Arutha Panchakam
Arutha Panchakam
Arutha Panchakam
Oppiliappan KOil
SrI Varadachari SaThakOpan
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CONTENTS
Paasuram 1 5
Paasuram 2 7
Paasuram 3 8
Paasuram 4 10
Paasuram 5 12
Paasuram 6 14
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Paasuram 7 16
Paasuram 8 18
Paasuram 9 19
Paasuram 10 20
Paasuram 11 21
Nigamanam 22
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அ த்த பஞ்சகம்
(FIVE DOCTRINES)
INTRODUCTION
Swamy Desikan composed His Tamil Prabhandham of Aruttha Panchakam in the
meter of KOcchaka KalippA. It is a condensed Prabhandham with 11 Paasurams like
Adaikkala Patthu. Swamy Desikan is saluted by Thirukkudanthai Desikan in His
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Desika Sahasram (79th NaamA) as the author of the auspicious Aruttha Panchakam.
Aruttha Panchakam (arTa Panchakam: Five doctrines) are the most important ones to
comprehend by those, who wish to gain Moksham. This Prabhandham is dedicated to
Lord VaradarAjan of Kanchipuram by Swamy Desikan.
The senior contemporary of Swamy Desikan, Swamy PiLLai LokAcchAr has written
an outstanding MaNipravALa grantham entitled “Aruttha Panchakam” which has
been translated in to English by SrI A. GovindAchArya. This grantham in original
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MaNipravALam text and its English translation can be accessed at:
http://www.srivaishnava.org/sva/lokacar/apanca.htm
The Five truths/doctrines (arTa panchakam) that a Mumukshu (One who desires
Moksham) should know are:
3. The obstacles that prevents us until now from gaining BhagavAn's anugraham
(Paasurams 252-253).
4. The means adopted for gaining Moksham: Bhakthi or Prapatthi yOgam (254-255).
5. The chief phalan of Bhagavath anubhavam from one of the two upAyams
practiced (256-257).
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Each of these 5 doctrines is thus explained with two paasurams each. The 11th
Paasuram is the Phala Sruthi (Paasuram 258) for this Prabhandham.
Swamy Desikan
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PAASURAM 1
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MEANING:
In this karma bhUmi (SamsAra MaNDalam), EmperumAn has as his sport, the
distribution of phalans to each JeevAthmA according to its accumulated karmA.
Therefore, this SamsAra MaNDalam is recognized as the nandhavanam (play
ground), where the Lord engages in such sports.
There is no limit to our Lord's auspicious guNAs. He has both “Svaroopa Niroopaka
VisEshaNams (SNV)” and “Niroopitha Svaroopa VisEshaNams (NSV) among His
guNams. VisEshaNam means a distinguishing feature that sets it apart from others.
Svaroopa NirUpaka visEshaNams are those guNams (attributes) without which the
Svaroopam (inherent nature) of the object can not be explained correctly. After
comprehending the Svaroopam with nirUpaka visEshaNams, we seek out other
attributes as VisEshaNams to reveal the glories of the object under consideration.
These guNams are recognized as “NirUpitha Svaroopa VisEshaNams”.
2. Jn~Anathvam: His Jn~Ana SvarUpam never diminishes (The word “Sudar” refers
to this guNam in the Paasuram).
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3. Ananthathvam: His pervasive presence (vyApthi) at all places and times and vasthus
without restrictions of any kind (The word “aLavillA” in Paasuram refers to this
guNam).
After comprehending the true nature of the Lord's attributes with the above five
SvarUpa NirUpaka VisEshaNams, the other attributes (NirUpitha SvarUpa
VisEshaNams) reveal the glory of the Lord such as Souseelyam, KaaruNyam,
Vaathsalyam and others.
This Lord with Svaroopam defined by the five nirUpaka GuNams rules over His two
VibhUthis (LeelA and Nithya VibhUthis: BhU Lokam and SrI Vaikuntam) with SrI
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PerumdEvi PirAtti.
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PAASURAM 2
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MEANING:
This Lord of Atthigiri with His divine consort, PerumdEvi ThAyAr pervades all
objects of His creation as the indweller (antharyAmi Brahman) and controls with His
sankalpam their Svaroopam, Sthithi (existence) and Pravrutthi (karmic activities). The
Lord of Hasthigiri cuts the bonds of SamsAram for those, who perform SaraNAgathy
at His sacred feet and grants those blessed jeevans MokshAnandham.
COMMENTS:
The Lord of Atthigiri (“VaaraNa veRpu IRaivan”) is recognized here as “VaLLal”, the
most generous and magnanimous Lord. He with His dear consort (IRaivan
Thiruvudan) enters as AntharyAmi Brahmam in all His created objects and shines
there as the sustaining life (“uLLa poruL anaitthukkuL thihazhnthu uyirAi
uraihinRAn”). This He does after placing them under His clear sankalpam that
defines their svaroopam (“uruvam”), sthithi (“nilai”) and Pravrutthi(“karumamkaL”).
The Lord of Atthigiri banishes the dark night of SamsAram (naLL iruL theertthu) for
those, who seek His protection through SaraNAgathy (adiyavarkku) and grants them
Moksha Aanandham (nalam kodukkum IRaivan).
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PAASURAM 3
MEANING:
JeevAthmA is: “ThirumAl, uyirkku uyirAi Thihazhum”. This states that the Lord is
the shining indweller of all JeevAthmAs. This Body made of pancha bhUthams, the
indhriyams, manas, PrANa Vaayus, Jn~Anam are distinctly different from JeevAthmA;
It (Jeevan) manifests again and again with the Jn~Anam of “aham /naann/myself”.
Jeevan is of atomic size and is of JnAnandha svaroopam. Jeevan is different from
sarIram to SarIram. Its svaroopam is that of always being a servant (adimai) for the
Lord.
COMMENTS:
Here Swamy Desikan salutes his Lord of Atthigiri as the eternal antharyAmi
(indweller) inside every Jeevan (“Seer Atthigiri ThirumAl, thiNN uyirAi theethal inRi
thihazhum”). “thiNN uyirAi” refers to Him being present as a permanent indweller of
the Jeevans. The complete reading of this section of this Paasuram is “ThirumAl
uyirkku uyirAi thihazhum”. He stays as the antharyAmi without any vikArams
(“theethal inRi” = azhivu illAmal). He is different from the perishable body
constituted Pancha BhUthams (bhUtha udal), indhriyams (“Pulan”), Manas, the non-
lasting PrANa Vaayu (“pull Aavi”), Bhuddhi (Pundhi). He is different from all of the
above (yAthum ilanAi). He stays in this differentiated state inside the Jeevan, which is
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of the form of bliss, atomic in size, Jn~ana svaroopam (inn nuNN aRivAi) and as the
eternal servant of the Lord (adimai to the Lord).
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PAASURAM 4
THE LEELA RASAM OF THE LORD AS HE WITNESSES THE JEEVAN ENJOYING KARMA
PHALANS
MEANING:
Lord VaradarAjan through His sankalpam facilitates the Jeevan to use the gifts
(GuNams, Indhriyams et al) given by Him according to the Jeevan’s karmAs.
JeevAthma gains a sarIram for experiencing the phalans arising from its karmAs; As
the jeevan experiences these, it detests these anubhavams, desires them again and
therefore occupies a new body; the cycle repeats and the jeevan thus gets tossed
around in the fierce tides of the ocean of SamsAram. PeraruLALan enters inside these
jeevans along with His PirAtti as their indweller and watches the jevans enjoy their
karma phalans. The dhivya dampathis have their leelA rasam in witnessing the
anubhavams of the Jeevans relating to their karmic experiences.
The key sequence of words describing the Lord of Hasthigiri residing in this dhivya
dEsam filled with verdant groves (tEn yeduttha sOlaikaL soozh Thiru AtthiyUrAn)
are: “AtthiyUrAn uyikkellAm uyirAhi,kaan nadatthi, Kamalayudan kaNdu,uhanthu,
viLayADum”. He becomes the indweller of the Jeevan and makes them travel thru the
forest of SamsAram and joyously watches that anubhavam of the Jeevan with His dear
consort, PerumdEvi. He gives the Jeevans the guNams and indhriyams (thaann
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adaittha koduttha guNam karuvi) and rules over them to enjoy the fruits of their
karmAs (tamm kirisai vazhi ozhukki)in their embodied state, abandon that body and
then enter into another body or reach the Lord's thiruvadi as a result of its Prapatthi
(Unn yedutthu, uNDu, umizhnthu uzhalum).
The next two Paasurams (252-253) are about the obstacles to Moksham (Moksha
VirOdhi) that the jeevan faces. The doctrine of Moksha VirOdhi is the third of the five
arTa panchakams.
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“sOlaigal soozh thiruvaththiyUr”
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PAASURAM 5
MEANING:
JeevAthmA does not remember its inherent and inescapable links to SarvEswaran, its
Lord and becomes unfortunately a servant to another bonded jeevan. The Jeevan does
not recall its status as an eternal entity and engages in trivial pleasures because of not
remembering the difference between it and the perishable sarIram in which it is
temporarily housed. The Jeevan fails to gain AchArya KadAksham and therefore is full
of ajn~Anam; the jeevan roils now in agony and begins to pursue inauspicious ways.
Our Lord takes pity on such a Jeevan shows it the way to enter into sath sangam and
to recieve AchArya KatAksham. Thereafter, Our Lord awaits the jeevan to qualify for
Moksha Sukham and once the Jeevan has observed Bhakthi or Prapatthi yOgam,
Iswaran grants them freedom from rebirths.
COMMENTS:
The Key sentence here is “Vezhamalai mEyavan ThirumAl --mey aruL
seythidum” (The Lord of Hasthigiri, Mahaa DEvi Naayakan will rescue the jeevans
lost in SamsAric forest through one of the two upAyams and grant that jeevan Moksha
sukham. The jeevan had forgotten the redeeming relationship such as SEshathvam to
SEshi, the Lord (uyyum uRavu) and becomes the servant of fellow jeevans ubder the
contriol of thier karmAs (otthavarkkE adimayAi). The misguided chEtanams forget
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the differences between their perishable bodies and the eternal (imperishable) jeevans
inside their bodies and begin to believe that the perishable indhriya sukham is the
most cherished sukham to covet (tamakku poy uruvai yERRi pulan koNda phalanE
koNDu) and roam in the deep jungles of SamsAram. They develop thus doubts about
their doctrines (SiddhAnthams) and are guided by their complete aj~nAnam and
travel in forbidden ways (iyuuRavum Aar iruLum koNdu al vazhiyum adainthaar). For
such deluded souls, the most merciful Lord of Atthigiri blesses them with an upAyam
(means) and helps them gain the bliss of Moksham (al vazhiyum adhainthavarkku
Vezhamakai ThirumAl mey aruL seythidum).
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PAASURAM 6
MEANING:
PeraruLALa PerumAL, who protects and blesses all JeevarAsis takes pity on the
suffering Jeevans, who are being tossed about in the fierce sea of SamsAram; in this
karma bhUmi, the Lord shows them the redeeming way and grants them freedom
from being born again with a body (sarIram) made of pancha bhUthams and in any
one of the four kinds of bodies(Deva SarIram, Manushya SarIram, Thiryak SarIram
and SthAvara SarIram). Pazham Paazh here refers to the the timeless samsAra
MaNDalam, where the Jeevans reside. PeraruLALan showers the suffering Jeevans
with His Mercy. His dayA for the fit jeevans leads then to the enjoyment of Moksha
Sukham.
Vidhai MuLai NyAyam here refers to BhIjAnkura NyAyam. The sprout of a plant
(MuLai) arises from the seed (Vithai). That seed did not arise from no where. It arose
from an earlier mulai. There comes a doubt as to which originated first:
Is it the seed or the plant? The root cause in this question/debate is hard to settle on.
This is BheejAnkura NyAyam. In a similar way, it is hard to decide on whether
Sariram came first to enjoy the karmAs or the KarmAs led to the appearance of
Sariram to experience the karmas. In view of the difficulties in establishing which
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came first, PoorvALs stated that both Karmas and Sariram are timeless and ancient
(anAdhi).
Naalvahai udal in this Paasuram refers to the four kinds of body in to which a jeevan
enters to experience its karmas:
(4) Tree or stone et al, which are immobile (SthAvara Sariram). VinaikaL are
experienced through the Sariram by the Jeevans taking one or the other form of
Sariram.
Next, Swamy Desikan covers through five slOkams (1) the two UpAyams to gain
Moksha Sukham, (2) the bliss of Moksham itself and (3) the Phala slOkam of the
ArTa Panchaka Prabhandham.
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“bhIjAnkura nyAyam…”
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PAASURAM 7
Here Swamy Desikan salutes the Lord of Hasthi Giri as “Amarar Thozhum Atthigiri
AmbhuyatthAL Aar amudhu”. The Lord of Atthigiri is visualized as the One
worshipped by the DevAs and as the delectable nectar for PerumdEvi ThAyAr.
The Lord of Kaanchi is recognized as the One, who cuts asunder the bonds of
SamsAram for those, who practise Bhakthi yOgam with its eight angams. For these
saadhakAs, PeraruLALan frees them from SamsAric bonds (PuNyam and Paapam)
and blesses them with MOksham.
5. PrathyAhAram (Control of senses & Turning them away from the worldly sukhams
and temptations)
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7. DhyAnam (uninterrupted meditation of the Lord)
One uses Bhakthi yOgam or Prapatthi yOgam as upAyam to gain MOksha Siddhi. In
this Paasuram, the focus is on Bhakthi yOgam, which is the tougher of the two
upAyams to gain Moksha Siddhi.
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“Aththigiri AmbhuyaththAL”
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PAASURAM 8
ELABORATION ON PRAPATTHI
Here the Lord of Atthigiri is saluted as the One, who is never ever separated from His
PirAtti (PankayatthAL ahalahilEn yenRu uRayum Atthigiri AruLALan). He is
recognized as the dark rainy season cloud that pours down the showers of KaruNai on
those, who perform Prapatthi unto Him after the anushtAnam of PurushakAra
Prapatthi at the sacred feet of PerumdEvi hAyAr. PurushakAra Prapatthi is performed
first to SrI Devi (PerumdEvi ThAyAr here) before the anushtAnam of Prapatthi at the
sacred feet of the Lord. We need the intercession of our ThAyAr for gaining success in
our Prapatthi to Her Lord.
One practices Dhruptha or Aarta Prapatthi at the feet of the Lord to gain Moksha
siddhi. Dhruptha Prapatthi is the form of SaraNAgathy, where one experiences karma
phalan until the end of one's days and gains moksham at the end. Aarta Prapatthi is
the form of SaraNAgathy, which is performed by one with the intense desire to gain
MOksham right away without waiting patiently until the end of one's allotted life
span.
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PAASURAM 9
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PerumdEvi ThAyAr has roopam and kalyANa guNams befitting Her Lord (uru nalam
koNDu uRum ThiruvODu uyar AtthigiriyAn) and She stays together with Him as
Bliss principle. Our Lord VaradarAjan bearing such illustrious glories through
association (sambhandham) with His PirAtti commands His aadhivAhikAs to lead the
Jeevan (kaavalarAl kadatthuvitthu) that performed SaraNAgathy at His sacred feet
after liberating that Jeevan from the body via moordhanya Naadi. That jeevan crosses
the archirAdhi mArgam and comprehends its true svaroopam with the anugraham of
the Lord and arrives at Sri Vaikuntam (peru nilam) to perform eternal kaimkaryam to
the Lord there. The Lord blesses the liberated jeevan to stay with Him as His servitor
for all times to come and never to return to the Karma BhUmi.
The PuNyams and Paapams bind the Bhaddha Jeevan before SaraNAgathy. After the
enactment of SaraNAgathy, the jeevan is liberated from the shackles of Paapam &
PuNyam (iru vilangu vidutthu, Ohr naadiyinAl iruntha siRai vidutthu). PuNyam is
considered a golden bond and Paapam as an iron handcuff and legcuff. They are both
shattered as a result of the performance of SaraNAgathy at the Lord's sacred feet.
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PAASURAM 10
The key words of this Paasuram are: “Atthigiri ThirumAl tamm ThirumAthudanE pEr
inbatthil adiyavarODu yemmai sErtthu munthi izhanthana yellAm muhizhkka tanthu
aatkkoLLum” (The Lord of Atthigiri with PerumdEvi PirAtti would unite us with the
liberated Jeevans in His Supreme abode of SrI Vaikuntham and grant us all the
kaimkaryams that were lost to us until then due to karama sambhandham).
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PAASURAM 11
PHALA SRUTHI
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This prabhandham was created in tune with the upadEsams of PoorvAchAryAs
(PaNDu uraitthAr padi) and has been realized with the anugraham of Parama
BhAgavathAs, who have the good fortune of enjoying the dhivya soundharyam and
KalyANa guNams of Lord VaradarAjan, who presides over Atthigiri. When the reciters
of aruttha Panchaka Paasurams examine the meanings of them, their resulting phalan
is understood as the paasurams themselves pregnant with the deepest of meanings.
Only MahAns with familiarity of the meanings of Vedams can relate to them and enjoy
the sweetness of the meanings of these Paasurams (ivai Vedhiyarkatkku iniyana).
COMMENTS:
In every Paasuram of this Prabhandham, the inseparable association of the Lord with
His PirAtti is referred to. This reminds us of Her eternal presence with Her Lord
during the UpAya dasai and the Phala dasai.
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kivtaikRk is<hay kLya[ gu[zailne,
ïImte ve»qezay vedaNt gurve nm>,
kavitaarkika siMhaaya kalyaaNa guNa shaaline.
shrImate ve~NkaTeshaaya vedaanta gurave namaH.
Daasan,
“vEdhiyarkatku iniyan”
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