Question : Meaning of "vaikuNTa"

[Guest guest]

namo bhagavate vaasudevaaya,

 

Would someone please explain etymology of the word, "vaikuNTha"

used to refer to the Supreme Eternal Abode of bhagavaan shriiman-naaraayaNa ?

 

Thanks,

 

- Ram

[Guest guest]

Dear Sri Ram Gopalaswamy :

 

You had requested the etymological meaning

of the word " VaikunTam " . Literal translation

of this word is the land of no hindrance , the

parama padham of Sriman NaarAyaNA as saluted by

AchArya RaamAnujA in Sri Vaikunta Gadhyam and

Swami Sri Desikan in Sri Parama Padha sOpAnam

( please refer to postings in recent issues of

SaraNAgathi Journal ) . They have abundant material

relating to the concept of "no hindrance Land " .

 

The word is derived from Vai and KuNTam .

Vai is derived from dhAtup xxii .24 ( vayati,

to become weary or exhausted ) Kuntaa means

the opposite of the tattvam described in juxtaposition .

Therefore together , it means the opposite of being

weary or being afflicted with samsAric distresses

full of hindrances ( referred to by Sri MaadhavakkaNNan)

to seek and attain the lotus feet

of Parama Padha Naathan at His supreme abode .

 

Hailing from ThiruviNNagara KshEthram , where

Sri VaikuntanAthan ( TannoppArillappan/AkAsa NagarIsan)

is the ArchA mUrthy , I empathize with this intrepretation

and cite it in favor of putting ThiruviNNagar

KshEthram as the Number ONE among all the divya desams .

 

There are number of other reasons to support

this choice , which I will come to after

Sri Rangarajan's most scholarly postings on

Sri Oppiliappan are completed . Actually , there will

be precious little for me to say after he gets done .

 

I must admit that I will end up co-ranking MaalOlan

in the silver mantapam at Sri Sannidhi of

Ahobila Mutt with TannoppArillappan

in this " Friendly contest /Saazhal series "

among BhakthAs and defend it . This way , I will

be out of the dharma sankatam that many of us

feel , while we offer our deep reverence to

our archA mUrthys at different divya desams

such as Sri Rangam , ThiruvEnkatam ,

ThiruvallikkENi , Ahobilam and gatikAchalam .

 

I look forward to that joyous experience of

the celebration of the anantha kalyANa guNAs

of Sriya: Pathi .

 

V.Sadagopan