GITA 9.6

GITA 9.6

SRI OPPILIAPPAN KOIL

Is there anyone like Sri Krishna? Is there anyone as great as Sri Krishna? Vedas, Vedanta, Ithihasa and Puranas proclaim there is none equal to Him. He is the most Supreme and Purushottama. We are all baddhas, and Muktas are better than us. Nithyas are superior to Muktas and the Lord is better than Nityas. So, there is none equal or superior to the Lord and so in Tamil, He can be called Sri Oppili realise (ஸ்ரீ ஒப்பிலி அப்பன்). This is what we are learning in this Chapter 9. Therefore, which other place can be more appropriate than Thiru Vinnagar(திரு விண்ணகர்), the abode of Sri Oppiliappan? We are now in the sannidhi of Sri Oppiliappan or Sri Uppiliappan (ஸ்ரீ உப்பிலி அப்பன்). This is a popular Kshetram near Kumbakonam. Thousands of devotees on normal days and lakhs of devotees on Saturdays and on Shravan days, come here and worship, Sri Lavana varjita Venkatesa Perumal (ஸ்ரீ லவண வர்ஜித பெருமாள்). Four Alwars have sung in praise of this Lord. This place is also called Akasa Nagar, Markandeya Kshetram and Thulasivanam. First, we go to the Pushkarini called Ahortahra Pushkarini.

AHORATHRI PUSHKARINI

 Aho is day and rathri is night; and so, whenever one bathes in this pond, one is blessed with all benefits. Vimanam is called Suddha Ananda vimanam.

SUDDHA ANANDA VIMANAM

 The Lord here is considered as the elder brother of Sri Srinivasa of Tirumala. So, many people submit their vows for Tirumala, here itself. In Tirumala the vimanam is Ananda Nilaya vimanam and here it is Suddha Ananda vimanam. Vin [விண்] in Tamil means sky or Akash. The Lord graces as He does in Sri Vaikuntam, which is Vinnagar. There are a few Vinnagars in the 108 Divya Desams. Kazhi Sri Rama vinnagar [காழிச் சீராம விண்ணகரம் Seerkazhi], Parameshvara vinnagar near Kanchipuram, Arimeya vinnagaram and Vaikuntha vinnagaram in Thirunangur [near Chidhambaram] and Nandipura vinnagaram [Nathan koil] near Kumbakonam. But this Kshetram is called simply Vinnagaram and this is unique. Like Viraja river flowing near Vaikuntam, here Dakshina Ganga is flowing.

 We will now see the Fifth sloka in Chapter 9.

na ca mat-sthani bhutani
pasya me yogam aishvaram
bhuta-bhrn na ca bhuta-stho
mamatma bhuta-bhavanah

"And yet everything that is created does not rest in Me. Behold My mystic opulence! Although I am the maintainer of all living entities and although I am everywhere, I am not a part of this cosmic manifestation, for My Self is the very source of creation."

Bhutani = all living beings, mat sthani na = do not reside in Me [Sri Krishna]. In the previous sloka, the Lord told that all living beings are residing in Him and now He says just the opposite, why? We see water in a pot or ghee in a container. We think pot is supporting the water or the container is supporting ghee. Similarly, if all living beings are residing in Him, then the Lord is supporting them. But we are unable to see or perceive that, as we see a pot or container supporting the material inside. So, what the Lord implies is we can not see or perceive that the Lord is, He is supporting all living beings. The Lord is supporting all by His will or sankalpam. He can do anything and everything by mere thoughts, which we can not. This is called Sankalpa shakti or the will power. This support is not physical as pot supporting water. Me yogam aiswaram = this great will power of Me [Sri Krishna], pasya = [you, Arjuna] can see. But just now we interpreted that His support is not visible; then how can Arjuna see? If the Lord desires to show, we can certainly see, and not by ourselves by our efforts. Here, it means Arjuna can understand and realize. The mind has more power and it can realise what the sense organs can not do. Arjuna wants further explanations on this power. Bhutabrit = [Sri Krishna] supports all living beings. Support also includes commanding and pervading. The Lord pervades inside all and is able to command and support. Na ca bhutastha = But [Sri Krishna] is not supported by all these living beings. That is the living beings are not supporting the Lord nor commanding Him. Normally, we think what is inside is supported by the outside one. A flower supports the bee inside. But here the Lord though inside all, is not supported by them. He is not dependent on them. The classic example is ourselves. Our body is supported by atman inside and atman is not dependent on the body. We see the body only and never atman. A minute atman is supporting the huge body. Arjuna might see all the living beings but it is the invisible He, Who supports all. Mama atma = My [Sri Krishna's] will power, bhuta bhavana = is responsible for the creation, sustaining, destroying, growing, living,etc., of all these living beings. The Lord is the Reason or Prime factor for all living beings' various activities including their creation and destruction. His willpower does all these. All are in Him and He is in all. But He supports all and commands all. Yet, He is invisible. Thus the Lord tells His greatness in the slokas 4 and 5. Nammalwar says that when he saw the Lord here, he saw pairs. He saw the pairs not seen in this universe together: poverty and wealth, enmity and friendship, poison and amrut [elixir]. But Alwar sees all these together in the all-pervading Lord. The pasuram nalguravum (நல்குரவும்  Tiruvaimozhi 6-3-10) (pasurams on this Kshetram), therefore, conveys the same meaning as in this sloka 5.

                                                                                                    (continued)