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(continued from Part 13)
---------------------------------------------------------------------

In the "utkramana" phase of the "parama-pada-sOpAnam" Swami Desikan
describes how the soul of Man sheds its gross physical body
("sthUla-sarira"), assumes a subtle form ("sukshma-sarira") and
prepares to begin its ascent to "parama-padam". The soul's exit takes
place through what is called the "brahma-nAdi" or "brahma-randhra"
---an invisible aperture said to be located at the end of a
nerve-terminal right on the crown of the skull. The 'atmA' pierces
through this "brahma-nAdi" and readies itself to undertake the next
phase of the journey of ascent into "parama-padam".

Towards the end of his lifetime Swami Venkatanathan wrote a work
called "Rahasya-traya-sAram", regarded by many to be his 'magnum
opus' cum swan-song. In this long monumental treatise, based on
encylopaedic and formidable research, Desikan recounted in meticulous
detail the journey of the ascent of the human soul. He based it all
on the "pramaNa" (authority) of the ageless Vedic 'sruti' and related
texts such as the Sri Bashya and passages from the Upanishads like
'Chandogya','Kata' and Kausitaka. He also drew material from the
mystical revelations and utterances in NammAzhwAr's 'tiruvoimOzhi'. 

What was extensively elaborated in the "rahasya-traya-sAram" Desikan
re-presented in abridged and distilled form in the "archirAdi-parvA"
of the "parama-pada-sOpAnam". 

*********** *********** *************

The Soul's ('jIvAtma') journey of ascent is undertaken via a
celestial route that is said to be super-natural and super-sensuous.
This supra-mundane route is called "archirAdi-mArga". It is a pathway
of celestial luminousness. 

All along this route, the soul is received and welcomed by a host of
lesser gods called "adhi-vahikA-s". Encounters with these celestial
elements or beings are meant to give the 'jIva' a sort of orientation
into or a foretaste of the supra-normal realms he is about to enter.
For the 'jIvAtma' concepts of Time, Space, Light, Sound, Weight etc.
become meaningless in these realms. They make no sense to it --
certainly not in the same sense that the 'AtmA' previously knew them
as they prevailed in the terrestrial world and even defined it. Here
in the realms of "archirAdi', the Soul learns to go beyond and
transcend all known paradigms of human conception and consciousness. 

Thus, as the 'jIva' steps across the doorstep of eternity, it is said

to encounter the following 'adhi-vahikAs" who help guide it along the
'archirAdi-mArga'; they help the Soul to get its cosmic bearings
right in a wholly new world:

"Archis (Fire ) 2. Ahas (Day), 3.Suklapaksha (Bright fortnight of 
the month before the full moon), 4. Uttarayana (the six monthly
period when the Sun is traversing towards the north), 5. Varusha or
Samvatsara (Year)and then by 6. Vayu (Wind God), 7. Surya (Sun God),
8. Chandra (Moon God), and finally by 9. Vidyut Purusha a.k.a.
Amaanava Purusha or Maanasa Purusha who is accompanied by 10. Varuna
(Rain God) , 11. Indra (Lord of Devas) and 12. Prajapathi (the
Creator of lives). The Gods mentioned at 9 to 12 take him to the very
boundaries of the manifest world (Prakriti mandala). These deities
are Called 'ADHI VAHIKAS' (Prime Guides)" 

-- (extract from a Note prepared on "rahasyatrayasAra" by Anbil
Ramaswamy, a noted scholar on Vedanta Desika)

The experience of the soul's journey through the "archirAdi" is quite
simply beyond verbal description or sensory perception. None who has
journeyed through the 'archirAdi' has returned to tell us of it. Only
mystics, 'mahAtmA-s', yogis, 'rshi-s' and poets have so far succeeded
to some limited degree in sharing with us their own glimpses of it.
As the poet Omar Khayyam once wrote:

"Strange is it not? The myriad who
Before us passed the Door of Darkness thro',
Not one returns to tell us of the Road
Which to discover we must travel too". 
("The Rubaiyat" - Omar Khayyam").

(This poet was a Persian with leanings towards Sufi mysticism. It is
remarkable that by the term "Road" in the verse above, he too was
actually meaning something close to what we describe as
"archirAdi-mArgam"!)

NammAzhwAr, the foremost among the mystic Tamil saints of India, sang
ecstatically of the "jivAtmA-s" sojourn through the celestial pathway
of "archirAdi". In the final and climactic decads of his
"tiruvOimOzhi" NammAzhwAr gives us a fair idea of it even if perhaps
only metaphorically or allegorically: 

choozvichum paNimukil* thooriyam muzakkina*
aazkadal alaithirai* kaiyetuththu aadina*
Ezpozilum* vaLamaendhiya ennappan*
vaazpukaz naaraNan* thamaraik kaNtukandhE. 10.9.1

"The eternal skies blew bugles in welcome,
The seas cheered and danced;
Celestial continents stood in ceremony 
To receive Narayana's devotee --
The Soul returning home in triumph!"

thozuthanar ulakargaL* thoopa_nal malarmazai-
pozivanar* pooziyanRu aLandhavan thamarmunnE*
ezuminenRu irumarungichaiththanar* munivargaL*
vaziyithu vaikundhaRku enRu* van^thu ethirE.    10.9.3

"When they saw the Soul
Entering their kingdom
They rained flowers, lit incense
And sang ---
The celestial bards stood on either side
Of the path and cried to the Soul:
"Hail! This way to Vaikuntam!"

maathavan thamarenRu* vaachalil vaanavar*
pOthumin emathidam* pukuthuka venRalum*
keethangaL paadinar* kinnarar kerudargaL*
vEtha_nal vaayavar* vELviyuL maduththE. 10.9.5

"The gods in the kingdom came out
On terraces in raucous welcome; 
Loud were their offer of gift to the Soul 
Of palaces and sinecures, their own! 
In honour of the returning Soul
The Vedic seers too lit their holy fires
While 'kinnaras' and 'garudas' took out
Their harps, their pipes 
To strum and blow to eternity!"

kudiyadiyaar ivar* kOvindhan dhanakkenRu*
mudiyudai vaanavar* muRaimuRai ethir_koLLa*
kodiyaNi netumathiL* kOpuram kuRukinar*
vadivudai maathavan* vaikundham pukavE. 10.9.8

"The gods and manes gathered in swarms --
They scaled the high walls,
And climbed the festooned tower,
Jostling and craning their necks to catch 
A mere glimpse of the returning Soul
And shout "There he goes, our Govinda's hero!"

vaikundham pukuthalum* vaachalil vaanavar*
vaikundhan thamar_emar* emathidam pukuthenRu*
vaikundhaththu amararum* munivarum viyandhanar*
vaikundham pukuvathu* maNNavar vithiyE. 10.9.9

"As the Soul made his grand entry
The heavenly bards raised cries of joy--
They bowed in his path and cheered his back: 
"The kingdom of Vaikuntam, It's Thy birthright!".

vithivakai pukundhanarenru* nalvEthiyar*
pathiyinil paanginil* paathangaL kazuvinar*
nithiyum naRsuNNamum* niRaikuda viLakkamum*
mathimuka madandhaiyar* Endhinar vandhE.        10.9.10.

"Vedic seers of the heavens
Washed the feet of the Soul,
And wondered what good they'd done
To earn such great dole!
And then came lovely nymphs 
Bearing lamps and scents; 
And holding the sacred "kumbha" 
They led our hero to the edge 
Of God's own land!"

********* ************ *********

The passage through the 6th 'parianka' or stepping-stone of Swamy
Desikan's "parama-pada-sOpAnam" is thus, as we see above, a supremely
felicitous experience for the 'jIvAtma'. 

Now, a question may arise in our minds. If the path of 'archirAdi' is
a super-natural, super-sensuous and supra-mundane experience, and
none returns from it to give a truly verifiable account of it, why
should we believe the metaphorical or allegorical versions of
mystics, saints, poets and metaphysicians? How much credence should
we be willing to give to the revelations of 'mahAtmA-s' and yogi-s
like our NammAzhwAr in his 'tiruvoimOzhi'?

The answer is this: 

When we consider the lives and works of great souls like NammAzhwAr,
the great 'rshi-s' of Vedic times and of great poets like Swami
Desikan, we are left with no doubt at all about one thing :

Without exception all of them were engaged, all their lives, in
search of Truth ('satyam'), only the Truth and nothing but the Truth!
What they spoke was spoken because it was Truth, not because they
wanted to make a great career of it nor make worldly profit out of
it. All their life they were in search of Truth... not greatness.
Persons like NammAzhwAr had no other ulterior motives in life...
simply no other earthly 'axe to grind'...

Now when such high and noble persons say something we must know that
we CAN and SHOULD believe them unhesitatingly... Even if what they
say might appear rather metaphorical, poetic, why even fanciful,
perhaps, to all but our very own selves...

(to be continued)
dAsan,
Sudarshan














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