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Re: Reply to Answers to Sri Visu by Shri Venkata Raghavan

From the Bhakti List Archives

Visu9 • November 15, 2002 


/Om namO nArAyaNaya|

/namaskArams to all. 

I did not understand the posting of Shri Venkata Raghavan. My interest in many of the names lies in its meaning, both direct and indirect. But I do not believe in stretching the meaning too much without examples to justify the stretch. A commentary on a poem generally goes far beyond the meaning. 

Secondly, I am somewhat baffled by the discussion in this group on para/brahman. I am a student of Mahatma Gandhi. To me he is one of the finest examples of a /Shri VaishNava. Gandhiji was a Rama Bhakta from childhood. His commentary on the /gItA is terse yet pregnant with meaning. I suggest his commentary on the /gItA to many of my friends and I made my children read it. 

I do realize that this list is focused on /Shri RAmanuja and the AZvars. I enjoy reading many of the postings. But I differ from the restrictions that many members place on interpretations. You can always consider other interpretations as alternatives, as long as there is scope for such an interpretation. By placing too many restrictions, I am afraid one is likely to make a poem stale.  

Thirdly, my postings do generate discussions and you can view it as a stimulus for the list. 

I have posted write-ups on the extensive reach of /Shri VishNu. My point in distinguishing the words /vishNu from /Shriman nArAyaNan is for applications for discussions. In practice, there cannnot be much difference. But in discussions, one isolates ideas to see what is needed for understanding spiritual structures.

In summary: I hold to this view: The name /visHNu is a mundane form of the "word" Shriman nArAyaNan. That is if one does not include all meanings in a single word by "overstrech", the word /nArAyaNan is of higher dimension in meaning than the word /vishnu. This is only in theory for analysis. That is the /bhUH of , say, "MahA/visHnu" is /vishNu; /buvaH(/mahA/vishNu) is /vAsu/dEvaH, and /suvaH (/mahA/vishNu) is /nArAyaNaH. Of course, the /mahaH(mahA/vishNu) is /mahA/vishNu. This is also the gist of the /vishNu gAyatRi. 

I think in one of his postings on the same topic, /shRi Mani touched on this. He said that /agni is near and /AdityaH is of a higher domain. This in the language I have written above would mean bhU(/AdityaH) = /agni. /bhuvaH(/AdityaH) = /AdityaH. etc. Shri Mani quoted from the /vEdA, but you can also derive it from /taittiriya upa/nishad. These discussions also depend upon the space one works in. For example, in the same /upa/nishad, /AdityaH is presented as /mahaH(/bhUH), meaning our Earth is /bhUh (lowest). 

My aim was not to drag /ShrI visHnu down, but rather, how far one can go purely based on meanings and definitions. Any discussion on the para/brahMan is useless unless it has applications. That application cannot be one of elevating a group to a kind of property ownership. God belongs to all. 

/nalan/tarum collai nAn kaNTu/koNtEn, /nArAyaNA ennum nAmam.

/vantanam. 

Visu


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