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Oppiliappan List Archive: Message 00110 Dec 2003

 
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Dear friends,

In the classic Sanskrit hymn of Bhakti,
"bhaja-gOvindam", composed by Adi Sankara (5th century
AD), there is a crisp but eloquent verse hailing the
efficacy of collective worship through 'satsangh':

     satsangh-gatvE nis-sangatvam
       nis-sangatvE nirmOhatvam        I
     nirmOhatvE nischala-chittam
       nishchala-chitthE jivan-mUkti:  II

                     (Verse 9: "bhaja-gOvindam")

  "The company of good-men rids one of attachments;
 When attachments are rid, delusion dissipates;       

   When delusion is rid, the mind attains steadiness;
 When the mind is steady, salvation is near".
 
The great statesman and freedom-fighter of India,
Rajaji (Sri C.Rajagopalachari), being an ardent
admirer of this hymn of Sankara, was once moved to
write a personal commentary on it. Many years later it
was serialized and published in a popular Tamil
magazine ("Kalki"). In his very insightful note on the
above verse of Sankara, Rajaji highlighted the
enormous power and utility "satsangh" possesses as a
spiritual tool in the hands of the traveller on the
road of Bhakti. Man's final destiny lies in individual
salvation -- i.e. "jivan-mUkti" -- says Sankara, but
the means to such End lies in common and collective
endeavour -- 'satsangh'. 

Rajaji went on to explain the use of 'satsangh':

 "Association with good and enlightened men
('satsangh') provides the easiest occasion for the
practice of withdrawal from desire and attachment.
Everyone is aware of the effects of good company. It
is more effective than mere precept. Calmness and
equanimity are the results of good company. As desires
and attachments become fewer and fewer, Man's delusion
which preys upon his life too diminishes".

Ancient hymns like the 'bhaja-gOvindam' help us
understand that throughout the history of religious
life in India, it was through the 'collectivism' of
'satsangh' that individual love of God, or Bhakti,
found its best and most enduring expression.

             ***********
 
Given 'satsangh's' generally exalted position as a
popular mode of worship, it should hardly surprise us
to see the protagonists of the TiruppAvai, those
comely maidens of AndAL's famous idyll, seeking out
each other's 'satsangh' or company first even before
they go forth seeking their tryst with God. 

In the cold and misty pre-dawn hours of the month of
holy 'mArgazhi' (Dec-Jan) we see the milkmaids of the
TiruppAvai going from house to house virtually pulling
each other out of bed. They cajole and browbeat one
another, crying out "ElOr-empAvaay!" They entreat each
other to rise, shine and go out together for a ritual
bath of purification ("neerAda") in the icy but sacred
waters of the village stream. They beckon everyone in
the community to join in a ritual procession ("vrata")
that should convey them to the very doorsteps of God
("manikadhavu"). There they would beseech His Grace,
they say, and succeed in securing the ultimate goal of
human life (the "parai" or "parama-purushArtha") viz.
everlasting servitude to God. (In the parlance of
SriVaishnava theology this is called
"nitya-kainkarya-prApti").

The many curious and charming ways in which the
simple-minded girls of the  'aayarpAdi' village go
about gathering a 'satsangh' serve as perfect
narrative backdrop against which AndAl wonderfully
expounds for us the theme of Bhakti in the TiruppAvai.


And how AndAl tells the tale indeed! In 30 verses of
dazzling poetry that has remained to this day
unsurpassed in all the annals of Tamil religious
literature or scripture, AndAL beautifully and
seamlessly blends the fervor of Bhakti with the
flavour of Vedanta.  

                **********
             (to be continued)

Regards,

dAsan,
Sudarshan





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