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     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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