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Sri Varadaraja Sthvam: part XXV: SlOkm 14

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Sadagopan • November 18, 2001 


Dear Sri VaradarAja BhakthAs:

Swamy KurEsar refers here to the difficulties of
the VedAs in properly explaining the glories of 
the dhivyAthma svaroopam of the Lord and their 
giving up such efforts after a futile attempt.

Lord VaradarAjan's dhivyAthma svaroopam is 
the most auspicious and grants all soubhAgyams
for those , who meditate on it. It is therfore 
"prasAtham".

This benovolent svaroopam is limitless (ananthm).

There is a great joy for the Lord in enjoying His 
dhivyAthma svaroopam ( aathmAnubhavaja mahAnandham).
That state of great joy is immense like the ocean
without waves .There is no joy that is greater 
than that .

The Vedams try and do not succeed in their
efforts to describe even the rudiments of the Lord's
matchless and limitless & incomparable dhivyAthma 
svaroopam . Vedams try a little to come to grips 
with the description of the dhivyAthma Svaroopam
and fail . They just succeed in saying : " It is not this; 
It is not that" and become impoverished in their 
attempts to describe fully the dhivyAthma svaroopam ;they
get enfeebled as a result of their floundering and give up .
Thus , the ParamAthma Svaroopam can not be fully described by
the Vedams. They just say : " it is nishkalam , nishkriyam,
adhrEsyam , agrAhyam , avarNam , achakshu:, miravadhyam , 
niranjanam ( can not be seen, can not be grasped ,
colorless, blemishless et al)" et al and stop short of 
explaining what exactly that matchless ParamAthma 
(Bhagavath )Svaroopam is .It is beyond their power.

If this were to be the lot of the VedAs , KurEsar asks
the Lord : "How can I a mere mortal succeeed , where 
the VedAs have failed ?". 

The 13th slokam housing these thoughts takes this form:    

prasAntha anantha aathmanubhava mahAnandha mahima
  prasaktha-sthaimithya anukrutha vitharanga arNavadasam
param yath tE roopam sva-sadhrusa-daridhram Varadha!tath
  thrayee pisprakshanthee paranirasanE shramyathi param 

SrivathsAngAcchAr Swamy  points out to the 23rd slOkam
of SundarabAhu Sthavam in the context of explaining 
the Lord's glories (Sva-mahimA) of dhivyAthma Svaroopam .
He describes it as " athipathitha avadhi" or limitless 
in dimension . In Sri VaradarAja Sthavm , KurEsar 
salutes these glories as "prasAntham and anantham".

In Sundaraaja Sthavam , KurEsar describes the joy of
the Lord in reflecting upon His limitless glories as
" athipathitha avadhi sva-mahimaa anubhava prabhavath
sukham ".That great joy is like  a deep and waveless
ocean ( sukha krutha nistaranga jaladhIyitham) 
and is eternal ( nithyadasam ). As a result , 
the dhivyAthma Svaroopam of the Lord is always
incomparable ( sadhA yEva aprathimam).

According to PaancharAthra, VaikAnasa Saasthrams
(Aagamams) and the yEkAyana SaakhA , the state of 
the Lord is described as falling into either 
the NithyOdhitha Dasai or SaanthOdhitha dasai.

In the first type of state(SaanthOdhitha dasai), 
the Lord is like a still ocean as a result of His 
reflection on the limitless glories of His 
Svaroopam (Sva-Svaroopa anubhavam). 

In the second type of state (NithyOdhitham),the Lord's
anubhavam is about His Isvaryam (VibhUthi) and hence
it is called (sva-vibhUthyAnubhava dasai).

SrivathsAngAcchAr Swamy alludes to the reference of
Swamy Desikan to this SaanthOdhitha dasai in 
the 16th slOkam of his Sri VaradarAja PanchAsath:

sanchinthayanthi akhila-hEya vipaksha bhUtham
SaanthOdhitham samavathA hrudhayEna dhanyA:
Nithyam Param Varadha ! Sarvagatham susookshmam
nisspandha nandhaTu mayam Bhavatha: Svaroopam

Swamy Desikan is referring to the dhivyAthma 
Svaroopam of the Lord here.That consists of 
seven parts : 

1.akhila hEya vipaksha bhUtham: This is one of 
the two lakshaNams of the Lord. He is the opposite
of any blemish . The other lakshaNam of the Ubhaya
Lingam (Twin marks)is KalyANa GuNAkarathvam 
( abode of all auspicious attributes).

2. Nithyam: This savroopam has no beginning or end.

3. Param: It is Supreme and stands above all jeevarAsis.

4. Sarvagatham: It is all pervasive .

5. Susookshmam: It is able to penetrate even 
the smallest ; "aNOr aNeeyAn " and is subtle.

6. nisspandha nandaTu mayam :It is the embodiment of 
bliss principle. It is like a cohesive and has a tight 
radiance without break.

7. Saantha udhitham (SaanthOdhitham): This refers to
The Lord's enjoyment of Himself in His dhivyAthma 
svaroopam,auspicious attributes that are  blemishless .
The other state is nithyOdhitham ( BhagavAn's
enjoyment of Himself as the One owning His two
VibhUthis: Nithya and LeelA VibhUthis). There are
number of other explanations by AchAryAs about 
the two states: SaanthOdhitham and NithyOdhitham ;
we will not go into those discussions here.These two 
states of the Lord's enjoyment are present in the Para-
VyUha-Vibhava and ArchA dasais. In this 13th slOkam 
of Sri VaradarAja Sthavam , the reference is to 
the ArchA state of the Supreme Lord at this dhivya
dEsam.There is a great and matchless aanandham that
the Lord experiences in the SaanthOdhitham and
NithyOdhitham dasais .The Vedams do not succeed in 
adequately capturing and explaining these two
states . They despair and give up . KurEsar asks 
the Lord in the 13th slOkam of Sri VaradarAja Sthavam  
as to how he can attempt to explain the dhivyAthma
Svaroopam, when the great VedAs themselves have failed .

Sri VardarAja ParabrahmaNE Nama:
Daasan, Oppiliappan Koil V.SaThakOpan
  





 


 



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