Guest guest Report post Posted February 15, 2002 Dear BhakthAs: In the context of the posting on AruL , SrIman Sampath Rengarajan of Thirukkudanthai refreshed my memory on a posting on AruL that he had in the SaraNAgathi Journal few months back. It was one in a series of six deep articles that he posted in the SaraNAgathi Journal . It is a brilliant analysis of the concept of AruL in SrI vaishNava sampradhAyam . It is my pleasure to forward you that note. BTW, we restarted SaraNAgathi journal after a break of 6 months in publication. We have released three issues this year. Our intention is to publish one issueper week. Those who wish to to this electronic journal are welcome to send e-mail to: saranagathi- The focus on the last three issues starting from Jan 19, 2002 ( Volume 04.002) upto Purattasi SraVaNam of this year 2002 and beyond will be on two main items: 1. ChillaRai RahasyangaL (CR)of Swamy Desikan (32 CR). 2. Desika prabhandham (405 paasurams ). Those intersted in the above SrI Sookthis are welcome to join this study group . I have attached full text of SrI Sampath Rengarajan's earlier article on AruL that appeared in SaraNAgathi. Swamy Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan > " Sampath Rengarajan " <srengara >mcadambi >Cc: sgopan > Hello Sri Malolan, Hope you are doing well. The following is an article written by adiyEn long ago on AruL in saranagathi Journal. Some useful additional points may be found, in addition to Sri VS's wonderful explanations. It just occured to adiyEn's mind about extra research adiyEn did about this word and so adiyEn wanted to send this to you. adiyEn SR ************************************************** >http://www.srivaishnava.org/sgati/volume1/v01007.htm Saranagathi - Part 6 by Sampath Rengarajan ************************************************** In the last part we saw as to how this pAsuram conatined the three thaththuvams in it and also as to how the three layers of meanings namely , the essence of 3 thaththuvams, the prapatti yOgam and eswaran connects to each other. The thathuva artham thus forms the physical body and the prapatti angam the soul and the Isvaran the paramAthman,and HIS lotus feet. There are many ways as to why the inner most meaning contains only Isvaran and nothing other than HIM. ie. as the antharyamin of this pasruam it is only eswaran who is present in it. One way of seeing, is from the very first and last words of pAsurams as where it starts and where it ends. The first word if " nin " ie " Oh lord Your " and the last word is ninnaiye " Oh Lord yours only " . ie. , the pasuram itself starts from HIM and ends in HIM as similar to how the creations orginate from HIM and ends with HIM. This itself is sufficent to show that the antharyAmin for this pAsuram is the LORD HIMself. It is now our desire to go into each and every line of this pAsuram and serach for the links for our soul with the antharyAmin in it. The first line explains about kArpanyam angam. nin aruLAM gathi anRi maRRonRillEn Swami Desikan reached a stage at which he addressed the Lord as " nin " , ie., this is a very personal way of one to one relationship the jivAtma has reached with the paramAtmA. The word " nin " is a second person. One must note that azwars and swami desikan have addressed the Lord en kaNNan, en appan,thirumAL, pugunthavan, and many others.These are all the examples as to how they addressed the Lord as third persons. Here, the intimacy is reached such that the pura vulagu or the external world and its attachments have thinned out as Swami Desikan addresses the Lord as " nin " ie., I have no other state of freedom or gathi than Your aruL sudanthiram. Thus,the word aruL has to be understood prior to understanding this kArpanyam angam. aruL : AruL in tamil has many meanings. The notable philosopher Mr Paul Brenton who mastered Hindu philosophy once said that there is no equivalent word in any language to substitute the complex and layers of meanings that the tamil word " AruL " has. Such is the word that offers the central theme for this line and this angam. The first meaning for aruL is such that it is thAyAr or mahAlakshmi. ie., aruL itself means Lakshmi. The meaning for aruL is also such that aruL is addressed as aruL veLi or the " domain of aruL " . ie., aruL is itself a veLi or something that is spread outside in this universe without any limits. If someone starts drawing borders for aruL then the word will lose its very meaning. That is why it is also presented earlier that when one surrenders all their freedom they need not feel shy or sad, as they then enter the domain of the Lord and qualify for the freedom known as Lord's aruL sudanthiram. This aruL freedom is a domain that has no limits. AruL also means one's thaNmai or one's nature. ie., it is natural for the lord to have this sakthi or domain with HIM always it seems. AruL also means anAthi iyaRkai ie., the nature that has no begining and end. ie., aruL was never created as one's nature and it is always been part of one as its nature eternally. arul means para nYAnam. para nyAnam means the knowledge that is ever present. aruL also means most importantly the asaivu or movement of the Athman. This is the most importanat meaning for prapanna as this movement is the one he is left with at the end. Lord's compassion is also known in tamil as aruL. aruL is also the capacity or pakkuvam of the buddhi to catogerise good and bad, and to understand the vedic srutis and through that pave the way for the good of the Athman and according to each and everyone's tharam or standard or level what ever vasthu such person want to know, such capacity becomes the aruL for them. AzwAr delivered aruL in scores of pasurams. Only a few are mentioned herewith. Thirumangai delivered " aNdAy unaik kAnbathOr aruL ennaku aruLithiyEl " ie., here he addressed arul first as a bAgyam or koduppinai or the " gathi " to have the prathyaksha darshanam of thiruviNNagarAn. Secondly he is asking the same as a boon or something divinley given ie., the word aruL is addressed as a boon. In another pAsuram on oppiliappan he delivers " un aruL ennum Or vaL uruvi erinthEn " . Here, he addresses aruL as a karuvi or the holy sword that cuts off all the samsaric ills. Azwars have also called aruL with various adaimozhis such as pon aruL, un aruL, pEr aruL, thiru aruL etc., and Saint vaLLalAr in his magnum opus " thiru aruL paa " addresses the param poruL as aruL perum jOthi thus glorifying the different forms of aruL. AzwArs themselves used aruL for several pathams also. It is worth discussing aruL for several hours in a lecture as referred from AzwAr pAsuram itself. However,we move on to understand aruL and its nature of existance further. How is aruL existing in this universe ? what are the different common modes inn which aruL can be identified ? kAnbAr kAnumidam kAnap padumidam - ie., for those who see a place, it is seen there aRivAr ariyumidam ariyap padumidam - ie., for those who learn from a source, it is that source for such learners;for those who tastes it - it is the material that they taste.anubavippAr anubavikkumidam anibaviakka padum idam - ie ., for those who experience it, it is such state of experience.mugaruvAr - mugarumidam - for those who infer it is the thing that they infer. kEtpar kEtkumidam - for those who listen, it is the aruL mozhi that they listen (from achAryALs). How can one get such aruL ? One just have to enquire through his or her buddhi, the three thaththuvams and analyse the good and bad, and approach an achAryAL who is the embodiment of good alone, and involve in serving him by doing his thiru paNi and do the errand and other works or assignments that he will assign as aruL kattaLai (order of aruL) and one must do such without pausing to ask questions or stopping ie.,non stop. Only such bAgwatha bagwath kaimkaryam will fetch one the aruL of the Lord. Swami Desikan thiruvadikaLE saraNam Sri Boomi devi thAyAr samEtha Sri Oppiliappan thiruvadikaLE saraNam Sampath Rengarajan Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
