Narayaneeyam Part 7

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Note: Please read the Introduction

if you have not already read it)

 

Namaste.

 

Sloka No. 19 (Ref. nArAyaNIyaM : 98 - 5):

shabda-brahmeti karmety-aNuriti bhagavan kAla ityAlapanti

tvAmekaM vishvahetuM sakala-mayatayA sarvathA kalpyamAnaM /

vedAntair-yattu gItaM puruSha-para-cidAtmAbhidhaM tattu tattvaM

prekshA-mAtreNa mUla-prakR^iti-vikR^iti-kR^it kR^iShNa tasmai

namaste //

 

Tr. Oh Lord! Being the One that has become the many and

therefore conceivable in any form, You, the Cause of all the

universe, are being identified by different names, such as, the

Primeval Sound, Karma, Atom, Time, and Atman. Oh Krishna,

salutations to that Supreme Truth also described in the Vedantic

scriptures as Purusha (Indwelling Spirit), Para (Supreme Being),

Pure Consciousness and so on, who by a mere glance have set the

mUla-prakR^iti in motion to diversify itself into its various

evolutes that form the manifested universe.

 

Comment. The Transcendence and Immanence of the Absolute, are

the two foundational concepts on which the entire Vedanta rests

secure. Without this philosophical understanding given to us by

the Upanishads, as capsuled here by Bhattatiri, in beautiful

poetry, a devotional attitude may degenerate into a narrow cult

and fanaticism. An intellectual understanding of the Upanishadic

doctrine of the Absolute Brahman with a concurrent

identification with that Absolute of one's Personal God,

worshipped and loved, is what saves one from a limited

understanding to which some devotees succumb, when they try to

rationalize their devotion to their Personal God. However,

thanks to the Hindu tradition, even the ordinary man has, in

spite of his illiteracy, the necessary trace of this

philosophical understanding passed on to him through osmosis by

the very atmosphere in which he lives.

Note the words 'prekshA-mAtreNa' (by a mere glance) in the

fourth quarter. The cosmic process of manifestation into a

multiplicity from the 'original' single entity may cause a

certain amount of confusion in our 'rational' thinking. Because

it is difficult to coordinate this idea of creation, which has

obviously a built-in duality in it, with the concept of

non-duality of the Self irrespective of the so-called space,

time, and causation – or, using Sadaji's (post #15255) pregnant

phrase, 'in spite of duality'. There are several passages in the

Upanishads which inspire Sankara to pour forth his thoughts on

this subject in his commentaries. Let us quote one such

passage, from his bhAshya on Aitareya Upanishad, where he meets

the objection: Did the Self cease to be one? Why is the past

tense used, in stories of creation, where it is said: 'In the

beginning this was but the absolute Self alone … It thought (sa

IkShata) …'.

" Though even now that very same single entity (the Self)

endures, still there is some distinction. The distinction is

this: The universe in which the differences of name and form

were not manifest before creation, which was then one with the

Self and which was denotable by the single word and idea 'Self'

has now become denotable by many words and concepts as well as

by the single word and concept 'Self', because of its

diversification through the multiplicity of names and forms.

Foam is denoted by the single word and concept 'water', before

the manifestation of names and forms distinct from water; but

when that foam becomes manifested (as an entity) distinct from

water, owing to the difference of name and form, then the very

same foam becomes denotable by many words and concepts, viz.,

foam and water, as well as by only one word and one concept,

viz., water. The same is the case here " .

 

Sloka No. 20 (Ref. nArAyaNIyaM : 1 - 3):

 

sattvaM yat-tat-parAbhyAm-aparikalanato nirmalaM tena tAvat

bhUtair-bhUtendriyais-te vapuriti bahushaH shrUyate vyAsa-vAkyaM

/

tat

svacchatvAd-yad-acchAdita-parasukha-cid-garbha-nirbhAsa-rUpaM

tasmin dhanyA ramante shruti-mati-madhure sugrahe vigrahe te //

 

Tr. Sage Vyasa has repeatedly declared that Thy form along with

its accessories is constituted of pure sattva, without any

admixture of the others (rajas and tamas). Because of this

absolute purity, Thy form gives an unobstructed revelation of

its underlying essence of Consciousness-Bliss. Enlightened men

delight to contemplate on this, Thy Divine formful

manifestation, which is easy to grasp and which is all sweetness

to those who think or hear about it.

 

Comment. Here Bhattatiri probably differs from advaita regarding

the nature of the Ultimate Reality. Bhattatiri displays two

different minds in his rendering of nArAyaNIyaM. Sometimes he

talks as if he is an advaitin to the core (as in our sloka

No.18). But some other times he talks, as in this sloka 20, as

if he is identifying Brahman with God, that is, Ishvara. In

other words, the saguNa Brahman (Brahman with attributes) is the

Absolute Brahman, for him in this and many other slokas of his.

Since the advaita view anyway is that saguNa Brahman is a means

to the ultimate goal of nirguNa Brahman (attributeless Brahman),

this sloka fits into our selection for contemplative practice.

 

Sloka No. 21 (Ref. nArAyaNIyaM : 1 - 5):

 

nirvyAporo'pi niShkAraNam-aja bhajase yat-kriyAm-IkShaNAkhyAM

tenaivodeti lInA prakR^itir-asatikalpA'pi kalpA''di-kAle /

tasyaH samshuddham-amshaM kamapi tam-atirodhAyakaM sattva-rUpaM

sa tvaM dhR^itvA dadhAsi sva-mahima-vibhavAkunTha vaikunTha

rUpaM //

 

Tr. Oh Birthless One! Even Though You are without any activity

by nature, You do activate spontaneously by just a glance, the

prakR^iti, at the beginning of every new cycle of creation – the

prakR^iti that is latently abiding in You, without anyway

affecting You, as if it were a non-existent entity. Oh Lord of

VaikunTha, assuming the pure sattva aspect of the PrakR^iti,

which because of its purity does not in the least hide your

glories and majesties, You have manifested Yourself as this

divine form.

 

Comment. Pure sattva is used in contrast to material sattva,

which along with rajas and tamas becomes the source of all

matter creation. Pure sattva, according to Vaishnava philosophy,

is self-luminous, of the nature of cit (intelligence) and Ananda

(bliss). The Divine Form is constituted of this pure sattva.

This fact is agreed to by advaita philosophy also. But the

Vaishnava philosophy holds that it is in fact identical with the

Absolute. In advaita philosophy, the Absolute transcends the

three guNas. This is a substantial difference between the

non-dualist philosophy and the qualified-non-dualist philosophy.

 

 

(To be continued)

=====

Prof. V. Krishnamurthy

My website on Science and Spirituality is

http://www.geocities.com/profvk/

You can access my book on Gems from the Ocean of Hindu Thought

Vision and

Practice, and my father R. Visvanatha Sastri's manuscripts from the

site.

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--

Krishna Prasad

 

.. Yad yad aacarati sreshtah, tad tad eva itaro janah. As the Gita puts it,

consistency of purpose and a spirit of dedication and, if necessary,

sacrifice, should characterize the new spirit.

We Must

THE CULTURED GIVES HAPPINESS WHEREVER THEY GO, THE UN-CULTURED WHENEVER THEY

GO!

- Swami Chinmayanada