ThiruvahIndhrapuram RathnAngi Kaimkaryam: Part VI(Upanishaths saluting the Lord of Thiruvayinthai

[Guest guest]

ChithrabhAnu Kaarthikai Krishna Paksha EkAdasi,

Hastha Nakshathram

 

SrI:

 

Dear BhakthAs:

 

Let us enjoy the fifth slOkam of Sri DEvanAyaka

PanchAsath today:

 

SlOkam V

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nirvisyamAna-vibhavam nigamOtthamAngai:

sthOthum kshamam mama cha DevapathE Bhavantham

gAva: piBhanthu gaNasa: kalasAmbhurAsim

kim tEna tarNaka ganas-thruNam aadhadhAnA:

 

Extended Meaning

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Oh DhaivanAyaka EmperumAnE ! The Upanishads relish in

talking about Your Vaibhavam. Even the lowliest one like me

has the right to eulogize You. Therefore , adiyEn has commenced

my praise of You. As an example, those cows positioned near

the milky ocean assemble in big groups and drink the milk from

that ocean heartily. It would not however be possible for

the young calves to drink the same amount of milk their

mothers drink from the abundant milky ocean . Hence, these

calves consume only a small quantity of milk that is

appropriate for their digestive capabilities. There is no

harm that befalls these calves because of such limited

consumption. In a similar manner, adiyEn attempts to

praise You with my limited intellectual capabilities.

Thou who art saluted grandly by the Upanishads.

This insignificant act of mine to praise You against

the background of the magnificent salutations by

the Upanishaths is appropriate for one of my limited

intellect.

 

Additional Thoughts

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Swamy Desikan states here : " DEva PathE! nigama utthamAngai:

nirvisyamAna vibhavam Bhavantham sthOthum mama cha kashamam "

 

In previous slOkams , Swamy Desikan addressed the Lord of

ThiruvahIndhrapuram as " PhaNipura NaaTan , DEva adhinATan ,

Dhivishad niyanthu and VibhudhEswaran " to recognize Him as

the Lord of DEvAs and Nithyasooris . In this slOkam ,

Swamy Desikan addresses the Lord as " DEva Pathi " .

 

Swamy Desikan recognizes the Lord of ThiruvahIndhrapuram as

the mighty One , whose glories are enjoyed by the Veda Siras

/upanishaths (nigama utthamAngai:). If Vedam(Nigama) is viewed as

a Purushan , then that Purushan's noblest limb (Utthama angam)

is Siras ( the head). Therefore , the Upanishads are saluted as

the Veda Siras or Nigama utthama angam . NigamAntha MahA Desikan

with authority based on His title as " NigamAntha " AchAryan

truly enjoys saluting the Lord of ThiruvahIndhrapuram

as " NigamOtthAngai: nirvisyamAna vibhavam " .

 

Let us explore How these NigamAnthams/ Upanishaths

eulogizing the Lord's Svaroopam and Vaibhavam joyously ?

 

Upanishathic Salutations to Para Brahmam

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Upanishaths recognize the Supreme person as " Brahman " .

Upanishaths deal with the teaching of Brahma VidyA .

Upanishaths talk untiringly about the Vaibhavam of

that Brahman.The Upanishaths equate that Brahman with

NaarayaNa and VishNu : MahA NaarayaNOpanishad celebrates

the Supreme principle(Brahman) as SrIman NaarayaNa and

directs us to surender to Him ; the fifth and the sixth

KhANDAs of SubalOpanishath gloriously salutes the Supermacy of

NaarAyaNa as Brahman. SubalOpanishad describes the SarIra-

SarIri relationships of the Brahman (SrIman NaarAyaNan)

with the Universe of sentients and insentients.It goes on

to establish that SrIman NaarAyaNa is " the One , non-second

Supreme Brahman , who is the antharyAmin (indweller) in

all other entities and that devotion towards Him alone

is the way to attain Him " .

 

NaarAyaNa atharva ShirshOpanisath is another Upanishad

which asserts the antharyAmithvam of Sriman NaarAyaNan

as Supreme Brahman like BrahadhAraNyam and expounds

the glory of Moola manthram (AshtAksharam).It describes

NaarAyaNa Parabrhmam as the abode of all auspicious

qualities and free from any blemishes (Ubhaya Lingam).

 

The Upanishaths also salute that Brahman as

" Satyam JN~Anam Anantham Brahma " (TaittirIyam ).

This is the lakshaNa vAkyam (definition ) of Brahman.

 

ThiruvahIndhrapuram's Lord: The Name as Sathyan

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One of the names of ThiruvahIndrapuram DEvanAthan is

Sathyan . BrahadhAraNyaka Upanishad recognizes the Brahman

as " Sathyasya Sathyam " or the Reality of the real. It explicitly

states that the nAmadEyam of Brahman is " Satyasya Satyam "

implying that Brahman's svaroopam is never subject to

any kind of change ( nirvikAra Brahman).The ChAndhOgya

Upanishath also refers to the name of Brahman as " Satyam "

(tasya ha vaa yEtasya BrAhmaNo nAma Satyamithi: Ch.Up:VIII 3.4).

 

Sathya-Achyutha Tatthvam of the Lord of ThiruvahIndhrapuram

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Lord DeavanAthan's choicest names are Satyan (natha Satyan/

True to those , who seek His refuge )and Achyuthan ( the One

who never lets anyone down). Let us enjoy the chAndhOgya Upanishad's

intrepretation of the meaning of the word " Satyam " . This word

is made up of three syllables( Sat , ti and yam ). Dr.S.M.S. Chari's

comments are: " Sat " is immortal, " ti " is mortal and " yam " is that

which holds the immortal and mortal together(yamayathi:

Ch.Up:VIII 3.5). This implies that Brahman is Satyam since

it holds together or controls both the sentient souls(sat)

and insentient entities(ti) . Satyam here stands for

the dharma of Brahman... In the context of Brahman,

Satyam /Satyan denotes the svaroopam of (the essential

nature of Brahman ) and also its distinguishing attributes " .

 

The Lord as the Supreme Light (with RathnAngi!)

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The Upanishads salute the Brahman as " JyOthishAm JyOthi:/

the light of lights " (Mundaka Upanishath )and Param JyOthi:/

the Supreme Light (ChAndhOgyam);BrahadhAraNyakam identifies

this Supreme Light with Amrutham ( immortal rejuvenating nectar

principle).

 

The Lord as Jn~Anam

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The Upanishaths salute this Brahman as JnAnam , PrajnAnam

and VigyAnam as a part of His being Jn~AnaguNakan, One who

possesses knowledge as an attribute .He is adored as

Sarvaj~nan ,PrAsAsitAran ( One has the power to command all )

and as SarvAdhAran (substratum of all created entities).

 

The Lord as Ananta

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The Upanishaths (TaittirIyam) recognizes and salutes Brahman

as Ananta as a distinguishing characterestric and as essential

nature of Brahman. Ananta means that Brahman is infinite

and omnipresent without being limited by space or time.

It is infinite with respect to its essential nature

(Svaroopa) and dharma . That Brahman standing at

ThiruvhIndhrapuram as Satyan is eternal/nithya( Mundaka);

it is Vibhu(all pervasive) and sarvagatha (omnipresent)

as recognized by the same Mundaka upanishath. That Brahman

is " IsAvAsyamidham Sarvam " (IsAvAsya Upanishad: all this

universe is pervaded by the Supreme Lord <SrIman NaarAyanan).

 

The Lord as Aanandham

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The Upanishaths also slaute Brahman as the Bliss principle

(Aanandam).He is saluted as " Aanandamaya AthmA " . ChAndhOgyam

attests that Brahman is Joy/Aanandham ( kam Brahma).TaittirIyam

salutes this Brahman as Rasa: " rasO vai Sah " (Aanandam /infinite

Bliss). The pinnacle of this aananda-related tribute is the one ,

which salutes Brahman as " Sath-chith-aananada " , where Sath,

Chith and aananda refers to Brahman as the absolute being(Sath) ,

the absolute consciousness(chith) and absolute bliss (aananda).

Dr.S.M.S. Chari emphasizes that these three terms (sath-chith-

aananda) denote the very svaroopam of Brahman and not as

essential attributes (guNAs).

The Lord free from all hEyams(defects)

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

Upanishaths salute this Brahman as free from inauspicious

attributes ( hEya guNa rahithan).That Brahman is recognized

as the BhUtha yONi or the source of the Universe and banishes

any concept of Brahman being considered as nirvisEsha Brahman.

 

The Lord as Isvaran

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Upanishaths elaborately salute Brahman as the Isvaran ,

the Supreme Ruler and as Purushan or the Supreme Personal

God . BrahadhAraNyakam salutes the Brahman as " SarvEshAm

bhUtAnAm adhipati: ). Swamy NigamAntha MahA Desikan salutes

in this context Lord of ThiruvahIndhrapuram as " Deva pathi: " ,

VibhudhEsvaran , Deva athinAthan and Dhivishd Niyanthu et al.

TaittirIya AaraNyakam salutes Brahman (Him) further as:

" SarvEshAM bhUthAnAm RaajA " .ChAndhOgyam salutes that Brahman

as " VaisvAnaran " /visvEshAm ayam nara:(the ruler of all souls).

SvEtasvathAra Upanishath recognizes this Brahman as the controller

of the whole world of the stationary and the moving ( vasI

sarvasya lokasya sthAvarasya carasya cha ). The same Upanishath

prostrates before that Brahman with four more salutations:

 

1. IsvarANAm Paramam MahEswaram(Supreme Lord of all Gods)

 

2. DEvatAnAm Paramam Dhaivatham ( Lord DevanAthan , the Supreme

deity of all dEvAs ).

 

3. PathinAm Paramam Pathim ( the Supreme Ruler of all Rulers).

 

4. na Tasya Kaschit Patirasti lOkE na cha IsitA ( " Nor is there any

Ruler over Him ).

 

This is what Swamy VEdAntha Desikan meant , with the passage

in the fifth slOkam of SrI DevanAyaka PanchAsath :

 

" DEvapathE! Nigama utthamAngai: nirvisyamaana Vibhavam

Bhavantham sthOthum mama cha Kshamam "

 

Oh Lord ! You conferred on me the title of NigamAntha Desikan

(Nigama UtthamAnga Desikan); hence I have the fitness to

salute You in the manner shown by the Upanishaths. What

does it matter , if my efforts are feeble (kim tEna?).

 

Our Lord of ThiruvahIndhrapuram had to consent to

the Kavi ThArkika Simham's line of reasoning.

 

Swamy NigamAntha MahA Desikan ThiruvadigaLE saraNam ,

SrI Taranga Mukha Nandini SamEtha SrI DEvanAyaka SwAminE nama:

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan/SaThakopan