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Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

                          Bhagawan

 

              All of us know that the Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram contains a 
thousand names of the Lord. Each of these refers to a particular auspicious 
attribute, a specific quality of Emperuman, among His innumerable ones. As His 
enchanting traits are endless, so too are His names describing the former and 
afford infinite delight to devotees, who find the divine names delectable to 
utter, sing and to contemplate. Among these names, however, we find that some 
find greater favour with bhaktas than others. For instance, we find several 
Maharshis and Poorvacharyas enamoured with the tirunaamam, "Bhagawan".  Manu, 
while describing the process of creation, uses the term to denote the 
Parabhrahmam. Sri Ramanuja uses the name any number of times in his 
commentaries on Brahma Sutras and more frequently in the Gita Bhashya and 
Gadyas. Sri Bhattar is so taken up with the moniker that he has named his 
commentary on Vishnu Sahasranamam as "Bhagavat Guna Darpanam"-a mirror 
reflecting the flawless attributes of the Ultimate. Swami Desikan too finds the 
name glorious and great. If such exalted souls have been partial to this 
sobriquet "Bhagawan", there must indeed be something in it. Shall we see what 
exactly the term means and why it should endear itself to devotees?

 

The etymological significance of the term "Bhagawan" is brought out by Sri 
Vishnu Puranam. The word consists of the principal word "Bhaga:" and the suffix 
"wan" denotes one who possesses this "Bhagam". "Bha" and "ga" are the two 
letters constituting the word "Bhaga:" Of these, the first letter "Bha" 
indicates the qualities of absolute ownership or Overlordship ("Swaamitvam") 
and the capability of making non-sentient matter undergo transformation, 
resulting in the process of creation-"Sambhartaa iti tatthaa bhartaa Bhakaara: 
artthadvayaanvita:" Emperuman is the sole proprietor of all things and people 
that we find in this world and others. Everything belongs to Him, forever. 
Irrespective of what the individual may think, regardless of our own 
misconceived feeling of absolute freedom, all of us belong, body and soul, to 
the Lord. And it is He who, during creation, transforms inert matter into 
objects and bodies for souls, to enable them to work off their Karma. The 
second letter "ga" refers to the Lord being the Creator, Protector and 
Destroyer of the universe.

 

 Thus, read together, the term "Bhaga:" comprehensively describes the 
unbeatable combination of six great gunas-Ishvaryam, Veeryam, Yashas (glory), 
Richness beyond contemplation, Gnaanam and Vairaagyam, which make the Lord what 
He is. This is clear from the following Vishnu Purana slokam-

"Iysvaryasya samagrasya Veeryasya yashasa: Sriya:

 Gnaana Vairaagyayo: chaiva shannaam Bhaga iteerana"

 

The letter "wa" in the name "Bhagawan" indicates that the Paramatma is the 
Inner Dweller of all sentient beings and insentient objects, having them as His 
body and residing in them eternally. And they too have Him as their 

immutable abode. This aspect is brought out by the letter "wa".

 

Summarizing the glorious import derived from the individual meanings of the 
letters "Bha", "ga" and "wa", the Vishnu Purana tells us that Bhagawan is one 
who possesses the six principal and premier traits of Gnaanam, Balam, Isvaryam, 
Veeryam, Shakti and Tejas. Though each of these attributes calls for separate 
volumes of description, shall we see briefly what they represent?

 

1.                 Gnaanam is infinite, instantaneous and immaculate knowledge, 
by which the Lord is able to see and know all that happens in His vast domain, 
irrespective of whether it is done in public or private. We may fondly imagine 
that the sins we commit in private, whether in thought or deed, are unknown to 
anyone-but the Lord always knows, for no event, however insignificant and 
however carefully hidden from the public gaze, can ever escape Emperuman's 
vigilant eyes and knowledge-- He is instantly aware of everything, as it 
happens, or even before-"Yo vetti yugapat sarvam, pratyakshena sada svata:" 
says Sri Nathamuni, describing the Lord's omniscience.

 

2.                 Balam: It is Emperuman who bears the burden of the entire 
lot of universes, cosmos and galaxies. It is He who shores them up and is their 
unwavering support. And all this He does effortlessly. Some of us may be able 
to lift a 20 kilo weight, some 200, but even for the strongest of us there is a 
limit to the weight we can hoist. And even while lifting and bearing these 
weights, we have to strain every sinew and grunt and groan with the resultant 
stress. However, despite the unimaginable load of all the universes on His 
apparently delicate shoulders, the Lord is not a bit strained. For Him, the 
exercise is effortless and absolutely nothing to speak of. This phenomenal and 
prodigious strength characterized by effortlessness and absence of fatigue, is 
Balam.

 

 

3.                 Isvaryam: The Lord controls the entire gamut of beings and 
objects in all the worlds, irrespective of their individual status. There is 
none who is immune to His dictates, whether it is the mighty emperor of all 
lands or even Brahma or Rudra, supposedly in charge of creation and destruction 
of these worlds. This uninhibited Lordship and infinite control over all 
sentient beings and non-sentient objects are known as Isvaryam.

4.                 Veeryam: Despite being the singular source of all creation, 
despite bearing all components of His vast empire single-handedly, despite 
controlling and directing all His innumerable subjects, Emperuman Himself does 
not undergo any change and remains immutable. None of the aforesaid functions 
and burdens causes any change in Him. This trait of Virility and of remaining 
immutable despite the discharge of onerous responsibilities is what is known as 
Veeryam.

 

5.     Shakti: The Lord is the Primordial Cause, from which all Creation 
sprouts. It is the potency to become the material cause of the world, as also 
the power of bringing about what appears impossible, that constitute Shakti. It 
is interesting to note that the Tamizh savant Tiruvalluvar too used the term 
Bhagawan to denote the material cause of the world-"Aadi Bhagawan mudattre 
ulagu".

 

6.                 Tejas: In performing His various functions as enumerated 
above, Emperuman does not need any assistance, either by way of implements or 
lackeys, being entirely capable of carrying out His onerous tasks by Himself. 
While even a potter, manufacturing humble pots and pans, needs his wheel and 
other implements for producing pots, the Lord needs no such assistance even in 
the monumental and complex process of Creation. He is totally independent of 
others and singularly self-sufficient, needing none to extend a helping hand in 
His endeavours. This, in short, is Tejas. Alternative purports of this word are 
unmatched splendour, matchless might and the power to overcome others, however 
mighty.

 

It is the glorious combination of the aforesaid six traits that is depicted by 
the short word "Bhagawan".

 

The Vishnu Puranam itself provides another definition of the term- as one who 
knows the origin and end, the arrival and exit, of beings, as also Vidya and 
Avidya-

 

"Utpattim Pralayam chaiva bhootaanaam aagatim gatim

Vetti vidyaam avidyaam cha sa vaachyo Bhagawan iti"

 

However, a closer look at this definition would tell us that it is only an 
expansion and extension of the divine attribute of Gnaanam, detailed above.

 

Sri Bhattar's commentary on the tirunaamam is unique. He defines Bhagawan as 
one endowed with all auspicious qualities, eminently worthy of worship by 
virtue of His essential nature, which is the antithesis of all that is bad and 
negative-

 

 

"Sarva heya pratyaneeka kalyaanaatmakatayaa sthita:

Poojyaat poojyatamee yosou Bhagawan iti sabdyate".

 

>From all the aforesaid, it is clear that the word "Bhagawan" denotes the 
>Parabrahmam, Sriman Narayana, the Ultimate and the Almighty all rolled into 
>one. However, we are assailed by a doubt here. In several contexts, we have 
>seen the term being used to denote several others, no doubt great and 
>glorious, but who cannot hold a candle to the Lord in any respect. Instances 
>are galore of such usage, in the epics Srimad Ramayanam and Sri Mahabharatam, 
>where even Sri Rama and Sri Krishna address elders and Maharshis as 
>"Bhagawan!". Even the Mahopanishad contains a reference to the four-headed 
>Brahmaa as "Bhagawan"-"Sa eva Bhagawan Brahmaa sarva loka pitaamaha:" The same 
>Upanishad refers to Veda Vyasa too as Bhagawan-"Vyaasopi Bhagawan buddhva 
>putra abhipraayam eedrisam". In the Mahabharata, elders and Rishis are 
>routinely referred to as Bhagawan-the term is used to refer to Kasyapa-"tam 
>aagatam abhiprekshya Bhagawan Kasyapa: tada"

to Bhrigu Maharshi-"Brahmano hridayam bhitva nissruto Bhagawan Bhrigu:": 

to Vasishtta- "atha abhyaagacchat Bharataan Vasishtto Bhagawan Rishi:"

to Agni-"Tatheti tat pratishrutya Bhagawan Havyavaahana;". 

Even the deity of the waters and the Himalayas are referred to reverentially as 
Bhagawan-"Hiranya shringo Bhagawan maha mani mayo giri:", "yatha Samudro 
Bhagawan yatha cha Himavaan giri:" etc.

 

 And to add to the confusion, the Amara Kosam tells us that Bhagawan is 
definitely one of the names of the Buddha-

 

"Ashtaadasa naamaani Buddhasya-

"Sarvagya: Sugata: Buddha: Dharmaraja: Tathaagata:

  Samanta bhadro Bhagawan Maarajoka Ujijjina:"

 

>From all these and a plethora of similar references, are we to conclude that 
>Bhagawan is a generic and general term referring to all who are great, even if 
>their glory is nothing compared to the Lord's? It does appear as though it is 
>a common word, applied to all who have some aspect of greatness in them and 
>not necessarily and exclusively to the Lord. In Srimad Ramayanam, it is very 
>common to find Sri Rama addressing Maharshis by this honorific.

 

The beauty of our Scriptures is that all sorts of doubts that may occur to 
lesser mortals like us, have been foreseen and comprehensively clarified. The 
Vishnu Puranam, which furnishes various definitions of the word Bhagawan, also 
tells us that it refers unequivocally to the Lord alone. Wherever it is used to 
denote others, it is used in a laudatory sense and as an honorific-it does not 
at all mean that the subject so addressed possesses the entire gamut of 
attributes which the term is capable of denoting. It is thus used merely to 
convey respect and regard, when applied to entities other than Emperuman. It is 
used to indicate esteem and deference and not the absolute devotion to which 
only the Lord is entitled.

Here is the categorical sloka from Sri Vishnu Puranam, which clarifies beyond 
doubt that Bhagawan refers only to the Ultimate and to none other-

 

"Evam esha maha sabda: Maitreya! Bhagawan iti

  Parama Brahma bhootasya Vasudevasya naanyaga:

 Tatra poojya padaarthokti paribhaasha samanvita:

 Sabdoyam na upachaarena anyatra hi upachaarata:"

 

The term is used in its most comprehensive sense when applied to the Lord and 
in other cases, in an extremely limited sense, intended merely to convey 
respect and reverence. For anyone who still has any doubt in this regard, here 
is the Varaha Purana slokam, which lays down beyond misgiving and 
misconception, that it is indeed Emperuman who is entitled to be addressed as 
Bhagawan and as Purusha, without any reservation whatsoever, the sobriquet 
suiting Him perfectly and highlighting His essential nature and enchanting 
attributes-

 

"Bhagawan iti sabdoyam tatha Purusha ityapi

nirupaadhee cha vartete Vasudeve sanaatane".

 

This becomes clear to us when we find even those lesser beings, who are 
referred to as Bhagawan, themselves addressing Emperuman Sriman Narayana by the 
term, thus forsaking any claim to the status and sobriquet. Leave alone the 
Vishnu Sahasranamam, which is after all specifically adulatory of Sri Vishnu. 
We find that the Siva Sahasranamam too refers to Sri Mahavishnu as Bhagawan, 
telling us how the Devas in their entirety paid obeisance to the Lord-

 

"Taan sameekshya atha Bhagawan deva devesvaro Hari:

  Pranipatya sthitaan devaan idam vachanam abraveet"

 

Devi Maahaatmyam and Durga Saptasati, both of which are indubitably in praise 
of Shakti, lavish unrestrained praise on Sriman Narayana, acknowledging Him to 
be the Parabrahmam, by referring to Him as Bhagawan. In the portion dealing 
with the Lord's encounter with Madhu and Kaitapa, the Bhagavat sabdam is used 
reverentially to denote the Lord, praising Him as the only entity surviving the 
cosmic floods-

 

"Aasteerya Sesham abhajat kalpaante Bhagawan Prabhu:

  Tadaa dvou asurou ghorou vikhyaatou Madhu Kaitapou"

 

Srimad Bhagavatam confirms that none other than the Lord can be indicated by 
the term Bhagavan, in its true sense-"Bhagawan anyo Mukundaat ko naama loke!". 
Only Sri Krishna is Bhagawan, says another text-"Krishnastu Bhagawan swayam". 
Sri Madhwacharya tells us that because He is Bhagawan, He is entirely 
independent-"Vishnu: svatantra: Bhagawatvaat". Quoting from the Bhaagawata 
Tantrasara, it is Sri Madhwacharya again, who proclaims that Bhagawan is one 
who is responsible for the mutation of everything sentient and non-sentient, 
while Himself remaining immutable. Though Sri Mahabharata contains any number 
of references to others being addressed as Bhagawan, whenever Sri Krishna says 
something, it is prefaced with "Sri Bhagawan uvaacha" (Thus spoke the Lord), 
thus clearing all possible doubts as to whom the term really means. Similarly, 
the word "Bhagawati", the feminine equivalent of Bhagawan, denotes only Sri 
Mahalakshmi, in its comprehensive sense, though it is applied laudatorily to 
other deities too.

 

I received an invitation yesterday, addressed to "U.Ve. Sri Satakopa Iyengar 
Swamy"! The sender had conferred on me the title of "Ubhaya Vedanta Vidvan", 
little knowing that I was neither Vidvan, nor had mastered even one Vedanta, 
leave alone "Ubhaya" (two) Vedantas. Perhaps he meant the title "U.Ve." merely 
as a mark of his (rather misplaced) regard for me. Whither an ignoramus like me 
and whither mastery of Vedantas! It was then that it struck me that addressing 
anyone as Bhagawan is something similar-we don't really mean it, as it sits 
well only on the Paramatma.

 

Srimate Sri LakshmiNrisimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana 
Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

dasan, sadagopan

 

 

 

 

 

 

              


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



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