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Oppiliappan List Archive: Message 00216 Dec 2007

 
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   srI:
  SrI  upakAra  sangraham â?? 28
          --- 
      adikAram â?? 1
   poorva upakAra paramparai
 (The Foremost Series of Favours) 
          ---   
        SECTION â?? 5
(27 Favours of the Lord leading to the means 
     for MOKSHAM)  
            -----  

        SwAmi Desikan has so far been explaining the favours
being done by the Lord preliminarily. The Lord emerges
as the repository of compassion, patience and
determination, but without an iota of discrimination.
He is the Tallest and the Ultimate. At the same time,
in simplicity, there is no match for Him, not to talk
of a superior to Him. In the technical parlance, He is
a combination of paratvam and saulabhyam.  
        
It is also to show that the Lord doesn't stop with
creating shESha-s , attendants, but promoting the
jIvA-s to the pedestal equal to His, SwAmi Desikan
further describes the favours granted by Him towards
the attainment of liberation too. 
        
In this Fifth Section of the First Chapter, SwAmi
Desikan lists as many as 27 favours which the Lord
accords to the jIvA enabling him to attain Sri
VaikuNtam. 

        We shall take up one by one.

(1) iv  ajnAta-sukrutAdi-kaLukku  prasnna-nAy, 
"janmAntara-sahasrEShu yA buddhir-bhAvitA  purA"
ityAdikaLin- padiyE  viparIta-vAsanA-dArDhya-ttAlE 
upadEsha-nairartthakyam piRavAtapadi, "yam tu karmaNi
yasmin saH nyayu~Nkta  prathamam  prabhuH"
ityAdikaLinpadiyE,  vishEShittu nammai 
sukruta-vAsanA-pravAha-hEtu-vAna  sAttvika-sruShtiyilE
kuuttinatuvum;

        In the post-recovery stage, the Lord confers His
first favour by including the jIvA in the births of
virtuous quality (sAtvika births). This is the central
message of this first para. We have to understand how
this is achieved, that is, one must be born to parents
of sAtvika -- virtuous - nature. Is it in our hands?
No. It is done by the Lord. So, we can not choose the
family in which we can take birth. Individual souls
are not free to do this as it is not in their control.
However, we need not feel dejected, if we go through
the entire paragraph. 

        The question in our minds now is: How to get
ourselves born in a virtuous family?

"janmAntara-sahasrEshu  yA buddhir-bhAvitA purA"
ityAdikaLin  padiyE "

        In our present life, everyone has a type of 'buddhi',
intellect. 

"janmAntara-sahasrEshu  yA  buddhir-bhAvitA  purA" -- 
This is the same as we had in our previous births, may
be running into thousands. 

If we had developed an intellect of good nature,
called "sAtvika buddhi", we will now be sAtvika -
virtuous. If we had developed "rAjasIka buddhi"
(intellect based passion, anger and enmity), our birth
will be accordingly in a family of similar type. In
case, we had developed in our past life, a quality of
dullness, laziness, and sinful nature, our birth will
also be of such nature (tAmasika). 

        So, we can forget the past. At least now, in this
birth, we can make efforts to develop virtuous
character. This is in our hands. As the Lord stated in
the Gita, He will certainly help us in our effort. But
the initiative has to come from us. 

Such bad births are due to the nature one had in the
previous birth, which is called, "pUrva vAsanA" -- 

" viparIta-vAsanA-dArDhya-ttAlE " -- If the previous
karma residue was utterly bad, in the current birth
the same will continue. 

" upadEsha-nairartthakyam  piRavAtapadi " --- In case,
there had been good instruction in the earlier birth,
it will not go waste. It will continue in the current
birth and the jIvA will make further progress in that
direction. SwAmi Desikan bases this fact on the Manu
Smriti's statement to this effect:

"yam tu karmaNi yasmin saH nyayu~Nkta  prathamam 
prabhuH" ityAdikaLin-padiyE, -- 

        Here is the full verse from the scripture, Manu
Smriti -- 

yam tu karmaNi yasmin sa nyayungkta  prathamam 
prabhuH /
        sa tadEva svayam bhEjE srujyamAnaH punaH punaH //   
(1-28)

        (Thus, without out-stepping the rules laid down by
the Lord, jIvA-s take new births as per the nature
acquired in their previous births.)

        It is emphasized by SwAmi Desikan that no one can
violate the Divine Rules laid down by the Lord
Himself. In our sanAtana dharma, we are guided by the
Manu Smriti which has spelt out the way of life for
all according to their nature of birth.  In the case
of the fortunate jIvA, who had a good turning point in
the previous birth on account of an unknown virtuous
act, he gets a birth with an opportunity to further
continue the newly acquired virtuous nature. 

        This is what is referred to by SwAmi Desikan here:-

" vishEShittu nammai sukruta-vAsanA-pravAha-hEtu-vAna
sAtvik-sruShtiyilE  kuuttinatuvum;" 

        The Lord takes a special interest in ensuring a
virtuous birth (sAtvika sruShti) for the jIvA, chosen
by Him in the previous life, simply on account of a
speck of virtuous act he did without his own
knowledge. That flow of virtue nature which originated
as a small stream,  grows further into a big river,
which acquires further holiness due to continuous acts
of virtuous nature in the current birth of the jIvA.  
        According to SwAmi Desikan, this is the first favour
conferred by the Lord on this jIvA to lead him towards
the eternal Bliss lying ahead. 
(To continue)
dAsan 
Anbil S. SrInivAsan
-------  
        
          

 

  
 
   
     









      
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