SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavaramunayE nama:
ஸ்ரீ முமுக்ஷுப்படி மூலமும், மாமுனிகள் வ்யாக்யானமும்
sUthram – 60
Introduction: Besides, some of our preceptors also hold that this “u”kAra indicates servitude to SrI mahAlakshmi.
periya pirAttiyArkku SEsham engiRadhu enRum solluvargaL.
பெரியபிராட்டியார்க்கு ஶேஷமென்கிறது என்றும் சொல்லுவர்கள்.
Simple meaning: They say, it indicates our servitude to SrI mahAlakshmi.
vyAkyAnam: In the bhagavath SAsthrm (SrI pAncharAthram) it is stated:
akAraS chith svarUpasya vishNOr vAchaka ishyathE |
ukAraS chith svarUpAyA: SriyO vAchI thathA vidhu: |
makArasthu thayOr dhAsa ithi praNava lakshanam ||
अकारश्चित्स्वरूपस्य विष्णोर्वाचक इष्यते |
उकारश्चित्स्वरूपाया: श्रियो वाची तथा विदु: |
मकारस्तु तयोर्दास इति प्रणवलक्षणम् ||
அகாரஶ்சித்ஸ்வரூபஸ்ய விஷ்ணோர்வாசக இஷ்யதே |
உகாரஶ்சித்ஸ்வரூபாயா: ஶ்ரியோ வாசீ ததா விது3: |
மகாரஸ்து தயோர்தா3ஸ இதி ப்ரணவலக்ஷணம் ||
(SrI pAncharAthram : akAra refers to vishNu, the embodiment of wisdom (gyAna); so also they know ukAra as referring to SrIdhEvi, the embodiment of knowledge; makAra tells about the jIva, who is enslaved to both of them; this is the definition of praNava.)
and, also:
akArENOchyathE vishNu: sarva lOkESvarO hari: |
udhdhruthA vishNunA lakshmI: ukArENOchyathE sadhA ||
makArasthu thayOr vipra SrInArAyaNayOs sadhA |
Atmanas SEshabhUthasya vAchaka: Sruthi chOdhitha:” ||
अकारेणोच्यते विष्णु: सर्वलोकेश्वरो हरि: |
उद्धृता विष्णुना लक्ष्मीरुकारेणोच्यते सदा ||
मकारस्तु तयोर्विप्र श्रीनारायणयोस्सदा |I
आत्मन: शेषभूतस्य वाचक: शृति चोदित: ||
அகாரேணோச்யதே விஷ்ணுஸ் ஸர்வலோகேஶ்வரோ ஹரி: |
உத்3த்4ருதா விஷ்ணுநா லக்ஷ்மீருகாரேணோச்யதே ஸதா3 ||
மகாரஸ்து தயோர்விப்ர ஸ்ரீநாராயணயோஸ்ஸதா3 |
ஆத்மநஶ்ஶேஷபூ4தஸ்ய வாசக: ஶ்ருதிசோதி3த: ||
(SrI pAncharAthram : hari, the lord of all the worlds and permeating everything, is talked in akAra; lakshmi dhEvi who is borne by vishNu on his chest is talked by the U-kAra. O brahmana! For the jIva who is constantly enslaved to them, makAra is the appellation , according to the vedhAntha.)
by which authority our preceptors showed us in the bhagavath SAsthra: akAra has been indicated as referring to the lord, ukAra SrI mahAlakshmi, and makAra the jIva who is subservient to both of them; and so they also considered that ukAra is not referring to emphasis but servitude to her.
sUthram – 61
Introduction: Rather, lOkAchArya observes, the earlier interpretation is more important. (That is, we are subservient to periya pirAtti, but more importantly, we are NOT subservient to any other entity.) More than this, getting rid of servitude to anyone other than perumAL is vital, he says in aphorism 61:
adhilum anya SEshathvam kazhigaiyE pradhAnam.
அதிலும் அந்யஶேஷத்வம் கழிகையே ப்ரதாநம்.
Simple meaning: Rather, riddance of servitude to anyone else is vital.
vyAkyAnam: The main requisite is riddance of servitude to other entities, which is an obstacle (virOdhi), rather than servitude to SrI mahAlakshmi.
sUthram – 62
Introduction: To the query – is servitude to others so crude and cruel, lOkAchArya replies with example:
dhevargaLukku SEshamAna purOdASaththai nAikku idumApOlE, ISvara SEshamAna Athma vasthuvai samsArigaLukku SEshamAkkugai.
தேவர்களுக்கு ஶேஷமான புரோடாஶத்தை நாய்க்கு இடுமாபோலே, ஈஶ்வரஶேஷமான ஆத்ம வஸ்துவை ஸம்ஸாரிகளுக்கு ஶேஷமாக்குகை.
Simple meaning: Making the individual soul subservient to samsAris is like presenting the sacred sacrificial offering to dogs.
vyAkyAnam: That is, such subservience to samsAris who are lowly in every way compared to ISvara who is alone entitled to (the soul), is similar to giving the purified, venerable sacrificial offering meant for indhra and other worshippable gods to a dog which is unfit even to be seen or touched.
sUthram – 63
Introduction: lOkAchArya emphasises the concept of obviation of such crude and cruel subservience to entities other than ISvara as primary requisition of the soul saying, riddance of subservience to others is more important than servitude to him:
பகவச்ஶேஷத்வத்திலும் அந்யஶேஷத்வம் கழிகையே ப்ரதாநம்.
bagavath SEshathvaththilum anya SEshathvam kazhigaiyE pradhAnam.
Simple meaning: More than servitude to him, riddance of that to others is vital [the idea explained in aphorism 61 is reiterated in aphorism 63].
vyAkyAnam: It is not merely that riddance of servitude to others is more important than servitude to SrI mahAlakshmi; rejecting servitude to others is more important and desirable, than total dependence on bhagavAn.
sUthram – 64
Introduction: lOkAchArya shows a pramANam (authentic proof) for this by quoting thirumazhisai AzhvAr’s SrIisUkthi: “maRandhum puRam thozhA mAndhar”, that is the devotees who would not worship anybody outside this realm of him.
“maRandhum puRam thozhA mAndhar” engaiyAlE.
மறந்தும் புறந்தொழா மாந்தர் என்கையாலே.
Simple meaning: Because it is stated one should not, even by mistake, worship other deities.
vyAkyAnam: That is, thirumazhisai AzhvAr says in his “thirambEnmin kaNdIr” (“திறம்பேன்மின்கண்டீர்”) pAsuram which is in the format of dialogue between yama and his messengers [of death], detailing the qualities of bhagavathas: “thiruvadi than nAmam maRandhum puRam thozhA mAndhar” ( ‘திருவடி தன்னாமம் மறந்தும் புறந்தொழாமாந்தர்’ ) – even if they forget his divine name (by some quirk of fate), his devotees shall never practice subservience to another entity.
sUthram – 65
Introduction: lOkAchArya concludes by stating that “u”kAra obviates both self servitude and servitude to others in aphorism 65:
iththAl thanakkum piRarkkum uriththanRu engiRadhu.
இத்தால், தனக்கும் பிறர்க்கும் உரித்தன்று என்கிறது.
Simple meaning: By this, it is clear the soul belongs neither to the self nor to others.
vyAkyAnam: That is, this u kAra keeps off subservience to the self, as well as other (samsAri) souls similar to the self. This AthmA doesn’t belong to either itself or other souls similar to itself, as other souls also are excluded from the purview of servitude.
sUthram – 66
Introduction: Thus lOkAchArya has delineated the meaning of “u”kAra. Now he starts detailing the meaning of the third letter “ma”kAra:
makAram irubaththanjAm aksharamAy gyAna vAsiyumAi irukkaiyAlE, AthmAvaich chollugiRadhu.
மகாரம், இருபத்தஞ்சாம் அக்ஷரமாய் ஜ்ஞாந வாசியுமாய் இருக்கையாலே, ஆத்மாவைச் சொல்லுகிறது.
Simple meaning: makAra, being 25th letter in the alphabet, and also representative of cognizant power (of the soul), indicates the soul.
vyAkyAnam: That is – ma refers to the soul (AthmA) as can be seen in these authoritative texts pAdhmOththara purANam 254-25, 26,27:
bhUthAni cha kavargENa chavargENOndhriyANi cha |
tavargENa thavargENa gyAna gandhAdhayas thathA ||
mana: pakArENaivOktham phakArENa thvahankruthi |
bakArENa bhakArENa mahAn prakruthichyathE ||
AthmA thu sa makArENa panchavimSa: prakIrthitha: |
भूतानि च कवर्गेण चवर्गेणेन्द्रियाणि च |
टवर्गेण तवर्गेण ज्ञानगन्धादयस्तथा ||
मन: पकारेणैवोक्तं फकारेण त्वहङ्कृति: |
बकारेण भकारेण महान् प्रकृतिच्यते ||
आत्मा तु स मकारेण पञ्चविंश: प्रकीर्तित:||
பூ4தாநி ச கவர்கே3ண சவர்கே3ண இந்த்3ரியாணி ச |
டவர்கே3ண தவர்கே3ண ஜ்ஞாநக3ந்தா4த3யஸ்ததா2||
மந: பகாரேணைவோக்தம் ப2காரேண த்வஹங்க்ருதி:|
ப3காரேண ப4காரேண மஹாந் ப்ரக்ருதிச்யதே||
ஆத்மாது ஸ மகாரேண பஞ்ச விம்ஶ: ப்ரகீர்த்தித:||
(the five elements like the earth are hinted by the five letters ka, kha, ga, kha, and na; the five physical organs are hinted by the five letters in the series of cha; the five sensory organs are hinted by the letters in the series of ta; the five elementary qualities like scent etc are hinted by the five letters in the series of tha; ‘pa’ hints at mind; letter ‘pha’ hints at ahankAra; ‘ba’ refers to mahAn, and ‘bha’ refers to nature (prakruthi).jivA the twenty fifth concept is hinted by the twenty fifth letter ‘ma’.)
In these texts, starting with the earth all the twenty-four elements have been indicated by twenty-four letters from “ka”, but “ma” being the twenty fifth letter, indicates the soul which has knowledge as a quality and also as its form, because:
it is part of the root “mana-gyAnE”;
(मन -ज्ञाने -மந- ஜ்ஞாநே)
it is also apparently clear in the root “manu-avabOdhanE”;
(मनु -अवबोधने -மநு- அவபோ3த4நே)
“pancha vimSOyam purusha:” (this soul is the twenty fifth)
(पञ्चविंशोयं पुरुष: -பஞ்சவிம்ஶோயம் புருஷ:)
“pancha vimSa Athma bhavathi” – twenty fifth is the soul;
(पञ्चविंश आत्मा भवति -பஞ்ச விம்ஶ ஆத்மா ப4வதி) (yajur ashtakam 1-2-47) (AthmA is the twenty fifth concept)
“vigyAnAthmA purusha:” the knower is the Athma;
( விஜ்ஞாநாத்மா புருஷ:),(prasnOpanishath 4-9) (the knower is embodiment of wisdom (gyAnam)).
“vigynAthAramarE kEna vijAnIyAth” who enables us to know
(விஜ்ஞாதாரமரே கேந விஜாநீயாத்) (bhrudhAraNyaka 6-5-15) (Oh disciple! Through which could you know jIva, who is the knower?)
Thus makAra refers to the jIva, soul, AthmA which is the embodiment of wisdom and also has wisdom as a quality.
sUthram – 67
Introduction: As the servitude mentioned earlier is common to all, lOkAchArya includes all the three types of souls:
idhu thAn samashti vAchakam.
இதுதான் ஸமஷ்டிவாசகம்.
Simple meaning: This is a collective noun.
vyAkyAnam: Thus, this makAra stands for the entire class of souls.
sUthram – 68
Introduction: A doubt arises: can a single word be collective noun.
jAthyEka vachanam.
ஜாத்யேகவசநம்.
Simple meaning: Representative for the entire class.
vyAkyAnam: That is, when a person looks at the entire yield of paddy crop and says “this is one paddy” it refers to the entire mass of paddy. In the same way, reference to one soul denotes the class of souls.
sUthram – 69
Introduction: By this makAra, which form of the soul is referred to?
iththAl, AthmA gyAthAvenRu dhEhaththil vyAvruththi solliRRAyiRRu.
இத்தால், ஆத்மா ஜ்ஞாதாவென்று தேஹத்தில் வ்யாவ்ருத்தி சொல்லிற்றாயிற்று.
Simple meaning: By this, it is made known that the soul (AthmA) is knower, and different from the body (SarIram).
vyAkyAnam: Thus, the difference between the soul represented by the twenty fifth letter (alphabet), also being the repository of knowledge, and insentient body (which does not know or feel) in which it dwells is shown.
sUthram – 70
Introduction: As people say “I am man, I am celestial, I am fat, I am lean” equating thereby their body to their soul, how can we distinguish between body and soul? lOkAchArya says, the difference between body and soul has been detailed in his grantham “thathvaSEkaram”.
dhEhaththil vyAvruththi thathvaSEkaraththilE sonnOm.
தேஹத்தில் வ்யாவ்ருத்தி தத்வஶேகரத்திலே சொன்னோம்.
Simple meaning: We have stated the difference between soul and body in detail in the text “thathvaSEkaram”.
vyAkyAnam: That is, we have stated in detail and with several reasons the differences between soul and body, and body’s anAthmathvam (being different from AthmA, the soul) nature.
adiyen sadagopa 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