Chaturmasya jnAnArjane saraNi - Madhwa Vijaya (a Gist in English) by Eminent scholars - Sarga 16 Part 1 of 2

October 28, 2009

|| Sri Rama Krishna VedavyAsAya namaha ||

|| Sri Hanuma Bheema Madhwa MunibhyO namaha ||

namaste all,

Please find a brief on sarga #16, 1st Part today.

You can refer to previous sargas at:

Sarga 15/1 - MadhwaYuvaParishat/message/12350

Sarga 15/2 - MadhwaYuvaParishat/message/12350

Sarga 15/3 - MadhwaYuvaParishat/message/12434

|| shrI hari vAyu gurubhyO namaH ||

Madhwa Vijaya (a Gist in English) by sixteen Eminent scholars

Sarga 16, Part 1 by Sri C.K. Vasantharama Rao

DVAITA & OTHER SYSTEMS: A GENERAL STUDY

Book edited by Srimushnam V Nagaraja Rao

THE GLORY OF SRI MADHVA, THE VISVA GURU

A number of events connected with Sri Madhva indicate that he was an Anaadi Nitya Siddha Purusha & that his actions were significantly purposeful. For an Ekanta Bhakta like him, no PurushArtha would be greater than the Supreme Lord Narayana (artho nArAyaNo devaH sarvemanyat.h tadarthakaM). Being the recipient of His full grace, there was nothing impossible for Sri Madhva to perform or to obtain.

In Krishnaamrutha Maharnava, we see a quotation which is to the point: -

ArAdhyaiva naro viShNuM manasA yadyadichChati |

phalaM prApnoti vipulaM bhUri svalpamathApi vA || 56 ||

nArAyaNeti mantrosti vAgasti vashavartinI || 64 ||

vedeShu yaj~neShu tapassu chaiva dAneShu tIrtheShu vrateShu yaccha ||

iShTeShu pUrteShu cha yatpradiShTaM puNyaM smR^ite tatkhalu vAsudeve |

kR^iShNAmR^ita mahArNavaH)

With supreme felicity, Sri Narayana Panditacharya describes the Siddhis of Sri Madhva, as told by one of his learned disciples. The Siddhis are of two kinds viz., bAhyasiddhi, AMtara siddhis). Some of the Baahya (outwardly visible) Siddhis are described here. Antara (inward) Siddhis are secret & are not to be given to all & sundry who cannot wield them properly. We were told in the previous Sarga as to how Sri Madhva gave several secrets to Sri Vishnu Teertha as to how Sri Madhva gave several secrets to Sri Vishnu Theertha (shloka 15-97). The expressions of Siddhis have a firm psychological hold on most people. Even in these days of professed rational thinking & materialism, several people being fascinated, approach persons with Yogic powers, mostly to get relief from their earthly difficulties & only sometimes to

get spiritual guidance.

COMPETENCY FOR VEDIC STUDY

Once a learned Sishya of Sri Madhva narrated to the pious audience, the wonderful powers of the Acharya & of his deep insight & mastery of the Upanishads, the essence of which, if properly understood & practiced, gave one release from the bondage of Samsara. Verse-1

Having heard this, a chieftain of garrulous tongue living close to the banks of the river Gomati, who had scant respect for the Vedas, came to the Acharya with the intention of testing him to a discomfiture. Verse-2

He questioned the Acharya who was charmingly fair & shining like the beautiful moon (and gifted with divine knowledge & a serene & pleasant disposition). He seems to have said â€“ â€œ the Vedas have no validity & could not produce any merit that is attributed to them; would thou behold, the seed in my hand does not blossom nor bear fruit even though I chant the prescribed Vedic Mantra â€œyA auShadhIH pUrvAjAtA devebhyaHâ€. Verily therefore, the Sruthi is futile & falseâ€. Verse-3

To this Sri Madhva replied, - â€œMerit there is , for the Vedic utterance, if made by a competent personâ€. These words were full of implication & touched the pride of the chieftain who retorted sharply â€“ â€œIf that be so, there is no Adhikari (competent person) for it is like finding thehorn of the mule; and even if there be any (referring to himself), the fruit of his chanting is not seenâ€. Verse-4

The arrogance & Stubbornness of the chieftain are deftly brought out by the poet with carefully chosen words (khara-viShANa) in place of shasha viShANa). The chieftain does not concede that he was not qualified for Veda Vidya. Nor was he ignorant as he would quote the Vedic Mantra (verse-4) . The implication is thus clear that adhikAritA (fitness for Veda adhyayana) cannot be self imposed or got by merely reading the Vedas to oneself. Verily, Vedadhikaritaa arises out of selective initiation by the Guru to one taking a Deeksha & given to a Dvija who has gone through a course of purificatory rites enjoined in the Dharma Shastras. Elsewhere it is said as follows:

strI shUdra brahabadhUnAM trayI na shrutigocharA |

This means that the said three class of persons are not qualified for Veda-Vidya but they could have all the desired knowledge through the other texts like Itihasa & Puranas which interpret the Vedas in a form fit for easy comprehension. The chieftain obviously belonged to one of the said groups.

Sri Madhva who proclaimed all his life à¤¸à¤¤à¥à¤¯à¤‚ à¤¸à¤¤à¥à¤¯à¤‚ à¤ªà¥à¤¨à¤ƒ à¤¸à¤¤à¥à¤¯à¤®à¥à¤¦à¥à¤§à¥ƒà¤¤à¥à¤¯ à¤à¥à¤œà¤®à¥à¤šà¥à¤¯à¤¤à¥‡à¥¤ à¤µà¥‡à¤¦à¤¶à¤¾à¤¸à¥à¤¤à¥à¤°à¤¾à¤¤à¥à¤ªà¤°à¤‚à¤¨à¤¾à¤¸à¥à¤¤à¤¿ à¤¨ à¤¦à¥ˆà¤µà¤‚ à¤•à¥‡à¤¶à¤µà¤¤à¥à¤ªà¤°à¤‚ (satyaM satyaM punaH satyamuddhR^itya bhujamuchyate | vedashAstrAtparaMnAsti na daivaM keshavatparaM") could not let go easily a cheap &

sinister taunt from a person in authority who should be a defender from a person in authority who should be a defender of Dharma (discipline, etc..) but in fact was behaving like an atheist. It is not so much as to silence the chieftain that Sri Madhva took up the cudgel but more in the larger interest of discipline & to reassure his devotees & people around, of the absolute truth of the Vedas. Surely, Sri Madhva knew that if he not rise to the occasion which demanded attention, people would have been perturbed under the corrupting influence of the atheist. They duty of the Guru indeed was to dispel doubts at the appropriate moment & enlighten the ignorant. He therefore took the same seed & chanted the same mantras & to the surprise of the chieftain & all, the seed sprouted, blossomed & bore fruit (verse 5)

AxepaM tamasaha mAna ucchamAnaH sadyo.asau nijakara pallavadvayena |

AdAya vyatanuta bIja moShadhInAM sUktenAMkuradala puShpa bIja sR^iShTim.h || 5 ||

He was indeed a true Adhikara (niyata veda vidyA adhikAri) and an Anaadi Nitya Siddha Purusha having vAkshuddhi.

THE MIRACULOUS LIGHT AND STRENGTH

Next, the poet mention another instance of supernatural powers of Sri Madhva. It is said that once the Guru lit the hall during dusk, by the light emanating from the toe of his foot & continued discussions for the sake of his disciples. It is known that the Devataas having shining bodies.

Sri Madhva, being the Devataa- Purusha of thehighest order, could easily radiate or withdraw light, which is the essence of his inner self. Sri Narayana Panditacharya in fact seems to suggest that Sri Madhva had the powers of Prakaashana & Aa-ch-chhaa-dana (prakAshana & AchChadana). Such experiences of magnificent powers of a Guru are made known to the closest of followers. Perhaps these are necessary for the disciples to get more & more attached to the Guru whom they have approached discarding all the precious material possessions & allurements in life, only for the sake of deriving the spiritual enlightenment. The idea is that enlightenment is a gift coming out of grace which a sishya should strive for, by selfless seva to the Guru. It is said that the

grace of Guru paves the way for the grace of the Lord (mukunvabhaktyai gurubhaktijAyai). Thus, the words shiShyAn.h svAn.h & purukaruNAMbudhiH suggest full meanings to the actions of the Acharya (verse 6 ).

Sri Madhva possessed super human strength. The poet narrates a scene on the bank of a river where Sri Madhva exhibited extraordinary strength & yogic powers. It is said that the revered Acharya went to open a bathing ghat on the banks of river Tunga Bhadra. Such functions were common even in those days. There he pointed to a huge rock far too heavy for a thousand men to carry & said, - â€œWhy is this stone not removed elsewhere? It is spurting water furiously & causing inconvenience to peopleâ€. Men assembled there said to him, â€œOh Sire: we do not find any person to do that: perhaps if the powerful Bheema was here he may or may not have done thatâ€. Hearing these words, the Acharya in a spirit of compassion, carried the rock as easily

Sanjeevana Parvata in the service of the Lord & placed it at the desired spot (verse 7-9).

ninye tAM girimiva vAnarI kR^itAtmA lIlAvat.h karakamalena so.amalena |

tatrApi nyadhita tayAsya sUchyate.alaM tat.h tu~NgAM nanu nikaShAdhunApi karma || 9 ||

Sri Narayana Panditacharya by explicitly mentioning the woeds vAnarIkR^itAtmA & girimiva. In the verse suggests that Sri Madhva did this service to the all pervading Lord residing in the heart of the Bhakthas. Verily, service to the Bhathas vrinda is deemed a service to the Lord of the Bhathas. adhunApi Even today the people of Khanda Kalasa remember Sri Madhva for his feat of strength, so beneficially utilized (verse 9).

SRI MADHVA ON THE SEA SHORE

We are next taken to a scene on the seashore. The glory of Sri Madhva is put in high contrast by the superb poetic touch comparing him with the sea.

Sri Madhva on a day of Solar eclipse (falling on a new Moon day) moved in a colorful possession through the street & approached the sea for a bath is enjoined before & after an eclipse & the intervening period is to be spent in meditation & offering Tarpana to the departed souls & so on as is said in the Dharma Shastras for persons in the different stages of life. The people of Ekavatagrama (a village with one road) both young & old, after a holy bath in Gokarna Theertha named after the wife of the great Kanva Rishi, closed up on the seashore with dripping clothes & in the piercing rays of the sun (verse 11). They rejoiced with pleasure & pleasing looks & with eyes wide open in astonishment, to see Sri Madhva, the Poorna Pragnya Acharya who had already

come there with his disciples (verse 12).

sarvaj~na saparijanaM samIxamANAH phullAxAH smitavadanAH shubhA nananduH || 12 ||

Others of shady nature & bearing evil intention, were also assembled there. The poet pathetically says â€“ â€œIndeed their intrinsic learning seemed to separate them even though assembled in one place. Even nature personified placated them easily. Here the poet touches the high points of his artistic description stating that the Sea, the lord of the inflowing rivers looked highly agitated by rough waves with roaring sound as if warning with lifted hands telling the bad characters not to misbehave with the Acharya (verse 13)

In contrast, the sea with great pleasure & with waves rising approached Sri Madhva submissively in fine ripples & washed his feet in praise with deep refreshing sound & with white foams of joy, like a person meeting his Guru after a long time by moving towards him respectfully with a pleasant face & words of praise & doing obeisance at his feet (verse 14).

madhvAya praNatimiva vyadhAt.h samudraH || 14 ||

The poet makes a beautiful comparison here between Sri Madhva & the ocean by an eloquent Vyatirekaalankara. Sri Madhva the ocean of knowledge embellished with precious gem like qualities of Bhakthi, Vairagya etcâ€¦ & pouring his heart with elegant & colorful expressions in praise of the Supreme Lord appeared to people sweeter than the taste of brackish water of the deep ocean, although pleasing to look at & shinning in various colors of red, blue, white like the precious gems (verse 15).

golIlA svatisha nAva gAdha bhAvAnnollaMdhyau vividha guNa prakAsa ratnau |

madhvAbdhI paramamateH priyaM janAnAM lAvaNyaM na tu jaladherayaM visheShaH || 15 ||

Sri Madhva thereafter making a seat on the open sea shore, which was swept clean by the swift hand like waves of the sea, began his magnificent, breath taking, illuminating & scholarly discourse for a long time on the Sukthas of the Upanishads of the Aithareya Shaakha. The deep sonorous voice of Sri Madhva silenced the deep sound of the sea. Nevertheless it was more pleasant to hear & the mass of people crowded around, looking at his beautiful & serene moonlike face, wondering as to who this great man was. Some persons, seeing Sri Madhva explaining in appropriate manner the essence of the Aitareya Upanishad became envious & called him a Veda Dooshaka (abuser of the Vedas). Hearing

this, the people who had assembled there, rebuked such persons & shouted saying Shame ! Shame ! & then with full conviction in their hearts bowed respectfully with their heads & folded hands at the feet of Sri Madhva expressing great delight & wonder at his marvelous exposition. (verse 16-18).

The group of Brahmins offered salutations in deep love & respect to Sri Madhva, the Poorna Pragnya whose feet are fit for worship by the Devatas, & bearing the dust of his feet on their heads, took bath in the sea which had become sanctified by the touch of Sri Madhva having already taken his bath.

sannAmaM vipulahR^ide vidhAya bhaktyA bibhrANA shcharaNa rajosya devasevyam.h |

tatstrAnAt.h adhika shuchau nadAdhirAje sasnuste dvija nikarAH prashasta kAle || 19 ||

The poet next describes the people enjoying the sea bath. This is life like sketch by the poet who is a master of detail & of expression in limited words. He says that many people while taking in the sea fell helplessly, being pushed by the high waves violently advancing like the column of irresistible elephants & they were the objects of fun & laughter verse 20.

kallolaiH karinikarairivAni vAryaiH ullolaiH jana nikarA nnipAtayadbhiH |

AkrAntAH prabala taraishcha loDyamAnAH hAsyatvaM prayayuru danvatIha naike || 20 ||

The evil minded persons who were also taking bath & looking at Sri Madhva being pushed aside by the waves, derided saying â€œOh ! look at this famous Guru (lokatrayavijayI guru) falling off, even against the push of a small wave. (verse 21)

majjantaM pR^ithu laharI nigUDha mUrtiM sampUrNa pramatimasajjano jahAsa |

yo loka traya vijayI guruH prasiddhaH so.ayaM hA patati laghUrmi lIlayeti || 21 ||

Sri Madhva did not pay heed to such belittling words of the crooked around, any more than the powerful lion would take cognizance of the howling of a pack of jackals (verse 22).

The moment Sri Poorna-Pragnya cast his powerful glance, which is capable of creation, protection & destruction (janma sthiti avasiti dAyinaM kaTAxaM), the sea being overpowered, abandoned its fury & became calm like a pond (verse 23). (This is an example of niyamana & vashIkaraNashaktI). It is said that even to this day, the sea is calm at that place).

The inimical persons did not relish seeing the superhuman deeds of Sri Madhva which heightened his greatness & finding themselves helpless, they cherished a feeling of sinful hatred towards him. No wonder, such feelings are true to the nature of Tamo Yogyas. The idea of the poet is to suggest that disrespect & ill feeling towards great men lead toTamas & that these tendencies should be eschewed. (verse 24).

- Sri Vijaya Dasaru

bhAratIramaNa mukhyapraNAntargata shrI kR^iShNArpanamastu

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