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Oppiliappan List Archive: Message 00103 Jun 2003

 
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Sri:

SrimatE Gopaladesika MahadesikAya Namaha,

Dear Bhaktas,

Adiyen wishes to share a few additional reflections on verse 740 from 
the Padhuka Sahasram. Swami Desikan reveals here the mahOpakaram of 
the Padhukas to yogis engaged in meditation of the Lord residing in 
the cavity of the heart. The mahanarayanOpanishad extols the Lord 
as "yO antha samudhrE kavayO vayanthi". The Padhukas (Swami 
NammAzhwar's Pasurams) outline the procedure for such an exalted Lord 
to remain enshrined forever in the heart-lotus.

The ChandOgya Upanishad glorifies Brahman, who resides in the cave of 
the heart. This enables us to readily recognize that the deity being 
meditated upon in Dahara vidya discussed in the 8th Chapter of the 
Chandogya Upanishad is Lord Narayana. Let us see how. 

Specifically, the Chandogya Upanishad states "aTha yadhidham asman 
brahmapurE dhaharam pundarIkam vEshma, dhaharOsminnanthara AkAsha: 
thasmin yadhantha: thadhanvEShruvyam thaddhAva vijijnyAsithavyam" 

Meaning: The body is the city of Brahman There is a small abode here 
that is the heart. There is a small ether within that abode. That 
ether and that which is within that ether are both to be meditated 
upon. The Upanishad further explains that the eight qualities like 
apahathapApmA (unaffected by sin), vijara: (unaffected by old age), 
vishOka: (free from sorrow), vimruthyu: (imperishable) vijiDhathsa:, 
apipAsa: (free from thirst), sathyakAma: (lover of truth), 
sathyasankalpa: (he who wills the truth), AthmA (soul) Esha: for the 
Brahman. In the Vedanta Sutras, Veda Vyasa establishes that dhahara 
is Brahman. Brahman is characterized by eight qualities and he is to 
be meditated upon as such. 

Dahara vidhya is also expounded upon in the Mahanarayana Upanishad 
mantram 
"dhaharam vipApmam paramEshva BhUtham yath puNdarIkam 
puramaDhyasaggamsTham I thathrApi dhaharam gaganam 
vishOkasthasminyadhantha sthadhupAsithavyam"

Meaning: That small lotus of the heart, which is opposed to all that 
is defiling and which is the abode of paramatman, is stationed in 
the middle of the body of the aspirant. Even there, the small ether 
which is within that abode, and which is characterized by 
sinlessness and others and that which is within that ether-both are 
to be meditated upon. 

The very next mantram of the Mahanarayana Upanishad connects this 
upasana to Lord Narayana through the mantram

YadhvEdhAdhoU svara prOkthO vEdhAnthE cha prathiShTitha: I thasya 
prakruthilInasya ya: parassa mahEshvara:

Meaning: The pranava is ordained to be recited at the beginning of 
the Veda and also at the end of it. The letter akAra into which it 
merges is the source of it. He that is denoted by that akAra is the 
supreme Lord.

We may note here that "A" is the vowel without which no consonant can 
be pronounced. This indicates the all-pervasiveness of Lord Narayana. 
Eloquent testimony in support of this fact can be seen from Lord 
Krishna's Bhagavad Gita declaration "aksharANAm akArOsmi".

Swami NammAzhwar, whose pasurams it may be remembered embed the 
essence of the Upanishads (sahasra shAKhOpanishad samAgamam), affirms 
that the Supreme Being, Brahman, glorified in the Dahara Upasana of 
Chadogya Upanishad and Mahanarayana Upanishad is Lord Narayana, who 
is never separated from Sri. Swami Desikan brings out this message in 
the Sri Stuthi salutation "yOgAramba tvaritha manasO 
yushmadhAikantiyuktam", i.e., the purport of AshtAnga Yoga, the 
process by which Yogis meditate on the Supreme Being enshrined in 
their heart lotus is to eulogize the Lord and his consort Sri 
together. 

Swami Desikan brilliantly eulogizes this mahOpakaram of Swami 
NammAzhwar through the analogy of the gentle moonlight helping 
illumine the dark cavity in the dark cavity of the heart-Lotus. It 
may be asked how lotuses can blossom in moonlight? Swami Desikan 
answers this right away by noting that the moonlight is merely a 
reflection of the sunshine radiated by the Golden Padhukas. What a 
brilliant word-play!

Another important meaning from this verse is that the Dahara vidya is 
an extremely complicated Upasana adopted by Bhakti Yogis. Success in 
their efforts comes about only on account of the limitless blessings 
of the golden Padhukas, which radiate sunshine that is subsequently 
reflected as moonlight in the cave of the heart lotus of Bhakti 
Yogis. 

Namo Narayana,

SriMuralidhara Dasan





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