ATHIMAANUSHA STHAVAM OF SRI KOORATHAAZHWAN Part 1
(ANBIL RAMASWAMY)
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In this Sthavam, Koorthaazhwaan brings out the various acts of Emperumaan
that reveal His Paratvam. In the first 10 SlOkams, he introduces the subject
by making references to several aspects that go to establish Emperumaan?s
Paratvam. From SlOkam 11 onwards, he cites various episodes from Vibhava
Avataaras to prove this.
This might look like ?Nindaa Sthuti? wherein the apparent meaning looks like
accusing but the inner meaning would mean the opposite. This is a clever
ploy that Korathaazhwan employs to bring out the glory of the Lord and in
the process makes it enjoyable for us.
SLOKAM 1: INCOMPARABLE & NONPAREIL
Atimaanusha seela vritta vEshai:
Ativritta amara vikrama prataapai:/
Ati langita sarva lOka saamyam
varayE VaishNava vaibhavaavataaram//
By His very nature and conduct, the Lord makes it known that He is one
different from the rest. There is none to match His valor, brilliance and
other qualities even among the celestials, not to speak of excelling.
COMMENTS:
That is why seers have praised Him like:
? ?na sama cha api adhikas cha vidyatE? ?None equal, none superior
? ?oppaar ilayaaya maamaayan?-Incomparable mystic
? thannoppaaril appan? etc.?same-
? Lord KrishNa himself has declared this when he said:
?janma karam cha mE divyam?- My birth and activities are divine
? Bheeshma Stava RaajaslOkam also asserts this:
?ativaayvindra karmaaNam ati soorya ati tEjasam? ? Actions beyond the
celestials, brilliance excelling that of Sun
? BhaTTar explains this as ?ateeindra:? based on the Veda mantram
?aviditavibhavaaya? ? Glory beyond comprehension
? ?trailOkhyE taadrusa: kaschid na jaatO na janishyatE? ? None like him
in
all the three worlds was ever born so far or will ever be born hereafter.
SLOKAM 2: LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE
srEya; kirantu kiranaas charaNaaravinda
nishyandamaana makaranda soughadEsyaa:/
tajjaa: srutEr madhuna utsa iti prateetaa:
mangalya ranga nilayasya parasya dhaamna://
There is a brilliant light beaming from the Lord?s lotus feet praised
incessantly by the Vedas. This beam of light looks like the swirling flow of
nectar issuing forth from the lotus feet of the most compassionate Lord
Ranganatha. May this light and flow bless us with beatitude.
COMMENTS:
? In the 4 slokams starting with this, Azhwan enjoys the glory of Lord
Ranganatha as a prelude to the enjoyment of Vibhava Avataaras to follow.
What is ?srEya:?
? There are two things one could wish for. One is ?prEyas? (praise-Glory
here) and the other is ?srEyas? (eternal bliss of liberation-Glory beyond).
KaTOpanishad equates both with mOksham.
SLOKAM 3: RANGANATHA?S FEET ARE RED - TRUE OR FALSE?
Srimat paraankusa muneendra manO nivaasaat
Tajja anuraaga rasa majjanam anjasa apya /
Adhyaapi anaarata tad utttaraaga yogam
Sreeranga raaja charaNaambujam unnayaama: //
True. Lord?s feet are already soft and pink as lotus. This hue is further
deepened into red because they are constantly immersed in the waters of love
springing in the heart of the great Maharishi Nammaazhwar.
COMMENTS:
? It is said that the massaging by the lotus-like palms of Periya
PiraaTTi.
?malarmagaL kai varuDa malar pOdir sivantana?
? But, Azhwan holds that the redness is because of the Lord being
immersed
in the love of Nammazhwar. It is customary for poets to describe love as
being red in color.
? The question arises that when Nammazhwar has sung only one Padikam on
Lord
Ranganatha in ?kangulum pagalum?, how can it be said that Lord Ranganatha
was always in the heart of the Azhwar.
? The answer is that our elders hold that the entire 1000 odd Pasurams in
Tiruvoimozhi are about Lord Ranganatha only:
?vaan thigazhum sOlai madiLarangar
vaNN pugazh mEl Aayiram
eenra mudal thaai sadagOpan?
? Swami Desika also concurs when he said:
?aNi kurugai nagar munivar naavukku amaindanavE?
SLOKAM 4: ?THE LORD IS SUPREME. HERE IS THE PROOF!?
Vajra dvajaankusa sudha kalasa aata patra
pankhEruhaanka parikrama pareetam anta: /
aapaada pankaja visrunkala deepra mouLaih
sree rangiNas CharaNayOr yugam aasrayaamah //
What are the proofs? They are: Vajra (Diamond shaped mark), Sangu (Divine
Conch) Dvaja (GaruDa on the flag), Ankusa (goad), Sudhaa kalasa (the pot of
nectar), Aatapatra (the white parasol), PankEruha (the red lotus).
COMMENTS:
? This is borne out by ?Naaradeeyam? that cites them as the insignia of
the
Paratvam of the Lord.
? BrihadaaraNyakam defines these in one word ?SaamraaT?- One different
from
the rest. ?yEsha Brahma lOka: SaamraaT ityOvaacha?
? Swami Desika in his StOtra Baashyam and in Devanayaka Panchaasat echoes
these.
? Sukhar concurs:
?sanchintayEd bhagavatas charaNaaravindadam vajraankusa dvaja sarOruha
laanchanaadyam?
? Sounaka also reiterates this fact:
?Sanka chakraaa gadaa padmair angitam paada pankajam?
SLOKAM 5: THE REAL COLOSSUS:
Sree Ranganaatha charaNou praNumO yayO: khalu
Ekas trivikrama vidhou vasudaam asEshaam /
Vykramsta saachala kulaam api viprakeerNa
Sthoolaavalagna sikataamiva nirnadOcham //
When the Lord lifted one of his feet for measuring the heavens, huge
mountains clung to his feet like particles of dust. Did he not place his
feet on all without differentiating the good and the bad? We salute his
glorious feet.
COMMENTS:
? The mountains identified in the PuraaNas as clinging to the Lord?s feet
are: Himavaan, Vindyam, Paariyaatram, Nishadam, Sahyam, Malayam, MahEndram,
Darduram etc.
? When the Lord took Varaaha Avataara, he took the form of a gigantic
boar
and lifted BhoodEvi on his single horn on his forehead as if she were a
small root of a tuber plant. (Ekasringah Varaahah). Swami Desika called him
?MahaapOtrin? to indicate his mammoth form. The mountains and oceans looked
like small particles and poodles respectively at his feet. ?silambiniDai
siru paral pOl periya mEru tirukkuLambil kaNakaNappa? says Tirumangai Mannan
? ?Eka:? Several scriptures and Divya Prabandhams describe that Lord?s
left
foot went up to the skies to measure the Heavens. In some Divya dEsams, the
Lord is seen lifting his right foot.
? Though each foot has its own glory, the foot that measured the earth
has
greater value because it made no discrimination between the deserving and
the undeserving but was totally impartial in blessing one and all.
? AaLavandaar?s statement ?trivikrama tvat charaNaambuja dvayam madeeya
moordnam alankarishyati?, however, mentions that left or right, the Lord?s
feet blessed his crown.
Monday, February 19, 2007
ATHIMAANUSHA STHAVAM OF SRI KOORATHAAZHWAN
Part 2 (Slokas 6 to 10)
(ANBIL RAMASWAMY)
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SLOKAM 6: QUALITIES GALORE!
Jnaanam bhalam vipulam EEsaana veerya sakti
tEjaamsi cha triyugabhooyam upaagataani /
poorNaani shad cha parigrihyya bhavamschaturdhaa
bhatam janam tvam anujagraahithaa anuraagaat //
?Oh! Lord! You possess the three twin qualities of super intelligence and
super powers whether it be in supporting or controlling or directing
everything and every being, and exhibit them in your Vyuha avataras
(emanations) of ParavaasudEva, SamkarshaNa, Pradhyumna and Aniruddha out of
your concern for our welfare?
COMMENTS:
Sri Koorathaazhwaan lists the 6 prime qualities of the Lord with particular
reference to Vyuha Avataras. They are as follows:
1. JNAANAM: The power of the Lord?s knowledge is comprehensive.
Vedas declare
?Sarva Darsee svaadheenOnaadi sarvEswaraH sarva drik yaha sarvagjna:
sarvabid?
Meaning: The Lord can directly PERCEIVE everything always and in all ways
without let or hindrance.
Acharya also confirms this:
?yugapadakhilam pratyakshENa svata: satatam bidan?
2. BALAM: The power of the Lord to SUSTAIN all without any weariness.
Vedas
celebrate this quality thus:
?yEsha sEturvidharaNa: yatra viswam bhavayEkaneeDam that savitu varENyam
dhruvam achalam amrutam vishNu samjnam sarva aadhaaram dhaama?.
3. AISWARYAM: The power of the Lord to CONTROL everything without any
obstruction. The Vedas pay rich tributes to this quality thus:
?svaasheenaanOnaadi sarvEswarah, yad bhootam yacha bhavyam uta amrutatvasya
eesaanah?
4. VEERYAM: The power of the Lord to be FIRM AND STEADFAST without any
change at any time.
Sruti Vaakhyas and Rishi vaakhyas lavish praise on this quality thus:
?Satyam cha anrutam cha satyam abhavat? and
?vikaara virahO veeryam prakritvEpi mE sadaa?
5. SAKTI: The power of the Lord to DIRECT the actions of all. Samhita
Vaakhya makes ample references to this quality: ?paraasya saktirvidhEaiva
srooyatE svaabhaavikee?
This also includes the quality of the lord to accomplish by virtue of his
?AghaTita ghaTanaa saamartyam?, what is impossible for others.
6. TEJAS: The power of the Lord to perform anything and everything
independently without the help or support of any other agency. ?tEjas tu
anyaan apEkshataa?.
The famous MuNdakOpanishad declares:?Neither the Sun, nor the moon, nor the
stars, not to speak of fire, shines on their own. They shine basking in the
brilliance of the Lord?
na tatra sooryO bhaati, na Chandra taarakam,
na imaa vidhyutO bhaanti kutOyam agni:
tamEva bhaantam anubhaati sarvam
tasya bhaasaa sarvam idam vibhaati?
The scriptures do swear that the qualities of the Lord are countless and
infinite.
Did not Parasara say?
?ananta kalyaaNa guNamrutOdadhi??
Do not the Upanishads declare?
?vividaiva srooyatE svaabheeviki jnaana bhalakriyaa cha?
How come, Koorathaazhwaan lists only these six qualities?
The answer is that these are the prime qualities and all the others branch
of from these six.
Swami Desikan in his TattvaTeeka quotes ?SaaDguNya vivEkam? and says that
all other qualities form part of one or more of these six qualities.
Tava ananta guNasyaapi shaDEva prathamE guNaa: /
Yastvayaiva jagat kukshou anyEyantar nivEsitaa: //
? Just like the ?quality of mercy? (Daya) includes compassion (kashamaa)
and motherly affection (vaatsalyam), these six qualities contain all the others.
? What is the reason for listing these six qualities in the order in
which they have been so listed?
Swami Desika answers:
? When a person is asleep and unaware of what happens around him, he is
not conscious of his possessions;
? Even when he is aware, he does not support them consciously.
? Even if he tries to support, he gets tired rather too soon- all because
he acts directed by his own karma.
The Lord is just the antithetical to all these infirmities. He is ?akhila
hEya pratyaneekan? ? totally bereft of all such defects.
? Some hold that since there is no difference between Para VaasudEva and
Vyuha VaasudEva, in exhibiting all these six qualities, only three Vyuha
moorthis should be taken into consideration, each exhibiting a different
pair of qualities thus: SamkarshaNa: Jnaanam and Bhalam; Pradhyumnan:
Aiswaryam and Veeryam; and Aniruddhan: Sakti and tEjas.
? PuraaNas and Paancharaatra attribute different colors for the different
Vyuha moortis.
? They also make reference as to how Vyuhaantaras (sub emanations) like
Kesava, NaraayaNa, Maadva, GOvinda, VishnavE, Madhusoodana, Trivikrama,
Vaamana, Sreedhara, HrishikEsa, Padmanaabha and DaamOdara arose from these
Vyuhas to preside over the 12 months of the year.
SLOKAM 7: ?FORM AND SUBSTANCE?
Ekaanta mangaLa guNaaspadam astahEyam
Nityam padam tava yatas tata eva dEva! /
aamnaayatE tad iha viswa viroopa roopam
tEnaiva nanu idam asabdamaroopam aahuh //
?Your divine body possesses exclusive auspicious qualities and totally
devoid of foibles and thus stands unique and distinct from those of all
others. Unable to fully comprehend, let alone describe such a ?Divyaatma
sareeram?, those well versed in the Vedas declare you to be above and beyond
all description. Because of their inability to comprehend, some even go to
the extent of saying that you do not have a sareeram at all. In other words,
they acknowledge their helplessness in describing you?
COMMENTS:
? The word ?padam? used here refers to Divaaytma Svaroopam, Divya MangaLa
vigraham, and Sri VaikunTam says Bhaashyakaarar in Vedaarta Sangraham and
also in Ubhayalinga adhikaraNam of Sri Bhaashyam.
? This gives the lie direct to the view of Niraaakaara, niravayava,
NirguNa Brahmam. They base their conclusion on Sounaka?s statement:
na tE roopam na cha aakaarO na aayudhaaani chaaspadam/
Tathaapi purushaakaarO bhaktaanaam tvam prakaasasE //
? That Emperumaan has a ?Subha aasraya TirumEni? (auspicious and
accessible form), that he has innumerable groups and groups of auspicious
qualities (asankhyEya kalyaaNa guNa gaNas) and that he is totally bereft of all
defects (akhila hEya pratyanika) are all brought out in this Sloka,
? When Vedas described the Lord as ?asabdam asparsam aroopam avyayam? and
?yath tath adrEsyam agraahyam?, they really meant to throw light on the fact
that he is beyond our comprehension and cognition, not that he is devoid of
form and qualities.
? The Vedas make it clear that these countless auspicious qualities
exclusively belong to Bhagavaan thus:
?Aanandam brahmaNO vidwaan, so asnutE sarvaan kaamaan saha brahmaNaa
vipaschitaa, tasmin yadanta: tad anvEshTavyam?
? Another Veda vaakhyam states:
?sa uttama: purusha: divyO EkO naaraayaNa: purusha EvE idam sarvam, na tE
vishNO: jaayamaanO na jaatO dEva! Mahimna: paramantam aapa yatram dEvaanaam
adhi dEva aastE?
? When Vedas so emphatically attest to the Svaroopam and Svabhaavam of
Emperumaan in such glowing and irrefutable terms, it is strange that some
misguided people hold that the Lord has no form, no qualities etc.
? Let alone Roopam and guNam. If the Lord is such an omnipotent why
should he wield so many weapons?
Swami Desika answers:
Though the weapons are of no use for him, he wields them as he wears
ornaments and for the sake of reassuring his Bhaktas that he is ever ready
to rush to their succor, if need be, by using these weapons.
In Abheeti Sthavam, Swami Desika says that in a sense, his wielding weapons
is for self protection. How? Did he not say that Jnaani is his own very
atma? Protecting the Bhaktas is like protecting his own atma. Viewed in this
light, the weapons are also for his own protection.
Apaartha iti nischita: praharaNaadi yOgas tava
Svayam vahasi nirbhayastadapi ranga prithvidhara /
svarakshaNam iva abhavat praNata rakshaNam taavakam
yadaatha paramaarthavit niyatam antaraatmEti tE //
SLOKAM 8: ?HIDE AND SEEK?
Sabdaadi hEyam iha gOchara indriyaaNaam
Tat pratyaneeka Vibhava: tvam ateendriyOsi /
tEnaiva tE na bata darsanam asti kinchid
vaachO dhiyas cha tata Eva na gOcharOsi //
?Oh! Lord! In this reprehensible mundane world, beings are subject to the
vagaries of the five senses. On the other hand, you are just the opposite of
this and stand apart and above the influence of the senses. That is why, no
one is able to comprehend your Svaroopam and Svabhaavam and stand beyond the
cognition of the mind too?
COMMENTS:
? Continuing the theme, Azhwaan explains why the Lord is beyond our
comprehension (avaang manasa gOcharan) or is visible to our mortal eyes.
? Based on Upanishad statement
?na maamsa chakshurabhi veekhasatE tvam?,
He says that it is because we are deeply immersed in sense objects that we
are not able to look beyond.
? Paraanchikhaani vyatruNat svayambhoo: tasmaat paraang ?pasyati, na
antar aatman? says the Upanishad.
? Did not Nammazhwar say?
?aavi thigaikka aivar kumaikkum sitrinbam? and ?ennai pOra vaithaai puramE?
? Vedas started on a journey of describing the blissful nature (aanandam)
of the Lord but returned crest fallen unable to describe it fully.
?yathO vaachaa nivartantE apraapya manasaa saha?.
? When the yOgis themselves are not capable of viewing the full beauty of
the Lord?s divya svaroopam, how can we, the totally uninitiated ordinary
mortals gain any insight into this?
? Lord Krishna himself clarified this in Bhagavad Gita thus:
?mooDOyam na abhijaanaati lOkO maam ajam avyayam?
? When we cannot comprehend his very Divyaatma svaroopam (divine form),
how can we hope to comprehend his Divyaatma svabhaavam (Divine nature)? Azhwaan
asks.
SLOKAM 9: ?HOOKED AT LAST!?
Evam sthitE tvad upasamsrayaNa apyupaayO
maanEna kEnachidalapsyata na upalabdum
nO chEd amartya manujaadishu yOnishu tvam
ichchaa vihaara vidhinaa amavaatarishya: //
Being thus beyond the cognition of beings in this world, if you had not
taken birth, albeit sportingly, among the celestials, humans, animals, fauna
and flora purely out of your compassion , what other means would be there
for the poor souls to reach you?
COMMENTS:
? After referring to the Para and Vyuha Avataras, Azhwaan proceeds to
describe the exploits of the Lord in his various Vibhava Avataras that form
the ?raison d?etre? for this Sthavam.
? Swami Desika in his Taatparya Chandrika avers that Vibhava avataara
includes Para and Vyuha Avataras also because several Divyadesams exhibit
the moorthis relating to them.
? For example, Srirangam, TirumaalirumsOlai, Naachiyaarkoil represent
para and Vyuham; Sreekoormam, AhObilam, Simhaachalam, AyOdhya, TiruallikkENi,
TirukkOvalur, etc represent Vibhava Avataaras; Tirumalai, TirukkuDantai,
DevapperumaaL koil etc represent Svayam vyakta Divyadesams.
? Azhwaan asks that if the Lord had not come down to earth as described
above, how the poor souls on earth can get a chance for liberation.
? The greatness of Divya dEsams is that if one were to visit and pray at
any one of them, even by sheer chance(not intentionally) and for just a few
moments, one would be rid of evil influences (vaasanas), evil thoughts, evil
means, evil results, atheism etc says Poushkara Samhita.
?Samdarsanaat akasmaat cha pumsaam sammooDa chEtasaam/
Kuvaasanaa kubuddhis cha kunischaya:/ kuhEtus cha bhaavas cha naastikatvam
layam vrajEt?
? Bhagavad Ramanuja in his Gita Bhaashyam (4-11) states:
dEva manushyaadi roopENa avateerya mat samaasrayaNa apEkshaNaam paritraaNam
karOmi.
? Whatever forms he takes in his Avataras, his body is taken out of his
resolution (sankalpam) as a sport, NOT like our bodies that we acquire as a
result of our karma.
? The birth less one takes birth as he pleases.
?ajaayamaanO bahudaa jaayatE? says Sruti
? Lord KrishNa in Bhagavad Gita (9.11) says:
avajaanati maam mooDaah maanushee tanum aasritam/
Param bhaavam ajaanantO mama bhootamahEswaram//
? Azhwar wonders- ?enninra yOniyumaai pirantaai imaiyOr talaivaa?
? Why should the Lord take these Avataras? He does them as a sport. This
is brought out by the words: ?ichchaa vihaara vidhinaa?.
? The Avataaras are identified as follows:
- DEVA AVATAARAS: Vaamana, Nara, NaaraayaNa
- MANUSHYA AVTAARAS: Rama, KrishNa etc
- TIRYAK AVATAARAS: Hamsa, matsya, Koorma, Varaaha, Nrisimha, Sri
Hayagriva etc
- STHAAVARA AVATAARAS: AkshayavaTa, Aswatha NaaraayaNa, NaimisaaraNya etc
SLOKAM 10: ?WHY ARE YOU HERE??
Seelah ka Esha tava hanta! Dayaika sindhO!
kshudrE pritak janapadE jagad aNDa madhyE /
kshOdeeyasOpi hi janasya kritE kritee tvam
atra avateerya nanu lOchana gOcharObhoo: //
?Oh! Ocean of Mercy! You are the only one who can secure whatever you desire
in this wide world (jagad aNDa madhyE)
If you should appear in the midst of such lowly souls and for their sake and
become available to their sight, it speaks volumes about your Souseelyam
(excellence of disposition)?
COMMENTS:
? Azhwaan here lets out the secret of Lord?s appearance in this world
(avataara rahasyam)
He asks the Lord: ?How come! You chose to be born among beings that like
flies are glued to sense objects in this Prakriti MaNDalam? (uNDiyE uDaiyE
ugantu ODiDum)
? Rig Veda has in no uncertain terms stated that none has been, is and
will be born who can claim to know your glory truly and fully as it is. ?Na tE
vishNO:! jaayamaanO na jaatO dEva! Mahimna: paramantamaapa?(Rig Veda 7-99-2)
? If you are born here, there can be no reason other than salvaging the
lost souls (inda maNNUlagil Manisar uyya)
? Srutaprakaasika also asserts this fact saying
?seelam hi naama mahatO mandai: saha neerandrENa samslEsha svanhaavaatvam?
? That the Lord who is beyond the grasp of great sages like Sanaka and
others (vidhi Siva sanakaadhyai: dyaatum atyanta dooram) has made himself
available for all to see (sakala manuja nayana vishayataam gata:) shows his
easy accessibility and compassionate disposition.
Part 2 (Slokas 6 to 10)
(ANBIL RAMASWAMY)
------------------------------------------------------
SLOKAM 6: QUALITIES GALORE!
Jnaanam bhalam vipulam EEsaana veerya sakti
tEjaamsi cha triyugabhooyam upaagataani /
poorNaani shad cha parigrihyya bhavamschaturdhaa
bhatam janam tvam anujagraahithaa anuraagaat //
?Oh! Lord! You possess the three twin qualities of super intelligence and
super powers whether it be in supporting or controlling or directing
everything and every being, and exhibit them in your Vyuha avataras
(emanations) of ParavaasudEva, SamkarshaNa, Pradhyumna and Aniruddha out of
your concern for our welfare?
COMMENTS:
Sri Koorathaazhwaan lists the 6 prime qualities of the Lord with particular
reference to Vyuha Avataras. They are as follows:
1. JNAANAM: The power of the Lord?s knowledge is comprehensive.
Vedas declare
?Sarva Darsee svaadheenOnaadi sarvEswaraH sarva drik yaha sarvagjna:
sarvabid?
Meaning: The Lord can directly PERCEIVE everything always and in all ways
without let or hindrance.
Acharya also confirms this:
?yugapadakhilam pratyakshENa svata: satatam bidan?
2. BALAM: The power of the Lord to SUSTAIN all without any weariness.
Vedas
celebrate this quality thus:
?yEsha sEturvidharaNa: yatra viswam bhavayEkaneeDam that savitu varENyam
dhruvam achalam amrutam vishNu samjnam sarva aadhaaram dhaama?.
3. AISWARYAM: The power of the Lord to CONTROL everything without any
obstruction. The Vedas pay rich tributes to this quality thus:
?svaasheenaanOnaadi sarvEswarah, yad bhootam yacha bhavyam uta amrutatvasya
eesaanah?
4. VEERYAM: The power of the Lord to be FIRM AND STEADFAST without any
change at any time.
Sruti Vaakhyas and Rishi vaakhyas lavish praise on this quality thus:
?Satyam cha anrutam cha satyam abhavat? and
?vikaara virahO veeryam prakritvEpi mE sadaa?
5. SAKTI: The power of the Lord to DIRECT the actions of all. Samhita
Vaakhya makes ample references to this quality: ?paraasya saktirvidhEaiva
srooyatE svaabhaavikee?
This also includes the quality of the lord to accomplish by virtue of his
?AghaTita ghaTanaa saamartyam?, what is impossible for others.
6. TEJAS: The power of the Lord to perform anything and everything
independently without the help or support of any other agency. ?tEjas tu
anyaan apEkshataa?.
The famous MuNdakOpanishad declares:?Neither the Sun, nor the moon, nor the
stars, not to speak of fire, shines on their own. They shine basking in the
brilliance of the Lord?
na tatra sooryO bhaati, na Chandra taarakam,
na imaa vidhyutO bhaanti kutOyam agni:
tamEva bhaantam anubhaati sarvam
tasya bhaasaa sarvam idam vibhaati?
The scriptures do swear that the qualities of the Lord are countless and
infinite.
Did not Parasara say?
?ananta kalyaaNa guNamrutOdadhi??
Do not the Upanishads declare?
?vividaiva srooyatE svaabheeviki jnaana bhalakriyaa cha?
How come, Koorathaazhwaan lists only these six qualities?
The answer is that these are the prime qualities and all the others branch
of from these six.
Swami Desikan in his TattvaTeeka quotes ?SaaDguNya vivEkam? and says that
all other qualities form part of one or more of these six qualities.
Tava ananta guNasyaapi shaDEva prathamE guNaa: /
Yastvayaiva jagat kukshou anyEyantar nivEsitaa: //
? Just like the ?quality of mercy? (Daya) includes compassion (kashamaa)
and motherly affection (vaatsalyam), these six qualities contain all the others.
? What is the reason for listing these six qualities in the order in
which they have been so listed?
Swami Desika answers:
? When a person is asleep and unaware of what happens around him, he is
not conscious of his possessions;
? Even when he is aware, he does not support them consciously.
? Even if he tries to support, he gets tired rather too soon- all because
he acts directed by his own karma.
The Lord is just the antithetical to all these infirmities. He is ?akhila
hEya pratyaneekan? ? totally bereft of all such defects.
? Some hold that since there is no difference between Para VaasudEva and
Vyuha VaasudEva, in exhibiting all these six qualities, only three Vyuha
moorthis should be taken into consideration, each exhibiting a different
pair of qualities thus: SamkarshaNa: Jnaanam and Bhalam; Pradhyumnan:
Aiswaryam and Veeryam; and Aniruddhan: Sakti and tEjas.
? PuraaNas and Paancharaatra attribute different colors for the different
Vyuha moortis.
? They also make reference as to how Vyuhaantaras (sub emanations) like
Kesava, NaraayaNa, Maadva, GOvinda, VishnavE, Madhusoodana, Trivikrama,
Vaamana, Sreedhara, HrishikEsa, Padmanaabha and DaamOdara arose from these
Vyuhas to preside over the 12 months of the year.
SLOKAM 7: ?FORM AND SUBSTANCE?
Ekaanta mangaLa guNaaspadam astahEyam
Nityam padam tava yatas tata eva dEva! /
aamnaayatE tad iha viswa viroopa roopam
tEnaiva nanu idam asabdamaroopam aahuh //
?Your divine body possesses exclusive auspicious qualities and totally
devoid of foibles and thus stands unique and distinct from those of all
others. Unable to fully comprehend, let alone describe such a ?Divyaatma
sareeram?, those well versed in the Vedas declare you to be above and beyond
all description. Because of their inability to comprehend, some even go to
the extent of saying that you do not have a sareeram at all. In other words,
they acknowledge their helplessness in describing you?
COMMENTS:
? The word ?padam? used here refers to Divaaytma Svaroopam, Divya MangaLa
vigraham, and Sri VaikunTam says Bhaashyakaarar in Vedaarta Sangraham and
also in Ubhayalinga adhikaraNam of Sri Bhaashyam.
? This gives the lie direct to the view of Niraaakaara, niravayava,
NirguNa Brahmam. They base their conclusion on Sounaka?s statement:
na tE roopam na cha aakaarO na aayudhaaani chaaspadam/
Tathaapi purushaakaarO bhaktaanaam tvam prakaasasE //
? That Emperumaan has a ?Subha aasraya TirumEni? (auspicious and
accessible form), that he has innumerable groups and groups of auspicious
qualities (asankhyEya kalyaaNa guNa gaNas) and that he is totally bereft of all
defects (akhila hEya pratyanika) are all brought out in this Sloka,
? When Vedas described the Lord as ?asabdam asparsam aroopam avyayam? and
?yath tath adrEsyam agraahyam?, they really meant to throw light on the fact
that he is beyond our comprehension and cognition, not that he is devoid of
form and qualities.
? The Vedas make it clear that these countless auspicious qualities
exclusively belong to Bhagavaan thus:
?Aanandam brahmaNO vidwaan, so asnutE sarvaan kaamaan saha brahmaNaa
vipaschitaa, tasmin yadanta: tad anvEshTavyam?
? Another Veda vaakhyam states:
?sa uttama: purusha: divyO EkO naaraayaNa: purusha EvE idam sarvam, na tE
vishNO: jaayamaanO na jaatO dEva! Mahimna: paramantam aapa yatram dEvaanaam
adhi dEva aastE?
? When Vedas so emphatically attest to the Svaroopam and Svabhaavam of
Emperumaan in such glowing and irrefutable terms, it is strange that some
misguided people hold that the Lord has no form, no qualities etc.
? Let alone Roopam and guNam. If the Lord is such an omnipotent why
should he wield so many weapons?
Swami Desika answers:
Though the weapons are of no use for him, he wields them as he wears
ornaments and for the sake of reassuring his Bhaktas that he is ever ready
to rush to their succor, if need be, by using these weapons.
In Abheeti Sthavam, Swami Desika says that in a sense, his wielding weapons
is for self protection. How? Did he not say that Jnaani is his own very
atma? Protecting the Bhaktas is like protecting his own atma. Viewed in this
light, the weapons are also for his own protection.
Apaartha iti nischita: praharaNaadi yOgas tava
Svayam vahasi nirbhayastadapi ranga prithvidhara /
svarakshaNam iva abhavat praNata rakshaNam taavakam
yadaatha paramaarthavit niyatam antaraatmEti tE //
SLOKAM 8: ?HIDE AND SEEK?
Sabdaadi hEyam iha gOchara indriyaaNaam
Tat pratyaneeka Vibhava: tvam ateendriyOsi /
tEnaiva tE na bata darsanam asti kinchid
vaachO dhiyas cha tata Eva na gOcharOsi //
?Oh! Lord! In this reprehensible mundane world, beings are subject to the
vagaries of the five senses. On the other hand, you are just the opposite of
this and stand apart and above the influence of the senses. That is why, no
one is able to comprehend your Svaroopam and Svabhaavam and stand beyond the
cognition of the mind too?
COMMENTS:
? Continuing the theme, Azhwaan explains why the Lord is beyond our
comprehension (avaang manasa gOcharan) or is visible to our mortal eyes.
? Based on Upanishad statement
?na maamsa chakshurabhi veekhasatE tvam?,
He says that it is because we are deeply immersed in sense objects that we
are not able to look beyond.
? Paraanchikhaani vyatruNat svayambhoo: tasmaat paraang ?pasyati, na
antar aatman? says the Upanishad.
? Did not Nammazhwar say?
?aavi thigaikka aivar kumaikkum sitrinbam? and ?ennai pOra vaithaai puramE?
? Vedas started on a journey of describing the blissful nature (aanandam)
of the Lord but returned crest fallen unable to describe it fully.
?yathO vaachaa nivartantE apraapya manasaa saha?.
? When the yOgis themselves are not capable of viewing the full beauty of
the Lord?s divya svaroopam, how can we, the totally uninitiated ordinary
mortals gain any insight into this?
? Lord Krishna himself clarified this in Bhagavad Gita thus:
?mooDOyam na abhijaanaati lOkO maam ajam avyayam?
? When we cannot comprehend his very Divyaatma svaroopam (divine form),
how can we hope to comprehend his Divyaatma svabhaavam (Divine nature)? Azhwaan
asks.
SLOKAM 9: ?HOOKED AT LAST!?
Evam sthitE tvad upasamsrayaNa apyupaayO
maanEna kEnachidalapsyata na upalabdum
nO chEd amartya manujaadishu yOnishu tvam
ichchaa vihaara vidhinaa amavaatarishya: //
Being thus beyond the cognition of beings in this world, if you had not
taken birth, albeit sportingly, among the celestials, humans, animals, fauna
and flora purely out of your compassion , what other means would be there
for the poor souls to reach you?
COMMENTS:
? After referring to the Para and Vyuha Avataras, Azhwaan proceeds to
describe the exploits of the Lord in his various Vibhava Avataras that form
the ?raison d?etre? for this Sthavam.
? Swami Desika in his Taatparya Chandrika avers that Vibhava avataara
includes Para and Vyuha Avataras also because several Divyadesams exhibit
the moorthis relating to them.
? For example, Srirangam, TirumaalirumsOlai, Naachiyaarkoil represent
para and Vyuham; Sreekoormam, AhObilam, Simhaachalam, AyOdhya, TiruallikkENi,
TirukkOvalur, etc represent Vibhava Avataaras; Tirumalai, TirukkuDantai,
DevapperumaaL koil etc represent Svayam vyakta Divyadesams.
? Azhwaan asks that if the Lord had not come down to earth as described
above, how the poor souls on earth can get a chance for liberation.
? The greatness of Divya dEsams is that if one were to visit and pray at
any one of them, even by sheer chance(not intentionally) and for just a few
moments, one would be rid of evil influences (vaasanas), evil thoughts, evil
means, evil results, atheism etc says Poushkara Samhita.
?Samdarsanaat akasmaat cha pumsaam sammooDa chEtasaam/
Kuvaasanaa kubuddhis cha kunischaya:/ kuhEtus cha bhaavas cha naastikatvam
layam vrajEt?
? Bhagavad Ramanuja in his Gita Bhaashyam (4-11) states:
dEva manushyaadi roopENa avateerya mat samaasrayaNa apEkshaNaam paritraaNam
karOmi.
? Whatever forms he takes in his Avataras, his body is taken out of his
resolution (sankalpam) as a sport, NOT like our bodies that we acquire as a
result of our karma.
? The birth less one takes birth as he pleases.
?ajaayamaanO bahudaa jaayatE? says Sruti
? Lord KrishNa in Bhagavad Gita (9.11) says:
avajaanati maam mooDaah maanushee tanum aasritam/
Param bhaavam ajaanantO mama bhootamahEswaram//
? Azhwar wonders- ?enninra yOniyumaai pirantaai imaiyOr talaivaa?
? Why should the Lord take these Avataras? He does them as a sport. This
is brought out by the words: ?ichchaa vihaara vidhinaa?.
? The Avataaras are identified as follows:
- DEVA AVATAARAS: Vaamana, Nara, NaaraayaNa
- MANUSHYA AVTAARAS: Rama, KrishNa etc
- TIRYAK AVATAARAS: Hamsa, matsya, Koorma, Varaaha, Nrisimha, Sri
Hayagriva etc
- STHAAVARA AVATAARAS: AkshayavaTa, Aswatha NaaraayaNa, NaimisaaraNya etc
SLOKAM 10: ?WHY ARE YOU HERE??
Seelah ka Esha tava hanta! Dayaika sindhO!
kshudrE pritak janapadE jagad aNDa madhyE /
kshOdeeyasOpi hi janasya kritE kritee tvam
atra avateerya nanu lOchana gOcharObhoo: //
?Oh! Ocean of Mercy! You are the only one who can secure whatever you desire
in this wide world (jagad aNDa madhyE)
If you should appear in the midst of such lowly souls and for their sake and
become available to their sight, it speaks volumes about your Souseelyam
(excellence of disposition)?
COMMENTS:
? Azhwaan here lets out the secret of Lord?s appearance in this world
(avataara rahasyam)
He asks the Lord: ?How come! You chose to be born among beings that like
flies are glued to sense objects in this Prakriti MaNDalam? (uNDiyE uDaiyE
ugantu ODiDum)
? Rig Veda has in no uncertain terms stated that none has been, is and
will be born who can claim to know your glory truly and fully as it is. ?Na tE
vishNO:! jaayamaanO na jaatO dEva! Mahimna: paramantamaapa?(Rig Veda 7-99-2)
? If you are born here, there can be no reason other than salvaging the
lost souls (inda maNNUlagil Manisar uyya)
? Srutaprakaasika also asserts this fact saying
?seelam hi naama mahatO mandai: saha neerandrENa samslEsha svanhaavaatvam?
? That the Lord who is beyond the grasp of great sages like Sanaka and
others (vidhi Siva sanakaadhyai: dyaatum atyanta dooram) has made himself
available for all to see (sakala manuja nayana vishayataam gata:) shows his
easy accessibility and compassionate disposition.
ATHIMAANUSHA STHAVAM OF SRI KOORATHAAZHWAN
Part 3
(Slokas 11 and 12)
(ANBIL RAMASWAMY)
-------------------------------------------------------
SLOKAM 11: ?MASTER SEEKING A BOON FROM HIS VERY SERVANT?
yam paatakaat sumahata: apiudashaarayatvam
tvadpaada vaari paripoota siraas cha yObhoot /
tam vandasE kila, tatascha varam vriNeeshE!
kreeDaa vidhir bata vilaksaNa lakshaNas tE //
?How come! You seem to have bowed to and sought a boon (for begetting a son)
from the very same Siva whose sin of having nipped the head of his own father
(Brahma), was wiped out by the holy waters flowing from your feet??
COMMENTS:
? As per the Matsya puaNa (Chapter 182), once upon a time, Brahma, the
creator had 5 heads like Siva. They looked alike. Once when Siva had gone out,
Brahma came to Siva?s place. Parvati, wife of Siva mistook him to be Siva and
offered the usual courtesies. Unexpectedly, Siva barged in, saw what was going
on. In a fit of rage, he plucked one of the heads of Brahma.
Brahma cursed Siva that since Siva had harmed him thus; Siva would become a
mendicant roaming about with the skull of the head he had plucked.
Yasmaat anaparaadhasya sira: chinnam tvayaa mama /
Tasmaat saapa samaayukta: kapaalee tvam bhavishyasi //
Consequently, the skull stuck to his palm would not fall off.
Siva himself boasted: vaama ankushTa kara agrENa chinnam tas sirO mayaa?
Siva proceeded to Badarikaasramam and surrendered to Sriman Narayana for relief
from the curse. Emperumaan made an incision in his body and filled the skull
with the blood oozing out from there. Thereupon only, the skull got broken into
a thousand pieces and fell off from Siva?s palm. He narrates this incident and
confesses to his wife, Parvati, that he felt relieved as if he had gained a
great treasure while in a dream, thanks to the grace of Lord VishNu.
vishNuprasaadaat susrONi! kapaalam that sahasradhaa/
spOTitam bahudhaa yaatam svapnalabdam dhanam yathaa??
Varaaha PuraaNa, however, mentions the same story but instead of blood, it says
that the Lord filled the skull with his perspiration.
? SrimushNam Sthala PuraaNam mentions the same story and says that the
sweat from the Lord?s body became what is known as ?SwEda nadi (River of sweat).
? The question arises as to how blood and sweat could come out of Lord?s
body which is known as ?apraakritam?
Swami Desika gives an answer to this question:
The Lord is known as ?maayee?, one who works wonders. We have to take it that
the blood and sweat from the Lord?s Divya MangaLa vigraham was also created by
virtue of his ?maayaa?
? apraakritE bhagavad vigrahE yuddhaadishu atra cha
rudira swEdaadikam maayaasrushTam mantavyam?
? A reference to this incident can be gleaned from Srimad Vaalmiki
RamayaNam. Bharata swears to Kousalya that if he had been guilty of being
instrumental in sending Sri Rama to exile, he himself would roam the earth like
a crazy mendicant with a begging bowl in hand in the manner in which Siva
roamed. From this, it is clear that the act of cutting the head of one?s father
who doubled as Achaarya, one who had mastered the Vedas and Vedantas and that
too when one was innocent- was a serious crime.
?kapaalapaaNi: prithveem aTataam chera samvrita:/
bhikshamaaNO yatha unmatthO yasya aaryO animate gata:
(Valmiki Ramayanam Ayodhyaa khaaNDam 75-40)
Tirumangai Azhwar also refers to this thus:
?piNDiyaar maNDai yEnti pirar manai tiritandu uNNum
uNDiyaan saapam theertha oruvanoor ulagamEttum
kaNDiyoor, arangam, meyyam, kachi pEr mallai??
? Further,Veda declares that the holy waters flow from the feet of
Emperumaan
?VishNO: padE paramE madhva utsa:?
? Eeswara Samhita describes how Siva wore in the locks of his matted hair
on his head this holy waters flowing from Lord?s feet.
?tadambu parayaa bhaktyaa dadhaara sirasaa harah/
paavanaartham jaTaa madhyE yOghyOsmee iti avdhaaraNaat //?
? In Harivamsa, KrishNa is reported to have requested for a child from
Siva.
? Koorathaazhwaan wonders why the Lord who is so superior with status of
a powerful master to one and all (including Brahma and Siva) would seek a boon
from the same Siva, who, after all, was a minor deity (kshudra dEvata) and that
too for begetting a son!
? Varaaha PuraNa says that Rudra requested Narayana as follows:
?Please grant me a favor. In one of your Avataras, you should appear to pray to
me and ask for a boon, so that I can command some respect in the world? Sriman
Narayana agreed. That is why in KrishNa Avataara, he requested Rudra for a
child, just to keep up his promise.
? The less known fact, however, is that soon on granting the favor, Rudra
declared in the same Varaaha PuraaNa thus:
?KrishNa out of his simplicity only, came to me for a child. But, he is the
source of all beings. He is the protector of all. He is the supreme Tattva. He
alone gives mOksha?
(Vide page 65 of ?A dialogue on Hinduism? by Sri V.N. Gopala Desikan pub: Sri
VisishTadvaita Research Centre, Madras)
? The word ?kila? denotes that it was not really necessary for the Lord
to have begged for a boon but that he did so, just by way of enacting a play.
This does not detract from the Paratvam of the Lord but only reveals his
?Souseelyam? ?exhibiting his humility in spite of his Lordship (VilakshaNa
loakshaNas tE)
? This is one of those instances in which the Lord showed his
?Souseelyam? like for example, his being bound to a mortar by his mother,
YasOda,
------------------------------------------------------------------
SLOKAM 12: ?MULTI HEADED MONSTER AND THE MAJESTIC LION?
kreeDaavidhE: parikaras tava yaa tu maayaa
saa mOhinee na katam asya tu hanta! jantO:!
Hi! Martya simha vapus tavat tEjasOmsE
Sambhur bhavan hi sarabha: salabhO babhoova //
?Oh! Lord! Your maaya indeed benumbs the intellect of all living beings. Did
not Siva who took the form of a strange and mighty animal (supposed to have
eight legs and wings) called ?sarabha? got burnt down in just one small spark
of your rage like a moth (viTTil poochi) that perishes in the blaze of fire??
COMMENTS:
? When the Lord took Nrisimha Avataara, the celestials were so scared of
his half-man, half- lion form. Siva assured them that he would take a stranger
form and confront Nrisimha thinking that the Lord would be scared. Over powered
by the ?maaya? of the Lord, Siva took the form of a strange winged animal
called ?Sarabha? with two heads, broad, powerful wings, sharp nails, eight legs
four of them protruding upwards, and other limbs looking like a cow and a bird
all at once and tried to fight Lord Nrisimha. In the process, the Lord
destroyed the animal and reduced it to ashes, as he did to
HiraNyakasipu.
? This is narrated in Varaaha PuraaNa thus:
hantum abyaagatam roudram sarabham narakEsaree /
Nakhair bidaarayaamaasa hiraNyakasipum yathaa //
? KoorEsar is not surprised at this because he knows that the Lord?s
?maaya? is capable of performing mind altering feats even among such great
masters of wisdom like Siva, Brahma etc. because all of them are subject to
their respective karmas (karmavasya)
? Sri Parasara says (5-30-7):
Brahmaadhyaa: sakalaa dEvaa; manushyaa: pasavas tathaa/
vishNu maayaamhaavarta mOhaandha tamasaa vrutaa: //
? Bhagavaan Himself has said in BG
Deivee hi Eshaa guNamayee mama maayaa duratyayaa /
maamEva yE prapadhyantE maayaam yEtaam taranti tE//
? A great Sanskrit scholar, Sri Srinivasacharya swami quotes an ancient
SlOkam on these lines:
namOstu narasimhaaya lakshmee sthiti jitakudE /
yad krOdaagnou puraa roudra: Sarabha: salabhaayatE //
Part 3
(Slokas 11 and 12)
(ANBIL RAMASWAMY)
-------------------------------------------------------
SLOKAM 11: ?MASTER SEEKING A BOON FROM HIS VERY SERVANT?
yam paatakaat sumahata: apiudashaarayatvam
tvadpaada vaari paripoota siraas cha yObhoot /
tam vandasE kila, tatascha varam vriNeeshE!
kreeDaa vidhir bata vilaksaNa lakshaNas tE //
?How come! You seem to have bowed to and sought a boon (for begetting a son)
from the very same Siva whose sin of having nipped the head of his own father
(Brahma), was wiped out by the holy waters flowing from your feet??
COMMENTS:
? As per the Matsya puaNa (Chapter 182), once upon a time, Brahma, the
creator had 5 heads like Siva. They looked alike. Once when Siva had gone out,
Brahma came to Siva?s place. Parvati, wife of Siva mistook him to be Siva and
offered the usual courtesies. Unexpectedly, Siva barged in, saw what was going
on. In a fit of rage, he plucked one of the heads of Brahma.
Brahma cursed Siva that since Siva had harmed him thus; Siva would become a
mendicant roaming about with the skull of the head he had plucked.
Yasmaat anaparaadhasya sira: chinnam tvayaa mama /
Tasmaat saapa samaayukta: kapaalee tvam bhavishyasi //
Consequently, the skull stuck to his palm would not fall off.
Siva himself boasted: vaama ankushTa kara agrENa chinnam tas sirO mayaa?
Siva proceeded to Badarikaasramam and surrendered to Sriman Narayana for relief
from the curse. Emperumaan made an incision in his body and filled the skull
with the blood oozing out from there. Thereupon only, the skull got broken into
a thousand pieces and fell off from Siva?s palm. He narrates this incident and
confesses to his wife, Parvati, that he felt relieved as if he had gained a
great treasure while in a dream, thanks to the grace of Lord VishNu.
vishNuprasaadaat susrONi! kapaalam that sahasradhaa/
spOTitam bahudhaa yaatam svapnalabdam dhanam yathaa??
Varaaha PuraaNa, however, mentions the same story but instead of blood, it says
that the Lord filled the skull with his perspiration.
? SrimushNam Sthala PuraaNam mentions the same story and says that the
sweat from the Lord?s body became what is known as ?SwEda nadi (River of sweat).
? The question arises as to how blood and sweat could come out of Lord?s
body which is known as ?apraakritam?
Swami Desika gives an answer to this question:
The Lord is known as ?maayee?, one who works wonders. We have to take it that
the blood and sweat from the Lord?s Divya MangaLa vigraham was also created by
virtue of his ?maayaa?
? apraakritE bhagavad vigrahE yuddhaadishu atra cha
rudira swEdaadikam maayaasrushTam mantavyam?
? A reference to this incident can be gleaned from Srimad Vaalmiki
RamayaNam. Bharata swears to Kousalya that if he had been guilty of being
instrumental in sending Sri Rama to exile, he himself would roam the earth like
a crazy mendicant with a begging bowl in hand in the manner in which Siva
roamed. From this, it is clear that the act of cutting the head of one?s father
who doubled as Achaarya, one who had mastered the Vedas and Vedantas and that
too when one was innocent- was a serious crime.
?kapaalapaaNi: prithveem aTataam chera samvrita:/
bhikshamaaNO yatha unmatthO yasya aaryO animate gata:
(Valmiki Ramayanam Ayodhyaa khaaNDam 75-40)
Tirumangai Azhwar also refers to this thus:
?piNDiyaar maNDai yEnti pirar manai tiritandu uNNum
uNDiyaan saapam theertha oruvanoor ulagamEttum
kaNDiyoor, arangam, meyyam, kachi pEr mallai??
? Further,Veda declares that the holy waters flow from the feet of
Emperumaan
?VishNO: padE paramE madhva utsa:?
? Eeswara Samhita describes how Siva wore in the locks of his matted hair
on his head this holy waters flowing from Lord?s feet.
?tadambu parayaa bhaktyaa dadhaara sirasaa harah/
paavanaartham jaTaa madhyE yOghyOsmee iti avdhaaraNaat //?
? In Harivamsa, KrishNa is reported to have requested for a child from
Siva.
? Koorathaazhwaan wonders why the Lord who is so superior with status of
a powerful master to one and all (including Brahma and Siva) would seek a boon
from the same Siva, who, after all, was a minor deity (kshudra dEvata) and that
too for begetting a son!
? Varaaha PuraNa says that Rudra requested Narayana as follows:
?Please grant me a favor. In one of your Avataras, you should appear to pray to
me and ask for a boon, so that I can command some respect in the world? Sriman
Narayana agreed. That is why in KrishNa Avataara, he requested Rudra for a
child, just to keep up his promise.
? The less known fact, however, is that soon on granting the favor, Rudra
declared in the same Varaaha PuraaNa thus:
?KrishNa out of his simplicity only, came to me for a child. But, he is the
source of all beings. He is the protector of all. He is the supreme Tattva. He
alone gives mOksha?
(Vide page 65 of ?A dialogue on Hinduism? by Sri V.N. Gopala Desikan pub: Sri
VisishTadvaita Research Centre, Madras)
? The word ?kila? denotes that it was not really necessary for the Lord
to have begged for a boon but that he did so, just by way of enacting a play.
This does not detract from the Paratvam of the Lord but only reveals his
?Souseelyam? ?exhibiting his humility in spite of his Lordship (VilakshaNa
loakshaNas tE)
? This is one of those instances in which the Lord showed his
?Souseelyam? like for example, his being bound to a mortar by his mother,
YasOda,
------------------------------------------------------------------
SLOKAM 12: ?MULTI HEADED MONSTER AND THE MAJESTIC LION?
kreeDaavidhE: parikaras tava yaa tu maayaa
saa mOhinee na katam asya tu hanta! jantO:!
Hi! Martya simha vapus tavat tEjasOmsE
Sambhur bhavan hi sarabha: salabhO babhoova //
?Oh! Lord! Your maaya indeed benumbs the intellect of all living beings. Did
not Siva who took the form of a strange and mighty animal (supposed to have
eight legs and wings) called ?sarabha? got burnt down in just one small spark
of your rage like a moth (viTTil poochi) that perishes in the blaze of fire??
COMMENTS:
? When the Lord took Nrisimha Avataara, the celestials were so scared of
his half-man, half- lion form. Siva assured them that he would take a stranger
form and confront Nrisimha thinking that the Lord would be scared. Over powered
by the ?maaya? of the Lord, Siva took the form of a strange winged animal
called ?Sarabha? with two heads, broad, powerful wings, sharp nails, eight legs
four of them protruding upwards, and other limbs looking like a cow and a bird
all at once and tried to fight Lord Nrisimha. In the process, the Lord
destroyed the animal and reduced it to ashes, as he did to
HiraNyakasipu.
? This is narrated in Varaaha PuraaNa thus:
hantum abyaagatam roudram sarabham narakEsaree /
Nakhair bidaarayaamaasa hiraNyakasipum yathaa //
? KoorEsar is not surprised at this because he knows that the Lord?s
?maaya? is capable of performing mind altering feats even among such great
masters of wisdom like Siva, Brahma etc. because all of them are subject to
their respective karmas (karmavasya)
? Sri Parasara says (5-30-7):
Brahmaadhyaa: sakalaa dEvaa; manushyaa: pasavas tathaa/
vishNu maayaamhaavarta mOhaandha tamasaa vrutaa: //
? Bhagavaan Himself has said in BG
Deivee hi Eshaa guNamayee mama maayaa duratyayaa /
maamEva yE prapadhyantE maayaam yEtaam taranti tE//
? A great Sanskrit scholar, Sri Srinivasacharya swami quotes an ancient
SlOkam on these lines:
namOstu narasimhaaya lakshmee sthiti jitakudE /
yad krOdaagnou puraa roudra: Sarabha: salabhaayatE //
1. ATHIMAANUSHA
STHAVAM OF SRI KOORATHAAZHWAN
Part 4
(Slokas 13 to 15)
(ANBIL RAMASWAMY)
======================================================
SLOKAM 13: THE BURNING CITY
Yasya aatmataam tripura bhanga vidou adhaas tvam
Sva shakti tEjita sarO vijayee cha yO abhoot /
Daksha kratou tu kila tEna vinirjitas tvam
yuktO vidhEya vishayEshu hi kaamachaara: //
?Oh! Lord! When Siva embarked on the destruction of the tri-cities, he could do
so only because you took your position at the tip of his arrow and actually
accomplished the mission, but yet you allowed Siva to take all the credit for
the same! It is no wonder that you did this because you are known to remain
humble and submissive in the case of your Bhaktas. It was this quality that you
exhibited when you appeared as if you were vanquished by the same Siva during
Daksha Yagjnam?
COMMENTS:
? Taarakaasura had three sons named TaarukaaDan, kaalaaDan and
Vidhyunmaali. The trio did severe penance and obtained from Brahma several
boons. They created three whole cities made of gold, silver and iron that could
fly in the air. They were playing havoc on the celestials with their newfound
powers. The celestials prayed to Siva for help. Siva agreed provided they would
accept him as the Lord of the cattle and they assisted him in the fight against
the asuras. As agreed, Siva made the earth his chariot, the Sun and the Moon as
the wheels of the chariot, the four Vedas as the four horses, Brahma as the
chauffer, the Meru mountain as the bow, AadisEsha as the string for the bow,
Lord Hari as the arrow, the Wind god as the wings of
the arrow and Fire god as the blaze, and destroyed the tri-cities by a raging
fire.
? Of course, PuraNas describe the event assigning credit to Siva for
burning the cities. The truth, however, is that it is Lord VishNu who sitting
on the edge of the arrow who actually performed the destruction.
? That the celestials agreed to Siva?s condition of being accepted as the
Lord of the cattle is borne out by the Vedic utterance ?ahamEva pasoonaam
eesai?
? Kaasikaakaara Vaamanar clarifies this deal thus:
? upasamvaada: paribhaashaNam, kartavyE paNabandhah? yadi mE bhavaan idam
kuryaat aham api bhavata idam daasyaami iti? upasamvaadE ? ahamEva pasoonaam
eesai?- A pact in which one party (here Siva) says: ?If you do this to me, I
will do this to you (celestials)?
? The incident is reported in MB KarNa Parvam (Chapter 23), also as to
how it was NOT Siva but VishNu who burnt down the tri-cities.
?vishNuraatmaa bhagavatObhavasya amita tEjasa:/
Tasmaad dhanur jyaa sam sparsam sa vishEhE mahEswara: //
? Why did the Lord appear as vanquished by Siva during Daksha Yagjna?
Azhwaan answers: It is the quality of really great ones to act as if they
submit themselves to those who submit to them. Did not Sri Rama say that he
sought protection from Sugriva, as if he needed protection from Sugriva whom he
protected from Vali?
?lOkanaatha: puraa bhootvaa sugreevam naatham ichchati?
? If we have a closer look at the Tripura episode, we come across several
other anecdotes connected to it.
THE MAGIC WAND:
1. Since the asuras had faith in the Vedas, they could vanquish the
celestials who were totally devoted to the Lord, with lots of boons they
secured from Kshudra dEvatas. The only way to disarm the Asuras was to vitiate
their faith and thereby emaciate them. Therefore, the Lord took a special
Avataara as ?Adhi Buddha? (not to be confused with the historical Goutama
Buddha, who established Buddhism). The purpose of this ?Adhi Buddha? was to
mislead the asuras and lose their strength.
?kaLLa vEdathaik koNDu pOi puram pukkavaarum kalandu
asuraraiuLLam bEDam seidiTTU uyir uNDa upaayangaLum?
says Azhwar (5.10.4)
CAN A TREE ROB ONE?S MODESTY?
2. The wives of Tripuras had no issues. Emperumaan advised them to embrace
a pipal tree (arasamaram). He transformed himself into such a tree (aswatha
NaaraayaNa) and made them embrace it thereby making them lose their chastity.
The second source of the strength of the Tripuras was thus demolished and they
became emaciated.
THE COW AND THE CALF:
3. The Asuras commanded ?Mayaa?, their architect, to construct a well
filled with divine nectar, (amritam) with the result that every time an Asura
got killed in the fight against dEvas, they would dip his body in the well of
nectar and the dead would come alive. This facility was not available to the
celestials and their ranks got depleted. The Lord took the form of a cow with
Brahma as a calf and licked the entire nectar in the well. The well became bone
dry. The asuras could no longer bring the dead back to life.
Thus, the Lord disabled the strength of the asuras. These are narrated in
VishNu Dharmam panjara Stotram:
?tripuram jagnusha: poorvam brahmaNaa vishNu panjaram/
sankarasya kurusrEshTa! rakshaNaaya niroopitam?//
? In spite of accomplishing all these, the Lord is so humble as to assign
all credits to his Bhaktas.
? In MB, though KrishNa was mainly responsible for the killing of KarNa,
he says?tvayaa mayaa cha kuntyaa cha?, as if it was the joint effort of Arjuna,
Kunti and himself!
? Now, to the story of Daksha Yagjnam:
Daksha was the father-in-law of Siva. When Daksha entered the hall of a yagjna
called Viswasruja, everyone stood up, except Siva, his own son-in-law and
disciple. Enraged at this, Daksha did not invite Siva and Paarvati to a yagjna
that he himself performed. But, Paarvati, out of affection for her father,
attended the yagjna against the wishes of Siva. When Paarvati arrived at the
venue, she was not accorded the usual welcome and no havis was allotted to
Siva, as one of the dEvatas entitled to it. She walked out but could not go
back to Siva after this disgrace. So, she ignited a fire out of her chastity
and calling herself as ?sati?, she jumped into the fire
and self immolated herself. (That is how the practice of ?Sati? seems to have
come into vogue, in which the widowed women immolated themselves on the funeral
pyre of their husbands). The story is narrated in the 4th Skhaandam of Sri
Bhaagavatam, where there is no mention about the Lord being vanquished by Siva.
But, works like ?dakka yaaga bharaNi? and some Taamasa PuraaNas (that are NOT
authoritative) do mention as if Siva vanquished the Lord.
That is why, KoorEsar refers to the incident and explains that if at all the
Lord appeared thus, it was also only as a leela for him.
? This is like Andal saying:
?oruthi mganaai pirandu Ore iravil oruthi maganaai oLithu vaLara?
The Lord had no fear; yet, he acted as if he was afraid of Kamsa and hid
himself as the son of YasOda.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
SLOKAM 14: ?BANYAN LEAF IS BABY SITTING?
Mugdha: sisu: vaTa dale sayitO ati tanvaa
Tanvaa jaganti bibrushE savikaasam Eva /
Aiseem imaam tu tavasaktim atarkitavyaam
Avyaajata: prathayasE kim iha avteerNa:? //
?How come, you with all sentient beings and insentient things in the world kept
in safe custody in your tiny tummy, took the form of a small baby lying on a
single tiny banyan leaf? How else could it be explained except by way of saying
that it is due to your wish (Sankalpam) to mingle with us in this mundane
world, in exercise of your extraordinary powers that none else can ever boast
of??
COMMENTS:
? This has been described in Harivamsam, Vana Parva of Srimad
Mahaabhaaratam and AcharyOpakhyaanas.
? Paancharaatra actually lists this ?vaTa patra saayee? as one of the
Avataras.
? BhaTTar lists the following 14 naamas in Sri VishNu Sahasranaamam as
dedicated to this VaTa patra saayee:
-yugaadikrit, yugaavartO, naikamaayO, mahaasanah/
adrisyO vyaktaroopas cha sahasrajit anantajit//
ishTO visishTa: sishTEshTa: sikhaNDee nahushO vrisha: //
? It would appear that when MaarkaNDEya was scared when he saw this
phenomenon of a baby floating on the tiny leaf when all the worlds had been
washed away in the deluge and wondered as to who this baby was, wherefrom it
came, who were its parents etc., the baby called him and dispelled his fear.
Katham tu ayam sisu: sEtE lOkE naasam upaagatE?/
Tapasaa chintayan cha api thum sisum na upalakshayE //
? athitanvaa tanvaa: refers to how the small baby could contain within
itself the entire world.
? This has been referred in PaaN perumaaL?s
?aalamaamarathin ilai mEl oru baalakanaai bagiraNDathu
oru maanilam ezhumaal varai murrum uNDadu?
? MaarkaNDEya describes this scene to PaaNDavas and describes how he saw
that for millions of years ?business as usual? was taking place - with Brahmins
doing Yagjnas, Kings ruling their kingdoms, agriculturists raising crops in
their fields, Ganga, Yamuna and other rivers flowing, mountains rising to the
sky - all within the tummy of the baby.
? He is indeed ?ulagamuNDa peruvaayan? and all the beings including
Brahma, Rudra and others were just ?Emperumaan uNDU umizhnda echil dEvar?
(spittle of Emperumaan) says Azhwar.
? MaarkaNDEya Rishi wonders ?mahat hi Etatachintyam cha yad aham
drishTavaan prabhO??- What I have seen is so incredible, inconceivable and
beyond thought?
? All this proves how Sriman Narayana is the cause of the worlds
(jagatkaaraNan)
------------------------------------------------------------------
SLOKAM 15: ?SKY IS THE LIMIT- MAY BE NOT?
brahmEsa madhya gaNanaa, gaNanaarka panktou
indra anuja tvam aditEs tanayatva yOgaat /
ikshvaaku vamsa-yadu vamsa Janis cha hanta!
Slaaghyaan amooni anupamasya parasya dhaamna: //
?Though you have your superior and unique effulgence, you decided to appear
- as one among the three entities of Brahma, VishNu and Siva,
- as one of the 12 Adityas in your role as the son of Aditi,
- as the younger brother of Indra (upEndra),
- as being born in the Ikshvaaku and Yadu clans,
All these only show that you are incomparable even in your Souseelayam and
Soulabhyam?
COMMENTS:
? Only the wise will know the secret behind this.
?ajaayamaanO bahudhaa vijaayatE/
tasya dheeraa: parijaananti yOnim?
? What is ?Avataara?? The one that is far superior comes down to the
level of those far inferior and mingles with them as equal to them.
This is the meaning of the word ?Avataara?.
? Wherever grief etc is exhibited, it should be remembered that for the
Lord, it is only an act of empathy with the downtrodden.
?Manushya dEhinaam chEshTaam,
eesaan api mahaayOgi,
tEna vanchayatE lOKaan?
? Thus, taking different Vibhava Avataaras does not diminish His Paratvam
but only a confirmation thereof.
? brahmEsa Madhya gaNanaa:
Counting him as one among three deities, namely, Brahma, VishNu and Siva does
not detract his glory. On the other hand, it only augments it - says KoorEsar.
Of course, lay folk would be tempted to think that he is after all one of the
three deities in charge of creation, sustenance and destruction.
Only those who know how the Lord kept the worlds in safe custody in his tummy
during the long PraLaya will know that he is the Only one who can create,
protect and destroy and Not an ?also ran?
?ananya saadhyE svaabheeshTE na hi
paalana saamarthyam rutE SarvEswaram ?harim? - praised Brahma.
? Did not Bhagavaan Himself declare that such noble souls who realize his
incomparable greatness are the rarest of the rare?
?vaasudEva: sarvam iti sa mahhatmaa sudurlabhah?
gaNanaarka panktou
He appeared as one of the 12 Adityas (sons of Aditi) and bore the name
?VishNu?. In fact, however, he shines uniquely in the middle of the orb of Sun
(Savitru manDala madhyavartee). For that reason he is known as ?Tridaamaa?
Indra anujatvam: That he presented himself as the younger brother of Indra
calling himself ?upEndra? is also surprising. Though he was younger to
Balarama, it was KrishNa who had prominence in KrishNa avataara. Likewise,
though he called himself ?upEndra?, he was, is and will always and in all ways
be prominent.
ikshvaaku vamsa Janis:
Similarly, his taking birth in the Ikshvaaku lineage as Sri Rama is a matter of
surprise. As per garuDa PuraaNa, the story goes that when Ikshvaaku returned
from BrahmalOka after receiving the moorthi of Lord Ranganatha and was doing
penance; Cupid (Manmatha) shot his flowery arrows at him. Ikshvaaku used the
same arrows to shoot back at Manmatha who lost his powers. It is because that
vamsam was so steadfast in their devotion to Lord Ranganatha that Bhagavaan
wanted to take birth in that family.
yadu vamsa Janis:
Yadhu vamsam was equally famous. When Yayaati lost his youth due to a fight
between his two wives, he asked his son, youthful Yadhu to trade his youth with
his own old age. Yadu refused on the ground that if he agreed, he would be
guilty of ?maatru gamanam? and become responsible for complicity in his
father?s misconduct, while bringing shame to his mothers. So, he preferred to
forego the kingdom to committing such a heinous crime. Thus, yadu saved the
vamsam from ignominy and stuck to Dharma. The Lord wanted to be born in
such righteous family of Yadu.
Thus, all his appearance in the different situations was for ?saadhu
paritraaNam and Dharma samsthaapanam? and therefore only adds to his glory.
It is only Sriman Narayana who took Avataaras out of his Sankalpam.
Others are born out of their karma and perish on account of karma.
STHAVAM OF SRI KOORATHAAZHWAN
Part 4
(Slokas 13 to 15)
(ANBIL RAMASWAMY)
======================================================
SLOKAM 13: THE BURNING CITY
Yasya aatmataam tripura bhanga vidou adhaas tvam
Sva shakti tEjita sarO vijayee cha yO abhoot /
Daksha kratou tu kila tEna vinirjitas tvam
yuktO vidhEya vishayEshu hi kaamachaara: //
?Oh! Lord! When Siva embarked on the destruction of the tri-cities, he could do
so only because you took your position at the tip of his arrow and actually
accomplished the mission, but yet you allowed Siva to take all the credit for
the same! It is no wonder that you did this because you are known to remain
humble and submissive in the case of your Bhaktas. It was this quality that you
exhibited when you appeared as if you were vanquished by the same Siva during
Daksha Yagjnam?
COMMENTS:
? Taarakaasura had three sons named TaarukaaDan, kaalaaDan and
Vidhyunmaali. The trio did severe penance and obtained from Brahma several
boons. They created three whole cities made of gold, silver and iron that could
fly in the air. They were playing havoc on the celestials with their newfound
powers. The celestials prayed to Siva for help. Siva agreed provided they would
accept him as the Lord of the cattle and they assisted him in the fight against
the asuras. As agreed, Siva made the earth his chariot, the Sun and the Moon as
the wheels of the chariot, the four Vedas as the four horses, Brahma as the
chauffer, the Meru mountain as the bow, AadisEsha as the string for the bow,
Lord Hari as the arrow, the Wind god as the wings of
the arrow and Fire god as the blaze, and destroyed the tri-cities by a raging
fire.
? Of course, PuraNas describe the event assigning credit to Siva for
burning the cities. The truth, however, is that it is Lord VishNu who sitting
on the edge of the arrow who actually performed the destruction.
? That the celestials agreed to Siva?s condition of being accepted as the
Lord of the cattle is borne out by the Vedic utterance ?ahamEva pasoonaam
eesai?
? Kaasikaakaara Vaamanar clarifies this deal thus:
? upasamvaada: paribhaashaNam, kartavyE paNabandhah? yadi mE bhavaan idam
kuryaat aham api bhavata idam daasyaami iti? upasamvaadE ? ahamEva pasoonaam
eesai?- A pact in which one party (here Siva) says: ?If you do this to me, I
will do this to you (celestials)?
? The incident is reported in MB KarNa Parvam (Chapter 23), also as to
how it was NOT Siva but VishNu who burnt down the tri-cities.
?vishNuraatmaa bhagavatObhavasya amita tEjasa:/
Tasmaad dhanur jyaa sam sparsam sa vishEhE mahEswara: //
? Why did the Lord appear as vanquished by Siva during Daksha Yagjna?
Azhwaan answers: It is the quality of really great ones to act as if they
submit themselves to those who submit to them. Did not Sri Rama say that he
sought protection from Sugriva, as if he needed protection from Sugriva whom he
protected from Vali?
?lOkanaatha: puraa bhootvaa sugreevam naatham ichchati?
? If we have a closer look at the Tripura episode, we come across several
other anecdotes connected to it.
THE MAGIC WAND:
1. Since the asuras had faith in the Vedas, they could vanquish the
celestials who were totally devoted to the Lord, with lots of boons they
secured from Kshudra dEvatas. The only way to disarm the Asuras was to vitiate
their faith and thereby emaciate them. Therefore, the Lord took a special
Avataara as ?Adhi Buddha? (not to be confused with the historical Goutama
Buddha, who established Buddhism). The purpose of this ?Adhi Buddha? was to
mislead the asuras and lose their strength.
?kaLLa vEdathaik koNDu pOi puram pukkavaarum kalandu
asuraraiuLLam bEDam seidiTTU uyir uNDa upaayangaLum?
says Azhwar (5.10.4)
CAN A TREE ROB ONE?S MODESTY?
2. The wives of Tripuras had no issues. Emperumaan advised them to embrace
a pipal tree (arasamaram). He transformed himself into such a tree (aswatha
NaaraayaNa) and made them embrace it thereby making them lose their chastity.
The second source of the strength of the Tripuras was thus demolished and they
became emaciated.
THE COW AND THE CALF:
3. The Asuras commanded ?Mayaa?, their architect, to construct a well
filled with divine nectar, (amritam) with the result that every time an Asura
got killed in the fight against dEvas, they would dip his body in the well of
nectar and the dead would come alive. This facility was not available to the
celestials and their ranks got depleted. The Lord took the form of a cow with
Brahma as a calf and licked the entire nectar in the well. The well became bone
dry. The asuras could no longer bring the dead back to life.
Thus, the Lord disabled the strength of the asuras. These are narrated in
VishNu Dharmam panjara Stotram:
?tripuram jagnusha: poorvam brahmaNaa vishNu panjaram/
sankarasya kurusrEshTa! rakshaNaaya niroopitam?//
? In spite of accomplishing all these, the Lord is so humble as to assign
all credits to his Bhaktas.
? In MB, though KrishNa was mainly responsible for the killing of KarNa,
he says?tvayaa mayaa cha kuntyaa cha?, as if it was the joint effort of Arjuna,
Kunti and himself!
? Now, to the story of Daksha Yagjnam:
Daksha was the father-in-law of Siva. When Daksha entered the hall of a yagjna
called Viswasruja, everyone stood up, except Siva, his own son-in-law and
disciple. Enraged at this, Daksha did not invite Siva and Paarvati to a yagjna
that he himself performed. But, Paarvati, out of affection for her father,
attended the yagjna against the wishes of Siva. When Paarvati arrived at the
venue, she was not accorded the usual welcome and no havis was allotted to
Siva, as one of the dEvatas entitled to it. She walked out but could not go
back to Siva after this disgrace. So, she ignited a fire out of her chastity
and calling herself as ?sati?, she jumped into the fire
and self immolated herself. (That is how the practice of ?Sati? seems to have
come into vogue, in which the widowed women immolated themselves on the funeral
pyre of their husbands). The story is narrated in the 4th Skhaandam of Sri
Bhaagavatam, where there is no mention about the Lord being vanquished by Siva.
But, works like ?dakka yaaga bharaNi? and some Taamasa PuraaNas (that are NOT
authoritative) do mention as if Siva vanquished the Lord.
That is why, KoorEsar refers to the incident and explains that if at all the
Lord appeared thus, it was also only as a leela for him.
? This is like Andal saying:
?oruthi mganaai pirandu Ore iravil oruthi maganaai oLithu vaLara?
The Lord had no fear; yet, he acted as if he was afraid of Kamsa and hid
himself as the son of YasOda.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
SLOKAM 14: ?BANYAN LEAF IS BABY SITTING?
Mugdha: sisu: vaTa dale sayitO ati tanvaa
Tanvaa jaganti bibrushE savikaasam Eva /
Aiseem imaam tu tavasaktim atarkitavyaam
Avyaajata: prathayasE kim iha avteerNa:? //
?How come, you with all sentient beings and insentient things in the world kept
in safe custody in your tiny tummy, took the form of a small baby lying on a
single tiny banyan leaf? How else could it be explained except by way of saying
that it is due to your wish (Sankalpam) to mingle with us in this mundane
world, in exercise of your extraordinary powers that none else can ever boast
of??
COMMENTS:
? This has been described in Harivamsam, Vana Parva of Srimad
Mahaabhaaratam and AcharyOpakhyaanas.
? Paancharaatra actually lists this ?vaTa patra saayee? as one of the
Avataras.
? BhaTTar lists the following 14 naamas in Sri VishNu Sahasranaamam as
dedicated to this VaTa patra saayee:
-yugaadikrit, yugaavartO, naikamaayO, mahaasanah/
adrisyO vyaktaroopas cha sahasrajit anantajit//
ishTO visishTa: sishTEshTa: sikhaNDee nahushO vrisha: //
? It would appear that when MaarkaNDEya was scared when he saw this
phenomenon of a baby floating on the tiny leaf when all the worlds had been
washed away in the deluge and wondered as to who this baby was, wherefrom it
came, who were its parents etc., the baby called him and dispelled his fear.
Katham tu ayam sisu: sEtE lOkE naasam upaagatE?/
Tapasaa chintayan cha api thum sisum na upalakshayE //
? athitanvaa tanvaa: refers to how the small baby could contain within
itself the entire world.
? This has been referred in PaaN perumaaL?s
?aalamaamarathin ilai mEl oru baalakanaai bagiraNDathu
oru maanilam ezhumaal varai murrum uNDadu?
? MaarkaNDEya describes this scene to PaaNDavas and describes how he saw
that for millions of years ?business as usual? was taking place - with Brahmins
doing Yagjnas, Kings ruling their kingdoms, agriculturists raising crops in
their fields, Ganga, Yamuna and other rivers flowing, mountains rising to the
sky - all within the tummy of the baby.
? He is indeed ?ulagamuNDa peruvaayan? and all the beings including
Brahma, Rudra and others were just ?Emperumaan uNDU umizhnda echil dEvar?
(spittle of Emperumaan) says Azhwar.
? MaarkaNDEya Rishi wonders ?mahat hi Etatachintyam cha yad aham
drishTavaan prabhO??- What I have seen is so incredible, inconceivable and
beyond thought?
? All this proves how Sriman Narayana is the cause of the worlds
(jagatkaaraNan)
------------------------------------------------------------------
SLOKAM 15: ?SKY IS THE LIMIT- MAY BE NOT?
brahmEsa madhya gaNanaa, gaNanaarka panktou
indra anuja tvam aditEs tanayatva yOgaat /
ikshvaaku vamsa-yadu vamsa Janis cha hanta!
Slaaghyaan amooni anupamasya parasya dhaamna: //
?Though you have your superior and unique effulgence, you decided to appear
- as one among the three entities of Brahma, VishNu and Siva,
- as one of the 12 Adityas in your role as the son of Aditi,
- as the younger brother of Indra (upEndra),
- as being born in the Ikshvaaku and Yadu clans,
All these only show that you are incomparable even in your Souseelayam and
Soulabhyam?
COMMENTS:
? Only the wise will know the secret behind this.
?ajaayamaanO bahudhaa vijaayatE/
tasya dheeraa: parijaananti yOnim?
? What is ?Avataara?? The one that is far superior comes down to the
level of those far inferior and mingles with them as equal to them.
This is the meaning of the word ?Avataara?.
? Wherever grief etc is exhibited, it should be remembered that for the
Lord, it is only an act of empathy with the downtrodden.
?Manushya dEhinaam chEshTaam,
eesaan api mahaayOgi,
tEna vanchayatE lOKaan?
? Thus, taking different Vibhava Avataaras does not diminish His Paratvam
but only a confirmation thereof.
? brahmEsa Madhya gaNanaa:
Counting him as one among three deities, namely, Brahma, VishNu and Siva does
not detract his glory. On the other hand, it only augments it - says KoorEsar.
Of course, lay folk would be tempted to think that he is after all one of the
three deities in charge of creation, sustenance and destruction.
Only those who know how the Lord kept the worlds in safe custody in his tummy
during the long PraLaya will know that he is the Only one who can create,
protect and destroy and Not an ?also ran?
?ananya saadhyE svaabheeshTE na hi
paalana saamarthyam rutE SarvEswaram ?harim? - praised Brahma.
? Did not Bhagavaan Himself declare that such noble souls who realize his
incomparable greatness are the rarest of the rare?
?vaasudEva: sarvam iti sa mahhatmaa sudurlabhah?
gaNanaarka panktou
He appeared as one of the 12 Adityas (sons of Aditi) and bore the name
?VishNu?. In fact, however, he shines uniquely in the middle of the orb of Sun
(Savitru manDala madhyavartee). For that reason he is known as ?Tridaamaa?
Indra anujatvam: That he presented himself as the younger brother of Indra
calling himself ?upEndra? is also surprising. Though he was younger to
Balarama, it was KrishNa who had prominence in KrishNa avataara. Likewise,
though he called himself ?upEndra?, he was, is and will always and in all ways
be prominent.
ikshvaaku vamsa Janis:
Similarly, his taking birth in the Ikshvaaku lineage as Sri Rama is a matter of
surprise. As per garuDa PuraaNa, the story goes that when Ikshvaaku returned
from BrahmalOka after receiving the moorthi of Lord Ranganatha and was doing
penance; Cupid (Manmatha) shot his flowery arrows at him. Ikshvaaku used the
same arrows to shoot back at Manmatha who lost his powers. It is because that
vamsam was so steadfast in their devotion to Lord Ranganatha that Bhagavaan
wanted to take birth in that family.
yadu vamsa Janis:
Yadhu vamsam was equally famous. When Yayaati lost his youth due to a fight
between his two wives, he asked his son, youthful Yadhu to trade his youth with
his own old age. Yadu refused on the ground that if he agreed, he would be
guilty of ?maatru gamanam? and become responsible for complicity in his
father?s misconduct, while bringing shame to his mothers. So, he preferred to
forego the kingdom to committing such a heinous crime. Thus, yadu saved the
vamsam from ignominy and stuck to Dharma. The Lord wanted to be born in
such righteous family of Yadu.
Thus, all his appearance in the different situations was for ?saadhu
paritraaNam and Dharma samsthaapanam? and therefore only adds to his glory.
It is only Sriman Narayana who took Avataaras out of his Sankalpam.
Others are born out of their karma and perish on account of karma.
ATHIMAANUSHA STHAVAM OF SRI KOORATHAAZHWAN
Part 4 (Slokas 16 and 17)
(ANBIL RAMASWAMY)
==========================================================
SLOKAM 16
Tvan nirmitaa jaTaragaa cha tava trilOkee
Kim bikshaNaadiyamrutE bhavataa duraapaa? /
madhyE kadaa tu na vichakramishE jagachchEt
tvad vikramai: kathamiva sruti ranjitaa syaat? //
?Oh! Emperumaan! You created all the three worlds. You kept them in safe
custody in your tummy. Could you not think of any way other than begging
Mahaabali to get back your own property? If you had not measured the worlds
with your feet at some ancient times, how could the Vedas recount your
glories as Trivikrama and your exploits that you enacted on earth? May be,
it is with this in mind, you sought to measure the world under the pretext
of receiving from Mahaabali by begging?
NOTES:
? Viswakarma Sooktam says that the Lord created all the worlds by his
very
wish (Sankalpam)
?ya imaa viswaa bhuvanaani juhvata?
? Sruti says that at the time of deluge, the Lord gulped the worlds as
easily as swallowing a small rose apple (Jambu)
?grasEt samhaara samayE jagascha badaraaNDavat /
leelayaa yastu Bhagavaan thum gachcha saraNam Harim?
? KaTavalli describes how the Lord swallowed the worlds as if they were
just
handful of cooked rice (Annam) with Yama as a pickle to go with it.
?yasya Brahma cha Kashtram cha ubhE bhavata Odana:/
Mrityu: yasya upasEchanam ka ithaa vEda yatra sa:?
? The Vedas have declared that all that was, is and will be are yours
?yad bhootam yat cha bhavyam, uda amrutatvasyEsaana? and ?asyEsaanaa jagatO
vishNU patnee?
? This being the case, could you not have wrested your property from
Mahaabali, without resorting to begging?
? Did not Azhwar say:
?seeraai pirandu sirappaai vaLaraadu
pEr vaamanan agaakkaal pEraaLaa!- maarbaarap
pulgi nee uNDu umiznhnda bhoomi neer yErparidE?
Sollu nee yam ariya soozhndu?
MEANING:
? The whole of VishNU Sooktam makes special mention about how the Lord
measured the worlds and how far his third step went and how by this act all
the worlds became purified proving him to be the Supreme being (Paramaatma),
how the waters of Ganga flows from his feet, how the water could transform
ordinary deities into celestials capable of bestowing boons on other beings.
That is why KoorEsar uses the word ?anjitaa? which means ?glorious?
? Vedas are like departmental stores where under one roof you can get
anything you want. It provides for means to achieve trivial gains as well as
great ones and the greatest one of ?mOksha?. If the vEdas had not sung the
glory of the Lord and thus shown the supreme maarga also, it would have
become an exercise in futility.
? What is meant by the term ?Veda??
pratyakshEna anumityaa vaa yah tu upaayO na gamyatE /
yEnam vidanti vEdEna tasmaat vEdasya vEdataa //
It is because they reveal the means (upaayas) that are beyond physical
perception (pratyaksha) and by mental comprehension or inference (anumaana),
it is called VEDa. Otherwise, they would lose their ?VEdatvam? itself.
Perhaps to ensure VeEdatvam to Vedas that the Lord took the Trivikrama
Avataara, so that they could bring out his glory for all to see and attain
his feet, says Azhwaan.
SLOKAM 17:
Etat katham kathaya yat mathitas tvayaa asou
Hitvaa svabhaava niyamam prathitam trilOKhyaam /
Aswa apsarO visha sudhaa vidhu paarijaata
Lakshmee aatmanaa pariNata: jaladhir babhoova //
?Oh! Lord! We know that it is in the nature of things to change into
another. But, how is it, that the milky ocean that you churned went beyond
and changed into many different things all at once ? like Uchaisravas, the
horse, Ramba, MEnaka and other divine damsels, Haalaahala, the most potent
poison, the just opposite nectar (amrita), various medicinal herbs, the
Moon, the Kalapaka (the wish yielding tree) and Periya PiraaTTi herself!
Only you can explain this strange phenomenon. Please explain?
NOTES:
? We have seen milk turning into yogurt, threads turning into fine
textiles,
mud becoming pots etc. But, it is strange that so many different things
could emerge from the milk in the Ksheeraabdi when the Lord had it churned.
? Vedas describe the churning episode thus:
?vaayurasmaa upaamanthat pinashTi smaakunannamaa/
kEsee vishasya paatrENa yad rudrENaapibat saha?
? Sri VishNu PuraaNam, Srimad RamayaNam, Sri Bhaaratam, Sri VishNu
dharmam
and other scriptural texts allude to this ?churning of the milky ocean?
elaborately.
? They describe how good and bad, immobile and mobile (JaTa and ajaTa),
male
and female, solids and liquids, big and small, exalted and mean things
emerged from the milky ocean. This is possible only due to the superhuman
feats (Athimaanusha ChEshTitam) of the Lord.
? They describe how the Lord made the Mantara Mountain as the
churndashery,
Vaasuki, the serpent as the churning rope etc.
? ILango ADigaL in his ?Aaaychiyar kuravai? also describes this incident
as
follows: ?vaDavaraiyai mathaakki vaasukiyai naaN aakki?
? When the mountain wobbled, the Lord took the form of a tortoise and
bore
the mountain on his back and took another form to press it down to stop it?s
wobbling.
?KsheerOda madhyE Bhagavaan koorma roopi svayam Hari: /
manthaanaadrEra adhishTaanam bhramatO abhoot, mahaa munE!? //
? It would appear that the Lord took the form of a dEva on the side of
dEvas
and as a Daanava on the side of Daanavas and pulled the rope.
?roopENa anyEna dEvaanaam madhyE chakra gadaa dhara: /
chakarsha naaga raajaanam ditya madhyE aparENa cha // (Paraasarar)
? He also empowered Vaasuki with his tEjas to relieve Vaasuki of the
breathlessness he suffered in the process of churning.
?tEjasaa naagaraajam thum tathaapyaayitavaan hari: /
anyEna tEjasaa dEvaan upabrimhitvaan prabhu: // (Paraasarar)
? He let go the elder sister (moodEvi) and chose to wed the younger one
who
came after her (pinnai). And became ?pinnaimanaaLan? I.e. Periya PiraaTTi.
VishNu puraaNam describes this:
?pasyataam dEva dEvaanaam yayou vakshasthalam harE:?
? Not only this. In order to show that the one with the bull on his flag
(Siva) and Brahma, Indra and the rest were incapable of administering the
curative for the ailment of Samsaaram, he himself appeared as the divine
physician ?Dhanvantari?
? eruthukkoDiyaanum piramanum indiranum marrum oruttarum ip piravi ennum
nOikku marundu arivaarum illai? and He himself is the ?maruttuvanaai ninra
maa maNi vaNNan?
?tatO Dhanvantarir dEva: swetaambaradhara: svayam / bibrat kamaNDalum
poorNam amrutasya samuthita: //
? Thus, he proved that all others were merely instruments but He himself
did
all the works connected with the churning.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Slokas 18 to 32 relate to the exploits of the Lord in his Avataara as Sri
Rama. Azhwaan challenges Sri Rama?s claim ?aatmaanam maanusham manyE? by
cataloguing the events in which the Paratvam of the Lord got betrayed much
against the said claim. This is one of the most interesting parts of this
Athimaanusha Sthavam. We will commence studying them in the forthcoming
postings
Part 4 (Slokas 16 and 17)
(ANBIL RAMASWAMY)
==========================================================
SLOKAM 16
Tvan nirmitaa jaTaragaa cha tava trilOkee
Kim bikshaNaadiyamrutE bhavataa duraapaa? /
madhyE kadaa tu na vichakramishE jagachchEt
tvad vikramai: kathamiva sruti ranjitaa syaat? //
?Oh! Emperumaan! You created all the three worlds. You kept them in safe
custody in your tummy. Could you not think of any way other than begging
Mahaabali to get back your own property? If you had not measured the worlds
with your feet at some ancient times, how could the Vedas recount your
glories as Trivikrama and your exploits that you enacted on earth? May be,
it is with this in mind, you sought to measure the world under the pretext
of receiving from Mahaabali by begging?
NOTES:
? Viswakarma Sooktam says that the Lord created all the worlds by his
very
wish (Sankalpam)
?ya imaa viswaa bhuvanaani juhvata?
? Sruti says that at the time of deluge, the Lord gulped the worlds as
easily as swallowing a small rose apple (Jambu)
?grasEt samhaara samayE jagascha badaraaNDavat /
leelayaa yastu Bhagavaan thum gachcha saraNam Harim?
? KaTavalli describes how the Lord swallowed the worlds as if they were
just
handful of cooked rice (Annam) with Yama as a pickle to go with it.
?yasya Brahma cha Kashtram cha ubhE bhavata Odana:/
Mrityu: yasya upasEchanam ka ithaa vEda yatra sa:?
? The Vedas have declared that all that was, is and will be are yours
?yad bhootam yat cha bhavyam, uda amrutatvasyEsaana? and ?asyEsaanaa jagatO
vishNU patnee?
? This being the case, could you not have wrested your property from
Mahaabali, without resorting to begging?
? Did not Azhwar say:
?seeraai pirandu sirappaai vaLaraadu
pEr vaamanan agaakkaal pEraaLaa!- maarbaarap
pulgi nee uNDu umiznhnda bhoomi neer yErparidE?
Sollu nee yam ariya soozhndu?
MEANING:
? The whole of VishNU Sooktam makes special mention about how the Lord
measured the worlds and how far his third step went and how by this act all
the worlds became purified proving him to be the Supreme being (Paramaatma),
how the waters of Ganga flows from his feet, how the water could transform
ordinary deities into celestials capable of bestowing boons on other beings.
That is why KoorEsar uses the word ?anjitaa? which means ?glorious?
? Vedas are like departmental stores where under one roof you can get
anything you want. It provides for means to achieve trivial gains as well as
great ones and the greatest one of ?mOksha?. If the vEdas had not sung the
glory of the Lord and thus shown the supreme maarga also, it would have
become an exercise in futility.
? What is meant by the term ?Veda??
pratyakshEna anumityaa vaa yah tu upaayO na gamyatE /
yEnam vidanti vEdEna tasmaat vEdasya vEdataa //
It is because they reveal the means (upaayas) that are beyond physical
perception (pratyaksha) and by mental comprehension or inference (anumaana),
it is called VEDa. Otherwise, they would lose their ?VEdatvam? itself.
Perhaps to ensure VeEdatvam to Vedas that the Lord took the Trivikrama
Avataara, so that they could bring out his glory for all to see and attain
his feet, says Azhwaan.
SLOKAM 17:
Etat katham kathaya yat mathitas tvayaa asou
Hitvaa svabhaava niyamam prathitam trilOKhyaam /
Aswa apsarO visha sudhaa vidhu paarijaata
Lakshmee aatmanaa pariNata: jaladhir babhoova //
?Oh! Lord! We know that it is in the nature of things to change into
another. But, how is it, that the milky ocean that you churned went beyond
and changed into many different things all at once ? like Uchaisravas, the
horse, Ramba, MEnaka and other divine damsels, Haalaahala, the most potent
poison, the just opposite nectar (amrita), various medicinal herbs, the
Moon, the Kalapaka (the wish yielding tree) and Periya PiraaTTi herself!
Only you can explain this strange phenomenon. Please explain?
NOTES:
? We have seen milk turning into yogurt, threads turning into fine
textiles,
mud becoming pots etc. But, it is strange that so many different things
could emerge from the milk in the Ksheeraabdi when the Lord had it churned.
? Vedas describe the churning episode thus:
?vaayurasmaa upaamanthat pinashTi smaakunannamaa/
kEsee vishasya paatrENa yad rudrENaapibat saha?
? Sri VishNu PuraaNam, Srimad RamayaNam, Sri Bhaaratam, Sri VishNu
dharmam
and other scriptural texts allude to this ?churning of the milky ocean?
elaborately.
? They describe how good and bad, immobile and mobile (JaTa and ajaTa),
male
and female, solids and liquids, big and small, exalted and mean things
emerged from the milky ocean. This is possible only due to the superhuman
feats (Athimaanusha ChEshTitam) of the Lord.
? They describe how the Lord made the Mantara Mountain as the
churndashery,
Vaasuki, the serpent as the churning rope etc.
? ILango ADigaL in his ?Aaaychiyar kuravai? also describes this incident
as
follows: ?vaDavaraiyai mathaakki vaasukiyai naaN aakki?
? When the mountain wobbled, the Lord took the form of a tortoise and
bore
the mountain on his back and took another form to press it down to stop it?s
wobbling.
?KsheerOda madhyE Bhagavaan koorma roopi svayam Hari: /
manthaanaadrEra adhishTaanam bhramatO abhoot, mahaa munE!? //
? It would appear that the Lord took the form of a dEva on the side of
dEvas
and as a Daanava on the side of Daanavas and pulled the rope.
?roopENa anyEna dEvaanaam madhyE chakra gadaa dhara: /
chakarsha naaga raajaanam ditya madhyE aparENa cha // (Paraasarar)
? He also empowered Vaasuki with his tEjas to relieve Vaasuki of the
breathlessness he suffered in the process of churning.
?tEjasaa naagaraajam thum tathaapyaayitavaan hari: /
anyEna tEjasaa dEvaan upabrimhitvaan prabhu: // (Paraasarar)
? He let go the elder sister (moodEvi) and chose to wed the younger one
who
came after her (pinnai). And became ?pinnaimanaaLan? I.e. Periya PiraaTTi.
VishNu puraaNam describes this:
?pasyataam dEva dEvaanaam yayou vakshasthalam harE:?
? Not only this. In order to show that the one with the bull on his flag
(Siva) and Brahma, Indra and the rest were incapable of administering the
curative for the ailment of Samsaaram, he himself appeared as the divine
physician ?Dhanvantari?
? eruthukkoDiyaanum piramanum indiranum marrum oruttarum ip piravi ennum
nOikku marundu arivaarum illai? and He himself is the ?maruttuvanaai ninra
maa maNi vaNNan?
?tatO Dhanvantarir dEva: swetaambaradhara: svayam / bibrat kamaNDalum
poorNam amrutasya samuthita: //
? Thus, he proved that all others were merely instruments but He himself
did
all the works connected with the churning.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Slokas 18 to 32 relate to the exploits of the Lord in his Avataara as Sri
Rama. Azhwaan challenges Sri Rama?s claim ?aatmaanam maanusham manyE? by
cataloguing the events in which the Paratvam of the Lord got betrayed much
against the said claim. This is one of the most interesting parts of this
Athimaanusha Sthavam. We will commence studying them in the forthcoming
postings
ATHIMAANUSHA STHAVAM OF SRI KOORATHAAZHWAN
Part 5 (Slokas 18 to 20)
(ANBIL RAMASWAMY)
--------------------------------------------------------
In the following 16 SlOkas (18 to 23), Azhwaan narrates several episodes in Sri
Rama Avataara and proves how in each the Paratvam of the Lord gets revealed
much against his claim that after all he was only a human being, being the son
of Dasaratha. ?Aatmaanam maanusham manyE Raamam dasaratha aaatmajam?. This
makes a very interesting reading of a type of literature known as ?Nindaa
Sthuti?
Slokam 18:
?Duped by a mere deer??
Pruchchaami kinchana yadaa kila RaaghavatvE
Maayaa mrugasya vasagO manujatva mougdyaat /
Seetaa viyOPga vivasaO na cha tadgatigjna:
Praadaas tadaa paragatim hi katham?khagaaya //
?Oh! Lord! I am asking you one question. When you appeared as Sri Rama you
called yourself a mere human being and as a man ran after the mysterious deer
at the behest of your dear wife. When you got separated from her, you became so
shaken and shattered that you did not know where she had gone.
This being so, how did you know how to send JaTaayu, the bird to
Paramapadam? Don?t you see the contradiction in your actions in the two cases??
NOTES:
? ?Since none else could give a fitting reply, I am asking you directly.
? When you were exiled, Sri Sita, captivated by the charming deer pleaded
with you to secure it for her, saying:
?ahO! Roopam! ahO! Lakshmee: svarasampas cha SObhanaa!
mrigO adbutO vichitraangO hridayam harateeva mE?
? ILayaperumaaL persuaded you convincingly against the deception played
by the deer.
?MrigO hi Evam vidhO ratna vichitrO naasti Raaghava!?
Jagatyaam jagatee naatha! Maayaishaa hi na samsaya: //
? You never heeded his advice and like ordinary people who are swayed by
emotion, you ran after the illusory deer.
? When RavaNa abducted Sri Sita, you acted as if you did not know where
and how she had gone.
? But, you knew the way to mOksham to send PeriyaUDaiyaar (Sri JaTaayu)
there!
? Don?t you think there is a contradiction and inconsistency in these
events?
? I demand an explanation, please?
yadaa kila RaaghavatvE:
Azhwaan implies that the way Sri Rama acted as if he did not know the way Sri
Sita went was just acting. It may be noted that he uses the same words:
"RaaghavatvE abhavat Seetaa? used by Sri Paraasarar.
Maayaa mrugasya vasaga:
The word ?maaya? does not mean ?false? as Advaitins hold. It means
?wonderful? That is why, LakshmaNa says; ?gandarvapura sannibham?. It is not
possible to hit with an arrow something false or kill something that did not
exist. The form of the deer was real, meaning that Maareecha had taken that
?wonderful? form.
manujatva mougdyaat:
?You went about asking every sentient being and insentient thing like cow,
bird, hill, river, cloud etc whether anyone of them had seen Sri Sita. And,
that you would destroy the whole world, if you cannot find Sri Sita:
?sa gandharva manushya panama jagat samastam parivartayaami aham?
Did you not have even the commonsense of ordinary folk when you swore to
destroy the world, being after all a mere human being for whom this is beyond
his capacity?
Praadaas tadaa paragatim:
?When you arranged for the last rites (anthimakriya) of JaTaayu, what did you
say?
Yaa gati: yagjnaseelaanaam aahitaagnEs cha yaa gati: /
aparaOvartinaam yaa cha yaa cha bhoomi pradaayinaam//
mayaa tvam samanujnaatO gachcha lOkaan anuttamaan //
?I permit you to go to the highest worlds to which those who habitually perform
yagjnas, those who perform ?agnihOtra? with ?aahitaagni?, those by total
dedication to Emperumaan leave this Prakriti maNDalam never to return and those
who gift away ?bhoomi? are ordained to reach ? to that world (Paramapadam), I
hereby dispatch you.?
NOTES:
? What is the Yagjna that Sri Rama speaks of in this context?
? It is none other than ?SaraNaagati? or ?Prapatti? as seen from the
following:
Havirgrheetvaasmaroopam vasuraNyEti mantrata: /
Juhuyaat PraNavEnaagnou achyutaakhyE SanaatanE //
? It is the same Paramapadam that Lord KrishNa referred to in Bhagavad
Gita thus:
Na cha punar aavartatE, yad gatvaa na nivartantE
taddhaama paramam mama /
aabhrahmaa bhuvanaat lOKaa: punaraavartinaa Arjuna!
Maam upEtya tu KountEya! Punarjanma na vidhyatE //
? It is only the one who is the cause of the world (jagat kaaraNa) and
who alone can grant ?moksham? is called Paramaatma, say the Vedas and Vedantas.
? KulasEkara Perumaal also mentions this saying
?Jataayuvai VaikuntathErri?
? If you can grant ?mOksham? to JaTaayu, you must be that Paramaatma and
definitely NOT a human being. This also proves that your claim ?aatmaanam
maanusham manyE? does NOT hold water?
? Swami Desika when he praised Kachchi Varadan says that even though the
clouds hover over the sky and create darkness, we know that the Sun can never
be completely hidden, great souls detect the Paratvam in the Lord even if tries
to hide it under the cloak of his Souseelyam.
Souseela bhaavita dhiyaa bhavataa kathanchit
sanchaadutaanapi guNaan varada! /
Tvadeeyaan! Pratyakshayantya vikalam tava sannikrishTa:
patyustvitvashaamiva payOda vrutaan mayookhaan //
---------------------------------------------------
SLOKAM 19:
?A Bird?s flight to Heaven?
akshuNNa yOgapatham agrya hatham JaTaayum
tiryancham Eva batha mOKsha pathE niyOktum /
saknOshi vEtsi cha yadaa, sa: tadaa katham tvam
dEveem avaaptum analam vyathita: vichinvan //
?Oh! Lord! When you were able to know the way to mOksham and the power to use
that way to send him there a mere bird, JaTaayu, totally bereft of any practice
in any yOga, the one who was killed by one belonging to the Brahmin caste
(RavaNa), how come you were unable to know which way Sri Sita went and
consequently you were beside with grief on separation from her and anxiety in
not being able to find her out. This indeed is strange!?
NOTES:
? There are few subtle points involved in the episode relating to
?JaTaayu mOksham?. Azhwan brings them out to show how the episode betrayed his
Paratvam despite his claim to be an ordinary human being.
? Being a bird, JaTaayu was not aware that mOksham was the highest
position to be attained and was not aware of any means to attain the same,
namely Karma yOga, Jnaana yOga, Bhgakti yOga and Prapatti.
? Swami Desika has explained this:
avadhheryai chaturvidham pumarthE bhavadatha viniyukta jeevitah: san/
labhatE bhavata: phalaani jantur nikhilaanyatra nidarsanam JaTaayu: //
? Further, JaTaayu was an ?agrahathar? meaning one who was killed by a
person belonging to the foremost caste. It is said that one who is killed by a
Brahmin does not attain mOksha in that birth or the Heavens. ?na agra hatasya
mOKOsti?
? RavaNa was the son of Visravas, who himself was the son of Pulastya,
the Maanasa putra of Saakshaat Brahma. Thus, he was a Brahmin par excellence.
? JaTaayu was a mere bird. It did not know any ?mOKshOpaayam?. Nor did he
obtain ?SamaasrayaNam? from any Sri VaishNava as required in Chaandilya etc.
?pasu: manushya: pakshee vaa yE cha VaishNava samsraya: /
tEnaiva tE prayaasyanti tad vishNu: paramam padam//?
? Sounaka Bhagavaan has assured that if one had done some ?Upaasana? in
an earlier birth but could not complete it in that birth, the ?vaasana? carried
over to the next birth could enable the subject to continue that ?upaasana? to
its completion and attain the resultant ?phalan?
? There is no evidence to support the view that he could have done some
?Upaasana? in his previous birth and due to the ?Poorva Janma Vaasana?, he
continued it in his life as a bird.
? This being so, how did you declare -
?mayaa tvam samanujnaatO gachcha lOKaan anuttamaan?
? ?This only proves that you are the ?Paramaatma?. When you decide to use
your Super-human power, you have the knowledge (Jnaanam) and power (Sakti) to
grant ?mOksham? and there is none who could prevent you from exercising that
power or the way you exercise it.?
? ?At the same time, it is really mystifying to see your incapacity to
know the whereabouts of Sri Sita and consequently seemed to lose your senses in
grief and LakshmaNa had to console you!?
? ?You owe me an explanation to this dichotomy in your behavior!
---------------------------------------------------------
SlOkam 20:
?The monkey business?
Saalaan hi sapta sagireen sarasaa talaan yaan
Eka ishu manda javata: nirapatraya: tvam /
tEshu Eka vivyathana khinna kapi praNunnam
saakhaamrigam mrigayasE sma katham sahaayam?
?Oh! Lord! You broke the seven Saala trees that grew up like a huge mountain
and threw the pieces down to the nether worlds, all with the minimal force of a
single arrow. It is worth noting that the strong monkey, Vaali could not even
shake a single branch of a single tree out of the seven. And, you went in
search of friendship with Sugreeva who was physically driven from pillar to
post by the same Vaali. How do you reconcile this contradiction??
NOTES:
? Normally, when someone seeks the help of another, that other person
should be capable of rendering the help needed.
? But, when you sought Sugreeva?s help, he pleaded his utter helplessness
having been hounded out by his brother Vaali.
? How come you chose such a weakling for helping you?
? Further, he tried to test your skills by asking you to split not one
but seven giant trees and shook the green leaves of the trees down to earth
especially when Vaali could not move very slightly just a single tree.
? After breaking the trees that were like huge mountains, your golden
arrow came back and rested in its place in your bag of arrows.
Sa visrushTO balavataa baaNa: swarNa pariskrita:/
Bhitvaa saalaan giriprastham sapta bhoomim vivEsa ha //
pravishTas cha muhoortEna dharaam bhitvaa mahaajava: /
nishpatya cha punas toorNam sva toorNeem punar aavisat//
? Not only this. He actually doubted your prowess and challenged you
whether you could shake the bones of Dundhubi. And, you not only lifted but
also threw them far away especially when Vaali could not move a single bone.
?Sugreeava: sankitas cha aaseet nityam veeryENa RaaghavE?
? No doubt, this is because after the traumatic experiences with Vaali,
Sugreeva was naturally got the fear that none could be a match to Vaali?s valor
and so it cannot be construed as his committing any apachaaram to Sri Rama.
Eka ishu manda javata:
? Azhwan suggests that Sri Rama darted his arrow with minimal speed. If
he had done it with force, it might have destroyed the entire world.
? In Visaaka Datta?s Raamananda NaaTakam, there is a SlOkam by ?Sukha
SaaraNas? telling RavaNa how he did not know the fact that the air that
whistled through the holes made in the seven giant Saala trees (Visaala saala)
sang the praise of Sri Rama with ?Sapta swarangaL? (the seven musical notes):
RaamOyam jagateeha vikrama guNai: khyaata: prasiddhim paraam
asmad bhaaghya viparyayaat yadi param dEvO na jaanaati thum/
Vandeevaisha yasaamsi gaayati marud yasya Eka bhaaNaahati
srENee bhoota visaala saala vivarOd bhootai: svarai: saptabhi: //
Eka vivyathana khinna kapi praNunnam
? It was with very great difficulty that Vaali tried several times to
shake the trees one by one:
Thum uvaacha sugreeva: sapta Saalaan imaan puraa/
Evam eka eka aso vaali vivyaatha atha sa chaasakrit //
Saakhaamrigam:
This usage suggests that
? Monkey is an animal that jumps from tree to tree and that
? When even sparrows have the capacity to build their nests, monkeys
having arms and commonsense they are not able to build their homes and depend
on tree branches to live.
? The poet wonders how the Lord chose such an animal to help him.
? Azhwan suggests that it was because of his Soulabhyam and Souseelyam
that Sri Rama made a worthless animal feel important to be regarded as his
leader. For did not Vaalmiki say:
LOKanaatha: puraa bhootvaa sugreevam naatham ichchati /
Yasya prasaadE sakalaa: praseedEyu: imaa prajaa: /
Sa RamO vaanarEndrasya Prasaadam abhi kaankshati //
Part 5 (Slokas 18 to 20)
(ANBIL RAMASWAMY)
--------------------------------------------------------
In the following 16 SlOkas (18 to 23), Azhwaan narrates several episodes in Sri
Rama Avataara and proves how in each the Paratvam of the Lord gets revealed
much against his claim that after all he was only a human being, being the son
of Dasaratha. ?Aatmaanam maanusham manyE Raamam dasaratha aaatmajam?. This
makes a very interesting reading of a type of literature known as ?Nindaa
Sthuti?
Slokam 18:
?Duped by a mere deer??
Pruchchaami kinchana yadaa kila RaaghavatvE
Maayaa mrugasya vasagO manujatva mougdyaat /
Seetaa viyOPga vivasaO na cha tadgatigjna:
Praadaas tadaa paragatim hi katham?khagaaya //
?Oh! Lord! I am asking you one question. When you appeared as Sri Rama you
called yourself a mere human being and as a man ran after the mysterious deer
at the behest of your dear wife. When you got separated from her, you became so
shaken and shattered that you did not know where she had gone.
This being so, how did you know how to send JaTaayu, the bird to
Paramapadam? Don?t you see the contradiction in your actions in the two cases??
NOTES:
? ?Since none else could give a fitting reply, I am asking you directly.
? When you were exiled, Sri Sita, captivated by the charming deer pleaded
with you to secure it for her, saying:
?ahO! Roopam! ahO! Lakshmee: svarasampas cha SObhanaa!
mrigO adbutO vichitraangO hridayam harateeva mE?
? ILayaperumaaL persuaded you convincingly against the deception played
by the deer.
?MrigO hi Evam vidhO ratna vichitrO naasti Raaghava!?
Jagatyaam jagatee naatha! Maayaishaa hi na samsaya: //
? You never heeded his advice and like ordinary people who are swayed by
emotion, you ran after the illusory deer.
? When RavaNa abducted Sri Sita, you acted as if you did not know where
and how she had gone.
? But, you knew the way to mOksham to send PeriyaUDaiyaar (Sri JaTaayu)
there!
? Don?t you think there is a contradiction and inconsistency in these
events?
? I demand an explanation, please?
yadaa kila RaaghavatvE:
Azhwaan implies that the way Sri Rama acted as if he did not know the way Sri
Sita went was just acting. It may be noted that he uses the same words:
"RaaghavatvE abhavat Seetaa? used by Sri Paraasarar.
Maayaa mrugasya vasaga:
The word ?maaya? does not mean ?false? as Advaitins hold. It means
?wonderful? That is why, LakshmaNa says; ?gandarvapura sannibham?. It is not
possible to hit with an arrow something false or kill something that did not
exist. The form of the deer was real, meaning that Maareecha had taken that
?wonderful? form.
manujatva mougdyaat:
?You went about asking every sentient being and insentient thing like cow,
bird, hill, river, cloud etc whether anyone of them had seen Sri Sita. And,
that you would destroy the whole world, if you cannot find Sri Sita:
?sa gandharva manushya panama jagat samastam parivartayaami aham?
Did you not have even the commonsense of ordinary folk when you swore to
destroy the world, being after all a mere human being for whom this is beyond
his capacity?
Praadaas tadaa paragatim:
?When you arranged for the last rites (anthimakriya) of JaTaayu, what did you
say?
Yaa gati: yagjnaseelaanaam aahitaagnEs cha yaa gati: /
aparaOvartinaam yaa cha yaa cha bhoomi pradaayinaam//
mayaa tvam samanujnaatO gachcha lOkaan anuttamaan //
?I permit you to go to the highest worlds to which those who habitually perform
yagjnas, those who perform ?agnihOtra? with ?aahitaagni?, those by total
dedication to Emperumaan leave this Prakriti maNDalam never to return and those
who gift away ?bhoomi? are ordained to reach ? to that world (Paramapadam), I
hereby dispatch you.?
NOTES:
? What is the Yagjna that Sri Rama speaks of in this context?
? It is none other than ?SaraNaagati? or ?Prapatti? as seen from the
following:
Havirgrheetvaasmaroopam vasuraNyEti mantrata: /
Juhuyaat PraNavEnaagnou achyutaakhyE SanaatanE //
? It is the same Paramapadam that Lord KrishNa referred to in Bhagavad
Gita thus:
Na cha punar aavartatE, yad gatvaa na nivartantE
taddhaama paramam mama /
aabhrahmaa bhuvanaat lOKaa: punaraavartinaa Arjuna!
Maam upEtya tu KountEya! Punarjanma na vidhyatE //
? It is only the one who is the cause of the world (jagat kaaraNa) and
who alone can grant ?moksham? is called Paramaatma, say the Vedas and Vedantas.
? KulasEkara Perumaal also mentions this saying
?Jataayuvai VaikuntathErri?
? If you can grant ?mOksham? to JaTaayu, you must be that Paramaatma and
definitely NOT a human being. This also proves that your claim ?aatmaanam
maanusham manyE? does NOT hold water?
? Swami Desika when he praised Kachchi Varadan says that even though the
clouds hover over the sky and create darkness, we know that the Sun can never
be completely hidden, great souls detect the Paratvam in the Lord even if tries
to hide it under the cloak of his Souseelyam.
Souseela bhaavita dhiyaa bhavataa kathanchit
sanchaadutaanapi guNaan varada! /
Tvadeeyaan! Pratyakshayantya vikalam tava sannikrishTa:
patyustvitvashaamiva payOda vrutaan mayookhaan //
---------------------------------------------------
SLOKAM 19:
?A Bird?s flight to Heaven?
akshuNNa yOgapatham agrya hatham JaTaayum
tiryancham Eva batha mOKsha pathE niyOktum /
saknOshi vEtsi cha yadaa, sa: tadaa katham tvam
dEveem avaaptum analam vyathita: vichinvan //
?Oh! Lord! When you were able to know the way to mOksham and the power to use
that way to send him there a mere bird, JaTaayu, totally bereft of any practice
in any yOga, the one who was killed by one belonging to the Brahmin caste
(RavaNa), how come you were unable to know which way Sri Sita went and
consequently you were beside with grief on separation from her and anxiety in
not being able to find her out. This indeed is strange!?
NOTES:
? There are few subtle points involved in the episode relating to
?JaTaayu mOksham?. Azhwan brings them out to show how the episode betrayed his
Paratvam despite his claim to be an ordinary human being.
? Being a bird, JaTaayu was not aware that mOksham was the highest
position to be attained and was not aware of any means to attain the same,
namely Karma yOga, Jnaana yOga, Bhgakti yOga and Prapatti.
? Swami Desika has explained this:
avadhheryai chaturvidham pumarthE bhavadatha viniyukta jeevitah: san/
labhatE bhavata: phalaani jantur nikhilaanyatra nidarsanam JaTaayu: //
? Further, JaTaayu was an ?agrahathar? meaning one who was killed by a
person belonging to the foremost caste. It is said that one who is killed by a
Brahmin does not attain mOksha in that birth or the Heavens. ?na agra hatasya
mOKOsti?
? RavaNa was the son of Visravas, who himself was the son of Pulastya,
the Maanasa putra of Saakshaat Brahma. Thus, he was a Brahmin par excellence.
? JaTaayu was a mere bird. It did not know any ?mOKshOpaayam?. Nor did he
obtain ?SamaasrayaNam? from any Sri VaishNava as required in Chaandilya etc.
?pasu: manushya: pakshee vaa yE cha VaishNava samsraya: /
tEnaiva tE prayaasyanti tad vishNu: paramam padam//?
? Sounaka Bhagavaan has assured that if one had done some ?Upaasana? in
an earlier birth but could not complete it in that birth, the ?vaasana? carried
over to the next birth could enable the subject to continue that ?upaasana? to
its completion and attain the resultant ?phalan?
? There is no evidence to support the view that he could have done some
?Upaasana? in his previous birth and due to the ?Poorva Janma Vaasana?, he
continued it in his life as a bird.
? This being so, how did you declare -
?mayaa tvam samanujnaatO gachcha lOKaan anuttamaan?
? ?This only proves that you are the ?Paramaatma?. When you decide to use
your Super-human power, you have the knowledge (Jnaanam) and power (Sakti) to
grant ?mOksham? and there is none who could prevent you from exercising that
power or the way you exercise it.?
? ?At the same time, it is really mystifying to see your incapacity to
know the whereabouts of Sri Sita and consequently seemed to lose your senses in
grief and LakshmaNa had to console you!?
? ?You owe me an explanation to this dichotomy in your behavior!
---------------------------------------------------------
SlOkam 20:
?The monkey business?
Saalaan hi sapta sagireen sarasaa talaan yaan
Eka ishu manda javata: nirapatraya: tvam /
tEshu Eka vivyathana khinna kapi praNunnam
saakhaamrigam mrigayasE sma katham sahaayam?
?Oh! Lord! You broke the seven Saala trees that grew up like a huge mountain
and threw the pieces down to the nether worlds, all with the minimal force of a
single arrow. It is worth noting that the strong monkey, Vaali could not even
shake a single branch of a single tree out of the seven. And, you went in
search of friendship with Sugreeva who was physically driven from pillar to
post by the same Vaali. How do you reconcile this contradiction??
NOTES:
? Normally, when someone seeks the help of another, that other person
should be capable of rendering the help needed.
? But, when you sought Sugreeva?s help, he pleaded his utter helplessness
having been hounded out by his brother Vaali.
? How come you chose such a weakling for helping you?
? Further, he tried to test your skills by asking you to split not one
but seven giant trees and shook the green leaves of the trees down to earth
especially when Vaali could not move very slightly just a single tree.
? After breaking the trees that were like huge mountains, your golden
arrow came back and rested in its place in your bag of arrows.
Sa visrushTO balavataa baaNa: swarNa pariskrita:/
Bhitvaa saalaan giriprastham sapta bhoomim vivEsa ha //
pravishTas cha muhoortEna dharaam bhitvaa mahaajava: /
nishpatya cha punas toorNam sva toorNeem punar aavisat//
? Not only this. He actually doubted your prowess and challenged you
whether you could shake the bones of Dundhubi. And, you not only lifted but
also threw them far away especially when Vaali could not move a single bone.
?Sugreeava: sankitas cha aaseet nityam veeryENa RaaghavE?
? No doubt, this is because after the traumatic experiences with Vaali,
Sugreeva was naturally got the fear that none could be a match to Vaali?s valor
and so it cannot be construed as his committing any apachaaram to Sri Rama.
Eka ishu manda javata:
? Azhwan suggests that Sri Rama darted his arrow with minimal speed. If
he had done it with force, it might have destroyed the entire world.
? In Visaaka Datta?s Raamananda NaaTakam, there is a SlOkam by ?Sukha
SaaraNas? telling RavaNa how he did not know the fact that the air that
whistled through the holes made in the seven giant Saala trees (Visaala saala)
sang the praise of Sri Rama with ?Sapta swarangaL? (the seven musical notes):
RaamOyam jagateeha vikrama guNai: khyaata: prasiddhim paraam
asmad bhaaghya viparyayaat yadi param dEvO na jaanaati thum/
Vandeevaisha yasaamsi gaayati marud yasya Eka bhaaNaahati
srENee bhoota visaala saala vivarOd bhootai: svarai: saptabhi: //
Eka vivyathana khinna kapi praNunnam
? It was with very great difficulty that Vaali tried several times to
shake the trees one by one:
Thum uvaacha sugreeva: sapta Saalaan imaan puraa/
Evam eka eka aso vaali vivyaatha atha sa chaasakrit //
Saakhaamrigam:
This usage suggests that
? Monkey is an animal that jumps from tree to tree and that
? When even sparrows have the capacity to build their nests, monkeys
having arms and commonsense they are not able to build their homes and depend
on tree branches to live.
? The poet wonders how the Lord chose such an animal to help him.
? Azhwan suggests that it was because of his Soulabhyam and Souseelyam
that Sri Rama made a worthless animal feel important to be regarded as his
leader. For did not Vaalmiki say:
LOKanaatha: puraa bhootvaa sugreevam naatham ichchati /
Yasya prasaadE sakalaa: praseedEyu: imaa prajaa: /
Sa RamO vaanarEndrasya Prasaadam abhi kaankshati //
ATHIMAANUSHA STHAVAM OF SRI KOORATHAAZHWAN
Part 5 (Slokas 18 to 20)
(ANBIL RAMASWAMY)
--------------------------------------------------------
In the following 16 SlOkas (18 to 23), Azhwaan narrates several episodes in Sri
Rama Avataara and proves how in each the Paratvam of the Lord gets revealed
much against his claim that after all he was only a human being, being the son
of Dasaratha. ?Aatmaanam maanusham manyE Raamam dasaratha aaatmajam?. This
makes a very interesting reading of a type of literature known as ?Nindaa
Sthuti?
Slokam 18:
?Duped by a mere deer??
Pruchchaami kinchana yadaa kila RaaghavatvE
Maayaa mrugasya vasagO manujatva mougdyaat /
Seetaa viyOPga vivasaO na cha tadgatigjna:
Praadaas tadaa paragatim hi katham?khagaaya //
?Oh! Lord! I am asking you one question. When you appeared as Sri Rama you
called yourself a mere human being and as a man ran after the mysterious deer
at the behest of your dear wife. When you got separated from her, you became so
shaken and shattered that you did not know where she had gone.
This being so, how did you know how to send JaTaayu, the bird to
Paramapadam? Don?t you see the contradiction in your actions in the two cases??
NOTES:
? ?Since none else could give a fitting reply, I am asking you directly.
? When you were exiled, Sri Sita, captivated by the charming deer pleaded
with you to secure it for her, saying:
?ahO! Roopam! ahO! Lakshmee: svarasampas cha SObhanaa!
mrigO adbutO vichitraangO hridayam harateeva mE?
? ILayaperumaaL persuaded you convincingly against the deception played
by the deer.
?MrigO hi Evam vidhO ratna vichitrO naasti Raaghava!?
Jagatyaam jagatee naatha! Maayaishaa hi na samsaya: //
? You never heeded his advice and like ordinary people who are swayed by
emotion, you ran after the illusory deer.
? When RavaNa abducted Sri Sita, you acted as if you did not know where
and how she had gone.
? But, you knew the way to mOksham to send PeriyaUDaiyaar (Sri JaTaayu)
there!
? Don?t you think there is a contradiction and inconsistency in these
events?
? I demand an explanation, please?
yadaa kila RaaghavatvE:
Azhwaan implies that the way Sri Rama acted as if he did not know the way Sri
Sita went was just acting. It may be noted that he uses the same words:
"RaaghavatvE abhavat Seetaa? used by Sri Paraasarar.
Maayaa mrugasya vasaga:
The word ?maaya? does not mean ?false? as Advaitins hold. It means
?wonderful? That is why, LakshmaNa says; ?gandarvapura sannibham?. It is not
possible to hit with an arrow something false or kill something that did not
exist. The form of the deer was real, meaning that Maareecha had taken that
?wonderful? form.
manujatva mougdyaat:
?You went about asking every sentient being and insentient thing like cow,
bird, hill, river, cloud etc whether anyone of them had seen Sri Sita. And,
that you would destroy the whole world, if you cannot find Sri Sita:
?sa gandharva manushya panama jagat samastam parivartayaami aham?
Did you not have even the commonsense of ordinary folk when you swore to
destroy the world, being after all a mere human being for whom this is beyond
his capacity?
Praadaas tadaa paragatim:
?When you arranged for the last rites (anthimakriya) of JaTaayu, what did you
say?
Yaa gati: yagjnaseelaanaam aahitaagnEs cha yaa gati: /
aparaOvartinaam yaa cha yaa cha bhoomi pradaayinaam//
mayaa tvam samanujnaatO gachcha lOkaan anuttamaan //
?I permit you to go to the highest worlds to which those who habitually perform
yagjnas, those who perform ?agnihOtra? with ?aahitaagni?, those by total
dedication to Emperumaan leave this Prakriti maNDalam never to return and those
who gift away ?bhoomi? are ordained to reach ? to that world (Paramapadam), I
hereby dispatch you.?
NOTES:
? What is the Yagjna that Sri Rama speaks of in this context?
? It is none other than ?SaraNaagati? or ?Prapatti? as seen from the
following:
Havirgrheetvaasmaroopam vasuraNyEti mantrata: /
Juhuyaat PraNavEnaagnou achyutaakhyE SanaatanE //
? It is the same Paramapadam that Lord KrishNa referred to in Bhagavad
Gita thus:
Na cha punar aavartatE, yad gatvaa na nivartantE
taddhaama paramam mama /
aabhrahmaa bhuvanaat lOKaa: punaraavartinaa Arjuna!
Maam upEtya tu KountEya! Punarjanma na vidhyatE //
? It is only the one who is the cause of the world (jagat kaaraNa) and
who alone can grant ?moksham? is called Paramaatma, say the Vedas and Vedantas.
? KulasEkara Perumaal also mentions this saying
?Jataayuvai VaikuntathErri?
? If you can grant ?mOksham? to JaTaayu, you must be that Paramaatma and
definitely NOT a human being. This also proves that your claim ?aatmaanam
maanusham manyE? does NOT hold water?
? Swami Desika when he praised Kachchi Varadan says that even though the
clouds hover over the sky and create darkness, we know that the Sun can never
be completely hidden, great souls detect the Paratvam in the Lord even if tries
to hide it under the cloak of his Souseelyam.
Souseela bhaavita dhiyaa bhavataa kathanchit
sanchaadutaanapi guNaan varada! /
Tvadeeyaan! Pratyakshayantya vikalam tava sannikrishTa:
patyustvitvashaamiva payOda vrutaan mayookhaan //
---------------------------------------------------
SLOKAM 19:
?A Bird?s flight to Heaven?
akshuNNa yOgapatham agrya hatham JaTaayum
tiryancham Eva batha mOKsha pathE niyOktum /
saknOshi vEtsi cha yadaa, sa: tadaa katham tvam
dEveem avaaptum analam vyathita: vichinvan //
?Oh! Lord! When you were able to know the way to mOksham and the power to use
that way to send him there a mere bird, JaTaayu, totally bereft of any practice
in any yOga, the one who was killed by one belonging to the Brahmin caste
(RavaNa), how come you were unable to know which way Sri Sita went and
consequently you were beside with grief on separation from her and anxiety in
not being able to find her out. This indeed is strange!?
NOTES:
? There are few subtle points involved in the episode relating to
?JaTaayu mOksham?. Azhwan brings them out to show how the episode betrayed his
Paratvam despite his claim to be an ordinary human being.
? Being a bird, JaTaayu was not aware that mOksham was the highest
position to be attained and was not aware of any means to attain the same,
namely Karma yOga, Jnaana yOga, Bhgakti yOga and Prapatti.
? Swami Desika has explained this:
avadhheryai chaturvidham pumarthE bhavadatha viniyukta jeevitah: san/
labhatE bhavata: phalaani jantur nikhilaanyatra nidarsanam JaTaayu: //
? Further, JaTaayu was an ?agrahathar? meaning one who was killed by a
person belonging to the foremost caste. It is said that one who is killed by a
Brahmin does not attain mOksha in that birth or the Heavens. ?na agra hatasya
mOKOsti?
? RavaNa was the son of Visravas, who himself was the son of Pulastya,
the Maanasa putra of Saakshaat Brahma. Thus, he was a Brahmin par excellence.
? JaTaayu was a mere bird. It did not know any ?mOKshOpaayam?. Nor did he
obtain ?SamaasrayaNam? from any Sri VaishNava as required in Chaandilya etc.
?pasu: manushya: pakshee vaa yE cha VaishNava samsraya: /
tEnaiva tE prayaasyanti tad vishNu: paramam padam//?
? Sounaka Bhagavaan has assured that if one had done some ?Upaasana? in
an earlier birth but could not complete it in that birth, the ?vaasana? carried
over to the next birth could enable the subject to continue that ?upaasana? to
its completion and attain the resultant ?phalan?
? There is no evidence to support the view that he could have done some
?Upaasana? in his previous birth and due to the ?Poorva Janma Vaasana?, he
continued it in his life as a bird.
? This being so, how did you declare -
?mayaa tvam samanujnaatO gachcha lOKaan anuttamaan?
? ?This only proves that you are the ?Paramaatma?. When you decide to use
your Super-human power, you have the knowledge (Jnaanam) and power (Sakti) to
grant ?mOksham? and there is none who could prevent you from exercising that
power or the way you exercise it.?
? ?At the same time, it is really mystifying to see your incapacity to
know the whereabouts of Sri Sita and consequently seemed to lose your senses in
grief and LakshmaNa had to console you!?
? ?You owe me an explanation to this dichotomy in your behavior!
---------------------------------------------------------
SlOkam 20:
?The monkey business?
Saalaan hi sapta sagireen sarasaa talaan yaan
Eka ishu manda javata: nirapatraya: tvam /
tEshu Eka vivyathana khinna kapi praNunnam
saakhaamrigam mrigayasE sma katham sahaayam?
?Oh! Lord! You broke the seven Saala trees that grew up like a huge mountain
and threw the pieces down to the nether worlds, all with the minimal force of a
single arrow. It is worth noting that the strong monkey, Vaali could not even
shake a single branch of a single tree out of the seven. And, you went in
search of friendship with Sugreeva who was physically driven from pillar to
post by the same Vaali. How do you reconcile this contradiction??
NOTES:
? Normally, when someone seeks the help of another, that other person
should be capable of rendering the help needed.
? But, when you sought Sugreeva?s help, he pleaded his utter helplessness
having been hounded out by his brother Vaali.
? How come you chose such a weakling for helping you?
? Further, he tried to test your skills by asking you to split not one
but seven giant trees and shook the green leaves of the trees down to earth
especially when Vaali could not move very slightly just a single tree.
? After breaking the trees that were like huge mountains, your golden
arrow came back and rested in its place in your bag of arrows.
Sa visrushTO balavataa baaNa: swarNa pariskrita:/
Bhitvaa saalaan giriprastham sapta bhoomim vivEsa ha //
pravishTas cha muhoortEna dharaam bhitvaa mahaajava: /
nishpatya cha punas toorNam sva toorNeem punar aavisat//
? Not only this. He actually doubted your prowess and challenged you
whether you could shake the bones of Dundhubi. And, you not only lifted but
also threw them far away especially when Vaali could not move a single bone.
?Sugreeava: sankitas cha aaseet nityam veeryENa RaaghavE?
? No doubt, this is because after the traumatic experiences with Vaali,
Sugreeva was naturally got the fear that none could be a match to Vaali?s valor
and so it cannot be construed as his committing any apachaaram to Sri Rama.
Eka ishu manda javata:
? Azhwan suggests that Sri Rama darted his arrow with minimal speed. If
he had done it with force, it might have destroyed the entire world.
? In Visaaka Datta?s Raamananda NaaTakam, there is a SlOkam by ?Sukha
SaaraNas? telling RavaNa how he did not know the fact that the air that
whistled through the holes made in the seven giant Saala trees (Visaala saala)
sang the praise of Sri Rama with ?Sapta swarangaL? (the seven musical notes):
RaamOyam jagateeha vikrama guNai: khyaata: prasiddhim paraam
asmad bhaaghya viparyayaat yadi param dEvO na jaanaati thum/
Vandeevaisha yasaamsi gaayati marud yasya Eka bhaaNaahati
srENee bhoota visaala saala vivarOd bhootai: svarai: saptabhi: //
Eka vivyathana khinna kapi praNunnam
? It was with very great difficulty that Vaali tried several times to
shake the trees one by one:
Thum uvaacha sugreeva: sapta Saalaan imaan puraa/
Evam eka eka aso vaali vivyaatha atha sa chaasakrit //
Saakhaamrigam:
This usage suggests that
? Monkey is an animal that jumps from tree to tree and that
? When even sparrows have the capacity to build their nests, monkeys
having arms and commonsense they are not able to build their homes and depend
on tree branches to live.
? The poet wonders how the Lord chose such an animal to help him.
? Azhwan suggests that it was because of his Soulabhyam and Souseelyam
that Sri Rama made a worthless animal feel important to be regarded as his
leader. For did not Vaalmiki say:
LOKanaatha: puraa bhootvaa sugreevam naatham ichchati /
Yasya prasaadE sakalaa: praseedEyu: imaa prajaa: /
Sa RamO vaanarEndrasya Prasaadam abhi kaankshati //
Part 5 (Slokas 18 to 20)
(ANBIL RAMASWAMY)
--------------------------------------------------------
In the following 16 SlOkas (18 to 23), Azhwaan narrates several episodes in Sri
Rama Avataara and proves how in each the Paratvam of the Lord gets revealed
much against his claim that after all he was only a human being, being the son
of Dasaratha. ?Aatmaanam maanusham manyE Raamam dasaratha aaatmajam?. This
makes a very interesting reading of a type of literature known as ?Nindaa
Sthuti?
Slokam 18:
?Duped by a mere deer??
Pruchchaami kinchana yadaa kila RaaghavatvE
Maayaa mrugasya vasagO manujatva mougdyaat /
Seetaa viyOPga vivasaO na cha tadgatigjna:
Praadaas tadaa paragatim hi katham?khagaaya //
?Oh! Lord! I am asking you one question. When you appeared as Sri Rama you
called yourself a mere human being and as a man ran after the mysterious deer
at the behest of your dear wife. When you got separated from her, you became so
shaken and shattered that you did not know where she had gone.
This being so, how did you know how to send JaTaayu, the bird to
Paramapadam? Don?t you see the contradiction in your actions in the two cases??
NOTES:
? ?Since none else could give a fitting reply, I am asking you directly.
? When you were exiled, Sri Sita, captivated by the charming deer pleaded
with you to secure it for her, saying:
?ahO! Roopam! ahO! Lakshmee: svarasampas cha SObhanaa!
mrigO adbutO vichitraangO hridayam harateeva mE?
? ILayaperumaaL persuaded you convincingly against the deception played
by the deer.
?MrigO hi Evam vidhO ratna vichitrO naasti Raaghava!?
Jagatyaam jagatee naatha! Maayaishaa hi na samsaya: //
? You never heeded his advice and like ordinary people who are swayed by
emotion, you ran after the illusory deer.
? When RavaNa abducted Sri Sita, you acted as if you did not know where
and how she had gone.
? But, you knew the way to mOksham to send PeriyaUDaiyaar (Sri JaTaayu)
there!
? Don?t you think there is a contradiction and inconsistency in these
events?
? I demand an explanation, please?
yadaa kila RaaghavatvE:
Azhwaan implies that the way Sri Rama acted as if he did not know the way Sri
Sita went was just acting. It may be noted that he uses the same words:
"RaaghavatvE abhavat Seetaa? used by Sri Paraasarar.
Maayaa mrugasya vasaga:
The word ?maaya? does not mean ?false? as Advaitins hold. It means
?wonderful? That is why, LakshmaNa says; ?gandarvapura sannibham?. It is not
possible to hit with an arrow something false or kill something that did not
exist. The form of the deer was real, meaning that Maareecha had taken that
?wonderful? form.
manujatva mougdyaat:
?You went about asking every sentient being and insentient thing like cow,
bird, hill, river, cloud etc whether anyone of them had seen Sri Sita. And,
that you would destroy the whole world, if you cannot find Sri Sita:
?sa gandharva manushya panama jagat samastam parivartayaami aham?
Did you not have even the commonsense of ordinary folk when you swore to
destroy the world, being after all a mere human being for whom this is beyond
his capacity?
Praadaas tadaa paragatim:
?When you arranged for the last rites (anthimakriya) of JaTaayu, what did you
say?
Yaa gati: yagjnaseelaanaam aahitaagnEs cha yaa gati: /
aparaOvartinaam yaa cha yaa cha bhoomi pradaayinaam//
mayaa tvam samanujnaatO gachcha lOkaan anuttamaan //
?I permit you to go to the highest worlds to which those who habitually perform
yagjnas, those who perform ?agnihOtra? with ?aahitaagni?, those by total
dedication to Emperumaan leave this Prakriti maNDalam never to return and those
who gift away ?bhoomi? are ordained to reach ? to that world (Paramapadam), I
hereby dispatch you.?
NOTES:
? What is the Yagjna that Sri Rama speaks of in this context?
? It is none other than ?SaraNaagati? or ?Prapatti? as seen from the
following:
Havirgrheetvaasmaroopam vasuraNyEti mantrata: /
Juhuyaat PraNavEnaagnou achyutaakhyE SanaatanE //
? It is the same Paramapadam that Lord KrishNa referred to in Bhagavad
Gita thus:
Na cha punar aavartatE, yad gatvaa na nivartantE
taddhaama paramam mama /
aabhrahmaa bhuvanaat lOKaa: punaraavartinaa Arjuna!
Maam upEtya tu KountEya! Punarjanma na vidhyatE //
? It is only the one who is the cause of the world (jagat kaaraNa) and
who alone can grant ?moksham? is called Paramaatma, say the Vedas and Vedantas.
? KulasEkara Perumaal also mentions this saying
?Jataayuvai VaikuntathErri?
? If you can grant ?mOksham? to JaTaayu, you must be that Paramaatma and
definitely NOT a human being. This also proves that your claim ?aatmaanam
maanusham manyE? does NOT hold water?
? Swami Desika when he praised Kachchi Varadan says that even though the
clouds hover over the sky and create darkness, we know that the Sun can never
be completely hidden, great souls detect the Paratvam in the Lord even if tries
to hide it under the cloak of his Souseelyam.
Souseela bhaavita dhiyaa bhavataa kathanchit
sanchaadutaanapi guNaan varada! /
Tvadeeyaan! Pratyakshayantya vikalam tava sannikrishTa:
patyustvitvashaamiva payOda vrutaan mayookhaan //
---------------------------------------------------
SLOKAM 19:
?A Bird?s flight to Heaven?
akshuNNa yOgapatham agrya hatham JaTaayum
tiryancham Eva batha mOKsha pathE niyOktum /
saknOshi vEtsi cha yadaa, sa: tadaa katham tvam
dEveem avaaptum analam vyathita: vichinvan //
?Oh! Lord! When you were able to know the way to mOksham and the power to use
that way to send him there a mere bird, JaTaayu, totally bereft of any practice
in any yOga, the one who was killed by one belonging to the Brahmin caste
(RavaNa), how come you were unable to know which way Sri Sita went and
consequently you were beside with grief on separation from her and anxiety in
not being able to find her out. This indeed is strange!?
NOTES:
? There are few subtle points involved in the episode relating to
?JaTaayu mOksham?. Azhwan brings them out to show how the episode betrayed his
Paratvam despite his claim to be an ordinary human being.
? Being a bird, JaTaayu was not aware that mOksham was the highest
position to be attained and was not aware of any means to attain the same,
namely Karma yOga, Jnaana yOga, Bhgakti yOga and Prapatti.
? Swami Desika has explained this:
avadhheryai chaturvidham pumarthE bhavadatha viniyukta jeevitah: san/
labhatE bhavata: phalaani jantur nikhilaanyatra nidarsanam JaTaayu: //
? Further, JaTaayu was an ?agrahathar? meaning one who was killed by a
person belonging to the foremost caste. It is said that one who is killed by a
Brahmin does not attain mOksha in that birth or the Heavens. ?na agra hatasya
mOKOsti?
? RavaNa was the son of Visravas, who himself was the son of Pulastya,
the Maanasa putra of Saakshaat Brahma. Thus, he was a Brahmin par excellence.
? JaTaayu was a mere bird. It did not know any ?mOKshOpaayam?. Nor did he
obtain ?SamaasrayaNam? from any Sri VaishNava as required in Chaandilya etc.
?pasu: manushya: pakshee vaa yE cha VaishNava samsraya: /
tEnaiva tE prayaasyanti tad vishNu: paramam padam//?
? Sounaka Bhagavaan has assured that if one had done some ?Upaasana? in
an earlier birth but could not complete it in that birth, the ?vaasana? carried
over to the next birth could enable the subject to continue that ?upaasana? to
its completion and attain the resultant ?phalan?
? There is no evidence to support the view that he could have done some
?Upaasana? in his previous birth and due to the ?Poorva Janma Vaasana?, he
continued it in his life as a bird.
? This being so, how did you declare -
?mayaa tvam samanujnaatO gachcha lOKaan anuttamaan?
? ?This only proves that you are the ?Paramaatma?. When you decide to use
your Super-human power, you have the knowledge (Jnaanam) and power (Sakti) to
grant ?mOksham? and there is none who could prevent you from exercising that
power or the way you exercise it.?
? ?At the same time, it is really mystifying to see your incapacity to
know the whereabouts of Sri Sita and consequently seemed to lose your senses in
grief and LakshmaNa had to console you!?
? ?You owe me an explanation to this dichotomy in your behavior!
---------------------------------------------------------
SlOkam 20:
?The monkey business?
Saalaan hi sapta sagireen sarasaa talaan yaan
Eka ishu manda javata: nirapatraya: tvam /
tEshu Eka vivyathana khinna kapi praNunnam
saakhaamrigam mrigayasE sma katham sahaayam?
?Oh! Lord! You broke the seven Saala trees that grew up like a huge mountain
and threw the pieces down to the nether worlds, all with the minimal force of a
single arrow. It is worth noting that the strong monkey, Vaali could not even
shake a single branch of a single tree out of the seven. And, you went in
search of friendship with Sugreeva who was physically driven from pillar to
post by the same Vaali. How do you reconcile this contradiction??
NOTES:
? Normally, when someone seeks the help of another, that other person
should be capable of rendering the help needed.
? But, when you sought Sugreeva?s help, he pleaded his utter helplessness
having been hounded out by his brother Vaali.
? How come you chose such a weakling for helping you?
? Further, he tried to test your skills by asking you to split not one
but seven giant trees and shook the green leaves of the trees down to earth
especially when Vaali could not move very slightly just a single tree.
? After breaking the trees that were like huge mountains, your golden
arrow came back and rested in its place in your bag of arrows.
Sa visrushTO balavataa baaNa: swarNa pariskrita:/
Bhitvaa saalaan giriprastham sapta bhoomim vivEsa ha //
pravishTas cha muhoortEna dharaam bhitvaa mahaajava: /
nishpatya cha punas toorNam sva toorNeem punar aavisat//
? Not only this. He actually doubted your prowess and challenged you
whether you could shake the bones of Dundhubi. And, you not only lifted but
also threw them far away especially when Vaali could not move a single bone.
?Sugreeava: sankitas cha aaseet nityam veeryENa RaaghavE?
? No doubt, this is because after the traumatic experiences with Vaali,
Sugreeva was naturally got the fear that none could be a match to Vaali?s valor
and so it cannot be construed as his committing any apachaaram to Sri Rama.
Eka ishu manda javata:
? Azhwan suggests that Sri Rama darted his arrow with minimal speed. If
he had done it with force, it might have destroyed the entire world.
? In Visaaka Datta?s Raamananda NaaTakam, there is a SlOkam by ?Sukha
SaaraNas? telling RavaNa how he did not know the fact that the air that
whistled through the holes made in the seven giant Saala trees (Visaala saala)
sang the praise of Sri Rama with ?Sapta swarangaL? (the seven musical notes):
RaamOyam jagateeha vikrama guNai: khyaata: prasiddhim paraam
asmad bhaaghya viparyayaat yadi param dEvO na jaanaati thum/
Vandeevaisha yasaamsi gaayati marud yasya Eka bhaaNaahati
srENee bhoota visaala saala vivarOd bhootai: svarai: saptabhi: //
Eka vivyathana khinna kapi praNunnam
? It was with very great difficulty that Vaali tried several times to
shake the trees one by one:
Thum uvaacha sugreeva: sapta Saalaan imaan puraa/
Evam eka eka aso vaali vivyaatha atha sa chaasakrit //
Saakhaamrigam:
This usage suggests that
? Monkey is an animal that jumps from tree to tree and that
? When even sparrows have the capacity to build their nests, monkeys
having arms and commonsense they are not able to build their homes and depend
on tree branches to live.
? The poet wonders how the Lord chose such an animal to help him.
? Azhwan suggests that it was because of his Soulabhyam and Souseelyam
that Sri Rama made a worthless animal feel important to be regarded as his
leader. For did not Vaalmiki say:
LOKanaatha: puraa bhootvaa sugreevam naatham ichchati /
Yasya prasaadE sakalaa: praseedEyu: imaa prajaa: /
Sa RamO vaanarEndrasya Prasaadam abhi kaankshati //
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