Sent: Tuesday, April 17, 2007 1:25
PM
Subject: [Oppiliappan] Sri D.Ramswamy
Iyengar on Nyasa Tilakam
Most respected and learned
members,
Many of you would have definitely read the commentaries of Sri D.Ramaswamy
Iyengar on many works of Swami Desikan. With the hope that those few among us
who may not have read his commentary will be delighted to study these
commentaries, I am just reproducing the introduction to "NYASA TILAKAM"
below.
adiyen,
dasan,
T.Raguveeradayal
IIஸ�ர�:II
Srimate Nigamanta Maha Desikaaya Namaha
SRI.D.RAMASWAMI
IYENGAR'S
COMMENTARY
ON
NYAASA
TILAKAM
INTRODUCTION
ShrimAnvEthasirOguru: bhagavath:
ShrivEngadAthriSithu:
gandAthmA na param
thadhAthanajanAnAnanthayathrAthmanA I
adhyApi
svapdhAmbujaikarsikAnAnandhayath vaibhavam
panyAnam paripAthi bhUrikrupayA
payaryaSallApatha :
That
repository of all auspiciousness, Vedanta Desika , who is the incarnation of
the Bell of the Lord of Venkatadri , -- not only did he delight the
people of his times by his person and personality, but even today he continues
to be a source of delight to those rasikas who are unflinchingly attached to
his lotus feet; and by his abundant grace gives the feeling of personal
presence, almost speaks, so to say.
This noteworthy sentiment voiced about Vedanta Desika by his illustrious
son and desciple, Kumara Varadacharya, is as true today in the eighth century
after his advent, as it was, when it was given _expression_ to six centuries
ago. Vedanta Desika lives and will ever continue to live in and through his
innumerable works, each a fine and finished work of religious art, which speak
to us, and reproduces his voice and make us feel as if he is now here with us
in Vibhava form.
The work that is now
being published is Nyaasa Tilaka. Nyasa means bharanyasa ( or the laying down
of the burden ) and Tilaka means a jewel of ornament which beautifies
prominently like a facial pundra which gives life and lustre to the person
wearing it. This work is therefore a precious and charming treatise on Nyasa .
The name " Nyasa Tilaka" has been given to this stotra by Desika
himself, as can be seenfrom the last sloka where he speaks of spurad - varnam
- vaktra -Nyasatilakam, with an obvious pun on words.
Desika has been referred by his
followers and admirers as Prapadana - kakaa - janma - jaladhi and
த���ப� பர�திய�த�
தந�தர�ள�வ�ன� because his outstanding
contribution to world-thought in general, and to Vishshtadvaita Vedanta in
particular, is the postulation of the Prapatthi yoga as an immediate and
certain means to the attainment of Moksha or salvation. This he has done
in and by his numerous works in four lanuages, Sanskrit, Prakrit, Tamil,
and Manipravala, couched variously as Sastraic treatises , kavyas, Drama,
Dance-drama (Opera or Ballet ) Stotras and Prabhandhas In one sense all his
works can well be said to expound or deals with Nyasa. But there are certain
special treatises on Nyasa like the present one, the others being Nikshepa
Raksha, Nyasa Dasaka , Nyasa Vimsati, Saranagathi Deepika,
Adaikalappatthu (Tamil) and Abhaya-pradana-sara (Manipravala) From the
fact that the present stotra alone is named as Nyasa Tilaka, it is upto us to
understand its importance and appreciate its superior spiritual and mystic
value as awork on Nyasa.
This work is reckoned as a stotra, but with
this great and prolific writer, the division into Stotra, Kavya,
metaphysical works etc., is very thin, if not arbitrary, There is no political
work of his which is not high class philosophy There is no philosophical
work of his which is not also excellent poetry. If poetry is the warp,
philosophy is the woof; and if philosophy is the warp, poetry is the woof
fabrics that are Desika's works, (à®"தமà¯? -பà¯?à®°à¯?தமà¯?)
We can see this truth well illustrated in this Nyasa Tilaka, as indeed in
every work of his.
This work consists of 32 slokas in various
metres, from Anushtup (of 8 syllables to a quarter ) to Shragdhara
(of 21 syllables to a quarter ) The figure 32 appears to be a great favourite
with this Acharya, probably because it is the number of Upanishadic
Brahma-Vidhyas. His Paduka Sahasram has 32 paddhathis and his Rahasyatraya
Sara 32 Adhikaras. The Adhikara Sangraha Prabandha (Tamil) culled from the
latter makes pointed reference to
ம�ப�பத�திரண��ிவ� ம�த�தமிழ�
��ர�ந�த ம�ழித�திர�வ�. The number of
Rahasya Granthas (esoteric treatises) of his is 32. Even while referring to
jumping across a well, he refers a well with a diameter of 32 feet. No
wonder therefore that this Nyasa Tilaka the chief among the treatises on Nyasa
Vidya, contains 32 slokas.
The Deity in whose praise this
stotra is conceived, is Lord Ranganatha of Srirangam , even as Lord Varadaraja
of Kanchi is in respect of Nyasa-Dasaka, Nyasa-Vimsati and Adaikkalappatthu,
and Lord Deepaprakasa in respect of Saranagathi Deepika. As is well known,
Acharya Ramanuja chose Lord Ranganatha as the Saranya on refuge, as can be
seen from his Saranagati Gadyam. A close study of Nyasa Tilaka will show
to us that Desika has in mind while composing this work the said Gadyam of
Ramanuja. The Stotra, after the first two verses which are invocatory, begins,
with Sree Prapatthi (slokas 3 and 4) even as Saranagathi Gadyam does.
Sloka 22 makes pointed reference to a passage int the Saranagati Gadyam
wherein Lord Ranganatha refers to His sayings as Rama and Krishna addressed to
Vibishana and Arjuna, in order to convince Ramanuja that his Saranagati has
borne fruit. From these and from references to Lord Ranganatha in almost every
sloka, we can conclude that this Stotra is based on that Gadya, which it
develops and elucidates, in addition to embellishing it by Padya
(Poetry)
A study of Nyasa Tilakam is
essential to dispel several doubts that are sure to assail us regarding the
efficiency of Saranagati. I have heard several learned scholars exclaim :
"What ! Prapatthi which is to be performed only once is going to do away all
my sins committed ; during myriads of years . And it is going to secure for me
quickly a place in Paramapadam which is beyond the reach of great gods and
greatest saints ! I can't believe it ". This mentality is pictured to us in
sloka 19, which refers to it as " the obstacle to Mahaviswasa" or great faith
in the efficiency of Prapatthi as an unfailing and infallible means for
obtaining release from Samsara. Such doubts will vanish, it is pointed out,
only if one rightly comprehends the true nature of the Lord as Sriman
Narayana.
This Mahaviswasa is pointed out in
sloka 20 as attainable only by Acharya-prasada (grace of the guru) And sloka
21 points out how what we may not be able to achieve by ourselves we can
easily obtain by the grace of an Acharya. Three trite illustrations given in
that sloka are noteworthy and significant. Like the blind man led
by the man with good vision, like the same man who is enabled to cross a
stream and reach the other shore by the ferry -- man, and like the child of a
King's valet which enjoys the best pleasures of life, we too can obtain
redemption by the Acharya's grace, though we lack gnana or Sakti or
both.
Sloka 14 is another wholesome tonic to
wavering prapanna. Posing the problem thus, " because of the prapatthi that I
have gone through , I am promised complete freedom from grief after this life
; but here I am undergoing unspeakable misery in this life. How about this? "
Desika solves it by pointing out that even the suffering we undergo here
in the post-prapatthi period is calculated for our ultimate spiritual welfare
as otherwise we are sure to forget Him who has taken upon Himself the huge
burden of our sins , by wallowing in worldly pleasures, and ignore Him
completely . To forget Him is the greatest of sins
(மறப�ப�ல�லாம� �தம� --as Nammalwar would have
it. ) Even when the Lord is by our side willing to satisfy our every want, the
undying world-mindedness in us works havocs with us. (sloka23) This sloka
finds a place inthe 10th act of Sankalpa Suryodaya, and the setting in which
it is placed there will show to us the devastating power of unquenchable human
desires.
Towards the end, this stotra contains more than the usual measure of
personal touches and introspective exclaims. The poet addresses his own
fickle and vacillating mind in sloka 24. and in sloka 26 advises his speech,
body and mind , respectively, after informing them that Venkatesa Kavi is now
a prapanna at the lovely feet of Ranganatha, and asks them not to play their
old pranks with him any longer. The stotra winds up with aprayer to be made
the recipient of the highly coveted title of "Servant of the Lord and His
Sri"
In its
metaphysical aspect Nyasa Tilaka like Saranagati Deepika is a poetic
rendering of the salient features of Saranagati as laid down in the
Srimad Rahasyatrayasara, with this difference, that while Saranagati Deepika
is an epitome of Rahasyatrayasara , Nyasa Tilaka concerns itself more with the
mentality that should prevail in the post-prapatthi period. The importance of
Nyasa Tilakam to the prapanna cannot be over-estimated. It is probably for
this reason that Swamy Nainaracharya has furnished a very helpful, though
brief and crisp, commentary on this stotra, the only stotra, to my knowledge,
for which that illustrious Son has furnished a commentary, among all the
stotras of his illustrious Father.