Teliyatha Marai Nilangal Teligindrome-13

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Srimate Srivan Satakopa Sri Vedanta Desika

Yatindra Maha Desikaya Nama:

 

Teliyatha Marai Nilangal Teligindrome-12

 

Having defined Paramatma as the

material and efficient cause of the Universe, the

Upanishad hastens to correct any misimpression the

reader might have formed about the measurability of

Paramatma. Though this visible world is indeed His

manifestation , a knowledge of this world would not

necessarily lead to an understanding of Paramatma.

Thus, though this world may be measurable, Emperuman

is not.

Even if one is able to get the

true measure of this Universe ( according to some

scientists, the circumference of this universe is

about 6000 million light years) the Sruti makes it

abundantly clear that such a measure is only an

insignificant part of the Paramatma, who extends far

beyond, limitlessly, in all directions. According to

the Upanishad , nobody can grasp His true

proportions: for good measure, it reiterates that

nobody can perceive the upper,lower or middle limits

of Brahman. Here is the tenth mantra –

 

" na Enam oordhvam na tiryancham na madhyE

parijagrabhat " .

This agrAhyatvam of Emperuman is

succinctly stated by Kari Maran thus-

" Yarum Or nilaimayan ena arivariya emperuman "

" evarkkum chintaikkum gOcharam allan "

" eNNin meediyan emperuman "

" DamOdaranai tani mudalvanai ……aamO taram ariya "

 

Not content with extolling His physical

immeasurability, the Upanishad states categorically

that He is the Lord of all Lords, has no superior

being and that His glory is great , like Him. .Here

is the second half of the tenth mantra-

 

" na tasyEsE kaschana tasya nAma mahat yasa: "

 

Emperuman's samAdhika daridratvam (absence of an equal

or superior being) is brought out by the following

extracts from Tiruvaimozhi-

" Mal tanil mikkum Or dEvum uLadE'

" otthAr mikkArai ilayAya mAmAyA "

" otthArum mikkArgalum tan tanakku indri nindrAn "

" paranjOti nee paramAi nindru igazhndu pin matrOr

paranjOti inmayin padiyOvi nigazhgindra paranjOti

GovindA " etc.

 

" Tasya nAma mahat yesa: " -Great indeed is His glory. It

should be crystal clear even to the dullest of the

dull, from the attributes listed in the aforesaid nine

mantras, that there cannot be a higher glory than that

of the Paramatma. Still, leaving nothing to

inference,the Upanishad states categorically that

Emperuman's glory is limitless.

 

Here are Sri Nammazhwar's sreesooktis on Emperuman's

glory or pugazh-

" vAttamil pugazh vAmanan " " vaN pugazh nAraNaN "

" painthuzhAyAn perumai pErtthum oruvarAl pEsak

kidandathE "

" en SingappirAn perumai aarAyum seermaitthE "

" pugazhunal oruvan engO "

" aaya perum pugazh ellai ilAdana "

" aarnda pugazh achutan "

" kEdil vizhuppugazh kEsavan "

" viri pugazhAn " etc.

 

Though the Upanishad stops with extolling the

greatness of Paramatma's glory, Sri Nammazhwar goes

several steps further and says that His glory, like

Him, is limitless and immeasurable: not even He

Himself is aware of its true proportions. The

following sreesooktis fromTiruvaimozhi bear this out-

 

" tAnum tan perumai arivariyAnai "

" yAnum Etthi Ezhulagum mutrum Etthi pinnum

tAnum Etthilum tannai Ettha Ettha engu eithum " etc.

Thus Tiruvaimozhi lays down that agrAhyatvam or

imperceptibility applies not only to Paramatma but

also to His glory: and further, even Paramatma is

unaware of the true measure of His own geatness.

 

We are almost tempted to ascribe a new meaning to

the tirunAmam " avigyAtA " (one who doesn't know)

occurring in Sri Vishnu sahasranamam, and define

Emperuman as avigyAtA because he doesn't know the

boundaries of His own glory or that of His divine

consort.

 

Here, a couple of poorvAchArya sreesooktis are to be

enjoyed-

First, in Sri ChatusslOki, Sri AlavandAr says " yesAstE

mahimAnam aatmana iva tvad vallabhOpi prabhu: nAlam

mAtum iyattayA niravadhim nityAnukoolam svata: "

Paraphrasing and expanding on this, Sri

KoorattAzhwAn, in his Sristavam, avers " dEvi tvat

mahimAvadhi: na HariNa nApi tvayA gyAyatE " . The

purport of this is that Emperuman does not know for

sure the boundaries of PirAtti's glory, nor does She

Herself know it.

At this , one might ask whether such ignorance (even

of one's own greatness) is not a blemish on the

spotless Lord and detract from His omniscience or

sarvagyatvam. Pat comes the reply to this question ,

from Sri KoorattAzhwan, again in the Sristavam-

ignorance refers to lack of knowledge of the knowable

or existing thing. No one can be blamed for not

knowing the non-existant. As there are no limits to

His greatness, ignorance of its measure cannot be held

against Emperuman, nor will it make Him any the less

omniscient.

 

To be continued- dasan, sadagopan.

 

Srimate Sri lakshmiNrsimha Diva padukasevaka

SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana Yatindra Maha Desikaya

Nama:

 

 

 

 

 

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