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         tAtparya ratnAvaLi - Part 7 - Slokam 5.

Slokam 5:

        Adau SarIrakArtha kramamiha viSadam vimSatir-vakti sAgrA 
        samkshepo'sau vibhAgam prathayati ca  RcAm cAru pAThopapannam 
|
        samyak gItAnubaddham sakalam anugatam sAma SAkhA sahasram 
        samlakshyam sAbhidheyair-yajurapi Satakaih bhAty-atharvA 
rasaiSca   ||

The basic concept involved in understanding this Slokam is that it 
its accepted tradition by elders to draw certain conclusions based on 
the number of Sloka-s in a grantham.  For instance, we know that the 
gAyatrI mantra has 24 akshara-s.  We also know that SrImad rAmAyaNam 
consists of 24,000 Sloka-s.  Based on the relationship between the 
numbers 24 and 24,000, our pUrvAcArya-s declare that SrImad rAmAyaNam 
is gAyatrI vyAkhyAnam.  

In the current Slokam, svAmi deSikan points out that nammAzhvAr's 
tiruvAimozhi contains the essence of the SarIraka mImAmsA (the brahma 
sUtra-s), the Rg veda, the sAma veda, the yajur veda, and the atharva 
veda.  It shows the message of vedAnta in the form of SarIraka 
mImAmsA through 21 pASuram-s from the first three tiruvAimozhi-s, in 
the same sequence in which Sage bAdarAyaNa (veda vyAsa) presents the 
message of the vedAnta to us through the 16 pAda-s of brahma sUtra 
(SarIrakArtha kramamiha viSadam vimSatir-vakti sAgrA).  

These same 21 pASuram-s reveal to us the message of the esteemed Rg 
veda with its 21 SAkhA-s (cAru pAThopapannam RcAm).  

The sAma veda consists of 1000 SakhA-s.  Counting ten pASuram-s (not 
counting the phala Sruti pASuram), from each of the 100 tiruvAimozhi-
s in nammAzhvAr-s SrI sUkti  the total of 1000 pASuram-s (one hundred 
times ten) are considered to reveal to us the message of the 
melodious sAma veda (gItAnubaddham  sAma SAkhA sahasram).   

The phala Sruti pASuram-s total 100, since there are 100 tiruvAimozhi-
s (or `groups of ten pASuram-s').   The `kESavan tamar' tiruvAimozhi 
has thirteen pASurams;  excluding the ten pASuram-s that have been 
counted as explaining the sAma veda, and the last pASuram (phala 
Sruti) that has been accounted for along with the other phala Sruti 
pASuram-s, there are two pASuram-s left (pAsurams  11 and 12);  these 
two together are considered as one (pASuram 11 starts with 
padmanAbhan and ends with dAmodaran, and pASuram 12 elaborates 
on `dAmodran' further, and so can be considered as an extension of 
the previous pASuram).  Adding this to the 100 phala Sruti pASuram-s, 
we have a total of 101 pASuram-s; these 101 are considered a gist of 
the yajurveda with 101 SAkha-s (samlakshyam sAbhidheyaih yajurapi 
Satakaih)

The atharva veda has nine SAkhA-s, and the nine pASurams of the third 
tiruvAimozhi starting pASuram 1.3.2 (recall that the first pASuram of 
the 3rd tiruvAimozhi was grouped with the pASuram-s that give the 
gist of the Rg veda earlier), are considered to summarize the atharva 
veda (athatvArasaiSca bhAti).

Further support regarding the SarIraka mImAmsA;

upanishad bhAshyakArar has explained that the first 21 pASuram-s of 
tiruvAimozhi summarize the SarIraka mImAmsA (the brahma sUtra-s).  
svAmi deSikan also points out the above in his dramiDopanishad sAra, 
in the 4tn Slokam:

        dvikAbhyAm dvi ashTA'nghriH dur-adhigama nIti sphuTitA
yadantyA mImAmsA Sruti Sikhara tattvam avRNata  |
tadAdau gAtAbhih munih adkika vimSAbhih iha nah
kRtI sAra grAham vyataradati sa'ngRhya kRpayA  ||

uttara mImAmsA consists of four chapters, each with four pAda-s, or a 
total of 16 pAda-s for the four chapters.  dvi asTa a'nghrih ? 16 
parts.

adhika vimSatibhih gAthAbhih ? by songs exceeding twenty; this is 
interpreted as referring to the number 21.

SrI UV makes the correlation between the 16 pAda-s brahma sUtra and 
the 21 pASuram-s of tiruvAimozhi, in his vyAkhyAnam for tiruvAimozhi, 
particularly establishing that the order in which the 16 pAda-s of 
brahma sUtra explain the Supreme Brahman, is the exact same order 
(SarIrakArtha kramam) in which the 21 pASuram-s of tiruvAimozhi 
concisely summarize the Supreme Brahman.  .   We won't go through the 
detailed mapping in this write-up, but give the first three or four 
as examples to illustrate the point.

-       1st pASuram ? uyarvaRa ? conveys the meaning of the brhama 
Sabdam that is the topic of the first sUtra ? athAto brahma jij~nAsA.
-       2nd pASuram ? mannan agam malar aRa ? The fact that Brahman 
is different from the cetana-s and acetana-s ? satyam j~nAnam anantan 
brahma. 
-       1st pAda establishes that Brahman is the sRshTi kAraNam, the 
Creator of all ? this is also the subject of the first two pASuram-s, 
1.1.1 and 1.1.2.
-       pASuram-s 3 and 4 ? covey that all the cetana-s and a-cetana-
s form part of His Body, and He is the AtmA of all ? the sense of the 
2nd pAda
-       pASuram-s 5 and 6 ? convey that He is a svatantran, and is 
not subject to any other being's control ? pAda 3
-       pASuram 7 ? paDar poruL muzhuvadumAi ? His niravadhika mahimA 
is sung;  He is the upAdAna kAraNa and the AtmA of all;  SuDar migu 
SurutiyuL uLan ? He is the One who is sung by all the veda-s;   -  ? 
pAda 4, etc.

Additional comments about the Rg veda:

SvAmi deSikan has used the phrase `cAru pATha upapannam RcAm' to 
describe the correlation between tiruvAimozhi and the Rg veda.  cAru 
means `beautiful.  `upapannam' means `endowed with'.  The common 
meaning that we all know for the word `pATham' in the current context 
is a reference to the `svara' ? melody, sweetness  (as in Ghana 
pATham, karma pATham etc.).  So, one interpretation for the phrase 
could be `the Rg veda with its associated beautiful melodious svara-
s'.  This immediately raises the question ? are the other veda-s not 
endowed with `cAru-pATha-s'?  SrI UV raises this question, and gives 
quotes such as `yajureva Sirah' ? declaring the special beauty of 
svara-s etc. for the yajur veda.  SrI UV gives an interpretation that 
overcomes this objection ? the word `pATham' means the number 21 
in `gaNana rIti'.  Thus, the phrase `cAru pATha upapannam RcAm' is 
interpreted as  `the esteemed Rg veda consisting of 21 SAkhA-s'.  The 
interpretation in terms of the number of SAkhA-s is also consistent 
with the other statements that are based on the number of SAkhA-s. 

Additional comments relating to the yajur veda:

SrI UV's interpretation given above counted all the phala Sruti 
pASuram-s in establishing the basis in tiruvAimozhi  for the 101 
SAkhA-s of yajur veda.  There is another view, that counts the 100 
tiruvAmozhi-s as counting towards the 101 SAkhA-s of yajur veda.  SrI 
UV analyzes the support for both the interpretations, and seems to 
prefer the count using the phala Sruti pASuram-s.  His arguments are 
simple to understand, but they are not being included here in order 
to avoid too much detail.

Additional comments relating to the atharva veda:  

SrI ve'nkaTeSAcArya's vyAkhyAnam refers to `eight SAkhA-s' for the 
atharva veda (ashTa SakhamAna atharvaNa vedam), and SrI UV refers 
to `nine SAkhA-s'.  It is considered by some that the atharva veda 
reflects all the nava rasa-s (the nine rasa-s:  SR'ngAra ? love; 
hAsya ? comedy;  karuNA ? pity; raudra ? fury; vIryam ? heroism; 
bhayankaram ? fear; bIbhatsam ? disgust; adbhutam ? wonder; SAntam ? 
peace).  In the very first Slokam of tAtparya ratnAvaLi, svAmi 
deSikan had indicated that tiruvAimozhi is the ultimate limit of 
SAnti rasa (SAnti SuddhAnta sImA).  The other eight rasa-s are 
contained in tiruvAimozhi as accessories to the SAnti rasa.  SrI 
ve'naTeSAcArya comments that the gist of the atharva with its eight 
SAkhA-s is thus reflected in tiruvAimozhi.  SrI UV prefers to 
continue the interpretation in terms of the number of SAkhA-s, rather 
than in terms of the `rasa-s', for consistency with the other 
comparisons.  


As can be seen, there are several ways of explaining which specific 
pASuram-s are to be included in order to explain svAmi deSikan's 
thoughts reflected in the current Slokam. The point to take for us 
from this pASuram is that it is svAmi deSikan's considered opinion 
that nammAzhvAr's tiruvAimozhi contains the gist of all the four veda-
s, as well as the SarIraka mImAmsA that summarizes the message of the 
upanishad-s.   This is one more greatness of tiruvAimozhi.

Note that ian the previous Slokam (Slokam 4), svAmi deSikan pointed 
out that tiruvAimozhi is an upabrahmaNam like the itihAsa-s, purANa-
s, etc. ? tiruvAimozhi being the best among those that explain the 
message of the upanishad-s.  In the current Slokam, he points out 
that tiruvAimozhi is in all ways equal to all the veda-s and the 
upanishad-s.  

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan

(To be continued)






 
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