Is Bramhan's form eternal?

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Shreemathe Srivan Satagopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatheendra Maha Desikaya Namaha:

Shreemathe Lakshmi Nrisimha Divya paaduka Sevaka Srivan Satagopa Sri

Narayana Yatheendra Maha Desikaya Namaha

Asmad Gurubyo Namha, Sri Lakshmi Nrisimha parabramhane Namaha.

 

I was wondering for a while regarding the issue raised by mani regarding the

rupa of bramhan. Does bramhan have a rupa a form. and is that form real and

eternal?

 

visistadvaita's answer to this. - Bramhan has eternal and non-eternal

forms. eternal is the one in vaikuntam. it is due to nitya samkalpa - or

eternal wish of bramhan. the non-eternal forms are avatara forms - ie. in

krishna avatara etc. those forms are taken for small durations. The form

that appear to a yogi at the final states of yoga are not complete visions

but somewhat closer to visions - darshana samaanakara as per Sri Ramanuja.

Real vision of bramhan complete with all attributes is an impossibility when

a devotee is inside this body- as per visistadvaita. why not? the shruti

says Na chakshusha pashyati kashchana enam hridaa maneesha manasaabhi

klruptham - in Mahanarayanopanishad, it states, None see him through this

eyes, he is seen only through purified mind. therefore he can be seen right

here in this world!, but not completely. since complete purification of mind

is not possible here . OUr dharma bhuta jnana - or simply our jnana becomes

flawless only in moksha.

what is the proof for his form? - kapyaasam pundareekaksham iva akshini - a

statement from chandogya explains paramatman in the form of golden hue with

eyes like Lotus.

 

Then how can you explain - the rigveda hymn used in jitanta stotram

(pancharathra) -

 

na the roopam na chaakaaro na ayudhani na cha aspadam

tathaapi purushaakaaro bhaktanaam tvam prakashase

 

You have no shape or form (chaturbuja etc.), no weapons nor a location

but still you take the form of purusha - to please the devotees.

 

So does it mean that the form is just a created one not really associated

with bramhan, but he takes them to please devotees. what exactly does the

first sentence mean - that you have no form??

Take the analogy of jeevatma and body. our jeevatma has no form but it

lives in a body with form. similarly paramatma is satyam jnanam anantam -

ie possesses existence, is of form of knowledge or jnana and is infinite but

has no form. Paramatma takes forms through different bodies to please the

devotees like in avataras etc. But jeeva on the other hand gets forced to

take up bodies due to karma. But paramatma has taken an eternal form in the

vaikunta as per the upanishads. - this eternal form is the one with eyes

like lotus. This eternality of form issue may have to be derived from many

statements, that the form in vaikunta is eternal. Vaikunta is eternal

because of the statement - tad vishnoh paramam padagm sada pashyanti

surayaha. - this means the nitya soori's eternally see the vishnu pada. in

the other taittirya upanishad - so ashnute sarvaan kamaan saha - gives

support to the eternality of attributes to God - ie. he attains bramhan with

all attributes (kamaan). in this set of attributes - svaroopa roopa guna

vibhava aishwarya sheeladyanavadika atishaya asamkhyeya kalyana guna gana -

as explained in Gadyatraya - God has form, beauty, infinite wealth, power,

and other auspiscous qualities.

 

Another statement in sribhasya - the final one which states na cha

punaravarthate na cha punaraavarthate - ie. the person who has gone to

moksha does not come back - puts a question to advaita. If jeeva is an

illusion and this illusion is dissolved in moksha why should one state that

he does not come back? for he does not even exist why should he come

back?... For this Sri shankaracharya answers that this moksha here is the

attainment of saguna bramhan!! not nirguna bramhan!!. So this confirms that

nirguna bramha concept has to be only inferred! in sutras and not directly

dealt with at all! ( but according to visistadvaita the whole concept is

suspect!).

 

(NOTE that only upanishad sentences are used in these explanations to play

by the rules - if only upanishads are given authority- let us play the game

using those sentences alone. we cant use other smriti vakyas for support.

But Sri Madhvacharya - takes all vedas, itihasas, puranas etc. for support

in the sutras

 

 

 

Krishna P. Kalale