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Re: Arul and Daya : Part I

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sadagopan • Thu Feb 14 2002 - 07:32:35 PST 


At 11:30 PM 2/13/02 -0600, you wrote:
sri:
srimathe ramanujaya namaha
>
>Dear Members,
>
>What is the difference if any between The tamil word Arul and Samkrutham
word Daya. It is my understanding that Arul(light) is the solution from
Irul(darkness). Sometime back Srimad Azhagiya Singar had written about Arul.
I wish to know more about that. Add to it, how the Arul(Grace) as present in
the Tamil Vedam different from Daya? 
>
>Thanks in advance,>
>Regards,Malolan Cadambi

Dear SrI Malolan Cadambi:

As always , you ask some intutive questions.
There are three parts to your question:

1.What is the difference between "AruL' and "Daya"
as these words are used in two languages?

2. Is there a connection between "IruL " and "AruL"?

3. How is "AruL"(grace) treated in the Dhivya prabhandhams ?

I am not able to connect to the article by 
HH Srimath Azhagiya Singar . I will make an attempt to
answer without the benefit of that authentic 
and authoritative source. Any one familiar with 
that article is requested to locate it and summarize 
the content .Thanks in advance.

(1)In taking the second question first , the "IruL "
(darkness ) of nescience , viparItha Jn~Anam is banished 
by the "AruL" ( Light ) of the Param JyOthi (Bhagavan). 
" Sriya: Pathi oruvanE namakku RakshaNam " yenru
aRiyAmal iruppathu "IruL" ( Not knowing that Sriman 
NaarAyaNan is our sole protection is darkness). 
" Avanai adaya  namakku Bhakthiyum , Prapatthiyum 
neRigaL yenRu kAttuhirathu Hitham . appaDi ohr upAyatthai 
kai koNDAl , namakku PurushArthamAna Moksham Kidaikkum"
( To overcome this darkness and to be blessed by 
this Supreme JyOthi (DhIpa prakAsan ) , Hitham shows 
the disciplines are Bhakthi and Prapathti Yogams).
There are multitudes of PramANams among  Veda Manthrams,
Tamil Paasurams of ALwArs and AchArya SthOthra granthams.
If IruL is equated to "Tamas", then the apt Vedic
prayer is "TamasOr --JyOthir Gamaya" .This travel
from "IruL " to "AruL" ( Darkrness of SamsAram
to the JyOthi of SrI Vaikuntam ) is described by
Swamy Desikan in AbhIthi Sthavam as " ThriguNa
langhanam". 
 
(2) The word "AruL" used in Saiva SiddhAntham 
has special connotations (ThiruArutppA =Thiru AruL Paa). 
The general use however of the term "AruL'-- as you indicated
already-- is grace . It also means boon (special fruit of
that grace ). Avan AruLAl Avan ThALL paRRInOm ( With His 
AruL, He leads us to a SadAchAryan , who makes it
possible for us to seek the Thiruvadi of the Lord 
as our protection through SaraNAgathi). DayA , the Sanskrit
word is more powerful and evocative than the Tamil word 
"AruL " in my opinion. DayA of the Lord is celebrated as
DayA Devi by Swamy Desikan . There are treasures of 
insight on the DayA guNam of the Lord and the DayA
Tatthvam of Sriman NaarAyaNan standing as Kaliyuga
Varadhan on top of the Seven Hills. That brings us to
the subject of the One who has the incomparable, magnificent,
limitless and immeasuarable grace : Lord VaradarAjan saluted
with the revelatory ThirunAmam of "PEraruLALan ".
SrI VaradarAja Sthavam of KurEsar , SrI VaradarAja PanchAsath ,
Hasthigiri MahAthmyam and many other SrI Sookthis of 
Swamy Desikan salute and attest to this "PEr AruLALa
Tatthvam " of Lord VaradarAjan .He is the "Abhaya dhAna
nithya Vrathi". 

In AbhIthi Sthavam , Swamy States:

Tava kamapi GuNam vEtthi vaa kadhAchana 
kudascchana kvachana tasya na syAth Bhayam

Oh Lord of limitless auspicious GuNAs ! whoever
who sings about Your glories with his/her mouth,
or prostrates before You or performs pradakshiNam or 
reflects on one of your limitless kalyANa guNams 
has no fear whatsoever from "IruL " of SamsAram
from anywhere  at any time . This guNam integrating
all other guNams of the Lord and surpassing them 
is His DayA GuNam.Swamy desikan will go on to extoll 
that special guNam thru 100 plus slOkams of DayA 
sathakam . When one sings DayA Sathakam in 
ThiruvEngadamudayAn's sannidhi even once in one's
life time is a truly blessed soul and becomes the 
immediate object of Sriman NaarAyaNan's DayA .
There are postings on DayA Sathakam by Sriman
MuraLi RangaswAmi and myself in Sri VenkatEsa 
Home pages created by Sri Haresh Balasubramanyan 
of Singapore .   

3) Treatment of "AruL " in Dhivya prabhandham is a vast
subject . Everywhere , there is the celebration of
the AruL or Dayaa of the Lord and prayers to be
beneficiaries of that DayA and upadEsams as
how to gain that fruit of Daya for enjoying
Moksha Sukham. I will cover thes topics in
future postings .

In summary , AruL is the Lord's grace and 
the feeling state behind that special grace
of the Lord is DayA and is personified as 
DayA Devi.HH Srimath PoundarIkapuram Andavan
has elaborated on DayA Devi and Her connection
to SapthagirIsan in five casettes full of
UpadEsams.

Thanks for asking such a deep question ,

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan

 

 





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