Dear srivaishNava perunthagaiyeer,
Since just I finished the 'game of waiting', the hangover of that 'love'
continues. One of the stages of love is shy-less-ness. To prove this, it is
said by elders say while gossiping [about some youngsters when they have fallen
in love with some girl and insisted about marrying her only], 'that so and so
boy stood on a single leg just to marry that so and so girl only" - to put it
in tamil and colloquially 'anthap paiyan ivaLaiyE [alladhu anthap poNNaiyE]
kalyaaNam paNNippEnnu oththak kaalil ninnaan". So, to desire some thing and
achieve that same thing with some force, it is usual to say "stand on one leg
and achieve"- literally means strive hard and achieve.
While picturizing visvaamithra or some other rishi, or for that matter even
raavaNan, doing penance, it is generally shown in TV or cinema as they are all
standing on one leg and doing the penance. This means doing a saahasak kaaryam
- a risky and strenuous job.
But why that 'dharmam' or the dharma dhEvathai - personification of dharmam -
not 'yama'- should stand on one leg? What dharmam has to achieve? Because, to
save that dharmam, from being snatched away or robbed away by rogues and
raakshasaas, paramaathmaa sriman naaraayaNa, [for me it is my sri kishna],
takes many avathaarams and does that saahasak kaaryam.
Then what for dharmam should stand on one leg? Is it really puzzling? Or has
dharmam been created with one leg only by that paranaathmaa, thinking that, we,
common people will be able to topple that at our convenience and free will? Is
it his intention "Hey let dharmam have only one leg, and let all these people
feel comfortable that they have toppled dharmam". Or is it true that, as a
special case, dharmam is created to stand comfortably, with that one leg only.
No, Sirs and Madams, dharmam had initially four legs, but as time passed, lost
its legs one by one. You may say, 'hey, your imagination is very good'. Dear
bhakthaas, it is not my imagination but srimadh bhaagavatham says so, that
dharmam stands on one leg only, now, in this kali yugam, but earlier , in other
yugams, dharmam had four legs.
thapa: saicham dhayaa sathyamithi paadhaa: kruthE kruthaa: |
adharmaamsaisthrayO bhagnaa: smaya-sangamadhais thava ||
-1-17-24 srimadh bhaagavatham [1 means first skandham, 17th is sargam, slokam
24]
word by word meaning:
thapa: - austerity;
saicham - cleanliness;
dhayaa - mercy;
sathyam - truthfulness;
ithi - thus;
paadhaa: - legs;
kruthE - in the age of sathya;
kruthaa: - established;
adharma - ir-religiosity;
amsai: - by the parts;
thraya: - three combined;
bhagnaa: - broken;
smaya - pride;
sanga -too much association with women;
madhai: - intoxication;
tava - your.
Summary:
In the age of sathya [truthfulness] your four legs were established by the four
principles of austerity, cleanliness, mercy and truthfulness. But it appears
that three of your legs are broken due to rampant irreligion in the form of
pride, lust for women, and intoxication.
Slokam 1-17 -25 srimadh bhaagavatham
idhaaneem dharma paadhas thE sathyam nirvarthayEdhyatha: |
tham jighrukshathyadharmO~yam anruthEnaiDhitha: kali: ||
word by word meaning:
idhaaneem - at the present moment;
dharma: - O personality of religion;
paadha: - leg;
thE - of you;
sathyam - truthfulness;
nirvarthayEth - hobbling along somehow or other;
yatha: - whereby;
tham - that;
jighrukshathi - trying to destroy;
adharma: - the personality of irreligion;
ayam - this;
anruthEna - by deceit;
Edhitha: - flourishing;
kali: - quarrel personified.
summary
You are now standing on one leg only, which is your truthfulness, and you are
somehow or other hobbling along. But quarrel personified [Kali], flourishing by
deceit, is also trying to destroy that leg.
The principles of dharmam do not stand on some dogmas or man-made formulas, but
they stand on four primary regulative observances, or legs namely
1. austerity,
2. cleanliness,
3. mercy
4. truthfulness.
1. Austerity means to accept voluntarily things, which may or may not be very
comfortable for the body but are conducive for god or spiritual realization. A
very good example is fasting. Fasting twice or four times a month is a sort of
austerity, which can be voluntarily accepted for god or spiritual realization
only, and not for any other purposes, like political or otherwise.
2. Cleanliness is necessary both for the mind and body. Bodily clean may help
to some extent, but cleanliness more in the mind is necessary. It is effected
by glorifying the Supreme Lord. No one can cleanse the accumulated mental dirt
without glorifying the Supreme Lord.
3. Mercy is to have compassion to all. Human mind is expandable in love and
love given towards all [without considering the gender], enhances his nature
and hastens god realization.
4. Truthfulness in thought and action leads one towards easy elevation in peace
of mind and as such an easy step in god realization.
We have to see things by their resultant action. The resultant action of human
civilization in the age of Kali is dissatisfaction, so everyone is anxious to
get peace of mind. This peace of mind was complete in the Sathya age because of
the existence of the above-mentioned attributes of the human beings. Gradually
these attributes have diminished in the thrEthaa-yuga to three fourths, in the
dhvaapara to half, and in this age of kali to one fourth, which is also
gradually diminishing on account of prevailing untruthfulness.
By pride, either artificial or real, the resultant action of austerity is
spoiled; by too much affection for female association, cleanliness is spoiled;
by too much addiction to intoxication, mercy is spoiled; and by too much 'lying
propaganda', truthfulness is spoiled.
Dear bahkthaas, I am not here to preach. But just to point out certain facts as
given above.
About this dharmam having one leg srimadh rahasya thraya saaram of swamy
dhesikan also has the following -- ithyaadhigaLilE kali yugaththil
bhaagavathargal vasikkum dhEsa visEsham sollugaiyaalE indha yugaththil ip
pradhEsangaLil bhaagavatha parigruheethamaana sthalangalE parigraahyangaL.
Thiru naaraayaNeeyaththil "Eka paadha sthithE dharma yathra kvachana gaamini
katham vasthathrayam asmibhir bhagavan thath vadhasva na:" enRu dhEvargaLum
viNNappam seyya --- page 549 vol 1 of SRTS by sri uthamoor swamy.
Commenting on above sri uthamoor swamy puts his version as "sudhdha sthalamum
aasthika parigrahamum illaadha pOdhu vidath thakkadhu enbadhai bhaarthaththil
irundhu nirubikkiRaar. Thiru naaraayaNeeyaththil ithi - mudhalil naalu
paadhangaLodu irundha dharmam engiRa vrushabham aanadhu kaliyil 3 paadhangaL
pOi oru kaalOdu iruppadhu aagiRa vEru idam selluvadhu aana pOdhu, pazhaiya
idaththil naangaL eppadi vasippadhu emprumaanE, engaLukku solla vENum enRanar.
[Thapas, gnaanam, yagnam, dhaanam, enbana 4 paadhangaL. dhaanam ippOdhu uLLa
paadham enradhu nyaaya kusumaanjali.]
After reading all these, we can understand very well that at each age one
aspect is considered supreme and other three are supportive. In kali
truthfulness is more important.
Of course, my point in raising this "standing on one leg" is NOT TO PREACH but
to learn from experts of SRTS, what is this 'naaraayaNeeyam' referred in SRTS.
a. It cannot be "maaha naaraayaNa upanishadh" or the "naaraayaNa
anuvaagham" of thaithreeya upanishadh, the fourth part, after the three
'vallees'. For this slokam is not appearing in the upanishadh.
b. In the book of SRTS published by srimadh aandavan aasramam, it
is said this slokam ref by swamy desikan is in "saanthi parvam" ch 249 85th
slokam. Of course the sentence of Uthamoor swamy is also there referring to
mahaa bhaaratham. But there are only 17 slokams in ch 249 and that too the
chapter deals with talking with dhoumya rishi in kanteeka vanam. [I am
referring vana parvam as available in internet - mahaabhaarata based on the
poona critical edition produced by muneo tokunaga kyoto, japan and the english
translation of Sri Kesari Mohan ganguli.]
Then what is this 'naaraayaNeeyam' referred?
Is it that 'mahaa bhaaratham' has a name such as 'naaraayaNeeyam'?
Of course, I know mahaa bhaaratham is called 'jayam'.
But this is some thing new. If I straightaway throw this question, perhaps you
may not be interested. That is why all this.
Awaiting a reply from the scholars of the forum
Dhasan
Vasudevan m.g.
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