SrimatE Raamaanujaaya Namaha //
SrimatE Nigamaanta Mahaa Desikaaya Namaha //
SrIman! SrI Ranga Sriyam anupadravam anudhinam Samvardhaya/
SrIman! SrI Ranga Sriyam anupadravam anudhinam Samvardhaya//
KAvEri VardhathAm kAlE, kAlE varshathu vAsava: /
SrI RanganAthO jayathu Sri Ranga Sri cha VardhathAm//
======================================================
SRI RANGA SRI VOL.06 / ISSUE # 15 dated 03/31/05
======================================================
EDITORIAL:
Dear Bhagavatas:
IN THIS ISSUE:
1. ATHIMAANUSHA STHAVAM OF SRI KOORATHAAZHWAN
Part 3 (Slokas 11 and 12)
(ANBIL RAMASWAMY)
2. VILAKSHANA MOKSHAADHIKAARI NIRNAYAM
Part 5
(ANBIL RAMASWAMY)
3. ?TRIMURTI? - IN NAMMAZHWAR?S TIRUVOIMOZHI-
PART 11
(SRI N. KRISHNAMACHARIAR SWAMI OF CHICAGO)
======================================================
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======================================================
1. ATHIMAANUSHA STHAVAM OF SRI KOORATHAAZHWAN
Part 3
(Slokas 11 and 12)
(ANBIL RAMASWAMY)
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SLOKAM 11: ?MASTER SEEKING A BOON FROM HIS VERY SERVANT?
yam paatakaat sumahata: apiudashaarayatvam
tvadpaada vaari paripoota siraas cha yObhoot /
tam vandasE kila, tatascha varam vriNeeshE!
kreeDaa vidhir bata vilaksaNa lakshaNas tE //
?How come! You seem to have bowed to and sought a boon (for begetting a son)
from the very same Siva whose sin of having nipped the head of his own father
(Brahma), was wiped out by the holy waters flowing from your feet??
COMMENTS:
? As per the Matsya puaNa (Chapter 182), once upon a time, Brahma, the
creator had 5 heads like Siva. They looked alike. Once when Siva had gone out,
Brahma came to Siva?s place. Parvati, wife of Siva mistook him to be Siva and
offered the usual courtesies. Unexpectedly, Siva barged in, saw what was going
on. In a fit of rage, he plucked one of the heads of Brahma.
Brahma cursed Siva that since Siva had harmed him thus; Siva would become a
mendicant roaming about with the skull of the head he had plucked.
Yasmaat anaparaadhasya sira: chinnam tvayaa mama /
Tasmaat saapa samaayukta: kapaalee tvam bhavishyasi //
Consequently, the skull stuck to his palm would not fall off.
Siva himself boasted: vaama ankushTa kara agrENa chinnam tas sirO mayaa?
Siva proceeded to Badarikaasramam and surrendered to Sriman Narayana for relief
from the curse. Emperumaan made an incision in his body and filled the skull
with the blood oozing out from there. Thereupon only, the skull got broken into
a thousand pieces and fell off from Siva?s palm. He narrates this incident and
confesses to his wife, Parvati, that he felt relieved as if he had gained a
great treasure while in a dream, thanks to the grace of Lord VishNu.
vishNuprasaadaat susrONi! kapaalam that sahasradhaa/
spOTitam bahudhaa yaatam svapnalabdam dhanam yathaa??
Varaaha PuraaNa, however, mentions the same story but instead of blood, it says
that the Lord filled the skull with his perspiration.
? SrimushNam Sthala PuraaNam mentions the same story and says that the
sweat from the Lord?s body became what is known as ?SwEda nadi (River of sweat).
? The question arises as to how blood and sweat could come out of Lord?s
body which is known as ?apraakritam?
Swami Desika gives an answer to this question:
The Lord is known as ?maayee?, one who works wonders. We have to take it that
the blood and sweat from the Lord?s Divya MangaLa vigraham was also created by
virtue of his ?maayaa?
? apraakritE bhagavad vigrahE yuddhaadishu atra cha
rudira swEdaadikam maayaasrushTam mantavyam?
? A reference to this incident can be gleaned from Srimad Vaalmiki
RamayaNam. Bharata swears to Kousalya that if he had been guilty of being
instrumental in sending Sri Rama to exile, he himself would roam the earth like
a crazy mendicant with a begging bowl in hand in the manner in which Siva
roamed. From this, it is clear that the act of cutting the head of one?s father
who doubled as Achaarya, one who had mastered the Vedas and Vedantas and that
too when one was innocent- was a serious crime.
?kapaalapaaNi: prithveem aTataam chera samvrita:/
bhikshamaaNO yatha unmatthO yasya aaryO animate gata:
(Valmiki Ramayanam Ayodhyaa khaaNDam 75-40)
Tirumangai Azhwar also refers to this thus:
?piNDiyaar maNDai yEnti pirar manai tiritandu uNNum
uNDiyaan saapam theertha oruvanoor ulagamEttum
kaNDiyoor, arangam, meyyam, kachi pEr mallai??
? Further,Veda declares that the holy waters flow from the feet of
Emperumaan
?VishNO: padE paramE madhva utsa:?
? Eeswara Samhita describes how Siva wore in the locks of his matted hair
on his head this holy waters flowing from Lord?s feet.
?tadambu parayaa bhaktyaa dadhaara sirasaa harah/
paavanaartham jaTaa madhyE yOghyOsmee iti avdhaaraNaat //?
? In Harivamsa, KrishNa is reported to have requested for a child from
Siva.
? Koorathaazhwaan wonders why the Lord who is so superior with status of
a powerful master to one and all (including Brahma and Siva) would seek a boon
from the same Siva, who, after all, was a minor deity (kshudra dEvata) and that
too for begetting a son!
? Varaaha PuraNa says that Rudra requested Narayana as follows:
?Please grant me a favor. In one of your Avataras, you should appear to pray to
me and ask for a boon, so that I can command some respect in the world? Sriman
Narayana agreed. That is why in KrishNa Avataara, he requested Rudra for a
child, just to keep up his promise.
? The less known fact, however, is that soon on granting the favor, Rudra
declared in the same Varaaha PuraaNa thus:
?KrishNa out of his simplicity only, came to me for a child. But, he is the
source of all beings. He is the protector of all. He is the supreme Tattva. He
alone gives mOksha?
(Vide page 65 of ?A dialogue on Hinduism? by Sri V.N. Gopala Desikan pub: Sri
VisishTadvaita Research Centre, Madras)
? The word ?kila? denotes that it was not really necessary for the Lord
to have begged for a boon but that he did so, just by way of enacting a play.
This does not detract from the Paratvam of the Lord but only reveals his
?Souseelyam? ?exhibiting his humility in spite of his Lordship (VilakshaNa
loakshaNas tE)
? This is one of those instances in which the Lord showed his
?Souseelyam? like for example, his being bound to a mortar by his mother,
YasOda,
------------------------------------------------------------------
SLOKAM 12: ?MULTI HEADED MONSTER AND THE MAJESTIC LION?
kreeDaavidhE: parikaras tava yaa tu maayaa
saa mOhinee na katam asya tu hanta! jantO:!
Hi! Martya simha vapus tavat tEjasOmsE
Sambhur bhavan hi sarabha: salabhO babhoova //
?Oh! Lord! Your maaya indeed benumbs the intellect of all living beings. Did
not Siva who took the form of a strange and mighty animal (supposed to have
eight legs and wings) called ?sarabha? got burnt down in just one small spark
of your rage like a moth (viTTil poochi) that perishes in the blaze of fire??
COMMENTS:
? When the Lord took Nrisimha Avataara, the celestials were so scared of
his half-man, half- lion form. Siva assured them that he would take a stranger
form and confront Nrisimha thinking that the Lord would be scared. Over powered
by the ?maaya? of the Lord, Siva took the form of a strange winged animal
called ?Sarabha? with two heads, broad, powerful wings, sharp nails, eight legs
four of them protruding upwards, and other limbs looking like a cow and a bird
all at once and tried to fight Lord Nrisimha. In the process, the Lord
destroyed the animal and reduced it to ashes, as he did to
HiraNyakasipu.
? This is narrated in Varaaha PuraaNa thus:
hantum abyaagatam roudram sarabham narakEsaree /
Nakhair bidaarayaamaasa hiraNyakasipum yathaa //
? KoorEsar is not surprised at this because he knows that the Lord?s
?maaya? is capable of performing mind altering feats even among such great
masters of wisdom like Siva, Brahma etc. because all of them are subject to
their respective karmas (karmavasya)
? Sri Parasara says (5-30-7):
Brahmaadhyaa: sakalaa dEvaa; manushyaa: pasavas tathaa/
vishNu maayaamhaavarta mOhaandha tamasaa vrutaa: //
? Bhagavaan Himself has said in BG
Deivee hi Eshaa guNamayee mama maayaa duratyayaa /
maamEva yE prapadhyantE maayaam yEtaam taranti tE//
? A great Sanskrit scholar, Sri Srinivasacharya swami quotes an ancient
SlOkam on these lines:
namOstu narasimhaaya lakshmee sthiti jitakudE /
yad krOdaagnou puraa roudra: Sarabha: salabhaayatE //
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To Continue
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2. VILAKSHANA MOKSHAADHIKAARI NIRNAYAM
Part 5
(ANBIL RAMASWAMY)
---------------------------------------------------------
Swami Desika, in his NYaasa Vimsati lists 8 qualities that a Sadaachaarya
should possess to gain the confidence and regard of the would-be-Sishya so that
the Sishya will be motivated to pay obeisance to him as much as he would do to
Bhagavaan Himself.
Agjnaana dwananta-rOdhaat agha pariharaNaat Aatma saamyaavahatwaat
Janma pradhvamsi-janma prada-garimatayaa divya drishTi prabhaavaat /
Nishpratyooha anrusamsayaat niyatarasatayaa nitya sEshitva yOgaat
Aachaarya: sadbhir pratyupakaraNa dhiyaa dEvavat syaad upaasya: //
(NYaasa VImsati SlOkam 2)
They are:
? Agjnaana dwananta-rOdhaat: He should be able to dispel the darkness of
ignorance in the Sishya. This is possible only if he himself is clear about the
means and the goal.
? agha pariharaNaat: He should be able to wipe out all the sins and the
resultant grief of the prospective Sishya. This is possible only if the
Achaarya himself is without blemish of any kind.
? Aatma saamyaa vahatwaat: He should be able to mould the conduct of the
would-be-Sishya into a likeness of himself (i.e.) being without any blemish.
This is possible only if the Achaarya himself is of immaculate character and
conduct absolutely strict in observing the Sastrai-c injunctions with utmost
self discipline.
? Janma pradhvamsi-janma prada-garimatayaa: He should lead such a
glorious life as to confer on the Sishya a mode of life that can destroy the
life at the end of the present tenure through Dripta prapatti or Aartha
Prapatti. This is possible only if he himself lives a life of absolute
rectitude.
? divya drishTi prabhaavaat: He should be able to bestow celestial vision
to the Sishya. By constant meditation on the Lord and his Poorva Acharyas, and
by scrupulous observance of the Dharmas attaching to his VarNa and Aasrama in
life, His very glance would help him to bless his Sishyas with such divine
vision.
? Nishpratyooha anrusamsayaat: He should shower uninterrupted rain of
compassion and rush to relieve the sufferings of the Sishya, unmindful of
personal or pecuniary or other considerations.
? niyatarasatayaa: He should always be soft spoken, persuasive and mild
in spite of provocations and therefore be sweet even for the mental thinking on
the part of the Sishyas. (aNNikkum amudu oorum enn nenjukkE)
? nitya sEshitva yOgaat: He should be able to instill in the mind of the
Sishyas a feeling of eternal bondage with him in the Sesha (Subservience) ?
Seshi (mastership) bhaava.
It will be noticed that these qualities adorn Bhagavaan. That is why he is
known as Jagat guru. ?KrishNam vandE jagatgurum?. It is clear that any Tom,
Dick and Harry cannot claim to be a guru much less a Jagat guru which the word
Sadachrayan implies.
THEREFORE, ONLY THAT THE ACHARYA WHO POSSESSES THESE TRAITS WOULD INSPIRE THE
SISHYA TO RESPECT HIM AS BHAGAVAAN HIMSELF.
IT IS OBVIOUS THAT CONVERSELY, IN THE ABSENCE OF THESE QUALITIES, THE
ACHARYA WOULD FORFEIT HIS RIGHT TO ?ACHAARYATVAM? AND MORE SO, HIS CLAIM TO
?SAD ACHAARYATVAM?
THE MORAL IS:
"TEST YOUR ACHAARYA BEFRE ACCEPTING HIM AS YOUR ACHAARYA!"
Swami Desika brings out the guidelins for a Sadaachaarya in ?Achaarya Kritya
Adhikaaram? of his ?Srimad Rahasya Traya Saaram? as follows:
In the first place, the Achaarya will himself learn and master the hidden
truths of the scriptures as taught by his Poorva Achaaryas and by faithfully
following the injunctions, acquire the quality of Sattva.
? Who are these Poorva Achaaryas?
? Swami Desika answers:
These truths have been handed down to successive generations from Sri
Ramanuja to Pranathartihara (a.k.a.Kidambi Aachaan, Madaippalli Aachaan) and
then to his son, Kidambi Ramanujachaarya and his son Kidaambi
Rangarajachaariyar and to his son Kidambi Appullaar (a.k.a. Vadihamsa
Ambuvaaha chariyar). This Appullaar was the maternal uncle of Swami Sri Vedanta
Desika from whom he learnt them. As directed by Lord Hayagriva himself, Swami
Desika acted as his scribe in incorporating them in the Srimad Rahasya Traya
Sara. Thus, the great Mantra has been invested with divine sanction besides
having glorious Guru Sishya Parampara. As such, the truths should be cherished
like a great treasure and handed down only to worthy recipients.
? Swami Desika emphasises that this is REAL education.
?Amaiyaa ivai ennum aasaiyinaal aru moonrulagil
Sumaiyaana kalvigaL soozha vandaalum thogai ivai enru
Imaiyaa imaiyavar Ethiya eTTu iraNDu eNNiya- namm
Samaya aasiriyar sadirkkum tani nilai tandanarE?
(SRTS Sara Nishkarsha Adhikaaram)
Thinking that it is not enough (amaiyaa ivai), people go on accumulating lots
of degrees and Doctorates. Our great Sadaacharyas have considered them as
merely adding up to the burdensome numbers (thogai ivaI) without affording any
real education and have shown us that the only one that can rally open up the
way to our emancipation is in the form of the three great mantras of
AshTaaksharam, Dvayam and CharamaslOkam.
? Thus initiated, the Achaarya would then select the proper students by
testing their sincerity and integrity and impart to them the traditional
teachings. He should not take as Sishya even if one were to gift the entire
world filled with gems but has no respect for the Sastras.
? In other words, a true Sadaacharya would not fall for pecuniary
considerations but would weigh the qualifications of the would-be-Sishya
whether he deserves to be accepted as a Sishya.
? (Today, we see most of the so called Acharyas take kindly only to those
who offer huge SamarpaNais and ignore those who cannot afford.
?Prithveem imam yadhyapi ratna poorNaam dadhyaan na dEyam tu idam avrataaya (MB
Santi Parva 313.37) and
? ?tirurmantrathudaiya seermaiyum thun nishTaiyum kulaiyaamaikkaaga
silvaana prayOjanangaLaip parra sishyaguNa poothi illaada sapalarkku
veLiyidaatE mantrathai migavum sEmikkavum praaptam? (Guru Paramparaa Saaram)
? (Probably, Swami Desika had a prognosis of such Acharyas coming up in
the future!)
? Students found wanting in these respects should not be admitted for
instruction into these truths. Otherwise, it will be like saying 'Anything is
fish that comes to the net'.
? The preceptor should avoid liars, eunuchs, misers, mentally perverse,
conceited., those who delight in tormenting others, those who indulge in
vilifying others, those that engage in vain arguments (vitanDaavaadis),
atheists (naastikas), those who heckle for the sake of embarrassing demanding
reasons for everything (hytukas), those whose views are distorted
(kudhrishtis), prattlers (jalpas), who misinterpret (kuyuktas), heretics
(paashaaNDis), and hypocrites who pose to be virtuous but in reality are vile.
? na dEyam Etad cha tathaa anutaatmanE saTaaya kleebhaaya na jihma
buddhaye/
na paNDitagjnaaya parOpataapinE dEyam tvayEdam vinibOdha yaadrusE?
(Mahabharatam Santi Parvam 313.33)
? Lord Krishna, the Prathama Achaarya ? prohibits transmission of these
secrets to those who do not perform their dharmic duties, those who do not have
faith in God, those who are not sincere and eager to learn and most importantly
those who bear ill will or jealousy towards God and therefore intolerant."
? Idam tE naatapskaaya naabhaktaaya kadaachana
na cha asrooshavE vaachyam na cha maam yObhi asooyati (BG 18.67)
? He proceeds to advise as to whom these secrets can be revealed and the
benefits accruing from such revelation.
? Sraddhaanvitaaya atha guNaanvitaaya paraapavaadaadvirataaya nityam /
Visuddha yOgaaya bhudhaaya chaiva kriyaavatE atha kshamiNE hitaaya//
Vivikta seelaaya vidhi priyaaya vivaada bheetaaya bhahu srutaaya /
vijaanatE chaiva tathaa hita kshamaa damaaya nityaatma samaaya dEhinaam//
? "These secrets can be revealed only to those devoted to me. Anyone who
reveals to such deserving persons would notice an unfolding of his own devotion
into the state of Parabhakti and finally secure myself as his reward"
? Ya idam paramam guhyam math bhaktEshu abi daasyati
Bhaktim mayi paraam kritvaa maam Eva eshyati asamsaya:// (B.G 2/7)
"Even among those who possess positive qualities as discerned by the
preceptor by means of appropriate tests, cannot be told unless the
would-be-student formally petitions to him - in the manner of Arjuna
pleading before the Lord.
Yat srEyah syaath nischitam broohi tad mE
Sishyas tE aham saadi maam tvaam prapannam (BG 2.7)
? Some students who may not have the requisite caliber to assimilate but
are nevertheless sincere in reforming themselves may be instructed the broad
outlines of Tattva, Hita and Uttarakritya without going deeper into the
esoteric meanings enshrined in the great truths.
? Tattva: Jeevaatma is a permanent sentient entity as different from the
body that is perishable. Again, Jeevatma is different from Paramaatma who is
its Seshi and its ONLY protector. This is Tattva.
? Hita: This Jeevaatma remains submerged from beginning less time in the
ocean of Samsaara. Only by a stroke of luck it could come across an Achaarya
who would instruct the Dvayamantra and initiate into Prapatti. This is Hita.
? Uttara Kritya: The Jeevaatma should have total and unconditional faith
that having been recommended by the Acharya, the Lord would most certainly
grant Moksha and will under no circumstances forsake the surrendered soul and
it should in the post-prapatti period, till the end of the current life do
service to Bhagavaan, Bhaagavatas and Achaaryas. This is Uttara kritya.
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To Continue
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3. ?TRIMURTI? - IN NAMMAZHWAR?S TIRUVOIMOZHI-
PART 11
(SRI N. KRISHNAMACHARIAR SWAMI OF CHICAGO)
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tri-mUrti-s in tiruvAimozhi - Part 11.
1.7 (19):
vAzhttuvAr palarAga; nin uLLE nAnmuganai
?mUzhtta nIl ulagellAm paDai? enRu mudal paDaittAi;
kEzhtta SIr aran mudalAk kiLar deivamAik kiLarndu
Suzhttu amarar tudittAl un tol pugazh mASUNAdE.
In this pASuram, nammAzhvAr notes that bhagavAn?s kalyAna guNa-s are
infinite, and even rudra, along with many other deva-s gathering together,
cannot still adequately describe His kalyANa guNa-s, even if they all gather
together, and avoid redundancy in their praise and take turns.
In pASuram 3.1.6, which we did not cover, nammAzhvAr pointed out that all the
four veda-s together are unable to describe His praise adequately (OduvAr Ottu
ellAm ev-vulagattu ev-evaiyum SAduvAi nin pugazhin tagai allAl piRidu illai ?
Not all the veda-s and their variants in all the different worlds, including
those in brahma loka, indra loka, etc., can adequately describe Your
greatness). By this is meant that those who are knowledgeable in the veda-s
are also not adequately able to describe Your greatness. Now the question is:
Can those who have perfected their meditation and who have
tried to attain You thus through tapas etc., successfully describe Your
greatness fully and adequately? AzhvAr says they also cannot succeed in
completely describing His kalyANa guNa-s fully. The likes of rudra, who is
known for his superior knowledge, and sages such as vyAsa etc., from all the
different worlds, collected together, will be unable to achieve this feat
either.
nin uLLE nAnmuganai ?mUzhtta nIr ulagu ellAm paDai? enRu mudal paDaittAi? ?
You first created brahmA from Yourself, and entrusted him with the job of
creation of all things in the world surrounded by the great waters.
vAzhttuvAr pala Aga ? (brahmA created many others) Just so that there will be
many more people who can sing His praise.
Or, vAzhttuvAr palar Aguga ? Let there be many more who can sing Your
praise.
kEzhtta SIr aran mudalA ? Even the likes of rudra who are endowed with superior
knowledge (kEzh ? light, here meaning knowledge. SIr ? of superior quality).
Siva is considered very gifted in knowledge ? Sa?nkarAt j~nAnam anvicchet. SrI
uttamUr vIrarAghavAcArya points out that AzhvAr uses the wording ?aran mudalA?
instead of ?avan mudalA?, and thus, brahmA is not included in the scope of this
pASuram, and only rdura and other deva-s following him in creation are included
here.
kiLar deivamAik kiLarndu SUzhttu amarar tudittAl ? even if all other deities
who are endowed with divine knowledge join together with rudra, and try to
describe Your greatness,
kiLar deivamAi ? with all their enhanced divine powers at their command; with
divine qualities that are far above the natural knowledge level etc.
kiLarndu ? with their best efforts
SUzhttu amarar tudittAl ? even if all the deities took turns one by one, and
chose to describe Your guNa-s without repetition
un tol pugazh mASuNAdE? ? They collectively cannot do justice to Your
indescribable and eternal greatness.
Note that in the first two lines, nammAzhvAr notes that brahmA was created by
bhagavAn, and so it is implied that his knowledge about bhagavAn is limited.
Then brahmA created rudra and others, and even though they are gifted with a
high level of knowledge, still they are bound by their karma-s, and so their
knowledge is also limited. But if all the best of them collect together and
attempt to describe bhagavAn?s kalyANa guNa-s, they will end up not doing
justice to the task.
svAmi deSikan captures the gist of this pASuram as ?stotra atikrAnta kIrtim?
? He Whose kIrti or fame is beyond the limits of praise and description.
------------------------------------------------
3.1.8 (20):
mASUNAc cuDar uDambAi malarAdu kuviyAdu
mASUNA j~nAnamAi muzhudumAi muzhudu iyanRAi!
mASUNA vAn kOlattu amarar kOn vazhi paTTAl
mASUNA una pAda malarc-cOdi mazhu?ngAdE?
?Even the father of rudra, namely brahmA, who has been bestowed by You with
flawless knowledge, will not be able to describe Your Glory adequately?.
One can argue: Already the point was made in the previous pASuram that rudra
and all the deva-s together will be unable to sing His praise adequately. So
brahmA could have been included in this, and thus, is there any repetition
here? Two main explanations are given to address this point.
One is that in the previous pASuram, AzhvAr is referring to all deva-s from
rudra and others following him, but had not included brahmA, who is the creator
of all these other deva-s, and in the current pASuram he is specifically
referring to brahmA. BrahmA is separately mentioned here because unlike rudra
and the others who are subject to the tamo guNa, brahmA is free from the tamo
guNa, and is also endowed with full knowledge by bhagavAn for the purpose of
creation.
The other explanation given assumes that brahmA, the creator of all beings, is
included in the previous pASuram. In this explanation, it is interpreted that
the brahmA that is referred to in the current pASuram is a hypothetical brahmA
who is fully dedicated to only praising bhagavAn in all his time, and has no
other distractions such as creation. Then the current pASuram says that even
such a hypothetical brahmA, who is endowed with flawless knowledge
by bhagavAn, and who is fully dedicating himself only to the praise of bhagavAn
with no distraction in functions such as creation, will be unsuccessful in
describing the greatness of bhagavAn?s Lotus Feet.
The following Slokam, referenced by SrI uttamUr vIrarAghavAcArya, gives a
variant of the above idea:
catumukhAyuH yadi ko?pi vaktro bhaven naraH kvApi viSuddha cetAH |
sa te guNAn ayutaikam amSam vadet na vA devavara prasIda ||
?Even if there were a being with the lifetime of a catur-mukha brahmA, with
flawless knowledge bestowed on him, even such a person will be unsuccessful in
describing completely even a tiny part of Your auspicious qualities?.
The first two pAda-s of this pASuram describe bhagavAn?s unblemished divya
ma?ngala vigraham ? His beautiful tirumEni of Suddha sattva material, that is
beyond aging, decay, disease, etc., ever fresh like the freshly blossomed lotus
flower. Similarly, He is One Who possesses unblemished knowledge that is
complete in all aspects, and is as faultless as His tirumEni. The next two
pAda-s declare that even a hypothetical flawless brahmA, with flawless
knowledge that has been given to him by bhagavAn, and with his only activity
being bhagavad upAsanA, with no function of creation etc. to distract him,
will be unable to describe the great Glory of bhagavAn adequately. His
description will be deficient, and thus flawed.
- malarAdu kuviyAdu ? bhagavAn?s tirumEni is not subject to growth or
decay.
- mASUNA ? (mASu uNNA) ? No flaw touches His tirumEni; it is beyond
any flaw of any kind.
- SuDar uDambAi ? His tirumEni s resplendent, which is natural to Him.
- mASUNA j~nAnamAi ? Similarly His knowledge is beyond all defects
- muzhudumAi ? He is One Who possesses all there is to possess, and He
is everything (or, He Who has everything for His SarIram ? SrImad
tirukkuDanthai ANDavan).
- muzhudu iyanRAi ? He is One Who is the Lord of everything, and Who
controls everything (iyaludal = nirvahittal).
Note the phrase ?sadaika rUpa rUpAya? that we chant in the preface to SrI
vishNu sahasranAmam. SrImad tirukkuDanthai ANDavan comments that ?malarAdu
kuviyAdu? can apply to both the tirumEni of bhagavAn, as well as to His
knowledge. One can assign a ?flaw? to bhagavAn?s Atma svarUpam in the sense
that it cannot be easily meditated on except by those sages who have perfected
their meditation over a long period of time; His Divine Feet do not have even
that flaw, and can be meditated on by anyone. They are also flawless because
they provide protection to anyone who surrenders to them.
The next two lines describe that catur-mukha brahmA, who has been endowed with
flawless knowledge by bhagavAn for the purpose of creation, will be unable to
adequately praise the flawless Lotus Feet of bhagavAn.
- mASUNA vAn kOlattu amarar kOn ? The chief among the deva-s
(referring to brahmA) who has been endowed with enormous knowledge that is
flawless, by bhagavAn for the purpose of creation (?vAn kOlattu? can mean ?one
who is decorated with large or many bhUshNa-s? such as knowledge, or ?one who
is endowed with the great wealth of knowledge?. kOlam literally means beauty,
and here it signifies knowledge).
- amarar kOn ? normally refers to indra, but in the context of the
previous and current pASuram-s, the current reference is to brahmA.
- vazhi paTTAl ? if this brahmA tries to praise You and describe Your
greatness fully
- mASUNA un pAda malarc-cOdi ? The greatness of Your flawless Lotus
Feet. By the term ?pAda mAlar?, AzhvAr is referring to bhagavAn?s tirumEni.
- mazh?ngAdE ? cannot be fully described (the description will end up
being deficient)
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