Virodhaparihara: Part II by DR.Saroja Ramanujam : 108th e-book in the Sundara Simahm series

October 30, 2006

VirOdhaparihAra

This work of Desika is for the sake of the aspirant who wishes to clarify the doubts regarding the real purport of the three Rahasyas, namely, Moolamanthra, dvayamanthra and the charamasloka.

The three principles of visishtadvaita, thathva, hitha and purushartha are the essential requisites for an aspirant of knowledge that lead him to salvation.

1.Thathva -is the knowledge of the three reals, namely, jeeva, the sentient, jagath, the insentient and Isvara, Narayana, the Brahman of Visishtadvaita.

2.Hitha-the means of realisation, that is, bhakthi and prapatthi.

3.PurushArtha- the goal to be attained , moksha.

To the one who strives to understand the above through the means of knowledge, perception, inference and scritural testimony, there is bound to be certain doubts due to the profoundness of the subject and the limitation of the human intellect. Unless these doubts are cleared the knowledge will not arise and the one without knowledge is like an animal says Desika, 'mumukshooNAm avasyajnAthavyEshu arTHEshu pratheeyamAnAnAm virODHANAm aprasamanE "jnAnEna heenah pasubhissamAnah"ithyavasTHA bhavEth.'

Desika further says that when it appears to an uninitiated student that there are contrdictions in the scriptural statements it has to be clarified because if, only those which agree with one's own view point is accepted by rejecting others, it will land us in advaita and accepting both kinds of texts will result in bhedhabhedha philosophy while rejecting them because they seem to be self contradictory, is tantamount to accepting the views of those outside the pale of the vedas like buddhists and the like. So the Acharyas proceed to clarify the doubts that may arise in the mind of the aspirants and first the Moolamanthra is taken up for discussion.

Desika says the ashtakshara manthra is sArathamam, the essence of vedas with their angas,

'thrayO vEdhAh shadangAni cchandhAmsi viviDhAh svarAh;, sarvam ashtAntharAnthasTHam yaschAnyAdhapi vAngmayaam,'(Naradheeya kalpa-1-9), and therefore the doubts that may arise regarding the moolamanthra are only like a piece of grass that is found in drinking water which can be easily discarded before drinking .

MoolmanthrADHikAram

1. anAdhikAlAnuvrttha samsAra duhkhasahithAn kshEthrajnAn sarvajnathvAdhi guNasambhavEapi anuddharan Isvarah sarvarakshakah ithi vyavahArah kaTham ghatathE?

When the Lord is not redeeming the jivas who suffer in the samsara inspite of their real nature being all knowledge etc. how can He be called sarvarakshaka,protector of all?

The answer is given by Desika:

svaroopasya svabhAvasya niyamEnaiva rakshaNATH anishtavAraNAdhEscha yOGythvAth nithyrakshakah.

He is indeed sarvarakshaka , protector of all, because of His protection of the essential nature of all souls by rule and His removal of the suffering as far as the individual soul deserves.

There are two kinds of protection by the Lord.

(i).sarvavishayasatthAdhirakshaNaroopamEkam nithyarakshakathvam.

The protection of the very existence,satthA, the essential nature of the individual self. Just because He extends His protection to the essential nature and existence the released to soul is able to regain its natural state on attaining moksha.

(ii) samsArivishayE api anishtanivAraNAdhi rupam kAdhachitkam.

The protection from suffering of the jiva in the state of samsara only when asked for. In fact the jivas are experiencing duhkha due to their karma and making them exhaust their karma by experiencing it, is also a kind of protection and when the jiva approaches Him with bhakthi or prapatthi the Lord will redeem the jiva through His grace. Thus His protection from suffering is yathkinchithvyAjasApEksham, depends on the effort on the part of the jiva.So in all ways He is the sarvarakshaka.

2.paragatha-athisaya-ADHAna icchayA-upAdhEyathvam Eva yasya svarupam sa seshah, parah seshee ithi sribhAshyakArAh niraNaishuh;thaTHA cha sathi bhagavathah svathassiddhAthisayathvatm kaTHam upapadhyathE?

The Lord has been denoted as seshee and everything else both permanent and impermanent as sesha to Him, by Sri Ramanuja.This means that the sentient and insentient beings are dependent on Him and exist for His use and enjoyment and controlled by Him.So if all beings exist for His use and enjoyment, how can He be called svathssiddhAthisaya, one who possesses wonderful and natural glory, not relying on anything else to add to His eminence, is the question.

Desika gives the answer to this as

svathO athisayithasyApi jnANAdhyaih nikhilaih guNaih

yuktham guNa vibhoothyAdhEh api sarvAthisAyitha.

When one who has natural beauty wears ornaments it not only enhances the beauty but even the ornaments are made beautiful by his wearing them. The Lord who is naturally endowed with jnAna, Anandha etc., His seshithva, AdhEyathva and other qualities in connection with the universe, which is His sesha, only enhances His glory is like that of a gem whch is invaluable, is enhanced by its lustre, while its value is natural to it and not due to its lustre. 'svayAdheepthyA ratnam bhavadhapi mahArgham na viguNam na kunTasvAthanthryam bhavathi cha na cha anyAhithaguNam'(sri guNa.31) Moreover the sentient and the insentient, permanent or impermanent, form part of the glory of the Lord by the very reason that they owe their existence to Him.

3.Nanu Ekasyaive sarvaseshithvam sasthrathah prathipAdhyathE;aTHah kaTHam ubhayAdhishTAnathvAm Ekam seshithvam ithi?

The sasthra declares that the Lord is the seshi to everything other than Himself. If so, how can the divine couple, the Lord and Sri are ascribed seshithvam together?

visvam prathi thu seshithvam mAthA pithrOriva dvayOh

pathnyAscha pathiseshathvAth sarvaseshee parah pumAn

Desika points out that even in the wordly sense all the possessions like house etc are sesha, or property of both father and mother of the family and because the wife is the sesha of the husband the Lord is said to be sarvaseshi.' athO bhagavathah sarvaseshithva vyavasTHApanAth lakshmyAscha bhagavathvyathiriktha sarvaseshithvavyavastTHApanAth cha na upaplavAvakAsah.That is, the Lord is the sarvaseshi and Lakshmi is the seshi of all except the Lord and hence there is no contradiction to say that Ekaseshithvam belongs to both of them together.

4. Ittham sarvEsvarasya svAbhAvikE sarvasEshithvE 'parijana-paribarhA-bhooshNAnyAyuDHAni' ithyAdhyuktha prkArENA tasyApyAsritha seshathva-kaTHanam kaTHamiva upapadhyathE?

In VaradarAjasthava it is said that the Lord along with His weapons, ornaments auspicious qualities etc. becomes the sesha of His devotees.The doubt is raised as to how can He become a sesha to His devotees while He is the sarvaseshi.

The answer to this is given as follows.

satthAdhibhirupAdhAnAth svArTHam chidhachidhOrapi

seshithvam seshabhAvasthu guNAdhEva upapadhyahE

The upanishads say that the Lord creates sustains and controls the sentient and the insentient for His own use and hence the seshithva of the Lord. But the seshathva towards His devotees is due to His looking after them without expecting anything in return.So both seshithva and seshathva apply to Him and the seshathva is not due to dependence but because of the attraction by the gunas of the devotees.This was the reason He became ready to do the bidding of Visvamitha in RamAvathAra and that of Yudhishtira in KrishnAvathAra.This is not in any way undermines His seshithva.

5.jeevasya bhagavanthamprathi sEshathvasya svabhAva siddhathayA nithyathvE 'niranjanah paramam sAmym upaithi,' ithi mukthAvasthAyAm paramsAmyavachanam pralObhanamAthram syAth; athah yAvan mokshameva seshathvam ithi vAdhah parigrAhyhah.

As the seshithva of the jiva to the Lord is said to be natural and eternal, the statement of the upanishad that the jiva attains paramam sAmyam , equal status with the Lord in released state cannot be true. Hence the seshathva is to be ascribed to the jiva only till he attains moksha.

Desika refutes this saying

bhOgamAthrasamAnathvAth jagathvyApAravarjanAth

EkadhEsEna sAmyam syAth suvarNa silayOriva.

In Brahmasuthra we have the statement 'jagathvyApAravarjam prakaraNAth asannihithathvAth cha, (BS.4-4-17), The released soul does not have any part in the functions like creation etc. which are exclusively belong to the Lord.This has been declared by the sruthi.' Hence the equality, sAmya is only in respect of knowledge and bliss. The brahmasuthra also says,'bhOgamAthrasAmyalingAccha,there is equality in enjoyment only.' Therefore the seshathva continues even in apavarga, release.Desika says that the equality is as in the case of gold and stone when weighed as equal, that is only in form and not in any other qualities. 'thoolAdhrtha-suvarNa-vyApAra-nyAyEna EkEnApyAkArEna paramasAmyam aparENa cha AkArENA vaiDharmyam,' equality is in one respect and difference in another.

6. Evam seshatvasya nithyathvE thaththulya nyaya siddhasya pArathanthrasyApi mukthAvasthAyAm anuvarthamAnathvAth 'sa svarAt bhavathi' ithyAdhi sruthisiddham svAthanthryam kaThamiva anuvarthathE?

If the seshathva is eternal then the dependence also being continued in the state of release, how can the statement of the sruthi ' he becomes his own sovereign 'will be applicable to the jiva?

The reply is given as

sruthisidhasya jeevasya pARathanthryavyavasThayA

svAthanthryam apavargE thu kainkaryAthmasu karmasu.

The jiva who stands in relation of AdhEya,viDHEya and sEsha,with the Lord, that is, being supported by , controlled by and belonging to Him, has independence in the state of release which is in respect of service to the Lord.

The relationship between the jiva and the lord is one of sarira-sariribhAva, that of body and soul. Hence as the body is always dependent on the soul there is no absolute independence but he has the freedom in the setrvice of the Lord like the one belongng to the retinue of the king and subject to the will of the Lord, he is free to move about and discharge his duties as ordained by the Lord. The freedom consists in being free from the shackles of karma.

May god bless you,

Dr. Saroja Ramanujam, M.A., Ph.D, Siromani in sanskrit.

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