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SriRangaSri List Archive: Message 00080 Jun 2005

 
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         (Continuing from Part 3 posted earlier)
-----------------------------------------------------

Dear friends and members.

Is the diminution of our intense identification with
the ?sarIra? ever possible at all? Can we really
dissociate ourselves from our ?samsAric?
pre-occupation with the Body and its ?health?? Is
freedom from ?sarIra-bandham?, with all its attendant
worries and anxiety holding us captive in its
stranglehold all our lives, a practicable idea or is
it merely an unattainable Vedantic ideal?

Vedanta says such freedom arising from the cessation
of absolute identification with the reality of the
?sarIra? is very much in the realm of human
possibility. To realize such freedom is, in fact, the
very purpose of human existence. It ought to be Man?s
highest aspiration, his ?summum bonum? in life, or as
Vedanta itself calls it, it is his
?parama-pUrUshArtha?.

Vedanta categorically states that freedom from
?samsAra?, that sure and permanent cure from the great
affliction called ?sarIra-sambhandham?, is not some
other-worldly pipe-dream. It is very much attainable
in this world itself with the aid of 3 important
tools: (a) discriminative intelligence (?vivEkam?) (b)
spiritual ardor (?shraddha?) and (c) sincere
application of effort (?upAsana?). Many men in this
world, in all ages -- men who eventually came to be
called saints, mystics, wise-men, yogis, ?gnyAni-s?,
?rshi-s? -- they have clearly shown us this Vedantic
way through their very own personal example in life. 

The first is Sri Parashara Bhattar himself, our own
renowned Sahasranamam commentator (11th century AD) of
SriRangam who was a disciple and protégé of Sri
Ramanujacharya (10th century AD). Bhattar was the
chief "purOhit" (priestly administrator) of the
SriRangam temple; he was also SriVaishnava theologian
and scholar. Although he was not generally given to
outward expression of mystical fervor, an incident in
Bhattar's life does leads us to infer his ability to
easily withdraw bodily association or identification.
Bhattar died young at the age of 32. He was diagnosed
to be suffering from a malignant tumor that grew so
painful that attending doctors of those days ventured
to perform surgery on him. Knowing the procedure would
be excruciatingly painful, they advised Bhattar to
consume a crude concoction (probably a heavy sedative)
that would serve as general anesthesia. Bhattar is
reported to have replied: "I do not need anesthesia.
Just let me recite the blessed verses of the
"tiruppAvai" (the sacred Tamil hymns of the saint
AndAL). You can then perform any surgery on me you
want." To Bhattar, reciting the sacred verses of the
"tiruppAvai" possessed power far greater than that of
any medicine or anesthesia, and enough to simply
convey him far away from the realms of ?samsAra?, away
from all the distress, pain and indignities of
affliction. He could leave the confines of his
?sarIra? at will and into the deep regions of the
spirit where no mortal pain could ever touch him.

The second example is a similar one and it is an
incident in the life of the sage of Tiruvannamalai,
South India, Sri Ramana Maharashi (19th century AD).
In his advanced years, Ramana was afflicted with a
virulent form of cancer that in an ordinary man would
have caused unbearable pain and distress. Doctors
wanted him to undergo surgery but the sage would have
none of it. "The cancer is in my body," he is reported
to have said calmly, "The pain is the body's problem.
I am not the body and the pain is not mine." (This
event has even been reported with amazement in a
published clinical dissertation of the world-renowned
neurosurgeon from Madras, Dr.B.Ramamurthy.) Once again
we see here a living example of a yogi shrugging off
bodily pain by remaining oblivious to the ordinary
conditions of ?samsAric? reality. It is only complete
dissociation from the "sarIra" state (in which lesser
mortals like us are irretrievably mired) that could
have made it possible for Sage Ramana.
                                                    
              *****************

The question that we are now faced is this: How to
cultivate the three Vedantic qualities of ?vivEka?,
?shraddha? and ?upAsana? in our personal lives in
order to rid ourselves of the great disease afflicting
us? 

The answer is simple: When you know are afflicted with
the disease of ?samsAra?, there is no point going to
other ordinary doctors and medicine-men. You need
?specialist attention? and the best possible ?expert
advice?. The Vishnu-Sahasranamam says that the best
doctor in town in this particular field of illness is
none other than the great ?Dr.Bheshajam-bhishak?. He
is the only ?specialist? who can put us on the path of
recovery from the deadly disease called ?samsAra? ---
the Mother of all Disease, who has us gripped in her
malevolent tentacles. Go to Him, approach the Unseen
Doctor, says the Sahasranamam, offer prayers unto Him,
and implore Him to cure you once and for all time...

This was exactly what two great Vaishnavite saints of
Tamil Nadu, Sri NammAzhwAr and Sri Peria-AzhwAr 
echoed too in their famous mystical hymns called the
?naalayira divya-prabhandham? (?The 4000 sacred
verses?). Lovers of that Tamil devotional classic will
not fail to recall the verses of these two saints who
hailed the great Unseen Healer, the Almighty, our
?Dr.Bheshajam-bhishak? in these wonderful words: 

            ?arindana vEda porUL noolgaL
              arindana kOLga arum porUL aadhal
            arindanar ellAm ariyyai vaNanggi
              arindanar nOyygaL arUkkUm marUndhE?
                        (tiruvoimozhi 9.3.3)

The Vedic texts, one and all,
  Reveal Him, Hari, as the substance
  Of all Consciousness ?
So good men of the world
Who know what it is to suffer 
The disease of knowing
And unknowing -- 
They pray to Him:  
The ultimate Cure of all ills.


?eruttuk-kOdi uDayanUm piramanUm indiranUm marrUm
oruttarUm ip-piravi ennUm nOyykku marUndhu arivarUm
illai:
maruttuvanaay ninra maa maNivannA! maru piravi
tavirath
tirutthi wUn kOvir kadaip-pugap-pEyy tirumAlirunchOlai
enthaay!?
                  (peri-azhwAr tirumOzhi? 5.3.6)

Not Siva nor Brahma nor anyone anywhere knows of a
medicine to cure the sickness of rebirth. O dark gem-
hued lord! You that appeared as the divine healer
Dhanvantari! Pray cut asunder my re-birth! Lead me to
the portals of your grand temple, O lord of
Tirumalirumcholai, my Master!

            ***********************

Dear friends, it is about 8 weeks now since I
accidentally suffered a broken tail-bone, my ?coccyx?.
Thanks to ?Dr.Bheshajam-bhishak?, I am now relieved of
my bodily distress, and more importantly, I think I
have become much wiser after the event since I have
now been blessed to have glimpsed and experienced a
little at first-hand the magical wonders of the
"Unseen Healer". 

It was 8 weeks ago that my neighborhood orthopaedician
had the wisdom in him not to administer his own brand
of medicines and drugs on me but to refer me and my
case to the only true Specialist Healer that I now
have come to realize lives and works in the world ---
?Dr.Bheshajam-bhishak?!

Thank you, good Doctor!
                  (CONCLUDED)

Regards,

dAsan,
Sudarshan





        

        
                
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