SRI VADIRAJA VIRACHITA "TEERTHA PRABANDHA"

“Teertha Prabandha” is an exemplary lyrical extravaganza penned by one of the most revered saint philosophers of Dwaita School Sri Vadirajaru, who belonged to the lineage of seers headed by Sri Vishnu Tritharu, a pre-sainthood brother of Sri Madhwacharyaru. The most striking aspect of this work of Sri Vadirajaru is that it is perhaps the first-of-its-kind type of work in Sanskrit dedicated to some of the most important pilgrim destinations of the country. Sri Vadirajaru has mentioned the names of all holy places he had visited and thereby provided a cryptic referendum of sacred places. It must be noted here that Sri Vadirajaru visited all the place by foot and recorded the details pertaining to every place in poetic form. In all the stanzas, Sri Vadirajaru has mentioned names of places, presiding deity, their historical significance and he has also described in his own inimitable style Lord of Lords, Sri Maha Vishnu.

The pilgrimage of Sri Vadirajaru began from his native precincts of Tulu Nadu or Taulava Kshetra, as it is respectfully known. Commencing from Rajatapeethapura, the erstwhile name of present Udupi, Sri Vadirajaru touched Pushkara in the west; beginning from Krishna River, he touched the northern most point of Badari; in the eastern side, Sri Vadiraja launched his entourage from Jagannatha Puri and went on to travel up to Kumbhakona in south-west. He started from Sri Rangam in the south and touched Anantashayana. It is beyond the imagination of the present generation to even think of travelling in all directions by any means of conveyance, leave alone by walk. Only divine persons like Vadirajaru can undertake such arduous tasks.

What is significant from modern perspective about Teertha Prabandha is that Sri Vadirajaru has provided mythological and historical importance of each place and deity he visited. It should be noted that Sri Vadirajaru did not have or did not employ any of the modern technology to explore the history of the places visited by him. He could do so only because of his mystic, divine power. He has liberally provided links that every place has with Ramayana, Mahabharat, eighteen Puranas, Vedas, Upanishats and so on. After Canterbury Tales by William Chaucer, Teertha Prabandha is perhaps the most authentic, extraordinary, brilliant and outstanding travelogue to date.

More about Teertha Prabandha and Sri Vadirajaru will be following. Subsequently, an attempt will be made to substantiate the information provided in each stanza of Teertha Prabandha with the grace of Sri Hari, Sri Vayu and Sri Vadirajaru. GurubhyO Namaha. SDN    

SRI RAGHAVENDRA SWAMY'S SRI RAMACHARTRYA MANJARI

(The words Prajataha and NrupatEhe have been discussed threadbare in this episode. Please read, comment and share. SDN)

The word “PrajAtaha” is an expansion of “Jaataha”. While substantiating the origin of or the Dhatu form of “Jaataha”, what emerges is that it actually means “PrAdurBhAva”. The word “PrAdurBhAva” means that an object that was hitherto unseen has now been sighted or seen. What one should be cautious here is that if an object that was hitherto non-existent takes birth now or appears now, it cannot be attributed to what is intrinsic in the word “PrAdurBhAva”. Therefore, when the word is attributed to Sri Vishnu, it conveys the message that Lord Vishnu, who could not be seen so far, has appeared now and it does not mean that he took birth now. Birth is a biological process and Lord Vishnu cannot be consigned to this process. Thus, Sri Rama was not born but manifested or took an incarnation. This is what the word “JAtaha” implies.

The same word “PrajAtaha” has a prefix or what is called in Sanskrit as “Upasarga” namely “Pra”. It is pertinent to precipitate this prefix further to know how appropriate has it been in this context. It has already been mentioned that Lord Vishnu manifested himself in Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughna with his Sankarshana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha forms respectively. The actions and deeds of Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughna could therefore be equal or matching those that Lord Vishnu might express himself through those corresponding forms and such acts would be displayed through the three brothers. At no point of time or situation could those acts be beyond the quality or quantity attributable to Sankarshana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha forms of Lord Vishnu. Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughna could not excel beyond a certain specified level.  This also means that Sri Rama did not assign any duty that was beyond what was expected of each of them or what he (Lord) wanted them to do or act. Sri Rama was the incarnation of Sri Vasudeva form of Lord Vishnu and there is no difference between Sri Vasudeva and Sri Vishnu, which is as good as saying there was no difference between Sri Rama and Sri Vishnu. It is not a hypothesis but an inference or a verdict which needs no substantiation. Therefore, Sri Rama did whatever Sri Vishnu would have done not could have done. That is to say, nothing is beyond Sri Vishnu. He is doing everything that the time and situation warrants. He is empowered with all the powers that Lord Vishnu is originally empowered with. This is the phenomenon that the prefix “Pra” signifies.

The word DasharathanrupatEhe is a conjunction of Dasharatha and Nrupati. Dasharatha means he was a person whose chariot (Ratha) could move in all ten directions without any obstruction or restraint. This explanation or meaning signifies the capacity of Dasharatha. It should be noted here that demons like Ravana could also move around in their chariots in ten directions. But they were being either confronted or combated or opposed by other pious, virtuous kings or Rishis. Similarly, devotees of the Lord like Narada could roam about in all directions without being questioned, restricted or constrained. This is precisely the difference between the devotees of the Lord and others. That is why Dasharatha was a great king, good king and a virtuous king among other kings. It was due to this attribute that Sri Rama heartily decided to be born as his son. This is symbolically indicated by the word Dasharatha.

Kausalya drank the gruel that a divine person gave to Dasharatha after emerging out of the flames of sacrificial fire that Dasharatha was performing and she became pregnant. There is least doubt about the fact that Kausalya Devi did not beget Sri Rama from the semen of Dasharatha. Still, some immature persons contend that since Sri Rama was in the womb of Kausalya Devi, it is as good as saying that Sri Rama was born out of the blood of Kausalya Devi. However, when it has been accepted that Sri Rama was not the biological son of Dasharatha, the contention that Sri Rama was a biological son of Kausalya too is subject to rejection.

The word NrupatEhe simply means that having taken the forms of Fish, Tortoise and others in his Matsya, Koorma and other incarnations, Sri Rama took the incarnation of Sri Rama as the son of an emperor among human beings.

(Ramanama and Neetaha will be substantiated in the next episode. SDN)            

       

SRI MADHWAVIJAYA - PANCHAMAHA SARGAHA - SHLOKAS 4 AND 5

(In the two stanzas being interpreted herebelow, a brief note on the debate between Sri Poornaprajna and the Logicians has been provided, with a little explanation. It is hard to find exact English words for some of these highly philosophical, and more so Dwaitic, line of thoughts. Please read, comment and share. SDN)

BhidA susADhyEtyanumAnamatra taihi prAyujyatAshu pratipakShaBheeShaNam|

AKhanDayadvyaKhanDaDheeridam sa pakShadakShaha PhaNinam virADiva||4||

SUMMARY: They played a prank “loophole can be easily exploited” which was always effective in instilling fear among defence team. Like the Garuda with strong wings destroy the serpents, most accomplished Sri Poornaprajna, who was capable of defending his line of thought, nullified the weapons of apprehension shot by the rivals.

In his Bhavaprakashika, the author has substantiated the argument and counter arguments that took place between Sri Poornaprajna and the group of Logicians.

The inference put forth by the rival group was:

Vimatau jeevaparamAtmAnau Bhinnau niyamyaniyamAmakatwAt rAjapuruShavat

Meaning: The Soul and the Divine are separate because they harbour the sense of tangible and intangible notions like royal humans.  

To quote Bhavaprakashika:

Atra BhidAyAm| AnumAnam — ‘vimatau Bhinnau niyamyaniyAmakatwAt rAjapuruShavat’ iti|

Sri Poornaprajna rejected this inference by stating:

QUOTE FROM Bhavaprakashika:

Kimidam vishEShaNam pakShAdBhinnamAhOswidaBhinnamuta BhinnABhinnam| nAdimaha sambanDhApEkShayA(a)navasThAnAt| Na maDhyamaha pakShamAtrasya vishEShaNamAtrasya vA(a)BhiprEtatwaprasangAt| Na chAntimaha uBhayadOShAopAtAt| VyavasThayA aparidrushyamAnatwAdityaKhaNDayat| Idam cha vishEShavinirmuktAnAm vishEShaNa nigrAhakam|(Excerpt from Sumadhwavijaya compiled and published by Dr.  Vyasanakere Prabhanjanacharyaha)

Is this adjectival “separate status” (Bhinnatwa) different from the principal subject or is it inseparabale or “separably inseparable”? Owing to the fallacy of ‘non-status’ (Anavastha) or ‘opaque’ nature, it cannot be considered as ‘separable’; due to the absence of attributable ‘quality’, it is inappropriate to treat it as ‘inseparable’. As both these logical fallacies arise, the third proposition of ‘separably inseparable’ is also null and void.

Rejection of the proposition of ‘falsehood of the universe’     

AThApi miThyA vimatam matatwatO vivAdanirmuktavadityavAdi taihi|

AnEna satyam vimatam matatwatO yaThA GhaTAdeetyanumA nyagadyata||5||

SUMMARY: Still they fired another syllogism “This world is untrue; it is only believable since it is visible”.  For this Sri Acharyaru replied “The world is very much true, quite established and tangible like earthen pot and so on since it is glaring and visible.”

The logical term for ‘believable’ is “Sampratipanna” or Shukti Rajata. The symbols of earthen pot and other material things are not just believable but very much true like the palm of a man, a tree. The term Sampratipanna means “so they say and hence believed” where the inference is derived not by physical witness or evidence but by illusory or imaginary and close-to-believe kind of statements. It is said that where there is smoke there is fire. In this statement, there may be occasions when smoke does not clearly signify the existence of fire and vice versa. Earthen pot is not imaginary. It is tangible. Shukta Rajata and other concepts are based on intangible or abstract things and therefore they tend to be ‘untrue’. They are, by no stretch of imagination, an aberration of truly untrue or what has been named as “Sadasadvilakshana”.

(Surrender of Logicians will be narrated in the next episode with Shloka 6 SDN)      

SRI RAGHAVENDRA SWAMY'S SRI RAMACHARITRA MANJARI

Substantiation of Vishnu and Sreeman

In the first line “SreemAn pUrvam (ViShNuhu) prajAtO”, the word “ViShNuhu” means Narayana, who is omnipresent, eternal and embodiment of all attributes. Being Omnipresent, Sri Narayana was there before Dasharatha performed the Ashwamedha, before the gruel was given to him by the divine person, before Kausalya consumed it and before Vishnu and very much before Narayana took the incarnation as Rama through Kausalya. He was not born out of the gruel. By taking birth as Rama, Sri Narayana had nothing to gain personally. He took this incarnation for the welfare of all people because he is so gracious and compassionate. The beneficiaries of this incarnation are none else than the virtuous or Sajjanas, the deities, gods and goddesses. Demons were not the beneficiaries. The benefits that the deities secured included the relief they got from the atrocities meted out by demons and it was at the behest of deities that Lord Narayana agreed to take the incarnation as Rama. Prior to the incarnation of Rama, the deities were getting tortured by Ravana and other demons. The troubles created by demons for deities and Sajjanas were of different ways, degree and intensity. It was only right and just for deities to go to the abode of Sri Hari, who has no personal benefit from anything, and request him to restore their happiness and peace. Although Lord Hari is in all places, he is always available on the surface of the cosmic Ocean of Milk for salvation-deserving (Muktas) and Aparokshajnanis, who can conceive everything of the past, present and future.  They went there, appealed to Him, praised Him and explained their plight.  Lord Vishnu was impressed by their prayer, assured them that he would take the incarnation and directed them as to where and in which community or form they should take birth. All these factors are intrinsic and hidden in the word Vishnu.

By using “Sreeman”, the first word in the first line, it is indicated that Lord Vishnu took birth on Earth as Rama along with Lakshmi Devi, who is always living in the emblem “Srivatsa”. This emblem is present in Sri Narayana and also in Sri Rama and therefore there is no difference between Lord Vishnu and Sri Rama. There is no difference between the body of Lord Vishnu and that of Lord Sri Rama. This means that this body was there much before the appearance of Dasharatha and therefore the body of Sri Rama is not the corporal body that emulated from the semen of Dasharatha. Sri Rama is not the son of Dasharatha and similarly, Dasharatha not the biological father of Rama. Lord Vishnu wanted to bestow his grace on Dasharatha and therefore pretended as though he was the son of Dasharatha. Even in the case of Seetha Devi, an incarnation of Lakshmi Devi, she was not the biological daughter of Janaka and she was not wearing a corporal body as others. She emerged out of ground.

It appears outwardly that Sri Rama was born after staying in the womb of Kausalya for about ten months. On the contrary, there can be least doubt about the emergence of Seetha Devi. This dichotomy may give room for suspicion. This situation is created to ‘ill-minded’ and insane persons to make them misunderstand the concept of birth or incarnation. The Sajjanas automatically perceive what is right and what is not. (In the next episode, let us explore PrajAtaha and DasharaThanrupatEhe.)

SRI MADHWAVIJAYA PANCHAMA SARGA SHLOKAS 1 TO 3

(In this issue, the coronation of Sri Madhwacharya on the throne of Vedanta has been explained. Please read, comment and share. SDN)

VEdAntavidyAnijarAjyapalanE sankalpyamAnO guruNA gareeyasi|

AdaBhrachEtA aBhiShichyatE purA sa vAriBhirvArijapUritairaTha||1||

SUMMARY: Having decided to designate omniscient Sri Poornaprajna as the overlord and assign the onerous task of managing his empire of the knowledge of Vedanta, his Guru Sri Achyutapreksha filled the holy conch with holy waters and anointed him (Sri Poornaprajna).

Poet Sri Narayana Pandit has indicated in this stanza that Sri Achyutapreksha could quickly notice that Sri Poornaprajna had that distinct knwoeldge and capacity to authoritatively establish the “Real Philosophy of Dwaita” and conclusively condemn the other unreal theories. There were many outstanding and elderly disciples involved in the study of Vedanta under Sri Achyutapreksha. Still, he chose Sri Poornaprajna to ascend the throne because he could perceive that Sri Poornaprajna was exemplary, excellent and extraordinary.

Another important point to be noted here is that mere aversion to worldly pleasures and comforts is enough to confer sainthood. However, to ascend the throne of the Master, it was essential to have comprehensive knowledge of Meemamsa. The prospective emperor should be able to teach the right philosophy, condemn fake or wrong ones and spread the dualty theosophy. Sri Achyutapreksha was conscious of the fact that Sri Poornaprajna was an embodiment of all these attributes,

The word VedantavidyA denotes that it was not enough to have the knowledge of Brahma Meemamsa and other Shastras but the successor to that throne had to follow the norms, preach the norms to others and make them fall in line, especially in view of the stranglehold the Mithyavada had achieved.

   

AnandarUpasya parasya pAtraDheerAnandasandAyisushAstrakrut say at|

AnandateerThEti padam gurUditam baBhUva tasyAtyanurUparUpakam||2||

SUMMARY: The name Anandateertha which his Guru had conferred upon him was most appropriate since Sri Poornaprajna was charming and exemplary; his heart was the shelter of Lord Sri Hari; and he was quite accomplished to propound a profound philosophy that would pave the way for salvation.

Sri Poornaprajna was the name conferred at the time of ordaining Vasudeva into sainthood and Anandateertha was conferred again at the time of assigning the duty of managing the new school of thought to Sri Poornaprajna.

Sri Poornaprajna had emerged as a personification of perfection by way of incessant study of Vedas and meditation invoking Lord Hari.

KadAchitrOpayayau yatihi saKhA GOvindabudDhErbahushiShyasamvrutaha|

AmuShya shiShyA anumAnashikShitAstadA(a)jigeeShan gurubudDhimudDhatAha||3||

SUMMARY: Once, a saint and intimate friend of Sri Achyutapreksha arrived with a band of several disciples. Being a master of Tarkashastra or science of Logic, he and his high-headed disciples wanted to defeat Sri Anandateertha in a debate.

It is indicated in this stanza that those who came to defeat Sri Anandatirtha in the debate were experts in Logic and Logic alone. For any debate on philosophy, mere Logic is insufficient. On the contrary Logicians develop a sense of being superior and beyond the mundane.  

SRI RAGHAVENDRA SWAMY'S SRI RAMACHARITRA MANJARI

(This is the concluding part of the interpretation, explanation and understanding of the first stanza, which is likely to run for three-four episodes. Please read, comment and share. SDN)

Now, Sri Raghavendra Swamy, by employing the words “Naha praseedEt” (last two words in the first stanza), means to state that if one just remembers Sri Hari with Lakshmi Devi, as per the popular practice that if someone seeks something when a person is in a happy mood, he would give away everything, they will grant or ratify all the sane desires. Sri Rama, who was, at the time of his wedding with Seetha Devi in the presence of Lord Brahma and several deities, is being remembered by me and wish he will be pleased with me and bestow upon me the pleasures and happiness.

It is not only that. By the word “Naha” Sri Raghavendra Swamy says, “May He (Sri Rama), who is present in me, you, my disciples and everyone else, be pleased and impressed with everyone.” It is not enough if he grants the worldly desires. As mentioned in Shrutis “Yasya prasAdAt”, which is the expanded form of “PraseedEt”, “Let Rama bestow upon me a comprehensive blessings that would pave the way for salvation or Moksha” so that, I along with all the righteous and virtuous, be relieved from the family bonding.”

Prahlada, son of Hiranyakashipu, states in Canto VII of Bhagavata, states “NaitAnvihAya krupaNAnvimumukShu yEkaha”, which means “I do not want to be blessed alone with salvation; all those virtuous in pursuit of salvation should be granted with their desire.” Similarly, instead of restraining himself by mentioning “Mama praseedEt”, Sri Raghavendra Swamy has used “Naha preaseedEt” to extend the meaning of the aspirants of salvation to beyond himself and to the disciples and all the Sajjanas.

For those exploring the intrinsic values and meaning of the first stanza in Sri Ramacharitrya Manjari of Sri Raghavendra Gurusarvabhauma, there are several things to understand. His son Sri Lakshmi Narayanacharya has, in his commentary on this great work, provided extraordinary information that is hidden in this stanza and the stanzas that we will explore later. However, only some of that brilliant information is being repeated here because the rest of the material can be better understood by reading it alongside the Bharata Tatparya Nirnaya of Sri Madhwacharya and other treatises on the subject.

In the next episode, some terms, which appear very ordinary outwardly, will be explicitly explained in an attempt to go deeper into these words. It is essential to know such details to have a comprehensive idea of the divine and the divinity. It is also intended to enhance the knowledge about what Vishnu, Sriman, PrajAtaha and other terms actually indicate. These terms are all pregnant with meaning and it is quite a challenge to know or provide them in English, though it could be of great help for non-Sanskrit, non-Kannada people. Hope this small attempt will meet with your appreciation and satisfaction.    

SRI MADHWAVIJAYA CHATURTHAHA SARGAHA SHLOKAS 51 TO 54

On this auspicious day of Madhwa Navami, it is indeed a privilege to share these stanzas 51 to 54, the concluding ones in Chaturthaha Sargaha, which exemplify the extraordinary brilliance of Sri Poornaprajna in no uneven terms. They are a tribute to the Jagadguru. Please read, comment and share. SDN 

NigadyatAm gadyamihaiva panchamE jagadgurOrvEtThakrutisThitim yadi|

Iti bruvANE yatisattamE swayam taduktamArgENa jagAda BhUrihrut||51||

SUMMARY: With Achyutapreksha stating “If at all you know the original text of Sri Vedavyasa, tell us the text in its fifth canto,” Sri Poornaprajna presented the entire text in letter and spirit, verbatim, besides interpreting it.

There is a popular connotation that “VidyAvatAm BhAgavatE pareekShA”, meaning the test of scholarship is in Bhagavata. Sri Poornaprajna faced such a test in this incident to demonstrate to the world that he was a born scholar, that he was beyond scholastic education and that he was the incarnation of the most knowledgeable Lord Vayu.

Sri Vijayadhwaja Tirtharu further affirms that the Panchama Skanda or Fift Canto of Bhagavata is especially unfathomable or unintelligible:

GadyahEmAtmagahanam panchamaskanDhaparvatam|

AmnAyajnA mahAntO mE preeyantAmArurukShavE||

Scholars conceive this incident of asking Sri Poornaprajna to recite aloud the most challenging Panchama Skanda of Bhagavata as another reproof of the depth and command that Sri Achyutapreksha had over holy texts. It is another matter that Sri Poornaprajna too exhibited his inborn master by responding to the challenge without any fear or hesitation.   

AshEShashiShyaishcha tadAjnayA tadA pareekShaNAyaikShi samastapustakam|

Sa tatra hantaikatamE sThitam tyajan na tAvadaDhyAyanikAyamaBhyaDhAt||52||

SUMMARY: As if to testify more stringently, Sri Achyutapreksha asked all the disciples to check their texts while Sri Poornaprajna reiterated the entire text of the Panchama Skanda without any slip, error or deviation from the original text of Sri Vedavyasa, along with its meaning. What a surprise!

Atra janmani na yatpaThitam tE jaitra BhAti kaThamityamunOktE|

PUrvajanmasu hi vEda purEdam sarvamityamitabudDhiruvAcha||53||

SUMMARY: Sri Achyutapreksha questioned “Oh glorious Poornaprajna, all these lessons which have not been taught to you in this life yet and I wonder how you know them.” Sri Poornaprajna replied: “I learnt them in my previous life itself.”

By addressing Sri Poornaprajna as “glorious”, Sri Achyutapreksha expressed his satisfaction with the way the former recited the toughest Panchamaskanda text and also substantiated it. However, there was an iota of bewilderment in his interrogative remark because it remained a riddle for him as to how Sri Poornaprajna could master the most difficult part of Sri Bhagavata, which was a very hard nut to crack for the most accomplished scholars.

Iti bahuviDhavishwAshcharyachittapravruttErjagati titatimAyannUtanA(a)pyasya keertihi|

KShapitatatamaskA BhAskareeva praBhAlam sujanakumudavrundAnandadA chandrikEva||53||

SUMMARY: Instances such as these, which were pontent enough to cause a tumult of astonishment across the universe, earned a worldwide popularity to infinitely skilled  Sri Poornaprajna, which, even though it was quite new to the world, spread far and wide like the the radiant rays of Sun that can drive away the thickest darkness and it began acting like the light of moon spreads happiness and makes the red lotus blossom to the virtuous.

Iti Sreematkulatilaka SreemattrivikramapanDitAchAryasuta SreemannArAyANapanDitAchArya virachitE SreematsumaDhwavijayE AnandAnke ChaturThaha Sargaha