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srI:

SrI  UpakAra  Sangraham - II (20)
-- 
SAdhanAdhikAram 
--
Section - 8 (3)  
---  
(The Favours being done by the Lord to the mumukShu
 when he leaves the body)
---- 
      
        In the precious sub-section, SwAmi Desikan showed how
the Lord confers favour to a bhakti-yOgi, who has to
have the last thought by his own effort at the time of
leaving his body. A mumukShu who has adopted the means
of bhakti-yOga for mOkSha, has to keep his last
thought fixed on the Lord on his own if he desires to
attain His abode.  In this sub-section, SwAmi Desikan
shows the unique position of the prapanna for whom no
self-effort is required for the last thought as he has
surrendered everything at the feet of the Lord, Who
takes this responsibility on Himself:
(3)     nishshESha-bharanyAsam paNNi
cAtakavrutti-yAnavanukku apEkShA-anuguNamAka
?shareera-pAta-samayE tu kEvalam madeeyayaiva dayayE
atiprabuddhah? ityAdikaLiRpadiyE than krupAmAtratthAlE
sva-viShaya-antima-pratyayatthaip piRapikkumathuvum;  
                  
We shall now study this in detail:
 ?nishshESha-bharanyAsam paNNi
cAtakavrutti-yAnavanukku? -- 
A person who has surrendered totally at the feet of
the Lord, will live like the cAtaka bird, which
survives only on rain drops. CAtaka, a cuckoo-like
bird, does not sip water available in ponds or rivers
even when it feels thirsty. It waits for the
rain-drops falling from the cloud. 
Like this bird, the prapanna is supposed not to seek
benefit from any other source other than the Lord. He
will wait for His grace however long it takes. 
        Such a person would have done the total prapatti
without leaving any of the angas or accessories of
prapatti. The angas are:  
 1) ?Anukoolya-sankalpam? - The intention to do
whatever is agreeable to the Lord;  
2) ?prAtikoolya-varjanam? - The avoidance of whatever
is displeasing to Him;  
        The essential condition for the will to do what is
pleasing to the Lord and the avoidance of what would
be displeasing to Him is the knowledge that the
prapanna exists solely for the Lord, the Consort of
LakShmee, for whom alone all things and all beings
exist. He should, therefore, do whatever would please
Him by performance and abstain from performing
whatever displeasing to Him.  
3)  ?kArpaNyam? - The feeling of helplessness; 
        If one observes the first two conditions, he will be
free from self-pride (garvam). This will generate the
feeling of helplessness. It will serve to heighten the
compassion of the sharaNya (the Saviour) and will be
useful later on for the promotion of the knowledge
that there is no other upAya (means).  
4)  ?mahAvishvAsam? - The maintenance of supreme faith
in the Lord;   
        Supreme faith is necessary for the performance of
prapatti free from all doubts as it leads later on to
freedom from anxiety. As it has been stated: 
 ?rakShiShayateeti vishvAsAt abheeShTOpAya-kalpanam?  
         (LakShmee Tantra, 17-77) 
(From the faith that He will protect arises the
adoption of the Lord as the means for the desired
object.)
5)  ?gOptrutva-varaNam? - The supplication of His
protection.   
        Though mOkSha is the appropriate goal of our
essential nature (svaroopa), yet when it is sought as
the desired end (puruShArtha), it has to be asked for.
Supplication for protection is necessary since mOkSha
would be given only to the one who asks for it. It is
seen in the world that no good thing is given without
its being asked for.  Therefore, mOkSha will not be
prusShArtha, (that which is yearned by a man), unless
it is asked for by the puruSha.   It has been stated: 
 ?aprArthitO na gOpAyEditi tatprArthanAmatih?         
                  (LakShmee Tantra, 17- 72)
(No protection will be given when it is not sought.)
 ?gOptrutva-varaNam nAma svAbhiprAya-nivEdanam?       
        (LakShmee Tantra, 17 - 78)
(Seeking the Lord as the Saviour is to make our mind
known to Him.) 
           Since these five accessories are of use at
the time the performance of prapatti, they are
essential for the surrender of one?s self,
Atma-nikShEpa, as these cannot be left out.
           Such prapatti is, therefore, mentioned here
by SwAni Desikan as  ?nishshESha-bharanyAsam?.  He is
the perfect prapanna. He will live like a cAtaka bird,
depending totally on the Lord. 
        How such a prapanna will live is described by SrI
Poigai AzhvAr in a pAsuram:
 ?thOL avanaiyallAl thozhA enecviyiraNdum
 kELavanathu inmozhiyE kEttirukkum -- nAnALum
 kONAkaNaiyAn kuraikazhalE kooRuvathE
 nANAmai naLLEn nayam.?                               
                        (Muthal ThiruvanthAthi - 63)
(My arms will not fold before anyone except the Lord
Who is reclining on the bed of AdishESha; both the
ears of mine survive listening only to the sweet words
about Him Who is the friend of all; my tongue is
singing only about His feet; I am not tempted by the
sensuous objects, unlike those who go after them
shamelessly.)
 ?apEkShA-anuguNamAka? --       
As such a prapanna lives like the cAthaka bird, he
gets the position favourable to his desire, because of
the Lord?s grace. The Lord Himself has stated this:
 ?sthitE manasi susvastE shareerE sati yO narah /
  dhAtusAmyE sthitE smartA vishvaroopam ca mAmajam //
  tatastam mriyamANam tu kAshTha-pAshANa-shannibham /
  aham smarAmi madbhaktam nayAmi paramAm gatim //?    
           (VarAha Carama SlOka)
(My devotee, who, when his mind is in normal
condition, when the body is not shattered, and when
the elementary continents of the body are in perfectly
equal proportions, meditates on Me -- Who have the
world as My body and Who am not subject to births due
to karma. When that devotee lies like a log of wood or
a piece of stone in his dying moments, I think of him
and lead him to attain the highest state.) 
        With the same idea in mind, SrI PeriyAzhvAr has sung
this verse:
 ?thuppudayArai adaivathellAm cOrvidatthut
thuNaiyAvarenRE
  oppilEnAkilum ninnadainthEn Anaikku nee
aruLceithamaiyAl
  eippu ennai vanthu naliyumpOthu ankEthum nAnunnai
ninaikkamAttEn
  appOthaikku ippOthE collivaithEn arankattharavaNaip
paLLiyAnE!?
                                                  
(PeriyAzhvAr Thirumozhi, 4-10-1)
(Oh Lord Who is reclining on the bed of Adi shESha in
Srirangam! A person seeks refuge under strong persons
in order that he will obtain their support when he is
in distress; though I am not like Thy devotees who
know how to seek Thy help, yet I approach Thee, since
Thou were gracious even to an elephant; when the dying
moment comes, I may not be able to think of Thee.
Therefore, I entreat Thee, even now, that at that
time, Thou should come to my rescue.)
        As stated in the above verses, the prapanna need not
seek the remembrance of the Lord in his last moments
by his own effort.    
Here, SwAmi Desikan recalls what stated by the Lord to
SrI-BhAShyakAra:  
 ?shareera-pAta-samayE tu kEvalam madeeyayaiva dayayA
atiprabuddhah?   (sharaNAgati Gadyam) 

        We shall consider this quote along with the
remaining words of this clause, as indicated by SwAmi
Desikan, ?ityAdikaLiRpadiyE? -- ?etc.?
 ?shareera-pAta-samayE tu kEvalam madeeyayaiva dayayE
atiprabuddhah mAmEva-avalOkayan
apracyuta-poorva-samskAra-manOrathah?  
(At the time of leaving the body, you will be in full
possession of your intelligence owing to my grace; you
will have a vision of Me and will have all your
previous memories and desires for mOkSha.) 
        This was stated by Lord RanganAtha to SrI RAmAnuja,
when the AchArya adopted prapatti at the feet of the
Lord in the presence of His Consort, Sri RanganAyakee.
In the light of the VarAha Carama SlOka and SrI
PeriyAzhvAr?s verse, this may give a conflicting idea.
But, our poorvAchAryas have interpreted this
SharaNAgati Gadyam  sentence in the spirit of the
verses quoted above. In the case of the prapanna, the
remembrance at the last moment comes out of the Lord?s
grace. That is why, in the Gadyam, the Lord is quoted
as saying, ?madeeyayaiva dayayA? -- ?by My grace
alone?.  
The same idea is stated by SwAmi Desikan in this
sub-section: 
?than krupAmAtratthAlE
sva-viShaya-antima-pratyayatthaip piRapikkumathuvum?
-- 
        The Lord generates the last thought about Himself
only by His compassion. 
        The subtle point, here, is that the requirement of
last remembrance is essential for all. But in the case
of the person who has adopted prapatti as an
independent means with all its accessories in tact,
the Lord takes the responsibility on Himself. He will
ensure that the prapanna gets this last thought
without fail. At the time of death, the prapanna may
be appear to be lying unconscious; his speech and
other activities would have become still; the
condition of his mind will not be known to others. At
that moment he has to have the last remembrance.
Whether he has or not can not be known to others who
have gathered around him. Only the concerned person
and the Lord will be aware of it and no one else. 

        SrI RAmAnuja makes a point in his SrI-bhAShya, which
is worth considering here. That is in the context of
the Brahma Sutra, 4-2-1, 
 ?vAngmanasi darshanAcchabdAcca //? 
(Speech rests in the mind at the time of death,
because it is so seen and because also there are
scriptural statements to that effect.) 
        In his SrI-bhAShya, SrI RAmAnuja, while replying to
the objection (poorvapakSha), says: ?drushyatE hi
vAg-indriyE uparatEpi manah pravruttih /?  (Indeed,
even when the sense of speech ceases to function, the
activity of the mind is perceived.) 

        This means that the mind?s functioning may be
inferred by some sign or other.  It may also describe
the dying man?s experience in some states of
ill-health and the like. Therefore, this last
remembrance is a thing that could be known only to the
man who becomes a mukta and to the Lord Who gives him
mOkSha.   

        This is what SwAmi Desikan mentions in this
sub-section that it is because of the Lord?s
compassion alone, the prapanna gets the last
remembrance at the time of his departure from his
body. 

(To continue)
dAsan
Anbil S.SrInivAsan
----------- 
 



      
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