Beach 7: The Art and Science of Spiritual
Love
Wave 9: ADVAITA BHAKTI THROUGH CONTEMPLATIVE PRACTICE OF NARAYANEEYAM
Note: You may want to read the Introduction, if
you have not already seen it.
Sloka
No. 12 (Ref. nArAyaNIyaM : 2 - 1):
sUrya-spardhi
kirITam-Urdhva-tilaka-prodbhAsi-phAlAntaraM
kAruNyAkula netram-Ardra-hasitol-lAsaM sunAsApuTaM /
gaNDOdyan-makarAbha-kuNDala-yugaM kaNToj-jvalat-kaustubhaM
tvadrUpaM vanamAlya-hAra-patala-shrIvatsa-dIpraM
bhaje //
I
adore the form of the Lord with head crowned with a diadem that rivals the
brilliance of the sun; with forehead whose beauty is enhanced by the upright
sandal paste mark; with eyes wetted by mercy; with face lit up by a benevolent
smile; with nose well-proportioned and attractive; with ears adorned with fish-marked pendants that add lustre to the
cheeks by their reflection; with neck wearing the luminous jewel Kaustubha; and
with chest resplendent with a variety of decorations like the wreath of flowers
from the wilderness, lines of pearl necklaces and the auspicious mark called
Srivatsa.
Comment. Here is the first of two slokas (this and
the next) which are very suitable subjects for meditation. When the boy Dhruva (five years old) goes to
the forest for doing penance and getting to see the Lord, the sage Narada
accosts him, tries to dissuade him from the tortuous task of a penance in the
solitary world of the forest, but finally finds him determined; and at that
point he unfolds to the boy how he should meditate and on what form. The
description that Narada gives to the boy is famous in the Bhagavatam for the
charming visualization (of the inaccessible Personality of Godhead) that it gives for meditation.
Bhattatiri here goes one step further, by lyrically immortalising the beauty of
form that one can see by going and having darshan at Guruvayoor. It is to this attractive form that Arjuna
wanted the Lord to return, when he was overwhelmed, and frightened, by the
cosmic vision which he had the rare opportunity to witness: ‘I desire to see thee as before, Oh Lord,
crowned, bearing a mace, with the discus in hand, in thy former form only,
having four arms , Oh thousand-armed cosmic form’
(Gita Ch.XI 46):
kirITinaM gadinaM cakra-hastaM
icchAmi tvAm draShTum-ahaM tathaiva /
tenaiva rUpeNa catur-bhujena
sahasra-bAho bhava vishva-mUrte //
Sloka
No. 13 (Ref. nArAyaNIyaM : 2 - 2):
keyUrAngada-kankaNottama-mahA-ratn-AngulIy-Ankita-
shrImad-bAhu-catuShka-sangata-gadA-shankAri-pankeruhAM /
kAncit-kAncana-kAnci-lAnchita-lasat-pItAmbar-AlankR^itAM
Alambe vimal-Ambuja-dyuti-padAM mUrtiM
tav-ARticchidaM //
Tr. I take refuge in Thy ineffable form
glowing as it does with ornaments like keyUra (bracelet on the upper arm),
angada (armlet) and kankana (bangle) and finger-rings of precious jewels; with
four sacred arms holding in them the mace, the conch, discus and the lotus;
with waist wrapped in yellow silk fastened by a golden waist band; and with
feet that resemble exquisite lotuses and remove the woes of the devotees.
Comment. Those who believe only in the
attributeless Absolute might have problems in visualizing divine forms as
described in these two stanzas (Nos.12 and 13); but it must be said to the
credit of the bhakti movement in India from the 7th century onwards,
that it is this personalized intimacy with the Lord that has shown thousands of
devotees the path of spirituality and led them thereon to the ultimate path of
jnAna. And this proves Bhattatiri’s
point made in Sloka No.11 of this selection. (See also: Hinduism is one in spite of differences
among schools of Hindu philosophy)
Sloka
No. 14 (Ref. nArAyaNIyaM : 2 - 3):
yat-trailokya-mahIyaso’pi mahitaM sammohanaM mohanAt
kAntaM kAnti-nidhAnato’pi madhuraM
mAdhurya-dhuryAd-api /
soundary-ottarato’pi sundara-taraM tvad-rUpam-Ashcaryato-
‘py-AshcaryaM
bhuvane na kasya kutukaM puShNAti viShNo vibho //
Oh
All-pervading Being! Who is there in all the universe that will not be
entranced by this Thy surprisingly wonderful Form, which is superior in excellences
to all objects considered great in the three worlds; which is more charming than the most charming
of entities; whose splendour outshines every form of brilliance; and whose
sweetness and beauty would put to shame all other objects that are noted for
such qualities.
Comment:
The emotional heights to which this and the earlier verses may be associated
with, cannot be dismissed as myths created by poet. It would be as foolish as
saying that the
Sloka
No. 15 (Ref. nArAyaNIyaM : 98 - 1):
yasmin-netad-vibhAtaM yata idam-abhavad-yena cedaM ya eta-
dyo’smAduttIrNa-rUpaH khalu sakalam-idaM bhAsitaM yasya bhAsA
/
yo vAcAM dUra-dUre punar-api manasA yasya
devA munIndrA
no vidyus-tattva-rUpaM kimu punar-apare
kr^iShNa tasmai namaste //
Tr.
Oh Krishna, to Him my salutations, who is the substratum on which this world of
manifestation appears; who is the root cause of it; into whom it dissolves; who
manifests as all the world but none-the-less transcends them all and forms the
Light of Consciousness by which, and to which, they are revealed; who is far
beyond the scope of exact descriptions by words and conception of mind; whose
true nature neither the devas nor the sages have known, not to speak of
others; to Him, Krishna, my
salutations.
Comment. It is legitimate to ask for a quick list (and many have
so asked) of all the attributes of the Ultimate God or Godhead in Hinduism.
Here is an answer in this sloka. (Also see sloka 17 below). But, as the author
himself acknowledges, the true nature of God cannot be fathomed by any one. The
Lord Himself says: There is no end to their detailed description (Gita Ch. X –
19): ‘nAstyanto vistarasya me’. That is why there is an abundance of sahasranamas
for the various divinities in Hinduism. In trying to depict the undepictable,
one uses words but the Vedas themselves say ‘Words recede from (describing) It’
(‘yato vAco nivartante’ –
Taittiriyopanishad). So Bhattatiri also says: ‘yo vAcAM dUra-dUre’, that is, ‘It is far beyond the scope of
words’. To describe the undescribable, you cannot but
borrow ideas and even words from the Upanishads. The words ‘sakalam-idam bhAsitaM yasya bhAsA’ of
the second line reminds one of the famous line from Mundaka Upanishad II – 2 –
10: ‘Through Him all of them shine, and through His expression, everything is expressed’ : ‘tameva bhAntaM anubhAti sarvaM tasya bhAsA
sarvam-idaM vibhAti’.
Sloka
No. 16 (Ref. nArAyaNIyaM : 98 - 8):
yad-bhItyodeti sUryo dahati ca dahano vAti
vAyus-tathAnye
yad-bhItAH padmajAdyAH puna-rucita-balIn-Aharante’nu
kAlaM /
yen-aiv-AropitAH prang nija-padam-api te cyAvitArash-ca
pashcAt
tasmai vishvaM niyantre vayam-api bhavate
kR^iShNa kurmaH praNAmaM //
Tr.
Fearing whom the sun rises, fire burns and wind blows; for fear of whom Brahma
and other deities perform their cosmic functions as obligatory punctual
offerings; by whom all these deities are installed in their places at the
beginning and removed afterwards – to Thee Oh Lord, who thus regulates the
whole universe, my salutations.
Comment. This is a
actually an echo of Taittiriyopanishad II -8 – 1. ‘bhIShA’smAd-vAtaH pavate; bhIShodeti sUryaH ;
bhIShA’smAd-agnish-cendrashca; mR^ityur-dhAvati pancama iti’ , meaning, Out
of His fear the Wind blows; out of fear the Sun rises; out of His fear runs
fire, as also Indra, and Death, the fifth.
That is why He is called ‘ugraH’ in
Vishnu sahasranama (ugras-samvatsaro
dakShaH). The ultimate cause of fear must itself be indestructible, since a
contrary supposition will lead to an infinite regress. And such an eternal
agent is The Absolute. This sloka is also an epitome of a whole bunch of slokas
(3 – 29 – 40 to 44) in the Bhagavatam in the chapters on Kapila’s philosophical
teachings to his mother.
Sloka
No. 17 (Ref. nArAyaNIyaM : 98 - 9):
trailokyaM bhAvayantaM triguNamayam-idaM
tryakSharasy-aika-vAcyaM
trIshAnAm-aikya-rUpaM tribhir-api nigamair-gIyamAna-svarUpaM /
tisrovasthA-vidantaM triyuga-jani-juShaM
trikram-AkrAnta-vishvaM
traikAlye bheda-hInaM tribhir-aham-anishaM
yoga-bhedair-bhaje tvAM //
Tr. You manifest the three worlds through the
three guNas. You are the One who is implied by the three letters of the praNava. You are the one Being who
manifests as the three Deities, Brahma, Vishnu and Siva. It is your Nature that
is sung and glorified in the three Vedas. You are the Pure Consciousness that
witnesses the three states of waking, dream and sleep. You incarnate yourself
in the three yugas of treta, dvapara and kali. You measured the whole universe
with your three strides. You are changeless in the three parts of Time, namely,
past, present and future. I worship You always with
the three forms of yoga – karma, bhakti
and jnana.
Comment. The list of attributes (see sloka 15) of
the Lord is continued here with poetic excellence. One cannot but recall an
analogous poetic flourish from the Tamil poet Kamban in his Ramayana, ( yuddha-kANDa, iraNiyan-vadaip-paDalaM, verse 25), put
in the mouth of Prahlad, the greatest devotee of all times: (in Tamil)
mUnru avan guNangaL cheigai mUnru avan uruvam
mUnru
mUnru
tonralum iDaiyum Irum toDangiya poruLkaTku ellAm
sAnru avan-iduve veda muDivu idu sadam enrAn
.
Meaning,
His qualities are three (satva, rajas
and tamas); His actions are three
(Creation, Protection and Dissolution); His forms are three (Brahma, Vishnu and
Siva); He has three eyes (Sun, Moon and Fire) ; His
worlds are three (Earth, the nether-world and Heaven). All that have a beginning,
a middle and an end constitute a monumental proof of
His existence, This is also the bottom line of all the Vedas.
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