श्री विष्णुपञ्जरम् अग्निपुराणान्तर्गतम्
॥ श्रीः ॥
पुष्कर उवाच -
त्रिपुरं जघ्नुषः पूर्वं ब्रह्मणा विष्णुपञ्जरम् ।
शङ्करस्य द्विजश्रेष्ठ रक्षणाय निरूपितम् ॥ १॥
वागीशेन च शक्रस्य बलं हन्तुं प्रयास्यतः ।
तस्य स्वरूपं वक्ष्यामि तत्त्वं शृणु जयादिमत् ॥ २॥
विष्णुः प्राच्यां स्थित-श्चक्री हरि-र्दक्षिणतो गदी ।
प्रतीच्यां शार्ङ्ग-धृग्विष्णु-र्जिष्णुः खड्गी ममोत्तरे ॥ ३॥
हृषीकेशो-ऽपि कोणेषु तच्छिद्रेषु जनार्दनः ।
क्रोडरूपी हरि-र्भूमौ नरसिह्मो-ऽम्भरे मम ॥ ४॥
क्रूरान्तममलं चक्रं भ्रमत्येतत् सुदर्शनम् ।
अस्यांशुमाला दुष्प्रेक्षा हन्तु प्रेत-निशाचरान् ॥ ५॥
गदा चेयं सहस्रार्चिः प्रदीप्ता पावकोज्वला ।
रक्षो-भूत-पिशाचानां डाकिनीनां च नाशिनी ॥ ६॥
शार्ङ्गविस्फूर्जितं चैव वासुदेवस्य मद्रिपून् ।
तिर्यग्मनुष्य कूष्माण्ड-प्रेतादीन् हन्त्वशेषतः ॥ ७॥
खड्ग-धारोज्ज्वलज्योत्स्ना निर्दूता ये समाहिताः ।
ते यान्तु साम्यतां सद्यो गरुडेनेव पन्नगाः ॥ ८॥
सर्वे भवन्तु ते सौम्याः कृष्ण-शङ्कर-वाहताः ।
चित्त-वृत्ति-हरा ये मे जनाः स्मृति-हारकाः ॥ ९॥
बलौजसां च हर्तारश्चाया-विभ्रंशकाश्च ये ।
येचोपभोग-हर्तारो ये च लक्षण-नाशकाः ॥ १०
कूष्माण्डास्ते प्रणश्यन्तु विष्णुचक्र-पराहताः ।
बुद्धिस्वास्थ्यं मनःस्वास्थ्यं स्वास्थ्यमैन्द्रियकं तथा ॥ ११॥
ममास्तु देवदेवस्य वासुदेवस्य कीर्तनात् ।
पृष्ठे पुरस्तान्मम दक्षिणोत्तरे विकोणतश्चास्तु जनार्दनो हरिः ॥ १२॥
तमीड्यमीशानमनन्तमच्युतं जनार्दनं प्रणिपतितो न सीदति ।
यथा परं ब्रह्म हरिस्तथा परो जगत्स्वरूपश्च स एव केशवः ।
सत्येन तेनाच्युतनाम कीर्तनात् प्रणाशयेत्तु त्रिविधं ममाशुभम् ॥ १३॥
॥ इति अग्निपुराणान्तर्गतं श्रीविष्णुपञ्जरं समाप्तम् ॥
Commentary by N Balasubramanian
COMMENTS:- The following abbreviations are used in the comments.
BG - Srimad Bhagavadgita.
BH - Srimad Bhagavatam.
SS - Shiva Sahasranamam (Padmapuranam) with the commentary of
Shri Paramasivendra Sarasvati.
VS - Vishnu Sahasranamam with the commentary of Shri Shankaracharya.
LS - Lalitha Sahasranamam with the commentary of Shri Bhaskaracharya.
SA - Shiva 108 namavali with the commentary called Shivatattvarahasyam
by Shri Nilakanta Dikshita; a relative of Shri Appayya Dikshita -
the author of this poem.
पञ्जरं means a cage. A bird or animal inside a cage is
protected and so is secure from enemies. In the above verses the
devotee prays to Lord Vishnu to form a protective ᳚cage᳚ and protect
him from enemies from all directions. All living beings face a wide
variety of problems from forces, both visible and invisible and crave
for security from these forces. These forces may be termed enemies
since they cause physical and mental anguish. The visible enemy
may be a person, animal etc., who can cause us harm. The invisible
enemy may be a disease that lurks inside the body and manifests
one day suddenly or sorrow, fear etc. There is also a third type -
known as acts of God (ie) problems caused by natural calamities such
as pestilence, earthquakes, droughts, cyclones etc. These are
beyond our control. Sage Sushruta classifies the suffering
or pain one has to suffer in this world into three categories
and calls them तापत्रयम् -threefold suffering. They are (1)
आध्यात्मिक = caused by the mind and body (pain, sorrow etc ),
(2) आधिदैविक =caused by fate or acts of God as said
above and (3) आधिभौतिक = caused by animals, elements etc.
This is said in the last verse (No.23) of the hymn above as
त्रिविधं ममाशुभम् . The craving for security and freedom
from fear and anxiety is instinctive in all living beings and is
known as samsAra. We all seek freedom from this samsara.
The question that haunts everyone all the time is why do we get these
problems? Is there a way to avert them and thus the consequential
misery? Our scriptures are very well aware of our concern. They have
dealt with the topic in great detail in many places and attempt to
help us. Here, we will cite some of the references. First question
that arises in one's mind is why do we encounter problems or
suffering? We see that some get into problems or sufferings often
but not some others. In some cases the problems come in hordes
and overpower the individual. As Shakespeare says (in Hamlet),
᳚When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions.᳚
So do happy events too happen sometimes in a file. So, it is said
सत्योऽयं लोकवादः:, ᳚यत्संपत्संपदं विपद्विपदं
अनुबध्नाति᳚ इति। (Kadambari). These are the questions that
befuddle everyone of us and we continue to search for answers
that seem to elude us. But the topic, as said earlier, has been
discussed in our scriptures in extenso and we only have to take
the trouble to study them to cull the information. The epics like
Ramayana and Mahabharata contain stories that explain the subject
in great detail. The heroes in these epics suffered immensely and
like all human beings faced with dire circumstances bemoaned their
fate. Even mighty warriors like the Pandavas rued their fate when
faced with adversity. Rama who was an incarnation of Lord Himself
had to face severe adversity. He showed how to face difficult
situations in life. His stories bear weighty lessons for us if only
we care to study them carefully and not skim through them. It is
said that Lord's incarnation as Rama was mainly to teach lessons
to us and not merely for the destruction of demons.
मर्त्यावतारस्त्विह मर्त्य-शिक्षणं रक्षोवधायैव न
केवलं विभो। BH(5-19-50).
Let us now see what the scriptures say on this matter. Firstly,
why do we get to suffer? The scriptures say that when one strays
from the path of dharma or righteousness he sows the seeds of
trouble. The Yagnavalkya Smriti says
विहितस्याननुष्ठानात् निन्दितस्य च सेवनात् ।
अनिग्रहाच्चेन्द्रियाणां नरः पतनमृच्छति ॥
That is, by not doing those duties prescribed by the vedas
and doing those prohibited by them and also by succumbing
to the wiles of the sense organs one falls. Krishna
emphasises this in His advice to Arjuna. BG (16-24,25).
यः शास्त्रविधिमुत्सृज्य वर्तते कामकारतः ।
न स सिद्धिमाप्नोति न सुखं न परां गतिम् ॥
तस्माच्छास्त्रं प्रमाणं ते कार्याकार्याव्यवस्थितौ ।
ज्ञात्वा शास्त्रविधानोक्तं कर्म कर्तुमिहार्हसि ॥
He says that if one rejects the prescription of the shAstra and
lives a life acording his own sweet free will, he will not achieve
happiness in this world nor in the other. So, keep shAstra as the
guide as regards what should or should not be done and do your
work. Dharma is the result of our acts and it paves the way for
happiness in this life and the lives that follow. कर्मजन्यः
अभ्युदय निःश्रेय-हेतुः अपूर्वाख्यः आत्मगुणः धर्मः। The
basis for dharma are the vedas. वेदोऽखिलो धर्ममूलम्। Now a
problem arises. That is, one cannot expect us to study the vedas in
these days. So, what is the recourse for such people? To complicate
matters further, it is said that vedas are vast and subject to
different interpretations by scholars. In order to alleviate the
problem, the kindly sages have written supplementary texts called
smritis, puranas and itihasas like Ramayana and Mahabharata that
explain the nuances of dharma. If we say that we cannot or do not
have the time or inclination to study and understand even these
texts the scripture asks us to study the conduct of great men who
adhere to the path of dharma with great fervour and finally our
own mental satisfaction. Manu says this as follows.
वेदोऽखिलो धर्म मूलं स्मृतिशीले तु तद्विदाम् ।
आचारश्चैव साधूनां आत्मनस्तुष्टिरेव च ॥
Why should vedas be accepted as the guide for one's conduct? What is
so great about them- if it is asked. The answer is this. We have
to remember that the vedas which prescribe dharma are not of human
origin. They were given out by the Lord Himself at the time of
creation for the good of the people. They are therefore known as
अपौरुषेय ॥ Purusha Suktam says this as: ॠचः सामानि
जज्ञिरे । छन्दाँसि जज्ञिरे तस्मात् । यजुस्तस्मादजायत । The
Lord withdraws everything (including the vedas) into Himself at the
time of dissolution (pralayam) and releases them again at the time
of creation. Thus they are eternal.
अव्यक्ताद्व्यक्तयः सर्वाः प्रभवन्त्यहरागमे ।
रात्र्यागमे प्रलीयन्ते तत्रैवाव्यक्त-संज्ञके ॥ BG(8-18).
The sage Avirhotra said this to King Nimi while talking about
Karmayoga. He said that what should be done, and what should not
be done, and what is not done but enjoined to be done - these are
matters that can be known not from the world but only from the
Vedas, that have originated from Lord; even the learned people are
perplexed as to the import of such injunctions. (BH-11-3-43).
कर्माकर्म-विकर्मेति वेदवादो न लौकिकः ।
वेदस्य चेश्वरात्मत्वात्तत्र मुह्यन्ति सूरयः ॥
This, then, is the third alternative. What happens if the
sadhu himself gets a doubt about how he should act in a
particular situation and he cannot find the proper guidance
in the scriptures? In such a tight situation he goes by the
dictate of his conscience. Here again, we should remember that
the devotee who has enshrined the Lord in his heart cannot take a
step in the wrong direction. The poet Kalidasa says this in his
work Abhijnana Sakuntalam: . सतां हि सन्देहपदेषु वस्तुषु
प्रमाणमन्तःकरणप्रवृत्तयः। What happens, on the rarest of
the rare occasion, if a sadhu himself takes a wrong step? The sage
Karabhajana tells King Nimi that the Lord annuls such actions of
His devotee! (BH-11-5-42).
स्वपादमूलं भजतः प्रियस्य त्यक्तान्यभावस्य हरिः परेशः ।
विकर्म यच्चोत्पतितं कथञ्चित् धुनोति सर्वं हृदि सन्निविष्टः ॥
What is said above will amply stress the need to adhere to the
path of dharma. Sage Vyasa says this with great emphasis in his
Mahabharata (Swargarohanaparva) :-
न जातु कामान्न भयान्न लोभाद् धर्मं त्यजे-ज्जीवितस्यापि हेतोः ।
धर्मो नित्यः, सुख-दुःखेत्वनित्ये जीवो नित्यो हेतुरस्य-त्वनित्यः ॥
The body that has been got as a means to enjoy sorrow and happiness
( हेतुरस्य ) is impermanent and one cannot take it with him
after death. Only the puNyam or merit one earned by faithfully
treading on the path of dharma and the sins or pApam earned by
doing evil deeds due to lack of faith in dharma follow him. Keeping
this fact in mind one should firmly adhere to the path of dharma
and scrupulously refrain from indulging in acts that will invite
sins. Shri Shankaracharya says this in his Prasnottararatnamalika
as :- हेयमपि किम्? अकार्यम्। Then, the next question is that
why should a person do something wrong, sometimes knowing well that
what he is doing is not right and will beget sin? This question
appears to have been there for long and perturbed the minds of
people. Arjuna put this question to Krishna and sought an answer.
अथ केन प्रयुक्तोऽयं पापं चरति पूरुषः ।
अनिच्छन्नपि वार्ष्णेय बलादिव नियिजितः ॥ (BG-3-36)..
The Lord replies :
काम एष क्रोध एष रजोगुण-समुद्भवः ।
महाशनो महा-पाप्मा विद्ध्येनमिह वैरिणम् ॥ (BG-3-37).
He says that desire and anger impel one to indulge in wrongful
acts. The starting point is the desire to get something. When
the desire gets strong and does not get fulfilled due to some
obstruction, the mind is frustrated and then agitated. This
frustration and the craving derails him from the righteous path and
makes him take to devious ways. He will be prompted to do acts that
are immoral or illegal. This will land him in sin. Accumulated load
of sins result in birth or births to expiate for these acts. From
the vedantic point of view puNyam resulting from performing good
deeds is akin to sin because one has to take birth(s) to enjoy the
fruits of puNyam. One is like an iron chain and the other like
a golden chain. Both bind. The result of great deal of puNyam
wil be birth in noble or affluent families or births in higher
worlds. In contrast, the consequences of great deal of sin will be
births in poor family, sickness or births in inferior worlds or even
as animals or plants. Yama tells this to his disiple Nachiketas
in Katha Upanishad as:
योनिमन्ये प्रपद्यन्ते शरीरत्वाय देहिनः ।
स्थाणुमन्येऽनुसंयन्ति यथाकर्म यथाश्रुतम् ॥ (2-2-7).
Thus a human birth is the result of a mix of puNyam and
pApam. Because of this, one's life will necessarily have smooth and
rough patches. The stories in Ramayana and Mahabharatha bear ample
testimony to this fact. So, what should one do? We cannot refrain
from actions. We cannot remain inactive in our lives. Krishna shows
the way in detail. He asks us to take Him as a partner in our lives
and do our duties faithfully and keep Him in our mind all the time .
तस्मात्सर्वेषु कालेषु मामनुस्मर युध्य च। BG(8-7). and
hand them over Him as offering. BG(9-27).
यत्करोषि यदश्नासि यज्जुहोषि ददासि यत् ।
यत्तपस्यसि कौन्तेय तत्कुरुष्व मदर्पणम् ॥
He says that whatever you do, eat, sacrifice, offer as gift, perform
as austerity - dedicate all of them to Me. What will be the result
of doing so? Krishna adds -
शुभाशुभफलैरेवं मोक्ष्यसे कर्मबन्धनैः ।
सन्यासयोगयुक्तात्मा विमुक्तो मामुपैष्यसि ॥ BG(9-28).
He says that by doing acts as
offering to Him the resultant puNyam or pApam will not adhere to
us and we will be free of the bondage that they can create. This
is repeatedly said in puranas like Srimad Bhagavatam. The sage Kavi
tells this in answer to a question by King Nimi. (BH-11-2-36).
कायेन वाचा मनसेन्द्रियैर्वा बुद्ध्याऽऽत्मना वानुसृतस्वभावात् ।
करोति यत् यत् सकलं परस्मै नारायणायेति समर्पयेत्तत् ॥
He advises that whatever one does with his body, speech, mind,
senses, intellect, or will, or following his natural impulses,
he should dedicate all to the Supreme, Lord Narayana. This shows
that one should offer to Lord not only what one does as ordained
by the shAstrAs but even those which he does according to his
latent tendencies. Based on this advice, we have the practice of
offering what we do as Sandhyavandanam or any other ritual to the
Lord by saying:
कायेन वाचा मनसेन्द्रियैर्वा बुद्ध्याऽऽत्मना वा प्रकृतेः स्वभावात् ।
करोमि यत् यत् सकलं परस्मै नारायणायेति समर्पयामि ॥
By doing so the karma we do becomes karmayoga. Earlier it was said
that the the sufferings or pain one has to suffer in this world was
classified into three categories by the sage Sushruta. He calls them
तापत्रयम्। -threefold suffering. They are
(1) आध्यात्मिक = caused by the mind, body (pain, sorrow etc ),
(2) आधिदैविक =caused by fate or acts of God as said above and
(3) आधिभौतिक = caused by animals, elements etc. Sage Narada
advises the sage Vyasa that dedicating all actions to the Lord is
the certain cure for the three fold afflictions that inevitably
bother us. He says:(BH-1-5-32).
एतत्संसूचितं ब्रह्मंस्तापत्रय-चिकित्सितम् ।
यदीश्वरे भगवति कर्म ब्रह्मणि भावितम् ॥
One may ask as to how actions which
invariably create bondage that leads to suffering can become
certain cure for them. Sage Narada provides the answer in the very
next two verses. He says that some chemical substance that may
cause a disease cannot normally become a cure for that particular
ailment. But if it is processed medically it will serve as a cure
for the same ailment. (BH-1-5-33, 34).
आमयो यश्च भूतानां जायते येन सुव्रत ।
तदेव ह्यामयं द्रव्यं न पुनाति चिकित्सितम् ॥ ३३॥
एवं नृणां क्रियायोगाः सर्वे संसृति-हेतवः ।
त एवात्म-विनाशाय कल्पन्ते कल्पिताः परे ॥ ३४॥
In this manner, by involving God in our activities, we become
insulated from the deleterious effects of karmas. To sum up: we
should first take efforts to learn the injunctions of the scriptures,
then deligently do the works enjoined therein. And, most importantly
offer the same as worship to the Lord. Shri Sankaracharya gives this
important advice in the very first verse of his Sopana Panchakam.
वेदो नित्यमधीयतां, तदुदितं कर्म स्वनुष्ठीयतां,
तेनेशस्य विधीयतां अपचितैः।
In this manner, we are made to think of Him frequently. This process
plants the seed of bhakti or devotion in our mind imperceptibly. When
devotion takes root our mind will slowly veer away from secular
activities and to the religious side. Our mind will like to
read and listen to sacred texts like Ramayana and Gita. All this
nurtures thought of God in our mind and flushes away the sins from
the mind and along with that the afflictions they can create in
our lives. Thus, of Srimad Bhhagavatam it is said to be शिवदं
तापत्रयोन्मूलनम्। (BH-1-1-2). It is the bestower of supreme bliss
and uproots the threefold agony. Sage Chyavana says that repetition
of Lord's name will destroy the three fold agony.
श्रुति-स्मृति पुराणेषु रामनाम समीरितम् ।
तन्नाम कीर्तनं भूयः तापत्रय विनाशनम् ॥
The lists of 108 and 1008 names of various Gods contain names that
refer to this aspect . Some examples are given here.
पापनाशनः। कीर्तितः पूजितो ध्यातः स्मृतः
पापराशिं नाशयन् पापनाशनः। (VS-992).
हरिः। हरति पापानिति हरिः SA (96) and (VS-360).
पापनाशकरः। लौकिक-वैदिक-नामभिः कीर्तितः,
तथा लौकिक-वैदिकैः स्तोत्रैस्तुतस्तथा पञ्चाक्षरादिभिर्जप्तः,
पूजितश्च, उमासहायत्वादि-रूपेण
स्मृतो, ध्यानेन वा पापनाशकरः। (SS -355).
तापत्रयाग्नि-संतप्त-समाह्लादन-चन्द्रिका ।
- आध्यात्मिकाधिभौतिकाधिदैविकाख्यानां तपानां त्रयं यस्य,
तेनाग्निना संसार-लक्षणेन सम्यक्तप्तानां जनानां
सम्यगाह्लादनेनापहरण-पूर्वकानन्दन-विषये चन्द्रिकेव ॥ (LS-352).
Lalita Devi is like the cool rays of the moon that offers solace to
those who are fried in the fire of threefold sufferings. Keeping
this fact in mind, the great acharya Shri Vedanta Desika prays to
Laxmi Devi to comfort him as he is scorched by the searing summer
heat of threefold suffering. (Shri Stuti-21).
घर्मे तापत्रय विरचिते गाढ तप्तं क्षणं मां
आकिञ्चन्य ग्लपितमनघैरार्द्रयेथाः कटाक्षैः।
We should note one important point here. The verses in the hymn
above contain names of Lord Vishnu. But these names are also
names of other forms of Lord like Shiva. This is because it is
the one Supreme Being that appears as Shiva, Vishnu and so on. We
should notice that the hymn ends with the name केशवः। .
Shri Shankaracharya defines the word as meaning the Supreme Being
in his commentary on Vishnusahasranama as follows.
केशवः - कश्च अश्च ईशश्च त्रिमूर्तयः केशाः,
ते यद्वशेन वर्तन्ते स केशवः। (VS 23).
ka ( क ) represents Brahma the creator,
a as in ᳚at᳚ ( अ ) represents Vishnu and Isha ( ईशः )
stands for Shiva. These three are under the control of the Supreme
Being. This explanation is given by sage Vyasa in Harivamsam. Thus
whatever be the form one worships it goes to the Supreme Being
only. Krishna says this in Gita. BG 7-21.
यो यो यां यां तनुं भक्तः श्रद्धयाऽर्चितुमिच्छति ।
तस्य तस्याचलां श्रद्धां तामेव विदधाम्यहम् ॥
And He adds that the worshipper gets the objects of his desires
from Him only through that form of divinity. (BG-7-22).
स तया श्रद्धया युक्तस्तस्याराधनमीहते ।
लभते च ततः कामान् मयैव विहितान् हितान् ॥
The message, therefore is that by remembering the Lord, in any of His
forms (keeping in mind that the form is His only), and associating
Him in all our activities (this is bhakti only) we can, without much
difficulty, transcend the effects of action and be free from the
threefold sufferings described earlier. Shri Bhishma states this
in answer to the question of Yudhishtira in the introduction to
Vishnusahasranama. The question of the latter is how can one get
free from all sorrows in life. Shri Bhishma says:
लोकाध्यक्षं स्तुवन्नित्यं सर्वदुःखातिगो भवेत्। (VS-6).
Shri Sankarachrya defines
सर्वदुःखातिगो भवेत्। as सर्वाणि आध्यात्मिकादीनि
दुःखान्यत्यतिगच्छतीति सर्वदुःखातिगो भवेत् स्यात्
He explains that by the word ᳚all sorrows᳚ is meant the sorrows
caused by the threefold agonies.
We have to note one subtle point while concluding. At the beginning
it was said पञ्जरं means a cage. A bird or animal inside a
cage is protected and so is secure from enemies. In these verses,
the devotee prays to Lord Vishnu to form a protective ᳚cage᳚ and
protect him in all directions from external enemies. When it is
said ᳚to form᳚ it seems as though that right now Lord Vishnu has
not formed a cage around us. Strictly speaking this is not correct.
The name Vishnu means omnipresent, all pervading - one not limited
by space, time etc.
विष्णुः - वेवेष्टि व्याप्नोतीति विष्णुः VS (2), SS (776). So,
there is no question of HIS ᳚forming᳚ a cage around us as He is
ever around us. Nor can one gain entry into Him as a cage since we
are already in Him. It is like a bird that is not aware of the fact
that it is supported by the vast invisible air. One has only to
become aware of this fact. It is like a person safely ensconsed
in his bed and sleeping has a scary dream in which he is chased
by a tiger. He is terribly frightened and suffers immensely -
all in his dream. In extreme fright, he wakes up with a start and is
greatly relieved to realise it has all been only a bad dream and
he is safe in his house. In the same manner, we are now not aware
of the fact that we are ever in Him safely. But we imagine, just
like the dreamer imagining he is being chased by a tiger, we are
chased by problems and consequently suffering. We are now covered
by spiritual ignorance called avidyA and limited by the power and
range of our senses. Because of this we are not able to perceive the
divine envelope around us and protecting us. We now feel that the
waking state is real and the dream state is not. But our upanishads
question this assumption and point out that just like the dream
state vanishes in the waking state so does the waking state vanish
while we are in the dream state. And both these states do not exist
in the deep sleep state and vice versa. So, all the three states
we experience daily are truly transient and unreal as each one of
these states does not exist in the other two. In all these three
states we are blinded by spiritual ignorance called avidyA and so
not able to see the Lord who is ever around us. Krishna said this:
मया ततमिदं सर्वं जगदव्यक्त-मूर्तिना। (BG-9-4). that
the entire universe is pervaded by Him in His unamnifest form that
is beyond the range of senses of perception. When we wake up from
the spiritual slumber and go beyond these three ephemeral states and
transcend this barrier of avidyA, we realise our oneness with the
Lord. The upanishad asks us to wake up to this fact. उत्तिष्ठत
जाग्रत (Katha Upanishad - 1-3-14). and urge us not to rest till
this supreme goal is achieved. The way to reach the goal is to be
learnt from the wise people who have reached the goal already.
प्राप्य वरान्निबोधत। It is reached by one who has developed
a discriminating intellect and has gained control of his mind. The
goal is the highest one can reach and it is the very nature of the
Supreme Being called Vishnu. (Katha Upanishad - 1-3-9).
विज्ञान-सारथिर्यस्तु मनः प्रग्रहवान्नरः ।
सोऽध्वनः पारमाप्नोति तद्विष्णोः परमं पदम् ॥
The Taittariya Upanishad says (2-7)
that only when one gets established in this Supreme Being (Vishnu)
he gets free from all fear. The moment he sees even a wee bot of
difference between himself and the Supreme Being he gets engulfed
with fear - however much he may be learned in scriptures.
यदा ह्यैवेष एतस्मिन्नदृश्येऽनात्म्येऽनिलयने-
ऽभयं प्रतिष्ठां विन्दते। अथ सोऽभयं गतो
भवति। यदा ह्येवैएष एतस्मिन्नुदर-मन्तरं कुरुते ।
अथ तस्य भयं भवति। तत्त्वेव भयं विदुषोऽमन्वानस्य।
So, it becomes very necessary for one to reach this supreme goal
if we want to be totally free from fears and anxieties. One has to
remember the important fact that this supreme goal can be attained
only by we humans and not by birds, animals or plants; because they
are inferior births meant to work out the heavy load of sins. They
cannot do good deeds like do charity, go on pilgrimage to holy
places or study scriptures like Gita and earn puNyam. This was
mentioned earlier in this article as: ᳚the consequences of great
deal of sin will be births in poor family, sickness or births in
inferior worlds or even as animals or plants. Yama tells this to
his disiple Nachiketas in Katha Upanishad as:
योनिमन्ये प्रपद्यन्ते शरीरत्वाय देहिनः ।
स्थाणुमन्येऽनुसंयन्ति यथाकर्म यथाश्रुतम् ॥ (2-2-7)᳚.
Thus a human birth is a rare gift from God
obtained by virtue of some good deeds performed by us in earlier
births. If we miss out this chance we do not know when we will get
a human birth again. Our kindly acharyas implore us to be keenly
aware of this fact and urge us to make use of the precious human
birth we have got now. So, what should one do now to reach the
goal. Krishna says that if one worships Him devotedly He will grant
him the wisdom that will show the way to the goal. BG (10-10).
तेषां सततयुक्तानां भजतां प्रीतिपूर्वकम् ।
ददामि बुद्धियोगं तं येन मामुपयान्ति ते ॥
Krishna mentions two essential qualifications for the
devotee here. Firstly he should be uninterruptedly united
with Him. That is, the devotion should be constant and
not sporadic. Secondly, the devotion should be
selfless. The devotee should not serve Him in order to gain some
object or material benefit in return for his devotion. This will
debase the devotion. For such a devotee, Krishna promises to show
the way to freedom. It implies that He will not personally come and
guide the devotee. It means that when He, as the Inner Self, finds
that the devotee is sincerely yearning for deliverance, He will send
a suitable guru to lead the person on the spiritual path. In fact,
the scriptures say that He Himself out of immense compassion takes
the form of the guru and appears before the devotee and transmits
the wisdom concerning the ultimate truth. This enables the devotee
to cross over the ocean of sorrowful samsara.
जन्मानेकशतैः सदादरयुजा भक्त्या समाराधितो
भक्तैर्वैदिकलक्षणेन विधिना सन्तुष्ट ईशः स्वयम् ।
साक्षात् श्रीगुरुरूपमेत्य कृपया दृग्गोचरः सन् प्रभुः
तत्त्वं साधु विबोध्य तारयति तान् संसारदुःखार्णवात् ॥
So, let us keep to the path of dharma and pray to Him to grant us
unwavering devotion to His feet that will eventually deliver us from
sorrows. For, it is said that constant remembering of the Lord puts
an end to all evils and increases tranquility of mind. It enhances
the purity of the mind. It stimulates devotion to the supreme Being
and promotes spiritual enlightenment etc .. BH-(12-12-53)
अविस्मृतिः कृष्णपदारविन्दयोः क्षिणोत्यभ्द्राणि शमं तनोति च ।
सत्त्वस्य शुद्धिं पर्मात्मभक्तिं ज्ञानं च विज्ञानविरागयुक्तम् ॥
॥ ॐ तत्सत्॥
Encoded, proofread, and commentary by
N Balasubramanian bbalu at sify.com