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DHANUR MAASAM : 20TH DAY: ARTHA PANCHAKAM--UPAAYA SVARUPAM

From the Bhakti List Archives

V. Sadagopan • January 5, 1997 


Dear Members of the Bhakthi Group :

I am hopelessly snarled in my own numbering systems and
"random walk /Brownian movement " activities , while 
enjoying the Bhagavadh Vishayam of Thiruppaavai in Dhanur
Maasam . Instead of sorting out the numbering problems , 
I will cut the tangled knot and start resynchronizing the clock . 
Hence , on this 20th day of  Dhanur Maasam , I will start 
numbering the postings with the day of the month . 
Now , we will continue with the study of the third pentad 
of Artha panchakam : Upaaya Svarupam . We will continue to base 
these postings on Dr.Rangarajan's insightful article and the 
fourth chapter of Swami Desikan's Rahasya Traya Saaram .

UPAAYA SVARUPAM AND THIRUPPAAVAI VERSES
********************************************************

In AndAL's Thiruppaavai , Marghazhi NeerAttam and Paavai
Nonbu are VyAjams ( excuses )for approaching the  Lord and 
to appeal to Him to bless the JeevAthmA to perform Kaimkaryam
for the Divya Dampathis . This is indeed the central message 
(Vishaya VailakshaNyam ) of Thiruppaavai according to our AchAryAs .
We have to be blessed to receive the PurushArtha Kaimkaryam from
the Lord Himself is the underlying message . He thus becomes the 
UpAyam for Kaimkarya Purushartham . AndAL reminds us of this central doctrine 
in the very first verse with Her declarative statement : " NaarAyaNanE
NamakkE parai TharuvAn " . Almost at he very end of Thiruppaavai ,
she meets the Lord face -to-face and requests Him : " IraivA nee parai 
thArAi " (Verse 28 ) .  He is again pointed out as UpAyam . 

Parai in ThiruppAvai is the symbol for the service to the Lord , which is the 
PurushArtham that is being sought from the Lord . Aayar maiden  seek that 
purushArtham from the Lord and describe how they came to Him for 
that boon with the statements : " pORRiyAm vandhOm "
(paasuram 21 ) , " unnai arutthitthu vandhOm ( Paasuram 25 ) ". They state 
their vratha anushTaanams in number of places of Thiruppaavai . Although they 
have declared right at the beginning and have unambigously asserted 
that He is the one and only Upaayam for obtaining the desired 
PurushArtham ,  AndAL talks about the "seyyum girisaigaL " at many 
paasurams of Thiruppavai to indicate their depth of desire 
to attain the PurushArtham of eternal service to Him .

The deep belief in the Lord as UpAyam comes through in the steps 
of Vratham : Paramanadi Paaduhai , NaatkAlE Neeraduthal , Eiyyamum 
picchayaiyum aandanayaium kai kaattuhai , neyuuNNaamai , 
paaluNNAmai , maiyittu ezhuthAmai , malarittu mudiyAmai , seyyaathana
seyaamai , theekkuraLi senrOthAmai , uyyumaaru eNNi irutthal . All of
these acts and declaration of these  intents are the natural manifestations of
those , who have no doubt about the Lord being the Upayam for PurushArtham.
They undertake the above bhagavadh PrAptha ruchi kaaryams . This ruchi
or taste for the purushArtham of eternal service to the Lord will end only 
when that goal is fulfilled by approaching the Lord as UpAyam
with MahA visvasam .

In the paasurm " karavaigaL pin senru " , AndAL concludes that 
the Lord is the Ubhaya Bhoothan and has indicated the six attributes 
of those seeking the kaimkarya purushArtham from Him : 

1) declaration of their unfitness (sva YogyA kathanam )
2) Declaration of their helplessness 3) Celebration of the Lord's 
limitless auspicious guNAs 4) celebration of the newly established 
relationship between the prapannan and the Lord 5) begging the Lord for 
forgivenness of earlier trespasses and 6 )praying to Him to bless them
with the purushArtham of eternal servitude at His feet with deep desire . 

Prior to leaving this topic of UpAya Svarupam , it is appropriate to remember 
that AndAL approaches first Nappinai as mediatrix ( PurushakAra bhoothai ) 
in the 18 th paasuram ( Undhu MatakaLiRRin ) . Nappinnai responds and joins 
with AndAL and wakes up the Lord , the UpAya Bhoothan . Then Napinnai
leaves AndAL and joins her Lord on the throne to hear the appeal for
purushArtham from AndAL and her group . When they are seated together 
on" the seeriya singhAthanam"  , AndAL pleads passionately for 
the boon of Kaimkarya purushArtham ( Iraivaa nee Thaaraai parai ) .
The address is to the Lord (Iraivan) . Subtly ,  AndAL indicates here that 
the Lord is the granter of the fruits of the vratham ( pala prathan ) 
and Nappinai is the mediatrix (PurushakAra Bhoothai ) . 

In the 26th paasuram of Thiruppavai , AndAL clearly expresses  
her mahA visvAsam in the Lord  as UpAya Bhoothan and points 
out that SaraNAgathi is the " poRRamarai adiyE poRRum
poruL " .  She translates into Sanga  Tamil the Veda manthram :
" TasmAth nyAsamEshAm tapasAm athirikthamAhu: " , when she
reveals the meaning of the lotus feet of the Lord , the upAya Bhoothan .

In the Rahasyams , UpAyam and its svarupam is hinted 
in the Nama: sabdham and ayana sabdham in the Mula manthram .
The UpAya svarupam is hinted in the Purva khanTam of Dvayam
and in the purvaardham of sarama slokam according to Swami Desiakn .
  
In the next posting , we will discuss the Virodhi Svarupam , the fourth of
the pentad of Artha pnchakam , the  obstacles that come in the way 
of one during the quest for Kaimkarya PurushArtham .

AndAL ThiruvadigalE SaraNam 

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan