(VedAntha Desikan ) Sri Deshika Sahasranamam : Part XV-- 440th Dhivya NaamA

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SrI:

 

ChithrabhAnu , KanyA Maasam , PurattAsi 13:

Krishna Paksha Ashtami , Mrugaseersha Nakshathram

 

shrI:

 

shrImate vakuLabhUShaNa mahAdeshikAya nama:

shrImate rAmAnujAya nama:

shrImate nigamAnta mahAdeshiKAya nama:

 

shrImad GopAlArya mahAdeshikaiH anugRihItam

shrI deshika divya sahasranAma stotram

 

shrImannigamAnta mahA deshika - divyasahasranAmAvaLi:( 101-1008)

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Dear Swamy Desika BhakthAs:

 

From nAmAs 101 to 439, Thirukkudanthai Desikan

covers the intricate doctrines housed by Swamy Desikan

in the great Vaadha grantham of Satha DhUshaNi ,

PrakaraNa granthams ,Taathparya Chandrikai

and Tatthva Muktha KalApam .In the previous posting ,

adiyEn mentioned that we will postpone the coverage of

the nAmAs 101-439 and follow the order described below

and priorotize for coverage , nAmAs 440-792 in the following

order:

 

440-478: Saccharithra RakshA

479-492: NikshEpa RakshA

493-523: Rahasya RakshA

524-680: PaancharAthra RakshA

681-705: Sankalpa SooryOdhayam

706-720: Incidents in Swamy's Life and

the creation of PaadhukA Sahasram

721-792: ChillaRai RahasyangaL

409-439: Satha DhUshaNi and Tatthva Muktha KalApam et al

793-1006: SrImath Rahasya Thraya Saaram

1007: VirOdha ParihAram

1008: Swamy Desikan's ascent to SrI Vaikuntam.

 

AdiyEn will continue to follow closely the brilliant Tamil

commentary of U.Ve. Dr.V.VasudEvAcchAr Swamy and add special

notes as needed from a variety of sources to clarify

fundamental doctrines.

 

440. (PraNavam) RaamAnujeeya-siddhAntha sarvOthkrushtatthva-

saadhakAya nama:

 

Salutations to that SadAchAryan , who established firmly

that Bhagavath RaamAnuja SiddhAntham triumphs over all other

contending siddhAnthams !

 

Swamy Desikan's unique and towering contribution is

the assembly of the tatthvams associated with Bahgavath

RaamAnuja SiddhAntham and defense of them with appropriate

analysis of the deficencies of other siddhAnthams from

the point of view of consistency with the VedAs and

Brahma SoothrAs.

 

Why is RaamAnuja SiddhAntham " SarvOthkrushtam ? "

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The philosophy of VisishtAdvaithA is recognized as having been

taught in ancient times to disciples of BodhAyana (viz).,

Tanka , Dramida , GuhadEva ,Kapardi , BhAruchi and others .

For quite some time thereafter, these doctrines

of VisishtAdvaitham rooted in Brahma SoothrAs remained

obscure and latent . With Swamy NammAzhwAr's anugraham ,

AchArya Naatha Muni brought this darsanam to light and handed

it over to his grandson (ALavanthAr)through his disciple to

nourish them further(9-10th Century C.E) ; these doctrines

were protected thereafter by AchArya RaamAnujA . Swamy Desikan

absorbed the intricate aspects of this glorious darsanam

and its unique doctrines from AchAryAs belonging to

RaamAnujA's lineage and made it available to us all through

his own illustrious sishya paramparai and profound

SrI Sookthis.Through these rich contributions ,

Swamy Desikan established clearly that SrI Bhagavath

RaamAnuja Darsanam is unassailable in terms of its

superiority over the other darsanams since it faithfully

adheres to the true purport of Sage BadarAyaNA's Brahma

soothrams . Using the triad of Prathyaksham , anumAnam

and sabdham , SrI RaamAnuja Darsanam reveals the correctness of

the VisishtAdvathic doctrines without a shadow of doubt .

SrI RaamAnuja darsanam banishes thus the darkness of nescience

(ajn~Anam) and viparitha Jn~Anam. It helps us gain true Jn~Anam

and thus becomes SarvOthkrushtam .

 

Special Notes on the Triad as the main sources of

knowledge(pramANAs).

 

The Three PramANAs of VisishtAdhvaitham

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VisishtAdvaitham accepts Prathayksham (perception),

anumAnam (inference based on perception ) and

scriptural testimony ( Sabda /Sruthi/Vedic texts )

as THE three main authoritative sources of knowledge

(PramANAs).The nature and validity of these

and other PramANAs such as UpamAna (Comparison ),

arthApatti ( presumption ) and anupalabdhi

( non-apprehension) has been rigorously examined by

Swamy Desikan . He accepts the three pramANAs ,

Prathyaksha, anumAna and Sabdha , and rejects the others .

Even among these three pramANAs , he examines their

nature and content in Tatthva Muktha Kalapa and

identifies the acceptable cannons of these three

pramANams from a VisishtAdhvathin point of view.

We will come across these in the naamAs relating

to Satha dhUshaNi and Tatthva Muktha KalApam

(NaamAs 101-439 )later.

 

VisishtAdhvaithins also accepts the Smruthis ( Manu

Smruthi, MahA BharatA with its treaure of Bhagavath

GitA inside , VishNu PurANam and the two VaishNavite

AagamAs ( PaancharAthram and VaikhAnasam ) AS LONG AS

THEY ARE IN CONFORMITY WITH VEDIC TEXTS.

 

1. Prathyaksha: Our darsanam does not reject the validity

of sense perception (prathyaksha pramANam )like Advaithin ,

who senses the world , does business with it and yet dismisses

it as unreal . Their reasoning is that senses can not

always to be relied upon because of illusions and hallucinations

(Brama).Examples for such illusion(PrathibhAshika Bhrama)

are given as the mirage in the desert and the silver-hued shell ,

which is mistaken for the real silver.Another

type of Bhrama cited by Adhvaitins is that of

VyavahArika bhrama , where the world experienced

by our senses as unreal until Brahman is realized by

the Self. Such examples are used to dismiss the sensory

perceptions as unreliable sources of primary knowledge

(pramANAs).As a result, Advaithin holds the Vedic Texts

as being superior to prathyaksha as valid pramAnAs.

 

Vaikunta Vaasi Dr. V.N.Seshadri AchArya observes in

this context: " VisishtAdvaithin maintains that

the sense-perception (prathyaksha) is as valid as

the Sruthi itself so long as what is percieved

is not sublated or shown to be false by a later

perception. Further ,VisishtAdvaithin states that

if in any context , the text of Sruthi seems to contradict

what is percieved by Prathyaksha , the Sruthi text

has to be intrepreted in a way that will not be in

conflict with what is actually perceived by the senses.

This is one of the cardinal points of difference between

the Advaithin and VisishtAdvaithin " .

 

Of the three pramANAs , Prathyaksha is accepted as

the most important and basic source of knowledge since

the other two (anumAnam and Sabdha ) are dependent on

prathyaksha.

 

2. AnumAna PramANam: VisishtAdhvaithins follow the simplicity

(laagavam) of anumAna pramANam. NyAya-VisEshikA system of

philosophy prefers anumAna over sabdha (vedam). This system

however attempts to prove the existence of God as the Creator of

the world by inference . VisishtAdvaithin rejects such views ,

which create elaborate structures like a mansion of cards

through the tortured extensions of anumAnam (e.g: Guruthvam as

a GuNam and Visesham as a padhArtham) .VisishtAdhvathin rejects

these as superflous . VisishtAdhvaithins stay away from

unnecsaary loops and labrinths and use anumAnam for

only matters that need to be clarified .

 

3. Veda PramANam: VisishtAdhvaithins accept Sabdha

as pramANam and so do others.This is the third and most

significant source of knowledge. It is subdivided into

(a) empirical (laukika) and non-empirical (aloukika).

The aloukika sabdha includes VedAs, Upanishads and

the two Aagamas. Swamy Desikan discards the Buddhists view

that Sabdha is not a separate pramANa and proves in

a rational manner the authority of VedAs as

aloukika sabdha.

 

In summary, Pratayaksha , anumAna and Sabdha are the only

three pramANAs for VisishtAdvaithins ; the additional

ones accepted by the other schools of philosophy are

considered as the subsets of the above three.

 

VAzhi vyAkhyAmuddirak kai !!!

VedAnthasUri charaNau sharaNam prapadye !!!

SrI LakshmI HayagrIva ParabrahmaNE nama:

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SaThakOpan