Shoonyaha

[Guest guest]

Dear Bhaghavatottamas,

 

It was very nice to read about the explanation on 'Shoonya' one

of the Lord's names from Vishnusahasranama.

 

Visishtadvaitam provides us with a very nice interpretation

of 'shoonya' as given by shri Bhattar. Lord is 'anaadi' (means who

doesnt have a beginning) and hence he is the aadi (the beginner) of

everything. Everything we see in this universe emanates from him.

Shoonya can be thought as smgnya vachakam for starting point. Called

reference point. The starter is called 'zero'. As Lord also forms the

starter of everything in this universe he is attributed with this

name as can be seen from the 'beejam' experiment of shwetaketu. He is

surely the origin. One needs to possess all the kalyanagunas to be

the starter of everything & hence he is with 'nil' non-kalyanagunas

and therefore also shoonya. One would really wonder what

this 'kalyanaguna' is all about. The names just before dont really

seem to represent a good quality. Namely 'Veeraha' (means killer of

veera), 'Vishamaha'(means Odd). In fact 'Rudram' in Taittariya

samhita has a strange way to praise Lord. It says 'taskaranam pathaye

namaha'(Lord of bandits), stenanam pathaye namaha'(Lord of

thieves)....' which are all not termed as good qualities as per the

dictionary of dharma shastra. Because Lord is Lord for all he also

lord for all these qualities too & will use them too when required.

These are certain qualities to be used only by him and not by mortals

like us. As per Bhagavan ramanuja 'Sarvatra brihatva guna yogena hi

brahma shabdaha'. The Lord is always big everywhere. The best

explanation to this is already given by Bhagawad ramanuja himself

when he coined the word 'kalyanagunagana' (qualities for for doing

good). 'Kalyana' here refers to Dharma rakshanam. Lord can use any of

the qualities (not really within the precincts of dharmashastra) to

restore 'dharma' in the world. All of them come under the umbrella

of 'kalyanagunagana'. One can see this from Mahabharata where Lord

instructs the son of Dharma to lie to safeguard dharma. By this lord

says that he is unbound by anything except him & what ever he says is

Dharma. Yudhishtira understood this concept and went ahead to do what

Lord has instructed him. So, Lord with nil-non-kalyanagunas is the

starter of everything or shoonya.

 

In Vishnusahasranama every name is a mantra (as ordained by Sage

Vyasa) and carries certain phalam for recitation of the mantra. If

one recites daily

"OM Shoonyaya Namaha" with 'sakala kalyana gunagana paripoorna' in

mind Lord with all his kalyanagunas will see to it that a good

beginning of whatever is started on that day is achieved.

 

Sajjana padapadma paramanuhu

Laksmi Narasimha dasaha