SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavaramunayE nama:
avathArikai (Introduction)
When asked “Do we have elaborate statements of authentic sources for greatness of bhAgavathas in this manner?” piLLai lOkAchAryar mercifully explains.
sUthram 226
ivvarththam, ithihAsa purANangaLilum, payilum sudaroLi nedumARkadimaiyilum, kaNsOra vengurudhiyilum, naNNAdha vAL avuNarilum, mEmboruLukku mEliRpAttukkaLilum viSathamAgak kANalAm.
Simple Explanation
This principle can be seen elaborately in ithihAsams and purANams, thiruvAimozhi 3.7 “payilum sudaroLi” and thiruvAimozhi 8.10 “nedumARkadimai“, periya thirumozhi 7.4 “kaNsOra vengurudhi” and periya thirumozhi 2.6 “naNNAdha vaL avuNar” and pAsurams subsequent to thirumAlai 38 “mEmporuL“.
vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
ivvarththam ithihAsa purANangaLilum …
ivvarththam
The greatness of bhAgavathas which was previously explained in an elaborate manner is thought about here.
ithihAsa
bhAgavatha vaibhavam is shown in many places in mahAbhAratham as follows:
math bhaktham Sudhra sAmAnyA dhavamanyanthi yE narA: |
narakEshva vathishtanthi varshakOtIr narAdhamA: ||
chaNdALamapi mathbhaktham nAvamanyEtha bhakthimAn |
avamAnAth padhathyEva rauravE narakEcha sa: ||
Those who insult my devotees citing their SUdhra birth, such lowly persons will live in hell for many crores of years. Those who are wise, should not insult my devotee even if my devotee is a chaNdALa (dog-eater). If one insults my devotee, he will fall in the hell named raurava.
na sUdhrA bhagavatha bhakthA viprA bhAgavathA smruthA: |
sarva varNEshu thE sUdhrA yEhyabhakthA janArdhanE ||
Those who are devoted to bhagavAn are not SUdhras. In every birth, they are known as bhakthas, brAhmaNas; those who lack devotion towards janArdhana are SUdhras.
madhbhaktha jana vAthsalyam pUjAyAncha anumOdhanam |
svayam abyarchananchaiva madharthE dambavarjanam ||
math kathA SravaNE bhakthi: svara nEthrAnga vikriyA |
mamAnusmaraNam nithyam yaScha mAm nOpajIvathi ||
bhakthir ashta vidhAhyEshA yasmin mlEchchEpi varththathE |
saviprEndhra: muni: SrImAn sa yathis sacha paNditha: |
na mE pUjyaS chathurvEdhI pUjayan bhakthi varjitha: ||
samE pUjya: sadhAchAsau mathbhaktha: SvapachOpi ya: |
thasmai dhEyam thathOgrAhyam sachapUjyO yathAhyayam ||
There are eight aspects of bhakthi, as follows:
- having motherly forbearance towards my devotees,
- feeling happy about worshipping me
- oneself worshipping me
- not making a show of serving me
- having devotion in hearing my divine history
- having a trembling voice due to enjoying my qualities
- having eyes with happy-tears, having goosebumps in body due to always meditating upon me
- not being able to sustain oneself in my separation in any situation
Any mlEchcha (one who is outside vadihika dharmam) who has this eight-fold devotion, is best among brAhmaNas, best among sages, has the wealth of kainkaryam; he is an ascetic and a scholar; one who knows the four vEdhas, but lacks devotion towards me and is worshipping me, is not venerable for me; one who has devotion towards me, even if he is a dog-eater, is always venerable for me; he should be given knowledge and one should accept knowledge from him; he is equally worshippable as I am.
bhAgavatha prabhAvam is also spoken in ithihAsOththamam as in “SUdhram vA bhagavath bhaktham nishAdham Svapacham thathA | vIkshathE jAthi sAmAnyAth sa yAthi narakam nara: ||” (One who considers a bhAgavatha to be lowly, seeing him as a SUdhra, dog-eater or a hunter, will reach hell).
Further, one can see bhAgavatha’s greatness in many places where they are explained in ithihAsams.
purANangaLil
bhAgavathas’ greatness is explained in SrI varAha purANam “madhbhaktham Svapacham vApi nindhAm kurvanthi yE narA: | padhmakOti SathEnApi na kshmAmi vasundharE ||” (Oh vasundharA! I wont forgive people even for a hundred thousand years, who abuse my devotees even if these devotees are dog-eaters) etc.
In SrI bhAgavatham also bhAgavatha vaibhavam is explained in many places as in
“SvapachOpi mahIpAla: vishNubhakthO dhvijAdhika: | vishNu bhakthi vihInasthu yathiScha SvapachAdhama: ||” (Oh king! A devotee of vishNu, even if he is a dog-eater, is greater than a brAhmaNa; even a sanyAsi, if he lacks devotion towards vishNu, is lesser than a dog-eater)
“viprAth dhvishat guNayuthAth aravindhanAbha | pAdhAravindha vimukAch chvapacham varishtam | manyE thadharpitha manOvachanEhithAryaprANa: punAthi sakalam nathu bhUrimAna: ||” (I consider a dog-eater to be greater than a brAhmaNa who has twelve prominent qualities, yet unfavourable towards the divine lotus feet of one who has a lotus navel; the dog-eater who has submitted his mind, speech, body, wealth and life to sarvESvaran, will purify everything; the prideful one will not purify anyone).
In linga purANam, bhAgavatha vaibhavam is explained in “vaishNavAnAm viSEshOsthi vishnOr Ayathanam mahath | jangam SrI vimAnAni hrudhayAni manIshiNAm || ya: paSyathi SubhAchAram vaishNavam vIthakalmasham | yasmin kasmin kulOjAtham praNamEtha dhaNdavath bhuvi ||” (vaishNavas have a speciality; that is, they are the abodes of vishNu, are his hearts and remain the mobile vehicles for him; when one sees a vaishNava who has good conduct and is free from defect, irrespective of such vaishNava’s birth in any clan, one must fall flat and offer obeisances to such vaishNava).
In this manner, as bhAgavatha vaibhavam is shown in many places in various purANams, they can be seen in their respective place.
In this manner, the following principles are shown in ithihAsams and purANams:
- the special disaster which occurs to a person when he insults bhAgavathas based on their birth
- when they become bhAgavathas, they are not to be considered as part of inferior clan any more and are to be considered as part of superior clan
- they should be considered greater than those belonging to superior clan, they are qualified to give knowledge to those belonging to superior clan and be their gurus, and are worshippable at par with ISvara
- offences committed towards them will not be forgiven by ISvara, forever
- those who have fully submitted their actions of the three faculties, wealth, life etc towards bhagavAn and remain free from any pride, are capable of purifying anyone by their touch
- their hearts are like mobile vehicles for ISvara
- when they are seen, they must be offered full obeisances
payilum sudaroLi …
In thiruvAimozhi 3.7 “payilum sudaroLi“, starting with “pARkadal sErndha paramanaip payilum thiru udaiyAr evarElum avar kaNdIr payilum piRappidai thORu emmai ALum paramar” (emperumAn mercifully rests in the divine milk ocean; those who have the wealth of being together with him to be eternally engaged in him, even if they lack (high birth, knowledge, actions), even in that same state, they are the supreme masters having us as servitors in many births), nammAzhwAr while mercifully explaining that those bhAgavathas who are very attached to bhAgavAn’s qualities, activities etc are our masters, mercifully explained that even if one is very inferior in birth etc, those who have no pride based on their birth etc which is contrary to servitude, are very desirable for us in thiruvAimozhi 3.7.1 “yavarElum avar kaNdIr” (if you see anyone), thiruvAimozhi 3.7.8 “kumbi naragargaL EththuvarElum avar kaNdIr” (even if the most sinful persons who reside in kumbI naraka (a region in the hell which is gruesome) glorify him) and thiruvAimozhi 3.7.9 “eththanai nalam thAn ilAdha saNdALa saNdaLargaL Agilum” (even for those chaNdALas who are abandoned by some chaNdALas (who are considered better among them), who are totally ignorant).
nedumARkadimai
In thiruvAimozhi 8.10 “nedumARkadimai“, while explaining that bhAgavathas are his ultimate goal, starting with thiruvAimozhi 8.10.1 “kodu mA vinaiyEn avan adiyAr adiyE kUdum idhuvallAl vidumARenbadhen? andhO! viyan mUvulagu peRinumE” (if we see what is apt, other than attaining the divine feet of bhAgavathas who are his servitors, why is attaining the vast wealth of three worlds said as ways for me who is having great sin), nammAzhwAr without discriminating them based on their birth, conduct etc, mercifully explained that their identity is that of remaining subservient to bhagavAn due to his beauty etc, as in thiruvAimozhi 8.10.2 “sayamE adimai thalai ninRAr” (those who are in the ultimate state of servitude to those divine feet, without any expectation), thiruvAimozhi 8.10.3 “avanadiyAr” (His servitor), thiruvAimozhi 8.10.8 “maNimalaipOl kidandhAn thamargaL” (servitors of one who is reclining like a carbuncle hill), thiruvAimozhi 8.10.9 “kOdhiladiyAr” (faultless servitors), thiruvAimozhi 8.10.10 “nIkkamillA adiyAr” (those servitors who never separate from emperumAn).
kaN sOra vengurudhi
thirumangai AzhwAr in his periya thirumozhi 7.4 “kaN sOra vengurudhi“, explained the greatness about devotees without speaking about their birth etc starting with 7.4.1 “thaN sERai emperumAn thAL thozhuvAr kANmin en thalai mElAr” (those who worship the divine feet of emperumAn in the cool thiruchchERai, are present on my head), said that SrIvaishNavas who are lovingly devoted to archAvathAram are mercifully explained in the following ways:
- they are to be held on my head,
- they are to be meditated upon
- they are having more abundant kainkaryam (service) than nithyasUris
- I cannot bear the separation from them even for a moment
- my heart will remain as said in periya thirumozhi 7.4.5 “thEnURi eppozhudhum thiththikkumE” (will always be sweet like well soaked honey)
- see, my heart and eyes will rejoice as soon as I see them
- my love reaches up to them
- we don’t need to fear for death and sins as we think about them
- see, my heart is well engaging in their matters
naNNAdha vAL avuNar
Starting with periya thirumozhi 2.6.2 “kadalmallaith thalasayanam AreNNum nenjudaiyAr avar emmai ALvArE“, that is, irrespective of their birth, conduct etc, those who are thinking about thirukkadalmallaith thalasayanam (emperumAn) can engage me in their service in any of their states, without even showing any scriptural evidence, thirumangai AzhwAr said,
- periya thirumozhi 2.6.3 “gyAnaththin oLi uruvai ninaivAr en nAyagar” (those who remember the radiant form of emperumAn which is made of knowledge, are my lords)
- periya thirumozhi 2.6.4 “avar engaL kula dheyvamE” (they are our hereditary gods)
In this manner, he said “those who are attached to dhivyadhESams which are dear to emperumAn, are our lords”.
thEttarum thiRal thEn
SrI kulaSEkarap perumAL, while explaining his overwhelming love towards devotees in his perumAL thirumozhi 2nd padhigam “thEttarum thiRal thEn“, mercifully identified devotees with their overwhelming bhakthi only, irrespective of the superiority or inferiority of their birth, as in
- perumAL thirumozhi 2.1 “meyyadiyArgaL tham Ittam kaNdidak kUdumEl adhu kANum kaN payanAvadhu” (If I get to see the group of true devotees, that is the purpose of having eyes)
- perumAL thirumozhi 2.2 “thoNdaradippodi Ada nAm peRil gangai nIr kudaindhAdum vEtkai ennAvadhu” (If I get to bathe in the dust of the divine feet of the devotees, will I have the desire to bathe in gangA?)
mEmboruLukku mEliRpAttukkaL
SrI thoNdaradippodi AzhwAr, after mercifully explaining bhagavAn’s love towards those who are firmly situated in dhvaya mahA manthram, in thirumAlai 38 “mEmboruL“, explained the greatness of bhAgavathas in the subsequent six pAsurams:
- pAsuram 39 – Even if one is born in a very inferior birth, if one is firmly situated in the knowledge revealed in mEmboruL pAsuram, they are to be held on the head by ISvaran as he keeps thiruththuzhAy (thuLasi) on his head [as decoration].
- pAsuram 40 – On top of having inferior birth, even if they have inferior conduct, still, if they are firmly situated in the knowledge revealed in mEmboruL pAsuram, they will not reap the benefits of their sinful deeds.
- pAsuram 41 – Not that do they not have any shortcoming based on their birth and conduct, they have the greatness to purify those worldly people who become related to them directly or indirectly, through accepting their food remnants.
- pAsuram 42 – Though those who have this knowledge may have shortcoming in their birth and conduct, they are worshippable similar to bhagavAn for those who lack this knowledge even if they have superior birth and conduct; they are also qualified to give and take knowledge with others.
- pAsuram 43 – Even those who have superior birth, superior conduct and are most knowledgeable, if they did not understand the god-given greatness of those who lack such birth and conduct but are knowledgeable in mEmboruL pAsuram meaning, and consider them to be inferior thinking only about their inferior birth and conduct which are based on their karma, they will at once become karma chaNdALa (becoming dog-eater due to a sinful deed in this current life).
- pAsuram 44 – It is obvious that these principles are truthful and will occur as it was seen that an elephant (SrI gajEndhrAzhwAn) got the result which is unattainable even for brahmA et al.
viSathamAgak kANalAm
It can be observed without any doubt or confusion.
adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan
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