tAtparya ratnAvaLi - Part 14 - Slokam 11 (tiruvAimozhi 1.1 - Part 2).

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SrImate SrI ra'nga rAmAnuja mahA deSikAya namah.

 

tAtparya ratnAvaLi - Part 14 - Slokam 11 (tiruvAimozhi 1.1 - Part 2).

 

svAmi deSikan has treated the next three pASuram-s as one group, and

has given the guNa-s for the three pASuram-s in one phrase – svAyatta

aSesha sattA sthiti yatana bhidA vaibhavAt. svAyatta – subservient

to Him, under His total control; aSesha – without exception, all the

acetana-s and cetana-s, including the anya devatA-s such as brahmA,

rudra, indra etc., who are jIva-s subject to their karma-s; sattA –

being existence; sthiti - protection; yatanam – effort, the ability

to function and act; bhidA – kind, species, different; vaibhavam –

greatness; here it refers to His Adhipatyam or Lordship, absolute

control.

 

o pASuram-s 1.1.4, 1.1.5, 1.1.6: svAyatta aSesha sattA sthiti

yatanabhidA vaibhavAt – svAdhIna trividha cetanAtmaka svarUpa sthiti

pravRtti bhedan (SrI ve'nkaTeSAcArya). He Who is responsible for the

inherent nature, existence and functioning of all without exception.

This includes the people, the deva-s, the acetana-s etc. pASuram

1.1.4 refers to the nature of everything being subservient to Him,

1.1.5 refers to their protection and sustenance being purely under

His control, and 1.1.6 refers to the actions of all things and beings

under His total and absolute control. All of these again stand to

support His guNa of paratvam (the guNa at the daSakam level), and

sevyatvam, (the guNa at the Satakam level).

 

SrImad tirukkuDanthai ANDavan's anubhavam is that in the 1st pASuram

of tiruvAimozhi (1.1.1), AzhvAr sang about bhagavAn's kalyANa guNa-s,

tirumEni and aiSvaryam in the form of His nitya vibhUti. 2nd pASuram

sang His svarUpa vailakshaNyam (difference, uniqueness). 3rd pASuram

mentioned His leelA vibhUti. The next 7 pASurams (1.1.4 to 1.1.10)

elaborate on the guNa-s sung in the first three pASram-s further. Of

these, pASuram-s 1.1.4 to 1.1.6 elaborate on His leelA vibhUti

further, and point out that the svarUpam, sthiti and pravRtti of all

cetana-s and acetana-s are bhagavad-adhInam. The word adhInam

means "bhagavAn iTTa vazhakkAi irukkiRadu" - as bhagavAn wills it to

be.

 

The three words sattA, sthiti, and yatana that svAmi deSikan has used

are equivalent to the terms svarUpa, sthiti and pravRtti, that

bhagavad rAmAnuja uses in the gadya-trayam. For instance, in cUrNikA

5 of SaraNAgati gadyam, bhagavad rAmAnuja describes bhavAn's leelA

vibhUti, and says: "sva sa'nkalpAnuvidhAyi svarUpa sthiti pravRtti

sva Seshata eka svabhAva prakRti purusha kAlAtmaka vividha vicitra

bhogya bhoktRvarga bhogopakaraNa boga sthAna rUpa nikhila jagadudaya

vibhava laya leela!". – "Thy sport is creation, maintenance, and

dissolution of the world, which contain in themselves many different

kinds of enjoyment and suitable places of such enjoyment, such as

prakRti, purusha and kAla which are by their nature ever under Your

service, Oh Lord! In the matter of their form, their existence, and

their activities, they always follow only Thy wishes and dictates of

Thine". The sentence in italics reflects the idea that svAmi

deSikan is extracting as the main thrust of the three pASuram-s we

are looking at right now- svAyatta aSesha sattA sthiti yatana bhidA

vaibhavAt.

 

§ pASuram 1.1.4 – pASuram starting with "nAm avan ivan uvan":

vividha nirdeSa nirdiSyamAna samasta vastu svarUpam bhagavad

adhInam. What this means is that bhagavAn is the antaryAmi in

everything, and they exist because He is present in them as their

antaryAmi; without Him they do not have an existence. This is the

main guNa extolled in this pASuram – (yAvaiyum yAvarumAi) ninRa

avarE.

 

The term svarUpam here can be understood as `amaippu' – the way the

things are, with their unique attributes that identify them as they

are; all this is as per His will, and under His total control.

SrImad tirukkuDanthai ANDavan explains that if He is not present in

everything as their antaryAmi, then they cannot even have an

existence - "avan uL nuzhindirAviDil avai irukkavE irukkAdu. AgaiyAl

ellAm avan adhIna'nkaL enRa paDi".

 

SrI UV gives the following supports – sarvam khalvidam brahma

(Sruti); jyotIgmshi vishNuh bhuvanAni vishNuh vanAni vishNuh girayo

diSaSca | nadyah samudrASca sa eva sarvam yadasti yannAsti sa

vipravarya || (VP 2.12.37) – The stars are vishNu; the worlds are

vishNu; forests, mountains, regions, rivers, oceans are vishNu; He is

all that is, and that is not". Lest someone jump to the conclusion

that the above quote is a support for the advaita philosophy, note

that this is just saying that it is their nature – svarUpam that they

do not exist even for a moment without Him, and thus the VP quote

just declares their total dependence on Him for their essential

nature. SrI UV notes that this supports the Sruti statement – bahu

syAm prajAyeya – Let me become many.

 

§ pASuram 1.1.5 – pASuram staring with "avar avar tama tamadu

aRivu aRi vagai": sakala devatAntara AtmatayA ArAdhyanAi sakala

phala pradan AgaiyinAlE rakshaNamum tad-adhInam. The guNa that is

chosen by svAmi deSikan for this pASuram is sthiti – protection. One

has to understand the meaning of the full pASuram to appreciate how

this guNa is derived. Very briefly, the idea reflected here is

bhagavAn has established several devatA-s (such as varuNa, agni, vAyu

etc.,), and has given them powers to bestow the necessities for the

people of the world, such as rain, air, heat, etc. all these are

needed for the protection of the beings in this world. Some

may be tempted to think that it is these gods who are performing at

least some part of the act of our protection. AzhvAr reminds us in

this pASuram that these gods have indeed the power of offering the

protection in their respective areas, but it is only because bhagavAn

has given them these powers, and they are able to perform these

functions only because He is their antaryAmi. In other words, all

these gods are also bhagavad-adhInam – in other words, they and their

powers do not exist without Him, which is another guNa that supports

the guNa of paratvam. `avar avar vidi vazhi aDaiya, ninRanarE" -

BhagavAn stands as the Supreme One who bestows the powers to these

gods (such as indra, rudra, brahmA etc.)., based on their karma

phalans.

 

SrI ve'nkaTeSAcArya captures this idea in the following explanation

for svAmi deSikan's choice of sthiti (protection) as the guNa here:

emperumAn sakala devatAntara AtmatayA ArAdhyanAi sakala phala pradan

AgaiyAlE rakshaNamum tad- adhInam. SrImad tirukkuDanthai ANDavan

explains the idea conveyed as follows: antaryAmiyAna nArAyaNantAn

phalan koDukkiRAn enbadAl devarkaLAl Seyyap paDukiRa rakshaNamum

(kAppARRutalum) SrIman nArAyaNan tAn SeikiRAn - aham hi sarva

yaj~nAnAm bhoktA ca prabhureva ca.

 

The concept that the function of sthiti – protection, is assigned to

the gods by bhagavAn, is found in the following Slokam from the gItA:

 

devAn bhAvayatAnena te devA bhAvayantu vah |

parasparam bhAvayantah Sreyah param avApsyatha || (gItA 3.11)

 

"By this (by this sacrifice), you propitiate the gods who form My

Body and have Me as their self. Worshiped by sacrifices, may these

gods, who have Me as their Self, nourish you with food, drink etc.

Thus supporting each other, may you attain the highest good called

moksha".

 

The key concept relevant for us here is that bhagavAn has established

the gods such as varuNa, vAyu etc. to give us the necessities for our

living. Thus, in a sense they are performing the act of rakshaNam.

But this should not taken to mean that these gods are doing the

actual act of rakshaNatvam of us. It is He who is giving them this

power, based on their karma phalan and their rigorous worship of Him,

and they are purely subservient to Him – they are His adhInam – under

His control, subservient to Him.

 

BhagavAn is the Ultimate Enjoyer and Recipient of all our offers to

these gods:

 

aham hi sarva yaj~nAnAm bhoktA ca prabhureva ca | (gItA 9.24)

 

"I am the only Enjoyer and the only Lord of all sacrifices".

Bhagavad rAmAnuja explains that "I am the only Lord" here means that

He is the only One who bestows the benefits or the rewards everywhere.

 

§ pASuram 1.1.6 – pASuram starting with "ninRanar irundanar

kiDandanar": svAmi deSikan gives the guNa for this pASuram as `yatana

vaibhavAt" – BhagavAn is the One Who gives the power to the cetana-s

to indulge in any kind of activity or desist from any activity – all

their actions are bhagavad adhInam – under His total control. SrI

ve'nkaTeSAcArya explains yatana vaibhavam as "cetanAcetana samasta

vastu pravRtti nivRttikaLum tat-sa'nkalpa adhInam".

 

SrImad tirukkuDanthai ANDAvan explains the concept involved here by

pointing out that He is the antaryAmi in those whose actions include

standing, sitting, lying down, or walking. (ninRanar irundanar

kiDantanar tirindanar) This covers everything a cetana can do, and

these are examples of pravRtti. Those who desist from doing any of

these actions – ninRilar, irundilar, kiDantilar, tirintilar (nivRtti)

also have Him as their antaryAmi, and so He is responsible for their

inactions also. Works and the absence of works are all as He

ordains. SrImad ANDavan's words are: niRpadu, utkAruvadu, paDuppadu

mudaliya pravRttikaLaic ceikiravarkaLukkum avan antaryAmiyAga

irukkiRAn.

 

We will continue with pASuram 1.1.7 in the next posting.

 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan

 

(To be continued)