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 Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

The Sleeping Lord and the Sleepless Devotees

There might be any number of distinctions between Emperuman Sriman Narayanan, 
who is the Supreme Lord of the Universe and other deities who form His 
adjuncts-"angAni anyA dEvatA:" confirms the Upanishad. Whether in wisdom, 
power, strength, prowess, bounties or magnificence, the Lord towers head and 
shoulders above all other dEvatAs. His beauty is matchless as is His fame, so 
much so that the other deities are dwarfed by His form and attributes-
"kANavum uruppolAr sevikkinAda kIrtthiyAr" says Sri Tirumazhisai Piran. This 
incomparable glory extends even to the arcchAvatAra, the form the Lord has 
assumed at various divyadesams for our easy access and adulation. In contrast 
to other dEvatAs, whatever be His form, whether in Paramapadam, the Milky Ocean 
or in arcchAvtara, the Lord appears to prefer a reclining posture, if the 
numerous divyadesams beginning with SriRangam are any indication. He sleeps the 
care-free sleep of the innocent, whether it be the nAga paryankam (snake bed) 
He reclines on in Sri Vaikuntam, the TiruppArkadal or the sand dunes amidst the 
crystal clear waters of the Cauvery. Even when the entire world is gobbled up 
by the raging Cosmic Waters of PraLayam, the Lord snoozes on, assuming the form 
of an enchanting infant, accomodating His unlimited form on a tiny banyan leaf, 
forsaking the cushioned comfort of the soft snake bed. During Vibhava avatArAs 
too, the Lord doesn't forsake His beauty sleep and doesn't wake up till Sri 
Visvamitra reminds Him that sunrise is imminent and other deities are awaiting 
His blessings-

"KousalyA suprajA Rama! PoorvA sandhyA pravartatE 
utthistta nara sArdoola kartavyam daivam Ahnikam".

While we are told that Sri Lakshmana never slept a wink for the fourteen long 
years His brother was in the jungle, ever watchful and vigilant, we do not hear 
of Sri Rama giving up His sleep. Though Sri Kulasekharazhwar sings a lot of 
lullabies to the Lord to get Him to doze, it seems quite unnecessary, 
considering His penchant for sleep.

In the Krishnavatara too, Arjuna and Duryodhana, who go to Sri Krishna's palace 
for seeking His assistance in their proposed battle, find Him asleep.

Knowing His habit of sleeping on, various Acharyas have composed SuprabhAta 
stotras for the various divyadesa Emperumans, to wake Him up in time, with Sri 
Tondaradippodi Azhwar leading the ensemble with His TiruppaLLiezhucchi. It 
appears from this prabandam that quite a lot of noise is required to make the 
Lord wake up, with the tweeting of birds, the loud mooing of buffaloes, the 
thunderous chorus of instruments like the YAzh, flute, ekkam, matthali, muzhavu 
etc, the sweet but strong choir of KinnarAs, GarudAs, GandharvAs et al, the 
chiming bells on the necks of cattle going out for grazing, the Maharshis and 
other devotees reciting mantras and stotras from the Shruti and other sources 
in their stentorian voices, the commotion caused by the neighing of horses and 
trumpeting of elephants on which various deities have come to worship 
Emperuman, and so on. There appears to be a virtual symphony comprising of 
every imaginable sound, noise and music, amidst which the Lord continues 
sleeping, undisturbed.

Sri Andal too speaks of the Lord's wont to sleep on, ensconced in a four-poster 
king-sized bedstead, with a comforter made of the silkiest of cotton, the 
pleasant and soporific smell of burning incense and, above all, with the soft 
and supple arms of Nappinnai encircling Him in an unbreakable embrace-"Kutthu 
viLakkeria, kOttukkAl kattil mEl, metthendra panjasayanatthin mEl Eri, 
kotthalar poonkuzhal Nappinnai kongai mEl vaitthu kidanda malar mArba!".

The Lord is in such deep slumber that Azhwars wonder at the probable cause 
therefor-"nadanda kAlgaL nondavO?" "adiyAr allal tavirttha asavO?" "padithAn 
neendu tAviya asavo?". Is it because of the fatigue to Your holy feet, which 
had to traverse all the worlds during Trivikramavatara, or is it due to your 
constant travels to rid devotees of their travails, or could it be the miles 
traversed on foot over hill and dale during Sri Ramavatara? enquire Azhwars. 
Sri Tirumazhisai Piran, perhaps the most outspoken among Azhwars, commands the 
Lord to rid Himself of His sleep and reply to his questions. "Rise and shine" 
the Azhwar tells the Lord-"kidandavAru ezhundirundu pEsu vAzhi KEsanE". 

There is a saying in Sanksrit-"yathA RAjA tathA prajA:" ( subjects take after 
their ruler). If the king is an idler, we normally find his kingdom full of 
layabouts, spending their time doing nothing constructive and preventing those 
who would like to. On the other hand, we find that a brave and wise ruler has 
similar people for subjects. However, when we consider this world, of which the 
Lord is the undisputed and supreme Emperor, we find that the devotees of the 
Lord hardly sleep, compared to their Master, who is forever asleep. Thus, while 
the Lord sleeps, His devotees are unable even to close their eyes, racked by 
pangs of separation and longing for union or reunion with Him. This insomnia 
affects all classes of devotees.

According to Sri Nammazhwar, the Lord's votaries are driven to extreme 
insomnia, being unable to sleep at all, thinking incessantly of Emperuman and 
His endearing form and attributes and sorrowful that they are missing it every 
second. Each night for them is an endless eternity ("neeL iravAi neendadAl"). 
Others, with little or no attachment to the Lord are able to sleep well 
("oorellAm tunji ulagellAm naLLiruLAi"), but not those tormented by their 
boundless love and affection for the Lord. The night thus appears to them to be 
a source of anguish ("valliravAi neendadAl"), being neither able to sleep like 
normal human beings nor enjoy the blissful company of the Lord which obviates 
the need for sleep. The hours of darkness appear interminable --"neeL iravum 
Oyum pozhudillai, Or oozhiyAi neeNdadAl". Unaffected relatives sleep like a 
log, unconcerned at the plight of this bhakta in torment. And what results from 
this sort of sleepless vigil night after night? It is loss of weight ("vaigalum 
vinayEn meliya") with arms getting thin as a bamboo stalk, seemingly devoured 
by Consumption.

We may think that these devotees would be able to compensate their lack of 
sleep during night by having a snooze or two during the day: but no, the day is 
as worse as the night and thoughts of the Lord torment in the daytime too, 
without any let. Like some unbearable affliction, it causes anguish every 
moment and would be relieved only by the sight and sound of the Lord, which, 
alas, are not forthcoming. Not only does sleep elude these devotees night and 
day, but tears at the insufferable separation run down their cheeks in a 
veritable flood-"kangulum pagalum kaN tuyil ariyAL, kaNna neer kaigaLAl 
iraikkum". Mad with unsatiated desire for the Lord, the affected person 
indulges in behaviour that is quite strange-almost down and out, hardly being 
able to move her limbs one moment ("itta kAl itta kaiyaLAi irukkum"), running 
about the very next moment spouting the enchanting names of the Lord, sobbing 
unbearably one moment at the thought of the continued separation from the 
beloved, jubiliant the next moment with joy at the anticipation of the 
impending reunion with Him. 

Those in Paramapadam, one would think, would be proof to this malady of 
sleeplessness, being blessed with the constant company of the Lord and without 
a care in the world of being separated from Him. However, one would be 
mistaken, for the Shruti tells us that the Celestials never even blink their 
eyes, leave alone sleep, lest they lose a single moment of the splendourous 
sight of the Lord and His ravishing beauty-" tat VishNO: paramam padam sadA 
pasyanti sooraya:". They dare not wink even, lest it cost them an invaluable 
second of Bhagavat anubhavam. They are ever greedy for the superlative sight 
the Lord affords, preferring to keep their eyes open constantly, rather than 
blink, least of all sleep. This is because of no second's experience is similar 
to the previous, the Lord affording infinitely diverse anubhavam which takes on 
blissful variety, cofirming Sri Nammazhwar's averment, ' appouzhudaikku 
appozhudu en ArAvamudamE!". And if a nitya soori makes bold to wink, he loses 
that second of irreplaceable experience. As a result, none sleeps in Sri 
Vaikuntam, except perhaps the Lord, who presents a magnificent specatcle in 
whatever He does.

If it is any consolation to us, this has been the state of the Lord's devotees 
during His avatArAs too. As already pointed out, Sri ILayaperumAl slept not a 
wink during the fourteen years Sri Rama was in the jungle, always wakeful and 
vigilant in the face of lurking danger which manifested itself in the form of 
any number of encounters with the rakshasas. "Jahou nidrAncha tandrIncha" says 
Sri Valmiki, recording Sri Lakshmana's selfless and sleepless service in the 
cause of his elder brother. It is noteworthy that Sri Visvamitra's exhortation 
to rise and shine is addressed to Sri Rama only ("Kousalya Supraja 
Rama....utthishtta"), perhaps indicating that Sri Lakshmana, being ever awake, 
had no need to be woken up, as concerned for his brother as always, hovering 
protectively over the sleeping Rama, so that even a mosquito did not disturb 
the Prince's sleep nor did He come to any harm from midnight marauders.

We thus have it on very good authorty that once we become sincere votaries of 
the Lord, sleep automatically forsakes us. As long as we don't attain Him, we 
are obsessed with the thought of seeing Him, speaking with Him and enjoying His 
enthralling company, and this robs of all sleep, night and day. Sri Nammazhwar 
rules out the possibility of sleep for such devotees-"kAnnAra kaNdu kazhivadOr 
kAdal uttrArkkum uNdO kaNgaL tunjudalE". And once we do attain Him, the 
inimitable bliss of Bhagavat anubhavam prevents us from ever closing our eyes 
for fear of losing the experience for even a trice.

The "JAgrat Vratam" or sleepless penance observed on Ekadasi days, as 
exemplified by NampAduvAn and others, is perhaps in preparation for the day we 
would develop the sort of intimacy with the Lord as to forsake sleep for His 
sake. It is noteworthy too that according to the PAnchakAlika prakriyA, whereby 
the day is divided into five parts in the service of the Lord (viz., 
abhigamanam, ijyA, svAdhyAyam etc.), the act of going to sleep at the end of 
the day is known as "YOgam", meaning not deep slumber with profuse snoring, but 
a blissful contemplation, with eyes closed, of the Lord, His magnificent 
tirumEni and attributes, the infinite pleasure we would derive in His company 
once we reach Paramapadam, etc. 

Srimate Sri LakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana 
Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:
Dasan, sadagopan




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