Sri Varadaraja Sthvam: part XXV: SlOkm 14

[Guest guest]

Dear Sri VaradarAja BhakthAs:

 

Swamy KurEsar refers here to the difficulties of

the VedAs in properly explaining the glories of

the dhivyAthma svaroopam of the Lord and their

giving up such efforts after a futile attempt.

 

Lord VaradarAjan's dhivyAthma svaroopam is

the most auspicious and grants all soubhAgyams

for those , who meditate on it. It is therfore

" prasAtham " .

 

This benovolent svaroopam is limitless (ananthm).

 

There is a great joy for the Lord in enjoying His

dhivyAthma svaroopam ( aathmAnubhavaja mahAnandham).

That state of great joy is immense like the ocean

without waves .There is no joy that is greater

than that .

 

The Vedams try and do not succeed in their

efforts to describe even the rudiments of the Lord's

matchless and limitless & incomparable dhivyAthma

svaroopam . Vedams try a little to come to grips

with the description of the dhivyAthma Svaroopam

and fail . They just succeed in saying : " It is not this;

It is not that " and become impoverished in their

attempts to describe fully the dhivyAthma svaroopam ;they

get enfeebled as a result of their floundering and give up .

Thus , the ParamAthma Svaroopam can not be fully described by

the Vedams. They just say : " it is nishkalam , nishkriyam,

adhrEsyam , agrAhyam , avarNam , achakshu:, miravadhyam ,

niranjanam ( can not be seen, can not be grasped ,

colorless, blemishless et al) " et al and stop short of

explaining what exactly that matchless ParamAthma

(Bhagavath )Svaroopam is .It is beyond their power.

 

If this were to be the lot of the VedAs , KurEsar asks

the Lord : " How can I a mere mortal succeeed , where

the VedAs have failed ? " .

 

The 13th slokam housing these thoughts takes this form:

 

prasAntha anantha aathmanubhava mahAnandha mahima

prasaktha-sthaimithya anukrutha vitharanga arNavadasam

param yath tE roopam sva-sadhrusa-daridhram Varadha!tath

thrayee pisprakshanthee paranirasanE shramyathi param

 

SrivathsAngAcchAr Swamy points out to the 23rd slOkam

of SundarabAhu Sthavam in the context of explaining

the Lord's glories (Sva-mahimA) of dhivyAthma Svaroopam .

He describes it as " athipathitha avadhi " or limitless

in dimension . In Sri VaradarAja Sthavm , KurEsar

salutes these glories as " prasAntham and anantham " .

 

In Sundaraaja Sthavam , KurEsar describes the joy of

the Lord in reflecting upon His limitless glories as

" athipathitha avadhi sva-mahimaa anubhava prabhavath

sukham " .That great joy is like a deep and waveless

ocean ( sukha krutha nistaranga jaladhIyitham)

and is eternal ( nithyadasam ). As a result ,

the dhivyAthma Svaroopam of the Lord is always

incomparable ( sadhA yEva aprathimam).

 

According to PaancharAthra, VaikAnasa Saasthrams

(Aagamams) and the yEkAyana SaakhA , the state of

the Lord is described as falling into either

the NithyOdhitha Dasai or SaanthOdhitha dasai.

 

In the first type of state(SaanthOdhitha dasai),

the Lord is like a still ocean as a result of His

reflection on the limitless glories of His

Svaroopam (Sva-Svaroopa anubhavam).

 

In the second type of state (NithyOdhitham),the Lord's

anubhavam is about His Isvaryam (VibhUthi) and hence

it is called (sva-vibhUthyAnubhava dasai).

 

SrivathsAngAcchAr Swamy alludes to the reference of

Swamy Desikan to this SaanthOdhitha dasai in

the 16th slOkam of his Sri VaradarAja PanchAsath:

 

sanchinthayanthi akhila-hEya vipaksha bhUtham

SaanthOdhitham samavathA hrudhayEna dhanyA:

Nithyam Param Varadha ! Sarvagatham susookshmam

nisspandha nandhaTu mayam Bhavatha: Svaroopam

 

Swamy Desikan is referring to the dhivyAthma

Svaroopam of the Lord here.That consists of

seven parts :

 

1.akhila hEya vipaksha bhUtham: This is one of

the two lakshaNams of the Lord. He is the opposite

of any blemish . The other lakshaNam of the Ubhaya

Lingam (Twin marks)is KalyANa GuNAkarathvam

( abode of all auspicious attributes).

 

2. Nithyam: This savroopam has no beginning or end.

 

3. Param: It is Supreme and stands above all jeevarAsis.

 

4. Sarvagatham: It is all pervasive .

 

5. Susookshmam: It is able to penetrate even

the smallest ; " aNOr aNeeyAn " and is subtle.

 

6. nisspandha nandaTu mayam :It is the embodiment of

bliss principle. It is like a cohesive and has a tight

radiance without break.

 

7. Saantha udhitham (SaanthOdhitham): This refers to

The Lord's enjoyment of Himself in His dhivyAthma

svaroopam,auspicious attributes that are blemishless .

The other state is nithyOdhitham ( BhagavAn's

enjoyment of Himself as the One owning His two

VibhUthis: Nithya and LeelA VibhUthis). There are

number of other explanations by AchAryAs about

the two states: SaanthOdhitham and NithyOdhitham ;

we will not go into those discussions here.These two

states of the Lord's enjoyment are present in the Para-

VyUha-Vibhava and ArchA dasais. In this 13th slOkam

of Sri VaradarAja Sthavam , the reference is to

the ArchA state of the Supreme Lord at this dhivya

dEsam.There is a great and matchless aanandham that

the Lord experiences in the SaanthOdhitham and

NithyOdhitham dasais .The Vedams do not succeed in

adequately capturing and explaining these two

states . They despair and give up . KurEsar asks

the Lord in the 13th slOkam of Sri VaradarAja Sthavam

as to how he can attempt to explain the dhivyAthma

Svaroopam, when the great VedAs themselves have failed .

 

Sri VardarAja ParabrahmaNE Nama:

Daasan, Oppiliappan Koil V.SaThakOpan