SakalOpanishad SvarUpan : Sri RanganAthan: part 12

[Guest guest]

Dear Sri RanganAtha BhakthAs :

 

In this posting belonging to the series on

" Sri RanganAthO Jayathi " relating to

the Construction of a Temple for Him at Pomona , NY ,

I will focus on the ways in which the Upanishads rush to

salute Him . I will follow the path established by

AchArya RaamAnujA and his successors on this matter .

 

Sriman NaarAyaNan of Srirangam : Sri RanganAthan

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AchArya RaamAnujA's darsanam is profound in many ways .

Two of the key features of this darsanam are that

(1) it harmonizes God's transcendence ( parathvam )

with His accessibility ( Soulabhyam ) and (2) it

inculcates "the highest form of devotion without

belittling the part of intellectualism and social

duties in man's spiritual life " .

 

Sriman NaarAyaNA as Para VaasudEvan is readily

accessible to us at His BhUlOka Vaikuntam

on the island of Srirangam .The parathvam of His form

at Sri Vaikuntam by the banks of the river VirajA

comes together with the soulabhyam of His ArchA svarUpam

at Srirangam ( nithya -LeelA VibhUthis ). This amalgamation

of Parathvam and Soulabhyam at Srirangam is considered

the central root ( aaNi vEr ) of our Sri VaishtAdvaithA

tradition elaborated by our AzhwArs and developed further

by Dankar , DramidAchAryA , Naathamuni, ALavanthAr ,

Periya Nambi and Acharya RaamAnujA and his succesors

in the mold of Upanishadic and Vedic tradition .

The Ubhaya Vedantha tradition flourishes today

from that amalgamation .

 

The embodied Isvara Tattvam at Srirangam

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The epistemology , ontology , cosmology , theology

and psychology of Sriman NaarAyaNA as the controller

of all (SarvEsvarathvam ) , the principal of all

( sarvasEshithvam ) , the One worshipped by every

religious act ( Sarva KarmAradhyathvam ) , the bestower

of all fruits of such worship ( Sarva pala pradhathvam ) ,

the sustainer of all ( SarvAdharathvam ) , the cause of

all effects ( Sarva KaaryOthpAdhakthvam ) is nowhere

celebrated more than at Srirangam . It is no wonder

that our AchAryAs , who were conversant with the nuances

of Ubhaya VedAntham spent so much of their life time

at Srirangam and worshipped Sri RanganAtha as

the Jagadheesvaran.

 

Sri RaamAnujA & Aupanishada- Parama Purushan

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AchArya RaamAnujA recognized Sriman NaarAyaNA

as the Aupanishada-Parama Purushan ( the supreme

spirit revealed in the Upanishads ) .He is the same

Parama Purushan celebrated by Sri GeethOpanishad

in the chapter on PurushOtthama Yogam . This Supreme

spirit of the Upanishads has been saluted by

AchArya RaamAnujA as " Sruthi-sirasi Videepthan "

( the shining crown of the VedAs ). The nectar

churned out of the milky ocean of Upanishads by

BaadarAyaNA's Brahma sUthrams was intrepreted

by AchAryA RaamAnujA to strengthen the citadel

Of Sri VisidshtAdvaitham and fly high the flag of

the supermacy of our Soulabhya Para VaasudEvan

of Srirangam .

 

With great coherency and clarity , AchArya RaamAnujA

commented on BaadarAyaNa sUtrAs in His Sri BhAshyam

and elucidated " the philosophically CENTRAL affirmations

of the Upanishads . As an easier text for us to understand,

AchArya RaamAnujA gave us VedArtha SangrahA , whose

central purpose was to gather into focus the teachings of

Upanishads . Sudarsana Suri ,the author of Srutha PrakAsikA ,

an elaboration of Sri Bhaashyam of AchArya RaamAnujA ,

states that the great AchAryaa extracted the nectar of

VedaanthA , meaning Upanishads .With his effective and

clear synthesis of the BhEda, BhedAbhEda and

AbhEda sruthis , AchArya RaamAnujA was able to establish

a coherent doctrine of Brahman . The essence of AchAryA's

thesis that is endearing and assuring is that the Brahman

of the Upanishads is the paratattvA(supreme Reality ) ,

parahitA ( the supreme way to redemption ) and

and ParapurushArthA (the supreme goal ).

 

For AchArya RaamAnujA , " the ultimate spirit holds ALL

things within Itself and abides as indweller in ALL things--

--- such is the final substance and the entire message of

the Upanishads , according to RaamAnujA . For his way of

thinking , the concept of Sriman NaarAyaNA , properly

comprehended , embodies in itself this philosophy

completely . Hence one may , as well , conclude that

the WHOLE teaching of the Upanishads stands summed up

in A SUPREME SYNTHESIS IN THE CONCEPT OF NAARAAYANAA " .

 

Personal God and the Upanishidic Brahman

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Sri RamAnujA postualted a personal God and defined

Brahman this way : " By the word Brahman is denoted

the highest person , who is , by nature , devoid of

all evil , and is possessed of hosts of auspicious

qualities , which are innumerable and unsurpassable

in excellence " . He accepted a world that is real

distinctly different from the world of illusion of

the advaitins . Regarding the means of attainment ,

AchArya RaamAnujA accepted Bhakthi and Prapatthi ,

" wherein the Lord is considered both as a means and

the object of attainment . Only he attains the Lord ,

whom he elects with grace " . This is the essence of

Sri VisishtAdvitha Darsanam and Parama purusha

prasAdham is central to it and the Samastha

chidachidh vasthu sareeran as AkhilAthman

blesses us to gain Moksham .These then are

the conclusions of AchArya RaamAnujA that we cherish

as the distillation of the essence of the Upanishads

on the Aupanishadic Parama Purushan reclining

on His serpent bed at Srirangam .

 

The source Upanishads for Sri RaamAnujA's Works

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The 15 upanishads quoted by AchArya RaamAnujA

to develop his synthetic approach to reconcile

the three categories of sruthis are :

 

Isa, Kena , Katha , Prasna , Mundaka , MaandUkya ,

AitarEya , TaittirIya , ChhandOgya , BrihadAraNyaka ,

KaushItakI , SvetAsvaatara , MahOpanishad ,

SubAlOpanishad and MahA NaarAyaNOpanishad

 

Sriman NaarAyaNA of MahA NaarAyaNOpanishad

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I will conclude this posting with select manthrams

of MahA NaarAyaNOPanishad .This Upanishad has moving

revelatory passages on the identity of the ParamAthMan

( Paramapurushan ) .In the very first manthram , which

has profound meanings , the role of the Lord of creation

is saluted :

 

ambasya paarEbhuvanasya madhyE

naakasya prushtE mahathO maheeyAn I

SukrENa jyOthIgumshi samanupravishta :

PrajApathisccharathi garbhE antha : II

 

( Meaning ) : " The Lord of Creation , who is

present in the shoreless waters ,on the Earth

and above the Heaven and who is greater than

the great , having entered the shining intelligence

of creatures in seed form , acts in foetus (which

grows into the living being that is born ) ".

 

This Lord of Creation and the AntharyAmi Brahman

is recognized in the next manthram as the source

of power by which all Gods remain enjoying their

respective powers ( Sarvam yasmin dEvA adhi visvE

nishEdhu : ) . The Upanishad goes onto declare

that certainly has been true in the past

and will be true in the future (TadhREva bhUtham

tadhu bhavyamA ).

 

In section 12 , the 17th manthram of this Upanishad

we come across the connection of the Lord to PraNavam :

 

yO vedAdhou svara: prOkthO VedAnthE cha prathishtitha : I

tasya prakruthileenasya Ya; Para: sa MahEsvara : II

 

This manthram asserts that this Lord of Creation is

the supreme Lord , who transcends the syllable OM ,

which is invoked at the commencement of the recital

of the VedAs , which is well established in Upanishads

and which is dissolved in the primal cause during

contemplation .

 

The next few manthrams identify this supreme Lord as

Sriman NaarAyaNA :

 

NaarAyaNam mahAj~nEyam visvAthmAnam parAyaNam

 

This Supreme Lord , Sriman NaarAyaNA is declared as

the One , who is supremely worthy of being known by

the Jeevans and recognized as the supreme goal .

 

The thundering statements that follow are :

 

NaarAyaNa : param Brahmma tattvam NaarAYaNa: Para: I

NaarayaNa: parO jyOthirAthmA NaarayaNa : para :II

NaarayaNa : parO dhyAthA dhyAnam NaarayaNa : para : I

 

( Meaning ) : NaarAyaNA is the supreme reality designated

as Brahmman . NaarAyaNA is the loftiest of all principles.

NaarAyaNA is the supreme effulgence described by Upanishads.

NaarAyaNA is THE INFINITE SELF. He is the most outstanding

mediator and meditation .

 

Yaccha kinjijagathyasmin dhrusyatE SrUyatEpi vaa I

antharbahisccha tathsarvam vyApya NaarAyaNa: sthitha : II

 

( Meaning ) : Whatsoever that is comprehended through

perception or known through hearing , all that is pervaded

by NaarAyaNA within ( indweller ) and outside .

 

A CONCLUDING SALUTATION TO THE SAKALA UPANISHAD SVARUPAN

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This Lord of Srirangam , who has been saluted as Mahath Yasa:

( the great glory ). He is the web and woof of creation saluted

by the Upanishads . He reclines under PranvAkruthi VimAnam

and glorifies the meaning of PraNavam ( PraNavArtha PrakAsakan ) .

He is the para Vaasudevan of parama Padham . He is RangEsan .

He has Srirangam as His temple by the side of KaavEri river

and His other home is by the side of VirajA river in Sri Vaikuntam .

That Sri RangasAyee is saluted by this famous slOkam :

 

KaavErI VirajAsEyam Vaikuntam Rangamandhiram

Sa VaasudEvO RangEsa: Prathyaksham Paramam Padham I

VimAnam PraNavAkAram Vedasrungam MahAdhbhutham

SrirangasAyee BhagavAn PraNavArthaprakAsaka : II

 

It is this Sri RangasAyee saluted by Upanishads that

Saint ThyagarAjA implored to come to him at Srirangam

in his celebrated KaambhOji Raaga Krtihi :Oh RangasAyee !

pilachitE-Oh yanuchu raa raadhAA ? ( Oh Rangasaayee !

When I implore You to come to me , why should You not

respond ?) . Saint Thyagaraja composed the Sriranga

Pancharathna krithis on this Lord reclining on Adhi SEshA

at Srirangam . We will salute those 5 krithis in

the next posting .

 

Sri RanganAthO Jayathi !

 

Sri RanganAtha Para BrahmaNE Nama:

 

Oppilaippan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan

 

P.S : Please join in the Temple Kaimkaryam

for this Lord saluted by Upanishads and Vedams .

Be Blessed by Him through Your particpation .

Subhamasthu !