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//
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SRI RANGA SRI VOL.06 / ISSUE # 17 dated 04/09/05
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EDITORIAL:
Dear Bhagavataas:
1. HAPPY PARTHIVA SAMVATSARAM!
May the Divya Dhampatis shower their blessings of peace, prosperity and
mutual amity upon all humanity.
Let us all be happy, healthy and prosperous and engage in greater kainkaryam
to Bhagavaan and Bhagavatas in the year ahead.
Kindly accept my heartfelt greetings on the dawn of the New Year.
Sri Seva Swamigal has composed a Stotra, ?Akshaya Aaraadhanam? in which he
has used the names of all the 60 years of our almanac to pay tributes to
Swami Desika. Here is the one dedicated to ?PARTHIVA? Samvatsaram.
Paarthiva sthuti vidaayi naatataa
Paarthivam cha vachasaa anugrunhataa /
Paarthivaasraya sukham nigrunhataa
vEda mouLi guruNaa drutaa vayam //
MEANING:
?Paarhiva: he praised the Paaarthiva (King); He blessed another King through
his UpadEsa; He renounced the Royal gifts and pleasures offered. We are
saved by such Sri Vedanta Desika?
The traditional Panchangams, of course, give their ?veNbas? that do not
instill much of sanguine prognosis of the year ahead. More often than not,
the frightening prospects or the more welcome scenario predicted therein
normally do not come true. But, one thing is certain. The prayers to Swami
Desika as contained in Seva Swami?s Akashaya Aaraadhanam? are sure to
guarantee us a worry free and pleasant future. So, we are not referring to
the traditional VeNbaa? in our New Year greetings.
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IN THIS ISSUE:
1. IMPORTANT DAYS IN CHITRAI (MESHA) MAASAM
2. ATHIMAANUSHA STHAVAM OF SRI KOORATHAAZHWAN
Part 4 (Slokas 16 and 17)
(ANBIL RAMASWAMY)
3. VILAKSHANA MOKSHAADHIKAARI NIRNAYAM
Part 8
(ANBIL RAMASWAMY)
4. ?TRIMURTI? - IN NAMMAZHWAR?S TIRUVOIMOZHI-
PART 13
(SRI N. KRISHNAMACHARIAR SWAMI OF CHICAGO)
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163 Regular issues have been released, so far besides several Special
Issues) ?
- 27 Issues of Vol. 1
- 15 Issues of Vol. 2
- 42 Issues of Vol. 3
- 35 Issues of Vol. 4
- 28 Issues of Vol. 5 &
- 16 Issues of Vol. 6
These issues have been archived for public view at -
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by Sri Diwakar Kannan (diwakark@xxxx)
You may also view the archives at http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia maintained
by Sri Srinivasan Sriram (ajiva_rts@xxxx)
We strongly urge you to kindly peruse the "Regular Issues" archived in the
?Files? Section and view the Contents at ?srsindex.html? (Not the individual
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We are sure that you will be convinced of the quality of the contents.
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Tell your friends to join by sending an email to
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Editor & Publisher, ?Sri Ranga Sri?
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1. IMPORTANT DAYS IN CHITRAI (MESHA) MAASAM
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ALMANAC DATE/ENGLISH DATE/DAY/NAKSHATRAM/THITHI/EVENTS/REMARKS
==========================================================
01/ 04.14.05/ Thursday/ Mrigaseersham/ ShashTi/ TAMIL NEW YEAR BEGINS
04/ 04.17.05/ Sunday/ Punarvasu-Pushyam/ Navami/ SRI RAMA NAVAMI
07/ 04.20.05/ Wednesday/ Pooram/ Ekaadasi/ Sukla Paksha Ekaadasi
10/ 04.23.05/ Saturday/ Hastam/ Chaturdasi/ PourNami/ CHITRA POURNAMI,
KiDambi Aachaan
11/ 04.24.05/ Sunday/ Swati/ PourNami/ MADHURAKAVI AZHWAR, Tirutaazhvarai
Daasar,
Tirumalai Nambi,
Anantaazhwar, NaDadoor AmmaaL
12/ 04.25.05/ Monday/ Swati/ Pratamai / Periya Tirumalai NambigaL
15/ 04.28.05/ Thursaday/ Kettai / Chaturti- Panchami/ VARAAHA JAYANTI
18/ 05.01.05/ Wednesday/ Poorattadi/ Ekadasi/ KrishNa Paksha Ekaadasi
22/ 05.05.05/ Thursday/ Utrattadi/ Dvaadasi/ MATSYA JAYANTI, AGNI NAKSHATRAM
BEGINS
23/ 05.06.05/ Friday/ Revati/ TrayOdasi/ PERIYA PERUMAAL
24/ 05.07.05/ Saturday/ Aswini/ Chaturdasi- Amavasya/ BOdaayana Amavasya,
VaDuga Nambigal
25/ 05.08.05/ Sunday/ BharaNi/ Amavasya/ AMAVASYA (Other than BOdaayana)
26 /05.09/05/ Monday/ Krittigai/ Pratamai / UYYAKKONDAAR
27/ 05.10.05/ Tuesday/ Dviteeyai/ RohiNi/ EngaL Azhwaar
28/ 05.11.05/ Wednesday/ Mrigaseersham / Triteeyai/ AKSHAYA TRITEEYAI,
BALARAMA JAYANTI
29/ 05.12.05/ Thursday/ Tiruvadirai/Chaturti/ BHAGAVAD RAMANUJA JAYANTI,
Koyil
Somayaajiyaandaar
30/ 05.12.05/ Friday/ Punarvasu/Panchami/ Mudaliyaandaar
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2. ATHIMAANUSHA STHAVAM OF SRI KOORATHAAZHWAN
Part 4 (Slokas 16 and 17)
(ANBIL RAMASWAMY)
==========================================================
SLOKAM 16
Tvan nirmitaa jaTaragaa cha tava trilOkee
Kim bikshaNaadiyamrutE bhavataa duraapaa? /
madhyE kadaa tu na vichakramishE jagachchEt
tvad vikramai: kathamiva sruti ranjitaa syaat? //
?Oh! Emperumaan! You created all the three worlds. You kept them in safe
custody in your tummy. Could you not think of any way other than begging
Mahaabali to get back your own property? If you had not measured the worlds
with your feet at some ancient times, how could the Vedas recount your
glories as Trivikrama and your exploits that you enacted on earth? May be,
it is with this in mind, you sought to measure the world under the pretext
of receiving from Mahaabali by begging?
NOTES:
? Viswakarma Sooktam says that the Lord created all the worlds by his
very
wish (Sankalpam)
?ya imaa viswaa bhuvanaani juhvata?
? Sruti says that at the time of deluge, the Lord gulped the worlds as
easily as swallowing a small rose apple (Jambu)
?grasEt samhaara samayE jagascha badaraaNDavat /
leelayaa yastu Bhagavaan thum gachcha saraNam Harim?
? KaTavalli describes how the Lord swallowed the worlds as if they were
just
handful of cooked rice (Annam) with Yama as a pickle to go with it.
?yasya Brahma cha Kashtram cha ubhE bhavata Odana:/
Mrityu: yasya upasEchanam ka ithaa vEda yatra sa:?
? The Vedas have declared that all that was, is and will be are yours
?yad bhootam yat cha bhavyam, uda amrutatvasyEsaana? and ?asyEsaanaa jagatO
vishNU patnee?
? This being the case, could you not have wrested your property from
Mahaabali, without resorting to begging?
? Did not Azhwar say:
?seeraai pirandu sirappaai vaLaraadu
pEr vaamanan agaakkaal pEraaLaa!- maarbaarap
pulgi nee uNDu umiznhnda bhoomi neer yErparidE?
Sollu nee yam ariya soozhndu?
MEANING:
? The whole of VishNU Sooktam makes special mention about how the Lord
measured the worlds and how far his third step went and how by this act all
the worlds became purified proving him to be the Supreme being (Paramaatma),
how the waters of Ganga flows from his feet, how the water could transform
ordinary deities into celestials capable of bestowing boons on other beings.
That is why KoorEsar uses the word ?anjitaa? which means ?glorious?
? Vedas are like departmental stores where under one roof you can get
anything you want. It provides for means to achieve trivial gains as well as
great ones and the greatest one of ?mOksha?. If the vEdas had not sung the
glory of the Lord and thus shown the supreme maarga also, it would have
become an exercise in futility.
? What is meant by the term ?Veda??
pratyakshEna anumityaa vaa yah tu upaayO na gamyatE /
yEnam vidanti vEdEna tasmaat vEdasya vEdataa //
It is because they reveal the means (upaayas) that are beyond physical
perception (pratyaksha) and by mental comprehension or inference (anumaana),
it is called VEDa. Otherwise, they would lose their ?VEdatvam? itself.
Perhaps to ensure VeEdatvam to Vedas that the Lord took the Trivikrama
Avataara, so that they could bring out his glory for all to see and attain
his feet, says Azhwaan.
SLOKAM 17:
Etat katham kathaya yat mathitas tvayaa asou
Hitvaa svabhaava niyamam prathitam trilOKhyaam /
Aswa apsarO visha sudhaa vidhu paarijaata
Lakshmee aatmanaa pariNata: jaladhir babhoova //
?Oh! Lord! We know that it is in the nature of things to change into
another. But, how is it, that the milky ocean that you churned went beyond
and changed into many different things all at once ? like Uchaisravas, the
horse, Ramba, MEnaka and other divine damsels, Haalaahala, the most potent
poison, the just opposite nectar (amrita), various medicinal herbs, the
Moon, the Kalapaka (the wish yielding tree) and Periya PiraaTTi herself!
Only you can explain this strange phenomenon. Please explain?
NOTES:
? We have seen milk turning into yogurt, threads turning into fine
textiles,
mud becoming pots etc. But, it is strange that so many different things
could emerge from the milk in the Ksheeraabdi when the Lord had it churned.
? Vedas describe the churning episode thus:
?vaayurasmaa upaamanthat pinashTi smaakunannamaa/
kEsee vishasya paatrENa yad rudrENaapibat saha?
? Sri VishNu PuraaNam, Srimad RamayaNam, Sri Bhaaratam, Sri VishNu
dharmam
and other scriptural texts allude to this ?churning of the milky ocean?
elaborately.
? They describe how good and bad, immobile and mobile (JaTa and ajaTa),
male
and female, solids and liquids, big and small, exalted and mean things
emerged from the milky ocean. This is possible only due to the superhuman
feats (Athimaanusha ChEshTitam) of the Lord.
? They describe how the Lord made the Mantara Mountain as the
churndashery,
Vaasuki, the serpent as the churning rope etc.
? ILango ADigaL in his ?Aaaychiyar kuravai? also describes this incident
as
follows: ?vaDavaraiyai mathaakki vaasukiyai naaN aakki?
? When the mountain wobbled, the Lord took the form of a tortoise and
bore
the mountain on his back and took another form to press it down to stop it?s
wobbling.
?KsheerOda madhyE Bhagavaan koorma roopi svayam Hari: /
manthaanaadrEra adhishTaanam bhramatO abhoot, mahaa munE!? //
? It would appear that the Lord took the form of a dEva on the side of
dEvas
and as a Daanava on the side of Daanavas and pulled the rope.
?roopENa anyEna dEvaanaam madhyE chakra gadaa dhara: /
chakarsha naaga raajaanam ditya madhyE aparENa cha // (Paraasarar)
? He also empowered Vaasuki with his tEjas to relieve Vaasuki of the
breathlessness he suffered in the process of churning.
?tEjasaa naagaraajam thum tathaapyaayitavaan hari: /
anyEna tEjasaa dEvaan upabrimhitvaan prabhu: // (Paraasarar)
? He let go the elder sister (moodEvi) and chose to wed the younger one
who
came after her (pinnai). And became ?pinnaimanaaLan? I.e. Periya PiraaTTi.
VishNu puraaNam describes this:
?pasyataam dEva dEvaanaam yayou vakshasthalam harE:?
? Not only this. In order to show that the one with the bull on his flag
(Siva) and Brahma, Indra and the rest were incapable of administering the
curative for the ailment of Samsaaram, he himself appeared as the divine
physician ?Dhanvantari?
? eruthukkoDiyaanum piramanum indiranum marrum oruttarum ip piravi ennum
nOikku marundu arivaarum illai? and He himself is the ?maruttuvanaai ninra
maa maNi vaNNan?
?tatO Dhanvantarir dEva: swetaambaradhara: svayam / bibrat kamaNDalum
poorNam amrutasya samuthita: //
? Thus, he proved that all others were merely instruments but He himself
did
all the works connected with the churning.
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Slokas 18 to 32 relate to the exploits of the Lord in his Avataara as Sri
Rama. Azhwaan challenges Sri Rama?s claim ?aatmaanam maanusham manyE? by
cataloguing the events in which the Paratvam of the Lord got betrayed much
against the said claim. This is one of the most interesting parts of this
Athimaanusha Sthavam. We will commence studying them in the forthcoming
postings
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To Continue
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3. VILAKSHANA MOKSHAADHIKAARI NIRNAYAM
Part 8
(ANBIL RAMASWAMY)
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WHO IS A DESERVING SISHYA?
FROM NYAASA VIMSATI OF SWAMI DESIKA
? Swami Desika in his ?NYaasa Vimsati? lays down clearly the
characteristics
of a ?deserving? disciple. He provides practically a questionnaire
containing 15 conditions necessary for a Sishya to be considered a
?deserving? candidate.
? A ?Qualified? Achaarya, as described earlier, is required to put the
would-be-Sishya to a strict test based on the criteria laid down by Swami
Desika.
? In other words, an Achaarya is forbidden from accepting one as a
Sishya,
based merely on the quantum of SamarpaNai that he is capable of offering to
the Achaarya, or on the basis of the age, sex or level of education etc. of
the prospective Sishya.
? You may wish to do a self-assessment to gauge your suitability in this
regard. For each question, you should attempt to record your self assessment
results with absolute honesty and utmost sincerity never indulging in
self-deception in the first place and never intend to hoodwink the Achaarya
you wish to resort to.
? For every positive answer, credit yourself 10 points and for every
negative ones debit 10 points. If you are not sure, give yourself a benefit
of doubt of 5 points, at the same time resolving solemnly to rectify
yourself by making a conscious effort to improve your scores.
? Are you ready? Now look at the questions from ?NYaasa Vimati?:
sadbuddhi: saadhusEvee samuchita charitas Tatva bOdhaabhilaashee
Susrooshu: tyakta maana: praNipatana para: prasna kaala prateeksha: /
SaantO daantO anasooyu: saraNam upagata: saastra viswaasa saalee
sishya: praapta: pareekshaam kritavida abhimatam tattvata: sikshaNeeya: //
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NOTE1: Meanings are as per Sri D. Ramaswamy Iyengar in his?Nyaasa Vimsati of
Swami Desika published by VisishTaadvaita PrachaariNi Sabha in 1979. NOTE 2:
Comments are based on instructions heard during AnushTaana grantha
KaalakshEpams and personal experience with Acharyas, while in India.
NOTE 3: Wherever the masculine is employed, it includes the feminine also)
---------------------------------------------------------------
1. sadbuddhi:: He should possess proper intellect, not perverted
intelligence. Otherwise, he cannot imbibe the teachings of the Achaarya
properly.
NOTE:
Otherwise, He is likely to branded as mentally perverse, conceited., as one
engaging in vain arguments (vitanDaavaadi), atheist (naastika), or heckling
for the sake of embarrassing, demanding reasons for everything (hytuka), or
one with distorted views (kudhrishti), prattler (jalpa), or one who
misinterprets (kuyukta), heretic (paashaaNDi), or a hypocrite ? as
indicated in Vol 6.15.
2. saadhu sEvee: He should be intent on honoring God minded and
good-minded
persons (Saadhus)
NOTE:
This must come naturally to the seeker of truth. He should have the anxiety
to be in the company and service of Bhagavatas.
3. samuchita charita: He should be of good and impeccable conduct
consistent
with his status and the due performance of Nitya and Naimittika karmas
prescribed for his status ( VarNaasrama Dharama)
NOTE: He should not give up Nitya and Naimittika karmas under any
circumstances and can have no excuse for skipping them.
For example, Daksha Smriti 2.27 makes it clear that one who skips these is
eternally unclean and is totally unfit to do any other Karma and that even
if one does other karmas without doing the Nityakarmas, they will not be
fruitful?.
?Sandhyaa heenah asuchir nityam anarha: sarvakarmasu?
4. Tatva bOdha abhilaashee: He should be keen to know the truths.
What are the Truths?? The Taatva, HIta and Purushaarta.
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.
Purusharta: The goal he should attain (mOksham as a result of his knowledge
and understanding of the Tattva and Hita as above.
NOTE:
This is a basic requirement for anyone who desires to learn anything in
life.
5. Susrooshu: He should be willing and anxious to render service to the
Guru.
NOTE:
Lord KrishNa himself says in BG 4.34 how one should approach the Achaarya;
Learn this knowledge by prostration, by polite questioning and by service.
The wise who seek the truth will teach you true knowledge?
?tad viddhi prtipaadEna pari prasnEna sEvayaa/
upadEkshyanti tE jnaanam jnaanina: tattva darsina: //
The Sishya should be ever ready to serve the Achaarya and Bhagavatas in
mind, word and deed and carry out their commands faithfully.
6. tyakta maana: He should have no sense of false prestige and should
give
up feelings of self-importance.
NOTE:
In other words, one should shed ego (ahamkaaram) and possessiveness
(mamakaaram) while approaching an Achaarya.
7. praNipatana para: He should be ever ready to bow and prostrate before the
Achaarya. This is really a corollary of items (5) and (6) above.
NOTE:
He should be incessantly conscious of being subservient to Achaaryas and
Bhagavatas.
8. prasna kaala prateeksha: He should be patient looking for the proper time
and opportunity to submit any questions for clearing his doubts and for
seeking further clarifications.
NOTE: This means that he should not rush and interfere with the Achaarya?s
routine or put questions in a blunt or rude manner but should look forward
and wait patiently to seek clarification of doubts in the spirit of
submissiveness mentioned at 5 above.
9 and 10: SaantO daantO : He should have control over his senses like
eye,
ear, nose, tongue and body. There is a difference of opinion as to which of
these two Saanta is and which Daanta is.
NOTE: He should have a calm and patient mind and should be averse to
material and worldly benefits.
11. anasooyu: He should eschew jealousy. It is not infrequent that one is
jealous of another.
NOTE:
This must be avoided. Lord KrishNa has warned that these truths should not
be revealed to unworthy persons and most importantly to one who is jealousy
or indulges in nit-picking on the qualities and achievements of others.
12. saraNam upagata: He should take shelter at the feet of the Achaarya by
way of Prapatti or SaraNagati.
NOTE:
This is Self-explanatory. Swami Desika clearly says that the Lord will not
show the way to mOKsham except for the one who has done Prapatti or
SaraNagati at the feet of his Achaarya.
?Prapannaath anyEshaam na disati mukundO nijapadam?
This surrender should be absolute and unconditional.
13. saastra viswaasa saalee: He should have abounding faith in the Sastras.
NOTE: This includes Sastra arthas expounded by the Achaarya.
14. praapta: pareekshaam : He should have been tested and found fit by the
Achaarya.
NOTE: Manu Dharma Sastra says that the sins of the subjects will accrue to
the King, the sins of the King accrue to his priest; the wife?s sins accrue
to the husband and the sins of the Sishya will accrue to the Guru.
? raajnO raashtra kritam paapam, raja paapam purOdasa: /
Bhatru Bhaaryaa kritam paapam sishya paapam gurOrapi //
Because of this, an Achaarya cannot take a Sishya without testing his
suitability in the first place. So, no true Achaarya will accept a Sishya,
just because he got one and cannot afford to miss him. Swami Desika in Guru
Paramparaa saaram warns this with the words
?perratu guNamaaga upadEsithaal
sishya paapam gurOrapi engaiyaalE
Achaaryanukku nishTai kulayum paDiyaam??
So, one should be prepared to submit oneself to the severest of tests to
which one may be put to by the Achaarya.
15. kritavid: He should be ever grateful to the Achaarya for all that the
latter does for him.
NOTE:
He should feel immensely grateful for any help received from anyone at any
time, especially the Achaarya.
These 15 qualities qualify one to be taught what he desires to learn.
Swami Desika says that it is such a one who really deserves to be accepted
as a Sishya fit to be initiated into the esoteric secrets by the Achaarya.
Swami Desika goes one step further to say that it is the duty of the Acharya
to impart knowledge of Sampradaya arthas to such a person unhesitatingly and
without any reservations.
WE will see in the next posting the further views of Swami Desika in the
?Sishya kritya Adhikaaram of Srimad Rahasya Traya Saaram and then see how
Sri Erumbiappa in his ?VilakshaNa Mokshaadhikaari NirNayam? echoes
faithfully Swami Desika?s views on the subject.
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4. ?TRIMURTI? - IN NAMMAZHWAR?S TIRUVOIMOZHI-
PART 13
(SRI N. KRISHNAMACHARIAR SWAMI OF CHICAGO)
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3.4.8 (22):
oLi maNi vaNNan enkO! oruvan enRu Etta ninRa
naLir madic caDaiyan enkO! nAnmugak kaDavuL enkO!
aLi magizhndu ulagam ellAm paDaittu avai Etta ninRa
kali malart tuLavan emmAn kaNNanai mAyanaiyE.
AzhvAr pours out his unbounded emotions on the indescribable nature of
emperumAn, His unbounded vyApakatvam (pervasion into everything), His
antaryAmitvam in everything because of which whatever shines in this world
gets its ability to shine, etc. All the ten pASuram-s of this tiruvAimozhi
3.4 contain the many expressions of bhagavAn?s Infinite Power in this
Universe. We are covering only one pASuram of this tiruvAimozhi, where
AzhvAr specifically notes that bhagavAn is the antaryAmi of rudra and
brahmA. Before we get into the detailed meaning of the current pASuram, it
is worthwhile getting an overall idea of the scope of all the ten pASuram-s
of this tiruvAimozhi.
Probably the best summary of the thought of AzhvAr in this tiruvAimozhi is
given in pASuram 3.4.9, where AzhvAr declares: ?j~nAlam uNDu umizhnda mAlai
eNNumARu aRiya mATTEn, yAvaiyum evarum tAnE? ? ?There is no way that I am
going to be able to describe this great Lord vishNu who swallowed the whole
Universes and recreated them later ? He is the Force behind anything and
anyone that exists?. He starts in pASuram 3.4.1 with ?Should I describe You
as the Supreme purusha, or should I describe You as the Great Earth, or the
Great Waters, or the Fire, or the Air, the Ether, the Sun, the Moon, or all
of these together?. O My Lord kRshNa! How am I going to describe You??
He continues groping for many ways of trying to describe emperumAn in the
next six pASuram-s, and then in 3.4.8, AzhvAr continues:
?Should I call You the One with the complexion of the bright shining
diamond? Or should I describe You as rudra or as brahmA? O kaNNa! You of
wondrous acts that are beyond anyone?s comprehension! You who wears the
tulasi garlands, and swallowed all the Universes at the time of pralaya and
then recreated them later! How am I ever going to describe You??
For AzhvAr, there is no difference between bhagavAn?s vibhUti-s and His
guNa-s. AzhvAr only thinks of bhagavAn in everything he does, and sees
only bhagavAn in everything he sees. BhagavAn is the antaryAmi of
everything, and whatever shines in anything is because He is their
antaryAmi. At the same time, He is not in the least affected by their
impurities.
SrImad tirukkuDanthai ANDavanpoints out that AzhvAr is enjoying bhagavAn?s
guNa of sarva vastu sarIritvam ? His having everything and everyone as His
Body, and His sarva vastu gata aSesha doshaiH asamspRshTatvam ? His being
unblemished by any flaws of all that He is associated with as their
antaryAmi. AzhvAr is performing vAcika kainkaryam ? Service to Him through
singing His praise through words through these pASuram-s, since bhagavAn is
stava-priyan (One Who is pleased by His devotee?s praises).
Note that every pASuram in this tiruvAimozhi, after saying ?should I call
You as this, as that, etc.?, ends with ?kaNNaniak kUvumARE?, ?emmAn
pa?ngayak kaNNanaiyE?, Sa?ngu Cakkarattan?, ?acyutan amalanaiyE?, ?kaNNanai
mAyanaiyE?, ?kaNNanai mAyan tannai acutanai, anantanai?, etc. So it is
unambiguously clear who the Supreme Deity is that is being talked about by
AzhvAr - It is kaNNan with Infinite attributes that is beyond description.
Perhaps the best way to understand the idea of manifestation of bhagavAn
through rudra, brahmA, etc., is to recall Slokam 41 in chapter 10 of
bhagavad gItA, where bhagavAn summarizes His brief illustration of His
manifestations, including those in the form of rudra etc.:
yad-yad-vibhUtimat sattvam SrImad-Urjitameva ca |
tat-tadevAgaccha tvam mama tejo?mSa sambhavam || (gItA 10.41)
?Whatever being is possessed or power, or of splendor, or of energy, know
that as coming from a fragment of My power?.
In the beginning of this chapter in the gItA, bhagavAn points out that ?He
is the source or beginning of all the gods and the great seers?:
aham Adir-hi devAnAm maharshINAm ca sarvaSaH | (gItA 10.2)
Also, Lord kRshNa declares that the sapta-Rshi-s and the four manu-s were
created by bhrhmA for the purpose of continuing the creation and
preservation according to His Will (It is well-known that brahmA himself was
created by bhagavAn, and entrusted with the function of continuing the
creation):
maharshayaH sapta pUrve catvAro manavas-tathA |
mad-bhAvA mAnasA jAtA yeshAm loke imAH prajAH || (gItA 10.6)
?The seven great seers of yore, and the four manu-s, all possessing My
mental disposition (that is, acting according to My Will and driven by Me)
were born of My mind. All the creatures of the world are descended from
them?
The subject of this tiruvAimozhi is same as that expounded by Lord kRshNa in
chapter 10 of the gItA - the chapter titled ?vibhUti yoga?. In the gItA, we
get bhagavAn?s description of His unlimited vibhUti-s, and in tiruvAimozhi,
we get a description of the same vibhUti of bhagavAn as experienced by the
foremost of devotees of bhagavAn ? nammAzhvAr.
In the gItA, Lord kRshNa describes a limited few of His unlimited vibhUtis-
or manifestations. Bhagavad rAmAnuja explains the term ?vibhUti? as a
reference to bhagavAn?s ?pravartyatvam? of all beings ? His being the
effective Force that drives everything. We should be clear on the meaning
of this term ? it is not a suggestion of ?identity? of bhagavAn with all His
vibhUti-s; it is an expression of a tiny fraction of His Power in each of
the manifestations listed (Lord kRshNa Himself clearly expresses this in
Slokam 10.41 whish has been referenced earlier).
BhagavAn lists among His vibhUti-s, the Sun, the moon, the stars, Sa?nkara ?
one of the rudra-s, agni, the mEru mountain, the ocean, etc. Now compare
this with AzhvAr?s exclamations in this tiruvAimozhi: tigazhum taN pAravai
enkO (3.4.1) ? Shall I describe You as the Great Ocean; tI enkO (3.4.1) ? or
as Fire (agni); vAyu enkO (3.4.1) ? Or, as vAyu (air); nIl SuDar iraNDum
enkO (3.4.1) ? Or, as the Sun and the Moon; kunRan?ngaL anaittum enkO
(3.4.2) ? Or, as all the mountains; viLa?ngu tAragaikaL enkO (3.4.2) ? Or,
as the shining stars in the sky; vAnavar Adi enkO, vAnavar daivaum enkO
(3.4.7) ? Shall I describe You as the Origin for all the deva-s, or as the
Lord and Master of all the deva-s; naLir maDic caDaiyan enkO, nAn mugak
kaDavuL enkO (3.4.8) ? Shall I describe You as Siva with his knotted hair,
or as the four-faced brahmA, etc. In pASuram 3.4.9, AzhvAr says that there
is no way that he is going to be able to comprehend the full extent of the
vibhUti-s of emperumAn, since He is the Driving Force behind everything and
everyone ? (j~nAlam uNDu umizhnda mAlai eNNumARu aRiya mATTEn yAvaiyum
yavarum tAnE. This is how Lord kRshNa also summarizes His short description
of a few examples of His vibhUti-s in the gItA:
nAnto?sti mama divyAnAm vibhUtInAm paramtapa |
esha tUddeSataH prokto vibhUter-vistaro mayA || (gItA 10.40)
?There is no limit to My divine manifestations. Here the extent of such
manifestations has been made in brief by Me?.
Thus, nammAzhvAr?s tiruvAimozhi 4.3 is a devotee?s anubhavam of what came
out of the Lord through His own words in the gItA ? namely, the unlimited
nature of bhagavAn?s Glory. The important point to remember is that
bhagavAn has everything and everyone as His Body, and is the antaryAmi in
everything and everyone, and is the driving force behind everything that
exists, without exception.
Thus, AzhvAr says in the current pASuram that rudra and brahmA are but an
expression of a tiny fraction of bhagavAn?s true powers, they operate
because of His Will, He is the driving force behind them, and He is their
antaryAmi. Any other interpretation, such as the ?equality? of brahmA and
rudra with bhagavAn (as the ignorant people may try to suggest, based on
?Shall I call You rudra, or shall I call You brahmA?), is neither the
message given by AzhvAr, nor a true understanding of AzhvAr?s message even
in the remotest sense. nammAzhvAr?s message should be correctly understood
in the context of all the other pASuram-s we have studies so far, which is
the same message given by bhagavAn in the gItA.
aLi magizhndu ? Out of His sheer kindness towards the jIva-s, and feeling
happy to protect the jIva-s (?aLi? means ?love, kindness?). Sarva-loka
rashaNaika bhogan ? He Who finds pleasure in protecting all the beings of
all the worlds. (kAkkum iyalvinan ? pASuram 2.2.9).
- BhagavAn is happy that He is protecting the jIva-s during the
pralaya by keeping them inside His stomach
- Or, He is happy that He is going to re-create everything by
giving all the jIva-s a body again.
ulagu ellAm paDaittu ? He created everything in the Universe (including
brahmA and rudra)
avai Etta ? The cetana-s thus created, and those who realize this kindness
of His, worship Him
ninRa ? He Who stands in kshetra-s such as tiruvE?nkaTam to be worshipped
thus
kaLi malar tuLavan ? He Who wears the tulasi garland that is sweet and
fragrant with honey (?kaLi? means ?honey?).
emmAn ? He Who is My Lord
kaNNanai ? He Who is easily accessible to His devotees
mAyanai ? He Who is full of unimaginable and wonderful acts of protection
and kindness towards His devotees
oLi maNi vaNNan enkO ? Shall I describe Him as One with the beautiful
complexion that resembles the pure and lustrous pearls
naLir madi SaDaiyan enkO ? Or shall I describe Him as the antaryAmi of Siva
who carries the cool, nascent moon in his head and who has knotted hair
oruvan enRu Etta ninRa ? and who is worshipped by some as the Supreme Deity
himself
nAnmugak kaDavuL enkO ? Or shall I describe Him as the antaryAmi of brahmA
who is the Lord (father) of Siva also
BhagavAn is referred to as ?oLi maNi vaNNan? because of His attributes of
unbounded love to the jIva-s, His sauSIlyam to them, His saulabhyam, and the
innumerable kalyANa guNa-s that are all meant to help the jIva-s ? He has
the greatness, the luster and all other attributes that make Him the
compassionate Lord and Master of all.
Alternatively, the term ?oLi maNi vaNNan? could be a reference to indra,
since there is a phrase ?indra nIla maNi?, a blue-colored precious stone
that is associated with the complexion of indra. In this case, ?oLi maNi
vaNNan enkO? will mean ?Shall I refer to emperumAn as the antaryAmi of
indra, who has the complexion of ?indra nIla maNi?.
If an uninformed reader reads only this pASuram of AzhvAr, and does not look
into any other pASuram, then this uninformed reader can erroneously
conclude: ? ?AzhvAr says ? Should I call You as rudra, or should I call You
as brahmA? ? ?naLir maDic caDaiyan enkO! nAn mugak kaDavuL enko!?, and
proceed to conclude that AzhvAr is saying that vishNu, rudra and brahmA are
one and the same. Even though anyone who has even the faintest idea of
AzhvAr?s message will not come to such an inappropriate conclusion, still it
is aDiyEn?s lot to discuss this specific issue as part of the title of this
write-up. In order to avoid falling into this trap of total
misinterpretation of AzhvAr?s message, all we need to do is to keep in mind
all the previous pASuram-s that we have covered so far, where AzhvAr has
repeatedly refuted this kind of misinterpretation. In order to properly
understand AzhvAr?s message, we have to remember that AzhvAr has repeatedly
pointed out that bhagavAn has everything as His body (in other words,
everything is controlled by Him), He is the Creator of rudra and brahmA, He
is the antaryAmi (Controller dwelling within) of everything including rudra
and brahmA, and that they do not have any power except that which He has
given them. So, when AzhvAr says ?Should I call You rudra? etc., all he is
saying is: ?Should I describe You as the Force behind the power of rudra to
destroy, or the Force behind the power of brahmA to create, which are all
but aspects of Your Infinite Power. There is no limit to Your vibhUti-s,
and I am lost in my ability to fully describe You?. Extensive reference to
the bhagavad gItA has been provided in this write-up in order to provide
additional clarification of this point. It should not be necessary to
belabor this point any further.
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To Continue
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