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Teliyatha Marai Nilangal Teligindrome-16

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sadagopan iyengar • April 8, 2001 


Srimate Srivan Satakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra
Maha Desikaya Nama:
    
Teliyatha Marai Nilangal Teligindrome-16

   Hitherto, the Upanishad has placed  Emperuman on a
lofty, unapproachable pedestal of Paratvam or
Supremacy. The sixteenth mantra brings Him much nearer
to us, by dwelling on His close relationship with us =
    " sa nO bandhu: janitA, sa vidhAtA"
  He is indeed our friend and relative, the universal
Father and ordainer. Another Upanishad describes Him
as "sarvasya saranam suhrit". Unlike the friends,
relatives and parents of a lifetime, who, at best,
cater to one's welfare during that birth, Emperuman is
our Father for all births, having, in his infinite
mercy, created us out of undifferentiated matter,
provided us with bodies, limbs and faculties with
which to reach Him. He is closer to us than the
closest of relatives and is the truest of 
well-wishers, devoid of any vested interest.  
 Sri BhAshyakArA goes a step further and quotes in the
Saranagati Gadya a couplet, describing  the Lord as
one's mother, father, mentor, wealth, knowledge and
everything possible which we hold dear to us  _
"tvamEva mAtAcha pita tvamEva, tvamEva bandhuscha
guru: tvamEva/ tvamEva vidyA draviNam tvamEva, tvamEva
sarvam mama dEva dEva".
 Not to be left behind, Sri Nammazhwar waxes eloquent
in this regard-
  "ennai petra at  tAyAi tandaiyAi ariyAdana arivitta
attha"
 "endayE endrum emperuman endrum sindayuL vaippan"
 "tanjam Agiya tandai tAyodu tAnumAi"
 "ulagukkOr mundai tAi tandayE"
 "sElEi kaNNiyarum perum selvamum nan makkaLum
  mElA tAi tandayum avarE "
 "tAyAi tandayAi makkaLAi matrumAi mutrumAi" etc.

  While the Upanishad stops with the general term
"bandhu:", Azhwar expands on it and ascribes every
possible relationship to Him, including that of the
Divine Lover, for whom Parankusa Nayaki pines away-
 "anaitthu ulagum uyya aravinda lOchananai 
  tinaitthanayum vidAL"
" miga virumbum pirAn ennum"
"enadu aga uyirkku amudE ennum", "ennudai AruyErEyO"

 Looking at it from another angle, Azhwar says that
there is no relationship with human beings that can be
beneficial: all relatives, be it the spouse, children
or others, are but fair-weather-friends, who would not
stick to us in times of distress. Hence, only
Emperuman is the true father, mother and of every
conceivable relationship. Graphic descriptions of this
can be found in the first six pasurams of the first
Tiruvaimozhi of the ninth patthu ("konda peNdir").
 Here are a few, for a sample-
 "koNda peNdir makkaL utrAr sutrattavar pirarum
  kandadOdu pattadu allAl kAdal matri yAdum illai"
" tuNaiyum sArvum AvAr pOl sutrattavar pirarum
  aNaya vanda Akkam uNdEl attaigal pOl suvaippar"
" porul kai uNdAi sell kANil pOtri endru Etri ezhuvar
  iruL koL tunbatthu inmai kANil ennE enbArum illai"
"araNam Avar atra kalaikku endru amaikkappattAr
 iraNam konda teppar Avar" etc. 
  Paraphrasing his mAnasika guru, Sri TirumangaiAzhwar
says "tAye tandai endrum tAramE kiLai makkaL endrum
nOye pattu ozhindEn".
The message of both Sri Parankusa and Sri ParakAlA is
very clear- rather than waste one's lifetime and faith
in transitory, ephemeral  and unreliable human
relationships, one should look to the Lord as one's
all.

   To be continued-dasan,sadagopan.
Srimate Sri LakshmiNrsimha Divya Padukasevaka
SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana Yatindra MahaDesikaya
Nama:


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