Guest guest Posted March 31, 2005 Report Share Posted March 31, 2005 SrimatE Raamaanujaaya Namaha // SrimatE Nigamaanta Mahaa Desikaaya Namaha // SrIman! SrI Ranga Sriyam anupadravam anudhinam Samvardhaya/ SrIman! SrI Ranga Sriyam anupadravam anudhinam Samvardhaya// KAvEri VardhathAm kAlE, kAlE varshathu vAsava: / SrI RanganAthO jayathu Sri Ranga Sri cha VardhathAm// ====================================================== SRI RANGA SRI VOL.06 / ISSUE # 15 dated 03/31/05 ====================================================== EDITORIAL: Dear Bhagavatas: IN THIS ISSUE: 1. ATHIMAANUSHA STHAVAM OF SRI KOORATHAAZHWAN Part 3 (Slokas 11 and 12) (ANBIL RAMASWAMY) 2. VILAKSHANA MOKSHAADHIKAARI NIRNAYAM Part 5 (ANBIL RAMASWAMY) 3. “TRIMURTI” - IN NAMMAZHWAR’S TIRUVOIMOZHI- PART 11 (SRI N. KRISHNAMACHARIAR SWAMI OF CHICAGO) ====================================================== 161 Regular issues have been released, so far besides several Special Issues) – - 27 Issues of Vol. 1 - 15 Issues of Vol. 2 - 42 Issues of Vol. 3 - 35 Issues of Vol. 4 - 28 Issues of Vol. 5 & - 14 Issues of Vol. 6 These issues have been archived for public view at - by Sri Diwakar Kannan (diwakark) You may also view the archives at http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia maintained by Sri Srinivasan Sriram (ajiva_rts) We strongly urge you to kindly peruse the "Regular Issues" archived in the “Files” Section and view the Contents at “srsindex.html” (Not the individual postings allowed for encouraging "Reader participation"). We are sure that you will be convinced of the quality of the contents. IF you are satisfied with the quality and contents of “Sri Ranga Sri”- Tell your friends to join by sending an email to Srirangasri- IF NOT: Tell us, as to how we may improve. Ever at your service Dasoham Anbil Ramaswamy, Editor & Publisher, “Sri Ranga Sri” ====================================================== 1. ATHIMAANUSHA STHAVAM OF SRI KOORATHAAZHWAN Part 3 (Slokas 11 and 12) (ANBIL RAMASWAMY) ---------------------- SLOKAM 11: “MASTER SEEKING A BOON FROM HIS VERY SERVANT” yam paatakaat sumahata: apiudashaarayatvam tvadpaada vaari paripoota siraas cha yObhoot / tam vandasE kila, tatascha varam vriNeeshE! kreeDaa vidhir bata vilaksaNa lakshaNas tE // “How come! You seem to have bowed to and sought a boon (for begetting a son) from the very same Siva whose sin of having nipped the head of his own father (Brahma), was wiped out by the holy waters flowing from your feet?” COMMENTS: • As per the Matsya puaNa (Chapter 182), once upon a time, Brahma, the creator had 5 heads like Siva. They looked alike. Once when Siva had gone out, Brahma came to Siva’s place. Parvati, wife of Siva mistook him to be Siva and offered the usual courtesies. Unexpectedly, Siva barged in, saw what was going on. In a fit of rage, he plucked one of the heads of Brahma. Brahma cursed Siva that since Siva had harmed him thus; Siva would become a mendicant roaming about with the skull of the head he had plucked. Yasmaat anaparaadhasya sira: chinnam tvayaa mama / Tasmaat saapa samaayukta: kapaalee tvam bhavishyasi // Consequently, the skull stuck to his palm would not fall off. Siva himself boasted: vaama ankushTa kara agrENa chinnam tas sirO mayaa’ Siva proceeded to Badarikaasramam and surrendered to Sriman Narayana for relief from the curse. Emperumaan made an incision in his body and filled the skull with the blood oozing out from there. Thereupon only, the skull got broken into a thousand pieces and fell off from Siva’s palm. He narrates this incident and confesses to his wife, Parvati, that he felt relieved as if he had gained a great treasure while in a dream, thanks to the grace of Lord VishNu. vishNuprasaadaat susrONi! kapaalam that sahasradhaa/ spOTitam bahudhaa yaatam svapnalabdam dhanam yathaa?? Varaaha PuraaNa, however, mentions the same story but instead of blood, it says that the Lord filled the skull with his perspiration. • SrimushNam Sthala PuraaNam mentions the same story and says that the sweat from the Lord’s body became what is known as “SwEda nadi (River of sweat). • The question arises as to how blood and sweat could come out of Lord’s body which is known as “apraakritam” Swami Desika gives an answer to this question: The Lord is known as “maayee”, one who works wonders. We have to take it that the blood and sweat from the Lord’s Divya MangaLa vigraham was also created by virtue of his “maayaa” ” apraakritE bhagavad vigrahE yuddhaadishu atra cha rudira swEdaadikam maayaasrushTam mantavyam” • A reference to this incident can be gleaned from Srimad Vaalmiki RamayaNam. Bharata swears to Kousalya that if he had been guilty of being instrumental in sending Sri Rama to exile, he himself would roam the earth like a crazy mendicant with a begging bowl in hand in the manner in which Siva roamed. From this, it is clear that the act of cutting the head of one’s father who doubled as Achaarya, one who had mastered the Vedas and Vedantas and that too when one was innocent- was a serious crime. “kapaalapaaNi: prithveem aTataam chera samvrita:/ bhikshamaaNO yatha unmatthO yasya aaryO animate gata: (Valmiki Ramayanam Ayodhyaa khaaNDam 75-40) Tirumangai Azhwar also refers to this thus: “piNDiyaar maNDai yEnti pirar manai tiritandu uNNum uNDiyaan saapam theertha oruvanoor ulagamEttum kaNDiyoor, arangam, meyyam, kachi pEr mallai…” • Further,Veda declares that the holy waters flow from the feet of Emperumaan “VishNO: padE paramE madhva utsa:” • Eeswara Samhita describes how Siva wore in the locks of his matted hair on his head this holy waters flowing from Lord’s feet. “tadambu parayaa bhaktyaa dadhaara sirasaa harah/ paavanaartham jaTaa madhyE yOghyOsmee iti avdhaaraNaat //” • In Harivamsa, KrishNa is reported to have requested for a child from Siva. • Koorathaazhwaan wonders why the Lord who is so superior with status of a powerful master to one and all (including Brahma and Siva) would seek a boon from the same Siva, who, after all, was a minor deity (kshudra dEvata) and that too for begetting a son! • Varaaha PuraNa says that Rudra requested Narayana as follows: “Please grant me a favor. In one of your Avataras, you should appear to pray to me and ask for a boon, so that I can command some respect in the world” Sriman Narayana agreed. That is why in KrishNa Avataara, he requested Rudra for a child, just to keep up his promise. • The less known fact, however, is that soon on granting the favor, Rudra declared in the same Varaaha PuraaNa thus: “KrishNa out of his simplicity only, came to me for a child. But, he is the source of all beings. He is the protector of all. He is the supreme Tattva. He alone gives mOksha” (Vide page 65 of “A dialogue on Hinduism” by Sri V.N. Gopala Desikan pub: Sri VisishTadvaita Research Centre, Madras) • The word “kila” denotes that it was not really necessary for the Lord to have begged for a boon but that he did so, just by way of enacting a play. This does not detract from the Paratvam of the Lord but only reveals his “Souseelyam” –exhibiting his humility in spite of his Lordship (VilakshaNa loakshaNas tE) • This is one of those instances in which the Lord showed his “Souseelyam” like for example, his being bound to a mortar by his mother, YasOda, SLOKAM 12: “MULTI HEADED MONSTER AND THE MAJESTIC LION” kreeDaavidhE: parikaras tava yaa tu maayaa saa mOhinee na katam asya tu hanta! jantO:! Hi! Martya simha vapus tavat tEjasOmsE Sambhur bhavan hi sarabha: salabhO babhoova // “Oh! Lord! Your maaya indeed benumbs the intellect of all living beings. Did not Siva who took the form of a strange and mighty animal (supposed to have eight legs and wings) called “sarabha” got burnt down in just one small spark of your rage like a moth (viTTil poochi) that perishes in the blaze of fire?” COMMENTS: • When the Lord took Nrisimha Avataara, the celestials were so scared of his half-man, half- lion form. Siva assured them that he would take a stranger form and confront Nrisimha thinking that the Lord would be scared. Over powered by the “maaya” of the Lord, Siva took the form of a strange winged animal called “Sarabha” with two heads, broad, powerful wings, sharp nails, eight legs four of them protruding upwards, and other limbs looking like a cow and a bird all at once and tried to fight Lord Nrisimha. In the process, the Lord destroyed the animal and reduced it to ashes, as he did to HiraNyakasipu. • This is narrated in Varaaha PuraaNa thus: hantum abyaagatam roudram sarabham narakEsaree / Nakhair bidaarayaamaasa hiraNyakasipum yathaa // • KoorEsar is not surprised at this because he knows that the Lord’s “maaya” is capable of performing mind altering feats even among such great masters of wisdom like Siva, Brahma etc. because all of them are subject to their respective karmas (karmavasya) • Sri Parasara says (5-30-7): Brahmaadhyaa: sakalaa dEvaa; manushyaa: pasavas tathaa/ vishNu maayaamhaavarta mOhaandha tamasaa vrutaa: // • Bhagavaan Himself has said in BG Deivee hi Eshaa guNamayee mama maayaa duratyayaa / maamEva yE prapadhyantE maayaam yEtaam taranti tE// • A great Sanskrit scholar, Sri Srinivasacharya swami quotes an ancient SlOkam on these lines: namOstu narasimhaaya lakshmee sthiti jitakudE / yad krOdaagnou puraa roudra: Sarabha: salabhaayatE // ------------------- To Continue ======================================================= xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ====================================================== 2. VILAKSHANA MOKSHAADHIKAARI NIRNAYAM Part 5 (ANBIL RAMASWAMY) ------------------------ Swami Desika, in his NYaasa Vimsati lists 8 qualities that a Sadaachaarya should possess to gain the confidence and regard of the would-be-Sishya so that the Sishya will be motivated to pay obeisance to him as much as he would do to Bhagavaan Himself. Agjnaana dwananta-rOdhaat agha pariharaNaat Aatma saamyaavahatwaat Janma pradhvamsi-janma prada-garimatayaa divya drishTi prabhaavaat / Nishpratyooha anrusamsayaat niyatarasatayaa nitya sEshitva yOgaat Aachaarya: sadbhir pratyupakaraNa dhiyaa dEvavat syaad upaasya: // (NYaasa VImsati SlOkam 2) They are: • Agjnaana dwananta-rOdhaat: He should be able to dispel the darkness of ignorance in the Sishya. This is possible only if he himself is clear about the means and the goal. • agha pariharaNaat: He should be able to wipe out all the sins and the resultant grief of the prospective Sishya. This is possible only if the Achaarya himself is without blemish of any kind. • Aatma saamyaa vahatwaat: He should be able to mould the conduct of the would-be-Sishya into a likeness of himself (i.e.) being without any blemish. This is possible only if the Achaarya himself is of immaculate character and conduct absolutely strict in observing the Sastrai-c injunctions with utmost self discipline. • Janma pradhvamsi-janma prada-garimatayaa: He should lead such a glorious life as to confer on the Sishya a mode of life that can destroy the life at the end of the present tenure through Dripta prapatti or Aartha Prapatti. This is possible only if he himself lives a life of absolute rectitude. • divya drishTi prabhaavaat: He should be able to bestow celestial vision to the Sishya. By constant meditation on the Lord and his Poorva Acharyas, and by scrupulous observance of the Dharmas attaching to his VarNa and Aasrama in life, His very glance would help him to bless his Sishyas with such divine vision. • Nishpratyooha anrusamsayaat: He should shower uninterrupted rain of compassion and rush to relieve the sufferings of the Sishya, unmindful of personal or pecuniary or other considerations. • niyatarasatayaa: He should always be soft spoken, persuasive and mild in spite of provocations and therefore be sweet even for the mental thinking on the part of the Sishyas. (aNNikkum amudu oorum enn nenjukkE) • nitya sEshitva yOgaat: He should be able to instill in the mind of the Sishyas a feeling of eternal bondage with him in the Sesha (Subservience) – Seshi (mastership) bhaava. It will be noticed that these qualities adorn Bhagavaan. That is why he is known as Jagat guru. “KrishNam vandE jagatgurum”. It is clear that any Tom, Dick and Harry cannot claim to be a guru much less a Jagat guru which the word Sadachrayan implies. THEREFORE, ONLY THAT THE ACHARYA WHO POSSESSES THESE TRAITS WOULD INSPIRE THE SISHYA TO RESPECT HIM AS BHAGAVAAN HIMSELF. IT IS OBVIOUS THAT CONVERSELY, IN THE ABSENCE OF THESE QUALITIES, THE ACHARYA WOULD FORFEIT HIS RIGHT TO “ACHAARYATVAM” AND MORE SO, HIS CLAIM TO “SAD ACHAARYATVAM” THE MORAL IS: "TEST YOUR ACHAARYA BEFRE ACCEPTING HIM AS YOUR ACHAARYA!" Swami Desika brings out the guidelins for a Sadaachaarya in “Achaarya Kritya Adhikaaram” of his “Srimad Rahasya Traya Saaram” as follows: In the first place, the Achaarya will himself learn and master the hidden truths of the scriptures as taught by his Poorva Achaaryas and by faithfully following the injunctions, acquire the quality of Sattva. • Who are these Poorva Achaaryas? • Swami Desika answers: These truths have been handed down to successive generations from Sri Ramanuja to Pranathartihara (a.k.a.Kidambi Aachaan, Madaippalli Aachaan) and then to his son, Kidambi Ramanujachaarya and his son Kidaambi Rangarajachaariyar and to his son Kidambi Appullaar (a.k.a. Vadihamsa Ambuvaaha chariyar). This Appullaar was the maternal uncle of Swami Sri Vedanta Desika from whom he learnt them. As directed by Lord Hayagriva himself, Swami Desika acted as his scribe in incorporating them in the Srimad Rahasya Traya Sara. Thus, the great Mantra has been invested with divine sanction besides having glorious Guru Sishya Parampara. As such, the truths should be cherished like a great treasure and handed down only to worthy recipients. • Swami Desika emphasises that this is REAL education. “Amaiyaa ivai ennum aasaiyinaal aru moonrulagil Sumaiyaana kalvigaL soozha vandaalum thogai ivai enru Imaiyaa imaiyavar Ethiya eTTu iraNDu eNNiya- namm Samaya aasiriyar sadirkkum tani nilai tandanarE” (SRTS Sara Nishkarsha Adhikaaram) Thinking that it is not enough (amaiyaa ivai), people go on accumulating lots of degrees and Doctorates. Our great Sadaacharyas have considered them as merely adding up to the burdensome numbers (thogai ivaI) without affording any real education and have shown us that the only one that can rally open up the way to our emancipation is in the form of the three great mantras of AshTaaksharam, Dvayam and CharamaslOkam. • Thus initiated, the Achaarya would then select the proper students by testing their sincerity and integrity and impart to them the traditional teachings. He should not take as Sishya even if one were to gift the entire world filled with gems but has no respect for the Sastras. • In other words, a true Sadaacharya would not fall for pecuniary considerations but would weigh the qualifications of the would-be-Sishya whether he deserves to be accepted as a Sishya. • (Today, we see most of the so called Acharyas take kindly only to those who offer huge SamarpaNais and ignore those who cannot afford. “Prithveem imam yadhyapi ratna poorNaam dadhyaan na dEyam tu idam avrataaya (MB Santi Parva 313.37) and • “tirurmantrathudaiya seermaiyum thun nishTaiyum kulaiyaamaikkaaga silvaana prayOjanangaLaip parra sishyaguNa poothi illaada sapalarkku veLiyidaatE mantrathai migavum sEmikkavum praaptam” (Guru Paramparaa Saaram) • (Probably, Swami Desika had a prognosis of such Acharyas coming up in the future!) • Students found wanting in these respects should not be admitted for instruction into these truths. Otherwise, it will be like saying 'Anything is fish that comes to the net'. • The preceptor should avoid liars, eunuchs, misers, mentally perverse, conceited., those who delight in tormenting others, those who indulge in vilifying others, those that engage in vain arguments (vitanDaavaadis), atheists (naastikas), those who heckle for the sake of embarrassing demanding reasons for everything (hytukas), those whose views are distorted (kudhrishtis), prattlers (jalpas), who misinterpret (kuyuktas), heretics (paashaaNDis), and hypocrites who pose to be virtuous but in reality are vile. • na dEyam Etad cha tathaa anutaatmanE saTaaya kleebhaaya na jihma buddhaye/ na paNDitagjnaaya parOpataapinE dEyam tvayEdam vinibOdha yaadrusE? (Mahabharatam Santi Parvam 313.33) • Lord Krishna, the Prathama Achaarya “ prohibits transmission of these secrets to those who do not perform their dharmic duties, those who do not have faith in God, those who are not sincere and eager to learn and most importantly those who bear ill will or jealousy towards God and therefore intolerant." • Idam tE naatapskaaya naabhaktaaya kadaachana na cha asrooshavE vaachyam na cha maam yObhi asooyati (BG 18.67) • He proceeds to advise as to whom these secrets can be revealed and the benefits accruing from such revelation. • Sraddhaanvitaaya atha guNaanvitaaya paraapavaadaadvirataaya nityam / Visuddha yOgaaya bhudhaaya chaiva kriyaavatE atha kshamiNE hitaaya// Vivikta seelaaya vidhi priyaaya vivaada bheetaaya bhahu srutaaya / vijaanatE chaiva tathaa hita kshamaa damaaya nityaatma samaaya dEhinaam// • "These secrets can be revealed only to those devoted to me. Anyone who reveals to such deserving persons would notice an unfolding of his own devotion into the state of Parabhakti and finally secure myself as his reward" • Ya idam paramam guhyam math bhaktEshu abi daasyati Bhaktim mayi paraam kritvaa maam Eva eshyati asamsaya:// (B.G 2/7) "Even among those who possess positive qualities as discerned by the preceptor by means of appropriate tests, cannot be told unless the would-be-student formally petitions to him - in the manner of Arjuna pleading before the Lord. Yat srEyah syaath nischitam broohi tad mE Sishyas tE aham saadi maam tvaam prapannam (BG 2.7) • Some students who may not have the requisite caliber to assimilate but are nevertheless sincere in reforming themselves may be instructed the broad outlines of Tattva, Hita and Uttarakritya without going deeper into the esoteric meanings enshrined in the great truths. • Tattva: Jeevaatma is a permanent sentient entity as different from the body that is perishable. Again, Jeevatma is different from Paramaatma who is its Seshi and its ONLY protector. This is Tattva. • Hita: This Jeevaatma remains submerged from beginning less time in the ocean of Samsaara. Only by a stroke of luck it could come across an Achaarya who would instruct the Dvayamantra and initiate into Prapatti. This is Hita. • Uttara Kritya: The Jeevaatma should have total and unconditional faith that having been recommended by the Acharya, the Lord would most certainly grant Moksha and will under no circumstances forsake the surrendered soul and it should in the post-prapatti period, till the end of the current life do service to Bhagavaan, Bhaagavatas and Achaaryas. This is Uttara kritya. ---------------------------- To Continue ======================================================= xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ======================================================= 3. “TRIMURTI” - IN NAMMAZHWAR’S TIRUVOIMOZHI- PART 11 (SRI N. KRISHNAMACHARIAR SWAMI OF CHICAGO) ------------------------- tri-mUrti-s in tiruvAimozhi - Part 11. 1.7 (19): vAzhttuvAr palarAga; nin uLLE nAnmuganai ‘mUzhtta nIl ulagellAm paDai’ enRu mudal paDaittAi; kEzhtta SIr aran mudalAk kiLar deivamAik kiLarndu Suzhttu amarar tudittAl un tol pugazh mASUNAdE. In this pASuram, nammAzhvAr notes that bhagavAn’s kalyAna guNa-s are infinite, and even rudra, along with many other deva-s gathering together, cannot still adequately describe His kalyANa guNa-s, even if they all gather together, and avoid redundancy in their praise and take turns. In pASuram 3.1.6, which we did not cover, nammAzhvAr pointed out that all the four veda-s together are unable to describe His praise adequately (OduvAr Ottu ellAm ev-vulagattu ev-evaiyum SAduvAi nin pugazhin tagai allAl piRidu illai – Not all the veda-s and their variants in all the different worlds, including those in brahma loka, indra loka, etc., can adequately describe Your greatness). By this is meant that those who are knowledgeable in the veda-s are also not adequately able to describe Your greatness. Now the question is: Can those who have perfected their meditation and who have tried to attain You thus through tapas etc., successfully describe Your greatness fully and adequately? AzhvAr says they also cannot succeed in completely describing His kalyANa guNa-s fully. The likes of rudra, who is known for his superior knowledge, and sages such as vyAsa etc., from all the different worlds, collected together, will be unable to achieve this feat either. nin uLLE nAnmuganai “mUzhtta nIr ulagu ellAm paDai’ enRu mudal paDaittAi” – You first created brahmA from Yourself, and entrusted him with the job of creation of all things in the world surrounded by the great waters. vAzhttuvAr pala Aga – (brahmA created many others) Just so that there will be many more people who can sing His praise. Or, vAzhttuvAr palar Aguga – Let there be many more who can sing Your praise. kEzhtta SIr aran mudalA – Even the likes of rudra who are endowed with superior knowledge (kEzh – light, here meaning knowledge. SIr – of superior quality). Siva is considered very gifted in knowledge – Sa’nkarAt j~nAnam anvicchet. SrI uttamUr vIrarAghavAcArya points out that AzhvAr uses the wording “aran mudalA’ instead of ‘avan mudalA’, and thus, brahmA is not included in the scope of this pASuram, and only rdura and other deva-s following him in creation are included here. kiLar deivamAik kiLarndu SUzhttu amarar tudittAl – even if all other deities who are endowed with divine knowledge join together with rudra, and try to describe Your greatness, kiLar deivamAi – with all their enhanced divine powers at their command; with divine qualities that are far above the natural knowledge level etc. kiLarndu – with their best efforts SUzhttu amarar tudittAl – even if all the deities took turns one by one, and chose to describe Your guNa-s without repetition un tol pugazh mASuNAdE? – They collectively cannot do justice to Your indescribable and eternal greatness. Note that in the first two lines, nammAzhvAr notes that brahmA was created by bhagavAn, and so it is implied that his knowledge about bhagavAn is limited. Then brahmA created rudra and others, and even though they are gifted with a high level of knowledge, still they are bound by their karma-s, and so their knowledge is also limited. But if all the best of them collect together and attempt to describe bhagavAn’s kalyANa guNa-s, they will end up not doing justice to the task. svAmi deSikan captures the gist of this pASuram as “stotra atikrAnta kIrtim” – He Whose kIrti or fame is beyond the limits of praise and description. --------------- 3.1.8 (20): mASUNAc cuDar uDambAi malarAdu kuviyAdu mASUNA j~nAnamAi muzhudumAi muzhudu iyanRAi! mASUNA vAn kOlattu amarar kOn vazhi paTTAl mASUNA una pAda malarc-cOdi mazhu’ngAdE? “Even the father of rudra, namely brahmA, who has been bestowed by You with flawless knowledge, will not be able to describe Your Glory adequately”. One can argue: Already the point was made in the previous pASuram that rudra and all the deva-s together will be unable to sing His praise adequately. So brahmA could have been included in this, and thus, is there any repetition here? Two main explanations are given to address this point. One is that in the previous pASuram, AzhvAr is referring to all deva-s from rudra and others following him, but had not included brahmA, who is the creator of all these other deva-s, and in the current pASuram he is specifically referring to brahmA. BrahmA is separately mentioned here because unlike rudra and the others who are subject to the tamo guNa, brahmA is free from the tamo guNa, and is also endowed with full knowledge by bhagavAn for the purpose of creation. The other explanation given assumes that brahmA, the creator of all beings, is included in the previous pASuram. In this explanation, it is interpreted that the brahmA that is referred to in the current pASuram is a hypothetical brahmA who is fully dedicated to only praising bhagavAn in all his time, and has no other distractions such as creation. Then the current pASuram says that even such a hypothetical brahmA, who is endowed with flawless knowledge by bhagavAn, and who is fully dedicating himself only to the praise of bhagavAn with no distraction in functions such as creation, will be unsuccessful in describing the greatness of bhagavAn’s Lotus Feet. The following Slokam, referenced by SrI uttamUr vIrarAghavAcArya, gives a variant of the above idea: catumukhAyuH yadi ko’pi vaktro bhaven naraH kvApi viSuddha cetAH | sa te guNAn ayutaikam amSam vadet na vA devavara prasIda || “Even if there were a being with the lifetime of a catur-mukha brahmA, with flawless knowledge bestowed on him, even such a person will be unsuccessful in describing completely even a tiny part of Your auspicious qualities”. The first two pAda-s of this pASuram describe bhagavAn’s unblemished divya ma’ngala vigraham – His beautiful tirumEni of Suddha sattva material, that is beyond aging, decay, disease, etc., ever fresh like the freshly blossomed lotus flower. Similarly, He is One Who possesses unblemished knowledge that is complete in all aspects, and is as faultless as His tirumEni. The next two pAda-s declare that even a hypothetical flawless brahmA, with flawless knowledge that has been given to him by bhagavAn, and with his only activity being bhagavad upAsanA, with no function of creation etc. to distract him, will be unable to describe the great Glory of bhagavAn adequately. His description will be deficient, and thus flawed. - malarAdu kuviyAdu – bhagavAn’s tirumEni is not subject to growth or decay. - mASUNA – (mASu uNNA) – No flaw touches His tirumEni; it is beyond any flaw of any kind. - SuDar uDambAi – His tirumEni s resplendent, which is natural to Him. - mASUNA j~nAnamAi – Similarly His knowledge is beyond all defects - muzhudumAi – He is One Who possesses all there is to possess, and He is everything (or, He Who has everything for His SarIram – SrImad tirukkuDanthai ANDavan). - muzhudu iyanRAi – He is One Who is the Lord of everything, and Who controls everything (iyaludal = nirvahittal). Note the phrase “sadaika rUpa rUpAya” that we chant in the preface to SrI vishNu sahasranAmam. SrImad tirukkuDanthai ANDavan comments that ‘malarAdu kuviyAdu’ can apply to both the tirumEni of bhagavAn, as well as to His knowledge. One can assign a ‘flaw’ to bhagavAn’s Atma svarUpam in the sense that it cannot be easily meditated on except by those sages who have perfected their meditation over a long period of time; His Divine Feet do not have even that flaw, and can be meditated on by anyone. They are also flawless because they provide protection to anyone who surrenders to them. The next two lines describe that catur-mukha brahmA, who has been endowed with flawless knowledge by bhagavAn for the purpose of creation, will be unable to adequately praise the flawless Lotus Feet of bhagavAn. - mASUNA vAn kOlattu amarar kOn – The chief among the deva-s (referring to brahmA) who has been endowed with enormous knowledge that is flawless, by bhagavAn for the purpose of creation (‘vAn kOlattu’ can mean ‘one who is decorated with large or many bhUshNa-s’ such as knowledge, or ‘one who is endowed with the great wealth of knowledge’. kOlam literally means beauty, and here it signifies knowledge). - amarar kOn – normally refers to indra, but in the context of the previous and current pASuram-s, the current reference is to brahmA. - vazhi paTTAl – if this brahmA tries to praise You and describe Your greatness fully - mASUNA un pAda malarc-cOdi – The greatness of Your flawless Lotus Feet. By the term ‘pAda mAlar’, AzhvAr is referring to bhagavAn’s tirumEni. - mazh’ngAdE – cannot be fully described (the description will end up being deficient) ------------------------ To Continue ======================================================= xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ======================================================= Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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