SrImate SrI ra'nga rAmAnuja mahA deSikAya namah.
tAtparya ratnAvaLi - Part 14 - Slokam 11 (tiruvAimozhi 1.1 - Part 2).
svAmi deSikan has treated the next three pASuram-s as one group, and
has given the guNa-s for the three pASuram-s in one phrase ? svAyatta
aSesha sattA sthiti yatana bhidA vaibhavAt. svAyatta ? subservient
to Him, under His total control; aSesha ? without exception, all the
acetana-s and cetana-s, including the anya devatA-s such as brahmA,
rudra, indra etc., who are jIva-s subject to their karma-s; sattA ?
being existence; sthiti - protection; yatanam ? effort, the ability
to function and act; bhidA ? kind, species, different; vaibhavam ?
greatness; here it refers to His Adhipatyam or Lordship, absolute
control.
o pASuram-s 1.1.4, 1.1.5, 1.1.6: svAyatta aSesha sattA sthiti
yatanabhidA vaibhavAt ? svAdhIna trividha cetanAtmaka svarUpa sthiti
pravRtti bhedan (SrI ve'nkaTeSAcArya). He Who is responsible for the
inherent nature, existence and functioning of all without exception.
This includes the people, the deva-s, the acetana-s etc. pASuram
1.1.4 refers to the nature of everything being subservient to Him,
1.1.5 refers to their protection and sustenance being purely under
His control, and 1.1.6 refers to the actions of all things and beings
under His total and absolute control. All of these again stand to
support His guNa of paratvam (the guNa at the daSakam level), and
sevyatvam, (the guNa at the Satakam level).
SrImad tirukkuDanthai ANDavan's anubhavam is that in the 1st pASuram
of tiruvAimozhi (1.1.1), AzhvAr sang about bhagavAn's kalyANa guNa-s,
tirumEni and aiSvaryam in the form of His nitya vibhUti. 2nd pASuram
sang His svarUpa vailakshaNyam (difference, uniqueness). 3rd pASuram
mentioned His leelA vibhUti. The next 7 pASurams (1.1.4 to 1.1.10)
elaborate on the guNa-s sung in the first three pASram-s further. Of
these, pASuram-s 1.1.4 to 1.1.6 elaborate on His leelA vibhUti
further, and point out that the svarUpam, sthiti and pravRtti of all
cetana-s and acetana-s are bhagavad-adhInam. The word adhInam
means "bhagavAn iTTa vazhakkAi irukkiRadu" - as bhagavAn wills it to
be.
The three words sattA, sthiti, and yatana that svAmi deSikan has used
are equivalent to the terms svarUpa, sthiti and pravRtti, that
bhagavad rAmAnuja uses in the gadya-trayam. For instance, in cUrNikA
5 of SaraNAgati gadyam, bhagavad rAmAnuja describes bhavAn's leelA
vibhUti, and says: "sva sa'nkalpAnuvidhAyi svarUpa sthiti pravRtti
sva Seshata eka svabhAva prakRti purusha kAlAtmaka vividha vicitra
bhogya bhoktRvarga bhogopakaraNa boga sthAna rUpa nikhila jagadudaya
vibhava laya leela!". ? "Thy sport is creation, maintenance, and
dissolution of the world, which contain in themselves many different
kinds of enjoyment and suitable places of such enjoyment, such as
prakRti, purusha and kAla which are by their nature ever under Your
service, Oh Lord! In the matter of their form, their existence, and
their activities, they always follow only Thy wishes and dictates of
Thine". The sentence in italics reflects the idea that svAmi
deSikan is extracting as the main thrust of the three pASuram-s we
are looking at right now- svAyatta aSesha sattA sthiti yatana bhidA
vaibhavAt.
§ pASuram 1.1.4 ? pASuram starting with "nAm avan ivan uvan":
vividha nirdeSa nirdiSyamAna samasta vastu svarUpam bhagavad
adhInam. What this means is that bhagavAn is the antaryAmi in
everything, and they exist because He is present in them as their
antaryAmi; without Him they do not have an existence. This is the
main guNa extolled in this pASuram ? (yAvaiyum yAvarumAi) ninRa
avarE.
The term svarUpam here can be understood as `amaippu' ? the way the
things are, with their unique attributes that identify them as they
are; all this is as per His will, and under His total control.
SrImad tirukkuDanthai ANDavan explains that if He is not present in
everything as their antaryAmi, then they cannot even have an
existence - "avan uL nuzhindirAviDil avai irukkavE irukkAdu. AgaiyAl
ellAm avan adhIna'nkaL enRa paDi".
SrI UV gives the following supports ? sarvam khalvidam brahma
(Sruti); jyotIgmshi vishNuh bhuvanAni vishNuh vanAni vishNuh girayo
diSaSca | nadyah samudrASca sa eva sarvam yadasti yannAsti sa
vipravarya || (VP 2.12.37) ? The stars are vishNu; the worlds are
vishNu; forests, mountains, regions, rivers, oceans are vishNu; He is
all that is, and that is not". Lest someone jump to the conclusion
that the above quote is a support for the advaita philosophy, note
that this is just saying that it is their nature ? svarUpam that they
do not exist even for a moment without Him, and thus the VP quote
just declares their total dependence on Him for their essential
nature. SrI UV notes that this supports the Sruti statement ? bahu
syAm prajAyeya ? Let me become many.
§ pASuram 1.1.5 ? pASuram staring with "avar avar tama tamadu
aRivu aRi vagai": sakala devatAntara AtmatayA ArAdhyanAi sakala
phala pradan AgaiyinAlE rakshaNamum tad-adhInam. The guNa that is
chosen by svAmi deSikan for this pASuram is sthiti ? protection. One
has to understand the meaning of the full pASuram to appreciate how
this guNa is derived. Very briefly, the idea reflected here is
bhagavAn has established several devatA-s (such as varuNa, agni, vAyu
etc.,), and has given them powers to bestow the necessities for the
people of the world, such as rain, air, heat, etc. all these are
needed for the protection of the beings in this world. Some
may be tempted to think that it is these gods who are performing at
least some part of the act of our protection. AzhvAr reminds us in
this pASuram that these gods have indeed the power of offering the
protection in their respective areas, but it is only because bhagavAn
has given them these powers, and they are able to perform these
functions only because He is their antaryAmi. In other words, all
these gods are also bhagavad-adhInam ? in other words, they and their
powers do not exist without Him, which is another guNa that supports
the guNa of paratvam. `avar avar vidi vazhi aDaiya, ninRanarE" -
BhagavAn stands as the Supreme One who bestows the powers to these
gods (such as indra, rudra, brahmA etc.)., based on their karma
phalans.
SrI ve'nkaTeSAcArya captures this idea in the following explanation
for svAmi deSikan's choice of sthiti (protection) as the guNa here:
emperumAn sakala devatAntara AtmatayA ArAdhyanAi sakala phala pradan
AgaiyAlE rakshaNamum tad- adhInam. SrImad tirukkuDanthai ANDavan
explains the idea conveyed as follows: antaryAmiyAna nArAyaNantAn
phalan koDukkiRAn enbadAl devarkaLAl Seyyap paDukiRa rakshaNamum
(kAppARRutalum) SrIman nArAyaNan tAn SeikiRAn - aham hi sarva
yaj~nAnAm bhoktA ca prabhureva ca.
The concept that the function of sthiti ? protection, is assigned to
the gods by bhagavAn, is found in the following Slokam from the gItA:
devAn bhAvayatAnena te devA bhAvayantu vah |
parasparam bhAvayantah Sreyah param avApsyatha || (gItA 3.11)
"By this (by this sacrifice), you propitiate the gods who form My
Body and have Me as their self. Worshiped by sacrifices, may these
gods, who have Me as their Self, nourish you with food, drink etc.
Thus supporting each other, may you attain the highest good called
moksha".
The key concept relevant for us here is that bhagavAn has established
the gods such as varuNa, vAyu etc. to give us the necessities for our
living. Thus, in a sense they are performing the act of rakshaNam.
But this should not taken to mean that these gods are doing the
actual act of rakshaNatvam of us. It is He who is giving them this
power, based on their karma phalan and their rigorous worship of Him,
and they are purely subservient to Him ? they are His adhInam ? under
His control, subservient to Him.
BhagavAn is the Ultimate Enjoyer and Recipient of all our offers to
these gods:
aham hi sarva yaj~nAnAm bhoktA ca prabhureva ca | (gItA 9.24)
"I am the only Enjoyer and the only Lord of all sacrifices".
Bhagavad rAmAnuja explains that "I am the only Lord" here means that
He is the only One who bestows the benefits or the rewards everywhere.
§ pASuram 1.1.6 ? pASuram starting with "ninRanar irundanar
kiDandanar": svAmi deSikan gives the guNa for this pASuram as `yatana
vaibhavAt" ? BhagavAn is the One Who gives the power to the cetana-s
to indulge in any kind of activity or desist from any activity ? all
their actions are bhagavad adhInam ? under His total control. SrI
ve'nkaTeSAcArya explains yatana vaibhavam as "cetanAcetana samasta
vastu pravRtti nivRttikaLum tat-sa'nkalpa adhInam".
SrImad tirukkuDanthai ANDAvan explains the concept involved here by
pointing out that He is the antaryAmi in those whose actions include
standing, sitting, lying down, or walking. (ninRanar irundanar
kiDantanar tirindanar) This covers everything a cetana can do, and
these are examples of pravRtti. Those who desist from doing any of
these actions ? ninRilar, irundilar, kiDantilar, tirintilar (nivRtti)
also have Him as their antaryAmi, and so He is responsible for their
inactions also. Works and the absence of works are all as He
ordains. SrImad ANDavan's words are: niRpadu, utkAruvadu, paDuppadu
mudaliya pravRttikaLaic ceikiravarkaLukkum avan antaryAmiyAga
irukkiRAn.
We will continue with pASuram 1.1.7 in the next posting.
-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan
(To be continued)
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