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Oppiliappan List Archive: Message 00279 Jun 2004

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SrI:

Dear BhakthAs of  Lord  PaarTasArathy :

Today , we  will study the SEVENTH Chapter of
SrImath Bhagvath GeethA , which is the first chapter
in the second hextad of Geethai adhyAyams .

First Hextad
************
We stated earlier that Bhagavath Geethai is split by commentators
in to three hextads(Shadkams ). The first shatkam covers chapters 1-6;
The first hextad dealt with the jeevAthma and the methods of visualizing it
through karma and Jn~Ana yOgas . It was pointed out that Karma yoga
is the grand road that is suited for all saadhakAs to gain MOksham .
Performance of one's karmAs without seeking the fruits there of
is true karma yOgam . The vairAgyam and control of senses to
pursue Karma yOgam arises from , " one must have the  knowledge of
being the Athman at the core and not the body-mind.To that extent ,
Jn~Ana yOga is involved in karma yOga".

Second Hextad:
*************
The second shatkam has for its coverage chapters from 7 to 12 .
This hextad elaborates on the doctrine of Bhakthi (Bhakthi yOga) .
This hextad " deals with the Supreme Lord , who is Sriman NaarAyaNan ,
the seat of all power and auspicous attributes. He alone can grant us
salvation , which is a matter of His grace. None the less, one has
to be worthy to be the recipients of that grace . That worthiness
is attained through the practise of Bhakthi , which develops with
dawn of knowledge of the Self  preceded by the performance of
duties ( Karma yOgA) " .

Swamy  Desikan's summary of the SEVENTH Chapter of Geethai
**************************************************
Swamy Desikan's deft summary of the 30 slOkams of
the SEVENTH chapter has taken on this form in his
GithArtha Sangraham Paasuram :

thAnn ninRa uNmayait-tann-tani mAyai maRaitthamayum
tAnn anRi maayaitanait-tavirppAn virahu aRRamayum
mEl ninRa bhattarkaL naalvaril JN~Ani tann mEnmykaLum
tEn ninRa sem-kazhalAn teLivitthanan PaarthanukkE

--- 8th Paasuram of GeethArtha Sangraham of Swamy  Desikan

Meaning of First line of the Paasuram:
*****************************
The Lord with the sacred feet abundant with honey (nectar)
and reminding one of the beautiful red lotus  , explained clearly
the following tatthvams: about Him (1) He is distinctly different from
the sentient and insentient entities in many ways (2) He has both sentients
and insentients as His property  (sEsham) and as bhOga vasthus .
(3) Iswaran is the cause behind them (ChEthanam & achEthanam) ;
both dissolve in Him  (attain layam)  (4)They become His body (sarIram) .
(5) He is the abode of all kalyANa guNams . By every measure , the Lord
as Iswaran is the most superior tathtvam .There is no one or nothing
that is greater than Him.His Maaya serves as a curtain to conceal these
auspicious attributes of the Lord from us .This Maayai also known as
Prakruthi is also a creation of SrIman NaarAyaNaa and is made up of
different admixtures of the three guNams: Sathvam , Rajas and TamO
guNams..This Prakruthi transforms in to SarIram and the indhriyams
for us , the chEthanams .

Meaning of the second line of the Paasuram :
***********************************
This Maayai (Prakruthi) , which hides the glories of the Lord
has to be overcome and one has to go beyond it through
upAsanA and anushtAnam .The means for overcoming His Maayai is
to select the upAyam of SaraNAgathy at His sacred feet.There are no
other upAyams to overcome this Maayai except SaraNAgathy at His
scared feet .

The Meaning of the Third line of the Paasuram :
**************************************
Those who reach the Lord and perform SaraNAgathy to Him are of
four kinds : (1) AarTan (2) arTArthi (3) Jign~yAsu and (4) Jn~Ani .

AarTi is the one , who has lost his wealth and wishes to have it back .
One who wishes to have wealth for the first time is ArTArthi .
Jign~Asu  is the One who wishes to attain the untainted
aathma svaroopam . Jn~Ani is the one , who comprehends his
aathma svaroopam as eternally serving the Lord as its Master.
He enjoys his aathma svaroopam without the blemish of Prakruthi.
He (Jn~Ani) does not stop there  with just the enjoyment of the Self .
He enjoys further Bhagvath anubhavam without interruption
and is steeped in such anubhavam.

3rd Line: The Supermacy of Jn~Ani among the set of four ParamaikAnthis
*********************************************************
All these four categories of SaadhakAs devote themselves solely to
SrIman NaarAyaNa .They are unlike others driven by their deluded
minds to worship demi gods like Indhran  et al . It is indeed rare to see
in this world   these four groups of SaadhakAs , who worship SrIman
NaarAyaNan alone (NaarAyaNa PaarAyaNALs) .

Among these four types of SaadhakAs( ParamaikAnthis) ,
Jn~Ani is the foremost in glories .The other three will
stay focused on the Lord until they gain their desired phalans.
They (the first three) had to focus on Him (the Lord)
to gain their sought after boons .The Jn~Ani on the other hand
will not seek any phalans from the Lord and will always be
engaged in the meditation on His Lord.The Jn~Ani's devotion
and love for the Lord is immeasurable .Even the omniscinet
Lord can not quantify it and conclude that love of the Jn~Ani
for Him is to this extent  . The Jn~Ani will not bear to live
even one second away from the Lord .The Lord also can not
bear even a moment's seperation from the Jn~Ani and has
the Jn~Ani as His life force (uyir) . Being the servant of the Lord
is recognized by the Jn~Ani as the inherent nature (Svaroopam )
of the Self (aathmA)  . The Jn~Ani knows that the surrender
without condition at the Lord's sacred feet can result from
the progression through  many puNya janmams. To come across
such a Jn~Ani --dearest to the Lord -- for us is the rarest of
the rare happening .

The meaning of the fourth line of the Paasuram
*************************************
" tEn ninRa sem-kazhalAn teLivitthanan PaarTanukkE "

Lord KrishNa with  ambrosia present in His
sacred lotus feet  clearly instructed Arjuna on
five principal doctrines : (1) The real svarUpam of
the Supreme Being , who is the object of one's
aarAdhanam (2) The concealment of that Supreme
One by Prakruthi (3)The UpAyam of SaraNAgathy to
remove that concealer (4) the four kinds of devotees
of the Lord and (5) the superiority of Jn~Ani among
the set of four devotees of the Lord .

Lord PaarthasArathy performed thus the upadEsam on
these tatthvams for Arjuna in the SEVENTH chapter of GeethA .

 Swamy AlavanthAr's Summary of the SEVENTH Chapter
*********************************************
SvayATaathmyam prakruthyAasya tirOdhi: SaraNAgathi:
Bhaktha-bhEdha: prabhuddhasyasraishtyam sapthama uchyathE

--11th slOkam of GeethArtha Sangraham

(Meaning): " In the seventh chapter is taught  the exact knowledge of
Himself. His concealment by the Prakruthi , the surrender to Him as
the means to overcome the Prakruthi  , observation on various types of
devotees and the superiority of the man of wisdom among the devotees".

AchArya RaamAnujA"s commentary on the 6th adhyAyam (Highlights)
 ******************************************************
KrishNa BhagavAn starts off by observing that among the thousands of men ,
suited to observe the directions of the SaastrAs ,  only one perhaps strives
for
perfection .Even among this subset of men , one alone will comprehend Me and
gain success in his strivings through My grace.

Our Lord instructs Arjuna that as the Supreme One , He is the origin
and the dissolver of the universe ( Aham kruthsnasya jagatha:
prabhava: praLayastaTA ---Chapter 7. 6). The Lord reveals
further  that " There is nothing higher than Myself and all
this is ( Prakruthi , Jeevans) are strung on Me , as rows of
gems on a thread " ( Matta: parataram nAnyath kimchidhasthi
Dhannjaya , Mayi Sarvamidham prOttham soothrE maNigaNA iva ).
The Lord  tells Arjuna that the thriguNAs have originated from Him
and that He is nothowever  in them ( i-e: He does not depend on them
for His existence) .The thriguNAs merely are instruments for His sport .
My divine MaayA made up the three GuNAs and created by Me
has divine power and it is not easy to overcome that MaayA
of Mine.

Next the Lord points out there are four kinds of men , who
worship Him ( the distressed, the seekers after knowledge ,
the wealth seekers and the men of knowledge /AarThO Jign~Asu
ArTArTee Jn~Ani) . Our Lord identifies the Jn~Ani as the one
among the four , who is dearest to Him.He states that the Jn~Ani
finds refuge in Him at the end of the many births. That fortunate
Jn~Ani considers that " VaasudEva is ALL " and that such a Jn~Ani
is very hard to find in the world :

BahUnAm janmanAmanthE Jn~AnavAn Maam prapadhyatE
VaasudEva: Sarvamidhi sa MahAthmA sudurlabha:
---Geethai: 7.19

Lord KrishNa acknowledges that most of the people driven by
their inherent nature (VaasanAs) and lack of knowledge of the SaasthrAs
end up in  resorting to other gods such as Indra et al.The Lord concedes
out of compassion that " Whichever devotee seeks to worship with faith
whatever form , I make that very faith steadfast " :

yO yO yAmm yAmm tanum Bhaktha: sraddhayArchithum icchasi
tasya tasyAchalam sraddhAm thaamEva vidhadhAmyaham
---Geethai : 7.21

That person worshipping other gods with faith gains the object of
his desire , which is granted really by Me alone ( Geethai: 7.22) .
The worshippers of demi-gods will go the world of the demi-gods but
those who worship Me will come to Me.Ignorant people do not
comprehend that I am the One , who is worshipped by all the rites
and I have incarnated as the son of King VasudEva without setting
aside my divine nature . These ignoramus think that I am the son of
a mere human being , who is born here as KrishNa due to My karmAs .
As a result , they do not offer worship to Me and seek My protection.
All their worship to other demi-gods ends at My feet (Sarva dEva
namaskAram Kesavam prathigacchathi). These demi gods derive
their power from a small portion of My omnipotence .

Swami Desikan ThiruvadigLE SaraNam ,
Daasan  , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan

SrImathE SrI Lakshminrusimha Dhivya PaadhukA Sevaka
SrIvaNN SaThakOpa SrI NaarAyaNa YathIndhra MahA DesikAya Nama:



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