Hari Bhakti Sudha

Hari Bhakti Sudha
(http://bhagavatas.blogspot.com)
by a random well-wisher of bhAgavatas
Volume I
June 28, 2010
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Contents
1. Contents ............................................................................................. 2
2. Dedication........................................................................................... 3
3. Lord Narayana - The Supreme Transcendental and Immanent Lord
(Paratvam, Antaryamitvam) ............................................................... 7
4. Lord Hari - the Creator, Sustainer, and Dissolver of the universe
(Jagatkaranatvam) ........................................................................... 12
5. Shri Ramanujacharya: The marvelous miracles of Lord Madhava ...... 18
6. The Lord of Guruvayur, Narayaneeyam, and Cosmic Manifestation ... 24
7. Periya Vachan Pillai: The Lord is accessible and friendly to His
creatures (Saulabhyam, Saushilyam)................................................ 30
8. Thousand Names of the Divine Lord: Might or Modesty? ................... 37
9. Generosity (Audaryam) in Sri Sankara's Gita Bhashya -- Part 1 ........ 44
10. Generosity (Audaryam) in Sri Sankara's Gita Bhashya -- Part 2 ........ 48
11. Sri Ramanujacharya's Saranagati Gadyam: Dimensions of Lord Hari's
Benevolence ..................................................................................... 51
12. Generosity in Vishnu Sahasranama Bhashyas - Part 1 ...................... 55
13. Generosity in Vishnu Sahasranama Bhashyas - Part 2 ...................... 58
14. The Unassailable Glory of Lord Narayana -- Part 1: The Lord Extolled
by the Vedas ..................................................................................... 60
15. The Unassailable Glory of Lord Narayana -- Part 2: Unequalled and
Unsurpassed Supremacy ................................................................... 66
16. The Unassailable Glory of Lord Narayana: Part 3 -- From the
Narayaneeyam .................................................................................. 70
17. The Unassailable Glory of Lord Narayana: Part 4 -- More from the
Narayaneeyam .................................................................................. 74
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Dedication
Prostrations to Vashishta, Shakti, Parashara, Vyasa, and Shuka, and to Valmiki, Narada, and
so many other great sages who, with their yogic effort, saw the Divine Light in All His Glory
and gave Him to the world out of pure compassion for all beings.
Glory be to all the Alvars who explained to us hidden meanings in the Divine Scriptures.
Glory be to Kamban who gave the Nectar from Ayodhya in the banks of Cauvery. Glory be
to the Haridasas, Tyagaraja, Annamacharya, Purandaradasa, Jayadeva, Mirabai, Tukaram,
Namdev, Tulasidas, Kabir, and others who excelled in His Devotion.
I salute the parama bhAgavatas Paramashiva and Parvati, who constantly take delight in
the Nectar of chanting the Glories of Lord Ramachandra.
Humble prostrations to the great Shankara Bhagavatpada, Bhagavad Ramanujacharya, Shri

Madhvacharya, Shri Lokacharya and Shri Venkatanatharya, Vadirajatirtha, Sri Vallabha, Sri
Nimbarka, and all the other Acharyas who dedicated themselves to the cause of the path of
Vedic Dharma in the world.
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I bow to Garuda, Shesha, and Vishvaksena who delight in attending to the Supreme Lord for
ever.
Glory be to the Son of the Wind who likes being seated next to whoever reads as much as a
line from the Magnificent Epic about the Scion of the Raghu dynasty.
I take refuge in the ocean of compassion, the Queen of the Waters, Lakshmi who dwells in
the Srivatsa mark of the Divine Lord, so that I may deserve His Grace.
Let us adore Highest Light dwelling beyond the material universe - who is known in the
Timeless Scriptures as Shriman Narayana and Vasudeva, who is the first to enter into the
cosmos as the Lord of the Milky Ocean, dividing Himself into the First Four and many more,
who sports with His creation as the son of Nanda, who dwells in the middle of the Solar Orb,
golden-hued, with eyes like just-bloomed lotuses, residing in the cavity of the heart with a
form as brilliant as a streak of lightning in amid dark-blue clouds, possessed of a thousand
heads, hands, and feet, projecting Himself in every direction, who is reclining in the Islet
surrounded by the Two Rivers and standing on top of the Hill of the Great Earth-bearing
Serpant, who delights His devotees with His Magnificent Form, bearing the Divine Conch,
Discus, Mace, and Lotus, wearing the Vaijayanti garland, the Kaustubha jewel, the Kasturi
Tilaka mark on His forehead, bedecked in Yellow Garbs, with a Lotus springing from His
navel that bears the grandsire of all beings. Wisdom, Strength, Lordship, Valor, Power, and
Splendor belong to Him! Let us adore Him again, again, and again!!!
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Dear Bhagavatas from all over the world,
Humble prostrations to all of you. This is my modest attempt at taking baby steps towards
getting a glimpse of the glories of the Lord, as told in the writings of great compassionate
Acharyas across all sampradayas.
I want to make this effort quite different. There are many blogs that discuss poetry-
style verses (prabhanda) written by the Acharyas of yore. Online resources explaining
word-to-word and inner meanings of the devotional outpourings of Tyagaraja, Dikshitar,
Purandaradasa, Bhadrachala Ramdas, Annamacharya, Mirabhai, Tukaram, and others great
composers are aplenty. What I would like to do here is to explore how various great
commentators, starting from Adi Sankaracharya, have explained the glories of Hari in their
elaborate commentaries otherwise dealing with serious polemical discussions.
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Since I am familiar more with Advaitic writings due to my background, I will start with the
great works of Adi Shankaracharya and his early and contemporary followers, sticking to
bhakti-related discussions. Discussions will only be on Bhakti and Saguna Upasana alone. No
way does this imply that I will not quote from other Dvaita/Vishishtadvaita schools of thought
in future. From time to time, I may also post my own independent thoughts.
Humbly yours,
Prahladadasa
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Lord Narayana - The Supreme Transcendental and Immanent Lord
(Paratvam, Antaryamitvam)
May we contemplate on the Supreme Lord Vasudeva so that we may begin this journey
without hurdles.
As we promised in the last post, we are now ready to embark on a journey filled with
enjoyment of the Lord's Glories. What I am going to write in this series is from whatever
sense I have made, with my tiny brain, of this great tradition of Sanatana Dharma. I am just
a novice in these matters. All the faults belong to me, and whatever little good comes out of
my writing belongs to the great teachers and preachers who I have been fortunate enough
to listen to.
Contemplation on the Lord's Divine Attributes and enjoying the same with fellow devotees
is one of the best ways of serving Him, and gives immense bliss to the everyone. Two of
His primary attributes are: His Lordliness and His Accesibility. Everyone is familiar with the
Divine Names of the Supreme Lord of the Universe - the Vedas describe Him as Narayana,
Vishnu, Vasudeva, and Hari. We all are familiar with His Divine Incarnations, Divine Form,
and His Divine Sportive Acts. All these prove that He is quite accessible to His devotees. In
order to understand and appreciate this fully, one first needs to understand His Lordliness in
a proper manner.
Let us then investigate: How then, is He intimately related to His creation? How is He to be
contemplated as the Supreme Lord? We shall now see how one of the great Acharyas of the
sanatana dharma, Shri Adi Shankara Bhagavatpada answers this questions for us.
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Bhagavatpada Acharya says in his benedictory verse for the introductory chapter to the
Bhagavad Gita:
nArAyaNaH paro'vyaktAd aNDam avyakta-sambhavam |

aNDasyAntas tv ime lokAH sapta-dvIpA ca medinI ||
Narayana is beyond the seed of material existance. From this seed, the cosmos comes to exist.
Within the bounds of this cosmic egg are the seven worlds and this earth.
[nArAyaNaH - The Supreme Lord, paraH - is beyond, avyaktAd - the primordial matter known
as avyakta or mUlaprakRti (avyakta literally means "the undeveloped"). aNDam - the cosmic
egg from which the entire material creation emanates, avyakta-sambhavam - is born from
this primordial nature, andasya - of this cosmic egg, antaH - within the bounds, tu - verily,
ime lokAH - these worlds, sapta-dvIpA - the seven islands (according to puranic literature
of Hinduism, the earthly regions in the universe are classified into seven islands), ca - and,
medinI - the earth in which we live (belonging to the solar system of the Milky Way, according
to modern science).]
In this introductory verse, the AcArya says that the Supreme Lord Narayana is beyond the
material universe consisting of the primordial matter known as avyakta or mUla-prakRti, and
that it is the mUla prakRti that gives rise to the Cosmic Egg, within the bounds of which
material existence belonging to the category of effects is confined to. I will try to explain the
concepts and terminology in creation are further in next paragraph, which may be skipped
for those who are not curious about the same.
From puranic literature, it is well-known that the first thing in the realm of effects to
be created by Lord Narayana is the avyakta principle. Subject to the Lord's control and
as per His volition (sa"nkalpa), the avyakta principle then evolves into mahAn, then to
aha"nkAra, followed by the five subtle elements or tanmAtras (sabda, sparsha, rUpa, rasa,
and gandha - sound, touch, sight, taste, and smell respectively) and the five gross elements
or pancabhUtas (akAsha, vAyu, agni, Apa, and pRthvI - ether, wind, fire, water, and earth).
The Lord then performs pancIkaraNa, the process of intermixing the five gross elements for
creation to proceed. From this, the principles of five sensory organs and five motor organs
arise. The Lord then forms a body known as Hiranyagarbha, which is then taken up by one
of the several baddha jIvas or souls that are to be born in the world of samsAra (existence
in the realm of effects) selected by the Lord based on their karma or actions. This jIva taking
up the name and form known as Hiranyagarbha is none but Lord Brahma, who then proceeds
to create further bodies based on the Lord's instructions. The jIvas are then assigned to
different bodies by the Supreme Lord Narayana himself, again based on their past karma.
From the above, it is clear that Supreme Lord Narayana is different from creation, which is
in the category of effects (known in Sanskrit as kArya vastu). In other words, the Lord is
the kAraNa (cause) and the entire universe is His kArya (effect). Shankaracharya has also
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explained elsewhere (BSBh. IV.iv.19-20) in his commentary to the Brahma Sutras, that the
Highest Lord is not confined in any way to this mundane universe:
"Moreover, according to scripture, there is also an eternal form of the highest Lord which does not abide in
effects", and
"Scripture and Smriti both declare that the highest light does not abide within effected things".
In the previous section in the Brahma Sutra Bhashya, he says that the liberated soul is
reabsorbed into the world of Parabrahman Narayana, and also that it is the purest, Highest
Place of Vishnu (paramapada, vaikuNTha, or brahmaloka), which is beyond the realm of
effects.
Another aspect of His lordliness is that though He exists beyond the material universe, He
simultaneously exists as the manifest universe in two ways: (1) with the entire cosmos is His
body, and (2) as the inner-controller of every particle and every being/creature. This is part
of his divine pastime, and in no way compromises his Lordliness.
Mundaka Upanishad 2-1-4 says:
The indwelling Self (Atman) of all is surely He of whom the heaven is the head, the moon and
sun are the two eyes, the directions are the two ears, the revealed Vedas are the speech, air is
the vital force, the whole Universe is the heart, and (It is He) from whose two feet emerged the
earth.
In the penultimate sentence of the commentary to the same verse, Bhagavatpada Acharya
says:
"this dEva, (known as) Vishnu or Ananta, is the

first to have a body in this universe, and has all the
three worlds as his body. He is the inner-dweller of
all elements."
We will explore the concept of inner-dweller (antaryAmi/antarAtmA) in a little while. It is

worth comparing the statement made by Bhagavatpada Acharya to that of his immediate
disciple Totakacharya, who further adds the following lines in the last verse of his work
shrutisArasamuddharaNa. This famous verse is now recited by everyone who chants Vishnu
Sahasranama, in the dhyAnam section just before "shAntAkAram bhujaga shayanam", even
though it does not belong to the original Sahasranama text in the Mahabharata:
bhUH pAdau yasya khaM codaramasuranilaH candra sUryau ca netre

karNAvAshAH shiro dyaurmukhamapi dahano yasya vAstavyamabdhiH |
antaHstaM yasya vishvam suranarakhagagobhogigandharvadaityaiH citraM
raMramyate tam tribhuvanavapuSaM viSNumIsham namAmi ||
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(shrutisArasamuddharaNa, 179)
"I bow down to Lord Visnu (Vishnu), whose body comprises the three worlds. His feet are the earth, the cavity
of His belly is space, his vital breath is the wind, and His eyes are the sun and the moon. His ears are the
directions, His head is the heaven, His face is the fire, and His bladder is the ocean. Within Him this universe
delights with its variety of gods (divinities created by Supreme Lord), human beings, birds, cows, snakes,
celestial beings, and demons. To that Visnu I offer my salutations."
The above principle that the Lord has the material universe as (one of) His body (ies), or
in other words, that He is the supersoul of all of His creation, is known as sharIra-sharIri
bhAva in vishiSTAdvaita vedanta school of Bhagavad Ramanujacharya. In this school, the
Lord is aptly called "ubhaya-vibhUti nAtha", meaning both the material universe (liilA vibhUti)
and His own transcendental realm (nitya vibhUti a.k.a. vaikunTam or paramapadam) are His
bodies.
The Vedas further affirm that the Lord entered into his creation as the inner-controller
of all as he created. The name Vishnu is significant here since it means "all-pervading".
Hence, Lord Narayana, having created the material universe, entered into each and every
particle of creation as the antaryAmin, which menas inner-controller. This is confirmed by
Shankaracharya in his commentary to the antaryAmi brAhmaNa section (Chapter 3, Section
7) of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, where he says:
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"Such is the Lord, who controls from within, known as Narayana, who
dwells from within the earth and controlls it, whom the earth-deity
(prithvI) does not know. He is also the inner-controller of everyone,
including you, myself, and all beings." (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
Bhashya 3.7.3)
Sureshvaracharya, another disciple of Adi Shankaracharya (as attested by himself in his

works), confirms this further in the antaryAmi brAhmaNa section of his vArtika (metrical
exposition) on Bhagavatpadacharya's commentary on the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad:
"Krishna Dwaipayana (Veda Vyasa), desiring welfare for all creatures,

has repeated this time and again: Lord Narayana is beyond the avyakta,
the cosmic egg is born from it. Salutations to Lord Narayana, the inner-
dweller of all the dEvatas (divinities created by the Lord). It is to Him
that the Narayana chants in the Vedas are addressed to."
(Brihadaranyaka Bhashyavartika, Verses 39-42 expounding
Section 3.7)
Anandagiri or Anandaj~nAna, a medieval advaitic scholar and

a disciple of shuddhAnanda, wrote a Tiika (gloss) on the
vArttika. To the above, he says: "The author of the vArtika says
that the glory of the Supreme Lord Narayana is evident not only from
the purANic and Agamic texts, but also in the Vedas." Anandagiri then
quotes the first verse in the Narayana Sukta of Taittiriya Aranyaka (Section 10.11) to his
support.
The Acharyas of yore have thus praised the Lord as the Supreme Transcendental (beyond
material existence) as well as Immanent (who pervades and controls everything) God. Such
is his greatness, as understood in the Vedantic texts.
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Lord Hari - the Creator, Sustainer, and Dissolver of the universe
(Jagatkaranatvam)
In the last post, we started exploring how the great Acharyas of the Vedantic traditions
have described the glory of the Supreme Lord Narayana. We saw that Adi Sankara and
other Acharyas have described Him as both
1. Transcendental i.e., beyond the realm of the material universe comprising the five
elements.
2. Immanent i.e., pervades in and controls all of His creation, as the inner-soul
(antaryAmi), and hence is praised by the Vedas as the one who has all the three
worlds as His body.
Let us now proceed to explain further the relationship between Lord Hari and his creation,
the material universe. The Vedantic Bhakti traditions praise Him as the creator, sustainer,
and dissolver of the entire universe. Let us examine this aspect, like we did last time, from
the works and quotations of Acharyas.
The great philosopher of the dvaita tradition (dualistic

school of Vedanta), Srimad Madhvacharya
(madhvAcArya, also known as Anandatiirtha or
pUrNapraj~na AcArya) writes in his commentary to the
Brahma Sutra (I-i-2) that Hari, described in the Veda as
Brahman, is the first great cause of the world. Adi
Sankara Bhagavatpada Acharya also says in the
introductory chapter of the Gita Bhashya: "AdikartA
nArAyaNAkhyo vishNuH", meaning "the first creator,
Vishnu who is known as Narayana". For now, let us
return to the nectar, in the form of the following
scriptural quotations, offered by Srimad Madhvacharya in
I-i-2 of Brahma Sutra Bhashya:
"The person - from whom the origin,

subsistence, and dissolution, order, enlightenment, the
cover of gloom, bondage, and liberation proceed - that
Primordial Lord is none other than Lord Hari."
(Skanda Purana)
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"To Him is (our) obeisance made, in whose abdomen has
grown up the lotus, the prop of the worlds, as referred to in
the Sruti (Vedas): 'In the navel, of the Unborn' - unto Him
the glorious Vishnu who is the cause of all the states of the
world and the sole author of the universe"
(Skanda Purana)
"In the navel of the Unborn, that thing is set on which all the
worlds stand."
(Rig Veda X-lxxxii-6)
"He who is our immediate progenitor and father, who is the

maker and who is cognizant of all the worlds and the things
abiding therein."
(Rig Veda X-lxxxii-3)
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We next take a look at Shankara Bhagavatpada Acharya's elaborate commentary on the
Brahma Sutras, where he quotes the following passages in his explanation to the sUtra II-
i-1:
"Hear thence this short statement: The ancient

Narayana is all this; he produces the creation at
the due time, and at the time of re-absorption
he consumes it again."
(Brahmanda Purana I.174)
"I am the origin and the place of

reabsorption of the whole world."
(says Lord Narayana as Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita, VII.6)
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"From Him spring all bodies; He is the primary cause, He is
eternal, He is unchangeable"
(Apastamba Dharma Sutra, I.8.23.2)
Kambar, respectfully and quite aptly known in Tamil Vaishnavite circles as

"kambanATTAzhvAr", starts his bhakti-laden poetic work rAmAvatAram (now popularly
known as Kamba Ramayanam), the medieval Tamil version of the original Ramayana
written down by Valmiki, with the following prayer:
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உலகம் யாைவயும் தாம் உள ஆக்கலும்
ulagam yAvaiyum tAm uLa Akkalum
நிைல ெபறுத்தலும் நக்
ீக்கலும்
கலும் நங்
ீங்கலா
கலா
nilai peRuttalum niikkalum nI"ngalA
அலகு இல
இலாா விைளய
ைளயாாட்டு உைடய
உைடயாார் அவர்
alagu ilA viLaiyATTu uDaiyAr avar
தைலவர் அன்னவர்க்ேக சரண் நாங்கேள
ங்கேள.
talaivar annavarkkE caraN nA"ngaLE.
The above prayer translates into English as: "We only surrender to that One who is the Lord
(of all), and whose timeless, unlimited divine play involves the creation, sustenance, and
dissolution of the entire universe."
For the pleasure of the readers, I have attempted to translate the following two similar
invocatory verses found in the major works of two Acharyas of the Advaitic tradition:
(1)
Srimad Rama Tirtha, a medieval advaitic scholar, also began one of his philosophical works
with a similar tribute to the Lord's avatAra as Rama:
praNamya rAmAbhidaM AtmadhIpadaM jagat prasUti-sthiti-

samyamAyanam
(Invocatory verse of upadesasAhasri padayojanikA)
My translation: "Salutations to the One known as Rama, who is the object of cognition for
the soul, the abode of creation, sustenance, and dissolution of the universe."
(2)
Nyaya Makaranda, a work by a 11th/12th-century scholar named Anandabodha,

commences with a similar prayer to the Lord:
yadbhAsA nikhilaM vibhAti viSayo yo na svayaM jyotiSAM

|
yasya AhuH bhuvanodbhavasthitilayAn liilAmayAn
sUrayaH ||
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yaM cAgocaramAmananti manasAM vAcAM ca vishvAtmane
|
tasmai shuddhasukhAdvitIyavapushe shashvannamo
viSNave ||
My translation: "That splendor by which the entire material universe, which by itself is
devoid of any luminosity, shines - to the one whose oblations - who creates, sustains, and
dissolves the universe sportingly - who is beyond the imagination of (even) the greatest of
sages and devas - to that Vishnu who is the Supersoul for the entire universe - to that
immaculate Vishnu who is without an equal to Him, we offer our salutations."
All of the above hymns have their basis in the vedic mantras such as Taittiriya Upanishad,
which says that Brahman creates, sustains, and dissolves this entire universe:
"Try to know that Brahman, from whom all beings are born ;
in whom, they are sustained ; into whom they enter after
dissolution."
(Taittiriya Upanishad III-i-1)
Thus, we should meditate on Lord Narayana, the Supreme Parabrahman as the one who
creates, sustains, and dissolves the entire universe. Being totally self-contented and having
no craving for any achievement, He performs this threefold action as a mere play of His
(liilA in Sanskrit). Such is His might and power!
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Shri Ramanujacharya: The marvelous miracles of Lord Madhava
Bhagavad Ramanujacharya (rAmAnuja-AcArya, 1017 A.D.-1137 A.D.) was the great

proponent of Vishishtadvaita philosophy in the eleventh century. His service to the cause of
Vedic sanAtana dharma (eternal religion of the Vedic scriptures) is one of the most
unparalleled. He was also a great proponent of the Bhakti movement, and a social reformer
par excellence. The tradition propounded by this great Acharya continues to live on today as
the Srivaishnava (shrIvaiSNava) tradition, many of whose followers have their roots in
South India. Let us prostrate and salute this great savior of the eternal Vedic religion with
the following sloka (verse) composed by his direct disciple shrIvatsA"nka (in Tamil:
kUrattAlvAn):
yo nityaM acyuta-padAmbuja-yugma-rukma
vyAmohatas tad itarANi tRNAya mene |
asmad guror bhagavato 'sya dayaika-sindhoH
rAmAnujasya caraNau sharaNam prapadye ||
English translation (thanks- http://sriramanujar.tripod.com/): "I take refuge at the feet of

our guru Bhagavaan Ramanuja, that ocean of mercy who, infatuated with the gold-like,
lotus feet of the Lord, considered all else as mere blades of grass."
Ramanujacharya's image in a Temple
Srimad Ramanujacharya has produced a remarkable commentary on the Bhagavad Gita for
the benefit of this world. Before him, his grand-guru Yamunacharya (Sanskrit:
yAmunAcArya, Tamil: ALavandAr) produced a terse metrical exposition on the essence of
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the Bhagavad Gita, dedicating one verse to each chapter of the Gita, known as gItArtha
sa"ngraH. Sri Vedanta Desika Acharya (a.k.a ve"nkaTanAtha), who lived a little more than a
century after Sri Ramanuja, has produced an elaborate sub-commentary known as tAtparya
candrika, upholding the spiritual lineage.
We will now look at how the great acharya of the Srivaishnava tradition, Sri Ramanuja, has
attested to the Lord's attributes of Transcendence (paratvam), Immanence
(antaryAmitvam), and Creator-hood (jagatkAraNatvam) that we saw in the second and the
third posts using Sri Ramanujacharya's commentary to the Bhagavad Gita. Thankfully, there
is a good English translation of the same available on the web, and I am depending on the
same [1]. Elaborating on verse 5 of Chapter 9 in the Gita, Sri Ramanujacharya writes:
"Lord Hari says: 'I do not support the beings as a jug or any kind of
vessel supports the water contained in them. How then are the beings
contained in Me? By My will. Behold My divine Yoga power, namely, My
wonderful divine modes, unique to Me alone and having no comparison
elsewhere'. What are these modes? 'I am the upholder of all beings and
yet I am not in them --- My will sustains all beings.' The meaning is, 'I
am the supporter of all beings, and yet I derive no help for Myself
whatever from them. My will alone projects, sustains and controls all
beings.' "
(Ramanuja's bhagavad-gItA-bhASya, 9.5)
The Acharya then says that the Lord is now going to give an illustration to show how all
beings depend on His will for their being and acts. To the next verse in the Gita, Sri
Ramanuja writes:
"The knowers of the Veda declare thus: 'The origin of clouds, the
waters of the ocean remaining within bounds, the phases of the moon,
the strong movements of the gale, the flash of lightning and the
movements of the sun --- all these are marvelous manifestations of the
power of Vishnu.' The meaning is that they are all the marvelous
miracles which are unique to Vishnu."
He proceeds thus in his commentary to the next verse:
"All the mobile and immobile entities enter into the primordial matter
owned by Lord Krishna at the end of a cycle, namely at the end of
Brahma's life in accordance with the Lord's will."
and then,
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"Lord Hari, operating His Prakrti (primordial matter), with its
wonderfully variegated potency, develops it eightfold and send forth
this fourfold aggregate of beings: the devas, animals, men and
inanimate things, time after time."
We turn to the natural question - How does our dear Lord Hari work these great miracles
without physical effort? Before we investigate, let us learn a little bit more about Sri
Ramanujacharya's glorious school.
The Divya Prabandha (divya prabandha) is an anthology of 4000 devotional hymns on Lord
Hari in Tamil, written by South Indian saints known as Azhwars (pronounced as AlvArs in
our transliteration scheme). Traditionally, the lifetimes of these saints are said to have
spanned several thousand years BC till somewhere around the 7th/8th Centuries AD. The
works of these twelve poets, rich in devotion, philosophical depth, and universal
brotherhood concepts, are celebrated as "Dravida Vedam (drAviDa vedam)" by great
scholars of Sri Ramanujacharya's tradition. This is indeed no exaggeration and hence is not
to be taken lightly, as the Divya Prabandha works do indeed get into the depths of the
philosophy and theology of the Vedas, albeit in poetic Tamil. However, unlike the Sanskrit
Vedas, the Divya Prabandhas do not require very strict regulations on chanting, and in fact,
can be learned by anyone irrespective of caste, creed, gender, etc.
An illustration of the lives of ten of the twelve Azhwars

The very first successors and disciples of Sri Ramanujacharya include the following Acharyas
in the following order: (1) Sri Embar (a.k.a. Govinda Bhattar), the cousin of Sri
Ramanujacharya; (2) Sri Parasara Bhattar, the disciple of Sri Embar and the son of Sri
20
Kurattalvan; (3) Sri Nanjeeyar, disciple of Sri Bhattar, and (4) Sri Nampillai, disciple of Sri
Nanjeeyar. Sri Nampillai wrote a commentary (known as nampiLLai iiDu in Tamil) on
"Thiruvaimozhi (tiru-vAy-moli)", a work of Saint Nammalwar that belongs to the Divya
Prabandha.
Acharya Nanjeeyar
Sri Nampillai's guru and Sri Parasara Bhattar's disciple, Sri Nanjeeyar, is initially said to
have been an advaitin known as mAdhavAcArya, and eventually became the disciple of Sri
Parasara Bhattar owing to the latter's brilliant exposition of "Thirunedum-Thandakam" (tiru-
neDum-tANDakam) which also belongs to the 4000 Divya Prabandha and is composed by
one of the AlvAr saints known as "Thirumangai Azhwar" (tiruma"ngai AlvAr). Thirunedum-
Thandakam is a very beautiful composition that combines both "masculine" philosophical
exposition and "feminine" devotional adoration in a balanced manner, in one single work. It
combines both Vedantic descriptions of Lord Hari as well as the adoration of His form, as he
resides in sacred shrines located all over India. In one verse, Saint Tirumangai Azhwar says:
21
indirarkkum
piramaRkkum
mudalvan-tannai
irunilamkAl
tInIrviN pUtam
aintAy,
cen-tiRatta
tamizhOsai
vaDa-soll-Agit
ticai nAnkumAyt
ti"nkaL
~nAyiRAgi,
antarattil-
tEvarkkum
aRiyal AgA-
andaNanai,
andaNar mATTu
andi-vaitta-
mandirattai,
mandirattAl
maRavAdu
enRum
vAzhutiyEl
vAzhalAm maDa
ne~njE!
(Thirunedum-Thandakam 4, Divya Prabandha 2055)
The above verse means: "Hey you foolish mind! If you want to live, live chanting the name
of the Lord using the sacred eight-lettered mantra ending with 'namo nArAyaNAya' - the
name of the Lord who is (1) The Lord to even great devatas such as the four-faced Brahma
and Indra, (2) Who is the inner controller and inner-dweller (antaryAmin) for everything
made of the five elements - earth, water, fire, wind, and space, (3) Who pervades all
directions, the sun and the moon, (4) Who is very hard to comprehend even for the great
devas from Brahma, Indra, etc. (5) Who is praised by the Sanskrit Upanishads and the
Tamil Divya Prabandha, (5) Who is the Lord known through the wealth of the learned
scholars - the Vedas." Thus, Thirumangai Azhwar is confirming the doctrine of the Lord
Narayana being the antaryAmi or the inner-soul and inner-controller of everything in the
universe, the Lord of all, and is known through the Vedas and Tamil Divya Prabandha texts.
Since the last post, we have discussed about the marvelous miracles of Lord Madhava
(another name of the Supreme Lord Hari).With His unlimited unfathomable power, He
creates, sustains, and dissolves the entire universe consisting of all beings. This shows that
we are entirely dependent on Him and should thank Him for our existence, prosperity, and
enjoyment in this life and the next.
Bibliography
22
[1] English Translation of Ramanuja's Gita Bhashya, Dr. S. Sankaranarayanan. (Thanks:
Gita Supersite 2.0)
[2] Sudarshanam Editor Sri Puttur Krishnaswami Iyengar's book, "Thirunedum-Thandaka
Vivaranam" (திருெநடுந்தாண்டக விவரணம்), Thanks: http://www.maransdog.org
23
The Lord of Guruvayur, Narayaneeyam, and Cosmic Manifestation
Guruvayur is a sacred pilgrimage center in the state of Kerala in South India. There is a
very famous temple dedicated to Lord Krishna here. According to the traditional history of
this temple, this is the spot where Lord Siva is said to have instructed the Rudra Gita, a
song that glorifies Sriman Narayana -- the Lord of even great Lords like Brahma, Siva, and
Indra. The deity of this temple is said to have been in possession of Lord Krishna during His
stay in Dwaraka, which he then gave to a disciple named Uddhava before voluntarily
disappearing from this world after fulfilling the mission of His avatar. But since a deluge
followed the ascent of Lord Krishna back to His spiritual realm, the idol had to be eventually
salvaged by Brihaspati (bRhaspati, also known as guru), the devata in charge of the planet
Jupiter, with the help of his disciple Vayu (vAyu) who is in charge of the one of the elements
of nature- the wind. Ultimately, they were guided by Lord Siva, and hence it was installed at
the present location - Guruvayur. The name Guruvayur comes from the combination guru +
vAyu (the devatas who installed the deity of Lord Krishna) and the word oor which means
"place" in the South Indian languages Malayalam and Tamil. Here, the deity form of Lord
Krishna is known affectionately as guruvAyUrappan - the Lord of Guruvayur.
Little Lord Krishna, the deity of Guruvayur
Bhagavata Purana (srImad bhAgavata purANa, srImad bhAgavatam, or simply

bhAgavatam) is a divine revelation compiled by Sri Veda Vyasa Maharishi, consisting of
18,000 verses. The book extols devotion to Supreme Lord Hari, and is praised by both
24
scholars and the lay as "the essence of all Vedic literature". Sri Narayana Bhattathiri
(nArAyaNa bhaTTatiri) was a great devotee of Lord Krishna who belonged to the 16th
Century. He identified with the Advaita school of Vedanta. When he was once inflicted with a
severe illness Sri Bhattathiri prayed to the Lord of Guruvayur. The devotional outpourings
came in the form of a 1000-verse summary of the contents of the Bhagavata Purana, known
as "Narayaneeyam" (nArAyaNIyam).
Lord Krishna's abode in Guruvayur, Kerala
In the last several posts, we have been dealing with the subject of the threefold acts of
creation, sustenance, and destruction by Lord Narayana. We shall now wind up this
discussion with relevant verses from Narayaneeyam which summarize the Lord's threefold
activity. Let us now look at the following slokas-
vyakta-avyaktam-idaM na ki~ncit-abhavat prAk prAkRta-prakSaye

mAyAyAM guNa-sAmya-ruddha-vikRtau tvayi-AgatAyAM layam |
no mRtyuH-ca tat-AmRtaM ca sama-bhUnnohno na rAtreH sthitiH
tatra-ekaH-tvam-ashiSyathAH kila para-Ananda-prakAsha-AtmanA ||
(Narayaneeyam, 5:1)
Translation:
"When the earlier great deluge occurred, the world was nonexistent and mAyA
(the primordial seed of material existence) was merged in Thy (Lord Krishna's)
Supreme Form indiscernible in any way. There was no life or death and no day or
night. Only Thy brilliant form of Supreme Bliss existed."
In a previous post, we saw that, according to Vedic Sanatana Dharma, the universe is
created, sustained, and re-absorbed by Lord Hari. This entire process is repeated in a
cyclical manner. At the end of each cycle, there is a period known as mahApraLaya ("great
deluge") when the entire material universe exists without name and form in a subtle,
indescribable manner. In another post, we saw that this indescribable matter is described as
"avyakta" in the Vedic scriptures. The Narayaneeyam verse that we just saw above confirms
these scriptural statements. It describes the dissolved state of the material universe during
this great deluge, before the universe was created by Lord Hari as it exists today.
25
Lord Manu, the author of Manu-Smriti also confirms that the material universe existed in a
very subtle, indiscernible form during the cosmic night:
This (universe) existed in the shape of Darkness, unperceived, destitute

of distinctive marks, unattainable by reasoning, unknowable, wholly
immersed, as it were, in deep sleep.
(Manu Smriti, I.5)
Manu Bhagavan then proceeds to describe the brilliance of the Lord as He shone during the
great deluge, in the manner agreed by the above Narayaneeyam verse:
He who can be perceived by the internal organ (alone), who is subtle,

indiscernible, and eternal, who contains all created beings and is
inconceivable, shone forth of his own (will).
(Manu Smriti, I.7)
One may ask thus-- "When it is said in scripture that 'the universe did not exist', does it
mean that the Lord created everything out of nothing"? Not at all, says Sri Narayana
Bhattathiri in the next verse:
kAlaH karma guNAH-ca jIvanivahA vishvaM ca kArye vibho!

cilliilAratimeyuSi tvayi tadA nirliinatAmAyayuH |
teSAM na-eva vadanti-asatvamayi bhOH-shakti-AtmanA
no cet kiM gagana-prasUna-sadRshAM bhUyo bhavet-sambhavaH ||
(Narayaneeyam, 5:2)
Translation:
"Oh Lord ! At that point of time everything in the Universe viz. Kala (time), Karma
(action), Guna (mood), the Jivathmas (individual souls ) all lay merged in Thy
supreme form. But they were never nonexistent or imaginary like flowers of the
sky. They were ensconced in Thee and re-emerged after the deluge."
For how long did this state last, and how did creation begin? Narayana Bhattathiri answers
this for us thus:
evam-ca dvi-parArdha-kAla-vigatAvIkSAM sisRkSAtmikAM

bibhrANe tvayi cukSubhe tribhuvanIbhAvAya mAyA svayam |
mAyAtaH khalu kAla-shaktiH-akhila-adRSTaM svabhAvo-api ca
prAdurbhUya guNAn vikAsya vidadhuH-tasyAH sahAya-kriyAm ||
(Narayaneeyam, 5:3)
Translation:
This state lasted for one hundred Brahma-years. Then with the desire for creation
Thou activated the mAyA (primordial matter) with a single glance and the
evolution of the three worlds began. From the mAyA came "kAla-shakti", the
hidden resultant karmA (the balance of good and bad deeds committed in the
past) of individual souls and their svabhAvas (inborn dispositions). From these
26
evolved the guNas (qualities/natures) and helped mAyA to manifest as the
universe.
Hence, Sri Bhattathiri says that all the cosmic forces that maintain orderliness and justice in
the universe were activated by Lord Vishnu by a single glance of his eyes. One hundred
Brahma-years is the lifetime of one Brahma (four-faced deva), and is approximately equal
to 310 Trillion human years. In the past, innumerable Brahmas have lived through their full
tenures, and more will continue to do so. Fifty Brahma-years is known as a parArdha in
Vedic cosmology. In other words, after the lifetime of every Brahma, the universe enters
into another cosmic deluge lasting for 100 Brahma-years, but actually there is no Brahma
during this time.
The next verse (5:4) of the Narayaneeyam describes Supreme Lord Narayana as the
witness to the entire process of creation, and that he is not enveloped by mAyA, the cause
of delusion and suffering in the material universe. Everything in this universe is ordained by
the Lord, according to the principles of dharma (justice) and karma (past good/bad deeds).
Under the Lord's ordinance, primordial matter then evolved into the principle known as
mahAn, then into aha"nkAra (ego-principle). The ego-principle further got divided into the
three modes: sAttvika (goodness), rAjasa (passion), and tAmasa (ignorance). From the
tAmasa ego-principle, the principles behind the five modes of perception (tanmAtra-s) --
sabda, sparsha, rUpa, rasa, and gandha (sound, touch, sight, taste, and smell), as well as
the five material elements -- space, wind, fire, water, and earth, came into existance one
after the other in an interleaved manner. This creation is described in the following
Narayaneeyam verse:
shabdAd vyoma tataH sasarjitha vibho! sparshaM tato mArutam

tasmAd rUpamato maho-athaH-ca rasaM toyaM ca gandhaM mahIm |
evam mAdhava! pUrva-pUrva-kalanAd-AdyAdadharmAnvitaM
bhUtagrAmamimaM tvayeva bhagavan! prAkAshayaH-tAmasAt ||
(Narayaneeyam, 5:8)
Translation:
"From sound (sabda) Thou created the space (AkAsha). From that came touch
(sparsha); from which air (vAyu) was born; from that came the visual form
(rUpa); from visual form came fire (agni); from fire came taste (rasa); then came
water (Apa) from taste; from water came smell (gandha) and from smell earth
(prithvI) was formed. Thus Oh Lord Madhava ! Thou caused the group of elements
to manifest from tamasa egoism with each one of them having the qualities of
those created prior to them and hence all of them being interconnected."
27
In the Causal Ocean, the Supreme Lord first separates the qualities of the material
elements (ether, air, fire, water, and earth) by His glance.
Thanks: www.glimpseofkrishna.com. Copyrighted image and caption reproduced with permission of the artist
Smt. Madhavapriya Devi
The above creation process by Lord Vishnu is known as samaSTi sRSTi or "aggregate
creation" in English. The samaSTi sRSTi process continues further until four-faced Brahma
deva is created by the Supreme Lord Narayana from the Divine Lotus springing from His
navel. After that, the Lord ordains Brahma to be the agent for the next stage in creation
known as vyaSTi sRSTi or "individual creation". It is then that Lord Brahma, under the
instructions of the Lord, proceeds to create other beings -- from devas, gandharvas, angels,
elves, demons, men, animals, down to plants, and further down to simplest single-cell
organisms.
We close the discussion of Lord Hari's relation to the cosmos and His creation, which we
have been running for weeks, with the following excellent summary given by Sri Adi
Shankaracharya in his introductory chapter to his commentary on the Bhagavad Gita:
"sa Adi-kartA nArAyaNAkhyo viSNUH... sa ca bhagavAn jnAna-aishvarya-shakti-

bala-vIrya-tejobhiH sadA sampannas triguNAtmikAm vaiSNavIm svAm mAyAm
mUla-prakRtim vashIkrtya, ajo-avyayo bhUtAnAm Ishvaro nitya-shuddha-buddha-
mukta svabhAvaH"
(Adi Sankara's Introduction
to Bhagavad Gita)
Translation:
"Lord Vishnu (all-pervading), known as Narayana, is the primordial creator... The

Lord, possessed of infinite knowledge, supremacy, power, strength, might, and
vigor, controls the mAyA -- belonging to Him as Vishnu -- the primordial matter
that is the first cause composed of the three natures (goodness, passion, and
ignorance). The Lord is unborn and indestructible, and is by nature Eternal, Pure,
Intelligent, and Free."
So far, we have explored the greatness and supremacy (paratva) of the Lord. Starting with
28
the next post, we will start exploring his other great aspect, namely His compassion and
accessibility (saulabhya) to all of His creatures.
29
Periya Vachan Pillai: The Lord is accessible and friendly to His
creatures (Saulabhyam, Saushilyam)
In the last several posts, we have seen about the immense potency and glory of the
Supreme God, Narayana. His greatness is clearly evident from the fact that He is (1) The
Supreme Cause and Creator who dwells both within and beyond the realm of the created
universes. (2) The ultimate controller who has at His mercy every being from Lord Brahma
to a blade of grass. This can make one wonder: can we, the powerless beings inhabiting a
tiny planet in this universe ever approach Him with love, knowing His greatness? If the Lord
be compared to the sun, are we not like fireflies? What would happen to a firefly if it
approaches the sun? Won't it get burned to ashes?
In response to the above, our timeless Vedic Sanatana Dharma and our Acharyas say the
following: The truth is that Lord Vasudeva is very merciful, compassionate, and gentle to
His creatures, if we approach Him with true devotional reverence and love. He cares for
each one of us like a mother is concerned with the well-being of every child of hers. In order
that He is approachable to us, He takes various pleasing forms that facilitate reverential
worship and adoration on our part. He is not like the blazing sun to His devotees, though He
is omnipotent. He appears in this world in the form of adorable avatAr-s like Rama and
Krishna, to bless His devotees. Even for those like us, who did not have the good fortune to
live in those ancient times when we could see the Lord in the form of Rama and Krishna
directly, He takes various forms as arcA-mUrtis (temple deities) -- forms such as Lord
Ranganatha of Srirangam, Lord Venkateswara of Tirupati, Lord Jagannath of Puri, Lord of
Udupi, Lord of Dwaraka etc. His quality of being easily accessible in those forms to His
creatures is known as saulabhyam, and His willingness to manifest Himself "as one among
us" is known as saushIlyam.
In a previous post, we discussed about Azhwars and their works -- the ancient Tamil poet-
saints who rendered the hard-to-understand Sanskrit Vedas in simple Tamil as the Divya
Prabandha. Sri Periya Vachan Pillai (periya-vAccAn-piLLai) is a great Acharya who belonged
to the Ramanuja school. His greatest gift to humanity are his commentaries on the Divya
Prabandha, the Tamil Veda. Since we are going to begin this new chapter on the Lord's
saulabhyam and saushIlyam, we begin with the following invocation to Acharya Periya
Vachan Pillai:
shriimatkRSNasamAhvAya namo yAmunasUnave

yatkaTAkSaikalakSyANAM sUlpaH shriidharaH sadA
Translation:
"Salutations to Sri Periya Vachan Pillai, the son of yAmuna, and to whose
followers (those who are the target of his grace), Lord Sridhara is easily
obtained."
Swami Nammazhwar is one of the greatest among Azhwars. He is counted as the fifth of the
twelve Azhwars. Another appellation of him in Tamil goes as "vEdam tamizh seyda mARan"
(the one who translated the Vedas in Tamil). This is because Nammazhwar's four works,
tiruviruttam, tiruvAsiriyam, periya-tiruvandAdi, and tiruvAimozhi are compared to the four
Vedas -- Rig, Yajur, Atharva, and
Sama. All these four works are hymnal in nature, and have the nature of overwhelming the
30
sincere reader with emotional outpourings of bhakti (devotion) and love for the Lord, while
at the same time explaining complex philosophical concepts.
Nammazhwar was also a great devotee of the Lord, and showed particular involvement in
the Lord's avatAr as Krishna. He has said in his works: "for me, Lord Krishna alone is food,
water, and everything" ("uNNum sORu, parugum nIr, tinnum veRRilai ellAm kaNNan").
Swami Ramanujacharya's Srivaishnava tradition, to this day, revere Swami Nammazhwar as
"kRSNa-tRSNA-tattvam", which means one who always had "tRSNA" (thirst) for "kRSNa"
(Lord Krishna). Sri U. Ve. Velukkudi Krishnan Swami, a great modern-day orator who gives
discourses on Vedic Sanatana Dharma says thus in his Tamil discourse on "Eight and Nine
[1]
types of Devotion" --
"If one were asked to draw a picture of Lord Krishna, one knows how to do it.
However, if one were asked to draw a picture of Krishna Bhakti (Devotion to Lord
Krishna) how would one do it? The answer is very simple -- draw a picture of
Nammazhwar, for he is not just a person with devotion, he is devotion
personified."
A portrait of Krishna Bhakti
The Lord's avatar as Krishna is best-known for His approachability and gentleness, as He
sported with the common village folk during His time as a child growing up in Gokul and
Nandagram. It is therefore appropriate that our first look at the Lord's saulabhyam and
saushIlyam should be from the words of none other than Nammazhwar. After contemplating
on the lotus feet of the Azhwar, let us have a look at the following Thiruvaimozhi verse:
31
"pattuDai aDiyavarkku eLiyavan பத்துைட யடியவர்க்
"பத்துைட
piRargaLukku ariya ெகள
ெகளிியவன் பிரர்களுக் கா
காிிய
vittagan malarmagan virumbum வித்தகன் மலர்மகள்

nam arumperal aDigaL விரும்பும்நம் அரும்ெபற லடிகள்
mattaRu kaDaiveNNey kaLavinil மத்தறுகைடெவண்ெணய்

uraliDai AppuNDu களவ
களவிினி லுரலிைட யாப்புண்டு
ettiRam uralinODu iNaindirundu எத்த

எத்திிற முரலிேன
முரலிேனாா டிைணந்த
டிைணந்திிருந்
Engiya eLivE." ேதங்க
ேதங்கிிய எள
எளிிேவ
ேவ."
(Thiruvaimozhi 1.3.1)
Translation:
"He (the Lord) is easily accessible to those who are devoted to Him, (but) is
virtually inaccessible to others who are not devoted. He is truly amazing. He is
liked by Mother Lakshmi who has the lotus as her birth-place, and is very hard to
reach. Yet it is the same Lord who let himself be punished for stealing butter, by
letting Himself be tied to a mortar. Moreover, He stayed tied to the mortar as if
helpless. He is indeed easy to approach and attainable for His servants!"
We have to understand the above verse from Acharya Periya Vachan Pillai's own words. The
Acharya has written a very elaborate commentary on Nammazhwar's Thiruvaimozhi, known
as irupattinAlAyirap-paDi in the maNipravALa style of Tamil. Going through Periya Vachan
Pillai's commentary to the verse quoted above (Thiruvaimozhi 1.3.1) is a great pleasure for
[2]
the devotee. Let us simply follow and analyze the following extracts from the same:
முதற்பா
"முதற்ப ாட்டில் ெச
ெசௗௗலப்யத்ைத உபேதச
உபேதசிிக்ைகக்க
க்ைகக்காாக அவத
அவதா ாரங்கைள அனுசந்த
அனுசந்திித்தவர்
த்தவர்,
ெத
ெதாாடங்க
டங்கிின உபேதசத்ைத மறந்து கிருஷ்ண
ருஷ்ணா ாவத
வதா ாரத்த
ரத்திில் நவந
நவநீதீ ெசௗர்யத்ரத்த
தெசௗ ர்யத்ரத்திிேல
தாமகப்பட்டு அழுந்துக
அழுந்துகிிறார்
ர்."
Gist:
"Having forgotten that he took up the subject of the Lord's avatars to illustrate his
gentle and approachable nature, Swami Nammazhwar immerses himself in the
Lord's divine sportive act involving the stealing of butter, during his avatar as
Krishna."
32
Lord Krishna's avatar is well-known to the world. The Lord
blessed Devaki and Vasudeva by being born as their son
inside the prison of the city of Mathura. He was the darling of
His foster parents Yashodha and Nandagopa. He spent His
childhood as a mischievous lad and mingled with common
village folk. Lord Krishna used to steal butter and curd stored
in the houses of cowherd folk, and the womenfolk used to
complain to Yashodha about His mischief. Once Yashodha was
extremely fed-up with all the complaints and decided to tie up
Lord Krishna to a mortar (grinding stone) as a punishment for
His mischief.
The Lord has performed many miraculous deeds as a child,

but also let Himself be chastised by His foster parents for His
mischief. However, there is no doubt that the village folk, in
their hearts, used to love every part of their experience with
little Krishna. Though He is the omnipotent creator and Lord
of the entire Cosmos, He disguised Himself to bless the village folk in whose eyes He was
just an adorable child.
Let us continue further with what Nammazhwar is saying in the Thiruvaimozhi verse: "The
Lord is easily accessible to those who are devoted to Him." Does that mean only to those
who worship Him by meditation, chanting, etc? Nay, says Periya Vachan Pillai:
பக்திி சப்தத்த
"பக்த சப்தத்தாால் இங்கு பரபக்த்ய
பரபக்த்யா ாதிகைளச் ெச ெசாால்லுக
ல்லுகிிரதன்று
ரதன்று; பக்த
பக்திியுபக்ரமம
யுபக்ரமமா ான
அத்ேவஷம
அத்ேவஷமா ாத்ரத்ைதச் ெச
ெசாால்க
ல்கிிறது
றது. தாழ்ந்த
ழ்ந்தாாரக்கு முகங்ேக
முகங்ேகா ாடுக்குெமன்க
டுக்குெமன்கிிற
குணப்ரகர
குணப்ரகரண ணமாைகயைகயா ாேல (உைட) இம்ம இம்மா ாத்ரத்ைதக் கனக்க உைடைமய
உைடைமயா ாகச்
ெச
ெசாால்லுக
ல்லுகிிறது
றது. 'வ
விண்ணுள
ண்ணுளா ாாிலுஞ் சா ீ ியர்
யர்' என்று இங்ேக பகவதனுபவம் பண்ணுவ பண்ணுவா ாைர
அவ்வருக
அவ்வருகா ாக நிைனத்த
ைனத்திிருக்கும் பகவதப
பகவதபிிப்ரப்ரா
ாயத்த
யத்தா ேல. (அடியவர்) - இதுவும்
ாேல
பகவதப
பகவதபிிப்ர
ப்ராாயத்த
யத்தாாேல
ேல. ஆனுகூல்ய ேலசம் குவ குவா ாலாயிருக்ைக
ருக்ைக."
Gist:
"Nammazhwar is not using the term 'devotion' in the sense of ritual worship and
deep heartfelt reverence/adoration. In this context, the simple act of resolving to
not be antagonistic to the Lord is being meant. That simple resolution alone is the
first step towards reaching sublime devotion. This is said in order to highlight that
the Lord graces with compassion even people who are in the lowest strata. Thus,
'devotion' here means being full of non-animosity to the Lord."
Sri Periya Vachan Pillai then goes on: "The Lord offers Himself and nothing else, as a
gift to those who are thus friendly to Him. Did He not speak to the monkey-king
Sugriva, thus: 'Oh Sugriva! Of what use is rescuing Sita, if you suffer the slightest
harm because of this quest of mine?' and showed His willingness to even abandon
His beloved consort Lakshmi, who is ever at His service, for that monkey-king who
was His acquaintance only for a few days? Did He not serve as a lowly messenger
to the five Pandavas? Did He not serve as a lowly charioteer to Arjuna?"
Does this mean that the Lord offers Himself as a servant to even those who are antagonistic
to Him such as Ravana, Kamsa, etc? Not at all, says the Acharya: "In dealing with
Ravana etc., He does not let Himself be humbled." The Acharya then proceeds to say:
33
"(வித்தகன்) விஸ்மயந
ஸ்மயநீய
ீ ன் யேச
யன். யேசாாைதக்கு பவ்யன
பவ்யனாாயிருக்க
ருக்கிிற இருக்க
இருக்கிிற இருப்ப
இருப்பிிேல
யமள
யமளா ார்ஜ
ர்ஜுுனர்க்கு அனப
அனபிிபவன
பவனீய
ீ னாயிருக்ைக
யனா ருக்ைக."
Gist:
"He is astonishing. Even as he was bound by Yashodha, He showed to Yamala and

Arjuna that He cannot be overpowered."
The Acharya, Sri Periya Vachan Pillai, recalls here an

amazing incident involving little Lord Krishna. We saw
above that Lord Krishna let Himself be punished by
mother Yashodha for mischief. He was thus tied to a kind
of grinding stone. Lord Krishna then slowly dragged the
mortar along and went out of the residence of
Nandagopa. He went in between two trees (named
"Yamala" and "Arjuna") and the mortar got stuck in the
gap. With great force, He continued to drag the mortar
snapping up and uprooting the two trees. The Lord did
this willingly, in order to redeem Nalakuvara and
Manigriva who were cursed into taking the two trees as
their bodily forms. Nalakuvara and Manigriva were the
sons of Kubera who were cursed into this pitiable state by
none other than sage Narada. The sage had also
promised that the Supreme Lord alone will be able to
relieve them from this plight. Fully aware of this, Lord
Krishna uprooted the two trees with the mortar tied to His
waist. Having thus been liberated by the Lord Himself,
and fully aware that He alone was that little Krishna, they
offered their obeisances to Him and returned to their
abode. Thus the little Krishna showed that He was both (1) accessible and gentle to those
like Yashodha who love Him, as well as (2) He has supreme transcendental miraculous
powers that is capable of redeeming anyone from any sin. It is none other than Him who
can display these two apparently contradictory facets in one go! Thus He is truly amazing
and astonishing, says Sri Periya Vachan Pillai.
The Acharya then says: "The Azhwar is saying that the Lord is none other than the
beloved of Mother Lakshmi who is praised in the Vedas as 'the Queen to all
beings'. This shows His unparalleled greatness, and He shines with lordliness and
compassion. Having thus described His glory, Sri Nammazhwar then tries to
explain His gentleness and approachability by starting with His Krishna avatar, but
ends up recollecting, enjoying, and swooning in the Lord's divine playful act of
stealing butter." He details this further:
அவா
"அவ ாப்தஸமஸ்தக
ப்தஸமஸ்தகா ாமன் தனக்கு ஒரு குைறயுண்ட
குைறயுண்டா
ாய்
ய், அது ேநர்ெக
ேநர்ெகா ாடு ேநர்
கிடவ
டவாாைமய
ைமயா ாேல களவ
களவிிேலய
ேலயிிழிந்து
ந்து, அது தைலக்கட்டப்ெபற
தைலக்கட்டப்ெபறா ாேத
ேத, வாயது ைகயத
ைகயதா
ாக
அகப்பட்டு
அகப்பட்டு, கட்டுண்டு
கட்டுண்டு, அடியுண்டு நிற்கும் நிைலையச் ெச
ெசா
ால்லுக
ல்லுகிிறது
றது"
Gist:
34
"This Lord, who does not have anything unfulfilled, who is complete and content
by His divine nature as the Lord of all, the owner of the entire universe, does
something diametrically opposite to it in this divine pastime. He gets into the
business of stealing freshly-churned butter. Not only that, He (deliberately)
pathetically fails in this act and gets caught red-handed. He then lets himself be
tied with a rope and beaten up by Yashodha. This state of the Lord is described (by
the Azhwar)."
The revered Acharya Sri Periya Vachan Pillai explains further. The gist I provide in English
should be self-explanatory:
"(உரலிேன
உரலிேனா ாடிைணந்த
டிைணந்திிருந்து) உரல் மூச்சுவ மூச்சுவிிடிலும் தான் மூச்சுவ
மூச்சுவிிடாேத
அச
அசிிதவ்ய
தவ்யாாவ்ருத்தன
வ்ருத்தனா ாயிருந்தபடி (எங்க எங்கிியெவள
யெவளிிவு) இந்த சுத்தைனக் கள்ளெனன்று
கட்டின
கட்டினாால் ெப
ெபாாறுக்கம
றுக்கமா ாட்ட
ட்டாாேத அழத்ெத அழத்ெதா ாடங்குேம
டங்குேம! அவள் "வ வாய்வ
ய்வாாய்
ய்" என்ற
என்றா ால் ஏற
ஏறிிட்ட
த்வன
த்வனிி இழ
இழிியவ
யவிிடம
டமா ாட்ட
ட்டாாேத பயப்பட்டு நிற்கும் ற்கும். (எள
எளிிவு) ெச
ெசௗ லப்யம். (எத்த
ௗலப்யம் எத்திிறம்)
இெதன்னபடி
இெதன்னபடி! "यत यतोो वाचो िनवत
िनवतर्न्न्ते
र् त" े என்று ேவதம் மண் ீண்ட ட பரத்வத்ைத எல்ைலக்க
எல்ைலக்கா ாணல
ணலா ாம்
ம்;
இந்த ெச
ெசௗ
ௗலப்யம் தைர காணெவ ணெவா ாண்ண
ண்ணா ாதாயிருந்தத
ருந்ததீ!ீ என்க
என்கிிறார்
ர்."
Gist:
"Nammazhwar says that the Lord remained tied to the mortar in such a manner
that, if the mortar had a life of its own, it would weep being unable to see the
Purest One letting Himself be called a 'thief' and be punished like this! He was
obedient to Yashodha, and (act as if He) was trembled by her command. What to
say of this great act that shows His approachable nature! The Vedic scriptures say
thus about His lordly potency: 'Failing to reach Him, speech and thought turn
[3]
back' . It may even be possible to find a limit to His omnipotence, but it is
certainly impossible to find a limit to His approachability and friendliness!"
Let us again offer our obeisances to the lotus feet of Nammazhwar, Sri Periya Vachan Pillai,
and Supreme Lord Krishna.
(to be continued)
Tailpiece:
In addition to providing immense pleasure and awe to devotees, the sportive pastimes of
Lord Krishna - His residence in the community of cowherds and His butter-stealing act, also
convey a deep philosophical meaning. This is confirmed by the Vedas themselves. The
Brahmabindu Upanishad (a.k.a. Amritabindu Upanishad) has been quoted by Sri Adi
Shankara and other great Acharyas of the past. At the end of this Upanishad, we find the
[4]
following statement :
19. Of the cows of different colors, milk is of one color only. The wise
man regards essential nature of the individual soul unto the milk, and
the different beings as the cows.
20. Quite concealed in all beings dwells the Supreme Lord in His
essential nature, as butter in milk; ever churn, O aspirant, with the
mind as the churning rod!
35
21. With the churning rope of knowledge, one should see the Supreme
Lord, just like fire is churned with a wooden rod. 'My Supersoul is that
indivisible, immutable, and tranquil Brahman', so it is said.
22. In Whom reside all beings, and Who resides in all beings by virtue
of His being the giver of grace to all – My Supersoul is that vAsudeva,
the Supreme Being.
It may be recalled that "Vasudeva (vAsudeva)" is one of the names of Lord Krishna. It is
then clear that "stealing the butter" conveys the idea that we, the individual souls, belong to
the Lord and are His property. The Lord Himself will come and rescue our souls from the
mire of materialistic life, like He stole the butter from the pots.
Acknowledgements:
• http://acharya.org/ for providing the invocatory verse on Sri Periya Vachan Pillai.
• http://www.maransdog.com/ and Sri Vaishnava Sri for the free download of
Thiruvaimozhi and its various commentaries.
• Humanity is permanently indebted to two great Vedic Srivaishnava scholars of the
twentieth century: Puttur Sri U. Ve. Krishnaswamy Iyengar, and Kanchi Sri P. B.
Annangaracharya Swamy. I used only their Tamil commentaries, available for free
download here.
• We are also indebted to Sri U. Ve. Velukkudi Krishnan Swami for his wonderful
discourses on Bhakti and Sanatana Dharma that he has been giving in various
branches of the media (TV, Internet, the Music Store, etc.). This article is greatly
inspired by Swami's discourse on Bhakti.
Notes:
[1] This quote is from Sri U. Ve. Velukkudi Krishnan Swami's Tamil discourse titled "Ashta
Vidha Bhakti - Nava Vidha Bhakti" series in his "Bhakti" audio CD. The mp3 audio CD can be
purchased from here or here.
[2] The transcription given here is different from that of the original document
downloadable for free here, as the latter uses Tamil Grantha characters not available in
universal fonts.
[3] Taittiriya Upanishad, II.iv.1
[4] Translation courtesy: Sri Vishnu Chitta Vijayam, Sri U. Ve. Krishnaswamy Iyengar, Vol.
1 Part 2. The verses quoted from the Brahmabindu (Amritabindu) Upanishad can be found
here.
36
Thousand Names of the Divine Lord: Might or Modesty?
Acharya Sri Adi Sankara's service to the cause of preserving Vedic Sanatana Dharma from
the onslaught of Buddhism, Jainism, and atheism (cArvAka philosophy) is unparalleled. He
wrote commentaries on the Vedantic philosophical canon (prastAna traya) consisting of
Upanishads, the Brahma-Sutras, and the Bhagavad Gita.
Acharya Shri Adi Shankara with his disciples
During his time, Sri Adi Sankara is also said to have written a commentary on Sri Vishnu
Sahasranama (shrI viSNu sahasranAma), the thousand Divine Names of Supreme Lord
Vishnu. The Thousand Divine Names occur as part of the great epic (known as itihAsa)
Mahabharata. The epic describes the great war between five princes, known as Pandavas,
and their evil cousins known as the Kauravas. It happened during the time that Lord Vishnu
came down to the earth as Krishna avatAr, and hence contains a lot of stories about Him.
The elderly Prince Bhishma, who was the beloved of the Pandavas and their great preceptor,
fell in battle and was ensnared into a bed of arrows. In that state, he instructed Yudhishtra
and the other Pandavas on various aspects of morality and ethics. Finally, he instructed the
Pandavas that the greatest dharma (ethical way of action) is to chant the divine names of
the Supreme Lord Vishnu. Thus, the Divine Names of Lord Vishnu were instructed to the
Pandavas, in the presence of Lord Vishnu Himself in the form of Krishna. The names detail
about various avatArs that the Lord undertook as well as describe His distinguishing Divine
Qualities.
37
Preceptor Bhishma on a bed of arrows instructing the Pandavas as Lord Krishna
looks over
Sri Adi Sankaras' lucid commentary is perhaps the earliest available exposition on the Divine
Names. This work has been referred to by Sri Narayana Bhattathiri, the composer of
Narayaneeyam, a 16th century scholar of the Advaita Vedanta school. We also have a gloss
on Sri Sankara's explanations of the names by a late (15th/16th century) commentator
known as Taraka Brahmananda Sarasvati (tAraka brahmAnanda sarasvati). Another
important commentary on Vishnu Sahasranama commentary came from Srimad Ramanuja's
Vishishtadvaita school of Vedanta philosophy. This work, coming down as a great gift to us,
was the contribution of none other than Sri Parasara Bhattar [1] and is titled "bhagavad-
guNa-darpaNa", which means "The Mirror of the Divine Qualities of the Supreme Lord". In
this work, Sri Bhattar has also made at least a couple of references to Sri Adi Sankarar's
commentary on the Divine Names.
Sri Parashara Bhattar was the son of Sri kUrattAlvAn -- a senior disciple of Sri
Ramanujacharya himself. Sri Bhattar's Acharya (Guru/Teacher) was Sri Embar (embAr)
a.k.a. Govinda Bhatta (govinda bhaTTa) -- the maternal cousin of Sri Ramanujacharya. Let
us then salute Sri Parasara Bhattar with the following invocation and then proceed with the
topic of our discussion:
shrI parAshara bhaTTAryaH shri ra"ngesha purohitaH |
shrIvatsA"nka sutaH shrImAn shreyase me-astu bhUyase ||
Translation: "May Sri Parasara Bhattar, the son of shrI shrIvatsA"nka (a.k.a. kUresha or
kUrattAlvAn), who has superior wealth of knowledge, and serving as the PurOhithar for Lord
RanganAtha bless me with all auspiciousness!"
38
Acharya Shri Parasara Bhattar
I came across an interesting article that compares the two great commentaries to the Divine
Names by Adi Shankara and Sri Bhattar here. The source for the article seems to be a
commentary in Tamil of the Divine Names by the great Srivaishnava scholar of the 20th
Century, Sri Prativadi Bhayankaram Annangaracharya (PBA) Swami. Sri PBA Swamy
observes that Sri Shankara's explanations are mostly in light of the might, valor, glory,
immaculateness, omnipotence, etc. which constitute the Divine Quality known as
"paratvam". Sri Bhattar's explanations, however, mostly elaborate on the Lord's
saulabhyam and saushIlyam. In the last article, we dealt with the Lord's Divine Quality of
being accessible (saulabhyam) and readiness to act and mingle with us as though he is one
among us (saushIlyam). The article I came across then proceeds to list a few instances
where the commentators Shri Shankara and Shri Bhattar focus on one of these two
contrasting aspects each. In this post, I endeavor to point out and elaborate on a few more
such instances not covered in that article. (Credit goes to ahobilavalli.org [2-5] for hosting
the clear and easy-to-understand meanings of the Divine Names along with the
explanations given by Shri Shankara and Shri Bhattar which made my task easy.)
(1) Parigraha (In Adi Shankara's enumeration, this is name #420, in Parasara
Bhattar's ordering, this is #421):
This name occurs in the following verse of the Vishnu Sahasranama:
RtuH sudarshanaH kAlaH parameSThI parigrahaH |

ugraH saMvatsaro dakSo vishrAmo vishvadakSiNaH ||58||
Shri Adi Shankara's explanation of this name goes as:
"sharaNArthibhiH parito gRhyate sarvagatatvAt, parito j~nyAyate iti vA, patra

puSpAdikaM bhaktairarpitaM parigRhNatIti vA parigrahaH"
There are three meanings that Sri Shankara gives. The first meaning that Adi Shankara
Acharya gives is: "One who is approached on all sides by His devotees (those who
39
surrender to Him)." Obviously, this is an explanation given in light of the Lord's Might,
Power, and Glory. One is almost reminded of Sri Andal's (one of the Twelve Azhwars) work
in Tamil (which is again part of the Divya Prabandha) known as Tiruppavai (tiruppAvai)
where she says:
a"nkaN mA ~nyAlattu arasar abhimAna

bha"ngamAy vandu nin paLLik kaTTiR kIzhE
sa"ngam iruppAr pOl vandu talai peydom
Translation: "Just as those kings from all over the world who you defeated in war
came to the leg of Thy Divine Couch and surrendered to Thee with their egos
destroyed, we have now come here to take refuge in Thee, with our heads bowing
down in modesty."
The other two explanations given by Sri Shankara to the name Parigraha are: "One who can
be reached in many different ways" and "One who gets many offerings from His devotees,
such as flower, fruits, leaves, etc."
The explanation given by Shri Parasara Bhattar are again very different. This Acharya says:
"atra tatra ca parito grahaH asya iti parigrahaH. svasambandhi-

paurajAna-padatat-sambandhinAm taddevatA tadArAma tarudUrvadeH
api parama pada prApaNAt"
Sri Bhattar interprets the preceding few names to this one as to do with the Lord's avatar as
Rama, and the name "Parigraha" to Bhattar is the last one that has to do with Rama in this
set. Hence, he interprets the name as: "Here, there, and everywhere, He accepts all.
When Lord Rama went back to Vaikuntam, the paramapadam (paradise) of Him as
Lord Vishnu, after the purpose of His avatAr was completed, He took with Him
every resident of the city of Ayodhya including, plants, trees, etc." The Lord in His
avatar as Sri Ramachandra, though born and raised as a Prince till the age of 24 in the
palace of King Dasaratha, mingled with everyone affably during His exile to the woods. That
includes the tribal chief Guha, the huntress Sabari, the vulture-king Jatayu, the monkey-
king Sugriva, etc. This and the very fact that He granted liberation to everyone, including
the lowest forms of life, who belonged to Ayodhya means that the Lord is indeed full of
saulabhyam and saushIlyam.
(2) Kumuda (AS# 807, PB# 813) :
This name occurs in the following verse of the Sahasranama:
kumudaH kundaraH kundaH parjanyaH pavano(a)nilaH |

amRtAMsho(a)mRtavapuH sarvaj~nyaH sarvatomukhaH ||99||
The explanation given by Shri Shankara is: "kuM dharaNIM bhArAvataraNaM kurvan
modayatIti kumudaH" meaning, "One who gladdens the earth by relieving it of its
burdens (i.e., evil forces)".
The explanation given by Shri Bhattar is: "kau prakRtimaNDala evataissaha modata iti
40
kumudaH" meaning, "One who likes to come down to this mundane material world
to enjoy the company of His devotees". In other words, the Lord's accessibility is
evident from the fact that He even likes to leave aside His supreme abode which is free
from all ills, to come down to this world where evil and amorality rules, just to enjoy the
company of His devotees!
The Lord likes to come down to the

Mother Earth approached in the form material world to enjoy the company of
of a cow the celestials, and finally His devotees.
Lord Narayana, supplicating to have
the burden of evil relieved.
Thanks: www.glimpseofkrishna.com. Copyrighted images reproduced with permission of the artist Smt.
Madhavapriya Devi
The rest of the Divine Names we are going to see in this post occur in the following verse of
the Sahasranama:
sulabhaH suvrataH siddhaH shatrujicchatrutApanaH |

nyagrodhodumbaro(a)shvat cANUrAndhra-niSUdanaH ||101||
(3) Nyagrodha-udumbara (AS# 822 & 823, PB# 827):
Shri Adi Shankara interprets the above as two names:
a. The first explanation he gives for "Nyagrodha" as: "nyak arvAk rohati sarveSAM upari
vyartata iti nyagrodhaH", meaning "One who, being primordial, is above all". The
Acharya also provides an alternate explanation to the same name as "sarvANi bhUtAni
nyakkRtya nijamAyAM vRNoti niruNaddhIti vA" meaning, "He who controls all
beings by veiling Himself with His Maya power".
b. For "Udumbara", Sri Shankara gives two explanations. The first one is:
"ambarAdudgataH kAraNatveneti udumbaraH" meaning, "He transcends the Ether,
41
Himself being its cause." The second interpretation is: "URk annam, tena tadAtmanA
vishvam poSayan udumbaraH" which translates to: "He that nourishes the universe
in the shape of (or being the pervader/inner soul of) food etc." Shri Shankara then
quotes the Veda (taittirIya brAhmaNa, 1.3.8 and 1.2.7), which says "Udumbara means
food" in support of this interpretation.
Sri Bhattar gives the following explanations for the parts "Nyagrodha" and "Udumbara",
then combines them to interpret "Nyagrodha-Udumbara" as a single name:
a. "Nyagrodha" - "kRtAnjalIbhI rudhyate svaprasAdaur-mukhyena vyavasthApyate

iti" meaning, "One who is controlled by His devotees by means of their folded
hands". In other words, the Lord is so benevolent to His devotees that His heart melts
when He sees His devotees approach Him with folded hands. Sri Bhattar then quotes the
following verse from Vishnu Dharmottara (33.105): a~njaliH paramA mudrA kSipram
devaprasAdinI (The sight of hands joined in supplication immediately pleases the Lord).
b. "Udumbara" - "sarvaguNaiH udgataM ambaraM paraM dhAma tadupalakSitA

lakSmI parijanAdayosyeti udumbaraH" meaning, "He Who has as the Supreme
Abode, the paradise Shri Vaikuntam, is Udumbarah. This abode is Supreme
because it has Lakshmi, and it rises above all other things by its magnificent
qualities".
Shri Bhattar then combines the above parts into one name with the following comment:
"atyucchRta sevyaH api atyanta-nIcAnAM api anuvartana sAdhyaH" meaning,
"Though He is sought after by the great residents of His Supreme Abode, He is
within easy reach of the lowest of people (as He does not demand much to be
pleased)."
(4) Sulabha (AS# 817, PB# 823): This is at least one instance where both the revered
commentators converge on the saulabhyam aspect of the Lord. I guess this is because the
name does not lend itself to any other explanation. Again, they give great enjoyment for the
devotee:
Shri Shankara explains the name as "patra-puSpa-AdibhiH bhaktimAtra-samarpitaiH

sukhena labhyata iti sulabhaH" meaning, "One who is easily attained by simple
offerings such as a leaf and a flower". He then quotes a verse from the Mahabharata in
support of this:
patreSu puSpeSu phaleSu toyeSvkrItalabhyeSu sadaiva

satsu |
bhaktyekalabhye puruSe purANe muktyai kathaM na kriyate prayatnaH

||
Translation:
"How can one fail to work for emancipation, when the ancient Purusha is capable
of being attained by devotion alone, worshipping Him with offerings of leaf,
flower, fruit, and water, which are always obtainable without much cost?"
The explanation given by Shri Bhattar is: "anarghaH-api mUlya bhAsena svIkartuM
42
sakhyaH" meaning, "Even though He is priceless, He is attained for a small price".
Sri Bhattar then quotes an instance in the Lord's pastimes as Krishna -- During Lord
Krishna's time on this earth, a lady with severely deformed face who makes sandal paste
offered Him some of the same and made Him visit her humble dwelling by seizing His garbs
and saying: "Come to my house!"
Conclusion: While elaborating on the Divine Names (Sahasranama), Shri Adi

Shankaracharya emphasizes the omnipotence, omniscience, might and other qualities of the
Lord related to His greatness, whereas Shri Bhattar dwells on the Lord's affability. In the
last two posts, we got to clearly understand the qualities of saulabhyam (approachability)
and saushIlyam (accessibility) of the Lord. Both are indispensable to our Lord. The CEO of a
big corporation may have a lot of influence, power, and might, but is not really accessible to
employees in the lowest strata of his organization. Your pet kitten at home may be easily
accessed and approached, but it cannot save you from evil forces and calamities. As He
combines these two aspects as part of His personality, our Lord is indeed unique! This
makes devotion to Him possible even for people with very little means. Thus, He is quite
benevolent and kind to us, even though He is the Lord of the entire cosmos.
From the next post onwards, we shall start on the next major Divine Quality, namely His
magnanimity, known as audAryam.
REFERENCES:
[1] http://www.ibiblio.org/sadagopan/acharyans/ac10.htm
[2] http://www.ahobilavalli.org/vishnu_sahasra_namam_vol1.pdf
43
Generosity (Audaryam) in Sri Sankara's Gita Bhashya -- Part 1
Our Supreme Lord of the Universe, who is known as Sriman Narayana, Lord Vasudeva, Lord
Vishnu, and by a thousand other names, possesses several divine auspicious qualities
(Kalyana Gunas). We dealt a little bit about His Paratvam (Lordliness), Saulabhyam
(Accessibility), and Saushilyam (Friendliness) till now. In the next few posts, we shall
experience Lord's quality of being generous (audAryam or magnanimity)
The Supreme Lord Narayana, after creating us, does not simply watch us suffer in this
imperfect world where evils such as greed, animosity, disease, and natural calamities are
abound. In contrast, the Lord provides everything He is capable of, by directly taking up the
act of protecting His creation. Let us briefly review His threefold activity to understand His
act of protection better:
We saw in a previous post that the Lord creates all the material elements, and then Lord
Brahma is born from the divine lotus that springs from His navel. In support of this, Sri Adi
Sankara, while commenting upon the words of Arjuna, says the following: Lord Krishna is
the one who is the cause of even Brahma, known as Hiranyagarbha, hence He is called the
Primordial Creator ["yato brahmaNo hiraNyagarbhasyApi Adi kartA kAraNaM atas tasmAd
Adi-kartre" Gita Bhashya, 11.37]. He is called Adi deva (Primal God) since He creates the
universe; He is called the purANa puruSa (Primordial Person) since even as He dwells within
all of us, He has always existed since time immemorial; He is the abode of all creatures at
the time of mahApralaya or universal dissolution ["tvam Adi-devo jagataH sraSTRtvAt,
puruSaH purI shayanAt, purANas cirantanaH, tvam evAsya vishvasya paraM prakRSTam
nidhAnam nidhIyate(a)smin jagat sarvam mahApralayAdau iti" Gita Bhashya, 11.38], and
that He is the 'Great-grand sire' of all since He is the father of even four-faced Brahma who
is popularly known as 'Grand sire' ["pitAmahasyApi pitA prapitAmahaH; brahmaNo(a)pi
pitAmahaH iti arthaH", Gita Bhashya, 11.39]
Lord Brahma takes over the task of further creation under the instructions of our Supreme
Lord. It is the Supreme Lord Vasudeva Himself who indirectly creates beings and destroys
them by being the inner-controller of Lord Brahma and Lord Siva. But He directly takes up
the act of sustenance for Himself. Thus, the popular conception of Lord Brahma as the
creator, Lord Vishnu as the protector, and Lord Siva as the destroyer is reconciled with the
Vedic and scholarly statement that it is indeed only Lord Narayana who performs the
threefold act of creation, sustenance, and dissolution of the entire universe, as we discussed
before in another post. This is exactly the explanation given by Sri Sankara in the Vishnu
Sahasranama Bhashya:
"rajoguNaM samAshritya viri~ncirUpeNa bhUtAni karotIti bhUtakRt |

tamOguNamAsthAya sa rudrAtmanA bhUtAni kRtanti kRNoti hinastIti vA bhUtakRt
| sattvaguNamadhiSThAya bhUtAni bibharti dhArayati poSayatIti vA bhUtabhRt"
(Sri Sankara's Vishnu Sahasranama Bhashya, Names #4 and #5)
Translation: "Through the mode of rajas (activity/passion) in the form of Brahma, He

creates beings and hence He is known as bhUtakRt. Or, using the mode of tamas
(ignorance/darkness) in the body of Rudra (Siva), He destroys beings and hence He is
known as bhUtakRt. Taking up the mode of sattva (goodness/stability) He (directly)
supports and protects all beings and hence He is known as bhUtabhRt".
44
Sri Sankara says later in the same text, while commenting on the divine name "subhujaH"
(#265), which means "beautiful-armed", that the Lord's arms are indeed beautiful as they
protect the universe ("shobhanA bhujAH jagadrakSAkarA asyeti subhujaH").
Thus, the act of resolving to protect His creatures itself is a sign of his magnanimity. It is
appropriate to ask thus: What is that greatest, priceless gift that the Lord can give that
serves as a best example of this ever-benevolent nature of Him? In my opinion, His greatest
gift to us is twofold: First, the Lord gives Himself to His devotees by being accessible to us
through His avatars. Secondly, He gives another priceless gift -- the scriptures, known as
shAstra-s that teach us dharma and adharma (good and evil) that provide the way for well-
being and prosperity, as well as the way to serve Him best. A very nice summary of these
two aspects of His generosity has been given to us by the great teacher, Acharya Sri Adi
Sankara. Let us then turn to Sri Adi Sankara's introduction to the Bhagavad Gita.
The story of Lord Krishna's birth, according to Sri Sankara:
Right after the invocatory verse ("nArAyaNaH paro-avyaktAt") that we saw in a previous
post, the Acharya proceeds with his commentary to the Bhagavad Gita as follows:
"sa bhagavAn sRSTvedaM jagat... dvividho hi vedokto dharmaH

pravRtti-lakSaNo nivRtti-lakSaNashca jagataH sthiti-kAraNam |
prANinAM sAkSAd abhyudayaniH-shreyasa-hetur yaH sa dharmo
brAhmaNAdyair varNibhir Ashramibhish ca shreyo(a)rthibhir
anuSThIyamAnaH |"
Translation: "The Lord (Bhagavan) created the universe and wishing to secure order in His
created universe, taught the paths of involving in works and renunciation. It is this two-fold
Vedic path of works and renunciation that is responsible for the protection of the universe.
This Vedic path, which secures prosperity and well-being for all creatures, was practiced by
men of all classes and orders in life who sought welfare, starting with Brahmanas (knowers
of Brahman or Supreme Lord)."
The Lord's magnanimity is evident from the above. Further still, Sri Sankara says that the
Lord Himself patiently and generously teaches the Vedic dharma to human beings again
when we lose track of it out of our own folly:
"dIrgheNa kAlena anuSThAtRRNAM kAmodbhavAd dhIyamAna-viveka-

j~nAna-hetukena adharmeNa abhiyUyamAne dharme, pravardhamAne
ca adharme, jagataH sthitiM paripAlayiSuH sa Adi kartA nArAyaNAkhyo
viSNur bhaumasya brahmaNo brAhmaNatvasya cAbhirakSaNArthaM
devakyAM vasudevAd aMshena kRSNaH sambabhUva |"
Translation: "As time progressed, the evil of lust overpowered the practitioners they
gradually lost the faculty of discrimination (between good and bad), leading to irreligion
overpowering religion. It was then that the Primordial Creator, Lord Vishnu known as
Narayana, wishing to maintain order in the universe, incarnated Himself as Krishna,
begotten by devakI and vasudeva, for the preservation of the Vedic path."
45
Lord Krishna was born to Devaki and Vasudeva to protect the world and the Vedic
Dharma
Sri Sankara then says that the Lord is ever possessed with the six qualities of wisdom,
supremacy, power, strength, might, and vigor (sa ca bhagavAn j~nAna-aishvarya-shakti-
bala-vIrya-tejobhiH sampannaH) and is ever the unborn (ajaH-avyayaH) Lord of Beings
(bhUtAnAm IshvaraH) who is Eternal, Pure, Intelligent and Free (nitya-shuddha-buddha-
mukta svabhAvaH). The Acharya then says that even though our Lord Narayana has nothing
to achieve and has no selfish interest, with the sole intention of helping His creatures, He
taught Arjuna, who was plunged in grief and delusion, the two-fold Vedic religion:
"svaprayojana abhAve(a)pi bhUtAnujighRkSayA vaidikaM hi dharma-

dvayaM arjunAya shoka-moha-mahodadhau nimagnAya upadidesha"
It is only those like us, whose life is imperfect and lacking, will have something more that
he/she is yet to achieve and hence we are driven by that desire to act for our own selfish
ends. Being the eternally-perfect Supreme Lord of the cosmos, He has no wants and desires
and thus has no compulsion to act. Even then, He performs His divine deeds to benefit us,
generously giving us more than what we deserve.
Tailpiece:
The appellation "Eternal, Pure, Intelligent, and Free" (nitya-shuddha-buddha-mukta) is
often used by Sri Sankara in his commentaries and refer to the Supreme Lord, who is also
known as Parabrahman and Paramatman. He employs them in the Brahma Sutra Bhashya
46
at least at two places (I.i.1 and II.i.14), in his commentaries to the Upanishads (eg.,
Brihadaranyaka I.iv.7), and in the Vishnu Sahasranama Bhashya while explaining the name
"Paramatma" (kArya kAraNa vilakSaNo nitya-shuddha-buddha-mukta svabhAvaH).
47
Generosity (Audaryam) in Sri Sankara's Gita Bhashya -- Part 2
In this post, we continue with our discussion of the Lord's generosity as discussed in Sri
Sankara's Bhagavad Gita commentary. Let us continue to experience and enjoy more such
instances. In Gita 5.29, Sri Sankara says:
"suhRdaM sarva-bhUtAnAM sarva-prANInAm pratyupakAra-nirapekSatayA

upakAriNaM sarva bhUtAnAM hRdayeshAM sarva-karma-phalAdyakSaM sarva-
pratyaya-sAkSiNaM mAM nArAyaNaM"
(Adi Sankara's Gita Commentary, 5.29)
Translation: "(The Lord says): 'I, Lord Narayana, am friendly to all, doing good to all
creatures without expecting anything in return. I dwell in the hearts of all beings, being
witness to their actions and disbursing their fruits accordingly.'"
In 9.18, Sri Sankara explains:
"gatiH karma-phalam, bhartA poSatA, prabhuH svAmI, sAkSI prANinAM

kRtAkRtasya, nivAso yasmin prANino nivasanti, sharaNaM ArtAnAM, prapannAnAM
ArtiharaH | suhRt pratyupakAra-anapekSaH sann upakArI"
(Gita Commentary, 9.18)
Translation: "Hari (Krishna/Vishnu) is the goal - the fruit of karma; He is the nourisher; He
is the Lord, the witness of the actions of all beings, the abode wherein all beings dwell. He is
the shelter for the distressed, and relieves those who surrender to Him of their suffering. He
is the friend, since He helps all creatures without expecting a selfish reward."
Again, the Acharya explains:
"tapAmyhaM Adityo bhUtvA kaishcit rashmibhir ulbaNaiH | aham varSaM kaishcid

rashmibhir utsRjAmi | utsRjya punar nigRhNAmi kaishcid rashmibhir aSTabhir
mAsaiH punar utsRjAmi prAvRSi |"
(Gita Bhashya, 9.19)
Translation: "(Lord Hari says): 'By means of the sun's rays, I provide warmth to the earth,
send forth rain, take it back during eight months, and again send it forth during the rainy
season.'"
48
Lord Sriman Narayana, always intent on helping His creatures, pours forth grace in
the form of rain. (Painting on the wall of Sri Oppiliappan Temple, near
Kumbakonam, TN, India)
(Courtesy of Sri Oppiliappan K Sadagopan. Reproduced with permission from http://thiruppavai.etemples.net/)
In the last discussion, we saw that Sri Sankara refers to the "Lord (bhagavAn) Narayana as
the one who acts out of no interest of His own, but with the sole intention of helping His
creatures." In the commentaries to two verses discussed above (5.29, 9.18), we see that
Acharya Sri Sankara has re-emphasized this, saying that the Lord does good to all
without selfishly expecting anything in return from us (pratyupakAra anapekSa
upakAri). The Lord cures His devotees' suffering by relieving them of their distress.
Further, the point highlighted in the above commentary is that the entire cosmos is
sustained simply by the divine grace and generosity of the Lord -- by His act of
sustenance (5.29, 9.19).
To sum up, Sri Sankaracharya says that the generosity of Lord Hari (Vishnu), who is the
Supreme Lord of the Universe revealed in the Vedas, is spontaneous. This is because, being
all-perfect, He lacks nothing and has no special selfish interest of His own.
(Concluded)
NOTES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
[1] Thanks: Internet Archive, Google Books, Gita Supersite 2.0, Gaudiya Granthamandira
[2] Full download of Sri Sankaracharya's Gita Bhashya translated to English by Alladi
Mahadeva Sastri: http://www.archive.org/details/bhagavadgitawith00maharich
[3] Gita Supersite 2.0: Unicode text of eleven commentaries to the Bhagavad Gita viewable
online: http://202.3.77.102/acquia/?q=node/20
49
[4] Adi Sankaracharya's Gita Bhashya in original sanskrit from Gaudiya Granthamandira
site, contains the original Sanskrit text of the introductory chapter not found in Gita
Supersite 2.0: http://granthamandira.com/download.php?file=bhagavad-gita_-_sankara-
bhasya.doc
50
Sri Ramanujacharya's Saranagati Gadyam: Dimensions of Lord Hari's
Benevolence
Bhagavad Ramanujacharya (AD 1017-1137), the great scholar, philosopher, social reformer,
and reviver of Vaishnavism in Tamil Nadu has written a total of nine works, all in Sanskrit.
Sri Ramanujacharya focused on the doctrine of surrender to Lord Narayana as per the Vedic
texts, as a means to reach Him and be in His eternal service. It is said that this Acharya
went to Srirangam and pleaded with Lord Ranganatha (name of Lord Vasudeva at Srirangam)
to offer this supreme fruit of liberation cum eternal service to Him in the spiritual world to
those who take refuge under him (Ramanujacharya) during the Acharya's time and for ever
after that. Sri Ramanujacharya himself wrote down, in prosaic style, the manner in which he
surrendered to Lord Ranganatha, in three different texts: Saranagathi Gadyam, Sriranga
Gadyam, and Vaikunta Gadyam. These three texts expound on the finer points of the
doctrine of surrender. Together, they are known as the "Gadya Trayam (gadya trayam)",
which means "The Prosaic Trilogy".
Lord as Ranganatha (main deity, known as periyaperumAL in Tamil) and

namperumAL (utsava deity) in Srirangam
In the Saranagathi Gadyam, Bhagavad Ramanujacharya pleads with Sri Narayana by

enumerating the latter's divine attributes. The divine attribute of audArya (Generosity,
Benevolence, or Magnanimity in English), which is the current subject matter for us, has been
invoked by Sri Ramanujacharya in two key places. We are going to understand these two
instances with the help of extant commentaries written by later Acharyas of the Ramanuja
tradition.
51
Bhagavad Ramanujacharya
Two commentaries to the Gadya Trayam are available today. The first one is authored by
Sri Sudarsana Suri -- the author of the celebrated Sruta Prakashika, a sub-commentary
on the Sri Bhashya of Bhagavad Ramanuja Acharya. It is written in Sanskrit. The other
commentary is by Sri Periya Vachan Pillai, the celebrated commentator of the entire 4000
Divya Prabandhas, written in chaste Manipravala (maNipravALa) style (a style of writing
that combines both Sanskrit and Tamil). The two commentaries explain the divine attribute
of benevolence by exploring its manifoldness and detailing its dimensions. It is indeed an
enjoyment to read the commentaries of these two great Acharyas at these two instances of
interest to us.
(1) The first instance of "audArya":
Here, Sri Sudarsana Bhattar gives three definitions for this divine attribute of the Lord:
A. While giving generously, the Lord does not think that He is giving to some
stranger. He thinks thus: "This person who has come to me is verily my own
son. So he has the right to obtain and enjoy all these from me."
B. The Lord does not maintain accounts of what was given and how much was
given by Him. He just gives.
C. Even though He gives everything graciously, He is not satisfied if He doesn't

give more. (Sri Sudarsana Bhattar cites the instance of Draupadi here).
Sri Periya Vachan Pillai says: "aashritaruDaiya apEkSitangaLai tAnE irandu koDukkai",
meaning: "(the nature of) granting what His devotees want, with mercy and compassion."
This Acharya cites here the following three verses from scriptures:
52
A. Yajur Veda, Khata Shakha, 7-5-36: "ya AtmadA baladAH", meaning: "The
Supreme Person (The Lord) who grants even Himself as well as all the means to
enjoy Him."
B. Ramayana (Ayodhya Khanda 16.27): Not only does He give Himself in the
manner explained above, but He even greets and pleases those who came
to Him before giving. Poet Valmiki Bhagavan says thus in this citation: "atha
madhyama-kakSyAyAM...sametya pratinandyaca", meaning -- "Then, that
Prince, the Best of men, met His friends in the middle chamber. He saw all the
people who came there to behold Him, approached nearer to them, greeted them
and mounted the excellent chariot."
C. Gita 7.18: "udArAs sarva evaite j~nAnI tvAtmaiva me matam". In this verse,
Lord Krishna tells Arjuna that He considers the man of wisdom (j~nAnI) to be
verily His supporter. Thus, Lord Krishna is so generous that He celebrates those
who come to Him for some benefit as "ones who gives support and strength to
Him"!
(2) Second instance of "audArya":
Acharya Sri Sudarsana Bhattar writes "as explained before" here, but Sri Periya Vachan Pillai
opts to give an additional dimension of the Lord's generosity. This Acharya says that when
the Lord grants what His devotees desire, He conducts Himself as if some desire of His own is
met! Even though He is of infinite generosity and does everything for the devotees, He feels
within Himself thus: "I have not done enough for my children".
Sri Periya Vachan Pillai cites here the Mahabharata verse (Udyoga-Parva, 47-22: "govindeti
yadAkrandat...hRdayAnnA pasarppati") which says that Lord Sri Krishna constantly recalls
the incident when Draupadi called Him for help, as if He still has not fulfilled her wish, even
though He did save Draupadi from being disgraced. He still recalls her call for help even
after the Pandavas won the great war against the Kauravas and got back their kingdom.
The Acharya also quotes Nammazhwar's Periya Thiruvandadi (periya tiruvandAdi), verse 53,
which says: "Oh Lord, You are constantly under the thought about what you will do next for
your devotees" ("unnaDiyArkku enseyvEnenRE irutti nI").
53
Lord Krishna protects the honor of Draupadi
Thus, great Acharyas, including Sri Adi Sankaracharya as we saw in the last two posts, have
elaborated on Supreme Lord Narayana's generosity and magnanimity in many different ways,
for us to contemplate upon. We will continue further in the next post.
NOTES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
[1] Thanks- http://www.maransdog.org/ for providing freely downloadable books on the

works of Srivaishnava Purvacharyas.
[2] Humble prostrations to Sri Puttur Krishnaswamy Iyengar (Sri Sudarsanam Swamy) for
the voluminous books published for the benefit of all mankind. I found this kind Swamin's
Gadyatraya Bhashyam book (containing Sri Sudarsana Bhattar's and Sri Periya Vachan
Pillai's commentaries) immensely helpful in writing this article. The book can be downloaded
here.
[3] The genesis of the idea for this article was a google search on "ஔதார்யம்" that resulted
in stumbling upon this beautiful blog posting in Tamil. Many thanks to the author of this
blog!
[4] Valmiki Ramayana translations on the web: http://valmiki.iitk.ac.in,

http://www.valmikiramayan.net/
[5] A version of the Mahabharata verse quoted in the article can be found in the form of
verse 21 on this page.
54
Generosity in Vishnu Sahasranama Bhashyas - Part 1
In the following two posts, we will wind up our discussion of Generosity as one of the Divine
Attributes of the Lord Narayana. This time, let us sit back and enjoy the following divine
names as explained in the viSNu-sahasranAma-bhASya-s (commentaries to the Chapter on
the 1000 divine names of the Lord in the mahAbhArata epic) of Sri Adi Sankaracharya and
Sri Parasara Bhatta. The arrangement of names differ slightly in the commentaries of the
two Acharyas, and hence I will indicate two numbers for each name. The label "AS#"
indicates 'according to Sri Sankaracharya', and "PB#" means 'according to Sri Parasara
Bhatta'. I will provide the English translations for each name, plus the original Sanskrit
commentaries wherever possible. I believe that the explanations given by the Acharyas are
quite clear and explain various aspects of the Lord's generosity. Hence, I will not venture to
elaborate them further. I have pointed out the source material at the end of this post.
[AS# 48, PB# 47] hRSIkeshaH: One of the explanations given by Sri Adi Sankara for
this name is: "yasya vA sUrya rUpasya candrarUpasya jagat-prItikarA hRSTAH keshA
rashmyaH saH hRSIkeshaH |" meaning, "He who, in the form of the sun and the moon,
delights the earth with His rays." The Acharya then provides a verse from the Veda that
supports this interpretation (Krishna Yajurveda, Taittiriya Samhita, 4.6.3.h) and the
following verse from the Mokshadharma (mokSadharma) section of the Mahabharata [1-2]:
sUryA-candramasoH shashvadaMshubhiH kesha-saMj~nitaiH

|
bodhayan svApayaMshcaiva jagat-uttiSThate pRthak
|
bodhanAt svApanAccaiva jagato harSaNaM bhavet
||
agnISoma-kRtairebhiH karmabhiH pANDunandana!
|
hRSIkesho(a)hamIshAno varado
lokabhAvanaH ||
Translation: "The sun and moon through their rays (known as kesha in Sanskrit) always
uphold the world as it were by awaking it and causing it to sleep. By such awaking and
causing to sleep, the world is delighted (Sanskrit: harSa). It is in consequence of these acts
of the fire (sun) and Soma (moon) who uphold the universe that I have come to be called
by the name of hRSIkesha, O son of Pandu! Indeed, I am the boon-giver, the Lord, the
sustainer of the universe."
In relation with this explanation, we have also seen similar statements by Sri Sankara in his
commentary to the Bhagavad Gita verse 9.19 in a previous post on this page.
[AS# 64, PB# 64] ma^ngalaM paraM: Sri Sankara Bhagavatpada Acharya connects the
term "param" (supreme), which he explains as "paraM sarvabhUtebhya utkRSTaM brahma"
55
(Lord Vishnu is the Supreme Brahman on account of His supremacy over all beings), with
the term "ma^ngalaM" which he explains in two ways:
(1) Supreme beneficence, as explained by the following verse, says Sri Sankara:
"ashubhAni nirAcaSTe tanoti shubhasantitaM

|
smRtimAtreNa yat puMsAM brahma tadma^ngalaM vidhuH
||"
Translation: "That Brahman is known as beneficence which wards off all evils and brings
on a series of benefits to men on being merely remembered by them."
(2) kalyANarUpAdvA ma^ngalam (or, due to His attractive appearance, He is known as

ma^ngalam).
Hence,the explanation given by Sri Sankara is "Supremely beneficient/attractive".
[AS# 257, PB# 258] vRSabhaH: Sri Sankaracarya explains, "varSatyeSa bhaktebhyaH
kAmAn iti vRSabhaH", meaning "The showerer of desired objects on His devotees".
[AS# 298, PB# 299] kAmapradaH: According to Adi Sankara, this name is to be
explained as "bhaktAnAM kAmAn prakarSeNa dadAtIti kAmapradaH", meaning "He who
fulfills all the desires of His devotees". Sri Bhattar explains the name as "svakAmebhyaH
kSudrakAmeshca yatArhaM kAmyaM pradAti", meaning "One who fulfills everything: He
grants Himself to those who long for Him. He also grants wishes of those who long for
trivial, lowly fruits (i.e., materialists)." Sri Bhattar then quotes the Veda (Katha Upanishad
verse 2.2.13), which says "eko-bahUnAM yo vidadhAti kAmAn", meaning "The Supreme
being, though One, dispenses desired objects to many".
[AS# 330, PB# 332] varadaH: One explanation that Sri Sankara adopts for this name is
"abhimatAn varAn dadAti varadaH", meaning "The granter of boons of the objects desired".
[AS# 350, PB# 352] mahArddhiH: Sri Bhattar explains this name as follows: tad-yoga-
kSema-kSama nissIma-vibhUtiH ("Lord Vishnu is known as mahArddhiH as He has
boundless riches which can bring about prosperity and security to His devotees").
[AS# 460, PB# 461] suhRt: Sri Sankara Bhagavatpada explains "suhRt" as "Friend",
exactly in the same manner as he did in Gita Bhashya 5.29 - "pratyupakAra-nirapekSatayA-
upakAritvAt suhRt", meaning "He is a true Friend as He confers benefits without desiring
anything in return". Sri Bhattar explains more vividly: "nupakAriNi api 'kiM asya
bhavishyati? kiM karavANi' iti SubhASamsi SobhanahRdayatvam su-hRtvam. su-hRtvam"
which means, "friendliness is that quality of a benevolent person who wishes good even for
those who have not helped him in any way, and who, being apprehensive of any evil that
may befall them, always thinks 'How shall I help them?'". Note the similarity with Sri Periya
Vachan Pillai's comment on "audArya" in the Saranagati Gadyam of Sri Ramanujacharya.
(to be continued)
REFERENCES
56
[1] English version of the quote can be found at page 164 here.
[2] Sanskrit version of the quote: http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/mbs/mbs12330.htm
[3] A comparison of Sri Bhattar's and Sri Sankara's commentaries to the Vishnu
Sahasranama can be read here in five parts.
[4] Sanskrit commentary and English translation of Sri Sankara's commentary are adopted
from the book titled "Visnusahasranama - with the Bhasya of Sri Samkaracarya, translated
into English in light of Sri Samkara's Bhasya" by R. Ananthakrishna Sastry, published by
Adyar Library and Research centre (1980 edition).
57
Generosity in Vishnu Sahasranama Bhashyas - Part 2
This post is a continuation of the previous post. It analyzes further instances of the Lord's
generosity or audAryam explained in the commentaries to Vishnu Sahasranama by Sri Adi
Sankaracharya and Sri Parasara Bhatta.
[AS# 557, PB# 562] mahAmanaH: Sri Parasara Bhattar explains this name as follows:
"teSu agAdhodAravismRta manAH" which means "one who has a deep, generous, and broad
mind (towards His devotees)."
[AS# 570, PB# 575] draviNapradaH: Sri Sankara explains this as "draviNaM
vA~nchitaM bhaktebhyaH pradAtIti" (One who bestows the objects desired by His devotees
to them). Sri Bhattar's explanation goes as "samagraM shAstra-tad-artha-rUpa draviNaM
pradAtIti", meaning "One who bestows the wealth in the form of shAstras (scriptures, lit.
instructive books)." Here, we should recall similar statements by Sri Sankara in the
introduction to his commentary on the Gita where the Acharya explains similarly that Lord
Vishnu (Hari), the Supreme Lord of the Universe, came down to the earth in the form of
Krishna, the son of Devaki and Vasudeva, to expound on the Vedic religion for the benefit of
all Humans, out of His concern for our well-being. Continuing with his explanation of the
Divine Name in the current discussion, Sri Bhattar asks us to recall the dhyAna shloka
(invocatory verse) on sage Vyasa (who is none other than our Lord Sriman Narayana's
avatar):
vahnvai vAmahastena sarvashAstrArthasaMcayam |

dakSiNena ca shAstrArthAnAdishaMshca yathAsthitAn ||
Translation: Vyasa holds in his left hand the collection of all the shAstra-s and their
purport, and propounds by his right hand (the upadesha mudrA, i.e., hand-gesture
indicating scriptural advice) the true import of all the shAstra-s.
[AS# 605, PB# 612] shrIdaH: Sri Sankara says, "shrIyaM dadAti bhaktAnAmiti shrIdaH"
- One who grants (dadAti) wealth (shrIH) to His devotees is known as shrIdaH.
[AS# 609, PB# 616] shrIvibhAvanaH: Sri Sankara says that this name indicates the
Lord's fairness in His act of distributing different kinds of wealth to all beings in accordance
with their past karma-s (karmAnurUpeNa vividhAH shrIyaH sarvabhUtAnAM vibhAvayatIti
shrIvibhAvanaH).
[AS# 611, PB# 618] shrIkaraH: Sri Sankara's commentary here is "smaratAM stuvatAM
arcayatAM ca bhaktAnAM shriyaM karotIti shrIkaraH" (One who makes those who meditate
on, praise, and worship Him with flowers - His devotees - prosperous).
[AS# 693/694, PB# 698/699] vasupradaH: This name occurs twice consecutively in
the Vishnu Sahasranama hymn. Hence, two explanations are given by both the Acharyas.
Sri Sankara:
"vasu dhanaM prakarSeNa dadAti sAkSAt-dhanAdhyakSo(a)yaM, itarastu tatprasAdAt
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dhanAdhyakSa iti". To put this in English - It is noted that as per the Vedas, it is possible for
one to please the celestial being (devata) Kubera and obtain wealth from him as a result.
Sri Sankara says that even Kubera is able to bestow wealth only on account of Lord
Vasudeva's grace.
"vasu prakRSTaM mokSAkhyaM phalaM bhaktebhyaH pradAtIti dvitIyo vasupradaH". Sri

Sankara explains the second instance of the same name as "One who bestows the greatest
wealth - that of salvation or liberation from rebirth - to His devotees". He then quotes a
verse from the Veda (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, 3.9.28) which says - 'It is Brahman, who
is wisdom and bliss, the final goal of the giver of wealth.'
Sri Bhattar gives the following vivid explanations for the same name:
"paramanidhiM AtmAnaM devakI-vasudevAbhyAM putratvena pradAtIti", meaning "He who

bestowed the greatest wealth - in the form of Himself - on Vasudeva and Devaki, by being
born as their son. (The name of the person who fathered Lord Krishna during His pastime
on the earth was 'Vasudeva', pronounced vasudeva, as opposed to vAdueva, the name of
the Lord Himself. See transliteration scheme here for a pronunciation guide.) For the second
instance, Sri Bhattar explains as: "He who brought glory and fame (vasu - kIrti) to Devaki
and Vasudeva. He brought them fame by choosing them as His parents during His pastime
as Krishna".
[AS# 744, PB# 750] ghRtAshIH: Sri Bhattar comments on this name thus: "ghRtaM
sacenaM svaguNaiH jagadApyAyanaM". This is one of the two explanations given by this
Acharya at this place. He says that the Lord sprinkles prosperity on the world and makes it
prosperous by means of His benevolent qualities.
[AS# 808, PB# 814] kundaraH: Sri Sankara explains - "kunda-puSpa-tulyAni shuddhAni
phalAni rAti dadAti" which means "He who gives (ra) rewards as agreeable and pure as
white jasmine (kunda) flowers."
[AS# 936, PB# 936] caturashraH: Sri Sankara says that the Lord is known as
"caturashraH" since He is fair to everyone (nyAyasamavetaH). Sri Sankara then says that
this is justified since the Lord distributes rewards in accordance with the merits men have
accumulated through their own past actions (pumsAM karmAnurUpaM phalaM
prayacchatIti).
In the last several posts, we got to experience the joy of contemplating on the Lord's Divine
nature of being benevolent, graceful, and generous to His creatures. This post winds up the
discussion that we started here. In the next post, we will start a new chapter in our journey
filled with glimpses of various facets of the Divine Lord of the Vedas, Sriman Narayana.
REFERENCES - Kindly consult previous post.
59
The Unassailable Glory of Lord Narayana -- Part 1: The Lord Extolled
by the Vedas
The Veda, which forms the basis of sanAtana dharma (The Eternal Religion), is believed by
all Astika-s (people who accept the authority of the Veda) to be unauthored (apauruSeya).
It contains eternal truths which are not authored by anyone, human or even divine. All the
great Acharyas of the different philosophical schools in sanAtana dharma concur on this one
fact. Classified as Rg, yajuH, sAma, and atharva, and containing four sections (samhita-s,
brAhmaNa-s, AraNyaka-s, and authentic upaniSad-s), all portions of the Veda are taken to
be authentic in their entirety by all major philosophical schools, including advaita,
vishiSTAdvaita, dvaita, and other schools of Vedanta. The Veda has been passed down from
time immemorial, solely by the mode of rigorous study through listening, repeating, and
chanting.
Students in a traditional Vedic school
Our great Lord Narayana is known as "vedAnta-vedya pratipAdyaH" which means "The Lord
who is known from the eternal Vedic texts". Hari, one of the names of Lord Narayana, is
uttered along with the divine praNava (the syllable "Om"), at the beginning and end of
Vedic chants thus: "|| hariH om ||". This was mentioned by Kambar (kambanATTAlvAr in
Tamil), the Tamil poet who sang Valmiki's Sanskrit Ramayana in beautiful Tamil, in the
following invocatory verse at the beginning of his work:
ஆதிி அந்தம் அா
"ஆத அாிி என யாைவயும்
ஓத
ஓதிினார் அலகு இல்லன உள்ளன
ேவதம் என்பன ெமய்ந்ெநற
ெமய்ந்ெநறிி நன்ைமயன்
பாதம் அல்லது பற்ற
பற்றிிலர் பற்று இல
இலாார் "
Translation: Those great souls, who are devoid of selfish interests and therefore neutral,
who chant the timeless and immeasurable Veda, beginning and ending it with "hariH om",
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do not put their faith in anything other than the tender feet of the One (i.e., Lord Vishnu or
Narayana) who Himself is the truest way (to the highest human end, i.e., liberation) and is
an ocean of auspicious qualities.
Let us enjoy the following passages from the commentaries of Sri Adi Sankara and other
pUrvAcArya-s in his disciplic succession that confirm that it is none but Lord Narayana
(known by various names such as Vishnu, vAsudeva, and Hari) alone who is to be known
from the study of the Veda. We first take a look at the commentary to the Bhagavad Gita
verse 15.15 and the commentaries to it:
sarvasya ca-ahaM hRdi sanniviSTo mattaH

smRtirj~nAnamapohanaM ca |
vedaishca sarvairahameva vedyo vedantakRt-vedavit-eva
ca-aham ||
(Bhagavad Gita 15.15)
In the above verse, Lord Narayana, in his Krishna form, teaches the following to Arjuna: "I
am seated in the hearts of all beings. Memory, knowledge, as well as their loss come from
Me. I alone am to be known from all the Vedas; I am indeed the author of Vedanta as well
as its knower."
Sri Sankaracarya explains Lord Krishna's words here thus: "(Lord Krishna says): 'I am the
Supreme Soul, the Paramatman to be known from all the Vedas. I alone am the originator
of the Vedantic traditions, and it is I who know the Vedic teachings.' Thus, the majesty of
the Lord, the Bhagavan who is known as 'Narayana' by name, are stated": vedaisca sarvair-
ahameva paramAtmA vedyaH veditavyaH | vedantakRt vedAntArtha sampradAyakRt
ityarthaH | vedavit vedArthavit eva ca aham | bhagavataH Ishvarasya nArAyaNAkhyasya
vibhUtisaMkSepaH uktaH. Sri Anandagiri who wrote "glosses" (Tiika) to many of Sri Adi
Sankara's works explains here that the statement of the Lord in the current verse removes
any doubt that may linger in one's mind as to whether the Supreme Brahman extolled in the
Vedas is different from Bhagavan Narayana: "vedavedyaM parambrahma
bhagavato(a)nyAditi sha^nkAM vArayati -- vedairiti". Indeed, Sri Sankaracarya says in his
commentary to the Bhagavad Gita thus:
"It (the Bhagavad Gita) expounds specially the nature of the

Supreme Being and the Truth known as vAsudeva, the Para-
brahman, who forms the subject of the discourse": paramArtha-
tattvaM ca vAsudevAkhyaM parabrahma-abhideya-bhutaM
visheSataH abhivyaj~nayad vishiSTa-prayojana-sambandha-
abhideyavad gItA-shAstraM (Introductory Chapter, Sri Sankara's
bhagavadgItAbhASya).
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"(Lord Krishna says) 'I, the Supreme Parabrahman known by name
as vAsudeva, am the source of the whole world. From Me alone
evolves the whole universe in all its changes, including existence
and dissolution, action, effect, and enjoyment'": ahaM paraM
brahma vAsudevAkhyaM sarvasya jagataH prabhava utpattiH |
matta eva sthiti-nAsha-kriyA-phalopabhoga-lakSaNaM vikriyA-
rUpaM sarvaM jagat pravartate | (Sri Sankara's commentary to
Bhagavad Gita, 10.8)
Moreover, in his commentary to the Kathopanisad verse 1.3.9, Sri Sankara says: "The
statement here that 'He obtains The Supreme Abode of Vishnu' refers to entering the
Supreme Abode and State of the all-pervading Brahman, the Supreme Soul, known by
name as 'vAsudeva' ": tadviSNor vyApanashIlasya brahmaNaH paramAtmano
vAsudevAkhyasya paramaM prakRSTaM padam sthAnam satattvaM-iti-etad asAvApnoti.
Echoing all the above points, Sri Anandagiri writes in his gloss to Sri Sankara's commentary
(15.15) that Parabrahman cannot refer to anyone other than Bhagavan Sri vAsudeva --
"vedavedyaM parambrahma bhagavato(a)nyAditi sha^nkAM vArayati -- vedairiti".
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The Lord as Sri Parthasarathy Perumal deity in the temple of Triplicane (Chennai,
TN, India) - He is in His battlefield attire, ready to serve His devotee, Arjuna
Sri Madhusudana Sarasvati, in his magnum-opus "gUDhArthadIpika" (a glorious,

independent commentary to the Bhagavad Gita) explains here (15.15) that even though the
Vedas contain hymns to Indra and other devas, it is still only Bhagavan vAsudeva alone is to
be known from the Vedas as He is the in-dwelling supersoul of all: "vedaishca sarvaih-
indrAdi-devatA-prakAshaih-api ahameva vedyaH, sarvAtmatvAt". Sri Sarasvati then explains
that Vedic passages such as --
"They call Agni as Indra, Mitra, and Varuna; they also say
that He is the divine Garutman of beautiful wings. The sages
speak of Him, who is one, in many ways; they call Him Agni,
Yama, mAtarishvan."
(Atharva Veda, 9.10.28)
and "... for He is all the devas" (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, 1.4.6) are to be understood
in that way.
As if to reiterate all these, Sri Sankara explains as follows, in the Vishnusahasranama

Bhashya:
"shabdasahaH" (# 912):
He (Vishnu) is known as "shabdasahaH" as He is the one who alone is proclaimed by all the
Vedas unanimously: sarve vedastAtparyeNa tameva vadantIti shabdasahaH
"kathitaH" (# 848):
vedAdibhir-ayameka eva paratvena kathita kathita iti kathitaH | sarvairvedaiH kathita iti vA
kathitaH | "sarve vedA yatpadamAmananti", "vedaishca sarvairahameva vedyaH",
"vede rAmAyaNe puNye bhArate bharatarSabhaH! adau madye tathA cAnte viSNuH
sarvatra gIyate" iti shruti-smRtyAdi-vacanebhyaH |
Translation: He (Vishnu) is known as kathitaH since He alone is declared as supreme by

the Veda and Vedic texts; or He who is described by all the Vedas. The following statements
from the shruti (Vedas) and smRtis confirm this:
"All the Vedas describe His status.." (Kathopanishad 1.2.15),
"I alone am to be known from all the Vedas" (Bhagavad Gita 15.15),
"Vishnu is sung everywhere at the beginning, middle, and end of the Vedas, the holy
rAmAyaNa and the mahAbhArata, O Best of the lineage of Bharata!" (Harivamsa, 3.132.95).
[Sri Taraka Brahmananda Sarasvati, in his gloss on Sri Sankara's Vishnusahasranama
63
Bhashya, has explained some finer points in the above explanations.]
Govinda ("govindaH", #539):
The word "go" can be taken to mean "speech/words", and hence "govindaH" is one who is
known through the "words", i.e., the words of the Vedanta. The Vishnutilaka text says, "You
are known as Govinda as you are to be known through scriptural texts": gobhiH vANIbhiH
vedyata iti vedAntavAkyairiti vA govindaH | 'gobhireva yato vedyo govindaH
samudAhRta' iti viSNutilake |
The Lord is known only through the timeless Vedic statements. He cannot be known by
experimentation and logical inference, as He is beyond what we can perceive. Moreover, the
Vedic statements are unaothored. Any compromise on any of these points would lead to
cyclic logic. This is also highlighted by Sri Sankara's explanation to the divine name
"Govinda". Sri Amalananda Sarasvati was another Acharya who commented on Sri
Sankara's works. In his work "vedAnta kalpataru" (a gloss on the "Bhamati", which is a sub-
commentary to Sri Sankara's commentary on the Brahma Sutras), he explains this while
refuting the views of Saivas, Pasupatas, and Vaiseshikas (in Sutra 2.2.37) by saluting Sri
Hari thus:
"tat-sukha-advaitabodha-AtmsvabhAva haraye namaH |

vedAntaika pramANAya kutarkANAM abhUmaye ||"
Translation: "Salutations to Lord Hari, who is blissful, who is without a second, who is pure
and transcendental by nature, who is inferred from the texts of the Vedanta alone, and who
cannot be understood by those who rely solely on pointless argumentative means."
Yet another point relevant to this discussion: In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Sri Krishna says:
"I am the sacred syllable Om (known as Pranava)in all the Vedas". (Bhagavad-Gita 7.8).
Here Sri Sankara adds "In Me (Lord Krishna), who am that Pranava, all the Vedas are
woven" (tasmin praNavabhute mayi sarve vedAH protAH). Closely related to this Gita verse
are the following divine names occurring in the Vishnu Sahasranama:
"mantraH" (#280)
Sri Sankara explains in his commentary that the Lord is called "mantraH", which means "the
sacred chant", as He exists as the Rg, yajuH, and sAma Vedas (RgyajussAma-lakSaNaH
mantraH). Moreover, He is the one revealed in those sacred chants (mantra-bodhyatvAt-vA
mantraH) - this is the second explanation given by Sri Sankara.
"praNavaH" (#957)
Sri Sankara explains this name as: "praNavo nAma paramAtmano vAcaka oMkAra tat-
abheda-upacAreNa-ayaM praNavaH" meaning, "The Supreme syllable 'Om', the Pranava,
64
denotes the Paramatman, the Supreme Soul. He is hence said to be verily the Pranava
itself."
Thus, it is indeed Lord Narayana who is the object of all Vedic knowledge and meditation.
(to be continued)
REFERENCES:
[1] Free online viewer/downloads of (a) the Sanskrit original and English translations of of
Sri Sankara's Bhagavad-Gita commentary, and (b) Sanskrit texts of Sri Anandagiri's and Sri
Madhusudana Saraswati's commentaries for the same: see under this article.
[2] Sanskrit commentary and English translation of Sri Sankara's commentary are adopted
from the book titled "Visnusahasranama - with the Bhasya of Sri Samkaracarya, translated
into English in light of Sri Samkara's Bhasya" by R. Ananthakrishna Sastry, published by
Adyar Library and Research centre (1980 edition).
[3] English translation of Sri Madhusudana Sarasvati's "Gudhartha Dipika" commentary to
the Bhagavad-Gita can be bought online at this Amazon.com link.
[4] Relevant page from Sri Amalananda Sarasvati's Kalpataru can be viewed here.
65
The Unassailable Glory of Lord Narayana -- Part 2: Unequalled and
Unsurpassed Supremacy
Long before the advent of great Acharyas, ancient India had a glorious time during which
Vedic knowledge had spread far and wide, owing to the unparalleled efforts of great sages
such as Valmiki, Vasishta, Shakti, Parashara, Vyasa, and Shuka who propounded that
knowledge among the masses through the Smritis, Itihasas, and Puranas. Their reach
extended from East to West, and from North to South, all over the great nation of India. No
wonder then that the Vedic conception of Lord Sri Hari as the "Supreme revealed in the
Vedas" (ேவத முதல்வன்) found its way into secular Tamil literature of the ancient times. The
following invocatory verse of the literary work "naRRiNai" (நற்றிைண) bears testimony to
this:
மாநிலஞ் ேசவடி யாகத் தூந தூநீர்

ீ
வைளநரல் ெபளவம் உடுக்ைக யாக
விசும்புெமய் யாகத் திைசைக யாகப்
பசுங்கத
பசுங்கதிிர் மத
மதிியெம
யெமா ாடு சுடர்கண் ணாக
இயன்ற எல்லஎல்லா ாம் பய
பயிின்றகத் தடக்க
தடக்கிிய
ேவத முதல்வன் என்ப
தத
ீதற
ற விளங்க
ளங்கிிய திகிாி ேயேயாாேன
Translation: "Having the earth for His tender reddish feet, wearing as cloth the oceans that
contain pure water and resonating conch-shells, having the space for His body, having the
directions as His hands, having the sun and the moon for His eyes, enveloping everything as
His very body, He -- the One who bears the discus (Lord Vishnu) is praised as the foremost
of all divinities in the Vedas."
Clearly, the author of the invocatory verse in naRRiNai is familiar with Vedic concepts, as he
praises Lord Vishnu, following the manner of Mundaka-Upanishad, Purusha-Suktam,
Narayana-Suktam, etc. (See this post). More such references to the Lord Vishnu as the
"essence of the Vedas" are available in the work called "paripADal".
In the last post, we saw that Acharyas such as Sri Sankara clearly expounded this ancient
Vedic wisdom alone, and did not deliberately invent anything on their own.
We now continue our discussion of the supreme glory of Lord Narayana as explained by our
Acharyas. We explain the verses where our Acharyas have shown that the glory of Lord
Narayana cannot be compared with those of the other devas, and that He is the one who
rules all of them.
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The devas, headed by Lord Brahma revere Lord Narayana
Thanks: www.glimpseofkrishna.com. Copyrighted image and caption reproduced with permission of the artist Smt.
Madhavapriya Devi
'None is equal or greater to Lord Narayana':
When Lord Krishna expounded to Arjuna the Vedic philosophy by revealing the Bhagavad
Gita, He showed His Supreme Universal Form to Arjuna. Awed at that stunning magnified
form, Arjuna praised Krishna thus, in the following Bhagavad Gita verse. Let us read the a
part of one such verse (11.43) and then Sri Sankara's and Sri Anandagiri's explanations to
the same.
na tvat samo(a)sti, abhi adhika kuto-anyo loka-trayo-api, apratima-

prabhAva?
(Bhagavad Gita, 11.43)
[There is none who is equal to you, and when that is the case, how even can there be any
who is superior to You in any of three worlds, Oh Lord, who is of unrivaled power?]
Sri Sankara's explanation reflects the Acharya's opinion that the above mode of praise is
not at all exaggerated. The Bhagavatpada-Acharya explains thus: "na hi IshvaradvayaM
saMbhavati, anekeshvaratve vyavahAra-anupatteH" [Translation: For there cannot be two
Supreme Gods, if so, the world as it exists now will not be able to function properly].
Sri Anandagiri confirms this further at the same place: "IshvarAntaraM tulyaM bhavishyati-
ityAsha^nkyAha -- 'na hi' iti | Ishvarabhede pratyekaM svAtantryAt-tadaikamatye
hetvabhAvAt-nAnAmatitve ca ekasya sisRkSAyAM anyasya saMjihIRSAMsa-bhavAt
vyavahAralopada-yuktaM-IshvaranAnAtvaM-ityarthaH" [Translation: The following presents
itself as a doubt: can there ever be two Supreme Gods? The Acharya answers: Surely no. If
there be several independent Supreme Gods, then their decisions will be independent, as
there is no guarantee that they will be of one mind. The effort of one Supreme God in one
67
direction will be neutralized by the effort of the other in the opposite direction. Then the
world could not exist as it does now.]
'Lord Vishnu, the ruler of all other deva-s':
Commenting on Gita verse 10.2, Sri Sankara explains:
na me viduH na jAnanti suragaNAH brahmAdayaH | kiM te na viduH?

mama prabhavaM prabhAvaM prabhushakti-atishayam, athavA
prabhavaM prabhavanaM utpattiM | na-api mahaRSayaH bhRgvAdayaH
viduH | kasmAt te na viduriti-ucyate -- aham AdiH kAraNaM hi yasmAt
devAnAm mahaRSINAM ca sarvashaH sarvaprakAraiH
["(Lord Krishna says) 'neither the devas -- Brahma and others-- know; -what do
they not know? My majesty, abundance of lordly power-or, derived in the sense
of 'coming into being', it means origin. Nor even the great sages, Bhrgu, Marici,
Atri, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu and Vasistha. This is because I am the Supreme
Primordial Cause of all, including the devas and the sages.'"]
This is re-emphasized by the Acharya in his commentary to Gita verse 10.12 (Arjuna's
words):
paraM brahma paramAtmA paraM dhAma paraM tejaH pavitraM

pAvanaM paramaM prakRSTaM bhavAn ! puruSaM shAshvatam nityaM
divyaM divi bhavaM AdidevaM sarvadevAnAm Adau bhavam ajam
vibhum vibhavanashIlam | ishvaram
[ (Arjuna says) 'Oh Lord! You are the Supreme Brahman -- the Supreme Soul,
the Supreme Light, and the Supreme Sanctifier. You are the eternal divine
Person, the Primal deva since you preceded all the devas by time. You are
birthless, omnipresent, and capable of assuming many forms.]
Sri Madhusudana Sarasvati, in Gudhartha Dipika, offers a very interesting explanation for a
verse not very far (10.14) from the above verse. Here, Sri Madhusudana Sarasvati says
that Arjuna's addressing Krishna by one of His special Divine Names, "Kesava (keshava)"
has a deep purpose: He says that the name "Kesava" is apt here since Arjuna is referring to
Sri Krishna's supremacy --
tacca-sarvaj~natvAt tvaM jAnasIti -- keshau brahmarudrau

sarveshAvapi-anukampyatayA vAti-avagacchatIti vyutpattim-Ashritya
niratishaya-aishvarya-pratipAdakena keshava-padena sUcitam | ato
yaduktam 'na me viduH suragaNAH prabhavaM na mahaRSayaH' ityAdi
tattatheva -- hi yasmAt he bhagavan samagra-aishvaryAdi sampanna!
te tava vyaktiM prabhAvaM j~nAnAtishayashAlino(a)pi devA na viduH
na-api dAnavA, na mahaRSaya ityapi draSTavyam |
68
['And You know that since you are omniscient.' - this is indicated by the word
keshava, by which is suggestive of 'unsurpassed sovereignty', according to the
following derivative sense of the word: 'He who looks upon Ka and Isha, i.e.,
Brahma and Rudra, as fit for compassion, even though they are great lords
(compared to other devas and human beings).' Hence, what was said in 'Neither
the deva-s nor the great sages know My Lordliness.' (10.2) is truly so. For, Oh
Lord who art endowed with Sovereignty etc. in their entirety, neither the deva-s
nor the demons, or even the great Rishis, comprehend your glory.]
- Madhusudana Sarasvati, Gudhartha Dipika, 10.14
One may wonder whether all the above statements by Arjuna, and by Acharyas like Sri
Sankara, Anandagiri, Madhusudana Sarasvati are merely exaggerations for the sake of
praising Lord Krishna. This doubt can be safely answered in the negative, as Sri Sankara
himself says thus in his Brahma Sutra Bhashya (I.ii.17) where the Acharya is involved in
serious polemical discussion, where he establishes the identity of 'the person in the eye'
described in the Vedanta:
tathApi AtmatvaM tAvanna sambhavati, parAgrUpatvAt |

amRtatvAdayo(a)pi na saMbhavanti utpatti-pralaya-shravaNAt |
amaratvamapi devAnAM cirakAlAvasthAna-apekSam | aishvaryamapi
parameshvara-Ayattam, na svabhAvikam; 'bhIshAsmAd-vAtaH pavate,
bhISodeti sUryaH | bhISAsmAd-agniH-candraH-ca mRtyuH-dhAvati
pa~ncamaH' iti mantravarNAt | tasmAt parameshvara eva-ayam-
akSisthAnaH pratyetavyaH |
[Inner-self-hood cannot be ascribed to the sun (Aditya), on account of his externality.

Immortality, also cannot be predicated of him, as Scripture speaks of his origin and his
dissolution. For the so-called deathlessness of the deva-s only means their comparatively
long existence. And their lordly power also is based on the highest Lord and does not
naturally belong to them; as the mantra declares, 'From terror of it (Brahman) the wind
blows, from terror the sun rises; from terror of it Agni and Indra, yea, Death runs as the
fifth.'—Hence the person in the eye must be viewed as the highest Lord only.]
- Sri Sankara, Brahma Sutra Bhashya, 1.2.7
Thus, the Acharyas have discussed at great length, the greatness and sovereignty of Lord
Hari as per the Vedas.
REFERENCES
[1] For the naRRiNai and other Sangam and post-Sangam Tamil works, see here or here.
(Flash player and font download required for first link; first link contains several
commentaries by ancient and modern Tamil commentators).
[2] References for Bhagavad Gita commentaries etc. are as given in this post.
[3] Brahma Sutra Bhashya: See here and English translation here.
69
The Unassailable Glory of Lord Narayana: Part 3 -- From the
Narayaneeyam
In a previous post, we have learned a little bit about the Narayaneeyam, a devotional work
by Sri Narayana Bhattathiri, a 16th Century Keralite scholar. The following verses firmly
establish Sri Bhattathiri's conviction that Lord Narayana is the Supreme One:
Narayaneeyam, 82-9:
muhustAvacchakraM varuNamajayo nandaharaNe

yamaM bAlAnItau davadahana pAne(a)nila sakham |
vidhiM vatsasteye girishamiha bANasya samare
vibho vishvotkarSI tadayamavatAro jayati te ||
[Thy repeated victories over Indra, over Varuna (when Nandagopa was kidnapped by him
while bathing), over Yama (by reclaiming from him the son of Thy preceptor, Sandeepani),
70
over Agni (by Thy devouring the wild forest fire), over Brahma (when he stole the calves)
and over Siva here in the battle with Bana, O Lord, amply prove that this avatAra of Thine
as Krishna surpasses all other avatAra-s and is most superior.]
Narayaneeyam, 90-1:
vRka bhRgu muni mohinyambarIShaadi vRtteSu

ayi tava hi mahattvaM sarvasharvAdi jaitram |
sthitamiha paramAtman niSkalArvAgabhinnaM
kimapi tadavabhAtaM taddhi rUpaM tavaiva ||
[O Supreme Being ! From the episodes of Vrikasura, Sage Bhrigu, the Mohini incarnation,
King Ambarisha and others, it is here firmly established that Thy glory is superior to, and
transcends, that of Siva and all other deva-s. Thou art none other than the Nishkala
Supreme Brahman, as also all the Sakala forms, and art that Indefinable One who doth
shine as the essence of all.]
Sri Madhusudana Saraswati expounds on this further in his Gudhartha Dipika, in his
commentary to verse 7-24 of the Bhagavad Gita:
"nanu janma-kAle(a)pi sarva-yogi-dhyeyaM

shrIvaikuṇṭhasthaM-aishvarameva rUpaM-AvirbhAvitavati
saMprati ca shrIvatsa-kaustubha-vanamAlA-kirITa-
kuNDalAdi-divya-upakaraNashAlini kambu-kamala-
kaumodakI-cakra-varadhAri-caturbhuje shrImad-
vainateyavAhane nikhila-sura-loka-saMpAdita-
rAjarAjeshvara-abhiSekAdi-mahAvaibhave sarva-surAsura-
jetari vividha-divyaliilA-vilAsashIle sarva-
avatArashiromaNau sAkSAd-vaikuNTha-nAyake nikhilaloka-
duHkha-nistArAya bhuvamavatIrNe viri~nci-prapa~nca-
asaMbhavi-niratishaya-saundaryasAra-sarvasvamUrtau
bAlaliilA-vimohita-vidhAtari taraNi-
kiraNojjvalavyapItAmbare nirupamashyAmasundare
karadIkRta-pArijAtArtha-parAjita-purandare bANayuddha-
vijita-shashA^nkashekhare samasta-surAsura-vijayi-naraka-
prabhRti-mahAdaiteya-prakara-prANa-paryanta-sarva-
svahAriNi shrIdAmAdi-parama-ra^nka-mahAvaibhava-kAriNi
SoDasha-sahasra-divya-rUpadhAriNya-parimeya-
guNagarimaNi mahAmahimani nArada-mArkraNDeyAdi-
mahAmunigaNastute tvayi katham-avivekino(a)pi manuSya-
buddhir-jIvabuddhir-veti?"
71
[Well, with regard to you who even at the time of Your birth
had manifested that Divine Form itself which exists in the
holy Vaikuntha, and which is an object of meditation for the
yogis, and who at present possesses charming adorations
such as the Srivatsa, the Kaustubha, a garland of flowers
etc. reaching up to the feet, a crown, earrings, etc., who
have four hands holding a conch, a lotus, the (mace called)
Kaumodaki and an excellent discus, who have the graceful
Vainateya (Garuda) as your carrier, who are possessed of
the great glory of having been coronated as the Supreme
King of kings by the entire heavenly world, who have
conquered all the devas (celestial beings) and asuras
(demons), who like to remain engaged in various divine
sports, who are the crest-jewel of all avatAra-s, who are
none other than the Lord of Vaikuntha, who have descended
on the earth to help all people get rid of their sorrows, who
are the embodiment of all that constitutes the essence of the
unsurpassable beauty that is not to be found in the creation
of Brahma, who outwitted Brahma by the divine sport of your childhood, who wear a
dazzling yellow garment as bright as the rays of the sun, who are incomparably dark and
charming, who defeated Indra to make him offer the Parijata tree as a tribute, who defeated
Siva while fighting Bana, who took away everything including the lives of mighty demons
such as Naraka and others who had defeated all the devas and asuras, who made an
extremely poor person like Sudama greatly opulent, who had assumed sixteen thousand
divine forms, who are endowed with virtues the excellence of which is immeasurable, who
are possessed of great fame, and who are prayed to by the great sages such as Narada,
Markandeya and others, how can even the non-discriminating persons have the idea that
You are a human being or a jiva?]
In another place, Sri Narayana Bhattathiri cites the incident where the devas and asuras
were churning the ocean seeking the amRta (elixir), with the aid of none other than Lord
Vishnu. Lakshmi, the eternal companion of the Lord in His Vaikuntha abode, manifested
herself as one of the by-products during the course of churning. She examined all the
onlookers one by one, and finally chose our Lord Sri Hari as her husband. Sri Bhattathiri
says thus:
Narayaneeyam, 28-7:
girishadruhiNAdi sarvadevAn guNabhAjo(a)pyavimukta

doSaleshAn |
avamRshya sadaiva sarvaramye nihitaa tvayyanayA(a)pi
divyamAlA ||
[Knowing that all the others such as Brahma and Siva, though virtuous were still not
blemishless, she offered the divine garland to Thee, who art the eternal embodiment of
perfection and charm.]
72
It is worth noting here that in Sri Vishnu Sahasranama Bhashya, Sri Sankara explains the
name "shrIpatiH" as follows: "amRtamathane sarvAn sura-asurAdIn vihAya
shrIrenaM patitvena varayAmAseti shrIpatiH" [He who was chosen by Laksmi after she
rejected all the other devas and asuras during the churning of the cosmic ocean for nectar].
Sri Bhattathiri further confirms this doctrine in the following verse belonging to the section
describing the deliverence of the elephant Gajendra:
Narayaneeyam, 26-8:
shrRtvaa stotraM nirguNasthaM samastaM

brahmeshAdyairnAhamityaprayAte |
sarvAtmA tvaM bhUri kAruNya vegAt tArkshyArUDhaH
prekSitobhUH purastAt ||
[On hearing the entire hymn, describing the impersonal nature of the Universal Being,
Brahma, Siva and others, knowing that it did not refer to them, did not come there. But
Thou, who art all knowing, manifested before him, seated on Garuda, impelled by Thy flow
of mercy.]
Hence, our Acharyas have repeatedly emphasized the point that the glory of Lord Narayana
surpasses that of the other devas such as Brahma, Siva, Indra, and others.
73
The Unassailable Glory of Lord Narayana: Part 4 -- More from the
Narayaneeyam
Little Krishna of Guruvayur
The Keralite scholar Sri Narayana Bhatta of the 16th/17th Century, in his devotion-laden
work Narayaneeyam, conveys more about the nature of the highest Paramatma, Sriman
Narayana, in the last two verses of the first decad. I will try to summarize the meanings and
provide English translations of key portions from the old commentary by Desa Mangala
Variar.
Verse 1-9:
kAruNyAt-kAmam-anyaM dadati khalu pare svaatmadastvaM visheSAd-

aishvaryAdi-Ishate(a)nye jagati parajane svAtmano(a)pi-Ishvarastvam
|
tvaiyyuccairAramanti pratipadamadhure chetanAH sphItabhAgyAstvaM
chAtmArAma evetyatulaguNagaNa-AdhAra shaure namaste ||
[Oh Shauri! Thou art omnipotent and the embodiment of all virtue and hence Thou hath the
unique power to grant supreme bliss to Thy devotees instead of only desired objects, in
74
contrast to other deva-s. Those who realize this truth are blessed at every step they take
towards Thee. Oh Lord Krishna! I pray to Thee for such a blessing.]
Commentary:
kAruNyAditi | pare brahmAdayaH | kAruNyAd bhaktavatsalatayA |

anyaM mokSavyatiriktaM kAmaM varaM dadAti | tvaM visheSAd
vishiSTAd brahmAdyatishayitAt kAruNyAt svAtmadaH svAtmAnaM
svarUpaM mokSamapi dadAsItyarthaH | ki~nca, anye brahmAdayaH
aishvaryAd jagati asmin prapa~nce parajane svavyatirikteSu
sthiracareSvena Ishate nigrahItumanugrahItuM vA shaktA bhavanti |
tvaM tu svAtmanaH svarUpasya brahmaNo(a)pIshvaraH ... he shaure!
shrI-kRSNa ! te tubhyaM namaH namaskaromi-ityarthaH ||
[O Shauri! O Krishna! I offer my salutations to Thee! Brahma and others, out of compassion
for their devotees, grant to them all sorts of blessings that they wish for, other than final
liberation. Since you are special -- being superior to deva-s such as Brahma, being
extremely merciful -- being such, you grant Yourself -- Your own Supreme Station that is
free from the cycle of births and deaths -- to Thy devotees. Moreover, Brahma and others
are only lords of this visible universe consisting of plants, animals, and human beings. You
however, by nature, are the Lord of even Brahma and others. It is only Thyself that is equal
to Thee.]
This is another reason why the greatness of Lord Hari surpasses other devas, as He alone is
the one who grants liberation, while the other deva-s are only able to grant material
benefits. The ancient Tamil work paripADal says thus about Vishnu:
"Unless the One who wears a garland of fragrant Tulsi leaves (Vishnu) grants
libeation, it is extremely hard to reach the same" (நாறு இணர்த் துழாேயான்
நல்கின் அல்லைத ஏறுதல் எளிேதா வீறு ெபறு துறக்கம்).
75
Lord Vishnu is ever consorted by Lakshmi
Verse 1-10:
aishvaryaM sha^nkarAdi-IshvaraviniyamanaM vishvatejoharANAM

tejassanhAri vIryaM vimalamapi yasho nispRhaish copagItam |
angAsa^ngA sadA shrIrakhilavidasi na kvApi te sa^ngavArtA
tadvAtAgAravAsin murahara bhagavacchabda-mukhya-Ashrayo(a)si ||
[Oh Lord Murari ! Ordainer of even great lords such as Shiva and others! Who excels all in
splendor! Your famous pastimes are sought after and sung about even by great yogis.
Lakshmi, who is the goddess of all riches, likes to reside in your chest always. Thou art the
embodiment of all the six divine qualities of greatness viz., Sri (prosperity), Jnana
(knowledge), Vairagya (detachment), Aishwarya (sovereignty), Veerya (valour) and Yashas
(fame) and hence the word Bhagavath is the most befitting attribution to Thee, who art the
resident of the Guruvayur temple.]
Commentary:
aishvaryamiti | he vAtAgAravAsin! murahara! te tvaishvaryaM

sha^nkarAdInAmIshvarANAM viniyamanaM
tattadadhikArapravartakam | ki^nca, tava vIryaM vishveSAM sarveSAM
tejaH parAkramaM harantIti vishvatejoharAH shrIsha^nkarAdayaH,
teSAM tejaH prabhAvaM saMhartuM shIlamasyeti tathA | vakSyati ca
'muhustAvacchakraM' (10.82. 9) ityAdi | tava yasho(a)pi vimalaM
pApashodhakam | nispRhair-muktair-apyupagItaM,
tvaccaritAkRSTacetastayA taishvarNitamityarthaH | shrIshca sadA
a^ngAsa^ngA tava vakSaHsthalamAshrityaivAste | akhilavidasIti |
akhilaM svAtmAnaM svamAyAM tatkAryaM ca vittItyakhilavidasi tvaM |
anye tvAM tattvato na jAnantIti bhAvaH | kvApi viSaye | te sa^ngasya
vArtApi kathApi na shrUyata ityarthaH | tat tasmAt,
yasmAdaishvaryayashaH shrIvIryaj~nAnasa^ngatAnAM
76
bhagavacchabdavAcyAnAM tvayyatishayena vRttistasmAdityarthaH |
bhagavacchabdasya mukhyAshrayo vAcyArtho bhavasi, anyeSu
bhagavacchabdasya lAkSaNikI vRttirityarthaH ||
[O Divine Resident of Guruvayur! Slayer of the demon Mura! Thy sovereignty includes being
the Lord of, the controller of, the one who gives orders to -- even Shankara (Shiva) and
others! Moreover, Thy prowess is better than those of Shiva who is of very great potence
himself. It is also said by Sri Narayana Bhattathiri elsewhere that the Lord's prowess is
better than those of Brahma, Siva, Indra, Varuna, and Yama (82-9).
Your glory is also blemishless -- listening to the same removes the listener's sins. Even
those who have conquered their senses, and those who have attained liberation sing Thy
glory, having all their senses irresistably drawn towards hearing Thy Divine Pastimes.
Even Lakshmi (Shri), who is the Goddess of all riches likes to reside in your chest for ever,
not wanting to be separate from Thou even for a moment. You are the one who is
possessed of all knowledge of the entire cosmos and its beings. Others do not know these
fully.
From this, it is clear that since Thou alone art the One possessed of unlimited Sovereignty,
Glory, Wealth, Prowess, and Wisdom, the term 'Bhagavan' denotes Thee primarily. Thou
alone naturally possess the title of 'Bhagavan' by Thy own nature. With regard to the
others, it is only an acquired title.]
REFERENCES:
[1] Complete Narayaneeyam online

[2] Narayaneeyam of Narayana Bhatta, with the commentary, Bhaktapriya, of Desamangala
Varya. Edited by T. Ganapati Sastri, Travancore Government Press, 1912.
77

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by a random well-wisher of bhAgavatas

June 28, 2010

Humble prostrations to the great Shankara Bhagavatpada, Bhagavad Ramanujacharya, Shri

nArAyaNaH paro'vyaktAd aNDam avyakta-sambhavam |

Mundaka Upanishad 2-1-4 says:

"this dEva, (known as) Vishnu or Ananta, is the

We will explore the concept of inner-dweller (antaryAmi/antarAtmA) in a little while. It is

bhUH pAdau yasya khaM codaramasuranilaH candra sUryau ca netre

Sureshvaracharya, another disciple of Adi Shankaracharya (as attested by himself in his

"Krishna Dwaipayana (Veda Vyasa), desiring welfare for all creatures,

Anandagiri or Anandaj~nAna, a medieval advaitic scholar and

The great philosopher of the dvaita tradition (dualistic

"The person - from whom the origin,

(Rig Veda X-lxxxii-6)

"He who is our immediate progenitor and father, who is the

(Rig Veda X-lxxxii-3)

"Hear thence this short statement: The ancient

(Brahmanda Purana I.174)

"I am the origin and the place of

(says Lord Narayana as Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita, VII.6)

(Apastamba Dharma Sutra, I.8.23.2)

Kambar, respectfully and quite aptly known in Tamil Vaishnavite circles as

praNamya rAmAbhidaM AtmadhIpadaM jagat prasUti-sthiti-

Nyaya Makaranda, a work by a 11th/12th-century scholar named Anandabodha,

yadbhAsA nikhilaM vibhAti viSayo yo na svayaM jyotiSAM

(Taittiriya Upanishad III-i-1)

Bhagavad Ramanujacharya (rAmAnuja-AcArya, 1017 A.D.-1137 A.D.) was the great

English translation (thanks- http://sriramanujar.tripod.com/): "I take refuge at the feet of

Ramanujacharya's image in a Temple

(Ramanuja's bhagavad-gItA-bhASya, 9.5)

(Ramanuja's bhagavad-gItA-bhASya, 9.6)

He proceeds thus in his commentary to the next verse:

(Ramanuja's bhagavad-gItA-bhASya, 9.7)

(Ramanuja's bhagavad-gItA-bhASya, 9.8)

An illustration of the lives of ten of the twelve Azhwars

(Thirunedum-Thandakam 4, Divya Prabandha 2055)

Little Lord Krishna, the deity of Guruvayur

Bhagavata Purana (srImad bhAgavata purANa, srImad bhAgavatam, or simply

Lord Krishna's abode in Guruvayur, Kerala

vyakta-avyaktam-idaM na ki~ncit-abhavat prAk prAkRta-prakSaye

This (universe) existed in the shape of Darkness, unperceived, destitute

(Manu Smriti, I.5)

He who can be perceived by the internal organ (alone), who is subtle,

(Manu Smriti, I.7)

kAlaH karma guNAH-ca jIvanivahA vishvaM ca kArye vibho!

evam-ca dvi-parArdha-kAla-vigatAvIkSAM sisRkSAtmikAM

shabdAd vyoma tataH sasarjitha vibho! sparshaM tato mArutam

"sa Adi-kartA nArAyaNAkhyo viSNUH... sa ca bhagavAn jnAna-aishvarya-shakti-

"Lord Vishnu (all-pervading), known as Narayana, is the primordial creator... The

shriimatkRSNasamAhvAya namo yAmunasUnave

A portrait of Krishna Bhakti

vittagan malarmagan virumbum வித்தகன் மலர்மகள்

mattaRu kaDaiveNNey kaLavinil மத்தறுகைடெவண்ெணய்

ettiRam uralinODu iNaindirundu எத்த

The Lord has performed many miraculous deeds as a child,

"He is astonishing. Even as he was bound by Yashodha, He showed to Yamala and

The Acharya, Sri Periya Vachan Pillai, recalls here an

[3] Taittiriya Upanishad, II.iv.1

Acharya Shri Adi Shankara with his disciples

shrI parAshara bhaTTAryaH shri ra"ngesha purohitaH |

shrIvatsA"nka sutaH shrImAn shreyase me-astu bhUyase ||

This name occurs in the following verse of the Vishnu Sahasranama:

RtuH sudarshanaH kAlaH parameSThI parigrahaH |