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THIRUPPAVAI 13

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Padmanabhan • December 30, 2002 


                                        swarUpam vs upAyam

The thirteenth pAsuram of thiruppAvai-puLLin vAi kEndanai- consists of a brief discussion on swarUpam vs upAyam in ARAyirappadi vyAkyAnam. 

puLLin vAi kEndAnai- the commentary runs as follows " idhu ivargaLukku rAvaNa vadham paNNInapadi. ithalaikku anumadhi iRE vEANduvdhu. virOdhiap pOkki thannai kodukkai avan paNiyiRE. ivanudaiya anumadhiyum avanudaiya rakshathvamum swarUpathilE pugumathanai. 
karma-gnAnangaLai sahakAriyAgak koNdu bhakthi upAyam enRu irukkum avargaL anRu iRE.

thannudaiya agnAnam-asakthigaLaiyum, avanudaiya gnAna sakthigaLayum sahakAriyAgak kONdu avanE upAyam enRu irukkum avargaL iRE"

Here srEvaishNavic characteristic is emphasised. For His rescue our acceptance is the requirement. Nothing more. Thiis acceptance for His rescue( For destroying our obstacles and saving us) and His rescue are nature of the soul and nature of the Lord respectively, and the acceptance is not a means to salavation. 

For those who realiase that we are indeed subservient to the Lord but depend on the prescriptions by the sAsthrangaL, karma-gnAnangaL-are supporting systems for bhakthi as a means-upAyam. 
For those who realsie what is said in thirumandhiram, our agnAnam-our ignorance, our asakthigaL- our incompetence- and His gnAnam and sakthigaL are the supporting systems for bearing in mind that He is the means ( and of course the end) -upAyam enRu irukkum avargaL iREA. (thAlum thadak kaiyum kUppi paNiyum avar kaNdEr)


This is aptly summarised in AchArya Hridhayam sUthram 20 
"ivai swarUpathai vuNarndhu vuNarndhu vuNaravum, vuNarvaip peRa vUra miga vuNaravum vuNdAm" 


Here the analysis of two class of people namely a.Those who are involved in sAsthrangaL and with the help of that try to get themselves out of the cycle of births. b. Those who are involved in the essence of thirumandhiram and act passive accordingly.

Accordingly, the former class, in an attempt to understand the real nature of the soul -that it is different from the physical form- and is capable of knowledge and experiencing happiness presume that soul can do service to the Lord and hence keeping this in mind -that soul is itself capable of certain independent qualitites- try to attain the Lord by their attempts.

The class of people who are submerged in thirumandhiram, perceive that the wordly knowlege, materialsitic nexus, the physique are all to be left away.They firmly believe, as dictated by their knowledge that, this perception is bestowed by the LOrd without any specific actions and hence they aim at the soul being always at the service to the Lord and being capable of being serving to the Lord( pAranthanthriyam),. they leave the burden of attaining salvatin to the Lord Himself.
It may be observed thus that knowledge about the nature of soul( swarUpathai vuNarndhuNardhu vuNara) leads to sAsthra followers and the supreior knowledge of the nature of soul (vuNaravai peRa vUra miga vuNara) leads to conviction in thirumandhiram.

Thus the difference between those who believe in the prescription of sAsthrangaL and those who are dictated by the essence of thirumandhiram is explained here.

It may be thus observed that srEvaishNavites are thus class people who follow thirumandhiram to the core, whcih is explained in the commentary by swAmi azhagia maNavALap perumAl nAyanAr.
vAnamAmalai padmanAbhan








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