Search:
Bhakti List Archives

PART VIII: Swamy Desikan's Taathparya RathnAvaLi:Fifth SlOkam

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sadagopan • December 19, 2001 


Wednesady , Dec 19 : "Aazhi-Mazhaik-KaNNA" ThiruppAvai Dinam

ANDAL ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam
                 
SrI:

Dear RasikAs of Swamy NammAzhwAr's dhivya prabhandhams:

On this Fourth ThiruppAavi day , adiyEn will continue with 
the Fifth SlOkam of DTR:

aadhou SaarIrakArTa-kramam-iha visEdham visathir-vakthi saagrA
samkshEpOsou vibhAgam praTayathi cha ruchAm-chAru-pAThOpapannam
samyak GitAnubhaddham sakalam-anugatham Saama-saakhA-sahasram
samlakshyam saabhidhEyairTajurapi sathakai:bhAthyaTarvArasaisccha

(meaning): Swamy NammAzhwAr ThiruvAimozhi instructs us
on the inner meanings of Vedic doctrines just as IthihAsams 
and Saathvika PurANams do .It goes however beyond them to give  
us the meanings of Upanishads (Veda Siras) as elaborated 
correctly in SaarIraka Saasthram (Utthara mImAmsai) .
Swamy Desikan points here (during this introductory stage of DTR ) 
that Swamy NammAzhwAr's ThiruvAimozhi will be all about 
the celebration of The Supreme Being (ParamAthmA) defined 
precisely by the Brahma Soothrams of VyAsa BhagavAn (and
elaborated by AchArya RaamAnuja in SrI BhAshyam following 
the foot steps of His PoorvAchAryAs) .He also points out 
that ThiruvAimozhi is one step higher than Brahma Soothrams
since each of the Paasurams spell out clearly one GuNam of
the Lord and the last paasuram one dacad(pathikam ) 
summarizes the MahA GuNam underlying the guNams covered by 
individual Paasurams of that Pathikam . The sathakams (Patthu)
take up the next hierarchy among the GuNams of the paasurams
of the ten pathikams .The whole of ThiruvAimozhi gives us 
the supreme boon of bringing the Lord with His Divine Consort 
right before us ( SaTha ripu PhaNithI: PrathyakshayEnna: 
prathiniyatha RamA sanidhAnam NidhAnam) since ThiruvAimozhi is
DhvayArta VivaraNam.

Additional comments based on UtthamUr Swamy's anubhavam:
*********************************************************
Swamy NammAzhwAr has blessed us with four Prabhandhams.
The first one is Thiruviruttham , where the central message
is that SamsAram and its afflictions are intolerable.
In the second Prabhandham , ThiruvAsiriyam , Svaroopa-Roopa-
GuNa vibhUthis of Sriman NaarAyaNan are brought to the fore.
The third prabhandham , Periya ThiruvandhAthi reveals Swamy
NammAzhwArs' intense desire to enjoy more and more Bhagavath
anubhavam and engage in actions that sustain such a blissful
experience.In ThiruvAimozhi , the subject of Taathparya RathnAvaLi ,
the inner meanings of the vedAs are revealed (i-e)., to gain
the Lord as parama purushArtham , when the Lord Himself stands 
as the means (UpAyam). Swamy Desikan's statement elaborating 
this insight is:

SvaprApthE SvayamEva saadhanatayaa jOgushyamANa:
Sruthou upAya: svaprApthE UpanishadhItha: Bhagavan

Thus the quintessential meaning of ThiruvAimozhi 
is the same as the message of the VedAs. One is
in dEva BhAshai and the other is in Agasthya BhAshai
(Tamizh). Their messages are one and the same. Therefore ,
ThiruvAimozhi is considered the Saaram of the Four VedAs. 
There is also a point of view that ThiruvAimozhi is the essence
of Saama Vedam ( Sahasra SakhOpanishad SamAgamam) . Saama Vedam 
is mostly the setting of Rg Veda Manthrams to ghAnam (song/music).
Therefore Rg Vedam , the ancient Vedam is most crucial .
Rg Vedam has 21 saahkais ((branches).Yajur Vedam has 101 SaakhAis.
ATarava Vedam has 9 branches. Brahma Soothrams have 16 Paadhams 
or Divisions .ATarva Vedam according to some is included in Rg
Vedam because both deal with Jn~Anam based on UpAsanai.ATarava Vedam 
includes three observances: Saanthikam, Poushtikam and
AabhichArikam for gaining desired objectives in this world. 
That is why many count the Vedams as Three and leave out
ATarvam .Inspite of this, one has to recognize that 
ATarva Vedam declares unambiguously that Sriman NaarAyanan 
is the Para Devathai. Therfore , we have to concede 
that there are Four Vedams.

This 5th sOkam of DTR acknowledges that ThiruvAimozhi 
is the SarVOpabrahmaNam of IthihAsam , PuRANams , Vedam ,
Smruthi and Brahma Soothrams . Sriman NaarAyaNan entered
the mind and Vaak of Swamy NammAzhwAr and flowed as 
the abundant bhakthi-laden Paasurams of ThiruvAimozhi.
This was the Lord's answer to His dear Bhakthan , SaThakOpan
in response to his soul-stirring wail about the terrors of
SamsAram in Thiruviruttham. 

The 5th slOkam of DTR commences with the word "Aadhou".
Here the reference is to IthihAsa , PurANams that intrepret
the meaning of Vedams. " aadhou SaarIrakArTa Kramam iha
visEdham vidhathi: Vakthi" . In addition to having the UpabrahmaNam
features of IthihAsam and PurANams , ThiruvAimozhi includes 
the meanings of SaarIrakam ( Brahman Soothrams) with their 
VibhAgams of Sixteen .This is especially seen in the first 21 
Paasurams of ThiruvAimozhi since they are the condensation of
the meanings of Sage VyAsA's Brahma Soothrams containing 
the Four--Samanvaya, AvirOdha , Saadhana and Phala--adhyAyams
and sixteen paadhams.Swamy Desikan points this out elsewhere:
in this context :

"dhvikAbhyAm dhvyashtangri dhurathgamanIthisthaputithA ".

The meanings of the 16 Paadhams that has direct connection to
the subject matter of ThiruvAimozhi is given by Swamy Desikan in
his celebrated AdhikaraNa SaarAvaLi Sri Sookthi:" SrashtA dhEhi 
SvanishtO niravadhi mahimA---". 

The meanings of these 16 paadhams and four adhyAyams
are condensed tightly in the short span of the First 
21 paasurams  of ThiruvAimozhi by Swamy NammAzhwAr .
BhagavAn entered the ThiruvuLLam of SaThakOpan and 
made it happen. The distillation of Vaidhika SiddhanthAm
is right here in these 21 paasurams covering the topics
of the 16 Paadhams.ThiruvAimozhi deals with PoorNa Para Tathtvam,
PoorNa Hitham and PoorNa PurushArtham according to 
UtthamUr Swamy , whose commentaries adiyEn is following 
closely .He elaborates these concepts in his Prabhandha 
Rakshai ( Mudhal Patthu of ThiruvAimozhi).

In the 5th SlOkam of DTR , Swamy Desikan states that
ThiruvAimozhi is the SamkshEpam ( condensed essence) of
the 21 saakhais of Rg Vedam ( praayathi RuchAm ) , 
101 branched Yajur Vedam ,1000 branched Saama Vedam
and 9 branched ATarva Vedam ( ATarva Rasaisccha).
Rg Vedam is the oldest among the 4 vedams . Yajur 
Vedam is known for the beauty of its Svarams during
recitation ( ChAru PaaDOpapannam). Saama Vedam is
known for its GhAnam /GhItham ( Samyak GhIthAnubhaddham 
Sakalm anugatham Saama Saakha Sahasram ).ATarva Vedam is 
known for housing the nine rasams (nine Saakhais).

UtthamUr Swamy refers to a manthram from PrasnOpanishad 
dealing with PraNava BrahmOpAsanam (PBM). This manthram states
One Maathrai of PBM will yields the fruits desired in this 
world (Immai) associated with Rg Vedam. The Two Maathri
PBM will yield MaRumal payankaL. The three Mathrai
PBM will lead to Moksha Phalan. ThiruvAimozhi containing
the distilled essence of the Four Vedams yields all
of the above fruits. " Muzhu Veda Vizhup PorUl" ( the complete 
essence of the total VedAs ) is thus found in 
ThiruvAimozhi paasurams of Swamy NammAzhwAr.This is 
the essence of the 5th slOkam of DTR.

Sri RanganAyaki SamEtha Sri RanganAtha ParabrahmaNE Nama: 
Daasan, Oppiliappan Koil VardAchAri SaThakOpan 



--------------------------------------------------------------
           - SrImate rAmAnujAya namaH -
To Post a message, send it to:   bhakti-list@yahoogroups.com
Archives: http://ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/archives/
 

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/