Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri
Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:
The Lovely Leaf
You must have noticed how
bare and forlorn trees look in autumn. It is as if they have been shorn of all
their life and spirit and merely exist, a mere shadow of their former majestic
and magnificent selves. Come Spring, however, they regain all their glitter and
glory, presenting a wonderful sight to the jaded human eye. What makes the
difference between their former and latter states is the rich and luxurious
foliage that adorns their branches—in other words, the leaves that provide the
trees dense cover and nutrition. It is thus leaves that lend a look of majesty
and splendour to their parents, without which the trees look stripped and sad.
It is they who are the precursors of the much-awaited flower and fruit. When we
look at a pine forest, a dense copse of firs or a wood of tall deodars, what
impresses us first and foremost is their lush and luxuriant foliage. Leaves thus
are an indispensable part of trees, big or small. Before you start wondering as
to why I have started holding forth on botany (one among the innumerable
subjects I am totally unqualified to speak on) let me assure you that unlike
many of my articles, this does have a purpose. As a measure of importance of the
Leaf, we find several references to the same in the Scripture, some of which are
recounted here. It is only a few people and
objects that can boast of a close association with the Supreme Being: the Leaf
is one of them. I hear you commenting derisively, “The Lord and the Leaf? What
possible connection could there be between the most exalted of beings and the
most humble of them? Does a leaf count at all, being an extremely insignificant
part of Creation, liable to be blown away by a mere puff of wind?”
Yes, the Leaf does indeed
count and occupies a pride of place in Creation, having afforded a resting place
to the Lord during the Cosmic Deluge. Imagine the PraLayam, the virtual end of
the world, with great sheets of water covering all available landmass, leaving
the entire universe a raging ocean. All earth has disappeared and along with it,
all the myriad life forms which inhabited earth in their teeming millions. The
sole remnant of this MahApraLayam is the Lord, in the form of an endearing
infant, lying with élan, chewing His toe held steady by one hand. This is the
picture of the Lord portrayed by the BAla MukundAshtakam— “KarAravindEna padAravindam
mukhAravindE vinivEsayantam Vatasya patrasya putE sayAnam
Balam Mukundam manasA smarAmi” If there is no land, where
does the Lord lie in such a bewitching pose? It is on a banyan leaf, we
are told, that the infant Mukunda lies amidst all the swirling waters of the
cosmic deluge, having stored all beings and objects in His capacious tummy. Thus
the Leaf has the distinction of surviving even when all other components of
Creation have been wiped out. Not merely does it survive, it does so with
distinction, providing a resting place for none other than the Supreme Lord. It
is from this that Emperuman derives the glorious name “Vata Patra SAyee”,
literally meaning one who reclines on a banyan leaf. The sight of the enthralling
infant recumbent on a leaf is so captivating that almost all Azhwars have made
appreciative mention of the same. Listen to Sri TiruppANAzhwar, whose
devotion-laden heart and mind are filled with the glorious
sight— “Ala mA marattin ilai mEl oru
bAlakanAi gyAlam Ezhum uNdAn arangattu
aravin aNayAn kOla mA maNi Aramum muttu
tAmamum mudiviladu Or ezhil neela mEni iyyO nirai koNdadu
en nenjinayE!” Describing the leaf on which
the Lord reclines, Azhwar says that it belongs to the Great Banyan tree—“Ala
mA maram”. The Banyan tree is naturally tall and broad. However, the
reason ascribed here to its greatness is that it has provided refuge to the Lord
Himself. All banyan leaves that we
know are pretty small and wouldn’t afford space on themselves for a biggish ant,
leave alone an infant, that too the Parabrahmam. How come then, that the Lord is
described as lying down on this tiny leaf? We have no answer to this question
except to point out the Lord’s capability for making the impossible, eminently
possible-- His “aghatita ghatana sAmarthyam”. Though He is the Brahmam, by
nature huge beyond conception, He contracts His glorious tirumEni to fit the
banyan leaf and lies on it amidst the floods that signify the end of the
world. Sri Poigai Azhwar asks the
Lord, with the liberty of those who are close, where the banyan leaf came from,
when the entire universe was in the throes of destruction. Where could the
parent tree have been rooted, for there was absolutely no land left, having been
inundated by the swirling waters of the praLayam. Azhwar wonders sarcastically
whether the strange tree (which gave birth to the leaf on which the Lord
reclines) had its roots in the waters or in the sky. Azhwar seeks a categorical
reply from the Lord as to the origins of this weird and wonderful tree, which
had not a place to put out its roots, yet was able to beget the leaf, which
could accommodate the Lord Himself. Here is the beautiful pasuram, for which the
Lord had apparently no reply- “BAlan tanadu uruvAi Ezhulagu
uNdu-Alilaiyin mEl andru nee vaLarnda mey enbar-Al
andru vElai neer uLladO viNnadO
maNNadO sOlai soozh kundru edutthAi
sollu” Imagine the scene-all the
Universe, with its innumerable inhabitants, has been overrun by the swirling
waters. There is a great emptiness, relieved only by the deluge, in which all
the oceans have combined to inundate all available land. The sole remnant of the
destructive deluge is the Lord Himself, who has swallowed all the sentient and
non-sentient beings and stored them in His tiny tummy for safekeeping, till the
occasion arises for the next Creative process. His form, however, is that of a
bewitching infant, apparently in hunger and chewing the toe of His foot, holding
it still in His right hand. And amidst all the deluge and the raging waters, He
reclines on a small banyan leaf, hardly enough to provide full cover to His
little back. Amidst the chaotic inundation, this wonderful leaf and its worthy
occupant alone remain stable and steady, unaffected by the terrifying torrents.
It is this scene that makes the Azhwar wonder where the leaf could have come
from and how it was able to accommodate the great and glorious Lord Himself.
However, Azhwar asserts that the episode is indeed true, quoting great
souls—“mey enbar”. Azhwars tell us that it is
the Great Snake AdisEsha, who normally forms the Lord’s bed—“pulgum aNayAm
TirumArkku aravu” “aravarasa perum
sOthi anantan ennum aNi viLangum uyar veLLai aNayai mEvi” etc. If this is true, then the
little leaf that Emeperuman lay on must indeed have been Adisesha, assuming the
form of the banyan leaf. Leaves continue to provide
the Lord with a place of residence, in Srimad Ramayana too. When Sri Lakshmana
puts up a beautiful cottage for Sri Rama and Sri Sita, it is covered on top with
appropriate leaves, providing a pleasantly cool roof— “kusa kasa sharai:
parNai: suparicchAditAm tathA” In fact, leaves play such a
dominant role in the Lord’s residence, that the cottage is termed as a
“ParNashAlA” or a leafy home. And leaves provide not only the Lord, but
His acolytes also refuge and camouflage. When Sri Hanuman seeks a hiding place
to observe the proceedings in the AshOka vanam, it is dense foliage and an
impenetrable leafy cover that supply him with requisite protection from the
prying eyes of rAkshasis— “avEkshamANascha dadarsa
sarvam supushpitE parNa ghanE nileena:” Does the Leaf’s association
with the Lord stop with having provided Him a place of rest during Pralayam? Not
at all, for it is a constant and continuing connection, as we shall presently
see. When there is any number of
beautiful objects with which Emperuman’s eyes could be compared, it is again a
Leaf, which finds favour with poets and philosophers. Listen, for instance, to
the Adikavi Valmiki describing Sri Rama’s eyes as resembling beautiful lotus
leaves—“Rama: kamala patrAksha:”. The leaves of the lotus are so beautifully
round and broad that they provide the perfect analogy for the Paramapurusha’s
eyes. It is not only Chakravartthi
Tirumagan whose eyes resemble a lotus leaf, but Sri Krishna too, as the
KrishNAshtakam attests—“utphulla padma patrAksham neela jeemoota sannibham”. If
this is how the Lord’s eyes look, can His Consort’s be different? We thus find
Valmiki comparing Sri Janaki’s eyes too to lotus leaves— “SItAm kamala patrAkshIm idam
vachanam abravIt” “Padma patra visAlAkshIm
satatam priya pankajAm” There is a speciality about
lotus leaves—though they are constantly in water and dot the surface of ponds,
water doesn’t stick to them, but just runs off them—“nalinI dala gata jalam ati
taralam”. Despite their being born in water and spending their entire existence
in it, they are not attached to their aquatic environs. Their non-stick nature
is thus held out to be an example of how we should remain unattached to this
world and its attractions, while remaining in our mundane
locales. Thus, one who performs his
duty without attachment, surrendering the results unto the Lord, remains
unaffected by sinful action, as is the lotus leaf unattached to the water it
lies on, says the Bhagavat Gita, providing yet another illuminating comparison
with the incomparable lotus leaf- “BrahmaNi AdhAya karmANi
sangam tyaktvA karOti ya: lipyatE na sa pApEna padma patram iva
ambhasA” The Gita contains yet another
beautiful reference to the Leaf.
Listing even humble offerings, which He accepts with delight when
accompanied by devotion, Sri Krishna gives pride of place to the
Leaf— “Patram pushpam phalam tOyam
yO mE bhaktyA prayacchati tadaham bhakyupahritam asnAmi
prayatAtmana:” The Lord tells us that even
if it is a mere leaf, a flower, fruit or just plain water, if the same is
offered with devotion and love, He accepts the same with great pleasure and
contentment, as if they are the best of gourmet dishes. Here, the Leaf is
mentioned ahead, because it precedes the flower and the fruit, in the order of
appearance on the tree, says Swami Desikan in the TAtparya ChandrikA. The
Acharya provides further enlightenment by pointing out that the leaf, flower or
fruit mentioned above refer to the simple ones available in plenty in nature,
without the need for purchasing them— “patrEshu pushpEshu phalEshu
tOyEshu akreeta labhyEshu sadaiva satsu bhakti Eka labhyE purushE purANE muktyai
kimarttham kriyatE na yatna:” (Garuda
Puranam). Leaving common garden leaves,
we shall now consider an extremely exalted specimen, held holy and venerated by
all—the Tulasi. Glorified by the sobriquet “Tiru TuzhAi”, Tulasi occupies the
pride of place among leaves, being extremely dear to Emperuman, who wears it
practically on all parts of His divine body— “tOLiNai mElum nan mArbin
mElum sudar mudi mElum tALiNai mElum punainda taNNam
tuzhAi udai ammAn” says Sri Nammazhwar, describing the Lord
to be a veritable walking forest of Tulasi, with the leaf adorning Him from head
to foot. The Tulasi enjoys such close
association with the Lord that it is impossible to think of ever worshipping Him
without using the lovely leaf. It is not even necessary that the leaf should be
fresh—even a dried one is equally dear to the Lord, we are told. Commensurate
with its status, Shastras prescribe several rules for plucking Tulasi leaves for
the Lord’s worship— --they should be plucked in a
group of four and not as single leaves --they should not be plucked
on Sundays, Tuesdays, Fridays etc. --they should not be plucked
on EkAdasi, DwAdasi, amAvAsya and similar days --removing the leaf from the
plant should be done gently and without hurting the plant, our sharp nails not
playing a part in it --a mantra should be uttered
while plucking Tulasi leaves, propitiating the sacred
plant. Few are the homes unadorned
by Tulasi plants and fewer still are the homes where they are not worshipped,
attesting to the sanctity attached to them. Apart from its sacredness and use in
the Lord’s worship, Tulasi has abundant medicinal properties and serves as a
sure cure for a host of diseases. If it is Tulasi that pleases
the Lord, His Consort is enamoured of the Bilva leaf, we are told. Her
ashtOttara Sata nAma stotram tells us that Sri Mahalakshmi resides in the
Bilva—“Bilva nilayAm varArOhAm yashasvinIm”. Another leaf, which is
indispensable in vaidIka karmAs like PuNyAhavAchanam, is that of the Mango tree.
Water sanctified by recitation of the PavamAna sUktam is to be sprinkled over
the KartA and his home, using mango leaves, to the accompaniment of VEda mantras
like “DEvasya tvA Savitu:
prasavE…..”, “VAstOshpatE pratijAnIhi asmAn svAvEsO anamIvO bhavA na:….”. And be
it any auspicious function—marriage, upanayanam, seemantOnnayanam or other, no
festivity or celebration is complete without a festoon of mango leaves hung
across the doorway. On EkAdasI, DwAdasi, ChaturdasI, ashtamI, navamI, prathamA,
PourNamI, the day of the annual ceremony, Fridays, Tuesdays, Saturdays and on
one’s birthday, when use of twigs, etc. is forbidden for brushing the teeth, it
is customary to use the leaves of the mango tree for the
purpose. It is again a leaf, that of
the Plantain tree, which is used for offering food to both Devatas and the Pitru
vargam. It is noteworthy that during ShrAddha karmAas, annam, pAyasam,
bhakshaNam, etc. are offered to the concerned Pitru devatas, to VisvEdEvas and
to Sri Mahavishnu, on plantain leaves. Even the regular Pitru tarpaNam performed
on various occasions like amavAsyA, monthly SankramaNam, etc. is offered on
plantain leaves and not on silver, brass or stainless steel
plates. Shall we end this piece with
a beautiful English idiom, viz., “turning over a new leaf”? This usage appears
eminently applicable to Prapatti, which involves a sea change in one’s attitude,
requiring one to give up all that is not to the Lord’s liking and to adopt a way
of life totally in conformity with His wishes. We are required to eschew all
that is taboo and to espouse all norms of right conduct. And as a prelude to
such a change, we seek the Lord’s forgiveness for all our acts of omission and
commission, performed during innumerable births. We accept Him as our sole
Saviour and surrender ourselves to Him, body and soul. Saranagati is thus the
essence of the idiom, “turning over a new leaf”, in
its most comprehensive sense. Though any number of pages
could be written on the subject, I shall end here, with a (mis) quote from
Frost- “The leaves are lovely, dark
and deep But I have promises to
keep And miles to go before I
sleep And miles to go before I
sleep” Srimate Sri LakshmINrismha
divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya
nama: dasan,
sadagopan
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