FACULTIES TRANSFERABLE?
The ticket procured from the railway counter read 'Not Transferable'. Unless
this is strictly followed, one will end up either paying fine or resting fine
with free boarding and lodging at state's expense.
Coming to the topic, 'is faculty transferable'? This has already been discussed
with true life examples from Sri KrshNA and Sri RAmA's divine episodes, by Sri
Sadagopan Iyengar.
There has also been reference from Nam-AzhwAr from the ninth ten of
ThriuvAiMozhi.
AzhwAr's thoughts are indeed strange. Strange, in the sense that they think
differently. Even their pangs of sepaaration manifest into wonderful hymns of
devotion, their outbursts blossoming into sweet thoughts and ecclesiastic
tenets.
This is possible perhaps only from those who have been blessed by EmperumAn
Himself-mayarvaRa mathi nalam aruLap peRRavargaL.
SwAmy Nam-AzhwAr being the soul who enjoys in mirth and rapture while devouring
the Lord Almighty sulks in sullenness when in deep distress, apparently the
distress casued from separation from the Lord.
However, here is a unique thought from him. He desired the function of one
faculty to be performed by the other? Medical world will spurn it with
disdain. Rational beings will criticise this as illogical.
Devotion does not have any boundaries and swAmy Nam-AzhwAr being the
personification of Love for KrishNA -KrshnAthrishnA thathvam - crossed any such
borders and yearned to consume the Almgihty by criss-crossing the faculties and
their role.
"Oh! Lord the mind thinks of You. Permit the mind to get Your Vision, Please"
pleads SatagOpan.
The faculty of speech desires to think of the Lord and yearns for the role of
mind.
But wait, the sense of touch desires the effect of speech on the Lord whereas
the eyes desire to have the sense of touch.
Not enough with this the ears want to see and lO! the Atman wants to listen to
Your divine stories.
The Edu summarises this as 'prajaigaLin izhavu sonnAr kEzh' 'The hunger of
one's children is described.
This is not any imagination but the blissful and emotional outbursts of Sri
ParAnkusan in the wonderful ThiruvAiMozhi 3-8;
'mudiyAnEa mUvulagum thozhudhEAthum sEr adiyAnEA and goes on for another six
pAsuram-s pleading for transferability of the role of the faculties.
The avatharikai of EDu for this ThiruvAiMozhi indeed reiterates swAmy
Nam-PiLLai's vyAkyAnic prowess.
The immense desire for the Lord and srEvaishNavites accumulated and the
cumulative effect transformed into 'one sensory organ pining for the role of
the other analogous to a person with burning hunger not able to resist it,
takes away the food meant for his children while the children take away his
food. "What shall I do for this deep hunger ?" exclaims mARAn and calls
EmperumAn, alongwith the sensory organs.
EDu: "..maRRai indhriyangaLum vidAithu, Or indhriyathinudaiya vrudhiyai maRRai
indhriyangaLum, Asaip pattum, maRRai indhriyangaLinudaiya vrudhiyai maRRai
indhriyam Asaip pattum, avai ellAvaRRinudaiya vrudhiyai thAn Asaippattum,
thammilum vidAitha karaNangaLum, karaNangaLulim vidAitha thAnumAi-shama
kAlathil bahU prajanAnavan than pasikku ARRA mATTADhEa, avaRRin vAyiR sORRaith
thAn pasithu jEvippadhu than vAyiR sOthai avai paRithu jEvippadhAi "en pasikku
en seivEAn? ennumA pOlEa, thAmum thammudaiya karaNak krAmamumAga nOAVupattuk
kUppidugiRAr"
The VyAkyAnam and the pAsuram-s have to be consumed to realise the emotions and
outpourings of AzhwAr
dAsan'
vanamamalai padmanabhan
PS: Why not? I can hear the claims. Yes, the optical mouse indeed extracts
vision from its erstwhile touch perception.
----- Original Message -----
From: sadagopaniyengar
To: malolan_net@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ; Oppiliappan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ;
tiruvenkatam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ; ramanuja@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Cc: Radha Jagannathan ; rajamragu@xxxxxxxxx ; CHETLUR SRINIVASAN
Sent: Wednesday, November 30, 2005 11:06 AM
Subject: [ramanuja] Flexible Faculties
Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:
Flexible Faculties
During a recent visit to Tirumala, I accidentally fell into one of the deep
trenches that are being dug all over the hills for some strange purpose known
only to the TTD authorities. They did not deem it fit to provide warning signs
and in the pitch dark of 3 a.m., not being endowed with sensors, I could not
help stepping involuntarily into the trench. The result was an immediate and
searing pain in the calf muscle and walking became extremely difficult.
Accepting this as a prasaadam the Tirumalayappan had bestowed on me even before
granting an audience, I managed to crawl, limp and drag myself through the next
few hours and, as soon as the glorious Saattrumurai was over at the Sannidhi
(during which Srinivasa seemed to smile rather mischievously at me) returned
home post-haste, in considerable pain. For a couple of days thereafter, I
couldn't set my foot down and was confined to the bed due to doctor's orders,
having torn a ligament.
There is nothing like an enforced rest to set you thinking and I too indulged
in this idle pastime. Having temporarily lost the use of a leg, I wondered
wistfully how nice it would be if one organ of the body were able to perform
the function of another, when the latter is out of order. For instance, if you
had conjunctivitis and had difficulty seeing with your eyes, how convenient
would it be if the ears could also see! If you had a hearing problem, how handy
would it be if the eyes could take over as conveyors of sound too, in addition
to sight! If only the tongue could smell and the nose act as a taste bud! In
short, if one crucial part of the body were able to substitute the functions of
another, we would have absolutely no problems even in the case of a temporary
or even permanent loss of one faculty. And it appeared rather remiss of the
Lord, for not having provided the requisite interchangeability among our
faculties, which would make them substitute for one another in case of need.
The sad fact, however, remains that all our knowledge is faculty-based-we are
unable to see, hear, smell or taste, without the respective organs doing their
duty.
Chiding myself for such fanciful thoughts, I pondered as to whether there
were indeed instances of such substitutive faculties and, to my surprise, I did
come up with a few. (Incidentally, I was mortified to find that even a snake
was able to hear with its eyes, as could be gathered from its Sanskrit
sobriquet-"Chakshushrava:")
Describing the Raasa Leela, Sri Nammazhwar paints us an enchanting picture of
Sri Krishna playing the flute, surrounded by an adoring bevy of Gopis. While
doing so, Azhwar comes up with an interesting formulation, (in the ten
paasurams beginning with "Malligai kamazh tendral")-
"toodu sei kangal kondu ondru pesi, too mozhi isaigal kondu ondru nokki"
Azhwar tells us that Sri Krishna spoke volumes to the Gopis with His
beautiful eyes, conveying all possible intimate endearments-"toodu sei kangal
kondu ondru pesi". And simultaneously, He saw the Gopis with love-filled
glances, through His music-"too mozhi isaigal kondu ondru nokki".
Normally, the eye can only see-it can't speak. Even granting that expressions
can be exhibited in the eye, they can only be extremely inadequate and can
convey meaning fully, only when supplemented by the spoken word. By itself,
eye-contact, as a means of communication, would be ineffective.
Not so, however, in the case of Sri Krishna-He managed to convey to Gopis
with His dark, passionate and red-lined eyes, all that He could have actually
said through speech. All the love and affection He had for them, all the
endearments that lovers utter at great emotional heights-all these were
conveyed to the Gopis with utmost effectiveness, as if Sri Krishna was actually
speaking volumes, says Sri Nampillai-"pecchaal pirakkum spashttathai nokkaale
pirakkai". The message went through to the Gopis through the Lord's eyes with
all the clarity that only the spoken word can convey.
And what was the need for speaking through the eyes, when He did have a
pearly mouth ("tirupppavala chevvaai") with which to speak and dulcet tones
which were music to the ears?
Sri Krishna was playing the flute, regaling man, woman and beast alike and
could not be bothered to take it off from His mouth, interrupting the flow,
every time He wanted to speak to a Gopi. However, He could not also refrain
from speaking to His female fans frequently. As much as they wanted to speak to
Him, Krishna too was enamoured of whispering sweet nothings in their ears
constantly. And as a way out, He continued with His concert, simultaneously
conversing with Gopis through His eloquent eyes, managing to communicate as
effectively as if He were speaking to them lovingly and at length. We wonder
whether it is this act of Emperuman which inspired Tiruvalluvar's words "
Kannodu kan nokkin vaaicchorkkal enna payanum ila".
And the mesmerising music that emanated from the flute had no less an impact
on the audience than a captivating look from the Lord's beautiful eyes. A mere
glance from Sri Krishna's eyes has the effect of comprehensively winning over
the onlooker and making the latter a slave for eternity. Azhwar avers that the
Venu gaanam was so enchanting as to enslave all those present and Sri
Nampillai, commenting on the line "too mozhi isaigal kondu ondru nokki", says-
"Azhagia pecchodu koodiya isaigalaale kannaale nokki eedu padutthumaa pole
eedupadutthi".
This episode tells us that it is indeed possible for one faculty to perform
the function of another and that too quite effectively-"vaak vyavahaaramum
netra vrittiyum maaraadina padi". However, this is possible only for the Lord,
who does not depend upon His faculties for generating data.
If this is what Sri Krishna did, He must have continued where He left off in
His previous avatara, for, we find Sri Rama too employing one faculty to
perform the function of another. If Krishna spoke with His eyes, we are told by
Sri Valmiki that Sri Rama drank with His! When Sri Vibhishana falls at
Raghava's feet in a gesture of Saranagati, what does Rama do? The Prince of
Ayodhya extends refuge to the distressed rakshasa with sweet words of
reassurance, all the time looking at Vibhishana with compassionate eyes which
appear to drink him in. Here are Sri Valmiki's beautiful words-
"Tasya tat vachanam shrutva Ramo vachanam abraveet
vachasa saantayitvainam lochanaabhyaam piban iva"
Sri Rama's eyes appeared to drink in Vibhishana, says Sri Valmiki,
highlighting the Lord's abundant love and affection for one who has realised
the folly of his ways and surrenders totally to the Lord, forsaking all that he
has held dear so far. Swami Desikan compares the passion in the Lord's eyes to
that of a traveller in the desert, tormented by thirst, when he sights water at
last-"peru vidaai pattavan tanneerai kandaal oru kaalum vida maattadaar pole".
Emperuman's eyes thirst for the sight of a Saranagata and once He sights a
surrendered soul, He is so eager that His eyes appear to drink in the Prapanna.
We see thus that quite unlike human faculties, which are designed to perform
a single function, the Lord can speak with His eyes, see with His speech, drink
with His eyes and so on. And how is He able to substitute the function of His
faculties at will? Because He is not dependant on His Indriyas or senses, for
cognition. Though He sports a magnificent tirumeni for the edification of His
devotees, replete with eyes, ears, nose and limbs, apparently meant for
respective cognitive functions, His faculties are not mundane and moribund like
those of mortals. In fact, He does not need faculties or senses at all, for
seeing, hearing or for any of the other functions. The Upanishad tells us that
He sees without eyes, hears without ears, travels without legs and so on-
"Apaani paadou javano griheetva pasyati achakshu: shrunoti akarna:".
While sitting at the same place, He can commute to quite a distant place--
"Aaseeno dooram vrajati". Seated at Sri Vaikunttam, He is aware of all that
happens at every nook and cranny of all the universes, instantaneously, as if
in a live telecast, says Sri Nathamuni-
"Yo vetti yugapat sarvam, pratyakshena sadaa svata:"
This article started with my wishful thinking about faculties which could be
used interchangeably. However, when I went through the Varadaraja Stavam of Sri
Koorattazhwan, I found that my thoughts were not as fanciful as they appeared
initially. Azhwan too expresses a yearning for such a state, where each of his
organs wishes to perform the duty of another, apart from its own assigned task.
And what is the provocation for the Acharya's wish for faculties overreaching
their respective roles and trying to usurp those of their companions?
It is the magnificent and mesmerising vision of Sri Varadaraja, which makes
Azhwan long for his sense of touch being able to drink in the Lord's boundless
beauty. The Acharya wishes that his tongue would hear the sweet words of the
Lord's praise. So also is Azhwan's wish for his nose, which is loathe to
confining itself to smelling and craves a much greater role in Bhagavat
anubhavam. It is an indication of the depth of Azhwan's devotion that all his
faculties compete with one another in not only securing their rightful share of
enjoyment of the Lord, but also encroach into that of the other faculties-- the
ear trying to see the incredible beauty of Varada, the eye wishing to hear His
praises, the skin longing for a blissful sight of Emperuman and so on. Here is
Sri Azhwan's beautiful verse, describing the plight of his faculties, driven to
madness by the sight of Sri Varadaraja-
"Tvak cha drik cha nipipaasati,
Jihvaa vihvalaa shravanavat para vrittou
Naasikaa tvayi Kareesa! Tatheti
Praapnuyaam katham imaamsvit avastthaam"
The Lord is generous and endows us with such flexible faculties, capable of
performing not only their allotted functions, but also those of their brethren.
However, He gifts us with such interchangeable indriyas, only after our
emancipation through an appropriate strategy like Prapatti. After release from
Samsara and reaching Sri Vaikunttam, it would appear that the liberated soul is
able to assume at will any sort of body, with faculties which are capable of
performing any function-eyes that hear, ears that see, etc. All this, however,
is done only to enhance the Mukta's enjoyment of the Lord and His boundless
beauty and not for any self-gratification.
Srimate Sri LakshmiNrisimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana
Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:
dasan, sadagopan
Azhvar EmberumAnAr JeeyAr ThiruvadigalE Saranam
http://www.vedics.net
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