Overcoming the stresses and strains of everyday life and achieving perpetual bliss is the ultimate benefit a jivatma seeks. The way to reach this goal is presented thus in SriVaishnava siddhanta[1]:
Wealth and want, delight, distress, disease, downsides They come and go – fret not over them. Of Him who wants nothing, ask nothing – simply sing His glories The heights of bliss are yours. (Prameyasaram: 8)[2]
If we see things as they are, ‘Mine’ cannot be severed from the whole. To Him who lacks nothing, what can we give? What can we tell? We who have nothing to claim as ‘ours’. (Prameyasaram: 6)[3]
I have nothing, nor do you – So we’re both on a level. Has anyone said so and won over God? He lacks nothing nor do we as we’re all His. Observe this path shown by the Veda. [4], [5]. (Prameyasaram: 7)
This Vedic path, which is affirmed as the surefire way to moksha[6] or liberation from the vortex of the ups and downs of life, is called ‘prapaththi’ or ‘saraNagathi’ , that is ‘submission’[7] to the supreme entity[8].
The guru is not only a proponent of prapatti, but a byword for this approach to life and living that is sought to be inculcated in the student: They seek nothing, having seen that nothing needs to be sought – phalam onDRu kANAmai kANum karuththAr[9]. Moreover, benevolence is the defining characteristic of a guru. They are predisposed to groom the student to achieve the goal even if they know it will serve no purpose and even if the students are individually unworthy[10] – such is the nature of one worthy of being called a teacher.
If a student who has been touched by such an acharya is still unable to overcome feelings of despair it could only be due to their failure to cherish such a teacher, it is said: …
phalam onDru kANAmai kANum karuththAr thiruththALgaL pENAmai kANum pizhai[11].
Such is the exalted position given to the guru in Indian thought. In fact, whereas, Narayana holds Sri, the gentlest of beings[12], in his heart, Narayana himself is said to ever reside in the hearts of those who submit their all to their teacher.
One’s wealth, one’s life, one’s body, one’s home, One’s thought, one’s nature, one’s action – To that benevolent guru Of theirs those who resolutely submit their all, in such hearts Tirumal[13], at all times, resides.[14] (Jnanasaaram: 37)
On the other hand, even Narayana turns away from those who reject their guru.
Even He who is ever benevolent to each living thing will reject Those who don’t care for their teacher. Its refuge, the water, when a lotus leaves, the very sun that made it bloom Will spit fire and scorch it dry.[15] (Jnanasaram: 35)
Indeed, it is said:
From Tiruvengadam awash with sparkling gems To revered shrines amid clouds and trees – That guru embodies all holy places Who gently leads out of dark nescience.[16] (Jnanasaram: 36)
A guru is one who identifies the ignorant ward, is moved by their helplessness, and voluntarily steps in to help remove it, propelled by altruistic kindness – a boundless, heartwarming humaneness.
When even the best of them well-versed in Vedic truths Kept away from this embodiment of vice… The noble Kari Maran[17] found me. He rid me of accumulated sins In all eight directions I’ll strive to make known The grace of Satakopa, beautiful Tamil incarnate.[18] (Kanninun Chiruththambu: Verses 4 and 7)
Thus did Madhurakavi exclaim in Kanninun Chiruththambu, a tribute in eleven verses to his guru, Nammazhwar.
[1] Dictionary meanings of siddhanta include: settled doctrine, established truth, proven fact, system of belief….
[2] viththam izhavu inbam thunbam nOi vIkAlam
thaththam avaiyE thalaiaLikkum – aththai vidIr
ichchiyAn ichchiyAdhu yEththa yezhilvAnaththu
uchchiyAn uchchiyAnAm.
[3] uLLappaDi uNaril ondru namakku uNDenDRu
viLLa viRagiladhAi vittadhE – koLLa
kuRai yEdhum illArkku kUruvadhen sollIr
iRai yEdhum illAdha yAm.
[4] Illai iruvarkkum yenDRu iRaiyai venDRiruppAr
Illai adhdhoruvarkku yettumadhO? – illai
kuRai uDaimaidhAn enDRu kUrinArilla
maRaiyuDaiya mArgaththE kAN.
[5] Indian dArsanika-s are not original thinkers in the sense Western philosophers are. The Indian thought structure is based on experience. The book reflecting the thought structure is known as the Veda. It covers experience extending to eternity. The Veda is therefore treated as beyond the province of any producing agent. And they are valid for all. On this assumption Indian thinking is developed and schools of darsana have emerged. The great thinkers are regarded as participants in a cosmic symposium on experience on the platform of time. (On the Veda, from a note on ‘The Acharya’, by Prof. V. T. Tirunarayana Iyengar).
[6] Moksha, that is liberation or release from mortal coils, is attained when pride arising from ownership of body and mind is transcended and one submits to the deity in the spirit of apruthaksiddhi or negation of separation in thought and function. (See Guru/ Acharya: Part 1)
[7] Submission to the universal, inclusive entity personified as Narayana (See earlier blogposts below. Guru: Part 1 and Guru: Part 2). The only prayer is on the lines of Andal’s avowal, ‘itrai parai koLvAn anDRu kAN gOvinda/ yetraikkum yEzhEzh piravikkum un thannOdu/ uTROmE AvOm unakkE nAm AtcheivOm: to belong to you and serve you, and you alone, forever and forever is the gift we seek from you. We ask for nothing else (Tiruppavai: verse 29).
[8] This entity, the deity, is said to have absolute control over the other two entities – mind and matter – which constitute all of existence, and which are themselves attributes of the deity which is understood to be the cause of their emergence, existence and extinction.
[9] Refer Prameyasaram, verse 2.
[10] … Payan andrAgilum paNGallarAgilum seyal nanDRAga thiruththi paNi koLVAr… (Madurakavi Azhwar’s Kanninun Chiruththambu.Verse 10).
[11] See Kanninun Chiruththambu.Verse 10.
[12] The metaphors used for Sri establish Her as the gentlest of beings. Following are some of the innumerable metaphors for Sri, or Lakshmi, used by Arulaala Perumal Emperumanar in his composition, Jnanasaaram: ambujaththAL, pankayaththAL, alli malar pAvai, thAmaraiyAL (she of the lotus/ lily); vAsamalarAL, poovinmisaiyAr aNangu, thEnArkamala thirumAmagaL(she of the fragrant flower); pUmadanthai, malarmagaL (flower maiden).
[13] Sri’s Lord, that is Narayana (Tiru = Sri, the consort of Narayana)
[14] poruLum uyirum uDambum pugalum
theruLum guNamum seyalum yellAm – aruLpurinda
thanAriyan poruttAch changarpam seybavar nenju
yennALum mAlukkiDam.
[15] yenDRum anaiththuyirkkum IranjeinAraNanum
anDRum thannAriyanpAl anbozhiyil – ninDRa
punalpirindha paNGayaththaip poNGusuDar veiyyOn
analumizhndhu thAnularththiyaTRu
[16] villAr manikkozhikkum vEngada por kunDRu mudhal
sellAr pozhilsUzh thiruppathigaL – yellAm
maruLAm iruLOda maththagaththu than thAl
aruLAlE vaiththa avar.
[17] Maaran, the son of Kaari. Kaari Maaran is another name for Satakopa or Nammazhwar, the poet-saint who is considered the pre-eminent (kulapathi) SriVaishnava. His compositions in Tamil are: Tiruviruttam, Tiruvachiriyam, Periya Tiruvandadi and Tiruvaimozhi.
[18] nanmaiyAl mikka nAn maraiyALargaL
punmaiyAga karudhuvar Adhalil…
kaNdukoNdu yennai kAri mArappirAn
paNdai valvinai pATRi aruLinAn
eNdisaiyum ariya iyambughEn
oN thamizh shatakOpan aruLaiyE.
On being a Hindu. Simply. 