SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama: SrI vAnAchala mahAmunayE nama:
avathArikai (Introduction)
Previously, nAyanAr mercifully explained the equivalence of AzhwAr’s dhivyaprabandhams with vEdham and upabruhmaNams. He is showing an alternative view where these prabandhams are instead famously composed by AzhwAr as a special manifestation of vEdham.
chUrNikai 70
athavA vEdha vEdhya nyAyaththalE parathva para mudhuvEdham vyUha vyApthi avatharaNangaLil Odhina nIdhi kEtta manu padukadhaigaLAy AgamUrthiyil paNNiya thamizhAnavARE vEdhaththai dhrAvidamAgach cheydhAr ennum.
Simple Explanation
Alternatively, instead of having vEdha sAmyam and upabruhmaNa sAmyam, by the vEdha vEdhya nyAyam [as per the SrIrAmAyaNa SlOkam “vEdha vEdhyE parE pumsi“], vEdham which is focussed on bhagavAn’s parathvam [state in paramapadham], incarnated as SrI pAncharAthra Agamam focussed on vyUha, manu smruthi etc focussed on antharyAmi, epics such as SrI rAmAyaNam and mahAbhAratham focussed on vibhava avathArams. Similarly, it incarnated through AzhwAr’s dhivyaprabandhams in thamizh language, focussed on archA forms.
vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
athavA – That is – instead of explaining in the two different ways which were explained previously, i.e., AzhwAr’s prabandhams having vEdha sAmyam and upabruhmaNa sAmyam.
vEdha vEdhya nyAyaththAlE – As said in SrI rAmAyaNam bAla kANdam “vEdha vEdhyE parE pumsi jAthE dhaSarathAthmajE | vEdha: prAchEthasAdhAsIth sAkshAth rAmAyaNam AthmanA ||” (Just as the supreme lord who is known by vEdham incarnated as the son of dhaSaratha, the vEdhams too incarnated as SrI rAmAyaNam through vAlmeeki, the son of prachEthas), as per the logic of just as the supreme lord who is known by vEdham incarnated as the son of dhaSaratha, the vEdhams too incarnated as SrI rAmAyaNam through vAlmeeki, the son of prachEthas.
parathvapara – As said in thaiththirIya upanishath “kshayanthamasya rajasa: parAkE” (One who is present in paramapadham which is above samsAra which is filled with rajas and thamas), purusha sUktham “Adhithya varNam thamasa: parasthAth” (bhagavAn who is with the complexion of sun is residing in paramapadham which is beyond thamas (samsAram)), vishNu sUktham “thadhvishNO: paramampadham sadhApaSyanthi sUraya:” (The supreme abode of such vishNu is where the nithyasUris constantly see him), thaiththirIya upanishath “yO vEdha nihitham guhAyAm paramE vyOman | sO’SnuthE sarvAn kAmAn saha, brahmaNA vipaSchithA ||” (One who worships bhagavAn in the cave of heart, enjoys the auspicious qualities of bhagavAn with him, in paramapadham, which is free from all connection with samsAram), etc, in so many places, since they are revealing ISvaran’s supremacy, they are focussed on his parathvam.
mudhu vEdham – As said in thiruvAimozhi 1.6.2 “mudhu vEdham” (ancient vEdham), not having the trace of defect from having originated from a person, vEdham is ancient in the form of being anAdhi (eternal).
vyUha – Odhina nIthi – Such supreme lord who is complete in six qualities and enjoyed by liberated persons as said in SrIrangarAja sthavam 2.39 “shAdguNyAth vAsudhEva: para ithi sa bhavAn muktha bhOgya:” (Your highness is having the divine vAsudhEva form with six qualities and enjoyed by mukthAthmAs) accepted the vyUha form to manage creation etc as said in SrIrangarAja sthavam 2.39 “balAdyAth bhOdhAth sankarshaNa: thvam harasi vithanushE SAsthram aiSvarya vIryAth pradhyumna: sarga dharmaunayasi Sakthi thEjO niruththO bibhrANa: pAsi thathvam gamayasicha thathA vyUhya” (As sankarshaNa who has balam and gyAnam, you engage in annihilation and elaborate the SAsthram nicely; as pradhyumna having aiSvaryam and vIryam, you engage in creation and spread dharmam; as anirudhdha having Sakthi and thEjas, you engage in sustenance and propagate philosophy);
to elaborate such vyUha state’s form, qualities and activities, as in vishvaksEna samhithA “sankarshaNAdhi sadhbhAvam bhajE lOkahithEpsayA, kramacha: praLayOthpaththi sthithibhi: prANyanugraha:, prayOjana mathAnyaScha SAsthrArtha thathparai:, dhaSAsthurya sushupthyAdhyAch chathur vyUhEbhilakshayE” (I accept the vyUha forms such as sankarshaNa, anirudhdha and pradhuyumna to do good to the world; my blessings reach all the AthmAs through annihilation, sustenance and creation respectively; further SAsthram, dharmam which is explained in SAsthram, knowledge about true entities which is the outcome of such dharmam are present; one should understand the four states such as thuriya, sushupthi, jAgratha, svapna in these four vyUhams), vishvaksEna samhithA “thathra gyAna balidhvandhvAth rUpam sankarshaNam harE:, aiSvaryam vIrya sampEdhAth rUpam prAdhyumnam uchyathE, Sakthi thEjas samuthkarshA thAnirudhdha thanur harE:, EthE SakthimayA vyUhA guNEnmEsha svalakshaNA:” (In vyUha state, by the combination of gyAnam and balam, vishNu’s sankarshaNa form appears; by the combination of aiSvaryam and vIryam, pradhyumna’s divine form appears; by the combination of Sakthi and thEjas, anirudhdha’s divine form appears; these potent vyUha forms are examples for the shining of the qualities of bhagavAn), etc, as said in mahAbhAratham “pancharAthrasya kruthsnasya vakthA nArAyaNa: svayam” (The whole of SrI pAncharAthra was spoken by SrIman nArAyaNan himself), since bhagavAn himself is the original speaker of everything, vEdham incarnated as SrI pAncharAthram as said in iraNdAm thiruvandhAdhi 48 “OdhinAy nIdhi” (you mercifully gave through sages such as manu et al, texts such as smruthis which explain the concepts in vEdhams).
vyApthi – kEtta manu – bhagavAn not only accepted vyUha state, he also remained as antharyAmi (in-dwelling super-soul) of everyone being the meaning of all words and being the object of worship for all rituals, as said in manu smruthi 1.19 “ApO nArA ithi prOkthA ApOvai nara sUnava: | thA yadhasyAyanam pUrvam thEna nArAyaNa: smrutha: ||” (Water originates from bhagavAn who is known as nara; thus water is known as nAra; due to the reason why bhagavAn had this water as his body, he is known as nArAyaNa), manu smruthi 21.122 “praSAshithAram sarvEshAm aNIyAmsam aNIyasAm | rukmAbham svapnadhIgamyam vidhyAth thu purusham param ||” (We should know paramapurushan to be the one who controls everyone, who is subtler than the subtlest, who has the complexion of molten gold, who is to be seen through intellect which is as clear as the vision in dream), manu smruthi 12.123 “EnamEkE vadhanthyagnim maruthOnyE prajApathim | indhramEkEparE prANamaparE brahma SASvatham ||” (Some say him as agni, some as maruth, some as brahmA, indhra, others as prANa and some others as the eternal brahmam), manu smruthi 12.124 “Esha sarvANi bhUthAni panchabhir vyApya mUrthibhi: | janma vruththi kshayai: nithyam samsArayathi chakravath ||” (bhagavAn makes all AthmAs to go through birth, growth and death through the five great elements such as earth, and makes them rotate as a wheel), etc, being the SarIrI (AthmA) of all dhEvathAs and being the worshippable object of all rituals which is said in thaiththirIya upanishath “sa AthmA angAnyanyA dhEvathA:” (that paramAthmA’s limbs are other dhEvathAs); and in that state of antharyAmi, vEdham incarnated as such manu smruthi etc which are trustworthy and also upabruhmaNams as said in nAnmugan thiruvandhAdhi 76 “kEtta manu” (manu smruthi which is spoken of in vEdhas).
avatharaNangaLil – padukadhaigaLAy – Such bhagavAn who remains athIndhriya (beyond senses) incarnated as SrI rAma, krishNa et al for the purpose of sAdhu parithrANam (protecting noble persons) etc; in that state, to reveal the pastimes of such incarnations, et al vEdham incarnated as the ithihAsas such as SrI rAmAyaNam, mahAbhAratham which are in the form of glorifying bhagavAn as said in nAnmugan thiruvandhAdhi 76 “padu kadhaiyum” (ithihAsas (epics) which came about to describe the old narrations).
AgamUrthiyil paNNiya thamizh – Such bhagavAn who mercifully protects through his incarnations, to not let those who are subsequent to his incarnations miss out, to have specially knowledgeable persons become fully involved as said in thiruchchandha viruththam 17 “AgamUrthi AyavaNNam enkol” (You have the quality of having incarnated as archAvathArams, as desired by your followers. What an amazing quality is this!), according to the desire of the devotees as said in mudhal thiruvandhAdhi 44 “thamar ugandhadhu evvuruvam avvuruvam thAnE thamar ugandhadhu eppEr maRRu appEr thamar ugandhu evvaNNam sidhiththu imayAdhu irupparE avvaNNam AzhiyAnAm” (emperumAn who holds the chakkara (divine disc) in his hand, accepts whichever form his devotees desire; whichever name they desire for him, he accepts that; in whichever way they think and meditate about him with desire, continuously, he transforms himself that way), he remains very easily approachable in the archAvathAram without having any restriction in the raw material that the vigraham (deity) is made of, name, form, seated posture, reclining posture and in the place, time, qualification etc; in that state, to reveal the glories of such state, as said in thiruvAimozhi 2.7.13 “sadagOpan paNNiya thamizh” (woven together in thamizh (dhrAvida) language which can be pursued by all without any restriction, by nammAzhwAr), just as the pramEyam (bhagavAn) placed himself in very easily approachable manner, vEdham incarnated through AzhwAr in very easily approachable manner and in thamizh language so that it is pursuable by all; thus in a sense, the vEdham which is in samskrutham is done in thamizh by AzhwAr. It is said in irAmAnusa nURRandhAdhi 18 “eydhaRku ariya maRaigaLai Ayiram in thamizhAl seydhaRku ulagil varum sadagOpanai” (nammAzhwAr came to this world to compose vEdhams which are difficult to attain, in sweet thamizh language). Though all of these SAsthrams speak about all states of bhagavAn, each SAsthram has specific focus on an individual state, nAyanAr mercifully explained like this. This is clear in his saying “parathva para mudhu vEdham” (ancient vEdham which is focussed on parathvam).
adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan
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