gyAna sAram 32 – mAnidavan ennum

gyAna sAram

Previous pAsuram

Synopsis: 

In the 30^th pAsuram (mAdum manayum), svAmi aruLALa perumAL emberumAnAr talked about a decree of shAsthram that prescribed not to mingle with people who does not regard their AchAryan, who taught and explained the eight syllaballed thirumanthram, as everything to them. In the 31^st pAsuram (vEdham oru nAngin) it was being told that one’s AchAryan, who told the dwaya mahA manthiram that has the sharanAgathi shAsthram in it, his lotus feet is the sole refuge for a person. AchAryan’s greatness was being dealt like this in these two pAsurams. Such an AchAryan, should be perceived as a reincarnation of bhagavAn’s other reincarnations like rAmAvathAram, krishnAvatharam etc. One should enjoy AchAryavathAram as a special reincarnation of sriman nArAyaNan and enjoy it. If a person would not treat his AchAryan as a reincarnation of sriman nArAyaNan and would just see him as just another human being, the impacts of such thoughts is being described in this pAsuram. In addition to this, if a person were to involve in exploring and researching the type and material with which perumAL’s dhivya mangala vigraham (the mUrthy form where perumAL is present in temples), then the impacts of such a research / thoughts are being described in this pAsuram.

thamizh:

English:

“mAnidavan ennum guruvai malar magaL kOn
thAnugandha kOlam ulOgam ennum InamadhA
eNNuginRa nIsar iruvarumE ekkAlum
naNiduvar kIzhAm naragu”

Verbatim Meanings:

Explanation:

mAnidavan ennum guruvai: One should believe in the fact that perumAL sriman nArAyaNan reincarnated in this world as “AchAryan” to uplift the people who are suffering from the ocean of sorrows resulting from continuous births and deaths. Scriptures talk elaborately about nArAyaNan who took a human form (that of an AchAryan). Hence an AchAryan is none other than sriman nArAyaNan HIMSELF. Our shAsthrAs say that if one were to treat his AchAryan as just another human, whatever knowledge he had gained is regarded useless

malar magaL kOn thAnugandha kOlam ulOgam ennum: bhagavAn sriman nArAyaNan, the consort of periya pirAtti, happily dwells in the idol form in temples. HE is very much present in those. However, if a person were to indulge in research about the material and composition of the idol like panchalOkam, wood etc., that by itself is a very sinful act. svAmy nammAzhvAr had described these idol form of sriman nArAyaNan as “umar ugandha uruvam ninuruvam” in thiruvAimozhi 8-1-4.  This means that whatever form a devotee wants to worship sriman nArAyaNan, the latter yields to his requests and happily comes and resides in that idol form. In that idol form, HE manifests HIMSELF in the exact true divine form as any of HIS other forms like one in paramapadham, thirupArkadal etc. This form is nothing but a form that HIS devotee desired HIM to be and so this form becomes divine. In such an idol form which HIS devotee desired HIM to be, HE does come and settle happily with all HIS divine qualities in it. So, the idol becomes divine instantly. In addition to that, whatever ornaments is being adorned by perumAL in that idol form, gets divinity due to the connection with perumAL, contrary to popular worldly beliefs and associations. This would be termed as “aprAkrutham” as per shAsthrAs. The same shAsthrAs severly condemn those who just look on the exterior of the idol and start to research about the material and composition of the idol with which it is made. They treat it as just a metal / wood and do not believe HE actually resides there. This is a sin very cruel. To give an example of how cruel this sin, shAsthrAs say that this research is equal to researching the womb of one’s mother from where a person was born in the first place.

InamadhA eNNuginRa nIsar – to regard it as something very low / cheap. This would include the two groups of people who regard their AchAryan as just another human and those who regard the idol form of perumAL is made of panchalOkam metal etc. The word “nIsar” would describe them as persons below which there are no more inferior persons anywhere. They both are called as acute sinners and so aptly called as “karma chandAlargal” because they have wrongly regarded their AchAryan as human and idol form as just another metal. These two people (nIsar) are regarded as the ultimate low because of their extremely shallow thoughts. It is approrirate to recollect the thamizh phrase “uLLuvadhellAm uyar vaLLal” here. When one should think of greatness, if he thinks of something opposite of greatness, it is to be regarded as a sin.

iruvarumE: The aforementioned two groups of people are clubbed together into one category as “sinners” because of their act. While one disrespect their AchAryan as human being, the other simply dwells on questioning and researching the metal with which the idol is made and ignoring who resides in that very idol form. These two sinners are going to face the same negative consequences that will be discussed in the next paragraph.

ekkAlum naNiduvar kIzhAm naragu: These two sinners will go to hell and will be there forever. Here forever would mean whenever the concept of time exists (i.e. forever). The sort of hell that is being referenced here is very cruel. It is so cruel that there is no other hell that is crueler than this. Hell is a place where there is only suffering, i.e., there is not even an iota of moment where a person experiences happiness or a pause in suffering. Hell is a place where a person suffers continuously without any break in that. These sinners will be there in such a hell not for a fixed amount of time but forever. They would be born in such a hell, be there in such a hell and die there. This cycle would go on and on. There is no break in this cycle ever. They are persons who cannot cross the eternal sufferings of samsAric ocean and reach the other shore. They are such fools that they remain in the ocean of sufferings forever by eternal births and deaths. Hence, for these two sinners, there is no escape route available whatsoever. The concept of associating these two sinners, i.e., those who disregard AchAryan as human and those who disrespect the idol form of perumAL by examining its materials, follow the thamizh grammar known as “udan naviRchi poruL”