SrI UpakAra Sangraham Part - 28

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srI:

SrI upakAra sangraham – 28

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adikAram – 1

poorva upakAra paramparai

(The Foremost Series of Favours)

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SECTION – 5

(27 Favours of the Lord leading to the means

for MOKSHAM)

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SwAmi Desikan has so far been explaining the favours

being done by the Lord preliminarily. The Lord emerges

as the repository of compassion, patience and

determination, but without an iota of discrimination.

He is the Tallest and the Ultimate. At the same time,

in simplicity, there is no match for Him, not to talk

of a superior to Him. In the technical parlance, He is

a combination of paratvam and saulabhyam.

 

It is also to show that the Lord doesn't stop with

creating shESha-s , attendants, but promoting the

jIvA-s to the pedestal equal to His, SwAmi Desikan

further describes the favours granted by Him towards

the attainment of liberation too.

 

In this Fifth Section of the First Chapter, SwAmi

Desikan lists as many as 27 favours which the Lord

accords to the jIvA enabling him to attain Sri

VaikuNtam.

 

We shall take up one by one.

 

(1) iv ajnAta-sukrutAdi-kaLukku prasnna-nAy,

" janmAntara-sahasrEShu yA buddhir-bhAvitA purA "

ityAdikaLin- padiyE viparIta-vAsanA-dArDhya-ttAlE

upadEsha-nairartthakyam piRavAtapadi, " yam tu karmaNi

yasmin saH nyayu~Nkta prathamam prabhuH "

ityAdikaLinpadiyE, vishEShittu nammai

sukruta-vAsanA-pravAha-hEtu-vAna sAttvika-sruShtiyilE

kuuttinatuvum;

 

In the post-recovery stage, the Lord confers His

first favour by including the jIvA in the births of

virtuous quality (sAtvika births). This is the central

message of this first para. We have to understand how

this is achieved, that is, one must be born to parents

of sAtvika -- virtuous - nature. Is it in our hands?

No. It is done by the Lord. So, we can not choose the

family in which we can take birth. Individual souls

are not free to do this as it is not in their control.

However, we need not feel dejected, if we go through

the entire paragraph.

 

The question in our minds now is: How to get

ourselves born in a virtuous family?

 

" janmAntara-sahasrEshu yA buddhir-bhAvitA purA "

ityAdikaLin padiyE "

 

In our present life, everyone has a type of 'buddhi',

intellect.

 

" janmAntara-sahasrEshu yA buddhir-bhAvitA purA " --

This is the same as we had in our previous births, may

be running into thousands.

 

If we had developed an intellect of good nature,

called " sAtvika buddhi " , we will now be sAtvika -

virtuous. If we had developed " rAjasIka buddhi "

(intellect based passion, anger and enmity), our birth

will be accordingly in a family of similar type. In

case, we had developed in our past life, a quality of

dullness, laziness, and sinful nature, our birth will

also be of such nature (tAmasika).

 

So, we can forget the past. At least now, in this

birth, we can make efforts to develop virtuous

character. This is in our hands. As the Lord stated in

the Gita, He will certainly help us in our effort. But

the initiative has to come from us.

 

Such bad births are due to the nature one had in the

previous birth, which is called, " pUrva vAsanA " --

 

" viparIta-vAsanA-dArDhya-ttAlE " -- If the previous

karma residue was utterly bad, in the current birth

the same will continue.

 

" upadEsha-nairartthakyam piRavAtapadi " case,

there had been good instruction in the earlier birth,

it will not go waste. It will continue in the current

birth and the jIvA will make further progress in that

direction. SwAmi Desikan bases this fact on the Manu

Smriti's statement to this effect:

 

" yam tu karmaNi yasmin saH nyayu~Nkta prathamam

prabhuH " ityAdikaLin-padiyE, --

 

Here is the full verse from the scripture, Manu

Smriti --

 

yam tu karmaNi yasmin sa nyayungkta prathamam

prabhuH /

sa tadEva svayam bhEjE srujyamAnaH punaH punaH //

(1-28)

 

(Thus, without out-stepping the rules laid down by

the Lord, jIvA-s take new births as per the nature

acquired in their previous births.)

 

It is emphasized by SwAmi Desikan that no one can

violate the Divine Rules laid down by the Lord

Himself. In our sanAtana dharma, we are guided by the

Manu Smriti which has spelt out the way of life for

all according to their nature of birth. In the case

of the fortunate jIvA, who had a good turning point in

the previous birth on account of an unknown virtuous

act, he gets a birth with an opportunity to further

continue the newly acquired virtuous nature.

 

This is what is referred to by SwAmi Desikan here:-

 

" vishEShittu nammai sukruta-vAsanA-pravAha-hEtu-vAna

sAtvik-sruShtiyilE kuuttinatuvum; "

 

The Lord takes a special interest in ensuring a

virtuous birth (sAtvika sruShti) for the jIvA, chosen

by Him in the previous life, simply on account of a

speck of virtuous act he did without his own

knowledge. That flow of virtue nature which originated

as a small stream, grows further into a big river,

which acquires further holiness due to continuous acts

of virtuous nature in the current birth of the jIvA.

According to SwAmi Desikan, this is the first favour

conferred by the Lord on this jIvA to lead him towards

the eternal Bliss lying ahead.

(To continue)

dAsan

Anbil S. SrInivAsan

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