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Oppiliappan List Archive: Message 00334 Jan 2008

 
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----------  
srI:
SrI  upakAra  sangraham ? 70
--- 
adikAram ? 1
poorva upakAra paramparai
(The Foremost Series of Favours) 
---   
SECTION ? 5 (25)  
(27 Favours of the Lord leading to the means for
MOKSHAM)  
-----   
        In the previous sub-section, SwAmi Desikan described
the Lord?s favour in the form of making the jIva, who
had attained the discriminative knowledge, to remain
determined to be ever with the things which had some
or other link with the Lord, either during His
incarnation or His temple.  Now, it is being shown
that the Lord does another favour by making the jIva
audacious in not looking elsewhere other than the
Lord:

(25) ?tuNiyEn ini ninnaruL allathu enakku?,
?ninnilangku pAdamanRi maRROr paRRilEn?, ?unnAlallAl
yAvarAlum onRum kuRai vENdEn? ithyAthikaLin padiyE
parama-hithatthil
samshaya-viparyaya-sharaNyAntara-prasanga-maRRa
thuNivai nilai niRutthinathuvum;

        This audacity of the jiva is such that there is
neither a doubt nor a change or nor a talk of another
refuge. How is it? SwAmi Desikan refers to the
statements of Azhvars to give an idea of how firm the
jIva?s determination is. The first quote is from
Periya Thirumozhi of SrI Thirumangai AzhvAr:

        ?aNiyAr  pozhilcoozh arangkanakrappA!
              thuNiyEn  ini ninnaruL allathu  enakku
              maNiyE!  maNimANikkamE! MadusoodA!
             paNiyAi  enakku uyyum vakai parancOthee!?
                 (Periya Thirumozhi, 11-8-8)

(Oh the Lord of the Sriranga holy city! Hence forward
I will not think of anything else other than Your
grace as refuge. Oh Lord with brilliance as that of
the Blue stone! Adorning a Gem! The Killer of the
demon, Madhu! The Supreme Light! You alone should
grant me salvation!)

        ?kulangkaLAya  eeriraNdil onRilum piRanthilEn
              nalangkaLAya naRkalaikaL nAlilum
navinRilEn
              pulankaLaindum venRilEn, poRiyilEn,
punitha! nin
              ilangu pAthamanRi maRROr paRRilEn em
eecanE!? 
                                                      
                                     
(Thirucchantha-viruttham 90)

(Oh, the Holiest! Our Lord! I have not been born in
any of the four castes. Hence, I could not learn the
four Vedas. I have not even controlled my senses and
therefore, I am caught in whirlpool of sensual
objects. Hence, I don?t have any means other than Your
bright Feet!)

        This verse reveals a beautiful conversation between
the AzhvAr and the Lord:

AzhvAr: I want to attain You, Oh Lord!
Lord : Do you have anything by which you can attain
Me?
AzhvAr: ?poRiyilEn? -- I have sense organs, Lord! 
Lord: Have you not controlled your senses?
AzhvAr: No. Lord. ?pulankaLaindum venRilEn? -- I have
been wandering wherever the senses dragged me. I could
not control any of the senses. 
Lord: Have you not studied scriptures which teach how
to control the senses? For example, I have spoken
about it in the Gita as follows:

 ?yatatO hyApi KauntEya puruShasya vipishcitah /
indriyANi pramatheeni haranti prasabham manah //?     
(Gita, 2-60)
   
(Even in the case of the wise men who strive to
control them, the senses prove rebellious, and carry
away the mind forcibly.) 

?tAni sarvANi samyamy yukta Aseeta matparah /
  vashE hi yasya indriyANi tasya praj~nA prtiShThitA
//?    (Gita, 2-61)

(After subduing them all, he should be in meditation,
holding Me as the Supreme. His knowledge is well
established, whose senses are in subjection.)

The BrahadAraNyakOpanishad also speaks about
controlling the senses:

 ?shAntO dAnta uparatastitikShuh samAhitO bhootvA
AatmanyEvAtmAnam pasyEt /?     
                                                      
                                                      
         (Br.Up. 4-4-23)

(Tranquil in mind, with the senses restrained, having
given up desires, resigned and patient, and absorbed
in meditation, let a man see the ParamAtma indwelling
in his self.)
 
Have you not studied these scriptures?
AzhvAr: ?nalangkaLAya naRkalaikaL nAlilum navinRilEn?
-- I have not studied any of the four Vedas, Lord.
Lord: As the first step to control the senses is the
study of these scriptures, why haven?t you learnt
them?
AzhvAr: Oh Lord, ?kulangkaLAya  eeriraNdil onRilum
piRanthilEn? -- I have not been born in any of the
four castes. Only those who are born in one of the
first three castes are qualified to study the Vedas.
Had I been born in the fourth caste, I would have had
at least an opportunity to serve those belonging to
superior three castes and would have earned the chance
of taking the next birth in one of them. I am not that
fortunate, my Lord.
Lord: If you have no means to prevent your involvement
in the senses, what other means, you think, you have?
AzhvAr: ?nin ilangu pAthamanRi maRROr paRRilEn? --
However much darkness is there, it can be driven out
by an equally bright lamp. Like that, for a person as
I am who have nothing to give as recompense and no
other person to help me, I have no other means but the
Feet of Yours Who is known for great compassion to
grace such people. 
?em eecanE!? -- You are our Ruler, we are Your
servants. Except this relationship, I don?t have any
qualification nor do I have any other refuge, my Lord!
        This fact is shown from another angle by SwAmi
Desikan through another quotation which is from SrI
NammAzhvAr:
?en nAn ceykEn? yArE kaLaikaN? Ennai en ceikinRAi?
 unnAlallAl yAvarAlum onRum kuRai vENdEn!
 kannAr mathiLcoozh kudanthaik kidanthAi!
adiyEnaruvANAL
 cennAL ennAL? annAL unathAL piditthE celakkANE.?     
          (ThiruvAimozhi, 5-8-3)
(Oh Lord, reclining at Thirukkudanthai! I am not in a
fit position to resort to any means to attain You.
What can I do? Who can save me? Why do You compel me
to do impossible rites? Please listen. I do not need
any procedure or a person except You to attain You.
Hence, however long it may be, I will cling only to
Your feet as a refuge. I am firm in this.)
        
This kind of firmness is created in the sAttvika
jIva?s mind, that cannot be shaken by any doubt or
another person. This is yet another favour conferred
by the Lord, says, SwAmi Desikan.

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



      
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