GITA 3.45

GITA 3.45
Sarvopanishado gaavo dogdhaa gopaalanandanah;
Paartho vatsah sudheer bhoktaa dugdham geetaamritam mahat.

By milking the Upanishads - cows-, Sri Krishna has given us the sweet milk of Gita. It is called Gitopanishad. Tiruppavai of Sri Andal aka Sri Goda, is considered as the seed of all Vedas and so is called Godopanishad! In the 26th pasuram of Tiruppavai, She demands so many things, and we are in a mantapam connected with those. We are in eNNaik kAppu utsava mandapam, on the banks of Tirumukkulam.

 In the last Seven days of Tamil month Margazhi (dec-Jan), neeratta utsavam for Sri Andal is celebrated. Unlike other places, in Srivilliputhur, the Margazhi festival is only for the last seven days of the month. This is called Neeratta Utsavam and has been for a long time. Sri Andal arrives at the entrance of Sri Vatapatra Sayee and according to the 26th pasuram (male manivanna..), She requests for grant of various things and the Lord also grants them. Thus, when She arrives from Her sannidhi to this place, no drums or other instruments are played. But after wards, from this place to Ennaik kappu mandapam, all instruments are played for the procession. The inner mantapam is large and the outer one is small. The oil bath (Ennaik kappu) ceremony will take place around 4 P.M. 

After applying oil, She will arrive at the outer mantapam, where Tirumanjanam (Holy bath) will take place. After that She will return to Her sannidhi in procession, with each day on a different vahanam. 

 Swami Manavala Mamunigal was in this world from 1371 to 1443. During his life, he desired to worship during the Neeratta Utsavam. But he arrived on the next Tami month Thai, first day. That is after Margazhi was just over. Sri Andal in deference to the wish of this great Acharya, blessed with one extra day for the festival. From that time this extra day is celebrated on Thai first day as Periya Jeer festival. In the regular seven day festival Sri Andal has eNNaik kAppu in the Inner mandapam, and She faces East. But on the extra day of the festival, She arrives at the outer mandapam and faces the Inner mandapam on the West, and has both eNNaik kAppu and Thirumanjanam. So, devotees can have an Eight-day festival every year. 

We have seen the 3rd Chapter with 43 slokas. Sri Krishna advised Arjuna not to try Gyana yoga. Karma yoga is natural for the Atman and slipping from this is much less. Karma yoga is to be practiced even by Gyana yogi, as he also has to live, to practice Gyana yoga. Also Arjuna has to follow loka sngraham, that is his actions will be copied by his followers. Many of his followers will be incapable of practicing Gyana yoga, and if Arjuna practiced Gyana yoga, his followers may copy that and end in failure. He also advised the great enemy Kama endangering Gyana yoga and so Karma yoga was best suited for Arjuna. This Chapter is called Karma yogam. The next Chapter 4 is called Gyana yogam. It may surprise us, as how after telling the greatness of Karma yoga, suddenly Sri Krishna is switching to Gyana yogam. But here He is not telling about the Gyana yoga as it is, but the Gyana in Karma yoga. We will see that in due course.

Sri Parvati requested Sri Parama Shiva to tell about the greatness of Chapter 3 as told by Sriman Narayana to Sri Lakshmi. In Janasthanam there lived a brahmin Jatan. Instead of learning and leading a pious life, he took to drinking, gambling and friendship with undesirable people. He thus incurred many sins and after death, became a ghost. Like Prahlada for Hiranyakashipu, this brahmin had a noble son and was searching for his father's whereabouts. The son came to the very same tree where his father as a ghost was residing. Not knowing his father was there, the son did parayanam [ ritualistic study] of Chapter 3 of Bhagavat Gita. As he concluded this sacred study, a sound blast was heard and the son saw his father in golden hue up in the sky. He told the son that in spite of his numerous sins, by just listening to Chapter 3 read by his son, all the sins were washed away and he was going for better worlds. He advised his son to continue the sacred study of Chapter 3 so that more people will get liberated. 

Now we will see why the 4th Chapter came and this is explained by Acharya Alavandar in his Gitartha Sangraha. Here essence of each Chapter is presented in a single sloka, by Swami Alavandar, who was the grand son of Swami Nathamuni and who was the Acharya of Swami Ramanuja's Acharya Swami Periya Nambi.

prasa ˙ng¯at sva svabh¯avoktih.karman0karmat¯asya ca  bhed¯a j˜n¯anasya m¯ah¯atmyam.caturth¯adhy¯aya ucyate [8]

These are told in the Fourth Chapter. Which are they? Incidentally, Sri Krishna mentions the secret of His avatar. There was no necessity to speak about that here. We have already mentioned that  2nd to 6th Chapters are meant for ataman sakshatkaram and so Karma and Gyana yoga are explained. But suddenly in the beginning of Chapter 4, Sri Krishna tells about His greatness. He tells how He is born and where and what all He is doing. Prasanga means remembering suddenly something and lecturing about that. Since Gyana yoga is in Karma yoga, Karma yoga attains the Gyana level. There are branches of Karma yoga. In Karma yoga a portion is Karma and another is Gyana. The Gyana portion is superior. In a pooja, we collect flowers and offer to the Lord. Entire work is Karma yoga. The action part is collection of the flowers and reaching the place where the pooja is to be performed. But the knowledge that we have to perform Pooja with fresh flowers and offer, is the Gyana portion and that is more important than mere collection of flowers. Instead of understanding that the Gyana yoga is praised, it is the Gyana portion of the Karma yoga which is recommended by Sri Krishna. So all these four - about His greatness, karma yoga itself raises one to Gyana level, branches of Karma yoga and the superiority of Gyana portion in Karma yoga- are talked in the 4th Chapter. Sri Krishna also answers questions on the authenticity of Karma yoga.

                                                                                        (continued)