11

DESIKAMRUTAM ? SRIMAD RAHASYA TRAYA SARAM
(SRI SADAGOPAN IYENGAR SWAMI
SRIKARYAM SWAMI OF SDDS & SRS (FROM COIMBATORE)
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The Three Tenets?11

Thus far, we have seen a detailed exposition of the Gadya phrase,
?Svaadheena trividha chetana achetana svaroopa stithi pravritti bhedam?,
outlining as to how the existence, activity and essential nature, of all the
three types of sentient beings and non-sentient objects, are subject to the
will of Emperuman. Swami Desikan takes up next an enthralling description of
the nature and attributes of the Paramatma, whose all-encompassing glory was
revealed, as aforesaid.

Because He is Truth, Wisdom, Limitless, Blissful and ever-pure, Isvara?s
essential nature is defined to be Satyam, Gnaanam, Anantam, Aanandam and
Amalam. This is borne out by the Upanishadic text, ?Satyam, Gnaanam, Anantam
Brahma?.

Azhwars too highlight these attributes of the Lord thus??Nandaa Vilakke!
Alattharkku ariyaai!?

Each word of this line is significant, with ?Nandaa? denoting immutable
Truth,
?Vilakke? signifying Wisdom that eliminates darkness and ignorance,
?Alattharkku ariyaai? portraying the infiniteness or Anantatvam of the Lord.
Sri Nammazhwar pays a further tribute with ?Unar muzhu nalam?, telling us that
Emperuman is the repository of endless wisdom and bliss.

At the fag end of Tiruvaimozi too, Azhwar is unable to refrain from
cataloguing the Lord?s attributes, with
?soozhndu adanil periya sudar gnaana inbameyo!?.
Physically and by attributes, He is the biggest (?periya?) and greatest. He
is the embodiment of glowing wisdom??Sudar gnaanam?. He is limitless bliss
personified??inbameyo?.

Sri Tiruppanazhwar is so taken up with the unblemished purity of the Lord,
that he recounts it ahead of all other divine virtues and begins his prabandam
with ?Amalan, Adi Piraan?. ?Amalan engo? says Sri Nammazhwar too, placing
Emperuman?s Blemish-less-ness on a high pedestal.

Thus, Satyatvam, Gnaanatvam, Anantatvam, Aanandatvam and Amalatvam
(respectivelyTruth, Wisdom, Infiniteness, Bliss and Purity) are the defining
attributes of the Lord. Other characteristics, (whether they are other
auspicious traits or His enchanting form), are characteristics brought to
light by the aforesaid five defining attributes.

Of the subsidiary attributes thus highlighted, six are associated with His
status as the Supreme Being, the exalted Parabrahmam. These are Gnaanam,
Balam (Strength), Ishvaryam (Bountifulness), Veeryam (Valour), Shakti
(indefatigable energy) and Tejas (Splendour).

These attributes contribute to the Supremacy of the Lord in various
respects?
* His Wisdom enables Him to know everything?
?Yo vetti yugapat sarvam, pratyakshena sadaa svata:?, as Sri Nathamuni says.
* Balam refers to the unflinching capability, the undying fount of strength,
of bearing the two worlds, the ones below and Sri Vaikunttam above, with His
mere will.
* Ishvaryam indicates His over-lordship of the entire Cosmos and of
Paramapadam.
* His remaining unchanged and immutable, despite blossoming into the
entire world and its beings, at the time of Creation, is referred to as
?Veeryam?.
* Making the impossible happen, like making the day dark or the night
awash with light, is Shakti.
* And it is His Splendour or Tejas, which annihilates opponents, without His
having to lift even His little finger. It is to the destructive potential of
this Tejas that Sita Piratti refers, when She says that She could very well
reduce Ravana to a heap of ashes??na tvaa kurmi Dasagreeva! Bhasma
bhasmaarha Tejasa?.

There might be any number of auspicious attributes the Lord sports, but the
aforesaid six are the principal ones, contributing to His pre-eminence as
the Parabrahmam.

What is the use of a Supreme Being, who is inaccessible? He would at best be
a brilliant Sun in the distant sky, whom you can ogle at but not relate to in
any fashion. The glory of the Lord is such, that despite being the Lord of all,
He lowers Himself to our level, to move with us as one amongst us. These
traits--of Souseelyam and the Kindness and overwhelming Love (Vaatsalyam) that
He exhibits towards all beings, disregarding their innumerable
shortcomings--are the ones that make Him accessible to all, irrespective of
caste, creed, colour or social or economic status.

All the auspicious qualities enumerated above are at all times associated
with the Lord?s essential nature or Svaroopam. However, we find some scriptural
texts, associating specific traits with specific Vyooha moorthies. If this
be so, can we say that all traits, at all times, are related to the Isvara
Svaroopam? Yes, we can, says Swami Desikan.

These texts just mean that the Lord reveals these specific qualities to
those who worship Him in any of these manifestations. It does not negate the
presence of the other traits in Him, inany of His forms.

The Upanishads prescribe 32 Brahma Vidyas or paths to
Paradise, in each of which a particular aspect or auspicious attribute of
Emperuman is given prominence and meditated upon. Similarly, in
Paancharaatra texts too, specific traits are ascribed to each form of the Lord,
whether it is Vyooha Vasudeva, Pradyumna, Aniruddha or Sankarshana.

We know that the forms of the Lord are five-fold ? Param, Vyooham, Vibhavam,
Arccha and Antaryaami. Of these, if we take the Lord at Sri Vaikunttam, (the
Para Vasudeva roopam), He is meditated upon as possessing all the six
principal qualities enumerated above, viz., Gnaanam, Balam, Ishvaryam, Veeryam,
Shakti and Tejas.

As far as the Vyooha Moorties are concerned, some mention them as four
(Vyooha Vasudeva, Pradyumna, Aniruddha and Sankarshana), while some say they
are just three (on account of there being no essential difference in
characteristics between the Para Vasudeva and the Vyooha Vasudeva). Sri
Koorattazhwan, in Sri Varadaraja Stavam, tells us that the Lord?s Vyooha forms
are indeed three, with each displaying two traits each, of the total six that
adorn the Supreme Being.

The respective traits and functions of the Vyooha Moorties are catalogued by
Sri Bhattar, in Sri Rangaraja Stavam?Uttara Shatakam. The Para Vasudeva of Sri
Vaikunttam is credited with all the six principal attributes enumerated
above and is engaged in affording infinite bliss to all emancipated souls.
Sankarshana displays inimitable Strength and Wisdom. His functions are
destruction of the universe at appropriate times and the authorship of
Shastras as guiding lamps for humanity. Pradyumna is endowed with Ishvaryam and
Veeryam and His activities are Creation and ensuring prevalence of Dharma.
Shakti and Tejas are the preserve of Aniruddha, who looks after Protection and
Preservation of all created beings and propagates the eternal truth.