Search:
Bhakti List Archives

"The Endless Entity"

From the Bhakti List Archives

sadagopaniyengar • January 12, 2003 


                  
Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

                     The Endless Entity

       All things we see in this world have an end. This is a universal law, applicable to all beings and things. What is created, be it man or material, surely has an end too, says the Gitacharya-"JAtasya hi dhruvO mrityu:" We may say that this or that building stands proud, "defying the test of time", but in reality, nothing can defy the test of Time. You may build with stone or any other material considered invincible, and may employ the latest construction techniques. The fact remains that all edifices are susceptible to dilapidation, decay and destruction. The same applies to human life too, as we see with our very own eyes day after day. While the length of our sojourn in this world may differ, none can stay on indefinitely and go we must, some day or other, sooner or later.

Finiteness can be of three types- Limitation by Time, Limitation by Place and Limitation by Object.

We have seen above how all beings, sentient and non-sentient, are limited by Time- that is, they are present at one point of time and not later, when their lives come to an end. If a person were alive in the last century, he would not be in the current one. And it is a fair deduction that those who inhabit the earth now would not be around in the 22nd century.

Limitation by place indicates the inability of a person to be present at more than one place at a time. If I am present at Coimbatore, ipso facto, I am not at Chennai, at the same time. We refer here to physical presence and not mental attendance, for all of us are aware how our minds have no frontiers and can take us from place to place, country to country, in no time at all. We may thus be present physically at one place and mentally at another (which happens all the time in our class rooms and KalakshEpa ghOshtis), but it is impossible for us to be physically present at more than one place at a time.

The third type of Limitation, that by Object, means that as Jeevatmas, we occupy one body only at a particular point of time and are not present anywhere else, during our lifetime. Our spiritual presence is limited to the body we currently use, and there is no way we can enter or inhabit another piece of matter. The soul may discard one body and assume another, much in the fashion of a man casting off a torn shirt in favour of a new one, but it cannot occupy two abodes simultaneously. Thus all earthly beings are limited by matter.

The three limitations described above appear axiomatic, in no need of any elaboration, as there is no question of its being otherwise. It would be contrary to all laws of nature, if it were otherwise. We have not known anyone transcend these constraints imposed by Time, Place and Object.

However, there IS somebody who is not subject to these curbs and who admits to no such fetters on His freedom. He is a free bird, who cannot be caged by such a trivial constraint as Time, being the Cosmic Timekeeper, who cannot be subjected to restrictions of place or country, nor is constricted by Visa formalities, and has no restriction regarding inhabiting a single shareeram at a time. It is none other than the Lord, who refuses to be subjected to any restraint whatsoever. The TaittirIyOpanishad testifies to this by extolling Him as "ananta" ("Satyam, GnAnam, anantam Brahma").

When the Shruti calls Him "ananta"(The Endless), it attributes to Him endlessness in respect of Time, Place and Object-without KAla paricchEdam, DEsa paricchEdam and Vasthu paricchEdam.

If we take up KAla paricchEdam first, we find that He has been around all the time. In fact, He was there when nothing else was there ("SadEva Somya idam agra Aseet"). He is the oldest inhabitant of all Creation and has been there as Creator, Protector and Destroyer, watching with amusement and pity, countless billions being born, live their lives in the erratic fashion common to all humanity, and pass away when their time was up, only to be recreated. He has been witness too to some of them making heroic efforts to throw off their shackles and attain emancipation, to be welcomed by Him to His own abode with open arms. As He is not created, He is not susceptible to an end too, and is forever. He is the Lord of the past, present and the future ("Bhoota bhavya bhavannAtha:") and is without a beginning and end ("Adi Madhya anta rahitha:", "anAdi"). He was there when Brahma, the creator and Rudra the destroyer, were yet to be born ("EkO ha vai Narayana aseet, na Brahma na IsAna:"). He is "ajAyamAna:", the one wi

As far as Limitation by Place goes, the Lord simply cannot be constrained to a single place or more, because He is omnipresent. "VisatIti Vishnu:"-the Lord pervades everywhere and is present everywhere "Sa bhoomim visvatO vritthvA" adds the Purusha Sukta. He is thus present at all places at all times, demonstrating His DEsa paricchEda rAhityam. He is a "Vibhu", with all-pervading attributes.

"sarvagatO Vishnu:" says the Vishnu Purana, attesting to His omnipresence. Not only He but His Consort too is omnipresent, according to the same Purana-"Yata sarvagatO VishNu: tataivEyam dvijOtthama!".

 To a layman, it is clear that this should be so. If the Lord is omnipresent and Piratti is always with Him without a second's separation ("nityA Eva Esha JaganmAtA VishnO: SrI anapayinI"-Shri Vishnu Purana again), then Piratti too must be a "Vibhu". If this were not so, there would be some places where only the Lord would be present and not SrI, which runs counter to their inseparability. Thus, both the Lord and Piratti are unlimited by place too, apart from both being timeless. While the Jeevatma shares the attribute of timelessness, it is however limited by place.

We are left then with Limitation by Object. Here too, the Lord scores, for He is present in all objects and beings, sentient and non-sentient, past, present and future. He resides in all beings as their inner dweller or antaryAmi, guiding them through the jungle of samsara. He pervades all things live and otherwise and fills them with His presence. "antar bahischa tat sarvam vyApya Narayana: stittha:" says the Narayana anuvAka, attesting to His presence in all that exists. "udal misai uyir ena karandu engum paranduLan" paraphrases Sri Nammazhwar. He enters all beings and objects and directs them from inside-
anta: pravishta: ShAstA janAnAm sarvAtmA" says the Aranyakam. And when He resides in the Atma of every being as the antaryAmI, He does so with His Consort, for, as shown above, She is inseparable from Him always, whatever form He assumes.

All these demonstrate beyond doubt that the Lord is indeed infinite, beyond any limitations of time, place or object. He is the unique soul, the Paramatma, who can be everywhere at the same time and at all times and in every object, irrespective of size or shape.

However, when we look really closely at the matter, the Lord is not so free as He would have us believe. Like others, He too is indeed subject to fetters. These may not relate to time, place or object, but they are fetters nonetheless. Love, untainted by expectations and unalloyed Devotion, are two bonds He has been known to be susceptible to. He has proved Himself to be vulnerable to being immobilised by the bonds of Bhakti. This is the person who permitted Himself to be tied-up hand and foot to the grindstone by an irate cowherdess, with a flimsy rope ("KaNNinuN siru thAmbinAl kattuNNa paNNiya perumAyan"). This is indeed paradoxical-the Lord of all the Universe, who destroys the bondage of all those who think of Him, the all-powerful Emperuman who annihilates asurAs without effort, the Supreme Being without a beginning and an end, bigger than the biggest and subtler than the most subtle- it is this Lord who was tied up by a mere GOpa sthree. What made this possible was the boundless maternal affection show

Srimate Sri LakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya Nama:

Dasan, sadagopan

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



--------------------------------------------------------------
           - 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/