SrI:
SrImatE rAmAunjAya nama:
SrImath varavara munayE nama:
shEShatvam and pArathanthriyam
The term ‘shEShatvam’, the notion of servitude, refers to the shEShabhUthan (the owned) rendering kainkaryam to the shEShI(the swAmi/owner). An example of shEShatvam is SrI lakshmanan.
The term ‘pArathanthriyam’, the notion of total sublime surrender, refers to conducting oneself simply per the desire of the Lord. It is often referred to as “‘achith pOnra pArathanthriyam’, i.e. exhibiting utmost dependence just as how an insentient thing is dependent on the living beings in the course of its existence. An epitome of pArathanthriyam is SrI bharathAzhwAn.
In the vyAkhyAnam of the ‘thUmani mAdam” pAsuram, beautiful comparisons are drawn. It is said that those outside the home of ‘mAmAn magaLE’ are like the mummukshU, desiring for bhagavath kainkaryam while the girl inside is like the nithya sidhdhar, sleeping in the mode of surrender to emperumAn, leaving everything to happen per His will. The girls at the doorstep are compared to SrI lakshmANa, who desired unceasing kainkaryam and the girl inside is compared to SrI bharathAzhwAn who simply stayed as is per emperumAn’s thiruvuLLam. The former is described as ‘upEyathvarA’, i.e. the eagerness to attain bhagavath kainkaryam (pEtrukku thvarikkai) and the latter is described as ‘upAyaththilE thunivu’.
In AchArya hrudayam, it is said “shEShatva bhOktrithvangaL pOlannE pArathanthriya bhOgyathaigaL”, i.e. it is pArathanthriyam that is superior to shEShathvam.
emperumAn- the nirapEkshya upAyam
While the karma yOga, gyAna yOga and bhakti yOga may serve as upAyas to attain emperumAn, they are not capable of bestowing the results themselves; they depend on emperumAn for the granting of the final result. However, superior to such upAya is emperumAn Himself, who doesn’t depend on anyone to grant the fruit of mOksham/kainkaryam as He is none but the conclusive deciding authority. emperumAn is thus called the ‘nirapEkshya upAyam’/ ‘sidhdha sAdhanai’.
Though not depending on anyone to grant the end result, he does depend on two entities in his execution, the two being pirAttiyAr and the adhikAri. Owing to our sinful actions, emperumAn depends on the recommendation (puruShakAram)of pirAttiyAr. He also depends on the adhikArI, i.e. us, since attaining him calls for the first and foremost desire and surrendering to attain Him- this is called ‘adhikAri sApEksham’.
The qualities of the unconditional surrender to emperumAn
The gOpikai, “mAmAn magaLE”, is the representation of sublime surrendering to emperumAn, the nirapEkshya upAyam (sidhdha sAdhanaiya paththinavaL). What are the qualities of such an adhikAri? This is explained with reference to three sUthrams from the SrIvachanabhUShanam. “upAyathukku adhikAriyAmpOdhu pirAttiyaiyum, draupathiyaiyum, thirukannamangai AndAnaiyum pOlE irukkavEndum- pirAtti sva-shakthiyai vittAL, draupadhi lajjaiyai vittAL, thirukannamangai svavyApAraththai viTTAr”
pirAttiyAr sva shakthiyai vittAL
sItA pirAttiyAr had the ability and power (shakti) to protect herself (thannai thAnE rakshikkara sAmarthyam). Yet she renounced her shakti. She wanted emperumAn to have the honor of saving her. She says:
“sharaistu samkulAm krtvA lankAm para balArdana:
mAm na yet yadi kAkutsta: tat tasya sadrsham bhavEt”
After meeting sItai, SrI hanumAn assures her that he could reunite her with SrI rAma by carrying her across the ocean by virtue of his prowess, subsequently showing her his huge form. Hearing this, pirAttiyAr tells hanumAn that he was doing the same mistake as rAvaNan. She belonged to SrI rAmA. rAvanan had abducted this treasure of SrI rAma. Further to this, another man coming to return this treasure would mean SrI rAma was not capable of protecting his possessions, implying SrI rAma’s cowardice, incapacity and defamation and an insult to his bow (vil). She says, “sharaistu samkulAm krtvA lankAm para balArdana:”- SrI rAma must destroy the rAkshasAs with his mighty arrows released as thundering rainfall. “mAm na yet yadi kAkutsta: tat tasya sadrsham bhavEt”- “Why would SrI rAma, who simply cannot tolerate misery that befalls anyone, remain undisturbed upon seeing his wife in trouble? He is the type who does not send others but personally comes to rescue the troubled” (nayAmi paramAm gathim)
என் நான் செய்கேன்? யாரே களைகண்? * என்னை என் செய்கின்றாய்? *
உன்னால் அல்லால் யாவராலும் * ஒன்றும் குறை வேண்டேன் **
en nAn seygEn? yArE kaLaikaN? * ennai en seyginRAy? * unnAl allAl yAvarAlum * onRum kuRai vENdEn **(thiruvAimozhi 5-8-3) In his vyAkhyAnam, nampiLLai includes a very fine sentence- “kaDaththal seyyAdha sapiththal seyyAdha pirAttiyai pOlE”. Here, ‘kaDaththal’ refers to rejecting the offer of protection from hanumAn to reunite her with SrI rAma. ‘sapiththal’ refers to not taking to curse rAvaNan to die despite having the shakti to do so. At the time SrI hanumAn’s tail was set ablaze, SrI sItA pirAttiyAr prayed that the fire not burn him instead feel cool as sandal and owing to her divine power, her sankalpam materialized. Similarly she could have killed rAvaNa by her sankalpam but she simply chose not to. rAvaNa spoke very lowly telling her that he would replace mandOthari with her, give her jewels and luxury if she did per his wish. sItai, the mother of the universe, looked at rAvana as a child who was blabbering something; she wondered if she could correct him but couldn’t. He disregarded her upadEsam. Yet, though she could have destroyed him by merely her sankalpam, she believed that she did not have the right to do it and chose not to do so without SrI rAma’s sanction, demonstrating her pArathanthriyam. She simply waited for SrI rAma to come and save her.
draupadhi sva lajjaiyai vittAL
draupadhi differed from pirAttiyAr as in she lacked the shakti to protect herself. As dushshAsanan began to pull her vastram, she intended to protect herself. pirAttiyAr, did not have this intention. Yet, it is further explained that the difficulty of draupadhi was much more than that of sItai; she was being disrobed and insulted in a palace that was filled with the presence of great persons such as bhIShma and drONa. draupadhi’s greatness was that she left her lajjai (shyness),an attribute that is innate to any woman. Leaving this, she surrendered to emperumAn for protection. Thus, her greatness in this context is glorified.
thirukannamangai AndAn sva vyApAraththai vittAr
At thirukkannamangai, the shrine of SrI bhaktharAvi perumAL, there was a great devotee by the name thirukkanna mangai AndAn. One day, he saw two dogs fighting with each other. The sight of this drew the owners of these dogs to quarrel and beat each other to the extent they both died. thirukkanna mangai AndAn witnessed this. He thought to himself, “if the owners of the dogs have so much abhimAnam and sense of ownership for their loyal dogs that they are ready to give up their lives, then why would emperumAn who owns this dog-thirukkannamangai AndAn, if dedicated to Him, not come to his protection?” Thinking this way, he entered the kOvil and rested on the floor in a small room near the entrance. Deeply engrossed in his realization, the very next second, he attained the thiruvadi of emperumAn. Renouncing the intent of protecting himself, he subjected himself to the mercy and protection of emperumAn.
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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