SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
thadai kAtti – Revealing the hurdles in the following aspects 1) the knowledge about the relationship which was explained previously, 2) the understanding of supremacy in ISvaran who is the counterpart of such relationship, 3) the exclusive servitude of chEthana towards such bhagavAn, 4) the kainkaryam which is the goal that is explained subsequently as “thivam ennum vAzhvu” and 5) bhagavAn’s divine feet which are the apt means that is explained as “sErndha neRi“. These hurdles are in the form of considering 1) those who are inferior to be the supreme being, 2) those who are not protectors to be the protector, 3) one who is not the controller to be the controller, 4) those who are not lords to be the lord, 5) those who are not to be meditated upon being treated as object of meditation, 6) that which is not AthmA to be AthmA, 7) dependent self to be independent, 8) those which are not means to be the means, 9) those who are not relatives to be relatives, 10) that which is not enjoyment to be enjoyment, 11) self enjoyment in kainkaryam to bhagavAn and 12) ahankAram (considering body to be soul) and mamkAram (considering self to be indpendent) which are the root for all of the hurdles mentioned here. This collection of hurdles is shown in makAram which ends with sixth case, in sakaNda [broken part-by-part] nama: as per kAkAkshi nyAyam (crow uses one eye to see left and right), where nama: is read along with first and the last word [of thirumanthram] and the same word nama: itself in the middle as said in “rAjan puratha: prusthathaSchaiva sthAnathaScha viSEshatha: | namasA vIkshyathE rAjan” and in ashta SlOkee 2 “IkshithEna puratha: paSchAthaapi sthAnatha:” (nama: is seen along with praNavam, nama: and nArAyaNAya).
Such hurdles are shown in
- “nArAyaNam parithyajya hrudhistham pathim ISvaram | yOnyam archayathE dhEvam prabhudhyA sa pApabhAk ||” (One who worships other dhEvathAs abandoning SrIman nArAyaNan who is sarvESvaran, is consuming sins)
- “svAthanthryam anya SEshathvam AthmApaharaNam vidhu:” (Know that independence and being dependent on anyone other than bhagavAn are equivalent to stealing of self)
- “IshAdhanyArha SEshathvam virudhdham thyAjyamEva thath” (Even a little bit of servitude is contrary to the nature of AthmA and that should be given up)
- prAjApathya smruthi “vAsudhEvam parithyajya yOnyam dhEvam upAsathE | thrushithO jAhnavithIrE kUpam khanathi dhurmathi: |” (Giving worship of vAsudhEva and worshipping other dhEvathAs is similar to an ignorant person digging a well on the banks of gangA to quench his thirst)
- lakshmI thanthram “sakrudhEvahi SAsthrArtha: kruthOyam dhArayEnnaram | upAyApAya samyOgE nishtayA hIyathEnayA l apAya samplavE sadhya: prAyaSchiththam samAcharEth || prAyaSchiththiriyam sAthra yath puna: SaraNam vrajEth | upAyAnAm upEyathva svIkArEpyEthadhEvahi ||” (A chEthana who has performed surrender just once will be protected. When the other upAyams, which are dangerous, are pursued by such person, he is considered to have slipped from his surrender. When such forbidden acts are performed unintentionally, he must atone for that. The atonement is nothing but performing the act of surrendering, again. This is the atonement for considering other upAyams as proper upAyam as well)
- “vishayANAnthu samsargAth yObibharthi sukam nara: | nruthyatha: paNina: chAyAm viSramAyASrEyatha sa: ||” (The person who tries to enjoy bliss through worldly pleasures is similar to resting under the shade of a snake which is dancing with expanded hoods)
- jithanthE sthOthram 17 “ahankArArtha kAmEshu prIthirathyaiva naSyathu” (Let all my pride, desire for worldly materials etc be destroyed)
As said in these pramANams, here it is very clearly revealed both directly and through matching internal explanations, that these hurdles are misunderstandings towards parathvam (bhagavAn’s supremacy) etc.
Subsequently, as said in “sAdhanam namasA thathA” (nama: is said to be the means) and “thasmAchchathurthayA manthrasya pradham dhAsyam uchyathE” (Thus, Aya (fourth case) in the thirumanthram explains servitude), viLAnjOlaip piLLai is mercifully explaining the meaning of nama: which is the means and Aya, the explicit fourth case which reveals apt kinchithkAram (a little servitude) at all places, all times and all states.
umbar thivam ennum vAzhvukkuch chErndha neRi kAttum avan – As said in “dhEvAnAm pUrayOdhyA” (ayOdhyA, the city of the dhEvas) and thiruvAimozhi 3.9.9 “vAnavar nAdu” (the abode of nithyasUris), being at full disposal of nithyasUris who are superior to everyone in this material realm, and known as in thiruvAimozhi 9.7.5 “theLi visumbu thiru nAdu” (The divine abode which is supremely clear sky), mahAbhAratham “athyarkAnaladhIptham thadh sthAnam vishNOr mahAthmana: I svayaiva prabhayA rAjan dhushprEksham dhEvadhAnavai: II” (that dwelling place of mahAthmA (supreme being) vishNu is superior to sUrya and agni (fire) in terms of its radiance; it cannot be seen by dhEvas (celestial entities) and asuras (demons) with their splendour), purusha sUktham says thripAdhasyAmrutham dhivi (paramapadham is three times the size of leelA vibhUthi (materialistic realm)), “thripAdh virAt” (the world which is much bigger), paramapadham is in the form of enjoyment, tools for enjoyment and abode of enjoyment for sarvESvaran; AchAryan is the one who reveals the apt means for eternal kainkaryam in such paramapadham, as said in chAndhOgya upanishath 8-15-1 “na cha punaravarthathE” (there is no returning from that place), brahma sUthram 4.4.22 “anAvaruththiS SabdhAth” (SAsthram says that there is no return from paramapadham) and thiruvAimozhi 4.10.11 “mItchiyinRi vaigundha mAnagar” (Those who can recite them, will have the great abode SrIvaikuNtam which is present in the other side, from where there is no return), without having to return to samsAram.
umbar thivam – Just as dhESika (AchArya [even bhagavAn is an AchArya]) is identified by his followers, the abode is also identified by the residents [who are devotees of bhagavAn]. The reason for saying thivam (land), is because this is the land known as “ponnulagu” (golden world) and it is the apt abode as said in thaiththirIya bhrugu valli 10.5 “Etham Anandhamayam AthmAnam upasangramya | imAn lOkAn kAmAnnI kAmarUpyanusancharan |” (Approaching the blissful bhagavAn, assuming the desired forms, following the lord in his desires and worlds, AthmA is singing the sAma gAnam) instead of being hurdle due to independent roaming around.
vAzhvukku – It appears that vAzhchchi and nithya kainkaryam are synonyms. It is said in nAchchiyAr thirumozhi 8.9 “vEngadaththaip padhiyAgi vAzhvIrgAL!” (Oh dear clouds which are like exulting elephants, rising uproariously, having thiruvEngadamalai as your residence).
sErndha neRi – Matching means. It is said as “vAzhvukkuch chErndha neRi” to emphasise the union of means and goal, where bhagavAn who is to be pursued is the means and bhagavAn who is to be served is the goal. viLAnjOlaip piLLai is mercifully indicating the greatness of upAyam which is explained in upAya vaibhava prakaraNam in SrIvachana bhUshaNam in sUthram 54 “idhu thannaip pArththAl” etc, with the attribute “sErndha“.
Since it is said as “sErndha neRi” (matching means), there should also be “sErAdha neRi” (means which does not match the goal). That is as said in “bhakthyA paramayAvApi” (Either with bhakthi or the great prapaththi) and “mOksha sAdhanathvEna vEdhAnthangaLil vihithamAy” (Ordained in vEdhAntham as means for liberation), being attained by the seven means such as vivEka etc, in the form of dhruvAnusmruthi (continuous meditation), bhakthi which is very much unmatching for the goal which was explained previously and which will grant the result in a delayed manner.
kAttum avan anRO AchAryan – viLAnjOlaip piLLai is saying – in this manner, sadhAchAryan (true AchAryan) is the one who explains in a very easily understandable manner and very clear manner through instruction of thirumanthram about 1) para svarUpam (the true nature of bhagavAn) which is having two distinguished identities (being the abode of all auspicious qualities and being the opposite of all faults) in “ambon arangarkku“, 2) sva svarUpam (the true nature of self) which is exclusively dependent on such bhagavAn in “Avikku“, 3) the virOdhi svarUpam (hurdles) which are to be abandoned in “thadai“, 4) the attainment of purushArtha (goal) after elimination of such hurdles in “thivam ennum vAzhvukku” and 5) upAya svarUpam (means) which is matching such goal in “sErndha neRi“.
Only for the one who instructs in this manner, AchArya lakshaNam (clear identity of being an AchAryan) is present as said in “AchinOthihi SAsthrArthAn AchArE sthApayathyapi | svayam AcharathE yasthu sa AchArya ithIritha: ||” (One who learns the meanings of SAsthrams is AchAryan, practices it and teaches them to others, is known as AchAryan). viLAnjOlaip piLLai is mercifully saying “kAttumavan anRO AchAryan” indicating the popularity of the principle keeping in mind the divine words of piLLai lOkAchAryar in SrIvachana bhUshaNam 316 “nErE AchAryan enbadhu – samsAra nivarthakamAna periya thirumanthraththai upadhESiththavanai” (The direct AchArya is the one who instructed the great ashtAksharam which eliminates samsAra).
We will see the next pAsuram in the next article.
adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan
archived in http://divyaprabandham.koyil.org
pramEyam (goal) – http://koyil.org
pramANam (scriptures) – http://granthams.koyil.org
pramAthA (preceptors) – http://acharyas.koyil.org
SrIvaishNava education/kids portal – http://pillai.koyil.org