Anantha Somayaji was one of the 74 simhaasanaadhipathis chosen by Sri
Ramanuja. He lived in Kanchi with his son PuNdareekaaksha, who had a son ?
AnanthasUri by name and who studied all saasthras. When he was of
marriageable age, Pundarikaksha approached AppuLLAr with a request that the
latter?s sister Tottarambha might be given as Kanya dhanam to his son.
AppuLLAr prayed to the Lord Varada for guidance in this matter. That night
Lord appeared in his dream sand said, Give your consent. By this marriage,
a great acharya will be born who will work for the good of the world by his
precept and practice?. Next morning, Appullar met Pundarikaksha and said
that the Lord himself had approved the wedding. On an auspicious day, the
marriage was held. Ananthasuri and Tottarambha began to lead an ideal
householder?s life in their house at Thuppul opposite to the shrine of Lord
Deepaprakasa. Years passed by and their desire to beget a son grew. They
praysed to the Lord for a son. They started on a pilgrimage and visited
several divya desams, bathing in several holy rivers and sacred pushkarnis.
At last they came to Thirumala. They bathed in Swami pushkarini and paid
obeisance to Lord Varaha first on its bank and then went into the temple of
Lord Srinivasa and worshipped Him with great devotion. They also prayed to
the Lord for a son.
After the evening worship, the devoted and pure minded couple went to sleep.
In the later part of the night Lord Srinivasa appeared in their dream and
said, ?AnanthasUri, here is a son of wonderful powers for you. ?Having said,
he gave him the hand bell (ganTAmaNi) of the sannidhi. Tottaramba had
swallowed it. She also had such a dream of having swallowed the Divine Bell.
At dawn they both woke up and shared their dream and were feeling extremely
happy.
In the morning, the Bhattar (priest) of the sannidhi came in to conduct the
morning Aradhana. When he opened the door, he found the gaNTAmaNi missing
and reported the matter to authorities. Suspecting the servants, they were
making enquiries. Just at that time, the Thirumalai jeeyer the religious
head appeared on the scene and said that he had a wonderful dream in which
he saw the Lord Himself giving the Bell to the devoted pilgrim couple and so
nobody need be punished. When the authorities sent for AnantasUri and hios
wife they also mentioned about the dream and confirmed. Still there was an
air of suspicion. Suddenly the Jeer fell into a trance and the Lord through
the Jeer spoke: Do not suspect anyone. We ourselves gave the bell to
AnanthasUri. We will take birth as his son by means of this gaNTAmaNi, who
will establish the Vaidika dharma as propounded by ancient sages and the
Holy AzhwArs. From this day on, our worship will be conducted without the
gaNTAmaNi. ? Even today, this command is strictly followed and no maNi is
rung at sannidhi. There is only a huge bell in the front hall outside that
is rung.
Next day Anantasuri and Tottarambha took leave of the Lord after worhsipping
him and returned to Kanchi with great joy.
Returning from Tirumala, Tottarambha was thus blessed to become pregnant.
With the growth of the divine child in her womb day by day, her whole body
shone with extraordinary lustre. It was the month Purattasi in the year
Vibhava according to Tamil almanac (September- October 1268 CE) Sravana
nakshathra (ThiruvONam star) a day that is dedicated to Lord Srinivasa at
Thirumala, in which a special function is conducted at the conclusion of the
annual Brahmmothsavam when thousands of devotees, old and young, rich and
poor, congregate bathe in scared waters of Swami pushkariNi tank, when the
deity has ablution and experience immense joy. On the very sacred day
Tottarambha gave birth to a baby at the most auspicious moment. After the
conduct of the preliminary ceremonies the infant was given the name of Sri
Venkatanatha, the name of Lord Venkatesa since the child was born by His
grace and that too on the day dedicated to him.
Sri Venkatanatha himself gives us information about his parentage, birth
etc., in the Prastavana (Prologue) of his play Sankalpa Sooryodhaya. It is
considered by wise men that the bell of Hari was born as Vedantha Desika.
This is done on the strength of abundant and appropriate reasons.
uthprEkshyathE budha janaihrupapatti bhUmnA ghaNTa harai samajanishta
yadAthmanEthi. [sankalpa sooryodhaya- Act 1.14]
The contemporaries and successor of Vedanta Desika were so much impressed
with his superior knowledge and service to humanity, by means of his works
in Sanskrit and Tamil as well as his discourses that they considered him as
an incarnation of Lord Venkateswara Himself or of Sri Ramanuja. Sri Desika?s
son Sri Kumaravaradacharya, in his Desika mangaLa sthOthra mentions the
same: May all auspiciousness be with Sri Vedantha Desika about whom
different views are held that he is an incarnation of Lord Venkatesa or he
was the his Divine Bell incarnate or a part of Acharya Ramanuja himself.
vEnkatESAvathArOyam thadgaNTASOthavaath bhavEth |
yatheendrAmSOThavEthyEvam vitharkyAyAsthu mangaLam ||
Again, Kumara varadacharya mentions in Tamil Desika Prabandham PiLLai
anthAdhi, an eulogy on Sri desika- In times of yore, Bhagawaan created the
world and revealed the Vedas and the Saasthras pregnant with noble ideas.
Then he showed and installed himself with great love as Lord Srinivasa at
Tirumala. Later on in Kaliyuga, he took birth as Venkatanatha, the acharya
endowed with world wide repute and dispelled the evils prevalent on earth.
anRu ivvulaginaiaakki arum poruL nool viritthu ninRu than neeL pugazh
vENkatamaamalai mEvippinnum venRi pugazh THIRUVENKATANATHAN enRum Guruvaay
ninRu nigazhndhu maN mEl ninRa nOygaL thavirtthananE?
Dindima Kavi (in 14th century) who was a junior contemporary of Vedanta
Desika pays tribute to Swamy?s greatness as follows:
There was confusion all around as a result of turbid nature of Kaliyuga; the
Vedas were in great distress; (because of misinterpretation); wise saying of
the seers were completely ignored; there was an unholy intermixture of all
castes; and quite in consonance with this sorry state, all sacred epics and
puranas lost their validity; the maayaavaada was in all glee; and the school
of nihilism (soonya vada) was having undisputed acceptance by all. It was at
this critical juncture that Sri Vedanta Desika came into this world as an
incarnation of the great ringing divine bell of VishNu for the establishment
of Dharma and its protection. He shines all victorious.
vEdhE sanjAthaKhEthE munijana vachanE prApta nitvAmsamAnE
sankeerNE sarvavarNE sathithadhanuguNE nishpramANE purANE
mAyAvAdhE samOdhE kali kalusha vachAth SoonyavAdhE vivAdhE
dharmathrANAya yObhUth sa jayathi BHAGAWAAN VISHNU GANTAVATHORA:
[Dindima kavi]
PrathivAdi Bhayankaram Annan (1300- 1400 CE) who was a junior contemporary
of Swamy desika and a disciple of Sri Kumaravaracharya, gives in a nutshell
all about the parentage, birth and education of Swamy desika in his
saptapatiratna malika as follows:
Swamy Desika belonged to Viswamithra gothra, and was the grandson of
Pundarikaksha- a master of several sacrifices and the son of Anathasuri like
the moon that comes out of the ocean, rose from the womb of the gem among
mothers, Tottarambha by name. He was admired and blessed by Sri Varadaguru
(Nadadur Ammal). He learn all saasthras from his acharya- Sri
Vaadhihamsaambhuvaaha (Sri Appullar). He was the father of Kumara varadarya
Nainacharya. He was equal to Bhagawaan Purushotthama in being endowed with
all auspicious qualities and was adorned by the title of Sarvathanthra
swathanthar [master of all sciences].
Putro ananthArya soorE.. purusa- sama guNa: ? varadagurumatha sarvathanthra
swathanthra: [Saptapati ratna malika]
Venkatanatha:- the precocious Boy
Samskaras like Jatakarana, Namakarana, anna praasana and Chaula are laid
down by saasthras to a child from the time of birth onwards at different
periods of its life. Anantasuri conducted duly all of them to his son,
Venkatanatha and the child gerw up in an atmosphere of devotion to Bhagawaan
and his bhakthas and of spiritual knowledge.
Even as a young boy Sri Venkatanatha was very intelligent and quick in
grasping and remembering things. His maternal uncle Sri appuLLAr took a
great interest in his upbringing. He would take him to the temple of Lord
Varadaraja. Venkatanatha would worship the Lord with folded hands and as
much as devotion as his uncle did. He would listen from him the stories of
Rama, Krishna avatarams, and about their qualities, exploits all of which
left a deep impression in child?s mind at such a tender age of five. After
writing many books of learning and high philosophy, Sri Venkatanatha himself
writes in Rahaysathrayasara: his magnum opus, thus:- All that I have said so
far- is the result of the training given to me by my uncle and Acharya,
Appullar with love and perseverance even as the words of a pet parrot are ?
that has been taught by its loving and caring master.
It was a memorable day in the life of Sri Venkatanatha when he was just a
boy of five. Appullar took him as usual to the temple of Varada where his
acharya Nadaur Ammal was expounding Sri Bhashya to his disciples. The bright
and promising five year old boy Venkatanatha attracted everyone?s attention,
including that of Sri Nadadur Ammal. Ammal enquired about him and his
upbringing. Hence there was a break in the instruction. All of them were as
much absorbed in hearing about the boy that they forgot the trend of the
lesson. The young boy, with the permission of the teacher, lisped out the
words to the surprise of all. Nadadur ammAL was so much pleased and overawed
by the intelligence of the boy that he immediately blessed him with long
life, right knowledge and world wide reputation.
prathishtApitha vEdAntha: prathikshiptha bahirmatha:
bhUyAsthrai vidhya mAnyasthvam bhUrikalyANa bAjanam
[sankalpa suryodhayam]
You will establish Vedantha on a firm basis and refute that doctrine of its
opponents. May you be held in great esteem by scholars well versed in three
Vedas. May you be the recipient of all that is auspicious in great measure.
This sloka occupies a unique place in the life of Venkatanatha. It is like a
fertile seed sown in his mind from which grew beautiful garden of his
scholastic life. Even today we can see a picture connected with this
incident painted in colour on the ceiling in front of Kacci Vaitthaan
mandapam in Varadaraja temple. In it, Acharya Nadadur ammAL blesses the boy
Venkatanatha who stands besides his uncle with respect.
Again this sloka is seen in Act II of the drama Sankalpa suryodhaya of Swamy
Desikan where an acharya who is a sanyaasi, blesses a young disciple with
this same sloka when he is about to go out into the world to establish the
authoritativeness of Vishstadvaita philosophy by refuting the arguments of
other schools of thought. It is revealed that the Acharya is none other than
Sri Ramanuja and the disciple Vedantha Desika. Swamy desikan had a desire to
have Acharya Ramanuja as his own acharya and he fulfilled the desire with
this play. As Ramanuja appeared in 11h century and Swamy Desika in 13th
century, such a thing was not possible. Swamy satisfied himself with this at
least on a stage in a drama. So he introduced two characters in his drama,
one Ramanuja and the other Desikan thus getting the blessing directly from
Yathiraja, although idneirectly. Turning to his disciple AppuLLAr, Nadadur
ammAL said: Teach your nephew all saasthras and make him a full fledged
scholar. I would like to teach myself. But I am too old for that. He will
certainly prove to be a great Acharya and spread the teaching of our own
acharya Sri Ramanuja. Appullar took leave of his master and went home with
venkatanatha.
At the age of seven, Anantasuri conducted the upanayanam samskara ]the
investiture of the sacred thread and the initiation into Gayatri mantra] to
his son Venkatanatha. From that day, Appullar took charge of educating
Venkanatha and began the teaching of the several saasthras. There was no
need for the teacher to repeat next day the previous day?s lesson since the
pupil was able to grasp and remember it by hearing it just once.
Venkatanatha studied all the Vedas with all its six auxiliaries. [siksha-
phonetics; Chandhas- Prose; vyAkaraNa- grammar; niruktha- etymology;
Jyothis- Astronomy and Kalpa-ritual or ceremonial. The first two are for
correct pronunciation and recitation of the Vedas; the next two are for
understanding them correctly and the last two for their applications] He
also studied tarkka, and meemaamsa, and acquired mastery over systems of
philosophy Saankhya and Yoga, Dvaita and Advaita, Bhaskara and Pasupatha,
Budhha and Jaina.
The following slokas of Saptapati ratnamalika (26-29) give us a detailed
list of the saasthras studied and mastered by Sri Venkatanatha.
[Let us read only the translations]
26. Sri Venkanatha, the Sarvathanthra swathanthrar- and the son of
Anantasuri, was like the Sage Vyasa himself in the knowledge of the Vedas
with their various methods of recitation like Jata, Varna and Carca and of
the Kalpa sutras during the conduct of the rituals.
27. He was an expert in the proper interpretation of the subtle thoughts of
the various smrithis written by Sages Bharadwaja, Saandilya, Harita and
others. His mastery over the Puranas and the Agamas was unique.
28. He had an extraordinary skill in the sciences of Astrology, Prosody and
Grammar and was perfectly acquainted with epic poetry, drama and poetics. He
was the creator as it were, of the Karma ? meemaamsa and Brahmma meemaamsa.
29. He was the victor in disputations by refuting the proud arguments of
those belonging to the various schools of though like Sankhya and Yoga,
Bhatta and Prabhakara, Saiva and Sankara, Yadava and Bhaskara and Buddha and
Jaina.
All this Sri Venkatanatha was able to do even before he was twenty years of
age as stated by himself in Sankalpa Suryodhaya [1.15]
?vimSathyabdE visutha nAnAvidhavidya:
At the end of study- period (Brahmmacharya) Sri Venkatanatha entered into
the grahasthasrama [the life of a house holder] by marrying one Thirumangai,
suited to him in all respects. He scrupulously observed the duties of that
asrama like the dial;y worship of fire [aupasana] at home, visit to the
temple of Lord Varadaraja for worship, Bhagavadh Aradahana and athithi
pooja, He had a very simple and austere life devoid of all luxury and
comfort. Every day after finishing his morning rites, he would go around the
temple, along the streets reciting the sthothras and songs of the Lord to do
what his known as uncchavritthi (gleaning of the grains). Whatever was
offered voluntarily by the residents at Kanchi he gathered and brought it
home. His dutiful wife would receive it and prepare a simple food. At noon,
he would worship the household deity Varada and offer the food to the Lord.
Then he would take it as Prasada [the gift of the gracious God].
Appullar was very much pleased with the qualities and the way of life of
Venkatanatha. He wished to widen him knowledge and enrich him. So he
initiated him into Vainatheya mantra (Garuda mantra) and advised him to
concentrate on the manthra and meditate upon Garuda to acquire his grace.
When he began to think of a suitable place for his meditation on Garuda, it
struck him that Aindhai (Thiruvaheendrapuram) would be an ideal place;
because there is a river, Garuda nadhi by name as well as a mountain named
OushAdhri, both of which have been sanctified by the divine presence of
Gaudra himself. He left Kanchi and proceeded to that shrine. There first he
bathed in the sacred Garuda nadhi and worshipped Lord Devanatha and His
consort Hemambhuja nayika in the temple. Then he went to the top of the
Hill, Oushaadhri and chose a lonely place at the foot of a big and shady
Asvattha tree. Being seated, he controlled his mind and senses and began to
meditate on Garuda. Some days passed in deep meditation. Garuda, the deity
who is Veda incarnate, appeared before Venkatanatha and after initiating him
in the mantra of Lord Hayagriva, the horse faced Supreme God presiding over
all knowledge and instructed him to propitiate that god by meditation.
Venkatanatha engaged himself in that act with great perseverance for
sometime till Hayagriva was pleased and appeared before him. The Lord
bestowed on him the nectar of knowledge flowing from his mouth. The devout
Vankatanatha was full of joy with the blessing and at once realized that a
complete knowledge of all sciences was at his back and call by the grace of
Lord Hayagriva. He prayed that the Lord should be pleased to enthrone
himself at the tip of his tongue so that every word of his should be correct
and authoritative because of this divine origin and it should be all
right-thinking people as such ? Here is his prayer to Lord Hayagriva:
Oh Lord! In the assemblies of erudite scholars and in the arena of batches
of cleve men, when I begin to speak with a desire to defeat the best of
poets and dialecticians, be pleased to take the seat on the throne of the
tip of my tongue.
viSEshavith parisadhEshu nATha! vidhagdhagOshti samarAnganEshu |
jigeeshathOmE kavitaarkkakEndrAn JIHVAAGRA SIMHAASANAMABHYUPEYAH ||
The prayer was granted ? Venkatanatha realized that deep thoughts and
melodious words were raising within him waiting for the suitable time and
place to stream forth. He began to compose works in poetry and prose,
Sanskrit and Prakrit, in Tamil and manipravala. There are more than 120
compositions to his erudite which came out one after another in the course
of his life as occasions arose. Some are in the form of lyrics on God and
Goddess; some on their paraphernalia [weapons]; and attendants; some on
fundamental doctrine of Ramanuja philosophy. Many are his original works and
rare commentaries on the work of earlier acharyas like Sri Yamunacharya and
Sri Ramanujacharya.
Sri Venkatanatha was the master of all scriptural texts like the Vedas and
the Upanishads, Agamas and Puranas (epics written by sages). He had a
perfect knowledge of mantra saasthra (science of mystic syllables). He has
incorporated the mantras presided over by several deities in his works for
the benefit of seekers. Movement of the divine constellations and geography
of the world sculpture and architecture, state craft and sorcery, music and
dance, poetry and drama, prosody and poetics, ethics were all at his
finger?s ends. He was the writer of an epic poem, a miracle play a dance
drama. He was familiar with other literary writes like Kalidasa and Bhasa,
Bana, and Bhavabuti. In short there was no branch of knowledge literary or
scientific, in which he was not proficient.
[The life history is from the beautiful book "The life and works of Sri
Nigamantha Mahadesikan written by Prof A Srinivasaraghavachariar]
Friday, February 2, 2007
Swami as Kavi Kesari
One of the easiest ways to get to know about the life and work of
SvAmi Venkatanathan is through the prefatory verse, called 'tanian',
with which you are all familiar. We recite it at the beginning of all
his works. And also through the colophon recited at the end viz.:
srimAn venkata nAThArya kavitArkika kEsari
vEdAntAchArya varyOmE sannidhatAm sadAhrudi
kavitArkika simhAya kalyANa guNashAlinE
srimathE venkateshEyA vEdAnta guravE namaha
In the first verse we say, "May Venkatanathan ever reside in our
hearts" ("venkata nathArya ... sannidhatAm sadAhrudi"). And through
the second, we say, "Our obeisance to Venkatanathan"
("venkatEshAya... namaha"). Now, why do we express such sentiments of
deep reverence to Swami Venkatanathan? Is it because he was:
(1) a "kavi-kEsari" -- a glorious poet?
(2) a "tArkika-simham" -- a lion amongst philosophers?
(3) a "kalyANa guNa shAlin" -- a person of rare and sublime human
qualities?
(4) a "vEdAntAchAryA" or "vEdAnta-guru" -- a preceptor or guru who
showed The Way, the "Art of Living", to followers not only of his
times but to posterity as well?
The answer is: The memory of Swami Venkatanathan deserves to be
remembered for all 4 reasons above but especially for the last
mentioned i.e. as a Vedantic 'guru' he showed us how we must live out
the time given to us on earth and the purpose to be achieved.
Let us begin however with the first of the 4 reasons:
As a "kavi-kesari", a poet in many languages, Venkatanathan was
peerless in his times and after. Before him, the only poet of perhaps
equal stature, in terms of both quality and output, was the legendary
KalidAsa. To this day scholars find it impossible to adequately
describe the range and power of his poetic prowess.
Desikan wrote extensively in Sanskrit and Tamil and to a lesser
extent in PrAkrut and ManipravAlam. His collection of Tamil poetry is
known today as 'dEsika-prabhandham' and enjoys a status equal to that
of the inspired outpourings of the mystic AzhwArs.
In Sanskrit, he composed well over 2000 stanzas of exquisite Sanskrit
poetry on a variety of religious themes but mostly in praise of
Deities of famous temple-towns like SriRangam, Tiruvengadam, Kanchi
and a host of others. His poetry flowed in a dazzling variety of
forms such as short couplets and long quatrains, 'stOtra', 'gadyam',
'dandakam', all in every known metric rhythm possible -- from the
simple 'mAlini' metre to the long-winded 'sArdUlavikreedita'. In his
famous work praising the Lord at Tiruvengadam, titled 'dayA-satakam',
Desikan composed 108 stanzas in 10 different metres each being most
appropriate to the underlying theme of the verse.
Desikan's poetic inspiration was pure magic and almost superhuman in
genius. One evening in SriRangam, where Desikan lived and worked
several years, a rival poet contemptuously challenged him to compose
poetry on the most shabby and un-poetic of themes on earth -- a pair
of common footwear! Next morning Desikan astounded the rival, and the
rest of the world too, with a poetic work of 1000 stanzas entitled
"PadukA-sahasram"! One thousand stanzas in Sanskrit of the highest
order, in praise of the sacred Sandals of Lord Ranganatha, the Deity
of the temple! Written in one sitting within the course of one night!
Desikan was hailed "kavi-kEsari" also because he was an acknowledged
master of phonetics and linguistics. He could create beautiful sounds
out of words. He could also weave, with equal ease and felicity,
meaningful words out of pure sound.
As an example of the first case, we can turn to 2 particular verses
in the 'stotra' of "kAmAsikAshtakam" where Desikan evokes the
fearsome, awe-inspiring image of "jvAla-nrsimha", the man-lion
'avatAr' of NarayAnA. In these 2 stanzas, composed as they are of
hard syllables and harsh, guttural-sounding consonants, the words are
made to sound like the roars of an angry lion. Listen to the
following:
vikasvara nakha svaru xata hiraNya vaxaH sthalii
nirargala vinirgalad.h R^idhira sindhu sandhyaayitaaH.
avantu madanaasikaa manuja pa~ncha vaktrasya maam.h
aham.h prathamikaa mithaH prakaTitaahavaa baahavaH.. 6
saTaa paTala bhiiShaNe sarabha saaTTaa haasodbhaTe
sphurat.h kR^idhi parisphuTad.h bhR^ikuTike.api vaktre kR^ite.
kR^ipaa kapaTa kesarin.h danuja Dimbha datta stanaa
saroja sadR^ishaa dR^ishaa vyativiShajya te vyajyate.. 7
If the above verses show us how words use pure sound to create
images, in the 'pAdukA-sahasram' Desikan demonstrates how the reverse
effect can also be achieved with equally telling effect -- where
meaningful words are woven out of pure sound:
pAdapA pAdapA pAdapA pAdapA
pAdapA pAdapA pAdapA pAdapA
pAdapa pAdapA pAdapA pAdapA
pAdapA pAdapA pAdapA pAdapA (939 Paduka-Sahasram)
Now if any poet of lesser stature than Swami Desikan were to pen
lines like the above, and try and pass it off as poetry, it is likely
he will be taken to be a raving lunatic. But Desikan's genius shows
us how even seemingly senseless sound can be made to contain lofty
poetic meaning.
The above stanza when read as follows:
pAdapA-apAdapA-aapAda-pApA-dapA, pAdapA, pAda-pApA-dapA-apAdapA
pAda,pApAda, pApAda-pApAda-pApAda, pApAdapApA-adapApAdapA
yields the following meaning in very rough English translation:
"The pAdukAs of Lord of SriRangam
-- render sinless all things and all beings of this world
-- protect all beings in this world and the other
-- reward all men who do their bounden duty by their parents and
punishes those that fail in it
-- elevates the devotees of God in the eyes of all the worlds
-- maintains eternal order in both heavenly and earthly spheres".
No wonder indeed, it was then as it remains today, that Swami Desikan
was hailed by one and all as "kavi-kEsari".
Swamy Vedantha Desikan's contribution to the VisishtAdvaita Srivaishnava philosophy [Bhagawath Ramanuja Darsanam] in the proper evaluation of the theories and concepts of all schools of thought and rejection of those which are opposed to those of his system i.e. Vedanthic and Vedic religions. All his works both bog, small, breathes this trend.
There is no name in the world of Sanksrit literature and philosophy combined like the name of Vedantha Desika.
It is aDiyEn's intent to enjoy with you the glories of Swamy Desikan- Thuppul Kula maNi by remembering his life, by immersing ourselves in his works, and by enjoying the greatness and mastery of the same. Though we can not [I can not] enjoy the granthas to the fullest extent for lack of jnAnam [in me], even great scholars have declared their failure in attempting to know the depths of Swamy?s works. So, we are not alone.. both in failing and in enjoying as well.
[I refer mostly to Sri A Srinivasargahvan?s book on the life and works of Vedantha Desika, the malar released by Sri Seva Swamy, the souvenir released by Thirbaheendrauram devotees and Sri Anbil Ramaswamy Swamin?s articles]
He is the one who makes all those who surrender to His feet- as Mahaadesikan. He is simply phenomenal. Scholars who lived during Swamy Desikan?s period also mentioned that Swamy is an adhubutha avtar. He is a vidwAn- few said. He is a great intellect- few said. He is the greatest poet; some praised. He is our fortune to establish firmly the VisishtAdvaita- some said. Every one said, based on the extent they understood our Swamy.
Before reading his great mystical life history, let us read the breathtaking huge list of his works: [to read the list itself takes time.. Swamy wrote all of them in one life time.. It is told by scholars, that one can not even read all of his works fully in one life time.. Such was the greatness of Swamy?s works. It is not that he wrote just ordinary works [engaatthukkaararum kacchErikku pOraar type.. ]; He wrote gems after gems?Every one grantha out beats the other. ?Many of you may know all this. But there are few who do not know; and it is my intent to reach those few. Also for those of us who know, - this is just rejoicing and relishing Swamy?s glories again? [kasakkumA?]
Swamy Vedantha Desikan : We can boldly say- was the greatest intellect India has ever produced. He appreciated Vedic philosophy. He was philosophical; and religious; His thoughts were moulded by the writings and teaching of his Poorvacharyas ? the galaxy of them- right from Sri SaTakOpa muni (NammAzhwAr) ? Nathamuni- Yamunacharya- Ramanujacharya- and others. He was a very faithful follower of his master- Sri Ramanuja. He built a fortress around the philosophy of Ramanuja so well; that none can dare enter. He had fullest conviction in the teachings and followings of Ramanuja. He was a lion among poets and logicians. [We will enjoy all of his works in detail later]. He was a poetic genius. He had the mastery over languages and could use them very effectively to communicate anything he had visualised. But he never went astray with his poetic skills and license and adhered to nothing but the philosophy of VisishtAdvaita Sri vaishnavam. He was the greatest logician ? developed logic to argue ? vidhaNdAvaadhis ? he entered into hair-splitting discussions and dialogues in his works when he had to explain the various Vedic Upanishadic and other purAnic works.
His works are about 120 in number. [look at the list below- ].. The subjects are varied. But the soul of these works is the same.. i.e. Ramanuja darsanam. He wrote original works in Sanskrit; also commented on the works of his Acharyas- namely Yamunacharya and Ramanujacharya. He wrote sthothras, kaavyas, drama, prose etc..
His style is inimitable for its depth of ideas, sweetness, simplicity and ease; it is majestic, sometimes tough. He was a great admirer of Adhikavi Vaalmeeki and Kalidasa. His poetic work Hamsa sandhEsam, though similar to Kalidasa?s mEgasandhEsam, is original in many respects. Daya sathakam is a unique composition wherein he personifies grace (Divine grace- daya), without which Lord?s other qualities are of little value and help to suffering mankind- Swamy says. AbhIthi sthavam is an invocation for the Lord?s protection from evil forces from both within and without. His GodhA sthuthi is a piece of place of great lyric beauty and merit and talks of Sri GodhA's influence with the Lord through love and Desikan?s surrender to Her compassion.
SvAmi Venkatanathan is through the prefatory verse, called 'tanian',
with which you are all familiar. We recite it at the beginning of all
his works. And also through the colophon recited at the end viz.:
srimAn venkata nAThArya kavitArkika kEsari
vEdAntAchArya varyOmE sannidhatAm sadAhrudi
kavitArkika simhAya kalyANa guNashAlinE
srimathE venkateshEyA vEdAnta guravE namaha
In the first verse we say, "May Venkatanathan ever reside in our
hearts" ("venkata nathArya ... sannidhatAm sadAhrudi"). And through
the second, we say, "Our obeisance to Venkatanathan"
("venkatEshAya... namaha"). Now, why do we express such sentiments of
deep reverence to Swami Venkatanathan? Is it because he was:
(1) a "kavi-kEsari" -- a glorious poet?
(2) a "tArkika-simham" -- a lion amongst philosophers?
(3) a "kalyANa guNa shAlin" -- a person of rare and sublime human
qualities?
(4) a "vEdAntAchAryA" or "vEdAnta-guru" -- a preceptor or guru who
showed The Way, the "Art of Living", to followers not only of his
times but to posterity as well?
The answer is: The memory of Swami Venkatanathan deserves to be
remembered for all 4 reasons above but especially for the last
mentioned i.e. as a Vedantic 'guru' he showed us how we must live out
the time given to us on earth and the purpose to be achieved.
Let us begin however with the first of the 4 reasons:
As a "kavi-kesari", a poet in many languages, Venkatanathan was
peerless in his times and after. Before him, the only poet of perhaps
equal stature, in terms of both quality and output, was the legendary
KalidAsa. To this day scholars find it impossible to adequately
describe the range and power of his poetic prowess.
Desikan wrote extensively in Sanskrit and Tamil and to a lesser
extent in PrAkrut and ManipravAlam. His collection of Tamil poetry is
known today as 'dEsika-prabhandham' and enjoys a status equal to that
of the inspired outpourings of the mystic AzhwArs.
In Sanskrit, he composed well over 2000 stanzas of exquisite Sanskrit
poetry on a variety of religious themes but mostly in praise of
Deities of famous temple-towns like SriRangam, Tiruvengadam, Kanchi
and a host of others. His poetry flowed in a dazzling variety of
forms such as short couplets and long quatrains, 'stOtra', 'gadyam',
'dandakam', all in every known metric rhythm possible -- from the
simple 'mAlini' metre to the long-winded 'sArdUlavikreedita'. In his
famous work praising the Lord at Tiruvengadam, titled 'dayA-satakam',
Desikan composed 108 stanzas in 10 different metres each being most
appropriate to the underlying theme of the verse.
Desikan's poetic inspiration was pure magic and almost superhuman in
genius. One evening in SriRangam, where Desikan lived and worked
several years, a rival poet contemptuously challenged him to compose
poetry on the most shabby and un-poetic of themes on earth -- a pair
of common footwear! Next morning Desikan astounded the rival, and the
rest of the world too, with a poetic work of 1000 stanzas entitled
"PadukA-sahasram"! One thousand stanzas in Sanskrit of the highest
order, in praise of the sacred Sandals of Lord Ranganatha, the Deity
of the temple! Written in one sitting within the course of one night!
Desikan was hailed "kavi-kEsari" also because he was an acknowledged
master of phonetics and linguistics. He could create beautiful sounds
out of words. He could also weave, with equal ease and felicity,
meaningful words out of pure sound.
As an example of the first case, we can turn to 2 particular verses
in the 'stotra' of "kAmAsikAshtakam" where Desikan evokes the
fearsome, awe-inspiring image of "jvAla-nrsimha", the man-lion
'avatAr' of NarayAnA. In these 2 stanzas, composed as they are of
hard syllables and harsh, guttural-sounding consonants, the words are
made to sound like the roars of an angry lion. Listen to the
following:
vikasvara nakha svaru xata hiraNya vaxaH sthalii
nirargala vinirgalad.h R^idhira sindhu sandhyaayitaaH.
avantu madanaasikaa manuja pa~ncha vaktrasya maam.h
aham.h prathamikaa mithaH prakaTitaahavaa baahavaH.. 6
saTaa paTala bhiiShaNe sarabha saaTTaa haasodbhaTe
sphurat.h kR^idhi parisphuTad.h bhR^ikuTike.api vaktre kR^ite.
kR^ipaa kapaTa kesarin.h danuja Dimbha datta stanaa
saroja sadR^ishaa dR^ishaa vyativiShajya te vyajyate.. 7
If the above verses show us how words use pure sound to create
images, in the 'pAdukA-sahasram' Desikan demonstrates how the reverse
effect can also be achieved with equally telling effect -- where
meaningful words are woven out of pure sound:
pAdapA pAdapA pAdapA pAdapA
pAdapA pAdapA pAdapA pAdapA
pAdapa pAdapA pAdapA pAdapA
pAdapA pAdapA pAdapA pAdapA (939 Paduka-Sahasram)
Now if any poet of lesser stature than Swami Desikan were to pen
lines like the above, and try and pass it off as poetry, it is likely
he will be taken to be a raving lunatic. But Desikan's genius shows
us how even seemingly senseless sound can be made to contain lofty
poetic meaning.
The above stanza when read as follows:
pAdapA-apAdapA-aapAda-pApA-dapA, pAdapA, pAda-pApA-dapA-apAdapA
pAda,pApAda, pApAda-pApAda-pApAda, pApAdapApA-adapApAdapA
yields the following meaning in very rough English translation:
"The pAdukAs of Lord of SriRangam
-- render sinless all things and all beings of this world
-- protect all beings in this world and the other
-- reward all men who do their bounden duty by their parents and
punishes those that fail in it
-- elevates the devotees of God in the eyes of all the worlds
-- maintains eternal order in both heavenly and earthly spheres".
No wonder indeed, it was then as it remains today, that Swami Desikan
was hailed by one and all as "kavi-kEsari".
Swamy Vedantha Desikan's contribution to the VisishtAdvaita Srivaishnava philosophy [Bhagawath Ramanuja Darsanam] in the proper evaluation of the theories and concepts of all schools of thought and rejection of those which are opposed to those of his system i.e. Vedanthic and Vedic religions. All his works both bog, small, breathes this trend.
There is no name in the world of Sanksrit literature and philosophy combined like the name of Vedantha Desika.
It is aDiyEn's intent to enjoy with you the glories of Swamy Desikan- Thuppul Kula maNi by remembering his life, by immersing ourselves in his works, and by enjoying the greatness and mastery of the same. Though we can not [I can not] enjoy the granthas to the fullest extent for lack of jnAnam [in me], even great scholars have declared their failure in attempting to know the depths of Swamy?s works. So, we are not alone.. both in failing and in enjoying as well.
[I refer mostly to Sri A Srinivasargahvan?s book on the life and works of Vedantha Desika, the malar released by Sri Seva Swamy, the souvenir released by Thirbaheendrauram devotees and Sri Anbil Ramaswamy Swamin?s articles]
He is the one who makes all those who surrender to His feet- as Mahaadesikan. He is simply phenomenal. Scholars who lived during Swamy Desikan?s period also mentioned that Swamy is an adhubutha avtar. He is a vidwAn- few said. He is a great intellect- few said. He is the greatest poet; some praised. He is our fortune to establish firmly the VisishtAdvaita- some said. Every one said, based on the extent they understood our Swamy.
Before reading his great mystical life history, let us read the breathtaking huge list of his works: [to read the list itself takes time.. Swamy wrote all of them in one life time.. It is told by scholars, that one can not even read all of his works fully in one life time.. Such was the greatness of Swamy?s works. It is not that he wrote just ordinary works [engaatthukkaararum kacchErikku pOraar type.. ]; He wrote gems after gems?Every one grantha out beats the other. ?Many of you may know all this. But there are few who do not know; and it is my intent to reach those few. Also for those of us who know, - this is just rejoicing and relishing Swamy?s glories again? [kasakkumA?]
Swamy Vedantha Desikan : We can boldly say- was the greatest intellect India has ever produced. He appreciated Vedic philosophy. He was philosophical; and religious; His thoughts were moulded by the writings and teaching of his Poorvacharyas ? the galaxy of them- right from Sri SaTakOpa muni (NammAzhwAr) ? Nathamuni- Yamunacharya- Ramanujacharya- and others. He was a very faithful follower of his master- Sri Ramanuja. He built a fortress around the philosophy of Ramanuja so well; that none can dare enter. He had fullest conviction in the teachings and followings of Ramanuja. He was a lion among poets and logicians. [We will enjoy all of his works in detail later]. He was a poetic genius. He had the mastery over languages and could use them very effectively to communicate anything he had visualised. But he never went astray with his poetic skills and license and adhered to nothing but the philosophy of VisishtAdvaita Sri vaishnavam. He was the greatest logician ? developed logic to argue ? vidhaNdAvaadhis ? he entered into hair-splitting discussions and dialogues in his works when he had to explain the various Vedic Upanishadic and other purAnic works.
His works are about 120 in number. [look at the list below- ].. The subjects are varied. But the soul of these works is the same.. i.e. Ramanuja darsanam. He wrote original works in Sanskrit; also commented on the works of his Acharyas- namely Yamunacharya and Ramanujacharya. He wrote sthothras, kaavyas, drama, prose etc..
His style is inimitable for its depth of ideas, sweetness, simplicity and ease; it is majestic, sometimes tough. He was a great admirer of Adhikavi Vaalmeeki and Kalidasa. His poetic work Hamsa sandhEsam, though similar to Kalidasa?s mEgasandhEsam, is original in many respects. Daya sathakam is a unique composition wherein he personifies grace (Divine grace- daya), without which Lord?s other qualities are of little value and help to suffering mankind- Swamy says. AbhIthi sthavam is an invocation for the Lord?s protection from evil forces from both within and without. His GodhA sthuthi is a piece of place of great lyric beauty and merit and talks of Sri GodhA's influence with the Lord through love and Desikan?s surrender to Her compassion.
Swamy's Archavatara Anubhavam
His learned contemporaries called him, Kavi taarkika simham- lion among
poets and dialecticians or logicians. The Supreme Being Bhagawaan Ranganatha
of Srirangam, conferred on him the title of Vedanthacharya [the preceptor
of the Vedantha] and his divine consort Sri Ranganayaki that of
Sarvathanthraswathanthrar [supreme master of all sciences]. Sri Vedanta
Desika refers to this in Adhikarana saaraavaLi- as follows: That Supreme
Lord Sri Ranganatha who created the forms and gave the names to all things
in the universe, conferred on me this appellation. Vedanthacharya and here
is an attempt of mine to make that title significant and meaningful by
writing this poem Adhikarana Saravali [ the garland of the essentials of the
Adhikarana, which is a Digest of the teaching of Brahmma sutras]
viSvasmin nAmarUpAni anuvihithavatA thEna davEn dhatthAm |
vEdAnthAchArya samjnAm avahitha bahuvith sArThamanvarThayOmi ||
Being impelled by devotion to Lord Hayagriva and with a desire to express
his gratitude for His grace, Sri Vedanta Desika composed hymn of Hayagriva
consisting of 33 verses in which he sings about the form, greatness and
qualities of the Lord and also indirectly refers to the mantra.
vyAkhyAmudrAm? mAnasE vaagaDheeSa: [Hayagriva sthOthram- 32]
The Lord of speech, Hayagriva possessed of a never fading splendour holds in
his four lotus like hands the symbol of instruction [vyAkhyAmudrA], book,
conch shell and chakrA, and is seated on a lovely lotus, shining like a
newly cut white crystal, may the Lord of flawless greatness drench me by His
cool and nectar like saying and take His seat in my heart
In third sloka, Sri Vedanta Desika describes thus: The sweet neighing sound
of Horse faced God is a collection of the Saama Veda songs; is a replica of
Rig Veda hymns and is the abode of Yajur Veda. It is destroyer of all
obstacles and is the singing waves of the sea of knowledge.
[samaahaarasaamnaam? hayavadhana hEshA hala halah:]
The next hymn composed by Sri Vedanta Desika is Garuda panchasath on Garuda,
who is a vehicle of Bhagawaan Narayana and is also the king of all birds.
Garuda is a Nithyasuri. This sthothra is in fifty verses comprising five
sections describing respectively (1) his five forms (2) the espidoe of his
fetching the nectar, (3) the story of the conquest of the serpents (4) his
decoration and (5) his exploits of wonder. From the last sloka, we learnt
that Sri Vedanta Desika composed this hymn carrying out the command of
Garuda. The sloka says: Venkatesa, the lion among poets and logicians
composed this hymn of fifty one verses on Garuda the son of Vinata, the she
eagle bearing on head i.e. respectfully carrying out his command and with
the desire of propitiating him. Those who practise them repeatedly will be
free from the inflictions of the poisonous serpents, diseases and divine
beings and will also realize the foremost of their desires, why talk of
other fruits.
It looks as though the indebtedness Sri Vedanta Desika towards Garuda is so
much that he makes it a point to refer to garuda in both the sthothras
composed by him ? Garuda panchasath and Garuda dhaNdakam. In the first [in
first sloka] he says that it is a mantra on which the first word is PraNava
and the last word is SvAha with two letters, and middle two syallabled word
is Pakshi or its letters interchanged (as ksh its syllables interchanged).
In the fourth and the last section of Garud dhaNdaka, he refers to the
mantra as follows: manuh anugatha pakshi vakthrasphurat taaraka chithra
bhanu priya sEkharah- that mantra of thine (Oh Garuda) which begins with the
excellent praNava followed by the word pakshi with letters interchanged- and
which has at its end the word svAha is the name of the loving consort of the
God of fire.
Sri Vedanta Desika was drawn towards Thiruvaheendrapuram by its sanctity
with its Garudanadhi and Aushadhri ? the realization of Garuda and Hayagriva
there had endeared it to him. So he decided to stay there for some time
worshipping Lord Devanatha, the presiding deity of the shrine. Every time he
visited the temple, the Lord was pleased to manifest His auspiciousness and
beautiful form with the result that the devotion and love of Desika to the
Lord grew more and more intense, could not resisit the temptation to sing
the glory of that Lord and so burst forth with songs, sweet and melodious in
three languages, Sanskrit, Prakrit and Tamil. Of the many deities that eh
has sung about, Devanatha is the only one deity who has been praised in
three languages.
There are nine hymns on Lord Devanatha, of which Deivanayaka panchasath is
the first. It consists of fifty three verses in Sanskrit describing
greatness of the Lord as creator the charming limbs of the Lord from head to
foot beginning with the sparkling diadem on the head and ending with the
shining nails to the toes.
The next hymn is Achyutha sathakam- in 101 verses in the soft and sweet
prakrith which a dialect of Sanskrit. It is in this language that the women
characters in the Sanskrit Drama speak. Probably the devotion of Sri Vedanta
Desika had developed into the love of a maiden and he becomes the bride who
speaks to her lover. In this also there is a beautiful description in more
than twenty verses of every limb of the Lord from head to foot. There is a
connection that lady in love enjoys the beauty of her lover beginning from
his head whereas a male devotee begins the praise from the saving feet of
the Lord. It may be said that Vedanta Desika who is now maiden, follows this
convention. She well read in scriptures which can be inferred from the way
in which her words are reminiscent of Vedic passages and the fundamental
doctrines of Vishstadvaita philosophy about Tattva[Reals], Hitha[means] and
Purusharttha [goal] are depicted though not directly since the whole hymn is
for the praise of the Lord.
When we come to the poems in Sweet Tamil by Vedanta Desika on Lord
Deivanayaka, we find that Sri Vedanta Desika has been completely transformed
into Venkatanayaki, a lady in intense love for the Lord. Her thoughts, words
and actions are all surcharged with erotic love. She experiences great joy
when she is with her lover (here Lord Devanatha) and untold pangs of
separation when she is away from Him. There are occasions when the suffering
is so great that she falls down unconscious and her sorrowful mother, foster
mother or maiden friend describe in grief stricken words the condition of
the beloved Venkatanayaki. [it may be noted that other Alwars, Desika is the
only Acharya who went into nAyikA bhAvam and sang verses]
There is clear internal evidence to show that seven poems in Tamil have been
composed which in mellifluous language the joy in unison with and pain in
separation from her lover Lord Devanatha of Venkatanayaki, the lady in love.
Of these seven, the first and the last are long poems and the rest should be
short. The first ten verses only of the first poem which should have had 30
verses and the last poem in full are all that are available now for us.
Unfortunately, the remaining 20 verses of the first and all middle five
short poems are lost. The meters and the language follow the rules of
prosody and poetics of the classical tamil of the Sangam age. All these
seven poems fall under the class of one or other of 96 kinds of compositions
of Tamil literature.
The first poem is MummanikkOvai. According to the Tamil poetics, this kind
of poem should consist of 30 verses divided in 10 groups, each one of have
three verses in three different gem like meters (mum maNi) which will of
same kind in all 10 groups. The verses will be in AntAdi form. The last word
(anta) in the preceding verse must be the first word (aadi) in the
succeeding verse. All these rules are closely followed in this
mummaNikkOvai. As stated only the first ten verses are available and the
rest are lost. This poem begins with a description of the six main qualities
of Sri and then of the greatness of Devanatha, and ends with the fruit of
self- surrender (Saranagati) at his lotus feet. Here we have verses in which
the female friend or the foster mother of Venkatanayaki describes the pangs
of separation of the heroine.
The last and seventh poem is Nava maNi maalai of ten verses couched in nine
gem like meters. In this Sri Vedanta Desika describes the divine nature of
the feet of Devanatha Bhagawaan and His incarnation, his auspicious
qualities, and supreme powers. There is reference to one of the most popular
festivals known as festivals of sea bath- massikadalaadi magizhndhu
varuvaarE?- in which the Lord Devanatha is taken to the sea here on the
Magha asterism in maasi month for bathing in the sea for enjoyment to His
devotees.
The concluding verse is of special significance since it gives us the names
of all the works of Vedanta Desika on Lord Devanatha in the serial order.
anthamil seerayindhai nagaramarndha nAThan
aDiyiNaimEl adiyuraiyaal aimbathEtthi
chinthaikavar praakrutham nooRu kOOrich
senthamizh mummaNikkOvai seRiyac chErtthup
pandhusuzhal ammAnai OOsal yEsal
paravu navamaNimaalai sonnEn
mundhaimaRai mozhiya vazhi mozhi nee yenRu
mukunthan aruL thandha payan peRREn naanE.
Lord Devanatha, possessed of countless auspicious qualities has chosen
Thiruvaheendrapuram (ayindhai) as his pleasing abode and remains there. As
an offering at His lotus feet I composed the Hymn Devanayaka Panchaasath
consisting of fifty verses in the ancient classical language (i.e.
Sanskrit). I sang a hundred songs in the heart captivating prakrit language
(under the name of achyutha sathakam). I placed at the feet of Devanatha, in
a fitting manner the poem of mummaNikkOvai in the sweet Tamil language. Also
sang the poetical compostions Pandhal, Oosal, Kazhal, ammAnai, Yesal, and
the NavamaNimaalai praised by all. Thus, have realized the front of mercy
bestowed on me by Lord Mukunda who in a tone of command, said- Go on,
compose works in the wake of the language of ancient holy Vedas.
It may noted that the five poems pandhu, oosal, kazhal, yEsal, ammAnai are
lost now> A mention about them may not be out of place here. All of them
cone under the class of love poems in Tamil literature and they describe the
various ways in which a princess in love tries to entertain herself in
Separation from her dear lover. The poem named pandhu declares the lady in
love as playing with flower balls with her female friends in the garden of
the harem. The compositions Kazhal describes the play of heroine in the hall
of the palace with small marble like smooth nuts of a shrule of that name. A
poem that portrays the play of the heroine and her friends with small bell
shaped wooden toys goes by the name of ammAnai in which they sing the
praises of the Lord. In Oosal poem, usually we see the heroine seated in an
oscillating swing suspended from the green branches of a flowing in the
garden probably with recollections of the happy time spent with her lover.
There are some oosal compositions in Tamil literature in which the lady love
sings about the beauty and the glory of the lover who is seated in a swing
that moves to and fro. yEsal is that composition which depicts a lady in
love in anger taunting the lover with insincerity since he has not kept his
word to come at the fixed committed time because of his dalliance with some
other lady even though he may try to pacify her with words and acts of
apology. In those works, Sri Venkatanatha has elevated causal love to divine
love and devotion ? into Bhagawath kaama as shown very beautifully and
esoterically by Alwars. It is unfortunate that they are lost.
Sri Vedanta Desika stayed in Aindhai for nearly a decade worshipping Lord
Hayagriva on the hills and Lord Devanatha on the river bank. Then he left
that city to go to kanchi. On the way, he visited Gopapura [ThirukkOvaloor]
a shrine- sanctified by the visit of three alwars (Poigai, Bhutham, and Pey
AzhwArs). In the course of their pilgrimage it so happened that the three
alwars came to Gopapura on the same day and they all took shelter on that
rainy night in a small corridor [narrow passage] in a small house in front
of the temple. The local deity, Gopapura adhisa, drawn by the presence of
the three highly pious souls and easger to have the touch of their bodies
appeared in their midst in such a narrow place in an invisible form. The
saints felt that they are being sqeezed suddenly and felt the presence of
another stranger among them but could not see one. So Poigai and
BhUthathAzhwAr lit lamps and Pey AzhwAr say the divine Lord with Sankhu
ChakrA with the Divine Consort in his chest. Three Alwars sang 100 verses
each imbued with greatest devotion sweet and melodious ? one lamp removed
the external darkness of the world, the other dispelled the internal
darkness of the mind and third lamp presented the visoon of the Lord with
his consort ? the Divya Dampati. All the three hundred glorify the lovely
form and qualities of the Lord. This marks the beginning of 4000 Divbya
prabandham of 12 Alwars. These three Alwars are thus called first Alwars
(Mudhal Alwars). The Lord thus was proud to associate himself with them and
to assume the name of Dehaaleesa (the Lord in the narrow passage). Swamy
desika has sung the hymn called dhehsaaleesa sthuthi- in praise of this Lord
wherein he portrays the Lord as the sugarcane and the three Alwars for
crushing instrument and the resultant juice is the three centums (three
nooRRanthAdhi) out of which the sweet sugar candy, namely Dhehaleesa took
shape.
Sri Vedanta Desika reached Kanchi where he was received with great love and
enthusiasm by the residents. First he went to the temple of Varadaraja, who
was his tutelary deity. As he stood before the Lord visions of his early
life flashed before his mind?s eye, boyhood under the care of his uncle, the
blessing of Vaathsya Varadarya (AmmAL) and study of all saasthras under
AppuLLAr. Slokas flowed from his heart and lips which give in a nutshell
about all that one should know about Paramathma ? His transcendental glory
and mercy, forms and incarnations, his festivals and his devotees, That is
Varadaraja panchaasath- fifty verses on Varadan.
Towards the end of the sthOthra, Sri desika apostrophising Lord Varadaraja
says: Oh Lord of the elephant Hills! If you lest keep me in the vicinity, in
the company of thy exclusive devotees is vouchsafed to me and if there is an
unalloyed stainess devotion in me to you is ensured due to your grace, I for
ever swear that this world [with all its foibles] is verily salvation. Such
is the Bliss that flows from the archa avatara.
poets and dialecticians or logicians. The Supreme Being Bhagawaan Ranganatha
of Srirangam, conferred on him the title of Vedanthacharya [the preceptor
of the Vedantha] and his divine consort Sri Ranganayaki that of
Sarvathanthraswathanthrar [supreme master of all sciences]. Sri Vedanta
Desika refers to this in Adhikarana saaraavaLi- as follows: That Supreme
Lord Sri Ranganatha who created the forms and gave the names to all things
in the universe, conferred on me this appellation. Vedanthacharya and here
is an attempt of mine to make that title significant and meaningful by
writing this poem Adhikarana Saravali [ the garland of the essentials of the
Adhikarana, which is a Digest of the teaching of Brahmma sutras]
viSvasmin nAmarUpAni anuvihithavatA thEna davEn dhatthAm |
vEdAnthAchArya samjnAm avahitha bahuvith sArThamanvarThayOmi ||
Being impelled by devotion to Lord Hayagriva and with a desire to express
his gratitude for His grace, Sri Vedanta Desika composed hymn of Hayagriva
consisting of 33 verses in which he sings about the form, greatness and
qualities of the Lord and also indirectly refers to the mantra.
vyAkhyAmudrAm? mAnasE vaagaDheeSa: [Hayagriva sthOthram- 32]
The Lord of speech, Hayagriva possessed of a never fading splendour holds in
his four lotus like hands the symbol of instruction [vyAkhyAmudrA], book,
conch shell and chakrA, and is seated on a lovely lotus, shining like a
newly cut white crystal, may the Lord of flawless greatness drench me by His
cool and nectar like saying and take His seat in my heart
In third sloka, Sri Vedanta Desika describes thus: The sweet neighing sound
of Horse faced God is a collection of the Saama Veda songs; is a replica of
Rig Veda hymns and is the abode of Yajur Veda. It is destroyer of all
obstacles and is the singing waves of the sea of knowledge.
[samaahaarasaamnaam? hayavadhana hEshA hala halah:]
The next hymn composed by Sri Vedanta Desika is Garuda panchasath on Garuda,
who is a vehicle of Bhagawaan Narayana and is also the king of all birds.
Garuda is a Nithyasuri. This sthothra is in fifty verses comprising five
sections describing respectively (1) his five forms (2) the espidoe of his
fetching the nectar, (3) the story of the conquest of the serpents (4) his
decoration and (5) his exploits of wonder. From the last sloka, we learnt
that Sri Vedanta Desika composed this hymn carrying out the command of
Garuda. The sloka says: Venkatesa, the lion among poets and logicians
composed this hymn of fifty one verses on Garuda the son of Vinata, the she
eagle bearing on head i.e. respectfully carrying out his command and with
the desire of propitiating him. Those who practise them repeatedly will be
free from the inflictions of the poisonous serpents, diseases and divine
beings and will also realize the foremost of their desires, why talk of
other fruits.
It looks as though the indebtedness Sri Vedanta Desika towards Garuda is so
much that he makes it a point to refer to garuda in both the sthothras
composed by him ? Garuda panchasath and Garuda dhaNdakam. In the first [in
first sloka] he says that it is a mantra on which the first word is PraNava
and the last word is SvAha with two letters, and middle two syallabled word
is Pakshi or its letters interchanged (as ksh its syllables interchanged).
In the fourth and the last section of Garud dhaNdaka, he refers to the
mantra as follows: manuh anugatha pakshi vakthrasphurat taaraka chithra
bhanu priya sEkharah- that mantra of thine (Oh Garuda) which begins with the
excellent praNava followed by the word pakshi with letters interchanged- and
which has at its end the word svAha is the name of the loving consort of the
God of fire.
Sri Vedanta Desika was drawn towards Thiruvaheendrapuram by its sanctity
with its Garudanadhi and Aushadhri ? the realization of Garuda and Hayagriva
there had endeared it to him. So he decided to stay there for some time
worshipping Lord Devanatha, the presiding deity of the shrine. Every time he
visited the temple, the Lord was pleased to manifest His auspiciousness and
beautiful form with the result that the devotion and love of Desika to the
Lord grew more and more intense, could not resisit the temptation to sing
the glory of that Lord and so burst forth with songs, sweet and melodious in
three languages, Sanskrit, Prakrit and Tamil. Of the many deities that eh
has sung about, Devanatha is the only one deity who has been praised in
three languages.
There are nine hymns on Lord Devanatha, of which Deivanayaka panchasath is
the first. It consists of fifty three verses in Sanskrit describing
greatness of the Lord as creator the charming limbs of the Lord from head to
foot beginning with the sparkling diadem on the head and ending with the
shining nails to the toes.
The next hymn is Achyutha sathakam- in 101 verses in the soft and sweet
prakrith which a dialect of Sanskrit. It is in this language that the women
characters in the Sanskrit Drama speak. Probably the devotion of Sri Vedanta
Desika had developed into the love of a maiden and he becomes the bride who
speaks to her lover. In this also there is a beautiful description in more
than twenty verses of every limb of the Lord from head to foot. There is a
connection that lady in love enjoys the beauty of her lover beginning from
his head whereas a male devotee begins the praise from the saving feet of
the Lord. It may be said that Vedanta Desika who is now maiden, follows this
convention. She well read in scriptures which can be inferred from the way
in which her words are reminiscent of Vedic passages and the fundamental
doctrines of Vishstadvaita philosophy about Tattva[Reals], Hitha[means] and
Purusharttha [goal] are depicted though not directly since the whole hymn is
for the praise of the Lord.
When we come to the poems in Sweet Tamil by Vedanta Desika on Lord
Deivanayaka, we find that Sri Vedanta Desika has been completely transformed
into Venkatanayaki, a lady in intense love for the Lord. Her thoughts, words
and actions are all surcharged with erotic love. She experiences great joy
when she is with her lover (here Lord Devanatha) and untold pangs of
separation when she is away from Him. There are occasions when the suffering
is so great that she falls down unconscious and her sorrowful mother, foster
mother or maiden friend describe in grief stricken words the condition of
the beloved Venkatanayaki. [it may be noted that other Alwars, Desika is the
only Acharya who went into nAyikA bhAvam and sang verses]
There is clear internal evidence to show that seven poems in Tamil have been
composed which in mellifluous language the joy in unison with and pain in
separation from her lover Lord Devanatha of Venkatanayaki, the lady in love.
Of these seven, the first and the last are long poems and the rest should be
short. The first ten verses only of the first poem which should have had 30
verses and the last poem in full are all that are available now for us.
Unfortunately, the remaining 20 verses of the first and all middle five
short poems are lost. The meters and the language follow the rules of
prosody and poetics of the classical tamil of the Sangam age. All these
seven poems fall under the class of one or other of 96 kinds of compositions
of Tamil literature.
The first poem is MummanikkOvai. According to the Tamil poetics, this kind
of poem should consist of 30 verses divided in 10 groups, each one of have
three verses in three different gem like meters (mum maNi) which will of
same kind in all 10 groups. The verses will be in AntAdi form. The last word
(anta) in the preceding verse must be the first word (aadi) in the
succeeding verse. All these rules are closely followed in this
mummaNikkOvai. As stated only the first ten verses are available and the
rest are lost. This poem begins with a description of the six main qualities
of Sri and then of the greatness of Devanatha, and ends with the fruit of
self- surrender (Saranagati) at his lotus feet. Here we have verses in which
the female friend or the foster mother of Venkatanayaki describes the pangs
of separation of the heroine.
The last and seventh poem is Nava maNi maalai of ten verses couched in nine
gem like meters. In this Sri Vedanta Desika describes the divine nature of
the feet of Devanatha Bhagawaan and His incarnation, his auspicious
qualities, and supreme powers. There is reference to one of the most popular
festivals known as festivals of sea bath- massikadalaadi magizhndhu
varuvaarE?- in which the Lord Devanatha is taken to the sea here on the
Magha asterism in maasi month for bathing in the sea for enjoyment to His
devotees.
The concluding verse is of special significance since it gives us the names
of all the works of Vedanta Desika on Lord Devanatha in the serial order.
anthamil seerayindhai nagaramarndha nAThan
aDiyiNaimEl adiyuraiyaal aimbathEtthi
chinthaikavar praakrutham nooRu kOOrich
senthamizh mummaNikkOvai seRiyac chErtthup
pandhusuzhal ammAnai OOsal yEsal
paravu navamaNimaalai sonnEn
mundhaimaRai mozhiya vazhi mozhi nee yenRu
mukunthan aruL thandha payan peRREn naanE.
Lord Devanatha, possessed of countless auspicious qualities has chosen
Thiruvaheendrapuram (ayindhai) as his pleasing abode and remains there. As
an offering at His lotus feet I composed the Hymn Devanayaka Panchaasath
consisting of fifty verses in the ancient classical language (i.e.
Sanskrit). I sang a hundred songs in the heart captivating prakrit language
(under the name of achyutha sathakam). I placed at the feet of Devanatha, in
a fitting manner the poem of mummaNikkOvai in the sweet Tamil language. Also
sang the poetical compostions Pandhal, Oosal, Kazhal, ammAnai, Yesal, and
the NavamaNimaalai praised by all. Thus, have realized the front of mercy
bestowed on me by Lord Mukunda who in a tone of command, said- Go on,
compose works in the wake of the language of ancient holy Vedas.
It may noted that the five poems pandhu, oosal, kazhal, yEsal, ammAnai are
lost now> A mention about them may not be out of place here. All of them
cone under the class of love poems in Tamil literature and they describe the
various ways in which a princess in love tries to entertain herself in
Separation from her dear lover. The poem named pandhu declares the lady in
love as playing with flower balls with her female friends in the garden of
the harem. The compositions Kazhal describes the play of heroine in the hall
of the palace with small marble like smooth nuts of a shrule of that name. A
poem that portrays the play of the heroine and her friends with small bell
shaped wooden toys goes by the name of ammAnai in which they sing the
praises of the Lord. In Oosal poem, usually we see the heroine seated in an
oscillating swing suspended from the green branches of a flowing in the
garden probably with recollections of the happy time spent with her lover.
There are some oosal compositions in Tamil literature in which the lady love
sings about the beauty and the glory of the lover who is seated in a swing
that moves to and fro. yEsal is that composition which depicts a lady in
love in anger taunting the lover with insincerity since he has not kept his
word to come at the fixed committed time because of his dalliance with some
other lady even though he may try to pacify her with words and acts of
apology. In those works, Sri Venkatanatha has elevated causal love to divine
love and devotion ? into Bhagawath kaama as shown very beautifully and
esoterically by Alwars. It is unfortunate that they are lost.
Sri Vedanta Desika stayed in Aindhai for nearly a decade worshipping Lord
Hayagriva on the hills and Lord Devanatha on the river bank. Then he left
that city to go to kanchi. On the way, he visited Gopapura [ThirukkOvaloor]
a shrine- sanctified by the visit of three alwars (Poigai, Bhutham, and Pey
AzhwArs). In the course of their pilgrimage it so happened that the three
alwars came to Gopapura on the same day and they all took shelter on that
rainy night in a small corridor [narrow passage] in a small house in front
of the temple. The local deity, Gopapura adhisa, drawn by the presence of
the three highly pious souls and easger to have the touch of their bodies
appeared in their midst in such a narrow place in an invisible form. The
saints felt that they are being sqeezed suddenly and felt the presence of
another stranger among them but could not see one. So Poigai and
BhUthathAzhwAr lit lamps and Pey AzhwAr say the divine Lord with Sankhu
ChakrA with the Divine Consort in his chest. Three Alwars sang 100 verses
each imbued with greatest devotion sweet and melodious ? one lamp removed
the external darkness of the world, the other dispelled the internal
darkness of the mind and third lamp presented the visoon of the Lord with
his consort ? the Divya Dampati. All the three hundred glorify the lovely
form and qualities of the Lord. This marks the beginning of 4000 Divbya
prabandham of 12 Alwars. These three Alwars are thus called first Alwars
(Mudhal Alwars). The Lord thus was proud to associate himself with them and
to assume the name of Dehaaleesa (the Lord in the narrow passage). Swamy
desika has sung the hymn called dhehsaaleesa sthuthi- in praise of this Lord
wherein he portrays the Lord as the sugarcane and the three Alwars for
crushing instrument and the resultant juice is the three centums (three
nooRRanthAdhi) out of which the sweet sugar candy, namely Dhehaleesa took
shape.
Sri Vedanta Desika reached Kanchi where he was received with great love and
enthusiasm by the residents. First he went to the temple of Varadaraja, who
was his tutelary deity. As he stood before the Lord visions of his early
life flashed before his mind?s eye, boyhood under the care of his uncle, the
blessing of Vaathsya Varadarya (AmmAL) and study of all saasthras under
AppuLLAr. Slokas flowed from his heart and lips which give in a nutshell
about all that one should know about Paramathma ? His transcendental glory
and mercy, forms and incarnations, his festivals and his devotees, That is
Varadaraja panchaasath- fifty verses on Varadan.
Towards the end of the sthOthra, Sri desika apostrophising Lord Varadaraja
says: Oh Lord of the elephant Hills! If you lest keep me in the vicinity, in
the company of thy exclusive devotees is vouchsafed to me and if there is an
unalloyed stainess devotion in me to you is ensured due to your grace, I for
ever swear that this world [with all its foibles] is verily salvation. Such
is the Bliss that flows from the archa avatara.
Innumerable Works of Swami Desikan
Let us look at the amazing list now: Take a breath and read. It takes few long minutes to read even the list- Only an avatar could do it- is imminent.
SthOthra granthas:
===============
Hayagriva stOtram
dasaavataara stOtram
Bhagavath dhyaana sOpAnam
dayA sathakam
abheethi sthavam
vairAgya panchakam
Devanaayaka panchAsath
Gopala vimsathy
SrI Sthuthi
BhU sththi
GodhA sthuthi
nyAsa dhasakam
nyAsa vimsathy
nyAsa thilakam
saraNAgathi DIpikA
Achutha sayayam (achutha sathakam)
varadarAja panchAsath
ashtabhujaashtakam
kAmAsikaashtakam
vEgAsEthu sthOthram
paramartha sththi
dhEhaleesa sththi
Raguveera Gadyuam (mahA veera vaibhavam)
sudarsanaashtakam
shodasAyudha stOtram
Garuda dhaNdakam
Garuda panchAsath
yatirAja sapthati
Tamil Prabandams
================
amrutha ranjani
adhikAra sangraham
amrutha swAdhini
paramapada sOpAnam
paramatha bhangam
mei viradha mAnmiyam
adaikkalappatthu
artha panchakam
SrI vaishNava dinasari
Thirucchinna maalai
panniru nAmam
thiru manthiracchurukku
dwayachurukku
charama sloka cchurukku
Gitaartha sangraham
mummaNikkOvai
nava maNi mAlai
pandhu (lost)
kazhal (lost)
ammAnai (lost)
oosal (lost)
Esal (lost)
Prabandha sAram
AhAra niyamam.
VedAnta granthas
================
mImAmsA pAdukA
sEsvara mImAmsa
satha dhUshaNi
adhikaraNa sArAvaLi
tatva tIkA
nyAya parisuddhi
nyAya siddhAnjanam
tatvamuktha kalApam
nikshepa rakshA
sachcharitra rakshA
srI pAncharAthra rakshA
vAditraya kandanam
dramidOpanishad tAtparya rathnAvaLi
dramidOpanishad sAram
BhAshya granthas (Commentaries)
==========================
chatus slokI Bhashyam
SthOthra rathna Bhashyam
Rahasya rakshA
GitArtha sangraha rakshA
tAtparya chandrikA
IsAvAsyOpanishad BhAshyam
sarvArtha siddhi
adhikaraNa dharpaNam (lost)
KAvya grantas:
==============
hamsa sandesam
subhAshita nIvi
yAdhavAbyudayam
pAdukA sahasram (1008 verses)
Rahasya granthas:
================
sampradAya parisuddhi
tatva-padhavi
rahasya padhavi
tatva navanItham
rahasya navanItham
tatva mAtruka
rahasya mAtruka
tatva sandEsam
rahasya sandEsam
rahasya sandEsa vivaraNam
tatva rathnAvaLi
tatva rathnAvali pratipAdya sangraham
rahasya rathnAvaLi
rahasya rathnAvaLi hrudayam
tatva traya suLakam
rahasya traya suLakam
abhaya pradAna sAram
rahasya sikAmaNi
anjali vaibhavam
pradhAna satakam
upakAra sangraham
sAra sangraham
munivAhana bhogam
madurakavi hrudayam (lost)
paramapada sOpAnam
paramatha bhangam
hasthigiri mAhAthmyam
SrImath Rahasya Traya Saram (MAGNUM OPUS)
SarA sAram
VirOdha parihAram
NigamaparimaLam (lost)
Tirumudiadaivu (lost)
nAtaka grantam (Drama)
==============
Sankalpa SooryOdhayam
anushtAna grantams
=================
Bhagavath-AarAdhana vidhi
Even to read the above list will take so much time. Swamy alone can compose so many works in one lifetime. When we see /enjoy / recite these works individually, we will realize that what sweetness, depths, literary values, rhythms, grammars, variety of meanings they contain! How true are those words and fully in accordance with Sri Ramanuja?s works and Vedas and saasthrAs! We will have to read to believe it!
Swamy Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam
SthOthra granthas:
===============
Hayagriva stOtram
dasaavataara stOtram
Bhagavath dhyaana sOpAnam
dayA sathakam
abheethi sthavam
vairAgya panchakam
Devanaayaka panchAsath
Gopala vimsathy
SrI Sthuthi
BhU sththi
GodhA sthuthi
nyAsa dhasakam
nyAsa vimsathy
nyAsa thilakam
saraNAgathi DIpikA
Achutha sayayam (achutha sathakam)
varadarAja panchAsath
ashtabhujaashtakam
kAmAsikaashtakam
vEgAsEthu sthOthram
paramartha sththi
dhEhaleesa sththi
Raguveera Gadyuam (mahA veera vaibhavam)
sudarsanaashtakam
shodasAyudha stOtram
Garuda dhaNdakam
Garuda panchAsath
yatirAja sapthati
Tamil Prabandams
================
amrutha ranjani
adhikAra sangraham
amrutha swAdhini
paramapada sOpAnam
paramatha bhangam
mei viradha mAnmiyam
adaikkalappatthu
artha panchakam
SrI vaishNava dinasari
Thirucchinna maalai
panniru nAmam
thiru manthiracchurukku
dwayachurukku
charama sloka cchurukku
Gitaartha sangraham
mummaNikkOvai
nava maNi mAlai
pandhu (lost)
kazhal (lost)
ammAnai (lost)
oosal (lost)
Esal (lost)
Prabandha sAram
AhAra niyamam.
VedAnta granthas
================
mImAmsA pAdukA
sEsvara mImAmsa
satha dhUshaNi
adhikaraNa sArAvaLi
tatva tIkA
nyAya parisuddhi
nyAya siddhAnjanam
tatvamuktha kalApam
nikshepa rakshA
sachcharitra rakshA
srI pAncharAthra rakshA
vAditraya kandanam
dramidOpanishad tAtparya rathnAvaLi
dramidOpanishad sAram
BhAshya granthas (Commentaries)
==========================
chatus slokI Bhashyam
SthOthra rathna Bhashyam
Rahasya rakshA
GitArtha sangraha rakshA
tAtparya chandrikA
IsAvAsyOpanishad BhAshyam
sarvArtha siddhi
adhikaraNa dharpaNam (lost)
KAvya grantas:
==============
hamsa sandesam
subhAshita nIvi
yAdhavAbyudayam
pAdukA sahasram (1008 verses)
Rahasya granthas:
================
sampradAya parisuddhi
tatva-padhavi
rahasya padhavi
tatva navanItham
rahasya navanItham
tatva mAtruka
rahasya mAtruka
tatva sandEsam
rahasya sandEsam
rahasya sandEsa vivaraNam
tatva rathnAvaLi
tatva rathnAvali pratipAdya sangraham
rahasya rathnAvaLi
rahasya rathnAvaLi hrudayam
tatva traya suLakam
rahasya traya suLakam
abhaya pradAna sAram
rahasya sikAmaNi
anjali vaibhavam
pradhAna satakam
upakAra sangraham
sAra sangraham
munivAhana bhogam
madurakavi hrudayam (lost)
paramapada sOpAnam
paramatha bhangam
hasthigiri mAhAthmyam
SrImath Rahasya Traya Saram (MAGNUM OPUS)
SarA sAram
VirOdha parihAram
NigamaparimaLam (lost)
Tirumudiadaivu (lost)
nAtaka grantam (Drama)
==============
Sankalpa SooryOdhayam
anushtAna grantams
=================
Bhagavath-AarAdhana vidhi
Even to read the above list will take so much time. Swamy alone can compose so many works in one lifetime. When we see /enjoy / recite these works individually, we will realize that what sweetness, depths, literary values, rhythms, grammars, variety of meanings they contain! How true are those words and fully in accordance with Sri Ramanuja?s works and Vedas and saasthrAs! We will have to read to believe it!
Swamy Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam
Vishishtaadvaita Philosophy
The principles of the Visishtadvaita philosophy and Srivaishnava religion
are of course as ancient as the Vedas themselves, and have been handed over
by Poorvacharyas, sages and rishis, among others and to name a few..
Badyana, Tanka, Dramida, Kuhadeva, et al. The essential truths of the
darshana are indeed found summed up with sufficient clarity in the
Upanishads, the Gita and the BrammasUthras. These great sources of knowledge
(the trio- called prasthAna thrayam) form the text as it were on which all
the systems of philosophy namely Advaita, VisishtAdvaita and Dvaita were
established- and have been interpreted differently by Sankara, Sri Ramanuja
and Madhva.
Sri Sankara?s service consisted mainly in putting an end to atheism and
re-establishing the authority of Vedas and restoring them to their pristine
supremacy [though mentioned that few vedic truths were to be ignored when
violating with the other sruthi statements]. His doctrine was from a purely
idealistic point of view. He attracted many adherents to his doctrine, but
the VisishtAdvaitic school held aloof, finding his theories inconsistent and
irreconcilable with textual authority. [thanks to effrots of our acharyas]
Sri Nathamuni who has been rightly described as ?the founder of ubhaya
vedantha school and the first acharya (after NammAzhwAr] of Srivaishnavam
and after hims came his grandson Sri YamunAchArya or Alavandhar who kept the
light of our darsana glowing and growing from strength to strength, in the
example of their own lives and by their works. But it was reserved to
Bhagavadh Ramanuja the greatest thinker, to systematize the philosophy,
faithfully interpreting the ancient knowledge according to the letter and
spirit of the test, in the light of revelation and experience tested by
stern logic as well. It would be out of place to enter into the details of
his system now. He refused to subscribe to the view that Upanishads spoke in
two voices, of two levels of cognition, two brahmans and of two different
sruthis- negating each other.
Sri Ramanuja?s long life was a life of strenuous endeavour dedicated to the
exposition and elaboration of the VisishtAdvaita philosophy. His Vedaarttha
sangraha, Sri Bhashya and Gitabhashya reveal the master mind at work in a
supreme effort to reconcile the seeming differences in the Upanishad
statements and to evolve a coherent, consistent, harmonious system where the
needs of pure metaphysics and the eternal longing of the human soul meet in
happy union- and where the statements of Upanishads do not vilate each other
and co-exist. His penetrative commonsense could not accept an interpretation
which postulates two species of truths, the real and the phenomenal, the
higher and the lower. The Brahman of the Upanishads -the Sat ? the one
without a second, is none other than Sri Krishna, Sriman Narayana of Srimad
Bhagawatha and Sri Vasudeva of Pancharathra. He is the All self, the Truth
of Truths, the Creator, the Sustainer and the Master. He is the penetrating
AntarAthmA and the NiyanthA of the entire universe of soul and matter which
stands to Him in the relation of the body to the soul. He is the Home of all
the eternal virtue of which is His Sowseelyam, Sowlabhyam, and Vaathsalyam
are of special interest and value to we- the suffering souls caught up in
the samsaaric affliction. The Jiva stands in the perennial, indissoluble
relationship to the Sesha (Master- the Isawara- the Lord) who is the Sarva
Seshi- the master for everyone (other than Himself).. The eternal Bliss of
moksha is within reach of all, irrespective of sex, colour, creed, class,
caste- because Sriman Narayana- the Only One Primordial Lord- the
SarvasEshi- Sriya:Pathi has infinite mercy and compassion on us, and
prompted by the Purushaakara (recommendation) of His inseparable Divine
Constort Vishnu pathni- Sri Mahalakshmi ? and the Dhiva Dampathi is ever
ready to extend their hands to all aspiring souls without distinction, who
endeavour to Them by means of either bhakti yoga (loving, uninterrupted
meditation) or Prapatti (absolute self surrender), properly directed and
duly performed. He ? the Lord Sriya: Pathi- is the Praapya and the Praapaka,
the Rakshaka and SiddhOpaaya, the effective means and the ultimate end- all
in one. Moksha or liberation is not a mere arid negation, a sterile
cessation of dhukka of life or the barren release from the bonds of Karma
and miseries of Samsara; but is a POSITIVE, eternal, supreme Bliss of
perpetual loving presence and in the company of mukthas and Nithysasooris.
Such in brief are the lines on which Sri Ramanuja expounded from Sri Natha,
Yamuna muni?s doctrines- which were originally pointed out earlier by Sages,
Rishis and others. Ramanuja thus re established the darsana which is
associated with his illustrious name. He was not of course the founder of a
school of religion or philosophy, but only the synthetic exponent of an
ancient system, the only true system according to him, consistent with the
revealed knowledge of the Upanishads, the mystic experience of AzhwArs and
the requirements of the realistic logistic thoughts. [Some of the above
statements are from the article written by Sri KS Krishnaswamy Iyengar, in
1944
are of course as ancient as the Vedas themselves, and have been handed over
by Poorvacharyas, sages and rishis, among others and to name a few..
Badyana, Tanka, Dramida, Kuhadeva, et al. The essential truths of the
darshana are indeed found summed up with sufficient clarity in the
Upanishads, the Gita and the BrammasUthras. These great sources of knowledge
(the trio- called prasthAna thrayam) form the text as it were on which all
the systems of philosophy namely Advaita, VisishtAdvaita and Dvaita were
established- and have been interpreted differently by Sankara, Sri Ramanuja
and Madhva.
Sri Sankara?s service consisted mainly in putting an end to atheism and
re-establishing the authority of Vedas and restoring them to their pristine
supremacy [though mentioned that few vedic truths were to be ignored when
violating with the other sruthi statements]. His doctrine was from a purely
idealistic point of view. He attracted many adherents to his doctrine, but
the VisishtAdvaitic school held aloof, finding his theories inconsistent and
irreconcilable with textual authority. [thanks to effrots of our acharyas]
Sri Nathamuni who has been rightly described as ?the founder of ubhaya
vedantha school and the first acharya (after NammAzhwAr] of Srivaishnavam
and after hims came his grandson Sri YamunAchArya or Alavandhar who kept the
light of our darsana glowing and growing from strength to strength, in the
example of their own lives and by their works. But it was reserved to
Bhagavadh Ramanuja the greatest thinker, to systematize the philosophy,
faithfully interpreting the ancient knowledge according to the letter and
spirit of the test, in the light of revelation and experience tested by
stern logic as well. It would be out of place to enter into the details of
his system now. He refused to subscribe to the view that Upanishads spoke in
two voices, of two levels of cognition, two brahmans and of two different
sruthis- negating each other.
Sri Ramanuja?s long life was a life of strenuous endeavour dedicated to the
exposition and elaboration of the VisishtAdvaita philosophy. His Vedaarttha
sangraha, Sri Bhashya and Gitabhashya reveal the master mind at work in a
supreme effort to reconcile the seeming differences in the Upanishad
statements and to evolve a coherent, consistent, harmonious system where the
needs of pure metaphysics and the eternal longing of the human soul meet in
happy union- and where the statements of Upanishads do not vilate each other
and co-exist. His penetrative commonsense could not accept an interpretation
which postulates two species of truths, the real and the phenomenal, the
higher and the lower. The Brahman of the Upanishads -the Sat ? the one
without a second, is none other than Sri Krishna, Sriman Narayana of Srimad
Bhagawatha and Sri Vasudeva of Pancharathra. He is the All self, the Truth
of Truths, the Creator, the Sustainer and the Master. He is the penetrating
AntarAthmA and the NiyanthA of the entire universe of soul and matter which
stands to Him in the relation of the body to the soul. He is the Home of all
the eternal virtue of which is His Sowseelyam, Sowlabhyam, and Vaathsalyam
are of special interest and value to we- the suffering souls caught up in
the samsaaric affliction. The Jiva stands in the perennial, indissoluble
relationship to the Sesha (Master- the Isawara- the Lord) who is the Sarva
Seshi- the master for everyone (other than Himself).. The eternal Bliss of
moksha is within reach of all, irrespective of sex, colour, creed, class,
caste- because Sriman Narayana- the Only One Primordial Lord- the
SarvasEshi- Sriya:Pathi has infinite mercy and compassion on us, and
prompted by the Purushaakara (recommendation) of His inseparable Divine
Constort Vishnu pathni- Sri Mahalakshmi ? and the Dhiva Dampathi is ever
ready to extend their hands to all aspiring souls without distinction, who
endeavour to Them by means of either bhakti yoga (loving, uninterrupted
meditation) or Prapatti (absolute self surrender), properly directed and
duly performed. He ? the Lord Sriya: Pathi- is the Praapya and the Praapaka,
the Rakshaka and SiddhOpaaya, the effective means and the ultimate end- all
in one. Moksha or liberation is not a mere arid negation, a sterile
cessation of dhukka of life or the barren release from the bonds of Karma
and miseries of Samsara; but is a POSITIVE, eternal, supreme Bliss of
perpetual loving presence and in the company of mukthas and Nithysasooris.
Such in brief are the lines on which Sri Ramanuja expounded from Sri Natha,
Yamuna muni?s doctrines- which were originally pointed out earlier by Sages,
Rishis and others. Ramanuja thus re established the darsana which is
associated with his illustrious name. He was not of course the founder of a
school of religion or philosophy, but only the synthetic exponent of an
ancient system, the only true system according to him, consistent with the
revealed knowledge of the Upanishads, the mystic experience of AzhwArs and
the requirements of the realistic logistic thoughts. [Some of the above
statements are from the article written by Sri KS Krishnaswamy Iyengar, in
1944
Thursday, February 1, 2007
Swami as Vedanta Guru And His Principle of Vedanta
The path of Vedanta, the "vEdAnta-mArga" of Swami Desikan, is
described in a short work of his called "parama-pada-sOpAnam". It is
one of the many 'rahasya-granthAm-s' he wrote to communicate lofty
themes of Vedanta to ordinary people of the world (i.e. those who are
neither "kavi-s" nor "tArkikA-s") in a simple and easy-to-understand
form. Swami Venkatanathan's works that simplify what is otherwise
extremely complex or esoteric in Vedanta ("rahasya") came to be
generally called "chillarai-rahasyam" ("chillarai" here meaning,
"simple"). Since out of kindness for the ignorant commoner Desikan
strove to create works that made VedAnta easy to follow, he came to
be known as "vEdAntAchArya" or "vEdAnta-guru".
The word 'parama-padam' means "highest state of existence". The word
"sOpAnam" is a little difficult to exactly translate. It is commonly
understood to mean a hymn that describes anything in graphic and slow
detail from "start" to "finish", from "head to toe"... (Many will
remember here Desikan's 'stOtrA' called "bhagavath-dhyAna-sOpAnam"
which is a hymn describing the beuteous form of the Lord of SriRangam
from the "feet to the crown"). "sOpAnam" can also mean a many-tiered
stairway... a sort of structure which climbs in height by means of
many tiers of stepping stones. These stepping-stones are called
"pariankam" in Sanskrit. Swami Desikan's "parama-pada-sOpAnam" thus
refers to a step-by-step "stairway" having many "parianka-s" that
lead, slowly but surely, from the bottom-most state of existence to
the "highest state of human existence".
What is this 'parama-padam'? It is said to be the abode of the
Supreme Brahman, called by the name of "nArAyaNa". It is otherwise
called "SriVaikuntam" -- the kingdom of God. This "parama-padam" is
however not so much a physical place as a spiritual one. It is a
state of existence in which there is unbounded, unceasing and
undiminishing Joy. Only those who have reached this state know this
Bliss; and having reached it they do not return to this world ever
again to describe it for us. Even the Vedas and Upanishads that know
of this Bliss and speak of it, become incoherent while describing
"parama-padam". The Taittiriya Upanishad, for example, (in the
Brghuvalli) while speaking of it is unable to say no more than this:
"haa...ooh-hA...ooh-hA..hoo...!".
>From Swami Desikan's "parama-pada-sOpAnam" we learn that all beings
on earth seek only one purpose -- and that is Joy, Bliss or 'ananda'.
Creatures like unicellular organisms like amoeba and bacteria, or,
other low-level creatures like insects and vermins, have extremely
short life-spans. They live from a few hours to a few days only.
Within that span of time they seek only one purpose in life i.e. mere
Survival. To survive they must eat. And their greatest joy or
'ananda' in life is feeding.
Then there are other creatures like vertebrates, ,mammals and
reptiles whose life-span extend from a few years to a decade or more.
For them, as in the case of rabbits, for example, the purpose in life
is not merely Survival but also Self-Perpetuation. Within their
life-spans they seek to also multiply their own species in the face
of harsh odds of Nature. The activity of perpetuating themselves i.e.
procreation gives them great joy or 'ananda'.
Amongst higher forms of living creatures, there are many species that
live for much longer life-spans. Elephants and large apes, for
example, are known to live for almost 100 years. These creatures not
only want to perpetuate themselves but they also seek Social
Proliferation. They build large communities and societies. They live
in and work for such social groups wanting acceptance, recognition or
domination within them. It is this pursuit of Social Proliferation
which gives them the greatest joy or 'ananda' in life.
Man, who as a species, is right at the top of the biological heap, is
a unique creture. For him, the greatest source of joy, is not merely
in Survival, Perpetuation or Proliferation. He seeks Bliss in
Self-Fulfillment. Through work, strife and human accomplishment of
many kinds that includes wealth, power and self-gratification, Man
constantly seeks the great joy or 'ananda' of self-fulfillment.
Now, unfortunately, all sources of joy or 'anandA' in this world,
whether they are Survival, Perpetuation, Proliferation or
Fulfillment.. all these sources of Bliss are temporal. They are there
to enjoy and experience only as long as a creature remains in its
state of worldly existence. Furthermore, the joys of the world are
not always of the same pleasurable intensity... these joys wax and
wane with the tide and vicissitudes of life. (In the heat of summer,
for example, an ice-cream is a source of delicious pleasure whereas,
one would not even touch it in the freezing temperatures of winter...
The pleasures of youth are not available in old age etc.).
Hence, we learn from the "parama-pada-sOpAnam" that this state of
worldly existence in which Man lives, with its severely limited means
of affording 'ananda' to him, is the actually the lowest state of
existence. From this state of limited, uncertain and erratic Joy, Man
would gladly seek to attain another state of existence where 'ananda'
is unlimited, eternal and undiminishing. Such a state of existence is
called "parama-padam"... and it is that state of existence to which
Swami Desikan -- the "vEdAnta-guru" -- provides a simple road-map for
all and sundry in this world to follow.
This 'road-map' to "parama-padam" is described by Swami Desikam to be
a "stairway" of 9 stepping-stones or 'parianka-s'. The 9 steps are:
1) vivekam
2) nirvedam
3) virakti
4) bheeti
5) prasAda-hetu
6) utkramanam
7) archirAdri
8) divya-desa-prApti
9) prApti
In the 'parama-pada-sOpAnam', Swami Desikan put forward a Vedantic
thesis in a very scientific and modern way. It is a thesis that shows
Man a pathway to personal development from lower to the highest state
of existence and experience. It is a "vEdAnta-mArga" which shows us
how to enrich our lives in an easy-to-follow 9-step program.
The 9-step program begins at the first stepping-stone as surely as it
ends with the last. There are no alternate routes on this journey ---
just as there are none on a stairway. The "parama-pada-sOpAnam" is a
journey which leads only one way: upwards, straight from the low
plains of worldly experience towards "paramapada", the very summit of
human experience in the kingdom of God.
Swami Desikan described 9 "steps" or 'parianka-s' which a man
aspiring to reach the pinnacle of Joy in 'parama-padam' must have to
tread:
1) vivekam
2) nirvedam
3) virakti
4) bheeti
The first 4 steps from 'vivEkam' to 'bheethi' are collectively termed
by Swami Desikan as "adhikAra-parva" and this is what we would be discussing here. These deal with the the various processes by which a man acquires the requisite "adhikAra", or qualifications or eligibility, that will enable him to proceed along the pathway to the next 5 steps.
The stepping-stone described as "prasAdana-hetu", next, is termed by
Swami Desikan as "UpAya-parva". It is the program that deals with the
various "practical means" a qualified spiritual aspirant employs in
order to get ahead further on the journey to 'parama-padam'.
The last 4 stepping-stones viz. "ut-kramaNam", "archirAdi",
"divya-dEsa-prApti" and "prApti" are all collectively put together by
Swami Desikan in one program called "phala-parvA". It deals with the
aftermath of the journey man has already undertaken along the path of
the first step through the 5th 'parianka'.
It is interesting to note that out of the 9 steps above, a man is
expected to take the trouble to scale only the first 4.
Steps #5to #9 are easily traversed by an aspirant with the aid and Grace of God
himself. While a little of strenuous effort is required of Man to
climb onto Step #5, none is required thereafter. The Lord Himself
assumes the burden and responsibility of "lifting" the soul of man
from Step #6 through Step #9. The first 5 'parianka-s' in the
'parama-pada-sOpAnam' are thus so many steps on a stairway; but the
last 4 may be said to be a bit like a modern escalator. One merely
needs to step on it to be conveyed forward effortlessly.
While sometimes one can attempt to hop-step & jump over ordinary
stairways in order to accelerate one's way up, it is not possible to
do so on Swami Desikan's 'parama-pada-sOpAnam'. Here one has to scale
the height in proper "krama" (methodically) and there are no
short-cuts or slip-throughs. You cannot arrive at any given
stepping-stone without first having landed on the immediately
preceding one.
described in a short work of his called "parama-pada-sOpAnam". It is
one of the many 'rahasya-granthAm-s' he wrote to communicate lofty
themes of Vedanta to ordinary people of the world (i.e. those who are
neither "kavi-s" nor "tArkikA-s") in a simple and easy-to-understand
form. Swami Venkatanathan's works that simplify what is otherwise
extremely complex or esoteric in Vedanta ("rahasya") came to be
generally called "chillarai-rahasyam" ("chillarai" here meaning,
"simple"). Since out of kindness for the ignorant commoner Desikan
strove to create works that made VedAnta easy to follow, he came to
be known as "vEdAntAchArya" or "vEdAnta-guru".
The word 'parama-padam' means "highest state of existence". The word
"sOpAnam" is a little difficult to exactly translate. It is commonly
understood to mean a hymn that describes anything in graphic and slow
detail from "start" to "finish", from "head to toe"... (Many will
remember here Desikan's 'stOtrA' called "bhagavath-dhyAna-sOpAnam"
which is a hymn describing the beuteous form of the Lord of SriRangam
from the "feet to the crown"). "sOpAnam" can also mean a many-tiered
stairway... a sort of structure which climbs in height by means of
many tiers of stepping stones. These stepping-stones are called
"pariankam" in Sanskrit. Swami Desikan's "parama-pada-sOpAnam" thus
refers to a step-by-step "stairway" having many "parianka-s" that
lead, slowly but surely, from the bottom-most state of existence to
the "highest state of human existence".
What is this 'parama-padam'? It is said to be the abode of the
Supreme Brahman, called by the name of "nArAyaNa". It is otherwise
called "SriVaikuntam" -- the kingdom of God. This "parama-padam" is
however not so much a physical place as a spiritual one. It is a
state of existence in which there is unbounded, unceasing and
undiminishing Joy. Only those who have reached this state know this
Bliss; and having reached it they do not return to this world ever
again to describe it for us. Even the Vedas and Upanishads that know
of this Bliss and speak of it, become incoherent while describing
"parama-padam". The Taittiriya Upanishad, for example, (in the
Brghuvalli) while speaking of it is unable to say no more than this:
"haa...ooh-hA...ooh-hA..hoo...!".
>From Swami Desikan's "parama-pada-sOpAnam" we learn that all beings
on earth seek only one purpose -- and that is Joy, Bliss or 'ananda'.
Creatures like unicellular organisms like amoeba and bacteria, or,
other low-level creatures like insects and vermins, have extremely
short life-spans. They live from a few hours to a few days only.
Within that span of time they seek only one purpose in life i.e. mere
Survival. To survive they must eat. And their greatest joy or
'ananda' in life is feeding.
Then there are other creatures like vertebrates, ,mammals and
reptiles whose life-span extend from a few years to a decade or more.
For them, as in the case of rabbits, for example, the purpose in life
is not merely Survival but also Self-Perpetuation. Within their
life-spans they seek to also multiply their own species in the face
of harsh odds of Nature. The activity of perpetuating themselves i.e.
procreation gives them great joy or 'ananda'.
Amongst higher forms of living creatures, there are many species that
live for much longer life-spans. Elephants and large apes, for
example, are known to live for almost 100 years. These creatures not
only want to perpetuate themselves but they also seek Social
Proliferation. They build large communities and societies. They live
in and work for such social groups wanting acceptance, recognition or
domination within them. It is this pursuit of Social Proliferation
which gives them the greatest joy or 'ananda' in life.
Man, who as a species, is right at the top of the biological heap, is
a unique creture. For him, the greatest source of joy, is not merely
in Survival, Perpetuation or Proliferation. He seeks Bliss in
Self-Fulfillment. Through work, strife and human accomplishment of
many kinds that includes wealth, power and self-gratification, Man
constantly seeks the great joy or 'ananda' of self-fulfillment.
Now, unfortunately, all sources of joy or 'anandA' in this world,
whether they are Survival, Perpetuation, Proliferation or
Fulfillment.. all these sources of Bliss are temporal. They are there
to enjoy and experience only as long as a creature remains in its
state of worldly existence. Furthermore, the joys of the world are
not always of the same pleasurable intensity... these joys wax and
wane with the tide and vicissitudes of life. (In the heat of summer,
for example, an ice-cream is a source of delicious pleasure whereas,
one would not even touch it in the freezing temperatures of winter...
The pleasures of youth are not available in old age etc.).
Hence, we learn from the "parama-pada-sOpAnam" that this state of
worldly existence in which Man lives, with its severely limited means
of affording 'ananda' to him, is the actually the lowest state of
existence. From this state of limited, uncertain and erratic Joy, Man
would gladly seek to attain another state of existence where 'ananda'
is unlimited, eternal and undiminishing. Such a state of existence is
called "parama-padam"... and it is that state of existence to which
Swami Desikan -- the "vEdAnta-guru" -- provides a simple road-map for
all and sundry in this world to follow.
This 'road-map' to "parama-padam" is described by Swami Desikam to be
a "stairway" of 9 stepping-stones or 'parianka-s'. The 9 steps are:
1) vivekam
2) nirvedam
3) virakti
4) bheeti
5) prasAda-hetu
6) utkramanam
7) archirAdri
8) divya-desa-prApti
9) prApti
In the 'parama-pada-sOpAnam', Swami Desikan put forward a Vedantic
thesis in a very scientific and modern way. It is a thesis that shows
Man a pathway to personal development from lower to the highest state
of existence and experience. It is a "vEdAnta-mArga" which shows us
how to enrich our lives in an easy-to-follow 9-step program.
The 9-step program begins at the first stepping-stone as surely as it
ends with the last. There are no alternate routes on this journey ---
just as there are none on a stairway. The "parama-pada-sOpAnam" is a
journey which leads only one way: upwards, straight from the low
plains of worldly experience towards "paramapada", the very summit of
human experience in the kingdom of God.
Swami Desikan described 9 "steps" or 'parianka-s' which a man
aspiring to reach the pinnacle of Joy in 'parama-padam' must have to
tread:
1) vivekam
2) nirvedam
3) virakti
4) bheeti
The first 4 steps from 'vivEkam' to 'bheethi' are collectively termed
by Swami Desikan as "adhikAra-parva" and this is what we would be discussing here. These deal with the the various processes by which a man acquires the requisite "adhikAra", or qualifications or eligibility, that will enable him to proceed along the pathway to the next 5 steps.
The stepping-stone described as "prasAdana-hetu", next, is termed by
Swami Desikan as "UpAya-parva". It is the program that deals with the
various "practical means" a qualified spiritual aspirant employs in
order to get ahead further on the journey to 'parama-padam'.
The last 4 stepping-stones viz. "ut-kramaNam", "archirAdi",
"divya-dEsa-prApti" and "prApti" are all collectively put together by
Swami Desikan in one program called "phala-parvA". It deals with the
aftermath of the journey man has already undertaken along the path of
the first step through the 5th 'parianka'.
It is interesting to note that out of the 9 steps above, a man is
expected to take the trouble to scale only the first 4.
Steps #5to #9 are easily traversed by an aspirant with the aid and Grace of God
himself. While a little of strenuous effort is required of Man to
climb onto Step #5, none is required thereafter. The Lord Himself
assumes the burden and responsibility of "lifting" the soul of man
from Step #6 through Step #9. The first 5 'parianka-s' in the
'parama-pada-sOpAnam' are thus so many steps on a stairway; but the
last 4 may be said to be a bit like a modern escalator. One merely
needs to step on it to be conveyed forward effortlessly.
While sometimes one can attempt to hop-step & jump over ordinary
stairways in order to accelerate one's way up, it is not possible to
do so on Swami Desikan's 'parama-pada-sOpAnam'. Here one has to scale
the height in proper "krama" (methodically) and there are no
short-cuts or slip-throughs. You cannot arrive at any given
stepping-stone without first having landed on the immediately
preceding one.
Step 1: Vivekam
Swami Desikan describes the first stepping-stone on the way up to
'parama-padam' as being the most difficult to ascend. Everyone in the
world has a problem with it. Even 'kavi-s' and 'tArkika-s' find it
daunting; ordinary people find it next to impossible.
"vivEkam" or spiritual wisdom i.e. the power of discrimination, the
first among 9 steps, is said to be the steepest and most difficult to
climb. It is difficult because it represents Man's single most
grievous and biggest failing in life. It is a failing that makes him,
for the most part in his lifetime, unable to differentiate between:
a) what is truth ("satyam") and what is false ("anartham")
b) what is good ("sat") and what is evil ("a-sat")
c) what promotes spiritual progress and what retards it
d) what is the real purpose ('summum-bonum') of human existence on
earth and what merely appears so.
Rare is the person born with innate power of discrimination
--'vivEkam'. A Prahlada or Dhruva are rarities of creation. For the
general mass of men true discrimination is never achieved in life.
Even those who attain it to some extent are, however, unable to
retain it constantly unto the end of their lives. It is this lack of
"vivEkam" that is the source of endless "vikAram" (tragedies and
infirmities) in Man's life.
True 'vivEkam' dawns on a man the day he begins to sincerely ask
himself questions like "Who am I?", "Where do I come from?" and
"Where am I going?". And, more importantly, he begins to ask "Who or
what is it within me that is constantly nagging me with these
questions?".
True "vivEkam" makes a man also realize that if Joy or 'ananda' is
the true purpose of human existence, then that purpose is never going
to be served by the evanescence of worldly means. There is a greater
'ananda' to be attained beyond this world. Such a Joy transcends all
those of this world (survival, perpetuation, social proliferation,
self-fulfillment or gratification). It transcends Time and Space. And
such transcendent Bliss ('parama-anandam') is real and worthy of
pursuing.
Very few men in the world want to carry the conviction of such
"vivEkam". Much of humanity is instead perfectly happy chasing the
little pleasures of this world. They have no patience for the "Bliss
that is Beyond". (In the famous words of H.G.Wells, "none of us start
life as philosophers. We become philosophers sooner or later or else
we die before we become philosophical. The realization of life's
limitation and frustration is the beginning of the wisdom of
philosophy... and of this, that "healthy mind" (of the common man)--
which otherwise takes life as it finds it and troubles no more about
it, by its innate gift for incoherence and piecemeal evasion and
incredulity -- never knows."
********** ************ **********
The story of the great "vivEki", the child Dhruva, is told in the
Srimadh BhAgavatham. Dhruva one day saw his step-brother, little
Uttama seated on the lap of their father King UttAnapAda. The King
and his favorite Queen, Surichi, were both fondling the child.
Dhruva, being a little child himself, also wanted to be seated on his
father, UttAnapAda's lap and so went up to the King and asked for the
same affection shown to his step-brother, Uttama. But Queen Surichi,
Dhruva's stepmother would have nothing of it. She shoved Dhruva aside
saying, "You shall have a place on neither your father's lap now nor
on his throne later! Now get out!"
Dhruva was thus denied the simple delight every little child in this
world longs to experience. He ran away weeping to his mother, Queen
Suniti.
Dhruva's mother, Suniti, was a great 'vivEki' herself. She took
Dhruva in her arms and consoled him saying, "Do not worry, my child!
Go into the forest and begin worshipping Sriman NarAyana. He will
take you upon His lap... It is the seat that will give you happiness
a thousand times greater than your father's! Go my child, go seek the
Love of God!".
The child Dhruva took his mother's good advice and went away to the
forest to perform 'tapas' ... to seek the Joy of the other world that
was infinitely more rewarding than any in this world.
Dhruva was a true "vivEki"...
********* *********** ***********
With the dawn of "vIvEkam" comes the first few streaks of bright
morning light i.e. the first few rays of spiritual knowledge. Man
then slowly awakens to a dim but real awareness of the following:
(a) Who am I? I am not this Body. I am Soul. ('atma-svarUpa-gnyAna')
(b) This body is impermanent but this soul is eternal.
(c) This soul is not mine ("na-mama");
(d) This soul is the lost property of another Great One Who is
"Beyond the Yonder even" ('athyatIshTa-dashAngulam...');
("Isvara-tattva- gnyAnam")
(e) The purpose of existence on earth is to seek and realize such a
Great One and restore this soul to Him, the rightful owner
('Atma-nivEdanam'/'Atma-samarpaNam').
(f) Eternal and undiminished Bliss lies in the union with the Great
One ('parama-purushArtham').
In the 'parama-pada-sOpAnam' when Swami Desikan explains all the
above concepts it seems all so facile and self-evident. However, if
we deeply reflect on the subject we will be unable to deny to
ourselves that our day-to-day lives are, indeed, in many ways
hopelessly far removed from Desikan's concept of "vivEkam". On the
other hand, our lives would be perfect examples of the very
antithesis of the 'vEdAntAchAryA's' definition of 'vivEkam'.
If we all, however, did become 'vivEki-s' as described in the
'parama-pada-sOpAnam", if we were to all become Dhruva-s in our own
right, then the first "small step" taken by us would qualify to be a
"giant leap for mankind".
'parama-padam' as being the most difficult to ascend. Everyone in the
world has a problem with it. Even 'kavi-s' and 'tArkika-s' find it
daunting; ordinary people find it next to impossible.
"vivEkam" or spiritual wisdom i.e. the power of discrimination, the
first among 9 steps, is said to be the steepest and most difficult to
climb. It is difficult because it represents Man's single most
grievous and biggest failing in life. It is a failing that makes him,
for the most part in his lifetime, unable to differentiate between:
a) what is truth ("satyam") and what is false ("anartham")
b) what is good ("sat") and what is evil ("a-sat")
c) what promotes spiritual progress and what retards it
d) what is the real purpose ('summum-bonum') of human existence on
earth and what merely appears so.
Rare is the person born with innate power of discrimination
--'vivEkam'. A Prahlada or Dhruva are rarities of creation. For the
general mass of men true discrimination is never achieved in life.
Even those who attain it to some extent are, however, unable to
retain it constantly unto the end of their lives. It is this lack of
"vivEkam" that is the source of endless "vikAram" (tragedies and
infirmities) in Man's life.
True 'vivEkam' dawns on a man the day he begins to sincerely ask
himself questions like "Who am I?", "Where do I come from?" and
"Where am I going?". And, more importantly, he begins to ask "Who or
what is it within me that is constantly nagging me with these
questions?".
True "vivEkam" makes a man also realize that if Joy or 'ananda' is
the true purpose of human existence, then that purpose is never going
to be served by the evanescence of worldly means. There is a greater
'ananda' to be attained beyond this world. Such a Joy transcends all
those of this world (survival, perpetuation, social proliferation,
self-fulfillment or gratification). It transcends Time and Space. And
such transcendent Bliss ('parama-anandam') is real and worthy of
pursuing.
Very few men in the world want to carry the conviction of such
"vivEkam". Much of humanity is instead perfectly happy chasing the
little pleasures of this world. They have no patience for the "Bliss
that is Beyond". (In the famous words of H.G.Wells, "none of us start
life as philosophers. We become philosophers sooner or later or else
we die before we become philosophical. The realization of life's
limitation and frustration is the beginning of the wisdom of
philosophy... and of this, that "healthy mind" (of the common man)--
which otherwise takes life as it finds it and troubles no more about
it, by its innate gift for incoherence and piecemeal evasion and
incredulity -- never knows."
********** ************ **********
The story of the great "vivEki", the child Dhruva, is told in the
Srimadh BhAgavatham. Dhruva one day saw his step-brother, little
Uttama seated on the lap of their father King UttAnapAda. The King
and his favorite Queen, Surichi, were both fondling the child.
Dhruva, being a little child himself, also wanted to be seated on his
father, UttAnapAda's lap and so went up to the King and asked for the
same affection shown to his step-brother, Uttama. But Queen Surichi,
Dhruva's stepmother would have nothing of it. She shoved Dhruva aside
saying, "You shall have a place on neither your father's lap now nor
on his throne later! Now get out!"
Dhruva was thus denied the simple delight every little child in this
world longs to experience. He ran away weeping to his mother, Queen
Suniti.
Dhruva's mother, Suniti, was a great 'vivEki' herself. She took
Dhruva in her arms and consoled him saying, "Do not worry, my child!
Go into the forest and begin worshipping Sriman NarAyana. He will
take you upon His lap... It is the seat that will give you happiness
a thousand times greater than your father's! Go my child, go seek the
Love of God!".
The child Dhruva took his mother's good advice and went away to the
forest to perform 'tapas' ... to seek the Joy of the other world that
was infinitely more rewarding than any in this world.
Dhruva was a true "vivEki"...
********* *********** ***********
With the dawn of "vIvEkam" comes the first few streaks of bright
morning light i.e. the first few rays of spiritual knowledge. Man
then slowly awakens to a dim but real awareness of the following:
(a) Who am I? I am not this Body. I am Soul. ('atma-svarUpa-gnyAna')
(b) This body is impermanent but this soul is eternal.
(c) This soul is not mine ("na-mama");
(d) This soul is the lost property of another Great One Who is
"Beyond the Yonder even" ('athyatIshTa-dashAngulam...');
("Isvara-tattva- gnyAnam")
(e) The purpose of existence on earth is to seek and realize such a
Great One and restore this soul to Him, the rightful owner
('Atma-nivEdanam'/'Atma-samarpaNam').
(f) Eternal and undiminished Bliss lies in the union with the Great
One ('parama-purushArtham').
In the 'parama-pada-sOpAnam' when Swami Desikan explains all the
above concepts it seems all so facile and self-evident. However, if
we deeply reflect on the subject we will be unable to deny to
ourselves that our day-to-day lives are, indeed, in many ways
hopelessly far removed from Desikan's concept of "vivEkam". On the
other hand, our lives would be perfect examples of the very
antithesis of the 'vEdAntAchAryA's' definition of 'vivEkam'.
If we all, however, did become 'vivEki-s' as described in the
'parama-pada-sOpAnam", if we were to all become Dhruva-s in our own
right, then the first "small step" taken by us would qualify to be a
"giant leap for mankind".
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