THE ESOTERIC
KANDAR ANUBHUTI
OR
THE SECRET TEACHING ON
GOD-EXPERIENCE
(A Treatise on Adwaitic Realization)
OF
SAINT ARUNAGIRINATHAR
| THE ESOTERIC KANDAR ANUBHUTI OR THE SECRET TEACHING ON GOD-EXPERIENCE (A Treatise on Adwaitic Realization) OF SAINT ARUNAGIRINATHAR | |
 | by N.V. Karthikeyan |  |
| verses contents 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 .. 37 this verse in PDF version (4 parts) p-1 p-2 p-3 p-4 complete download of this book |
VERSE-27 மின்னேநிகர் வாழ்வை விரும்பிய யான் என்னே விதியின் பயன் இங்கிதுவோ பொன்னே மணியே பொருளே அருளே மன்னே மயிலேறிய வானவனே.Minne nikarvaazhvai virumbia yaan, Enne vithiyin payan ingu ithuvo Ponne maniye porule arule, Manne mayil eriya vaanavane. Lo, lightning-like transitory life I eagerly covet! Commentary "Why did I cherish and choose this lightning-like transient life? Is it due to the fruit of my fate or past Karmas!" wonders the seeker. Our present life is what we have wished and asked for. It is a product of our past Karmas (விதியின் பயன்). The seeker realises the power of 'Vidhi' or fate or past Karmas (வெவ்வினை) of verse-25, having had the horrible experience of the onslaught of Karmas for such a long time (verses 23 to 26). In the past lives, due to Aviveka or lack of proper understanding of the nature of things, he ran after the mirage of objects to quench the thirst of sense-enjoyment, pleasure-seeking, wealth, etc. All those desires and efforts to fulfill them formed the thick layer of Avidya (Samskaras) which have harassed him so far. But now he has fully realised the cause of his suffering and the Samskaras are also on the verge of getting exhausted. Just as the thick layer of dark clouds covering the sun, making it appear as though it were night, start dispersing, the sun becomes slowly visible, so also when the past Karmas that troubled him for such a long time are getting finished, he starts having slight glimpses of the might and glory of the Lord in his meditation. Soon the Lord (Jnana-Surya) will shine in His full glory. So, he exclaims: "O Lord, how mysterious is the power of 'vidhi' or my fate (Karmas) that made me cherish and choose this lightning-like transient life, and take interest in things mundane even against my not wanting to do so! Anyhow they are coming to an end now by Your grace. Glory be to Thee Who art Gold, Gem, the Supreme Reality and Mass of Grace!" 'Minne nigar vaazhvu' -- 'Life is evanescent like the lightning'. In his past lives, the seeker did not have Viveka or proper understanding of the nature of the world, which he now sees clearly. This life is transitory. Everything here is passing. Change is the character of this world. Like a lightning-flash, life comes and goes. Ere it is perceived, the lightning vanishes; so uncertain is life, too. Now it is, and now it disappears. Even this short, uncertain life is full of pain, suffering and anxiety at every stage. Persons and things are seen to pass away, daily, before our very eyes, yet we cling to them in the vain hope of getting enjoyment from them. This body of ours is itself subject to diseases, decay and death; and the things of the world are also perishable; either we may pass away at any moment or the things may leave us without notice. Yet, not realising this fleeting nature of life, the seeker was under delusion and went after them in his earlier lives and thus created bad Karmas for himself. But, now with the dawn of proper understanding (verse-17) and the Initiation from his Guru (verse-20), he clearly sees that the Karmas, which he himself had created earlier, are taking a heavy toll on him (verses 23 to 26). He realises it, gets reconciled with it and graciously accepts it as his fate; and he also knows that the only means of overcoming his fate is a total surrender to the All-Merciful Lord Who is 'Arul-mayam', who is a mass of Grace Itself. So he accepts that no one is to be blamed for one's problems except oneself. He beseeches the Lord for His Grace to be freed from this horrible situation. He has been praying and praying. Finally, in this verse, he addresses the Lord as "Gold, Gem, Eternally Real and Grace-Mass" all which are of an enduring nature, as against the 'lightning-like fleeting' nature of life here. This is a powerful invocation revealing his utter helplessness and surrender. Verses 23 to 27 describe the miserable and desperate condition of the seeker. He realises the power of Ariyaamai (Ignorance, Avidya) in the form of deep-rooted Samskaras of past Karmas which can harass a person to any extent when they manifest themselves in the conscious level. He has become so desperate that within the 4 verses (24, 25, 26 and 27), he appeals to the Lord for 'Grace' (அருள்) in 3 verses. Again, in the whole work only here we find the appeal for 'Grace' (அருள்) in two consecutive verses (26 and 27) which shows how helpless and desperate he is for the Lord's grace. It also indicates the maturing of his Vairagya, which ripens in verse-33. We may wonder why there is so much delay in the descent of Divine Grace. The Lord has His own reasons. Firstly, He wants that the Karmas buried in the Avidya that started coming out should exhaust themselves. Secondly, He also wants the seeker's surrender to be complete, which can happen only when he is driven to the extreme of helplessness. Hard earned wealth is valued. More so is Divine Grace. So the Lord waits and allows the Karmas to exhaust themselves. And the seeker continues his daily practice in the midst of all problems for a considerably long time pinning his faith in the Lord's grace. One more interesting thing to note is that in this verse the seeker does not pray to the Lord for His Grace but addresses the Lord as 'Grace' -- 'Ponne Maniye Porule ARULE, Manne Mayileriya Vaanavane'. The Lord is Grace ITSELF, a Mass of Grace! When so addressed, He could not tarry anymore! And Lo! He comes, as a torrential shower of Grace, as we will see in the next verse! Ignorant of the real nature of the Lord, we take this transitory world as real and go after it. What is the nature of the Lord? He is the only worthy Object; the objects of the world are perishable. He is like gold, a rare substance which has intrinsic worth, which is self-shining and lasting. He is self-luminous like the gem Carbuncle. He is the Supreme Reality, the source of everything. Above all, He is an embodiment of compassion, a mass of love, a concrete form of grace. He is the eternal King of the Universe, as against the finite nature of the things of the world. He rides on the fast-moving divine peacock, to confer His blessings on devotees, instantaneously. The seeker realises that he has been eagerly going after and hugging the worldly objects since so many births. They do not leave him now easily for his saying, "I do not want them, I want only God?" No. The world has its hold on us and continues to have, because we wanted it and went after it, though we may not want it now. Often, devotees and Sadhakas are unable to find out the reason for the persistence of the impact of worldly objects, misery, and suffering, in spite of their sincerely rejecting the worldly objects and seeking God with true love for Him. Devotees who truly dedicate themselves to God, who honestly seek Him, often find themselves in a peculiar predicament of an inner, un-understandable longing for the world in the form of subtle desires. They are at a loss to know the reason for the same. Arunagirinathar gives a clue to this perplexing riddle. The things that we cherished, wanted and hugged before come and have their say now, though they are not wanted now. This is the reason for the present suffering of devotees. But, by this, the saint wants to drive at a greater secret. We wanted them before, so they come now; even so, as we do not want them now, they shall leave us when the force that brought them is over. Our present difficulty should not therefore deter us from our pursuit of seeking God. Even as the things wanted before come now, God, whom we now sincerely seek will surely come. Thus, there is a guarantee that God will come, if we persist in our longing for Him. The transitory world's persisting impact upon us, in spite of our really wanting God, should not discourage us, but should be a source of inspiration to put forth greater efforts to attain God, which attainment is assured by the very same law that works unfailingly. What an encouragement to dispirited and drooping souls! Hence, realising the transient nature of the life phenomenal, we should turn our attention to God, who is the Supreme Being, the eternal reality, the ocean of compassion, who is ever ready to help those who take refuge in Him; and the world would soon cease to have its hold on us. To be freed from the clutches of Karmas that bring us again and again to this fleeting life, resort to the Lord is the only means. "O Lord, is it due to my (bad) fate that I suffer now, taking this evanescent life as real?" Such depressive moods do come in the life of Sadhakas, even after considerable progress. But there is no room for despair, because "He is an embodiment of compassion, He is the eternal reality, the unchanging One." What a contrasting comparison. Life is transitory, like the lightning-flash that appears and in a moment disappears; the Lord is eternal and graceful. Let the drooping spirit, therefore, find consolation and continue its Sadhana, awaiting the day of the dawn of His grace, is the instruction of the saint. |
| contents 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 .. 37 this verse in PDF version (4 parts) p-1 p-2 p-3 p-4 |
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