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Oppiliappan List Archive: Message 00164 Jul 2006

 
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SrI:

Dear BhakthAs: 

Let us continue with the Second of the 12 chapters of 
SubhAshitha Neevi of Swamy Desikan : Thruptha paddhathi 
DESCRIBING THE STATE OF AN EGOTIST  , who is excessively 
proud of his family name , his position (sthAnam), ALPA jn~anam 
  and is easily satisfied with his little attainments and does not 
  have a sense of proportion about his attainments versus 
  the great ones , who excel him and yet are modest about their 
  distinctly SUPERIOR achievements .

There are 12 slOkams that describe the mind set of the egotist.

2.1 : tadhEva gruhyathAm naama Saaka-MaNdUka-raasabhai:
         thisrooNAm thAvathaa hantha mUrtheenAm kimihAgatham 

(meaning): We see the goat , frog and the ass . They have the names of 
Brahma  , VishNu and Sivan respectively .Will they become famous and 
respectable because of having those names ? Will there be any dimunition 
in the glory of the Thrimoorthys  as a  a result of sharing these names ?  
The name "Aja/ Saaka " denotes both a goat and Brahma; the name 
"MaNDUka" denotes both a frog and Hari; the name " Raasabha" is used 
to  denote both Siva and an ass according to Amara Kosam .Thrupthan is one , 
who uses the names of  the exalted ones and thinks that he has become 
equal as a result of that action in gaining the stature equal to those 
noble ones .

2.2: aNDajaa: PuNDareekEshu samudhrEshu janardhnaa:
        SithikaNDaa: parvathEshu nivasanthy natE na tE  

(Meaning): Here Swamy Desikan refers to those , who become proud
about their SthAnams ( positions ) and get egotistic. Let Swans reside on
the Lotus flowers! Let crocodiles live in oceans! Let peacocks roam 
on the hills ! Because the sthAnams and names are similar  , swans wont 
become (morph into) Brahma dEvan . Crocodiles will not become 
Lord JanArdhanan either . The peacocks would never become 
NeelakaNDan.Brahma is known as ANDajan . The bird (Swan) is born 
from an egg (ANDam ). Both Brahma devan and the bird have the same 
name  (Andajan) .The name JanArdhanan denotes Sriman Narayanan .
The crocodile that destroy the people (Janam) is also known as 
JanArdhanan. The name NeelakaNDan is that of Lord Sivan , who lives 
in mountains. He has a blue hue aroud HIs neck; the peacocks also 
have a blue hue around their necks and live in the foot hills . 
These commonalities however do not transform a Swan into Brahman , 
the crocodile into VishNu and the peacock into  Sivan. Swamy Desikan
points out that the egotists can take on the name of the great ones 
but they will never become equal to their name sakes in Vaibhavam. 

2.3: Kaamam likathu samsthAnam kaschith roopam cha BHAsvatha:
        aBhiddhi vihithAlampam aalOkam vilikEth katham ?

(Meaning): One can draw the form of the Sun but can not depict its lustre
on the wall . Swamy points out that an egotist will take pride from his name
and postion in life . He can not however gain loftiness through his vesaham
( form) . For instance , one can draw the picture of Sun as a round object on 
the paper or wall but can not draw its radiance . One can dress like righteous 
one , wear urdhva PuNDrams but can not become an AchAryan through 
those acts alone . Jn~Anam can not be obtained through the external 
appearance ( VeLi Vesham).

2.4: api sathpadhanishtAnAm aaSA: poorayathAmapi
        Agasthya vrutthir mEghAnAm hantha maalinya kaaraNam

(meaning ): Thrupthan is one , who gets egotistic through the execution 
of an act done by the noble ones. He may do some of these acts performed by
the noble ones but can not however reach the status of the noble ones 
by sheer copying of their acts . For instance , Sage Agasthya  consumed 
all the waters of the ocean with one sip (Aachamanm). The Clouds imitate 
the noble sage by descending down to the level of ocean , consume 
the limited amount of water and ascend to the sky.They end up having
the dark bluish hue as a result of their act of imitation and do not become
laudable thru their act . They gain apa-yasas instead of Yasas as Sage Agasthya
gained. By acting with vanity and attempting to execute what is beyond their
power , the Trupthan only gains apa-keerthi ( ill fame). 

2.5: asthu thAvathakasthyasya jahnhOr mahima nanhava
        kaa kathaa tasya bAlasya viSvagrAsEapi atrupyatha:

(meaning): Swamy Desikan points  out that winning over solitary person
will not make a Trupthan (egotist) winner over all . He will reach his end , 
when he takes on those who are far superior to him in skillsand power .
Examples are : (1) Sage Agasthya swallowed the entire waters of the seven 
oceans in one sip . Sage Jahnu drank up the entire waters of Ganga river, 
when it entered his Aasramam and attempted to destroy it . Sage Jahnu 
may feel proud of drinking the entire Ganga waters in one sip but what about 
the grand act of Sage Agasthya , who drank the waters of all seven oceans ? 
Jahnu can never become the equal of Agasthya in stature in this matter . 
Further , Sage Agasthya drank up all the salt waters of the oceans , 
where as Jahnu only drank the clear water of Ganga. (2)When the egotist 
thinks of the little child floating on the waters of PraLayam after swallowing 
the entire world and stays unsatiated , that egotist can come to grips with 
his lowly status in the hierarchy of achievers .

2. 6: dhashta  sAranga yoothOpi dhamshtrA nakaravAnapi
         bhubhruthkatakasamsthObhisaaramEyO na simhathi

(Meaning) : Swamy Desikan asks a rhetorical question : Can the lowly dog 
attain the lofty status of the king of the forest , the Lion .Both have some 
similarities .They both can kill and tear a deer apart .Both have sharp teeth 
and nails.  The dog would be in the king's palace and the Lion will be 
in its montain palace ( the moutain caves). The similarity ends here.
They will never ever be equal in power or majesty . Swamy Desikan uses 
cleverly the words with double meanings to describe their acts : 
Saarangam means either deer or elephant ( the dog will tear the deer apart 
and the Lion will tear the elephant apart )  ; bhUbhruth means both 
the mountain and the King ( One stays as a hunting dog in the palace 
and the other stays inside the caves as the king of the forest ); 
SaaramEya means a dog. Swamy concludes " SaaramEyam ( dog) 
na simha ithi " ( the dog would never be the lion) inspite of some 
of their commonalities . 

2.7: sathpathE saadhayan mithramapi vyAnas tamOmaya:
       atheetha parvaa jagathAm adhrusya: sahasaa  bhavEth

(Meaning): If one with dark guNams ( tamO guNams) hides the sathva
guNams of his friend out of jealousy , then that evil person will be destroyed 
and will become immediately invisible to the world of the world of the righteous
( jagathAm adhrusya: sahasaa bhavEth).

2.8: dhuryANamapi sathkArya guNaSaali vimarthinAm
        anAgama vinAm yuktham apaneethEr nivAraNam

(Meaning): Swamy Desikan says here that it is not enough to have
superior administrative skills but one should have righteousness 
behind their acts to guide them . Otherwise they are dhushtAs 
( ThrupthAs or self-contented ones leading empty lives wallowing 
in the mud of pride ) .

The chiefs of the village , city and the Nation may be expert administrators .
Inspite of this , if they get filled with pride about their skills and insult 
the righteous ones engaged in their auspicious kaimkaryams , these 
experts are nothing but ahankAris ( egotists).These officials should be
removed from their positions since they are ignorant ones , who do not
know the importance of Sruthis or smruthis and sadAchAram.They can not 
comprehend the consequences of their harmful acts. One should try 
to correct them by pointing out their mistakes.If they do not learn and 
persist in their ways , it is better to remove them from their official 
positions. 
It is not enough to have managerial skills but it must be backed up 
by a sense of justice and righteousness in conductance of their duties . 

2.9: phalOttharENa HariNA naakamalla-vibhEthinaa
        SruthAla: saamyam aakAnkshan souryAthikyam na vindhati

(Meaning): The lion is indeed powerful. It can break the skull of
the elephants with its paws.The lowly fox wants to be the equal of 
that strong lion . Is it possible ? No. The equality is valid only this far :
(1) Both live in the forest (2) both have sharp claws and (3) both eat 
the flesh of the killed elephant . It is impossible however for the fox
to consider itself to be equal in strength to the king of the forest .
This situation is similar to the situation between a Mahaa VidhvAn and 
an uneducated man . Both may live in the same village ; they may dress
alike ; they may be present in the same ghOshti but the simpleton can not
equal the Mahaa vidhvAn in his Jn~Ana sakthi .

2.10: Sudarsanabhruthaa kaschith ajahath keerthi mathsara:
          mahAsAntha paTaa karshee jala janthur nigruhyathE

(Meaning) : Here Swamy  Desikan gives sadhupadEsam on 
the perils of BhAgavathApachAram . There are those , who are 
jealous about other's achievements and they steal the positions
and the wealth of the righteous ones . Swamy Desikan points out
that the most tranquil  Mahaans rooted in sadAchAram will correct
these apachAris at the appropriate time and lead them away from
their dangerous paths. This is the nature of these Mahaa Saantha 
Moorthys. It is appropriate to remember in this context about what 
happened  to the aggressive crocodile , which grabbed the foot of 
GajEndhran in a lotus pond and intended to harm that Bhaagavathan. 
The holder of the Sudarsanam cut off the head of the offender , 
who committed  the Mahaa apachAram of causing grevious hurt 
to the Lord's dear one.

2.11: gathir vyOmnaa kim tath GarudamapiDeekEtha sataka:
          pipathvambha: kshAram na kalu kalaSeesoonuralasa:
          kala; kaNDE naatha: ka masaka: kinnarapathi:
          kadanchith saadharmyam vahathi vaidharmya niyamam

(Meaning): Here , Swamy Desikan describes  the extent of equality and 
difference between the insignificant ones and the truly great ones . 
He discusses the Saadharmya and Vaidharmya niyamams and concludes 
that these two classes of people will never be  equal to each other 
inspite of the superficial similarities . Swamy Desikan gives the examples 
of the mighty Garudan and a small bird. Both fly in the sky. Yet , the little 
bird 
can never become the equal to the nithya Soori , Garudan  in strength 
or Vaibhavam . A man suffering from indigestion might drink ocean(salty) 
water. He would however not become the equal of the mighty Agasthyar , 
who drank the water of all the seven oceans through a single Aachamanam .
The little mosqito might have a sweet voice  but it can never pretend to 
rise to the heights of the Lord of the celestial singers ( Kinnara Pathy). 
Even if there are some similarities between the little ones with alpa jn~Anam 
and those with superior Jn~Anam , the huge differences between them 
will not disappear .

2.12: nimeelayathu lOchanE nahi tiraskruthO Bhaaskara:
          Srava: sTakayathu sTiram parabhrutha: kimu thvAnkshathi
          svayam pramathu paalisO na kalu pambrameethi kshithi:
          katarthayathu  mushtibhi: kathaya kim nabha: kshupyathE
      
(Meaning): Here Swamy Desikan instructs us that the intention of 
an egotist (wishful thinker)  may be one thing but the end result 
would be another thing (totally different) . Egotist might close his eyes 
and think that the Sun does not exist.One can close one 's ears but 
the harsh sounding crow will never be the equal of the sweet-singing
nightingale. The little boy can whirl himself ad infinitum (tattamAlai
suRRal) but the earth will not whirl with him. The angry wrestler can 
send his punches to the sky but there is no pain inflicted on the sky.

Thus ends the second chapter of SubhAshitha Neevi , where the advise
is given to the king avoid the ways of the egotist .

Swamy Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam .
Oppiliappan KOil V.Sadagopan       
    

    






    


              


    

  
        
    


  


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