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Reply to Sri Balaji's queries from VedhArtha Sangraha on Forms (part-1)

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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)

 

 

 

 

 

_______________________________

 

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