Narayana Parathvam: IV

[Guest guest]

We conclude the Vedic tributes to Lord Narayana throught the Maha

Narayana Upanishad salutation

 

" AdhithyO vA Esha EthanmaNdalam thapathi thathra thA

ruchasthadhruchAm maNdalagamsa ruchAm lOkOTha ya Esha Ethasmin

maNdalErchirdhIpyathE thAni sAmAni sa sAmnAm maNdalagam sa sAmnAm

lOkOTha ya Esha Ethasmin maNdalErchiShi puruShasthAni yajUgamShi sa

yajuShAm maNdalagam sa yajuShAm lOkassaIShA thrayyEva vidhyA

thapathi ya EshOntharAdhithyE hiraNmaya: puruSha:

 

Meaning: This is verily the Adithya who illumines this orb. There

are the Riks and that is the mandala of the riks; that is the world

of riks. Then again, the flame that is blazing in this orb of the

sun, there are the samans and that is the world of the Samans. And

again there is the purusha in the flames in the orb of the sun. They

are the yajus, and that is the orb of the yajus, and that is the

world of the yajus. It is verily the truth of the three Vedas that

is shining out like this.

 

He who is in the orb of the sun is verily the golden hued purusha.

The Aditya mandala is directly perceived. In that is the flame in

which there are the three purushas of the form of Rik, Saman, and

yajus, with their mandalas and lokas. So, in the form of these

three, the vidya alone of the three vedas is shining out. This form

of the mandala of the three vedas in the sun is being witnessed by

yogins as having a beautiful and auspicious form and that is to be

meditated upon. After prescribing the meditation upon the supreme as

related to the body of AdhyAthma another mode of meditation is

taught here. The upasana of Brahman residing in the heart lotus was

taught before and now the upasana of the Brahman residing in the orb

of the sun is taught.

 

The VishNu puraNa expounds on the Lord resident in the Sun's orbit

as:

 

Sarvashakthi parA viShnO: rgyaju: sAmasanjyithA

SaIShA thrayI thapathyamhO jagathascha hinasthiyA

 

Meaning:The supreme power of Vishnu is signified by the names Rik,

Yajus, and Saman; this trayee, which resides in the resplendent sun,

burns all sins.

 

The VishNu purANam waxes eloquent on the role of Lord ViShNu and his

consort Sri as the father and mother of the universe.

 

Thvam mAthA sarvalOkAnAm dhEvadhEvO hari: pithA I

ThvayaIthadhviShNunA chAmba jagadhvyAptham charAcharam II

 

Meaning: You are the mother of the entire universe. Lord of Lords,

Hari, is the father of the universe. Oh mother the two of you

together pervade all sentient and insentient beings of the

universe.

 

The Shandilya Smruthi declares " vishNOr ArADhanam param " (among all

forms of worship, worship of Lord Narayana is supreme). The Smruti

further declares tasmAth tadhiAradhanam param (worship offered to

the Bhagavatas of Lord Narayana is even greater than worship of the

Lord Himself).

 

Sri Veda Vyasa declares in the MahaBharata " satyam satyam puna:

satyam utsrujya BhujamuchyathE vedAth shAsthram param nAsthi na

daIvam keshavAth param "

 

Meaning: Truth, truth and once again the truth, I proclaim with my

hands raised that there is no greater Shastram than the Vedas and

there is no deity greater than Keshava.

 

Interestingly, the term Keshava comes about from the fact that Shiva

eulogizes Lord Vishnu in the Harivamsha purANa as " Brahma is called

Ka and I am known as Isha. We two were born from your limbs.

Therefore, You are called Keshava " . A second meaning for the term

Keshava comes about from the 10th canto of Srimad Bhagavatam,

wherein the episode of Krishna killing the demon Keshi is discussed.

Due to this fact, Lord Krishna is known as Keshava.

 

The varaha puraNam states " parO nArAyaNO dhEva:

thasmAjjAthaschathurmuKha:

TasmAdhrudhrOBhavEddhEvi! sa cha sarvajnyathAm gatha: "

 

Meaning: Narayana is the supreme deity. From Him was born Brahma-the

four faced one. From Brahma arose Rudra oh Goddess! Then He assumed

the form of Vishnu "

 

The position of Srimad Bhagavatam regarding Lord Vasudeva (Narayana)

as the supreme being is established from the verse " karmANAm

paripAkathvAth AvirinchAdhamangaLam I ithi mathvA virakthasya

vAsudEva: parA gathi: "

 

Meaning: The man who has no attachment (to things of this world)

should know that every being including Brahma is tainted by the

ripening of karma-to Him, Vasudeva alone is the Supreme goal or

refuge.

 

The Ashwamedhika parva of the Mahabharata

declares " anAshrithyOcChrayO nAsthi muKhyamAshrayamAshrayEth I

rudhram samAshrithA dhEvA rudhrO brahmaNamAshritha: "

 

Meaning: The gods (Indra and others) are under the protection of

Rudra. Rudra is under the protection of Brahma and Brahma is under

my protection. Whereas I seek the protection of none, for I am the

refuge of all.

 

The Bhishma parva of the Mahabharata provides compelling testimony

of the fact that there is none greater than or equal to Lord

Narayana through the salutation

ESha DhAtha viDhAthA cha sarvEShAm prANinAm praBhu: I param hi

puNdarIkAkshAth na BhUtham na Bhavishyathi II

 

Meaning: Oh best of men, there is no one superior to (Lord Narayana)

the Lotus-eyed Lord. There was no one superior to Him in the past

nor will there be any one superior to Him in future.

 

The supremacy of Lord Narayana is extolled in the Sundarakandam of

the Ramayana through the verse " brahmA svayambhUschathurAnanOva

rudhrasthrinEthra: tripurAnthakOva I indhrOmahEndhra: suranAyakOva

sthAthum na shakthA ithi rAmavathyam II

 

" Neither Brahma-the four-faced one, nor Rudra-the three-eyed one,

nor Indra-the king of Devas could withstand the might of the astram

released by Lord Rama. "

 

[This is the impassioned appeal of Seetha Piratti, wondering about

the delay in Rama arriving to Her succour. She asks that the sight

of blood drawn from Her breast by a mere crow angered Lord Rama so

much that He invoked the Brahma Astra using a blade of grass. The

Astra pursued the offending crow as it sought the refuge of Brahma,

Shiva, and Indra, who were all utterly powerless to stop the mighty

Astra. Why then the delay when I am held in captivity by the ogre

Ravana]

 

Finally, we quote from the Mantrarajapada Stotram appearing in the

Ahirbudhnya Samhita of the Pancharatra Agama attesting to the

supremacy of Lord Narayana. Ahirbudhnya, an Amsham of Shiva was the

greatest Bhakta of Lord JwAla Narasimha and performed SharaNagati

(unconditional total surrender) to the Lotus feet of Bhagavan

Narasimha through the salutation " namaskArAthmakam yasmaI viDhAya

Athma nivEdhanam thyaktha dhuKhOKhilAn kAmAn ashNu thE tham

NamAmyaham "

 

Meaning: Oh Bhagavan JwAla Narasimha, with folded hands I surrender

my Atma to You. Relieved of all sorrows and desires, I salute you.

 

In the next verse of the same Stothram, Ahirbudhnyan

declares " dhAsaBhUthA: svatha: sarvE hyAthmAna: paramAthmana:

aThOhamapi thE dhAsa: ithi mathvA namAmyaham "

 

Meaning: The every being in this Universe is Your slave and You as

the master, the Paramatma, reside in them as their inner-being.

Recognizing that I too am your slave in this manner, I offer

salutations to You.

 

In his commentary on the Brahma Sootras Shankaracharya defines

Ishwara as " Ishasya Shira: Narayana: " Significantly all Sanyasis

sign off with Narayana Smruthi and all Veda Parayanam ends with the

salutation " hari: Om " , while AchamanIyam in Sandyavandanam is

performed uttering the names of Lord Narayana. These facts are

sufficient to establish that Lord Narayana is the Supreme Being-

without an equal or a superior.

 

 

 

We conclude the series on Narayana Parathvam with this post. The

subject could go on endlessly due to its vastness, depth, and

richness of scriptural testimony. This series is intended to provide

a brief overview so that the interested reader may undertake a

deeper study in the traditional manner. A detailed treatment of the

Brahma Sootras and Bhagavad-Gita are beyond the scope of this series

due to their breadth and depth.

 

Everything correctly stated is entirely due to the munificent grace

of adiyen's Acharya, H.H. Srimad Andavan Swami of Srimad

Poundarikapuram Ashramam and adiyen's mentor, H.H. Sri Rangapriya

Mahadesikan Swami of Bangalore.

[Guest guest]

Sri

Srimathe ramanujaya namaha

 

> We conclude the series on Narayana Parathvam with this post. The

> subject could go on endlessly due to its vastness, depth, and

> richness of scriptural testimony. This series is intended to

 

What a lovely series! This reminds me of the Vishwam Vishnu upanyAsam

of Mukkur Lakshminarasimhachar. I wish to take this oppurtunity to

inform Bhaktas that there is an excellent english translation of

Bhagavan Ramanujar's Githa Bhasyam and Sri Bhasyam. The Gita Bhasyam

is written by Prof.M.R.Sampathkumaran who has used Tatparya Chandrika

as his base. The unmatched acharya, Swami Desikan blessed us with

this tatparya chandrika.

 

Prof.M.Varadaraja Iyengar has also translated the Sri Bhasyam in

simple yet scholarly English. This is a result of traditional

kalakshepam and academic learning. A unique blend like this appeals

to everyone. The Sri Bhasyam is available for around $18 and the Gita

Bhasya for $10.

 

Triplicane would be the best place to get the Gita Bhasyam. It is

avaiable in the Ramanuja Vedanta Center which is right next to

Dr.M.A.Venkatakrishnan's home. The Sri Bhasyam is available in

Bangalore. One of our family friends is visiting Bangalore now. If

bhagavatas would like a copies of both the bhasyams please email me.

 

Alternatively, I will provide the details of where these books are

available so that bhaktas can pick them up upon their next visit to

India.

 

I have two questions here. I need to know if any of our acharyas have

commented upon the Narasimha Purva and Narasimha Uttara

Tapani-Upanishads. I know Adi Shankara has commented on the Purva

Tapani Upanishad.

 

This upanishad is very important since it outlines the nature of Sri

and is very important to understand Sri tatvam and especially her

purushakAram. That Sri is infinite and the concept of

paramAtma-dwandwam is established beyond doubt in this Shruthi and

major Pancharatra texts like the Lakshmi Tantram. Parashara Bhattar

composed his Guna Ratna Kosham drawing references from Lakshmi

Tantram which is one of the most important sookthis for Sri

Vaishnavas. Yamunacharyar for this sake composed AgamapramAnyam to

safe gaurd the Pancharatram which contains the Lakshmi Tantram.

 

Atreya Venkatadhwari composed a magnificient Sri Sookthi titled

'Lakshmi Sahasram'. I have a copy of it in Sanskrit printed and

edited by the Asthana Vidwan of Ahobila Matham U.Ve.Parankusha

Ramanujachar. I would be glad to send it to anyone who could

translate it or atleast provide a brief series in the form of a

commentary in English.

 

Sri Seva Swami who recently attained parampAdam is from the lineage

of Athreya Venkatadhwari. Athreya Venkatadhwari was a junior of

Kumara Varadacharyar and was a resident of Mangapuram (Tirupathi).

 

nigama vAchasAm moulimandAra malAm - Swami Desikan in Sri Sthuthi.

 

haratu antar dwAntam! hayavadana heshAhalahalaha !!

Oh Lord may your divine sound destroy our inner darkness!!!

-Hayagriiva Stotram of Swami Desikan.

 

Regards,

 

Adiyen Ramanuja Dasan,

 

Malolan Cadambi

 

 

 

 

 

Everything you'll ever need on one web page

from News and Sport to Email and Music Charts

http://uk.my.

[Guest guest]

> Sri

> Srimathe ramanujaya namaha

 

 

> Prof.M.Varadaraja Iyengar has also translated the Sri Bhasyam in

> simple yet scholarly English. This is a result of traditional

> kalakshepam and academic learning. A unique blend like this appeals

> to everyone. The Sri Bhasyam is available for around $18 and the Gita

> Bhasya for $10.

 

Dear SrI Malolan,

 

<< Meant to send this earlier ...Was kept in the

Unsent Mails folder itself >>

 

Thanks for your inputs. Prof M.Rangacharya's works [alongwith

SrI VaradarAja Iyye~ngAr] on SrI-BhAshyam and Bhagavad GItA do

not sound so good for me as a reader [No disrespect meant to

such scholars]. Neverthless a good addition for English based

learning and reference ofcourse.

 

aDiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan,

Anand.

 

>

> nigama vAchasAm moulimandAra malAm - Swami Desikan in Sri Sthuthi.

>

> haratu antar dwAntam! hayavadana heshAhalahalaha !!

> Oh Lord may your divine sound destroy our inner darkness!!!

> -Hayagriiva Stotram of Swami Desikan.

>

> Regards,

>

> Adiyen Ramanuja Dasan,

>

> Malolan Cadambi

>

>

>

> Everything you'll ever need on one web page

> from News and Sport to Email and Music Charts

> http://uk.my.

>

> Srimate Sri Laksminrisimha Divya Paduka Sevaka

> Srivan Satakopa Sri Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya Nama:

>

>

[Guest guest]

, Anand K Karalapakkam <kgk@m...> wrote:

>

> > Sri

> > Srimathe ramanujaya namaha

 

> Thanks for your inputs. Prof M.Rangacharya's works [alongwith

> SrI VaradarAja Iyye~ngAr] on SrI-BhAshyam and Bhagavad GItA do

> not sound so good for me as a reader [No disrespect meant to

> such scholars]. Neverthless a good addition for English based

> learning and reference ofcourse.

 

It would be great if you can post a review and guide us around both

books(i.e how to understand certain topics) and their relation to the

Artha Panchakam taught during traditional kalakshEpam.

 

Also I would like to request you if you can meet Dr.V Varadachary who

has written an excellent book on Pancharatra Agama who lives in 28,

Josier Street, Nungambakkam or find out his phone number.

 

I am thinking of requesting Dr Varadachary to give a telephone leture

on Agama pramanyam of Yamunachariar, Pancharatra Raksa of Desikar and

a series of lectures on Pancharatra and Vaikhanasa Agamam.

 

Thanks for your guidance!

 

nigama vAchasAm moulimandAra malAm - Swami Desikan in Sri Sthuthi.

 

haratu antar dwAntam! hayavadana heshAhalahalaha !!

Oh Lord may your divine sound destroy our inner darkness!!!

-Hayagriiva Stotram of Swami Desikan.

 

Regards,

 

Adiyen Ramanuja Dasan,

 

Malolan Cadambi