GITA 8.4

GITA 8.4

SRI KOLAVILLI RAMAN

The Lord is gracing as Sri Kolavilli Raman in Thiruvelliankudi. This Kshetram is on the highway from Kumbakonam to Madras, near Anaikkarai. It is also about 6 Kms from Thirupananthal. In the North of this place, a small stream Malli is flowing. Utsavar is called Sri Srungara Sundara. Thayar is Sri Maragathavalli Nachiyar. 

SRI MARAGATAVALLI NACHIYAR

Here, the Garuda, in front of the main sannidhi, is unique with four arms.

 Upper arms are holding discus and conch and the lower pair is folded with respects to the Lord. The Garuda also is in a pose about to get up.

SRI GARUDALWAR

 This place came up because of the request of Seven devotees. Vishwakarma was the architect for Devas and Mayan was the architect for Asuras. While Vishvakarma had constructed many temples, Mayan had a grievance that he could not construct one magnificent temple for the Lord. So, he came to this place and prayed to the Lord. After a long time the Lord appeared seated on Garuda and with discus and conch. Not satisfied with this pose, Mayan requested the Lord to apppear simpler with only bow in the hand. Along with him another seven devotees also prayed. Accepting the request the Lord appeared in wedding pose and in a reclining way . The Lord asked Garuda to hold the discus and conch. Garuda held them and was and is ever ready to return them as soon as the Lord demands them. Also, to return them he has to respectfully stand up and so Garuda is also ready to get up. He will return whenever the Lord demands them. In the 40 Chola Duvya desams , this is the only Kshetram, where the Lord appears in many colours. Utasavamoorthy appears slim as He has been bathed in milk and curd for all the Four yugs. Upper arms are holding the discus and conch. Right lower arm is in Abhaya hastha; left lower arm is placed on the left lap indicating that the devotee who falls at His feet will be protected and his sins would be reduced to knee deep. He is called Sri Sringara Sundara [Sringara = romantic, Sundara = handsome].
 We will now see the reply of Sri Krishna in the sloka 3:

sri-bhagavan uvaca
aksharam brahma paramam
svabhavo ’dhyatmam ucyate
bhuta-bhavodbhava-karo
visargah karma-samjnitah

"The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Indestructible atman is the superior [objective]. Natural association with prakruti to be avoided. all living beings ar the result of [male-female] intercourse to be understood"

This sloka is the reply for the first part of the question asked in the sloka 1. Arjuna asked in the first half of sloka 1, as to what the kaivalyarti has to know- which is brahmam, which is adyatma and which is karma. Kaivaalyarti is the devotee who wants to enjoy forever his own atman and nothing else; he wants to reside in isolation and does not want to be reborn. It is called muktatma swaroopam; that is, a liberated soul . It is called kaivalyam, because it is kevalam or inferior pleasure. Inferior to the pleasure an atman can have by reaching Vaikuntam and in the company of so many, serving the Lord. Whereas in muktatma swaroopam, he is alone, enjoying his own soul and so the pleasure of serving the Lord and the pleasure of being in company of so many noble Acharyas and devotees are missing; and so inferior. Kaivalyam is inferior to Bhagavallabham. Like the atman in Vaikuntam, an atman in kaivalyam also will never have birth or death; no hunger or old age. No problems of association with body or karma. It is the natural state of a liberated soul. Here the word brahma indicates atman in muktatma swaroopam and not Paramatma. Brahma = Mukta atman, parama = superior, aksharam = never decaying nor destructible. This is the objective for a kaivalyarti. He should know all the superior qualities of a liberated soul. Like the Paramatma, this liberated soul or muktatma swaroopam, will have no bondage of karma and he will be in everlasting happiness enjoying his own atman. He will have no association with prakruti - including the moola prakruti. Swabhavam = prakruti, adyatma = that which is associated with soul always but not the soul itself; that is a body. Body means entire parkruti as from prakruti only body is formed. So, Kaivalyarti should avoid body or prakruti. Svabhavam means the habit. Its habit is always to be with an atman or vice versa. Bhuta bhava = all living beings like human and animals, etc., udbhava kara = actions which enable such births, visarga = the intercourse between male and female, karma = as avoidable actions, samjina = understand. So the kaivalyarti should know that liberated soul as the objective, should try to avoid association with the prakruti and should also avoid the male-female intercourse.

                                                                                               (continued)