Dear sri vaishNava perunthagaiyeer,
Many a sri vaishNavaas in the lists of yahoo groups may well be aware that in
sri vishNu sahasra naamam there is a slOkam which reads
Sree vaisampaayana uvaacha -
sruthvaa dharmaan asEshENa pavanaani cha sarvasa: |
yudhishtira: saanthanavam puna: Eva abhyabhaashatha: ||
This slOkam will on anvayam - putting in prose order - read as
yudhishtira: Eva dharmaan cha pavanaani sarvasa: asEshENa sruthvaa,
saanthanavam puna: abhyabhaashtha: ||
Meaning: sree vaisampaayana said - having listened to a complete ennobling and
purifying ethical principles, yudhishtira spoke to bheeshma the son of santhanu
again.
This means that even after listening quite a lot about dharmam from bheeshma,
still yudhishtira had some more doubts and as such wants to continue the
conversation. Yes. That is what all 'saanthi parva' and 'anusaasana parva' the
12th and 13th parvaas of mahaa bhaaratha talk about.
On the above slOkam sri parasara bhattar, in his 'bhagavath guNa dharpaNam',
the commentary on 'sree vishNu sahasra naama', on the word "dharmaan" comments
as
dharmaan - this comprehensively embraces
1. raaja dharma [duty of the kings]
2. mOksha dharma [the code for attainment of salvation]
3. dhaana dharma [the principles underlying the dispensation of
charity]
in accordance with the decrees and injunctions enjoined by sruthi and smrithi
conferring material benefits here and in yonder worlds.
[Please note the word dharma is translated here as ethical principles. In other
place it was done as religion, by another author. Further here itself three
kinds of dharma are brought out].
By way of continuing his talk with his grandfather bheesham, the questions what
yudhishtira asked are also well known [which we recite daily in sree vishNu
sahasra naamam] -
1. lOkE kim Ekam dhaivatham?
2. Ekam kim paraayaNam?
3. sthuvantha: kam?
4. maanavaa: subham praapnuyur kam archantha:?
5. sarva dharmaaNam bavatha kO dharma: parama: matha ?
6. janthu: samsaara bhandhanaath kim japan muchyathE ?
[For those not familiar with above Sanskrit anvayam done to the slokam - please
refer next slokam of above quoted one "sree vaisampaayana uvaacha"]
We, in this write up, are interested to study the answer to the 5th question
only, which is bhavatha sarva dharmaaNaam ka: parama dharma: matha?
Meaning: "Amongst all dharmam, which is the supreme dharmam in your opinion"
asks yudhishtira to bheeshma his grand father.
The answer given by bheeshma is simple and great - or is it simply great?
Esha mE sarva dharmaaNaam dharma: adhika thamO matha |
yath bhakthyaa pundareekaaksham sthavai: archEth nara: sadhaa ||
When anvayam is done - then it will read - nara: yath bhakthyaa
pundareekaaksham sadhaa sthavai:, sadhaa archEth, [thath] sarva dharmaaNaam
adhikathamo dharma:, Esha mE matha |
Meaning: bheeshma said or replied "This I consider the highest ethical act
among all where a person incessantly and devoutly adores with hymns the lord
who has eyes like lotus".
[MGV - please note the word sadhaa - normally translated as 'always' is put
here as 'incessantly']
On this reply slokam of bheeshma, sri bhattar comments on the word "dharmaaNaam
adhikathama dharma:" by elaborating on the classification of dharma as
- dharma is four fold - viz.
1. Dharma performed for material benefits viz. cattle children and
other benefits
2. Dharmam performed for obtaining celestial pleasures such as
svarga [the world of gods]
3. Dharmam for attainment of salvation, which consists of
realization of time knowledge by purification of self, by sacrifice, by
charitable acts without desire for fruits.
4. Dharmam of Meditation, singing in praise, prostration before
the lord with love and affection.
And the fourth is the best of all as indicated by the superlative suffix thama:
[MGV adds not simply thama: which itself is superlative, but adhika thama:]
Dear readers, perhaps, now you will ask why all these, when these two slokams
are well known, or on things are already known. The highlight or emphasis, I
want to present before you all, is on the types of dharmam -
The dharmam in this world is predominantly
- performed for material benefits
- for obtaining celestial pleasures
- for attaining salvation
- done with love and affection.
Perhaps we can say, again, this classification is from the very famous bhagavth
geethaa slOkam -
chathur-vidha bhajanthE mam jana: sukrithinO 'rjuna |
arthO jijnasu: arthaarthee jnaani cha bharatharshabha || 7-16
meaning: O best among the Bhaarathaas, four kinds of pious men begin to render
devotional service unto Me -
1. the distressed,
2. the desirer of wealth,
3. the inquisitive,
4. who is searching for knowledge of the Absolute."
Further if we analyse why persons do render devotional service to the lord -
for
- the distressed need material benefits here and now in this world
- the desirer of wealth - may need wealth for doing dharma here
as well in the other world by way of dhaanam, yagnaas etc
- inquisitive - by repeated questioning wants to attain salvation
- searching for knowledge of the absolute simply out of love and
affection - by enjoying his guNaas as in sahasra naama.
Also as bhagavaan himself says in his next slOkam
thEshaam jnaani nithya-yuktha Eka-bhakthir visishyathE |
priyO hi jnaaninO 'thyartham aham sa cha mama priya: || 7-17
meaning: Of these, the one who is in full knowledge and who is always engaged
in pure devotional service is the best. For I am very dear to him, and he is
dear to Me".
Both, the lord as well the devotee have mutual love for each other. This is
what bheeshmaa also said in his elaboration - dharma adhika thama --- yath
bhakthyaa puNdareekaaksham ----'.
Perhaps what the lord said is echoed by bheeshmaa since there was also a small
time lapse in between the dates of geethaa [the first day of war] and bheeshmaa
uttering sahsra naamam [after 18 days of war].
Comments on the above lines are welcome.
Dhasan
Vasudevan m.g.
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