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Oppiliappan List Archive: Message 00039 Jan 2008

 
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----------------- 
srI:
SrI  upakAra  sangraham ? 39
--- 
adikAram ? 1
poorva upakAra paramparai
(The Foremost Series of Favours) 
---   
SECTION ? 5 (8)  
(27 Favours of the Lord leading to the means for
MOKSHAM)  
-----  

        SwAmi Desikan continues with the list of favours
conferred by the Lord, SrIman nArAyaNa to the beings
in the world. Not only He provided VEdAs and spiritual
scriptures to guide the jIvAs to develop sAttvika
qualities in order to turn towards Him, but also He
takes births to strongly establish righteousness
whenever it becomes weaker. 
        Now, a question may arise in our minds. Is it enough
if there are scriptures in the form of shruti and
written works to enable a person to turn towards the
Lord for attaining mOkasha?  Will they be able to
attract the souls? 
        SwAmi Desikan now deals with such queries and doubts
in this sub-section:

(8)   ?vadivazhakAlum, seelattAlum
vasheekarikkumtuvum;?

{The Lord captivates (the jIvAs) by His enchanting
form and conduct.]

        In two ways, the Lord captivates the minds of jIvAs.
First by His form or appearance. It is so beautiful
that it cannot be described in words. Only by seeing
Him directly one can realise His beauty. It is beyond
even imagination as far as we are concerned.  Only a
few fortunate and blessed people have had this direct
experience. The great souls like AzhvArs and saints
like Sukha, have been able, to some extent, to
describe the Lord?s physical beauty, that too through
examples or comparison with some objects. 

        Still, we have a plenty of descriptions of the Lord?s
form in PurANas and nAlAyira divya prabandam (the
poetical works of AzhvArs). 
        
We shall start with a few slokas from the PurANas,
making a general reference to His form:
>From VishNu purANa:

        avikArAya shuddhAy nityAya paramAtmanE /
        sadaika roopa-roopAya  vishNavE sarvajishNavE //  
(1-2-1)

(The ParamAtma, SrI VishNu?s form ever remains the
same and is changeless, pure and permanent.)

        samstAshshakthayashcaita nrupa  paratishThatAh /
        tadvishvaroopa--vairoopyam roopamatyaddharEmahat // 
(6-7-70)

(Oh, King! Hari has the form, in which all these
shaktis abide, is entirely different from all forms
seen in the universe. It is not of material make. It
is mighty in form as well as qualities.)[Here, the
term ?shaktis? refers to bhakta, mukta, and avidhya.) 
        Since, we have no previous experience of having
witnessed the beautiful form of the Lord, how will we
be able to conceive His form? A solution is given in
the Poushkara Samhita:

        nityasidhdE tadAkArE tatparatvE ca poushkara /
        yasyAsti sattA hrudayE tasyAsau sannidhim vrajEt //

(O Poushkara! The Lord soon approaches him, who has
faith in His form that is eternal, and in His being as
the Supreme Lord.) 

        Another query may arise in our minds: If the Lord is
said to take births, whether it means that He is like
any of us? The answer is found in Vishnu PurANa:

        samasta-kalyANa-guNAtmaka  asou
svashaktilEshAdhdruta-bhootavargah /
        icchA-gruheetAbhimatOrudEhah
samsAdhitAshESha-jagadhditO yah //       (6-5-84)

(The Lord assumes a form by His own will (not due to
karma); those forms also will be immense and pleasing,
as per the wish of the devotees.)

        Yet another question may be raised: Is His body like
ours? The answer is found in the MahAbhArata:

        tadEv kruShNO dAshArhah shreemAn shreevatsa-lakShaNah
/
        na bhoota-sangha samsthAnO dEhOsya paramAtmanah //
(Bha.-shAnti, 206-60)

(The body of the Supreme Being is not constituted of
the five elements. [like ours])

Another evidence from VarAha PurAna:

        na tasya prAkrutA moortih   mAmsa-mEdOsthi-sambhavA /
        yOgitvAccEshvaratvAcca  sarvaroopa-dharO vibhuh // 
(75-44,45)or (31-40)

(The Lord?s form is neither material nor formed of
flesh, lymph or bone.)

        Now, a short description of His form as in
SrIvaikuNtam is from the MahAbhArata:

bhujaish-caturbhih samupEtamEtad-roopam vishiShtam
divi samsthitam ca /
bhoomou  gatam poojayatApramEyam sadA hi tasmin
nivasAmi dEvAh // 
                                                      
                                                      
(Bha.-Mousala, 5-34)

(This form of the Lord has four arms, is supremely
excellent, and is in SrIvaikuNta.)

        What about ornaments and weapons on the Lord?s body?
The answer is found in VishNu PurANa: 

        astra-bhooShaNa-samsthAn-svaroopam roopa-varjitah /
        bibharti mAyA-roopOsou ShrEyasE prANinAm harih //
(1-22-76)

(The Lord has a body on which rest weapons and
ornaments)
        
        tamasah  paramO dhAtA shankha-chakra-gadA-dharah /
(RamAyaNa, 6-114-15)

(The Supreme Being, armed with the conch, the chakra
and the club, is in the region beyond the universe of
matter [tamas].)

        The total picture of the Lord?s form has been
described by SrI RAmAnuja, our AchArya, for us to
grasp it in our mind and meditate on it: 

        akhilhEya pratyaneeka kalyANaiktAna svEtara samasta
vastuvilakShaNa anantaj~nAna Anandaika svaroopa !
svAbhimata anuroopaikaroopa acintya adbhuta nitya
niravadya niratishaya oujvalya soundarya sougandhya
soukumArya lAvaNya youvanAdi ananta guNanidhi
divyaroopa !  (SrI sharaNAgati-gaDyam) 

(The Lord has a form, which is, being opposed to all
that is of the nature of blemish, and is the sole
resting place of all that is auspicious; whose
essential nature is absolutely different from that of
all beings and objects other than Itself; and is
characterized as infiniteness, intelligence and bliss;
whose unique personality is appropriate to and
pleasing to Himself; and is the abode of unimaginable,
divine and wonderful qualities, eternal, spotless, and
unsurpassed -- countless qualities like splendour,
beauty of features, fragrance, tenderness, handsome
personality and youth!) 

(Courtesy: SrImad RahasyatrayasAram and SrI
SharaNagati Gadyam. 
English translation by: Sri M.R.Rajagopala Iyengar 
(Formerly of the Madras Educational Service) 


(To continue)
dAsan
Anbil S.SrInivAsan)
-------  


 

              

        
        
       





      
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