GITA 3.37

GITA 3.37

inRO ThiruvAdippUram, yemakkaaha-

  vanRO ingu ANDAL avatharitthAL, kunratha

vAzhvAna Vaikuntha vaann bhOgam tannai ihazhnthu

  AzhwAr ThirumakaLaaraai.

This verse is from Swami Manavala Mamuni's Upadesa raththinamalai. It talks about the greatness of Tiruvadi pooram, birthstar of Sri Andal.Today [31/08/2007] we are at  Srivilliputhur, where Sri Andal was born in the Tamil month of Aadi in the star Pooram. We are at the same spot where She was found as a child by Perialwar.

 A Tulasi plant is here as She was found near a Tulasi plant. This place is also called Sri VarahaKshetram. When the Lord's Consort Sri Bhoodevi was abducted, the Lord killed the demon Hiranyaksha by taking the Sri Varaha avatar and rescued Her. By embracing Her, all fears were removed. At that time She prayed the Lord Sri Varahamurthy to suggest a simple and easy way for the people to follow and get rescued from the sufferings in this world, and attain salvation. He advised people to meditate, sing His praise and offer flowers at His feet; but with a pure mind and devotion. This was in Sanskrit. So Sri Bhoodevi took the form as Sri Andal and appeared in this earth to preach this simple method to all, through Her Thiruppavai. In the 5th pasuram (mayanai mannu..), She tells 'manathinal sindikka, vayinal padi , thoomalar thoovi thozhudu' in simple Tamil. From here we will see the 37th sloka. The six slokas from now on, are Sri Krishna's words and are full of important matter. Understanding this is not difficult though we have to put in efforts, as Sri Krishna has made the Gita for us to understand and with the help of simple Thiruppavai we will follow what Sri Krishna wants us to follow. Now the sloka 37:

sri-bhagavan uvaca
kama esa krodha esa
rajo-guna-samudbhavah
mahasano maha-papma
viddhy enam iha vairinam

The Blessed Lord said: It is lust only, Arjuna, which is born of contact with the material modes of passion and later transformed into wrath, and which is the all-devouring, sinful enemy of this world.

"The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: It is lust only, Arjuna, which is born of contact with the material mode of passion and later transformed into wrath, and which is the all-devouring sinful enemy of this world."

In the last sloka Arjuna put a question. Why a person, though not interested in the worldly passions and wanting to follow Gyana yoga, is forcibly pushed into worldly desires? What is that force? Sri Krishna replies. Esa = he is, Mahasanah = person with enormous capacity to eat, Rajogunamudbhavah = grown in rajo quality, kamah= and he is kama or desire or passion or attachment. Desire is embedded in us  in numerous births. This desire is in sight, scent, listening, taste and touch. So, the vasanai or habit is like a seed in us in every birth. This germinates as kama. Our rajo guna, like water to a plant, grows the kama into a plant. This grows in all sides into a gigantic tree. This tree wants to enjoy all worldly pleasures. What is krodha? When with Kama we are prevented from enjoying or when an unwanted thing is presented to us, kama gets transformed into anger or krodha. This krodha will push us into maha papma = large sin. Enam = this kama, iha= when trying to practice Gyana yoga, viddhi =understand as, vairinam = enemy. Though Sri Krishna tells that Arjuna should recognise Kama as the enemy, since Kama gets transformed into krodha, it is also included as an enemy. Sri Andal also in Her 13th Pasuram in Thiruppavai [Ungal puzhakkadai..] says ' sengal podi koorai ven pal thavathavar'. This means saffron or brick red coloured cloth as dress and white teeth. Dress is outside the body and teeth is inside the mouth. Normally, red is associated with rajo quality and white with satva guna. So rajo guna has to be out and satva guna has to be in, is implied in this pasuram and this reflects this sloka in Gita. Because by keeping rajo quality out, the water needed for the Kama plant is denied, and so the plant can not grow and we would have succeeded in recognising our enemy and would have destroyed. Our mind also will be able to devote its attention on atman.

                                                                                         (continued)