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thirup pAvai - part 50 - "EkAram" - Some inner meanings

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Sampath Rengarajan • Fri Feb 05 1999 - 04:25:16 PST 


Sri ANDAL thiruvadikaLE saraNam

nArAyaNaNE namakkE paRai tharuvAn.

thirup pAvai - part 50 - "EkAram" - Some inner meanings

Dear bAgawathAs,

       Some vyAkyAna kartthAs say that the Lord is very eager 
to act  as  the upAyam HIMself and will not tolerate anyother
means that will attempt to retain  the   chEthana  in  karmic 
bondage. The karmic  bondage  of  jivAtmA  prevents  it  from 
realising  the  importance of this nOnbu and makes it undergo 
many false attempts for blessings  from  many  demigods. Many
times  when the jivAtmA is brought to learn the importance of
this  "nOnbu"   (saranagathi  or  baranyAsam)   through   the 
associations of bAgawathALS, the  Lord  relieves  the  karmic 
kuzhappam  or  relieves them from the confusions due to karma
and enables them to seek to  surrender  through  an  AchAryA. 
Even though the jivAtmA is bound by its  karmAs such  bondage 
is  compared  to knot made by jute thread  while it  is  said  
that  the  Lord will not tolerate such karmic bondages trying 
to exercise its control over the surrendered souls. Lord will 
break open this bondage just as similar to a brhamAstram will 
tear the jute thread  into  ashes once the jivAtmA surrenders
and even before that HE will loosen the grip of this  bondage
such that one can reach an AchAryA   and  do  this  nOnbu  or 
surrender to the Lord. ie., the  comparison is  narrated such 
that when a brahmAstram sees a thread  made  of  jute  (saNal 
kayiRu) the brahmAstram will not tolerate such  bondage. This 
comparison is once again  between the  "superior" bondage  of 
brahmAstram and the "inferior"  one  such  as "saNal kayiRu". 
The EkAram  in "nArAyaNaNe" is  thus  seen  by  some  as  the 
intolerant nature of  the  Lord  towards the karmAs trying to 
exercise its control on jivAtmA. 

	In Charama sLokam the EkAram is used as well as  "mAm 
Ekam" -  ie.,  in  tamil  it  is  said  as "en oruvanaiyE" or 
surrender to myself alone". The word "Ekam" in   the  charama 
slOkam  also  emphasis  the significance of  ekArAm. It draws 
the meaning for the usage of  EkAram  in  this word such that 
the Lord will HIMself deliver   us  the   blessings  once  we  
receive manthra  upadEsam  from an AchAryA and do saranAgathi 
nOnbu.
 
	This EkAram is cited in many other  places  as  well.
And it is said that this  "EkAram" is also implying   some of
these references as well.  "thavamE ubAya  boothAmEbava" (ie., 
Oh Lord You will  yourself be  my  siddhO  upAyam), "dhvAmEva 
saraNam prAbya  nistharanthi" (jivAtmAs   surrender  to  "you 
alone"  (EkAram) and cross the samsAra  sAgaram),  "varam koL 
pAtham  allAl  yAvarkkum illai van saraNE" (without the  holy 
feet of Lord Oppiliappan that  offers   all   the  blessings,  
there  is  no   other   saraNam),  "mAmEvayE   prapathyanthE"    (those 
who surrender or do  saranagathi  or  (baranyasam)  or 
"nOnbu" to ME alone), "thamEva sAthyam  purusham   prapathyE"  
(I surrender  to the one who is  the  Adi purushan   HIMself),     
"thamEva   saraNam  kaccha (surrender to HIM alone), "nAgaNai  
misai nambirAan saraNe saran namakku" (the holy  foot of  the  
Lord  in the serpant bed is the "only" refuge to us).

Sri ANDAL thiruvadikaLE saraNam
Sampath Rengarajan 

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