DEIVATHIN KURAL #185 (Vol #4) Dated 02 May 2011

DEIVATHIN KURAL #185 (Vol #4) Dated 02 May 2011

(These e-mails are translations of talks given by Periyaval of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, over a period of some 60 years while he was the pontiff in the earlier part of the last century. These have been published by Vanadi Padippagam, Chennai, in seven volumes of a thousand pages each as Deivathin Kural. Today we are proceeding from the page number 1,037 of Vol 4 of the Tamil original. The readers may note that herein 'man/he' includes 'woman/she' too mostly. These e-mails are all available at http://Advaitham.blogspot.com updated constantly)
237. Appeal for Surrender, Which Looks Like a Phalasruti. The next sloka which is the seventh is actually a Phala Sruti which tells us about the value of the sloka and the gains we get by chanting the sloka. The ‘Shat Padi’ comes to an end with, “daamodara guNamandira sundara vadana aravinda govinda I bhava jhaladi mathana mandara paramam daram apanaya tvam may II”. That is the sixth stanza. Then the two lines that occur are really not a part of the sloka as such. Jayadeva had sung the ‘Ashtapadi’, in which each stanza had eight lines and there were eight stanzas. I had earlier pointed out that the word ‘padam’ could be the feet or word or number of lines or stanzas. Thus the ‘Shatpadi’ is over with the sixth stanza. There is a seventh sloka as per the tradition of a ‘Phalasruti’.
238. As Bhagawan did in Gita, the earliest word has been used at the end also in the ‘Andaadi’ style using a verb ‘apanaya’. It seems that our AachaaryaaL had the Gita model in his mind while doing so. There is one more reason for my saying so. If you see the seventh sloka, you find the main principle being put across is the idea of ‘Surrender’. This is also the final message of Gita too, when Bhagawan says, “sarva dharmaan parityajya maam ekam saraNam vraja mokshayishyaami sarva paapebhyo, maa sucha:” as good as saying, ‘leave all rules and regulations and simply surrender and I shall take care, do not worry!’
239. Let us look at the seventh sloka. I Quote: “NaaraayaNa, karuNaamaya, saraNam karavaaNi taavakow charaNow I iti shatpadi madeeye vadana saroje sadaa vasatu II”. The reason for my telling you that this seventh sloka is like a ‘Phalasruti’ is because, instead of directly laying out a transactional deal sort of a thing that if you chant this sloka you will get so and so gains or returns; AachaaryaaL leaves it to our imagination and grasp. As he was too gentlemanly, even at the end of ‘Sivaananda Lahari’ and ‘Soundarya Lahari’ too, instead of talking about ‘Phalasruti’ he has left to our guess work as to what would be the effect of those slokas.
240. Let us look at the word by word meaning of the seventh sloka. “NaaraayaNa – addressing Lord NarayaNa; karuNaamaya – the very form of compassion; taavakow charaNow – your two feet; saraNam karavaaNi – I take them as the destination for my surrender; iti – this; shatpadi - song of six stanzas; madeeye – my; vadana saroje – lotus of my mouth; sadaa – forever; vasatu – let it live”. “Oh! Lord NaaraayaNa! I consider your two feet as the destination and abode for my surrender and let this song of your praise may remain in my mouth always!” That also means that, as I said a few minutes back, we should be chanting this sloka always. We should be doing Japa or do the rosary inwardly chanting the sloka. Please note that when we refer to the feet it is ‘charaNow’ and when we do surrender it is ‘saraNam’ and pronounced as spelt! The word ‘charaNam’ means feet and ‘saraNam’ means the sanctuary or refuge.
241. Uncaring for the subtle points of nuances of the principles of Dwaitam, Adwaitam and Visishtadwaitam, our AachaaryaaL has expressed himself as he felt in his deep devotional ‘bhaava’, while composing this Stotra. If you look at pure Adwaitam, that will not permit descriptive eulogies of God’s qualities and traits. However within such deep devotion he has also emphasized delicate ideas of oneness with God, while still keeping respectful distance and difference! At the end too, instead of talking about the path of Gnaana, he has underlined the principle of surrender – saraNam karavaaNi taavakow charaNow.
242. Brhma Bhaavana and Surrender are One and the Same. Years later Ramanuja keeping this principle of ‘SaraNaagati’ that is also called ‘Prapatti’ as the main theme evolved Visishtadwaitam as a separate sect of Hinduism. His followers known as Sri VaishNavaas consider ‘Ashta Aksharam and Dwayam’ as two important mantras. Gita’s end sloka of “sarva dharmaan parityajya”; and the sloka in RaamayaNa (at the time of surrender by VibhishaNa), in which Rama talks about his vow of protecting those who have surrendered to Him; are considered by the Sri VaishNavaas as the most important slokas to be committed to mind and heart.
243. After Ramanuja the Sri VaishNavaas divided into Vadakalai and Tenkalai sects based on their difference of opinions about this principle of surrender only. There is a Marjara Kishora Nyaayam, that is Baby Cat’s Logic and a Markata Kishora Nyaayam, that is Baby Monkey’s Logic. What does that mean? It is in the way the baby responds to the mother. When going from place to place, the baby cat lets her mother do whatever, without a care in the world as though to say, “Mother! I am yours. Do whatever with me!” Compared to this the baby monkey does something very active. It catches hold of the mother’s belly strongly as though to say, “Come what may, I am not going to lose my grip on you!” The Sri VaishNavaas of the Tenkalai sect believe in the Baby Cat’s logic of leaving everything to God’s Will and hold the view that theirs is real surrender. The Vadakalai sects of Sri VaishNavaas believe in the Baby Monkey’s logic of catching hold of God by their own efforts. Then leave everything to God’s Will, come what may! That is their interpretation of the principle of surrender. For both the sects however, ‘Surrender’ is the basic principle.
244. ‘I am Brhmam’ is the basic central concept in the path of Gnaana, whereas in the path of Devotion, ‘I am a total zero, virtually nothing but to surrender unto God’ is the main central idea. I am saying that both are the same! There can be serious objections to this statement of mine that when one idea seems to be the peak of a pinnacle and the other seems to be down in the nether valleys. Superficially it seems so. But on deeper analysis we find that both these two concepts are the same. When the Adwaitin says, “I am Brhmam”, he is not considering that his self to be the ‘Body, Mind and Intelligence complex’ but what remains after discarding all these things, the Self or the Aatma.
245. Normally any Jeevatma due to being ignorant about it does think of himself only as the body, mind and Intelligence complex (let us call it the BMI for short). Then as he progresses somewhat in the spiritual path, he wishes to release himself from the clutches of BMI’s hold over him. So he wishes to drop all his attachments in the golden lotus feet of God. This is the same as what the man in the Path of Devotion does, saying that he is nothing but a big zero and wishes to completely surrender to God. The ‘Aham Brhma asmi!’ statement of the Gnaani in the Path of Gnaana can and should never be out of pride and ‘Ahankaara’ of the Ego with a capital ‘E’! Whatever the Adwaitin discards as not himself or his; is what is surrendered to God by the Visishtadwaitam! Both the paths aim at discarding the pride and haughtiness, really. (The differences really do not matter. That is why, Rajaji in his introduction to AachaaryaaL’s Bhaja Govindam sung by Dr. M.S.Subhalakshmi, says ‘Gnaana leads to Bhakti and Bhakti leads to Gnaana!’)
246. In PrakaraNa Granthas and Bhashyas, our Aachaaryal who speaks mainly of the Path of Gnaana, here as in many of his Stotras on the Path of Devotion, as a devotee talks of the ‘SaraNaagati’ principle as the way – “saraNam karavaaNi taavakow charaNow” – surrendering himself in the golden lotus feet of God! He reminds God as well as other devotees that God is ‘karuNaamaya’, full of compassion. In the first sloka having addressed God as ‘VishNo’ and having called Him ‘Daamodara’ in the sixth sloka reminding us about the KrishNa avatara, now here he addresses Him as ‘NaaraayaNa’. Though the sect derives its name from ‘Vishnu’ as VaiNavam, in the Ashta Akshari mantra it is ‘NaaraayaNa’ Naama – “Ohm Namo NaaraayaNaaya”. Aazhvaar has sung, “KandukoNden NaaraayaNaa ennum naamam”, meaning that, ‘I have discovered and recognized the name of God as NaaraayaNaa!’
247. AachaaryaaL in his Adwaita Bhashyaas while referring to ‘SaguNa Brhmam’ has used this name ‘NaaraaYaNaa’ only. He has also directed his followers that when anybody prostrates to any Sanyaasi (that is an ascetic who has renounced all attachments), that the Sanyaasi should bless the person prostrating by saying, “NaaraayaNa, NaaraayaNa”. Here our AachaaryaaL is saying that ‘I am surrendering in the feet of NaaraayaNaa’, is it not so? Exactly similar, almost in the same words is the Dwaya Mantra of VaishNavaas. I am very happy observing this closeness and oneness between Adwaitam and Visishtaadwaitam conceptually as well as in practice!
(To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva.