Search:
Bhakti List Archives

Re: Lord's attributes.

From the Bhakti List Archives

jayasartn • October 22, 2002 


-SRIMATHE RAMANUJAYA NAMAHA.

-- In bhakti-list@y..., Mani Varadarajan  wrote:
> 
> Dear Friends,
> 
> Apropos the recent discussion on the Lord's kalyana-gunas,
> a learned correspondent sent me a note of which I reproduce
> and abridgment here

> The word 'Bhagavan' (/bhagavAn/) means 'One who possesses
> 'bhaga'.  'bhaga' is the collective possession of the six
> qualities of supremacy, valor, renown, auspiciousness, knowledge,
> and detachment.  Only one who possesses all these in full 
> is called 'Bhagavan'

An information to add.
The very first verse of ThirukkuraL describes God as Bhagavan,(a vada 
sol- sanskrit term)and not by the other popular tamil terms such as 
kadavuL, iRaivan etc.

It is the usual practice to dedicate the first verse to the Lord by 
extolling His graetness.Thiruvalluvar wrote an entire chapter 
(adhikaaram)on God, but nowhere he talks about the attributes of God 
in open verses. He only talks about why one should pray to God-with 
his last verse stressing on the need to surrender at His feet.
The only verse where we can find some description of god is in the 
first verse 'Agara mudala.." wherein he names the Lord as 'Adhi 
Bhagavan'
 
In his commentary to ThirukkuraL, ParimElazhagar, the popular writer 
of the 11th century AD, traces the root of the word Bhagavan 
to 'bhagam' and 'bhagawan' of sanskrit and describes the 6 virtues of 
the Lord as mentioned in the mail quoted above. He further says that 
Adhi Bhagavan means 'the first Lord'

According to him, Thiruvalluvar seeks to establish the presence of 
God in this verse by the expression, 'adhi bhagavan mudhattrE 
ulagu'(the world that has Him as the first Lord)
The primary  stress is on 'world'and not on the Lord. That is because 
the very exitence of the world pre-supposes the existence of the Lord 
just as how the presence of smoke establishes the presence of fire.
The specific use of the term Bhagavan in this verse also establishes 
the primacy to the 6 attributes enshrined in this term.

Another information in this context which has been very much an eye 
of a controversy is whom (which God)  does Thiruvalluvar refer to as 
Bhagavan. One school of thought says that it must be Thirumaal 
(Vishnu). The authentication quoted for this is Nammazhvar's "andamil 
aadhiyam bhagavan"

Another authentication is drawn from the BG where the Lord says that 
He is the A-kaaram ('agara mudala ezhuththu' in KuraL)
Therefore 'Bhagavan' in KuraL refers to Lord Krishna.

jayasree sarnathan


:
> 
> > 



--------------------------------------------------------------
           - SrImate rAmAnujAya namaH -
To Post a message, send it to:   bhakti-list@yahoogroups.com
Group Home: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bhakti-list
Archives: http://ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/archives/
 

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/