Notes

Variations - (Pathanthara)
² – mATayokaTirA – mATayokaTErA.

⁴ – dASArhuni – dASArha nI

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References
⁴ – dASArha - vishNu sarasra nAmaM (511) - It is a name of Lord Krishna since He was born in the dASArha race (yAdava-kula). It can also mean ‘One who is fully competent to receive all devoted offerings made in the ritualistic sacrifices.’

Differences between various types of mukti

Four stages - sAlOkya, sAmIpya, sArUpya and sAyujya, the vaishNavaite SEshatva-dAsatva

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Comments
¹ – mAninI – This also means ‘wife’.

³ – dharmAdyakhila purushArthamulu – In the kRti ‘pAhi rAma rAmaynucu’, SrI tyAgarAja states –

dharmArtha kAma mOksha dAnamElanE
marmameruga lEni indra SarmamElanE

“Why the four-fold division of (purushArtha) righteous action, pursuit of wealth, pursuit of desires, pursuit of deliverance? Of what avail the title of even indra when it does not involve understanding the secret (of reaching the Lord)?”

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⁵ – rUpamabbina – This is sArUpya. In the kRti ‘siggumAli nA vale’ – rAga kEdAragauLa, SrI tyAgarAja states – ‘ullamunanu kani nIvu nEnaiyuNDaga teliya lEdu’ (I do not know the method by which, by beholding You in my mind, You could become me). ‘nIvu nEnaiyuNDaga’ is sArUpya.

The four stages of mukti are – sAlOkya – being co-located with Lord, sAmIpya – being in the neighbourhood of Lord , sArUpya – being of likeness of Lord, sAyujya – union with Lord. The final stage is union (sAyujya) with the Lord. Refer to Sivananda Lahari (verse 28)

Please also refer to tirumandiram (1510) - tirumandiram verses and translation

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What is sArUpya? - “Because Gajendra, King of the elephants, had been touched directly by the hands of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he was immediately freed of all material ignorance and bondage. Thus he received the salvation of sārūpya-mukti, in which he achieved the same bodily features as the Lord, being dressed in yellow garments and possessing four hands.” (SB.VIII.4.6)

As per sage kapila’s teachings, “A pure devotee does not accept any kind of liberation — sālokya, sārṣṭi, sāmīpya, sārūpya or ekatva — even though they are offered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” (SB.III.29.13)

However, in SrImad-bhAgavataM, sAyujya seems to have been accepted. Please refer to nArada’s exposition on slaying of SiSupAla – "Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira inquired: It is very wonderful that the demon Śiśupāla merged into the body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead even though extremely envious. This sāyujya-mukti is impossible to attain even for great transcendentalists. How then did the enemy of the Lord attain it? . (SB.VII.1.16)

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⁶ – vErEyunnadi – 'are different' - It is not clear whether the 'difference', mentioned here, refers to the differences between 'purushArtha' (purushArthamulu) and 'sArUpya' (rUpamabbina) or between the 'service at the feet of Lord (pAda sEva kOritini) and the two – purushArtha and sArUpya put together.

From the wordings of kRti ‘siggumAli’, wherein SrI tyAgarAja desires sArUpya, it is possible that, here also, SrI tyAgarAja distinguishes between mOksha (end result of purushArtha) and sArUpya.

As has been brought out, vaishnavaites do not seem to believe in sAyujya – which is same as mOksha. Therefore, it is possible that SrI tyAgarAja wants sArUpya only and not sAyujya (mOksha).

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In some books, it is stated that ‘tyAgarAja says that he does not want either the (mOksha resulting from) purushArthas or even sArUpya of the Lord and that his ambition is comparatively humble, viz. the constant service at the Lord’s feet’. This is in accordance with the views of sage kapila.

Therefore, two types of interpretations seems to emerge – (1) SrI tyAgarAja desires sArUpya over mOksha (sAyujya); (2) SrI tyAgarAja desires neither sArUpya nor mOksha (sAyujya) but only loving service at the feet of the Lord.

The correct interpretation seems to have been made more difficult due to variation in the wordings of the kRti – ‘dASArha nI rUpamabbina’ and ‘dASArhuni rUpamabbina’.

However, in view of the the definitive statement made in anupallavi 'I desired service at your feet' (pAda sEva kOritini) and the pallavi wordings – 'my word stands' (mATayokaTirA), it is presumed that SrI tyAgarAja is neither interested in purushArtha method nor sArUpya method, but only in 'service at the feet of the Lord'.

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⁷ – mannimpumu – in some books, this has been translated as ‘forgive my lapses’. However, in other books, this has been translated as ‘forgive me’. In the present context, the word means, simply, ‘sorry’ for the curt response of SrI tyAgarAja that he is unable to change his word.

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