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Abhaya Mudra

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sadagopaniyengar • October 10, 2002 


              
Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya Nama:

 

               The Abhaya Mudra

 

        Rabbit flesh is reported to be extremely delicious, while that of a crow is much less tasty. With a rabbit near at hand and about to be caught, would anyone forsake that and go after a crow flying off in the distance? First of all, catching the crow is doubtful, while the rabbit is almost in the net. And even if the crow were to be caught, it is hardly delicacy enough to hanker after, vis-à-vis the delicious rabbit. 

  To allay suspicions, adiyen has not become a connoisseur of meat items, but is only quoting Sri Tirumangai Mannan. Comparing the distant, unseen and inaccessible Sri Vaikuntam to crow's flesh, Sri Kalian points out how much easier and delectable it is to have one's fill of the Lord in His arcchA form, as He manifests Himself in various temples in this world.  "ErAr muyal vittu kAkkai pin pOvadE" remarks Azhwar, making fun of people who ignore the treat they have on hand in the form of the arcchA mUrthy and crave for experiencing the Lord of Paramapatham, who is but a distant dream.

 

 Representing His most accessible form, the arcchA mUrthy is capable of being venerated, loved, enjoyed to one's heart's content and even being remonstrated with. There have been instances where the Lord has broken the arcchA samAdhi and spoken to various Acharyas and BhAgavatAs.

 

Though each and every one of Emperuman's avayavAs is an untiring treat for all our senses, His hands, and more particularly the palms, are of special interest to us, because of the divine attitudes and assurances they symbolise. 

 

Without going into Agamic technicalities, let us discover the various postures the Lord adopts for His palms, and what they mean to us.

 

First and foremost of these is the abhaya mudrA, or the palm kept in an upward posture at the end of a horizontally extended arm. Though not an apt comparison, in this posture the Lord looks like a traffic policeman signalling oncoming vehicles to stop.

What does the abhaya mudra signify? The very position of the vertical palm exudes assurance to the devotee that he need not fear for anything. "I am here to take care of you-don't you worry!" the Lord seems to say. Being both "Bhayakrit" and "BhayanAsana:", the Lord appears to hold out His hand for destroying all fear, be it from whatever source. The upright posture of the palm, with the Lord's fingers pointing skywards, also appears to be an assurance of a place for the devotee in the heavens, if only he would do as he is told. In this posture, all the rekhAs in the Lord's palm are clearly visible to us, and it is as if He is showing off to us the matchless beauty of His palms, much as a child with henna-reddened ("maruthANi") hands. 

 

Emperuman also appears to tell us to stop-stop doing acts which are contrary to one's dharma.

 

 According to Swami Desikan, the abhaya mudrA also tells the prapanna that once he has surrendered himself to the Lord, he need do nothing else for his liberation.

 

"PrAya: prapadanE pumsAm pouna:punyam nivArayan

 Hasta: Sri Ranga Bhartu: avyAt abhaya mudrita:"

 

Prapatti, as we are aware, is a one-time affair, with the prapanna surrendering himself, heart and soul, to the Lord, with the unshakeable faith in the Lord's capability and willingness to protect us, with a firm resolve to espouse righteous conduct and eschew all that is contrary, and with a realization of one's own helplessness in saving oneself.

This act is to be performed only once (sakrit kartavyam), for its power is such as to bestow moksha (even instantly if the devotee so desires) whenever the devotee wishes.

 

 It is said that the Brahmastra, which is the final word in the matter of weapons, binds the target inescapably. However, if one were to lack faith in its efficacy and use another astra as a complement or supplement, the BrahmAstra instantly ceases to act.

Similarly, Sharanagati brooks no repetition, for, to perform it more than once would be indicative of lack of faith in the Lord's assurance of protection.  

To Swami Desikan, it appears as though the upheld abhaya hasta of Lord Ranganatha tells the devotee that he need not repeat prapatti, and once is enough. This idea so appeals to Tooppul Pillai that he repeats it in Adaikkala Patthu-

"umadu adigaL adaigindrEn endru oru kAl uraitthavarai

  amayum ini enbavar pOl "anjal" ena karam vaitthu".



The Lord's abhaya hasta is but a physical expression of His assurance in Ramavatara to grant asylum to and relieve the fear of all (irrespective of caste, creed or colour) those who surrender themselves once to Him. Here is the beautiful Rama charama sloka-

"Sakrit Eva prapannAya tavAsmi iti cha yAchatE

  abhayam sarva bhootEbhyO dadami Etat vratam mama"

The Lord's posture with the upraised palm appears as though He is swearing on oath His intention of offering asylum to all sharanAgatAs.

 

Swami Desikan movingly describes the abhaya hasta of Adiavarkku Meyyan in Sri Devanayaka Panchasat-

 

"akshObhaNeeya karuNAmbudhi vidrumAbham

  Bhakta anuranjanam amartyapatE tvadeeyam

  Nitya aparAdha chakitE hridayE madIyE

  Datta abhayam spurati dakshiNa pANi padmam"

 

The right palm of Lord Devanatha is so reddish as to resemble a coral. This is no ordinary coral, but one born out of the unfathomable ocean of His mercy. This glowing coral exudes the Light of Reassurance and destroys the mortal fear in the hearts of even habitual offenders like us, says Swami Desikan.

 

While one of the Lord's palms is raised in the abhaya mudra, the other is usually held open, with the fingers pointing downwards. This is the "Varada mudra" or a posture of munificence. The Lord awaits just a word from us and is prepared to give us everything, be it riches, scholarship, good familial ties or even Liberation. He is prepared to give us all that He has, says Swami Desikan-

"tamadu anaitthum avar tamakku vazhangium tAm miga viLangum amaivudaya aruLALar" says he in Adaikkalapatthu. 

 

 When somebody gives away a portion of his riches, he is poorer to that extent. This is not so with the Lord, whose fame and aishvarya only increase, the more He gives. His natural munificence is enhanced by the presence on His chest of Piratti, the personification of "udAratvam".

 Piratti's nature is such that even after showering the devotee with all types of riches, material and spiritual, She feels she has done precious little for the bhakta and is ashamed at Her own inadequacy, says Sri Parasara Bhattar in Sri Gunaratna Kosam

("ishwaryam akshara gatim paramam padam vA......

  tvam lajjasE amba kOyam udAra bhAva:!").



The Varada mudra signifies generosity of such high order that Emperuman is prepared to grant eternal bliss and to take us to SriVaikuntam itself, in return for a token gesture like Sharanagati, much like the King being pleased with the offering of a lime fruit.

Further, the Lord's fingers seem to point downwards to His lotus feet, indicating that therein lies the key to salvation, and exhorting all to adopt the strategy that Sri Nammazhwar did, when he said "un adikkeezh amarndu pugundEnE". In several temples like the Oppiliappan Sannidhi, we can see this made explicit by adorning the Lord's down- stretched palm with the words "MAm Ekam sharaNam vraja" (Surrender unto Me alone).

 

Another of the postures, which the Lord sports, especially at Tirumala, is the "Kati Hasta", or the palm turned inwards and placed on the hip. Srinivasa's left palm is held in this position. This is said to signify that for His devotees, the SamsAra sAgaram, or the ocean of worldly woes, is only knee-deep. 

 This sea of samsara is said to be immeasurably deep-"bhava jaladhim agAdham" says Sri KulasekharAzhwar in Sri Mukunda Mala.  It is so deep and wide that crossing over to the shore is said to be impossible-"dustaram nistarEyam". But not so for devotees of the Lord, for He drains up the waters of Karma to make the ocean only waist-deep, so that the devotee can cross over from bondage to salvation, on foot.  Those who are sceptical about this ought to remember that He was capable of bridging the ocean to enable the Vanara sainya to cross over to Lanka.

 

Another favourite posture of the Lord's is that in which He has his fingers slightly bent inwards, in a beckoning gesture. This is known as the "AhvAna mudra" or the inviting gesture. The Lord is so enamoured of His devotees that He beckons even idle passers-by to come in, pay obeisance and to avail themselves of His boundless munificence.

 

The beauty of Emperuman's hasta or palm is beyond measure. The connoisseur of arcchA, once he sets his eyes on the divine palm, would lose himself in its magnificence and find it difficult to prise his eyes away from the hasta, much in the fashion of KambanAttAzhwAn, who found it impossible to take his eyes off Sri Rama's broad shoulders ("TOL kaNdAr tOLE kaNdAr"). This is perhaps what made Swami Desikan express disinterest even in the coveted life at Sri Vaikuntam, when he could have his fill of ThEpperumAl's arcchA anubhavam-

"Satyam shape VaraNa saila nAtha!

Vaikunta vAsEpi na mE abhilAsha:".

 

Srimate Sri LakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

Dasan, sadagopan.

 







[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



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