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Re: Saraswati and Hanuman

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Mani Varadarajan • February 7, 1996 


On Feb 7,  2:03am, Jaganath.Bharadwaj@nrecatao.nreca.org wrote:
> In this connection Vedanta Desikar remarks that when a kings servants
> put garland around the king's coat they intend to please the king and
> not his coat.

This is a wonderful way of expressing the sarIra-sarIri-bhaava
(body-soul relationship) that is characteristic of Visishtadvaita
metaphysics.  The coat is literally the body of the king and is
lifeless without its bearer.  Hence, any ornamentation destined
for the coat is ultimately useless without the recognition that
the coat is merely a Sesha of the king.  The two are inseparably
related in reality, but the coat is completely dependent on the
king for its subsistence and glory.

This is the foundational doctrine (pradhAna-pratitantra) of
Visishtadvaita.  Thanks, Jaganath, for bringing this to light.

Mani