vishnusahasranama

November 14, 2008

Some one asked me about the vyuha forms of the Lord. I am reproducing the ame from my previous pstings on the Philosophy of Ramanuja

The five forms of Brahman

God seeks the individual soul more than the latter seeks God. Ascent of self is assisted by the descent of God. As a result , the five forms of Brahman or Narayana prove the divine mercy of the Lord.

The five forms are, para, vyuha, vibhava, antharyamin and archa.

1. paravAsudheva- The Supreme absolute reality immutable that is Brahman is known as paravasudheva for the sake of meditation.

2. vyuha- The six attributes of Bhagavan, namely the three .jnanaaisvarya and shakthi which are transcendental and the three , bala, virya and thejas are in the plane of activity. These six pair and form three vyuha forms, SankarshaNa (jnana and bala), Prdhyumna, (aisvarya and virya), and Aniruddha (shakthi and thejas). Vasudheva is the one in whom all the six attributes are present in full manifestation while in the others only two are manifest and the others are unmanifest. The Vyuha modes are for the purpose of creation, maintenance and d destruction

3. Vibhava- These are the incarnations of the Lord main of them being the ten wellknown avataras.

4. Antharyamin- The indwelling self within all beings who can only be intuited through yoga.

5. Archa- The idol form consecrated with manthra for facilitating easy worship.

All the above forms are the expressions of the infinite mercy. Of these paravasudeva is inaccessible like the avaranajala, cosmic waters as He is in vaikunta in that state, the vyuhas are like the milky ocean which can be made accessible through inspired meditation, as He has been seen by the devotees like akrura and sages like visvamithra. The vibhavas or incarnation are like monsoon floods as they happen once in a while whereas the archavatharas, the idols worshipped in temples and other places are like reservoirs of water always available. Antharyami state of bhagavan is like water in the earth, ever existing but invisible found only through proper digging.

Brahman who transcends the form and matter, who is without parts and gunas ( meaning the three gunas of prakrthi) embodies Himself as these forms out of mercy and to redeem the individual self. Brahman of visishtadvaita is the sath of the Upanishads, one only without a second who transforms Himself as Vasudheva. This transition is necessitated by the divine nature of dhaya or mercy, Brahman expresses Himself with twofold spititual form as Narayana and Lakshmi.. The two are inseparable in principle though functionally distinct.