bhishma-stuthi-9

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srimathE lakshmi-nrsumha parabrahmaNE namaha

sri vedanta guravE namaha

 

Dear "bhAgavatOttamA-s",

 

In the last post we asked ourselves a question:

 

"How did the dying Bhishma conclude that Krishna, who appeared him before

him beside the "shara-tantra", was the same "para-brahmham" who had

guaranteed many aeons ago (through the "varaha-charama-shlOka") that He will

unfailingly appear before His devotees in the moment of their

"antima-prayANam" and grant them His "smriti" even without their seeking it

through "sva-prayatnam" ?"

 

We had said the answer to the question lies somewhere in the "vEda-vEdanta

pramANam".

 

If you peruse the ancient "Rk-s" of the famous "purusha-sUktam" you will

come across a very meaningful stanza in Verse 3 of the "uttara-anUvAkam". It

will read as follows :

 

prajApatischarati garBhE~antha-ha ajAya-mAnO bahuDhA vijAyathE I

tasya DhIrA-ha parijAnanti yOnim~im marIchInAm padamiChhanti vEdhasa-ha II

 

(Translation : In the midst of this huge conception and projection of the

cosmic Universe, the formless One moves about in the shape of all. Although

birthless ("ajAya-mAnO") He is born as all ("bahuDha vijAyathE"). The wise

and high-souled persons ("DhIrA"), through sheer dint of self-control,

worship and Yogic discipline ("parijAnanti"), understand how God is the

source of all ("tasya yOnim"). Desiring ("ichanti") such exalted states of

awareness that seers like Marichi and the original PrajApatis have attained,

the Wise ones ("dhIrA"), too, attain it and become creators themselves !)

 

When we examine the substance of the majestic verse of the "purusha-suktam"

above, we are momentarily tempted to believe it may have been actually

composed keeping BhishmAchArya-r in mind. The expressions used in this "rk"

fit the "pitAmaha-r" so aptly !

 

The epithet "DhIrA" admirably suits Bhishma who, as per the "itihAsA", was

undoubtedly a great-souled, wise and worshipful one. He was known as the

foremost amongst "gnyAni-s" of those times --- the "agrEsara-r" amongst

"gnyAni-s"! He was also known as a formidable exponent of many lofty

"dharmA-s" --- a venerable "dharmAdhikAri"! He was also a devout "upAsaka"

of the Lord --- a true "bhAgavatOttamA" !

 

It is therefore no wonder that Bhishma, in his final moments in life, truly

understood (as much as Sage Marichi or the Prajapati-s of the

"purusha-suktam" had done before him) the esotericism of

"avatara-rahasya-mArga" alias "tasya yOnim" ! It is no wonder then that he

attained the Lord's "antima-smriti", experienced "mOkshAnandam" even before

extricating himself from mortal coils and, finally, also achieved

"uttama-gathi" (exalted state of Being) described in the "suktam" as

"vedhasa-ha marIchInAm padam" !!

 

The question remains : But what did SriBhishmachArya actually understand ?

 

Bhishma understood that the "avatara" of Krishna, who stood beside him in

the moment of his final departure, to be identical with the One described by

the "purusha-suktam" as "ajAya-mAnO bahuDhA vijAyathE!" i.e. the One who

conceived and projected all the Universe and the One, too, who being ever

'unborn', nevertheless, is 'born' ("avatara-s"), again and again, in all

forms of Creation!

 

(Something of this same feeling of Bhishma, was echoed in modern times, I

believe, by the genius of Albert Einstein who is quoted to have once said,

"With every fresh secret the vast, silent Universe unravels to me, I am more

and more convinced that it is all a single great Idea rather than a single

great Machine". Whenever I read this statement of his I cannot help

wondering if Einstein, too, wasn't a kind of enlightened Advaitin !)

 

Now, there is an apparent contradiction between the phrase "ajAya-mAnO"

(unborn) and "bahuDhA vijAyathE!"(born repeatedly) which makes us ask how

BhishmAchArya-r could make any sense out of a seeming conundrum !

 

How could the one who has been "born" as Krishna, the Yadava-offspring of

Devaki, and standing in person before Bhishma by his death-bed, yet be the

One who is 'unborn' ?

 

What absurdity !!

 

Such a thought which occurs today to even lay students and spiritual

aspirants like ourselves was echoed, too, many centuries ago even in ancient

"vedic" discourse !

 

Adi Sankara Bhagavath-pAdA-l, for instance, is said to have commented

extensively on this very matter phrased by the great Gaudapada in strict

"advaitic" terms of "mayA" as follows :

 

nEha nAnEti chAmrAyAth indrO mAyABhirityapi I

ajAya-mAnO bahuDhA jAyathE mAyayA tu saha II

 

(Meaning: There is no plurality in the Universe; but the One assumes

numerous forms through "mAyA" (Energy). Hence though 'unborn', He assumes

many 'births' (forms).")

 

SriVaishnava tradition, too, while buttressing this line of thought of the

"advaitic" school, explains the seeming anomaly between "ajAya-mAnO" and

"bahuDhA jAyathE" by alluding to actual "pramANam" texts.

 

While explaining how Bhishma-r perceived the truth of Lord Krishna's "birth"

and "un-birth" (and reflected it in his "stuthi" through the term

"yatBhava-pravAha- ha") our "AchAryA-s" emphasise the alternate route of

examining "pramAN-ic" texts !

 

In the next post, we will examine that "route" ("mArga') shown by our

"AchAryA-s" to be leading to "avatara-rahasya".

 

srimathe srivan satagopa sri narayana yathindra mahadesikaya namaha

sudarshan