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[sv-poetry] Sri Vilakkoli Perumal, Thoopul/ThirutthaNkA dhivya Desam: Nithya AarAdhana Kaimkaryam for VilakkoLi PerumAL and Swamy Desikan , Part 44: Fourtieth SlOkam

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Sadagopan • June 20, 2002 


SrI:

Dear BhakthAs:

Today , adiyEn will cover the Fourtieth slOkam 
of Sri SaraNAgathi DhIpikai , where Swamy Desikan
describes the arrival of the Muktha Jeevan at 
SrI Vaikuntam and the start of the ParipoorNa
Kaimkaryam to the Lord by the muktha jeevan (VimukthA:):

ThvacchEsha vrutthi anuguNai: mahithai guNa Oghai:
  aavirbhavathi ayutha-siddha nija SvarUpE
ThvallakshaNEshu niyathEshvapi bhOgamAthrE
  Saamyam bhajanthi Paramam BhavathA VimukthA:

SrI SaraNAgathi DhIpikai: SlOkam 40

Meaning: 
********
Oh ViLakkoLi PerumALE ! Those who performed Prapatthi
to You free themselves from the chains of SamsAram 
and arrive at Your Supreme abode after their travel
by ArchirAdhi maargam . Once they arrive at Your
Parama padham , the Satthva GuNams hidden before 
in them due to their links to KarmAs come to 
the forefront. Those sathva GuNAs now help qualify
the Jeevan to perform nithya kaimkaryam for You. 
The Muktha jeevan recognizes that its aathma svaroopam ;
it comprehends it as part of You (SarIram for BhagavAn, 
the SarIri); it understands that it is inseperable from You .
Upanishads state that these MukthAthmas attain a state of
equality (Saamyam ) with You. We can ask how that would 
be possible? The answer is : The MukthAthmAs do not ever 
acquire attributes that are unique to You such as 
the creation and protection of the Universe and its beings 
as well as the power to grant Moksham. Those are the activities
that are in the sole control of Yours ! Otherwise, The liberated 
jeevans enjoy Jn~Anam and Aanandham in the same measure as 
You . Just as You enjoy Your SarIram (ChEthnams and achEthanams) , 
these MukthAthmAs enjoy You. Your Jn~Anam as well as 
that of the MukthAthmAs are equally in the blossomed
state. They ( MukthAthmAs) get to see the aanandham that 
You derive in engaging in the creation and the protection
of the Universe and its beings and share that aanandham
even if they do not have the power to engage in such
Jagath-vyApArams that are uniquely Yours.  

The key words are in the third and the fourth Paadham of 
this slOkam:

" Thvath LakshaNE niyathEshu api BHOGAMAATHRE
  SAAMYAM BHAJANTHI PARAMAM BHAVATHAA VIMUKTHAA:"

This is an important concept to understand 
regarding the limits of the enjoyment and power
of Muktha Jeevan in comparison with its Lord.

Additional Comments (V.S):
**************************
In the previous slOkam , the travel of the Muktha Jeevan 
via the ArchirAdhi Maargam was described . Here ,the ParipoorNa
BrahmAnandham enjoyed by the Jeevan blessed with Saayujya 
Moksham is described. 

Jeevan's life before and after Prapatthi
******************************************
Jeevan is "the child of the Lord ". Jeevan before Prapatthi
had no awareness of its true nature (Svaroopam ) and 
that of the svaroopam of the Lord. The Jeevan put emphasis 
on the transient pleasures of lOka sukham and lost its way 
in the forest of samsAram. Then, due to some good deed (PuNyam),
meeting a SadAchAryan  ,this jeevan is blessed to gain 
Jn~Anam about Tatthva Thrayam and arTa Panchakam 
and performs Prapatthi to You .It spends its remaining 
alloted days on earth in the ideal way prescribed by 
SaasthrAs for Post-Prapatthi stage of one's life .
When it( Prapanna Jeevan) casts the mortal coils and exits 
the body via the 101st naadi with the help of the Lord , 
it hastens to His supreme abode by the ArchirAdhi maargam . 
On the way,the Muktha Jeevan accepts the upachArams of 
the servants of the Lord and arrives at the banks of 
the river VirajA , which forms the boundary between prakruthi 
ManDalam and SrI Vaikuntam . There the Sookshm a SarIram that
accompanied the Muktha Jeevan is left behind now 
(freed of karma sambhandham) and the Jeevan is resplendent 
in its own savroopam like the cleaned-up gem and enjoys 
full blossoming of its Jn~Anam.

Muktha Jeevan's arrival in SrI Vaikuntam
******************************************
After crossing the dhivya nadhi of VirajA , the Jeevan
enters SrI Vaikuntam and is awe struck by the aprAkrutha
desam of SrI Vaikuntam and its beauty as described by
AchArya RaamAnujA in His Sri Vaikunta Gadhyam. It now arrives 
in front of the ThirumAmaNi MaNtapam ( the gem studded hall),
where the Lord is seated with His Devis on His divine
couch of AdhIsEshan . These aanandha anubhavams blessed by
the Lord are described in SaakaDAyana , JayAkhya SamhithAs 
and Swamy  NammAzhwar's Sri sookthis as well as by 
the various Upanishads( vide: Swamy Desikan's Parama
Padha sOpAnam). 

Jeevan in front of the Lord and start of Nithya kaimkaryam
*********************************************************** 
The Muktha Jeevanis is embraced by the Lord, who is happy to
see His regained property and the Lord unites the Jeevan
with the Nithyasoori and Muktha Jeeva ghOshti . SrI Vaikunta NaaTan 
helps the  newly arrived Muktha Jeevan experience its svAbhAvika
(innate) blissful and JnA~nandha Svaroopam , which was hideen 
from it until then due to karma sambhandham. 

Additional UpakArams of the Lord
**********************************
The Muktha Jeevan now engages fully in the insatiable 
Bhagavath anubhavam and Bhagavath Kaimkaryam . This is
also an UpakAram of the Lord to the Muktha Jeevan.
The nithya sooris treat the Muktha jeevan as their equal 
and also relate to it as their superior to show respect. 
This is another upakAram of the Lord, who is the Master of 
both the Nithya Sooris and the Muktha Jeevans. The paripporNa
Bhagavath anubhavam (BrahmAnandham)has its beginning (aadhi) 
for the Muktha Jeevan here at SrI Vaikuntam and thereafter 
has no end (antham ) and hence it becomes Nithya , ParIpoorNa 
anubhavam. The Muktha Jeevan is filled with Jn~Anam and 
Aanandham and in gratitude for this matchless upakAram of 
the Lord becomes immediately engaged in the uninterrupted 
kaimkaryam to the Lord.Our Lord accepts those Kaimkaryams 
with joy. Our Lord (Sarva Seshi)feels fulfilled through 
the enjoyment of the glories acquired by His sEshan 
through these kaimkaryams to Him. Our Lord is immesely 
pleased and does not want to be separated ever from 
His dear property and will not let the Muktha Jeevan
return to karma BhUmi. This is also Lord's UpakAram
to the Jeevan that is liberated through Prapatthi 
anushtAnam (Vide: Swamy  Desikan's UpakAra Sangraham).

The Fourtieth SlOkam and Brahma Soothrams
******************************************
Swamy Desikan focuses in this slOkam on the glorious 
transformation in the Muktha Jeevan as described in 
the section IV of the Fourth Chapter of Brahma Soothrams (4.4)
and distills the essence of AchArya RaamAnujA's SrI BhAshyam.
The 4.4 section of Brahma SoothrAs is fairly short
with just 22 Soothrams. 

The Manifestation in to its true Form
**************************************
The first soothram ( sampadhyAvibhavi: svEna SabdhAth:4.4.1 )
states that the Muktha Jeevan becomes manifest(aavirbhavathi)
in its own true nature (nija Svaroopam) after attaining 
the Supreme Light (SrI VaikuntanAthan, the ParamJyOthi).
ChAndhOgya Upanishad pasaage (8.12.3) is the PramANam for 
this truth ( SvEna RoopENa abhinishpadhyatE ): The Muktha
jeevan becomes manifest in its own nature and is endowed 
with an essential and true svaroopam with the eight features:
(1) Devoid of Sin (2) Freedom from old age (3) Freedom from 
death(4) Freedom from sorrow (5) freedom from hunger 
(6) Freedom from thirst (7) Sathyakaamathvam ( endowed 
with the desires that are True and (8) Sathya Sankalpathvam
( unfailing will ) . Before reaching the Param JyOthi,
the jeevan because of samsAric bonds had contractions in 
its Jn~Anam and aanandham , which are attributes of its
true svaroopam. Now , those attributes are fully blossomed.

The Enjoyment of the Lord
**************************
The Muktha Jeevan now enjoys the Supreme Lord without
seperation from Him (avibhAgEna DhrushtathvAth: 4.4.4).
In its fully blossomed state , the liberated Jeevan     
becomes endowed with the likeness , company and the sameness
of nature as Brahman as stated by Sruthis and smruthis (GitA 14.2):

" Idham Jn~Anam upAsritya Mama sAdharmyam aagatha:
  sargespi nOpajAyantE praLayaE na Vyathanticha "

(meaning): Those who have gained this knowledge (Jn~Anam),
attain a NATURE , WHICH IS THE SAME AS THAT OF MINE. 
Threafter, they are nither born again at the time of 
creation , nor do they get hurt at the time of PraLayam.

The word "Saamyamm "(likeness) is used in Sruthi and 
"Saadharmyam"(sameness of nature ) in the Smruthi 
by GeethAchAryan . The Jeevan is PrAkAra ( the inseperable
attribute of Brahman and the Brahman is PrAkAri 
(the Substratum for the Jeevan).After reaching the Muktha
(liberated ) state, the Jeevan attains a state of purity 
equal to that of Brahman and enjoys the Brahman along
with its qualities.Brahman and the Muktha Jeevan have 
Saamyam (likeness ) but not Parama Saamyam ( perfect, 
complete , identical likeness). There are some qualities
that distinguish them. The Final adhikaraNam of
Brahma Soothram (Jagad-vyApAra adhikaraNam) ) identifies 
the differences between the Muktha Jeevan and Brahman 
(Soothram 4.4.17-21):

1)Jagadh vyApAra-varjam prakaraNAth asannihithathvAth--4.4.17 
 
( The Muktha Jeevan has all the powers that are possessed by
the Lord except the cosmic activities such as creation ,
protection of the worls . This is understood from the fact 
that ParamAthmA is referred to in the Sruthis in the context
of Cosmic activities and because of the lack of reference 
pf MukthAs in this context by the very same sruthis).  
The creation and control of the world is exclusively 
under the control of the Lord and has no connection to
the Muktha Jeevan, which enjoys witnessing these activities
of the Lord of whom it is a part.

2) BhOgamAtra-saamya LingAsccha --4.4.21

( There are indications (lakshaNam, linga )of equality of 
enjoyment only(BhOga-mAthraa) and not any indication 
extending to Jagadh VyApAram .The ParamAthmA alone rules 
and controls the world.Therefore the power (enjoyment) of 
the Muktha Jeevan is associated with all the powers of
the Lord EXCEPT the activity relating to the world ).

This is what Swamy Desikan states in the second paadham
of this slOkam saluting ViLakkoLi PerumAL:

VimukthA: (the liberated ones) Thvath-lakshaNE niyathEshu
api ( even if they indicate Your signs ) they attain 
likeness to You only in the enjoyment of BhOgams 
( BhavathA BhOgamAthrE paramam saamyam bhajanthi) 
and not in Jagadh VyApAram.

Swamy Desikan's genius in condensing in one slOkam
the deep thoughts of many Brahma Soothrams is abundantly
evident here.
   
NamO NamO SrI VedAntha DesikAya ,
SrImath Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam, 
Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan 

(P.S): Dear BhakthAs: We have now reached the 11.8 Lak
Rupees stage of the NithyArAdhana Kaimkaryam (Target 
is 20 Laks of Rupees as Core Fund) at ThUppul VedAntha 
Desikan Sannidhi and the daily AarAdhanam for 
Swamy Desikan's home PerumAL and PirAtti , 
Sri Maragathavalli SamEtha Sri DhIpa PrakAsan.

We have thus approximately 8.2 laks of Rupees to complete
the kaimkaryam . Please Join in this important Kaimkaryam.
Please contact adiyEn , if you would like to support this 
important Kaimkaryam and join the BhaagavathAs , who have
already brought the kaimkaryam past its half way point. 






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