You are here: SriPedia - Oppiliappan - Archives - Mar 2008

Oppiliappan List Archive: Message 00125 Mar 2008

 
Mar 2008 Indexes ( Date | Thread | Author )
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]


NOTE: Readers having difficulty in reading the text
may need to change their encoding to UTF-8.  
-------------- 
srI:

SrI  UpakAra  Sangraham - III (3)
-- 
niryANa adikAram
-- 
 Section - 9: The Favours the Lord does to a MumukShu
after he leaves his body
---- 
[9.1 Favours being done until the mumukShu reaches the
shore of River VirajA]
----- 
 
        In this sub-section (9-1), SwAmi Desikan has been
describing the favours being done by the Lord to the
mumukShu-jIva by taking him on the archirAdi path till
he reaches the bank of Viraja river. The para (i)
spoke about the happiness of the Lord on recovering
the jIva who had departed from Him and fell into the
samsAra. After his return, the Lord picked him up in
His hands and led him through the Brahma-nAdi out of
the gross body and put him on the archirAdi path where
he was received by various devas in their respective
regions as he proceeded towards the border of the
prakruti mandala. 
        In the second para, (ii), the Lord ensured that the
mumukShu-jIva crossed the prakruti mandala accompanied
by immortal guides. 
In every one of these regions on the way, which belong
to Soorya, Chandra etc., the jIvAtma enjoys all the
delights which are described in detail in the
scriptures like, SrIpAnchrAtram: 
 ?athainamamarAstatra saha divyApsarOgaNaih /
  sOpahArAh praharShENa pratyudgacchantyupagatam //
  arcirAdikayA gatyA tatra tatra arcitassuraih /
  ateetya lOkAnabhyEti vaikuNTham veetakalmaShah //?
(Immortals, accompanied by Apsara women carrying in
their hands presentations, receive the on-coming new
mukta. Thus the mukta-jIva who proceeds on the
arcirAdi path, being received by the immortals,
crossing several worlds and freed from the bonds of
karma, attains SrI VaikuNtam.)
In this para, (iii), Swami Desikan describes the
favour being done by the Lord after the mukta-jIva
reaches the shore of Viraja river, at the end of the
prakruti mandala:  
(iii) Virajai enkiRa amrtanadi-yaik kittuviththu --
Akaratthil ninRum eduttha ratthinatthin azhkkuk
kazhaRRumAp pOlE -- AtmAvai anubandhitthuk koNdu
kidakkiRa sookShma-aciththaik kazhitthu ?oLik koNda
cOthi? ennumpadi paNNumathuvm ippAluLLa upakArangkaL.
SwAmi Desikan describes Viraja as a river of nectar,
?Virajai enkiRa amrtanadi?. We shall try to know more
about this river. Viraja means free from rajas (rajo
guNa, passionate attachment to things). It is the
river that forms the boundary between the prakruti
mandala which is also known as samsAra mandala and Sri
VaikuNtam, the Sopreme Abode of SrIman NArAyaNa. There
is a reference to Viraja river in KauSheetaki
UpaniShad, which says that the liberated soul crosses
it by sankalpa (mental thought). There he shakes off
his good and evil deeds. Padma-purANa says in
PAdmOttara-khaNda: 
?pradhAna-parama-vyOmnOrantarE virajA nadee /?
(VirajA river flows between the prakruti world and the
Parama-padam.)
SwAmi Desikan quotes a sloka about VirajA river in his
SarvArtha-siddhi, a commentary on his own magnum-opus,
?TatvamuktakalApah?:
 ?gathvAathO VirajAM vimuchya cha tanum sookshmAm
tathOamAnava /
sparsAth KshAlitha vAssanaas-sukruthinO gacchanthi
VishNO: padham //?  
(After crossing the VirajA river, the liberated soul
is touched by amAnavan to get complete freedom from
all karma vaasanas, gains sookshma sarItram and rushes
further towards the Abode of SrI ViShNu.)
        After reaching the shore of the Viraja river, the
jIva is led into the river. As we have just seen, he
crosses this river using his mind as the boat. The
mind, indriyas (ten in total) and five elements form
his subtle body. We may recall that the mmkShu-jIva
got out of his gross body with this subtle body. The
subtle body is essential for traveling along the
arcirAdi path for the mumukShu. It is also important
for the jIva who has not adopted any means for
liberation, as he has take to re-birth in the material
world. When he is born again, he takes a gross body
which is activated with his subtle body without which
he cannot lead active life in the world in his next
life. The subtle body contains the three qualities of
satvam, rAjasam, and tAmasam in different proportions
according to the nature he had acquired in his
previous lives. Though they are useful for his life in
the material world, they are actually considered dirty
as far as his liberated life is concerned. 
        Now, as the liberated jIva jumps into the Viraja
river using his mind as the boat to cross it and to
reach the shore yonder which is the entry point of the
Nitya vibhooti where is situated the Lord?s Abode, SrI
VaikuNtam where the mukta has to reach finally. 
        While crossing the Viraja river the jIva?s subtle
body is removed from the Atma. This is being described
by SwAmi Desikan as follows:
?Akaratthil ninRum eduttha ratthinatthin azhkkuk
kazhaRRumAp pOlE -- AtmAvai anubandhitthuk koNdu
kidakkiRa sookShma-aciththaik kazhitthu? -- 
        The pure Atma of the jIva is like a bright gem. But,
because of his association with the material world,
his brightness had been hidden by the dirty material
and the Atma got buried deep there. It had only a dull
light, like a low voltage bulb. Its brightness also
varied according to the level of the jIva?s spiritual
knowledge, and also the level of the satva quality. If
the proportion of satva is much low and the
proportions of rAjasa and tAmasa qualities are more,
accordingly the jIvAtma?s brightness is too dim to
know the realities, i.e., cit, acit and the Ishvara.
Hence, he was like a criminal undergoing life
imprisonment in a jail. When he completes the jail
term fully as per the judgment, he gets release from
the jail. Or because of his good conduct in the jail
also, he gets release even before completion of the
full term. But if he again commits a crime, he is
again put back in the jail. In the same way, we are
repeatedly born in this world until we stop committing
evil deeds. In some cases, the prisoner is let off on
parole, when he is under observation. In case he
behaves in disciplined manner, he does not come back
to the prison again. He lives a free life. In the
similar position is this jIva who has adopted a means
for liberation and proceeding on the arcirAdi path
receiving honours from various devats on the way. His
final release takes place when he crosses the Viraja
river. 
        As the jIva comes out of the Viraja waters, he
becomes totally pure with his true form of j~nAna
(knowledge) which attains its original unrestricted
glow which is called ?vibhu?. He is compared to a gem
which is picked from a deep mine of dirty mud and
fully cleaned restoring its original glow. This is
what SwAmi Desikan said in these words:  
?AtmAvai anubandhitthuk koNdu kidakkiRa
sookShma-aciththaik kazhitthu? -- 
(Removing the subtle body which had been sticking to
the Atma,) 
        When the gem is cleaned totally, its gets back its
original brightness even though its size is very small
like an atom. Similarly, the purified Atma shines, as
SrI NammAzhvAr says, ?oLik koNda cOthi?. Here is the
full pAsuram:
 ?kaLippum kavarvum aRRup piRRappu piNi mooppiRappaRRu
 oLikkoNda cOthimayamAi udan kooduvathu enRukolO,
 thuLikkinRa vAninnilam cudarAzhi cangEnthi
 aLikkinRa mAyappirAn adiyArkaL kuzhAngkaLaiyE??  
(ThiruvAimozhi, 2-3-10)
(Small pleasures and miseries having gone, even birth,
disease, agedness and death all having gone, shining
brightness alone being the form, when am I going to
enjoy the crowd of devotees of the Lord, Who, having
the Discus and the Conch in His hands, is playfully
protecting this sky and this world?)
 ??oLik koNda cOthi? ennumpadi paNNumathuvm ippAluLLa
upakArangkaL?  -- 
Turning the jIva into such a bright glow also forms
part of the favours being done by the Lord on this
side of the Viraja river.  
      Swami Desikan?s quote is confined only up to
turning the mumukShu-jIva in to a bright glow. When we
see the full verse of SrI NammAzhvAr referred to
above, we can imagine the following conversation
between the mukta jIva as he emerges from the Viraja
river and the Lord Whose compassion has brought him up
to this stage:
The Lord: Hello! Have you attained the full bliss that
you had aspired for? After this, you don?t have
anything to achieve, isn?t it? Do I have anything more
to do for you?
The Mukta (AzhvAr): Oh Lord! There is no doubt. AdiyEn
has received the greatest bliss in this universe. But,
You have still kept me in the midst of sensual
objects. This bliss is not the permanent one! The
bliss will become perfect only when adiyEn joins Your
nitya sooris in Your Abode. What you have given me is
only the kaivalya which is not the ultimate. AdiyEn is
not satisfied in enjoying my own Atma. When will
adiyEn become part of the assemblage of muktas and
nitya muktas serving You eternally in Your highest
state? 
        SrI NammAzhvAr is our true AchArya and it is our
great fortune that we are his disciples.

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



      
____________________________________________________________________________________
Looking for last minute shopping deals?  
Find them fast with Yahoo! Search.  
http://tools.search.yahoo.com/newsearch/category.php?category=shopping

------------------------------------

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/


[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next] [Date Index ] [Thread Index ] [Author Index ]
Home Page
http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia
oppiliappan-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
To subscribe to the list