carama slOkam - 3(concluding part)

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srisailEsa dayApAtram dhIbhaktyAdi guNArNavam |

yatIndrapravaNam vandE ramya jAmAtaram munim ||

 

carama slOkam(Supreme secret that grants mOksa)

---

sarvadharmAn parityajya mAm Ekam saraNam vraja |

aham tvA sarvapApEbhyO mOksaiSyAmi mA suca: || (BG 18:66)

 

Abandoning all duties,adopt Me alone as your refuge;I shall liberate

you from all sins(mOksa),grieve not

---

Continuation of "sarvadharmAn parityajya mAm Ekam saraNam vraja" and

this is the concluding post also.

 

PiLLai lOkAchAryA[sVB 129-31]says: bhaktiyOgA,like

incantations taught in the sAstrAs,is only a provisional means. It is

enjoined initially to the ignorant and later prohibited once they

have obtained greater understanding.

 

PiLLai lOkAchArya[Mumu 205-210]says: "some may argue that

by relinquishing all dharmAs,adharmAs will enter. But that is wrong".

Since the word dharmA includes sAstric commands to refrain

from evil deeds(adharmAs)and also do good deeds,by relinquishing

it,one might conclude that he is allowed to perform these adharmAs.

That is wrong because if one looks at oneself,the Lord and the

goal,there is no way for these adharmAs to enter.

 

MaNavALa mAmunigaL in this context explains that the

command to relinquish these dharmAs can not mean "do adharmAs" given

the nature of the soul,the Lord and the ultimate goal of the soul.

When the Lord is standing how can adharmAs enter???? So srirangam

AchAryAs say that the Lord first enjoins arjunA to give up these

dharmAs taught in the first part of the Bhagavad Gita(as they are

contrary to the svarUpa)and then arjunA is told to surrender to the

Lord,the Eternal DharmA and true upAya.

 

This again brings up the question: "why the Lord first

taught these other means in Bhagavad Gita and other scriptures?"

 

PiLLai lOkAchArya[Mumu 267-9]explains this with an

analogy illustrating the provisional value of bhaktiyOgA and sAstric

sAdhanAs in the process of salvation:

"All that has happened so far is to test arjunA's heart.

vEdAs enjoin other upAyas,just as people fasten a log to an unruly

cow,in order to remove the wilfulness arising from egoism(ahankAra)

and possessiveness(mamakAra) and to give rise to knowledge of one's

true nature(svarUpa jnAna). Just as a sannyAsi gives up previous

stages of life(sannyAsi can't back to grhasta life),one who has

attained this knowledge gives up these other means and no fault will

occur in doing so.

 

MaNavALa mAmunigaL in his commentary[Mumu 267-9]

explains:"In order to obstruct and control a cow that wanders astray

into others' fields while grazing, people tie a log to its neck. Same

way,the soul is wandering in wrong direction/path under the sway of

egoism and possessiveness. When the individual is oppressed by

difficult requirements(of performing karmayOgAs,torturing the senses

etc)that are physically exacting and exhausting,wilfulness will go

away and then the knowledge of his true nature(dependence on the Lord)

will arise. Just as a sannyAsi(last of Asrama) gives up the duties of

previous stages of life,one with this "ripened" knowledge will solely

employ SiddhOpAya(Lord Himeslf)for he knows that "other" upAyas are

contrary to the soul's true nature. There will be no fault if he

gives up these other upAyas.

 

---

Since the difference in the views of Srirangam and kAnchi

AchAryAs lies in the interpretation of only the first verse/line of

the carama slOkam,this post is concluded with the foll:

 

"sarvadharmAn parityajya mAm Ekam saraNam vraja"

 

Srirangam AchAryAs:neither bhakti/prapatti is an upAya. Lord alone is

the SiddhOpAya

 

KAnchi AchAryAs:bhakti/prapatti is a sAdhyOpAya.

 

Note:sAdhyam-effort(to be accomplished);siddha-no effort(already

accomplished)

 

Goal/upEya(the Lord)is the same as per the views of both.

 

Abbreviations used in the post:

 

BG - Bhagavad Gita by Lord SriKrSNA

SBh & GBh - Sri BhASya & Gita BhASya by Bhagavad RAmAnujA

SVB - Sri Vacana BhUSaNam by PiLLai lOkAchAryA;also commentary by

MaNavALa mAmunigaL

AH - AchArya Hrdayam by Azhagiya MaNavALa PerumAL NAyanAr; also

commentary by MaNavALa mAmunigaL

JS - JnAna SAra by AruLALa PerumAL EmperumAnAr; also commentary

by MaNavALa mAmunigaL

Mumu - Mumukshuppadi by PiLLai lOkAchAryA; also commentary by

MaNavALa mAmunigaL

Mumukshu - one who desires mOksA

bubhukshu - who desires material/wordly pleasures

---

Samjaya uvAca(Samjaya is the witness and his verse is the last of

18th Chapter and also the Bhagavad Gita)

 

yatra yOgEswarah KrSNO yatra pArThO dhanurdharah |

tatra srir vijayO bhUtir dhruvA nItir matir mama || (BG 18:78)

 

Whereever there is KrSNA,the Lord of YOgA,whereever there is

ArjunA,the archer,there will surely by splendour,victory,wealth and

righteousness;this is my conviction

---

 

Sri MaNavALa mAmunigaL(Lord's AchAryA) did not compose

anythig new but all he did was to write commentaries on

and "safeguard" the pUrvAchAryAs' works.

 

AzhvAr EmperumAnAr Jeeyar TiruvadigaLE saraNam

Periya Jeeyar TiruvadigaLE saraNam

Tirumalai Nallan Chakravarthy Nappinnai