GITA 10.25

GITA 10.25

Swami Ramanuja had great devotion to Nammalwar. Tiruvarangathu Amudhanar [திருவரங்கத்து அமுதனார்], who composed Ramanuja Nootrandhadi [ராமானுஜ நூற்றந்தாதி], part of Nalayira Divya Prabhandam, says that by chanting Ramanuja, one can attain Moksham. It is because of Swami Ramanuja's selfless service that we are all fortunate to worship Sri Ramapriya and Sri Tirunarayana Perumal. Therefore, there can not be a better devotion than standing before Swami Ramanuja's sannidhi and praying gratefully.

SRI RAMANUJA (Moolavar and Utsavar)

 Today's [1st September 2008] lecture is from  the sannidhi of Swami Ramanuja. Swami Ramanuja is called as Ilaiazhvar [இளையாழ்வார்], Emperumanar [எம்பெருமானார்], Udaiyavar [உடையவர்] and Sri Bhashyakarar [ஸ்ரீ பாஷ்யகாரர்]. We can worship Swami Ramanuja predominantly in Three Kshetrams. In Sri Perumbuthur, his birthplace. In Srirangam, where he lived and administered Sri Vaishnavam. And, here, where he lived for Twelve years.

SRI RAMANUJA (close-up view)

 With folded hands and Tridhandam [த்ரிதண்டம்], we can see him. Utsavar of Swami Ramanuja also is there with anjali hastham [folded hands].

SRI RAMANUJA IN PROCESSION

 In all the three places Swami Ramanuja is in Anjali Hastham only. In Sriperumpudur, he is called Thanugandha Thirumeni [தான் உகந்த திருமேனி] - Swami Ramanuja himself was pleased to instal his own idol. In Srirangam it is Thanana Thirumeni [தானான திருமேனி] - he himself is there. In Tirunarayanapuram, it is Thamarugandha Thirumeni [ தமர் உகந்த திருமேனி], idol installed to fulfil his devotees' desire.

THAMARUGANDHA TIRUMENI

 Here, he is wearing pavitram [பவித்திரம்]. With long tuft [குடுமி] and saffron robes and holding Tridhandam, we can worship him. Srivaishnava ascetics use tridhandam - three sticks bonded together. It symbolises chit, achit and Iswara entities. Every Tiruvadirai [திருவாதிரை] star, Abhishekam [திருமஞ்சனம் ] is performed. It is a sight not to be missed. Swami Ramanuja came to this place when there was a danger to him at Srirangam, and lived here for Twelve years. When he was about to return to Srirangam, people here were very much grieved. So, with his blessings the devotees [தமர்], got an idol sculpted and installed here.

 Today we are enjoying the lucid explanations given by Swami Ramanuja for Bhagavad Gita. We are to see sloka 24:

purodhasam ca mukhyam mam
viddhi partha brihaspatim
senaninam aham skandah
sarasam asmi sagarah

"Of priests, O Arjuna, know Me to be the chief, Brihaspati. Of generals I am Kartikeya, and of bodies of water I am the ocean."

Sarasam = among stagnant waters, asmi = I [Sri Krishna] am, sagaram = ocean. Senaninam = among army commanders, aham = I [Sri Krishna] am, skanda = lord Skanda [aka Subrahmanya, son of lord Shiva.]. The meaning of the First line is very important to be noted. Its meaning has to be applied in all the comparisons the Lord is making. Partha = Arjuna, viddhi = understand, purodhasam = among purohits or vedic rites conductors or priests, mukhyam = important, mam = I [Sri Krishna] am, brihaspatim = Brihaspati, the priest for Devas. Purohits conduct us to perform Vedic ceremonies in the proper way. Here, Sri Krishna is not telling merely He is purohit for Devas, sage Brihaspati; but adds one important word -important. This word has to be added for every comparison He makes. As for example, among Adityas, He is the important Vishnu. Among Rudras, He is the important Sankara, etc. This word mukhya is hidden in all other slokas and so has to be applied. Brihaspati and Vachaspati are same. Skanda is the son of lord Shiva and Parvati. He is the commander of the army of Devas. In Srimad Ramayana, sage Viswamitra elaborately tells the birth of Skanda, to Sri Rama and Lakshmana. We understand the relationship of all these and the Lord, similar to the relationship between soul and body. This sarira-atman bhavam is the relation between the Lord and us. This was expounded by Swami Ramanuja. This is the basic feature of Visishtadvaitham philosophy. With this we will take leave of this Kshetram. 

                                                                                             (continued)

GITA 10.24

GITA 10.24

SRI KALYANI NACHIYAR IN SESHA VAHANAM

Sri Thayar never parts with the Lord. As the name suggests, the Lord is Sri Tirunarayanan, and the Divine Couple can never be separated. Here, Sri Thayar is seated between the feet of the Lord. Today's [29th August 2008] lecture is from the sannidhi of Sri Yadhugiri Nachiyar or Sri Kalyani Nachiyar.

SRI YADUGIRI NACHIYAR IN SANNIDHI

 This is a separate sannidhi. Who is the Sri Thayar seated in between the feet of the Lord? This is unique to this Kshetram. We saw that the daughter of Emmadurayan was deeply in love with the Lord; but when Swami Ramanuja requested, the Lord Sri Ramapriya came to him and sat on his lap. Thereby, the Lord got the name Sri Yatiraja Sampat Kumara or Sri Chellapillai. Swami Ramanuja brought the idol of Sri Ramapriya to this place. But that girl [daughter of Emmadurayan] could not bear her separation from the Lord. So she insisted that she also would accompany the Lord and Eammadurayan had to agree and sent troops and servants along with her. As they all come to enter Tirunarayanapuram, Swami Ramanuja thought what to do when once the idol was installed in the garbhagruha as none could go near the idol. But she appeared to be a very great devotee, and Bhakti is very important. So, it is said that Swami Ramanuja converted her to a small idol and installed at the feet of the Lord. This way she never parts the Lord. But we are in the sannidhi of Sri Maha Lakshmi, here called as Sri Yadhugiri Nachiyar. Her glory is very much, perhaps greater than the Lord. It is said that in ancient days, Sri Thayar was seated upright with an appearance of independence to grant all, anything they wanted, on Her own. Just opposite Her sannidhi is the sannidhi of Swami Ramanuja. Since the Lord is regarded as the Son of Swami Ramanuja, he is in a way father-in-law of Sri Thayar! As is the custom, in the presence or in front of a father-in-law, the Daughter-in-law, has to show rrespect and may not show Her independent Nature. So, now She graces all devotees with a bowed appearance. Moolavar is Sri Yadhugiri Nachiyar and Utsavar is Sri Kalyani Nachiyar. Right hand is showing abhaya and left hand is indicating Her Divine Feet. There can be no doubt that after a bath in Kalyani pushkarini, if we worship Sri Kalyani Nachiyar, our lives will be full of auspicious [kalyana] functions. Swami Alavandar says kanthaste purushottama [कान्तस्ते ]. He is so much attracted to Her, that He would do anything She demanded. Acharyas say ingitha paradheena [इन्गिथ पराधीन ], which means He waits for Her approval by Her eyes [கண் பார்வை ]. She grants wealth and Moksham, just for a salute, with folded hands, to Her. Swami Parashara Bhatta says that Sri Thayar is bending Her face down in shy. The shy is not beacause She is near Her Husband, the Lord; nor the shy is because She is in front of Her father-in-law, Swami Ramanuja; but She feels shy for not granting more than Moksham to the devotee!

 We will now see sloka 23. In slokas 21 and 22, the Lord described groups of Four in each sloka, saying He was the leader among various groups. Now sloka 23:

rudranam sankaras casmi

vitteso yaksha-rakshasam

vasunam pavakas casmi

meruh sikharinam aham

"Of all the Rudras I am Lord Shiva, of the Yakshas and Rakshasas I am the Lord of wealth [Kuvera], of the Vasus I am fire [Agni], and of mountains I am Meru."

Another Four groups are mentioned here. Rudranam = among [Eleven] Rudras, sankara =Sankara, asmi = I [Sri Krishna] am. Vittesa = Leader of wealth [Kubera], yaksha-rakshasam = in Yaksha and Rakshasas, vasunam = among the [Eight] Vasus [அஷ்ட வசுக்கள் ], pavaka = Pavaka, sikharinam = among the [mountain] peaks, meru =Meru, aham =I [Sri Krishna] am. Sam + karothi = sankara. He who gives comfort. The Lord says thet lord Shiva is His body. During Tirunangur visit it was mentioned about Eleven Rudras. Adityas are Twelve. Vasus are Eight. And, Aswini devas are Two. So, 11+12+8+2 =33, which is mentioned by Sri Andal in Her Tiruppavai pasuram, "muppatthu moovar amararku" [முப்பத்து மூவர் அமரர்க்கு முன் சென்று ] [19th verse]. By mentioning that He is Sankara among the Rudras, we should clearly understand that the Lord and lord Shiva are not one and the same. Because if we interpret it that way, the Lord says He is Sama veda or mountain peak Meru. Does it mean that Sama veda and Lord are same? Are Meru and the Lord one and same? Just like we interpreted there, that Sama veda is body to the Lord; or, Moon was body to the Lord, here also we should understand that lord Shiva is body to the Lord. The Lord is the Cause, and all others are effects. So swaroopa aikyam [स्वरुप ऐक्यम ] - same person - is not mentioned. We should realise the sarira-atman relationship. Because of this, Alwar says that he did not know how to call the Lord - as Shiva or as Brahma? Because all are His body. Normally, the name of the body applies to atman. When an atman resides in a body in a birth, that body gets a name. When we call that name the atman inside that body commands the body to turn and answer. Body as such has no capacity to recognise names or is inanimate or Achit. All attributes to the body, apply to to the atman. So whatever we say of Moon or Kubera, it refers to their inner atman, Sriman Narayana. Here we may get a doubt. All these days we have been differentiating between atman and body. How can it be said that all attributes to body refer to atman? We say the plant has blossomed. Dog barks, etc. Surely, the body of the dog by itself can not bark. Plant by itself is an inanimate object. What we mean is that the atman in dog's body barks. Atman in plant is blossoming. Only sarira-atman bhavam has been mentioned by the Lord. Kubera is also an Yaksha and so when the Lord says He is Kubera, He is Kubera among Yakshas; but Kubera is not a rakshasa and so here, only the leadership of rakshasa is implied. This is sambandha samaniyasti category. Sikharam means peak of mountain. Meru and Himachalam are different. Meru has been praised by many poets. It is said that Meru mountain is gold and its peaks are of diamonds. In another palce He is going to say that in sthavaras He is Himalaya; and so Himalaya and Meru are different.

SRI THAYAR (Moolavar and Utsavar)

                                                                                                                 (continued)

GITA 10.23

GITA 10.23

Swami Ramanuja had done many services in this World. Like, writing Sri Bhashyam and other philosophical works. By writing a commentary on Vedanta, he clarified the Reality, to the people. By visiting various Kshetrams, he paved the way for the proper conduct of pooja and temple administration. He ensured the elimination of any dangers to any temple and provided safe services to the Lord. Thus his services can not be listed. Especially, the services he had rendered at the Tirunarayanapuram temple is extraordinary and can not be compared with services in other temples. In fact, it was his services brought the Lord here. We saw earlier that he brought out the Lord Sri Moolavar, hidden in the ground. It was in a Thei Punarvasu day. But it is not the Moolavar alone was re-established here by Swami Ramanuja. Even the Utsavar, Who was missing in this Kshetram was brought in and got re-established by Swami Ramanuja. Earlier we saw the story of Sri Ramapriya arriving at this Kshetram. The story further continued. As we enter the temple we see the long corridor and the dwajasthambam.

DWAJASTHAMBAM

 On the left we see the sannidhi of Utsavar. In front, we can see the sannidhi of Moolavar. In the dwajasthambam mandapam, on the left Swami Ramanuja's sannidhi is there.

SRI RAMANUJA

 We will now see how Swami Ramanuja and Sri Ramapriya are connected. Also, we will see why this Lord here is called Sri Selva Pillai or Sri Chellapillai. Swami Ramanuja came here and re-established the Moolavar. He enquired about the Utsavar, brought to this Kshetram by Sri Balarama and Sri Krishna. Once the Lord appeared in his dreams and informed that He had been carried away during an invasion, and kept in exile. He informed that He was taken away by Emmadurayan (Sultan of Delhi) to Delhi and was in the inner chambers in the palace. He also ordained Swami Ramanuja to bring Him from Delhi and re-establish in Tirunarayanapuram. With his disciples, Swami Ramanuja went to Delhi. Emmadurayan received Swami Ramanuja with appropriate honours and said, after hearing Swami Ramanuja's mission, that Swami Ramanuja himself could search in the godown, as he had stored many idols brought from many places. Swami Ramanuja could not find Sri Ramapriya idol. Swami Ramanuja felt extremely sorry; but the Lord would have told the correct information only, thought Swami Ramanuja. Again the Lord appeared in his dreams and informed that He was with the daughter of Emmadurayan and she was always playing with Him.

SRI RAMAPRIYA WITH THE PRINCESS

 When Swami Ramanuja told Emmadurayan that the idol was with his daughter in her chambers, Emmadurayan, took Swami Ramanuja to that place. They saw the daughter was playing with that idol. She had decorated the idol and showed extreme devotion to Sri Ramapriya. When Swami Ramanuja indicated that was the idol he came for, Emmadurayan told that he could take the idol. Swami Ramanuja then requested the Lord to come to him by saying 'vaarai en chilla Pillai' [வாராய் என் செல்லப் பிள்ளை!]. The Lord took steps to measure the Universe in Sri Trivikrama Avatar. He walked all the way to redeem Sri Sita in Sri Rama avatar. He ran about in Brindavan in Sri Krishna avatar. But, Swami Ramanuja requested that the Lord should walk and come to him so that he could carry Him to Melkote. Immediately, the Lord jumped and to the clinging sound of His ornaments, He came and sat on Swami Ramanuja's lap.

SRI CHELLAPPILLAI WITH SRI RAMANUJA

 Swami Ramanuja was very much elated and he embraced the Lord and kissed and called Him 'nam chellappillai' [our beloved Son] [நம் செல்லப் பிள்ளை]. From that time the Lord got the name Sri Chellapillai. The Lord became the Son of an ascetic or sanyasi!! Though Swami Ramanuja had no brother or sister, Sri Andal is regarded as his Sister; and now he had acquired a Son also! In many temples, we can see the sketch of Sri Ramanuja with left hand holding Tridhand [த்ரி தண்டம்] and Sri Ramapriya seated on his right lap. The Lord appears to say that He is the Property of Swami Ramanuja. Swami Ramanuja later re-established Sri Ramapriya in the temple. In every festival, Swami Ramanuja accompanies Sri Chellapillai.
Now we will return to Gita study. In sloka 21, the Lord told He was in the groups of Adityas, Maruths, etc. This continues. Sloka 22:

vedanam sama-vedo ’smi
devanam asmi vasavah
indriyanam manas casmi
bhutanam asmi cetana

"Of the Vedas, I am the Sama Veda; of the demigods, I am Indra, the king of heaven; of the senses, I am the mind; and in living beings, I am the living force [consciousness]."

Vedas am = among Vedas, sama veda = Sama Veda, asmi = I [Sri Krishna] am, devanam = among Devas, vasava = Indra, indriyanam = among organs, manas = mind, bhutanam = in living beings, cetana = intellect, asmi = I [Sri Krishna] am. Sama Veda is in music form and with 1000 branches. It seems in Vaikuntam, Sama Veda is chanted always. It does not mean that other Vedas are inferior. When He mentions Devas, do they include lord Brahma and lord Rudra? They are much superior to Indra and so what the Lord means is the Devas in Swarga Loka. Vasava means having vasu [वसु] or wealth. So, the Lord is Indra, possessing vast wealth. Indriyanam means the organs of our body. They are Eleven. Karmendriya or action organs are Five - legs [for walking], hands for doing, mouth for talking, the two organs for excretion of urine and stools. Gyanendriya or knowledge organs are Five - eyes for seeing, tongue for tasting, ears for listening, nose for smelling and skin for touching. The mind is also considered as an organ and so total is Eleven. The mind is the leader among all organs and the Lord says He is mind among organs. With mind one could be in birth cycle or get redeemed and get Moksham. In the living beings with intellect, the Lord says He is the intellect. We should note the difference from the previous Three. They were all in nirdharane sakti, that is one among the group. But here, in the living beings, He is not one among them, but is the intellect in every one of them.

                                                                                               (continued)

GITA 10.22

GITA 10.22

TIRUNARAYANAPURAM TEMPLE

We are at Tirunarayanapuram, known in Srivaishnava sampradhaya as Gyana mandapam. Today's [27th August 2008] lecture is f rom the sannidhi of Sri Selva Narayana. The Lord here has many names -Sri Selvanarayana, Sri Tirunarayanan, Sri Ramapriya and Sri Chellapillai. Tall Raja gopuram welcomes us.

SRI THIRUNARAYANAN, Moolavar.

The Lord is gracing with the right hand in abhaya mudra and the left hand holding the mace. We can worship Sri Nachiyar seated between His feet. The Lord is enchanting in every respect and every organ of Him is attractive. Still, Nammalwar had a special liking for His Divine feet. Earlier it was told that Swami Ramanuja had dedicated the pasuram 4.1.1 of Tiruvaimozhi to the Lord here. In that pasuram, Nammalwar says that there could have been great emperors in this world. They all lived with great pride of their property and empire. But while life itself is like the water bubbles in rainwater, their so called properties also were very transient. Alwar says an emperor of the world once ruled. Once he lost his empire and wealth. To satisfy his hunger he used to go for begging, only in the night so that he would not be identified by others. In the darkness, such an emperor goes for begging with a begging mud bowl; and, he trips on a black dog, which bites him and he drops the bowl with the food in that. This is not the story of one king, but of all emperors and other rich people. Do we need this situation? Asks Alwar and advises that instead of wasting our efforts on amassing wealth, seek the Divine feet of the Lord and get redeemed. Without wasting or postponing, we should surrender unto the Lord.
 We saw the Moolavar was handed over to Sanathkumara by lord Brahma and was established here. Lord Brahma donated the Utsavar Sri Ramapriya [ஸ்ரீ ராம ப்ரியா], for daily pooja. We know that Lord Sri Rama was worshiping Sri Ranganatha in Ayodhya. After the Coronation, Sri Rama donated the Lord to Vibheeshana. After doing that Sri Rama did not have a Murthy [idol] of the Lord to perform pooja and so He again requested lord Brahma, who got the Utsavar of this Kshetram made and gave to Sri Rama. Since that Idol was worshipped by Sri Rama, He was called Sri Ramapriya. Sri Rama's sons, Lava and Kucha also worshipped. Kucha had a daughter Kanakamalini. She was married to King Yadusekhara. As is the custom, which is followed even now, this Idol of Sri Ramapriya was given as stree dhanam along with the bride. That King was performing daily pooja to Sri Ramapriya. The King was a Yadava and Sri Krishna and Sri Balarama also were born in that community. Once Sri Ramapriya was handed over to Sri Krishna and Sri Balarama. Once Sri Balarama came on a pilgrimage to this place and came to this temple, where only Moolavar was there. He thought that this Moolavar was resembling Sri Ramapriya, He was worshiping. On return, He informed this to Sri Krishna. Thereafter, they all decided to visit this place. carrying with them Sri Ramapriya. Here, Sri Krishna and Sri Balarama could connect the history of both Moolavar and Utsavar and realised that both had come from Satya lok and once They might have been together. They decided to donate Sri Ramapriya as the Utsavar for this temple and from that time both were here.

SRI RAMAPRIYA, Utsavar

Utsavar also is posing the same way as the Moolavar. Here also between His feet, Sri Thayar is seated.
 Now proceeding to Gita, Sri Krishna cites so many, as important manifestation of Him, in the slokas 21 to 39. Instead of telling all His wealth, the Lord lists a few He considered as more important. As told earlier the Lord describes Him and the 'property', grammatically, in the same case. Sloka 21:

adityanam aham vishnur
jyotisam ravir amsuman
maricir marutam asmi
nakshatranam aham sasi

"Of the Adityas I am Vishnu, of lights I am the radiant sun, of the Maruts I am Marici, and among the stars I am the moon."

He cites many groups. Adityana = among the Adityas, aham = I [Sri Krishna] am, vishnu = Vishnu. Kashyapa had two wives Dhiti and Adhiti. Adhiti gave birth to Tweleve Adityas, in which Vishnu was the youngest. This Vishnu should not be mistaken as Lord Vishnu. Each one of these Twelve Adityas, go round our Earth one month in a year. It starts in the month of Margazhi and ends in Karthigai. The Lord says to Arjuna that among the Adityas, He is the youngest and most important, Vishnu. Here, Sri Krishna mentions Himself [Aham] and Vishnu in the same nominative case. In both sarira-atman bhavam and karana-karya bhavem, both can be mentioned in the same nominative case, as in the example mud pot. Here, therefore, it means that He is the soul of Vishnu or He is the creator of Vishnu. In fact, all Adityas are the body of the Lord and all of them were created by the Lord. Jyotisam = among the luminous objects, ravi = the Sun, amsuman = with rays. We regard Sun as the most radiant among luminous objects, and the Lord says He is the Sun. Marutham = among the Maruths, marici = [the Lord is] Marichi. Dhiti and Adhti were the wives of Kashyapa. Dhitis children were all Asuras and so are called Dhaiteyas. Adhiti's children were Devas. When Dhiti was pregnant, Indra, the leader of Devas, wanted to destroy the child in her womb so that there would not be more Asuras. But in doing so, the foetus got split into Seven. Indra again tried to destroy all the Seven fetuses, but they became Seven times and 49 children were born to Dhiti. They are called Maruths, which literally mean air. Of the group of 49 Maruths, the Lord is Marichi. Nakshatranam = among Stars, sasi = Moon. According to Sanskrit grammar, the instrumental case [Sixth case] two relationships are possible. One is nirdharanesakti and the other is sambandha samanysakti. All previous objects were in the first relationship. But in this, that relationship can not be applied and we have to apply the second category. Among Adityas, the Lord is Vishnu, as Vishnu is also an Aditya. But Moon is not a star and is different. Here, Moon is the leader and stars are deputies. This relationship is to be considered here. Depending on the context we have to carefully apply these relationships. The Lord dwells in Moon as the atman, and the Lord is the Cause for Moon; so the Lord is Moon. All are His property or all are at His command. He is going to list more in the ensuing slokas. 

                                                                                       (continued)

GITA 10.21

GITA 10.21

TEMPLE ON TOP OF THE HILL

We are at the foot of the hills on which Sri Narasimha Swami temple is there. This is situated at the entrance of this place, near Kalyani pushkarini. We climb the hills using the steps laid. We can reach in about 15-20 minutes. Not many steps, so anyone could climb up and come down.

CLIMBING UP!

 Once the lecturer [Sri UVe Velukkudi Swami] and about 1500 persons had come and all could easily climb up the hill. In that group septuagenarians and octogenarians were there. During the Sri Rama yatra tour, about 350 persons climbed the hill. Even during the tour of places connected with Swami Ramanuja, many had climbed the hill. All these are told to request all not to worry about any strain to climb this hill. We are at the sannidhi of Sri Narasimha. A very beautiful corridor and mandapam. We come to artha mandapam, from where devotees go in line to worship Sri Yoga Narasimha inside.

SRI YOGA NARASIMHA

 The Lord is in seated pose. With both lower hands on the knees, the Lord graces in the yoga style. Large eyes. The Mouth is like a cave! Arjuna was consoled not to worry by this mouth only. How Sri Narasimha came to ThiruNarayanapuram? This place is called Pancha Bhagavatha Kshetram [பஞ்ச பாகவத க்ஷேத்ரம்]. Five sages sat here with a desire to view the Lord here. They were Vyasa, Ambarisha, Pundareeka, Sukha and Rukmangatha. They meditated and prayed the Lord to appear before them. The Lord wanted to know in which form was He to appear to them. They wanted the Lord to appear in Sri Narasimha form as He appeared to the child devotee Prahlada. The Lord appeared as Sri Yoga Narasimha and continues to grace all devotees. So, by visiting this place one can have Darshan of Sri TiruNarayana, Sri Yoga Narasimha, apply various sacred water [Theertham] and also enjoy the enchanting beauty of Nature. Unlike other places where the ambience is warm and sultry, this place is very cool and pleasant. We see many hills around and at the feet of these hills, many ponds [theerthem] are there. There are eight ponds called Ashta theertham.

 We will now proceed to study further sloka 20. In sloka 18, Arjuna requested the Lord to explain in detail His empire and His yogam or auspicious qualities. He was not satisfied even if he listened to it any number of times. In sloka 20, Sri Krishna gave a very precise reply. The Lord dwells in all living beings. He is the inner soul or antharathma in every soul. We are worshiping Lord Sri Narasimha. He appeared from a pillar. Prahlada told that the Lord is in everything, be it an atom or a pillar. Bhutam means matter and includes living beings. Hiranyakasipu doubted the statement of Prahlada, He is everywhere. That is, all are His body and He is the atman for all. This relationship is sarira - atman bhavam. So, the Lord replies Arjuna that all His body are His empire. Arjuna wanted to know the glory and auspicious qualities of the Lord. He replied in the Second line of sloka 20, that He is the beginning, middle and end of all. That is, He is the Cause for the creation of all; Cause of sustaining all created; and, He is the Cause for the annihilation of everything. He is thus Cause for creation, protection and destruction of everything. He is the Cause and the Universe is the effect. This is karana - karya bhavam. From this, we learn that everything is His property. Our present atman owns the present body. But we do not know what bodies we owned in earlier births nor we know which bodies we are going to dominate in future. But the Lord owns everything not only the present, but the past and future. Sri Andal says 'yetraikkum yezhezh piravikkum...' [எற்றைக்கும் ஏழேழ் பிறவிக்கும் உந்தன்னோடே உறவேயாம் மற்றை நம் காமங்கள் மாற்று - Tiruppavai 29 ]. So we can not be separated from Him and we are an integral part of Him. This is called apruthak siddha viseshanam. Here, we have to note an important message. Upanishads say He is anta pravishta:, that is He is pervading all. Atmana: antara:, He is the inner soul. But we are ignorant of this. We should clearly understand the body-soul concept. Which can be called a body? and which can be called its soul? This is very elaborately explained by Swami Ramanuja, in his Sri Bhashyam. If certain conditions are satisfied then we can regard one as soul and the other as body. That which is exclusively for the other is called body and the other is soul. That one should not have any need for itself. Our body does not have any separate requirements or private agenda. What the soul desires the body does. That which is exclusively for another, supported by the other, obeys commands of the other and is for the pleasure of the other, is body. The other is soul or atman. If we are to be the body of the Lord, then we have to live only for Him, serve only Him, obey only His commands, be supported only by Him and be only for His pleasure. It is not like what we think we own properties like house or car. They can be sold, when they are not regarded as our property. Atman and Paramatman relationship can not be separated. In the next relationship, the Lord talks of the cause- effect. We call mud pot, meaning pot made of mud. Gold pot means pot made of gold. Mud and gold are cause and pot is the effect. Mud and pot are nominative cases. But by putting them together we do not use the instrumental case of grammar, but mean pot made of mud. Similarly, the Lord is the Cause and we are the effect. Just like we read mud pot, both being in nominative case, our association with Lord can be read by having both the Lord and others in same nominative case; but the relationship is that of mud and pot, in the example mud pot. We will see that the Lord is going to list so many, starting from sloka 21 to sloka 39, and all and He would be in nominative case alone. We should therefore, understand the relationship by appropriate application of the case. When we say Hill Sri Narasimha, it may mean Sri Narasimha seated on the hill. But it also means the Sri Narasimha in the hill, as a soul in a body. The Lord is Cause and the hill is the effect. In the list He is going to tell, we should, therefore, understand that He is the atman for the other He mentions; He is the Cause and the other is the effect. Due to these two factors, we can mention both in the same case.

                                                                                                                     (continued)