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Re: Sri GuNa Rathna Kosam : Part XXXI: SlOkam 21

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sadagopan • March 24, 2001 


Dear BhakthAs : AdiyEn will cover the 21st SlOkam of
Sri GuNa Rathna kOsam in this posting :

YaddhUrE manasO yadhEva tamasa: paarE yadhadhyadhbhutham
yathkAlAth-apachElimam SurapurI yadhgacchathO dhurgathi:
saayujyasya yadhEva soothiraTavA yaddh-dhurgraham madhgirAm
tadh VishNO: paramam padham tava kruthE Maatha:samAmnAsishu: 

Having dealt with the elaborate activities (Leelais) 
of Lord RanganAthan in LeelA vibhUthi to please and 
amuse Sri RanganAyaki in previous two slOkams , 
Bhattar turns his attention now to Nithya VibhUthi 
and what he does there to enhance His Devi's
pleasure there.
    
(Meaning of SlOkam 21 by Dr.V.N.VedAntha Desikan): 
Oh RanganAyaki! My Mother ! Knowledgable scholars 
declare that the VaikuntalOka too is designed for
Your pleasure only. The features in respect of this
world of Bliss are:

(1) It is not conceivable by our mind (2)It is far
away transcending all material worlds
(3)It is a marvellous world offering ever-new 
wonders , every moment (4)It is not subject to 
the ravages of Time(5)In comparison to that world,
even Svarga-like worlds would just be equal to hell
(6)It is in that haven that Saayujyam (being identical
in all rspects) is secured for the liberated souls.

Why harp on its (Sri Vaikuntam's)greatness ? 
It is inconceivable even to my intellect , which has 
acquired great power by the mere reason of Your grace .

That superb world , SrI Vaikuntam has been reserved
for the Lord's enjoyment with You (by the Lord )!
This Paramapadham has been created for Your bhOgam .

Additional Thoughts by adiyEn :
*******************************
Sri Bhattar describes SrI Vaikuntam as the birth
place of Saayujya Moksham for the Muktha Jeevan 
following the Sruthi passage : " Niranjana: paramam
Saamyamupaithi". He extolls the glories of that 
SrI Vaikuntam created for the BhOgam of MahA Lakshmi
by Her doting Lord. Sri V.N.VedAntha Desikan has pointed 
out this slOkam is an echo of number of slOkams (39-45)
of KurEsar's SrI VaikuNta Sthavam and selected passages
from Bhagavath RaamAnujA's SrI VaikunTa Gadhyam . adiyEn
will elaborate on these source slOkams now.

The descriptions of the Parama Padham by AlavandhAr ,
RaamAnujA and KurEsar are inspired by Sruthi Vaakhyams,
VishNu PurANam and Hari Vamsam passages as pointed out
by U.Ve.VidvAn ChEtlUr SrivathsAngAcchAr Swamy in his
scholarly commentary on Sri Vaikunta Sthavam . We will
refer to some of these passages as well .

The inconceivability of Sri VaikunTam by the mind:
" yath manasO dhUrE " is Bhattar's words to indicate 
the VaachamA ghOcharam aspects of Sri VaikunTam. 
This is an echo of AchArya RaamAnujA's description
of Sri VaikunTam in Sri VaikunTa Gadhyam :"BrahmAdhInAmapi
Vaang-manasA-ghOcharE SRIMATHI VAIKUNTE ".This Nithya
vibhUthi is not conceivable by our mind or that of
even Chathur Mukha BrahmA ( manasA dhUrE smarthum 
asakyam; asankOchanam). Its magnitude  is inconceivable 
by the human mind because it is hundreds of times even 
vaster than the gigantic Fourteen lOkams belonging to 
the Lord's LeelA VibhUthi ( KurEsar's 39th verse of 
Sri Vaikunta Sthavam:"Chathurdasa Jagath Yath aNDam , 
--tath susadhrusAni paras-sathAni"). 

The Question arises as to why and for what purpose 
the Lord created the LeelA and Nithya VibhUthi :
" kasmai phalAya srujathIsa idham SAMASTHAM?".
Kuresar answered : "kreeDa-vidhE: tava paricchadhathAm
agacchan".They became tools for Your (Lord's)BhOga 
kirIDai according to Kuresar. The two VibhUthis created 
as His leelais according to the son of Kuresar , 
ParAsara Bhattar are for serving as pleasure lands 
(BhOga SthAnam) for His divine consort, MahA Lakshmi .
That is the subtle agenda of the Lord!These VibhUthis
are to serve as IcchA VihAram for Her ( for Her sport 
according to Her wish).

This wonderful Sri Vaikuntam is beyond the Tamas-filled
prakruthi manDalam according to Bhattar ( Tamasa: paarE
yadh-adhbhutham).Tamas here refers to Moola Prakruthi.
This land of Sri Vaikuntam on the other side of 
VirajA river has been saluted by Vedic passages
( Rajasa : parAkE , Tamasa: parasthAth , sOadhvana: 
Paaram aapnOthi Tadh VishNO: Paramam Padham) .Bhattar 
uses the revelations of these Vedic passages to point 
out that Sri Vaikuntam of unparalleled glory , created
for the BhOgam of MahA Lakshmi , is free of rajas and 
tamas.

Sri Vaikuntam is also eternal and is not affected by 
Time (Kaalam). Bhattar describes the timeless , eternal
aspect of Sri vaikunTam as " yath kaalaAdh-apachElimam
--Tath VishNO: Paramam Padham ". KurEsar described 
this changeless world of Sri Vaikuntam (beyond the power 
of Kaalam to change its features) as "ApariNa padhAspatham".
Later , Swamy Desikan elaborated further the timeless aspect 
of Sri Vaikuntam , where the Lord's sankalpam alone 
changes things ( and not Kaalam ) this way in 
his Sri Sookthi , NyAya SiddhAnjanam:" Kaala Krutha 
karmAdhIna pariNaama mAthram hi tEshu nishEdhyam, 
na thu Bhagavath-SankalpamAthramapi".

Next Bhattar points out that Indra Lokam et al
known for their wealth and pleasures are equal 
to narakam , when they get compared to the matchless
Isvaryam and BhOgam of Sri Vaikuntam created by
the Lord for His Consort , MahA Lakshmi ( SurapurI
yadh-gacchathO dhurgathi:).

The second half of this slOkam is:

"Saayujyasya yadhEva SoothiraTavA yadh-dhurgraham madhgirAm
 Tadh-VishNO: Paramam Padham TAVA KRUTHE Maatha:SamAmnAsishu"

KurEsar salutes this Sri Vaikuntam as "Ujjvalam Saayujyam "
( the highest of Mokshams , Saayujyam),where the Lord confers
Saamyam in GuNams , Isvaryam , BhOgam to Mukthaas and Nithyaas 
(except Jagath VyApAram). This is the ParamAkAsam ( TeLi Visumpu
of Swamy NammazhwAr), VaishNavam (VishNu Svaroopam),
adhisundaram ( most beautiful), adhbhutham (wonderous ),
TejOmayam , Parama Satthvamayam (Suddha Satthva-mayam),
Dhruvam ( unchanging , ( kalangA perunahar" of AzhwAr) 
and Tamasa: parasthAth (beyond Moola prakruthi) according to
KurEsar ( SlOkam 41 of Sri Vaikunta Sthavam). KurEsar's
son, Bhattar , goes one beyond and identifies this 
wonderous Nithya VibhUthi as the birth place of Saayujyam
(Saayujyasya yadhEva Soothi).

Next , Bhattar concedes that even his Vaak chaathuryam
( brilliance of speech and composition of poetry )
resulting exclusively from the MangaLa KatAksham of 
Sri Ranga Naayaki would not succeed in comprehending 
the great glory of the world of Sri Vaikuntam (Nithya-
VibhUthi)created by Her Lord for Her exclusive enjoyemnet 
( Yadh-dhurgraham madh-girAm , Tadh-VishNO: Paramam Padham,
TAVA KRUTHE Maatha: SamaamnAsishu:).

adiyEn will conclude this posting with the 45th slOakm
of Kuresar's Sri Vaikunta Sthavam , which extolls 
the unparalleled glories of that land of Saayujya- 
Moksham ,"VishNO: Paramam Padham": 

nishkalmashai: nihatha janma jarA-vikArai:
 bhUyishta Bhakthi vibhavai: abhavai:avApyam
anyai: adhanya purushai: manasApyanApyam
 Vaikunta-naama Tava Dhama tadh-Amananthi

(Meaning): The learned ones describe Your
Supreme abode , Sri Vaikuntam , as the sthAnam
populated by those free of Kaamam , KrOdham 
( nishklamashai:), by those(the same) who do not 
experience birth , death and changes caused by Time 
(Vihatha janma JarA VikArai:) ,by those (the same), 
who have the vaibhavam as practioners of either 
Bhakthi or SaraNAgathi anushtAnams ( BhUyishta 
Bhakthi Vibhavai:) ,by the same BhAgyasAlis,
who never return to the karma BhUmi ( abhavai:). 
Those who do not have such qualifications of 
BhUyishta Bhakthi anushtAnam can not even conceive 
this Sri Vaikunta SaamrAjyam with their minds 
and will never reach it ( anyai: adhanya purushai: 
manasaa api anApyam tadh-Vaikunta dhAma
naamam sthAnam). For the dhanya purushAs , it is 
avApyam and for the adhanya purushAs , it is anApyam.

Srimath Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigaLE Saranam,
Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SatakOpan  

  
 



 




  

   



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