I intend to translate and discuss some selected sayings from a book of the 13th century AD. It is Varthamalai, meaning "The Garland of Sayings'. It is an anthology by the great Pinbazhagiya Perumal Jeer. He has also written the famous AaRayirappadi Guruparamparaa Prabhavam, an hagiographical record of the Guruparampara of Sri Vaishnavism.
This anthology reminds me the two-volumed The Garland of Philip. Also in the complete works of Aristotle, he has attempted some 'anthological' record of ancient anecdotes and sayings. So in any great culture, it is natural that some attempts in collecting and preserving the great sayings should have happened.
Sri Nathamunigal of the tenth century C.E. came across an oral recitation of the Tamil Vishnu Bhakthi. The recitation spoke of a thosand more of which that particular piece formed a part. Intrigued by the reference, Sri Nathamuni set out to search. By the grace of Nammalvaar, he came across not only the whole thousand but also the total four-thousand of Divine Inebriations of the Ecstatic Twelve Alwars. That find trail blazed a unique Path of Authentic Mysticism.
Sri Ramanuja came in the line, eagerly awaited by the line of teachers before him, to fulfill the mission of Sri Nathamuni and to materialize the great vision of Sri Nammalavaar, the chief among the twelve. That vision put in one word is Bhakthiroopaapannajnanaa. Jnaana, which has attained format of Bhakthi. Bhakthi Roopa aapanna jnaanam. Aapanna is 'having attained'. Jnaana having attained Bhakthi Roopa.
Visishtaadhvaita was the system which housed this magnanimous vision and the multifaceted mission of Sri Nathamuni in the Proto- Methodology of Vedantha Sutras of Sri Veda Vyasa. Sri Ramanuja was followed by a whole community of scholars and mystics, who benefited in exchange among themselves of their close and deep study and devotional raptures of self-abandon. Many teachers were proficient in both scholarship and unique mystic prowess of Prapatthi. Sri Nampillai was one such Master, throwing deep and vast light on the Tamil Vedantha.
Sri Pinbazhagiya Perumal Jeer was the disciple of Sri Nampillai, the great exponent of the illustrious Eedu Vyakyana, a colossal commentary on Thiruvaymozhi. This Varthamaalai consists in all some 450 and odd sayings. These throw some unique light on rarefied nuances of Prapatthi NeRi - the Way of Surrender. It is in manipravala style of middle ages Tamil. If you know some basics of Sanskrit and some familiarity with the literary Tamil, you can very easily familiarize yourself with the mixed style of the Gem(mani?) and the Coral(pravaala?).
Let's proceed with the work.
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Sayings 1
This Saying deals with the general pattern of any philosophy or theology. Man's whole life, whether mundane or spiritual, can be understood under a common pattern. Only the contents differ. But the care and the concern remain the same.
The so called worldly person, I doubt very much whether such a person can be found as a separate entity, engages in the same format, in which a deeply spiritual personality finds the ultimate meaning of life.
What a person considers as the most essential for his life differs. But such a consideration applies equally to all.
What a person understands constitutes his world view. That becomes his workable philosophy and that philosophy determines what he wants to achieve. And also the means he chooses to achieve what he wants.
Understanding the Tattwas, understanding the Hita, understanding the Purushaartha -- all these three constitute the great program of Knowing.
To know is to know these three.
Knowing the Tattwas centers around really knowing the self-definitions of the ultimate three, which are chit, achit, Iswara.
So knowing the Tattwas can be also termed as knowing the self-definitions of the ultimates.
Knowing the self-definitions of all the three tattwas ultimately is based on knowing the self-definition of one's own self.
Swaroopa means 'the form of one's own'. It also means the definition of a thing. A substance's swaroopa is its essential characteristics i.e. its self-definition.
So swaroopa-jnaana forms the basis of the whole project of knowing.
Next comes the knowledge of the goal. What we want to achieve rests on what self-definition we have. The goal is called the Purushaartha.
Arthaa is the meaning or the values. The meaning or the values a Purusha wants to achieve is called Purushaartha.
So next to swaroopa jnaana comes the purushaartha jnaana.
Knowing the values one wants to achieve calls for knowing the means proper to achieve them.
The means are called Upaaya. Upaaya, the way is determined by the Goal, Purushaartha.
This grand equation rests squarely on the basic knowledge of one's own self-definition.
These three types of knowledge will differ from worldly persons to spiritual persons. In fact it is this difference that distinguishes one from the other.
Now the saying --
"What all one needs to know are these three - swaroopa, purushaartha, upaya. This applies to Sri Vaishnavas and again to worldly people.
For the Sri Vaishnavas this knowledge comes out of their knowing the self, knowing the means to attain the goal and knowing the goal to be achieved.
For the worldly people this knowledge of the three, comes out of ignorance, knowing wrongly about things and mistakenly knowing one thing for another.- ajnaana, anyathaa jnaana and vipareetha jnaana.
The worldly people think of their own body as their self and being satisfied in that defines their own essential being as the body-centered. That is their swaroopa jnaana.
They think that enjoying the external pleasures by their body is the ultimate goal in life. That is their purushaarthaa.
To achieve such worldly goals their own effort by their body and mind constitutes the proper means for them. That is their Upaya or sadhana.
Such is the steadfastness or the nishtaa of the worldly people.
Sri Vaishnavas consider being sub-servient to Bhagavan, Bhagavat seshathvaa as their swaroopa or self-definition.
To do service as defined by their self-knowledge, to do kainkarya to Bhagavan is their Purushaartha.
To achieve this purushaartha, Sri Vaishanavas consider His Blessed Feet as the Upaya. That is, He himself stands as the sole means towards such a goal.
Such is the steadfastness or nishtaa of Sri Vaishnavaas.
The definition of one's own self-nature denotes that essentially the self belongs to Bhagavaan and He alone and not to anybody or anything else.
The essential definition of the nature of Bhagavan centers around His being coupled with His Divine Consort.
That which constitutes essentially the impediments on the way is ahankaara, egoism.
That which constitutes essentially the Upaya or the means is His Grace.
Pala or the ends achieved rests essentially in engaging in such intimate acts which elicit His Divine Pleasure.
(A thing can be also thought of in terms of its Form and Being. To think of the soul in such a way..... )
The jnaana and the ananda (bliss) that comes out of enjoying the blessed union of the Divine Couple constitutes the essential Form of the self.
The Divine Couple getting pleased by the understanding, empathy and dedicated and willing service of the soul constitutes the essential Being of the self.
This is Acchaan Pillai's sayings.
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(Original Manipravala Text)
வார்த்தாமாலை, பின்பழகிய பெருமாள் ஜீயர் சேர்த்தருளியது,
ஸுதர்சனம் ஆசிரியர் இயற்றிய வார்த்தாமாலை அரும்பத விவரணத்துடன் ஸுதர்சனம் வெளியீடு
பதிப்பாசிரியர் -- ஸ்ரீ S கிருஷ்ணஸ்வாமி அய்யங்கார் MA BL
1983
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முதல் வார்த்தை
ஒருவனுக்கு அறிய வேண்டுவது, ஸ்வரூப புருஷார்த்த உபாயங்கள்.
இதுதான் ஸ்ரீவைஷ்ணவர்களுக்கும், ஸம்ஸாரிகளுக்கும் வேணும்.
ஸ்ரீவைஷ்ணவர்களுக்கு ஸ்வஜ்ஞாந, ப்ராபக ஜ்ஞாந, ப்ராப்யஜ்ஞாநம் அடியாக வருவதொன்று.
ஸம்ஸாரிகளுக்கு அஜ்ஞாந, அந்யதாஜ்ஞாந, விபரீத ஜ்ஞாநம் அடியாக வருவதொன்று.
ஸம்ஸாரிகள், ஸ்வதேஹாத்ம அபிமாநமே ஸ்வரூபம் என்றும், தேஹாந்தர அநுபவமே புருஷார்த்தம் என்றும், ஸ்வதேஹ வ்யாபாரமே தத் ஸாதநம் என்றும் இருப்பர்கள்.
இது இவர்கள் நிஷ்டை.
ஸ்ரீவைஷ்ணவர்கள், பகவத் சேஷத்வமே ஸ்வரூபம் என்றும், பகவத் கைங்கர்யமே புருஷார்த்தம் என்றும், இப்புருஷார்த்த ஸித்திக்கு தத் சரணாரவிந்த த்வயமே உபாயம் என்றும் இருப்பர்கள்.
இது இவர்கள் நிஷ்டை.
ஸ்வஸ்வரூபம் -- அநந்யார்ஹம்;
பரஸ்வரூபம் -- மிதுநம்;
விரோதி ஸ்வரூபம் -- அஹங்காரம்;
உபாய ஸ்வரூபம் -- அவன் க்ருபை;
பல ஸ்வரூபம் -- அவனுகந்த அந்தரங்க வ்ருத்தி;
மிதுநோத்பந்ந ஜ்ஞாநந்தம் -- வடிவு;
ப்ரீதி -- ஸத்தை;
போகத்திலே அந்வயம்.
இது ஆச்சான்பிள்ளை வார்த்தை.
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Srirangam V Mohanarangan
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