Guest guest Posted September 16, 2004 Report Share Posted September 16, 2004 SRIMATHE RAMANUJAYA NAMAHA. Sri Balaji Sundarrajan has raised 3 pertinent issues – that have all been raised in the past too by the sAdhakAs desirous of knowing Him and attaining Him. It is amazing to note that Sri Ramanuja had in fact dwelt not only in these but countless other queries and doubts and had established the Truth with the help of scriptures. If we go into his treatise on various issues, there is little we can do by way of addition or clarification as regards to answering these questions and therefore let me just present here the relevant portions (primarily) from VedArtha Sangraha. The three questions are taken up in three mails. The first one is dealt with in this mail. Sri Balaji says, “-almost 30% of Vishnu sahasranaamam is saying that our almighty has no form, but he is big,great , he encompasses everything (in the universe) & he has no matter within himself(like a bliss) > His Formful explanation. Given this case ,why all the other descriptions say that he has four hands, 5 aayudhas, lotus eyed , with a shri vatsa mark on his chest , he has vaijayante (always fresh ) maala ,lotus feets, lotus hands, beautiful limbs , soundarya thirumeni , blue bodied , white face (kathir mathiyam pol mukathaan) - ,tall glittering crown…..” Now the replies:- Sri Balaji is correct in his observation but the ratio seems to have been mixed up:-), in that the texts describing Him as formless but having innumerable attributes are many compared to the ones describing Him with form. VedArtha Sangraha tells us how to ‘cognize’ such descriptions and how such ‘cognition’ is essential to ‘know’ Him and enjoy Him as described by those forms or attributes. Eternal joy or Bliss is attained when the seeker realises Him in such Blissful forms or formlessness. That is the import of the verses quoted below. (verse 198):- “…there are thousands of srutis which describe Him as follows; his divine form is wholly agreeable and appropriate to Him: many kinds of numberless and infinitely auspicious ornaments adorn Him suiting Him eminently: He bears numberless wondrous weapons, suited to His prowess: His divine consort is agreeable and suited to Him in her essential nature, form, beauty, glory, sovereignty, compassion and unsurpassed greatness: He is served by (divine) accessories of service and numberless (divine) servants, who are suited to Him and are endowed with holy knowledge and power of action and countless other virtues: His boundless and magnificent divine abode, containing all objects and means of delight suited to Him, is indescribable and inconceivable: all these are eternal and perfect.” (verse 199):- “the texts are as follows: ‘I know this great Purusha, who is the colour of the sun, and is beyond all darkness (Pu 20)’. “He who dwells within the sun, havinga form as if made of gold … has eyes like the lotus just opening at sunrise (cha I, vi,8)’. ‘In the space of the heart resides this Purusha, abounding in mind, immortal and resplendent (Tai I,vi,1)’. ‘Abounding in mind’ means that he can be apprehended only by a pure mind. ‘All moments originated from the Purusha, brilliant like lightening (Maha I,2)’. The meaning is that the Purusha has the colour of lightening.” (verse 200) “ ‘Luminous like a streak of lightening enclosing a blue cloud (Maha)’. This means that the subject spoken of is like a streak of lightening enclosing a blue cloud. The sentence as a whole means as follows: the flame burning in the space in the centre of the lotus of the heart has within it the Supreme Self whose radiant colour is like that of a blue cloud. Therefore that flame bears resemblance to a streak of lightening enclosing a blue cloud.” The succeeding verses, particularly verse 220 describes Him on the basis of forms or attributes. To enjoy His from as described in this verse (220) as told by SUtrakara (based on Bra, I,i,21), a part of it is being reproduced here: “ His lustre is like that of a fine mountain of molten gold. He has the splendour of hundred thousand suns. His pure eyes have the beauty of the petals of a lotus, just unfolding under rays of the sun and crowning a rich stalk, that has sprung up in deep waters. His brow and forehead and nose are charming. His coral-like lips radiate a pure smile. His cheeks are tender and radiant. His neck is lovely like a conch. His exquisitely tender ear-lobes are almost touching his high shoulders. His arms are well developed, round and long. His beautiful and roseate palms are adorned with fingers of the same hue. His waist is slender and chest broad. All parts of his person are proportionate and symmetrical. The divine harmony of his features beggars all description. His complexion is effulgent. His lovely feet are like full-blown lotus. His gold-hued raiment eminently suits his person. He is adorned by pure, divine an definitely marvelous ornaments like kirIta, kundala, hAra, kaustuba, keyUra, kataka, nUpura and udhara-bandhana. He is bedecked with conch, discus, mace, sword, bow, srivatsa and vanamAla. He has captivated the eyes and hearts of all by his surpassingly sublime beauty…..” (Verse 222) “…. He (VakhyakAra) himself repudiates the suggestion that the form is temporal. He takes note of the objection, ’The form may be artificial being assumed to favour the individual self, as it is possible for the omnipotent Lord to assume such forms’. This prima facie view means that the form is taken by the Supreme Purusha for favouring graciously those who meditate on Him. He answers, ‘But His form is real and super-sensuous, because the srutis state that it is perceptible to the inner eye.’ His meaning is that just as knowledge etc, are taken as inherent attributes of the supreme Brahman, because they are so stated in the scriptures, this form also, described as inherent to the supreme Brahman, must be so taken.” The description goes on to drive home the point how He is attained with devotion or love on His form and/or formless attributes. Sri Ramanuja says that ;bhakti is a particular kind of love (prIti). Love is a particular kind of cognition.” (verse 238) “The cognition which is said to result in joy, is itself that joy.”(Verse 239) (From verse 240) ”To explain: Cognition of objects is common to all the three types of experiences –joy, pain and emotional neutrality. Cognition which depends upon its objective content for its specific quality, acquires the aforesaid qualities (of joy or pain or the neutral state) as determined by its objective content. The cognition of that object –the cognition qualified by which object is said to lead to joy –is itself the joy in question. Nothing other than this cognition can be discerned in the experience of joy. By this cognition itself the experience of joy is accounted for.” (verse 241) :- “Entities other than Brahman can be objects of such cognitions of the nature of joy only to a finite extent and for limited duration. But Brahman is such that cognizing of Him is an infinite and abiding joy. It is for this reason that the Sruti says, ‘ Brahman is Bliss (Tai II,6)’. Since the form of cognition as joy is determined by its object, Brahman itself is joy.” (verse 242):- “ This has been stated in the sacred text, ‘He is rasa: attaining this rasa, the cognizer becomes blissful (Tai II, 7)’. It means that, as Brahman is joy, the person who attains Brahman becomes joyous. The Supreme Purusha is unsurpassed and infinite joy by Himself and in Himself. He becomes the joy of another also, as His nature as joy is absolute and universal. When Brahman becomes the object of one’s contemplation, he (the meditator) becomes blissful.” The inference:- The forms and formless attributes described by srutis are infinite, eternal and of blissful nature. The meditation on the Brahman as with forms or as formless is intended to cognize the Brahman as an object of infinite, absolute and eternal qualities, by which the meditator himself attains the supreme Brahman of such nature (qualities contemplated upon) which is nothing but a joyous state. (To be continued) _______________________________ Declare Yourself - Register online to vote today! http://vote. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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