Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Maadesikaya nama: Glorious
Gateways Have you ever thought about Gates or Doors? This may appear to be a silly question?for, what is so significant about these? They are, after all, mere entrances and exits through which you pass, to get in to or out of homes or offices. What could possibly be remarkable about such openings? Such thoughts do run through your mind, when the subject is broached. However, deeper reflections, especially with the aid of the Scripture, reveal to you such a wealth of information about these innocuous gates and doors, that you are indeed surprised that so much should have been said about such humble objects. This being the month of Margazhi and the season for entering the Paramapada Vaasal at temples, let us start with Tiruppavai and its several mentions about doors. ?Manik kadavam taal tiravaai?, plead the Gopis standing outside the house of a lazy girl, who cherishes her beauty sleep and prefers it to Bhagavat anubhavam. The residents of Gokulam are so rich (?seer malgum Aayppaadi?) that the houses of even ordinary cowherds are adorned with doors studded with gems and precious stones??Manik kadavam?. The brilliance of these gems is so blinding that those standing outside, who would normally have let themselves in through the doors, are unable to find the entrance and have to ask the sleepy occupant to come and open the entrance??Maanikkangalin oliyaale taal terigiradillai, neeye tiravaai engiraargal? Further, the entire palatial home is so gem-studded and effulgent, that the visitors are unable to identify exactly where the wall ends and where the door is inset. The house is a ?Thoo mani maadam? and the door too a ?Manik kadavam?, making it difficult to identify the location of the latter. The words ?Manik kadavam? can also be construed to mean doors adorned with bells. Even today, we find temple doors hung with bells, which emit sweet chimes whenever they are opened or closed. Additionally, devotees too ring these bells whenever they pass in or out of temple doors, perhaps marking their attendance and drawing the Lord?s attention to their presence. One wonders whether the present day Calling Bells at house entrances have evolved from these belled doors! If the houses of even ordinary Gopis are so
brilliant and beautiful, need we say anything about the doors at the
It is interesting to note that Sri Tirumangai
Mannan too comments about the compelling beauty of doors, which prevents people
from proceeding beyond them, despite the knowledge of an infinitely greater
treat awaiting them inside. The doors of Tirunarayur Emperuman?s abode are so
splendorous that it is with very great difficulty that Parakaala Naayaki tears
herself away from them, to be greeted by the glorious sight of the Lord
inside??Ponniyalum maada kavaatam kadandu
pukku?. ?Puguvaarai tan azhagaale
kaal kattum kadavu? says Sri Periyavaacchaan Pillai, commenting on these
doors. These are no ordinary doors, insentient and lifeless?they are full of
intense love for If the doors of the Lord?s earthly abodes are
themselves so magnificent, our imagination baulks at the thought of how
beautiful they must be in His eternal residence, Sri Vaikunttam. The gates of
?Pinnitta sadayaanum Piramanum
Indiranum Tunnittu pugal ariya Vaikuntta neel
vaasal? Admittance to these gates is restricted to those who perform Saranagati and surrender themselves heart and soul to Emperuman ?none else, however illustrious he is, is let in the glorious gates. Another meaning too can be attached to these beautiful lines of Perumal Tirumozhi, from the context. Speaking of the glory of Tirumalai, Azhwar articulates his ardent wish to perform some intimate kainkaryam or other to Srinivasa. Azhwar finds the crowd of devotees at Tirumala awaiting the Lord?s audience so huge (even in those days) that even exalted entities like Siva and Brahma are caught up in the crowd, are pushed and pummelled and find it difficult to get past the imposing gates to the Lord?s sanctorum. And the reason for such illustrious personages
failing to gain admittance to the
doors of ?Tirambittru ini arinden ten Arangattu
endai Tirambaa vazhi selvaarkku
allaal?tirambaar Chedi narakai neekki taam selvadan mun
vaanor Kadi nagar vaasal kadavu?
Sri Peyazhwar speaks about an entirely
different type of door?one that is aimed at keeping in check our five faculties,
which are always rearing to escape our control and indulge themselves in puerile
pleasures. Azhwar tells us that we should erect such a strong door in our minds,
that keeps the senses imprisoned, preventing them from escaping and running
riot. Only such a door, which acts as an effective check on the faculties, would
enable us to realize the Lord, says Azhwar. And such a door would predictably
have as its bolts nothing other than Wisdom or Gnaanam. Here is Azhwar?s thought-provoking pasuram? ?Arivu ennum taal koluvi, iympulanum
tammil Serivu ennum tin kadavam semmi?marai
endrum Nangu odi nangu unarvaar kaanbare naal
torum Painkota vannar padi? The Shruti speaks about a wonderful building?one with no less than nine doors. ??Ashtaa chakraa nava dvaaraa, Devaanaam poo: Ayodhya? says the Taitthireeya Aaranyakam, describing this edifice. This concept finds mention in the Svetaasvataropanishad too??Nava dvaare pure dehi hamso lolaayate bahi:?. Sri Kalian too speaks about this beautiful but perishable structure with nine doors??onbadu vaasal taanudai kurambai?. The Bhagavat Gita contains a verbatim version of the Upanishadic phrase??nava dvaare pure dehee naiva kurvan na kaarayan?. All these texts speak of none other than our physical body, with two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, a mouth and two excretory organs, accounting in all for nine gates. Going back to divine gates, would you be surprised
to know that the Sun and the Moon represent giant gateways? Yes, the king of the
day and the queen of the night do form gateways to the worlds above, says the
Mahabharata. It is through Sun that we have to travel, if we are destined for
higher worlds like Sri Vaikunttam. This is known as the Deva Yaanam or the
Thus, the Moon forms the entrance to the lower worlds, which afford us fruits commensurate with our baggage of Karma and once these are worked off, push us back into the mundane morass. The gates to SriVaikunttam, as indicated above, are magnificent beyond measure, are adorned with the most precious of divine diamonds and are long and broad??Vaikuntta neel vaasal?. And these divine gates are guarded zealously by exalted gatekeepers by name Indra and Prajapati??Indra Prajapatee dvaara gopou? says the Kousheetaki Upanishad. The inner doors of Paramapadam are guarded by Dvaarapaalakaas, eight pairs of them stationed at each of the eight glorious gates? Chanda and Prachanda, Bhadra and Subhadra, Jaya and Vijaya, Dhaata and Vidhaata, Kumuda and Kumudaaksha, Pundareeka and Vamana, Shankukarna and Sarpanetra, Sumukha and Supratishtita. According to the Cchandogyopanishad, there are five gates to the Lords abode and each of these gates is guarded by a Brahmapurusha of considerable accomplishment??Te vaa ete pancha Bramapurusha: svargasya dvaarapaa:? The Kaataka Prasnam too confirms that Svarga lokam has five entry points??Taa vaa etaa: pancha svargasya lokasya dvaara:?. However, the guards at these doors differ from those stated in the Upanishad?Kaatakam tells us symbolically that the first door is guarded by Penance (Tapas), the second by Shraddha, the third by Satyam, the fourth by the Mind and the last by Charanam. A different version, again allegorical, is available in the Mahopanishad as to the Dvaarapaalakas of Moksham? ?Moksha dvaare Dvaara paala: chatvaara:
parikeertita: Samo
Vichaara: Santosha: chaturtha: Saadhu sangama:? (In the aforesaid texts, the words Svargam and Moksham have been used interchangeably,
according to commentators) Normally, all of us enter others? houses through the front gate and doors. However, Shastras have a rather strange prescription in this regard. We are told that we should enter into the homes of friends and well-wishers only, through the doors. The houses of enemies and those who are unfavourably inclined towards us should not be entered through the gates. The Mahabharata is quite categorical about this? ?Advaarena ripo: geham dvaarena suhrido
griham Pravisanti sadaa santa: dvaaram no varjitam
tata:? We find Sri Hanuman following this Shastraic dictum, while entering Lanka. Though he had scored a victory over the awesome Lankini standing guard at the entrance and could very well have entered through the main doors of the Lankan fort, he preferred to jump over the ramparts??Advaarena mahaa baahu: praakaaram abhi pupluve? . We find temple doors these days becoming the favourite abode of beggars and others of similar persuasion. However, the Bhaagavatas of Srirangam are so enamoured of Rangaraja, that they are loathe to going home even after the gates of the Sanctorum are shut for the day, and keep haunting the doorsteps of the Sannidhi. These Mahatmas spurn all mundane associations and avocations and make the doors of Srirangam temple their permanent abode, considering the Lord their all, having surrendered themselves heart and soul to Him and ridden themselves of all pride and possessiveness. And it is these apparently lazy people, (who hardly stir from His door steps), whom Sri Ranganatha likes most, says Sri Tondaradippodi Azhwar ??nin kadai talai irundu vaazum sombarai ugatti polum soozh punal Arangattane!? And now to conclude, all the aforesaid would have convinced us that doors and gates are not mere trivial objects intended to cover an entrance, but are indeed sentinels of significance, whom we can afford to ignore only at the peril that Hiranyakasipu exposed himself to, by doubting the capacity of a pillar to be the Lord?s abode. Srimate Sri LakshmiNrisima divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama: dasan, sadagopan Azhvar EmberumAnAr JeeyAr ThiruvadigalE Saranam http://www.vedics.net
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