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Oppiliappan List Archive: Message 00342 Jan 2008

 
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srI:
SrI  upakAra  sangraham ? 71
--- 
adikAram ? 1
poorva upakAra paramparai
(The Foremost Series of Favours) 
---   
SECTION ? 5 (26)  
(27 Favours of the Lord leading to the means for
MOKSHAM)  
-----   
  
        In the previous sub-section, it was shown by Swami
Desikan how the Lord helped the sAttvika jIva to stand
firmly on his determination to depend solely on the
Lord Himself for his salvation. He did not yield to
any doubt to arise in this resolve, nor did he turn to
another person other than the Lord. Now what is left
is the action of surrender which is dealt with, in
this sub-section by SwAmi Desikan:

(26) ?vallaparisu varuvipparEl? enkiRapadiyE,
ayatnamAka AchArya-mukhatthAlEyAthal,
?pAramArthika-bhagavat - caraNAravinda-sharaNAgatih
yathAvasthitA aviratA astu mE? enkiRa
svavyApArat-thAlEyAthal, vasheekaraNa - vishEShatthilE
nammai udyuktar Akkinathuvum;

        It was highlighted by SrI Thirumazhisai AzhvAr in the
verse quoted in the previous sub-section that even
those who are not of the three higher castes and are
prohibited from the study of the Vedic scriptures and
to perform rites prescribed in the Vedas, can also
attain the Lord, through surrender at His feet.
Prapatti, though prescribed in the Vedas, is open to
all castes. However, one should have special
qualifications to adopt prapatti, which is also known
as ?nyAsa vidyA?. The foremost requirement is that he
should not resort to any other means in the quest for
the desired goal. 

        There are two aspects of the qualification: 1) One
should have desire for the goal and 2) the ability to
adopt the means for the desired result. The
distinction comes among the persons who desire to
attain the Lord, pertaining to the type of means
(upAya) to be adopted. Those who are qualified to
study Vedic Scriptures, and those who are not. The
first type is free to choose either the bhakti-yOga or
prapatti. But for adopting prapatti, the aspirant for
mOkSha should have certain special qualifications,
namely, Akinchanya and ananya-gatitva. Akinchanya
means the inability to adopt any upAya; ananya-gatitva
means absence of any other interest than mOkSha and to
any other refuge than BhagavAn. The second
qualification is implicit in the former, namely,
aversion to all other interests. 

        In regard to prapatti, there are two types:
ukti-niShtA and AchArya niShtA. The first one is done
by one who can utter the sentence taught to him by his
AchArya, directly to the Lord in the presence of the
AchArya. The latter type is for one who is solely
dependent on the AchArya, in the execution of prapatti
on his behalf. Here, the dependence on the AchArya is
total. In the former type, the prapatti is
self-performed one, as guided by the AchArya. 

        In this sub-section, SwAmi Desikan shows these two
types of prapatti through two illustrations, one for
the AchArya niShtA and the other for the ukti-niShtA. 

        SwAmi Desikan explains the AchArya niShtA first:
?vallaparisu varuvipparEl? enkiRapadiyE, ayatnamAka
AchArya-mukhatthAlEyAthal -- 

        Performing prapatti through the medium of the AchArya
is illustrated with a quote from the NAchiyAr
Thirumozhi of SrI ANdAL, ?vallaparisu varuvipparEl?.
We shall consider the entire verse:

?nalla en thOzhi! nAkaNaimisai namparar
celvar periyar ciRumAnitavar nAm ceyvathen?
Villi puduvai vittu citthar thangkaL thEvarai
vallaparisu varuvipparEl athu kANdumE.?               
 (nAchiyaA Thirumozhi, 10-10)

(My dear friend! Our Lord Who is reclining on the bed
of shESha is the richest and the Supreme.  But we are
small people. What can we do? If ViShNu Chitta of Sri
Villiputthoor does something to bring the Lord before
me, then we can worship Him.)

        The main thrust of this verse is that, we should get
whatever we desire only through the AchArya. If,
independent of the AchArya, we try, we will not be
able to get the Lord on our own. 
        Swami Desikan says, one can try to attain the Lord
through the AchArya, without trying directly:
?ayatnamAka AchArya-mukhatthAlEyAthal? . This is the
AchArya-niShtA. 
Secondly, SwAmi Desikan indicates the ukti-niShtA: 
?pAramArthika-bhagavat - caraNAravinda-sharaNAgatih
yathAvasthitA aviratA astu mE? enkiRa
svavyApArtthAlEyAthal  -- 
The quote is from the sharaNAgati-gadyam of
SrIbhAshyakAra:
?pAramArthika bhagavac-caraNAravinda-yugala aikAntika
Atyantika parabhakti paraj~nAna paramabhakti-kruta
paripoorNa anavarata nityavishadatama ananya-prayOjana
anavadhikA- tishayapriya bhagavad-anubhava-janita
anavadhikAtishaya preetikArita ashEShAvasthOcita
ashESha-shEShataika-ratiroopa nityakaingkarya
prAptyapEkShayA pAramArthikee bhagavac-caraNaravinda
sharaNAgatih ythAvasthitA aviratA astu mE /?          
                                   
                                                                                
  
        (sharANAgati-gadyam-2)
(Parabhakti (high-devotion), paraj~nAna
(high-knowledge) and parama-bhakti (highest-devotion)
relate to the lotus feet of the Lord. Through the
faithful devotion, one obtains the continuous, eternal
and extremely pure enjoyment, of BhagavAn, which does
not depend on anything else and which has neither a
parallel nor a superior enjoyment. 
That experience leads to the rendering of all forms of
service appropriate to all states and situations and
to eternal service. For attaining it, the only means
is a sincere and faithful saraNAgati at the lotus feet
of BhagavAn. I pray You, Mother, SrI, to grace me with
that kind of continuous and unending saraNAgati.)
?enkiRa svavyApArat-thAlEyAthal?  -- Or adopting this
kind of self-made effort, 
?vasheekaraNa - vishEShatthilE  nammai  udyuktar
Akkinathuvum;? --Enabling us to make a special effort
to charm the Lord. 
        The message is that surrender, that is, saraNAgati is
a kind of vidyA, in adopting which we are being guided
by the Lord Himself. This is another favour, which the
Lord has conferred on the sAttvika jIvas, SwAmi
Desikan has pointed out in this sub-section. 

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



      
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