5

DESIKAMRUTAM ?SRIMAD RAHASYA TRAYA SARAM?
?THE THREE TENETS?-5
By Sri Sadagopa Iyengar Swamin (of Coimbatore) ?Srikaaryam? Swami of the
Board of Advisors of ?Sri Ranga Sri?
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The Three Tenets-5


Swami Desikan introduces us to a slightly tricky concept at this stage,
viz.,Dharma bhoota gnAnam, or Attributive knowledge.

We have seen already that the Individual Soul or Jeevatma is the embodiment
of Knowledge, which forms its essential nature or SvarUpam. Thus the AtmA's
essential nature is GnAnam.

The soul also has Knowledge as one of its attributes, similar to others like
Blissfulness (Anandatvam), Purity (amalatvam) etc. This Knowledge, as
distinct from that forming the basic characteristic of the Atma, is known as
"Dharma Bhoota GnAnam".

What is the source of support for this mundane body? Composed as it is of
inert and non-sentient matter, how does it stay upright and perform various
functions expected of it? We have only seen matter staying put in one place,
without the capability of moving or functioning independently. If the human
body defies the normal rule, what is behind it?

We are told that it is the essential nature or SvarUpam of the Jeevatma that
provides the requisite support to the material body, ensuring its existence.
When we sleep, it is this GnAna svarUpam of the Jeevatma that ensures
continued life during sleep. But for this crucial support, the body wouldn't
survive for long, as we find in the case of dead people, from whose mortal
coils the Atma has left. In such cases, we find that the body gradually
decomposes and putrefies, attesting to the fact that it is the in-dwelling
Atma that is responsible for the Stthiti or continued existence of the body.

When we come to "Pravritti" or activity engaged in by the human body, we are
told that the same is due to the support provided by the Attributive
Knowledge or Dharma Bhoota GnAnam, which is one of the principal
characteristics of the Atma (as distinct from its essential nature or
Svarupam). Thus when we walk, when we talk, when we engage in innumerable
endeavors to achieve various goals in life, when we adopt appropriate
strategies to ensure such achievement, etc., it is Dharma Bhoota GnAnam or
Attributive Knowledge, which supports us in all these. When we perform
Bhakti or Prapatti for reaching the Lord, it is this Attributive Knowledge
that makes this possible.

We thus see that while the essential nature of the Atma supports the body
during sleep and similar states, in the waking state, it is the Dharma
Bhoota GnAnam, which extends such support to the body.

Does the role of this Dharma Bhoota GnAnam cease, once we perform the
requisite endeavors for attainment of our goals? For instance, does a
Prapanna, having performed Sharanagati with the aid of this Attributive
Knowledge, still need it? Yes, says Swami Desikan, clarifying that such
Knowledge enables the individual to continue to perform service to the Lord
and to enjoy Him in all His magnificence.

If this Attributive Knowledge is the support for all our lawful endeavors,
what about those indulging in sinful activities - Does the same knowledge
form the basis for these nefarious actions too? Yes, it does, and is
responsible for all the sinful deeds and their outcome, says Swami Desikan.

What happens when the Jeevatma leaves a particular body? Obviously, the Atma
SvarUpam, which was hitherto supporting the body, has flown. Therefore, the
body decomposes into the basic elements, of which it was originally made.
One important point to note here is that there is no absolute destruction of
the body, but only disintegration into its component elements. And when such
decomposition happens, what is the support for the component elements? For
instance, upon death, all that remains of a body are water, rotted flesh,
bones, etc. Since these continue to exist in some form or the other, what is
the source of support for these, now that the Jeeva has exited? As in the
case of all non-sentient matter, these too are supported by the Lord, as
part of His divine shareeram.




DESIKAMRUTHAM
SRIMAD RAHASYA TRAYA SARAM
THE FIVE FUNDAMENTALS - 5.
By Sri Sadagopa Iyengar Swamin (of Coimbatore)
?Srikaaryam? of the Board of Advisors of ?Sri Ranga Sri?
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We have seen that the Paramapurusha is indeed endowed with a divya managaLa
vigraha, which is magnificent beyond description and acquires five forms-
1 The ParaVAsudEva roopam,
2. The VyUhAs like VAsudEva, PradyumnA, Aniruddha and SankarshaNa,
3. Vibhava avatArAs like those of Sri Vamana, Rama and Krishna,
4. The HArda or antaryAmI who resides in everyone's heart and
5. The arcchA, the form in which the Lord is to be worshipped at the
numerous sannidhis at divyadesams and other places.

Paraphernalia always impresses the human mind. We rush to see a person, if a
retinue of sycophants accompanies him. Hence worship of the Lord becomes
more pleasurable, when we consider Him to be the Master of all the worlds,
with their vivid varieties of life forms, natural bounties and treasures.
All the myriad forms of living beings and non-sentient things, along with
all that we encounter in this world and others, are but His Iyshvaryam, His
VibhUti, of which He is the Sole Proprietor. Nothing in any created world
can claim independence from Him, as everything, moving and unmoving, is His
inseparable adjunct and property. Thus, whenever we think of the Lord, He
should be picturized in our mind's eye as the wonderful owner of all that we
see or hear of. This is borne out by the following sloka from Sri Vishnu
Purana:

"Vishnu: Manu Adaya: KAla: sarva bhootAni vai dvija!
SthitEtE: nimitta bhootasya VishNO: EtA vibhootaya"

What is the nature of His property? It is boundless, with everything and
everyone in all the Universes belonging solely to Him. Thus, His Iyshvaryam
can be described as magnificent, says the same Purana-

"Sakala AvaraNa ateeta! nirAlambana bhAvana!
MahA vibhooti samstthAna! NamastE PurushOttama!"

After showing the PANdava, samples of His vibhooti in a Visvaroopam, the
Lord tells the awe-struck Arjuna that all that was shown to him was but a
negligible portion of the Lord's ishvaryam, which is indeed beyond
enumeration or measure-
"na antOsti mama divyAnAm vibhootInAm Parantapa!
Esha tu uddEshata: prOkta: vibhootE: vistarO mayA"

The country we live in belongs to a continent. Several such continents make
up the Planet Earth. There are any numbers of such planets in the Solar
System, with several such Solar Systems in existence. The Sun, with its
attendant planets and stars, is but an insignificant component of a Galaxy,
which consists of countless stars and planets orbiting in their own
gravitational paths. The Galaxy visible from the earth is the Milky Way
Galaxy. Astronomers estimate that there are about 125 billion Galaxies in
the Universe. And there are an infinite number of such Universes, though
present day Astronomy may not be competent to talk authoritatively about the
same. If all these bodies of matter form but a small portion of the
magnificent Lord's bounty, one can imagine how vast and immeasurable His
vibhooti is, says Sri Alavandar-

"Yat aNdam aNdAntara gOcharam cha yat dasOttarANi AvaraNani yAni cha
GuNA: pradhAnam purusha: param padam parAt param Brahma cha tE vibhootaya:"

It is accompanied by all this ishvaryam that we should think of the Lord,
when we do think of Him-as the "ellA ulagum udaya oru moortthi", in the
words of Sri Nammazhwar. It is perhaps to signify His over-lordship over all
Universes that the Lord holds a staff of authority in His hand-"SenkOludaya
Tiruvaranga SelvanAr".

These Vibhootis are of two types-sentient and non-sentient. Another
Classification of these glorious possessions of the Lord is that of those
that exist for His sport, "leelA" and those that exist solely for His
enjoyment ("BhOga"). This is a division based on the type of pleasure they
afford the Paramapurusha, though both serve to gladden His heart. Both
sentient beings and inanimate objects are subject to this
classification-that of beings or things which serve as playthings
("leelOpakaraNam") to the Lord and those which serve as objects of
gratification and enjoyment to Him ("BhOgOpakaraNam). This difference arises
not due to the degree of their utility to Emperuman-- for, animate or
otherwise, all beings and things are of equal utility to Him?but from the
varied uses the Lord has for them. For instance, to an Emperor, his
beautiful consort, fragrant perfumes and the glorious spring might be as
beneficial as a sprawling royal park filled with the best of blooms or a
playing ball. However, while the former category of beings and objects
generates enjoyment for him by serving as instruments of pleasure, the
latter, consisting of the park and the ball, serve to satisfy his sporting
instinct. Similar too is the nature of instruments of leela and bhOga to the
Lord.

As we have already seen, the Lord's glorious possessions, His VibhUtis, fall
into two more broad categories-the first is the Nitya VibhUti, consisting of
Sri Vaikuntam and all its permanent residents, all of which and whom are
eternal and unchanging, forever at the Lord's service. The other is the
leela VibhUti, consisting of all the worlds bound by Karma and characterized
by a continuing cycle of births and deaths, subject to the inexorable
processes of decline, death and decay.

The Lord indulges in the processes of Creation, Sustenance and Destruction
of all these Karma-bound worlds, out of pure sporting instinct, just as the
Emperor plays with a ball for pure enjoyment, says the Mahabharata-

"avyaktAdi visEshAntam parimANArtha samyutam
kreedA HarE: idam sarvam ksharam iti avadhAryatAm".

Being the Paramapurusha with nothing remaining to be attained, He engages in
the aforesaid processes purely as a hobby, with nothing to gain or lose,
akin to a kid throwing a ball at a wall-

"aniyOjyascha apramEyascha yastu kAma sharIra dhrit
mOdatE BhagavAn atra bAla: kreedanakairiva".

We are told that the Lord plays with creatures, as if they were mere balls
in a tennis game or just pawns in a game of chess. Does this mean that He is
an extremely heartless Emperor, making people undergo untold sufferings in
this world of sorrow and despair, just because it affords Him entertainment?
Is He so cruel as to watch the writhing of created beings in the agonizing
hotbed of Samsaara, with a perverted sense of sport, just like the Roman
emperors of yore, who fed live people to lions and derived a sadistic
pleasure in watching them struggling for their lives and ultimately being
gored to death by the beasts? If this is indeed true, where do His
much-touted Mercy and compassion hide, when the Lord indulges in such
pitiless sport?

Though it is very much sport for the Lord ("lOkavat tu leelA kaivalyam" says
the Brahmasutra, emphasizing this), it is not out of a desire to gloat over
the sufferings of people, that the Lord creates the world and its
inhabitants. As we know, after the Cosmic Deluge, both sentient and
non-sentient souls lie mixed up inextricably, as undifferentiated matter. It
is to provide these souls an avenue of emancipation that the Lord indulges
in Creation, giving the souls a physical body to carry out their respective
dharmAs, to stay on the straight but narrow path of virtue and to adopt one
of the many strategies for liberation that the Lord Himself has fashioned
for the emancipation of suffering humanity. Thus, Creation is essentially
the outcome of the Lord's infinite mercy or KaruNa ("vitarasi karaNa
kaLEbara yOgam VrishasailanAtha karuNE tvam"-Daya Satakam), to enable many
of His children swim ashore to the safety of Liberation, while the rest of
them are swept away by the swirling currents of Samsaara. The Lord affords
them alternate bodies again, providing them yet other opportunities to
redeem them, in an unending effort to emancipate errant humanity.

Swami Desikan summarizes the attributes of the Parabrahmam, which is the
goal to be attained, enumerated so far in the chapter-
1. Inseparability from Sri LakshmI-LakshmI sahAyam
2. The personification of immeasurable wisdom and bliss-aparimita gnAna
Anandam
3. The antithesis of all that is evil or bad-akhila hEya pratyanIkam
4. The repository of innumerable auspicious attributes like power, wisdom,
strength, possessions etc.-gnAna shaktyAdi ananta mangala guNa visishtam
5. The possession of an incomparably magnificent form, assumed at will-divya
mangala vigrahOpEam
6. Carrying on His person the two VibhUtIs, the Nitya VibhUti and the leelA
VibhUti-sharIra bhoota vibhUti dvaya yuktam
7. Indulging in the sport of Creation etc. of all these mundane worlds-jagat
srishtyAdi vyApAra leelam.




DESIKAMRUTHAM II:
SRIMAD RAHASYA TRAYA SARAM
THE CRITICAL CONCEPT- 5
SRI SADAGOPA IYENGAR SWAMIN (OF COIMBATORE),
?SRIKAARYAM? OF THE BOARD OF ADVISORS OF ?SRI RANGA SRI?
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We saw so far some aspects of the very basis of our VisishtAdvaita SampradAya, the practical implications of the same and their reflection in the Rahasyatrayam. Swami Desikan concludes the chapter with the empirical implications of "Swamitvam" and "DAsatvam"(Lord and Slave) subsisting between Emperuman and us. The goal of all SEshAs is to be of use to their Lord and Master and this gives rise to the concept of "Kainkaryam", or service to the Master, to gladden His heart by some gesture or other. Thus the Lord gains glory from the service performed by the Jiva, making it a "PurushArttha" for Him.

This relationship also imposes an obligation on the Lord to protect His servants, for they are His property, at His sole disposal. Just as we would take adequate care of our own assets and ensure their continued well-being at least for affording us sustained enjoyment, the Lord too is bound to protect us, being our unconditional Master and having the requisite wherewithal to do so. Just as our watch or pen has no responsibility for self-protection and it is for us to take care of it, we too are incapable of protecting ourselves, though we may at times be under a contrary and mistaken impression. It is thus for the "Udayavan" or Master to protect His "udaimai" or property. However, though he is naturally entitled for protection and deliverance from the morass of samara, the Jiva is subject to the laws of Karma, according to which he has to enjoy or suffer the consequences of his own deeds, good and bad. Since it would be patently unfair of Isvara to emancipate the individual soul in utter disregard of his accumulated sins, the Lord induces the latter to adopt some redeeming strategy or upAya like Bhakti or Prapatti and through that, delivers the Jiva from the mundane shackles to enjoy ever-lasting bliss in Paramapadam.

As is his wont, Swami Desikan summarizes the essence of the aforesaid concepts in two pasurams, one each in Tamil and Sanskrit. These verses, found at the beginning and end of most of the adhikArAs in the work, serve as synoptic statements of the rather intricate issues propounded in the chapter and enable instant recall of the subject covered therein. Only those engaged in the task of composition and of putting to paper subtle concepts, would appreciate how difficult it is to reduce to comprehensible script the masterly thoughts of great philosophers. If such is the difficulty with mere prosaic expression, imagine the complexities confronting the poet, who has to conform to rules of rhyme, meter, syllable and grammar, and all of this without sacrificing facile and pleasing phraseology that are the hallmarks of perfect poetry. And if boundless Bhakti too is to form the constant undercurrent in all the verses, the task becomes almost impossible. Kalidasa was no doubt a great poet, but his subjects were totally romantic or historical, with not much of philosophical content. And you could find any number of excellent philosophers, who could not write a line of verse without tying themselves up in knots. It is perhaps Swami Desikan's unique privilege to have been blessed with flawlessly logical thought processes, the majesty of expression and choice of the most brilliant prose and bewitching poetry, all without compromising on comprehensibility. Add to this, the mastery over not one but three languages, and we have a unique and invincible combination of lofty Logician, lovely linguist, perfect Philosopher, pleasing Poet and peerless Bhakta, an amalgamation difficult indeed to encounter in this universe.

Here is the beautiful Paasuram at the end of the PradhAna Pratitantram adhikAram-
"nilai tanda dhArakanAi, niyamikkum iraivanumAi
iladu ondru enA vagai ellAm tanadu ennum enthaiyumAi
tulai ondru ilai ena nindra tuzhAi mudiAn udambAi
vilai indri nAm adiyOm endru VEdiar meipporuLE"

Swami Desikan, the parama vaidika, is forever adverting to the vEdic basis for his works. Here too, he says that whatever has been detailed above is the gospel truth, as revealed in the Shruti- "VEdiar meipporuLE". What the Acharya has in mind here is the Shruti vakya revealing the SharirI-SharIra bhAvam-"Yasya AtmA sharIram, yasya Prithivi sharIram" etc. Expanding on this, he enumerates the various ways in which the Lord is associated with us."nilai tanda dhArakanAi"-

It is He who has endowed us with an existence and supports us all the time, without exception. ?Atlas? may shrug, but not Emperuman. It is the Lord's wonderful attribute of Veeryam that makes possible this task of bearing the burden of all the universes and all their inhabitants, without any apparent or imperceptible fatigue--"VAsudEvasya veeryENa vidhrutAni mahAtmana:?

It is also He who is our Controller ("niyamikkum iraivan"), to whose cosmic tunes we dance constantly. "tEna vinA triNamapi na chalati" says the adage, emphasizing that Divine will or Bhagavad Sankalpam is the driving force behind each and every small action or inaction that occurs in these wide worlds. He is the Universal Father, from whom is born everything from the loftiest being to the lowliest on the totem pole of Creation ("enthaiyumAi").

He is the absolute owner ("nirupAdhika Sarva Swami") of all beings and objects ("nikhilam chEtana achEtana Atmakam") without any exception. As Sri Nammazhwar says, it is impossible to think of Him as having or lacking anything ("ilan idu, udayan idu ena ninaivu ariyavan"), for He is the Universal Master owning anything and everything. "TuzhAi mudiyAn udambAi"-- Whatever name we may call them by, at whatever point of time the objects or beings exist, whatever be the place of their existence, whether they are ephemeral or eternal, good or bad, all of these living and inanimate beings form Emperuman's sharIram with Him as their Inner Dweller, says Sri Nammazhwar-


"nAm avan ivan uvan avaL ivaL uvaL evaL
tAm avar ivar uvar adu idu udu edu
veemavai ivai uvai avai nalam teengu avai
Am avai Ayavaiyay nindra avarE"

And what is the nature of the Lord that we derive from all these properties?
That He is of matchless magnificence ("tulai ondru ilai ena nindra tuzhAi mudiyAn"). He is the "oppAr mikkArai ilai Aya MAMAyan", who has neither equals nor superiors in any parameter- "inan ilan, migunarai ilanE". "ShuddhO dEva EkO Narayana: na dvitIyOsti kaschit" says the Atharva shikha Upanishad, emphasizing the Lord's peerless perfection. There is none who is endowed with all the auspicious attributes, which are inherent in Emperuman, says Sri Satakopa Muni- "nalanudai oruvan".

The other important aspect of the PradhAna Pratitantram, our "nirupAdhika SEshatvam", is brought out by the last line, "vilai indri nAm adiyOm". We are Emperuman's eternal slaves. This relationship of Master and Slave subsisting between Him and us is not an acquired one but an association that is natural and eternal to both. He doesn't need to do anything, nor do we, for this relationship to come into being. This is what Sri Rudra too emphasizes, at the very beginning of Mantraraja pada stotram-
"dAsa bhootA: svata: sarvE hi AtmAna: ParamAtmana:".

Tracing these teachings to Bhagavad Bhashyakara and grateful forever for his path-breaking contributions, Swami Desikan likens the concepts detailed above, being a faithful rendition of the Yatiraja's faultless formulations, to the scintillating dawn that dispels the gloom of ignorance. To comprehend this concept in full in this Kali Yuga being quite difficult and looking to the near-impossibility of putting it to practice, Swami Desikan expresses the hope that some MahAtma would surely master these tenets in theory and practice. While ordinary mortals like us can gain a glimmering of the SharIrAtma bhAvam and use it to rid ourselves of our Karmic shackles, for the distinguished Mahatma, these tenets would also help in subduing the vociferous but worthless arguments of votaries of opposing philosophies. Here is the Sanskrit verse that forms the crowning glory of this chapter on PradhAna Pratitantram-


"yadyEtam Yati Sarvabhouma kathitam vidyAt avidyAtama:
PratyUsham pratitantram antima yugE kaschit vipaschittama:
Tatraikatra jhatiti upaiti vilayam tat tat mata sthApanA:
HEvAka prathamAna haituka kathA kallOla kOlAhala:"