SrI:
Dear Members :
Few Months back , our respected Editor of
Sri Ranga Sri , Sriman Anbil Swamin posted
a few articles on AthimAnusha Sthavam of
KurEsar . I have taken the liberty of picking up
where he left with a view to complete this kaimakryam
as a part of the coverage of Pancha Srthavams of KurEsar .
These postigns will ultimately appear as an e-book in
the New Ahobilavalli series of 108 books planned as
a sequel to the just concluded Sudara Simham series .
NamO Sri RanganAthAya ,
V.Sadagopan
SlOkam 7 :
yEkAntha mangaLa guNAspadham asthahEyam
nithyam padham Tava yathastatha yEva dEva !
AamnAyathE tadhiha viswa viroopa-roopam
tEnaiva nanvidham asaaBdham aroopam aahu:
(Meaning) : Oh Lord RanganAthA ! The VaidhikAs rooted in
the VedAs declare Your dhivyAthma svaroopam as formless
and extending beyond description through any particular
names . This dhiyAthma svaroopam ( padham) of Yours defies
definition thus through individual names and descriptions .
This uniqueness arises because of Your infinite KalyANa
guNams that are exclusive to You and take abode in You ;
further , this padham of Yours is totally devoid of any blemishes
and inauspicious guNams . Therefore VedAs declare that
Your dhivyAthma svaroopam can not be circumscribed by
the various defining words ( chOdhaka vaakyams) and
as such Your dhivyAthma savroopam is quite different
from anything else that can be described as this or that .
(Commentary ) : KurEsar refers here to the DhivyAthama svaroopm
or the inherent nature of the divine spark within (Brahman)
as opposed to the dhivya MangaLa vigrahm of the Lord with
sacred feet and other beautiful limbs that we can reflect on
and enjoy . This dhivyAthma savroopam has been saluted by
Upanishads as " asaBdham asparsam aroopam avyayam " and
" yath tath adhrEsayam agrAhyam " . That dhivya Aathma Svaroopam
is pervasively present everywhere and is totally devoid of any
hEya guNams( /asthahEyam/ blemishes ) as recognized by
the UbhayalingAdhikaraNam of Brahma Soothrams .
Brahman possesses the two fold charactrestrics ( ubhaya lingam) :
(1) Freedom from imperfections and (2) possession of infinite auspicious
guNams . The unique auspicious guNams associated with Brahman is
saluted by KurEsar here as " yEkAntha MangaLa gUnAspadham ".
Vedas declare that dhivyAthma svaroopam is " nithyam vibhum
sarvagatham susookshmam " ( eternal , Lord of all , all pervasive
and the subtlest of the subtle ). Kuresar relates to this Veda Vaakyam
and Ubhaya Lingam with the choice of words : " yEkAntha mangaLa
guNAspadham asthahEyam nithyam Padham " . That Padham of Yours
(DhivyAthma Svaroopam ) is the abode of all auspicious guNams that
are unique to You and at the same time it is free from any any taint of
inauspiciousness .
SlOkam 8
saBdhAdhi hEyamiha gOchara indhriyANAm
tathprathyaneeka vibhava: Thvam athIndhriyOasi
tEnaiva tE na Bhatha darsanam asthi kinchith
vaachO dhiyasccha tata yEva na gOcharOasi
(Meaning ) : Oh Lord ! In this materialistic world ( Prakruthi
MaNDalam ) , the five despicable entities ( sound, touch , sight ,
taste and smell ) become objects of cognition by the indhriyams .
You , my Lord is the opposite of the latter and can not be related to
by the indhriyams and hence You are known as atheendhriyan
( beyond the power of Indhriyams to ken ).Therefore , one can not have
the direct darsanam of Your dhivyAthma svaroopam .It is a pity that
we can not fully grasp your dhivyAthma svaroopam by mind
or speech .
(Commentary ) : Here KurEsar elaborates on the asaBdham
(Can not be heard) , agrAhyam ( can not be clasped ), adhrEsyam
(Can not be seen) aspects of this divine Aathma svaroopam
( Padham) beyond what he covered in the previous slOkam . That
Padham can not be reached thru speech , can not be seen or grasped
by touch ( achakshu-SrOthram) . One can not directly visualize
(SaakshAthkAram) of that dhivyAthma svaroopam . We can not
see that svaroopam with maamsa chakshus ( physical eyes) . Yogis
however with yOga Nayanam ( eyes) can experience that svaroopam
inside their heart lotuses .Thus this dhivyAthma svaroopam is beyond
the experience of our senses ( na chakshushaa gruhyathE ,naapi vaachaa ) .
SlOkam 9
yEvam sTithE Thvadh-upasamsrayaNa-abhyupAyO
mAnEna kEnachidh-alapsyatha nOpalabhdhum
nO chEdh amarthya-manujAdhishu yOnishu Thvam
icchA-vihAra vidhinA samavAtharishya:
(Meaning ): Oh Ocean of Mercy ! Inspite of Your difficult-to-experience
dhivAthma svaroopam , You sportingly enter into births as devAs,
humans et al ( icchA vihAra vidhinA amarthya manujAdhishu yOnishu
samavAtharishya: ) . If that were not to happen and You stayed only
with Your dhivyAthma svaroopam , You would prove to be beyond
our comprehension by any means at our disposal ( through our
indhriyams) .
(Commentary ) : Until now , KurEsar dwelt on the Para , VyUha,
antharyAmi and archA forms of the Lord . He did not touch upon
the fifth form (viz): Vibhava avathArams like Raama and KrishNa ,
which is the central topic of AthimAnusha Sthavam .
In the second slOkam ( SrEya: kiranthu--) , KurEsar saluted
the Para form as Para VaasudEvan . In the third slOkam
( Srimath ParAnkusa ---) , he identified with antharyAmi
svaroopam and in the fifth slOkam ( Sri RangarAja charaNou--)
related to the archa roppam . In the sixth slOkam ( Jn~Aanm Balam--) ,
he saluted the VyUha Moorthys. Now , KurEsar shifts to the central
theme of AthimAnusha Sthavam (Viz) ., Vibhava avthArams . He wonders
how impoverished we would have been , had the merciful Lord chosen to
remain in His dhivyAthma svaroopam alone . Thanks to the compassion of
the Lord taking avthArams in Deva-Maanusha-thiryak ( animals) -sthAvara
yOnis , we gained the means to relate to Him and reach Him ( Thvath
upasamSrayaNa apyupAya: ) .
SlOkam 10 :
Seelaka yEsha Tava hantha! DayaikasindhO !
kshudhrE pruTakjanapadhE jagadhaNDamadhyE
kshOdheeyasOapi hi janasya kruthE krutee Thvam
athrAvatheerya nanu lOchana gOcharOabhU:
(Meaning ) : Oh Lord with matchles compassion! You have
accomplished every thing and there is nothing for you to desire
as AvAptha Samastha kaamar . Inspite of it , You have incarnated in
the middle of this huge universe amidst us , the ignoramus
and people of limited intellect ( Kshudhra Janam ).Your incarnation
amidst us , the insignificant ones , and became visible to our eyes .
Your souseelyam in blessing us this way and it has no comparison .
We are truly blessed !
(Commentary) : Oh Lord ! We are Kshudhra Janams , who run all
the time after food, clothing , wife and children and other nonlasting
riches . We do not think of You . We sink deeper and deeper into
the SamsAric ocean . Inspite of it , out of Your incomparable
souseelyam , You incarnate amidst us , the most undeserving ones ,
to lift us out of our accumulated miseries . Rg Vedam comments in
this context : " na tE VishNO! jaayamAnO na jAthO Deva ! mahimna:
ParamanthamApa " ( Oh VishNu ! There is no one born yet , who has
understood precisely Your vaibhavam ) . Through Your avathArams ,
You came within reach of the eyes of all including the fools and lowly
( Kshudhra Janam and KshOdheeyasa: Janam ) . How can we praise
adequately Your souseelyam towards these PruTak Janam( those different
from the righteous and noble souls) ?
Let us understand the Lord's guNam of Souseelyam, which is tied
to Vaathsalyam . Swamy Desikan has explained that Souseelya guNam
of the Lord creates visvAsam for the Lord and mkes them rid of their fear
and seek the Lord's protection . Our Lord is the loftiest of all and yet
during Raama- KrishNa vibhava avathArams , he mixed with not so lofty
people like the hunter ( Guhan), Monkeys and cowherd boys & girls .
That is souseelyam . When one seeks His refuge and approaches Him ,
He will drive their chariot ( as ParthasArathy ) , serve as a Messenger
( PaaNDava DhUthan) . His behavior makes Him Suseelan . Swamy
NammAzhwar wonders about this GuNam : The Lord is the most powerful
One holding His Chakram ; I am a lowly one and yet He graces me
out of His souseelya guNam ( YemmAn AazhippirAn . Avan yevvidatthAn ?
Yann Aarr? ). I am a lowly one ( neechan) and He is not easily approachable
even by the eternally liberated ( nithya Sooris) and yet He mixes with me .
Such is His souseelyam !
SlOkam 11
yamm pAthakAth sumahathOapyudhadhArayasthvam
Thvath pAdhavAri paripootha sirAsccha yOabhUth
tamm vandhasE kila , tathasccha varam vruNeeshE !
kreeDaavidhirBhatha vilakshaNa lakshaNastE
(Meaning ) : Oh Lord with Incomparable compassion !
Your delightful pursuit of activities are quite different than
those of the human beings ( VilakshaNa lakshaNa: ) . Those
activities performed in a sportive manner fills us with wonderment .
One such activity of Yours as Sriman Narayana was that of
destroying the gigantic sins that Rudran acquired from plucking
one of the heads of his father , Brahma dEvan . That Rudran partook
the water ( SrI Paadha Theertham) used by Brahma to wash Your
sacred feet and got released from his heinous sins . Later ,
in Your VibhavaavathAram as KrishNa , You bent before that
Rudran (Your seshan) and sought from him the boon of progeny .
This is not what a human being will do under such circumstances .
Your souiseelyam here is incomparable for those , who are dear
to You . Strange and wonderous indeed are such activities of Yours !
Tey display Your athimAnushathvam .
(Commentary ): There was a time when both Brahma dEvan and
his son , Rudran had five heads . Parvathy , the wife of Rudran
mixed up once the identity between the two and offered her
Kaimkaryams to her father-in-law under the mistaken notion
that it was her husband . Rudran flew into a rage, when he
witnessed Parvathy's behavior and plucked away one of the five
heads of his innocent Father , the accomplished Master of
the four vedaas . Rudran acquired a bundle of sins as a result .
Brahma also cursed his son to wander around the world begging
for food , while Brahma's skull got stcuk to Rudran's palm . Later , Sriman
NarayaNan freed Rudran from the curse of Brahma dEvan thru His
anugraham at KaNdiyUr dhivya dEsam . On another occasion ,
Rudran absorbed the Holy water that flowed as the sacred Ganga
from the lotus feet of the Lord and that absolved all his sins . From
these acts , Your supermacy ( parathvam ) over Rudran is clearly
established . Yet , when you incarnated as KrishNa , the son of Devaki
and VasudEva , You sought the boon of progeny from Rudran . This is
truly a sport on Your part indicating the limit of your souseelyam .
SlOkam 12
kreeDAvidhE: parikarastava yaa thu maayaa
Saa MOhinee na kathamasya thu hantha! janthO:
hai! marthya simha vapushastava tEjasOamsE
Sambhur-bhavan hi Sarabha: sSulabhO BhabhUva
(Meaning): Oh Lord ! Your wonderous Maayai (Moola Prakruthi)
is the instrument of Your sportive acts. That Maayai made up of
thriguNams can delude anyone it wishes . For instance , that VishNu
Maayaa deluded even the omniscient (Sarvajn~an ) Sivan and made
him take the form of the Sarabha animal to kill Narasimhan . In the fight that
ensued , Sivan was destroyed by JwAlA Narasimhan like a fire fly
that flew into a mighty flame . Bhagavan Himself has commented on
His Maayai as invincible and tough for anyone to cross in Gita :
" dhaivee hEyshaa guNamayee Mama maayaa dhurathyathaa ".
The fierce anger of Lord Narasimhan was such that the attacking
Rudran in the Sarabham form got decimated instantaneously
like a salabham (fire fly) flying into a naked flame.
SlOkam 13:
yasyAthmathAm Thripurabhangavidhou adhAvasthvam
Thvath sakthi tEjithaSarO vijayee cha yOabhUth
dakshakrathou tu kila tEna vinirjithasthvam
yukthO vidhEya vishayEshu hi kaamachAra:
(Meaning ): Oh Lord of Matchless KaaruNyam ! In the battle of
Rudran against the ThripurAsurans , You stayed as the arrow
in the bow of Rudran , empowered Rudran thru anupravEsam
( inner presence) and helped Rudran destroy the three asurans .
Your valour and Parathvam was very clearly revealed here .
In the Yaj~nam of Daksha prajApathy , You pretended however
as though You were frightened by the ferocity of Veerabhadran sent by
Rudran and ran away from the Yaj~nam taking the form of a crow .
How can we relate this odd behavior with Your Parathvam ?
How could this contradictory happenings be reconciled ?
The explanation is : "VidhEya vishayEshu kaamachAra: yuktha hi ? " .
It is appropriate to act in the case of dependents according to the pull
of one's mind . This is just Your chosen sport . Even if the Lord is
nirapEksha svatantran ( Supremely endowed independent One) ,
He becomes Aaasritha Paaratantran ( Obdient to those , who seek
His protection . In the case of those , who are dear to Him ,
the Lord sets aside His parathvam (Supermacy) and SvAtantryam
(independence) and becomes Bhaktha Paratantran ( totally controlled
by those who seek His refuge / AasrithAs ) .
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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