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srI:
SrI UpakAra Sangraham - III (14)
--
niryANa adikAram
--
Section - 10: SrI NammAzhvAr reveals all these so far described, in the first
verse of his work, Thiruviruttham.
----
Sub-section: 1- Word-by-word meaning of the first verse (continued)
----
The word-by-word commentary by SwAmi Desikan continues further:
âuyiraLippAnâ â unakku ananyArha-SEshamAi vaitthu, asatkalpamAik
kidantha Atmasvroopatthai âdAsabhootOhamâ enkiRapadiyai nithyamAka
anubhavikkap paNNuvAn.
The expression of âuyiraLippAnâ in the verse is beautifully
commented by SwAmi Desikan. Our Atma exists only as a dAsa of the Lord and His
devotees. In the absence of such feeling or awareness, it is equal to
non-existence. When we were not aware of the difference between the Atma and
our physical body, then also we were not in existence, as the Atma-j~nAnam did
not blossom then. After our accidental contact with an AchArya or a devotee of
the Lord, we started learning about ourselves. Slowly we learnt, even though
theoretically, that we are not the body, but the Atma that has taken residence
in the body. That knowledge was enough to give us life, in real term. But, by
the grace of the Lord, we started to listen to the discourses of our AchAryas
or their learned disciples. We had the opportunity to learn the Divya
Prabandam, in particular, Thiruvaimozhi of SrI NammAzhvAr, which grasped our
attention fully and deeply. When we started studying his
verses, we found the expressions, âadiyEnâ, âdAsanâ and the like. We
learnt that these words refer to the AzhvAr, whenever he mentioned about
himself. We also came to know that the essential nature of the Atma is
âj~nAnaâ, knowledge. But only when studied the second verse in the 8th
Thiruvaimozhi in the Eighth Centum, we learnt the word, âadiyEnâ, is the
true definition of the Atma. That is, the dAsya bhava, being the servant of the
Lord and His devotees is the true definition of our Self. Only after that
revelation, we got the life in fact.
Till then, we had been just as an acit â insentient â a material
thing. Now, when we recall the earlier existence, it appears we were no
different from a life-less stone!
This is what the AzhvAr means by the expression, âuyiraLippAnâ. Now
we study SwAmi Desikanâs commentary in detail:
unakku ananyArha-SEshamAi vaitthu â
Here, âunakkuâ means the Lord. âananyArha-SEshamAi vaitthuâ means:
despite the fact that we are servants of You alone and none else, we remained
like a lifeless matter (asatkalpamAik kidantha)
âAtmasvroopatthai âdAsabhootOhamâ enkiRapadiyai nithyamAka anubhavikkap
paNNuvAn.â-- In order to make us realize the essential nature of the Atma
(Atma-svaroopa) as the servant of You. Not merely to make us realize this, but
to make the realization a permanent one â ânityamAka anubhavikkaâ â To
make us experience this awareness for ever.
For this, what the Lord did? The AzhvAr answers it next:
âenninRa yOniyumAi piRanthAi!â â You took births in all types of beings.
We now see SwAmi Desikanâs commentary:
âdEva-tiryak-manushya-sthAvarangkaL enkiRa ellAp prakAratthAlum
pramANa-siddhangkaLAi ninRa bhoota-jAtangkaL nAlilum avaRROdu sajAteeyan
ennalAmpadi SrIjanma-rahasyatthiRpadiyE, satyamAi,
j~nAna-sankOcAdi-dOsha-prasanga-rahita-mumAi,
nitya-nirdOsha-Suddha-sattvamaya-divyamangala-vigraha-pariNAma-Atmaka-mumAi,
svEcchA-mAtra-hEtuka-mAi, karma-kruta-kAla-niyama-rahita-mAi,
sAdhuparitrANAdi-mAtra-prayOjana-mAi,
vyooha-vyoohAntara-vibhava-vibhavAntara-roopa-mAyuLLa avatAra-varga-tthAlE,
ânilavarampila pala piRapAi oLivaru muzhunalamâ ennumpadi piRanthAi.â
Now, we take up the detail study of the commentary:
âdEva-tiryak-manushya-sthAvarangkaL enkiRa ellAp prakAratthAlum
pramANa-siddhangkaLAi ninRa bhoota-jAtangkaL nAlilumâ â
We know, from the scriptural authorities as well as in direct
perception, that there are mainly four types of beings. They are: devas,
animals, humans and plants. The Lord took births in all these types; and
âavaRROdu sajAteeyan ennalAmpadiâ â He took birth in these types of
beings in such a manner that He remained without any distinction from them. He
appeared the same others in that class of life.
âSrIjanma-rahasyatthiRpadiyE
nitya-nirdOsha-Suddha-sattvamaya-divyamangala-vigraha-pariNAma-Atmaka-mumAi,â
--
âSrIjanma-rahasyatthiRpadiyEâ -- According to the secret of the Lordâs
incarnations.
This refers to the Bhagavadgita SlOkas spoken by the Lord Himslef
revealing the secret of His incarnations. There are four Slokas (5 to 8) in the
fourth Chapter. To make our job easy, Swami Desikan himself summarizes the
message conveyed by these verses:
âsatyamAi, j~nAna-sankOcAdi-dOsha-prasanga-rahita-mumAi,â ---
All His births are real, (satyam). The Lord says in the first Sloka:
âbahooni mE vyateetAni janmani tava ca arjuna /â â Many births of Mine
have passed away, Oh Arjuna, as well as many of yours!
By this, the Lord confirms the reality of His births. They are not myth or
illusion or mAya or untrue. This is what SwAmi Deikan emphasizes by the
expression: âsatyamAiâ.
âj~nAna-sankOcAdi-dOsha-prasanga-rahita-mumAi,â â The Lord is born out of
His own free will, without in the least giving up any of the special qualities
of His. There is no shrinkage in His consciousness or awareness; He Who is not
being born, is born: The AzhvAr says: âpiRappiliyAi pal piRavip peru-mAyanâ
â though not being born, yet, He takes many births as He is wonderful! So,
there is no question of death for Him, even though He takes births. This is
revealed by Him in the next Sloka:
âajOpi san avyayAtmA bhootAnAm eeSvarOpi san /
prakrutim svAmadhishThAya sambhavAmi AtmamAyayA //â
(Though I am unborn and inexhaustible in My own nature, though I am the Lord of
all beings, yet abiding in My own nature, I am born of My own free will.)
This is conveyed by Swami Desika thus:
ânitya-nirdOsha-Suddha-sattvamaya-divyamangala-vigraha-pariNAma-Atmaka-mumAi,â
â
His births are real; devoid of any bit of blemish; they are of suddha-sattva
(pure sattva quality, without the touch of rAjasa and tAmasa qualities). The
bodies He assumes during these births are divine forms, though ordinary people
will not be able to see His true form with their material eyes; as His form is
beyond the grasp of our sensual perception.
SwAmi Desikan further says:
âsvEcchAmAtra-hEtuka-mAi,â â We have already noted the Lordâs own words
in the Gita, where he says. âI am born of My own free will.â He is not
under the control of any one else, as He alone is the Master of masters â
sarvESvaran.
SwAmi Desikan continues:
âkarma-kruta-kAla-niyama-rahitamAiâ -- His births are not subject either to
any act of His or karmas, unlike in our case. He is also not subject to the
control of time; that is, no one can decide that He should be born at such a
time or for such a duration etc.
According to the scriptures, this prAkruta universe is under the control of
time. Our births are pre-determined; the duration of our life is also
pre-decided on the basis of our previous karmas. The Lord is beyond such
limitations. He Himself decides the time of His birth, the duration etc., as He
says in the Gita:
âyadA yadA hi dharmasya glAnirbhavati Bharata /
abhyutthAnam adharmasya tadA AtmAnam srujAmyaham //â
In this, the Lord indicates the reason for His decision to take births
in the world.
He says: âI create Myself in the world, whenever there is decline of dharma,
and rise of adharma, Oh BhArata!â
It is clear that there is no restriction as to the time of His birth.
Whenever people abandon the duties assigned to them by scriptures in accordance
with the four castes and four stages of life; and whenever there is rise of
opposition to the dharma, âI Myself decide to take birth out of My own
will.â This is to set right things and to restore order in the society. For
example, His incarnations as VAmana, Narasimha, ParsurAma, SrI RAma, SrI
KrIShNa etc.
It is not only for restoring dharma, but for something a more important
purpose, the Lord takes births in the world, says SwAmi Desikan:
âsAdhuparitrANAdimAtra-prayOjanamAi,â â For the protection of good
people and the like.
The Lord is so powerful that He can restore dharma even from sitting in
His abode, without taking births. But, there are good people here, who are
deeply devoted to Him. For their sake, He takes births, as He Himself says in
the Gita:
âparitrANAya sAdhoonAm vinASAya ca dushkrutAm /
dharmasamsthApanArthAya sambhavAmi yugE yugE //â
(For the protection of the good, also for the destruction of the evil-doers and
for the firm establishment of dharma, I am born from age to age.)
All these purposes can be achieved by the all-powerful Lord even while
being in His abode. There is no need for him to come down to this earth. Here,
we must recall the excellent explanation given by SrI-bhAshyakAra as to why He
decides to come down for the protection of the good:
âThey are the foremost among the Vaishnavas, who have taken refuge in Me.
These devotees cannot get support, sustenance etc., for themselves without
perceiving Me. They regard even a momentâs time without Me as a thousand
Kalpas. They become broken in every limb because of the separation from me. So
I am born from age to age in the forms of gods, men etc., for protecting them
by affording them the opportunity to behold My form and acts and to converse
with Me.â
The other purposes like the destruction of evil-doers are incidental
and minor compared to the protection of His devotees.
SwAmi Desikan indicates the various types of incarnations of the Lord:
âvyooha-vyoohAntara-vibhava-vibhavAntararoopamAyuLLa avatAra-vargatthAlEâ
â
According to the scriptures, in particular, SrI PAncharAtra, the
Lordâs incarnations are of four five kinds: His primary form is Para â in
SrI Vaikuntam, where he is known as Para VAsudEva. Then, for the sake of
creation, protection and destruction of the universe, He takes the vyooha form,
known as Vyooha VAsudEva. Thereafter, He descends into other vyooha forms,
known as vyoohAntara forms, which are three in number. SankarshNa, Pradhyumna
and Aniruddha â each for the three purposes just mentioned. Following these,
he takes births in various forms which are known as vibhavAntAra. They include
the main ten avatAras: Matsya, Koorma, VarAha, Narasimha, VAmana, BhArgava
RAma, SrI Dasaratha RAma, BalarAma, SrI KrishNa and Kalki (which he is yet to
take in future). Besides these, He is present in the hearts of all beings as
antharyAmi. Finally, He takes the form of idols in the Temples and homes, known
as archa avatAra. So the number of His births is
countless. Here, SwAmi Desikan quotes a passage from a verse of SrI NammAzhvAr:
ânilaivarambila pala piRappAi oLivaru muzhunalamâ ennumpadi piRanthAi.â,
--
We may see the verse in full:
âeLivarum iyalvinan nilaivarmbila palapiRappAi
oLitharu muzhunalam muthalila kEdila veedAm
theLitharu nilaimaiyathu ozhivilan muzhuvathum iRaiyOn
aLivarum aruLinOdu akatthanan puRatthanan amainthE.â (Thiruvaimozhi, 1-3-2)
(The Lord takes births for which there is no rule; nor high or low in regard to
the state. But in every incarnation, He shines with His countless auspicious
qualities. However, He maintains simplicity and lowliness despite being the
highest of the highest. He confers on His devotees a clear vision and
liberation too. He grants these out of great compassion. He is the easiest to
approach for His devotees while inaccessible for others.)
With all these aspects, You took births in every form of life,
including that of the lowest, in order to save His devotees, says SrI
NammAzhvAr. This much so far.
(To continue)
dAsan
Anbil S.SrInivAsan)
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