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A small doubt

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jasn sn • July 16, 2002 


SRIMATHE RAMANUJAYA NAMAHA.

Dear devotees,
Sri Bhargav  wrote to me a question which he preferred
to call ¡¥a small doubt¡¦

„« The small doubt is 
„« "If in vishwaroopam krishna says
„« that everything resides in me,
„«  why then we try to attain him?".

I attempted  an answer which is given below.
I request the learned readers too to give their
opinion on this ¡¥small doubt¡¦ and make corrections,
if any, in this mail.

Dear Bhargav,

The answer can be attempted at two levels, namely, at
the level of our limited perception of things around
us, which will invariably be imperfect 
and secondly from the point of view of texts, the
texts which I want to quote in this issue being
Bhagavd Gita (BG) and Mumukshuppadi (MP).

At the ordinary level of perception, it can be like
this.
The lord says that he is in all things. 
He pervades all things.
Is He that cosmic ray which science says is
all-pervasive in nature?
Let us assume that He is the cosmic ray, the very
omni-present ray that pervades all materials, both
animate and inanimate in this Universe and the
so-called empty space too. 
Now as per what He says or rather expects or rather
what we are told by the scriptures,
 we, filled with this cosmic ray, must go back to It,
i.e., to the Absolute Cosmic ray at its source. 
Does this not make sense?
Is it not normal for anything that has sprung from
something  to go back to its source?

Like the planets going back to merge with the
sun?(Remember, whatever were part of the  sun earlier 
are now  found in the planets, like God being present
in all things!)
Like the stars of the galaxy going back to merge with
the core of the galaxy?
Like all galaxies merging with the galactic centre?

Like the physical body which springs from a pair of
gametes, that have sprung from the pancha bhootha,
growing to become a live physical body and finally
becoming one with the pancha Bhootha at death.
Relating this to what the Lord says,
the pancha bhoothas have pervaded the body and the
body at the end goes back the pancha bhootha!

All these seem to take place in perfect precision as
though they have been programmed so.
But this does not seem to happen with the jivas!!!
It is here the problem lurks.
The jiva is part of the  whole, (the whole is equated
to the cosmic ray or the pancha bhoothas in the above
instances) but it forgets or fails to go back to the
source. 
I think I must stop with this example here because the
purpose of bringing out some logic in why the jiva
must go back may have been understood, albeit
partially here.

At another level
think of our body as an example.
The body as a Whole and in parts, 
say, the hand as a part.
Just as how you can characterise the Lord, as being
present in all things in the universe,
the whole body is controlled and permeated  by some
life force.
This is present in all parts of the body, and no part
of the body can work without this all pervading force
directing it or making it to function.
But if the hand thinks that it does things on its own
volition, can that be right?
And if it thinks that it is powerful because it is
able to do so many things by itself and that it is
independent in its discretionary powers of
functioning?
And what happens at the end, when the final day comes
for the life force to leave the body? Will the force
in the hand remain where it is or has been all these
days? 
Should it not merge with the central force that has
actually been making things happen?

The Whole permeating the parts and the Part coming to
merge with the Whole makes a perfect circle and which
can be the logical finale of this process of spreading
out and merging back in unison.
The problem with the jivas once again is that either
it forgets that it has to go back to become ONE WITH
WHOLE( you are free to interpret this phenomenon
anyway according to Shankara or Ramanuja school, but
the idea is that, that  which sprang out must pull
back. That alone ensures PERFECT EQUILIBRIUM.) or does
not know how to go back. Herein comes to our rescue
the tattwas of our Sanadhana Dharma!

In fact in the lord's repeated reminders through BG
and through different texts and through great
purushas, we find clarion calls for the jivas to do
their parts well in order to uphold /clinch /establish
this equilibrium.  

It might be appropriate to bring in here the BG verse
(7-19)
"VASUDEVA SARVAM ETHI SA MAHAATHMA SU-DHURLABAH"
This denotes that VASUDEVA is all in all and he is at
the root of all. But the lord seems to lament that HE
cannot get a gyani who has understood that Vasudevan
is Sarvam Ethi, it is Dhurlabham (rare) to get such a
person. The point in reference is why of all the names
of the lord, the name  Vasudeva is used. This name
stands for 'the one who has permeated all beings'
Vasu deva is present in all beings. If the beings do
not realise this, it is a defeat for the lord (no
offence meant). Nevertheless God seems to strike a
lamenting note in this verse.

The knowledge that vasudeva is in all things, and more
importantly in the jivas, if understood by the jiva is
sure to make him TRANSCEND, enabling him to realise
Vasudeva within himself and this is akin to or a way
of attaining him.

Like an ornament made of gold is an ornament as long
as it is left as such in that state (of the ornament).
Whereas the original value is to the gold of which it
is made! As long as the ornament thinks that it is
great owing to decorating a neck or a hand or due to
the artistry,  its knowledge of its own worth is
limited. If it comes to know that its real worth lies
in its being gold, is the ultimate knowledge that it
is expected to be endowed with.

Same is true of the jiva. Unless it understands that
its real worth lies in seeing itself in the image of
the Lord in His Effervascence, every  other pursuit
and accomplishment will certainly be falling short of
what can happen to it, at the maximum possible
extent.(The lord says this very often in BG)
 That is why the lord seems to say, 'I am in you, no
matter. But what about you? Do you know that you are
in me and you can attain me?'

Now shall we look for some scriptural back up? (In
fact the examples shown above are imperfect. Loopholes
can be found aplenty in them. Because when it comes to
this specific relationship found in your 'small doubt'
it is difficult to find an exact match. Such is this
'relationship'!!

Let me take up Mumukshuppadi (MP) first.
In this we are going to move from Vasudeva to
Narayana.
Because if vasudeva stands for a particular
characteristic, Narayana seems to cover a wider
perspective - giving us more clues on the 'small
doubt'

The vyakhyaanam given in MP for ashtaakshara manthra
unfolds the nature of the so-called 'traffic' between
the lord and the jiva. 
What is the meaning of the word Narayana in the first
secret of Rahasya traya?
The term 'narayana' consists of two parts, nara and
ayana. 
 MP, Thirumanthra prakaranam 96 says
'naarangaLavana nithya vasthukkaLinuDaiya thiral'
nara means the groups of all- the chetanas and
achetanas.
What about ayana?
Verses  98, 99, 100 and 101 bring out 
3 interpretations.
simply put, ayana means,
1. resting place or support or abode.
2. upaaya or means
3. phalam or fruit or objective.
We will take up the first meaning of the word ayana.
according to sanskrit grammar, Nara-ayana means two
things, 
1. One who is the resting place  of Naras (all
chetanas and achetanas)
2. one whose resting place is Naras, i.e., chetanas
and achetanas. 
if you take the first meaning, it means all things
reside in Narayana
If you take the second meaning, Narayana exists in all
things.

Now corroborating the meaning of ayana 
first as resting place, it is resting place for whom?
One for the other - the vice versa relationship is
indicated.
now the second meaning.
In interpreting the 99th verse sri Manvala maamunigal
says
Ishvara permeates the things and He can not do it in
his Nirguna. He permeates as per whatever the things
come to possess / exhibit. He further goes to say that
this becomes a upaaya as he is now exhibiting
Soulabhyam. HE becomes the means by being ayana.
In the former expanation the lord exhibits 'parattvam'
In the second explanation, HE exhibits 'upaayattvam',
the means.
and it goes on that He becomes the 'UpEyattvam 'in the
third interpretation of ayana
See verse 101 of MP.

That is, the very idea behind the thirumanthram is
that
-the lord is Antharyami (resides in all things)
not only that 
- HE is the means to reach HIM and
- HE is the object of the means!!
Coming to your 'small doubt', Sri Bhargav,
It is very much ingrained in Creation, in
Thirumanthram and in all essentialities that
"HE resides in all things and the things must use HIM
as a means to reach HIM back"

Further justification for the reasons to reach HIM
back are found in BG.
That HE resides in all beings is acknowledged by the
lord in so many places in BG and in particular in the
verse 18-61.
"ESHWARA SARVA BHOOTHAANAAM HRUDHESE ARJUNA
THRUSHTATHI
 BHRAAMAYAN SARVA BHOOTHAANI YANTHRAROODAANI
MAAYAYAA//
(Making all beings function in the way as ordained by
their karman, the lord resides inside all these
beings.)
But these beings must go back to HIM.
Why?
1 . Because they have to shed their 'sarva dhukkaaNi'
(all sufferings)(18-58)
if they don't, they will become 'vinangshyasi'- lose
or fail get the pEru (better translation desired)

2. Because they have to get  'paraam shaanthim'(18-62)
(get peace). This is posiible by means of 'tat
prasaadhaat' (by the grace of the lord)-remember the
second meaning of ayana, namely upaaya?]

3. Because they have to get 'shaashvatham
sthaanam'(18-62)(a permanent abode, meaning
paramapadam from where they need not be disturbed.

4. And finally beacuse they have to be released from
'paapam'(18-66) 'sarva dharman ....'

Having seen these explanations let's get back to the
first part of this mail.
Like the talks on Equilibrium and going back to the
source from where it sprang.
The lord resides in all things . Perfect.
But does the jiva come to appreciate or enjoy the
status quo.
Obviously not.
It takes up all the burden en route, the burden of
karma, of samsara.
This makes it think or delve more and more on the
burden that has  now started pressing him to the abyss
of rebirths and he forgets his beginnings.

The jiva forgets that HE owns it- and that He is the
owner. Does it  know that it is  the owned and that it
has its beginnings in HIM.
Take the case of a piece of land. the Kshetram.
The seeds are sown in the land. They rightfully belong
to the owner of the land, the land lord.  The land
lord  (equated to God) comes to take possession of
them. But that is not the point we have to prove here.
What we are concerned as per the ¡¥small doubt¡¦ is
that ¡V¡¥Do the crops grown in the land know that they
belong to him? The answer is ¡¥No.¡¦

Take the case of the calf. It knows where it belongs
to- but partly only.
It does not go after the father, but goes after the
mother. (Why paternal and not maternal lineage is
given credence is by itself a different topic which we
will see later at an appropriate time)
The calf, a better being than the crop, still is not
in its best, owing to the inability to follow its
kartha in whom it has its beginnings.
Coming to human beings, we know our lineage. 
But human race as such, does it know its lineage?
Does it know that has sprung from the lord?
If it is has known, then it follows naturally that 
it leans on him, 
goes back to him,
reaches him as its fianl destination 
as how the crop reaches the land-lord, albeit without
the knowledge that they rightfully belong to him!

Reaching HIM back is a natural corollary of this
circuit connecting Bhagwan and the jiva.
Kindly go through the paasurams in Senniyongu series,
the last part of Periyalwar Thirumozhi.
You can find the alwar praying for this completion of
circuit.
This is the ultimate finale that the lord HIMSELF is 
yearning  for.
That is HIS LEELA.
The union with his created ones,
union within HIMSELF..
'THANNULE PIRANDHIRANDU NIRPAVUM THIRIBAHVUM,
THANNULE ADANGU GINDRA NEERMAI NIN KAN NINDRADHE'
(Thiruchanda viruththam 10)

Hope this helps,
 Regards,
jayasree sarnathan









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