SrI UpakAra Sangraham Part - 67

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srI:

SrI upakAra sangraham – 67

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adikAram – 1

poorva upakAra paramparai

(The Foremost Series of Favours)

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SECTION – 5 (22)

(27 Favours of the Lord leading to the means for

MOKSHAM)

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The message conveyed in the previous sub-section is

being continued by SwAmi Desikan further in this

sub-section:

 

(22) “dEvatA-teerta-tapasAm bhAratAt yasya nirNayah /

na janyatE nAstiktA tasya meemAmsakairapi //”

 

enkiRapadiyE oruvrAlum nAstikyam

pukuravidavoNNAthapadi, ‘AstikO dharmasheelashca’

ityAtikaLil conna shiShya-lakShaNa-poortiyai

uNdAkkinathuvum;

 

We just saw how the Lord prevents the down-fall of

the disciple after receiving the spiritual knowledge

from his AchArya. His duties towards his AchArya were

also described. Thus the characteristics of an ideal

disciple will be complete only when he stands firm in

his faith in the knowledge given by his AchArya. He

should be firm not only in his faith in the

scriptures, but also in executing the dhArmic rites as

enunciated in the scriptures as practiced by his

AchArya and the previous ones. This is what stated as

‘AstikO dharmasheelashca’ ityAtikaLil conna

shiShya-lakShaNa-poortiyai uNdAkkinathuvum; -- The

firm faith in the scriptures and the firm practice of

the dhArmic activities prescribed make a disciple

perfect.

 

Even then, there is a possibility of the disciple

facing challenges from other faiths, particularly, the

poorva-meemAmsakas, who also follow Vedic scriptures.

One who studies the basics of their system is likely

to be carried away by them. But those who have gained

a definite knowledge about the existence of devatas,

holy rivers and religious austerities, will not be

turned non-believers even by the poorva-meemAmsakas.

This is what that is asserted by the slOka mentioned

above:

 

“dEvatA-teerta-tapasAm bhAratAt yasya nirNayah /

na janyatE nAstikatA tasya meemAmsakairapi //”

 

(The person who has gained a firm knowledge about the

gods, holy-places and austerities from Sri

MahAbhArata, cannot be shaken by meemAmsakas

(poorv-meemamsakas) to give up his belief. That is, he

will not be turned into a nAstika [non-believer].)

 

He will continue to perform his duties as taught by

his AchArya and remain a real disciple.

 

The Poorva-meemamsa System denies the existence of

devatas in the form of intelligent beings. It stresses

that the Vedas are the supreme authority and the

performing of karmas as outlined in the Vedas alone

give the benefits desired by a person and those

benefits are given by the yagnas performed and not the

devatas. The names mentioned in the mantras with which

one performs the rites are mere names only. Actually

no intelligent beings indicated by those names exist.

The benefits which are to be gained after one’s death

are conferred by a thing called “apoorvam” which is

created by the performance of the karma by the person

concerned. The highest goal one can attain by the

performance of the karma is heaven for a period for

which the particular karma was performed. After that

period is over, he will be born again in the world and

has to perform another karma for a similar or

different benefit. Since the poorva-meemAmsakas say

they believe in the existence of God too, but by

inference.

 

Even though the meemAmsakas established the existence

of Atma as a separate entity different from the

physical body through logic, those who follow the

Brahma meemAmsa can remain safe as this Atma-vicAram

can be got from the Vedanta portion of the Vedas, and

do the karmas as a bhagavad ArAdhanam. What

poorva-meemAmsakas preach is pravrutti dharma, which

promotes this worldly existence and activities, while

the real beneficial path is nivrutti dharma, which is

renunciation of the fruits of the karmas done by us.

MeemAmsa shAstra is of a total of 20 chapters, as

established by SrIbhAshyakAra in his ShrIbhAshyam, as

opposed to the stand of the poorva-meemAmsaka that

only the first 16 chapters are alone valid for study

as they deal with karmas and related subjects. If one

believes in their concept he is like a blind who falls

into an abandoned well.

 

In order to prevent this, SwAmi Desikan has left us

three works, namely, “Paramata Bhangah”, “shEShvara

MeemAnmsa” and “MeemAmsa PAdukA”. The truth has also

been brought out in his other grantas like

“Tattva-teekai”.

 

It would be useful to keep these two verses of SwAmi

Desikan’s “Paramata Bhangam” in our mind, to avoid

being carried away by the arguments of people on the

line of poorva-meemAmsaka siddhAnta:

 

“eeacanum maRRaNangkum ilathenRu, ezhilnAn maRaiyil

pEciya nalvinaiyAl, perumpAzhukku neer iRaikkum

neesarai neethikaLAl nigamAnthatthin noolvzhiyE

mAcilmanam kodutthum maRu mARRangkaL mARRuvamE.”

 

(MeemAmsakas do not accept Ishvara and other devatas

like Indra. They maintain that the fruits of the

rituals performed by persons for such purpose, are

given by a factor which they call “apoorvam” arising

out of those rituals. For them, sound is the devata.

In their system, they do not accept the physical

existence of devatas, nor do they accept that such

devatas are pleased to receive the havish from the

rituals and later shower the fruits on the performer

of those rituals as a result. They are akin to those

who water the waste lands. We will condemn these

lower-graders with the help of logic based on the

Vedanta shAstras, with a spotless mind.)

 

“kamaikadal pOl oruneerAm cootthiratthaik

kavanthanaiyum irAkuvaiyum pOlak kaNdu

ninaivudanE nilaittharumam ikanthu niRkum

neecar nilai nilai-nAdA vaNNam eNNi

vinaiparavu caiminiyAr vEdanoolai

vEdAntha nooludanE virakAl kOttha

munaiyudaiya muzhumathi nam munivar conna

mozhivazhiyE vazhiyenRu muyanRittOmE.”

 

(Our siddhAnta considers both the former and latter

meemAmsas as a single scripture. It is just like,

though the ocean is only one, it used to be called

‘this sea and that sea’ by people for practical

purposes. Similarly, the single scripture is divided

in to two parts as poorva meemAmsa and

uttara-meemAmsa. PoorvAchAryas like BhOdAyanar,

AlavandAr, SrIbhAshyakArar have established that both

meemAmsas are a single scripture with two parts, the

earlier part being about the karmas to be performed as

bhagavad-ArAdhana and the later part being about the

BhagavAn. We follow the path shown by these wise men

as the best for us.)

 

Therefore, one who has gained a superior knowledge by

the study of the uttara-meemAmsa and is adopting the

means to attain mOkSha will not be carried by these

petty attractions, like wealth in this world or

heaven.

 

It may appear that the previous

sub-section and this subsection speak about the same

matter. But it will not appear so if we look at them

closely. The previous sub-section dealt with the duty

of a disciple in having full faith in his AchArya who,

out of compassion, taught him the essence of the

spiritual scriptures, while this sub-section dealt

with the need for the disciple to have a firm faith in

the subject matter taught by the AchArya. This faith

should not be shaken by the superficially good-looking

arguments of the poorva-meemAmsakas who don’t believe

in the existence of the Lord.

 

The creation of this firm belief is another favour

done by the Lord, points out SwAmi Desikan in this

sub-section.

 

[Note: It may appear that this part is not relevant

to the present age. It is, however, emphasized that,

it is relevant considering the presence of people who

do not believe in the existence of God or in the Vedic

scriptures and they are being in influent position. It

is likely some of us may be influenced by their

propaganda. Hence, this sub-section is necessary.]

 

 

(To continue)

dAsan

Anbil S.SrInivAsan

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