Sunday, November 27, 2011

The soul is very valuable!


13. மறையவர் வேள்வியில் வகுத்த அவி - நரிபுகுந்து கடப்பதும் மோப்பதுஞ் செய்வதொப்ப

In Nacchiyar Thirumozhi 1-5, Andal expresses that her very existence is only for the sake of Lord Krishna and any stray word that Andal's existence is for someone else would not only be intolerable to her but destroy her completely.

She offers an example to such a damaging exercise:

"வானிடைவாழுமவ்வானவர்க்கு மறையவர் வேள்வியில் வகுத்த அவி கானிடைத் திரிவதோர் நரிபுகுந்து கடப்பதும் மோப்பதுஞ் செய்வதொப்ப"
"vAnidaivAzhumavvAnavarkku maRaiyavar vELviyil vaguththa avi kAnidaith thirivadhOr NaripuguNdhu kadappadhum mOppadhunY cheyvadhoppa"

The Brahmins, who perform rituals prepare sacred offerings with much care and devotion, intending to offer them to the gods worshipped by the ritual. If that offering were to be only kicked about or smelt by a fox from the forest though not consumed by it, the whole offering would still have to go waste, as it cannot be used for any sacred purpose. Likewise, Andal's existence is exclusively for the sake of the Lord. A stray word spoken at some distant place by some fool would be sufficient to destroy her. While superficially it may be understood that Andal is in love with Krishna as much as He is with her, and that any stray word would be unbearable to her, our divine mother hides a very important concept of our tradition beneath these words. Swami Pillailokacharya, out of sheer grace for dull heads like us, shows us the underlying concept by using the same comparison in Mumukshuppadi as

"தேவர்களுக்கு சேஷமான புரோடாசத்தை நாய்க்கு இடுமாபோலே ஈச்வரசேஷமான ஆத்ம வஸ்துவை ஸம்ஸாரிகளுக்கு சேஷமாக்குகை"
"dhEvargaLukku chEshamAna purOdAchaththai NAykku idumApOlE IchvarachEshamAna Athma vasthuvai samsArigaLukku chEshamAkkugai"
[ Expending the soul, which exists only for the sake of Lord Srimannarayana, for the sake of materialists is like expending the offering prepared for the gods on a dog. ]

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