You are here: SriPedia - Oppiliappan - Archives - Apr 2002

Oppiliappan List Archive: Message 00001 Apr 2002

Apr 2002 Indexes ( Date | Thread | Author )

[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]


Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra
Mahadesikaya Nama:

Sri AshtabhujAshtakam-2

We saw that Emperuman?s anger is unstoppable, and the
target of this rare anger cannot find refuge
anywhere.(?RakshA kuta: syAt tvai jAta rOshE?).
The first half of the sloka tells us that once
Emperuman has decided to save us, nobody?s anger can
affect us.
?Bhayam kuta; syAt tvayi sa anukampE? says Swami
Desikan,
emphasising that the Lord?s devotee has nothing to
fear from any source.
This bhayam or fear can be of several kinds and
emanate from diverse sources. We see in the world that
almost all people are plagued by fear of some sort or
the other- the young fear the uncertain future, the
old fear approaching end, the wealthy are afraid of
penury and the penniless of continuing suffering. The
strong fear contracting disease, while the sick are
afraid of getting sicker. The student fears
examinations and later, the results, while politicians
fear elections. If we look deep enough, we would find
everyone fearing something or the other at some time
or the other.
The JitantA StOtra voices the plaintive cry of the
JeevAtmA that he is plagued by great fear from all
sides at all times-
? SarvEshu api cha kAlEshu dikshu sarvAsu cha Achyuta!
SareerE cha gatou chApi vartatE mE mahat bhayam?
The same stOtrA identifies the source of this
overwhelming fear as SamsAra, (?aham bheetOsmi
DevEsa, samsArEsmin bhayAvahE?) or this mundane world
of births and deaths, which shackles us with
unshakeable fetters. However, even in this fearful
Samsara, it is possible for us to live without fear,
provided we perform the duties that are laid down for
us, based on varNa and Ashrama. The GitAchArya says
that performing duties that are not meant for us
generates fear-
?SwadharmE nidhanam shrEya:
ParadharmO bhayAvaha:?

The Lord is verily the creator of fear (?Bhayakrit?)
and its destroyer too (?Bhaya nAsana:?). Since all
entities who are considered powerful derive their
power from the Lord, they live in mortal fear of Him-
the Sun, the Wind, the Fire, Death- all perform their
respective functions out of fear of retribution from
the Lord, says the Taittiriya Upanishad-
?BhIshAsmAt Vata: pavatE
BhIshOdEti Soorya:
BhIshAsmAt Agnischa Indrascha
Mrityu: dhAvati panchama iti? 
Coming back to the subject, fear of all types vanishes
like dew at sunrise, once the Lord makes up His mind
to protect us. The best example that strikes us in
this regard is that of Sri PrahlAda. The trials and
tribulations that this young and ardent devotee of the
Lord went through were legion. For categorically
declaring the supremacy of Sri Hari, Hiranyakasipu put
his son through a variety of ordeals.
The tender boy was pushed down from a precipitous
mountain- but the Lord broke his fall and ensured that
he landed as if on a bed of roses. Sri Prahlada was
pushed into a pit swarming with deadly snakes, but the
Lord who reclines on the king of all snakes ensured
that his devotee came to no harm. The deadliest of
poisons administered to the young boy could do him no
harm, again due to the Lord?s intervention. All known
methods of torture and all available weapons of
destruction were of no avail against the apparently
defenceless child, who stood staunch in his conviction
that Sri Hari was supreme. And why? Because the Lord
had decided to save His ardent devotee. Is this not a
classic case of ?Bhayam kuta: syAt tvayi sa anukampe??

Again, as one of our learned members had pointed out,
the curse of the notorious DurvAsa Maharshi could not
touch even a hair on the head of the pious King
AmbarIshA, as the Lord was on his side. And it was the
Lord who saved Sri MArkandEya from the deadliest of
all fears, the fear of death. Sri SugreevA could get
over his fear of the mighty Vali, Sri Gajendra was
saved from the fear of ignominy and certain death,
Draupati from the fear of humiliation, etc. One could
perhaps go on chronicling instances of the Lord?s
devotees being rid of fear, for the Scripture is full
of such examples.
Emperuman is in a state of high alert always, and
never lays down any of His five weapons, so that He
could rush to the rescue of a devotee in distress at
the first call from the latter, says the following
sloka-
?PAtu praNata rakshAyAm viLambam asahan iva
sadA PanchAyudhI bibhrat sa na Sri RanganAyaka : »
He could protect by mere will (Samkalpam) and need not
go down to the scene of action: nor does He need any
weapons to destroy- the same Samkalpam would do.
However, in His infinite mercy, the Lord rushes
personally to the rescue of His devotee in distress,
just as the mother of a child, which has fallen into
the well. The mother would never think of sending a
servant or any other, but would much prefer to act
herself.
Srimate Sri LakshmINrisimha divya paduka
sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana Yatindra
Mahadesikaya Nama:

------------dasan,sadagopan-----------------------



__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Games - play chess, backgammon, pool and more
http://games.yahoo.com/



[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next] [Date Index ] [Thread Index ] [Author Index ]
Home Page
http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia
oppiliappan-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
To subscribe to the list