Bhagavan! (post-1)

[Guest guest]

Sri Parthasarathi thunai

 

SrimathE rAmAnujaya Namaha

 

Srimad Vara Vara MunayE Namaha

 

Sri vAnAchala mahA munayE Namaha

 

 

 

" Srivatsachinha misrEbhO namavukthi madheemahi,

 

yadhuktayas trayeekantE yAnthi mangaLasootrathAm "

 

 

 

" Sri parasara bhattAryA: SrirangEsa purOhita:

 

srivatsAngitha sudhas sriman sreyasE mEstu bhooyasE "

 

 

 

Dear bhagavatas,

 

 

 

Now adiyen has called you all as bhagavatas-what does that mean? All of you will

be tempted to answer immediately Oh! Don't you know that? We are all bhagavat

bhakthas. Then if adiyen asks you then who is bhagavan? Surely all of you will

come to a conclusion that something has gone wrong with me. After reading and

writing so many postings in these valuable groups can anyone ask this silly

doubt? It is ofcourse, emperuman Sriman Narayanan. Then why are we bhakthas not

called otherwise why are we called as bhagavatas and Lord Sri Krishna as

bhagavan. Bhagavan being a general term does cause confusion and many claim

that only the deity they call as bhagavan is supreme.

 

 

 

Are you confused? There is no need of confusion. The term bhagavan undoubtedly

refers only to Sriman Narayanan, Sri maha Vishnu. But the confusion is only

because of the ignorance of the meaning of this term. What is the meaning of

the term 'bhagavan'? We know who is 'bhagavan' - Bhagavan Sri Krishna. We know

that the purana that details about Krishna and his divine leelas and attributes

is only called as " Srimad bhAgavatham " Krishna bhakthas are otherwise called

" bhAgavathas " and the great text given out of the divine mouth of emperuman

" svayam padmanAbhasya mukapadmAt " is called as " Srimad bhagavat geetha " but what

does this term " bhagavan " actually signify?

 

 

 

Bhagavan - according to Sanskrit grammar, the root 'bhaga' signifies six prime

kalyana gunas. One who is filled with these kalyana gunas is called as

bhagavan. Again one more doubt may arise- we even use this term to others like

" Narada bhagavan, suka bhagavan, valmiki bhagavan " why? That is because they

have been blessed with some of these gunas due to the nirheduka krupai of

emperuman. Like the azhvars who were blessed with " mayarvaru madhi nalam " the

above said rishis were also blessed by bhagavan with some of the gunas totally

not attainable by a normal soul. It doesn't mean that they have become equal to

emperuman it is just to show their greatness and superiority over the other

souls. Let us further see about the six prime gunas.

 

 

 

" Mozhiyai kadakkum perum pugazhan " is the reward given to Swamy koorathAzhvan,

the prime disciple of Swamy ramanuja by thiruvarangaththamudhanar. See what

that great koorathazhvan says about the bhagavat kalyana gunas in his " Sri

Varadarajan stavam "

 

 

 

" prakrishtam vignAnam bala madulam Ishvaryam akilam

 

vimaryAdham veeryam varadan! Parama shakthirapi cha I

 

param tejascha ethi pravara guNashatkam prathamajam

 

guNAnAm nissemnAm gaNana vigunAnAm prasavabhoo: II (15)

 

 

 

[Meaning: Oh varada! Great jnana (knowledge), incomparable bala (strength),

uncountable Ishvaryam (wealth), unlimited veerya (valour), excellent shakthi

(power) and brilliant tejas (brightness) all these are the Six prime gunas that

dwell in the first primodial form, para vAsudEvan. These form the root cause

for the other limitless uncountable kalyana gunas of emperuman]

 

 

 

From the above sloka it is made clear that the para vAsudeva moorthi is a

embodiment of these prime gunas that further develops into all the other

countless kalyana gunas behind the bhagavat tattvam. In the above sloka, Sri

KoorathAzhvan adds adjectives like " prakrishtam, adhulam " etc to show the

speciality of knowledge, strength etc possessed by emperuman while compared to

the same of others.

 

 

 

What use are these qualities to the supreme lord (para vasudevan) we will see in

the next posting with the help of Sri KoorathAzhvan's son, Sri Parasara

bhattar's srisookthi in his divine work " Sri Rangaraja stavam " (uttara satakam).

 

 

 

Alwar emperumAnAr Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharaNam

 

Adiyen ramanuja dAsee

 

Sumithra Varadarajan