SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
Introduction
viLANjOlaip piLLai is saying “Just as the disciple who receives instructions will have his nature destroyed when he lacks love towards his AchAryan, the AchAryan who gives instructions will also have his nature destroyed when the following things are done 1) considering self who teaches to others to be the AchArya 2) consider the disciple to be one’s own disciple and 3) analyisng the birth of those SrIvaishNavas who have natural servitude, and thus seeking to prove their inferiority.
pAsuram
en pakkal OdhinAr innAr enum iyalvum
en pakkal nanmai enum iyalvum – man pakkal
sEvikkArkku anbudaiyOr sanma nirUpaNamum
Avikku nErE azhukku
Word-by-word meanings
en pakkal – in me
innAr – “such and such persons
OdhinAr – since they learnt important principles, they are my disciples”
enum – such
iyalvum – bad quality
en pakkal – in me
nanmai – “the goodness of being an AchAryan, is present”
enum iyalvum – such bad quality
man pakkal – towards emperumAn who is the lord of all
sEvippArkku – for those who render eternal service with love
anubudaiyOr – for SrIvaishNavas who are very affectionate towards
sanma nirUpaNamum – identifying them by their birth (thus, these three qualities)
Avikku – for the AthmA who is filled with gyAnam and Anandham
nErE – directly, instead of indirectly
azhukku – will cause destruction of the true nature
Simple Explanation
For the AthmA who is filled with gyAnam and Anandham, the three aspects which are bad qualities, viz. 1) thinking that since such and such persons learnt important principles from me, they are my disciples, 2) thinking that the goodness of being an AchAryan is present in me and 3) identifying SrIvaishNavas who are very affectionate towards those who render eternal service with love towards emperumAn who is the lord of all, by their birth, will directly cause destruction of the true nature.
vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
en pakkal … – While some persons acquire knowledge from self, that person should think about self as the chief among the ignorant ones as said in thiruvAimozhi 6.9.8 “aRivilEn” (for me who is ignorant), yathirAja vimSathi 20 “agyOham” (I am ignorant) and “agyAnAm agragaNyam mAm” (I am the foremost among the ignorant ones) and should consider self and those other persons to be discussing bhagavath vishayam together as said in SrI bhagavath gIthA 10.9 “bOdhayantha: parasparam“; instead, thinking “these persons are learning these important principles under me and hence they are my Sishyas” is this bad quality.
Is that all? [No]
en pakkal nanmai enum iyalvum – In this manner, while imparting knowledge to others, one should be thinking self’s AchAryan as the teacher as said in thiruvAimozhi 7.9.2 “en mun sollum mUvuruvA” (the causal lord who is present as one, having three forms, who is the amazing lord residing in me and reciting the pAsurams before me) and considering self to be the primary student as said in “SrOthrushuprathama: svayam” (self is the first listener) and considering the students to be class-mates; instead, considering self to be the teacher and those students to be self’s disciples, thinking “I am imparting such knowledge which was unknown to such and such persons previously”, is this bad quality. iyalvu – svabhAvam (nature).
Since the one who has such considerations is inflicted with ahankAram, as per the statement “dAmbhikam krOdhinam mUrkam thathAhankAra dhUshitham thyaktha dharmancha viprEndhra gurum prAgyO na kalpayEth” (Oh best among brAhmaNas! One who is covered by showing off, anger and foolishness and who has given up righteousness, will not be considered as guru by wise persons), he cannot be considered as an AchAryan.
Is that all? [No]
man pakkal sEvikkArkku anbudaiyOr sanma nirUpaNamum – Similarly, for those who render eternal service towards emperumAn, the lord of all, who is praised in nArAyaNa sUktham “pathim viSvasya” (lord of the universe) , sahasranAmam “jagathpathim” (lord of the universe), thiruvAimozhi 2.7.2 “nAraNan muzhuvEzhulagukkum nAdhan” (nArAyaNan, the lord of the whole universe), thiruppAvai 28 “iRaivA” (Oh lord), as said in linga purANam “snEha pUrvam anudhyAnam bhakthirithi abhidhIyathE | bhaja ithyEsha dhAthurvai sEvAyAm parikIrthitha:” (bhakthi is the continuous meditation with love, it is rooted in the concept of rendering service), there are those SrIvaishNavas who have natural servitude, rendering all types of services, with great love, as said in thiruvAimozhi 3.7.4 “nadaiyA udaith thirunAraNan thoNdar thoNdar” (those who are servitors of the servitors of such emperumAn, are our distinguished supreme lords permanently in every moment of every birth); analysing the birth of such SrIvaishNavas which is equated to analysing the chastity of one’s own mother as said in “archAvathArOpAdhAna vaishNavOthpaththi chinthanam | mAthruyOni parIkshAyAs thulyamAhur manIshiNa: ||” (Analysing the raw material of archA vigraham and judging a vaishNava based on his birth, are said to be at par with analysing the reproductive organ of one’s mother by wise persons).
janma nirUpaNam – jAthi nirUpaNam – analysing one’s birth. This is upalakshaNam (sample) for both the offence and loss. As said in “bhagavadhbhakthi dhIpAgni dhagdha dhurjAthi kilbhisha:” (The defect of being born in a lowly birth will be burnt down by devotion towards bhagavAn) etc, as viSvAmithra’s kshathriyathvam (being a king by birth) got eliminated, as it is said that by bhagavAn’s mercy, one’s inferior birth will be eliminated, analysing their birth will be like considering a non-existing fact.
anbu udaiyOr – As said in “nidhi udaiyOr” (those who have wealth). There is no greater wealth than this [love towards SrIvaishNavas].
anbu udaiyOr sanma nirUpaNamum Avikku nErE azhukku – It appears that analysing the birth of others (non-SrIvaishNavas) is not a defect [Though it should not be done, it appears that way].
sanma Avikku nErE azhukku – For the AthmA which is shining, the two aspects identified in the beginning and this analysing of SrIvaishNavas’ birth which is counted as the first one in bhAgavatha apachAram, are defects. Alternative explanation – not having love towards one’s AchAryan, and these three aspects which are mentioned in this pAsuram, are defects for AthmA which is said as in SrIvishNu purANam “AthmA gyAnamayOmala:” (AthmA is filled with knowledge and faultless); yet another explanation – just as not having love towards AchAryan who gave artha panchaka gyAnam is directly destructive for the AthmA, these three aspects starting with “en pakkal OdhinAr innAr enum iyalvu” are directly destructive.
nErE azhukku – Unlike ahankAra, artha, kAma etc which are causing defect indirectly [through the body], these are causing defect directly. The cruel nature is as said in SrIvachana bhUshaNam sUthram 308 “krUra nishidhdham” (very cruel).
Thus, in this pAsuram, viLAnjOlaip piLLai is mercifully explaining the meanings which are explained in SrIvachana bhUshaNam sUthram 309 “thannai mARAdi ninaikkaiyAvadhy – thannai AchAryan enRu ninaikkai” (Considering wrongly about self is – thinking that the self is AchArya) etc, SrIvachana bhUshaNam sUthram 350 “manassukkuth thImaiyAvadhu – svaguNaththaiyum, bhagavath bhAgavatha dhOshaththaiyum ninaikkai” (Evil aspect of the mind – meditating upon the good qualities of self and meditating upon the defects of bhagavAn and bhAgavathas) etc by the first half of the pAsuram, and in SrIvachana bhUshaNam sUthram 194 “bhAgavatha apachArandhAn anEka vidham” (Mistakes/offences committed towards bhAgavathas are of many types), SrIvachana bhUshaNam sUthram 195 “adhilE onRu avargaL pakkal janma nirUpaNam” (Judging them by their birth is one among those), by the second half of the pAsuram.
We will see the next pAsuram in the next article.
adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan
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