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...