Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta
Desika yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:
The Famous Five---III
Pancha
Kosam The body is divided into five modes or Kosams, each successive one subtler than the preceding one. According to the Taittireeyopanishad, these five are respectively 1.
Annamaya
Kosam 2.
Praanamaya
Kosam 3.
Manomaya
Kosam 4.
Vigyaanamaya Kosam and
5.
Anandamaya
Kosam If
this is what the Aanandavalli has to say, the Bhriguvalli depicts Varuna telling
his son Bhrigu Maharshi to meditate on the aforesaid five as verily the
Parabrahmam-- first on Food, then on the Life Breath, then on the Mind, then the
Intellect and finally on Bliss, pointing out perhaps that the lower stages of
realization have to be gone through before one acquires the knowledge of the
Ultimate. The Five Fundamentals Another quintet, without the knowledge of which
liberation is impossible, is the Five Fundamentals. These are five concepts,
upon knowing which one knows everything worth knowing. All Scripture, whether it is the sacred
Shruti, the Itihaasas or the Puranas, is about these five fundamentals. What
then are these? 1.
The nature and attributes of the Lord: When we seek to attain something, it is imperative for
us to know everything about the object of our desire. Similarly, wisdom about
the innumerable auspicious attributes of the Lord and His glorious form that set
Him apart from the innumerable other deities and demigods, is to be
acquired. 2.
Know Thyself: The true
nature of the self or the Jeevatma, its eternal bond of service with the
Paramaatma and the inalienable relationship of Master and servant that binds it
inseparably to the Paramaatma, are to be known, if at all we aspire for the
ultimate of pleasures. 3.
The Strategy:
The Jeevatma, in its quest for Moksham, should learn about, analyse and adopt a
strategy ideally suited for achieving the desired goal. Bhakti or ceaseless
devotion spread over numerous births and Prapatti or absolute surrender to the
Lord, are the two possible ways of attaining liberation. Bhakti, being
long-drawn and requiring stringent sense control, etc., is definitely beyond the
capabilities of weak mortals like us. Saranagati or Prapatti, involving abject
and unconditional surrender to Emperuman, is obviously the sole strategy for
people like us without any measure of spiritual strength. 4.
The Fabulous Fruit: We should
know the indescribable and boundless pleasure which each Jeevatma is destined
for, if it attains liberation. This is the bliss which emerges from selfless
service to the Lord and His Divine Consort, in the company of like-minded
liberated souls having no desire for anything but eternal servitude to the
Almighty. 5.
The Hurdles:
Life is but a hurdles-race. If we take a single step towards liberation, any
number of factors intervenes and hinder further progress. The main stumbling
block in the Pilgrim?s Progress is the accumulated baggage of good and bad deeds
which the Jeevatma gathers during its interminable sojourn in Samsaaram, which
necessitate more and more births to work them off. These five concepts form the cornerstones of spiritual
wisdom, without which it would be impossible for anyone to even think of, leave
alone attain, liberation. Here is a beautiful slokam enumerating the Five
Fundamentals: ?Praapyasya
Brahmano roopam, Praaptuscha pratyak Aatmana: Praaptyupaayam phalam chaiva Praapti
virodhi: tathaiva cha Vadanti sakalaa Vedaa: setihaasa
Puraanakaa:? Here is a much more intelligible translation of the aforesaid sloka, telling us that Sri Nammazhwar?s verses provide us blemishless wisdom about these five concepts:
Takka neriyum
tadayaagi tokkiyalum oozh vinayum vaazh vinayaum Odum Kurukayar
Kon yaazhinisai Vedaatiyal? The Five Enemies We saw how knowledge of the Hurdles (as part of the Five Fundamentals) is essential for
everyone. The Vaartthaamaala
catalogues these hurdles as follows: 1.
Shareeram: Our
frail body, which is dominated by the five karmendriyas and five gnaanendriyas,
is the most powerful hurdle, preventing us from following the dictates of the
Lord-- ?Bhagavat anuvarttanattukku
pratibhandhakam shareeram?. 2.
Family and Friends: Often, it is family ties and attachment which prevent
us from treading the path of renunciation preached by Acharyas?the more the
attachment to the family, the less the inclination to toe the line of
Acharyas??Aachaarya anuvartthanattukku
pratibandhakam putra mitraadigal? . 3.
Bad Company:
Friendship with people of atheistic, cynical and indifferent mentalities will
sap our own faith and make us less enthusiastic for the enlightening and
purifying company of Bhaagavatas??Sri
Vaishnavargal anuvarttanattukku pratibandhakam itara
sahavaasam?. 4. Wealth: The staunch faith that surrender to the Lord is the sole strategy, gets diluted once we engage in ------the unending pursuit of wealth??Upaaya adhyavasaayattukku pratibandhakam arttha praavanyam?. This is why the Lord says that whomever He wishes to bless, first He deprives the devotee of his wealth--"Yasya anugraham icchaami tasya vittam haraamyaham" 5.
Material Pleasures: Preoccupation with material pursuits and mundane
pleasures would lead us into methods for achievement of the same, diverting us
from the path of Prapatti and the supreme goal of attaining the Lord. The
ultimate bliss of bhagavat anubhavam
gets shadowed by the glaring floodlights of material pleasures. Five Components of Saranagati We saw that Saranagati at the lotus feet of the Lord is
the only strategy for people like us, capable of redeeming us from the mundane
morass in which we wallow. This Saranagati or absolute surrender to the Lord,
again has five components: 1.
Aanukoolya
Sankalpam: One who wishes to
surrender must first resolve to toe the line of the Lord, as laid down in
scripture. 'Irrespective of my long record of crime, I shall henceforth obey
Your dictates implicitly', says the Jeevatma to the Lord. 2.
Praatikoolya
Varjanam: Though this is a natural
corollary of the first item, still it is reiterated to ensure that there is no
misunderstanding about the nature of the contract with the Almighty. The second
resolution of the Jeevatma is that it would never transgress divine dictates, as
laid down in the Shruti and the Smritis. 3.
Goptrutva
Varanam: The conscious choice of
the Lord Sriman Narayana as one?s sole saviour and a plaintive cry to Him to
rush to our rescue, are the next item on the surrenderer?s
agenda. 4.
Rakshisyati it
Visvaasa: Surrendering to anyone
would be fruitful only if we have an absolute faith that the person to whom we
are surrendering is capable of and would be inclined to save us. Maha Visvaasam or the Great
Faith as it is known, is the cornerstone of all Prapatti, without which sincere
surrender would be impossible. 5.
Kaarpanyam:
We should be acutely aware of our helplessness in all matters, spiritual and
mundane and critically conscious of our total incapacity to save ourselves. Our
moral, material and spiritual poverty should always agitate our mind.
Aakinchanyam or helplessness and its realization by the Jeevatma impart it the
requisite submissiveness essential for surrender. Sri Tondaradippodi Azhwar?s
Tirumaalai paasurams beginning with ?oorilen kaani illai?, ?Manattilor tooymai Illai? ?Tavattulaar tammil allen?, ?Kulitthu moondru analai ombum? etc. are
pointers in this regard. The Five Doubts We thus see that the glorious strategy of Prapatti has
five components. However, people are often plagued by doubts regarding the
efficacy of Saranagati as a tool to liberation. These doubts are again of five
types, as enumerated by Swami Desikan in Sri
Nyaasa Tilakam? 1.
Jeevaatmas accumulate
immeasurable sin during each of their births, with the burden assuming crippling
proportions with each successive body that they inhabit. And each of these sins
is so serious, that its deleterious effects are likely to continue
over several births. In such a case, how can it be said that a simple strategy
like Prapatti washes away all our sins? This
doubt arises because of ignorance of the nature of Sri Mahalakshmi. The
Universal Mother is so merciful that She intercedes with the Lord on behalf the
surrendered soul and makes a strong recommendation to the Lord for ridding the
soul of all sin, however grave and however numerous. Such maternal intervention
ensures that all sins are pardoned, irrespective of number and
gravity. 2.
The Lord is portrayed as an
impartial arbiter, doling out reward and punishment in perfect proportion to the
meritorious and sinful deeds of the Jeevas. In such a case, how can He bestow on
the sinning Jeevatma the ultimate fruit of Moksham, which is beyond the reach of
even distinguished deities like Brahma and Shiva? No
doubt the Lord is indeed a judge and jury, affording pleasure and pain to the
Jeevas according to their deeds. However, there is an eternal and inalienable
bond between Him and the individual souls, as that between father and son. Just
as even the prodigal son is entitled to the father?s property and the
father does give him his share once the son reforms and returns to the family
fold, so too, the Lord has no hesitation in rewarding the Jeeva with Liberation,
once the latter realizes its follies and surrenders at the lotus feet of the
Universal Father. 3. The Lord has nothing to gain from anyone?s offering.
He is the avaapta samasta kaama: or one who has no needs
to be satisfied. Such being the case, would He afford the Jeeva the ultimate of
all rewards, viz., Moksham, in return for a sinecure of a strategy like
Prapatti, the effort for which is totally disproportionate to the object sought
to be achieved?
Though the Lord has nothing to gain from our Prapatti, His natural and
boundless mercy for errant souls makes Him bestow the greatest of favours in
return for the smallest of gestures, just as a King is pleased by the submission
of a mere lime fruit. 4. While demigods are easy to please and shower their
devotees with minor boons at the drop of a hat, the Lord is known as one who
tests His devotees for quite long, before bestowing major bonuses. This being
so, would He grant liberation to the Jeeva who performs Prapatti, as and when
the latter desires the same?
While it is true that minor benefits flow rather late from our Lord, as
far as Bharanyaasam is concerned, it melts down Emperuman?s naturally merciful
heart, resulting in the expeditious grant of Moksham. 5. Those who perform Prapatti are of different
types?some are Vidvaans while others are ignoramuses, some are rich while some
do not have a penny to call their own, some are paragons of virtue while others
have done no good in their lives. How can the Lord bestow the same significant
benefit of Moksham on all these surrendered souls, irrespective of the
differences among them? Surely, righteous men and wise persons are entitled
to better treatment than the wicked and ignorant? Irrespective of
on whom He bestows the fruit of liberation, the Lord considers Himself to be the
real beneficiary, since He has brought one more Jeevaatma into His fold, who had
been eluding Him so long. Thus the Lord?s major concern is ?Chetana Laabham?. As such, Prapatti
is a great equalizer, bringing the same blissful reward to every one of its
adherents, irrespective of differences among them. The Five Avoidables For a Prapanna, who has surrendered Himself heart and
soul to the Lord, five categories of people are to be avoided like the plague.
Here, the Vaartthaamaala draws a
comparison between a Pativrata and Prapanna, prescribing common matters to be
avoided by both: 1.
Just as a Pativrata would
have nothing to do with a prostitute and would avoid even the latter?s shadow, a
Prapanna should avoid resorting to demigods, who would harm his dedication and
devotion to Sriman Narayana as the sole refuge and
saviour. 2.
As a chaste woman would look
askance at those who patronize prostitutes, so too, a Prapanna should avoid the
company of those who do not owe allegiance to Sriman Narayana as the Supreme
Lord and Master. 3.
Those who have abandoned
their husbands and consorted with others would be avoided by a chaste woman at
all costs. So too, Vaishnavas who embrace the practices of other faiths, are to
be shunned by a Prapanna. 4. Pretenders, who profess to be Pativratas but do not act accordingly, would have no attraction for a genuine Pativrata. Similarly, a Prapanna would like to avoid those who sport all the external symbols of a Sri Vaishnava, but lack the devotion and dedication that go with the name. 5. Unmarried girls are no company for chaste women, who prefer to consort with other females of their own persuasion and conviction. Similarly, Prapannas find no pleasure in the company of immature Samsaaris.
--To be continued--
Srimate Sri LakshmiNrisimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama: dasan, sadagopan
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