Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya Nama:
The Magnificent Madness
Everyone is a little mad, and only the degree of madness varies, say
psychologists. Especially when one is angry, one becomes temporarily insane,
and loses one's sense of right and wrong. "KrOdhAt bhavati sammOha:" says the
Gita, confirming that rage clouds a person's intellect and reasoning faculties.
Madness is associated with abnormal or non-conformist behaviour, unacceptable
to society at large. However, in some cases, it is possible that the entire
society may be in the wrong, and it is the non-conformist individual who may be
right. When this happens (and this has occurred innumerable times in history)
Society calls the maverick mad, while to the latter, the entire society appears
insane.
Devotees of the Lord, moved beyond words by their sublime experience, often
display behaviour which is considered abnormal by social standards. They cry
out, unable to contain their happiness or sorrow, sing, dance, and indulge in
extrovert activities, unmindful of what others would think of them, all
prompted by Bhagavat GunAnubhavam.
Sri Nammazhwar says that those deeply devoted to the Lord would never able to
contain themselves, and would definitely exhibit "abnormal" behaviour, earning
them the social sobriquet of madmen.
"VAr punal amthaN aruvi vada TiruvEdgadathu endai
Per pala solli pidattri pitthar endrE pirar koora
oor pala pukkum pugAdum ulOgar sirikka nindru Adi
Arvam perugi kunippAr amarar tozhappaduvArE"
The mere thought of Emperuman makes the bhakta burst out in His praise,
accompanied by song and dance, much to the amusement of the worldly
onlookers,who consider these devotees insane. However, devotees touched by such
"insanity" form objects of worship for the Nitya SUrIs of Sri Vaikuntam.
That being so, Azhwar exhorts everyone to shed their ego and inhibition andto
let themselves go, with hearts moved by the Lord's auspicious attributes-
"perumayum nANum tavirndu pidattrumin pEdamai teerndE". It is noteworthythat
Azhwar considers behaviour other than that specified above to be "pEdamai" or
ignorance. We thus have a paradoxical situation- to the entire world (barring
kindred souls) the Azhwar's behaviour appears insane, while to the Azhwar,
anything other than such demeanour is confirmed lunacy. Besides considering
them mad, Azhwar questions the very rationale of such people's existence, as
are unmoved by the Lord and His attributes-
"sem pavaLa tiraL vAyan SirIdharan tol pugazh pAdi
kumbidu nattam ittu Adi kOgu kattuNdu uzhalAdAr
tam pirappAl payan ennE sAdhu janangaL idayE".
It appears that the mundane masses considering the Lord's votaries to be
insane, and vice versa, is not confined to Sri Nammazhwar. Sri Kulasekharazhwar
too is a victim, as he pours out in PerumAl Tirumozhi-
"PEyarE enakku yAvarum -YAnum Or pEyanE evarkkum
idu pEsi en
AyanE ArangA endru azhaikkindrEn
PEyanAi ozhindEn EmpirAnukkE"
Laments the Azhwar-"People say I am mad. It is the Lord and His auspicious
attributes that drive me mad. I do admit to such madness, but to me, all the
world appears mad. Their madness is the result of a relentless pursuit
ofmaterial pleasures ("UndiyE udayE ugandu Odum immandalam"). I am mad afterthe
Lord of SriRangam, while the rest of the world is mad after slim-waisted
damsels ("noolin nEr idayAr tirattE nirkum gyAlam"). This ignorant worldchases
transitory delights ("Meyyil vAzhkkaiyai mey ena koLLum ivvayyam"),while I
pursue only eternal bliss, personified by Sri Rangaraja. Yes, I amindeed
insane, but this is insanity caused by the beautiful lotus feet of Emperuman
("Arangan adi iNai tangu chinthai tani perum pitthan"). Thus the world at large
considers me a lunatic, whereas to me, they appear crazy. Neither am I able to
convince them of their errant ways, nor are they able topersuade me to share
their sensual pleasures. There is thus no meeting ground between us nor any
channels of communication: and there is absolutely no point in discussing this
any further ("idu pEsi en").
Precisely the same sentiments are voiced by Sage Narada, in the following sloka
quoted by Swami Desikan in Srimad Rahasyatrasaram, highlighting the lack of
meeting ground between BhAgavatAs who are slaves of the Lord, and others who
are slaves to their senses-
"adya prabhruti hE lOkA ! Yooyum yooyum vayam vayam
arttha kAma parA yooyum, NArayaNa parA vayam
nAsti sangati: asmAkam yushmAkam cha parasparam
vayam tu kinkarA VishNO: yooyum indriya kinkarA:".
It is such "madness" that earned two Mudal Azhwars the sobriquet "PeyAzhwAr",
and "BhootattAzwar".
And the BhAgavata PurAna recounts how the great Bharata Muni, due to his
unconventional behaviour occasioned by constant focussing of his faculties
onthe Supreme, was derisively called "Jada Bharata".
If the Lord is capable of driving men mad with His kalyANa guNAs, we can
imagine what effect He would have on His female devotees. Sri Andal
confessesthat His matchless beauty drives Her crazy-"MAlE seyyum maNALan" says
She.The ParAnkusa Nayaki too shares Sri Andal's plight, being driven to
distraction by Emperuman. The result of this madness is to perceive everything
inthe wide world as the Lord Himself and His vibhooti-
"Eriya pitthinOdu ellA ulagum Kannan padaippu ennum
neeru sevvE ida kANil NedumAl adiyAr endrOdum
nAru tuzhAi malar kANil NAranan kaNNi eedennum
tEriyum tErAdum MayOn tiratthanaLE it tiruvE"
To conclude, being mad is not bad, per se. It is what we are mad about
thatmakes the difference.
Considering all this, wouldn't you like to be a little mad?
Srimate SriLakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana
Yatindra Mahadesikaya Nama:
Dasan, sadagopan.
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial
size=2> <FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT>
<P class=MsoBlockText style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN lang=EN-GB>Srimate
SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya Nama:</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB> <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<H1 style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN lang=EN-GB></SPAN> </H1>
<H1 style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB>
The
Magnificent Madness</SPAN></H1>
<P class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoBodyTextIndent style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 1in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB>Everyone is a little mad, and only the degree of madness varies, say
psychologists. Especially when one is angry, one becomes temporarily insane,
and
loses one’s sense of right and wrong. ”KrOdhAt bhavati
sammOha:” says the Gita,
confirming that rage clouds a person’s intellect and reasoning
faculties.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Madness is associated with abnormal or
non-conformist behaviour, unacceptable to society at large. However, in some
cases, it is possible that the entire society may be in the wrong, and it is
the
non-conformist individual who may be right. When this happens (and this has
occurred innumerable times in history) Society calls the maverick mad, while to
the latter, the entire society appears insane.</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 1in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoBlockText style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN lang=EN-GB><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun:
yes">
</SPAN>Devotees of the Lord, moved beyond words by their sublime experience,
often display behaviour which is considered abnormal by social standards. They
cry out, unable to contain their happiness or sorrow, sing, dance, and indulge
in extrovert activities, unmindful of what others would think of them, all
prompted by Bhagavat GunAnubhavam.</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoBodyTextIndent style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 1in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB>Sri Nammazhwar says that those deeply devoted to the Lord would
never
able to contain themselves, and would definitely exhibit “abnormal”
behaviour,
earning them the social sobriquet of madmen.</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB>“VAr punal amthaN aruvi vada TiruvEdgadathu endai</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB>Per pala solli pidattri <B>pitthar endrE pirar
koora<o:p></o:p></B></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><B><SPAN
lang=EN-GB>o</SPAN></B><SPAN lang=EN-GB>or pala pukkum pugAdum <B>ulOgar
sirikka
nindru Adi<o:p></o:p></B></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB>Arvam perugi kunippAr amarar tozhappaduvArE”</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoBodyTextIndent style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 1in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB>The mere thought of Emperuman makes the bhakta burst out in His
praise, accompanied by song and dance, much to the amusement of the worldly
onlookers, who consider these devotees insane. However, devotees touched bysuch
“insanity” form objects of worship for the Nitya SUrIs of Sri
Vaikuntam.</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoBodyTextIndent style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 1in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB>That being so, Azhwar exhorts everyone to shed their ego and
inhibition and to let themselves go, with hearts moved by the Lord’s
auspicious
attributes- “perumayum nANum tavirndu pidattrumin pEdamai teerndE”.
It is
noteworthy that Azhwar considers behaviour other than that specified above to
be
“pEdamai” or ignorance. We thus have a paradoxical situation- to
the entire
world (barring kindred souls) the Azhwar’s behaviour appears insane,
while to
the Azhwar, anything other than such demeanour is confirmed lunacy.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Besides considering them mad, Azhwar
questions the very rationale of such people’s existence, as are unmoved
by the
Lord and His attributes-</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB>“sem pavaLa tiraL vAyan SirIdharan tol pugazh pAdi</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB>kumbidu nattam ittu Adi kOgu kattuNdu uzhalAdAr</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><B><SPAN
lang=EN-GB>tam pirappAl payan ennE<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN></SPAN></B><SPAN lang=EN-GB>sAdhu janangaL idayE”.</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 1in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB>It appears that the mundane masses considering the Lord’s
votaries to
be insane, and vice versa, is not confined to Sri Nammazhwar. Sri
Kulasekharazhwar too is a victim, as he pours out in PerumAl
Tirumozhi-</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB>“PEyarE enakku yAvarum –YAnum Or pEyanE
evarkkum</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB>idu pEsi en</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB>AyanE ArangA endru azhaikkindrEn</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB>PEyanAi ozhindEn EmpirAnukkE”</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 1in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB>Laments the Azhwar-“People say I am mad. It is the Lord and
His
auspicious attributes that drive me mad. I do admit to such madness, but tome,
all the world appears mad. Their madness is the result of a relentless pursuit
of material pleasures (“UndiyE udayE ugandu Odum immandalam”). I am
mad after
the Lord of SriRangam, while the rest of the world is mad after slim-waisted
damsels (“noolin nEr idayAr tirattE nirkum gyAlam”). This ignorant
world chases
transitory delights (“Meyyil vAzhkkaiyai mey ena koLLum ivvayyam”),
while I
pursue only eternal bliss, personified by Sri Rangaraja. Yes, I am indeed
insane, but this is insanity caused by the beautiful lotus feet of Emperuman
(“Arangan adi iNai tangu chinthai tani perum pitthan”). Thus the
world at large
considers me a lunatic, whereas to me, <B><I>they</I> </B>appear crazy. Neither
am <B><I>I</I></B> able to convince them of their errant ways, nor are
<B><I>they</I></B> able to persuade me to share their sensual pleasures. There
is thus no meeting ground between us nor any channels of communication: and
there is absolutely no point in discussing this any further (“idu pEsi
en”).</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in; TEXT-INDENT: -1in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoBodyTextIndent style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 1in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB>Precisely the same sentiments are voiced by Sage Narada, in the
following sloka quoted by Swami Desikan in Srimad Rahasyatrasaram, highlighting
the lack of meeting ground between BhAgavatAs who are slaves of the Lord, and
others who are slaves to their senses-</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB>“adya prabhruti hE lOkA ! Yooyum yooyum vayam vayam</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB>arttha kAma parA yooyum, NArayaNa parA vayam</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB>nAsti sangati: asmAkam yushmAkam cha parasparam</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB>vayam tu kinkarA VishNO: yooyum indriya kinkarA:”.</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoBodyTextIndent style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 1in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB>It is such “madness” that earned two Mudal Azhwarsthe
sobriquet
“PeyAzhwAr”, and<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>“BhootattAzwar”.</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoBodyTextIndent style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 1in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB>And the BhAgavata PurAna recounts how the great Bharata Muni, due to
his unconventional behaviour occasioned by constant focussing of his faculties
on the Supreme, was derisively called “Jada Bharata”.</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in; TEXT-INDENT: -1in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoBodyTextIndent style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 1in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB>If the Lord is capable of driving men mad with His kalyANa guNAs, we
can imagine what effect He would have on His female devotees. Sri Andal
confesses that His matchless beauty drives Her crazy-“MAlE seyyum
maNALan” says
She. The ParAnkusa Nayaki too shares Sri Andal’s plight, being drivento
distraction by Emperuman. The result of this madness is to perceive everything
in the wide world as the Lord Himself and His vibhooti-</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB>“<B>Eriya pitthinOdu </B>ellA ulagum Kannan padaippu
ennum</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB>neeru sevvE ida kANil NedumAl adiyAr endrOdum</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB>nAru tuzhAi malar kANil NAranan kaNNi eedennum</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB>tEriyum tErAdum MayOn tiratthanaLE it tiruvE”</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 1in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB>To conclude, being mad is not bad, <I>per se. </I>It is what we are
mad about that makes the difference.</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in; TEXT-INDENT: -1in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoBodyTextIndent style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB>Considering all this, wouldn’t you like to be a little
mad?</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoBodyTextIndent style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 1in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB>Srimate SriLakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri
Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya Nama:</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 1in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB>Dasan, sadagopan.</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in; TEXT-INDENT: -1in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>
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