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.