

ninaindha ellaa poruLgaLukkum- for all beings created by Your will

 

vitthaai mudhalil sidhaiyaamE- You are the material cause but without undergoing any change in You.

 

manam sei jnaanatthu un perumai- such is Your glory that You create all by Your mind alone.

 

The Lord is the cause of all which are created by His will. For anything that is created there are three causes , namely, material cause, efficient cause and auxiliary cause. For a pot , the clay is the material cause, upaadhaana kaarana, the potter is the efficient cause, nimittha kaarana and the potter's wheel is the auxiliary cause, sahakaari kaarana. Since the Lord alone existed in the beginning as sath, He is the only cause, material , efficient and auxiliary. Now the material cause undergoes a transformation when it becomes an effect like the clay becoming the pot, with a change in form . colour etc. But the Lord remains as He is even after the creation of the world as the Upanishad says, poornam adhaH pornam idham poorNaath poornam udhachyathe; poornasya poornam aadhaaya poorNameva avaSishyathe.

 

` That is whole;. this is whole; what has come out of the whole is also whole. When the whole is taken out of the whole, the whole still remains whole.'

We know that the Lord is everywhere. Does it mean that He fragments himself and is present in all beings? No. He is present everywhere in His complete form only.. For example it is not possible to cut the AkAsa into parts because it is one whole. But the space inside the pot is seen as ghatAkAsa while the space outside is mahAkAsa. But both are the same and forms one whole. Similarly the Brahman being one whole is present everywhere as one whole.. This is what is meant by vitthaai mudhalil sidhaiyaamE