NOTE: Readers having difficulty in reading the text may need to change their encoding to UTF-8. ----------- srI: 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 ----------- ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ Oppiliappan Koil Varadachari Sadagopan http://www.sadagopan.org Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Oppiliappan/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Oppiliappan/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:Oppiliappan-digest@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx mailto:Oppiliappan-fullfeatured@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: Oppiliappan-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
Home Page
http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia |
oppiliappan-subscribe@yahoogroups.com To subscribe to the list |