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Oppiliappan List Archive: Message 00025 Apr 2002

 
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Dear friends,

Yesterday, late evening, a friend of mine dropped home for a cup of
tea and some desultory conversation which began with office politics,
meandered into Indian politics, veered to international and finally 
began to head, as always, towards matters spiritual and religious...

In the course of the conversation he asked me a very interesting
question about how "SriVaikuntam", the abode of the Supreme Brahman
hailed as "parama-padam", got its name and why. Adiyane ventured to
give a serious answer to the best of my knowledge which I share below
with the rest of you just in the hope that it may be of some interest
to you also.

"vaikunta:", the Sahasranamam tells us, happens to be actually one of
the names of the Brahman called Vishnu or Narayana. ("nAma" #407)

Parashara Bhattar explains that one who joins or unites everyone is
"Vaikuntah;". The etymological root of the word is "kuthi gati
pratighAtE"... 

"kunth" is the opposite of "union". "vikunta" is the absence of
"kuntha", meaning union. One who unites is thus called "Vaikunta".
The word "Sri" is added to describe the Brahman in his ontological
state as being one with His Consort, Mahalakshmi who is known as
"sri:", the fount of all auspiciousness and felicity.

Hence, SriVaikuntam is the place from which there is never any
separation... no "kuntha"... something which can never be said of
this world, this "bhulOka", in which there is nothing but misery
caused by all manner of painful separation. When we are born, we are
separated from the warmth of our mother's womb. We arrive into this
world with a sensation of separation. We journey in life through a
series of separations... as young men we leave homes in search of our
destiny, we separate from our native homes, our parents. Similarly,
our own children too in their time separate from us to lead their own
lives. When our parents depart from this world, we experience the
separtion of bereavement. And when it is time for our own departure,
we dread to separation from this world....

"Separation", "kuntah", is thus the cause of all misery and bondage
in this world. Which is why the wise ones amongst us always pursue a
state of being in which there is no separation... no "kuntah". Such a
state exists only in union with God. And that state of union is
called "vikuntah". Such a union is made possible by the Almighty who
is therefore described as "vaikuntah". The place He resides is also
called "vaikuntam" because once it is reached, there is no question
of either departure again or separation from it. There are only
arrivals in SriVaikuntam, no departures.

Even while living in this world, some are able to achieve a state of
being united with God, in thought, world and deed. For such great
souls "sri-vaikuntam" is experienced in this world itself... they
don't have to wait until they leave mortal shores. Which is the real
reason for the Tamil saying: "irukkUm-idam-vaikuntam". 

Regards,
dAsan,
Sudarshan








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