Njanappana 6 - 10

Njanappana 6

Commentary by Savitri Puram

 

Palarkkum ariyenam ennittallo

Pala jaathi parayunnu saasthrangal

Many people (palarkkum) want to know (ariyenam) about all these (including the power of discrimination of human beings, about the mystery of God, how to go beyond Maya and attain salvation etc) and hence so many saasthraas (saathrangal) tells (parayunnu) about or explain these subjects in so many different ways (pala jaathi).

 

Which saasthra or which philosophy appeals to each one depends on each individual's nature, attitude and circumstances. Some people like certain approach where as others like a totally different approach. Saathraas contain so many different philosophies to satisfy the varied interests of ordinary people. Just like we all choose different professions or jobs for the sole purpose of survival, different people accept different saasthraas to advance spiritually and increase the awareness of parmaathma chaithanyam or God.

 

There are Vaishnavaas, Shaivaas, Shaaktheyaas or another group who worship all 33 million gods alike etc. Goal is the same and only paths are different. There is a saying that "vitthamaeva param nrunaam janmaachaarakalodaya:" meaning people choose different ways and methods for the sole purpose of acquiring wealth. Outwardly each and every philosophy may appear different, but once the essence is understood, the differences slowly disappear and all the paths unite to become one path.

The word Saasthraas (saathrangal) is used because they advise to follow certain restrictions and rules to advance smoothly in the spiritual path. How is it possible to choose the right path and who will guide us through? Poonthanam has only one solution: chant the auspicious names of God and He will guide us through the right path:

 

Krishna!Krishna! Mukunda! Janaardana!

Krishna! Govinda! Naarayana! Hare!

Achyuthaananda! Govinda! Maadhava!

Sachidaananda! Naarayana! Hare

 

Njanappaana 7

 

Karmathiladhikaari janangalkku

Karma saasthrangalundu palavidham

Saankhya saasthrangal yogangal enniva

Sankhyayillyathu nilkkatte sarvavum

For those people (janangalkku) who are authorized to do karmaas like yaaga or yanja, homam, poojaas etc (karmaathil adikaari- it can even mean those who desire to do karmaas or those who are entrusted with the duty of performing karmaas) several different (palavidham) karma saashtraas are available (karma saasthrangalundu) .

 

Saankhya saasthra, yoga saasthra etc are among the innumerable or countless (sankhyayi

llya) saasthraas available. But for the time being, let us keep aside (nilkkatte) all of them (athu sarvavum) Just like the diversity of the world and its inhabitants, saasthraas also are diverse. Different types of yanjaas, poojaas, homams etc are described very clearly in many scriptures. Initially even though devotees perform them with some specific desire, as the Bhakthi bhaavam matures, Bhagavan's blessings help them to do Nishkaama karma or do karma with out expecting anything in return. There is a small conversation between Jabali Muni and a vartthaka or business man called Thulaadhaara.

 

Even though Jabaali Muni was an embodiment of kindness, he was proud of his achievements and considered himself as the greatest Dharmishttan. Then he heard an 'ashareeri" or wise words from God to visit Thulaadhaara. He visited him and Thulaadhaara explains to him how we all should do our swadharmam with out expecting anything in return. Thulaadhaara told him that Yanjaas and poojaas are done to show our gratitude to God, Forefathers, Rishis and other Maahaathmaas for what blessings they have already bestowed on us. Renunciation of the results of the karma is nishkaama karma and Nishkaama karma purifies our mind. God's chaithanyam gets reflected only in pure minds.

 

Maharshi Kapila's Saankhya philosophy regards Universe as consisting of two eternal realities Purusha and Prakriti. Pathanjali Maharshi's yoga saasthra describes different types of yogas like Hatha yoga, Raja Yoga etc. They all lead one to the knowledge of

Brahmam, but those paths are very difficult and with out an able Guru (in every sense of the word) it is impossible to follow those paths. But in this Kaliyuga, Bhaktha Kavi Poonthaanam advises us to set aside those difficult paths (which are as sharp and dangerous as the edge of a razor) and follow the most simple and enjoyable path of Bhakthi or devotion. What is the first and final step in the path of devotion?

Naamasankeerthanam. Bhakthi starts with Naamam and ends with Naamam. It is for ordinary people as well as for self realized souls. No question of whether you are authorized, whether you have enough knowledge to pursue; whether you have the right comes in this way of worshipping Lord. Anybody can do naamajapam, anytime, anywhere.

 

Krishna!Krishna! Mukunda! Janaardana!

Krishna! Govinda! Naarayana! Hare!

Achyuthaananda! Govinda! Maadhava!

Sachidaananda! Naarayana! Hare

Njanappaana 8

 

Chuzhannitunna samsaara chakratthil

Uzhannitum namukkarinjeetuvaan

Arivulla mahatthukkal undoru

Paramaartham arul cheythirikkunnu

Eluthaayittu mukthi labhippaanaay

Chevi thannithu kelppin ellaavarum

 

We are restlessly moving (uzhannitum) up and down in this rotating (chuzhannitunna) wheel of material world (samsaara chkratthil). For us to know (namukkarinjituvaan ), great njaanis( arivulla mahatthukkal) have preached (arul chythirikkunnu) the paramaartham (Supreme truth). All of you listen to this (kelppin ellaavarum) because to attain salvation (mukthi labhipaanaay) easily (eluthaayittu) God has given you the sravanaedriyam or ears (chevi thannithu). The meaning of "chevi thannithu" can also be taken as "give your ears" or listen to what Mhaathmaas told us. Getting human life is rare and even after getting human life; very few people are blessed to pursue the spiritual path. But great sages of the past realized this pitiable condition of ordinary souls and have prescribed easy ways to know the Supreme Truth.

 

One of the easiest methods for Kaliyuga suggested by them is Naamasankeerthanam. Since this is the opinion of self-realized bhakthaas, Bhagavan Himself approves this method and tells in Bhagavad Gita: "yajnaanaam japayajnosmi" or Among all the sacrifices, sadhanas, austerities or forms of tapas, I am represented by japa" and thus supporting the words of Mahaathmaas. (Bhagavan always supports Bhakthaas.

 

When Poothaanam once read Amaraprabhu as Maraprabhu while chanting Vishnusahasra naamam, a few Sanskrit scholars made fun of

him. Bhagavan could not take his dear devotee's grief and told from the sanctum sanctorum: "I am Amara prabhu as well as Maraprabhu, meaning I am also the lord of trees or in Malayalam maram".) We are all going up and down on the wheel of material world rotating with extreme speed and it is very difficult to escape from that. But once we know the Supreme Truth, we will be relieved from the samsaarachakra. This Brahma jnanam is possible by sincerely chanting the auspicious names of God because Naamam or names of Lord are even greater than Naami or Lord Himself. Hanumanji had to just chant Raama naamam to cross the ocean where as Lord Raama had to construct the bridge to cross the ocean to Lanka!

 

Also as explained in the previous lines, anybody can chant naamam anytime and anywhere. So Poonthaanam is asking us to listen carefully to what Mahaathmaas have told us about Supreme Truth. Like sravanedriyam or ears can be used for hearing the greatness of Lord, all other indriyaas should be used for the purpose of serving God. Sankarrachaaryar also gives this idea in a very beautiful sloka in Soundarya Lahari:

 

JapO jalpa: shilpam sakalam api mudraa-virachanaa

Gathi: praadakshiNya- kramanam ashanady aahuthi-vidhi:

PraNaama: samvesha: sukham akhilam aathmaarpaNa -drushaa

Saparyaa paryaya: thava bhavathu yan mae vilasitham

 

Let my spoken words become manthras, let all my hand gestures become mudraas, let all my steps become circumambulation or pradakhinam to you, let my lying down to sleep become prostration to you, let the food I consume be an offering to the sacred fire lit for

you, let what ever I do become a worship to you.

 

Krishna!Krishna! Mukunda! Janaardana!

Krishna! Govinda! Naarayana! Hare!

Achyuthaananda! Govinda! Maadhava!

Sachidaananda! Naarayana! Hare

 

P.S: I cannot help quoting the last sloka of chapter 98 of Naaraayaneeyam :

 

durvaaraM dvaadashaaraM trishataparimilatSh aShTi parvaabhiviitaM

sambhraamyat krooravegaM kshaNamanu jagadaachChidya sandhaavamaanam |

chakraM te kaalaruupaM vyathayatu na tu maaM tvatpadaikaavalamba M

viShNO kaaruNya sindhO pavanapurapate paahi sarvaamayaughaat

 

Thy invincible wheel of Time has the 12 months as spokes, the 360 days of the year as teeth, whirls at a fierce speed and runs on cutting down the universe every moment. May it not torment me for whom thy feet are the only refuge. O! Vishnu! Ocean of compassion! Lord of Guruvayur! save me from all the hosts of ailments! (By S.N Sastriji)

 

Njanappana 9

 

Nammeyokkeyum bandhicha saadahanam

Karmam ennariyendathu mumbinaal

 

First and foremost (mumbinaal), we should know (ariyendathu) that karmam is the thing (saadhanam) that binds (bandhiccha) all of us (naameyokkeyum) to this world. Even before telling us more about the easiest path for salvation, poet starts with the big word: Karma" and how we are all bound in the cycle of birth and death by karma. Both good and bad karmaas are binding and hence we have to know what is the root cause for making us do karmaas and eradicate the root cause. In this context, an example of a burning stick is appropriate. If we move a burning stick in a circle, a burning circle will seem to appear. In reality (understanding the reality is njaanam) the circular movement of the stick causes the illusion. Likewise the wheel of time is moving with very high speed dragging us along with it and forcing us to do good as well as bad karmaas with ego (or feeling of "I am the doer). This causes the illusion of bondage. So we have to have the njaanam or knowledge to go beyond this illusion or Maya to escape from the bondage. Also the famous example of seeing a rope and misunderstanding it as a snake is appropriate. Until we know that it is only a rope, we will be scared and stressed. What will lead us to this knowledge of Brahmam? Continuous remembrance of Lord through Naamasankeerthanam will help us to detach us from the karma-bound cycle and lead us to Njaanam and moksham.

 

Krishna!Krishna! Mukunda! Janaardana!

Krishna! Govinda! Naarayana! Hare!

Achyuthaananda! Govinda! Maadhava!

Sachidaananda! Naarayana! Hare

 

Law of Karma is a law of justice and it is straight forward, impartial and inescapable. The only thing that can nullify the effects of Karma is Bhagavan's grace. Bhagavan's blessings loosen the tightly bound law of Karma and makes the otherwise impossible escape possible for us. In Kaliyuga the easiest way to obtain Bhagavan's blessings and grace is naamasnakeerthanam.

In Mahabharatha, Sahadeva advises his elder elder brother Yudhishtira on the subject of Karma. He says that when ever we do Karmaas with the feeling of "I am the doer" or "mine (two letter sanskrit word "mama") those karmaas lead us to the cycle of birth and death. But when we do karmaas thinking that we are not the doer, the results of the karmaas also will not be ours. This feeling is called "I am not the doer" or not mine (in Sanskrit, it is expressed in three letters "na mama").

 

Karmaas performed with this attitude are not binding and and free us from the eternal cycle of birth and death. Again, how can we develop this attitude in Kaliyuga? Poonthanam assures us along with Bhagavan that Nammasankeerthanam will eventually give us this "na mama" attitude and lead us to njaanam and moksham.

 

Krishna!Krishna! Mukunda! Janaardana!

Krishna! Govinda! Naarayana! Hare!

Achyuthaananda! Govinda! Maadhava!

Sachidaananda! Naarayana! Hare

Njanappana 10

 

Munnam ikkanda viswam aseshavum

Onnaayulloru jyothi swaroopamaay

Onnum chennangu thannodu pattaathe

Onnilum chennu thaanum valayaathe

Onnonnaayi ninakkum janangalkku

Onnukondariyaavunna vasthuvaay

Onnilum urakkaattha janagalku

Onnu kondum thiriyaatha vasthuvaay

Onnu pole onnillaathe ullathil

Onnaayulloru jeeva swaroopamaay

Ninnavan thanne viswam chamachu pol,

Moonnum onnil adangunnu pinneyum

 

During pralaya or dissolution (word "munnam" refers to pralayam) this whole world (viswam asheshavaum) becomes the one and only one (onnayulloru) jyothi swaroopam or parama thejopunjam. This jyothiswaroopam is only a witness, this is neither attached to anything in this world (line four) nor let anything in the world get attached to this (line 3). Those Jnaanis and Bhakthaas (predominantly of saatwic and raajasic nature) who try to figure out one by one (onnonnaayi ninakkum janangalkku) using "nethi, nethi" process or "not this, not this" process, perceive "It" as one thing through which everything is known (onukondariyaavunna vasthuvaay). For those people whose minds are restless, fickle and out of control (onnilum urakkaattha janangalkku -predominantly of Thaamasic nature)

"It" cannot be comprehended or understood by any means (onnukondum thiriyaattha vasthuvaay). Outwardly each and every being is different (oonu pole onnillaathe), but the spirit or jeev swaroopam in all beings are the same (ullatthil onnaayulloru jeevaswaroopamaay). The same jeeva swaroopam that exists in everything (ninnavan thanne) created the whole universe (viswam chamacchupol) and "It" again (pinneyum)

contains all the three. (Moonnum onnil adangunnu) During pralaya or dissolution, everything is merged in Lord and nothing remains except

the parama jyothi swaroopam or light of lights (or paramaathma chaithanyam). This is compared to the disappearance of stars and moon at sunrise. Likewise, the whole universe including the sun, moon, stars and all planets dissolve and become part of that

great Jyothi swaroopam. One of the prayers we chant during aarathi or deepaaraadhana expresses the same idea:

 

Na thathra suryo bhathi, na chandratharakam

nema viddhutho bhanthi kuthoyamagni:

Thameva bhantham anubhaathi sarvam,

thasya bhasa sarvamidham vibhathi.

 

"There the sun does not shine, nor the moon nor the stars; these lightnings also do not shine - how then (can) this earthly fire?

Verily, everything shines after Him reflecting His glory. This whole world is illuminated with His light." But this light of lights is "Anaadimadhyaantham" or beginningless, middleless and endless. At the end of the dissolution phase, each individual soul again takes birth

depending on the accumulated karmaas. These individual souls with accumulated karmaas do not get salvation during dissolution, but just remains hidden in Easwara Chaithanyam and then takes birth again to experience the results of their good and bad karmaas.

 

These lines specifically explain how Bhagavan is not tainted by our karmaas. Even when we disappear in to the jyothi swaroopam, that jyothi swaroopam remains unaffected. So our sorrows and happiness do not affect Bhagavan and Bhagavan is not responsible for our sorrows and happiness. Our experiences are the direct results of our own karmaas. Then how does Bhagavan help us? When we realize that the jyothi swaroopam with in all  of us is the same as the paramaathmachaithanyam, all our actions become an offering to the Light of Lights, "mama or mine" attitude disappears, and "na mama or not mine"  attitude arises. But only in a pure mind this realization happens and in Kaliyuga,

 

Nammasnakeerthanam is the most practical method to attain purity of mind. "Onnukondariyaavunna vasthu" indicates that for ordinary people like us, Brahmam can be known only through the path of Bhakthi. Bhakthi leads to Njaanam. Little Prahlaada believed that everything existing was Naarayana swaroopam and when he told his father  that God is omnipresent, Lord did come out from the lifeless pillar to protect Him. Gopikaas were ordinary housewives and just because of their intense and blind devotion to the Lord of Vrindavan they attained Jnaanam and moksham. Fickle minded ordinary people who are distracted every moment with the the various temptations of life cannot comprehend the greatness of Bhagavan. First the aasuric or thaamasic or demonic characteristics of our mind has to be reduced by the constant remembrance of Lord and the power of Naamam will elevate us to purer and purer levels. Last line talks about the number three. This three can refer to several things: Prakrutthi, mahatthathvam, Ahamkaaram or Satva Gunam, Rajo Gunam, Thamo Gunam or Brahma, Vishnu, Maheswaran or three worlds. At the time of dissolution, everything merges into the paramachaithanyam and this explains the transient nature of everything we see or feel in this world. Poonthanam explains this to develop an attitude of detachment in our mind

and hence perform Nishnkaama karmam and attain the Lotus Feet of Lord by chanting is names:

 

Krishna!Krishna! Mukunda! Janaardana!

Krishna! Govinda! Naarayana! Hare!

Achyuthaananda! Govinda! Maadhava!

Sachidaananda! Naarayana! Hare

--

If an egg is broken by an outside force, a life ends. If it breaks from within, a life begins. Great things always begin from within.