Bhakti List Archives

Part XIV: Swamy Desikan's Taathparya RathnAvaLi: Eleventh SlOkam( Third to the Seventh GuNams of TVM 1.1.1)

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sadagopan • Thu Dec 27 2001 - 06:11:43 PST 


Wednesday , Dec 26 , 2001

Tenth ThiruppAvai (nORRu cchuvarkam puhuhinRa )Dinam 

ANDAL ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam
                
SrI:

Dear RasikAs of Swamy NammAzhwAr's Dhivya Prabhandhams:

On this Tenth ThiruppAavi day , adiyEn will continue with 
the additional guNams covered in the eleventh SlOkam of DTR: 

3)  anantha leelAspadham
4-6)SvAyatthAsEsha-satthA-sTithiyathanabhidhA Vaibhavam 
7) Vaisva Roopyam
8) Thrayaksha-BrahmAthma BhAvam
9) sadhasadhava gathi
10)sarva TatthvEshu poorthi GuNam   

Third GuNam/Third Paasuram(TVM 1.1.3): anantha LeelAspadhathvam
****************************************************************
We may think that He is the Lord of hEya Vasthus( Isvaryams/
VibhUthis with blemishes ) and hence He should not be considered
as " uyaRvaRa Uyar Nalam Udayavan". Although He is the Lord of
limitless vasthus/vibhUthis as His Isvaryam , even you and me
with blemishes can approach Him , our Lord , since we are His 
Isvaryam as well .He is sarva sulabhan and His unmatched 
greatness does not therefore diminish .Hence this paasuram 
salutes the LeelA VibhUthi aspects of His Ubhya VibhUthi /
twin Isvaryams: LeelA VibhUthi with its chEthanams and 
achEthanams here on this earth and Nithya VibhUthi 
of Sri Vaikuntam with MukthAs , Nithyasooris and His DEvis).

The Meaning of the TVM 1.1.3 (Ilanathu--) by Dr.VNV:
*****************************************************
" It is not possible to distinguish things of the world 
(Leela VibhUthi) as belonging to Him  as not His. 
Because , all is His! In each of the seven worlds ,
insentient things , with different forms , and sentient
beings are but aspects of the Lord's splendour. Our sense
organs experience the presence of objects , in which He is 
present but impalpably to our senses. Those objects too
would not imply His nature or His presence. He pervades all
things , in which respect , He has no second. We have come 
near such a One , by some great good fortune." 

Fourth GuNam/Fourth (naamavan ivanuvan--) Paasuram: 
***************************************************
This Paasuram says that " All of us (all chEthanams and
achEthnams) are but He. All are but aspects of His splendour"
as saluted in the earlier three verses. The svaroopams of 
Vasthus as " this man, that woman, this object , that object ,
things there or here " , ALL are aspects of His Vaibhavam .

the Svaroopam of all Vasthus , their exalted or low
svabhAvam ( UtharOtthara Sthithi), pravrutthi (engagement
to get alpa sukhams like wealth , svargam and kaivalyam )
and nivrutthi vyApArams/dharmams ( engagement in activities 
leading to the permanent bliss of Moksham)and their specialties
are under the control of the Lord. This is His vaibhavam. 
All of these (Svarroopams) have no existence(sthithi)without Him. 
They are different from Him and are under His control (adhInam).
This Vaibhavam is pointed out as one of the GuNams celebrated by
the Fourth Paasuram (TVM 1.1.4) according to Swamy Desikan:
" svAyattha-sEsha-satthA-sTithyathanabhidhA Vaibhavam".
The 5th and 6th guNams are also included in this above
lengthy salutation .

Fifth GuNam /Fifth paasuram( Avaravar Tamatamathu--):
***************************************************
The sthithi (maintenance) of the world may be atributable
to DevathAntharams , but those DevathAs are under the control
of Sriman NaarAyaNan and take orders from Him as He stays
as their antharyAmi and directs them.The sTithi associated with
DevathAntharam is indeed ParamAthma-adhInam ( as the inner soul of 
the boon-giving dEvathAs , their controller and ultimate source of 
the power of these dEvathAs like Brahma , who creates and 
Rudran, who destroys ).

Sixth GuNam /Sixth Paasuram( ninRanar irunthanar kidanthanar):
*************************************************************
The above paasurams instructed us that all nivrutthi
vyApArams are under the control of the Lord. Here , all
pravrutthi vyApaarams (all things, processes, actions 
and inaction) are also subject to His will(sankalpam).
Thus both pravrutthi and nivrutthi dharmams are under 
His full control.

>From 1 to 6 Paasurams , the First AdhyAyam of Brahma Soothram
( samanvayAdhyAyam) , is covered by Swamy NammAzhwAr and 
Swamy Desikan brings this out with the focus on six guNams.
>From paasuram six to eleven, the second adhyAyam of 
Brahma Soothram (avirOdhAthyAyam) is covered by Swamy NammazhwAr 
and Swamy Desikan brings that out also through focus on relevant 
guNams of the Lord .

Seventh GuNam /Seventh Paasuram(TVM 1.1.7:ThidavisumperivaLi):
**************************************************************
The GuNam brought out is " Vaisvaroopyam ".BhagavAn's sarIra
LakshaNa sthApanam ( the world as His sarIram )is established 
here.This is a very important guNam central to VisishtAdhvatham.
SaamAnyaadhikaraNam regards Brahman and world as identical. 
Swamy NammAzhwAr rejects that and proves that the world is
prAkAra or VibhUthi or Isvaryam of the Lord. As such , He is 
" the cause , sustainer and controller as well as the soul
/indweller) of ALL things and beings. This concept is so 
central to VisishtAdhvaitham that the first commentator on 
ThiruvAimozhi (Thirukkurhai PirAn PiLLAn in his 6,000 Padi) 
used 48 Veda manthrams and 25 other pramANams in support of 
this central doctrine. Swamy Desikan described this guNma
of the Lord in  one word pregnant with meaning:" Vaisvaroopyam". 

Eighth GuNam/8th paasuram( SuraRivaru nilai--):
**********************************************
Thrayyaksha-BrahmAthma BhAvam is the 8th GuNam . Here
the Lord is described as the inner power(antharyAmi) of 
both Brahma and Rudra engaged in the acts of creation of
the universe and its destruction .In these two activities ,
Our Lord , Sriman NaarAyaNan blessed Brahma with vedic 
knowledge to create and gave Rudran (Thrayykshan /MukkaNNan ),
the power to destroy.Swamy Desikan sums up this GuNam 
as " Thrayyaksha-Brahma- aathma BhAvam". Aathma BhAvam
denotes His indwellership to empower these activities.

Ninth GuNam/Ninth Paasuram( uLan yenil uLanavan--)
***************************************************
"Sadhasadhavagathi" is the ninth guNam saluted by TVM 1.1.9.
The key meaning of the Paasuram containing the description of
this GuNam is as follows(Dr.VNV):

"---Thus Being  and Non-Being are both His attributes . 
With them , He is present in all things , pervading each , 
fully and as the soul to the body". 

Here Swamy NammazhwAr discusses the relation between
the Lord's existence as Being (Sadh) and Non-Being(asadh)
states and  rejects Soonya Vaadham (nonexistence), which is 
also known as BhavAthiriktha Vaadham . The Asadh acording to 
vedam is the presence in subtle form (Sookshmam) that is 
not easily perceived by the senses as gross/sthula form (sadh). 
Therefore ,the Lord is always present and is never non-present.
Swamy Desikan describes this guNam celebrated by this paasuram
with the gathi of "sadhasadhava gathi).

Tenth GuNam/Tenth Paasuram (TVM 1.1.10:Parantha TaNN ParavayuL--):
******************************************************************
Sarva TatthvEshu Poorthy GuNam is identified as the 10th guNam.
"anthar-bhaisccha Tath sarvam SARVAM vyApya NaarayaNa: sTitha:"
is the Vedic reference for this GuNam .Infact , the subtle
meaning is that He does not only pervades them (vyApthi) , but
fills them completely (poorthi). He is PoorNan and is in all
Tatthvams (ChEthanam and achEthanam )at all levels . He is present 
in the minutest atom .He is present " in every thing ,in every
place as well. He is present in the soul (jeevan) with a self-
effulgence of Jn~Anam since He is the soul of souls."

Swamy NammAzhwAr concludes this first Thirumozhi with 
the ten guNams relating to the  Parathvam of 
the Lord and goes onto perform upadEsam for us
in the next Thirumozhi ( TVM 1.2: Veedumin--).

Swamy Desikan points out that Swamy NammazhwAr saw 
the Unquestionable Supermacy of the Lord over all gods
and commanded his mind to offer worship at the lotus
feet of that Lord ( Pasyan yOgI PARAM tathpadha-kamala-
nathou anvasAth aathma chittham ). 

The genius of Swamy Desikan in distilling the essence of 
the paasurams of the decad as ten guNams is incomparable.
He will proceed with this powerful style of rigorous analysis 
for the remaining dsaakams and sathakams of ThiruvAimozhi.
We will enjoy two more dasakams in this series as examples
to develop the ruchi for this great Sri Sookthi of 
Swamy Desikan.

Let us all pay our tribute to Swamy Desikan through 
support of the NithyArAdhanam for Him at His sannidhi 
in ThUppul. Please help in every way you can to realize 
the core funds to miantain nithyArAdhanam without 
interruption to Swamy Desikan at His birth place .

The next DTR slOkam will be on adiyEn's Kula dhaivam ,
ThiruviNNagarappan of OppilA appan Sannidhi (TVM 6.3).

Sri RanganAyaki SamEtha Sri RanganAtha ParabrahmaNE Nama: 
Daasan, Oppiliappan Koil VardAchAri SaThakOpan 



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

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