SrI: SrImathE satakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavaramunayE nama:
sUthram 48
இம்மூன்றும் தனித்தனியே அநந்தமாயிருக்கும்.
immUnRum thaniththaniyE ananthamAyirukkum.
Meaning
Each of these three categories of souls – badhdha, muktha, and nithya—exists individually in infinite numbers.
Explanation
The question raised
Having explained the three classes of conscious beings (badhdha, muktha, and nithya), a doubt naturally arises:
“Are these three categories together limited in number, or how many conscious beings are there?”
This sUthram answers that question.
Each Category is Infinite
The statement:
“இம்மூன்றும் அநந்தமாயிருக்கும்“
(“These three are infinite”)
might give the impression that only the combined total of the three categories is infinite.
To remove this misunderstanding, piLLai lOkAchAryar deliberately adds the qualifying word:
“தனித்தனியே” (thaniththaniyE) — each separately.
Thus, the meaning is:
- The badhdha-jIvas are infinite.
- The muktha-jIvas are infinite.
- The nithya-sUris are also infinite.
Each category, by itself, is innumerable.
Meaning of “anantha”
Here, anantha does not merely mean “without end.”
Rather, it means:
அஸங்க்யேயம் (asankhyEyam) — incapable of being counted; innumerable.
Thus, each of the three classes of conscious beings is beyond all numerical calculation.
adiyen vAsudhEva rAmAnuja dhAsan
archived in https://granthams.koyil.org
pramEyam (goal) – https://koyil.org
pramANam (scriptures) – https://granthams.koyil.org
pramAthA (preceptors) – https://acharyas.koyil.org
SrIvaishNava education/kids portal – https://pillai.koyil.org