Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri
Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:
Maadhuryam?Sweetness
The
Elusive Cup of Joy
Emperuman is the repository of
innumerable auspicious attributes. Each of these attributes is immeasurable and
unparalelled. Though these are beyond enumeration, Sri Ramanuja catalogues
twenty-four of them in his Gadyam as the principal ones, each of them being of
immense utility to devotees. For instance, Vaatsalyam prevents the Lord from
looking too closely at our misdeeds. Aarjavam ensures His sincerity and
synchronisation of His word, thought and deed in His dealings with us. Kaarunyam
makes Him rush to our rescue when we are in trouble, intolerant to our
suffering.
All the aforesaid divine
attributes are fine, but they do not evoke in us any joy or overwhelming bliss.
We might be grateful to the Lord for overlooking our sins, but not joyful at the
prospect. While His sincerity
reinforces our faith in His fairness, this too cannot generate a feeling of
euphoria. We are indeed glad to find Emperuman to be a faithful friend in need,
ever ready to dispel our distress, but this too can make us heave a sigh of
relief, but not prompt a hoop of joy. Is there no attribute of the Lord which
would give us simple, pure and unadulterated pleasure and enjoyment? Is He such
a goody-goody person, who can inspire in us only devotion, grattitude, relief
and friendliness, but not delight?
Eureka!
Maadhuryam!
As mentioned already,
Emperuman?s kalyana gunas are countless and while some are reserved for
affording protection to the
faithful, some others are intended to educate.Similarly, there are gunas
specifically meant for providing unalloyed ecstasy to bhaktas. Gunas in this
category do nothing else but entertain, fascinate and immerse the devotee in
immeasurable bliss. These attributes are pure fun, so to say, having no other
function than to afford delight. If the Lord is a mere paragon of forbiddingly
righteous virtues, He can at best be portrayed as a sombre person, good to
devotees but not much fun to deal with. He can be a benefactor but not a
bewitching one. It is attributes like Maadhuryam that attract the devotee to
the Lord and hold him fast, unable to pry his eye and mind away. Prakritam
Srimad Azhagiasingar has been one of the innumerable worthies who have fallen
victim to this attribute of Emperuman and has vaxed eloquent on the same in his
magnum opus, ?Eraar gunangalum ezhil
vadivum?.
Sweet, Allover
Before we go on to the
definitions (of the divine trait of Maadhuryam) by great Acharyas, let us
analyse what the word means prima
facie, to the layman. If one were to refer to the dictionary meaning of the
word, one would come up with the synonym ?Sweetness?. The Lord is incredibly
sweet, attracting everyone to Him as would ants by spilled sugar. Sri Nammazhwar
puts this in characteristic layman?s language by calling Him a lot of names
indicative of His sweetness??enakku tene,
pale, kannale, amude!?. Since
sweetness is a taste to be experienced personally rather than described, Sri
Nammazhwar mentions honey, milk, nectar etc., trying to give us an inkling of
how sweet Emperuman is. The Lord is sweet all over, without exception, says the
Madhurashtakam, devoted solely to the
eulogy of this charming attribute??adharam madhuram, vadanam madhuram?..Mathuraadhipate: akhilam
madhuram?. His walk, His talk, His conduct, His lips, His face-- everything
about Him is sweet. Srimad Ramayanam too confirms that the Lord is sweetness
personified??Priya abhibhaashee madhura:
deerghabaahu: arindama:?
Kodai Nacchiar too, who
should know, tells us that His coral lips are extremely sweet??tiurppavala chevvaai taan
titthitirukkumo?. His feet are sweet, so much so that the surfeit of
sweetness flows from the tiruvadi like a river of honey, according to the
Shruti??Vishno: pade parame madhva
utsa:?.
Sri Alavandar concurs with this
in his Stotra Ratnam??tava amrita syandini paada pankaje?. He also
enquires as to who in his right mind would forsake these sweet tiruvadis of
Emperuman for the bitingly bitter and severely sour experiences of Samsara.
Would any bee relinquish the honey and pollen-filled lotus for a tasteless,
thorny cactus, enquries he rhetorically??stithe aravinde makaranda nirbhare
madhuvrato na ikshurakam hi
veekshate?. While ordinary sweetening agents like sugar, honey etc. stop
with satisfying the palate, Emperuman, who is sweeter than anything else, also
enters the mind of the devotee and makes him ecstatical all over, says Sri
Nammazhwar??ullam pugundu titthikkum
amude!, imayor adhipatiye!?. The Lord
is capable of affording us such an eminently sweet experience that we feel as if
we have drowned, without suffocating, in an ocean of nectar, making us awash
with elation all over??amrita saagara
antar nimagna: sarva avayava: sukham aaseeta? (Gadyam)
Prince
Charming
Acharyas have outlined two distinct facets of this
Maadhuryam. The first aspect is the incredible charm the Lord exudes, from a
physical perspective. The very sight of Him makes us tingle with ecstasy. His
perfectly proportioned tirumeni, His
luminous lotus eyes, His jet black hair falling in curls over His broad and
beautiful forehead, the broad chest that is the permanent residence of Sri
Mahalakshmi, long and lovely limbs and incredibly delicate lotus feet?all these
are such a treat to the eyes that one never feels like taking one?s eyes away,
as Sri Tiruppanazhwar confirms??en
amudinai kanda kangal mattrondrinai kaanaave? Our glances remain riveted to
the bewitching figure, incapable of moving away. Just as the full moon appearing
in the night sky is a sight to behold, generating waves of joy in our hearts,
the sight of the Lord too brings us eternal ecstacy, says Sri Valmiki??Somavat priyadarsana:?
The
Honeyed-Tongue
Secondly, Emperuman is sweet not
only to the eyes, but to the ears too, with His pleasing words, always
reflecting the truth??Priyavaadee cha
bhootaanaam satyavaadee cha
Raghava:?. Describing the Lord?s incredibly sweet voice, Sri Bhashyakara
remarks, ?snigdha gambheera madhurayaa
gira?- a deeply reasonant, sugary voice filled with love, affection and
goodwill. Sri Rama?s voice is sweet not only because of its timbre and content,
but also due to His endearing habit of speaking first and initiating the
conversation, without standing on prestige and waiting for the other person to
speak first??mita bhaashi poorva bhaashi
cha?.
The Lord?s Maadhuryam appears
infectious, as others too, who speak of Him, are automatically endowed with
sweet tones, as happens to Sage Visvamitra, when He calls out Rama?s name??Rameti madhuraam vaaneem Visvaamitro abhyabhaashata?. Any recounting of His
glorious exploits becomes sweet ipso
facto?a ready example being Srimad
Ramayanam, which is filled with wonderful words dripping with sweetness?Madhuram madhuraaksharam. These words
and sentences are sweet not only when set to music, but also to merely read and
recite??Paatye geye cha madhuram?.
In Sri Krishnavatara too, this
sweetness of speech translates itself into enchanting strains emanating from His
flute, mesmerising not only musically-inclined human beings but also dumb deer,
who listen with rapt attention, forgetting all thought of grazing and with their
mouths open in enthralment, with half-chewn grass spilling out??marunda maan kanangal meygai marandu, meynda
pullum kadai vaai vazhi sora?. It
goes without saying, of course, that Piratti?s voice too is unbelievably sweet,
as behoves Her feminine nature, as the Lord Himself confirms??madhuraa
madhuraalaapa?
Tasty, yet
Wholesome
We know from experience that
things which are good to the palate are not necessarily conducive to our
health?a diabetic?s mouth waters at the sight of sweets, but he knows his health
would suffer a set back if he were to succumb to temptation. Spicy and oily food
is tasty to consume, but wreaks havoc on one?s stomach and heart. On the other
hand, food which is good for health is often tasteless or even bitter?take for
instance kashaayam given to a
feverish person. Bitter gourd (paagarkaai) is supposed to work wonders
to the physique, but is unpalatable, as are Margosa leaves which improve
digestion dramatically. It is thus difficult to find food which is delectable as
well as beneficial.
How good would it be to find some fare which is at once incredibly
sweet on the tongue, extremely beneficial to the physique and more so to the
soul! Sounds too good to be true?
We need not despair, for we do have a ready delicacy on hand, which is
good both for the palate and the soul, being none other than the Lord. He is not
only sweet on the eyes, His voice is extremely pleasant to the ears, His sacred
names sit sweet on our tongues, He fills our minds with the sweetest of thoughts
(?Manatthukku iniyaan?) when we
meditate on Him; service or kainkaryam to Him is the most pleasant
of professions. It is as if the Doctor has prescribed us honey, which we even
otherwise relish consuming.
The Measure of
Madhuryam
What is the measure of
Emperuman?s maadhuryam? Is he as sweet as sugar, as honey, as tender coconut
raised with river water, or on par with that ultimate delicacy, Nectar? As with
the other gunas of the Lord, there are no limits to His Maadhuryam too. All we
can say is that He is immeasurably sweet, there being no yardsticks for
fathoming this great Guna. Sri
Nammazhwar, who tentatively likens His sweetness to Nectar (? en amudam?), turns around with regret at
the poor comparison and corrects himself by saying that the Lord is sweet beyond
measure, when compared to Nectar??amizhdilum aattra
inian.?
Aaraavamudam-An honourable
Exception to Laws of Economics
The Law of Diminishing Marginal
Utility applies only too well to sweet things-- the more one consumes of these
items, the less one wants additionally. If you are fond of laddus, for instance,
you may eat two, three or four, or if you have an extraordinarily sweet tooth,
perhaps half a dozen. After that, it begins to pall and you would start
protesting if you were offered more of the delicacy. At a certain stage,
probably with the 7th or 8th laddu, your liking for the
item would turn into positive revulsion. However, the Lord?s sweetness never
diminishes, however much we experience Him. Each second?s anubhavam brings with it fresh and
fascinating waves of ecstasy, the entire experience never palling, however long
it lasts, leaving us only craving for more??appouzhudaikku appouzhudu en Aaraavamudame? exclaims Sri Nammazhwar,
marvelling at the ever-fresh sweetness of the Lord.
Satakopa Muni on the Sweet
Lord
However, if there is one single
pasuram which portrays the Lord?s Maadhuryam in abundant measure, it is perhaps
this Tiruvaimozhi?
?Achuthan amalan engo, adiyavar vinai
kedukkum
nacchu maa
marundam engo, nalam kadal amudam engo
acchuvai
katti engo, arusuvai adisil engo
nei suvai
teral engo, kani engo paal engeno?
In this, Azhwar likens the Lord
first to a panacea that cures all ills, especially the incurable disease of
Karma. This wonderful drug, while eradicating all our sins without trace or side
effects, is also incredibly sweet-- an indeed unbeatable combination.
Though the sweetness of this wonder
cure defies description, Azhwar attempts this impossible task by holding out
first Nectar, obtained with herculean effort from the depths of the ocean. Then
he rejects the simile, realising that unlike Amudam, Emperuman never puts insuperable
hurdles in the way of His devotees, being easily accessible to those who wish to
attain Him with ardour??karutthukku
nandrum eliyaanai?. He is the ?kadal
padaa amudam?, the Celestial Nectar with absolutely no association with the
salty sea. To those who point out that He is not in a liquid state like Nectar,
Azhwar offers the alternative simile of a huge slab of jaggery (acchuvai katti) which is sweet all over.
Then Azhwar has second thoughts, realising that while jaggery has only one
quality, Emperuman has lots more, and he comes up with the description ?arusuvai adisil? or a gastronomic
delight, a meal which makes the tastebuds water, with all the six basic tastes
providing variety and fulfilment. Remembering the Shruti vaakyam associating Emperuman with
honey, Azhwar tries out the simile of delectable honey, fortified with clarified
butter. Both these items, while being independantly tasty on their own, provide
a scrumptious amalgam, which reminds Azhwar of the Lord?s own sweetness.
Dissatisfied with all these unworthy comparisons, Sri Satakopa Muni turns to a
ripe and luscious fruit, full of syrupy juice and sweet pulp, and to thick,
sweet cow?s milk as items to compare the Lord with. Rejecting all of these in
turn, Azhwar despairs of finding a suitable simile and ends on a wistful note,
?engeno???With what indeed would I
compare His incredible sweetness!?, wonders Azwar. The essence of the aforesaid paasuram is that the Lord is sweeter
than the sweetest thing imaginable and
unimaginably and incomaparably sweet at that.
The Sweet
Adversary
Impressing devotees is child?s
play for the Lord, for they are already favourably inclined towards Him. The
real measure of His Maadhuryam lies, however, in enchanting His sworn enemies.
This is reflected in the reaction of Soorpanakha, who, despite bleeding
profusely from a nose-cut inflicted by Lakshmana at the instance of Sri Rama,
has nothing other than the choicest words of praise, while reporting the
ignominous incident to Ravana. Instead of showering them with the worst of abuse
as would be natural for a woman not only scorned but injured too, all she
recounts is the incredibly sweet nature and physical beauty of the brothers
Rama?
?Tarunou roopa sampannou sukumaarou
mahaabalou
Pundareeka
visaalaakshou cheera krishnaajina ambarou?.
Sri Krishna?s adversary
from birth, the Chhedi Raja Sisupala too, who spent a lifetime abusing the Lord,
was mesmerised by the Lord?s overwhelming sweetness, when his moment of
reckoning arrived. When the breath-takingly beautiful Krishna, with His broad lotus
eyes, took the Sudarsana Chakra in His delicate hand spelling doom for Sisupala,
the latter, though aware of the impending end, could concentrate on nothing but
the Lord?s bewitching beauty in the second before the Chakra cut his head off.
Though a life-long enemy of the Lord, he was unable to resist the overpowering
charm of his divine adversary, knowing fullwell that his end was at hand. Such
is the sweetness of the Lord, making Him irresistible even to sworn enemies,
making them lose themselves, their sight and speech in the exquisiteness of the
divine experience, notwithstanding the fact that the Lord is about to deal out
retribution, says Swami Desikan??dveshataam jighaamsitaanaam drishti chitta
apahaaritvena rasaavahatvam vaa madhuryam, yena Sisupaalasya taadrusee charama
avasttha?.
?Come and Get me, My
Lord!?
If this incredible charm could
impress hardened adversaries like Sisupala, one can predict the effect it would
have on devotees like Sri Bhishma, who was forced to fight on the other side due
to a misplaced sense of loyalty. Though the Lord had vowed not to touch a weapon
in the Kurukshetra war, He was forced to lift His
Chakrayudha and advance
menacingly on Bhishma, who was overwhelming Arjuna with his virtual deluge of
arrows, each finding its mark painfully and reducing the Paandava to a state of
unresponsive numbness. Totally taken up with the spectacle of the incredibly
beautiful Lord approaching him in a run, with the Chakra held aloft ready for
despatch on its deadly mission of cutting his (Sri Bhishma?s) head off, the Pitamaha just drops his bow and bows
down to the Lord, inviting Him to complete His mission. The very sight of the
Lord captivates Bhishma so much that he doesn?t even think of self-defence,
(leave alone offence) and starts eulogising Sri Krishna. All thoughts of the
bloody battlefield and of winning the war for Duryodhana are instantly banished
from Bhishma?s mind and all he is able to perceive is the bewitching form of the
Lord, notwithstanding its deadly posture. So much so that Bhishma eagerly
invites the Lord to finish what He contemplated??ehi ehi pullaambuja
netra!?.
The Exhilarating
Effect
The Lord Himself describes the
effect of this magnificent virutue of Maadhuryam on His
devotees?
?mat chittaa: mat gata praanaa: bodhayanta:
parasparam
katayantascha maam nityam, tushyanti cha
ramanti cha?
Drunk with the heady nectar of
Bhagavat anubhavam, bhaktas are unable to do anything else but think about Him,
recount to each other with relish tales of the Lord during His various avataras,
share with others enlightening divine wisdom to which only they are privy and
imbibe from others incomparable insights into the Lord?s endearing nature and
inimitable attributes. They delight in swapping notes about their respective
sublime experiences with the Lord and are verily in the seventh heaven (though
they might still inhabit only the earth), prompted by their ?anubhava janita preeti? for the Lord.
They are unable to tolerate even a second?s separation from the Lord and His
votaries ?kshanepi yat viraho ati
dussaha:?. This is what Maadhuryam does to devotees, making them forget
their milieu and burst into uninhibited song and dance, often making them the
objects of derision among the uninitiated and ignorant masses mad after
Mammon.
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When we read all this,
we wish fervently that we too might, some day, in some birth, get a taste of the
Lord?s Maadhuryam, which is obviously a heady elixir with an overwhelming
sweetness. We need not despair of not being Vaikunta Vaasis, who are so enamoured of
this virtue as to enjoy it without a break even for a blink (?sadaa pasyanti sooraya:?). Nor do we
need to worry about not having been around when Emperuman took avataras as Rama
and Krishna and regaled
contemporaries with His incredible and endearing exploits. If we need a taste of
Emperuman?s sweetness, all that we need to do is to visit the nearest divyadesam, where the Lord awaits us in
all splendour, ready to afford us an unforgettable taste of Himself, with His
bewitching and beckoning tirumukha
mandalam, coral-red lips bared
in an enthralling and endearing
smile, resplendent with the Divine Discus and Conch on His upraised arms, meant
to afford us protection and wisdom, one beautiful palm raised in a gesture of
offering refuge with the other pointing downwards in a mudra of munificence,
ready to give everyone everything if only they would ask, and with two tender
feet providing asylum to those driven by the incredible heat and sorrow of
Samsara. He awaits our arrival with eager anticipation, all ready to sweeten our
lives with a display of His most endearing
attribute?Maadhuryam.
Srimate Sri LakshmiNrisimha
divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya
nama:
dasan,
sadagopan