Sri GuNa Rathna Kosam : Part XXXI: SlOkam 21

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Dear BhakthAs : AdiyEn will cover the 21st SlOkam of

Sri GuNa Rathna kOsam in this posting :

 

YaddhUrE manasO yadhEva tamasa: paarE yadhadhyadhbhutham

yathkAlAth-apachElimam SurapurI yadhgacchathO dhurgathi:

saayujyasya yadhEva soothiraTavA yaddh-dhurgraham madhgirAm

tadh VishNO: paramam padham tava kruthE Maatha:samAmnAsishu:

 

Having dealt with the elaborate activities (Leelais)

of Lord RanganAthan in LeelA vibhUthi to please and

amuse Sri RanganAyaki in previous two slOkams ,

Bhattar turns his attention now to Nithya VibhUthi

and what he does there to enhance His Devi's

pleasure there.

 

(Meaning of SlOkam 21 by Dr.V.N.VedAntha Desikan):

Oh RanganAyaki! My Mother ! Knowledgable scholars

declare that the VaikuntalOka too is designed for

Your pleasure only. The features in respect of this

world of Bliss are:

 

(1) It is not conceivable by our mind (2)It is far

away transcending all material worlds

(3)It is a marvellous world offering ever-new

wonders , every moment (4)It is not subject to

the ravages of Time(5)In comparison to that world,

even Svarga-like worlds would just be equal to hell

(6)It is in that haven that Saayujyam (being identical

in all rspects) is secured for the liberated souls.

 

Why harp on its (Sri Vaikuntam's)greatness ?

It is inconceivable even to my intellect , which has

acquired great power by the mere reason of Your grace .

 

That superb world , SrI Vaikuntam has been reserved

for the Lord's enjoyment with You (by the Lord )!

This Paramapadham has been created for Your bhOgam .

 

Additional Thoughts by adiyEn :

*******************************

Sri Bhattar describes SrI Vaikuntam as the birth

place of Saayujya Moksham for the Muktha Jeevan

following the Sruthi passage : " Niranjana: paramam

Saamyamupaithi " . He extolls the glories of that

SrI Vaikuntam created for the BhOgam of MahA Lakshmi

by Her doting Lord. Sri V.N.VedAntha Desikan has pointed

out this slOkam is an echo of number of slOkams (39-45)

of KurEsar's SrI VaikuNta Sthavam and selected passages

from Bhagavath RaamAnujA's SrI VaikunTa Gadhyam . adiyEn

will elaborate on these source slOkams now.

 

The descriptions of the Parama Padham by AlavandhAr ,

RaamAnujA and KurEsar are inspired by Sruthi Vaakhyams,

VishNu PurANam and Hari Vamsam passages as pointed out

by U.Ve.VidvAn ChEtlUr SrivathsAngAcchAr Swamy in his

scholarly commentary on Sri Vaikunta Sthavam . We will

refer to some of these passages as well .

 

The inconceivability of Sri VaikunTam by the mind:

" yath manasO dhUrE " is Bhattar's words to indicate

the VaachamA ghOcharam aspects of Sri VaikunTam.

This is an echo of AchArya RaamAnujA's description

of Sri VaikunTam in Sri VaikunTa Gadhyam : " BrahmAdhInAmapi

Vaang-manasA-ghOcharE SRIMATHI VAIKUNTE " .This Nithya

vibhUthi is not conceivable by our mind or that of

even Chathur Mukha BrahmA ( manasA dhUrE smarthum

asakyam; asankOchanam). Its magnitude is inconceivable

by the human mind because it is hundreds of times even

vaster than the gigantic Fourteen lOkams belonging to

the Lord's LeelA VibhUthi ( KurEsar's 39th verse of

Sri Vaikunta Sthavam: " Chathurdasa Jagath Yath aNDam ,

--tath susadhrusAni paras-sathAni " ).

 

The Question arises as to why and for what purpose

the Lord created the LeelA and Nithya VibhUthi :

" kasmai phalAya srujathIsa idham SAMASTHAM? " .

Kuresar answered : " kreeDa-vidhE: tava paricchadhathAm

agacchan " .They became tools for Your (Lord's)BhOga

kirIDai according to Kuresar. The two VibhUthis created

as His leelais according to the son of Kuresar ,

ParAsara Bhattar are for serving as pleasure lands

(BhOga SthAnam) for His divine consort, MahA Lakshmi .

That is the subtle agenda of the Lord!These VibhUthis

are to serve as IcchA VihAram for Her ( for Her sport

according to Her wish).

 

This wonderful Sri Vaikuntam is beyond the Tamas-filled

prakruthi manDalam according to Bhattar ( Tamasa: paarE

yadh-adhbhutham).Tamas here refers to Moola Prakruthi.

This land of Sri Vaikuntam on the other side of

VirajA river has been saluted by Vedic passages

( Rajasa : parAkE , Tamasa: parasthAth , sOadhvana:

Paaram aapnOthi Tadh VishNO: Paramam Padham) .Bhattar

uses the revelations of these Vedic passages to point

out that Sri Vaikuntam of unparalleled glory , created

for the BhOgam of MahA Lakshmi , is free of rajas and

tamas.

 

Sri Vaikuntam is also eternal and is not affected by

Time (Kaalam). Bhattar describes the timeless , eternal

aspect of Sri vaikunTam as " yath kaalaAdh-apachElimam

--Tath VishNO: Paramam Padham " . KurEsar described

this changeless world of Sri Vaikuntam (beyond the power

of Kaalam to change its features) as " ApariNa padhAspatham " .

Later , Swamy Desikan elaborated further the timeless aspect

of Sri Vaikuntam , where the Lord's sankalpam alone

changes things ( and not Kaalam ) this way in

his Sri Sookthi , NyAya SiddhAnjanam: " Kaala Krutha

karmAdhIna pariNaama mAthram hi tEshu nishEdhyam,

na thu Bhagavath-SankalpamAthramapi " .

 

Next Bhattar points out that Indra Lokam et al

known for their wealth and pleasures are equal

to narakam , when they get compared to the matchless

Isvaryam and BhOgam of Sri Vaikuntam created by

the Lord for His Consort , MahA Lakshmi ( SurapurI

yadh-gacchathO dhurgathi:).

 

The second half of this slOkam is:

 

" Saayujyasya yadhEva SoothiraTavA yadh-dhurgraham madhgirAm

Tadh-VishNO: Paramam Padham TAVA KRUTHE Maatha:SamAmnAsishu "

 

KurEsar salutes this Sri Vaikuntam as " Ujjvalam Saayujyam "

( the highest of Mokshams , Saayujyam),where the Lord confers

Saamyam in GuNams , Isvaryam , BhOgam to Mukthaas and Nithyaas

(except Jagath VyApAram). This is the ParamAkAsam ( TeLi Visumpu

of Swamy NammazhwAr), VaishNavam (VishNu Svaroopam),

adhisundaram ( most beautiful), adhbhutham (wonderous ),

TejOmayam , Parama Satthvamayam (Suddha Satthva-mayam),

Dhruvam ( unchanging , ( kalangA perunahar " of AzhwAr)

and Tamasa: parasthAth (beyond Moola prakruthi) according to

KurEsar ( SlOkam 41 of Sri Vaikunta Sthavam). KurEsar's

son, Bhattar , goes one beyond and identifies this

wonderous Nithya VibhUthi as the birth place of Saayujyam

(Saayujyasya yadhEva Soothi).

 

Next , Bhattar concedes that even his Vaak chaathuryam

( brilliance of speech and composition of poetry )

resulting exclusively from the MangaLa KatAksham of

Sri Ranga Naayaki would not succeed in comprehending

the great glory of the world of Sri Vaikuntam (Nithya-

VibhUthi)created by Her Lord for Her exclusive enjoyemnet

( Yadh-dhurgraham madh-girAm , Tadh-VishNO: Paramam Padham,

TAVA KRUTHE Maatha: SamaamnAsishu:).

 

adiyEn will conclude this posting with the 45th slOakm

of Kuresar's Sri Vaikunta Sthavam , which extolls

the unparalleled glories of that land of Saayujya-

Moksham , " VishNO: Paramam Padham " :

 

nishkalmashai: nihatha janma jarA-vikArai:

bhUyishta Bhakthi vibhavai: abhavai:avApyam

anyai: adhanya purushai: manasApyanApyam

Vaikunta-naama Tava Dhama tadh-Amananthi

 

(Meaning): The learned ones describe Your

Supreme abode , Sri Vaikuntam , as the sthAnam

populated by those free of Kaamam , KrOdham

( nishklamashai:), by those(the same) who do not

experience birth , death and changes caused by Time

(Vihatha janma JarA VikArai:) ,by those (the same),

who have the vaibhavam as practioners of either

Bhakthi or SaraNAgathi anushtAnams ( BhUyishta

Bhakthi Vibhavai:) ,by the same BhAgyasAlis,

who never return to the karma BhUmi ( abhavai:).

Those who do not have such qualifications of

BhUyishta Bhakthi anushtAnam can not even conceive

this Sri Vaikunta SaamrAjyam with their minds

and will never reach it ( anyai: adhanya purushai:

manasaa api anApyam tadh-Vaikunta dhAma

naamam sthAnam). For the dhanya purushAs , it is

avApyam and for the adhanya purushAs , it is anApyam.

 

Srimath Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigaLE Saranam,

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SatakOpan