tAtparya ratnAvaLi - Part 7 - Slokam 5.
Slokam 5:
Adau SarIrakArtha kramamiha viSadam vimSatir-vakti sAgrA
samkshepo'sau vibhAgam prathayati ca RcAm cAru pAThopapannam
|
samyak gItAnubaddham sakalam anugatam sAma SAkhA sahasram
samlakshyam sAbhidheyair-yajurapi Satakaih bhAty-atharvA
rasaiSca ||
The basic concept involved in understanding this Slokam is that it
its accepted tradition by elders to draw certain conclusions based on
the number of Sloka-s in a grantham. For instance, we know that the
gAyatrI mantra has 24 akshara-s. We also know that SrImad rAmAyaNam
consists of 24,000 Sloka-s. Based on the relationship between the
numbers 24 and 24,000, our pUrvAcArya-s declare that SrImad rAmAyaNam
is gAyatrI vyAkhyAnam.
In the current Slokam, svAmi deSikan points out that nammAzhvAr's
tiruvAimozhi contains the essence of the SarIraka mImAmsA (the brahma
sUtra-s), the Rg veda, the sAma veda, the yajur veda, and the atharva
veda. It shows the message of vedAnta in the form of SarIraka
mImAmsA through 21 pASuram-s from the first three tiruvAimozhi-s, in
the same sequence in which Sage bAdarAyaNa (veda vyAsa) presents the
message of the vedAnta to us through the 16 pAda-s of brahma sUtra
(SarIrakArtha kramamiha viSadam vimSatir-vakti sAgrA).
These same 21 pASuram-s reveal to us the message of the esteemed Rg
veda with its 21 SAkhA-s (cAru pAThopapannam RcAm).
The sAma veda consists of 1000 SakhA-s. Counting ten pASuram-s (not
counting the phala Sruti pASuram), from each of the 100 tiruvAimozhi-
s in nammAzhvAr-s SrI sUkti the total of 1000 pASuram-s (one hundred
times ten) are considered to reveal to us the message of the
melodious sAma veda (gItAnubaddham sAma SAkhA sahasram).
The phala Sruti pASuram-s total 100, since there are 100 tiruvAimozhi-
s (or `groups of ten pASuram-s'). The `kESavan tamar' tiruvAimozhi
has thirteen pASurams; excluding the ten pASuram-s that have been
counted as explaining the sAma veda, and the last pASuram (phala
Sruti) that has been accounted for along with the other phala Sruti
pASuram-s, there are two pASuram-s left (pAsurams 11 and 12); these
two together are considered as one (pASuram 11 starts with
padmanAbhan and ends with dAmodaran, and pASuram 12 elaborates
on `dAmodran' further, and so can be considered as an extension of
the previous pASuram). Adding this to the 100 phala Sruti pASuram-s,
we have a total of 101 pASuram-s; these 101 are considered a gist of
the yajurveda with 101 SAkha-s (samlakshyam sAbhidheyaih yajurapi
Satakaih)
The atharva veda has nine SAkhA-s, and the nine pASurams of the third
tiruvAimozhi starting pASuram 1.3.2 (recall that the first pASuram of
the 3rd tiruvAimozhi was grouped with the pASuram-s that give the
gist of the Rg veda earlier), are considered to summarize the atharva
veda (athatvArasaiSca bhAti).
Further support regarding the SarIraka mImAmsA;
upanishad bhAshyakArar has explained that the first 21 pASuram-s of
tiruvAimozhi summarize the SarIraka mImAmsA (the brahma sUtra-s).
svAmi deSikan also points out the above in his dramiDopanishad sAra,
in the 4tn Slokam:
dvikAbhyAm dvi ashTA'nghriH dur-adhigama nIti sphuTitA
yadantyA mImAmsA Sruti Sikhara tattvam avRNata |
tadAdau gAtAbhih munih adkika vimSAbhih iha nah
kRtI sAra grAham vyataradati sa'ngRhya kRpayA ||
uttara mImAmsA consists of four chapters, each with four pAda-s, or a
total of 16 pAda-s for the four chapters. dvi asTa a'nghrih ? 16
parts.
adhika vimSatibhih gAthAbhih ? by songs exceeding twenty; this is
interpreted as referring to the number 21.
SrI UV makes the correlation between the 16 pAda-s brahma sUtra and
the 21 pASuram-s of tiruvAimozhi, in his vyAkhyAnam for tiruvAimozhi,
particularly establishing that the order in which the 16 pAda-s of
brahma sUtra explain the Supreme Brahman, is the exact same order
(SarIrakArtha kramam) in which the 21 pASuram-s of tiruvAimozhi
concisely summarize the Supreme Brahman. . We won't go through the
detailed mapping in this write-up, but give the first three or four
as examples to illustrate the point.
- 1st pASuram ? uyarvaRa ? conveys the meaning of the brhama
Sabdam that is the topic of the first sUtra ? athAto brahma jij~nAsA.
- 2nd pASuram ? mannan agam malar aRa ? The fact that Brahman
is different from the cetana-s and acetana-s ? satyam j~nAnam anantan
brahma.
- 1st pAda establishes that Brahman is the sRshTi kAraNam, the
Creator of all ? this is also the subject of the first two pASuram-s,
1.1.1 and 1.1.2.
- pASuram-s 3 and 4 ? covey that all the cetana-s and a-cetana-
s form part of His Body, and He is the AtmA of all ? the sense of the
2nd pAda
- pASuram-s 5 and 6 ? convey that He is a svatantran, and is
not subject to any other being's control ? pAda 3
- pASuram 7 ? paDar poruL muzhuvadumAi ? His niravadhika mahimA
is sung; He is the upAdAna kAraNa and the AtmA of all; SuDar migu
SurutiyuL uLan ? He is the One who is sung by all the veda-s; - ?
pAda 4, etc.
Additional comments about the Rg veda:
SvAmi deSikan has used the phrase `cAru pATha upapannam RcAm' to
describe the correlation between tiruvAimozhi and the Rg veda. cAru
means `beautiful. `upapannam' means `endowed with'. The common
meaning that we all know for the word `pATham' in the current context
is a reference to the `svara' ? melody, sweetness (as in Ghana
pATham, karma pATham etc.). So, one interpretation for the phrase
could be `the Rg veda with its associated beautiful melodious svara-
s'. This immediately raises the question ? are the other veda-s not
endowed with `cAru-pATha-s'? SrI UV raises this question, and gives
quotes such as `yajureva Sirah' ? declaring the special beauty of
svara-s etc. for the yajur veda. SrI UV gives an interpretation that
overcomes this objection ? the word `pATham' means the number 21
in `gaNana rIti'. Thus, the phrase `cAru pATha upapannam RcAm' is
interpreted as `the esteemed Rg veda consisting of 21 SAkhA-s'. The
interpretation in terms of the number of SAkhA-s is also consistent
with the other statements that are based on the number of SAkhA-s.
Additional comments relating to the yajur veda:
SrI UV's interpretation given above counted all the phala Sruti
pASuram-s in establishing the basis in tiruvAimozhi for the 101
SAkhA-s of yajur veda. There is another view, that counts the 100
tiruvAmozhi-s as counting towards the 101 SAkhA-s of yajur veda. SrI
UV analyzes the support for both the interpretations, and seems to
prefer the count using the phala Sruti pASuram-s. His arguments are
simple to understand, but they are not being included here in order
to avoid too much detail.
Additional comments relating to the atharva veda:
SrI ve'nkaTeSAcArya's vyAkhyAnam refers to `eight SAkhA-s' for the
atharva veda (ashTa SakhamAna atharvaNa vedam), and SrI UV refers
to `nine SAkhA-s'. It is considered by some that the atharva veda
reflects all the nava rasa-s (the nine rasa-s: SR'ngAra ? love;
hAsya ? comedy; karuNA ? pity; raudra ? fury; vIryam ? heroism;
bhayankaram ? fear; bIbhatsam ? disgust; adbhutam ? wonder; SAntam ?
peace). In the very first Slokam of tAtparya ratnAvaLi, svAmi
deSikan had indicated that tiruvAimozhi is the ultimate limit of
SAnti rasa (SAnti SuddhAnta sImA). The other eight rasa-s are
contained in tiruvAimozhi as accessories to the SAnti rasa. SrI
ve'naTeSAcArya comments that the gist of the atharva with its eight
SAkhA-s is thus reflected in tiruvAimozhi. SrI UV prefers to
continue the interpretation in terms of the number of SAkhA-s, rather
than in terms of the `rasa-s', for consistency with the other
comparisons.
As can be seen, there are several ways of explaining which specific
pASuram-s are to be included in order to explain svAmi deSikan's
thoughts reflected in the current Slokam. The point to take for us
from this pASuram is that it is svAmi deSikan's considered opinion
that nammAzhvAr's tiruvAimozhi contains the gist of all the four veda-
s, as well as the SarIraka mImAmsA that summarizes the message of the
upanishad-s. This is one more greatness of tiruvAimozhi.
Note that ian the previous Slokam (Slokam 4), svAmi deSikan pointed
out that tiruvAimozhi is an upabrahmaNam like the itihAsa-s, purANa-
s, etc. ? tiruvAimozhi being the best among those that explain the
message of the upanishad-s. In the current Slokam, he points out
that tiruvAimozhi is in all ways equal to all the veda-s and the
upanishad-s.
-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan
(To be continued)
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