SaTAri Satakam - 36 (AzhvAr and our sampradAyam contd....)

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SrI:

SrImahtE SaThakOpAya nama:

SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama:

SrImathE nigamAnta mahA dESikAya nama:

 

Dear SrI vaishNavAs,

 

We have reached the central pearl of the Sataka-mAlai on svAmi

nammAzhvAr. aDiyEn did a loose translation on the 50th pasuram in my

last posting.

 

Now, aDiyEn is posting the detailed meaning of this pAsuram, as

explained by SrI. M.S. Hari. (Please note that each pAsuram in this

Satakam is pregnant with facts and messages, similar to this

pAsuram. Readers will appreciate this, when they compare my free-

translation and the details given here by SrI.Hari. As we undergo

bhagavat-vishaya kAlakshEpam, we can fully appreciate these pAsurams)

 

SS-50

nambikuru gUrSaTAri nAnmaRaiyin tiNsirI *

sampira dAyattin sArvenRAr – emperu

mAnAr darisanattaik kAkkum maNittUppul *

tEnArpoon tALdE Sikan

 

Our SrI VaishNava darSanam called as rAmAnuja darSanam is having a

uniqueness. This is not like other vaidIka darSanams or non-vaidika

darSanams.

 

It is viSishTAdvaita sidhdAntam. That uniqueness is because of two

aspects in which it is having balam – irrefutable might. They are:

1. pramANa balam

2. sampradAya balam

 

First, let us see the pramANa balam. The Sruthi (Veda-vEdAntam -

pourushEyam), authentic smruties, ithihAsams, sAtvika-purANams,

bhagavath Sastram, which is SrI pAncharAtra Agamam (tantram),

vaikAnasa Agamam are the pramANam.

 

All these are in the form of upadESam – that is imparting knowledge

about tatvam, hitam and purushArtams to us. Therefore, to establish

the purport of these pramANams and to refute prejudices that were

spread in the name of these pramANams, " tarkam " was employed and

impartial analysis was done by brahma sutra. The entire purport of

the VEdA (with vEdAntam) is thus established by the mImAmsA SAstra,

which has 20 chapters. The first 12 chapters are attributed to Sage

Jaimini and it deals with the karma kANDa.

 

The next 4 chapters are attributed to Sage kASakrutsna and it is

dEvatA kANDa. The last 4 chapters are attributed to Sage pArASarya –

son of parASara rishi - who is vEda vyAsa otherwise known as

bAdarAyaNa rishi. VEda vyAsa bhagavAn composed the brahma sUtras.

BOdhAyaNa rishi composed the vrutti grantam – which is a very

elaborate explanation of the brahma sUtras. Brahmanandhi composed

the vAkya-granta on the same. Brahmanandhi is also called

as " danka " . DramidAchArya composed bhAshyam on the sUtras. Therefore

these AachAryas of our sampradAyam protected and established the

same by sUtram, vrutti, vAkyam and bhAshyam.

 

In SrI bhAshyam, Bhagavath rAmAnuja declares in the very beginning

that " Danka and dramidAchAryAs condensed the elaborate vrutti of

bhagavath bOdhAyana on brahma sUtrAs. I follow their matham and thus

present the commentary on the sUtras " . Bhagavath rAmAnuja did what

he declared and completed the SrI bhAshyam in the irrefutable and

divine manner. From this, we clearly get to know that the matham of

Sages like VEda vyAsa is only ViSishTAdvaitam. This is the pramANa

balam of our darSanam.

 

Let us see next, the sampradAya balam of rAmAnuja darSanam. The ten

AzwArs have established the same darSanam by their bhagavath-

anubhava-parIvAha divya prabandams. This is the sampradAya balam.

The divya prabandams are also primarily in the form of upadESam like

the Upanishads. Therefore, we can ascertain its purport only with

full adherence to the brahma sUtras and the commentaries on the same

by AachAryas like Bhagavath rAmAnuja of our darSanam. This is clear

from the commentary on the divya prabandam (tiru-vAi-mozhi) by tiruk-

kurukai-pirAn-piLLan named " tiru-ARAyirap-padi " . tiruk-kurukai-pirAn-

piLLan is an important Sishya of bhagavath rAmAnuja yatirAja swAmi.

A knowledgeable person who is capable of appreciating adhikaraNa

sArAvaLi can appreciate dramidOpanishad-tAtparya ratnAvai & sAram.

The divya prabandam is held as an esteemed pramANam in confirming

our comprehension of the VEdAnta. The prAmANyam of divya prabandam

is also agreed in sampradAyam, which is comparable to that of the

Upanishads.

 

SwAmi dESika who re-established the pramANa balam through his SrI

sUktis like adhikaraNa sAravaLi, tattva-mukta-kalApam,

sarvArthasiddhi, Sata-dhUshaNi, paramatha-bhangam etc., re-

established the sampradAya balam of our darSanam through his SrI

sUktis like SrImath rahasya traya sAram, dramidOpanishad tAtparya

ratnAvaLi, dramidOpanishad sAram, sAra sAram, virOdha parihAram etc.

 

The entire sampradAya balam is attributable to swAmi nammAzwAr

himself for the following three reasons.

 

1. swAmi nammAzhvAr is considered as the avayavi and all other other

AzhwArs are considered as his avayavams – This is form the angle of

personification.

2. swAmi nammAzhvAr revealed the entire nAlAyira divya prabandam to

SrIman nAtha munigaL in yOga SAkshAtkAram.

3. swAmi nammAzhvAr composed four prabandams in nAlAyira divya

prabandam, which are considered as the essence of the four Vedas.

 

(Thanks to SrI.Hari svAmi for this detailed explanation.)

 

We shall continue ………….

 

dAsan