Saranagati

?Debt and Deliverance? Part 1
by Sri Sadagopan Iyengar Swami , Coimbatore.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Debt is something all of us are used to, having been forced to borrow at some time or the other in our lives. There are some who, due to their profligacy, get into a debt trap, that is, borrowing afresh to repay a debt, and resorting to more debts for liquidating existing ones. This is true not only of individuals, but of nations too, as some of the South American countries have found out. Debts are of different types, not all of them monetary. To those who do us a good turn, we owe a debt of gratitude. Some of the other types of debts we contract, Willy nilly, are dealt with here.

The Sixth Kanda of the Yaju:SamhitA talks about three types of debts every Brahmin is born with. These are owed to three different classes of entities. ?JayamAnO vai BrAhmaNO tribhi: riNavA jAyatE? says the Shruti.

The first debt is to the Rishis, who are the disseminators of Veda mantras, and but for whom Vedas would have remained undiscovered and unpropagated, denying mankind of the treasure trove of the Shruti.

The second debt is owed to the devas, numbering thirty-three crore and more (the thirty three includes twelve AdityAs, eleven RudrAs, eight Vasus, two AswinI dEvAs, and their respective groups). It is the DevAs who look after our daily welfare, ensuring adequate rains, sunshine, wind and other bounties of nature, appointed by the Lord to take care of their respective segments.

The third debt is owed to one?s forefathers or the Pitru vargam, which has made it possible for us to be in this world. Worldly life being beset with numerous pitfalls, one may think that one does not owe anything to the Pitrus, for having brought us into this world. However, this body is an instrument of carrying out dharma, (?sharIra mAdyam khalu dharma sAdhanam?) given to us by the Lord, so that we may escape from the endless cycle of births and deaths by adopting a suitable strategy for Liberation.

Thus every Brahmin is born a debtor, and must discharge these debts fully, if he is to even think of Liberation. And non-repayment of these debts makes one eternally bound with the unbreakable shackles of Karma. The Manu Smriti makes it clear that discharge of these three debts is a pre-condition for Moksha and failure on this front pushes one back into the vicious cycle of births and deaths:
? RiNAni threeNi apAkrtya manO mOkshE nivEsayEt
anapAkritya mOksham tu sEvamAnO vrajati adha:?

It is indeed depressing to know that each of us is born a debtor. However, the Shruti, always having an eye on our welfare, having shown us our obligations, also prescribes easy ways of repayment, so that we get an honorable discharge.
?BrahmacharyENa RishibhyO yagyEna dEvEbhya: prajayA
pitrubhya:Esha vA anruNa:?

The debt due to the Rishis is discharged by observance of Brahmacharyam. This word means a lot of things, but the purport here is learning the Vedas, or VedAdhyayanam. Incidentally, it is enjoined upon every Brahmin not only to learn the Vedas, but also to teach them to eligible students (Adhyayanam and AdhyApanam). Thus Brahmacharya ensures the sustenance and propagation of Vedas, through which the Rishis are propitiated. Here, though it is incumbent on us to learn all the four Vedas, if we are unable to fulfill this onerous obligation, we must master at least our own ShAkhA. The Upanishad exhorts us not to forsake learning and propagating Vedas-?SvAdhyAya pravachanAbhyAm na pramaditavyam?. And Vedas are to be absorbed only from an Acharya, and not by resort to books, cassettes, etc. This is to ensure that the Shruti is preserved and propagated in all its pristine purity, and not a single syllable, word or sentence is mispronounced. Adiyen?s Veda VadyAr used to liken Veda parayanam to a tiger carrying its cub with its teeth.

The predator applies just so much pressure with the teeth, as excess pressure would hurt the cub, and lack of it would result in the young one falling to the ground. Similarly, meticulous attention is to be paid to correct pronunciation and declination, while reciting Vedas, as any aberration in Sabdam or Svaram would prove counterproductive to the reciter. As the very name (?Shruti?) indicates, the Vedas are to be absorbed through the ears. The Vedas themselves extol the praise of one who has learnt them, and enjoin us to pay obeisance to such a person every day, and not to speak ill of him (?tasmAt brAhmaNEbhyO vEda vidhbhyO dive dive namaskuryAt; na asleelam keertayEt?).

Considering the immeasurable benefits that VedAdhyayanam confers on us, its prescription as a mode of discharging debt to Rishis is indeed an act of kindness to us.

Next is the debt due to the dEvAs. This is to be satisfied by the performance of yagyAs. In the Bhagavat Gita too, the Lord calls upon us to perform various yagyas, which will propitiate the dEvAs, who, in turn, would ensure our welfare.
?DevAn bhAvayata anEna tE dEvAbhAvayantu va:
Parasparam bhAvayanta: shrEya: param avApsyata
IshtAn bhOgAn hi va: DevA: dAsyantE yagya bhAvitA:?

The Havis or sacrificial offering in the various yagyAs forms the staple diet of the devas, and timely and consistent performance of yAgAs keeps the celestials satisfied. Even the Lord has shown the way in this regard,
- by standing guard for the unhindered performance of Sage Visvamitra?s sacrifice as the infant Sri Rama, and later
- by performing innumerable YagAs Himself, during His long reign.
- It is the occasion of Mahabali?s yAga that the Lord chose again for His TrivikramAvatAra.
- In His VarAhAvatAra, the Lord is known as YagyaVaraha, indicating the importance of sacrifices.
- We have the Lord DEvAdirAja appearing from the sacrificial fire too.

Confirming the importance of the Yagya, the Upanishad informs us that the devas attained their celestial status by performing yagya, asuras are kept at bay due to yagyas, yagyas turn foes into friends, everything in this world has its root in Yagya. Hence the Yagya is indeed greater than the greatest-?tasmAt yagyam paramam vadanti?.

The Gita calls him a thief, who eats without performing Yagya, and without offering the DevAs what is rightfully theirs-?tai: datthAn apradAya EbhyO yO bhunktE stEna Eva sa:?.

Thus the shastras, by prescribing the performance of Yagya, which is indeed a milch cow of our desires (?ishta kAma dhuk?), as a means of discharging our debt to the DevAs, ensure our eternal welfare.

And how is the third debt, that to our forefathers, satisfied?

Through procreation, answers the Shruti - ?PrajayA pitrubhya:?. We owe it to our forebears to keep the line of succession unbroken. The same Shruti which preaches continence also emphasizes the need for man to procreate. (?prajA tantum mA vyavacchEtsI:?). Man lives on through his progeny (?AtmA vai putra nAmAsi sa jeeva sharada: shatam?). Thus begetting children, of course within the parameters prescribed by one?s means and the overall social objectives, is deemed to be the sacred duty of every householder.

The Hindu marriage vows make it amply clear that marriage is an institution designed to ensure the perpetuation of mankind through procreation-?Dharma prajArttham vriNImahE? says the Groom.




?DEBT AND DELIVERANCE? ? PART 2
By Sri Sadagopan Iyengar Swami from Coimbatore
------------------------------------------------------------
We have seen the three types of debts every
Brahmin is born with, and the ways the Shruti
prescribes for discharging these debts. To recount,
the three debts are owed to Rishis, DEvAs and the
Pitrus, and these obligations are fulfilled by
learning the Vedas (VedAdhyayanam), performing yagyAs
and through begetting children, respectively.


There is however a much simpler way to obtain
deliverance from the aforesaid debts. While in the
aforesaid prescription, each debt has to be discharged
by a particular act, the simpler strategy ensures
discharge from all the debts at one stroke. While the
three remedies indicated above may take a lifetime of
performance, the simpler recourse is a matter of a
moment.

This sure-cure remedy is nothing but Prapatti.


The moment one performs Saranagati at the lotus feet
of the Lord of Seven Hills, all of one?s debts
disappear into thin air, assures Sri Nammazhwar in
?ozhivil kAlamellAm?. Here is the reassuring pasuram:


?Vem kadangaL mey mEl vinai mutravum
tAngaL tangatku nallanavE seivAr
Vengadatthu uraivArkku nama ennal
Am kadamai adu sumandArkatkE?.


The moment one utters the word ?Nama:?- signifying
total surrender to Srinivasa, He destroys all our
debts, shackles and other Karmic bonds, and makes us
free as a bird. This ?Nama:? implying negation of the
imagined supremacy of the Self and its abject
supplication to that of the Lord, is so effective that
it even destroys all sins, however grave.

This is whatSri Kodai Nachiar means when she says ?VAyinAl pAdi manatthinAl chintikka, pOya pizhayum pugu taruvAn
nindranavum teeyinil doosAgum?. The lips should
reverberate with the ?Nama:? sound, while the mind,
shorn of ahankAra (Ego) and mamakAra (possessiveness)
and with full realisation of the Lord?s omnipotence
and our own utter helplessness, should surrender
itself to Emperuman without any reserve.

One whoperforms this surrender to Sriman Narayana can bravelyproclaim that he is no more beholden, nor a slave to
anybody, be it Rishis, Devas or the forefathers:


?Deva Rishi bhoota Apta nriNAm PitruNAm na kinkarO nAyam riNee RAjan!
SarvAtmanA ya: sharaNam sharaNyam Narayanam lOkagurum prapanna:?


It would appear from the aforesaid that while the
Shruti prescribes elaborate modes of liberation from
one?s congenital debts, Sri Nammazhwar appears to pooh
pooh the prescription and, instead, sets store by
Prapatti. Such an interpretation would be incorrect.
For, as ?Vedam Tamizh seida Maran?, Sri Nammazhwar
would never contradict the Shruti.

All he says is that while Vedadhyayanam, performance
of sacrifices, and creation of progeny should all be
done by PrapannAs too, these need not be performed out
of fear of retribution, but as means of pleasing the
Lord, (?bhagavat preetyartham?)as a?kainkaryam?. Everyone
would agree that there is an ocean of difference between doing something out of fear and doing the same out of a genuine liking and love, especially to please our beloved.


Hence there is no contradiction between the Shruti and
Dravida Veda. Thus Vedadhyayanam should be done with
the realisation that each letter, syllable, word and
sentence of the Shruti embodies the Lord?s auspicious
name. YagyAs should be performed with the knowledge
that irrespective of the deity they are addressed to,
they are meant to propitiate the Lord (?Bhagavat
ArAdhanam?). So too, begetting offspring should be for
mobilising additional hands for the Lord?s worship.


That adherents to Prapatti are free of debt in all the
worlds is indicated by the Shruti vAkya, ?anruNA
asmin, anruNA: parasmin. TriteeyE lOkE anruNA:syAma.?


Sri Nammazhwar?s prescription thus confirms
Sharanagati as a panacea for all ills, which
guarantees deliverance from not only debts but also
from this world of sickness and sorrow. Sharanagati
not only promises deliverance, but also assures one of
everlasting bliss, in the company of the Lord and His
devotees (?tEnaiva saha mOdatE?).