Written
by and © Udayabhanu Panickar
This verse is an expression of gratitude for providing
for our needs and at the same time accepting the authority of the parabrHMam
and the universal equality.
The birthright of every jeevAthman (individual) is
moksham, which is the real yogah. To attain that yogah, we must live
the present life at the best we can, by doing everything right for that journey
towards yogah. This is the dhaRMam and kaRMam we have to
fulfill. Without proper nutrition we cannot have a healthy body. Without a
healthy body we can never take-up the challenges of a dhArmic life which
is very essential for any Spiritual aspirant to attain yogaH. We need a healthy body, mind and intellect for
that. Proper nutrition for all the above and clothes are very essential for the
execution of those kaRMam in the dhArmic way.
Normally we only consider the food we eat as annam.
But that is only a part of the annam. We could even say it is only a symbol.
The food we eat is only for the body and that is not the only annam being
referred to here. Here the word annam is all inclusive; all kind of
fulfillment for all our needs; such as good thoughts for mind, and wisdom for intellect.
All these are very essential for the challenges of a dhArmic life. Good food
gives healthy body, wisdom we gain from the teachings of our RisHis
through our upaniShads, IthihAsam and other BOOKS of wisdom and
this both gives us good thoughts.
The fetus gets nutrients from Mother and after birth; we
ourselves consume and digest food as per the needs. A just born baby, seek
Mother’s breast. We automatically know that mother's breast is a potential
source to appease our hunger. “Thus the first knowledge that comes to the
human mind is knowledge of nourishment. Even a new-born cow, goat, cat or pig;
all of them has no doubt where to find the food they need. The first educator
of all living beings is hunger. The knowledge of appeasing hunger is the living
being's first applied wisdom. Hence athMan is defined as that which hungers for
food. The word athMan is derived from the root word ‘ad’ meaning, "to
eat." So athMan is that which eats. Even when we are in the mother's womb, we get nourishment
from her. We are out from there and the chord is cut, our body wounded and our supply
of ‘annam’ is also cut off. And we express that through that primal scream.”
Looking back, we can see that this process was going on
since the beginning of the universe. If emptiness
occurs the space will sure fill it. Then the air shall fill that space and air
shall generate thermal dynamics and it sure creates water. cold water freezes
to become ice. Hot water changes to gases. There are lots of functions which
shall never occur without water. In a way, they, those functions are in need of or hungry for moisture. In
other words, this hanger is a need, and all have needs; not just for us. All
the needs have to be fulfilled. So the hanger transforms simple elements into
more complex compounds. This in a way is the evolution of the world and things
in it. Thus we can see that this hanger is a “Need” and annam is what
fulfils that “Need”. Thus, annam is essential for all.
BrahadAranyakOpaniSHad says, "That
great unborn Self is the eater of food and giver of wealth; that is the results
of work. One who knows this obtains wealth which is the results of work." Also
In Taittiriya upaniShad, VaruNan says to BRigu that all
beings that rest on the earth are born verily from annam. Besides, they
live on food, and at the end, they get merged in annam. Food was verily
born before all creatures; therefore it is called the medicine for all, those
who worship annam as braHMan acquire all the annam. It also says
that Creatures are born of annam; being born, they grow by annam.
Since it is eaten; and it also eats, it is called annam.
Here the importance of annam is very clear. Bhagavad
Geetha also has a similar statement, in which it is stated: “From food come forth beings; from rain food is produced; from sacrifice has its effect in rain, and sacrifice is born of
action.” And “Know that action comes from BrahmAvu (the Creator); and BrahmAvu
come from the Imperishable, The Absolute (braHMan). Therefore, the
all-pervading braHMan is bound up with sacrifice.”
The living creatures and the rest which may be considered non-living; all are
born out of food, in one form or other; and they all are nourished by food. The
mineral-wealth is the cause. It becomes the food through the action of rain. Without
rain nothing will grow. Rains come as a result of Yajnam, and Yajnam are
performed through human action. Rain is very essential for the conversion of
the mineral into nutritious food. In other words it is the profit we get for
our yajnam. To make that profit we need “favorable conditions”. The Self-dedicated activities performed for
the production of that benefit or profit is what the Yajnam, is. Taittiriya
UpaniShad also refers to “annam” and VastRam as requirements.
Now take an instant where people live without proper annam for any
of the needs. They shall have ill health in all respect, physical, mental and
intellectual. And they shall suffer for their whole life. If we are healthy in
all these respect we shall have a harmonious life and be very successful. While
in the mother’s womb, we had everything through our Mother.
“We gained a fully developed body, with hands and legs
intact, with the senses all ready to start functioning immediately after birth.
We have to do the same outside the womb - pool all our resources and take full
advantage of the amenities of nature given to us. If one place is inadequate,
we should have the intelligence to move to another place where there are more
happy moments than moments of distress or sadness. If we are not mindful of that,
life becomes a tragedy.”
Our upaniShads teaches this great lesson of adequacy. With this need
fulfilled, we will have energy to aid us in avoiding dangerous and unhealthy conditions. So,
it should be our motto to be adequate in our needs at all times. This is what
our Spirituality refers to as artha. It is the means to accomplish what
is needed for physiologically, physically socially and spiritually fulfilling
all the needs. Because people who has the means to live has a sense of security
and this helps in the Spiritual quest of the end goal. Here Gurudevan
has included all those needs in these two words of annam and vastRAm.
The importance of annam is also explained in ChandogyOpaniShad.
It
says “Food, when eaten, becomes divided into three parts. What is its grossest
ingredient, that becomes faces; what is the middling ingredient, that becomes
flesh; and what is the subtlest ingredient, that becomes mind. Water, when
drunk, becomes divided into three parts. What is its grossest ingredient, that
becomes urine; what is the middling ingredient, that becomes blood; and what is
the subtlest ingredient, that becomes Prana. Fire or the fiery things,
when eaten, becomes divided into three parts. What is its grossest ingredient
that becomes bone; what is the middling ingredient, that becomes marrow; and
what is the subtlest ingredient, hat becomes speech.” So, in short the food
that is eaten becomes the mind; of the water that is drunk becomes Prana. And the
fire that is eaten becomes speech. Hence, “mind is made up of food, Prana is
made up of water, and speech is made up of fire”.
The importance of cloth is also made clear in ChandogyOpaniShad
where in it says that the “garments shall be made of Water, Therefore,
indeed, those who are about to eat, cover it, both before and after, with
water. (He who knows thus) becomes the obtainer of clothes as need be.” It is believed
that, those who practice this shall not suffer the scarcity of food or
cloths. It is indicative that we need annam,
jalam and vastRAm for our survival. It also indicates that the
all pervading braHMan assumes as everything in the universe. The
universe is the abode of braHMan and ‘IT’ enjoys the forms ‘IT’ assumes.
Bhagavad Geetha says that; whatsoever is the
seed of all beings, that also is the parabrHMam; there is no being, whether
moving, or unmoving, that can exist without Him.
The
conclusion of this third mantRam should be taken under the light of the
first mantRam of IShAvAsya upaniShad. It says; “This whole
universe is permeated by the Absolute, and as such we must live under renunciation.
By such a renunciation, protect (you); covet not the wealth of others.” In
other words, everything in this universe is covered by the Absolute, the braHMan
and thus “There is nothing in this
universe which does not share in sat-cit-Amanda; Existence, Knowledge, and Supreme Bliss.”
“What is seen as an atom is also seen as an all- filling total.” And “The ego boundary becomes so extended
that it disappears in infinity. The relatedness of possession becomes so vast
that nothing could be possessed anymore. If there is an 'I’, there is only
"I". If there is a "my,"
everything is "mine."
All these are expressed in a different
way in “TirumantiRam”.
The “TirumantiRam” says; The Lord is the
beginning of all,
He is the Atom-within-the Atom;
Divide an atom with-in-the atom,
Into parts one thousand,
They who can thus divide
That atom within the atom
May well near the Lord,
He, indeed, is the Atom-within-the-atom”.
In short ‘the Absolute,
is the source of all, is the Atom within the atom. Only they who are capable of
fragmenting an atom, only can vision this ‘atom-within-the-atom’. (Is this not
what some westerners categorized as “God Particle”, recently?
In another
sense, ‘I’ become totally lost in the "other," and the "other" becomes the eternally assertive
and the all-embracing Self. Now ‘I’ am everybody's, and all are mine.” In other words, ‘I’ am
‘All’ and ‘All’ are ‘mine’. Thus ‘I’ am the richest in the Universe; That is
how the parabrHMam, The Lord, The Absolute makes us ‘The Absolute’ and
thus ‘dhannyaR’; with all HE has; and that whole is mine, also yours and
thus ours. And as HE makes us the ‘dhannyaR’;
sure HE is our thampurAn.
So, let us sing: അന്നവസ്ത്രാദി മുട്ടാതെ
തന്നു രക്ഷിച്ചു ഞങ്ങളെ
ധന്യരാക്കുന്ന നീയൊന്നു-
തന്നെ ഞങ്ങൾക്കു് തമ്പുരാൻ.
AnnavastRAdi
muTTAthe
thannu
raKSHichhu njangaLe
DhannyarAkkunna
nEyonnu-
Thanne
njangaLkku thampurAn
(Part one of
mantRam four will follow)
The above are my partial thoughts and interpretations during my
study of daivadeShakam using the following reference. Interpretation of
literary works of Gurudevan and Chattampi SwAmikal by one or more
of the following, NaTarAja Guru, Guru Nitya Chaithanya Yeti, Professor
G. Balakrishnan Nair, and Mr M. Damodaran; translations and Interpretation of Vedah,
Bhagavat Geetha and upaniShad by Adi
ShankarAchAryar, Madhusoodhana Sarswathi, MRDhAnanda SwAmikal, NaTarAja Guru,
Swami NikhilAnanda, Swami NjnAna Sarswathi, Guru Nitya Chaithanya Yeti and ChinmayAanada
SwAmikal, professor G. Balakrishnan Nair and Professor Devi Chand. I have
also used information gained from independent works of Adi ShankarAchAryar,
Vivekananda SwAmikal, NaTarAja Guru, Guru Nityachaitanya Yati, Professor
K.M. Sanu, Professor Thuravoor Viswambharan; TirumantiRam, ThirukkuRaL: and speeches and discourses by some of the above, along with the
words of wisdom and information I received from my own Guru. Whatever is
written here is all borrowed from the above masters. I just put them together
during my learning process.
(This translation
and interpretation is only for the discussion through and within this group
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written consent. Anyone can print copy and distribute in full ‘as it is’ – that
is without making any change.)
Written by and ©
Udayabhanu Panickar, If anyone needs reproduction in full or in part, please
contact the writer Reproduction is allowed under notification to the author for
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For more
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