Twelfth day of Dhanur Maasam : Artha Panchakam& Thiruppavai: Part 3

[Guest guest]

Dear BhakthAs of GodhA Piratti :

 

We will together start the discussions on the First of the five

doctrines of Arhta Panchakam now. We will be guided by

Swami Desikan's RTS and the excellent essay of Dr. Rangarajan

on the subject of Artha Panchakam and Thiruppavai ..

 

*****First doctrine : PARA SVARUPAM

 

The Taittireeya Upanishad passage 3.1 states majestically

that Brahman is the one which is behind the creation ,

protection and dissolution of the Universe ( Jagath KaaraNathvam,

Rakshakthvam and Upasamharakam ) . This upanishadic

passage starts with the famous pronouncement :

YathO vaa imAni bhoothAni JaayantE---tadh Brahma .

 

The Brahma Sutram , JanmAhdasya yatha: , has been

based on this Upanishadic passage . The Bhagavad

RamAnuja SiddhAntham has established that the

SUKSHMA CHIDH ACHIDH VISISHTA BRAHMAN IS

NONE OTHER THAN NARAYANAN . This is the conclusion

of Acharya Ramanuja , the Thiruppavai Jeeyar .

 

The basis for that is the identification and salutation of Narayana

as the Jagadh KaaraNan by AndAL right at the beginning of

and the end of Thiruppavai as " Oozhi Mudalvan (Verse 4 ) ,

"Aalin ilayaai (Verse 26 ) .She points out through these

salutations that NarAyanan is the SUKSHMA CHIDH AND

ACHIDH VISISHTA PARABRAHMAN . She elaborates this

principle by addressing NarayanA in her twenty first Paasuram

as " Ulahinil ThORRamAi ninra SudarE . Here , Dr. Rangarajan

points out that AndAL indicates the kaarya Dasai of Jagadh

KaaraNa activities as suggested by the " Baheesyaam --" passage

of Taittireeya AraNyakam . Here BhagavAn's sankalpam to create

is referred to .

 

In this context , AndAL uses NarAyaNa nAmam

in verses 1 , 7 and10 :

 

NaarayaNanE namaakE parai taruvAn ( Paasuram 1 )

 

NaarayaNan moorthi Kesavan ( Paasuram 7 )

 

NaaRRatthuzuhAi mudi NaarayaNan (Paasuram 10 )

 

This Brahma Sabdham is saluted by AndAL in her 25 th

verse , when She addresses NarayaNA as " nedumAlE ".

nedumAL and ThirumAl are unique names affiliated with

VishNu/NarAyaNan in Tamil .

 

Swami Desikan states in the context of describing

Isvara Svarupam in RTS the Svarupam of PrApya

Brahman is contained in Mula manthram's PrathamAksharam

( PraNavam ) and in the purva and Uttara portions of Dvya manthram

( Sriman NaarayaNa -- and SrimathE NarayanAya --) .

The same Brahma sabdham denoting NarAyaNa is

indicated by the words Maam and Aham in the Sarama

Slokam revealed in Bhagadh GitA .

 

In the next posting , the Isvara Svarupam of NaarAyaNa

as the one united always with His consort will be discussed .

 

samastha chidhachid vasthu sarireeyAkhilAthmanE I

SrimathE nirmalAnandhOdhanvatE VishNavE nama : II

---MangaLa Slokam of Vedantha Saaram of Sri RamanujA

 

(Meaning ) : My salutations to the blemishless Lord VishNu ,

who is always united with His consort , MahA Lakshmi and

who is like an ocean of Aanandham .

 

SrimathE nArayNAya nama :

 

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan