We are now left with the charanam. It goes as follows:
karunato dhruvuniki eduta nilchina katha vinnaanu ayya
Tyagaraja says: Ayya- O Lord, vinnaanu- I have heard, katha- the story, (where) nilchina- you stood (appeared) eduta- before, dhruvudu- Dhruva, karunato- (expressing your) compassion.
Dhruva: Example of an "arthaarthi" bhakta
Lord Krishna's categorises bhaktas into 4 types. He says that four types of devotees reach out to the Lord:
(a) Aarta (the one in distress)
(b) Arthaarthi (the one who has a worldly goal in mind)
(c) Jignyaasu (the one who has a spiritual goal in mind, a sadhaaka)
(d) Gnyaani: (one who has already attained the spiritual goal, a siddha purusha)
This is seen in the Geeta, Chapter 7.
Chaturvidha bhajante maam janaah sukritinah Arjuna
Aartah jignyaasuh arthaarthi gnyaani cha bharata rshabha
Gajendra is an example of an aarta bhakta. He approached the Lord in a crisis. Dhruva, referenced in the charanam here, falls in a different category. He was not physically afflicted as Gajendra was. His pain came from the fact that he was wounded by his step mother's harsh words- that he was not fit enough to sit on his father's lap. Dhruva desired to gain a position/post which would be superior to his father and approached the Lord with that hidden intent.
To briefly recall the story from the Bhagavatham, King Uttaanapaada had two wives- Suneeti and Suruchi. Suneeti's son was Dhruva. Suruchi was the younger queen. Her son was Uttama. Uttaanapaada was partial to Suruchi and completely neglected Suneeti. Needless to say, of the two sons, the King favoured Uttama to Dhruva, though Dhruva was the elder son and should have been the rightful heir to the throne.
One day, Uttama was seated on his father's lap and playing. Five year old Dhruva enters the scene and also wants to sit on Uttaanapaada's lap. Before he could do so, Dhruva is thwarted by Suruchi. Suruchi lashes out that Dhruva has no right to sit on his father's lap. He was after all born to Suneeti and hence of ignoble birth. To earn the fortune of sitting on the King's lap, Dhruva would have to be reborn as her (Suruchi's) son!
Dhruva is naturally hurt and runs to his mother. Suneeti says that Lord Narayana is their only refuge- He alone can improve their lot. Dhruva leaves the kingdom and goes to the forest to seek Lord Vishnu. On the way, he meets Sage Narada. Narada initially tries to dissuade Dhruva, but seeing his determination, he instructs Dhruva. In particular, he is told to repeat the mantra- "Om namo bhagavatey vaasudevaaya".
Dhruva performs severe austerities for six months and is rewarded with Lord Vishnu's vision. Dhruva extols Lord Vishnu in a set of twelve verses which are popularly known as "Dhruva stuti". This is a highly philosophical portion which needs to be separately analyzed.
Lord Vishnu blesses Dhruva with a long life as a king as well as a permanent place in the heavens- in the pole-star. This part of the story is well known and popular. It is the next part which is not usually presented.
Surprisingly, despite having a vision of Lord Vishnu, Dhruva feels dejected for having asked for only material benefits. He says that his condition is like that of a poor man who earns the goodwill of the emperor, who gives the man the freedom to ask whatever he wants, and all that the man could ask for.. was a few broken grains of rice! His tapas has been in vain, Dhruva laments, like treatment (chikitsa) given to a dead person (gata aayushi)!
From these verses, it is clear that Dhruva reached out to Lord Vishnu as an arthaarthi bhakta and later regrets it deeply.
Tyagaraja's peeve is just this: You chose to accede to a five year boy who approached you only as an arthaarthi bhakta. Why then do you deny me your vision when I beseech you repeatedly...mari mari ninne moralida?
Arthaarthi bhakta: Is it fine to pray for material needs?
In this context of Dhruva as an arthaarthi bhakta, we may want to consider one of the questions often raised- Is it fine to pray for material needs? Isn't it transactional, business-like devotion?
Krishna answers in Geeta, Chapter 7:
He says that all the four types of bhaktas, even the arthaarthi devotee whose demands may be considered shallow are "sukritinah"- noble indeed. At least, the devotee recognizes the role of the Lord's grace (anugraha) in his success.
Further, Krishna adds...
"udaaraah sarve eva etey... gnyaani tu atmaiva mey matam"- All the four devotees are equally great, but Krishna concedes that the gnyaani is the best.
From this, it is clear that it is perfectly fine to pray for material ends in life.
In other places like the Vishnu Sahasranama too, we see the arthaarthi specifically rewarded.
"dharmaarthi praapnuyaat dharmam, arthaarthi cha artham aapnuyaat"- If a person chants the sahasranama with material benefits in mind, he too will have his desire fulfilled!
In addition, in the veda, in the section called "chamakam", the devotee submits the most comprehensive list of material goals to the Lord- a staggering number of 347 items!
What about the Lord's response to these requests? Krishna says in the Geeta, Chapter 4:
ye yathaa maam prapadyantey taams tathaiva bhajaamyaham- In whichever way a devotee reaches out to me, I respond to him likewise.
Dhruva may have been just a five-year old boy with even his goals, possibly poorly spelt out. But the Lord responded to his devotion. Hence, the popular epithet for Lord Krishna- "bhaava graahi janaardana"- All that the Lord takes into account is the "bhaava", the attitude, the spirit of devotion.
The hope is that like Dhruva, in course of time, we too will realize the limitations of these goals and will reach out to the Lord in more meaningful ways!
Gradation in bhakti:
True, the Lord responds to the aarta and arthaarthi bhakta like He did to Gajendra and Dhruva. However, there is a gradation in bhakti. Though this is an aside topic, having raised the classification of bhaktas into aarta, arthaarthi etc. in the context of this kriti, the discussion will not be complete without mentioning this point.
In case of the aarta and arthaarthi bhakta, devotion is..as it were.. trifurcated. There are 3 entities here: the devotee, the Lord and thirdly the reason/the object for which the devotee pleads to the Lord.
In the case of the jignyaasu bhakta- he is a devotee who wants no material benefit. If he prays to the Lord, it is only for spiritual benefit. Even here, devotion is bifurcated since there are still 2 entities: the devotee and the Lord. In seeking the Lord, the aspirant finds a certain happiness, which he perhaps does not find in the objects of the world (like the previous two categories did).
The gnyaani's case is entirely different. He has reached the spiritual goal and is no more a jignyaasu, a saadhaka, an aspirant. He has gained a clear understanding that "essentially", the Lord and he are one and the same from the standpoint of the atma, the Self. There are no more.. even two entities. Hence, Krishna says in the verse cited above- gnyaani tu atmaaiva me matam. I consider the gnyaani bhakta as Myself. Also, in another verse in the same chapter, He says "eka bhaktir vishishyatey"- the gnyaani bhakta excels for his bhakti alone is... really one-pointed.
The story of Dhruva in a nutshell in the "aarta traana paraayana stotra":
In the previous posts, we saw that all of Tyagaraja's examples are covered in the "aarta traana paraayana" stotra. In this stotra, the verse on Dhruva goes as follows:
pitraa bhraataramuktam aasanagatam bhaktottamashcha dhruvo
drishtvaa kalpitum aaruruksham adhikam maatraapamaanam gatah
yam gatva sharanam tadaa nipatato hemaadri simhaasanecha
aarta traana paraayana sa bhagavaan Naaraayano mey gatih
In this verse, Dhruva is praised as "bhakta uttama"- best of bhaktas.
karunato dhruvuniki eduta nilchina katha vinnaanu ayya
Tyagaraja says: Ayya- O Lord, vinnaanu- I have heard, katha- the story, (where) nilchina- you stood (appeared) eduta- before, dhruvudu- Dhruva, karunato- (expressing your) compassion.
Dhruva: Example of an "arthaarthi" bhakta
Lord Krishna's categorises bhaktas into 4 types. He says that four types of devotees reach out to the Lord:
(a) Aarta (the one in distress)
(b) Arthaarthi (the one who has a worldly goal in mind)
(c) Jignyaasu (the one who has a spiritual goal in mind, a sadhaaka)
(d) Gnyaani: (one who has already attained the spiritual goal, a siddha purusha)
This is seen in the Geeta, Chapter 7.
Chaturvidha bhajante maam janaah sukritinah Arjuna
Aartah jignyaasuh arthaarthi gnyaani cha bharata rshabha
Gajendra is an example of an aarta bhakta. He approached the Lord in a crisis. Dhruva, referenced in the charanam here, falls in a different category. He was not physically afflicted as Gajendra was. His pain came from the fact that he was wounded by his step mother's harsh words- that he was not fit enough to sit on his father's lap. Dhruva desired to gain a position/post which would be superior to his father and approached the Lord with that hidden intent.
To briefly recall the story from the Bhagavatham, King Uttaanapaada had two wives- Suneeti and Suruchi. Suneeti's son was Dhruva. Suruchi was the younger queen. Her son was Uttama. Uttaanapaada was partial to Suruchi and completely neglected Suneeti. Needless to say, of the two sons, the King favoured Uttama to Dhruva, though Dhruva was the elder son and should have been the rightful heir to the throne.
One day, Uttama was seated on his father's lap and playing. Five year old Dhruva enters the scene and also wants to sit on Uttaanapaada's lap. Before he could do so, Dhruva is thwarted by Suruchi. Suruchi lashes out that Dhruva has no right to sit on his father's lap. He was after all born to Suneeti and hence of ignoble birth. To earn the fortune of sitting on the King's lap, Dhruva would have to be reborn as her (Suruchi's) son!
Dhruva is naturally hurt and runs to his mother. Suneeti says that Lord Narayana is their only refuge- He alone can improve their lot. Dhruva leaves the kingdom and goes to the forest to seek Lord Vishnu. On the way, he meets Sage Narada. Narada initially tries to dissuade Dhruva, but seeing his determination, he instructs Dhruva. In particular, he is told to repeat the mantra- "Om namo bhagavatey vaasudevaaya".
Dhruva performs severe austerities for six months and is rewarded with Lord Vishnu's vision. Dhruva extols Lord Vishnu in a set of twelve verses which are popularly known as "Dhruva stuti". This is a highly philosophical portion which needs to be separately analyzed.
Lord Vishnu blesses Dhruva with a long life as a king as well as a permanent place in the heavens- in the pole-star. This part of the story is well known and popular. It is the next part which is not usually presented.
Surprisingly, despite having a vision of Lord Vishnu, Dhruva feels dejected for having asked for only material benefits. He says that his condition is like that of a poor man who earns the goodwill of the emperor, who gives the man the freedom to ask whatever he wants, and all that the man could ask for.. was a few broken grains of rice! His tapas has been in vain, Dhruva laments, like treatment (chikitsa) given to a dead person (gata aayushi)!
From these verses, it is clear that Dhruva reached out to Lord Vishnu as an arthaarthi bhakta and later regrets it deeply.
Tyagaraja's peeve is just this: You chose to accede to a five year boy who approached you only as an arthaarthi bhakta. Why then do you deny me your vision when I beseech you repeatedly...mari mari ninne moralida?
Arthaarthi bhakta: Is it fine to pray for material needs?
In this context of Dhruva as an arthaarthi bhakta, we may want to consider one of the questions often raised- Is it fine to pray for material needs? Isn't it transactional, business-like devotion?
Krishna answers in Geeta, Chapter 7:
He says that all the four types of bhaktas, even the arthaarthi devotee whose demands may be considered shallow are "sukritinah"- noble indeed. At least, the devotee recognizes the role of the Lord's grace (anugraha) in his success.
Further, Krishna adds...
"udaaraah sarve eva etey... gnyaani tu atmaiva mey matam"- All the four devotees are equally great, but Krishna concedes that the gnyaani is the best.
From this, it is clear that it is perfectly fine to pray for material ends in life.
In other places like the Vishnu Sahasranama too, we see the arthaarthi specifically rewarded.
"dharmaarthi praapnuyaat dharmam, arthaarthi cha artham aapnuyaat"- If a person chants the sahasranama with material benefits in mind, he too will have his desire fulfilled!
In addition, in the veda, in the section called "chamakam", the devotee submits the most comprehensive list of material goals to the Lord- a staggering number of 347 items!
What about the Lord's response to these requests? Krishna says in the Geeta, Chapter 4:
ye yathaa maam prapadyantey taams tathaiva bhajaamyaham- In whichever way a devotee reaches out to me, I respond to him likewise.
Dhruva may have been just a five-year old boy with even his goals, possibly poorly spelt out. But the Lord responded to his devotion. Hence, the popular epithet for Lord Krishna- "bhaava graahi janaardana"- All that the Lord takes into account is the "bhaava", the attitude, the spirit of devotion.
The hope is that like Dhruva, in course of time, we too will realize the limitations of these goals and will reach out to the Lord in more meaningful ways!
Gradation in bhakti:
True, the Lord responds to the aarta and arthaarthi bhakta like He did to Gajendra and Dhruva. However, there is a gradation in bhakti. Though this is an aside topic, having raised the classification of bhaktas into aarta, arthaarthi etc. in the context of this kriti, the discussion will not be complete without mentioning this point.
In case of the aarta and arthaarthi bhakta, devotion is..as it were.. trifurcated. There are 3 entities here: the devotee, the Lord and thirdly the reason/the object for which the devotee pleads to the Lord.
In the case of the jignyaasu bhakta- he is a devotee who wants no material benefit. If he prays to the Lord, it is only for spiritual benefit. Even here, devotion is bifurcated since there are still 2 entities: the devotee and the Lord. In seeking the Lord, the aspirant finds a certain happiness, which he perhaps does not find in the objects of the world (like the previous two categories did).
The gnyaani's case is entirely different. He has reached the spiritual goal and is no more a jignyaasu, a saadhaka, an aspirant. He has gained a clear understanding that "essentially", the Lord and he are one and the same from the standpoint of the atma, the Self. There are no more.. even two entities. Hence, Krishna says in the verse cited above- gnyaani tu atmaaiva me matam. I consider the gnyaani bhakta as Myself. Also, in another verse in the same chapter, He says "eka bhaktir vishishyatey"- the gnyaani bhakta excels for his bhakti alone is... really one-pointed.
The story of Dhruva in a nutshell in the "aarta traana paraayana stotra":
In the previous posts, we saw that all of Tyagaraja's examples are covered in the "aarta traana paraayana" stotra. In this stotra, the verse on Dhruva goes as follows:
pitraa bhraataramuktam aasanagatam bhaktottamashcha dhruvo
drishtvaa kalpitum aaruruksham adhikam maatraapamaanam gatah
yam gatva sharanam tadaa nipatato hemaadri simhaasanecha
aarta traana paraayana sa bhagavaan Naaraayano mey gatih
In this verse, Dhruva is praised as "bhakta uttama"- best of bhaktas.
