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srI:

SrI  UpakAra  Sangraham - III (7)
-- 
niryANa adikAram
-- 
 Section - 9: The Favours the Lord does to a MumukShu after he leaves his body
---- 
[9.2 Favours being done after crossing the river, VirajA]
----- 
        In the previous sub-section, Swami Desikan described the favour the 
Lord does by receiving the mukta-jIva into His fold and enabling him to acquire 
the same essential qualities as His. He also makes the mukta to enjoy the bliss 
similar to His own. Thus the mukta-jiva has attained the Lord as aspired for 
long. Here, the story should have ended with the jIva attaining the ultimate 
puruShArta (goal). But, it does not end. What is more to be achieved by the 
mukta-jiva is dealt with by SwAmi Desikan in this sub-section:   
(iv)  AtmApahAri-kaLukkuLLE irunthu, âadiyAr kuzhAngkaLaiyudan kooduvathenRu 
kolOâ enRu manOrathittha ivanai, âsavayasa iva yE nitya-inrdOSha-gandhAhâ 
ennumpadi niRkiRa mElAth thEvarAnavarkaL, 
ânityAbhivAnchita-paraspara-neecabhAvaihâ enkiRa nyAyatthAlE thangkaLukku 
mElAka Adarikkumpadi paNNumathuvum; 
        The Lord not only enables the mukta to acquire his essential nature 
with the eight great qualities like âapahata-pApmAâ (freedom from sin) 
etc., but also places him in midst of the nitya-sooris who are His eternal 
servants. This is what the jIva had been longing for, while he was in the 
bonded state. He was longing, âadiyAr kuzhAngkaLaiyudan kooduvathenRu 
kolO?â â When am I going to join the crowds of the Lordâs servants? The 
Lord fulfils what the jIva had desired, when he was amidst the people who were 
yet to acquire the spiritual knowledge. SwAmi Desikan recalls the muktaâs 
earlier situation by the expression: âAtmApahAri-kaLukkuLLE irunthuâ â 
While being in the midst of those who are thieves of their own souls. Who is an 
âAtmApahAriâ (thief of his own soul)?  Before going further, it would be 
advisable for us to make ourselves clear about the significance of this. 
        The jIva, who has turned towards the Lord by the compassionate grace of 
the Lord, learns the true relationship that exists between himself and the 
Supreme Being. He also understands the real nature of the self which is 
self-luminous and the notion of âIâ and âmineâ is nothing to do with 
the body. Even after knowing this, he remained ignorant of the Atma being a 
servant of the Lord without any independence. When he acquired this knowledge 
of his relationship to the Lord, he started moving towards Him. Till then he 
had been under the impression that he is the very body and the sensual 
pleasures were the ultimate. Latter, he came to know that he is really the soul 
and not the body. But he still had the impression, he, as a soul, was the real 
master and no one else was his master, and all things including his body and 
its accessories were owned by him. That is, the feeling of âIâ and 
âmineâ was dominating. This is what meant by
 âAtmApahAriâ â thief of the self. Even though this jIva acquired the 
real knowledge, he had to remain amidst the people who were ignorant of this 
truth. So, his longing to attain his true Master, that is, the Supreme Lord 
helped him to adopt means for attaining Him.                   
        The expression of âAtmApahAriâ reminds us the verse of SrI ParAsara 
Bhattar, in the form of an imaginary dialogue between the Lord and the jIva:
 âtvam mE ham mE  kutastat tadapi kuta idam vEdamoola-pramANAt
        EtaccAnAdisiddhAt anubhava-vibhavAt tarhi sAkrOSa Eva /
 kvAAkrOSah kasya geetAdiShu mama viditah kOtra sAkShee sudheessyAt
        hanta tvatpakShapAtee sa iti nrukalahE mrugya madhyasthavat tvam //â  
(Thirumanjana Kattiya SlOka) 
Meaning: 
The Lord:   You are mine.
The jiva:     I exist only for myself. 
The Lord:   Where is it stated?
The jIva:     Where is the opposite stated?
The Lord:    In the original pramANa: the VEda.
The jIva:     The opposite view is based on the strength of my own enjoyment of 
myself from  
                    Beginning-less time.
The Lord:    But protests have been recorded then and there.
The jIva:      Where is it objected to? And by whom?
The Lord:    The protest or objection was made in such work as the Gita and it 
was made by 
                     me. 
The jIva:      Is there any witness?
The Lord:    The wise man.
The jIva:      But he is partial. 
                    (In this dispute there is a need for an arbitrator. But, as 
no one is 
                    available, You appear as though undertaking a pledge, going 
into the 
                    pond adorning a Tulasi garland!)  
        This slOka is recited as part of the Kattiyam, at the time of the 
ceremonial bath given to the Lord and his Consorts in temples.
        The message conveyed through this slOka is that generally we are 
egotistic with ahankAram and mamakAram  rising their heads too often. That we 
are not independent of the Lord is not remembered at times. Such persons are 
called âAtmApahArisâ.  A realized person has to live with such people. 
Hence, this exceptional person long for joining the Lord freed from this type 
of a crowd: âadiyAr kuzhAngkaLaiyudan kooduvathenRu kolO?â as quoted by 
Swami Desikan from a verse of SrI nammAzhvAr. The full verse is:
 âkaLippum kavarvum aRRup piRappup piNimoopiRappaRRu
  oLikkoNda cOthimayamAy udankooduvathu enRukolO?
  thuLikkinRa vAninnilam cudarAzhi-cangEnthi
  aLikkinRa mAyappirAn adiyArkaL kuzhAngaLaiyE.â   (ThiruvAimozhi, 2-3-10)
(Being relieved of the series of birth, disease, ageing, death etc. which 
repeat again and again, in which existence, the joy on achieving a thing is 
marred by the grief on losing another, when will I acquire that state of being 
in His abode where I can enjoy the crowds of devotees of the Lord, Who holding 
the Conch and the Discus, protects this earth and the sky?)
        Thus, even while being among the self-centered people, the mukta-jIva 
had earlier longed for the company of the Lordâs devotees. As he has now 
reached the Lordâs abode, SwAmi Desikan describes how the Lord fulfills the 
desire of this jIva:
 ââsavayasa iva yE nitya-inrdOSha-gandhAhâ ennumpadi niRkiRa mElAth 
thEvarAnavarkaL, ânityAbhivAnchita-paraspara-neecabhAvaihâ enkiRa 
nyAyatthAlE thangkaLukku mElAka Adarikkumpadi paNNumâ
        The Lord places the mukta-jIva who has attained Him among His eternal 
devotees, nitya-sooris who hold the newly liberated jIva in high esteem. The 
expression  âmElAth thEvarAnavarkaLâ refers to the nitya-sooris. They are 
described in the quotation, âsavayasa iva yE nitya-inrdOSha-gandhAhâ â 
They are of the same age as the Lord, eternal, and free from all traces of 
imperfections (SrI-guNaratna-kOSam-27). They have never been in SamsAra and are 
engaged in eternal service to the Lord in SrI VaikuNtam. They include ananta 
(AdiSESha), Garuda and VishvakSEna. 
        These nitya-sooris are standing examples of bhAgavatAs being SEShas to 
one another, as described in the quote  
ânityAbhivAnchita-paraspara-neecabhAvaihâ (nitya-sooris are endowed with 
the attitude of serving one another for ever), which is from the SlOka of SrI 
VaikuNta stavam of Sri KoorathAzhvAn. We may study the verse in full:
 âkainkaryanityanirataih bhavadEkabhOgaih
      nityairnukShaNa-naveena-rasArdrabhAvaih /
  nityAbhivAnchita-paraspara-neeca-bhAvaih
      maddaivataih parijanaistava sangaseeya //â (SrIvaikuNThastavam-77)
(Oh Lord! Who are all rendering a service, out of love, without any other 
motivating cause, always interested in the bliss flowing from that kind of 
service? They do so like the nitya-sooris. They rejoice in the eternal 
experience of You. They are soft in their reaction to other BhAgavathas. They 
cherish a mutual servility, all experiencing a commonalty as servants of the 
Lord. May I mingle with them all and engage myself in Your service.)
        It may be asked whether this kind of mutual service is due to oneâs 
nature or whether it is adventitious due to some reason. The answer is that it 
is both natural and adventitious. As it lasts as long as the soul lasts and 
will continue in the state of mOkSha, it may be called natural. It may be said 
to be adventitious also, due to certain conditions, as it arises from the 
knowledge of oneâs relationship to the Lord. 
        When the jIva acts on any occasion consciously, he gets his desired 
fruit by the Lordâs will. The Lordâs will has to be ascertained from the 
scriptures which disclose that the service to His devotees is the most 
delightful one to Him. 
        The scriptures also declare the same:
 âArAdhanAnAm sarvEShAm viShNOrArAdhanam param /
  tasmAt parataram prOktam tadeeyArAdhanam param//â   (PAdmOttaram, 29-81)
(Of all forms of homage, the homage paid to ViShNu is the best; but superior 
even to this, is the excellent adoration offered to His devotees.)
 âmama madbhaktabhaktEShu preetirabhyadhikA bhavEt /
  tasmAt madbhakta-bhaktAsca poojaneeyA vishEShatah //â (BhArata, AshvamEdika 
Parva, 116-23)
(I have great affection for those who are devoted to my devotees. Therefore, 
one should render service to them.)
 âmadbhaktajana-vAtsalyam poojAyAm cAnumOdanam /
  matkathA-shravaNE bhaktih svara-nEtrAngavikriyA//
  svayamArAdhanE yatnO mamArthE Dhambhavarjanam /
  mamAnusmaraNam nityam yacca mAm nOpajeevati //
  bhaktiraShTa-vidhA hyEShA yasmin mlEcchEpi vartatE /
  sa viprEndrO munih shreemAn sa yatih sa ca panDhitah // 
  tasmai dEyam tatO grAhyam sa ca poojyO yathA hyaham //â (Garuda PurANa, 
219-6 to 9)
(Devotion to Me is of eight types: (1) love to My devotees without any thought 
of their faults; (2) rejoicing at the adoration offered to Me by another; (3) 
delighting in listening to stories concerning Me; (4) a change in the voice, in 
the eyes and in the body, while listening to such stories; (5) trying to offer 
adoration to me; (6) freedom from hypocrisy in oneâs relations with me; (7) 
meditation of Me at all times; and (8) not seeking other benefits such as 
worldly benefits from Me â if bhakti, which is of these eight types, is found 
in an outcast (mlEccha), he should be respected as the best of Brahmins endowed 
with j~nAna and bhakti; he is a real sannyAsee, he is a wise man and he may be 
taught the scriptures and from him one may learn the truth.  He is fit to be 
adored even like Myself.â)
 âtadAshrayasyAshrayaNAt tasya tasya ca tasya ca /
  samsEvanAnnarA lOkE pooyanatE sarvapAtakaih //â (Garuda PurANa, SrIranga 
MAhAtmyam, 8-91)
(By seeking the protection of those who seek the Lord as their refuge and by 
rendering service to him who is devoted to the devotee, who is, in turn, 
devoted to the devotee of the Lord â by doing so, men are released from all 
their sins.) 
If attaining the Lord for doing service to Him is called puruShArtham, doing 
service to the last devotee in series of His devotees is known as 
puruShArtha-kAShTha, the last limit of puruShArtham. As seen in the 
above-mentioned quote from the Garuda PurANa, SrI nammAzhvAr has expressed the 
longing for serving the devotee of the devotee of the devoteeâ(seven times) 
of the devotee of the Lord in ThiauvAimozhi, 8-10, beginning with  
ânedumArkadimaiâ, in which he asserts that service to BhAgavatas is the 
ultimate goal of a jIva.
        Of the eleven verses, the most important ones deserve our attention:
 âtamrkaL kootta valvinaiyai nAcam ceyyum cathirmoortthi
 amarkoL Azhi cangu-vAL vil-thaNdAthi palpadaiyan
 kumaran kOlavaingkanai vELthAthai kOthiladiyArtham
 thamarkaL thamarkaL thamarkaLAm cathirEvaikka thamiyERkE.â  (ThiruvAimozhi, 
8-10-9)
(The Lord, ever youthful, the father of Cupid, is ever ready, with various 
weapons including discus, conch, sword, bow and club etc., to demolish the 
crowd of enemies in the form of karmas, of His devotees! It would be wise 
strategy for one like me to become the dAsa of the dAsa, of the dAsa of the 
faultless servants of the Lord.)
 âvAykka thamiyERku oozhithORu oozhi oozhi mAkAyAm
  pookkoL mEni, nAnku thOL, ponnAzhikkai ennammAn
 neekkamillA adiyArtham adiyAr adiyAr adiyAr em
kOkkaL, avarkkE kudikaLAic cellum nalla kOtpAdE.â (Thiruvaimozhi, 8-10-10)
(With a physical form shining like the kAyAm flower, four shoulders, and 
holding the lustrous discus in a hand, the Lord captivated and enslaved me. The 
servant of the servant of the servant of the servant of the servant of the Lord 
is my master. Such servitude be my strong determination for ever.)
        This attitude of serving BhAgavatas extends to readiness for being sold 
by the master. This is stated by SrI PeriyAzhvAr, who is the great commentator 
of Kalpa sootras:
ââ pEsuvAr adiyArkaL enthammai viBkavum peRuvArkaLE.â (PeriyAzhvAr 
Thirumozhi, 4-4-10)
(The BhAgavatas who utter the names of the Lord are entitled even to sell us, 
who are the servants of BhAgavatas.)
Therefore, the farthest limit of the service of the prapanna to perform is the 
service to the BhAgavatas, as it is part of the duty of one who is shESha to 
the Lord.   
        The Lord fulfils this desire of the mukta-jIva by placing him at the 
feet of the nitya-sooris, who too vie each other to serve the very last among 
the Lordâs devotees. 
        Such is the favour the Lord does to the mukta-jIva, says SwAmi Desikan 
in this sub-section.

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



  
 




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