Yours Obediently

[Guest guest]

Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

 

 

" Yours Obediently "

 

 

 

There are any number of stotras, extolling the Lord's praise. All

bhaktas, from the impartial Vedapurusha to the Adikavi Valmiki to the venerated

present day Acharyas, have considered it their sacred duty to compose peaens of

praise on the Lord, in prosaic or verse form. These are outpourings of

uncontrollable devotion, which makes the devotee burst into verse spontaneously,

with absolutely no prompting from anyone. There comes a stage in devotion when

the bhakta, unable to contain the sublime and exalting experience of bhagavat

anubhavam, simply has to find an outlet for his overwhelming attachment, and

waxes eloquent in prose or poetry in an effort to share his ecstatical

experiences.

 

 

 

Though there are innumerable Stotras, there is one particular stuti which

is extremely popular, has been touted to be a panacea for all ills physical and

spiritual, held out as a sure means for achieving all desires secular and

religious and recited the world over by all those who believe in Emperuman,

without denominational differences. Such is the popularity of this stotra that

even today, when religious teaching and learning have fallen to an unprecedented

nadir, competitions are conducted among children to encourage learning and

propogation of this beautiful stotra. Admittedly, this stotra is rather long,

but is all the more enjoyable for it. We are told that the Lord's auspicious

attributes are innumerable, but if we want to find a stotra enumerating as many

of them as humanly possible, we have only to turn to this giant among stotras.

 

 

 

The Vishnu Sahasranama Stotra is indeed a masterly compendium of the glorious

names of the Lord, each of which stands for a particular kalyana guna. If one

single tirunama of the Lord, viz., the Govinda nama, could save distressed

Droupati from certain humiliation in front of the entire regal court of

Hastinapuram, we can imagine what sincere utterance of the thousand and eight

names of the Lord, enumerated in the Sahasranama stotra can do for us. " Kalou

sankeertaya Kesavam " says the Scripture, laying down that what can be achieved

by elaborate Yagyas involving huge expenditure of money, energy and

concentration, what is possible of fruition through charity of huge proportions

etc. in other Yugas, is possible in this Kali Yuga, through the mere chanting of

Emperuman's exalted names. Considered in this light, there appears to be hardly

a parallel to the Vishnu Sahasranama stotra in any parameter. This stotra has

the added merit of being a part of the elaborate Epic Sri Mahabharata, placing

it on par with the other great guidebook of human conduct, the Bhagavat Gita.

 

 

 

Often the beauty and popularity of a particular work is judged by the number of

commentaries it is able to attract, which is evidence of the undying patronage

the work is able to garner, even after the passing away of its author. The large

number of commentaries on the Bhagavat Gita and the Brahma Sutras is a case in

point. Sri Vishnu Sahasranama Stotra too can boast of numerous elaborations, the

principal ones being the ones by Sri Sankaracharya and Sri Parasara Bhattar.

 

Of these, the latter incorporates interesting, enlightening and spiritually

moving purports for each of the thousand namas, providing a great and glorious

mirror which attempts to capture the various facets of the Lord's auspicious

attributes.

 

It is no wonder that it is aptly named " Bhagavat Guna Darpanam " (A mirror of

Emperuman's exalted virtues). A perusal of this commentary would afford us not

only the true meaning of each of the Lord's names under discussion, but also the

distilled essence of the Visishtadvaita Sampradaya, the outpourings of Azhwars

and of their commentators and the quintessence of the Lord's message in the

Srimad Ramayana and Srimad Bhagavat Gita. So vast is the ambit of Sri Bhattar's

coverage in his commentary that we wonder whether it is humanly possible for

anyone to assemble such an array of concepts, quotes and comments in a single

place. Sri Bhattar's matchless brilliance and devotion are on evidence in every

single syllable of his magnum opus. While the other commentaries on the

Sahasranama (a reference to Sahasranama automatically means Sri Vishnu

Sahasranama, although there are any number of such compilations on other deities

too) are no doubt precious and valuable, Sri Bhattar's is indubitably a

glittering gem, unmatched in splendour and lustre. It serves as an invaluable

enhancement to the Stotra, making it a pleasure of rare proportions to peruse.

 

 

 

Though Sri Bhattar's commentary stands head and shoulders above others' in

respect of each and every nama of the Sahasranama Stotra, it would be

interesting to take up a sample of one name and enjoy the inimitable insights

Sri Bhattar provides.

 

 

 

" VijitAtmA vidhEyAtmA satkeerti: cchinna samsaya:

 

udeerNa: sarvata: chakshu: aneesa: sAsvata: stthira: "

 

 

 

Our research is confined to the second tirunama in the aforesaid couplet, viz.,

" VidhEyAtmA " .

 

 

 

Commentators other than Sri Bhattar have construed a negative vowel " A " ahead

of VidhEyAtmA and taken it to read " avidhEyAtmA " , meaning someone who cannot be

dictated to by anybody, who is not bound to listen to anyone, one beyond any

sort of fetter or binding on his actions. This is indeed a beautiful tirunamam

and portrays eloquently the irrepressible nature of the Lord, who is the Supreme

Entity, with none to account to and none to tell Him what to do and when. It is

He who tells everyone, through Shastras, how they ought to conduct themselves

( " agal gyAlattavar ariya neriyellAm edutthu uraittha nirai gnAnatthu oru

moortthi " ). He is not bound by any rules, for He HImself is the maker of the

rules. He is verily the uncontrollable wild elephant ( " madha hastinam " ), in

whose path none can stand with impunity. None can question His actions, for He

is the " nirankusa svatantran " . This appears therefore to be an apt purport of

the word " avidhEyAtmA " .

 

 

 

The unique thought processes of Sri Bhattar and the influence of Aruliccheyal

make him put forward an entirely different, in fact diametrically opposite,

definition of the tirunamam. And it also speaks of his fearless attitude, his

moral courage in voicing an opinion that is contrary to established and

long-standing tenets. And his pedigree, (being the son of the venerated

Koorattazhwan, having received tutelage from none other than the great

Bhashyakara and his disciple Sri EmbAr and having been the adopted son of Sri

Ranganatha Himself) shines through in his interpretation of the word

" VidhEyAtmA " . Unlike others, Sri Bhattar takes the tirunamam as it is, without

adding or subtracting to it to suit his convenience and arrives at exactly the

opposite purport to that advanced by other distinguished commentators.

 

 

 

Sri Bhattar takes " VidhEyAtmA " to mean one who is bound by the dictates of

others, making the Lord a humble soul indeed. We are astonished at this strange

definition-the Lord, and obeying others! How can that be, we ask, for it is

indeed contrary to His status as the Supreme Being and militates against the

very notion of a Celestial Emperor, the Lord of all He surveys. If the Lord

Himself is to be subordinated to somebody else's will, then whom indeed can we

consider independent?

 

Though He is the Supreme Being, beyond anybody's command or instruction, the

Lord, by His sweet nature, makes Himself subject to the will of others who love

Him beyond measure. We must understand that He does this out of His own sweet

will and not out of any necessity for the same, marking an important difference

with others who have to be obedient out of the compulsions of an avocation or

otherwise.

 

 

 

There are three classes of people to whose tunes the Lord dances, whatever be

His own opinion in the matter.

 

 

 

Sri Koorattazhwan says that the Lord is indeed a subordinate soul, a

" VidhEyAtmA " , awaiting the approval of His Divine Consort for each and every

action of His, whether it be Creation, Protection or Destruction. He fashions

His functions upon the likes and dislikes of His beloved PatnI, (expressed not

even explicitly but through the expression in Her eyes or a movement of Her

brows) carefully eschewing what is not to Her taste.

 

" YasyA: veekshya mukham tat ingita parAdheena: vidhattE akhilam " says Sri Azhwan

in his Sristavam, laying down that the Lord always looks to Sri's tirumukham for

a signal of approval for all His actions. He is thus a " PatnI parAdhIna: "

 

 

 

One more class of people who are able to make the omnipotent Lord dance to their

tunes is the arcchakAs, those in charge of His worship at various temples. The

Lord is so compliant where this group of people is concerned, that He gets up

when they give Him a wake-up call, bathes when He is told to, wears whatever the

arcchaka offers Him for the day, be it a priceless and glittering PIthAmbaram or

a mere loin cloth, meekly subjects Himself to such adornments and alankAram as

the bhattar deems fit, dons only those ornaments offered by the arcchaka,

consumes obediently the day's diet, whether it be a sumptuous feast with the

nine tastes or mere cooked rice without any seasoning and goes to sleep

compliantly when the arcchaka shuts the doors to the Sannidhi. This is why He is

said to be an " archaka parAdhIna: " .

 

 

 

The third class of persons whom the Lord feels Himself bound to obey are His

unflinching devotees, who are able to make Him dance to their tunes. When His

bhaktas call upon Him to do something, He obliges with alacrity and willing

compliance. The following sloka highlights this trait-

 

 

 

" iha gaccha, iha tishtta, idam bhunkshva, iti pranatai: sadA

 

yOgyam vidhAtum yat roopam VidhEyAtmA sa keertita: "

 

 

 

" Come here, don't stir out of this place, eat this " etc. are some of the

commands He receives from His beloved and caring devotees, with which he

complies implicitly. As Sri Krishna, He allowed Himself to be tied to the

grindstone by His mother, apparently tearful with fear and self-pity. He waited

hand and foot upon His Acharya Santipini, to set an example of a disciple's

conduct towards his guru. He obeyed the dictates of Arjuna implicitly as a

compliant charioteer, druing the Kurukshetra war. He and His brother stood

obediently before Viswamitra during the Ramavatara, with all humility, willing

to carry out the errands of the Maharshi ( " kinkarou samupastthitou " ). He ate

with as much relish the humble fare of jungle fruits offered by Sri Sabhari, as

He accepted the rich feast from Bharadvaja Mahrshi. And His obedience to His

parents was indeed legendary, unheard of before or after.

 

 

 

When Sri Vidura, in his boundless bliss at the Lord calling on his (Vidura's)

humble residence, paying scant attention to what he was doing, offered a bunch

of banana skins to the Lord, throwing away the fruits, Sri Krishna accepted the

skins and ate them contentedly. To prove the words of a mere infant, He

manifested Himself from a stone pillar in the form a magnificent man-lion,

unseen or unheard of before. To oblige Indra, another devotee, the Lord begged,

(an occupation He had never had to resort to earlier) from Mahabali. In answer

to the prayer of deities affected by Ravana, He endured an unprecedented and

painful separation from His Consort, who had never forsaken Him for even a

second ( " agalakillEn irayum endru alarmEl mangai urai mArba! " ). It is all these

and other innumerable instances of His subjecting Himself to the dicatates of

His devotees, that have earned Him the sobriquet, " Bhakta parAdhIna: "

 

 

 

When the Lord is subject to the whims and fancies of all these people, can we

really call Him the Undisputed Master ( " Nirankusa Iswara: " as Sri Nadadur Ammal

puts it) and attribute to Him the ultimate in independence? We can, for it is

out of His infinite Soulabhyam, overwhelming Mercy and boundless love and

affection for us and others that He makes Himself amenable to the dictates of

devotees. Simply because the elephant obeys its mahout, it doesn't lose any of

its greatness-it remains as powerful, strong and independent as ever and submits

to the mahout's directions only out of a love for him. While on others the

character of subjection may sit as a stigma, it adds to the greatness of the

Lord and makes Him the more venerable for that. He is thus greater as a

" VidhEyAtmA " than as a " avidhEyAtmA "

 

 

 

Srimate Sri LakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana

Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

Dasan, sadagopan