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Thiruppavai Saaram
Atma Gnanam : Five Stages
Shri Godha Devi told the Upayam, what she heard from Varaha Peruman, within the first five pasurams of Thiruppavai itself as 'Five stages to attain Atma Gnanam' .
Five Steps towards Atma Gnanam
First Step
First stage : Awareness - (Srivaikunda Nathan)
Awareness about Atma, Paramatma sambhandham (Jeevatma's relationship with God) - Purpose of precious Human birth - Ultimate Goal - Liberation - Getting out of the cycle of births [நாராயணனே (Who only can grants Moksham), நமக்கே (only for us who surrendered to Him), பறை - மோக்ஷம் - தருவான்]
- Complete Faith in the Goal - LIberation.
Second Step
2nd stage : Shravanam, Satsangam, Prayatnam - (Thirupparkadal Nathan)
Listening and understanding about atma vishayam through traditional discourses, Being in satsangam (for development in our efforts to reach the Goal and to avoid distractions), Trying to put into practice what we heard.
Staying away from Abacharams (Dont's, செய்யாதன செய்யோம்) to avoid taking many lower births. Whoever hurts others by speech will take animal birth and Whoever doesn't control senses and let it free will take plant birth.
Being aware of the fact that "If we waste our Precious Human Birth without using it to achieve the purpose of the birth but only using it to satisfy our worldly desires", then we (Atma) will get into the cycle of births - Taking many lower births - and have to wait long to get such an opportunity again"
Bhagavata (Bhakta) abacharam should be avoided. If we hurt some bhakta by Speech or action, or even thinking bad about a bhakta, who already took place in Bhagawan's heart by Pure Bhakti, Kainkaryam or Anushtanam with faith, than us, then Bhagawan will start to see us as Hiranyakashibu. Even if Bhaktas don't
take anything into the heart since their focus will be only on the goal, Bhagawan will take this into His heart that 'we hurt His Bhakta and hence we have to face the consequences. He won't forgive us until we approach that Bhagavata, requesting him to forgive us or until we realise and admit to Bhakta that we committed such a mistake. Since we don't know who is a Bhakta (only Bhagawan knows), It is better not to hurt anybody.
Indhriya vashikaranam - Controlling senses without letting them go in their way, by not wasting time in seeing/listening to the matters/speaking (mainly gossiping about others தீக்குறளைச் சென்றோதோம்) which will increase Rajo guna - which will help in no way to achieve our goal - Initially by reducing this time, gradually, we can come out of it totally. Like a turtle, which pulls its legs and head inside when it sees an enemy, we have to pull our senses inside when we are in an environment which can increase our rajo guna and release them only in a good environment like satsangam. An Easy way will be submitting all our senses to Bhagavan. Then He will take care of them.
Doing Dhana Dharmam (ஐயமும் பிச்சையு ம்), as far as possible (ஆந்தனையும்), without pride, with a realisation of 'we are just a tool in Bhagawan's hand (கைகாட்டி), and we are doing these things only to please Bhagavan, not for anything else (உய்யும் ஆறு எண்ணி)'.
Third Step
3rd stage : Confirmation of our spiritual path, Doing anushtanams for lokakshemam (Trivikrama)
After staying away from the Don'ts, we will have some time to look into the Do's list, then we will be inclined to try our best to put them into practice.
Confirm that we are on the right path by seeing evidence from scriptures, Shruti (Veda), Smruti (Ithihasas) and Puranas (In traditional discourses, they usually quote pramanam for whatever they say) about what we heard and our beliefs and check with other possibilities too (When we see contradiction between two pramanams, it indicates 'somewhere, something was misunderstood. We should not proceed with our belief without confirmation') and after confirmation, Have a strong faith in it.
After realisation of the truth, we will start doing karmanushtanams and good deeds with humility (ஓங்கி உலகளந்த உத்தமன் பேர் பாடி) which will help for Lokakshemam too (தீங்கின்றி நாடெல்லாம் திங்கள் மும்மாரி பெய்து, நீங்காத - கைங்கர்ய - செல்வம் நிறைந்து).
Fourth Step
4th stage - Acharya Sambhandham and Upadesa Prapti (Ramavatar)
After staying away from abacharams (don'ts), and started doing good deeds (dos), Acharyas will bless us with updesams to know the essence of the ultimate knowledge and also we will be able to understand them clearly with Acharyas' blessings.
Andal tells Acharyas to give upadesams (or bless us with knowledge) to people (who crossed the first three steps) - without hiding any knowledge (ஒன்று நீ கைகரவேல்) - Grasping all knowledge from depth (ஆழியுள் புக்கு முகர்ந்து கொடு ஆர்த்து ஏறி), after filled with complete knowledge (ஊழிமுதல்வன் உருவம் போல் மெய் கறுத்து), with a shine (பற்பநாபன் கையில் ஆழி போல் மின்னி) and like a Simha Garjanam (வலம்புரி போல் நின்றதிர்ந்து), Shower all those knowledge with full speed (தாழாதே சார்ங்கமுதைத்த சரமழை போல்), for the welfare of all (வாழ உலகினில் பெய்திடாய்).
Fifth Step
5th stage - Doing selfless Bhakti with Synchronised Thinking, Speech and Action (Krishnavatar)
After blessed with Acharya's upadesams, we will start doing kainkaryam with Nirmala Bhakti (selfless bhakti without any expectations - doing bhakti for just enjoyment of bhakti) with synchronized Speech, Mind and Action (வாயினால் பாடி, மனதினால் சிந்தித்து, தூமலர் தூவித் தொழுதால்), our previous karma (போய பிழையும்) and future sins which we 'commit unknowingly'/'sins for which, we regretted later' (புகுதருவான் நின்றனவும்) will vanish (தீயினில் தூசாகும்) and we will achieve the Ultimate Goal - Reach Srivaikundam to enjoy the eternal bliss with Him that is Paramanandham.
Pasurams 6 to 15
After waking us up and make us realize the Ultimate Goal and Margam to achieve it, Shri Andal asks us to do Sanatana dharma pracharam, by waking up others who are in 10 different kinds of sleep (forgetting the goal).
Pasurams 16 to 25
Then, She takes us to the temple and teaches us "How to reach Bhagawan" as we need to - Approach Bhaktas first who already took place in His heart. They will take us to Acharyas who show us the Margam - The right path to the destination. Then, Acharyas after giving upadesams to us, take us to Thayar Neela Devi and request Thayar to bless us. Then, Thayar will speak to Bhagawan, on behalf of us, to forgive all our sins and grants Mukti. Then only, we can approach Bhagawan since, after recommendation from Thayar, He won't see us with anger, forgetting all our sins. Afterward, we can praise Him with 'Pallandu' for all His efforts for lifting us from Samsara sagaram to enjoy bliss with Him always.
Pasurams 26 to 28
Shri Andal gives us the opportunity to enjoy His bliss along with other Bhaktas.
Pasurams 29
Shri Andal requests Bhagawan to grant Mukti. She also requests Him to bless us with "subsequent births with Atma gnanam so that we won't get diverted to some other path, forgetting the Goal", if He cannot grant us Mukti, due to lack of Acharam and Anushtanam in us, in this birth. In this way, She makes sure that we won't waste our subsequent births in worldly desires.
Pasurams 30
Shri Andal, after conveying the essence of Veda, Vedantartam beautifully in just 29 pasurams, admits with humility that She did all these because of the blessings of Her Father who is Her Acharya - Pattarpiran, Periyazhwar thereby teaching us the most important lesson "The Gratitude" that "However high we reach, we should not forget people who helped us to achieve that".
Sarvam Krishnarpanam