(continued from Part 4) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The path of Vedanta, the "vEdAnta-mArga" of Swami Desikan, is described in a short work of his called "parama-pada-sOpAnam". It is one of the many 'rahasya-granthAm-s' he wrote to communicate lofty themes of Vedanta to ordinary people of the world (i.e. those who are neither "kavi-s" nor "tArkikA-s") in a simple and easy-to-understand form. Swami Venkatanathan's works that simplify what is otherwise extremely complex or esoteric in Vedanta ("rahasya") came to be generally called "chillarai-rahasyam" ("chillarai" here meaning, "simple"). Since out of kindness for the ignorant commoner Desikan strove to create works that made VedAnta easy to follow, he came to be known as "vEdAntAchArya" or "vEdAnta-guru". The word 'parama-padam' means "highest state of existence". The word "sOpAnam" is a little difficult to exactly translate. It is commonly understood to mean a hymn that describes anything in graphic and slow detail from "start" to "finish", from "head to toe"... (Many will remember here Desikan's 'stOtrA' called "bhagavath-dhyAna-sOpAnam" which is a hymn describing the beuteous form of the Lord of SriRangam from the "feet to the crown"). "sOpAnam" can also mean a many-tiered stairway... a sort of structure which climbs in height by means of many tiers of stepping stones. These stepping-stones are called "pariankam" in Sanskrit. Swami Desikan's "parama-pada-sOpAnam" thus refers to a step-by-step "stairway" having many "parianka-s" that lead, slowly but surely, from the bottom-most state of existence to the "highest state of human existence". What is this 'parama-padam'? It is said to be the abode of the Supreme Brahman, called by the name of "nArAyaNa". It is otherwise called "SriVaikuntam" -- the kingdom of God. This "parama-padam" is however not so much a physical place as a spiritual one. It is a state of existence in which there is unbounded, unceasing and undiminishing Joy. Only those who have reached this state know this Bliss; and having reached it they do not return to this world ever again to describe it for us. Even the Vedas and Upanishads that know of this Bliss and speak of it, become incoherent while describing "parama-padam". The Taittiriya Upanishad, for example, (in the Brghuvalli) while speaking of it is unable to say no more than this: "haa...ooh-hA...ooh-hA..hoo...!". >From Swami Desikan's "parama-pada-sOpAnam" we learn that all beings on earth seek only one purpose -- and that is Joy, Bliss or 'ananda'. Creatures like unicellular organisms like amoeba and bacteria, or, other low-level creatures like insects and vermins, have extremely short life-spans. They live from a few hours to a few days only. Within that span of time they seek only one purpose in life i.e. mere Survival. To survive they must eat. And their greatest joy or 'ananda' in life is feeding. Then there are other creatures like vertebrates, ,mammals and reptiles whose life-span extend from a few years to a decade or more. For them, as in the case of rabbits, for example, the purpose in life is not merely Survival but also Self-Perpetuation. Within their life-spans they seek to also multiply their own species in the face of harsh odds of Nature. The activity of perpetuating themselves i.e. procreation gives them great joy or 'ananda'. Amongst higher forms of living creatures, there are many species that live for much longer life-spans. Elephants and large apes, for example, are known to live for almost 100 years. These creatures not only want to perpetuate themselves but they also seek Social Proliferation. They build large communities and societies. They live in and work for such social groups wanting acceptance, recognition or domination within them. It is this pursuit of Social Proliferation which gives them the greatest joy or 'ananda' in life. Man, who as a species, is right at the top of the biological heap, is a unique creture. For him, the greatest source of joy, is not merely in Survival, Perpetuation or Proliferation. He seeks Bliss in Self-Fulfillment. Through work, strife and human accomplishment of many kinds that includes wealth, power and self-gratification, Man constantly seeks the great joy or 'ananda' of self-fulfillment. Now, unfortunately, all sources of joy or 'anandA' in this world, whether they are Survival, Perpetuation, Proliferation or Fulfillment.. all these sources of Bliss are temporal. They are there to enjoy and experience only as long as a creature remains in its state of worldly existence. Furthermore, the joys of the world are not always of the same pleasurable intensity... these joys wax and wane with the tide and vicissitudes of life. (In the heat of summer, for example, an ice-cream is a source of delicious pleasure whereas, one would not even touch it in the freezing temperatures of winter... The pleasures of youth are not available in old age etc.). Hence, we learn from the "parama-pada-sOpAnam" that this state of worldly existence in which Man lives, with its severely limited means of affording 'ananda' to him, is the actually the lowest state of existence. From this state of limited, uncertain and erratic Joy, Man would gladly seek to attain another state of existence where 'ananda' is unlimited, eternal and undiminishing. Such a state of existence is called "parama-padam"... and it is that state of existence to which Swami Desikan -- the "vEdAnta-guru" -- provides a simple road-map for all and sundry in this world to follow. This 'road-map' to "parama-padam" is described by Swami Desikam to be a "stairway" of 9 stepping-stones or 'parianka-s'. The 9 steps are: 1) vivekam 2) nirvedam 3) virakti 4) bheeti 5) prasAda-hetu 6) utkramanam 7) archirAdri 8) divya-desa-prApti 9) prApti (to be continued) dAsan, Sudarshan __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Faith Hill - Exclusive Performances, Videos & More http://faith.yahoo.com
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