SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavaramunayE nama:
avathArikai (Introduction)
When asked “Have we seen any incident where ISvaran accepts having agyAtha sukrutham (good deeds done unknowingly) in this manner?” piLLai lOkAchAryar mercifully explains
sUthram 382
lalithA charithAdhigaLilE ivvarththam surukkam ozhiyak kANalAm.
Simple Explanation
In the history of lalithA et al, we can see this principle explained elaborately.
vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
lalithA charithAdhigaLilE ivvarththam surkkam ozhiyak kANalAm
That is – lalithA who was the daughter of the vidharbA king and is the wife of kASI king, was having more beauty, having her husband fully attracted towards her, physical radiance, having all noble qualities in comparison to his husband’s three hundred other wives; she was lighting divine lamps in bhagavAn’s sannidhi constantly, without any difference between day and night and was very sincere in that service; seeing that, the other wives asked her “How did you acquire this beautiful form and attachment towards this lamp lighting kainkaryam?”
Since she was born with memories from previous life, she explained her history starting with vishNu dharmam “thadhEshA kathayAm yEthath yathvruththam mama SObhanA:” (Oh auspicious women! Let me explain the incidents which you enquired from me). She explained how maithrEya, the priest for sauvIra king built a vishNu temple on the banks of dhEvi river and was doing all kainkaryams there everyday as said in vishNu dharmam “sauvIra rAjasya purA maithrEyObhUth purOhitha: | thEnachAyathanam vishNO: kAritham dhEvikA thatE || ahanhani SuSrushA pushpa dhUpAmbhulEpanai: | dhIpAdhAnAdhibhiSchaiva chakrE thathra vasan dhvija: ||” (Previously, there was a priest named maithrEya for the sauvIra king; a vishNu temple was built by him on the banks of dhEvi river; that brAhmaNa lived there and was serving emperumAn with flowers, incense, water, sandalwood paste, lamp etc); as said in vishNu dharmam “kArthikE dhIpithOdhIpa upAththas thEnachakadhA | AsIn nirvANa bhUyishtO dhEvasya purathO nichi || dhEvathAyathanEchAsam thathrAhamapi mUshikA | pradhIpavarthi grahaNEkrutha budhdhir varAnanA: || gruhIthAcha mayAvarthi: prushadhamSO rarAvacha | nashtAchAham thathas thasya mArjAlasya bhayAnughA || vakthra prAnthEna naSyanthyA sa dhIpa: prErithOmayA | jajvAla pUrvavadh dhIpthyA thasmin nAyathanE puna: ||” (In a kArthikA month, on a night, a lamp was lit by that maithrEya in front of emperumAn; it was about to die; I was present as a female mouse in that temple. Oh beautifully faced ladies! I had the intention to eat the wick which was lit in that lamp; as I grabbed the wick with my mouth, a cat meowed; becoming frightened by that cat’s meow, I shivered and died; as I was dying, the wick was kindled by my mouth and the temple became well lit by that lamp) – in the kArthikA month, as the lamp lit by maithrEya in that emperumAn’s temple was about to die, I, who was living in that temple as a female mouse, grabbed the wick from the lamp using my mouth; as I heard the meow of a cat at that time, I became frightened and died; the wick was kindled by my mouth at the time of my death; “mruthAchAham thathO jAthA vaidharbI rAja kanyakA | jAthi smarA kAnthimathI bhavathInAm parAguNai: ||” (I, who died, subsequently took birth as the daughter of vidharbA king with memories from previous birth, beauty and with best of your qualities) – how she died and took birth as the daughter of vidharbA king with memories from previous birth; “Esha prabhAvO dhIpasya kArthikE mAsi SObhanA: | dhaththasya vishNvAyathanE yasyEyam vyshtiruththamA || asankalpithampyasya prEraNam yath krutham mayA | vishNvAyathana dhIpasya thasyai thadhbhujyathE palam || dhathO jAthi smruthirjanma mAnushyam SObhanam vapu: | vaSya: pathirmE sarvAsAm kimpunar dhIpa dhAyinAm ||” (Oh fortunate ones! Such greatness is present for lamp lit in kArthikA month; such greatness which is there for a lamp lit in vishNu’s sannidhi; I got to light a lamp unintentionally in vishNu’s sannidhi and yet I reaped the benefits of the same; in this manner, after acquiring memories from previous birth, human birth, beautiful body and more control over the husband over the other wives, what to speak about those who intentionally perform this lamp kainkaryam to emperumAn in kArthikA month) – in this manner, it is elaborately explained in lalithA’s history in SrIvishNu dharmam by her that she acquired this greatness by the result of such good deeds done unknowingly.
Now, by “Adhi Sabdham” (the word Adhi, which indicates “etc”), the incident of other women as narrated in garuda purANam is explained.
suvrathA was the daughter of a very knowledgeable brAhmaNa, having lost her mother at a young age, and her father brought her up in a very caring manner to not let her think about her mother’s loss; as the time came for her to be given in marriage, her father too died; she became very sad and was set to give up her body “yEna samvardhithA bAlA yEnAsmi parirakshithA | thEna pithrA viyukthAham najIvEyam kathanchana || nadhyAmvA nipathishyAmi samiththEvA huthASanE | parvathAth vA pathishyAmi pithruhInA nirASrayA ||” (I, who am young, who was raised by my father, who protected me, have lost him and thus cannot survive; I who have lost my father will jump into a river or radiant fire or will fall from a mountain); at that time yama who is intent on the well-being of all entities, with compassion, assumed the form of an elderly brAhmaNa and came there as said in “Agathya karuNAvishtO yamassarva hithOtha: | sthavira brAhmaNO bhUthvA prOvAchEdham vachasthadhA: ||” (yama who is intent on the well-being of all entities, with compassion, assumed the form of an elderly brAhmaNa and came there and spoke this sentence); he eliminated her sorrow by saying “alambAlE viSAlAkshi rOdhanEnAthi vihvalE | nabhUya: prApyathE thAthas thasmAn nArhathi SOchithum ||” (Oh child who is having very sorrow filled eyes! Stop crying. You will not get back your father. Hence you are not bound to be sad). He further stated to her about the karma of hers which led to her such state of losing both mother and father as in “thasmAth thvam dhu:kham uthsrujya SrOthum arhasi suvrathE | pithrubhyAm vipra yOgOyam yEnAbhUth karmaNAthava ||” (Oh one with noble conduct! Due to this reason, you should give up your sorrow and you are qualified to hear about the karma which led to losing your mother and father); saying this he said starting with “purA thvam sundharInAma vESyA parama sundharI | kruththa gIthAdhi nipuNA vINA vENu vichakshaNA ||” (Previously you were a very beautiful prostitute who was expert in dancing, singing, playing veeNA, flute etc, having the name sundhari) – you were a prostitute named sundhari in your previous birth; a son of a brAhmaNa, who was attracted by you and who consummated with you, was killed by a SUdhra who was considering him to be a competitor in your matter; that brAhmaNa boy’s mother and father cursed you saying “You who got our son killed will lose your parents in your next birth and suffer” and hence you acquired this sorrow; she asked “Then why did I, who am a sinner, get this noble birth?” yama responded starting with “SruNu thasya mahA prAgyE nimiththam gathathO mama | yEna thvam brAhmaNasyAsya kulE jAthA mahAthmana: ||” (Oh one who is very intelligent! Listen to my words where I explain to you the reason due to which you have taken birth in this noble brAhmaNa’s family) – In your previous birth, as a very knowledgeable bhAgavatha who was detached from everything, having equal vision towards everything, meditating upon bhagavAn, who roams around as per the rule of remaining in a village only for one night, took shelter of your veranda on a particular night; the chieftains of the village mistook him to be a thief and tied him to a tree; at that time you rushed to him, relieved him from the tree, took him to your home and cared for him. Because of such deed you attained this noble birth. This story of suvruthA is explained in ithihAsa samuchchayam.
Further, a lady was moving along in the sky being dragged by the servitors of yama and crying out for help, showing her helplessness; at that time, a lady named mAdhavi was performing penance at aSwaththa thIrtham for a long time; seeing the pitiful state of the lady being dragged, mAdhavi gave the result of her one day’s penance; immediately, the servitors of yama became her relatives, the path towards yama lOkam became very pleasant, she acquired a divine form in place of the yAthanA SarIram (the body which is used to transport a soul to yama lOka) she had; as they reached yama’s abode along with her, yama, with the shining appearance with fatherly affection, spoke sweet words as said in “pithEva dharmarAjObhUth thasyAsthath priyadharSana: | sAnthvayan sa mahAthEjA vyAjahAracha thAmprathi ||” (yamadharmarAja became very pleasing to her like a father; such radiant yama spoke some good words towards her) and spoke “bhadhrE thvayA sushtu krutham na kinchidhiha vidhyathE | ithO dhvAdhaSSa janmAnthE thvAm kaSchith sidhdha AviSath || vishNu bhakthO nivAsArtham rAthriyAnthu thava vESmani | thath sannidhana prabhavasthava sAdhu samAgama: || sAhivai brahmavidhushI SrImath rangamupASrithA | thathra thIrthOththamam SrImadhaSvaththam nAma samSrithA || dharmagyA dharmaparamA yasyAsthE sangamO bhavath ||” (Oh auspicious one! You have not done any good deed in this birth; at the end of twelve births before this current birth, an enlightened bhAgavatha came to your home on a particular night and sat; you attained sAdhu sangam in his presence; due to that sAdhu sangam, you, having attained brahma gyAnam (knowledge about bhagavAn) reached SrIrangam; there you reached a special sacred place known as aSwaththam and are having noble conduct) – (yama said) You have not done any good deed knowingly to be blessed by mAdhavi; twelve births before this current birth, a bhAgavatha came and stayed in your home; such presence gave you sAdhu sangam and such agyAtha sukrutham was told to be the cause for her result; this is explained in kOyil (SrIranga) mAhAthmyam in garuda purANam. These incidents explain agyAtha sukrutham.
surukkam ozhiyak kANalAm
Can be seen elaborately. With bhagavAn’s katAksham (merciful glance), due to this agyAtha sukrutham, these personalities got these aforementioned results; these can be highlighted as examples to explain that ISvaran will bless individuals based on agyAtha sukrutham.
adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan
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