SrI:
SrImatE rAmAunjAya nama:
SrImath varavara munayE nama:
The position of bhakti
swAmi azhagiya manavALa perumAL nAyanAr, in his aruLicheya rahasyam, states the 3-tier hierarchy- hitam ,hitataram and hitatamam.
1- hitam, in general denoting the means to attain emperumAn, here, refers to bhakti
2- hitataram refers to prapatti
3- hitatamam refers to sharaNAgati
hitatamam, i.e. sublime surrender unto emperumAn, considering him to be the supreme most upAya, far supersedes hitam, which is bhakti.
Further, in his parandha rahasyam, periyavAchchAn piLLai explains the word ‘dharmam’ in the charama shlOkam, “sarva dharmAn parityajya…”. ‘dharmam’ can be classified into three types- dharmam, para dharmam and parama dharmam. What dharmam is to be given up?
1- dharmam refers to the activities performed by one in anticipation of enjoying its fruits later such as the jyOthishTOma yAgam performed for enjoying at svarga. This is described by piLLai lOkAchAryar as “dharmam Avadhu phala sAdhanamAi irukkum adhu”. However, kannan does not refer to this dharmam in the charama shlOkam.
2- parama dharmam, the third, is emperumAn. Since emerumAn says, “mAm Ekam sharaNam vraja” (“come, surrender unto Me”), it is obvious that the dharma to be renounced is not the parama dharma, emperumAn.
3- It is thus the middle one- the para dharma that is to be given up before surrendering to emperumAn. This para dharmam refers to bhakti.
In this context, piLLai lOkAchAryar, in his mumukshuppadi (charama shlOka prakaraNam, sUthram 1), describes this in his sUthram,
“கீழே சில உபாய விசேஷங்களை உபதேசிக்க, அவை துச்சகங்கள் என்றும் ஸ்வரூப விரோதிகள் என்றும் நினைத்து சோகாவிஷ்டனான அர்ஜுனனைக் குறித்து அவனுடைய சோக நிவ்ருத்தி அர்த்தமாக இனி இதுக்கு அவ்வருகில்லை என்னலாம்படியான சரமோபாயத்தை அருளிச் செய்கையாலே சரம ச்லோகம் என்று இதுக்குப் பேராய் இருக்கிறது.”
“kIzhE sila upAya visEshangkaLai upadhEsikka, avai dhuchchagangkaL enRum
svarUpa virOdhigaL enRum ninaiththu sOgAvishtanAna arjunanaik kuRiththu
avanudaiya sOga nivruththi arththamAga ini idhukku avvarugillai ennalAm padiyAna
charamOpAyaththai aruLich seygaiyAlE charama slOkam enRu idhukkup pErAyirukkiRadhu”
Why is bhakti not upAyam?
Among those who surrender to emperumAn, there are three-
1- agyar- the ignorant prappannAs (like us) who do not have gyAnam as well as shakti to do anything for attaining emperumAn
2- gyAni- the learned prappannAs (the poorvAchAryAs) who are supreme in gyAnam and anuShTAnam, who yet chose to not consider their gyAna-anuShtAnam to be their upAyam
3- gyAna vishESha yukthar- the devoted prappannAs (the AzhwArgaL) who are the epitome of true bhakti. Yet, this bhakti was not their upAyam.
In the case of the gyani and gyAna vishEsha yukthar, they possess gyAna and shakti to execute the karma-gyAna-bhakti yOgAs in full; yet, they choose to renounce them and surrender to emperumAn. Contrasting to this, the agyar (agyAnaththinAlE prappannar) does not possess gyAna or shakti and accepts emperumAn alone as the upAya. Important here is that the agyar’s choosing of accepting emperumAn as the upAyam is not due to his agyAnam but owing to the fundamental drawback with bhakti. In the 2nd prakaraNam of the SrIvachanabhUShanam, piLLai lOkAchAryar says “prApagAnthara parithyAgathukku agyAna ashaktigaL anru svarUpa virOdhamE pradhAna hethu".
bhakti is not regarded as upAyam because it does not get along/relate with pArathanthriyam, i.e. surrendering by conducting oneself per the Lord’s desire. In course of practicing bhakti as upAyam, there is a possibility of one to fall prey to ahankAram/garvam at the thought that his attaining of emperumAn was due to his bhakti- his own effort.
A beautiful example-
thirukkurugai ppirAn piLLAn, in his sUthram, says “shAdha kumbhamaiya kumbhagadha theertha salilam pOlE mathirA bindu ahankAra vishramAna upAyantharam". There is a pitcher (sombu) made of pure gold and is filled with the sacred waters of gangai. In such purity of unalloyed gold and unpolluted water should a minute pebble be dropped, it would instantly obliterate the pureness. The golden pitcher is compared to the AtmA, which has gyAnam, Anandam and the knowledge of shEShatvam. The gangA water in the pitcher is compared to the bhakti for emperumAn. The tiny pebble (mathirA bindu-very small) that fell into the pitcher is compared to the ahankAram (false ego) that emperumAn did not simply give mOksham but it was the bhakti that fetched him mOksham, thus contaminating his consciousness and the process that he took to.
An important characteristic of a sharaNAgathan
“nOtru” refers to the fact that the gOpikai had not taken to bhakti; she simply took the refuge of emperumAn. She did not even have the feeling that she took to His refuge; she thought even that was emperumAn’s thiruvuLLam (adhuvum avanadhu innaruLE/ “srShti avathArAdhi mughaththAlE pannina krShi phalan”). The topmost sharaNAgathan has the understanding that it is emperumAn who gave him the sharIram, shAstram, itihAsa-purANAs, AzhwArs, AchAryAs and made him do sharaNAgathi; nothing was his effort.
While the karma yOgam, gyAna yOgam and bhakti yOgam are those that are to be brought into existence by virtue of one’s practice of them, emperumAn is sidhdham- that is which is already established.
Yet, are karma-gyAna-bhakti yOgAs given up in totality?
The answer to this question is no. Our AchAryAs explain how a sharaNAgathan sees the three yOgAs.
‘karmam kainkaryaththile pughum. gyAnam svarUpa prakAshaththilE pughum. bhakti: prApya ruchiyilE pughum. prappati svarUpa yAthAthmya gyAnaththilE pughum’
Another sUthram says,
“ellAm dharmangaLai vittu ennai paththu engaiyAlE sAkshAt dharmam thAnE engiradhu , iththAL vitta sAdhanaiyOda Eththam sollugiradhu”
A sharaNAgathan’s perception is as follows-
1- karmam kainkaryaththilE pughum- he practices karma yOgam in accordance with his varNa and Ashrama. He does it as kainkaryam, without the thought that HE is doing it, the thought that it is HIS duty and the expectation of any result. swAmi manavALa mAmunigaL explains this, in His AchArya hrudayam, as mamathA thyAgam, karthrthva thyAgam and phala thyAgam respectively.
2- gyAnam svarUpa prakAshaththilE pughum- his gyAna yOgam enlightens him with shEShatva gyAnam, i.e. emperumAn is the shEShi, sarva swAmi and that he is the shEShabhUtan. nammAzhwAr describes this as ‘nun unarvu’.
3- bhakti prApya ruchiyilE pughum- his thinking of emperumAn in an unceasing manner, having dedicated everything unto Him, i.e. bhakti, leads to prApya ruchi, i.e. developing utmost love for emperumAn and His kainkaryam. emperumAnAr describes this as “thailadhArAvath avichinnam smrti santAna rUpam”.
4- prapatti svarUpa yAthAthmya gyAnaththilE pughum- his surrendering in the consciousness that taking the effort to do so would be fundamental to attaining mOksha (i.e. prapatti) would yield svarUpa yAthAthmya gyAnam, which is pArathanthriyam.
A sharaNAgathan, thus renounces any of the above as upAya, to perform complete sharaNAgathi to emperumAn in the state of mind that even the surrender is the desire of the Lord and not his effort.
TRANSLATED from the works of Mūāyirappadi (swAmi Periyavāchchān Piļļai, Ārāyirappadi (swAmi Azhagiya Manavāļā Perumāļ Nāyanār) and the kAlakshEpams of revered vidvAns.
AndAL thiruvadiklaey sharanam | emperumAnAr thiruvadikaley sharanam
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