You are here: SriPedia - Oppiliappan - Archives - Jan 2008

Oppiliappan List Archive: Message 00248 Jan 2008

 
Jan 2008 Indexes ( Date | Thread | Author )
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]


NOTE: Readers having difficulty in reading the text
may need to change their encoding to UTF-8.  
---------- 
srI:
SrI  upakAra  sangraham ? 59
--- 
adikAram ? 1
poorva upakAra paramparai
(The Foremost Series of Favours) 
---   
SECTION ? 5 (16)  
(27 Favours of the Lord leading to the means for
MOKSHAM)  
-----   

 
        In the previous sub-section, SwAmi Desikan showed us
how the Lord is making the AchAryas to provide us the
spiritual knowledge through His own example. We also
learnt that the AchArya should be revered as the Lord
himself and about the qualifications of a sAttvika
AchArya, i.e., sadAchArya. 
        Now, in this sub-section, SwAmi Desikan speaks of
another favour done by the Lord for us: 

(16) nammaiyum ?shiShyastEham shAdhi mAm tvAm
prapannam? ennumpadi  paNNinathuvum;

        Before trying to understand this statement, we must
go back to the sub-sections 13 and 14. 
        In 13, it was pointed out, among other things, that
this life is seemingly good, but full of miseries and
we must take quick steps to come out of it. It was
also revealed that we must get into virtuous dialogue,
in particular, with a scholar of Scriptures. Many
Scholars may not be suitable to show us the right path
for the termination of our miseries. 

        In the next sub-section, that is, 14, it was revealed
that only a virtuous teacher is capable of revealing
the truth because of his qualifications. He should be
not only knowledgeable but compassionate enough to
give us the required guidance. The Lord helped us to
go near such an AchArya and establish a firm place
within the area of that Acharya?s glance. 

        Once we find an Acharya with all the qualifications
as described by SwAmi Desikan in the two verses of his
work, nyAsa-vimshati, what we should do is indicated
in this sub-section. This is also due to the grace of
the Lord. 

        In the previous sub-section, we saw the Lord Himself
set an example for an ideal AchArya. That example was
recorded in the scripture, Bhagavadgita, which
contains a detailed dialogue between Him and Arjuna.
The situation, which Arjuna found himself in, is also
similar to ours. Having realized where he stands,
Arjuna left everything in the hands of the Lord, SrI
KriShNa so that the Lord teach him what is the best
thing he has to do. 

        In the previous sub-section, we also went through the
verse of PeriyAzhvAr, in which it was revealed that
the Lord entered in his mind and cleansed it of all
the dirt that had collected there and later gave
instructions on the principles and the means for
realizing them. 

        There was something between the seeker?s approaching
the sadAchArya, and the AchaArya starting his
instructions to the seeker. This gap is being bridged
in the present sub-section. 

        Besides telling us what is expected of a sAttvika
AchArya , the Lord is also showing us the role we have
to play while proceeding on the path towards spiritual
perfection and to attain the ultimate goal which is
nothing but attaining the Lord?s Abode. 
        SwAmi Desikan quotes a passage from the Bhagavdgita, 

?shiShyastEham shAdhi mAm tvAm prapannam? ? 

?I am your disciple; I am surrendering to You.? is the
meaning of this passage which is a part of the verse
in the Gita, addressed by Arjuna to the Lord, SrI
KriShNa. The full verse is as follows:

?kArpaNya dOShOpahata svabhAvah prucchAmi tvAm
dharma-sammooDha-cEtAh /
  yacchrEyah syAnnishcitam broohi tanmE shiShyastEham
shAdhi mAm prapannam //? 
                                                      
                                                      
                     (Gita, 2-7)
 (With my nature overwhelmed by the defective weakness
of spirit and with my intellect confused about my
duty, I ask You. Tell me what is decidedly good for
me. I am Your disciple. Teach me, who have taken
refuge in You.) 

        Though SwAmi Desikan has quoted only a part of this
verse, the words as quoted throw light on the mental
state of Arjuna, which is also important for us and
which is the intention of the Lord for conferring His
favour on us. 

        The state of a disciple seeking spiritual knowledge
from a sadAchArya is the same as that of Arjuna. With
the grace of the Lord, the fortunate jIva has been
saved from the wrong direction of his life, and now,
he is at the cross-roads, where he has to choose the
right path. The Lord has come to our help here too and
showed that we must approach a sadAchArya. And He has
also brought us near such an AchArya with all the
required qualifications as shown in the last
sub-section. 

        Now, the Lord shows us how to approach the AchArya
who has been made ready for giving the instructions to
us by the Lord Himself. That approach is the same as
Arjuna did and hence this verse is quoted.

 ?kArpaNya dOShOpahata svabhAvah
dharma-sammooDha-cEtAh?  

-- Arjuna is standing confused as to what is righteous
and what is not righteous ? whether to fight against
the opponents who include his Acharyas and close
relatives, or to turn away from the Warfield without
fighting them and killing them. That is the situation
in which the seeker is also placed. He knows by the
grace of the Lord that the mundane pleasures and the
pleasures of other worlds like heaven are not only
very minor but unstable too. Having realized this
fact, the jIva is in a predicament as to what to seek
from the AchArya before whom he has been brought by
the Lord. This is described by the following words:

?prucchAmi tvAm yacchrEyah syAnnishcitam broohi tanmE?
 -- 

?I ask you, what is definitely good for me? Please
tell me that.? 
        This indicates that the jIva has woken up regarding
his present situation which is really not the one he
should continue with. And, he doesn?t know how to
proceed further and where to proceed. But, he is sure
that what he requires is the one which will be
definitely good for his future. That is what he asks
his preceptor.

However, the preceptor puts the questions to him: ?Why
should I tell you? Who are you?? 

Though these questions are not given in the verse,
these can be understood from the way Arjuna speaks
next:

 ?shiShyastEham shAdhi mAm prapannam?  -- 
 
?(Because) I am your disciple. I have taken refuge in
you.? 

        So, the Lord shows to us what should the jIva, who
seeking the advice of the AchArya, do. He must become
a disciple of the AchArya first by falling at his
feet.
    
 ?prapannam? : pra + pannam. ?Panna? is derived from
the root, ?pad?, the meaning of which is, ?to
approach, to attain, to practice etc.? The Vedic
meaning is ?to fall down with fatigue.?  The prefix,
?pra? indicates ?very?, ?excessively?, ?intensity?
etc., when it is added to an adjective. Here, the word
means, ?I have intensively fallen at You feet?. 

        This is what a person who intends to take the
discipleship should adopt. Then only he becomes a
disciple of that AchArya. And so declares Arjuna
before the Lord. He gives the authority to SrI KriShNa
to guide him on the right path. That is why SwAmi
Desikan has quoted these words only, instead of the
whole verse to emphasize what we have to do when we
are just in front of an AchArya. 

This, Swami Desiakn says, is another favour the Lord
does, as He did to Arjuna, in the MahAbhArata
war-field, i.e., KurukShetra. 

(To continue) 
dAsan
Anbil S.SrInivAsan
-------- 
  



      
____________________________________________________________________________________
Never miss a thing.  Make Yahoo your home page. 
http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs


Oppiliappan Koil Varadachari Sadagopan
http://www.sadagopan.org  
Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Oppiliappan/

<*> Your email settings:
    Individual Email | Traditional

<*> To change settings online go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Oppiliappan/join
    (Yahoo! ID required)

<*> To change settings via email:
    mailto:Oppiliappan-digest@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
    mailto:Oppiliappan-fullfeatured@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
    Oppiliappan-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
    http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
 


[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next] [Date Index ] [Thread Index ] [Author Index ]
Home Page
http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia
oppiliappan-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
To subscribe to the list