thathva thrayam – Iswara – Who is God?

We are continuing our journey in understanding the three entities (chith, achith, Iswara) through the divine grantham “thathva thrayam” (tattva trayam) of piLLai lOkAchAryar with the help of maNavALa mAmunigaL‘s beautiful commentary.

Introduction

svarUpam – true nature

• By nature, ISwaran is
• not the
  abode for any inauspicious qualities (meaning abode for all auspicious
  qualities)
• unbounded
  by 
• time –
  existence in past, present and future, 
• place –
  everywhere in both spiritual and material worlds – all pervading nature
  and 
• object – he
  is the in-dwelling soul of all objects
• abode of
  full knowledge and unlimited bliss
• abode of
  many auspicious qualities such as knowledge, strength,  etc
• the one who
  fully manages creation, sustenance and dissolution
• the one who
  is the refuge for the 4 types of seekers (as identified in bhagavath
  gIthai 7.16 by ka NNan
  emperumAn himself)
• Artha: –
  the distressed
• arthArthi –
  the one who is looking for new wealth
• jigyAsur –
  the one who is looking for kaivalyam
• gyAni – the
  true devotee
• the who can
  bestow the four purushArthams (goals) – dharma, artha, kAma, mOksha
• the one who
  has many divine forms
• the one who
  is the dear lord of SrI
  mahAlakshmi, bhUdhEvi and neeLA dhEvi
• He being the
  in-dwelling (controlling) soul of all entities does not affect him in any
  way, just like jIvAthmA (soul) does not get affected by the changing bodies.

His Auspicious qualities

• His most
  divine auspicious qualities are
• eternal –
  they always exist
• countless –
  there are so many auspicious qualities
• boundless –
  even one of the qualities cannot be comprehended fully
• causeless –
  his divine qualities do not manifest due to external inducing, they
  naturally exist
• defectless
• unparalleled
  – since emperumAn does not
  have any one equal or greater, his qualities also do not have anything
  equal or greater
• Three 
  categories of his auspicious qualities
• Focussed on
  the ones who are favourable towards him and his devotees
• vAthsalyam
  – motherly forbearance

• sauseelyam
  – magnanimity

• saulabhyam
  – easy accessibility

• mArdhavam –
  tenderness (of heart and body)
• Arjavam –
  honesty, etc

• Focussed on
  the ones who are unfavourable towards him and his devotees
• sauryam –
  valour/bravery
• vIrya –
  strength/power, etc
• Common for
  everyone
• gyAna –
  knowing about everything fully
• shakthi –
  strength
• bala –
  ability to support everything
• aiSwarya –
  controlling capacity
• vIrya –
  Even while managing everything, having no change in self (avikAra)
• thEjas –
  ability to handle everything individually
• Auspicious
  Qualities and the target of those qualities
• His gyAnam
  (knowledge) is to help the ones who consider themselves to be ignorant
• His shakthi
  (strength) is to help the ones who consider themselves to be meek/humble
• His kshamai
  (forgiveness) is to help the ones who consider themselves to be commiting
  offenses
• His krupai
  (mercy) is to help the ones who consider themselves to be suffering
• His
  vAthsalyam (motherly forbearance) is to help the ones who consider
  themselves to to at fault
• His seelam
  (magnanimity) is to help the ones who consider themselves to be
  downtrodden
• His Arjavam
  (honesty) is to help the ones who consider themselves to be dishonest
• His
  sauhArdham (good-heartedness) is to help the ones who consider themselves
  to be not so good
• His
  mArdhavam (tender-heartedness) is to help the ones who cannot bear the
  separation from bhagavAn
• His
  saulabhyam (easy accessibility) is to help the ones who desire to see him
• and so on
• Manifestation
  of his qualities
• He shows
  great concern towards the suffering jIvAthmAs (souls) and is constantly
  looking for the well-being of them.
• He
  constantly tries to help them when they are in distress.
• For the ones
  who surrender unto him, 
• He does not
  look at their defects which arise out of their birth, knowledge,
  actions, etc.
• He protects
  them when neither they themselves can protect them nor others can
  protect them.
• He performs
  miraculous activities to please them as he (kaNNan
  emperumAn) did in the case of sAndhIpani muni (bringing back his dead son)
  and the brAhmaNa (bring back his sons who were taken away by SrI
  mahAlakshmi to paramapadham to have the divine vision of krishNan in
  paramapadham).
• He makes
  himself fully available for them.
• He feels
  self satisfied after helping them as if his own personal task was
  accomplished.
• Without
  considering the favours done by him, he looks out for the minimum
  virtues done by the surrendered ones and helps them forget the taste for
  material aspirations that is present in them since time immemorial.
• He ignores
  their mistakes like a man who ignores the mistakes of his dear wife and
  children.
• Even if SrI
  mahAlakshmi points out the defects of the surrendered person, he simply
  diregards them.
• He consumes
  their defects with great love, just like a man in love would like the
  sweat etc., of his beloved.
• In
  separation, he feels greater distress compared to the surrendered ones.
• Just like a
  cow kicks out and pushes away the older calves when a new calf is born
  out of great attachment and concern, emperumAn pushes
  away SrI
  mahAlakshmi and nithyasUris when a new jIvAthmA (soul) surrenders to him.

His kAraNathvam – He being the primordial cause

• bhagavAn is
  the cause of all the worlds.
• Some say that
  atom (lowest particle) is the primordial cause.
• Since this is
  contradictory to plain perception and SAsthram, they cannot be accepted as
  the primordial cause.
• Others say
  matter is the primordial cause. 
• Since matter
  does not have knowledge and does not transform on its own without the
  intervention of bhagavAn, matter cannot be the primordial cause.
• badhdha
  chEthanas (jIvAthmA- individual soul) like brahmA, rudhran, etc cannot be
  the primordial cause.Since they are bound by karmA and go through
  sufferings, they cannot be the primordial cause. Thus ISwaran is the only
  primordial cause.
• He is being
  the cause not due to ignorance, karmA, others’ orders etc but out of his
  own desire and will.
• Since
  creation, sustenance and dissolution happen out of his own desire, there
  is no suffering in these for him. 
• The whole
  process is only for his pastime. 
• But would his
  pastime be interrupted in samhAram (dissolution)? Since samhAram is also
  part of his pastime, there is no interruption. mAmunigaL beautifully
  shows a practical example – when children play with sand castles, at the
  end of their play they knock down the castle as a part of the pastime with
  full joy. Similarly, dissolution is also a pastime in bhagavAn’s
  activities.
• Since he
  transforms his own body into this material world, he is the material
  cause. Note: There are 3 causes: upAdhAna kAraNam (material cause),
  nimiththa kAraNam (instrumental cause) and sahakAri kAraNam (supporting
  cause). For example, in making a pot, sand and clay are the material
  cause, the potter is the instrumental cause, his stick and wheel are the
  supporting cause.
• But since
  there is no change to his svarUpam he is called nirvikAra (unchangeable).
• It is only
  his body (chith and achith) that gets transformed. Spider makes a web from
  its own saliva and then it consumes it again. If a spider can do this, why
  can’t ISwaran who is
  omnipotent (capable of doing anything) do the same?

 

srushti, sthithi, samhAram

srushti
(creation)

• srushti
  involves
• transforming
  subtle matter into gross matter
• providing
  body and senses to jIvAthmAs
• expanding
  the knowledge of jIvAthmA
• srushti is
  done through brahmA, prajApathis, time and all beings by being present as
  their in-dwelling soul.
• srushti is
  done in rajO guNam (the mode of passion).

sthithi
(sustenance)

• sthithi
  involves
• , sustainingjIvAthmAs
  by being present within them with favourable intentions and helping them
  in all different situations, just like water sustaining the crop in a
  rice/paddy field
• sthithi is
  done by 
• descending
  in many incarnations starting with vishNu (which is the first incarnation
  in the material world)
• establishing
  SAsthram through manu, rishis, etc
• guiding the
  jIvAthmAs in good path
• being
  antharyAmi of time and all beings
• sthithi is
  done in sathva guNam (the mode of goodness).

samhAram
(dissolution)

• samhAram
  involves
• pulling back
  the jIvAthmAs into a subtle state to minimize their attachment to
  material aspirations. This is similar to keeping one’s own uncontrollable
  son under arrest for the well-being of the son.
• samhAram is
  done by being the antharyAmi of rudhran, agni, time and all beings.
• samhAram is
  done in thamO guNam (the mode of ignorance).

bhagavAn‘s
supreme quality during srushti

• If some are
  joyful and others are in distress, would that not reflect partiality and
  cruelty in bhagavAn’s part?
• Not at all –
  since everyone gets his/her body based on his/her karmA, and all actions
  are done to reform/uplift the jIvAthmA slowly into a higher state, there
  is no partiality or cruelty in bhagavAn’s part.
• bhagavAn
  performs srushti, sthithi, samhAram with a divine form as stated by nammAzhwAr in 3.2.1.

bhagavAn‘s various
forms

• emperumAn‘s forms are
• more
  enjoyable than his svarUpam (nature), guNam (quality), etc.
• eternal –
  always with a form
• uniform –
  without the effects of old age etc
• made of
  auspicious matter which is in the mode of pure goodness
• fully
  revealing of his true nature unlike material body which covers the soul’s
  knowledge.
• eternally
  glowing
• abode of all
  divine qualities like beauty, softness, etc
• those which
  are meditated upon by all yOgis
• those which
  will cease our attachment to everything else
• which are
  enjoyed by nithyasUris and mukthAthmAs
• those which
  remove all pains
• source of
  all incarnations
• refuge for
  everyone
• abode for
  everything
• decorated
  with divine weapons (conch, discus, etc) and ornaments (garlands,
  necklaces, etc)
• bhagavAn’s
  svarUpam is attached with 5 different categories of forms namely
• parathvam –
  form in paramapadham
• vyUham –
  forms in vyUha state which is primarily focussed on the material worlds
• vibhavam –
  innumerable incarnations of emperumAn
• antharyAmi –
  in-dwelling soul in all jIvAthmAs (souls) and achEthanams (matter)
• archai –
  innumerable deity forms which are worshipped at temples, mutts, homes,
  etc
• These are
  briefly discussed at https://granthams.koyil.org/2012/10/archavathara-anubhavam-parathvadhi/.

• paramapadham
  is described as the place of endless bliss and innumerable auspicious
  qualities and where kAlam (time) is not the controller. In samsAram time
  is the controller – whether we want or not, time automatically transforms
  every thing.
• everything is
  spiritual in paramapadham.
• He along with
  his divine consorts SrI mahAlakshmi, bhU dhEvi and neeLA dhEvi are the
  prime focus.
• He exists
  there for the full enjoyment of nithya sUris (eternally free souls) and
  mukthAthmAs (the souls who were bound in samsAram before but free now in
  paramapadham).
• His
  auspicious qualities such as knowledge, strength etc are fully manifested
  in paramapadham.

vyUham

• forms that
  are accepted by bhagavAn
• for the
  purpose of maintaining order (thru srushti, sthithi, samhAram) in the
  material worlds,
• to
  guide/nourish the jIvAthmAs in samsAram and
• to be the
  object of meditation for the meditators.
• para
  vAsudhEvan first expands himself into vyUha vAsudhEvan.
• vyUha
  vAsudhEvan expands himself in to 3 more forms – sankarshaNa, pradhuymna
  and anirudhdha.
• sankarshaNa
• gyAnam
  (knowlege) and balam (ability to support everything) are predominant in
  him.
• He presides
  over the jIva thathvam (soul) and distinguishes between soul and matter,
  and initiates the process of giving names and forms to them.
• He is
  responsible for establishing SAsthram (vEdham, vEdhAntham, etc) and
  samhAram (dissolution).
• He
  subsequently expands into pradhyumna form.
• pradhyumna
• aiSwarya
  (controlling ability/wealth) and vIrya (power) are predominant in him.
• He presides
  over the manas thathvam (mind).
• He is
  responsible for 
• instructing
  on the righteous principles
• the
  creation of human beings and chAthur varNams (four categories – brAmaNa,
  kshathriya, vaisya, shUdhra)
• the creation
  of all who are focussed on the mode of goodness (which ultimately leads
  to bhagavAn)
• anirudhdha
• shakthi
  (strength) and thEjas (ability to handle anything individually) are
  predominant in him.
• He is
  responsible for
• giving true
  knowledge
• creation of
  time and all entitieswhich are in the mixed mode of goodness, passion
  and ignorance.

vibhavam

• there are
  innumerable incarnations of bhagavAn.
• his
  incarnations are categorised into
• mukya
  avathArams 
• these are
  considered most important and worshippable for mumukshus (one who
  desires for mOksham)
• bhagavAn
  himself descends in many divine forms such as mathsya, kUrma, varAha etc
• the forms
  are made of divine matter (just like in paramapadham).
• he carries
  all his auspicious qualities in full into these forms just like in
  paramapadham.
• just like a
  lamp which is lit with a match stick glows more than the match stick,
  his incarnations glow more than his form in paramapadham.
• gauNa
  avathArams
• gauNam
  means giving his svarUpam (nature) or shakthi (strength) to jIvAthmAs to
  fulfil specific goals.
• these are
  considered less important and not worshippable for mumukshus, because
  the purpose of these avathArams is to fulfil specific tasks only.
• two
  categories
• svarUpa
  AvEsam – bhagavAn giving his divine svarUpam (nature) to jIvAthmAs and
  descending with his divine form. Examples: parasurAma, etc.
• shakthi
  AvEsam – bhagavAn giving his powers alone to jIvAthmAs for specific
  purpose. Examples: brahmA, rudhran, vyAsa, etc.
• he descends
  into various incarnations purely by his divine desire.
• the goal of
  these incarnations is explained by bhagavAn himself in bhagavath gIthai
  4.8 as 
• parithrANAya
  sAdhUnAm – protecting his devotees (the virtuous)
• vinASAya cha
  dhushkruthAm – annihilating the evil-minded
• dharma
  samsthApanArtham – establishing the righteous principles
• Though at
  times it is said that bhagavAn incarnates due to rishi’s curse, etc, those
  are only pretext (false reason) and the real reason is his desire only.

antharyAmi

 

• antharyAmi
  means being all pervaded and fully controlling all entities from within.
• Wherever
  jIvAthmAs go, bhagavAn also accompanies them to guide them.
• For the ones
  who want to meditate on bhagavAn, he mercifully appears with a divine form
  and his divine consorts within their hearts.
• He is
  constantly protecting the jIvAthmAs by being with them within their heart.
  

archai

• this is
  explained as the epitome of all the different forms of bhagavAn.
• As poigai AzhwAr identified
  in mudhal thiruvanthAdhi 44th pAsuram, emperumAn happily accepts the form
  that is desired by his devotees.
• archAvathAram
  is present at all places and at all times to everyone unlike other forms
  (param, vyUham, etc) which are limited to 
• certain
  dhEsam (places like paramapadham, kshIrAbdhi etc) 
• certain
  kAlam (time like thrEthA yugam, dhvApara yugam etc),
• certain
  adhikAris (persons like dhaSarathan during rAmAvathAram etc)
• He ignores
  the faults/mistakes of his worshippers due to his causeless mercy.
• He fully
  depends on his worshippers for all of his actvities (like bathing, eating,
  sleeping etc).
• He descends
  into many temples (dhivya dhEsams, abhimAna kshEthrams, village temples,
  etc – everywhere irrespective of city, country, continent, planet, etc),
  mutts and our own homes.
• Complete
  nature of archAvathAram
• He creates
  the taste and attachment towards him through his archAvathAram.
• He is the
  abode of all auspicious qualities – all his qualities such as sauseelyam
  (magnanimity), saulabhyam (easy accessibility), vAthsalyam (motherly
  forbearance) etc are fully manifested and visible here. These qualities
  are subdued in paramapadham, since everyone is pure and fully realised in
  paramapadham.
• He is the
  refuge for everyone irrespective of his birth, knowledge etc.
• He is the
  most enjoyable as explained fully by AzhwArs and AchAryas. We have
  already enjoyed AzhwAr/AchAryas archAvathAra anubhavam in https://granthams.koyil.org/archavathara-anubhavam/.
• His
  magnanimous nature in archAvathAram
• Even though
  he is the master and everyone else is dependent on him, he manifests
  himself as the dependent and fully dependent on his devotees.
• Being in a
  deity form, he presents himself to be 
• ignorant –
  since he understands everything through his devotees
• incapable –
  since he waits for his devotees for all of his actions like bathing,
  eating, dressing, sleeping etc
• fully
  dependent on his devotees as explained above
• Still, out
  of his causeless and unlimted mercy, attachment and compassion towards
  his devotees, he fulfills all their desires without expecting anything
  back, thus manifesting his great quality called vAthsalyam (motherly
  forbearance)

Conclusion

piLLai lOkAchAryar, maNavALa mAmunigaL – srIperumbUthUr

SrImathE
ramyajAmAthru munIndhrAya mahAthmanE

SrIrangavAsinE
bhUyAth nithyaSrIr nithya mangaLAm

mangaLASAsana parair
madhAchArya purOgamai:
sarvaischa pUrvair AchAryai satkruthAyAsthu mangaLam 

AzhwAr
emperumAnAr jIyar thiruvadigaLE SaraNam

jIyar
thiruvadigaLE SaraNam

AchAryan
thiruvadigaLE SaraNam

Sources: thathva thrayam

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