Guest guest Posted January 11, 2000 Report Share Posted January 11, 2000 !!! srIhi !!! !!! srI gurubhyO namaha !!! !!! srI parama gurubhyO namaha !!! !!! srImadAnanda tIrtha gurubhyO Namaha !!! !!! bimbakriyAyaiva kriyAvAn aham dAsajIvaha !!! Namaskaragalu! E mahImandaladoliha guru | shrI madAchAryara mathAnuga | rA mahA vaishnavara vishnu pAdAbja madhukarara || stOmakAnamipe avaravara | nAmagala nempElve bahuvidha | yAma yAmangalali bodhisalemage sanmathiya || [harikathAmrutasAra - Sandhi 32 - Padya 53] It is a indeed a long writeup on tAratamya and I request the readers/ sAdhakas to have a patient reading. tAratamya (Gradation of jIvAs) vichara : Its Importance ----- -------------- In dwaita siddhAnta, tAratamya is one of the most important tenets. I would like to present a small write up on this subject that I have collected from the book " harikathAmruta sAra tIkA - pancharatna prakA shikA " by antaranga sAdhakaru Sri Gorebala Hanumantharayaru. He has given an extensive writeup on tAratamya at the beginning of aparoxa tAratamya sandhi/kalpa sAdhana sandhi (Sandhi 24). I have collected some parts of it and added few of my thoughts and am trying to present it over here for the benefit of sAdhakAs. I would request sAdhakAs to pardon me for any mistakes. Pl. correct me wherever I am wrong. Introduction : As soon as we come across the word tAratamya, the tAratamya that we follow during bhajana strikes our mind. dAsa kaksha ..... -> Jagannatha Dasaru -> Gopala Dasaru -> Vijaya Dasaru -> Kanada Dasaru -> Vaikunta Dasaru -> Purandara Dasaru -> yati kaksha .......-> Vishnu Teertharu ->Satyabodha Teertharu -> Raghavendra Teertharu -> Vadiraja Teertharu -> Vyaasaraja Teertharu -> Teekacharyaru -> Akshobhya Teertharu -> Madhava Teertharu -> Narahari Teertharu -> Padmanabha Teertharu -> dEvatha kaksha Ganapati -> Parvati Deviyaru -> Garuda Sesha Rudraru -> Bhaarati Saraswathi -> Vaayu Brahmaru -> Sri Maha Lakshmi -> Sriman Naaraayana. As can be seen from the above categorization, the tAratamya, except for dEvatha kaksha, is broadly based on time and gruhasta & yati factors. A closer study of above categorization reveals that all the jNanIs in dAsa & yati kaksha are after 8th century AD., i.e. after Sri Madhwacharyaru. This would lead to a set of questions - Q) Whether dwaita siddhAnta was available before Sri Mahdwacharyaru ? A) Indeed, the siddhAnta propounded by Jagadguru Sri Madhwacharyaru is a universal truth. It is applicable to tri kAla, sarva dEsha & sarva varNa. Q) Were there not any sAdhakAs before Sri Madhwacharyaru who were following dwaita siddhAnta. A) Indeed, there were sAdhakAs who were following dwaita siddhAnta. Q) How were they doing tAratamya upAsana which forms the most important sAdhana ? A) I shall answer this question in more detail. tAratamya doesn't merely mean what we are following today during bhajana. It is much more than that. It is the hierarchy of souls. Great Masters have categorized it into two ways at a very higher level: Sri Jagannatha Dasaru in his magnam opus Srimad harikathAmrutarasAra says " dEvadaithyara tAratamyava ..... " All the sAtvik souls are grouped under dEvathas and rAjasik & tAmasik souls under daithyas. The classification of sAtvik souls is based on their sAdhana and many other factors as detailed in harikathAmrutasAra. Sri Jagannatha Dasaru has grouped sAtvik souls into 32 kakshas that also includes aksharaLu Sri Lakshmi Devi & Sarvottama Sriman nArAyaNa. A sAdhaka is supposed to understand this tAratamya, mukhya tatvAbhimAni dEvathas, amukhya tatvAbhimAni dEvathas, atAtvikAs, their existence in this brahmAda & likewise in this pindAnda, their gradations, their portfolios, their respective duties in brahmAnda as well as pindAnda and accordingly must & should worship them (their Indweller) with the same hierarchy. Let me present here an analogy : In loukika, lets consider any Governmental System. Chief-in Command : Prime Minister Next in Command : Deputy Prime Minister Next in Command : Cabinet Ministers (There again would be gradations) Next in Command : Ministers of State (There again would be gradations) Next in Command/ limited Command : Elected Representatives without any portfolios No Command : People who elected them " nahi drushtAnthe sarva sAmyam " -> An example is just to give an analogy, we must not relate it to the actual reality in all respects. In pAramArthika : Chief-in Command : Sriman nArAyaNa (Prime Minister) Next in Command : Sri lakshmi DEvi (Deputy PM) mukhya tatvAbhimAnis : All dEvathAs starting from 3rd kaksha to 18th kaksha (Cabinet Ministers) amukhya tatvAbhimAnis : All dEvathAs starting from 19th kaksha to 26th kaksha (Ministers of State) atAtvikaru : All dEvathAs starting from 27th kaksha to 29th kaksha (Elected Reps.) People : Souls in 30th, 31st & 32nd kaksha The important aspect to be noted in Sri Hari's administration is, He is the only svatantra tatva & rest all are asvatantraru. He is the Indweller of ksharAkshara. " tEna vinA truNamapi nachalathi " . He is Omnipresent, All Pervasive & Omnipotent. All dEvathAs should be given their due respect (adhishtana must be given due importance) with the above knowledge active all the time. Lets visit some quotes : Lord Sri Krishna in garuda purANa - brahma kAnda - adhyAya 36 says, durlabham taratamam jnAnam vaishNavAnAm kalau khaga | dwishadguNa vApi chaturvEda yutOpi cha || 73 || [ In Kaliyuga, tAratamya jnAna (knowledge of hierarchy) is durlabham even for a vaishnavite who is knowledgeable in 4 vedas & who is dwishadguna yuta ] tAratamya vihInAnAm vaishNavAnAmapi dwija | vEdasya pathanAdwEndra vyarthamEva na samshayaha || 79 || [ Reading vedas would be mere waste if a vaishnava is not knowledgeable in tAratamya. There is no doubt about it ] || idam tAratamya jnAnam durlabham vai kalau nruNAm || SrimadAcharyaru in chhAndogya bhAshya - adhyAya 7 nAmAdi mArutAntEshu dEvEshwEbhyashcha bhEdataha | upAsitO harirmuktim dadyAnnAsyatra samshayaha || [sri Hari, the Indweller, is abhinna in all dEvathAs starting from nAmAbhimAnini ushAdEvi to Sri mukhyaprAna dEvaru. With such upAsana, Sri Hari would release the upAsaka from bondage. There is no doubt about it. SrimadAcharyaru has indicated in prasthAnatraya that tAratamya upAsana is the most important sAdhana. Sri Raghavendra Teertharu in chhAndogya upanishat khandArtha tAratamya jnAnapUrvam tadantargatatvEnOpAsitO harirmOkshAdi sarvapumarthaprada ityatO dEvAnAm tAratamyamAha || Sri Hari would bestow His Grace, mOksha, to those who would worship (upAsana) Him as the Indweller of all jIvAs. Sri Mantralaya prabhugalu says, mere knowledge of antaryAmitva would not be sufficient, it must be clubbed with tAratamya jnAna. Sri Purandara Dasaru in one of his Devaranama madhwamatada siddhAntada paddhati bidabyAdi bidabyAdi || p || harisarvottama houdembo jnAnava tAratamya dinda tiLisO margava || [ Do not leave the path that shows the truth, that Sri Hari is Sarvottama supported with the knowledge of tAratamya ] Sri Bhrigvamsha sambhuta Sri Vijaya Dasaru has stressed upon the importance of tAratamya jnAna in his upAsanA bhAga suLAdIs. upAsanA bhAga suLAdigalu suLAdi 12 : mAnasa pOje mAdu dhyAna pUrvakadinda tALa : mattatALa tatva tAratamya tAtparyava tiLidu | [ Note this line ] satvaguNadalli satya nadedu | nityavadhika jnAna bhakti vairAgyada | uttamOttamanAgi uttarOttaradalli | chittada madhyadalli chittaja pitananna | stOtranesagutta Atma nirmaLanAgu | sAtvika daivave vijaya vittala sa | rvOttamanendu sArutta santatadalli | [ The first line emphasizes on the knowledge of tatvAs, tatvEshAs, their gradations & their Indweller Sri Vijaya Vittala ] suLAdi 4 : archisu manave nitya anAdi mUrutiya | nicchaLa nAgi nihsangadalli | accha bhakutiyalli panchabheda jnAna | [ Emphasis on Pancha Bheda ] bommAdyara tAratamya tiLidu sacchidAnandAtmaka guNagaLinda | [ Emphasis on tAratamya ] suLadi 28 : hariya archane mAdu harushadindali manave tALa : attatALa padOpadige ninna hrudayadoLage dhyAna mudadinda mAdOdu | padumanAbhana vyApti akhandadali untu | adara taruvAya siri aja bhava indra | madanavididu shanaishchara vyApti tiLidu ni | llade ivara pUje AvAva bageyinda | udayAstamAna pariyanta rachisalu | ide ide tatvEshara vyApti pariyanta | sadamala vAgi muttuvadendu dhyAnise | padavige sOpAna vEgadindAgOdu | chaduramUruthi namma vijaya vittalarEya | idanenedare kaikondu sarvarigEva | [ Pl. note the 2nd, 3rd & 4th line in the above suLAdi ] Sri Jagannatha Dasaru presents the cream on tAratamya as propounded by dwaita siddhAnta pravarthakAs in his magnum opous Srimad harikathAmrutasAra. He has dedicated 8 Sandhis to bring out the importance of tAratamya, viz. a) guNatAratamya sandhi b) bruhattAratamya sandhi c) aparokshatAratamya sandhi d) ArohaNatAratamya sandhi e) avarOhaNatAratamya sadhi f) aNutAratamya sandhi g) daithyatAratamya sandhi h) kakshAtAratamya sandhi guNatAratamya sandhi -------------------- dEvadaithyara tAratamyavu | pAvamAnimathanugarigidu | kEvalAvashyakavu tiLivudu sarvakAladali || dAvashikhi pApAtavige nava | nAveyenipudu bhavasamudrake | pAvatige vaikuntalOkakidendu karesuvudu || 22 || [ Dasaru says, the knowledge & upAsana of dEvatha & daithya tAratamya is most essential (kEvalAvashyakavu) for the followers of Sriman Madhwacharyaru. Its like fire to a forest of sin, a new boat to cross sansArAkhya ocean & steps to vaikunta loka ] Dasaru expresses the same view in the following Padya also. ArOhaNa tAratamya sandhi ------------------------ praNatakAmadananghri sandaru | shanadapEkshegaLuLLavage ni | chchaNike yanipudu jada modalu brahmAnda taratamavu | manavacAnadim smarisuvara bhava | vanadhi sOshisi pOguvudu kA | raNavenisuvudu jnAna bhakti virakti sampadake || 17 || aNutAratamya sandhi ------------------- dEvadaithyara tAratamyava | nI vidhadi tiLidellaroLu la | kshmIvarane sarvottamanu endaridu nityadali | sEvisuva bhaktarigolidu sukha | vIva sarvatradali sukhamaya | srI virinchyAdyamaranutha jagannatha vittalanu || 16 || I shall post the tAratamya vichara which is categorized into 32 kakshas in my next posting. Some achAryAs have categorized Sri Hari, Sri Lakshmi Devi & all mukti yogya brahmAditruNAnta jIvAs into more kakshas. We shall not get into all those details and discussions as Sri Jagannatha Dasaru himself has gifted a gadya indicating 32 kakshAs for the benefit of sAdhakAs. I shall also post that sometime later. I request VMS/CMS committe members to give due importance to tAratamya on their respective websites. I request them to come up with a separate page which is dedicated to tAratamya and related write up listing down the importance of tAratamya. I can send the xerox copies of the material that I have, so that a better write up could be posted on the net for the benefit of sAdhakAs. Most of the sAdhakAs are not aware of tAratamya which forms the preliminary requirement of sAdhana. For sAdhana to speeden up, we must have the anugraha of all sOttamaru. Hence this humble request. Pl. pardon me for any mistakes and as I already requested, pl. let me know of any corrections. In the seva of Sri Jagannatha Vittala & His dAsAs Prasanna Krishna ____ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.