Geetha Saram 16-18 to 16-22..

….sloham 16-18..Kruta yugthil this hill was called Vrushabadri [வ்ருஷபாத்ரி]. In Treta yug, it was called Anjanadri [அஞ்சனாத்ரி]. In Dwapara yug, its name was Seshadri [சேஷாத்ரி]. In Kali yug it is called Venkatadri [வேங்கடாத்ரி]. In addition it is also called Vedadri [வேதாத்ரி], Garudadri [கருடாத்ரி] and Anandadri [ஆனந்தாத்ரி].The Vimanam over the Lord is called Ananda Nilaya Vimanam..Vedas grade happiness as Modam, Pramodam, Sammodam, Aamodam and Anandam. Brahmam is Anandam. Worshiping the Lord here is Anandam!Venkatam is Vem [வேம்] + Katam [கடம்], and gives the same meaning in Tamil and Sanskrit. Vem means sins and kata means destroyed. Thus remaining even for a little on the hills our sins are burnt away! In Tamil vem means burning and katam means sins. Thus in both languages same meaning is conveyed. At the entrance to the hills, are Jaya and Vijaya in very large statues guarding the entire hills. Poigai Alwar says that afte we enter the hills and worship the Lord, we should not return!

ahaṃkāraṃ balaṃ darpaṃ kāmaṃ krodhaṃ ca saṃśritāḥ
mām ātmaparadeheṣu pradviṣantobhyasūyakāḥ 16.18

Ahankaram = ego [that they are responsible for their success in life and they needed none’s help], balam = strength [of their own responsible for their life], darpam = pride [consider all others as secondary or insignificant], kamam = lust or desire [to satisfy their senses], krodham = anger [ against all those preventing them from enjoying what they desired], ca samsrita = and think they have attained. Atma = self [ and the likes of Asura quality people], para = others [devoted to the Lord], dehesu = in their bodies, mam = [residing] Me [Sri Krishna], pradisantobhy = [these asura quality persons] hate and, asuyaka = are jealousy.

Ramanuja’s Commentary for sloham 16-18..Here Lord Krishna describes more telltale signs and characteristics of the demoniac. The word ahankara means egotistic thinking they are independent of the Supreme Lord The word darpam means insolence, thinking that they as demons are all important. Pradvishantah means despise, the envious demoniac openly despise the Supreme Lord.Even though the Supreme Lord is atma-para-devesu or situated within them and all living entities as the immortal supreme soul, the demoniac endeavour in earnest most spitefully to cause great evil to all creatures. The demoniac exhibit overt malice and aggressiveness against anything righteous and determinedly oppose the Supreme Lord at every opportunity in every way they can. They take great pains to degrade moral values, encourage depraved activities and destroy the family unit. They propagate that god does not exist, that creation came from a random mixture of chemicals and that there is nothing existing after this life so it is better to eat, drink and be merry without cessation. They concoct many doctrines, conduct many seminars and establish many schools of thought to negate the idea of the existence of a singular consciousness, a Supreme being or Supreme Lord that is the creator and supreme controller of all creation. This is the demoniacs gross folly and unredeemable sin is that they despise the Supreme Lord Krishna who is the origin of their very existence and the creator of the complete cosmic and material manifestations

.tān ahaṃ dviṣataḥ krurān saṃsāreṣu narādhamān
kṣipāmy ajasram aśubhān āsurīṣv eva yoniṣu 16.19..

Aham = I [Sri Krishna, the Mightiest and Most Superior],ksipamy = push, tan = them [Asura quality persons], dvisata = haters [of the Lord], kruran = cruel [minded towards the Lord], into, samsaresu = in samsaram [this society], naradhaman = as lowest among humans, ajasram = many, many times [in samsaram].Asuris = most wicked natured, yonisu = families, asubhan = [they are also] most inauspicious...āsurīṃ yonim āpannā mūḍhā janmanijanmani
mām aprāpyaiva kaunteya tato yānty adhamāṃ gatim 16.20
asurim yonim = with demon like character, janmani janmani = birth after birth, mudha = with no knowledge [about the Lord or about the means to reach Him], aprapyaiva = without getting any knowledge to reach, mam = Me [Sri Krishna], tata = thereafter, adhamam gatim= they attain, even worse than what they already got, levels or births..

 

 Ramanuja’s Commentary for sloham 16-20.. 

 The words asurim yonim means demoniac wombs and refers to birth of those jivas or embodied beings and even subtle existences that are diametrically opposed to the divine will of the Supreme Lord Krishna. Those of a demoniac nature never have an affinity or even tolerance for the path of righteousness and so they spawn and are hurled into wombs of lower and lower degraded demoniac forms as their reward to increase their venomous delusion. As such the words aprapya eva means that the demoniac can never attain the Supreme Lord and denotes that they are never imbued with the intelligence to have the consciousness to seek the association of the Vaisnavas or exclusive devotees of Lord Krishna and learn the ultimate truth submissively from them. Where after by receiving the mercy of the Vaisnavas devotees they would gradually become sanctified and after many births eventually achieve the qualifications necessary to be accepted as a disciple of a Vaisnava devotee who guides them on the path to the Supreme Lord. Otherwise without this eternal process it is impossible for the demoniac to ever receive the opportunity to attain Lord Krishna and thus they slip deeper and deeper into the darkness of ignorance birth after birth after birth after birth. 

   The root cause by which those of a demoniac nature lose their paramount position as human beings imbued with free will and self-determination and instead sink into the instinctive consciousness of animal and reptiles, descending further into insects, worms and maggots is revealed next.

 

 

 

sloham16-21..Thomalai sevai..kurumbarutha nambi thantha clay pushbam virumbinavan..Thomala means malai [மாலை – garland] hanging from thol [தோள் -shoulder]. Or thodukkappatta [தொடுக்கப்பட்ட – assembled] malai [மாலை – garland] and so Thomalai. It is believed that Swami Anantalwan, to whom we are indebted for this seva, is present as a tree [magizha maram -மகிழ மரம்] in the garden here. To prove this, every year, Sri Malayappa Swamy – Sri Utsavar – arrives twice in this garden. Once on Sri Andal’s birthday – Thiruvadi Pooram [திருவாடி பூரம்]; and again, on the next day of Theerthavari in Brahmotsavam. All honours are presented to the tree, believed to be Swami Anantalwan!..kodaliyai entrum kovil nuzaivayilil sevikalaam..பச்சை கற்பூரம் – refined camphor] on the Chin of the Lord and this practice is continuing even now! It reminds us Swami Anantalwan!..Swami Anantalwan is also regarded as the Father-in-law of the Lord! Once, the Lord and Sri Thayar were playing in the garden maintained by Swami Anantalwan! They plucked away many flowers. Swami Anantalwan was worried as quantity of flowers to be presented to the Lord was getting reduced and so made a special watch! When he found the Divine Couple was plucking flowers, he chased Them! The Lord ran away, but Sri Thayar was caught. Swami Anantalwan still cahsed the Lord, Who ran around the temple in apradhakshinam [அப்ரதக்ஷினம் – anti-clock wise]. To commemorate this incident, bhagh savari utsavam [भाघ or बाघ ] or back savari utsavam. In Sanskrit, bhagh means garden; or, in Hindi, bhag [बाघ] means escape; or, in English, back means reverse order! Swami Anantalwan has spelt out how a true Sri Vaishnava devotee should be. When he was asked by a devotee, how he should behave, to be a true Vaishnava, Swami Anantalwan said after keeping the devotee to wait for a long time: ‘Kokku pol iruppan, kozhi pol iruppan, uppu pol iruppan, ummai pol iruppan [கொக்கு போல் இருப்பான், கோழி போல் இருப்பான், உப்பு போல் இருப்பான், உம்மைப் போல் இருப்பான்..That is, like a kokku [crane bird] waiting for the proper fish, one should wait for enjoying the Lord only and not in worldly matters. Next, like kozhi [hen] picking only the food it required from the heap of mud, one should pick the means of reaching the Lord only, in the heaps of Vedas. Thirdly, like uppu [salt], when added to water, is invisible to eyes but can be detected by taste, one should be invisible and at the same time serve the Lord. Finally, ummai pol [like the devotee], one should be patient. These are the qualities of a true

Vaishnava..trividhaṃ narakasyedaṃ dvāraṃ nāśanam ātmanaḥ
kāmaḥ krodhas tathā lobhas tasmād etat trayaṃ tyajet 16.21

 Tyajet = discard..Narakasyedam = to [reach] naraka [this is not the abode of lord Yama, but naraka here means the ignorance about the Lord, or lack of efforts to reach the Lord, or the wrong assumptions about the Lord], trividham = Three types of, dvaram = gates [are there], for, atmana = these persons, themselves, nasanam = to get destroyed. What are those gates? Kama = lust or desire, krodha = anger, tatha = and, lobha = greed.Tasmat = therefore, etat trayam = these Three [qualities], tyajet = are to be discarded.

Ramanuja’s Commentary for sloha 16-21..Lord Krishna confirms that the demoniac nature is in itself a hellish condition of life perpetuating more and more degraded hellish existences. The three portals to hellish existence are lust, greed and anger which completely destroy and ruin all opportunities for advancing in spiritual consciousness. Lust, greed and anger are the foundations for all the other vices and sinfulness described previously which run rampant among the demoniac. The word dvaram means portal and gate inferring the cause. The words nasanam atmanah means destructive or even suicidal denoting how utterly negative lust, greed and anger are in evolving the consciousness to commune with the immortal soul. Therefore Lord Krishna emphasizes that lust, greed and anger must be permanently abandoned, fully relinquished and completely neutralised since these three voracious vices comprise the cause that leads a jiva or embodied being directly to dreaded naraka or the hellish planets. ..sloha 16-22..Pitamahasvyapi pitamahaya pracheta sadesa palapradaya |
Sri bhashyakarottama desikaya sri shaila purnaya namonamastat ||
This sloka tells about the glory of Swami Periya Tirumalai Nambi…Pitamaha means father’s father or paternal grand father. Lord Brahma is regarded as the Pitamaha or grand father of this Universe! The Lord Sri Srinivasa is Father of lord Brahma. Since the Lord addressed Swami Periya Tirumalai Nambi as father, he becomes the Pitamaha or grand father of Universe’s Pitamaha or lord Brahma! He taught Srimad Ramayana by Valmiki, aka Prachetas, for one year to Swami Ramanuja, at Adipuli [now known as Alipiri]…On 23rd dayof adyayana uthsavam,Thanneer Amudu thiruthum utsavam [தண்ணீர் அமுது திருத்தும் உத்சவம்] takes place.The descendents of Swami Periya Tirumalai Nambi are known as

etair vimuktaḥ kaunteya tamodvārais tribhir naraḥ
ācaraty ātmanaḥ śreyas tato yāti parāṃ gatim 16.22

Param gatim = reaching the most supreme level [reaching the Lord at Vaikuntam]…Kaunteya = Arjuna!, etair = from these [Three bad qualities mentioned earlier], vimukta = [he, who is] freed..tamo = darkness or ignorance about the Lord, tribhir dvarai = Three gates, namely, Kama, Krodha and Lobha, a person, atmana = to himself, sreyas = that which would benefit him, acaraty = starts following..

Ramanuja’s Commentary for sloha 16-22..Lust, greed and anger are all situated deep in tama-guna the mode of ignorance and as such causes the demoniac to be deluded by immense illusion regarding the factual reality of the Supreme Lord Krishna. Although difficult to rectify the jiva or embodied being who is able to avert them can escape their control and employ themselves in a manner that is conducive to the development of spiritual consciousness and atma tattva or realisation of the soul. Any jiva who achieves actual, factual knowledge of Lord Krishna as the creator of all and His absolute paramount position as the Supreme Lord of all existence will naturally develop reverence for Him. This results in a harmonious spirit attuned with the divine nature, cooperation with His devotees and the utmost respect for all life and creation. From this point of consciousness one will attain association with Lord Krishna’s devotees and by their mercy proceed to attaining the sublime, ultimate goal under their guidance. That disregard and disrespect for the ordinances and injunctions of the Vedic scriptures is the main reason why a jiva will be forced to go and suffer in hell is explained next.

 

Ramanuja’s Commentary for sloham 16-19.. Wherever the demoniac may chance to take birth, these vile, evil, degraded living entities who blaspheme and spite the Supreme Lord are kept revolving in samsara or the perpetual cycle of birth and death and flung into lower and more degraded forms of life. Since the demoniac adamantly desire to be irreversibly opposed to the Supreme Lords Krishna’s divine will, He permits them to pursue their wishes and they are hurled into demoniac wombs birth after birth in order that their aversion to Him will be increased. Impelled by the Supreme Lord’s sanction their desires are satisfied and they receive the opportunity in a suitable demoniac environment to exercise their free will and voraciously vent their vile, evil and degraded nature.  

sloham 16-20..vazi emberumaanaar kovil..Two imprints of the Divine feet of the Lord appeared, as Swami Tirumalai Nambi was lecturing. Even now we can see those imprints..Swami Ramanuja is titled ‘appanukku chankazhi alitthavan [அப்பனுக்கு சங்காழி அளித்தவன்]..during his Third trip, Swami Ramanuja established the Periya Jeer Mutt. Swami Ramanuja decided to climb up the hills, as many elders prior to him had climbed up..While climbing he found difficult to climb up, at this place known as muzhangal muricchan [முழங்கால் முறிச்சான்] – knee breaker, where the terrain was very steep. As he was climbing, he and his disciples felt great thirst and hunger. They rested on a rock near this sannidhi. At that time an young Boy came and offered some prasad and a mango fruit to them. But the disciples refused to accept, as they could not accept from anybody, unless the Boy was a disciple of an Acharya! They inquired as to who was the Boy’s Acharya? The Boy replied that Swami Anantalwan in Tirumala was His Acharya! He was asked to chant the taniyan [தனியன்] – sloka praising the Acharya! The Boy immediately chanted ‘ akilatmagunavasam agyana timirapaham asritanam susaranam vande anantarya desikam’ – Prostrate Anantaalwan Acharya, who has all good qualities, capable of dispelling the darkness of ignorance, devotees could easily approach him’! Swami Ramanuja’s disciples were not impressed with the taniyan, as it did not say about Swami Ramnuja, who was Acharya of Swami Anantalwan! It was customary to mention about Acharya‘s Acharya in Acharya‘s taniyan! The Boy instantly, rectified by mentioning another taniyan and said: ‘ srimat ramanujacharya sri padambhoruha dwayam saduttamanga sandharyam anantaryam aham bhaje‘ – Prostrate Anantarya who was praised by all and who was like the twin lotus feet of Swami Ramanuja’! The disciples were now satisfied and accepted the prasad and mango fruit.

..sloham 16-19..’Prabhatye tam girim praya: srinivasa anukampaya |
Ikshusara sravantyeva yenmurtya sarkarayitam ||’
This is the First sloka of Daya Satakam, by Swami Vedanta Desika. The Lord Sri Srinivasa is like sugarcane!..Around Tirumala are many ‘Theerthams’ like Pandava theerthem, Japali theertham, etc,. Today’s lecture is from Akasha Ganga, one of the many theerthams, and which is connected with Tiruvenkatam. Swami Periya Tirumalai Nambi was serving Lord Sri Srinivasa in Tirumala. He was the maternal uncle of Swami Ramanuja. Daily he used to go upto Papavinasam and bring water in pot for the Lord. Once the Lord took the form of a young Boy. When Swami Periya Tirumalai Nambi was returning with pot full of water, this Boy approached him and requested for water to drink. The Lord as Boy addressed him as ‘tata [तात தாத]’, which in Sanskrit meant father! Thus the Lord personified Swami Tirumalai Nambi as His father and requested for water! But Swami Tirumalai Nambi declined to offer water and proceeded to go to the temple! The Boy, from behind, threw a stone and made the water to leak out from the pot; and, He drank water as it flowed out! Realizing pot was emptied, Swami Tirumalai Nambi chided the Boy, as he had to go back again to the far away Papavinasam to fetch water. The Boy replied that he need not go that far and pierced the earth at a nearby place and water sprang out abundantly! It is believed that Ganga sprang out and so it is called Akasha Ganga.We can see a well very near the sannidhi of the Lord and it is called Bangaru