Prasthanatrayi Swaminarayan Bhashyam (Study)

by Sadhu Gyanananddas | 2021 | 123,778 words

This page relates ‘Arciradi Marga: The Way to the Abode of Parabrahman’ of the study on the Prasthanatrayi Swaminarayan Bhashyam in Light of Swaminarayan Vachanamrut (Vacanamrita). His 18th-century teachings belong to Vedanta philosophy and were compiled as the Vacanamrita, revolving around the five ontological entities of Jiva, Ishvara, Maya, Aksharabrahman, and Parabrahman. Roughly 200 years later, Bhadreshdas composed a commentary (Bhasya) correlating the principles of Vachanamrut.

7.1. Arcirādi Mārga: The Way to the Abode of Parabrahman

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gatirhi trividhā proktā hyattamā madhyamā'dhamā |
tatrottamā'rcirādiḥ syād devayāneti kīrtitā || SSSK 447 ||

“There are three ways through which a self travels after death. The best way that leads to Akṣaradhāma is Devayana or arcirādi mārga, the second is Pitruyan or Dhummarg, where go the persons who have done many charity works. And the third-worst is Samyanmarg. Those who have committed sinful acts go to Yamaloka through samyani mārga.”

Devayana or arcirādi mārga is the authentic way through it the liberated self goes to the abode of Parabrahman.

There is, however, one nāḍī, other than the hundred mentioned that lead to the path of lower realms and the Yamaloka, which starting from the navel (Mūladhārā) goes past the heart and ends up on the top of the crown when one leaves this physical body.

“This is a special nāḍī reserved only for a brahmarūpa (who attains mokṣa at the end of the current life itself) or a bhakta whose causal body is burnt (who attains mokṣa at the end of the life) he reaches a nil balance in his kārma account, which may be at the end of the current life or many lives). Parabrahman illuminates this nāḍī at the point where it goes past the heart and the departing self-sensing the flickering radiance leaves the heart and escapes through an aperture like bursting through a push-door into this nāḍī.”^[1]

This nāḍī is called the ‘mūrdhanya nāḍī’, ‘suṣumṇā nāḍī’, ‘brahma nāḍī’ or ‘Brahmarandhra’ since it opens at the top of the skull of the person leading him to Brahman itself through the shining path or the Arcirādi mārga. Arcirādi mārga is also known as ‘Devayana’ or ‘Brahmapatha.’ The self starts its journey with the help of the Akṣarapuruṣottama this has been described in our scriptures. Through the Arcirādi golden path, the brahmarūpa ekāntik-bhakta reaches the supreme abode called Akṣaradhāma, where Parabrahman eternally resides.

Svāminārāyaṇa narrates:

“After such an ekāntik bhakta leaves his body and becomes free of all influences of māyā, he attains Akṣaradhāma via the Archimārga.” (Vacanāmṛta Gadhadā I/21, p.61)

Moreover, there is no return from it for those who attain it. Niṣkulānanda Svāmī states:

“A devotee, who on release, attains the abode of Parabrahman, never has his derailment from the abode into the world of kārma-bondage.”^[2]

The Gītā and the Bhaktacintāmaṇi reiterate that: “Reaching which they (muktas) do not return anymore, is my abode.”^[3]

The Brhadāraṇyaka-upaniṣad describes:

te ya evametadvidurye cāmī araṇye śraddhāṃ satyamupāsate
te'rcirabhisambhavantyarciṣo'ho'hna āpūryamāṇapakṣaṃ
āpūryamāṇapakṣādyānṣaṇmāsānudaṅṅāditya eti māsebhyo devalokaṃ
devalokādādityamādityadvaidyutaṃ tānvaidyutānpuruṣo mānasa etya
brahmalokān gamayati te teṣu brahmalokeṣu parāḥ parāvato vasanti |
teṣāṃ na punarāvṛttiḥ | (Chāndogya-upaniṣad XII 5/10/20)

“Those who thus know this ātman. (even Gṛhasthas), and those who in the forest worship Akṣarapuruṣottama, go to light (arka), from light today, from day to the increasing half, from the increasing half to the six months when the sun goes to the north, from those six months to the world of the devas (devaloka), from the world of the Devas to the sun, from the sun to the place of lightning. When they have thus reached the place of lightning a spirit comes near them and leads them to the worlds of the (conditioned) Brahman, Akṣaradhāma. In these worlds of Brahman, they dwell exalted for ages. There is no returning for them.”

The same kind of verse with some changes is found in the Chāndogya-upaniṣad XII Where Bhadreśadāsa explains:

“yathoktopāsanārūḍhā bhaktāḥ svātmasu sākṣādakṣarabrahmarūpatvaṃ saṃpādyārcirādinā divyamārgeṇa videhamukttyavasare labhante parabrahmasahajānandanivāsabhūtaṃ brahmadhāma ityaha te arciṣamabhisaṃbhavanti ityadi |” (Chāndogya-upaniṣad XII 5/10/2, p.221)

“The jīvas, who are enriched with Akṣarabrahmabhāva and offer upāsanā to Parabrahman will embark upon the journey via divine Arcirādi path to Parabrahman’s Akṣaradhāma at the time of videhamukti.”

At the end of the physical body of the devotee, Parabrahman and Akṣarabrahman, as the main ativāhika, come to receive him to His highest abode.^[4] This is a boon, an assurance given by Parabrahman Himself (Svāminārāyaṇa) to his devotees. Accordingly, moreover, Parabrahman has appointed some devas as, ativāhika, appear before the departing self, and give their companies and offers various bhogas in their midway lokas. But the mukta is disinterested towards them. He wants to go to the highest abode of Parabrahman, Akṣaradhāma. Then Parabrahman, by his wish, invests him with a divine effulgent brāhmic body composed of the stuff called consciousness-bliss (time and place is dependent on His wish). Every released self is carried to the highest abode (Akṣaradhāma) through the arcirādi path. It is the golden path of light stretching from the crown of the head to the highest abode. The muktas are taken straight (non-stop) to the highest abode in the service of the Lord; however, some of them who had willed (prior to release) to see the ascending stages of Arcirādi path are escorted through the gradual holts and receptions enroute on each of the celestial regions, right from Archis to Brahmaloka, between the earth and the highest abode (Akṣaradhāma), if Parabrahman, so wills to fulfill his wish.^[5] Thus, through this Archimārg, a liberated self attains Parabrahman.