SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavaramunayE nama:
avathArikai (Introduction)
piLLai lOkAchAryar is saying “vEdhAntham ordained these other upAyams to uplift the chEthana from inferior position to superior position”.
sUthram 129
iththai pravaththippiththadhu parahimsaiyai nivarththippikkaikkAga.
Simple Explanation
These other upAyams where nurtured to eliminate greater harm.
vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
iththai …
That is – as said in SrI bhagavath gIthA 2.45 “thraiguNya vishayA vEdhA:” (vEdhams are focussed on the well-being of the ones having the three qualities (sathva (goodness), rajas (passion), thamas (ignorance))), just as a mother, without making any distinction, will lovingly care for children who have disabilities such as blindness, deafness along with children who have good faculties, as SAsthram, being more caring than thousand mothers and fathers, irrespective of one having abundance of thamas or rajas, would not want to let them get destroyed, instructs means and goals matching such persons’ qualities; just as a stick is used to lead a creeper on to a pole, through these ways, it is trying to lead such persons towards its essence; since it will nurture these other means and goals, starting from SyEna vidhi (a ritual to destroy one’s enemy) up to prapaththi (total surrender to bhagavAn) for chEthanas according to their situation; thus, this upAsana (bhakthi yOga) was nurtured to eliminate greater harm.
parahimsai
Greater harm; just as paradhEvathA, paragathi means greater God, greater path and so on. That is, the animal sacrifices which are mentioned subsequent to SyEna vidhi (in that sequence of steps). Can such animal sacrifices be said as harm? It is still mentioned in SAsthram as ordained harm. In “agnIshOmIyam paSumAlabhEtha” (In the yagya, the animal should be harmed to be offered to agnIshOma dhEvathA), the word Alamba means harming as said in nAnArathna mAlai – thriyakshara kANdan 296 “Alamba: sparSa himsayO:” (Alamba means physically harming). With this, kAmya karmas (actions done for fulfilment of one’s own desires) are implied. As pUrva vihitha himsai (previously ordained activity) indicates SyEna vidhi, the subsequently highlighted kAmya karmas are implied here.
Alternatively, though ordained, for those prapannas who understand their servitude towards bhagavAn and being ananyaprayOjanar (expecting nothing but kainkaryam), while these karmas which involve animal sacrifices have to be observed as worship towards bhagavAn who is present as antharyAmi in agni, indhra et al, if these animal sacrifices are done as part of kAmya karmas, being an independent person (without servitude), towards agni, indhra et al with the expectation of reaching svarga (heaven), they will be considered very inferior and will be treated as parahimsA. Because of this reason, piLLai lOkAchAryar mercifully identified this kAmya karma as parahimsA.
Just as other upAyams though focussed on bhagavAn, which are ordained in SAsthram, are identified as calamitous for gyAnis, here too, based on the nature of the person, these karmas can be said as parahimsA. dharmadhEvathA himself said “athapAthaka bhIthasthvam” (being scared for the other upAyams which are sins), identifying other upAyams as sins. The puNya (virtuous deeds) which are desirable for bubhukshus (enjoyment seekers), are treated at par with sins for mumukshus (liberation seekers) [since both will bind one in this world]. Thus, in all ways, here, kAmya karma is identified as parahimsA. It is explained this way, since he has previously explained this in parandha rahasya [padi] saying that kAmya karma is forbidden for those who practice bhakthi yOgam.
adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan
archived in https://granthams.koyil.org/
pramEyam (goal) – https://koyil.org
pramANam (scriptures) – https://granthams.koyil.org
pramAthA (preceptors) – https://acharyas.koyil.org
SrIvaishNava Education/Kids Portal – https://pillai.koyil.org