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SrI  UpakAra  Sangraham - II (17)
-- 
SAdhanAdhikAram 
-- 
Section - 8 (1) 
---  
(The Favours being done by the Lord to the mumukShu
 when he leaves the body)
---- 
        In the previous section, SwAmi Desikan dscribed five
types of favours conferred by the Lord to a person who
adopts either bhakti or prapatti as the means for
mOkSha during his life time.  Presuming that the
mumukShu (the seeker of salvation) has conducted
himself as per the rules as dealt with in the previous
section, SwAmi Desikan now describes the favours being
done by the Lord at the time of his laying down his
physical body:   
 (1) ippadi iruntha mumukShuvukku
anthima-shareera-vishlESha-kAlatthil
prashasta-aprashasta-dEsha-kAla-nimitta-niyamam-illAthapadi
sankalpitthathuvum;

?ippadi iruntha mumukShuvukku?  -- 
The seeker of salvation, after he adopts the means for
it, has to lead a virtuous life doing things only for
the delight of the Lord, as discussed earlier. This
refers to such a person.
?anthima-shareera-vishlESha-kAlatthil?  -- 
At the time of the departure of the jIva from the
body?? 
?prashasta-aprashasta-dEsha-kAla-nimitta-niyamam-illAthapadi
sankalpitthathuvum? -- 

The Lord wills that there is no restriction either
good or bad in regard to place, time and omen for such
a person.
        The prapanna, therefore, should keep himself up in
such a way as is consistent with his exclusive and
supreme attachment to the Lord. Firstly, he should
give up all other upAyas for mOkSha, as it would
otherwise mean that he does not have complete faith in
the Lord. He should also give up all desires including
the desire to enjoy his own self.   As it has been
stated:
 ?sarvadharmAshca samtyaktvA sarvakAmAmshca sAkSharAn
/
  lOkavikrAnta-caraNau sharaNam tEvrajam vibhO //?    
                               (Jitanta Stotam)
(Oh Lord! Having given up all means and also all
desires, I seek Thy feet which measured the world, as
my refuge.) 
        When the person surrenders at the Lord?s feet with
these words, the Lord takes him by hand giving him the
full support. He also fixes him in a place of His
liking and the prapanna leads his life there like a
queen. The prapanna does the karmas that are
consistent with his exclusive attachment to the Lord. 
        Some prapannas, however, on account of some specific
evils done in past lives which have begun to operate
now, may become subject to some lapses which may delay
his release from this world. These lapses include:
1) Displaying the feelings of ?I? and ?mine? (ahankAra
and mamakAra);
2) Committing offences due to these feelings;
3) Having a taste or desire for other objects than the
Lord;
4) Contacting other deities due to this desire;
5) Becoming weak-minded and as a result, adopting
other means (upAyas).      
These are negative actions. There may be some
prapannas who, owing to good deeds done in past lives
that have begun yielding results in this life and due
to specific request for benefits at the time of
prapatti, continuously serve the Lord. In the case of
this type of prapannas too, there will be delay in the
release from the samsAra. 

1) In the case of prapannas who show the feelings of
ahankAra and mamakAra on rare occasions, these
improper feelings will disappear by wisdom originating
later. 

2) If offences are committed as a result of such
feelings, the concerned prapanna has to seek pardon
from the Lord or may have to undergo punishment and
thus the offences will be expiated before the release.
This is in case of the prapanna who indicates a
definite time for the attainment of mOkSha. 
        But, in the case of those who performed prapatti
without indicating any definite time, they attain
mOkSha only after exhausting all their sins. It is
indicated thus:
 ?apAyAviratah shashvanmAm caiva sharaNam gatah /
  tanookrutyAkhilam pApam mAmApnOti narah shanaih //? 
                 (LakShmee Tantra)
(The person who has performed prapatti to Me, but has
not abstained from sins committed frequently, attains
Me late after exhausting all his sins.)
 
3) The prapanna is expected to be keen on attaining
mOkSha and so, he is not likely to entertain any
long-standing desire for other benefits. If he has any
desire for other benefits along with the desire for
mOkSha, the Lord will not grant him those benefits, as
they are not for his good. It is stated in the
scripture: ?The Lord takes away the wealth of the
person whom He wants to bless. His relations will
desert him. He will become miserable. If, in his
misery, he still clings to Him, He confers on him such
blessings as are not attainable even for gods.? 
Sometimes, the Lord Himself creates in the prapanna
distaste for other things so that he dismisses them as
trivial, transient and painful. Sometimes, he gives
the benefits desired by him but makes him develop
aversion towards them later. Saubhari and KucEla are
two standing examples. 
[Saubhari was a sage who was performing penance in a
pond for 12 years. One day,  he saw a Chieftain of
fish, Sammadan, living in the pond happily with his
wives and children and grandchildren and thought, ?Why
should I not lead a life like Sammadan?? He approached
Emperor MAntAthA who had fifty princesses and three
princes and asked him to marry one of the princesses
to him. As the sage was very old, MAntAthA was taken
aback by the request of the sage. At the same time he
did not want to refuse as he would incur the curse by
the sage. He asked the sage to go to the Royal harem
and assured him if any princess expressed willingness
to marry the sage, he would marry her off to him. When
Saubhari went to the royal harem he, by his magical
powers, made himself appear as a very beautiful youth
before the princesses. All of them expressed their
desire to marry the sage, the Emperor had no choice
but to marry them to the sage.
        Saubhari got constructed fifty big palaces with the
help of Vishvakarma and lived with the princesses
assuming 50 forms through his magical powers. In due
course, he had 250 sons and through them numerous
grand-children and led a happy life with them. Later
he realized that he had wasted his life in sensual
pleasures deviating from the practice of penance. He
then renounced the worldly life and resumed penance
and attained the Lord?s abode.
        KucEla, a class-mate of SrI KriShNa, was a brahmana
leading a house-hold life with his wife and 27
children. As he was righteous, the family was utterly
poor. One day, his wife asked him to pay a visit to
DwAraka and call on Lord KriShNa expecting that the
Lord will remove their poverty. She borrowed some
quashed-rice from neighbours and sent it packed in a
portion of KucEla?s cloth which was torn at several
places. KucEla was given a royal reception by the Lord
and His Consorts. The Lord was immensely pleased to
receive the quashed-rice carried by KucEla and took a
handful of it before His Consort, SrI RukmiNi
prevented Him from taking any more. The Lord gave a
loving send off to KucEla without giving any presents.
KucEla thought that SrI KriShNa did not give him any
wealth because of His grace as it would have made him
proud and hindered his virtuous life. But, when he
reached his village, KucEla found his residence had
been turned into a big palace. Realizing the greatness
of the Lord, he attained a high position by devotion
to the Lord.]
                
So, the person who performed prapatti indicating the
time when he should attain mOkSha, will acquire an
aversion towards benefits other than the Lord within
that prescribed time. 
        In regard to the person who did not indicate any such
time while performing prapatti, there will be delay
until he develops aversion to worldly objects, as
stated in the scripture:
 ?athOpAya-prasaktOpi bhuktvA bhOgAnanAmayAn /
 antE virakttimAsAdya vishatE vaiShNavam padam //?    
         (LakShmee Tantra, 17-103)
(The person, who desires to perform such karma for
getting other benefits than the Lord, enjoys pleasures
and at last acquires an aversion for them, after which
he reaches the abode of the Lord.) 

4) As regards the prapannas who are in contact with
other deities, the Lord of all lords, will bring them
back some day or other into the company of those who
are exclusively devoted to Him, correct them until
they feel ashamed and return to the right path. But,
even among such prapannas, there are those who develop
a permanent contact with other deities. In their case,
the adoption of prapatti is incomplete. They are
likely to go to hell in future and after some time
they may complete the adoption of prapatti which
becomes effective afterwards.

5) Those who performed prapatti with full and great
faith, will not be weak-minded, nor have desire for to
adopt other means for mOkSha. But, if they are
weak-minded and have a desire to adopt other means,
the Lord will correct them until they acquire a strong
faith and make them perfect prapannas. If there is no
such lapse, there will not be any delay in the
attainment of the supreme goal. They will attain
mOkSha at the time when they desire it. 
Such a prapanna will always be the favourite of the
Lord, as stated in the verse:
 ?mEmporuL pOkavittu meimmaiyai mikavuNarnthu
 Amparicarinthu koNdu aimpulan-akatthadakki
 kAmpaRat thalaiciraitthu un kadaitthalai irunthu
vAzhum
 cOmbarai ukatthipOlum coozhpunal arangatthAnE!?      
           (ThirumAli - 38)
(Oh Lord of SrIrangam! Thou delight in those idle men
(prapanna) who stand outer-most, as being incapable of
karma-yOga, j~nAna yOga or bhakti-yOga.)
        For such a prapanna, the Lord Who is the
unconditional shEShee of all, withholds his desire to
punish for the lapses he has committed, at the very
first moment when he utters the sentence expressing
prapatti and decides to bring him into the company of
the eternal sooris. Even then He is not satisfied and
dumps the heaps of sins committed by him without a
trace and grants him His blessings in a hurry, as
stated:
 ?naNNinam nArAyaNanai nAmankaL palacolli
  maNNulakil vaLammikka vAttARRAn vanthu inRu
 viNNulakam tharuvAnAi viraikinRAn vithivakaiyE
 eNNinavARAkA ikkarumankaL ennencE!?                  
                  (ThiruvAimozhi, 10-6-3)
(We attained NArAyaNa by reciting His names.  The Lord
of ThiruvAttaRu hastens SrIvaikuNta to the man who is
fit for mUkti. My mind! Did we think this would
happen?)      
The Lord pities the prapanna for the delay and hastens
to create in him an impatience of delay in the
attainment.  
        The Lord produces in the prapanna?s mind an eagerness
to attain Him, as spoken by SrI nammAzhvAr: 
 ?iruLtharumA j~nAlatthuL inippiRavi yAn vENdEn?      
                (ThiruvAimozhi, 10-6-1)
(Having received the spiritual knowledge by the grace
of the Lord, I don?t want to be born in this dark
world of ignorance hereafter.)
 ?mAyamceyyEl ennai un thirumArvatthu mAlainankai
  vAcamcey poonkuzhalAL thiruvANai  ninnANaikaNdAi
 nEcamceyyAthu unnOdu ennai uyirvERinRi onRAkavE
 koocamceyyAthu koNdAi ennaikkoovikkoLLAi vanthanthO!?
     (ThiruvAimozhi, 10-10-2)
(Oh Lord! Do not cheat me by not revealing Your holy
form! I swear by Thee and by Thy Consort Whose
beautiful locks of hair shed their fragrance like a
garland on Thy chest! I swear that I must be taken to
Parampadam.)

        Moved by this emotional crying of the eager prapanna,
which is the result of the Lord?s intent, He decides
to give the devotee the Paramapadam at the end of this
life, which has come to him due to his past karma. SrI
nammAzhvAr says:
?caraNamAkum thanathAL adainthArkkellAm
 maraNamAnAl vaikuntham kodukkum pirAn.?              
          (ThiruvAimozhi, 9-10-5)
(Our Lord is the benefactor Who confers VaikuNta on
all those who have performed prapatti, when they
happen to die.)

        The Lord ensures the cutting off, without any trace,
the fetters of gold and iron which bind the prapanna
to samsAra as well as the karma which has begun to
operate except that part which he has agreed to
expiate during this life. Even punya karma (virtuous
act) which would lead to heaven is a fetter, though of
gold, because it stands in the way of mOkSha. The iron
fetter represents the result of evil acts (pApa
karma). This is how SrI ANdAL says:
 ?pOya-pizhaiyum pukutharuvAn ninRanavum
  theeyinil thoosAkum.?                               
                              (ThiruppAvai - 5)
(The sins of the past and the sins committed after
prapatti disappear like cotton thrown into the fire.)
        Though it has been stated in the scriptures,
?Day-time, the bright half of the month (shukla
pakSha) and the uttarAyaNa (the six months when the
sun is the northern hemisphere) are favourable time
for those who die?, the Lord makes the prapanna an
exception to this rule.  So says the Brahmasutra:
 ?nishi nEti cEt na, sambandhasya yAvatdEhabhAvitvAt
darshayati ca // 
                             (Brahmasutra, 4-2-18)
(If it is said that the person who dies at night will
not attain mOkSha, we say it is not so; for, the
association with karma lasts only as long as the body
lasts. Scripture also declares so.) 
 ?atashcAyanEpi dakShiNE //?                          
                    (Brahmasutra, 4-2-19)
[For the same reason, the view is not right that the
man who dies in the dakShiNAyana (the six months when
the sun moves towards the South), will not attain
mOkSha.]

        Thus, the Lord does a favour to the prapanna, who has
conducted himself according to the rules, by removing
all restrictions in regard to time and moment of his
death, so that he attains His abode straight away.

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



      
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