१४ स्वनिष्ठाभिज्ञानाधिकारः

Swanistabhijnanadhikara

CHAPTER - XIV

Swanistabhijnanadhikara

A prapanna is one who is steadfast in the awareness of his own essential nature, which is different from non-sentient matter on one hand and the Supreme Paramatman on the other hand, who is the ‘sarva-seshin’, the siddhopaya and the supreme object of attainment. The understanding of these three namely the tattva, the hita and the purushartha should be firm and unshakable by any kind of perverse arguments in a prapanna. This awareness should be in him during all the time that he remains in this world after prapatri. This kind of steadfastness can be known from various factors that are significant signs showing that awareness. On account of the glory of this knowledge, the prapanna becomes capable of passing through the vast miseries that come across during the course of his life here. He will be capable of avoiding all kinds of unbecoming actions, such as seeking the grace of some one other than the Lord, worshipping those that are different from the Supreme Paramatman, studying the scriptures of other schools and thinking in vain of other things, etc.

These significant marks are to be realised by a prapanna. These are in one way the characteristics of a prapanna. In another aspect, they are ‘sadhanas’ or disciplines that are to be cultivated and to be achieved by a prapanna. These marks are just like the marks of a ‘stita-prajna or a ‘gunacccta’ or a fervent devotee of the Lord. One can examine one self and find out, if he fulfills all these conditions to call himself as a prapanna. This shows the mental attitude of a prapanna, who is solely devoted to the Lord. If a prapanna has the following characteristics, he can know that he is steadfast in his essential nature:

When some one accuses him, and speaks of many faults, one should realise that they do not relate to his essential nature, but only relate to the body and others, and so, should be free from sorrow or depression.
As pointed out in the verse ‘a person who abuses somcone, would be amassing sin for himself, and would be getting tainted with the sin of the abused’ - a prapanna should pity those people who abuse him and thus harm themselves by getting his sin.
When someone abuses a prapanna, he should feel grateful to the abuser, who will be reminding him of his faults plausible in him. ‘Upakara-smriti’ or having a sense of being helped by him for thinking of his nature, as pointed by Yamuna in the stotra-ratna as … etc., and as expressed by Tirumangai Alwar in the verse ‘I have grieved and grieved’. All the faults are plausible in him, and the abuser has done a good service to him by making him remember his faults.
A prapanna should be convinced of the fact that those that abuse him, are behaving so, only according to the will and prompting of the Supreme Paramatman, on account of his past karma as well as the past karma of the abuser. All people in this world are by their essential nature, dependent on Paramatman and are all dominated by karma. So, anything done by anybody, is on account of one’s own karma alone and therefore, a prapanna should not become disturbed in his mind, when he is ill-treated or abused or insulted by someone.
When somcbody humiliates a prapanna or abuses him, that prapanna should feel rejoicement as he will be exhausting the store of his past karma (prarabdha), by being subject to such kind of humiliation.

If one will be thinking on these lines, he can understand that he is steadfast in his essential nature, as understood from the first word i.e. ‘pranava’ and the second word viz. ’namas’ or the supreme mantra Ashtaksharam’. The dropped dative case on Akara’ 3751 in the ‘pranava’, signifies the subservience of the jiva and the ‘Makara’ Hot signifies that he is endowed with Sjnanam’ or consciousness which is to be agreeable to all living beings. The second word ’namas’ signifies dependence on Paramatman, utter helplessness and wishing good of all, according to the will of Paramatman. He will be realising that he is subservient to and dependent upon the Paramatman alone, and he is to be used by the Supreme Paramatman, as He wills, and all these signify his essential nature and if a prapanna realises these things, he can know that he is steadfast in his essential nature.

Desika has described the characteristics of a person who is steadfast in the means of protection, he has adopted, in the following way: 1. When a person has entrusted the burden of his

protection totally to the Lord, he should have firm conviction that he, or any other person, is never his protector, even in the event of such causes of mortal fcar such as - illness, attack from beasts like tiger and others; even when there appears to be danger to his one

life, he should not be disturbed in his mind, but should have total faith in the saving grace of the Lord. There should not be any worry on his part about what would happen to him, after the fall of that body. On the other hand, he should rejoice that he would obtain the ultimate object of his life i.e. salvation from samsara. It is pointed out in the following verse that a person would be afraid of ‘mrityu’ or death on account of not having done, what ought to have been done. That means, when he has done his duty of surrendering the burden of his protection to the Lord, and when He has received it with compassion, he would have no cares or worries about death. He would be eagerly waiting for death, as one would be waiting for a dear guest, a he has completed what he had to do. When he has thrown away the burden of his protection on the shoulders of the Supreme Paramatman, what else he has to do? प्रायेण अकृतकृत्यत्वात् मृत्योरुद्विजते जनः ।

कृतकृत्याः प्रतीक्षन्ते मृत्युं प्रियमिवातिथिम् ॥ 2. He should have complete faith in the Lord, to whom

he has entrusted the burden of his protection, and he should totally give up his effort in his protection, and he should not seek assistance from anyone other than the Supreme Paramatman. The example of Sita’ is given to illustrate such total faith - when Sita was under the protection of the mighty arms of Sri Rama, she did not feel any fear or anxiety on seeing an elephant or a lion or a tiger in the forest. Sita says to Ravana, “I do not reduce you to ashes by virtue of my might, on account of my vow of not making any self effort, and also on

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account of the absence of any command from Sri Rama”. Sita says to Hanuman as follows, when Hanuman made a suggestion that he would carry her across the occan to Sri Rama, “If Sri Rama takes me out of this enemy city ‘Lanka’ by overpowering this Lanks with his scorching arrows, and destroying the enemies, that would indeed be befitting to Him.”

For averting all undesirables and for attaining all desirables, the Lord alone is capable and it is within his powers. If one who has surrendered the burden of his protection to the Lord, entertains total confidence in that Lord, and gives up all efforts of his for obtaining that object of desire, and if he realises that for all objects of his attainment, the Lord alone is the sole means of attainment, then one can understand that he is steadfast in the means of attainment he has adopted. This is prescribed in the former part of the Dvaya-Mantra, and the first half of the Charamasloka and the middle term ’namah’ in the Tinmantra’.

What are the characteristics of the person, who is steadfast in the s object of attainment or ‘Parama Purushartha’?

Desika describes them as follows:

A person, who has surrendered himself and the burden of his protection along with the fruit thereof, to the Lord, should not be worried with his ‘Deha-yatra’ or course of his life in this world, as the course of his life is caused by the Lord, according to the karma of that individual that has commenced to give fruit. It is verily pointed out in the following verses thus – उत्पत्तिस्थिति नाशानां स्थितौ चिन्ता कुतस्तव । यथोत्पत्तिर्यथा नाशः स्थितिः तद्वद्भविष्यति ॥

“Of the three factors viz. birth, life and death, why are you ruminating over life itself? As origination and destruction happen, protection also happens”.

‘Wealth is going to choose one, who is sitting idle without doing any action; whereas a person who exerts a lot of effort, does not get even a little of water to drink - This points out that the ‘Deha-yatra’ or daily course of life of a person, is destined according to his past karma, caused by the impartial Ishvara. So, a prapanna, who yearns for the ultimate object of attainment viz., moksha, should not worry for these trivial things.

Such a prapanna is advised to realise that all these earthly attainments are the results of the past karma and therefore his duty here is to follow strictly his dharma without any worry or anxiety. Even if one worries about such earthly benefits, he cannot get them, unless they are granted by the Lord. The following verses make this point clear:

उत्पतन्नपि चाकाशं विशन्नपि रसातलम् । अटन्नपि महीं कृत्स्नां नादत्तमुपतिष्ठते ॥

“even if you leap to the sky or if you enter the nether worlds or if you roam around the world., you shall not get what is not given to you”.

यत्किंचित् वर्तते लोके सर्वं तन्मद्विचेष्टितम् ।

अन्यो ह्यन्यच्चिन्तयति स्वच्छन्दं विदधाम्यहम् ॥“Swanistabhijnanadhikara

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“Whatever exists in this world, all that is caused by me; someone thinks of something else, but I ordain all that, according to my will” – says the Lord.

375CM: HT: TERT: Patrici | प्रयत्नेनापि कर्तव्यः स्वधर्म इति मे मतिः ॥

“The objects of the world that come upon them without any effort, are to be experienced; but rendering supreme effort, one should protect dharma”.

नाहारं चिन्तयेत् प्राज्ञः धर्ममेवानुचिन्तयेत् ।

आहारो हि मनुष्याणां जन्मना सह जायते ॥

“A wise man should not think of food; but he must think of dharma alone. Food comes here with his birth for all human beings’

As mentioned in all these statements, a prapanna should experience those objects that come upon him without his effort, and that are not opposed to shastras, with the idea that the debt of ‘prarabdha karma’ is getting cleared.

A prapanna should have utmost interest in the divine service of the Lord, which is the supreme object of attainment and he should not rejoice or grieve for having attained earthly happiness or sorrow. Just like a ‘stitha-prajna’ he must have an equipoise of mind.

A prapanna of this nature cannot bear delay in attaining the supreme object of life viz., deliverance. If one has all these fulfilled in him, it can be underscood that he is steadfast in the ‘Parama-Purusharta’ or the supreme object of life.

The dative case in the term ‘Narayanaya’ in the Mulamantra, and the dvayamantra, and the term ’namas’, and also the second half of charamasloka, all these are pointing to the supreme ‘Purusharta’ as one points out with his finger a vast ocean.

The fruit or ‘Parama-Phala’ of attainment of this kind of steadfastness in his essential nature, the upaya or means of salvation and parama-purusharta, are described as follows:

For such a prapanna, there will be nothing to fear other than offence towards a knower of Brahman and he will not entertain desire for anything other than ‘svarupa-prapta kainkarya’ or service to the Lord, which will be according to his essential nature. He will be blessed with such a kind of noble attitude. He will neither rejoice in things that worldly people take delight, nor does he become afraid of things that cause fear to the worldly people. The example of Sita in Ashokavana is given to illustrate this point by Desika:

नैषा पश्यति राक्षस्यो नेमापुष्पफलद्रुमान् । एकस्थ हृदया नूनं राममेवानुपश्यति ॥

“Sita does not look at the demonesses that strike fear and terror, nor does she look at the flower-trees, fruit-trees that cause pleasure. Her heart is set on Rama alone, and she is visualising him alone”.

Thus, a prapanna who is steadfast in his essential nature is neither disturbed on account of causes of fear nor pleased with causes of joy other than loving service, to the divine. Even in case one gets interested on account of his past reminiscent impressions, it will not have any effect on him.

When a prapanna is stationed in this world betwixt samsara and liberation by destiny caused by the Supreme

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Lord, he will bear on his head “the steadfastness in his essential nature etc.,” that is granted by the Lord just as the ‘shesha-vastra’, and lead the rest of his life, being fulfilled in his aspirations.

This is similar to the state of a ‘schita-prajna’ or a “jivan mukta’ or a ‘gunaatita’. Desika states in Achyuta-Shataka’ -

विषयरसेविरक्ताः विकारजननैरपि न खलु विक्रियमाणाः । जीवन्मुक्तसदृशाः अच्युत दृश्यन्ते पावनाः तव भक्ताः ॥

(Achyuta - Shataka - 47) O Lord, your devotees who are without any desire in the enjoyment of the objects of the senses, who never get detracted even by things that detract one are like Jivanmuktas, and they are holy and purifying others.

Thus in this chapter the behaviour of an ideal prapanna is expounded and the way in which the realisation of the knowledge of tattva, hita and purushartha should result in practice is shown.