shrI: tattva dIpikA - Part 2

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Sri:

Srimate Sri Lakshminrisimha ParabrahmaNE nama:

Srimate Sri Satakopaya nama:

Srimate Sri Ramanujaya nama:

Srimate Sri Nigamantha mahadesikaya nama:

Srimate SrimadhaathivaN satakopa yatindra mahadesikaya nama:

Srimate Srivan Satakopa Sri Vedantha Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

Srimate Sri Lakshminrisimha Dhivya Padhuka sevaka

Srivan Satakopa Sri Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

 

Fifth view is not criticized in Taatparya Candrika

 

Some claim that Swami Sri Desikan has criticized the fifth view in Taatparya

Candrikai, a gloss for Swami Bhashyakarar's Githa Bashyam. They then

conclude that the fifth view is not the one favored by Swami Sri Desikan.

This is altogether wrong. Swami Sri Desikan's divine words in Taatparya

Candrika are favorable only to the fifth view. Let us look at the actual

words from Taatparya Candrika:

 

[1] anavadhikAtisayatva vacAnAt Ishvara vyatirikta -

asheSha gocarasyApi tathaishvaryaSya IsvarAbhimatatvAn na dvairAjyaati

dOSha:

 

[2] ‘asyeshAnA jagato viShNupatnI' iti viShNu patnItva veSheNa hi

sarvasya jagata: iyam IShTe!

 

[3] ‘IshvarIm sarvabhUtAnAm' idyatra tu yatyapi

sarva bhUtAnAm iti pratisampanti nirdesAt

strIpratyayAnusAreNa Isvarapatni vivakshA na shakhyA -

tadA.abi vAkhyAntarabalAt arttasya tadAtvasiddhi:

 

Swami Emperumanar is the foremost Acarya. He is the one who established our

philosophical doctrine (darsana Sthaapakar). This Acharya uses the

adjectives, " anavadhika atisaya asangyeya kalyANa guNa gaNA " when describing

the qualities of Piratti, in the beginning and middle of SaraNAgathi gadyam,

and the introductory verses of his Geetha Bhashyam. When describing the

qualities of Perumal, he uses the adjectives, " svAbAvika anavadhikAtisaya

asangyeya " . Therefore, Piratti's auspicious qualities are " anavadhika

atisayam " in just the same way Perumal's auspicious qualities are.

 

This is so in Sri Bhashyam as well, where he uses " anavadhika atisaya

asangyeya kalyaana guNa: " when describing the term, " brahma " . The same

adjective " anavadhika atisayam " is used here as well.

 

From the above we can conclude that for both Piratti and Perumal, the

auspicious qualities are " anavadhika atisayam " .

 

For the present, the important adjective for us is " anavadhikaatisaya " .

Now we need to understand the meaning of " anavadhikAtisaya " .

 

Periyavaccan Pillai, in his commentary on Gadya, interprets the adjective

" anavadhika athisaya " for Piratti's auspicious qualiteis, " jnanam "

(knowledge), " bala " (strength), " aisvarya " (possession), as beyond confining

limits. Later, in the context of Perumal's auspicious qualities,

Periyavaachchaan piLlai interprets the adjective " anavadhik athisaya " as

" not bound by limit and inducing wonder " . Thus, the interpretation in both

places are alike.

 

Swami Sri Desikan, in his Gadya Bhashyam, says, " anavadhikatvamiha

svApekshayA uthkarShAvadhirahitatvam " in the context of explaining the

adjective " anavadhikAtishaya " used for Piratti's auspicious qualities. This

" anavadhikaathisayam " is an adjective for Piratti's auspicious qualities

just as much as it is an adjective for Perumal's auspicious qualities.

 

anavadhika athisayam has " bhahuvrIhi Samaasam " .

 

anavadhika: athisaya: yeShAm te - anavadhikAtisaya: guNA:

 

From the above sentence " anavadhikam " is an adjective for " atisayam " .

anavadhikam means one without " avati " . " avati " is boundary, " ana avati " is

without boundary, i.e. limitless. anavadhikAtisayam is limitless glory. By

" bhahuvrIhi samaaSam " , the " limitless glory " becomes adjective for the

qualities mentioned. In summary then, the qualities of Piratti is

characterized by limitless glory. In other words, these glories are not

excelled by anything else.

 

For example, the glories of Brahmma and Sivan are excelled by that of

Perumal. But the glories of Perumal are such that they are not excelled by

the qualities of anyone. Therefore Perumal's auspicious qualities are

" anavadhika atisayam " . Similarly, Piratti's glories are

" anavadhikAtisayam " , i.e. not excelled by anyone's glory. This is how

Emperumanar describes Piratti's glories in Gadyam.

 

In Taathparya Chandrika, Swami Desikan begins by citing Emperumanar with

" anavadhikaatisaya vacanAt " . We need to understand why Swami Sri Desikan

cites this particular phrase here. Let us now look at the three statements

cited earlier.

 

First, the statement numbered [1] must be re-parsed in the following manner:

 

" anavadhikAtishayatva vacanAt lakshmyA: aisvarayamapi

Isvara vyatrikta asheSha gocaram ityabhyupagantavyam

athApyasyAH Isvara vyatrikta asheSha gocharasya

aisvaryasya IsvarAbhimatatvAt na dvairAjyAdi doSha: "

 

Perumal rules over everything except Himself. Similarly, to be faithful to

the words of Swami Emperumaanaar, we have to understand that Piratti also

rules everything except Perumal. After all, Swami Emperumaanaar has

described Piratti's possession (aisvaryam) as limitless in glory (anavathika

athisayam) in Saranagathi Gadyam and the introduction to Gita Bhashyam.

Therefore, in as much as Swami Emperumanar uses the same adjective, namely,

limitless glory, (anavadhika athisayam), when describing the lordship of

both Perumal and Piratti, we have to accept that Piratti, like Perumal,

rules over everything except Perumal.

 

In the second part of the above statement, Swami Sri Desikan answers the

question, " if both Perumal and Piratti rule over the universe, then the

universe will be subject to two masters resulting in adverse consequences of

dual rulership. " However, Swami Sri Desikan points out that Piratti's

rulership over the universe is pleasing to Perumal. In as much as Piratti

is Perumal's consort and subordinate, Her rule over the universe is to His

liking only. Since there will be unanimity of opinion free of differences

of opinion between the husband and wife, the universe will not suffer any

negative consequences due to dual rulership. Negative consequences will

arise only if two kings with differing perspectives rule the same land.

 

Another objection that arises next is as follows. Even though Piratti rules

over the universe as Perumal's wife, how can we say that she will do so as

Perumal's subordinate. Even in worldly affairs we often see that women who

earn money on their own are unwilling to accept their husband's control.

Thus, how can we accept that Piratti will rule this world as a subordinate

to Perumal just because she is Perumal's wife? If Piratti, in spite of

being Perumal's wife, tries to rule the universe independent of Perumal,

then differences of opinion between Perumal and Piratti may arise leading to

adverse consequences of dual rulership.

 

With statement numbered [2] Swami Sri Desikan dismisses this objection by

quoting Sruthi, " asya IsAnA jagato viShnu patni " (She rules over the

universe as the wife of Vishnu). Here, the word " Patni " does not simply

mean wife, but it includes the submissiveness of a wife towards her husband.

Thus, Swami Sri Desikan by citing this Sruthi statement indicates that

Piratti rules over the universe while being subservient to Perumal, the

subservience that is natural for a wife towards her husband. Due to this

subservience, there will never be a difference of opinion between Perumal

and Piratti.

 

A third objection arises next. It is as follows. There is a Sruthi

statement, " IsvarIm sarvabhUtAnAm " (she is a master of all creatures). This

statement does not say that she rules over the universe while being Vishnu's

wife. Therefore how can we conclude that Piratti rules over the universe as

Perumal's wife? If the word " IsvarI " occurs by itself, then it can be taken

as a title indicating that the referred woman is Isvaran's wife. But in

this Sruthi statement the word " Isvari " is followed by " sarvabhUtaanAm " . In

this instance, since the word " Isvari " is followed by " sarvabhUtAnAm " , it

indicates lordship over all creatures, not the status of wife of " Isvaran " .

This association is called " prati sampandhi " , i.e. the word that indicates

rulership of things.

 

With the statement numbered [3] Swami Sri Desikan agrees that this

particular Sruthi statement does not indicate that Piratti's status as

Perumal's wife. However, Swami Sri Desikan says, it does not matter. Since

the other Sruthi statement, " asya IshAnA jagatho viShnu patnI " emphatically

states that Piratti rules over the universe as Vishnu's wife, there is no

harm done by " IsvarIm sarvabhUtAnAm " .

 

In summary, Swami Deskan states that Piratti rules over the universe only

while being Perumal's wife, that is, while being subservient to Perumal.

Her rule is pleasing to Perumal. Since she rules while being subservient to

Perumal, and since her rule is pleasing to Perumal, there is no danger of

dual rulership. Therefore, we can easily see that Swami Sri Desikan's

words do support the fifth view. There is no justification to claim that

Swami Sri Desikan has criticized the fifth view in Tatparya Candrika.

 

Each and every phrase of the statements from Thathparya Chandrika have been

explained here with proper authority. The statement " patnItva

vishiShtaveSheNa hi sarvasya jagata: iyam iShte " has been explained in a

manner consistent with the Sasthraas and Sanskrit grammar. In contrast,

some have interpreted " patnItvavishiShtaveSheNa " as " due to the fact that

she is Vishnu's wife " . For this interpretation, the statement must have

been, " viShNu patnItvAd hi jagata: iyamIShTe " . But it is not. The

statement is, " viShNu patnItvA vishiShTaveSheNa hi sarvasya jagataH iyam

iShTe " . For, " viShNu patnItva vishiShTaveSheNa... " the only meaning is,

" she rules over the universe while being in the role of viShNu's wife " .

This is the meaning supported by those who are familiar with sasthraas. The

word " veSham " (role) can also mean " roopam " (profile) in Sanskrit. Thus,

we can also say, " viShNu patnItva vishiShta rUpeNa " . In Tamil, the term

" veSha " is " vagai, thanmai " (quality, nature). That is, being of the

quality of viShNu's wife, or being in the nature of ViShnu's wife, she rules

over the universe.

 

The above explanations not withstanding, even if one interprets that Piratti

rules over the universe because she is viShNu's wife, it is not in

opposition to the fifth view.

 

-- to be continued

 

srimad azhagiya singar thiruvadigaLE saraNam

 

-- adiyen ramanuja dasan

 

 

(Translation by P. Dileepan)