Njanappana
Commentary by Savitri Puram
Introduction
Njanappana can be considered as the Bhagavad Gita of Malayalees. This is a Darshanika kaavyam or philosophical poem expressed in the simplest Malayalam language for ordinary people. Poonthanam Nambudiri, an ardent devotee of Shri Guruvayurappan transformed his unbearable sorrow from his infant son's death into a "yogavishesham". He used this sad experience to build his Bhakthi soudham or house of devotion and opened it for all devotees of all the time. Even though the language is very simple, this njaanappana or song of wisdom deals with the essence of all vedas and upanishads. May Bhagavan Guruvayurappan, Bhagavathy Saraswathi Devi and Sri Poonthaanam Nambudiri bless us to become wiser by going through this great Song of Wisdom!!
Njanappana 1
Gurunaadhan thuNa chaika santhatham thirunaamangal naavinmel eppozhum
Piriyaatheyirikkanam nammude nara janmam saphalamaakkiduvaan
May my Gurunathan help me (thuna chaika) to keep the auspicious names of Lord
continuously on my tongue (naavinmel eppozhum) and to make this human life narajanmam) meaningful and fruitful!(saphalamaakkituvaan).
The only way to to make the human life fruitful and meaningful is to constantly chant the auspicious names of Lord. So the poet is seeking the blessings of his Gurunaathan to help him retain the naamam on his tongue for ever.
Who is Poonthanam's Guru?
He is considering Guruvayurappan as his Guru because Lord is both the remover of the darkness of Anjaanam or avidya (Guru) and the protector and saviour of all (Naathan). After innumerable births in lower species, we finally got narajanmam in Kaliyuga. Kalisantharanopanishad and many other scriptures reinforce the importance of naamasankeerthanam in Kaliyuga. Naamasankeerthanam can be done any time anywhere.
Harernaama Harernaama Harernaamaiva kaevalam
kalau naasthyeva naasthyeva naasthyeva gathiranyadha
Njanappana 2
Innaleyolam enthennarinjeela Ini naaleyum enthennarinjeela
Innikkanda thadikku vinaashavum Inna neramennaethumarinjeela
We really do not know what happened until yesterday or what would happen tomorrow. Neither do we know when this body we see today will perish.
When we look at the literal meaning, we may feel like responding: "I know what
happened until yesterday and I can roughly guess what will happen in the coming days. I am hail and healthy and unless I get into an accident or so I should be able to live many more years".
Poonthaanam is putting his forefinger on his nose with an expression of "what a pity?" because he meant much more than the literal meaning of yesterday, tomorrow and our present body. He persuades us to think deep about the uncertainty of life. Yesterday and today also means previous janmaas and future janmaas. We do not know about our previous janmaas or good and bad karmaas we have accumulated. A great part of our good and bad experiences in this janma is the direct result of our past karmaas. We cannot undo the sins or suffering by anything other than sincere prayers. Bhagavaan is the only one who can change the results of our praarabdha karmaas and in Kaliyuga, naamasankeerthanam pleases Bhagavan more than anything.
We do not know what is in store for us tomorrow. How can we make sure that our future is in safe hands? Only by offering ourselves in His strong and kind hands. Then what about today? At present we live in this body and the moment jeevathma leaves the body, it becomes lifeless like a log of wood. We have absolutely no idea when that will happen.
Here Poonthaanam used the word "thati" for body to specifically tell us that body is like a log of wood or worse than a log of wood when it is lifeless. A dead body that is not preserved starts deteriorating in a few hours where as a log of wood may remain intact for several months or even years. Poonthaanam advises us to think deep about these truths and use every moment available to worship Lord with naamams like
Krishna!Krishna! Mukunda! Janaardana! Krishna! Govinda! Naarayana! Hare!
Achyuthaananda! Govinda! Maadhava! Sachidaananda! Naarayana! Hare!
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu also said that there are no hard and fast rules for chanting naamaas. Anytime one can chant and under any circumstances one is allowed to chant.
"Shuchir va ashuchir va sarva avasthaasu sarvada" meaning in any condition clean (purified) or dirty (impure) one can chant the auspicious names of Lord.
Njanappana 3
Kandukandangirikkum janangale Kandillennu varuthunnathum bhavaan
Randu naalu dinam kondorutthane Thandiletti nadathunnathum bhavaan
Maalika mukaleriya mannante Tholil maaraappu kettunnathum bhavaan
If Bhagavan wishes, those people whom we see today may disappear (may be dead) by tomorrow. Again if Bhagavan decides, with in a few days (two or four days) a healthy man's dead body may be carried to the funeral pyre. In the same way, by God's wish, a king sitting in a palace (maalika) can become a beggar with a dirty bag (maaraappu) hanging from his shoulders (tholil). Poonthaanam explains how transient our life, wealth, poverty, sorrows and everything that we see in this world.
A man walking and having fun this moment can embrace death the next moment. Everything is Lord's wish! In Kerala, usually dead body is tied to a wooden ladder or a piece of long wood and carried by relatives (normally by sons) to the funeral pyre. However hail and healthy one may be, when the time decided by Lord approaches chaitanyam or jeevan disappears leaving the dead body to be carried to the funeral pyre. It can happen any time, in one day, two days or four days (randu naalu dinam kondoruthane).
Here Poonthanam used the word "mannan" for king (mannante) because "mannan" also means "drushtan" or "aviveki". He advises that those people who have money and power should have the vivekam to use both dharmically remembering that they came to this world with nothing and would go from this world with nothing. Bhagavan can take it any moment from anybody. By Lord Krishna's blessings, Kuchela or Sudama became wealthy overnight.
What about Ravana? He lost everything that he held dear and finally he lost his life too at the hands of Lord Rama. Even if we are destined to go through sufferings due to our past karmaas, surrendering to Lord will lessen the negative effects and lead us to Satgathi. "Bagavan says in Gita: "na hi kalyaanakruth kashchid durgathim thaatha gacchathi" meaning "If you do good, it will definitely lead you to satgathi or protect you from any harm".
Poonthaanam tells this truth from his own experience of the tragic and sudden death of his infant son. I have heard several versions of the story. But the following is the one I heard from my parents. Poonthaanam's son was 5 months old and anna praasham (giving rice for the first time is called "choroonu" in Malayalam. Usually it is done either the 5th month or 7th month) ceremony was fixed. He invited several relatives and that morning after feeding the baby his wife made a bed in the room next to the hall where ceremony was to be conducted.
Usually there will be an entrance to that room from the kitchen also. Baby was sleeping and his wife was busy with all the preparations. It was morning and one namboothiri lady finished her bath and put the wet clothes in the same room where the baby was sleeping. That room was dark even during day time and she did not see the baby and unfortunately wet clothes were put on the baby's face. (I can very well believe this because in my house, there is a room on the north side called Vatakkini which is very dark even in day time. So when our parents told us this story, we listened with tears in our eyes and we felt it could happen in any Nambudiri house.) Then the next lady came after bath and seeing the wet clothes in a corner she also put hers on the top of it. One after another a few ladies unknowlingly put wet clothes on and around the baby. Nobody noticed and it was about muhurttham time and Poonthaanam asked his wife to bring the baby. She was shocked to see what happened to her helpless baby and we can imagine the rest. This sorrow gave birth to Njanappana and Poonthaanam advises us to realize the uncertainty of everything in this world and persuades us to think of God by continuous chanting of His auspicious names.
Njanappaana 4
Kandaal ottariyunnu chilarithu Kandaalum thiriyaa chilarkkethumae
Kandathonnumae sathyam allennathu Mumbe kandangariyunnithu chilar
Some people see this truth, understand it or internalize the truth. But some people cannot comprehend the truth even when they see it everyday. But there are some others who know that all that they see are not real and it is all Maaya.
Poonthaanam divides humans into three categories. Utthama purushaas (or wise people or perfect human beings) are able to understand the transient nature of this world. People like Shankaraacharyar, Sreeraamakrishna Paramahasar are examples who belong to this category. Then there are Madhyama purushaas (or reasonably wise people) who understand it when they themselves or people near, dear and around them experience the ups and downs of life. Then the third category of people known as Adhama Purushaas (people with low level of wisdom) do not understand or even do not have the attitude to think more about it even if they or their beloved ones go through the negative as well as the positive experiences including successes, death, suffering and disease.
Yudhishtira Maharaj says to the Yaksha who asks "what is the biggest wonder in the world?" Even though everybody who is born embraces death eventually, the living people refuses to believe that death will eventually embrace them also. What is more surprising than this? Even though we see it everyday we live as if death is only for somebody else.
ahanyahani bhUtAni gachChanti yamAlayam |
sheShAH sthAvaramichChanti kimAshcharyamataH param ||
Poonthanam indirectly tells us that only with Bhagavan's blessings we can have this vivekam or power of discrimination. So we should pray Bhagavan to include us in that category of few people (the word "chilar" indicates that these kind of people are rare) who is capable of seeing the truth. In this Kaliyuga, the most doable form of worship is naamasnakeerthanam and he encourages everybody to chant auspicious names like the few given below to purify our mind and elevate ourselves from the state of Adhama Purushas to the state of Uttama Purushas:
Krishna!Krishna! Mukunda! Janaardana! Krishna! Govinda! Naarayana! Hare!
Achyuthaananda! Govinda! Maadhava! Sachidaananda! Naarayana! Hare!
Njanappaana 5
Manu jaathiyil thanne palavidham
Manassinnu vishesham undorkanam
We should remember (orkkanam) that even among human beings (manujaathiyil thanne) mentality or mental faculties and attitudes (manassinnu vishesham) vary. (palavidham) These two seemingly simple lines tells about how man is blessed with the power of discrimination (vishesha budhhi) and has the power to choose what is good (Shreyas) and not what is pleasing ( "preyas").
When poet says "manujaathiyil thanne", it implies that there are thousands and thousands of species of beings in this world. Humans are one of them and even among humans each individual is different from others. Difference between man and other beings is in man's ability to change his mind and attitude to become a better person. For example a snake will never become a friend of a mongoose or it cannot go against it's natural instincts. Similarly a hungry tiger can never develop a kind attitude towards a helpless fawn. It cannot change his mind and think: "I will leave this poor, helpless fawn and will fill my stomach with an old or at least an adult deer". It cannot seek the company of good natured animals like cows and goats and refrain from violence. But man can choose the company of good people (sajjanasamsargam) and elevate oneself to higher spiritual level.
Shabari's path to moksham (Ramayana) is an example of the result of satsangam. Narada in his previous janma was born as a maid servant's son. His mother was helping the sages in a near by ashram. The association of great sages gave him the knowledge and maturity to know the greatness of Lord even before he was five years old. Soon his mother was bitten by a snake and died leaving him alone in this world. Because of the spiritual knowledge he acquired from the sages, he wandered all over the world seeking Lord with sincere meditation and prayers. Once Bhagavan appeared before him for a short while and disappeared soon. Later he could not see His divine form how ever hard he tried. Finally Bhagavan told him that he would have to be born one more time to reach Him. Since Narada experienced the taste of bliss once, he spent the rest of His life chanting naamam and in the next Kalpa he was reborn as Brahma's son Narada. As a chiranjeevi (who lives for a long long time) Narada can have darshan of Lord any time he wants and he can freely travel in all the 14 worlds spreading the greatness of Namasankeerthanam. All his blessings started with the satsangam of the sages. Then Narada's association gave moksham to so so many souls including Prahlada and Dhruva.
What would bring us closer to sajjanaas?
Only prayers and naamasnakeerthanam will help us to have satsangam and this association will help us to develop an attitude of complete surrender to Bhagavan. . In other words, to have an auspicious mind (to have the vishesha budhhi) let us chant the auspicious naamams with Shri Poonthaanam:
Krishna!Krishna! Mukunda! Janaardana! Krishna! Govinda! Naarayana! Hare!
Achyuthaananda! Govinda! Maadhava! Sachidaananda! Naarayana! Hare!
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