Sri PVP Vyakhyanam of Prathama Jitante Stotram shlokam 5

[Guest guest]

Srimate Ramanujaya Nama:

 

Sri PeriyaVachchan Pillai tiruvadigaLE sharaNam

 

 

shrImat kriShNa samAhvAya namO yAmunasUnavE ;

 

yatkaTAkShaika lakShyANAm sulabha: shrIdhara: sadA.

 

 

Sri PeriyaVachchan Pillai vyakhyanam Prathama Jitanta Stotram 5

 

 

5* na tE rUpam na chAkArO nAyudhAni nachAspadam ;

 

tathApi puruShAkArO bhaktAnAm tvam prakAshasE .*

 

 

Meaning:: --rUpam-- (Your) divine spiritual l characteristics. --tE-- for

You. --na-- not meant. (implying that though basically independent it

becomes dependent to Your refugees). -- AkAra: cha -- Your divine and

auspicious personality. -- tE na -- not for You. -- AyudhAni -- divine

arsenals. --tE na-- not for Your purpose. --Aspadam cha-- Your divine

abode Vaikuntham and other paraphernalia. --tE na-- are not intended for

You. (implying that all these are intended for Your subservients).

--bhaktAnAm tvam -- You are the property of devotees. --tathApi-- even

though having all Your svarUpa rUpa guNa and vibhUti (characteristics,

personality, quality and extensive wealth) at the behest of Your refugees.

-- puruShAkAra: -- You shine brightly with the virtue of absolute

greatness as described in the PuruShasUkta.

 

 

Introduction:: (na tE rUpam etc.) This slokam expresses that You make

Yourself and Your possessions very favourable to those who will cross the

samsAra by resorting only to You as the means as cited in " tvAmeva

sharaNam prApya nistaranti ". The refugees write off (assign) themselves

and their belongings to God by virtue of their spiritual characteristics

(svarUpa). He, on the other hand, extends and lays out Himself and His

belongings for them by virtue of His affection and good-nature etc

(vAtsalya soushiilya etc). Therefore, this slokam is concerned with His

vAtsalya, soushiilya etc. Besides, this indicates His favourability as a

refuge. Because , vAtsalya, soushiilya (affection and good-naturedness)

etc are also characteristics of a good refuge as much as svAmitva and

soulabhya (masterhood and easy accessibility) etc as cited in

"Ekastvamasi" earlier.

 

 

vyAkhyAnam:: (na tE rUpam) "rUpam" indicates divine spiritual

characteristics, because "AkAra" has been used next to indicate the divine

personality. In what sense does this slokam deny the possession of svarUpa

etc to God? Since svarUpa etc are denied for Him after using the word

'tE', what in fact is denied is the use of these for His personal

advantage or benefit or purpose. Only the selfish end is denied here.

Reading as "tE rUpam na tE" makes it clearer. Even Your divine spiritual

characteristic is not for You. If at all, it serves for the protection of

the refugees and is favourable to them, the svarUpam which is independent

becomes dependent to them and abides by their wishes. Compare "mayi

bhrutyE sthitE dEvAn AjnApayata kim nrupai:" and "kimkarau samupasthitau".

One who was the controller of everyone and every thing became the son of a

nameless samsAri. This verily is the transfer of purpose of the svarUpam

in favour of the refugees (Ashrita). This word "svarUpam" is also

representative of His jnAna, shakti etc. For, refer to the slokams of

Kurattalwan:-

 

* parijana paribarhA bhUShaNAnyAyudhAni ;

 

pravara guNagaNAshcha jnAnashaktyAdayastE;

 

paramapadam athAnDAnyAtmadEhastathAtmA;

 

varada sakalam Etat samshritArtham chakartha.*

 

 

Oh Varada, Your nityasUri attendants (ViShvaksEnar, AdishESha etc),

paraphernalia (chhatram chAmaram etc), ornaments and weapons, great set of

qualities, jnAna, shakti etc, paramapadam (vaikunTham), the universal

galaxies, Your body and Your soul, all these in entirity You gave away for

the benefit of refugees (AshritAs). As cited in "yassarvajnas sarvavit" He

who is omniscient, became "avijnAtA" for the sake of His refugees; and

again after swearing not to lift any weapon, He forswore and lifting a

weapon became asatyasankalpa (one of untrue oath).

 

 

*ananyAdhInatvam tava kila jagur vaidika gira: ;

 

parAdhInam tvAm tu pranataparatantram manumahE;

 

upAlambhO ayam bhO: shrayati sArvajnyamapi tE ;

 

yatO dOSham bhaktEShviha varada naivAkalayasi ..*

 

 

In these words, Kurattalwan too stated the subordinateness of the Lord

to the refugees and His utter ignorance of their offences and defects.

 

 

Even His divine personality is having a form favourable to the protection

of the refugees. In Paramapadam, His personality is enjoyable for the

nityasUris. When He comes to the vyUham, His form is enjoyable to the

inhabitants of svEtadvIpa. His form is accessible for surrendering by the

BrahmA and others. When He descends to the Earth, He makes His divine

personality which is intangible to the senses, tangible to the senses for

the sake of defence and deliverance of soft-hearted people, and by His

grace lets a chosen few enjoy His visible form. This word "AkAra" extends

even to the divine ornaments that adorn it. Kurattalwan verily said

"bhUShaNAni AyudhAni". As said in "vastrANyAbharaNAni cha , tam vinA

kaikayIputram bharatam dharma chAriNam" the clothes and ornaments are

intended for the refugees.

 

 

"AyudhAni" -- the weapons in His arsenal, appear like 'weapons' for

 

decimating the enemies to the enemies of the refugees, but shine like

ornaments for those refugee devotees who are rid of sins and enjoy seeing

God's form. Refer to the pAsurams "eppOdum kaikazhalA nEmiyAn nammEl

vinai kadivAn" and "kUrArAzhi veNshangEndi kodiyEn pAl vArAy" and

"shangennum chakkaramennum tuzhAyennum" which reflect the same purport. It

is also implied to extend upto the attendants and the paraphernalia.

'parijana' or attendants, as in "yatra pUrvE sAdhyAs santi dEvA:"

"adiyArgaL kuzhAngaLai kUduvadenru kolO? ", are the aspired destination

for the refugees. Even though the "parichchadas" (paraphernalia) also are

one among the nityasuris, they are in the form suitable to be employed by

the other nityasuris in the service of the Lord (like chhatram chAmaram

etc).

 

 

(na chAspadam) paramapadam , vyUham vibhavam and other bhOgasthAnams are

not only places of enjoyment for the Lord Himself but also established and

intended for the enjoyment of the respective refugees in the different

places by displaying Himself in the respective places for the benefit of

the respective inhabitants.

 

 

"tathApi puruShAkAra:" In spite of all these condescensions, You are

always integrated with Your property of puruShatva. As described in

PuruSha sUktam in "puruSha EvEdagm sarvam" and "sahasrashIrShA puruSha:",

one who is always above all, (bhaktAnAm tvam ) shines by being

subordinate to the devotees to prove that He is "subservient to the

refugees". The fact that the devotees have offered themselves totally to

You, is by virtue of appropriateness for their svarUpam. But Your placing

Yourself at their disposal is by virtue of the desire of the Ashritas.

This idea was explained by Kurattalwan in "samshritArtham chakartha"

quoted earlier.

 

 

"prakAshasE" -shine forth -; if a doubt arises about the inappropriateness

of this paradoxical subservience of the independent Lord, the Itihasa and

PurANas say that He shines forth by being subservient to the devotees in

slokams like " yadvinA bharatam tvAm cha shatrughnam chApi mAnada;

bhavEnmama sukham kinchit bhasmasAtkurutAm shikhI" -- whatever happiness

comes without and in the absence of bharata, you and shatrughna, let fire

consume that happiness into ashes. "nisruShTAtmA suhritsu cha " etc . His

glory is being easily accessible to the devotees and behaving subservient

to them.

 

 

If the first shlokam is the summary, then this shlokam is the meaning of

"hrishIkEsha". He pulls back the devotees from inappropriate

'vishayAntaras' and makes Himself their object of attraction. Training

them from aprApta vishayas and diverting them towards right goal is verily

the work of the master.

 

 

...... contd.

 

 

 

Dasan

Ramanuja

[Guest guest]

SrI:

 

Dear Dr.Ramanuja:

 

Your posting on this important Jitante slOkam

is illuminative .Many Thanks.

 

V.Sadagopan

 

At 08:06 PM 10/3/02 +0530, you wrote:

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