Guest guest Posted December 21, 2001 Report Share Posted December 21, 2001 Respected Ramanuja Bhaktas, Sri Sadagopan Iyengar posted this very nice posting on where our Lord resides in Bhakti. I thought that I would take the liberty of sharing it with all of you. adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan Mohan Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya Nama: The Divine Dwellings ___________________ If we wish to see God, where do we search for Him? This does sound to be a rather simplistic question from a simpleton: - all the same, it is worth pondering over. Where indeed do we find Him? What are His known addresses where He is available? If He were a local resident, we can find out from our local Post Office, and if He resides abroad, the Internet, with its far-reaching tentacles, should help us find Him somewhere, somehow. Unfortunately, none of these new fangled inventions seem capable of locating the elusive Lord, for He is beyond the perception of human faculties. Often, a search for Him, using our frail intelligence and inadequate industry, is akin to the search by a blind man for a black cat in a dark room. To find Him, it would appear that our only recourse would be to the old-fashioned sources-the Scriptures, consisting of Vedas, Itihasas, Puranas,and Aruliccheyal. Let us first see what the Shruti has to say in the matter- Defining the abodes of Sriman Narayana, the Narayanavalli of the TaittiriOpanishad says “ambhasyapArE bhuvanasya madhyE nAkasya prishtte mahatO maheeyAn” Ambhasi apArE- the endless waters of the ocean are the favourite haunt of the Paramapurusha. The first and foremost of the avatArAs, the MatsyAvatAra, was enacted in the ocean. At the time of PralayA, Sri Narayana reclines as an infant, on a small banyan leaf in the swirling waters (“Alilai mEl anna vasam seyyum aNNalAr”). Sri VarAhAvatArA saw the Lord diving to the bottom of the ocean to reclaim BhoomipirAtti (“Masudambil neer vAra mAnamilA pandriyAm”). And for good measure, in the KoormAvatArA too Emperuman stood steady as a rock, in the form of a giant turtle, with his feet firmly planted in the ocean bed, bearing the Mantara parvatam on his broad back, to enable dEvAs to obtain nectar. It would thus appear that the ocean is indeed the home of the para vastu. Tiruvaimozhi has innumerable references to Emperuman’s residence in the ocean- “kadal aazhi neer thOtri adanuLLE kaN vaLarum adalAzhi ammAn” “tAnOr peru neer tannuLLE tOtri adanuL kaN vaLarum vAnOr perumAn”etc. « Bhuvanasya MadhyE »-The Antariksham or the great Universe (or, according to some, the Soorya Mandalam) is also the abode of SrimanNarayana. Azhwar describes this thus- “vAnatthum vAnatthuL umbarum maNNuLLum maNNin keezh tAnatthum endisaiyum tavirAthu nindrAn “ “Paranda andam idena nila visumbu ozhivara……engum parandulan” « NAkasya prishttE » “ NAkam » here denotes the suddha satva maya nitya vibhooti, viz., Sri Vaikuntam. This is ParamAtmA’s permanent address, so to say, and is untouched by rajas and tamas. There is one more place where He resides- in our hearts, as the antaryAmi. The Narayana Anuvakam says that the heart is in the shape of an inverted lotus, and in that, the Paramatma is ever present in a microscopic form.( “TasyA: shikAyA madhyE paramAtmA vyavastthita:”). Only Yogis, who have their minds firmly fixed on Him, can see this inner dweller. It is this form that is referred to in Sri Bhagavat DhyAna SOpAnam as “madhyE Rangam mama cha hridayE vartatE sAvarOdha:” Here, discerning Rasikas would appreciate the word, “sAvarOdha:”-while the Lord resides in everybody’s heart, in Tooppul Pillai’s hridayam, he resides with His Nachimars, because here is a devotee who cannot visualise Emperuman, even in His antaryAmi svaroopam, without His Divine Consorts. Swami Desikan queries Sri Varadaraja in wonderment, “ The sprawling Milky Ocean and the glittering Paramapadam are your abodes. With such vastly superior places to reside in, how ever did you choose this human body, with all its refuse, as your favourite haunt, and that too, such a tiny place like the human heart?” “oudanvatE mahati sadmani bhAsamAnE shlAghyE cha divya sadanE tamasa :parasmin anta :kaLEbaram idam sushiram susookshmam jAtam Kareesa katam AdaraNa Aspadam tE?” This perhaps echoes the feelings of Sri Periazhwar- “Panikkadalil pallikOLai pazhagavittu, Odi vandu en manakkadalil vAzhavalla mAya maNALA nambI TanikkadaEle tanicchudarE taniyualagE endru endru UnakkidamAi irukka ennai unakku uritthAkkinayE ». Other Azwars too confirm that the Lord of TiruppArkadal, who resides forever in Piratti’s heart, has made their (Azhwars’) minds His home- “manattuLLAn mAkadal neeruLLAn, MalarAL danattuLLAn tanduzhAi mArban” (Sri Peyazhwar) “idam Avadu en nenjam indrellAm- andru pada nAgaNai nediya mArku »(Sri Tirumazhisai Piran). Another favourite haunt of Emperuman seems to be the Vedas, and in particular, the Vedanta or Upanishads. This is borne out by the following Sreesooktis- “nangu Odu nAl Vedatthu uLLAn naraviriyum pongOda aruvi punal vaNNan » « noorkadalum nuNNoola tAmarai mEl pArpattirundAr manamum idamAga koNdAn kurundositta GopAlakan »-Sri PeyAzhwar. « Shruti sirasi videeptE BrahmaNi SrinivasE »-Sri Bhashyakara « ShruteenAm uttaram bhAgam VEgavatyAscha dakshinam »-Swami Desikan (Sri Kamasikashtakam). All this nice to read and write about: but are any of these forms accessible to us? To quote Sri LokAchArya, to a thirsty man, Paramapadanatan is like the primordial waters surrounding this globe, and the antaryAmi, residing in our heart, like the untapped underground water: both are of no use in quenching one’s thirst. In their infinite mercy, Azhwars show us another of the Lord’s dwellings, which is eminently accessible, one we can visit at our convenience- the various temples where He resides in the form of images duly consecrated by Sages and sung by Azhwars-collectively known as divya desams. The ArchaAvatAra Emperuman, in all His soulabhyam, contracts His infinite form to suit the images of stone and various types of metals that His devotees make for Him. Sri Peyazhwar gives us a sample of such divyadesams, where the Lord resides- “Chiranda en sindayum sengaN aravum, nirainda seer neeL Kacchi uLLum-uraindaduvum Venkatamum VekkAvum VeLukkai pAdiyumE TAn kadavAr tanduzhAyAr » Sri BhootattAZhwar chips in with “payindradu arangam TirukkOtti-pannAL payindraduvum VenkatamE pannAL-payindradu aNi tigazhum sOlai aNi neermalayE maNi tigazhum vaN tadakkai Mal » Tirumazhisai Piran, who is enamoured of the Sleeping Beauty, lists the divya desams where Emperuman is to be found in a reclining posture, on Ananta- “nAgatthaNai Kudandai VekkA TiruvevvuL nAgatthaNai Arangam PEr Anbil-nagatthaNai pArkadal kidakkum Adi nedumAl aNaippAr karrutthan AvAn”. The Siriya Tirumadal and Periya Tirumadal of Sri Kaliyan contain a big list of such divyadesams, which the Lord has made His home. To wind up this piece, let us find out what Iramanusa Nootrandadi says in this regard: Though Emperuman resides in the hearts of all Yogis, Sri Tiruvarangatthu amudanAr makes a special mention of the Lord’s most favourite abode-he says, ”Though scholars say that the Lord resides in Sri Vaikuntam, Tirumalai, TirumAlirum Solai, etc., He dwells with happiness only in Sri Ramanuja’s heart”. “iruppidam Vaikuntam Venkadam-Malirum SOlai ennum poruppidam Mayanukku enbar nallOr-avai tannodum vandu iruppidam Mayan Iramanusan manatthu”. Thus all Azhwars have been enthusiastic votaries of the ArchAvatArA, and have lost themselves in the Lord’s captivating form at the various divyadesams. There is however a diametrically opposite school of thought, which says,” pratimAsu aprabuddhAnAm, sarvatra sama darsinAm” (Mature sages find Him everywhere, not merely in His images)(Srimad Bhagavatam). But then, this would be material for another piece altogether. Srimate Sri LakshmINrisimha divya paduka sevaka Srivan Satakopa Sri Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya Nama: _dasan,sadagopan. “ “ : .. Check out Shopping and Auctions for all of your unique holiday gifts! Buy at or bid at http://auctions. ----------------------------- - SrImate rAmAnujAya namaH - To Post a message, send it to: bhakti-list Archives: http://ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/archives/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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