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Excerpts from Cantos II and XI of Srimad Bhagavatham

From the Bhakti List Archives

V. Sadagopan • May 17, 1997 


Dear Professor Vasudha Narayanan and Fellow Members of 
the Prapatthi /Bhakthi group  : Here is the companion 
posting dealing with the details on the seven LOkams .  

Canto II.1.26-32 : Dhyanam of Parama PurushA

First the PurushA of Purusha Sooktham described in 
all the four VedAs is meditated upon . Then this Lord 
with thousands of heads , legs and arms  is visualized 
with the PatALA region under His feet that rest on 
Bhu lokam (this Earth ) ; towards the front and hind parts of  
His feet are RasAtaLA ; the two ankles are MahAtalA ; the two
legs are TalAtalA ; the two thighs are SutalA ; the upper and lower 
parts of the thighs are VitalA and AtalA ; the MahitalA is His hip and 
His navel is the sky ; His breast is Suvar lokA ( the abode of celestials ) ;
the neck is mahar lokA ; His face is Jana lokA ; the forehead is TapOlokA ;
His head is Satya LokA . The 14 LokAs are accounted for this way.
 
The verses continue to describe IndrA and the DevAs as His arms , 
the Sun as His organ of Vision , the night and day as His eyelids , BrahmA
as His eye brows , The VedAs as His temples , His mAyA as His
enchanting smile etc . Cosmic conception is what is intended here .

Canto XI .24 : Sankhya Yogam and its fruits (Chapter of Srimadh Vhagavatham )

Here the  Lord describes to His dear disciple UddhavA 
the secrets of Sankhya Yogam . He starts with a description of 
the concepts of Prakrithi , the three GuNAs , Mahath TattvA , AhamkArA 
( VaikarikA , TaijasA and TaamasA ) , TanmAtrA and the creation of 
the Cosmic egg from their combinations and His origin out of that cosmic 
egg as "His best resting place ". Then He refers to the sprouting 
of the Lotus from His navel inside the ccosmic egg and the birth
of BrahmA and the empowerment of BrahmA to create 
the worlds and their beings . 

The actual quotations are as follows : 

" By dint of hard austerities and through My favour , BrahmA 
created the LokAs along with LokapAlAs and three regions , 
namely , Bhuh , Bhuvar and Suvar . The Suvar Lokam  became 
the abode of the DevAs , the Bhuvar lokam of the beings( demi-Gods )
and the Bhuh that of mortals . The Mahar Lokam and others became
the abode of the SiddhAs et al . The Lord/BrahmA created the abode 
of the NagAs and AsurAs beneath the region of the Earth . 

All the actions identical with three-fold qualities , have their course
in the three worlds . Yoga , asceticism and withdrawal from the world 
have for their pure destination , the LokAs of Mahar , Jana , TapO and 
Satya . Bhakthi Yoga leads one to Me in VaikuntA . By Me , who am 
the ordainer of all and identical with Time , this universe along with 
actions is once being raised up and down , drowned in the stream
of qualities . The small , great , subtle and gross , all the objects that exist

are permeated both by Prakrithi and PurushA . That which is the source or
end of a thing is also its middle and so that it is SATH . --If there is any 
material cause of an object , the first cause is the real one . That which 
exists in the beginning or end of an object is designated as Eternal .

Prakrithi is the material of the Universe , which is evolved as effects.
PurushA is the container . KaalA (Time ) is the displayer . I am identical
with BrahmA and am the three ( The Cause , Container and
the Displayer ). As long as the will of the Creator exists , so long is
the preservation (of the creation ) ; and till it ends, the work of creation
is carried on from one generation to another for the enjoyment
of the creatures . The universe permeated by Me --is worthy of being 
disssolved into five elements , when I intend to withdraw the worlds into Me."  

Swami Desikan in defense of VisishtAdvaitha Vedantha and Bhagavad 
RaamAnuja Darsanam has addrssed the deficiencies of the SankhyA 
system in his TattvamukhthaakalApa and the companion commentary ,
Sarvartha Siddhi . He concludes defending the Sarira-Saareeri relationship
between the Brahman and the Universe and the philosophy of life it embodies.

For those interested in following up onSarvartha Siddhi of Swami Desikan,
I recommend the masterly doctoral dissertation of 
the Late Dr. V.N.Seshadri Acharya , my distinguished neighbor at
Oppiliappan Sannidhi . He was a Professor of Sanskrit at
Annamalai UNiversity , Tamil Naadu . This book has been 
released by Sri VishitAdvaitha Research Center of Chennai 
and is available possibly thru Sri B. Jaganath of Ahobila Mutt ,
Arlington , Virginia . 
 
Subhamasthu ,
Oppilliappan Koil Varadachari Sadagopan    
             

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