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SRI VAIKUNTA STHAVAM 3: "WHO IS THIS PURUSHA?"

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Ramanbil • May 28, 2000 


SRI VAIKUNTA STHAVAM 3: "WHO IS THIS PURUSHA?"
(Anbil Ramaswamy)
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yam bhootha bhavya bhavad eesam aneesam aahuhu:
antha: samudra nilayam yam anantha roopam /
yasya thrilOka jananee mahishee cha lakshmee:
sAkshAth sa Eva purushO asi sahasra moordhA //
(SlOka 22)

MEANING
" Oh! Lord NArAyaNa ! You are the one! 
You are that Parama Purusha who is proclaimed as -
1. The one who lords over forever in the past, present and future 
 (bhootha bhavya bhavad eesam)
2. The one who has none to lord over him (aneesam)
3. The one who rests at the center of the deep and endless milky-ocean-bed 
 (antha:samudra nilayam)
4. The one who assumes multifarious forms at will (anantha roopam)
5. The one whose Queen consort, Sri MahAlakshmi is the universal mother 
 (trilOka jananee mahishee cha Lakshmee)
6. The one who is hailed in the "Purusha sooktham" as having a thousand heads 
(sahasra moordhA)

SRI SRIVATSANKACHAR SWAMI'S  COMMENTS

1. "bhootha bhavya bhavad eesam"
 "GaTa sruthi" which highlights the extreme compassion of the Lord 
(vAtsalyam) describes Him thus-
 "angushTa mAtra purushO madhya Aathmani thisTathi/
 EesAnO bhootha bhavyasya na thathO vijigupsathE//
 Meaning
 " The Great Lord (Purusha) reducing Himself to the size of a thumb stays 
forever in the inner crevices of the hearts of jivas; Yet, He does not 
exhibit any revulsion in doing so" The word "thishTathi" is in the present 
tense to show that He is present so now and eternally".
That is why AzhwAn said -' Bhootha bhavya bhavad eesam". This has also been 
confirmed by Rishis when they included the following names among the 1000 
names: viz.  "bhootha bhavya bhavad prabhu:" and "bhootha bhavya bhavan nAtha"
2. "aneesam"
That there is none to lord over Him is proclaimed loudly in the Vedas thus:
 "na thasya eesa: kaschana"
3. "antha:samudra nilayam"
Lord's residing at the center of the milky ocean (KsheerAbdi) is mentioned in 
several contexts like - " ambasya pAre", "samudrEntham viswasambjuvam" and 
"yam amthas samudrE kavayO vadanthi" etc.
4. "anantha roopam"
The names and forms that the Lord assumes are infinite. 
Did not AzhwAr describe Him as -
" nilai varambu ila pala pirappAi oLi varu muzhu nalam"?

Acharya elaborated this saying - " thad Ekam avyaktham anantha roopam" and 
"krishNa roopAni anantham" "anantha roopam" means countless forms.

In Gadhya BAshyam, Swami Desika indicates that in every AvatAra, the Lord 
assumes different forms- " yathA narasimha roopE saptha sapthadi bEdhA:" 
which means that there are 77 different forms of Nrisimha. Details may be 
ascertained from scholars on the subject.
5. "trilOka jananee mahishee cha Lakshmee"
The PurANa vAkhyam avers - 
"tvam mAthA sarva lOkAnAm dEva dEvO Harih pithA' which is a commentary on the 
Srisooktham "mAtharam PadmamAlineem". 
That is why AzhwAn also described Her as "trilOka jananee"
 
The term "mahishee" has a special significance. Though the Lord has several 
spouses like "malarmagaL"(MahAlakshmi), "nilamagaL" (bhoomi dEvi)," Aayar 
kula magaL" (NeeLA dEvi) - it is this Sri MahAlakshmi who is the prime spouse
(PaTTa mahishi) having her swaroopa vyApti coextensive with that of the Lord 
as established in the vAkhyam - 
"yasya Sree nitya hridhyA nirupadhi gruhiNee nandathi chchanda vrithyA"
 
 VishNu PurANa also confirms this saying -
 'snapayAm chakrirE dEveem sarva lOka mahEswareem"
6. "sahasra moordhA"
The words "thousand heads" does not refer to a numerical count. It only 
implies "innumerable". 

As per "kOsam"- "satham sahasram ayutham sarvam ananthya vAchakam"- 

As per EngaLAzhwAn's "Sri VishNu chitheeyam" KoorathAzhwAn himself is 
reported to have observed elsewhere - "The expression does not mean that the 
Lord has heads all over like the spines on the back of a porcupine".

Following "Purusha Sooktham", "Utthara NarAyaNa anuvAkam", "SubalOpanishad" 
and "Aadhi koorma vAkhyam" in "AruNakEtukam" viz.,
"PoorvamEva aham Aasam ithi" and "tath Purushasya purushatvam" etc.
AzhwAn gives a fitting reply to the objections of those outside the ambit of 
Vedas 
(VEdabAhyas) and established that - 
"EMPERUMAN- SRIMAN NARAYANA IS, INDEED, THE PARAMA PURUSHA".
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Sri VaikunTa Sthavam 4 will follow.
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