Lord's attributes.

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends,

 

Apropos the recent discussion on the Lord's kalyana-gunas,

a learned correspondent sent me a note of which I reproduce

and abridgment here:

>

> You may like to cite the following from vishNu purANam:

>

> aiSvaryasya samagrasya vIryasya yaSasa: Sriya:

> jnAna vairAgyayOS caiva shaNNAm bhaga itIraNA

> (VP 6-5-74)

 

The word 'Bhagavan' (/bhagavAn/) means 'One who possesses

'bhaga'. 'bhaga' is the collective possession of the six

qualities of supremacy, valor, renown, auspiciousness, knowledge,

and detachment. Only one who possesses all these in full

is called 'Bhagavan'.

> jnAna-Sakti-balAiSvarya-veerya-tEjAmsy aSEshata:

> bhagavac-chabda-vAchyAni vinA heyAir-guNAdibhi:

> (VP 6-5-79)

 

The word Bhagavan is associated totally with the qualities

of knowledge, power, strength, supremacy, valor, and

effulgence, and is absolutely bereft of anything limiting

or defiling.

 

The following sloka of Sri Alavandar brings the nectarean

ocean of Bhagavan's auspiciousness to light:

>

> vaSI vadAnyO guNavAn RjuS-Suchi:

> mRdur-dayALur-madhura:-sthira:-sama:

> guNI guNajna: tvamasi svabhAvata:

> samasta-kalyANa-guNamRtOdadhi:

> (stOtra ratnam 18)

 

---

 

I am told that this verse of Alavandar's was once cited

by Indira Gandhi in a speech, highlighting the fact that

that God can be absolutely pure as well as be full of all glory.

 

aDiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan,

Mani

[Guest guest]

-SRIMATHE RAMANUJAYA NAMAHA.

 

-- In bhakti-list, Mani Varadarajan <mani@r...> wrote:

>

> Dear Friends,

>

> Apropos the recent discussion on the Lord's kalyana-gunas,

> a learned correspondent sent me a note of which I reproduce

> and abridgment here

> The word 'Bhagavan' (/bhagavAn/) means 'One who possesses

> 'bhaga'. 'bhaga' is the collective possession of the six

> qualities of supremacy, valor, renown, auspiciousness, knowledge,

> and detachment. Only one who possesses all these in full

> is called 'Bhagavan'

 

An information to add.

The very first verse of ThirukkuraL describes God as Bhagavan,(a vada

sol- sanskrit term)and not by the other popular tamil terms such as

kadavuL, iRaivan etc.

 

It is the usual practice to dedicate the first verse to the Lord by

extolling His graetness.Thiruvalluvar wrote an entire chapter

(adhikaaram)on God, but nowhere he talks about the attributes of God

in open verses. He only talks about why one should pray to God-with

his last verse stressing on the need to surrender at His feet.

The only verse where we can find some description of god is in the

first verse 'Agara mudala.." wherein he names the Lord as 'Adhi

Bhagavan'

 

In his commentary to ThirukkuraL, ParimElazhagar, the popular writer

of the 11th century AD, traces the root of the word Bhagavan

to 'bhagam' and 'bhagawan' of sanskrit and describes the 6 virtues of

the Lord as mentioned in the mail quoted above. He further says that

Adhi Bhagavan means 'the first Lord'

 

According to him, Thiruvalluvar seeks to establish the presence of

God in this verse by the expression, 'adhi bhagavan mudhattrE

ulagu'(the world that has Him as the first Lord)

The primary stress is on 'world'and not on the Lord. That is because

the very exitence of the world pre-supposes the existence of the Lord

just as how the presence of smoke establishes the presence of fire.

The specific use of the term Bhagavan in this verse also establishes

the primacy to the 6 attributes enshrined in this term.

 

Another information in this context which has been very much an eye

of a controversy is whom (which God) does Thiruvalluvar refer to as

Bhagavan. One school of thought says that it must be Thirumaal

(Vishnu). The authentication quoted for this is Nammazhvar's "andamil

aadhiyam bhagavan"

 

Another authentication is drawn from the BG where the Lord says that

He is the A-kaaram ('agara mudala ezhuththu' in KuraL)

Therefore 'Bhagavan' in KuraL refers to Lord Krishna.

 

jayasree sarnathan

 

 

:

>

> >