New Blog - Chips and Salsa

Please see my new blog - chips-salsa.blogspot.com

Shloka 6 commentary continues...(3)

Having understood what is Moksham, let us turn to Upaayam. The Indweller must first accept and agree given its limited intelligence and knowledge that Moksham is its final goal. While the Indweller realizes this in its pristine form, it takes effort in the present birth to agree with this goal. Once agreed upon, the Indweller needs to identify a means to achieve this goal. It is in this respect again, that Hindu Body of Knowledge - the Vedas, and its associated organs - the upanishads, the itihaasas (or history-as-it-happened), the Puranas (or History-written-after-the-fact) etc. help us with various strategies and means. Karma, Gnyana, and Bhakti are the most popular that almost every Hindu will instantly agree that most of these scripture have expounded. Within the Bhagwad Gita as well, Krishna has devoted significant time to explain the three to Arjuna. An important fact to remember here is that the three are not independent of each other - they are all mutually dependent i.e. the person that claims to be a follower of Bhakti yoga cannot renounce Karma and Gnyana. On the other hand - the standard progression is from Karma to Gnyana to Bhakti. Karma drives Gnyana. Gnyana drives Bhakti. The Saints of South India, the predecessors of the author insist on Gnyana in combination with Bhakti as an important driver in the spiritual quest (though not the means to achieve the goal).

There are also other means to achieve the goal. According to Yalgniki upanishad, there are 12 means. Given these many means/methods to achieve the goal, which specific means is the author referring to here?

The author belongs to the Srivaishnava sect, a follower of Swami Ramanuja, and the Aazhwaar saints of South India. The method he is referring to is the same method adopted by Swami Ramanuja, his predecessors and his followers - called "Nyasam" or "Sharanagati. (Surrender)"

In order to establish the connection between Purushakaaram and Upaayam stated in shloka 6, we need to understand "surrender" a little better. Who do you surrender to? Of course the Lord. So the real means to achieving the goal is not the "act of surrender" but the Lord Himself. This brings us to an interesting situation. The Lord sees each of us not as the beings that we presently are (in this human body), but as the Indweller with the Baggage of Karma lasting billions and trillions of years (actually it has no beginning...). The moment he sees the Indweller he cannot but feel angry towards all the sins committed by the Indweller in all the past lifes (which we in this human body are not aware of). He is determined not to grant Moksha to this Indweller. So the Upaayam is actually insufficient to achieve the goal. Then why call it a "means to achieving the goal?" Because it is the last thing an Indweller can do to achieve its goal. However, the means works through a supporting means - called Purushakaram. His Divine Consort, the Lady intervenes at that point and recommends Him to accept the Indweller despite all its sins and short-comings. This she does out of the compassion she has for the Indweller that has come to surrender at His Feet.

But Wait ...did we not say earlier that Moksha is realized when we have rid the Baggage off its good and bad karmas. Why should the Lord get angry now? Because, "Surrender" is the only means through which an Indweller can achieve Moksham even when the Baggage is still full.! On the other hand, means such as Karma, Gnyana, and Bhakti lead to Moksha when the Baggage is empty - and therefore could take another millions of years. It is only in "Surrender" that the Lord has assured (As Devaperumal of Kanchi to Thirukkachi Nambi) that an Indweller can achieve "Dehaavastaane Moksham" i.e Moksham when the "present body falls". Call it if you will - the short-cut to Moksham. Because that is what it really is. While there are still those great stalwarts of Karma, Gnyana, Bhakti Yogas - including the demi-gods and rishis, and saints of yester-yugas still waiting in queue for their time to reach Moksham, the Lord has assured that the ones that "Surrender" will be given Moksham in short-cut at the end of the present life.! However, for this "Surrender" to work two things are important - 1. The act of surrender itself. 2. The recommendation of His Lady. The two work together to assure the Indweller of Moksham in short-cut at the end of this Life, no matter what the Baggage of Karma still holds.

That is why the author has together stated Upaayam (the means) and Purushakaaram (the recommendation) in Shloka 6.

Shloka 6 commentary continues - 2 ...

We were last discussing about the Jeevatma, the Indweller.

Krishna describes the Indweller in great details in the Bhagvad Gita in Chapter 2. The Indweller is Permanent, and was never created and cannot be destroyed. It merely takes on a body in an event we call as "conception" eventually leading to child-birth. It casts off the body in an event we call as "death". Death is merely symbolic of the Indweller casting off this body - for the Indweller cannot be destroyed. While we are alive, the Indweller may be realized by the "I" that we use so many times every day. The "I" is the owner of this body that acts according to the decisions and commands the "I" makes. For example, when I say I am writing this Blog, the "I" firstly makes a "desire" to write, following which it determines that it has the required knowledge to write this Blog, following which it commands my fingers to type on the computer eventually to write the Blog. At the time of death, when the "I" has left the body, none of these activities would be possible. The "I" would not be able to execute any of these actions, even if it wanted to - because it has no body. However the "I" which we cannot see, feel, touch, sense, or smell, is luminous and full of knowledge. As already stated, the taking on of a body, diminishes its knowledge - if the body is that of a non-living thing, the knowledge diminishment is total, whiles if it is that of a living being, the knowledge diminishment is partial according to the body taken. It is therefore the desire of every Indweller to take on a human body in its next birth - because that is the body in which it can maximize the learning and knowledge in order to realize that Moksham is the final goal, and take necessary action to realize that goal.

Since the Indweller was never created and is never destroyed, it has been taking birth in various bodies for millions and billions of years - on this planet earth, and possibly in other worlds that support life-forms known and unknown to our collective limited knowledge. In each of those bodies, the Indweller has committed various acts leading to "Karma" - both good and bad, knowingly as well as unknowingly. Please note that a bad karma accrues even when committed unknowingly. This creates the Baggage of Karma. Since the Indweller was never created, its Baggage of Karma has also existed always. Even during the time of "Pralayam" or total destruction when the earth and other worlds are destroyed to be recreated, the Indweller and its Baggage of Karma are not destroyed. During the time of the Maha (Total) Pralayam when the 14 worlds - 7 upper worlds (including earth) and 7 nether-worlds (Patala loka) of this Andam (this universe) are destroyed, all the Indwellers attach themselves to the Lord, the Creator's body and continue to exist. For this reason, all Indwellers are really nothing but a part of the Lord. He is the "Base" upon which the Indwellers exist. They, therefore, owe their existence to Him.

The community of Indwellers is therefore non-destructable i.e they are permanent. Being permanent, their natural desire is to become part of the Lord's permanent world. The fundamental rule to become part of the Lord's permanent world is to become "Baggage Free" - ie, the Indweller has to exhaust all the Karma in its Karma Baggage - both good and bad ones, and refrain from doing more karma - neither good nor bad. The moment the Indweller has exhausted its Karma from the Baggage it has been carrying for ever, the Lord will take it in His Permanent World. This is the act we call as "Moksham".

To be continued...

Shloka 6 commentary continues ...

The two concepts introduced in this shloka - Purushakaram and Upaayam, need further detailing before we proceed to the next shloka that is going to introduce three more very important concepts.

Let me start this time with explaining more around "Upaayam". I had stated that Upaayam indicates "means to achieve a goal". I also stated that the goal is "Moksham". Several questions might arise in the reader's mind - What is Moksham? Whose Goal is Moksham? Why Moksham? etc. So let us examine "Moksham" a little more.

Reaching the abode of the Lord - Sri Vaikuntham as it is called, is Moksham. How do we know such an abode exists? From Upanishad vaakyams we can establish that there is a world called "parama-padam" where Nityasooris, the Lord's divine servants are looking at him "constantly". Don't they get tired of looking at Him constantly? Don't they ever sleep? No, because this abode is uncontaminated by the three gunas of Sattva, Rajas, Tamas - the three qualities that pervade all the worlds that we can see, feel, touch, smell, and sense. In short, Krishna states in Bhagwad Gita, "Sattvam triggers Knowledge, Rajas, Karma, and Tamas, Forgetfulness." The Sattvam that we are used to in this world is called "mishra Sattvam" - ie, sattvam contaminated by Rajas and Tamas. The trigunas of Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas pervade everything within the realm of modern accomplishments of science - from astronomy to particle physics to robotics to military.

The abode of the Lord on the otherhand, is also known as "Nitya Vibooti" - the permanent world - which is devoid of any "vikaaram" or "change" - because it is made of "shudda-sattvam or uncontaminated sattva guna. Because Sattva triggers knowledge, in the Lord's permanent world, everything and everybody is full of (limitless) knowledge. Contrast this to the present world that we all live, the only thing that can be claimed to be constant is change, and forgetfulness! Alas, since we are so limited in our capabilities, despite the great strides in science and knowledge, because of being bound by Rajas and Tamas gunas pervading in each of us, we have no way of knowing about the existence of the permanent worlds than taking the words of India's great seers and ancient scientists that worked on transcending these limitations through divine will to get a vision of the permanent world.

Some reader's with "paguttarrivu" or the "right to question" might question the wisdom of the ancient seers and ask for scientific proof for the existence of the Lord's Permanent World. Rightly so, but as I said, without transcending the rajas and tamas gunas that everything made by Prakirti or "Mother Nature" contain, they are not going to get the so called "Scientific Proof" - in fact it is an absurdity to ask for scientific proof - because the realm of science is also entirely composed of things that are pervaded by the three gunas (contaminated sattva, rajas, and tamas).

So, having understood merely theoretically, that there is a world called the Permanent World that is the abode of the Lord and His Divine Servants that is devoid of changes as it is made of the quality of "shudda sattva", the next question is Who can go there? The answer is "All jeevatmas can go there". So who is Jeevatma? Jeevatma is the "Indweller" in each of the human beings, animals, plants etc. (the so called "living things"). There is a Jeevatma or "Indweller" in non-living things as well - in fact, one in each non-living that can be called by a name. The primary difference between the living (Chit) and non-living thing(Achit) being "knowledge". Looking at these two tattvams (Objects of matter) from the perspective of knowledge, one may say that the non-living things live in a state of complete knowledge diminishment while the living things live in a state of partial knowledge diminishment. Why call it "knowledge diminishment" as opposed to "quantum of knowledge"? That is because, all these Jeevatmas are full of "knowledge" when they are uncontaminated by "force of nature". Rajas and Tamas gunas that pervade all things created by nature, chiefly are responsible for diminishment of the Jeevatma's knowledge.

So why should the Jeevatma, the Indweller, the thing that is full of knowledge, is knowledge itself, come in contact with nature and lose it knowledge? It does so in order to take up a body. Why does it need a body? Without a body, the Jeevatma cannot "Do anything". It may be all knowledge, but it cannot reach the Lord's abode without taking on a body. While it is "all knowledge" in its pristine form, the Jeevatma realizes that it has to go to Moksham. Setting Moksham as its "goal", it therefore strives to get a human body because it is the most valuable form in which it can realize its knowledge at least partially. The Jeevatma has to struggle through in other bodies before it can get a human body. Which body it will take is also partly dependent on its "karma baggage". The more good karma it has in the baggage, the better its chances of getting a human body. The Indweller with a bad karma baggage probably goes through series of "hells" and non-human births in which it is incapable of doing "bad karma", before it regains a human body. However, the Indweller that had set is goal as "Moksham" in its pristine form because is was all-knowledge, quickly suffers from "knowledge diminishment" the moment it comes in contact with "nature (by acquiring a human body) that is pervaded by mishra sattva, rajas, and tamas". Please note: Indweller acquiring a human body = Indweller coming in contact with Nature....because the human body is made of things from nature -- viz 5 things - water, air, fire, matter, and space. The human body by itself is a non-living thing. The presence of an Indweller with lower knowledge diminishment makes it a living thing. LIFE, therefore, is a matter of "knowledge" and not "life-force". The Indweller's knowledge works through the human-body's sense organs and the sense faculties (as long as the Indweller remains in the body with it partial knowledge diminishment). When the Indweller leaves the body (a the time of death), another Indweller with complete knowledge dimishment takes on the body - and is therefore unable to operate its knowledge through the sense organs.

Now that it has acquired a human body the Indweller now has to go through learning (acquiring knowledge or dusting off ignorace or forgetfullness caused by rajas and tamas gunas) from scratch - From ABC - all the way to realizing that Moksham is its goal. So how many Jeevatmas that are living in the bodies of the 6 billion+ people on earth has realized that its goal is Moksha? Isnt it a truly sorry state? Note that everytime, at the time of death, when the Indweller casts off a human body and reverts back to it all-knowledge pristine mode it starts to regret the "missed opportunity" - not knowing how long it would take for it to get another human body to start realizing that Moksha its goal! It is said, sometimes it could take hundreds of thousands of earth years for the Indweller to get back to a human body on earth. That is precisely the reason the Indweller tries to hold on to this valuable human body at all costs and all times trying to keep death away.

To be continued ...

Shloka 6

6. Through these two, the greatness of purushakaram and upaayam are told.

Through these two Itihaasas (and the key incidents discussed in the earlier shloka), the Lady's greatness in her role as the "recommender" of the Jeevatma (chetanan) that has committed all kinds of sins and atrocities during its lifetimes, and to make the Paramatma accept the Jeevatma despite all its impurities, and the greatness of the emperumaan (Paramatma) that agrees with His consort and accepts the recommended Jeevatma that has accepted Him as the means and the end are told.

Aidyen's notes: Purushakaaram's meaning is derived from Purushan and Karoti signifying "making the purushan a purushan". Purushan means one who gives. The Lady make the Lord the Giver of Moksha - making her the Purushakaara Boothai. She is therefore a key instrument in the process of Jeevatma attaining Moksha. She is the recommender, that firstly forgives all the sins committed by the Jeevatma, and out of extreme compassion towards that Jeevatma, recommends him to the Lord for Moksha. The Lord, in turn accepts the Lady's recommendation to give Moksha to the chetanan. The Lord is the Upayam or the means to achieve the goal. The goal in turn is also the Lord Himself. Attaining Moksha is synonymous with attaining the Lord Himself - where in Paramapadam - His abode, He treats the Jeevatma to Equanimity in Happiness with Himself. Ascending to Paramapadam, Attaining the Lord, and Achieving Moksham are all synonymous. According to Yagniki Upnishad there are 12 means through which Moksha is attainable. The 12th is Nyasam or Prapatti. In this method, the Lord Himself is the means i.e. the Lord's compassion kindled in turn by the Lady's compassion is the means to Moksha. The greatness cannot be undermined by any yard-stick. The Jeevatma has for eons and eons been committing sins in its various lifes on earth and other celestial worlds. The Lord see's all those eons of sins committed by the Jeevatma - yet out of the compassion of the Lady, the Jeevatma is saved - the Lord accepts him in His abode - the Kingdom of the liberated - otherwise also known as Paramapadam or Sri Vaikuntham.

Upayam is "Means" as in "means to achieve a goal". The goal is Moksham - ie reaching His Abode - which we the chetanans cannot without Him accepting us there. In one story in Srimad Bhagavatam, Arjuna accompanies Krishna all the way to Sri Vaikuntha gates -but is unable to go in. He waits outside until Krishna back. If that is the case of Krishna's best friend Arjuna, why should He even consider letting any of us worldly, mundane, sinners into that Kindgom? Yet, despite the stringent criteria He has set for Jeevatma's to reach this Abode, out of His limitless compassion, he listens to His Lady's recommendation, which in turn is also born out Her limitless compassion for the Jeevatma that has agreed to surrender itself and use Him as the means to achieve the final goal

Shlokas 1-5

1. Know the meaning of the Vedas from Smritis, Itihaasas and Puranas

In order to understand the meaning of the Vedas that are divided into Karma Kanda and Brahma Kanda one must read the Dharma Shastras created by great sages (Maharishis) such as Manu, Atri, and Yagnavalkya, History written as they happened (Itihasas) such as Sri Ramayana and Mahabharata, and History written after the fact (Puranas) such as Brahma, Paadma, and Vaishnava.

2. Through Smritis the former is known, through the remaining two, the latter is known.

Smritis were created to explain Karma Kanda; Itihaasas and Puranaas were created to explain Brahma Kanda. Read the respective to know the meaning of either Kandas of the Vedas. (Dharma Shaastras deal with daily rituals and practices while the Itihaasas and Puraanas describe the Lord and his attributes. Therefore such distinction was made).

3. Of the two, Itihaasas are better

Out of the two scripture (families) that were created to explain the Brahma Kanda - viz. Itihaasas and Puraanas -- Itihaasas are more popular. (Adiyen's note: Even today, the world-over, more people know about Sri Ramayana and Mahabharatathan any other vedic scriptures inlcuding the Puraanas. Srimad Bhagavatam also comes second only to these Itihaasas. Itihaasas represent "History as it happened" and were created during the life-time of the characters. Puraanas represent History as well, but were created after the events occured and not during the life-time. This make Itihaasas more authentic accounts of history as well. One may arrive at conclusion on which category religious scripture of Abrahamic faiths would belong to, based on this definition...)

4. Therefore it is foremost

We always say "Itihaasam-Puraanam" and never the other way around. In sanskrit we say "apyarhitam poorvam" - meaning the better is told first. Therefore also, the Itihaasas are better then Puraanas.

5. In the better Itihaasa of Sri Ramayanam the greatness of the lady that was imprisoned was told; in Mahabharata, the greatness of the one that went as the messenger of peace was told.

(Adiyen's comments: The author does not delve in the reasons why Sri Ramayanam is better than Mahabharat) The better among Itihaasas, Sri Ramayanam, tells the story and greatness of the lady (Sri Mahalakshmi who was born as Sita) who became imprisoned in order to help free the celestial women that were imprisoned in Ravana's Lanka. She is the embodiment of "kripai" (Compassion). Created by the Lord (in his avataar as Sri Vedavyasa) Himself, Mahabharata tells the story (and greatness) of the Pandava's messenger that went in search of peace (The Lord Himself again).

Sri Vachana Bhushanam

Sri:

Srimathe Ramanujaaya Nama:

Pillai Lokarcharyar thiruvadigale charanam

Srimat Varavaramunaye Nama:

Aazhwaar Emperumaanar Jeeyar Thiruvadigale charanam

The Blog is an attempted English translation of Sriman Pillai Lokacharyar's Sri Vachana Bhushanam based on commentaries by Swami Manavala Mamunigal and Kanchi Swami P B Annangarachariar. Please excuse errors, and omissions. The object of this translation is to make the knowledge of our Sampradayam's great acharya's available to a wider audience, to kindle their interest in knowing more about them, and their works.

All that I write in this blog is dedicated to the lotus feet of Narayana, Swami Ramanuja, and His Adiyaargal.