subhasubha-phalair evam
moksyase karma-bandhanaih
sannyasa-yoga-yuktatma
vimukto mam upaisyasi

"In this way you will be freed from bondage to work and its auspicious and inauspicious results. With your mind fixed on Me in this principle of renunciation, you will be liberated and come to Me."

Sanyasa = relinquished. Here sanyasa does not mean ascetics who wear safron robes and who have renounced worldly life; but those who have dedicated all their actions, their yagnas, their food, their gifts, etc., in favour of the Lord. Sanyasa yoga = such people, yuktatma = with such minds [always dedicated to the Lord]. These people do their actions, not with any selfish motive, nor for any cheap and inferior rewards, but dedicated to the Lord. They are indicated in the words sanyasa-yoga-yuktatma. Moksyase = [such a person] is liberated, evam = in this way [by dedicating all actions to the Lord], subha = auspicious or happiness, asubha = inauspicious or sorrow, phalai = rewards. Happiness comes out of good deeds or punya; and sorrow emerges from bad actions or papa. Karma bandhanai = bound by karma. That is we are bound by our papa and punya which are the results of our actions. From this bondage he is liberated. So a person in sanyasa yoga gets liberated from samsaram, where he is bonded by his actions. Vimukta = such a liberated person, upaisyasi = attains, mam = Me [Sri Krishna]. What do we understand from this? If we do a karma for an inferior reward and done in favour of a god, the karma will yield the desired result but will make the person to be reborn again after the tenure of the god is over and the person will again get into this cycle in samsaram. But when a karma is done with the knowledge that it is not in favour of the god, but to the god's Antharatman, the Lord Sriman Narayana, and the action and results are dedicated to Him, then lower rewards are not attained nor the consequential papa and punya. Therefore, happiness or sorrow are not experienced and so freed from the bondage of samsaram. After thus getting liberated, the person reaches the Lord. We should note that papa and punya are the impediments to reach the Lord. Every action we do will result in papa and punya. So, if we want to avoid papa and punya, there are two ways: 1. Not to do anything, and 2. Even if any action is done, papa and punya should not affect. Latter is never possible as every action will result in papa/punya. Shall we remain passive? That is also not possible. Because we are born and will have to lead life. We can not remain hungry and lose our life; we have no authority to end our life by suicide, as the soul and body are His properties. Our duty is to serve Him with the body given and not to part the soul from the body. Anything done to end one's own life is against Dharma shastras. So we have to earn honestly and maintain our body and family. For earning we have to do some work; which means, karma, and so papa/punya will result. Thus action is must and papa/punya are inescapable. Does it mean we can never get liberated from this cycle of births and deaths? Here only Sri Krishna replies and shows a method, where even as actions are perforemed, papa/punya will not accrue. Many persons reading Gita will get this doubt. After all, even if we want to be honest, our workplace may not be conducive. Any gain means loss for some one else or vice versa. Here we are advised by Sri Krishna. Yes, we have to do karma to make a living. We should first decide the purpose of our actions. We commit so many sins even unknowingly. When we walk, we might be killing so many insects. Even though we know such casualities would be, we justify saying that killing the insects was not our intention. Similarly, as long as we do the actions to make an honest living and feed our families, these actions will not result in papa. But same action is done to amass wealth, then it yields papa. For a contented living we need not struggle in life and work beyond our capacity. Luxurious living makes us to compromise on many virtues and we start all bad actions. Realizing this, will make us to think of the Lord. We can dedicate our actions to the Lord. This way all our actions will not result in papa/punya. Thirumangai Alwar also robbed persons; we praise him. Today's [17th July 2008] lecture is from a place where the Alwar acted to rob. But in the process he was robbed of his robbery and was refined. This place is called Thirumanangkollai [திருமணங்கொல்லை]. Here the festival of Vedupari [வேடு பறி] is celebrated on the night of Panguni Pooram and lasts till the early hours of Panguni Utthiram. IMG_0656_1_1.JPG

NEELAN ON ADALMA

Thirumangai Alwar robbed persons to get money to fulfill his promise to Kumudavalli that he would feed thousand Srivaishnavas daily for one year, after which he could marry her. He also needed money to build many temples; in Srirangam he built a huge compound wall. He had a horse named aadalma [ஆடல் மா]. He would ride this horse and start his robbery. The Marriage festival of the Lord Sri Vayalali Manavalan and Sri Amruthavalli Nachiyar is celebrated. Alwar had four disciples -Neermel nadappan[நீர் மேல் நடப்பான்], Nizhalil odhunguvan [நிழலில் ஒதுங்குவான்], Thaloodhuvan [தாள் ஊதுவான்], Tholavazhakkan [தோலா வழக்கன் ]. They would survey to find any person who could be robbed. They noted the Divine couple coming with lots of ornaments and alerted the Chief, Neelan, which was the original name of the Alwar. Enacting Neelan's arrival on the horse, this place would be witnessing lots of persons carrying torches. [see http://hk.youtube.com/watch?v=RwXt0Yl6Feg]. It will be about 1230am in the night and the place would be roaring with noise of the devotees and surrounded by the dust clouds. The Lord and Sri Thayar would be in a covered palanquin. The Thieves would surround them and demand the jewellery. The Lord also acts as though He was afraid, would remove all ornaments and heap them on a cloth. Neela would notice one ornament on the toes and would stoop to remove them by his teeth. Seeing his great strength, the Lord would confer the title kaliyan, meaning strong person. Now Kaliyan tries to lift the bundle and carry it; he finds it was impossible to lift and suspects the newly wed Lord has chanted a special mantra. He demands the Lord to teach him that mantra so that he could lift the bundle, and threatens with his knife. The Lord is waiting for this opportunity only and He preaches that mantra in the right ear of Neelan. It is done under a peepal tree [அரச மரம்]. Instantly, Neelan, listening to the Ashtakshra mantra, becomes Alwar [ pasuram vaadinen vadi - வாடினேன் வாடி of Periya Thirumozhi to refer]. Normally, threatening with knife is evil and gets papa. But here, Alwar did it with dedication to the Lord and so he got Moksham.