SrI: SrImathE satakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavaramunayE nama:
sUthram 46
ஜலத்துக்கு அக்3நி ஸம்ஸ்ருஷ்ட ஸ்தா2லீ ஸம்ஸர்க்3கத்தாலே ஒளஷ்ண்ய ஶப்தா3திகளுண்டாகிறாப்போலே, ஆத்மாவுக்கு அசித் ஸம்ப3ந்த4த்தாலே அவித்3யா கர்ம வாஸநா ருசிகளுண்டாகிறன.
jalaththukku agni samsrushta sthAlee samsargaththAlE aushNya-SabdhAdigaL uNdAgiRAppOlE, AthmAvukku achith sambandhaththAlE avidhyA karma vAsanA ruchigaL uNdAgiRana.
Meaning
Just as naturally cool water acquires heat, sound, and other modifications through contact with a vessel heated by fire, the AthmA acquires avidhyA (ignorance), karma, vAsanA (latent impressions), and ruchi (attachment) through its association with achith (insentient matter).
Explanation
How does the AthmA become associated with defects?
Having established the unique nature (svarUpa-vailakshaNya) of the AthmA in the previous sUthrams, a question naturally arises:
How does such an intrinsically pure AthmA become associated with defects such as avidhyA?
To answer this, piLLai lOkAchAryar presents an illustration.
The analogy of water
Water is by its very nature (svabhAvatha Eva) cool and free from modification (nirvikAra). Yet, when it comes into contact with a vessel heated by fire, it acquires secondary characteristics such as heat, sound, bubbling, and other modifications.
Similarly, the AthmA, whose intrinsic nature is knowledge, bliss, and purity (gyAnAnandha-amala-svarUpa), acquires avidhyA, karma, vAsanA, and ruchi because of its association with achith, which is the abode of the three guṇas (guNa-thrayASraya-achith).
These qualities do not belong to the essential nature of the soul but arise through its association with prakruthi.
Support from AchArya hrudhayam
thiruththambiyAr (divine younger brother of SrI piLLai lOkAchAryar) also teaches in AchArya hrudhayam:
அவித்யா காரணம் அநாதி அசித் ஸம்பந்தம்
avidhyA kAraNam anAdhi achith-sambandham
“The cause of avidhyA is the beginningless association with achith.”
Scriptural support – vishNu purANam
The same truth is taught in the vishNu purANam –
निर्वाणमय एवात्मा ज्ञानानन्दमयोऽमलः ।
दुःखाज्ञानमला धर्माः प्रकृतेस्ते न चात्मनः ॥
जलस्येवाग्निसंसृष्टस्थलीसङ्गात्तथापि हि ।
शब्दोद्रेकादिकान् धर्मान् तत्करोति यथा मुने ॥
तथात्मा प्रकृतेः सङ्गादहंमानादिदूषितः ।
भजते प्राकृतान् धर्मानन्यस्तेभ्योऽपि जायते ॥
nirvANamaya EvAthmA gyAnAnandhamayO’mala: |
dhu:khAgyAna malA dharmA: prakruthEs thE na chAthmAna: ||
jalasyEvAgni samsrushta sthalee sangAth thathApi hi |
SabdhOdhrEkAdhikAn dharmAn thath karothi yathA munE ||
thathAthmA prakruthE: sangAth ahamAnAdhi dhUshitha: |
bhajathE prAkruthAn dharmAn anyasthEbhyO’pi jAyathE ||
Just as water acquires adventitious qualities through contact with a heated vessel, so too the AthmA, though intrinsically pure, comes to possess the qualities of prakruthi through its association with it.
avidhyA
avidhyA means ignorance (agyAnam).
It exists in many forms, including:
- absence of true knowledge (gyAna anudhaya),
- erroneous knowledge (anyathA gyAna),
- and contrary knowledge (viparItha gyAna).
karma
karma consists of actions performed through the three instruments (karaNa thraya) – body, speech, and mind.
It is of two kinds:
- puNyam, which produces various worldly (aihika) and heavenly (Amushmika) enjoyments.
- pApam, arising from:
- doing what ought not to be done (akruthya- karaNa),
- failing to do what ought to be done (kruthyAkaraNa),
- offences towards bhagavAn (bhagavadh-apachAra),
- offences towards bhAgavathas (bhAgavatha-apachAra),
- and other intolerable offences (asahya-apachAra).
Both are of innumerable varieties.
vAsanA
vAsanA is the latent impression (samskAra) left by previous actions, which becomes the cause for performing those very actions again.
Since its causes vary, vAsanAs are also manifold.
ruchi
ruchi is an attachment or liking towards an object that cannot easily be removed even by experiencing other tastes (rasAnthara).
Since the objects of attachment differ, ruchi too exists in many forms.
Why does the sUthram say “They Arise”?
The sUthram says that avidhyA, karma, vAsanA, and ruchi “arise” (uNdAgiRana).
By using this expression, the commentary teaches that these are beginningless, continuously flowing conditions (pravAha rUpa) accompanying the bound soul throughout samsAram due to its association with achith.
adiyen vAsudhEva rAmAnuja dhAsan
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