SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 70 - a-nirdeSya-vapuh.

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662. aniedeSya-vapuh - a) He of indefinable form

..

Om anirdeSya-vapushe namah.

 

This nAma occurred earlier as nAma 179 (Slokam 19). Please visit the

write-up for nAma 179 as well.

 

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the derivation thus: na nirdeshTum

Sakyam vapuh yasya iti anirdeSya-vapuh - He is anirdeSya-vapuh because

He has a body that is beyond the reach of the mind, words, etc.

 

In his vyAkhyAnam for this nAma under Slokam 19, SrI BhaTTar quotes

from maula samhitA, and gives an analysis of the difference between the

nature of bhagavAn's form vs. our forms. Our body is formed by the

seven great elements - the pa'nca bhUta-s, plus mahat and ahamkAra. We

possess intellect, mind, body and limbs. From the SAstra-s we know

that bhagavAn also has intellect, mind, body and limbs. So the

question arises: "Of what substance is bhagavAn's body composed?", and

the answer is given: BhagavAn's body is composed of His form itself".

In other words, there is nothing else of which He is composed, and so

He can't be described in terms of something else. This

a-nirdeSya-vapuh is further revealed thus: "BhagavAn is of

indescribable form because His body is knowledge incarnate, lordship

incarnate, power incarnate, like the glowing ember, of the burning

khAdira or silk-cotton that has fire on all sides, like pure honey,

when drunk, that is sweet on all sides, like a bar of gold that is

being polished is gold all around, like a mansion that will be

attractive when viewed from all angles. Similarly, bhagavAn is

entirely lordship and power in full. Whatever He wants to become, He

becomes". It is very clear that this description keeps looking for

similes to describe Him unsuccessfully, illustrating that He can't be

described.

 

SrI BhaTTar also gives reference to SrI vishNu purANa (1.2.10-1.2.12),

which states the impossibility of describing Him: "Who can describe

Him who is not apprehended by the senses, who is the best of all

things, the Supreme Soul, Self-existent, who is devoid of all the

distinguishing characteristics of form, color, etc., is exempt from

birth, growth, aging, death or decay, who exists everywhere and in whom

everything exists always……..". - varjjitah Sakyate vaktum yah sadA

asti iti kevalam - All we can do is say that He exists always, but we

can't describe Him in words.

 

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri quotes kaThopanishd 2.2.14 - "anirdeSyam paramam

sukham" in support of the interpretation of this nAma.

 

Those who have realized Him give up after struggling for words in

their description of Him, as evidenced by the pASuram-s of AzhvArs.

The thought is poured out by tiruma'ngai AzhvAr in his 3rd pASuram in

tiruneDunTAnDakam (referenced by SrI v.v. rAmAnujan):

 

tiruvaDivil karu neDu mAl Seyan enRum, tirEdaik kaN vaLai uruvAit

tigazhndAn enRum

peru vaDivil kaDal amudam koNDa kAlam, perumAnaik karu nIla vaNNan

enRum

oru vaDivattu Or uru enRu uNaral AgAdu, Uzhi tORu Uzhi ninRu Ettal

allAl

karu vaDivil Se'nkaNNa vaNNan tannai, kaTTuraiyE yAr oruvar

kANgiRppArE?

 

"By nature, He who has immense Mercy towards His creation is dark like

the water-laden clouds; in tretA yugam, He is known to have a reddish

color; in kRta yugam His complexion is white like that of the conch.

In each yugam devotees can worship Him in whatever form(s) He chooses

to present Himself in, but beyond worshipping, we cannot precisely

understand His true form. People can describe this nIla megha SyAmalan

with lotus-like reddish eyes as they want, but none can describe Him in

the form in which He has revealed Himself to me".

 

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan also gives reference to nammAzhvAr's tiruvAimozhi

8.8.2 - paDiyE idu enRu uraikkalAm paDiyan allan paramparan - His

Nature is not such that it can be described as such and such; IDum

eDuppum il ISan - There is nothing that is equal to Him or above Him

(tiruvAi. 1.6.3); oruvaraiyum nin oppAr oppu ilA enginRALAl (peria

tirumozhi 8.1.2) - There is no one comparable to Him. In praising Lord

oppiliappan of tiruviNNagaram, nammAzhvAr refers to Him as "tan oppAr

il appan" - oppu ili appan (tiruvAi. 6.3.9).

 

There are vast numbers of additional references in divya prabandham

pointing to the indescribable nature of bhagavAn, but one more from

nammAzhvAr is included:

 

kOlamE! tAmariak kaNNadOr a'njana

nIlamE! ninRu enadAviyai IrginRa

SilamE! SenRu SellAdana munnilAm

kAlamE! unnai ennAL kaNDu koLvEnE? (tiruvAi. 3.8.8)

 

One can feel the depth of feeling that the great AzhvAr is trying to

convey through words, of the experience that cannot be described in

words.

 

We have the tiatittirIya upanishd mantra - yato vAco nivartante,

aprApya mansA saha (Anandavalli - anu. 4) - He is inaccessible to words

or to mind; He can only be experienced. Similar passages abound in

veda; e.g., kenopanishad 1.5 to 1.9 - Brahman is that which reveals

speech, but which cannot be revealed by speech; that which gives us the

ability to see but which cannot be seen, etc.; ISAVAsya upanishad

mantra 4-5 (The Self is inaccessible to the mind since it is faster

than the mind; it is beyond the reach of the senses; It moves and moves

not; It is far for those who are ignorant, and near for those who are

wise; It is within and without; etc.).

 

Under the current nAma, SrI BhaTTar's anubhavam is that bhagavAn

assumes different forms in the different yuga-s as needed in order to

bless the devotees, and so He is called a-nirdeSya-vapuh. The nirukti

author summarizes SrI BhaTTar's thoughts thus - yugAnusAri rUpatvAt

a-nirdeSya-vapuh.

 

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha observes that He is inside everyone, permeates

everything inside and out, has a virAT SarIra (viSva rUpa), is neither

born nor ends nor ages, and this is His guNa of anirdeSya-vapuh.

 

b) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha also gives an alternate interpretation that

is not given by any of the other major vyAkhyAna kartA-s, based on the

root vap - bIja santAne chedane ca - to sow (the seed, vapati). Since

bhagavAn is the One who sows the seeds that result in the creation of

the Universe, and since He is indescribable, He is the Indescribable

Originator or the seed-sower. He relates the origin of the word bAp or

bApu in hindi to this root vap - to sow.

 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan

 

 

 

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