Sri Varadaraja Sthvam: part XXV: SlOkm 14

[Guest guest]

Dear Sri VaradarAja BhakthAs:

 

Swamy KurEsar refers here to the difficulties of

the VedAs in properly explaining the glories of

the dhivyAthma svaroopam of the Lord and their

giving up such efforts after a futile attempt.

 

Lord VaradarAjan's dhivyAthma svaroopam is

the most auspicious and grants all soubhAgyams

for those , who meditate on it. It is therfore

"prasAtham".

 

This benovolent svaroopam is limitless (ananthm).

 

There is a great joy for the Lord in enjoying His

dhivyAthma svaroopam ( aathmAnubhavaja mahAnandham).

That state of great joy is immense like the ocean

without waves .There is no joy that is greater

than that .

 

The Vedams try and do not succeed in their

efforts to describe even the rudiments of the Lord's

matchless and limitless & incomparable dhivyAthma

svaroopam . Vedams try a little to come to grips

with the description of the dhivyAthma Svaroopam

and fail . They just succeed in saying : " It is not this;

It is not that" and become impoverished in their

attempts to describe fully the dhivyAthma svaroopam ;they

get enfeebled as a result of their floundering and give up .

Thus , the ParamAthma Svaroopam can not be fully described by

the Vedams. They just say : " it is nishkalam , nishkriyam,

adhrEsyam , agrAhyam , avarNam , achakshu:, miravadhyam ,

niranjanam ( can not be seen, can not be grasped ,

colorless, blemishless et al)" et al and stop short of

explaining what exactly that matchless ParamAthma

(Bhagavath )Svaroopam is .It is beyond their power.

 

If this were to be the lot of the VedAs , KurEsar asks

the Lord : "How can I a mere mortal succeeed , where

the VedAs have failed ?".

 

The 13th slokam housing these thoughts takes this form:

 

prasAntha anantha aathmanubhava mahAnandha mahima

prasaktha-sthaimithya anukrutha vitharanga arNavadasam

param yath tE roopam sva-sadhrusa-daridhram Varadha!tath

thrayee pisprakshanthee paranirasanE shramyathi param

 

SrivathsAngAcchAr Swamy points out to the 23rd slOkam

of SundarabAhu Sthavam in the context of explaining

the Lord's glories (Sva-mahimA) of dhivyAthma Svaroopam .

He describes it as " athipathitha avadhi" or limitless

in dimension . In Sri VaradarAja Sthavm , KurEsar

salutes these glories as "prasAntham and anantham".

 

In Sundaraaja Sthavam , KurEsar describes the joy of

the Lord in reflecting upon His limitless glories as

" athipathitha avadhi sva-mahimaa anubhava prabhavath

sukham ".That great joy is like a deep and waveless

ocean ( sukha krutha nistaranga jaladhIyitham)

and is eternal ( nithyadasam ). As a result ,

the dhivyAthma Svaroopam of the Lord is always

incomparable ( sadhA yEva aprathimam).

 

According to PaancharAthra, VaikAnasa Saasthrams

(Aagamams) and the yEkAyana SaakhA , the state of

the Lord is described as falling into either

the NithyOdhitha Dasai or SaanthOdhitha dasai.

 

In the first type of state(SaanthOdhitha dasai),

the Lord is like a still ocean as a result of His

reflection on the limitless glories of His

Svaroopam (Sva-Svaroopa anubhavam).

 

In the second type of state (NithyOdhitham),the Lord's

anubhavam is about His Isvaryam (VibhUthi) and hence

it is called (sva-vibhUthyAnubhava dasai).

 

SrivathsAngAcchAr Swamy alludes to the reference of

Swamy Desikan to this SaanthOdhitha dasai in

the 16th slOkam of his Sri VaradarAja PanchAsath:

 

sanchinthayanthi akhila-hEya vipaksha bhUtham

SaanthOdhitham samavathA hrudhayEna dhanyA:

Nithyam Param Varadha ! Sarvagatham susookshmam

nisspandha nandhaTu mayam Bhavatha: Svaroopam

 

Swamy Desikan is referring to the dhivyAthma

Svaroopam of the Lord here.That consists of

seven parts :

 

1.akhila hEya vipaksha bhUtham: This is one of

the two lakshaNams of the Lord. He is the opposite

of any blemish . The other lakshaNam of the Ubhaya

Lingam (Twin marks)is KalyANa GuNAkarathvam

( abode of all auspicious attributes).

 

2. Nithyam: This savroopam has no beginning or end.

 

3. Param: It is Supreme and stands above all jeevarAsis.

 

4. Sarvagatham: It is all pervasive .

 

5. Susookshmam: It is able to penetrate even

the smallest ; "aNOr aNeeyAn " and is subtle.

 

6. nisspandha nandaTu mayam :It is the embodiment of

bliss principle. It is like a cohesive and has a tight

radiance without break.

 

7. Saantha udhitham (SaanthOdhitham): This refers to

The Lord's enjoyment of Himself in His dhivyAthma

svaroopam,auspicious attributes that are blemishless .

The other state is nithyOdhitham ( BhagavAn's

enjoyment of Himself as the One owning His two

VibhUthis: Nithya and LeelA VibhUthis). There are

number of other explanations by AchAryAs about

the two states: SaanthOdhitham and NithyOdhitham ;

we will not go into those discussions here.These two

states of the Lord's enjoyment are present in the Para-

VyUha-Vibhava and ArchA dasais. In this 13th slOkam

of Sri VaradarAja Sthavam , the reference is to

the ArchA state of the Supreme Lord at this dhivya

dEsam.There is a great and matchless aanandham that

the Lord experiences in the SaanthOdhitham and

NithyOdhitham dasais .The Vedams do not succeed in

adequately capturing and explaining these two

states . They despair and give up . KurEsar asks

the Lord in the 13th slOkam of Sri VaradarAja Sthavam

as to how he can attempt to explain the dhivyAthma

Svaroopam, when the great VedAs themselves have failed .

 

Sri VardarAja ParabrahmaNE Nama:

Daasan, Oppiliappan Koil V.SaThakOpan