SrI sArasAram -- I (41)

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srI:

SrI sAra sAram – I (41)

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I – ThirumantrAdhikAram

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The Significance of ‘nArAyaNanAya’

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Swami Desikan gives another reference from the Divya Prabandham:

“‘nAnunnaiyanRiyilEn’ ityAdikaLaiyum ingkE anusandhippathu.†–

This quote is from a verse occurring in the nAnmukan ThiruvanthAthi of Sri

Thirumazhisai AzhvAr. Let us consider the verse in full:

“inRAka nALaiyE yAka inicciRithu

ninRAka ninnaruLen pAlathE – nanRAka

nAnunnai yanRi yilEn kaNDAi nAraNanE

neeyennai yanRi yilai.†(nAnmukan ThiruvanthAthi-7)

Meaning:

Oh nArAyaNa, either today or tomorrow or some time later, it is certain, Thy

grace will be on me. I do not exist without Thee, nor do Thou without me.

This verse offers the message: The jIva depends for his very existence on

nArAyaNa and nArAyaNa’s glory cannot manifest itself without the jIva. This is

the core of the word, ‘nArAyaNa’.

SwAmi Desikan says, this verse and such like this are worth considering in the

context of the study of ‘nArAyaNa’.

Next, Swami Desikan explains the component of this word, that is, ‘nara’.

According to him, this component too speaks about the Lord Himself. He quotes

four excerpts in support of his stand. We shall consider them one by one:

1) ‘ApO vai narasoonayah’.

This is from the Manu Smriti. Let see the SlOka in full:

“ApO nArA iti prOktA ApO vai narasoonavah /

tA yadasyAyanam poorvam tEna nArAyaNah smrutah //†(Manu Smriti, 1-10)

Meaning:

The waters are called nArA-s because they were born of nara (the Lord). They

were at first His abode. Therefore, He is called nArAyaNa.)

In this connection, we are reminded of another pramANam from SrI VarAha

PurANam:

“srushTvA nAram tOyamantah sthitOham yEna syAnmE nAma nArAyaNEti /†(SrI

VarAha PurANam, 2-12)

Meaning:

I created the waters, which are called nArA-s, and I lay within them. Therefore,

I am called nArAyaNa.)

It may be noted that the waters, as mentioned in these two SlOkas, refer by

implication (upalakshaNa), to other tattvas as well.

SwAmi Desikan quotes another pramANam in support of this conclusion:

2) ‘narAt jAtani tattvAni’ – This is from a SlOka in the MahAbhArata. We

shall study the SlOka in full:

“narAt jAtAni tattvAni nAraNeeti tatO viduh /

tAnyEva cAyanam tasya tEna nArAyaNah smrutah //†(MahAbhArata, AnusAnika

Parva, 178-7)

Meaning:

All the tattvas (reals) had all their origin from nara. Therefore, they are

known as nArA-s. To Him they are the abode. Therefore, He is considered to be

nArAyaNa.)

SwAmi Desikan gives one more reference by way of a quote:

3) ‘narasambandhinO nArAh narah sa purushOttamah’ – This is from the

ahirbhudnya samhita. Here is the full SlOka:

“narasambandhinO nArAh narah sa purushOttamah /

nayatyakhilavij~nAnam nASayaTyakhilam tamah //†(ahirbhudnya samhita-52-50)

Meaning:

Those that are related to nara are nArAh. ‘nara’ is PurushOthama. It is He

Who confers knowledge on those who have sought His protection. It is He Who

dispels their ignorance.

SwAmi Desikan provides yet another pramANam for ‘nara’:

4) ‘jahnuh nArANo narah’. These are three names in SrI VishNusahasranAmam,

in the AnusAsanika Parva of MahAbhArata (232-4)

We can understand the significance of these nAma-s from SrI ParAsara

Bhattar’s commentary on SrI VishNuasahasranAmam.

“jahnuh†– The Lord is called ‘jahnuh’ as He conceals His greatness

from the non-devotees. This meaning is from the point of etymology of the word,

‘jahnu’ which is derived from the root ‘hA’ (to forsake). The commentary

quotes a SlOka from the UdyOga Parva of MahAbhArata:

“cakram tadvAsudEvasya mAyayA vartatE vibhOh /

Sapahnavam pANDhavEshu cEshTatE rAjasattamah //†(MahAbhArata, UdyOga Parva,

6-7-2)

Meaning:

That Discus of the Omni-present VAsudEva acts by His will for the benefit of the

PAnDhavas but is invisible (to the eyes of others), Oh Great King!

“nArAyaNah†– The Lord is called ‘nArAyaNah’ as He is the Support of

the countless souls.

“narah†– He Who is imperishable. He has imperishable possessions, the

sentient and the non-sentient (both of which are eternal by nature).

Now, Swami Desikan continues:

“ityAdikaLiRpaDiyE nara Sabdam thAnum nArAyaNan thannaiyE collukiRathu†–

Such pramaNas like the above convey that the word, ‘nara’ refers to SrImaN

nArAyaNa only.

SwAmi Desikan confirms this explanation citing another quote:

“ithu ‘nayatyakhila-vij~nAnam nASayatyakhilam tamah / na rishyati ca

sarvatra’ enRu vyAkhyAtam-AyiRRu.†-- The first part of the quote has been

seen above just now. Let us consider the quote along with the new addition:

“nayatyakhila-vij~nAnam nASayatyakhilam tamah /

na rishyati ca sarvatra narah tasmAt sanAtanah //†(ahirbudhnya samhita,

52-50)

Meaning:

It is He Who confers knowledge on those that have sought His protection. It is

He Who dispels all their ignorance. Wherever He may be, He does not undergo any

change. Hence He is called nara, because He is always the same.

 

(To continue)

dAsan

anbil S.SrInivAsan

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