GITA 8.19

GITA 8.19

MAIN ENTRANCE

From Chakkara Theertham we have come to Sri Chakrapani temple and today's [22nd May 2008] lecture is from the main sannidhi. The main entrance has a tall tower and as we cross it we come to a beautiful mandapam.

MAHA MANDAPAM

 On the right side of the mandapam is Chakkara pushkarini, capable of washing all our sins. As we take bath and sprinkle the water on our head and go inside the temple, we first come across the sannidhi of Anjaneya. Then we reach the sannidhi of Sri Chakrapani; and, like in Sri Sarngapani sannidhi, there are two entrances -Utharayana and Dakshinayana.

SRI CHAKRAPANI PERUMAL SANNIDHI

 We come around the sannidhi in clockwise direction. We come to Sri Vijayavalli Nachiyar sannidhi. 

SRI VIJAYAVALLI THAYAR SANNIDHI

SRI VIJAYAVALLI THAYAR

It is a separate sannidhi. This is because alongside Sri Chakrapani, Sri Sudarsanavalli Thayar is gracing. But Kalyanotsavam of Sri Chakrapani is performed with Sri Vijayavalli Thayar only. She is gracing with the right lower arm showing protection [Abhaya hastham] and left lower arm pointing to Her Divine feet. Upper two arms are holding lotus flowers. True to Her name, by worshiping Her, all our efforts will be successful. Swami Koora Narayana jeer had composed 100 verse Sudarsana sathakam. Swami Vedanta Desika had composed Eight verse Sudarsana Ashtakam. They all convey a theme. In Vaikuntam, Sriman Narayana was in conversation with Sri Sridevi. It was opined by the Lord that He could delegate granting powers of some requests of the devotees, to others so that all devotees need not come to Him for those requests. Longevity, health and wealth were, thus delegated to Sri Sudarsana. Sri Chakrapani grants all these and Moksham. With the support of Sri Vijayavalli Thayar, He grants longevity, health and wealth. Just because He can grant, we need not worship Them for these earthly benefits; but, consider worshiping Them itself, as a big boon conferred. All other benefits would automatically follow.

 We will now see sloka 17 of Chapter 8. We saw that the Lord is the Propeller of the Kala chakra, Jagat chakra and Yuga chakra. We also saw the lifetime of lord Brahma. Thousand chatur yug make one daytime and another 1000 chaturyug make one night and thus his one Brahma year consists of 365 such day and night and he lives for such 100 Brahma years. So, one day, even such long life of lord Brahma would end. By reaching the feet of the Lord, however, even this end we need not face. In Thithriya Upanishad, this is explained.

'Bhishasmadvatha pavathe bhishodhethi soorya: |

Bhishasmadhgnischendrascha mrutyur dhavathi panchama: ||

Fearing the Lord's anger, gods like Vayu, Surya, Agni, Indra, Mrutyu and all, obediently do their duties. Their tenures are all defined; while the Lord remains forever. To reach the Lord, should be the single objective of bhagavallabharti. In sloka 18, Sri Krishna brings up yet another aspect. He tells which are the entities that get created at the beginning of the life of Brahma and which all end at the end of Brahma's life. We have to clearly understand these. Earlier, it was told that moola prakruti or avyaktam is responsible for the generation of mahan, which generates ahankaram. Ahankaram is divided into three parts satvika, rajasa and tamasa ahankarams. From these, the Five great elements or Pancha bhootha, Pancha tanmatra, karmendriya and gyanendriya and manas emerge. All these creations are carried out by the Lord Himself and are called samashti srushti. Then the Lord creates lord Brahma, who starts other creations, under His control. These creations are called vyakti srushti. We should remember that what Brahma creates are also with the blessings of the Lord. Now, Sri Krishna tells what are all created in the daytime of Brahma and which all get destroyed in Brahma's night time. Sloka 18:

avyaktad vyaktayah sarvah
prabhavanty ahar-agame
ratry-agame praliyante
tatraivavyakta-samjnake

"At the beginning of Brahma’s day, all living entities become manifest from the unmanifest state, and thereafter, when the night falls, they are merged into the unmanifest again."

Avyaktad = from Brahma's body [earlier we saw this word denoted moola prakruti]. Here this sloka describes all those emerging from the body of Brahma. Brahma was the creation of the Lord. Vyaktya = explicit creations like bhoo, bhuva and suva worlds, sarva = and all the contents of these worlds; it includes all the living beings in these three worlds; all experiences in them; all inanimate objects in these worlds. That is all humans, devas, animals, birds, insects, etc., are created by Brahma, the objects of their senses like what they eat or listen, etc. These are all explicit and so vyaktam. Avyakta is abstract and not perceived by senses. We are able to distinguish all items in vyaktam. Though these emerge from Brahma, these are not perceptible in Brahma's body and so his body is avyaktham. Prabhavanti = all these are created. Ahar-agame = during day time [of Brahma]. All these sense perceived vyaktam get created during the day time of lord Brahma. Brahma controls seven worlds - Bhoo, Buva, Suva, Maha, Jana, Tapa and Satya lokas. This is to be split into two groups and we are talking of the first three worlds Bhoo, Bhuva and Suva. These three are administered by Indra. Brahma is the leader of all gods and Indra is a sub-leader assisting Brahma. Ratri-agame = in the night [of Brahma], praliyante = they get dissolved [layam means an object attaining its natural status. Mud pot becoming layam means it becomes mud. Karyam or end product, attaining its karana or starting status]. That is, all these three worlds get back into the body of Brahma and lose their vyakta form. Tatraiva = in the same place, avyakta samjyate = which is called avyaktam, ie.in Brahma they get dissolved. This is called Naimishtika srushti and naimishtika pralayam. So in one Kalpa kalam or in 1000 chatur yug time, creations in this Universe are done and in the next kalpam, they are all destroyed and reach their original status in Brahma. Therefore, as a corollary, we have to understand that just like us even the lord Brahma has an end; but the Lord Sriman Narayana is ever remaining and by reaching Him, we also will not be subject to these periodical creations and destructions by Brahma.

                                                                                                    (continued)