virodhaparihara

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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.