SrI UpakAra Sangraham Part - 66

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srI:

SrI upakAra sangraham – 66

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adikAram – 1

poorva upakAra paramparai

(The Foremost Series of Favours)

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SECTION – 5 (21)

(27 Favours of the Lord leading to the means for

MOKSHAM)

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Once the treasure-house of valuable messages

contained in the three mantras has been opened for us

by the Lord through the medium of AchArya, what the

disciple has to do is revealed in this sub-section by

SwAmi Desikan:

 

(21) ippadi sAnugraha-nAna sadAchArya-nAlE

upadiShTangkaLAna sadarthangkaLil

“upadiShTEpyavishvastah” ennum avasthai vArAthapadi

paNNinathuvum;

 

The Lord does another favour by preventing the

disciple who has obtained the valuable instructions

from the compassionate AchArya, from falling in to a

situation of non-belief in the messages given by his

AchArya:

 

“upadiShTEpyavishvastah” ennum avasthai vArAthapadi

-- not getting in to the situation where the disciple

becomes a “non-believer in the instructions”. This is

also a favour conferred by the Lord.

 

To understand this, we must study the scriptural

instructions regarding the conduct of a disciple after

he receives the valuable knowledge sought from his

AchArya. If these are not followed, he will get in to

the avoidable situation referred to above.

 

What is expected of the disciple?

 

The disciple bringing the Guru to light before others

and not doing so are due to the high devotion or the

lack of it on his part. It has been stated the

shESha-samhita:

 

“gurum prakAshatEddheemAn mantram yatnEna gOpayEt /

aprakAsha-prakAshAbhyAm kSheeyEtE sampadAyuShee //”

(shESha-samhita, 14-50)

 

(The wise man should bring his guru to light, make

famous, and should guard the sacred mantra with great

care; from the omission to bring his guru to light and

by revealing the mantra, he declines in wealth of

knowledge and in age (spiritual standing).)

 

It is well known from Kata shruti and JAbAla shruti

that all desired knowledge arises from supreme

devotion to the guru resembling the devotion to

BhagavAn. This is learnt also from the episode of

Sanjaya seeing the entire war in detail in

KurukShEtra, as if they occurred before him, as the

result of his supreme devotion to his guru, VyAsa.

 

In our sampradAya, we should to recite the following

verse, which has been given to us by SwAmi Desikan:

 

 

“ennuyir thanthaLitthavaraic caraNam pukku

yAndaivE avarkurukkaL nirai vaNangkip

pinnaruLAl perumpoothur vanta vaLLal

periyanambi ALvanthAr maNakkAlnambhi

nanneRiyai avarkkuraitta uyyakkoNdAr

nAthamuni shatagopan cEnainAthan

innamudat thirumakaL enRivarai munnittu

emperumAn thiruvadikaL adaikinREnE.”

(SrImadrahasya-traya-sAram, 3)

 

(Having sought the protection of my guru who has

graciously taught me that BhagavAn is the Inner Self

within me, and having also bowed with devotion to the

line of his gurus, I seek the refuge at the feet of

the Lord; after bowing at the feet of that generous

soul who appeared in SrI Perumpoothur owing to his

compassion (for his fellow-men), his guru, Periya

Nambi, ALavanthAr, MaNakkAl Nambi, UyyakkondAr (who

taught the good path of prapatti to MaNakkAl Nambi),

NAthamuni (the guru of UyyakkondAr), shatagopan

(NammAzhvAr) (the guru of NAthamuni) and ViShvaksEna

(the guru of NammAzhvAr) and then, the gracious

LakShmI, sweet to the Lord as ambrosia.)

 

SwAmi Desikan has in detail explained the duties of a

disciple towards his AchArya in the

shiShya-krutyAdhikArah, in SrI rahasyatrayasAram. In

the opening verse, he says:

 

“ashithila-gurubhaktih tatprashamsAdi-sheelah

pracura-bahumatih

tadvastu-vAstvAdikEpi /

guNavati viniyOktum gOpayan sampradAyam

krutavidanaghavruttih kim na

vindEnnidhAnam //”

 

(The disciple should be staunch in his devotion to the

guru; he should be intent on doing such things as

spreading the fame of his guru and rendering service

to him; he should have the greatest regard for such

things as his guru’s property and his home; he should

guard the spiritual tradition in order to hand it on

to another who is worthy; the disciple who is grateful

and is perfect in his performance of the ordained

rites, is he not sure to attain the treasure, namely,

BhagavAn?)

 

The scriptures say that since the AchArya reveals the

meanings of religion like the one who reveals to a

poor man the existence of a great treasure within his

house, the disciple should feel grateful to the

AchArya, who is the great benefactor, and never do

anything against his interests. When the disciple is

asked to behave properly to the guru, it is not to say

that, by doing so, he will make due recompense for

what the guru has done to him, but that he would then

avoid the evil consequences. Some of the duties of

the disciple, like prostration and salutation are

mentioned not as a recompense to the AchArya, who does

not expect any such return and imparts instruction

merely as a matter of duty; for it has been said:

 

“krupayA niHspruhO vadEt” (shAndilya-smriti) --

 

The guru should teach out of compassion and without

any desire for profit.

 

When the scriptures state that the disciple should

behave towards the guru as towards BhagavAn Himself

and should have affection as to the Lord, they do not

prescribe the offer of a fee or recompense. They give

the advice merely in order that the disciple who has

the shAstra for his eyes may not become blind of

vision with eyes wide open, and in order that he may

not lose this blissful experience which resembles the

experience of BhagavAn.

 

It has also been prescribed the duties of a disciple,

which include the protection of the essence of the

three mantras. The imparting of instruction should be

preceded by meditation of the succession gurus.

 

SwAmi Desikan summarizes the duties of a disciple in

a verse:

 

“ERRi manatthu ezhil j~nAna viLakkai iruLanaitthum

mARRinavarkku oru kaimARu mAyanum

kANkillAn;

pORRI ukappathum punthiyil koLvathum

pongkupukazh

cARRi vaLarppathum caRRallavO munnam

peRRathaRkE.”

 

(Even MAyan, the Lord, cannot know the AchArya who

dispelled all the darkness in the mind by lighting the

bright lamp of wisdom within. Therefore, for what was

received before from the AchArya; it is indeed very

little that is done by the disciple in recounting his

praise with delight, in constant meditation of him,

and in extending his growing fame.)

 

Thus, the Lord has done a favour by making us to do

the duty towards the AchArya who has taught us the

essence of the spiritual knowledge; it is by

preventing any non-belief to enter in our minds in

words of the AchArya. This is the message conveyed in

this sub-section by SwAmi Desikan.

 

(To continue)

dAsan

Anbil S.SrInivAsan

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