Vegetarian diet and longevity
"Animals are my friends, and I don't eat my friends."
-- George Bernard Shaw
THERE is no question that diet plays a very important role in the
development of cardiovascular diseases and some forms of cancer,
especially of the gastrointestinal tract. One particular diet -- one
high in saturated fat and cholesterol, and low in fiber -- consisting
mainly of red meats (pork, beef, non-skim dairy products, etc) and
eggs, has been branded as unhealthy. Voluminous clinical studies
have shown beyond a reasonable doubt that excess serum cholesterol,
specifically chronically elevated HDL (the bad cholesterol) and
triglycerides, is the culprit in the more than half a million deaths from
heart attack each year in the US alone. This translates to one person
dying from a cardiovascular illness every 60 seconds. And this does
not even include the mortality from cancer.
The culprit
Cholesterol is a sterol, a complex alcohol constituent of animal fats
and oils. If abnormally high in the blood stream, this substance forms
plaques, which adhere to the inner wall of arteries causing hardening
of the arteries and stenoses (blockages), many leading to heart attacks,
strokes, or poor leg circulation.
Cholesterol, in normal levels, is essential to health. The good cholesterol
is called High Density Lipoprotein (HDL), and the bad cholesterol is called
the Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL). For better health, a person should have
Total Cholesterol no higher than 150, HDL above 60, LDL below 100, and
Triglyceride level below 150. To be accurate and significant, the cholesterol
study should include these four, in a blood test called Lipid Profile.
Sources of cholesterol
While our liver produces (endogenous) cholesterol, the main source of
(exogenous) cholesterol in our body and the blood is from the food we eat.
Some of the food types that are high in cholesterol include egg yolk, pork,
duck, chicken skin, lamb, beef (and other red meats), butter, lard, and
other non-skim dairy products.
Omega-3 fatty acids
The good fats come from fish and are called fish oil or Omega-3 fatty acids.
These substances are a natural blood thinner that prevents blood clot
formation and minimizes hardening of the arteries. Thus, eating fish daily
reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke, even among those who are
diabetics and hypertensives (those with high blood pressure), provided
these conditions are treated and well-controlled.
The cholesterol factor
Everything else being similar, diabetics and hypertensives respond better
to treatment, have fewer complications from their illness, and have a better
prognosis if their total cholesterol, HDL, LDL and triglycerides are normal,
compared to those whose lipid profile is out of whack. Diet and longevity
The proponents of the vegetarian diet argue that studies have shown that
the longest-lived animals had low-calorie vegetarian diet, and that rats fed
high protein, high fat diet had the shortest life span. The studies of Dr. Paul
Dudley on the Hunzas of Pakistan, who have amazing longevity, showed
that they subsist on spartan and vegetarian diet of nuts, grains, fruits,
vegetables, and a little goat milk. Fresh and/or dried apricots are their
staple food. The Hunzas' lifespan is 140 years. While the inference is
clearly there, more extensive controlled clinical studies on human subjects
are needed to find out with certainty if vegetarian diet, although already
proven to be healthy, really improves longevity.
Vegetables and fruits
Vegetables and fruits have phytochemicals that are good for our body.
Twenty-three epidemiological studies have shown that diet rich in grains
and vegetables reduces the risk of colon cancer by 40 percent, and breast
cancer by 25 percent. Some of the hundreds of phytochemicals in fruits
and vegetables are: lycophene, ellagic acid, lutein, flavanoids, saponins,
monoterpenes, phthalides, phenols, ajoene, cassaicin, coumestrol,
genistein, sulforaphane, zeanthin. Our mothers were right in cajoling us to
eat vegetables and fruits while we were growing up. Too bad, most of us
didn't listen. But since we are now wiser and know better, let's educate
our own children and persuade them to eat more vegetables and fruits --
and less animal meat -- for better health. The incidence of cancers, heart
and kidney diseases, diabetes, hypertension, and obesity among
vegetarians is much lower than among meat-eaters.
Types of vegetarians
Vegetarians come in three forms: (1) Lacto-ovo vegetarians, whose diet
consists of vegetables, dairy products and eggs, no meat or flesh of any
kind (pork, beef, lamb, etc., poultry, fish and seafood); (2) Lacto-vegetarians
who do not eat eggs, but eat vegetables, fruits and milk; and, (3) Vegans
or pure vegetarians, who do not eat any food or food products of animal origin,
including milk and eggs, and subsist on vegetables, grains, nuts and fruits
only. Most vegans also do not buy or use animal products, such as those
made of leather, fur, feather, ivory, etc., all of which involves the killing of animals.
Imported from England
The Reverend William Metcalfe of England, together with his friend, Sylvester
Graham, a young Presbyterian minister and 40 other English church members,
brought the vegetarian way of life to the United States in 1817. For thousands of
years, being a vegetarian was a part of socio-cultural-religious practice around
the globe, most notably in the Far East. Many people around the world today
choose to be vegetarians for health reasons.
Vegetarian Who's Who
If you are a vegetarian, you're in good company. Some of the famous vegetarians
include Pythagoras, Socrates, Plato, Leonardo da Vinci, Buddha, Plutarch, John
Milton, Sir Isaac Newton, Mahatma Gandhi, The Dalai Lama, Benjamin Franklin,
Shakespeare, Vincent Van Gogh, Leo Tolstoy, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Voltaire,
Albert Schweitzer, George Bernard Shaw, Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill,
Jean Jacques Rousseau, Rabindranath Tagore, Mark Twain, Robert Browning,
Linda and Paul McCartney, John Denver, Richard Gere, Kim Basinger, Steven
Spielberg, Cameron Diaz, Josh Hartnett…etc.
Man: A natural herbivore?
Was man supposed to be a plant-eater instead of a meat-eater? Yes,
according to several investigations and books on the subject. A. D. Andrews,
author of "Fit Food For Men," made an anatomical and structural comparison
between herbivores (plant-eating animals) and carnivores (meat-eating animals),
and came to the conclusion that man's teeth, salivary glands, quality of saliva,
long intestinal tract, absence of claws, are all similar to those of herbivores,
very much unlike those of carnivores. Thus, he argues that man is a natural
herbivore, and must eat what herbivores eat: vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains,
and not meat or flesh, in order to stay healthy. Staying away from what
herbivores should eat, and eating a lot of red meat, is unhealthy and is the
cause of most, if not all, of man's ailments, is also a well-respected
argument in the scientific community.
Strength, vigor and vitality
The belief that vegetarians are weak and sickly is a myth. Elephants, bulls,
cows, carabaos, and some dinosaurs (plateosaurus, brachiosaurus, etc.)
are a few of the strongest animals known to man -- all herbivores. Various
studies comparing athletes who are carnivores and herbivores revealed
astonishing findings: Vegetarian athletes fared 2 to 3 times better, with
greater endurance and better recovery time, compared to their meat-eating
counterparts in similar sport activities.
Vegetables with protein
Vegetarians get their protein from soybeans, lentils, kidney beans, lima and
pinto beans, black beans, chickpeas, black-eyed peas, peanuts, almonds,
cashew, sunflower seeds, and other nuts, broccoli and other vegetables,
wheat, grains, brown rice, potato, and eggs and dairy products. These
sources easily meet the daily requirement of between 60-80 grams of protein,
even for vegans. So, animal meat is not really essential for health and life.
THE ART OF LIVING
"THE ART OF LIVING"
An essay in tribute to the life and work of Swami Venkatanathan (1268-1369 CE)
by Sudarshan K. Madabushi
In the year 1268 CE, in the month of 'purattAsi' (September-October) under
the asterism of "sravaNa" of the lunar calendar, in a small village called
Thuppul on the outskirts of the famous town of Kanchi in South India, Swami
Vedanta Desikan was born to his parents, Anantha Suri and TotAmba, as
'Venkata-nathan'.
For centuries thereafter, every year during the same lunar month, his faithful
followers across the world unfailingly celebrate the birth anniversary, the
"tirunakshatram", of Swami Venkatanathan. They offer his memory their
deepest reverence. Those who are unfamiliar or unacquainted with the life
and works of Venkatanathan often wonder how after so many centuries his
memory commands such devotion from his following. If only enough were
known about this great soul, his life, personality and work, it would be easy to
realize why it is important to commemorate Swami Venkatanathan not just
once a year on his 'tirunakshatram' but every day of one's life.
How shall we begin to know him, his person and his work in life?
One of the easiest ways to get started is to examine what is called, his
'tanian' -- a couplet of tribute written by Venkatanathan's son, Kumara
Varadarya. Anyone with the least familiarity with Venkatanathan's Sanskrit
works would immediately recognize two adulatory couplets that usually
appear at the beginning and 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 sentiments of such deep reverence to Swami
Venkatanathan? Is it because he was
· "kavi-kEsari" -- a glorious poet?
· "tArkika-simham" -- a lion amongst philosophers?
· "kalyANa guNa shAlin" -- a person of rare and sublime human
· qualities?
· "vEdAntAchAryA" or "vEdAnta-guru" -- a preceptor or guru who
showed The Way, the "Art of Living", to followers not only in his
time but to posterity as well !
The answer is: The memory of Swami Venkatanathan deserves to be
remembered for all four reasons above but more especially for the last
mentioned one i.e. as a Vedantic guru he revealed to whole humanity the
secret of true and purposeful living.
Let us begin, however, by examining the first of the four reasons:
"kavi-kEsari": The Glorious PoetAs a "kavi-kesari", a poet in many
languages,Venkatanathan was peerlessboth in his times and after.
Before him, the onlypoet of equal stature, in terms of quality and output,
was perhaps the legendary Kalidasa. To this day Sanskrit scholars find
themselves at a loss for words to describe the range and power of the
poetic prowess of these two "mahA-kavi-s".
Desikan wrote extensively in Sanskrit and Tamil and, to a lesser extent,
in theancient dialects of 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 theistic subjects but mostly in praise of the Deity in the famous
temple-towns of SriRangam, Tiruvengadam, Kanchi and a host of others
in vast, peninsular India through which Venkatanathan traveled extensively
in his lifetime. His poetry flowed in a dazzling variety of forms such as short
couplets and long quatrains, 'stOtra','gadyam', 'dandakam', 'kAvya' all in
every metric rhythm known in Sanskrit poesy -- from the simple 'mAlini'
metre to the long-winded 'sArdUlavikreedita'.
In his famous work praising the Deity 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 sheer magic and its output almost
superhuman 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 "Padukasahasram"!
One thousand stanzas in Sanskrit of the highest order, in praise of
the sacred 'pAdukA-s', the Sandals of Ranganatha, the great Deity of the
temple -- all written in one sitting within the course of one night!
Desikan was hailed as "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 a classic example of the first case, we can turn to two particular verses in
the popular 'stotra' of "kAmAsikAshtakam" where Desikan evokes the
fearsome, awe-inspiring image of "jvAla-nrsimha", the man-lion avatar of
NarayANA. In two stanzas, composed as they are of hard syllables and harsh,
guttural-sounding consonants, the words are made to sound like the roaring of
a lion roused to rage. 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..
If the above verses show us how words generate pure sound that in turn
evokes mental images, in the 'pAdukA-sahasram' Desikan demonstrates
how the reverse effect too can be achieved with equally stunning success
i.e. where meaningful words can be woven out of pure sound:
pAdapA pAdapA pAdapA pAdapA
pAdapA pAdapA pAdapA pAdapA
pAdapa pAdapA pAdapA pAdapA
pAdapA pAdapA pAdapA pAdapA (939 Paduka-Sahasram)
If any poet of lesser stature than Swami Desikan's were to pen lines like the
above, and try and pass it off as poetry, it is likely he/she 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 beings of the world
-- protect all beings in this world and the other
-- reward all men who do their bounden duty by parents and
punishes those that fail in it
-- elevate the devotees of God in the eyes of all the world
-- maintain Divine Order in both heavenly and earthly spheres".
It was no wonder indeed then, as it remains today, that Swami Desikan
was hailed by one and all as a "kavi-kEsari".
"tArkika-simham" : The Lion amongst Philosophers
Swami Desikan's brilliance as a poet was matched only by that as a
philosopher… He was a "tArkika-simham", a lion that struck terror in the
hearts of ideological adversaries.
The word "tarka" in Sanskrit refers to the branch of logic called dialectics.
It is a highly technical method of reasoning based on complex and formal
rules of ratiocination. In Desikan's times it involved never-ending debate
('vAdA') and discourse between exponents of rival schools of philosophy.
It was the principal occupation of professional philosophers in Desikan's
times, as they went around challenging each other frequently to debating
duels. Around 13th century CE some rather extreme elements in the school
of Advaitins ('mAyAvAdins') began to undermine, through aggressive
polemics and propaganda, the growing influence of the VisishtAdvaitic
school of Vedanta in the great bastion and temple-town of Srirangam.
These Advaitins began to seriously question, even casting slur on the
Vedantic basis of the school of philosophy called 'rAmAnuja-siddhAnta'.
The pundits of SriRangam badly needed the services of a redoubtable
philosopher from within their own ranks who could resist and overcome a
dangerously specious brand of aggressive Advaita. They found none
amongst themselves until they finally discovered their man in Swami
Venkatanathan at Kanchi. He was summoned to SriRangam.
Venkatanathan left Kanchi and moved to SriRangam, and during the next
40- odd years of his life there, he authored some of the most profound and
formidable works ever to be written in the annals of VisisishtAdvaitic
Vedanta.The philosophical system of Sri Ramanuja, as constructed in
his seminal work called "sri-bAshyam" about two centuries earlier,
found its fullest and most sophisticated expression in Desikan's
philosophical works some of which were exegetical and some counter-
polemic. Of these, the most famous were "tattva-muktA-kalApA",
'sarvArtha- siddhi' and the 'sata-dUshani' and were all
authored around this time. Together they constituted by far the most
solid and irrefutable defense for the school of Ramanuja's Vedanta
against every known rival Vedantic school that dared to challenge it.
In recognition of Swami Desikan's services to the firm establishment
of one of the greatest schools of Vedantic philosophy -- viz.
'sri-rAmAnuja-siddhAntam '
-- he came to be widely known as "tArkika-simham".
Venkatanathan reputation as a "tArkika-simham" grew for yet
another reason also.A certain section of the Vedic orthodoxy in
SriRangam -- we might call them "die-hard" elements -- was totally
against the AzhwAr's Tamil "divyaprabhandham" which Sri Ramanuja
had introduced into temple rituals and festivities. They deeply resented
the status given to the Tamil 'marai' as the "deemed equal" of the
timeless Sanskrit Vedas. Desikan, though a deeply Vedic adherent
himself, stoutly defended the mysticism of the AzhwAr's Tamil 'marai'
or Tamil Veda. In two magnificent works titled "dramidOpanishad-
tArparya-ratnAvali" and "dramidOpanishad sAram", Venkatanathan
demonstrated how NammAzhwAr's "tiruvoimOzhi"
was the perfect and peerless Tamil equivalent of the Vedantic Upanishads.
Together, he argued, they constituted the bedrock of a unique tradition of
Vedanta called "ubhaya-vEdanta" which combines the metaphysics of the
Sanskrit "sruti" with the mysticism of the Tamil vernacular. While the former is
perennial quest, he argued, the latter is perennial experience, but both have
as their object the one and the same Vedantic idea of Supreme 'Brahman'.
Today, if the AzhwAr's "divya-prabhandham" prevails and flourishes in all
SriVaishnavite temples in India, it is due in no small measure to the efforts of
the "tArkika-simham", Swami Venkatanathan.
"kalyANa-guNa-shAlinE...": Man of sublime qualities
The 3rd reason why Swami Venkatanathan's memory is greatly cherished by
his followers on his 'tirunakshatram' is hinted in the phrase "kalyANa-guNashAlinE..."
Desikan was a man of many rare and sublime qualities ("guNA-shAli"), of
which two were really outstanding. He was (A) utterly fearless ("nirbhaya")
and (B) he was a man of great compassion ("kArunnyan").
Desikan achieved in life what ordinary men of the world never do viz. he
conquered Fear of both Life and Death. And because he was utterly fearless,
he was also utterly compassionate towards a world around him that was
mired in fear of every conceivable kind.
Conquest of the Fear of Life:
The common fears and anxieties that beset ordinary men in life simply held no
terror for Desikan. Poverty, disease, old age, social approval... none of these
ever mattered to him. Throughout his life he held steadfast to the age-old
value of "simple living and high thinking". He shunned wealth like the plague;
he did not know the meaning of the term "financial welfare"; the future, neither
his nor that of his family, held any worry for him. All his life he was content
living on "unchavruthi" -- on whatever means of sustenance that happened to
come his way by way of day-to-day alms given by the community at large.
Although he embraced austerity as an absolute value of life, Venkatanathan
does not seem to have for that reason imposed it on others. His personal
values of simplicity and humility were his own; he never sought to grandstand
on them. At all times he seems to have borne his economic lowliness with a
quiet and natural dignity.
Desikan's fearlessness in life is amply demonstrated through a famous
'stOtrA' of his, the 'vairAgya-panchakam'. His good Advaitin friend VidyAranya
of the great Vijayanagar Court once sent him an invitation to serve as full-time
royal poet laureate. It meant a plum-post securing for Swami Desikan a
comfortable livelihood for the rest of his life, not to speak of post-retirement
benefits! Swami Desikan however rejected the offer of what today would
qualify as a fantastic 'career-break'. The only wealth, he wrote to his friend in
Vijayanagar, the only heirloom he coveted was always his for the taking. "It is
ever resident and awaiting me on the Hastigiri Hill in Kanchi", he said.
Venkatanathan was meaning the beloved Deity in the temple of Lord
Varadaraja.
Conquest of the Fear of Death:
Malik Kafur, a Mughal general of Alaudin Khilji's invading army in south India,
attacked and ransacked the SriRangam temple during Desikan's days there.
The poor citizens fled but some of them were ruthlessly massacred. While on
his flight from SriRangam to distant Satyakaalam (now in the state of
Karnataka, India) where he took refuge, Venkatanathan became first-hand
witness to bloody death and carnage. It was an experience that made a deep
impression on him. Thereafter, Venkatanathan lived alone in exile in
Satyakaalam for over a decade. The story of human struggle to conquer the
primal fear of death became one of the marvellous themes that Desikan dealt
with in his famous and slightly autobiographical 'stOtrA', the "abhIti-stavam".
Compassion:
Desikan was a man of great compassion. Neither lofty scholarship nor high
birth seems to have insulated him from the pains and miseries of the common
man. Being a "kavi-kEsari" or a "tArkika-simham" did not make him retire into
some secluded ivory tower. Desikan seems to have been acutely aware of the
social ills and problems of the world around him and deeply empathized with
the commonweal.
An example of Desikan's compassion for the commoner is the
"sudarshanAshtakam". Venkatanathan composed this 'stOtra' on seeing the
plight of the people of a village near Kanchi struck by a devastating epidemic.
In his times there was no such thing as public health system, and when an
epidemic struck, hundreds if not thousands helplessly perished. The
'sudarshanAshtakam' became poetry, prayer and therapy. It was on the lips of
all people affected and gave them hope of relief. To this day, this 'stOtrA'
continues to be recited by the faithful everywhere who believe it wards off
illness and disease.
Swami Desikan was the first 'achArya' in the Vedantic tradition who boldly
went so far as defining the quality of Compassion to be not merely theological
necessity but philosophical axiom too. A God without compassion would not
be God but a travesty. An unmerciful God would be a contradiction in terms.
Since we see Compassion does exist in this world, he argued, it follows that
God too therefore must exist.
To the Upanishad definition of Brahman being "satyam" (Truth), "gnyAnam"
(Knowledge), and "anantham" (infinitude), Desikan made out a fitting case for
adding a 4th dimension -- "dayA" or "anukampA" (Compassion). It became the
central theme of his famous "dayA satakam", a "stOtrA" which, beyond a
shadow of doubt, only a man of great 'dayA' in his own right -- an
extraordinary "kalyANa-guNa-shAli", so to speak, could have ever composed.
"vEdAnta-guru": The Pathfinder
We have so far examined three very good reasons to celebrate the memory of
Swami Venkatanathan on his 'tirunakshatram': (1) he was "kavi-kEsari" (2) he
was "tArkika-simham" and (3) he was a "kalyaNa guna-shAlin". But are these
reasons really sufficient?
Not all of us in this world possess a keen sense of poetics or the ability to
appreciate fine poetry. Many of us know little or no Sanskrit, Tamil or
ManipravAlam. So, perhaps we lack real ability to enjoy the works of the "kavikEsari".
Similarly, not all of us in this world possess a philosophic bent of
mind. We may really have no patience at all for the beauties of philosophical
reasoning or the inclination to plumb its depths. What is the point then of
forcing ourselves to celebrate the memory of a "tArkika-simham" who lived
centuries ago? Again, even if Swami Venkatanathan had been indeed a
person of extraordinary qualities -- a "kalyANa-guna-shALin" -- if his great
compassion is neither seen nor felt to be affecting us directly in the present,
we may be tempted to ask, "What is the importance of observing the
'tirunakshatram' of such a man who lived centuries ago?"
The answer to that lies in the fourth and most important reason stated right at
the beginning of this essay viz., that Swami Venkatanathan was above all else
a "vedAntAchArya" or a "vEdAnta-guru" ("srimathE vEnkatEshAya vEdAntaguravE
namah" as the 'tanian' says). Even if as a "tArkika-simham" or "kavikEsari"
Desikan did not inspire homage to his memory, his status as Vedantic
guru -- a Vedantic pathfinder -- most certainly and emphatically does.
As "vEdAnta-guru" Desikan showed his followers, both in his time and to
posterity, the true "Art of Living". In both practice and precept, he showed
men how one ought to lead life and what purpose is achieved through human
existence. He threw new light upon the pathway of Vedanta, illumining a
wonderful 'vEdAnta-mArgA' in a manner never before accomplished by other
great "mArga-darshi-s" (pathfinders). And most important of all, his pathway
could be followed by one and all ... not only those who could appreciate "kavi"
or grasp "tarka" but even ordinary people with humble minds and hearts.
"parama-pada-sOpAnam": A Stairway to Heaven
One of the greatest Vedantic pathways Venkatanathan showed us is available
in a short work of his called "parama-pada-sOpAnam". It is a magnificent work
wherein he set out in a cogent and easily comprehensible manner his view of
the Art of Living.
The "parama-pada-sOpAnam" is one of the many 'rahasya-granthAm-s',
smaller works of esotericism, that Venkatanathan 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 collection of works that simplify what is otherwise extremely
complex or esoteric in Vedanta ("rahasya") came to be generally called his
"chillarai-rahasyam" ("chillarai" in Tamil means, "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".
"parama-padam": The most exalted state of existence
The Sanskrit 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 beauteous form of the Deity at SriRangam from the "feet onto
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 "parianka" 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 '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
Province of God. This "parama-padam" is however not so much physical
place as a spiritual one. It is a state of existence in which there is unbounded,
unceasing and inexhaustible 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 recognize
this Bliss and speak of it, become very incoherent while describing it. The
Taittiriya Upanishad, for example, (in the Brghuvalli) while speaking of this
Bliss 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 lowlevel
creatures like insects and vermin, 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 spans 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. In the course of their life spans they seek to multiply their
species as much as possible and 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 within and work tirelessly for such social
groups wanting all the time to gain acceptance, recognition or domination
within the social milieu. 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
creature. For him, the greatest source of Joy lies not merely in Survival,
Perpetuation or Proliferation. He seeks Bliss in Self-Fulfillment. Through work,
strife and human accomplishment of various kinds that include wealth, power
and self-gratification, Man constantly seeks the greater joy or 'ananda' of selffulfillment.
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, ice cream is a source of delicious pleasure whereas, one would not
even touch it in the freezing temperatures of winter... Again, the pleasures of
youth are not available in old age etc.).
We learn from the "parama-pada-sOpAnam" that this state of worldly
existence, with its severely limited means of affording 'ananda', is actually the
lowest state of human existence. From this state of limited, uncertain and
erratic Joy, Man would gladly seek to attain another higher state of existence
where 'ananda' is unlimited, eternal and inexhaustible. 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 consist
of a "stairway" of 9 distinct stepping-stones or 'parianka-s'.
The 9 Steps to 'parama-padam'
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 progress and 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 province
of God.
The 9 "steps" or 'parianka-s' are:
1) vivekam
2) nirvedam
3) virakti
4) bheeti
5) prasAda-hetu
6) utkramanam
7) archirAdri
8) divya-desa-prApti
9) prApti
The first 4 steps from 'vivEkam' to 'bheethi' are collectively termed by Swami
Desikan as "adhikAra-parva". These deal with the various processes by which
a man acquires the requisite "adhikAra", qualifications or eligibility, that
enables 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 measures Man takes to get further ahead on the journey to 'paramapadam'.
The last 4 stepping-stones viz. "ut-kramaNam", "archirAdi", "divya-dEsaprApti"
and "prApti" are all collectively put together by Swami Desikan in one
program called "phala-parvA". It deals with the aftermath of the journey
already undertaken up until the point of the 5th 'parianka'.
11
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 five. Steps six through nine are easily
traversed by Man with the aid of divine Grace. While some strenuous effort is
certainly required of Man to climb onto Step #5, none is required thereafter.
God 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-padasOpAnam'
are thus so many ascending steps on a stairway; but the last four
are said to be a bit like a modern escalator -- one merely needs to step on it to
be conveyed forward effortlessly.
While Steps #1 through #5 are trodden with the physical body of Man, the
journey through Steps #6 to #9 is believed to be undertaken without it i.e.
Man's spirit alone undertakes this leg of the journey.
While sometimes one can attempt to 'hop-step & jump' over ordinary
stairways 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 'parianka' without first having landed on the
immediately preceding one.
"vivEkam": Small step for man; giant leap for mankind
Swami Desikan describes the first stepping-stone on the way up to 'paramapadam'
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" is spiritual wisdom. It is the power of discrimination. It is the first
among 9 steps and said to be the steepest and most difficult to climb. It is
difficult because it represents Man's struggle to triumph over the single most
grievous failing in life. It is a failing that makes him, for the most part in his
lifetime, unable to differentiate between:
· the nature of truth ("satyam") and the nature of falsehood ("anartham")
· the nature of good ("sat") and what is evil ("a-sat")
· what promotes spiritual progress and what retards it
· what is the real purpose (the 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 the lack of "vivEkam" that is the source of endless "vikAram" -- the
tragedies and infirmities that fill Man's life.
True 'vivEkam' dawns on a man the day he begins to sincerely ask himself
"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" is what makes a man 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 the material realm. Such a Joy transcends all those of this world (viz.
survival, perpetuation, social proliferation, self-fulfillment or gratification). It
transcends Time and Space. Such transcendent Bliss ('parama-anandam') is
not some philosopher's will o' the wisp; it is real and worthy of pursuit.
Very few in the world however want to carry the conviction of such "vivEkam".
Much of humanity is instead perfectly happy chasing the little pleasures of this
world which is how, in the popular sense, normal and "healthy minds" should
behave. They have simply no patience for the so-called "Bliss that is Beyond".
In the famous words of H.G.Wells, "none of us start life as philosophers (i.e.
"vivEki-s"). 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 child Dhruva told in the Srimadh BhAgavatham by Vyasa is a
classic illustration of the choice in life a "vivEki" must take if he is resolved to
pursue 'parama-padam'.
Dhruva one day saw his stepbrother little Uttama seated on the lap of their
father King Uttanapada. The King and his favorite Queen, Surichi, were both
coddling 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. 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 innocent child in this world
longs to experience. He ran weeping inconsolably 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 God. He will take you upon His lap... It is the seat that will
give you happiness a thousand times greater than your father can ever give!
Go my child, go seek the Love of God instead of pining for love this world can
never give!"
The child Dhruva took his mother's good advice and went away to the forest
to perform 'tapas' (spiritual penance) ... to seek the Joy of God that was
infinitely more rewarding than any in this world.
Dhruva was a true "vivEki"...
****** ****** ******
With the dawn of "vIvEkam" come the first few streaks of bright morning light -
- the first few rays of "gnyAna" or spiritual knowledge. Man then slowly
awakens to a dim but real awareness of the following:
· Who am I? I am not this Body. I am Soul. ('atma-svarUpa-gnyAna')
· This soul is not mine ("na-mama"); it does not really belong here to this
temporal, terrestrial world. It belongs rightly in a larger, more universal
realm "beyond the yonder even" ('athyatIshTa-dashAngulam...' vide: the
"purusha-sukta"). In Vedantic parlance this awareness is referred to as
"Isvara-tattva-gnyAna"
· The purpose of human existence is to seek and realize such a
Great One and restore this soul to Him, the rightful owner. The
restoration is called 'Atma-nivEdanam'/'Atma-samarpaNam').
· Eternal and undiminished Bliss lies in union with the Great One ('paramapurushArtham').
In the 'parama-pada-sOpAnam', when Swami Desikan explains all the above
concepts they seem all so facile and self-evident. However, if we deeply
reflect on the matter we will be unable to deny that our day-to-day lives are,
indeed, in many ways hopelessly far removed from Desikan's concept of
"vivEkam". Our life in this world, the choices and ways we take as we go
along are all actually examples of the perfect opposite of 'vivEkam'.
Nonetheless, if by some design or accident of fate, we all did become true
'vivEki-s' as portrayed in the 'parama-pada-sOpAnam", and 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".
Once a man has attained 'vivEkam', he is ready to step onto the next plane on
the stairway viz. "nirvEdam".
"nirvEdam" : The Dark Night of the Soul
Once a man has become a "vivEki", it is not long before he is beset with an
emotion called 'nirvEdam'. This emotion is the next stepping-stone, the next
'parianka' Desikan describes in the "parama-pada-sOpAnam".
After attaining the power of wise discrimination, a "vivEki" becomes aware of
what is really worth pursuing and what is undeserving of pursuit in life; of what
will serve his spiritual end and what will hamper it. While this knowledge is no
doubt cause for great happiness and represents spiritual advancement, the
'vivEki' however cannot help feeling overcome by a sense of utter regret for
the fatuous ways of his past. He begins to recollect all the folly and profligacy
of his youth spent chasing the trivia of the world in the mistaken belief that
they were the true sources of enduring happiness.
Such a man further reflects upon the petty ways in which he used to behave,
upon the cheap earthly things he had hankered after and the Herculean
efforts he had exerted to attain them. When he recollects the time and effort
lost in chasing such unworthy things in the past, the "vivEki" cannot help a
feeling of utter self-revulsion. It is this state of mind, filled as it is with intense
self-revulsion, which is described by Desikan as 'nirvEdam'.
In the 4000 Tamil verses of the "divya-prabhandham-s' we notice that several
Azhwars had also been tossed about in the throes of strong "nirvEdam".
Their hymns are full of expressions of utter regret for the many days of folly
that had filled their past. Out of abject ignorance of Truth and the Glory of
God, they wail again and again, they had pursued and embraced nothing but
falsehoods in life ('anartham') and had, as a result, lost much time and
opportunity.
Some of the most poignant of such "nirvEdam" verses were sung by
Tirumangai-AzhwAr in the opening decad of his magnificent Tamil work called
"peria-tirumOzhi":
"vAdinEn vAdi varundinEn manatthAl
perun thuyar idummpayil pirandhu
koodinEn koodi iLayavar thammodu
avar tharum kalaviyE karuthi…"
(tirumangai-AzhwAr "periya-tirumOzhi" 1.1)
"aaviyE! amudE! ena ninainthu urugI
avar-avar paNai mulai thuNaiyAyp
pAvIyEn uNarAthu etthanai pagalum
pazhuthupOy Ozhinthana nAttkkal…" (ibid. 1.2)
The expression "…pAvIyEn uNarAthu etthanai pagalum pazhuthupOy
Ozhinthana nAttkkal " is a heart-rending self-indictment indeed. Such
'pAsuram-s' of immense self-revulsion give one a fair idea of the nature of the
'nirvEdam'-emotion as it envelops the soul of the "vivEki" and the self-inflicted
suffering he undergoes as a result in his sincere quest of God.
None of us are 'AzhwArs' and will never get anywhere near fathoming the true
extent of their 'nirvEdam'. But then we too, from time to time, in moments of
individual travail or tragedy, do undergo and experience what may be called
"dark nights of the soul", don't we? In those moments we become acutely
aware how rapidly Time has slipped away from us... and we suddenly realize
then how far behind we have fallen back in attaining the true and cherished
purposes of our lives. In such melancholy moments, like the English poet,
Longfellow, we too are moved by a mood of deep "nirvEdam to say sadly:
"Art is long, Time is fleeting,
Our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still like muffled drums are beating
Funeral marches to the grave."
We must not fail to appreciate that by the expression "Art is long…"
Longfellow too was referring to the art of living.
"virakthi" and "vairAgya": Distaste and Renunciation
When one completes the difficult journey up the first two steps of Swami
Desikan's 'parama-pada-sOpAnam' viz. 'vivEkam' and 'nirvEdam', it is said
one is ready to climb onto the stairway's next stepping-stone: 'virakthi' and/or
'vairAgyam'.
While 'nirvedam' is described as revulsion directed against oneself,
'virakthi/vairAgyam' is said to be an emotion of revulsion directed outwards.
Desikan portrays here exactly what even modern psychology confirms -- that
any strong or intense emotion directed inwardly towards oneself will invariably
get deflected outwards, at least some of it, against the external world. For
example, if one loves oneself then "loving thy neighbour" becomes easy and
natural. On the other hand, an "angry young man" who is ever raving and
ranting against the world is, deep down within himself, a man terribly enraged
with himself. (In the parlance of modern Behavioural Psychology -- this
phenomenon is described by experts as "projection syndrome" which, in very
elementary terms, means that a person tends to view the external world
through the prism of his own inner emotions).
Desikan's 'parama-pada-sOpAnam' describes how a 'vivEki's' inwardly
directed emotion of 'nirvEdam' manifests in an outwardly directed emotion.
This emotion relates the inner state of the 'vivEki's' mind to his external
environment. The 'vivEki' gradually develop 2 distinct but co-existent mindstates:
(a) "virakthi" -- a sense of distaste for and (b) "vairAgya" -- a yearning
for distance from things worldly.
Together these two mind-states help to kick-start a process of slow
transformation within Man. It turns his active engagement with the world into a
dispassionate one. A faint disdain for the mundane begins to quickly build up
within him. The riches and pleasures of the world may be his for the mere
asking, or for the taking, but somehow and, for reasons not fully fathomed,
they do not hold the same allure they did previously before the emotion of
"virakthi/vairAgyam" descended upon the man.
We might recall here that before Buddha became "the Buddha", the
Enlightened One, he was Prince Siddhartha who suddenly one day came to
be afflicted with a great and overpowering sense of "virakthi-vairAgyam". And
quite similarly, we also get a very good picture of the depth of the 'virakthi'
16
emotion when we read the following Tamil 'pAsuram' of another of the mystic
AzhwArs, Vipranarayanan a.k.a Tondaradi-podi, who in his famous work
called "tirumAlai", sang:
"vEdanoor pirAyUm nooru manisarthAm puguvarElUm;
pAthiyUm urangipOgum; ninradhir padhinaiyANdu;
pEthai bAlagan adhu AgUm; piNi pasi mUpputh thunbam;
AdhalAl, piravi vEndEn arangamA nagaruLAnE !"
(tirumAlai - 3)
If I were granted a lifetime of 100 years, the AzhwAr says, I would not look
forward to it since I know half of it will be wasted in sleep, the other half
frittered away in youth. The rest will all be lost in old age or disease. If I thus
have no time in this world in which to attain you, O Ranga, I despise it. I have
no use for it.
After a while the emotion of "virakthi" wanes and "vairAgya" -- self-denial --
waxes. The 'vivEki' soon begins to willingly let go of petty earthly indulgence.
He gives up pleasure, comfort, luxury and other delights of life to concentrate
more and more on the effort of spiritual quest until pre-occupation with
matters spiritual eventually overtakes, and later even excludes, matters
mundane.
Swami Desikan himself, as we all know from his famous poem titled
'vairAgya-panchakam', was living example of 'virakthi/vairAgyam'. When
invited by his friend Vidyaranya to serve the royal court of the Vijayanagar
Empire as poet laureate -- a plum-post that would have secured for Swami
Desikan a comfortable livelihood for the rest of his career -- Desikan rejected
it without hesitation. The idea of serving a King, which many might have
regarded as an opportunity of rare honour and privilege, seemed to Desikan
utterly distasteful.
****** ****** ******
The "ubhaya-vEdAnta" exponent, late SrimAn Mukkur Lakshminarasimhachariar
(1945-2001 CE) used to recount in many of his public
discourses a humorous anecdote illustrative of the nature of this emotion of
'virakthi/vairAgyam'. The incident was narrated to him, he said, in breezy
raconteur style by the 44th Jeeyar, the pontiff of Ahobila Mutt, Srimadh
Azhagiyasingar,
In his 'pUrvAshramam' (period before he entered the ascetic Order), the
pontiff was known as Swami Rajagopalachariar, a short-term resident of
Mannargudi, S.India. As a resident there, he used to frequent the great
Rajagopalaswamy 'sannidhi' (shrine) there.
It was 'gokulashtami' one day (the day of celebration over the advent of the
Krishna avatar) when Swami was returning from a visit to the temple. Just as
he was about to step out of the temple, Swami was met by an old, wizened
friend of many years.
This friend who had his 'mEl-vastram' (a light cotton cloak) tied into a bundle
suddenly untied it on seeing our Swami.
"Hello, Rajagopala," the elderly friend said, untying his little bundle, "Hello,
Rajagopala, how are you? Did you have a good 'darshan' of the Deity?" "Yes,
sir, indeed and what about you? Did 'gokulAshtami' celebrations go off well in
your house?" enquired our Swami.
"Oh, yes, very well, indeed, Rajagopal. And here, I have some 'bakshaNam'
(sweets) from home for you! Please accept these." So saying, the old friend
offered Rajagopala Swami some home made sweets and delicacies like
'mysore-pAk' etc. Our Swami accepted them all with touching kindness.
Next the old friend offered Swami a very special snack called in Tamil
"cheedai". This is a famous delicacy without which no "gokulAshtami" is
consummated in Tamil homes. It is made of flour rolled into small balls the
size of playing-marbles and deep-fried in oil to a magnificent golden hue. After
it is well done, "cheedai" serves as everyone's favourite snack because, being
cute and ball-like in appearance, they look adorable; and also because they
are good and crunchy to bite into. Believe me, one gets a strange,
pleasurable experience when one lobs a "cheedai"-ball into one's mouth and
proceeds to gnash it with gusto, producing through masticating jaws peculiar
grating sounds ("kaRRu-muRRu", in Tamil!) which are in themselves a sort of
music to gourmet ears!
All in all, eating "cheedai"-balls is a delight that only "cheedai"-eaters would
truly know!
Anyway, to return to our tale of the pontiff, the 44th Azhagiyasingar, the old
friend of his in the Mannargudi temple, seems to have offered our Swami a lot
of 'cheedai' to enjoy. Swami began munching delightedly.
In a moment, seeing his old friend not partaking of his own delight,
Rajagopala Swami offered some 'cheedai' back to the older one, saying,
"Sir, why don't you enjoy some "cheedai" yourself?" The old one
remonstrated, "No, no, Rajagopala, don't force me. You know I am indeed
extremely fond of 'cheedai'; I used to love them. But these days I shun them."
"And pray tell me why, Sir?" said our Swami, the Azhagiyasingar of
'pUrvAshramam'.
"Well, you could say, Rajagopala, I am practising a kind of "virakthi" or
'vairAgyam" replied the old friend.
"Oh, I see, and what is the cause for such severe 'virakthi', Sir," queried
Swami politely.
The old friend replied sadly, "Rajagopla, you know, in the old days I would
have gobbled up all the "cheedai" in the world to my hearts content. But alas
today, as you can see, I have lost every single one of my molar-teeth. So I'm
unable these days to enjoy this delicacy on 'gokulAshtami' day."
The 44th Azhagiyasingar, it seems, that day learnt a very important lesson on
true "virakthi/vairAgyam" that Mukkur Lakshminarasimhachariar related as
follows:
"When we practice 'vairAgya'' as Swami Desikan describes it in the
'paramapada-sOpAnam', and deny ourselves enjoyment of things mundane,
we should ask ourselves first whether the self-denial is genuine. Do we shun it
because (A) we feel genuine revulsion for it, or whether (B) because we do
not have the necessary means or capacity to indulge in its pleasurable
enjoyment (a sort of "sour grapes")?
"If we practice 'virakthi' in the former way (A), we can be said to be following
Swami Desikan's personal example of renunciation or self-denial as in the
'vairAgya-panchakam'. If we practice 'virakthi' in the latter way (B), then, we
may be said to be following the example of the 44th-Azhagiyasingar's old
friend of Mannnargudi -- who had given up eating 'cheedai' only because, in
his advanced years, he had lost the dental means to enjoy it!"
"If you follow Swami Desikan's example of 'virakthi/vairAgyam' you will
immediately proceed to the next higher step on the "paramapada-sOpAnam'.
If you follow the 'vairAgyam' of the old gentleman of the Mannargudi temple, it
will mean surely that you have failed to climb the first "pariankai" (step) of
"vivEkam" even!"
"bheeti": Holy Terror
The journey up the "stairway" of 'paramapada' described by Desikan, we saw,
has taken us so far from "vivekam" at the bottom to 'vairAgya' where we
presently are perched. At this stage of the journey a man, a "vivEki", is seen
to be considerably more detached than before from the clutches of human
bondage. He does not hanker for the sights and delights of the world. His
goals are now, instead, firmly centred around the true purpose of life:
"parama-padam".
But at precisely this stage in life, when he seems to be firmly set on course,
Man falls suddenly victim to a strange fear known as "bheethi", the next stop
on Desikan's "parama-pada-sOpAnam".
The "vivEki" is now suddenly overcome by a "holy terror" (to use a peculiar
phrase of the Western philosopher, William James) because while he
discovers earthly existence to be empty and sterile, the heavens too seem
equally void and futile. He realizes the presence of an Almighty but is beset by
fear and doubt: "Is there a place in "parama-padam", the "Abode of All
Goodness", for someone like me -- a real bag of innumerable sins? There
seems to be no way of atoning for my sins. Would God ever admit me into His
presence? Can I ever stand before Him and look Him in the face without
cringing? Would I be deserving of that highest state called "parama-padam"?"
It is the echo of this "bheeti", this "Holy Terror" that Tondaradipodi AzhwAr
gives vent to in the "tirumAlai":
"…unnai kAnUm mArgam onrUm ariyamAttA manisaril durisanAi
mUrkkanEn vandhu ninrEn: mUrkkanEn mUrkkanEnE!"
('tirumAlai' -32)
"Is there a path for an utter sinner like me to tread, O Ranga, and any hope to
attain Thee? Being the lowliest of beings on earth, I stand before Thee like a
wretch! Oh wretched, wretched me!"
And once again:
"meyyallAm pOgavittu, virikuzhalArir pattup
poyy ellAm pOdhinthu kOnda pOzhakkanEn vandhu ninrEn;
aiyanE! aranganE! wUn arUL ennUm Asai thannAl
pOyyannEn vandhu ninrEn; pOyyanEn, pOyyanEnE!" (ibid.33)
"Lord! My Ranga! I've been a wastrel all these years filled with nothing but
vice and vileness! I wallowed in the arms of sluts! Yet I stand before you now,
abjectly, hoping for your Grace! I have lived in falsehood and depravity all
these years! I stand before you now with no shame!"
When "bheeti" takes hold of the "vivEki", he wakes up rudely to see the how
vast is the chasm of expiation he must wade through before "parama-padam"
can be reached. The thought makes him shudder and give up all hope of ever
crossing it. Even if he did succeed in crossing it, would God ever consider
someone as irredeemable as him as proper candidate for redemption in
"parama-padam"? What then is the value of persisting in the pathway of a
journey if in the end he is unfit to finish it?
Such dark and complex feelings of deep 'bheethi' are very movingly echoed
by Swami Venkatanathan too in the Sanskrit work titled 'abhIti-stavam' a
sample of which is given below (Verse #16):
anUkshaNa samUthithE durita-vAridhow dUstarE
yadi kvachana nishkritirbhavathi sApi dOshAvilA I
thadItha-magathow mayi pratividhAna-mAdhIyathAm
svabUddhi-parikalpitham kimapi rangadhUrya tvaya II
Ranga! There seems no way I can wash my sins off. Nor atone for it! There
must be some unusual and mysterious way to get it done. I don't know it. And
none but You in this world knows. I beseech You, reveal it to me please...
"prasAda-hEtu": The Balm of Bhakti; the Promise of Prappati
"bheeti" afflicts a true "vivEki" but not for a very long while. Wisdom sooner or
later prevails over Fear.
By patient effort and persistent faith, a "vivEki" journeying upon the "vEdantamArga"
shown by Swami Desikan, eventually crosses all the hurdles of the
"adhikAra-parvA" --viz. "vivEkam", "nirvEdam", "virakthi", "bheeti" --- and
gradually but surely, as flower ripens into fruit, he becomes ready to embark
on the second leg of the great journey of the "parama-pada-sOpAnam" --
called the "upAya-parva".
The experiences of "nirvEdam", "virakthi", "vairAgyam" and "bheeti" have all
by now profoundly stirred his soul. But they have not shaken or broken it. On
the contrary, by the time he approaches the new stage in life -- the stage of
"prasAda-hetu" -- even the emotion of Fear or "bheeti" has made him much
stronger in spirit than he himself is probably even aware of. The illumination of
spiritual Wisdom ("vivEkam") and the long practice of renunciation
("vairAgyam") together enable him to finally seal the victory of the spiritual
over the profane. He is ready now, once and for all, to leave behind the
mundane. He is eager to embrace the sublime…absolutely.
How does Man emerge from the dark and terrible cave of "bheeti" into the
sunlit and cheery vale of "prasAdana-parva"? How is it possible to make the
magical transition from the painful and unruly feelings of "virakthi" and "bheeti"
to the relative calm of "prasAda-hEtu"? How is one enabled to move from the
holy terror of "bheeti" to the hale self-confidence of the new phase of journey
on the "parama-pada-sOpAnam?
The answer given by Swami Venkatanathan is that it is made possible by the
Grace of God viz. His extreme Compassion, his "dayA".
The "bheeti"-filled "vivEki" is by now teetering at the very edge of a deep
moral precipice. A grave spiritual paralysis has seized him. He is filled with
despair. It is a moment of crisis. The man is helpless and just does not know
what next or else to do….
This state of mind the man of "bheeti" has reached is called in Sanskrit
"naicchyAnu santAnam". In Tamil they call it "avai-adakkam", meaning an
acute awareness of one's real spiritual incapacity. In the Mahabharatha, the
welter of feelings that sped through Draupadi's mind, as her modesty was
being outraged in the royal court of Hastinapur, is perfect illustration of
"bheeti" and "naicchyAnu santAnam". Desikan once wrote of precisely such a
complex emotion of fear-cum-despair in the poignant "stOtra", the "abhItistavam"
(Stanza 3):
"yadadhya mitha-buddhinA bahula-mOha-bhAjA mayA
gUNa-gratitha-kAya-vAngmanasa-vrutti-vaichithrayatha: I
atarkita-hitAhita-krama-visEsha-mAraBhyatE
tadapyuchita-marchanam parigruhANa rangEswara " II
Rangeswara! I am a person of mean intellect. I am filled with "mOha" --
ignorance and delusions. My life has been nothing but an unending stream of
folly, indiscretions and sin. My mind, senses and speech do not obey me.
Each goes its own way… There is neither rhyme nor reason in the way I lead
my life today (in the language of lofty Vedanta, this is called lack of
"karaNatraya-sArupyam" or "sAmarasyam" in life)… O Ranga! My Lord! I am
utterly confused and fearful…I do not know what to do, what steps or
expedient, what "krama' or 'hitAhita" to adopt to get myself out of this great
moral morass into which I have sunk…".
Vedanta teaches us that the mental state called "naicchyAnu santAnam" is
the first ever tell-tale sign in Man that he has become an 'adhikAri', that he
has graduated to a certain ripe stage in life where he is "qualified" at last to
receive God's compassion or "dayA". In the stage of "vivEkam" Man's
awareness of "Isvara-tattva" or God is born. In the state of "naicchyAnu
santAnam" when the "dayA" of God is at hand, Man's quest for "hita" begins.
"Hita" refers to the means, the vehicles ("upAya") that one uses for
conveyance unto God. It is means to reach "parama-padam". Together these
constitute the triad of elements in the formulation of "tattva-hita-purushArtha" -
- the famous equation of life propounded by VisishtAdvaita.
In the "parama-pada-sOpAnam" the "hita" chosen by Man are two in number.
He chooses one of them: (a) "bhakti", the Path of Devotion, a relatively more
difficult "upAya" or vehicle than the other one or (b) "prappati-mArga", the
Path of Absolute Surrender. Both vehicles i.e. both "upAya-s" take Man to the
same destination en route the "prasAdana-parva". Both have full sanction of
the Vedantic scriptures. And both are perfectly effective anti-dote against
"bheeti", the holy terror of Man.
The man who choses the path of 'bhakti' is attracted toward one or more of
the following "upAya":
"sravanam kirtanam vishnO: smaranam pAda sevanam I
archanam vandanam dAsyam, sakyam atma-nivEdanam II
(Srimadh-bhAgavatham)
In the above lines, 9 basic aspects of 'bhakti' are spelt out which in turn
characterize the typical behaviour of men who have taken to the path of
devotion on the "prasAdana-parva":
(1) sraVaNam : deriving immense joy out of listening to the accounts
and anecdotes of the 'avatAric' exploits of God as narrated by
'itihAsA-purANa'
(2) kirtanam : singing the glories of God
e.g."sankirtanam","bhajanam"
(3) smaraNam : being immersed in constant contemplation of the divine
e.g "japam", "mananam", "bhagavath-chintanam"
(4) pAda-sevanam: employed in the service of God and godly
institutions e.g. "kovil-kainkaryam", "bhAgavata-sishrusham"
(5) archanam : offering with utmost love little tokens of devotion to
God e.g. flower, fruit, water, leaf ("pushpam, phalam, jalam, tOyam")
(6) vandanam : ceaselessly prostrating to the divine
("sAshtAnga-dandasamarpaNam", "namaskaraNam")
(7) dAsyam: leading one's lifetime as if one were a mere servant of
God ("dAsatvam", divine subservience)
(8) sakyam: firmly believing that God is sole and constant companion in life
(9) atma-nivEdanam: offering up one's soul completely unto God
The man of bhakti overcomes "bheeti" easily through one or more of the
above "upAya". As he becomes more and more immersed in the above
activities, he gains more and more inner tranquility. And this in turn makes
him ever more engrossed in "bhakti". In this state he wishes for nothing else
in the world but to be left alone to carry on uninterrupted "dAsyam",
"vandanam", "archanam" etc. He longs for nothing else but to stay close to
sacred places of worship and pilgrimage. He seeks the company of none but
fellow passengers on the path of bhakti. He has ears for nothing but the songs
of God and the stories of his 'avatAra-leelas'. He 'eats, drinks, sleeps and
dreams' of none but his chosen God, like Krishna, Rama or Govinda.
Kulasekhara AzhwAr in one of his very famous hymns in praise of the Lord of
Tiruvengadam, gives us a very graphic portrayal of the mental state of such a
man of 'bhakti' who has turned his back finally, unconditionally and irrevocably
upon the mundane view of life. Such a man does not look back ever. He has
"burnt his bridges" completely with the world. He is willing now to pay any
price, go to any lengths and use any means … if only it will take him a little
nearer God, and so that he can sing and dance about Him:
"aanAtha selvatthu arampaiyargaL tar sUzha
vAnALUm selvamUm mann-arasUm yAn vEndane;
thEn Ar pUnjOlaith tiruvEnkata sunaiyil
meenAyp pirakkUm vidhi udaiyane aavEnE.
(4.2"perumaltirumOzhi")
sediyAy valvinnaigaL theerkUm tirumAlE !
nediyAnE! vEngadavA! Nin kOyilin vAsal
adiyArUm vAnavarUm arampayarUm kiddanthu eyyangUm
padiyAyy kiddanthu Un pavazhavAyy kAnbEnE !" (ibid. 4.9)
"For but a fleeting glimpse of your lovely coral-hued lips, O God of Venkatam,
if you ask me, what would I not gladly give up in this world, what can I say? I
will give up a life of wealth, power and glory! I will give up dancing belles
decked in gold and best finery! Why, I'd give up everything, my Lord, to live as
mere fish in your temple-tank… or, even as that mute slab of stone stretching
across your gilded doorstep!"
As the emotion of 'bhakti' completely overtakes the man, all previously
predominant emotions of "nirvEdam", "virakthi" and "bheeti" gradually begin to
fade away. In their place, the man of "bhakti" experiences nothing but
tranquility and immense peace within himself. There are no more dark nights
for the soul… Constant 'bhagavath-smaraNam' ("para-bhakti") brings in its
wake clear knowledge ("para-gnyAnam"), a sense of sweet contentment in life
and most important of all, an intense and overpowering sense of communion
with God ("parama-bhakti") throughout one's living moments in the world.
Such tranquility and contentment brought about by "bhakti" is described in two
extremely moving 'pAsuram-s' by Peria-AzhwAr in the decad titled
"senniyOngu":
"paravai Eru param-purudA! nee ennaik kaikOnda pin
piravi ennUm kadalUm vattrip perUmpadam aaginradAl;
iravu seyyUm pAvakk kAdu theekkOLi vEginradAl;
arivai ennUm amuda aaru talaipattri vAyykOndathE !"
(peria-azhwAr tirumOzhi - 5.4.2)
"Ever since You took me into your service and contemplation, My God, the
ocean of my earthly misery has dried up completely! It serves me now only as
sacred space. The dark forests of 'karma', with the treacherous death traps of
sin they had laid for me, are now all burning like raging forest fires. Now, pure
Knowledge, like a sweet stream of 'amuda' (ambrosia), has gripped me in a
tide of bliss to ride me away on a wave unto eternity!"
"ananthanpAlUm garudanpAlUm aiythu nOyythAga vaitthu
en manatthUllEy vandhu vaigI vAzhacheyythAy, empirAn!
ninnaindhu ennUllE ninru nekkuk-kaNgaL asumbu Ozhuga
ninnaindhu-irundhE siramam teerndhEn nEMi nEdiyavanE !
(ibid. 5.4.8)
"Now that You have entered into my soul, my loving God, You have given me
a new life! My throbbing heart melts at every moment that it dwells upon You!
My eyes are awash with tears of Joy! My Lord, I tell You, I have ended all my
miseries by mere thought of You!"
Thus cured of the terror of "bheeti", the man of bhakti happily lives out his life
until the very end exactly as the AzhwAr says … "ninnaindhu-irundhE
siramam teerndhEn nEMi nEdiyavanE !"
Next, we ask: How does the man who chooses the easier path of "prappati"
overcome his Fear, and begin also to live life as happily ever after as the man
of "bhakti"?
The man who chooses "prappati" sees himself too in a truly helpless situation.
His "naicchyAnu santAnam" is no less than that of the man who has chosen
"bhakti". But unlike the latter, this man knows he is simply incapable of the
discipline of mind and body that the practice of life-long 'bhakti' requires. The
nine articles of 'bhakti' viz.
"sravanam kirtanam vishnO: smaranam pAda sevanam I
archanam vandanam dAsyam, sakyam atma-nivEdanam II
…the above 9 "upAya" of Bhakti are far too daunting for an ordinary man.
They involve unceasing, unrelenting and the most intense "upAsana" (practice
and perseverance) far beyond the capacity of mere mortals. So what then
does such a man that leaves the path of bhakti to take up the route of
"prappati" do?
He is said to perform the act of absolute self surrender, 'saranAgati'.
Invariably, this process is hastened, or catalyzed, by the man's encounter with
a mentor, a 'sadAchAryA' or guru who appears in life and enlightens him
about the proper way a 'prappanna' (he who has formally performed 'prappati'
or surrender) should lead life the rest of the days destined upon earth.
Madhura-kavi AzhwAr in his "kanninun-siru-tAmbu" spoke of the good fortune
that befalls such a man who encounters a guru or 'achAryA' who, like a boatman
ferrying one across the river, takes upon himself the responsibility to lead
the man of 'bheeti' from darkness to light, from ignorance to knowledge, from
fear to fearlessness and from the misery of 'samsAra' to the endless 'ananda'
of God.
"nannmayyAl mikka nAn-maraiyAlargaL
punmai aaga karuthuvar aadalin
annaiyAyy atthanAyy ennai aandidUm
thannmaiyAn sadagOpan en nambiyE. (stanza 4)
"Worthy scholars full of grace
Had found me worthless in my ways…
But father, mother both in one,
Is Sadagopan, who now rules my days.
"mikka vEdiyar vEdathinn utpOrUL
nirka pAdi en nenjUkkUL niruthinnAn;
takka seer sadagOpan en nambikku
aatpukka kAdhal adimai payananrE." (stanza 9)
The deepest core of Vedic thought
He sang in song and taught it to my heart
SadagOpan, my Lord and my Love --
He is my purpose, and I his slave.
Such a man who has found a guru, and thanks to whose grace he has also
found the proper means to perform "prappati" … such man lives his life
swearing eternally by 5 cardinal principles of 'saranagati':
(1) "anukulasya sankalpah" : resolve in life to do only those deeds that are
pleasing to God
(2) "pratikulasya varjana" : resolve to abjure deeds unfavorable to God
(3) "mahA visvAsam" : be unwavering in faith in God
(4) "karpannyOkthi" : be constantly aware of one's spiritual helplessness
(5) "atma-nikshEpa" : submit the burden of protecting one's soul into the
Hands of God
As a 'prappana' strictly carries out in life the 5 "prescriptions" of "prappati",
"bheeti" begins to fade away. Peace, joy and contentment descend upon the
world for him in exactly the same fashion as we saw they did in the case of
the man of "bhakti". The 'prapanna', after attaining this stage of the
'paramapada-sOpAnam', lives a carefree life merrily carrying on with the rest
of his days on earth, faithfully and cheerfully. He has ABSOLUTELY
NOTHING to fear ('a-bheethi') -- much like Venkatanathan himself.
In a short hymn called 'ashtabhUjAshtakam', Swami Desikan, echoed this
fearless state of mind of the 'prapanna' in the words:
"bhayam kUtasyAt tvayi sAnukampE; raksha kuthasyAt tvayi jAtharOshE"!
meaning: Where is the need to FEAR when I am Your protégé, My God? And
if I am not your protege, where is escape from FEAR?
In another 'stOtra' titled 'nyAsa-dasakam', in Verse #5 and Verse #6, Swami
Desikan, pretty much expresses the same feelings of 'FEARLESS SELFASSURANCE"
enjoyed by the man who has chosen the path of "prappati" in
life:
tvachhE-shathvE sthira-dhiyam tvatprAptyEka prayOjanam I
nishidha kAmyarahitam kUrUmAm nityakinkaram II
swAmi svashEsham sva-vasham sva-bharathvEna nirbharam I
sva-datha-svadhiyA svArtham svasmin nyas-yathi mAm svayam II
"The Lord, of His own accord, will take me unto Him; and he will do so for His
own sake; I am CERTAIN of this! I am but a willing servant under His reign; I
have no responsibility even unto myself; that great burden is all His own. I
have no Fear!"
Thus, indeed, do both the man of "bhakti' and the man of "prappati" conquer
the world-weariness of "virakthi" and the holy terror of "bheeti" and live out
their time on earth as happy and fearless souls.
****** ****** ******
A student of human psychology might find it rather intriguing how Man's
revulsion for the world in the emotion of "virakthi" could magically turn into
happy acceptance in the state of "bhakti"? He would want to probe what
happens to the mind of the Man of bhakti or prappati that deep feelings of
world-weariness and fear ("virakthi" and "bheeti" as expressed in Tondaradipodi
AzhwAr's "tirumAlai") turn into tranquil contentment and celebration
(as seen in the verses of Kulasekara AzhwAr).
The answer to the question lies in an extraordinary anecdote from the life of a
great SriVaishnava 'achArya' of SriRangam who lived about a century before
Swami Venkatanathan. His name was Parashara Bhattar, the spiritual heir of
Ramanujacharya. Bhattar served as the chief priest of the temple at
SriRangam all his life and was one of the most ardent devotees of the Deity
there.
Bhattar one afternoon was teaching his disciples the value of
"virakthi/vairAgya", the importance of renouncing the world in one's quest of
the eternal. He gave a stirring lecture to them on the grossness of the "sarira"
(the body), its impermanent nature, its kinship with the terrestrial world and
how both deserved our utmost "virakthi" and "vairAgya".
Bhattar's students were all enthralled and moved by the idea of renunciation.
They resolved to put it to practice immediately. Many came up to him and
said, "Sir, thank you for your 'upadEsam' (exhortation). We have resolved
that from this very moment we shall observe 'vairAgyam' and 'virakthi' in our
personal lives. We shall renounce this world and spurn all things material.
With your blessings ('anugraham') we shall progress in our spiritual pursuit."
Bhattar wished them God speed.
The morning after marked the dawning of a very auspicious day. There was
an 'Utsavam' (a processional festival) at the SriRangam temple accompanied
by great religious fan-fare. Crowds milled, festoons were strung and banners
flew everywhere; there were "gOshti-s" (chanteurs) singing the "veda" and
'prabhandAm'; pipers and drummers too; and throngs of devotees filled the
streets of SriRangam eagerly awaiting the festive procession of the Deity to
emerge out of the sanctum-sanctorum in a gilded palanquin to grace the
crowds of worshippers.
Both Bhattar and his disciples too stood in the gathering. But when they saw
their guru the disciples were astonished. They saw him dressed in the finest
silk ("pattu") raiments, his "mEl-vastram" (loose cloak) was of even finer
fabric. Bhattar had smeared his body all over with scented sandal-wood
paste. His body and forehead shone with a dozen mighty 'urdhvapUndra'
marks (ceremonial marks). He had even decked his 'sIkhA' (traditional
coiffure) with exotic and fragrant flowers! Even more ostentatious was the way
Bhattar wore diamond ear-studs ("kadukan") and kept turning his majestic
head this way and that, just to draw the attention of everyone to their razzledazzle!
When they saw their guru bedecked in all that finery, Bhattar's 'sishyA-s' could
not help uncharitable thoughts. "Ah! Here is a guru whose sermons roar and
whose deeds squeak", they said to themselves. "What a sanctimonious
humbug, the great Parashara Bhattar is! He teaches us renunciation and
practices the very opposite!"
One disciple decided to confront the guru about the hypocrisy: "Sir, you gave
us a stirring lecture last evening on the virtue of "virakthi" and "vairAgyam".
Looking at yourself now would you say you are a man of noble renunciation?
You are dressed like a mannequin! Where has your 'vairAgya' gone?
Bhattar smiled and led the disciple down a SriRangam street to a large
"pandal" (a sprawling makeshift canopy erected at street corners on festive
occasions). He pointed to one of the bamboo-poles supporting the structure
and asked:
"Tell me, boy, what is this?"
"It is a bamboo-pole, sir," replied the disciple.
"And what is this that's wound around the pole?"
"It's a streamer, Sir, woven out of the bark-fibre of the coconut tree".
"And how does it look?" asked Bhattar.
"It looks very pretty and colourful to me. They have painted it for the occasion,
as you can see," remarked the disciple.
"And what is this one here?" continued Bhattar.
"It is a festoon of the leaves of the banana-tree ("thOraNum")".
"And how does it look?"
"Why, it looks lush and pleasing to the eye, Sir," replied the disciple.
"And, boy, tell me now what is this here?" Bhattar went on.
"A colourful banner made of leaves of the mango-tree ("mAvalai-kodi'), Sir."
"And how does the banner look?"
"It's been plaited together with floral wreaths; it’s looks bright and festive
indeed!" said the disciple.
Sri.Parashara next drew the boy closer to him, looked him in the eye and
spoke: "Now, answer me, boy. The streamer, the festoon and the banner
here, which you say all look so very pretty, why have all these been strung up
here on this pandal?" The disciple thought hard for a moment before
answering, "Sir, these have been put up here for the occasion of Lord
Ranga's "utsavam"."
"Wrong" said Bhattar, "I say, the streamer, festoon and the banner have been
put up here not so much for the occasion of Lord Ranga's procession as for
the purpose of making this "pandal" look pretty! What say you to that?" asked
Bhattar.
The disciple fell silent and contemplated Bhattar's remark for a full minute.
And then in a flash of comprehension he understood what Bhattar was trying
to tell him. The disciple looked up into Bhattar's face. The tears welled up in
his eyes. He fell at his guru's feet and prostrating began beseeching him:
"Please forgive me, O Sire! Please pardon this sinner. I misunderstood your
lesson on renunciation! But now I realize what true "virakthi" and "vairAgya"
is, Sir!"
Bhattar gathered up the young disciple, stroked his tearful cheeks and
whispered:
"My dear one, if it were not for the Lord's festive procession this morning
would there be need for this "pandal" here? Similarly, if it were not for God's
Will ("ichcha") would there be any need for this world ("prakriti")? Would there
be need for even you and me ("jivAtmA's")? Now when they decorated this
"pandal", this thatched canopy with streamers, festoons and banners, they did
it, of course, to enhance its beauty. But was that the real purpose? No, not at
all! This canopy was beautified only for the sake of the Deity, isn't it? All for
our beloved Ranga's procession, right? If Ranga didn't come by this way this
morning, would any fool take the trouble of hanging streamers and festoons
around this piece of dumb, dead timber? If it were not for His "utsavam" where
would these silly festoons and banners belong? In the dustbin, right? We
would treat them all then with a kind of "virakthi", wouldn't we? They would
then serve no purpose other than as domestic brooms perhaps, or, as
firewood for the kitchen?"
Bhattar continued "When we talk of "vairAgyam", we are not referring to mere
acts of renunciation but to the underlying emotion of such acts. So long as we
are unable to perceive this world as being occasioned by and for the sole Will
and Pleasure of God, it deserves nothing but our "virakthi". But once we
realize that this world too -- like streamers, festoons and banners here --
exists merely to serve the Almighty's purpose then we should embrace it with
all our heart. We should freely rejoice in this world! This is what is meant by
true bhakti!
"When bhakti begins to fill our hearts even ordinary objects of the world that
otherwise arouse our "virakthi" get suddenly invested with divine purpose.
When that happens, everything in this world suddenly assumes a different
form, colour and meaning altogether! The whole world becomes one large
festive occasion -- an "utsavam" for God -- and everything in it becomes for us
valid cause or reason to celebrate His glory!
"Now, why do I wear all these fine clothes and diamond ear-studs? To my
mind they serve no better purpose than these streamers, festoons and
banners here. To me this body ("sarira") of mine is like this "pandal" erected
here. I beautify it with clothes, sandalwood scent and diamond ear-studs
solely for God's occasion and pleasure…"
"Remember, my dear one, the practice of "vairAgya", the renunciation of this
world, by itself, is never virtue. It becomes virtue only if it makes you realize
the "sarira-sarIri sambhandha" principle -- the 'body-soul' nexus that underlies
and rules the relationship between Man and God. Without such realization
"virakthi" or "vairAgyam" remains mere pretension and vain effort."
29
****** ****** ******
Reading the anecdote about Parashara Bhattar one is also reminded of the
wise, old Zen Master of the Orient who said, "Before I attained enlightenment I
used to chop wood and carry water loads. After I attained enlightenment I still
chop wood and carry water loads. The difference is that what was burden
before became picnic after…"
"utkramaNam": The Right of Way
Once a man has journeyed through the happy "prasAdana-parva" stage of
life, he becomes ready to ascend the next higher stepping-stone viz. the
"parianka" called "utkramanam", the 6th milestone in Desikan's 9-tiered
"parama-pada-sOpAnam".
This "utkramana" stage is reached when a man, either as "bhaktA" or
"prapanna", is ready to shed his mortal coils. When the soul of such a man is
ready to leave its earthly and decrepit body, it is said to be on the verge of the
"utkramana". Beyond this point, the journey to 'parama-padam' is undertaken
by the 'Atma' as it quickly sheds its gross and physical body as so much
unwanted "excess baggage".
If we think about it deeply, many of us do not fear Death itself so much as we
fear the act of dying. We are filled with morbid anxiety whenever we think of
all the gruesome motions of dying we must all, sooner or later, surely
undergo. The fear is made worse when we recollect how, at some time or the
other, a family-member of ours, or perhaps some friend or acquaintance,
"gave up the ghost", as they say. We remember vividly having watched the
slow and agonizing process through which body and soul bade each other
good-bye in the terminal moments of a person's time on earth. We know thus
from our own first-hand experience that the act of dying is never at all a
pleasant sight. It is, in fact, a very ugly and unseemly sight ("vikAram") and
hence we can not really help feelings of great unease, if not real dread about
it.
In six powerfully evocative Tamil "pAsuram-s", the great Peria-AzhwAr in his
"tirumOzhi" graphically portrayed the deep dread that fills the heart of Man as
it contemplates upon the indignity of dying:
372:
seeyinaal seRindhERiya puNmEl*seRRalERik kuzhambirundhu* eNGgumeeyinaal
arippuNdu mayaNGgi*ellai vaay senRu sErvadhan munnam*
vaayinaal n^amO n^aaraNaa venRu*maththahaththidaik kaihaLaik kooppi*
pOyinaal pinnai iththisaikku enRum*piNaik kodukkilum pOhavottaarE.
373:
sOrvinaal poruL vaiththadhuNdaahil*sollu sollenRu suRRum irundhu*
aarvinavilum vaaythiRavaadhE*andhakaalam adaivadhan munnam*
maarvam enbadhOr_kOyil amaiththu*maadhavan ennum dheyvaththai
n^aatti*
aarvamenbadhOr poovidavallaarkku*aravathaNdaththil uyyalumaamE.
374:
mEl ezhundhadhOr vaayuk kiLarndhu* mEl midaRRinai uLLezha vaaNGgi*
kaalum kaiyum vidhir vidhirththERik*kaNNuRakkam adhaavadhan munnam*
moolamaahiya oRRaiyezhuththai*moonRu maaththirai uLLezha vaaNGgi*
vElaivaNNanai mEvudhiraahil*viNNahaththinil mEvalumaamE.
375:
madi vazhi vandhu n^eer pulan sOra*vaayilattiya kaNYchiyum meeNdE*
kadai vazhi vaarak kaNdamadaippa* kaNNuRakkam adhaavadhan munnam*
thodai vazhi ummai n^aayhaL kavaraa*soolaththaal ummaip paayvadhum
seyyaar*
idaivazhiyil n^eer kooRaiyum izhaveer*irudeekEsan enREththavalleerE.
376:
aNGgam vittavai aindhum ahaRRi*aavi mookkinil sOdhiththa pinnai*
saNGgam vittavar_kaiyai maRiththu*paiyavE thalai saayppadhan munnam*
vaNGgam vittulavum kadaRpaLLi maayanai*madhusoodhananai maarbilthaNGga
vittu vaiththu* aavadhOr karumam saadhippaarkku* enRum
saadhikkalaamE.
379:
vaayoru pakkam vaaNGgi valippa*vaarndha n^eerk kuzhik kaNkaL
mizhaRRa*
thaay oru pakkam thandhai oru pakkam*thaaramum oru pakkam alaRRa*
thee Oru pakkam sErvadhan munnam* seNGgaNmaalodum sikkena suRRamaay*
oru pakkam n^iRka vallaarkku*arava thaNdaththil uyyalumaamE.
In the above stanzas Peria-AzhwAr describes the physical act of dying in
frighteningly familiar terms indeed! He pans the gruesome picture of a dying
body covered with pus-filled sores on which flies begin to forage... the limbs
going into paralytic seizures... Breathing agonized, eyes rolling out of the
sockets, mouth foaming… And while spouse or parent wails and beats the
breasts in grief, other kith and kin stand huddled in silence around the body
muttering, "Now that this fellow is nearly gone, wonder how much of his illgotten
wealth he left me in his will!"
****** ****** ******
The reasonable question that now squarely faces the man of "bhakti" (or
"prappati") on the journey up to "parama-padam" on Swamy Venkatanathan's
"vEdAnta-mArga" is this:
"Do I too have to undergo this painful and dreadful "vikAram" of death? After
all these years of "bhakti" I have felt and shown God will He consign me in my
last moments on earth to suffer the same indignity of death that I have seen
so many others before me in this world undergo?
The answer is "No!". The man who has climbed up the first 5 steps of the
"parama-pada-sOpAnam", and who has faithfully embraced either "bhaktiupAya"
or "prappati", has earned the privilege to enjoy the fruits of his hard
endeavour in the "phala-parvA" section of "parama-pada-mArgam". He has
earned the "right of way", so to say, on the road of "utkramana". Hence there
is no question of he having to suffer the various "vikAra-s" and horrors of
death described by Peria-AzhwAr in the "pAsuram-s" we saw above. What is
this "right of way"? What is this "utkramana" which exempts and saves the
"bhaktA" from the indignities and ignominy attendant on the act of dying?
It has to be explained with reference to two significant pronouncements of
Sri.Krishna in the Bhagavath-Gita:
anta-kAlE cha mAm Eva
smaran muktvA kalEvaram I
yah: prayAti sa madh-bhAvam
yAti nAst~yatra samshayah: II (Gita VIII.5)
"Whoever, at the time of death, quits his body, remembering Me alone, at
once attains My nature. Of this let there be not even a shadow of doubt."
Krishna, the 'avatAra' of God, categorically stated that a man of "bhakti" who
is, by definition, a soul immersed in thoughts of the Almighty, exits both the
world and his mortal body painlessly and easily. He easily merges into the
bliss of God.
Furthermore, a little earlier in the Gita, Krishna had also explained why the
'bhakta' deserved such absolute ease of death:
"chatur-vidhA bhajantE mAm janAh: sukritinO'rjunA I
aartO jignyAsur arthArthi gnyAni cha bharatar-shabha II
"tEshAm gnyAni nitya-yukta eka-bhaktir-visishyatE I
priyOhi gnyAni-nO-artha aham sa cha mama priya: II
(Bhagavath-gita VII.18)
"O Arjuna, there are 4 kinds of souls in this world who profess devotion to Me
--- he who is distressed, he who seeks wealth, he who is inquisitive and he
who is in quest of the Absolute -- the supreme 'gnyAni'. Of these, the 'gnyAni'
whose 'bhakti' springs out of his knowledge of Me, is the best. For I am very
dear to him; and he is very dear to Me".
We see from the above "gitA-vAkya" that from out of the rest of humanity, the
man of "bhakti" is singled out as being very dear to Krishna --- "...priyOhi
gnyAni-nO-artham, aham sa cha mama priya:"-- and such a "priya-bhakta"
shall therefore surely be released from death, on the path of "utkramana" --
without pain, without indignity -- and delivered unto God.
What Krishna promised in the Bhagavath-Gita, He made sure He also actually
delivered later on upon the battlefield of Kurukshetra.
Bhishma-pitamahA, the grand old Sire of Hastinapur in the Mahabharata, was
a great 'bhakta'. He was mortally wounded in the battle between the
Pandavas and Kauravas. Arjuna had shot and riddled Bhishma's body with a
rain of arrows until the old warrior was bleeding and broken beyond
recognition. Although Bhishma lay dying on the battlefield waiting for the
imminent end, He never showed the least trace of pain or suffering. The great
'bhaktA' that he was Bhishma passed away from the world with the joy of God
brimming in his heart. In the Mahabharata, we see Bhishma exulting in
almost the very last moments of his life:
"yaccha bhUtam bhavishyaccha bhavaccha paramachyuta
tat sarvamanupasyAmi panou phala mivAhitam"
"vEdoktaschaiva yO dharmAh: vEdAnta niyataschayE
tAn sarvAn samprapasyAmi varadAnAt tavA'chyutA"
"O Krishna! My Lord! I am now able to visualize fully the past, the present and
the future… as easily and lucidly as one can see a fruit held in the palm of
one's hand! The eternal truths enshrined in the Vedas and Vedanta now stand
visible and absolutely transparent to me… thanks to your infinite Grace, my
dearest AchyuthA!"
Thus, it becomes very clear to us why the passage of Man's soul through the
"utkramana" phase is described by Swami Desikan to be absolutely free from
pain, "vikAram" and indignity.
****** ****** ******
For a "prappana", the moment of physical death is made even far easier to
bear than for the "bhaktA". While the latter has to make a conscious effort to
remain concentrated upon God in the dying moments, the "prapanna" is freed
from even such conditions. To the man who has surrendered wholly to God,
Krishna of His own volition appears in a wonderful vision in the final moments,
making the act of dying absolutely tranquil and painless.
How can the "prappana" be certain of God's appearance in the moment of
death?
The answer lies in the famous assurance given by God to his Consort,
"Bhudevi", in His "avatAra" as Bhu-Varahan. In a solemn pronouncement
known to us as 'varAha-charama-shlOka', Varahan guaranteed His visit upon
any Man that lay lifeless like a "log upon the death-bed", provided such a man
early in life, when both body and spirit had been in hale condition, had chosen
to surrender ("saraNagati") to Him absolutely:
stithE manasi susvathE sarirE sati yO nara:
dhAtusAmyE stithE smartA visvarUpam cha mAmajam
tatasta mriyamANAm tu kAshta-pAshANa-sannibham
aha smarAmi madhbhaktam nayAmi paramAm gatim II
("vAraha-charama-shlOkam")
****** ****** ******
That the last moments on earth --- i.e. "antima-prayAnam" -- of a "bhakta" or
"prappana" is never delirious or undignified is emphatically and beautifully
described by Swami Desikan in a verse in the hymn known as "gOpAlavimshati".
"adharAhita chAru vamsha nAlAh:
makutAlambi mayUra pinchamAlAh:
harInIla shilA vibhanga nILAh:
pratibhAsantu mama antima-prayANE"
("gOpAla-vimshati" - Verse 12)
"As I lie on my death-bed nearing the end of my life's journey, may my eyes
feast upon nothing else but the graceful form of my Krishna --- holding a
slender flute to his lips, peacock-feathers framing his lush hair-locks, curly and
cute… bathed in colours iridescent true… bright, vivid and sapphire blue!"
Desikan further added at the end:
"ithya-anannya-manasA vinirmitAm
venkatEsa kavinA-stUthim paTann
divya-vENu rasikam samIkshatE
daivatam kimapi yowatha-priyam"
("phala-sruti" Verse 21)
"He who reads this hymn of the devoted poet Venkatesan, shall surely obtain
that unique vision ("pratibha") of young Krishna playing the divine lute; of He
who is the darling of the ever-youthful belles of this world!"
The above two verses of Swami Venkatanathan powerfully convey the idea: It
is the vision of youthful Krishna that the "bhaktA" and "prappana" experience
in the moment of physical death and spiritual release. It is a moment of
intense bliss called "antima-smriti". It has the power to turn even black Death
into a "thing of Beauty, a Joy forever".
"archirAdi": The Celestial Highway
In the "utkramana" phase of the "parama-pada-sOpAnam" Swami Desikan
describes how the soul of Man sheds its gross physical body ("sthUla-sarira"),
assumes a subtle form ("sukshma-sarira") and prepares to begin its ascent to
"parama-padam". The soul's exit takes place through what is called the
"brahma-nAdi" or "brahma-randhra" ---an invisible aperture said to be located
at the end of a nerve-terminal right on the crown of the skull. The 'atmA'
pierces through this "brahma-nAdi" and readies itself to undertake the next
phase of the journey of ascent into "parama-padam".
Towards the end of his lifetime Swami Venkatanathan wrote a work called
"rahasya-traya-sAram", regarded by many to be his magnum opus and most
well known swan song. In this long monumental treatise, based on
encyclopaedic research, Desikan recounted in meticulous detail the journey of
the ascent of the human soul. He based it all on the "pramaNa" (authority) of
the ageless Vedic 'sruti' and related texts such as the Sri Bashya of Ramanuja
and on passages from the Upanishads like Chandogya, Kena, Kata and
Kausitika. He also drew material from the mystical revelations and utterances
in NammAzhwAr's 'tiruvoimOzhi'.
What was extensively elaborated in the "rahasya-traya-sAram" Desikan represented
in abridged and distilled form in the "archirAdi-parvA" of the
"parama-pada-sOpAnam".
****** ****** ******
The Soul's ('jIvAtma') journey of ascent is undertaken via a celestial route said
to be super-natural and super-sensuous. This supra-mundane route is called
"archirAdi-mArga". It is a pathway of celestial luminosity.
All along this route, the soul is received and welcomed by a host of lesser
gods called "adhi-vahikA-s". Encounters with these celestial elements or
beings are meant to give the 'jIva' a sort of orientation into or a foretaste of the
supra-normal realms he is about to enter. For the 'jIvAtma' concepts of Time,
Space, Light, Sound, Weight etc. become meaningless in these realms. They
make no sense to it -- certainly not in the same sense that the 'AtmA'
previously apprehended them as they prevailed in the terrestrial world. Here
in the realms of "archirAdi', the Soul learns to go beyond and transcend all
known paradigms of human conception and consciousness.
Thus, as the 'jIva' steps across the doorstep of eternity, it is said to encounter
the following 'adhi-vahikAs" who help guide it along the 'archirAdi-mArga'; the
Soul gets its cosmic bearings right in a wholly new world:
"Archis (Fire ) 2. Ahas (Day), 3.Suklapaksha (Bright fortnight of the month
before the full moon), 4. Uttarayana (the six monthly period when the Sun is
traversing towards the north), 5. Varusha or Samvatsara (Year)and then by 6.
Vayu (Wind God), 7. Surya (Sun God), 8. Chandra (Moon God), and finally by
9. Vidyut Purusha a.k.a. Amaanava Purusha or Maanasa Purusha who is
accompanied by 10. Varuna (Rain God), 11. Indra (Lord of Devas) and 12.
Prajapathi (the Creator of lives). The Gods mentioned at 9 to 12 take him to
the very boundaries of the manifest world (Prakriti mandala). These deities
are called 'ADHI VAHIKAS' (Prime Guides)" -- (extract from a Note prepared
on "rahasyatrayasAra" by Anbil Ramaswamy, a noted scholar on Vedanta
Desika)
The experience of the soul's journey through the "archirAdi" is quite simply
beyond verbal description or sensory perception. None who has journeyed
through the 'archirAdi' has returned to tell us of it. Only mystics, 'mahAtmA-s',
yogis, 'rshi-s' and poets have so far succeeded to some limited degree in
sharing with us their own glimpses of it. As the poet Omar Khayyam once
wrote:
"Strange is it not? The myriad who
Before us passed the Door of Darkness thro',
Not one returns to tell us of the Road
Which to discover we must travel too".
("The Rubaiyat" - Omar Khayyam").
(This poet was a Persian with leanings towards Sufi mysticism. It is
remarkable that by the "Road" in the verse above, he too was actually
meaning something close to what we describe as "archirAdi-mArgam"!)
NammAzhwAr, the foremost among the mystic Tamil saints of India, sang
ecstatically of the "jivAtmA-s" sojourn through the celestial pathway of
"archirAdi". In the final and climactic decads of his "tiruvOimOzhi"
NammAzhwAr gives us a fair idea of it even if perhaps only metaphorically or
allegorically:
choozvichum paNimukil* thooriyam muzakkina*
aazkadal alaithirai* kaiyetuththu aadina*
Ezpozilum* vaLamaendhiya ennappan*
vaazpukaz naaraNan* thamaraik kaNtukandhE. 10.9.1
"The eternal skies blew bugles in welcome,
The seas cheered and danced;
Celestial continents stood in ceremony
To receive Narayana's devotee --
The Soul returning home in triumph!"
thozuthanar ulakargaL* thoopa_nal malarmazaipozivanar*
pooziyanRu aLandhavan thamarmunnE*
ezuminenRu irumarungichaiththanar* munivargaL*
vaziyithu vaikundhaRku enRu* van^thu ethirE. 10.9.3
"When they saw the Soul
Entering their kingdom
They rained flowers, lit incense
And sang ---
The celestial bards stood on either side
Of the path and cried to the Soul:
"Hail! This way to Vaikuntam!"
maathavan thamarenRu* vaachalil vaanavar*
pOthumin emathidam* pukuthuka venRalum*
keethangaL paadinar* kinnarar kerudargaL*
vEtha_nal vaayavar* vELviyuL maduththE. 10.9.5
"The gods in the kingdom came out
On terraces in raucous welcome;
Loud their offer of gift to the Soul
Of palaces and sinecures, their own!
In honour of the returning Soul
The Vedic seers too lit their holy fires
While 'kinnaras' and 'garudas' took out
Their harps, their pipes
To strum and blow to eternity!"
kudiyadiyaar ivar* kOvindhan dhanakkenRu*
mudiyudai vaanavar* muRaimuRai ethir_koLLa*
kodiyaNi netumathiL* kOpuram kuRukinar*
vadivudai maathavan* vaikundham pukavE. 10.9.8
"The gods and manes gathered in swarms --
They scaled the high walls,
And climbed the festooned tower,
Jostling and craning their necks to catch
A mere glimpse of the returning Soul
And shout "There he goes, our Govinda's hero!"
vaikundham pukuthalum* vaachalil vaanavar*
vaikundhan thamar_emar* emathidam pukuthenRu*
vaikundhaththu amararum* munivarum viyandhanar*
vaikundham pukuvathu* maNNavar vithiyE. 10.9.9
"As the Soul made his grand entry
The heavenly bards raised cries of joy--
They bowed in his path and cheered his back:
"The kingdom of Vaikuntam, It's Thy birthright!".
vithivakai pukundhanarenru* nalvEthiyar*
pathiyinil paanginil* paathangaL kazuvinar*
nithiyum naRsuNNamum* niRaikuda viLakkamum*
mathimuka madandhaiyar* Endhinar vandhE. 10.9.10.
"Vedic seers of the heavens
Washed the feet of the Soul,
And wondered what good they'd done
To earn such great dole!
And then came lovely nymphs
Bearing lamps and scents;
And holding the sacred "kumbha"
They led our hero to the edge
Of God's own land!"
****** ****** ******
The passage through the 6th 'parianka' or stepping-stone of Swamy Desikan's
"parama-pada-sOpAnam" is thus, as we see above, a supremely felicitous
experience for the 'jIvAtma'.
Now, a question may arise in our minds. If the path of 'archirAdi' is a supernatural,
super-sensuous and supra-mundane experience, and none returns
from it to give a truly verifiable account of it, why should we believe the
metaphorical or allegorical versions of mystical saints, poets and
metaphysicians? How much credence should we be willing to give to the
revelations of 'mahAtmA-s' and yogi-s like NammAzhwAr in his 'tiruvoimOzhi'?
The answer is this:
When we consider the lives and works of great souls like NammAzhwAr, the
great 'rshi-s' of Vedic times or of great poets like Swami Desikan, we are left
with no doubt at all about one thing:
Without exception all of them were engaged, all their lives, in search of Truth
('satyam'), only the Truth and nothing but the Truth! What they spoke was
spoken because it was Truth, not because they wanted to make a great
career of it nor make worldly profit out of it. All their life they were in search of
Truth... they were not in search of greatness. Persons like NammAzhwAr had
no other ulterior motives in life... simply no other earthly 'axe to grind'...
The German scholar and Indologist, Prof.Max Mueller once wrote about the
absolute truthfulness of the ancient seers and sages of India:
"I believe much of the excellence of the ancient Sanskrit philosophers is due
to their having been undisturbed by the thought of there being a public to
please and critics to appease. They thought of nothing but the work they had
determined to do; their one idea was to make it as perfect as it could be
made. There was no applause they valued unless it came from their equals or
their betters; publishers, editors and logrollers did not yet exist. Need we
wonder then that their work was done as well as it could be done, and that it
has lasted for thousands of years?"
Now when such high and noble persons say something we must know that we
CAN and SHOULD believe them unhesitatingly... Even if what they say might
appear rather metaphorical, mystical, poetic, why even fanciful perhaps to all
but our very own selves...
"divya-dEsa-prApti": Crossing the River Viraja
After the 'jIvAtma' has crossed the 'archirAdi', it proceeds to ascend the
penultimate tier of the 9-stepped 'parama-pada-sOpAnam'. This stage of the
journey in the heavenly realms is called "divya-dEsa-prApti".
Here the soul is made to cross the celestial River Viraja a.k.a Vijara meaning
(ageless). The "jIvAtma" wades across the expanse of this stream and when it
emerges on the other bank, it is said to be thoroughly sanctified. The jeeva
now sheds even the subtle body ("sUkshma-sarIra") it had used on the
journey through the 'archirAdi' and assumes a new form that is absolutely
pristine ("aprAkrita-divya-mangala-svarUpa").
Desikan writes in the "rahasya-traya-sAra" that "the jeeva acquires a supersensuous
divine form made of "suddha satva" (aprakritam) -- Pure Spirit. It is
then taken to a divine tank called "airammadeeyam" and then to a huge
"aswattha" tree called "somasavana". There 500 "apsaras" (divine nymphs) in
batches of 100 each adorn the 'jeeva' with celestial garlands, collyrium,
perfumes, garments and ornaments. Then they receive it with royal honors.
Divine fragrance (Brahma Gandha), divine flavor (Brahma Rasa) and divine
splendor (Brahma Tejas) enter into the 'jeeva'".(extract from ibid.
A.Ramaswamy)
****** ****** ******
Crossing the Viraja is of great significance for the soul. It is testimonial to: (1)
the soul's absolute purity; the taint of "rajas" and "tamas" stands forever
extinguished and (2) eternal severance from all of God's Creation that is
temporal and terrestrial. The 'jIvAtma's' cosmic peregrinations come to an
absolute end at this point.
The power and ability of river waters to cleanse and purify both body in this
world and soul in the other lies at the core of the Vedic belief system. Many
are the passages in the Vedas that attest to it eloquently. In the Taittitiya
Aranyaka, in the great Upanishad called "mahA-nArAyaNOpanishad", there is
beautiful passage that pays tribute to the mighty power of the River Viraja to
secure the eternal sinless-ness of Man in the Province of God:
"sO'hama pApO virajO nirmukthO mUkta-kilbisha: I
nAkasya prushTa mArUhya gacchEth brahmasa lOkatAm" II
"My sins have been extinguished; I am at last free from the taint of rajas and
all earthly defects; I pray that I may go now to the world of Brahman climbing
the region of heaven!"
The journey across the River Viraja is not only purifying to the soul but also
energizing! To get some idea of the heights of delight the 'jIvAtma'
39
experiences during this phase of the journey to 'parama-padam', we can turn
once again to the mystical revelations of NammAzhwAr's "tiruvoimOzhi".
In the latter decads of that 1000-stanza work NammAzhwAr sings of the
ineffable glory experienced by the soul after bathing in and wading across the
Viraja. These are truly some of the most stirring verses one can ever come
across in Tamil poetry or, perhaps, in the history of mysticism even:
aruLpeRuvaar adiyaar tham *adiyanERku* aaziyaanaruLtharuvaan
amaikinRaan* athu_namathu vithivakaiyE*
iruLtharumaa NYaalaththuL* inippiRavi yaanvEndEn*
maruLozi neemada_nenchE!* vaattaaRRaan adivaNangE. 10.6.1
"All doubts and anxiety have ceased --
No more recall to the dark world for us --
The Lord awaits you...O Soul of mine!"
vaattaaRRaan adivaNangi* maaNYaalap piRappaRuppaan*
kEttaayE mada_nenchE!* kEchavan em perumaanai*
paattaaya palapaadip* pazavinaikaL paRRaRuththu*
naattaarOdu iyalvozindhu* naaraNanai naNNinamE. 10.6.2
"Hear me, O Soul of Mine --
Singing the praise of Kesavan now
We've cut asunder ties with the world --
Karma has ceased."
naNNinam naarayaNanai* naamangaL palacholli*
maNNulakil vaLammikka* vaattaaRRaan vandhu_inRu*
viNNulakam tharuvaanaay* viraikinRaan vithivakaiyE*
eNNina vaaRaakaa* ikkarumangaL ennenchE! 10.6.3
"We have arrived here, you and me
In the land of God, O Soul of mine,
Thanks to the many names of Narayana upon our lips --
Vaikuntam is ours now, our eternal fortune!"
vaanERa vazithandha* vaattaaRRaan paNivakaiyE*
naan_ERap peRukinREn* narakaththai naku_nenchE*
thEnERu malarththuLavam* thikazpaathan* sezumpaRavaithaanERith
thirivaan_than* thaaLiNai en_thalaimElE. 10.6.5
"It's the Lord of Viraja
who led me to this path --
Holding His Feet upon my crown
Thumb my nose at Hell, I will!
No fear!"
kuraikazalkaL kuRuginam* nam kOvindhan kudikondaan*
thiraikuzuvu kadalpudaichooz* thennaattuth thilathamanna*
varaikuzuvu maNimaada* vaattaaRRaan malaradimEl*
viraikuzuvu naRundhuLavam* meyn^_ninRu kamazumE. 10.6.7
"We have reached at last,
You and me, O Soul of mine,
The mansion of God --
Can you smell the sweet whiff of 'tulasi'
That swirls all around us?!"
meyn^_ninRu kamazthuLava* viraiyERu thirumudiyan*
kain^_ninRa sakkaraththan* karuthumidam poruthupunal*
main^_ninRa varaipOlum* thiruvuruva vaattaaRRaaRku*
en^_nanRi seythEnaa* ennenchil thikazavathuvE? 10.6.8
"The Lord of Creation shall soon
Be with us, O Soul of mine --
I cannot believe this is happening to us!
Do we really deserve this Bliss?!"
piriyaathu_aat seyyenRu* piRappaRuththu aaLaRakkondaan*
ariyaaki iraNiyanai* aagangeeNtaan anRu*
periyaarku aatpattakkaal* peRaathapayan peRumaaRu*
varivaaL vaayaravaNaimEl* vaattaaRRaan kaattinanE. 10.6.10.
"Once upon a time the Lord
appeared as Man-lion
And tore out Hiranyan's breast --
Now He's torn to shreds
And cast aside my karmic chains too forever--
Now I, His eternal serf, shall surely reap
The numberless favours of Infinity!
****** ****** ******
Once the 'jIvAtmA' has crossed the Viraja, it is finally ready to proceed to its
ultimate destination on the "parama-pada-sOpanam". The end of the journey
that:
-- began in "vivEkam",
-- endured through "nirvEdam", "virakthi" and "bheeti",
-- sojourned through "prasAdana-parva" and
-- sailed across "utkramana", "archirAdi" and "divya-dEsa prApti"...
that arduous trek across the vast, immeasurable cosmic expanse finally
approaches its end and consummation called "prApti".
"prApti": The Journey's End
"prApti" is glorious "parama-padam", the terminal epicentre of the whole
Cosmos, the 'Abode of God' known as SriVaikuntam. It is also the highest
state of being, celebrated variously in the scriptures as "mOksha", "mukti",
"paramA-gati", "parama-purushArtam", "nitya-kainkarya-prApti", "tiru-nAdu"...
It is the crowning culmination of the long journey the 'jIvAtma' undertook along
the Vedantic path traced for us by Swami Vedanta Desikan in the "paramapada-
sOpAnam".
According to Desikan's 'rahasyatrayasAra', here in the terminal phase of the
soul's progress, the 'jeeva' is received by "nityasuris" (archangels) who take it
to the "portals of God's City with high walls adorned with festive banners".
This city is called 'aparajita'. Indra and Prajapati who are the guardians of the
City welcome the 'jeeva' as if it was their Master and they begin to offer it
honors befitting a crown prince. They receive it with "purnakumbha", lamps
and other "upachArA" (services). All these are akin to protocol of 'state
honour' duly accorded to a liberated soul. This state is called 'sAlokya'.
After the protocol, the 'jeeva' is led to a great assembly hall crowned by a
"gOpura" (tower) of precious gems called variously as 'prabuvimitam' or
'vibupramitam'. Perhaps it is this "hall" or "mAmani-mantapa" that
NammAzhwAr also refers to in the "tiruvOimOzhi":
vandhavar ethir_koLLa* maamaNi mandapaththu*
andhamil pErinbaththu* adiyarOdu irundhamai*
kondhalar pozil* kurukoorchchadakOpan* cholchandhangaLaayiraththu*
ivaivallaar munivarE. (10.9.11)
Once it is inside this great hall, the 'jeeva' is said to acquire another luminous
and divine form known as "divya yasas". This elevated state of the soul's
being is called 'saroopya'.
Then, the "jeeva" is ceremoniously ushered to the seat of God called
'vichakshana peetam'. In this state in the presence of God the soul is said to
be in 'sameepyam'. In this state the soul addresses God in the thrilling words
of the Upanishad:
"Uthishta purusha hari lOhita-pingalAkshi
dEhi dEhi dadApayitA mey shudhyantAm
jyOtiraham virajA vipApmA BhUyAsagam svAhA!"
("mahA-nArAyaNOpanishad)
O Purusha! O Hari! Arise!
O thou with lovely lotus-like eyes! Arise!
Protect me! Grant me knowledge to know Thee!
Grant me the purity of the purest!
Raise me, O Lord, to Your own state!
God then allows the "jeeva" to approach Him on His divine couch called
'amitoujas' and reveals His blissful form to the 'muktAtmA'. This state is called
'sAyujya'. It is in this state of absolute intimacy with God that the "jIvAtmA" is
restored to God!
After the jIvAtma is restored to God, the Almighty in turn restores to it its
essential and original nature ("Atma-svarUpa") with 8 clear and sterling
qualities or "guNa-visEsha" viz.:
"Being free from 1. Sin, 2. Old age, 3.Death 4.Sorrow, 5.Hunger 6.Thirst, 7.
Being endowed with all desired objects and 8. An unhindered will. The Lord
bestows "sAyujya" which means being united in equal enjoyment with God
who places the mukta in the galaxy of nityas and other muktas enjoying
infinitude ('satyam'), infinite knowledge ('gnyAnam') and infinite bliss
('Anandam'). The Lord then mingles with such a fraternity of 'mUktAs' as a
"nitya yuva" Himself." (ibid. A.Ramaswamy)
The Calculus of Joy
The supreme state of "sAyujya" in "parama-padam" is glorified in the climax of
the great "mahA-nArAyAnOpanishad" in a ringing, rousing passage
celebrating the soul's ascension to the ultimate Bliss of God. This passage is
recited with great vigor and fervor at the end of the Yajur Veda:
"… ya Evam vidvAn agnayanE prameeyathE
dEvAnAmEva maheemAnam gaathvA'dithyasya
sAyUjyam gacchatyatha….
…tasmAd brahmaNO maheemAna'mApnOti
tasmAd brahmaNO maheemAna mithyupanishath" II
"Such a devotee, meditating upon God, leaves this world during "uttarAyana"
(the sun's journey through the summer solstice), and attains the greatness of
God through "sAyUjya"!".
The bliss of 'sAyujya', the eternal embrace of God, can neither be expressed
nor measured in words. And yet the Taittiriya Upanishad gives us some idea
of it in a very famous passage of very rare poetic beauty, insight and
revelation.
In the section of the Taittiriya called "anandavalli", the Upanishad sets out a
so-called imaginary "Calculus of Joy" with the aid of which we can measure
the bliss enjoyed by a "muktAtmA" in the state of "sAyujya" in "parama-pada":
The joy experienced by a human being on earth (who is perfectly healthy,
wealthy and wise) is first taken as "1 unit of bliss"... Let us designate it as "1-
B". The Upanishad then proceeds to describe the bliss experienced by divine
beings or celestials in terms of progressive multiples of "1-B".
The celestials are enumerated as "gandharva", "pitru", "ajanadeva",
"karmadeva", "devata", "indra", "brhaspati" and "prajapati" respectively.
We are to thus begin multiplying "1-B" first by 100, then 10,000, next a million,
100-million, ten thousand million, a billion, 100-billion, ten-thousand billion...
until we finally arrive at a million-billion "1-Bs" -- which may be said to be, very
approximately, the equivalent of 1 unit of the 'Anandam' the "jIvAtma" enjoys
in the state of 'sAyujya' with the "para-brahman"!
The Upanishad calls such a soul as "prEtya" i.e. that "jIva" which has
departed from the world and finally attained "brahma-gnyAna" by piercing
through what may be called the dark sheaths ("kOsa") of consciousness that
had enshrouded it for many ages. These sheaths or "kOsA-s" are "food"
(annam), "vital air" (prAnam), "Mind" (manas) and "Intellect" (vignyAnam). In
the state of "sAyujya" there is nothing to enshroud the "jIvAma" anymore from
the presence of God and intimacy with Him. Hence it becomes eternally free
to experience not only "brahma-gnyAna" but also "brahmAnanda" ---
"... sa EkO brahmaNa ananda: ...
.. sayaschAyam purushE.. yaschAvAdityE ... sa Eka: .."
"sa ya Evam vith... asmAllOkAt prEtya...
etam anna-mayam-AtmAnam-mupasankrAmati
etam prANa-mayam-AtmAnam-mupasankrAmati
etam manO-mayam-AtmAnam-mupasankrAmati
etam vignyAna-mayam-AtmAnam-mupasankrAmati
etam Ananda-mayam-AtmAnam-mupasankrAmati..." ("anandavalli")
****** ******* ******
Such is the Glory of "parama-padam"! Such is the Glory of the Upanishads!
Such is the glorious Destiny of the human soul! And there ends the great
'vEdAnta-mArga' of Swami Venkatanathan's 'parama-pada-sOpAnam'...
Venkatanathan's life: A work of Art
In the last stages of his life, Swami Venkatanathan lived happily for many
years in SriRangam amidst peers and 'sIshyA-s'. He became a highly
renowned and venerated 'vEdAntAchAryA'. His fame spread far and wide in
the country. This doyen presided over a period in history when the school of
"sri-rAmAnuja-darsanam" flourished, the SriVaishnava following grew and
their institutions and traditions strengthened.
In 1369 CE, at the age of 100, after his life's work was done, Swamy Desikan
passed away in SriRangam. His son, Kumara VaradArya a.k.a NainAchArya
composed the immortal 'tanian' and colophon by which we know the father
44
today, as all posterity too in the future shall remember Swamy Desikan -- the
man, his life and work:
srimAn venkata nAThArya: kavitArkika kEsari
vEdAntAchArya varyOmE sannidhatAm sadAhrudi
kavitArkika simhAya kalyANa guNashAlinE
srimathE venkateshEyA vEdAnta guravE namaha
When we reflect deeply upon the son's moving tribute made above to the
father, we realize why Venkatanathan was truly the giant he was. To the
extent I could and to the best of my humble ability, I have explained in this
essay the greatness of Desikan as a
-- "kavi-kEsari" -- a glorious poet;
-- "tArkika-simham" -- a lion amongst philosophers
-- "kalyANa guNa shAlin" -- a person of rare and sublime human qualities
and
-- "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.
****** ****** ******
By way of an invocation prior to chanting the IsavasyOpanishad, a beautiful
verse called 'sAnti-pAta' is generally sung:
"pUrnamada: pUrnamidam
pUrnAt pUrnamudachyate;
pUrnasya pUrnamAdAya
pUrnam evAvashishyate"
"Om sAnti, sAnti, sAntih: --"
The prefatory verse, if one notices it, uses the Sanskrit word "pUrna" again
and again. This word "pUrna" roughly translates into English as "fullness",
"completeness", "wholesomeness", "consummation", "plenary" etc.
Now, what the Upanishad is trying to tell us through the verse is roughly this:
"God is Fullness --
This Universe, his Creation too is fullness;
From the Fullness of God came this Universe;
Although fullness came out of Fullness,
Fullness did not become any less Full,
since Fullness remains ever full!
This Universe shall remain filled Ever with God's Fullness!"
"So let Peace, Peace... let Peace prevail for ever!".
****** ****** ******
The language of the Upanishads is very often poetic and cryptic. But the
essential message of the Upanishad in the above verse is this:
All beings that exist in this world, whether human or otherwise, seek ultimately
only one thing in life: "pUrnatva" or fulfillment in life, in one way or the other.
When we are fulfilled, we are happy, isn't it? When there is "pUrnatvam" or
completeness in our life, we attain contentment. In "pUrnatva" there is "sAnti"
also -- we are at peace with ourselves and with the rest of the Universe.
But in this world there is nothing like absolute fulfillment. When we have
achieved "completeness" in one thing we find that there is "completeness" to
be attained elsewhere that beckons us. For e.g. a student feels fulfilled when
he "completes" a University education only to find that he still has to find
"fulfillment" in some chosen career out in the real world. Similarly, a girl may
feel very "fulfilled" after tying the marital knot, but after few months or years
thereafter, she begins seeking to be a "complete woman" in motherhood...
And so on, so forth in life...
"Completeness" or "fulfillment" in life remains for most people either a moving
target or an elusive mirage. Absolute "pUrnatva" is indeed very hard to attain
in this world. But it is on the other hand very easily achieved in the kingdom of
God.. who as the Isa says above, is Himself "pUrnamada: pUrnamidam...":
Absolutely Fulfilled!
****** ****** ******
After describing the goal of "pUrnatva" to be the Principle and Substance of all
life, the IsavasyOpanishad proceeds to tell us how to achieve such
"completeness" or "fulfillment" in life. In the second of 18 wonderful stanzas
the Upanishads tells us:
"kurvanneva: karmAni jijIvishEt satam samAH;
Evam tvayi nAnyathEto'sti na karma lipyate narE --
"One should desire to live a full 100 years in this world
engaged in ceaseless action...
Thus, and in no other way,
can a man free himself from
the taint or shackles of Action".
46
In Indian families, when a boy ('brahmacharin') is initiated into "upanayana"
(the rite of passage in which he dons the "yagnyOpavIta", the sacred thread),
all his elders will bless him saying "satamAnam bhavati satAyur" --- meaning
"May You live to be a 100 years old!". Similarly, we can see elders and friends
blessing a newly married couple wishing them 100 years of life together. This
is common custom in all Indian families.
The reason for such a blessing ("satAyur vai purusha:") can be traced back to
the IsavasyOpanishad which, as we saw in the above verse, too says
"jijIvishEt satam samAH"
"One should desire to live a full 100 years in this world..."
When one blesses another with a "satAyur" or a "100 years of life", one is not
referring merely to length of life but to the quality of life. There is no point in
living for a 100 years with poor or simply no "quality of life". So then, what is
meant by "quality of life"? The IsavasyOpanishad says in the above verse it is:
"kurvanneva: karmAni..."
The "quality" of our life can be judged by the quality of our "karma". In other
words, a life that is lived both zestfully and purposefully is the only one that is
really worth living for a 100 years. A life of real "quality" must be full of good
action, useful deeds and noble effort if it must become truly "pUrnAm"...
Living a zestful and purposeful life, as the Isa describes it for us, is really an
Art... It is an "Art of Living" that has to be mastered slowly and painstakingly
over many years... sometimes even a 100 years!
We may ask: Where is one to learn such an art that shall secure a zestful and
purposeful life of a full 100 years and finally the grand "pUrnatva" of the
Upanishads too?
The answer is: Look at the example of the 100-year life Swami
Venkatanathan led... And learn the "Art of Living" from the "parama-padasOpAnam".
Courtesy: SrirangaSri Yahoo Groups
