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Sri PVP vyakhyanam of Prathama Jitante stotram shlokam 9.

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M.N.Ramanuja • October 29, 2002 


Sri PVP vyakhyanam of Prathama Jitante stotram shlokam 9.

		Srimate Ramanujaya Nama:

               Sri PeriyaVachchan Pillai tiruvadigaLE sharaNam 


              shrImat kriShNa samAhvAya namO yAmunasUnavE ;

            yatkaTAkShaika lakShyANAm sulabha: shrIdhara: sadA.


**9. kAlEShvapi cha sarvEShu dikShu sarvAsu chAchyuta

        sharIrE cha gatau chApi vartatE mE mahadbhayam. **


Meaning::  --achyuta-- one who does not let his devotees  slip off. 
--sarvEShu kAlEShu api cha-- in all auspicious times too. -- sarvAsu 
dikShu cha-- in the auspicious places in all directions. -- sharIrE cha-- 
in this body  too (that is a tool for doing dharma). --gatau api cha-- in 
the migration into other bodies too. --mE-- for me. --mahat bhayam--  
great fear. --vartatE-- there is. 


Introduction:: (kAlEShvapi cha etc.) God says "can you say  'I have no 
other go'; after having provided various means, through scriptural 
procedures, of uplifting the soul, on top of that, have We not provided 
you with various auspicious times and auspicious places for eliminating 
all sins by simple actions? can you  say that you are not aware of any 
other means? ". In answer, man says  " I am not denying the existence 
of other means. But I being an eternal samsAri, my initial status also 
goes from  worse to worse, if I keep employing various other means ". 

>From this, it is understood, that  the adoption of the ready means (god) 
(siddhOpAya parigraham) is imperatively preceded by the renouncement of 
all other means (upAyAntara parityAga pUrvakam Ayirukkum). One Who is thus 
a stand-alone and self-sufficient means, alone can verily, become a 
refuge-provider (sharanyan AvAn).   


VyAkhAnam:: (kAlEShvapi cha) in the meritorious summer and winter 
solstices (dakshinAyana and uttarAyana) and vernal and autumnal equinoxes 
(mESha viShu and tulA viShu punyakAlams) and exceptionally meritorious 
ardhOdaya and other punyakAlams etc. That is, great sin-eliminating powers 
have been attached to sethu visit and bathing and gifts at sangamas 
(confluences) in these punyakAlams. As said in "kritaghnOpi vishuddhyati" 
and "gOghnE chaiva surApE cha chorE bhagnavratE tathA. niShkritir vihitA 
sadbhi: kritaghnE nAsti niShkriti: ", even the sin of an ungrateful person 
which has no prescribed atonement, will be removed by good deeds in such 
auspicious times.  


(sarvEShvapi) "ashvattham sindhurAjam cha sadA sEvEta na sprishEt. 
mandavArE sprishEt pUrvam aparam parvaNi sprishEt" thus having no 
prohibitions like not touching the sea in non-parva times (amAvasya and 
pUrnimA= parva), it includes all tIrthams like Ganga etc which have no 
time bars for visiting and touching.


(dikShu) apart from the above, as in "dEshoyam sarva kAmadhuk" sacred 
places that are sanctifying initially, then becoming instrumental for 
attaining God and then also becoming enjoyable like punya deshams etc are 
all clubbed under this. Verily it is said "mathurA nAma nagarI punyA 
pApaharI shubhA". 


(sarvAsu cha)  By this are indicated all places other than those where the 
God incarnated at one time or the other, like sAlagrAma mandala etc, where 
God is invariably ever present. 


(sharIrE cha)  The body that was provided to me as in "sharIram Adyam 
khalu dharma sAdhanam" and "vichitrA dEhasampatti: IshvarAya nivEditum" 
for exercising the various means (upAya anuShThAnam) in the above 
mentioned places, has in my case become futile for me.


(gatau cha) As in "svadharmE nidhanam shrEya: paradharmO bhayAvaha:"  
while exercising the sAdhanas or implements of the various means, if death 
occurs, then one gets another embodiment but even that migration to 
another body is futile for me by not yielding the aspired fruit. (gatau) 
in  the migration to another body. (api) this word could imply other 
exercisable means like karma jnAna and bhakti; it could also imply the 
collective migrated bodies of the previous births. Just like so many of my 
previous embodiments went waste, so also the present body also is a waste. 


(mE mahad bhayam) not only that they went futile, but also fear exists in 
me regarding the exercisable upAyas like karmayoga etc., that are 
available in each embodiment. But why should fear exist? Because, having 
earlier accepted Your feet only as the means,  and now deviating to 
exercise other means, I stand to lose even Your compassion and sympathy 
and thus those other means that are beckoning me are terrifying to me. But 
why should a compatible means cause fear?  Because, the first accepted or 
adopted means does not endure other means. As in "tvAmEva sharanam prApya"  
I had adopted only You as the means, verily. BhagavadGeeta also said 
"tamEva sharaNam gachcha". Even the refuge-provider (sharanya) said 
"mAmEkam sharaNam vraja". 


(mahad bhayam vartatE) This fear is not of comparable measure as the 
lesser fear of samsAra mentioned in the previous shlokam. It is inferred 
that the fear arising out of indulging in other objects or subjects  is 
not as great as the fear arising out of indulging in or exercising other 
means or implements. (vishayAntara prAvaNyattAl vanda bhayattaLavanrirE 
sAdhanAntara prAvaNyattAl vanda bhayam!) For, for atoning the sin and 
removing the fear arising from indulgence in other objects of human 
aspiration,  one can count on the pity and grace of God. But the sin of 
adopting other means or tools, alienates us even from that grace or pity!  


(achyuta)  But alas, Your name "achyuta" arose because of Your nature of 
not leaving in the lurch, even those that have alienated from Your grace 
and thus have lost all means of redemption. "yasmAt prAptA: na chyavantE 
sa: achyuta:" is verily the interpretation for "achyuta". He is achyuta 
from Whom those who surrender are not dropped out. Afterall, thou art one 
that did not ditch that woman in such circumstances, who yelling  
"dvArakAnilayA achyuta"  threw both her hands off in resignation! Arjuna 
once told "tvat prasAdAt mayA achyuta" ! 


If the first shlokam is a summary, this shlokam serves the word "namastE" 
as even that surrender is done after abandoning all other means. 


----contd


Adiyen Ramanuja dasan

Ramanuja

                





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