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Oppiliappan List Archive: Message 00305 Jan 2008

 
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srI:
SrI  upakAra  sangraham ? 66
--- 
adikAram ? 1
poorva upakAra paramparai
(The Foremost Series of Favours) 
---   
SECTION ? 5 (21)  
(27 Favours of the Lord leading to the means for
MOKSHAM)  
-----   
  
        Once the treasure-house of valuable messages
contained in the three mantras has been opened for us
by the Lord through the medium of AchArya, what the
disciple has to do is revealed in this sub-section by
SwAmi Desikan:

(21) ippadi  sAnugraha-nAna sadAchArya-nAlE
upadiShTangkaLAna  sadarthangkaLil
?upadiShTEpyavishvastah? ennum  avasthai  vArAthapadi
paNNinathuvum;

        The Lord does another favour by preventing the
disciple who has obtained the valuable instructions
from the compassionate AchArya, from falling in to a
situation of non-belief in the messages given by his
AchArya:

 ?upadiShTEpyavishvastah? ennum avasthai vArAthapadi
-- not getting in to the situation where the disciple
becomes a ?non-believer in the instructions?. This is
also a favour conferred by the Lord. 

        To understand this, we must study the scriptural
instructions regarding the conduct of a disciple after
he receives the valuable knowledge sought from his
AchArya. If these are not followed, he will get in to
the avoidable situation referred to above. 

What is expected of the disciple?

        The disciple bringing the Guru to light before others
and not doing so are due to the high devotion or the
lack of it on his part. It has been stated the
shESha-samhita:

?gurum prakAshatEddheemAn mantram yatnEna gOpayEt /
   aprakAsha-prakAshAbhyAm kSheeyEtE sampadAyuShee //?
   (shESha-samhita, 14-50)

(The wise man should bring his guru to light, make
famous, and should guard the sacred mantra with great
care; from the omission to bring his guru to light and
by revealing the mantra, he declines in wealth of
knowledge and in age (spiritual standing).)

        It is well known from Kata shruti and JAbAla shruti
that all desired knowledge arises from supreme
devotion to the guru resembling the devotion to
BhagavAn. This is learnt also from the episode of
Sanjaya seeing the entire war in detail in
KurukShEtra, as if they occurred before him, as the
result of his supreme devotion to his guru, VyAsa. 
        
In our sampradAya, we should to recite the following
verse, which has been given to us by SwAmi Desikan:


?ennuyir thanthaLitthavaraic caraNam pukku
       yAndaivE  avarkurukkaL nirai vaNangkip
 pinnaruLAl perumpoothur vanta vaLLal 
      periyanambi ALvanthAr maNakkAlnambhi
 nanneRiyai avarkkuraitta uyyakkoNdAr
     nAthamuni shatagopan cEnainAthan 
 innamudat thirumakaL enRivarai munnittu
     emperumAn thiruvadikaL adaikinREnE.?            
(SrImadrahasya-traya-sAram, 3)

(Having sought the protection of my guru who has
graciously taught me that BhagavAn is the Inner Self
within me, and having also bowed with devotion to the
line of his gurus, I seek the refuge at the feet of
the Lord; after bowing at the feet of that generous
soul who appeared in SrI Perumpoothur owing to his
compassion (for his fellow-men), his guru, Periya
Nambi, ALavanthAr, MaNakkAl Nambi, UyyakkondAr (who
taught the good path of prapatti to MaNakkAl Nambi),
NAthamuni (the guru of UyyakkondAr), shatagopan
(NammAzhvAr) (the guru of NAthamuni) and ViShvaksEna
(the guru of NammAzhvAr) and then, the gracious
LakShmI, sweet to the Lord as ambrosia.)
     
        SwAmi Desikan has in detail explained the duties of a
disciple towards his AchArya in the
shiShya-krutyAdhikArah, in SrI rahasyatrayasAram. In
the opening verse, he says:

        ?ashithila-gurubhaktih tatprashamsAdi-sheelah
                   pracura-bahumatih
tadvastu-vAstvAdikEpi /
              guNavati viniyOktum gOpayan sampradAyam
                  krutavidanaghavruttih kim na
vindEnnidhAnam //?

(The disciple should be staunch in his devotion to the
guru; he should be intent on doing such things as
spreading the fame of his guru and rendering service
to him; he should have the greatest regard for such
things as his guru?s property and his home; he should
guard the spiritual tradition in order to hand it on
to another who is worthy; the disciple who is grateful
and is perfect in his performance of the ordained
rites, is he not sure to attain the treasure, namely,
BhagavAn?)

        The scriptures say that since the AchArya reveals the
meanings of religion like the one who reveals to a
poor man the existence of a great treasure within his
house, the disciple should feel grateful to the
AchArya, who is the great benefactor, and never do
anything against his interests. When the disciple is
asked to behave properly to the guru, it is not to say
that, by doing so, he will make due recompense for
what the guru has done to him, but that he would then
avoid the evil consequences.  Some of the duties of
the disciple, like prostration and salutation are
mentioned not as a recompense to the AchArya, who does
not expect any such return and imparts instruction
merely as a matter of duty; for it has been said:

?krupayA niHspruhO vadEt? (shAndilya-smriti) -- 

The guru should teach out of compassion and without
any desire for profit.
 
        When the scriptures state that the disciple should
behave towards the guru as towards BhagavAn Himself
and should have affection as to the Lord, they do not
prescribe the offer of a fee or recompense. They give
the advice merely in order that the disciple who has
the shAstra for his eyes may not become blind of
vision with eyes wide open, and in order that he may
not lose this blissful experience which resembles the
experience of BhagavAn. 

        It has also been prescribed the duties of a disciple,
which include the protection of the essence of the
three mantras. The imparting of instruction should be
preceded by meditation of the succession gurus. 

        SwAmi Desikan summarizes the duties of a disciple in
a verse:

        ?ERRi manatthu ezhil j~nAna viLakkai iruLanaitthum
              mARRinavarkku oru kaimARu mAyanum
kANkillAn;
              pORRI ukappathum punthiyil koLvathum
pongkupukazh
              cARRi vaLarppathum caRRallavO munnam
peRRathaRkE.? 

(Even MAyan, the Lord, cannot know the AchArya who
dispelled all the darkness in the mind by lighting the
bright lamp of wisdom within. Therefore, for what was
received before from the AchArya; it is indeed very
little that is done by the disciple in recounting his
praise with delight, in constant meditation of him,
and in extending his growing fame.)
        
        Thus, the Lord has done a favour by making us to do
the duty towards the AchArya who has taught us the
essence of the spiritual knowledge; it is by
preventing any non-belief to enter in our minds in
words of the AchArya. This is the message conveyed in
this sub-section by SwAmi Desikan.

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



      
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