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CHAPTER - XXI
Gatichintapadhikara
The Upanishads describe the path of ‘archiradi’ and calls it ‘Devapatha’ or ‘Brahmapatha’. The various guides lead jivatman from one place to another place and a superhuman called ‘Amanava’, leads him to Supreme Brahman in the end. As a king fondles his son, the prince, who is obedient to him, the Lord himself makes this liberated soul led to his place by the various ‘ativahikas’ such as Agni and others. The ‘athivahikas’ are as follows: -
Agni the deity of the day, the deity of the bright half of the month, the deity of uttarayana, the deity of the year or samvatsara, Vayu, Adirya, the moon, the Vaidyutapurusha, Varuna, Indra and Prajapathi.
ज्वलनदिवसज्योत्स्ना पक्षोत्तरायणवत्सरान् पवन तपन प्रालेयांशून् क्रमादचिरद्युतिम् । जलधरपतिं देवाधीशं प्रजापतिमागतः तरति विरजां दूरे वाचस्ततः परमद्भुतम् ॥
The liberated soul is respectfully led by these guides or ‘athivahikas’, and he attains the Eternal Abode of Paramatman. He will be endowed with a subtle body that is meant for only movement on the path of ‘archiradi’, by virtue of his prapatti or upasana, and he casts away that subtle body while reaching the divine river ‘Viraja’. Crossing the river ‘Viraja’, he is endowed with a non-material body i.e., Aprakrita-Sharira. He will be then led to the lake ऐरम्मदीय and the peepal tree called सोमसवन and he is welcomed by five hundred divine damsels, and he will be decorated with ‘Brahmalankara’. The Kaushitaki Upanishad describes graphically the glory of the ‘mukta’. The deities Indra, Varuna and Prajapati, will be congratulating the liberated soul with great veneration. The liberated soul witnesses the Supreme Lord in his Supreme Abode. By thus attaining the Lord, in his abode, the liberated atman manifests its true nature of infinite consciousness and the eight divine qualities, and for all the time to come, enjoys the bliss of divine communion. He will get rid of all obstacles and all limitations to the experience of the divine and will ever realise that he is inseparable from the Lord. The ecstasy of divine experience, overflows in the form of loving service of the Supreme Paramatman. It has been decided in the Brahmasutras that his essential nature of consciousness will be perfectly manifested at that time as well as his ‘dharma-buta-jnanam’ will be all expansive just like the dharma-buta-jnanam’ of Paramatman. He will be deriving the Supreme joy of eternal communion with the Lord, for all time to come.
A Bhakti-yogin has to reflect upon this ‘archiradi’ path day-in and day-out, as it is an accessory to Bhakti-yoga. But, for a Prapanna, this reflection of the ‘archiradi’ path, is a source of great delight, though it is not an accessory to Prapatti. The Prapanna becomes gratified by thinking of this ‘archiradi’, and the divine experience, he is going to gain in course of time.
In the concluding verse of this chapter, Desika describes that the ‘Harichandana’ or sandal tree of the form of Lord Hari, would bless the souls that have surrendered unto Him,
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being tired of moving up and down by the paths leading to hell, and becoming completely exhausted on account of their unceasing movement, by taking them to his side, being led by his obedient servants, the ‘athivahikas’, the Lord would make them happy by granting his cool shade for all time to
come.
As the trec provides its cool shade to the tired travellers, the Lord grants the Supreme Happiness of His Eternal Communion to those who had been unceasingly involved in the circle of births and deaths. The Lord will never will to send those liberated atmans to this world - Fagarrada’ say the Upanishads.