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SrI  UpakAra  Sangraham - II (12)
-- 
SAdhanAdhikAram 
-- 
Section - 7 (4) 
(The Favours being done by the Lord to the jIva 
who has adopted bhakti-yOga or prapatti)
---  
  
        It has been known by now that BhaktiyOga and Prapatti
are the two chief upAyas to be adopted for attaining
salvation. There are various categories in BhaktiyOga
which is constant meditation on the Lord, Who is the
Ultimate Reality. The categories of meditation vary
according to the form of the Lord with certain
attributes. These are called vidyas. There about 32
vidyas. Each one has been defined in the Upanishads
and accordingly the aspirant who has controlled his
mind by the yOgic exercises, has to train his mind to
meditate on a particular form of the Lord with
particular attributes only. This has been done only to
help the bhaktiyOgi to concentrate on a very limited
area. Otherwise his mind will not be stable. It has
also been made clear that by limiting the attributes
to one or two does not mean that Brahman has only
those attributes only and not others. The limitation
is only for the purpose of easy practice. Once the
aspirant attains salvation, he is going to enjoy the
Brahman with all the attributes in full measure. A
total devotion or bhakti is an essential part of this
yOga and without it the Ultimate cannot be attained.
Bhakti is the basic aspect for all the vidyAs --
whether one adopts a category of bhakti-yOga. Prapatti
is also a vidya, named as nyAsa vidya in the
Upanishads. While in the bhakti-yOga, prapatti or
surrender forms an intermediary practice to further
progress in the spiritual path for salvation, prapatti
itself forms a direct means for attaining the Lord. It
is known as svatantra prapatti or independent
surrender which does not depend on the injunctions
laid down for bhakti-yOga. Bhakti or devotion is
common to both. In the bhakti-yOga, the aspirant takes
the direct responsibility to perform the yOga strictly
according to the rules, any lapse of which will not
yield the result. Moreover, the aspirant has to
exhaust the past karma by experiencing the fruits
whether good or bad and to continue the bhakti-yOga at
the same time. One interesting and attractive fact in
the case of the practitioner of bhakti-yOga (constant
meditation) is the bliss that he will derive during
the practice. 
        As per the rule for the adoption of bhakti-yOga,
since the aspirant should be qualified to study Vedas,
it is restricted to only those born in three castes,
namely, brahmana, kShatriya (warrior) and vaisya
(trader). Those born in the fourth caste, namely
sudra, are excluded from the bhakti-yOga practice as
they are not supposed to study Vedas. But, they get
the benefit of bhakti-yOga, by their sincere service
to those belonging to the first three castes. Their
close association with them is itself a form of
prapatti by which they directly attain the Ultimate
without any other formality as of a bhakti-yOga
niShta. 
        It has been also laid down that even among the people
belonging to three superior castes, those who are
incapable of adopting the bhakti-yOga, because of its
strict rules, can resort to prapatti as an independent
means cutting short the difficult route of
bhakti-yOga. That means prapatti is universal, unlike
the bhakti-yOga. 
        SrI ALavandar, well known as YAmunAchArya, our
poorvAcharya, has left us a sloka as a guide for
adopting prapatti even by those who have
qualifications for bhakti-yOga:

 ?na dharmaniShTOsmi na cAtmavEdee na bhaktimAn
tvaccarNAravindE /
  akincanOnyagatih sharaNyah tvatpAdamoolam sharNam
prpadyE //? 
                                                      
                                  (StOtraratna - 22)
(Oh Refuge! I am not established in dharma, nor am I a
knower of self, nor do I have fervent devotion for Thy
lotus-feet; utterly destitute and have none else for
resort. I take refuge under Thy feet.)

        The direct prapatti is also known as advAraka
praptti. The one, which is performed for the progress
in the bhakti-yoga which is the main means for
salvation, is called sadvAraka or anga prapati. Bhakti
is included in prapatti and prapatti is included in
bhakti. The person who adopts prapatti as the sole and
direct means for salvation is called
?svatantra-prapatti-niShTa?. He leaves everything at
the hands of the Lord who takes care of his mOkSha.
SwAmi Desikan, in this sub-section, speaks about him: 
                  

(4) ?svatantra-prapattiniShTanukku apEkShA-anuguNamAka
prArabdhatthaiyum appOthE nishshEShamAkavAthal,
shareerAntharAdhi-hEthukkaLAna amsangkaLaiyAthal,
utthara-kruthyaroopa-shAstreeya
kainkarya-vishEShatthiRku virOdhikaLaiyAthal
kazhitthuk kodukkumathuvum;

        When a person has adopted the Lord as the means by
this direct prapatti, the first thing the Lord does is
to destroy not only the balance of his past karma but
also ends the karma which has started its results in
the present life to end within this life itself:

?prArabdhatthaiyum appOthE nishshEShamAkavAthal
kazhitthuk kodukkumathuvum?  -- 

The Lord sees to it that there is no balance left in
the prArbdha karma -- the karma which has started
showing its effects. 
He also removes the causes that may arise for
continuing the next birth:

?shareerAntharAdhi-hEthukkaLAna amsangkaLaiyAthal
kazhitthuk kodukkumathuvum? 

        The svatantra prapanna is supposed to do all his acts
laid down in the scriptures as a service to the Lord.
He will not do anything that is not approved by the
scripture. Secondly, he will not do even those
approved in the shAstras for his self-benefit in view
of his becoming the Lord?s shESha - servant after the
prapatti.  There may, however, be some hindrances to
this service because of his past karma. This also is
being removed by the Lord:

 ?utthara-kruthyaroopa-shAstreeya
kainkarya-vishEShatthiRku virOdhikaLaiyAthal
kazhitthuk kodukkumathuvum?  
        The man who has adopted prapatti has, from the time
he adopted it, nothing else to do for attaining the
fruit there of. The Lord Who is independent of all
others, Whose will is irresistible and Who is the one
that rewards us with the fruit of actions says, ?Do
not grieve? (Charama Sloka). Since the Lord Who has
been accepted as the upAya, as He has said, ?Seek
refuge under Me alone?, and also said, ?I will release
you from all sins?,  and since the Lord can always be
trusted and since He is capable, he would have no
doubts or fears in regard to the realization of his
object, that is, mOkSha. 
        
Now, a little of AzhvAr anubhavam: SrI Thirumangai
AzhvAr expresses a great relief:


 ?thuRanthEn Arvac ceRRacf cuRRam thuRanthamaiyAl
 ciRanthEn ninnadikkE adimai thirumAlE
 aRanthAnAit thirivAi unnai enmanatthakatthE
 thiRambAmal koNdEn thiruviNNakarAnE.?                
(Periya Thirumozhi, 6-3-2)

(Oh Lord of ThiruviNNakar! I left both attachment and
enmity with regard to others and so, became eligible
to do service at Your feet. I kept You in my mind
without break in concentration.)

 ?pOnthEn puNNiyanE, unnaiyeithi en theevinaikaL
  theernthEn ninnadainthEn thiruviNNakarAnE.?         
         (-do- , 6-3-4)
(Oh Virtue-incarnate! I came to You, Oh Lord of
ThiruviNNakar! After reaching You, I washed off my
sins.)

?maRROr theivam eNNEn unnai en manatthu vaitthup
  peRREn, peRRathuvum piRavAmai emperumAn?            
   ( - do -, 6-3-5)
(I will not think of any other deity; I am benefited
by keeping You in my mind; That benefit is the state
of no more births for me.)

 ?aLinthOrntha cinthai ninpAl adiyERku vAnulakam
  theLinthE enRu eithuvathu? ThiruviNNakarAnE!?       
       ( - do-, 6-3-8)
(When will the Paramapadam be attained by me, who have
attached my mind to You?)

 ?collAi thirumArvA unakkAkit thoNdupatta
 nallEnai vinaikaL naliyAmai nambu nambee!?           
          (-do-, 6-3-9)
(Oh Lord! You have to tell me. You should prevent sins
from causing harm to me who have become Your servant!)

?ANdAi  unaik kANpathOr aruLennakku! aruLuthiyEl
  vENdEn manaivAzhkkaiyai viNNakar mEyavanE!?      
(Periya Thirumozhi, 6-1)
(Oh Lord! Oh Lord of ThiruviNNakar! Please grace me to
see You. If You grace me, I will not desire this
samsAra life any more.) 
 
        Thus the Lord does another favour by preventing any
more births to the person who has adopted prapatti as
the direct means and refrained from committing sins.
This is the crux of this sub-section referred to by
SwAmi Desikan.


(To continue)
dAsan
Anbil S.SrInivAsan
----------- 
 



      
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