SaraNAgathy Gadhyam : Part VIII( ChUrNikais 8-10)

[Guest guest]

SrI:

 

Dear Sri RaamAnuja BhakthAs:

 

It is my peasure to post the 8th Posting

on SaraNAgathy Gadhyam covering

the 8th to the 10th ChUrNikais.

 

NamO SrI RanganAthAya,

DhAsan, Oppiliappan KOil

VaradAchAri Sadagopan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SrI:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Bhagavad RaamAnuja SampradhAyins:

 

Text of the 8th ChUrNikai

 

SvacchandhAnuvartee svaroopa-sthiti-pravruttibhEdha - aSEshaSEshataikaratiroopa nitya niravadhya-niratiSaya-jn~Anakriyaiswaryaadhyananta

KalyANaguNagaNa SEsha SEshASana-

Garudapramukha nAnAvidha ananta-parijana parivArikA parcicharata charaNayugaLa !

 

Translation of the Text

 

(8) Thou possessest also innumerable followers and servants, male and female , to minister to Thy wants and comforts , waiting at Thine feet, whose form, existence and actions nad due to Thine will; they are, AdiSEsha, VishvaksEna , Garuda , who are endowed with host of beneficinet virtues ,unperishing . Pure, of limitless wisdom and energy for action,endowed with power to direct and maintain .

 

Commentary

 

(8) After salutation to His DEvis, AchArya Ramanuja shifts his attention to His Parijanas ( attendants).

 

Svaroopa denotes a form distinguished froms similar to , and different from forms of other kinds.

 

Sthiti explains that things exist only so long as they are fixed in their places. It is here intended to pint out the difference between nitya siddhAs and the SamsArins--while the former understand and know the wishes of the Lord by their own perceptive powers,the SamsArins do not know of His wishes and desires but act only as the Lord wills.

 

svacchandhAnuvartis are described by

PeriyavAcchAn PiLLai as "muRai aRinthu PaRimARubhavarhaL".The samsAris are "SanklapAnuvartis" since they are " MuRai aRiyAtE

paRimARubhavarhaL".They are hence

" Bhagavath SankalpAnuvartees".

 

The word "bhEda" qualifies the words , Swaroopa, Sthiti and Pravritti and shows the difference between them; it may also show that these activities etc, of SamsAris are different from those nityAs. Again , the word may be taken together as

"svacchandhA-anuvritti-swaroopa-Sthiti-pravrttaya :(That is to say), the NityAs are distinct and are to be distinguished from SamsArins, for they act understanding intutively the wishes of their Lord .

 

Nitya-Niravadhya distinguishes the NityAs from the MUktAs ." Kriya" here means service to the Lord.

Iswarya means the control and direction of the activities of the body organs , etc.

 

SEshAsana ( SEsha+asana) refers to Sri VishvakSEna , since He partakes the leftovers from the food offered to His Lord.

 

NaanAvidha --of different kinds-holding the umbrella , whisking the chamara , serving as the sandals( PaadhukAs) or as a seat or the holding of the betel spit-toon arethe varieties of such services. In each of these services , the devotees employed are many and innumerable. The word "ParichArakaa " is used to include female kaimkaryaparALs such as Vimala , the one of the lady attendants whisking the chAmarAs.

 

9. VaikunTha

 

ParamayOgi VaangmanasA aparicchEdhya svarUpasvabhAva svAbhimta vividhavichitrAnanta bhOgya

bhOgyOpakaraNa bhOgasthAna-samruddha anantAsccharya anantamahAvibhava anantaparimANa

nitya niravadhya niratiSaya

SrIvaikunTha nAtha !

 

9.Translation of the Text

 

Thou art also the Lord of VaikunTha, the eternal,faultless,unmeasurable world , beyond the speech orthe mind of even the holyYogins-a country dear

to Thee , containing in itself all kinds and varieties of enjoyments and the things helpful for such enjoyments , as also places convenient for such enjoyments , full of all kinds of vibhavAs--such is the VaikunTha of Thine, Oh Lord !

 

9. Commentary

 

A brief description of Vaikuntha and Sriman NaarAyaNa as its Lord follows

now .

 

" Parama yOgi Vaangmanasa aparicchEdhya svaroopa svabhAva"may be taken by itself as the vocative case qualifying ParamAtman;or as qualifying

Vaikuntha as described in VaikunTha gadhya.In the former case, Parama svarUpa means His natural and supreme attributes of Rulership . In the latter, the word svarUpa will signify a structure. Parama svabhAva denotes some quality, other than svaroopa."Soulabhya" is easy accessibility. Enjoyability is its natural attribute.Vividha denotes different varieties of the same thing. The innumerability of each of the variety of the things is described by Ananta.

Wonders are so many and numerous. Vibhava denotes the abundance of enjoyable things-enjoyabale outside suhc as , merely , chariots, etc.,

(not garlands and sandals etc.) Nitya means eternal existence . Niravadhya is used to show that there is no blemish or fault in any of the things found in VaikunTha . Niratisaya is a word like anuttama indicating that there is nothing higher than this.

 

Periyavaacchan PiLLai's comments: In the previous chUrNikai,the svaroopam

of SooribhOgya Kaimkaryam was described . In this ChUrNikai ,the specialties of the place is described , where such kaimkaryams grow. The svaroopam and svabhAvam of this VaikunTha dEsam can not be described even by the mind and speeches of Sanaka and other Parama Yogis except to say that it is panchOpanishadmayam ( mantra svaroopam) and Suddha sattvamayam. Our Lord is the Master of such Supreme land full of limitless bhOgya bhOgapakaraNa bhOga sthAna samruddhis . BhOgyam is Vedic recitations ; BhOgOpakaraNam are beautiful garlands,attentive parijanams as well as bhOga sthAnams like halls hills, gardens and Mantapams of exquisite beauty.These are immeasurable in size (ananta- pariNAmam) .These objcts and residents are eternal( nityam),blemish free( Niravadhyam ) and wonderous (niratiSayam).

 

10.His Recreation:

svasankalpAnuvidhAyi savrUpa-sthiti-pravrutti svaSEshataikasvabhAva prakruti-purusha-kAlAtmaka vividha vichitrAnandha bhOgya bhOktruvarga bhOgOpakaraNa bhOgasthAnaroopa nikhila-jagadhudhaya vibhavalayaleela!

10. Translation of Text

 

Thy sport is the creation ,maintenance and the dissolution of the world which contain in themselves many different kinds of enjoyments ,the instruments of enjoyment and suitable places for such enjoyment,such as , prakruti, Purusha and Kaala, which are by their very nature ever under service to ,Thee ,Oh Lord, in the matter of their form,their existence, and their activities; they always follow only Thy wishes and the dictates of Thine.

 

10. Commentary

 

Then follows a description of Leelaa vibhUti, thie universe and all its beings in it. By the word ,"svasanklapa", it is meant to convey the meaning that not only He controls and directs but also He sustains and protects.Then about Seshatvam. This means that the whole universe is under service to Him. Kaala generally comes after Prakruti as both are achEtana. This reversal of order (Kaala before prakruti) because it acts as the kaaraNa , the cause of Purusha and Prakruti bringing together and also seperating one from the other. VishNu PurANa says: " Distinct from VishNu , there are two things called PradhAna and Purusha . As the active principle to bring them together and also to seperate them is Kaala. That also is His body".Vividha is variegated in the matter of sound , touch etc. Vichitra implies distinction. The word nikhila is used to differntiate Iswara from Brahma( the four faced one) and others.

 

Swamy Desikan concludes his detailed commentary on this chUrNikai with the statement: yEvam NarAyaNa SaBdhOktam SaraNyatvam yathA nirukti samBhOdhitam(Thus NaarAyaNa saBdha artham (SaraNyatvam) according to nirukti is invoked.

 

Next ChUrNikai has many invocations denoting the qualities described in this ChUrNikai.

( To Be Continued)

 

adiyEn SrI RaamAnuja DhAsan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan