BHAGAVADGITA

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

GITA 7.16

We are in the beginning of Sri Krishnaaranya Kshetram. Krishnaaranyam means Forest of Sri Krishna. On both banks of Kaveri, Sri Krishnaaranya Kshetrams are abundant. Therazhundur is counted as the beginning of such Kshetrams. Known also as Rathamagnapuram, the Lord graces as Sri Devadi Raja. Thirumangai Alwar, while singing in praise of the Lord, tells that he did not know of any other refuge. He is Chandokya Upanishad. He is Sama Veda, He is Brahadaranya Upanishad, He is Thaitriya Upanishad, and He knows all these; Thirumangai Alwar thus praising says, He knows how to protect His devotees. Moolavar is gracing as a large idol and as Sri Devadi Raja, with Conch and Discus. Normally, in many temples His Consorts will be by His side; but here there is a variation. On His left is Garuda and on His right Prahalada, are standing. Beyond Garuda on the left, Sri Kaveri Thayar is seated. Beyond Prahlada on the right is, sage Markandeya, standing with folded hands. All of them are gracing in the garbha gruha. Once Indra gave Garuda, a Vimanam and a Crown, requesting him to present them to the Lord appropriate for them. Garuda searched for suitable Lord and found the Diamond Crown [Vairamudi] fitted perfectly on Sri Sampathkumara or Sri Selvappillai, the Lord of Melkote or Thirunarayanapuram, near Mysore, in Karnataka. The place is also known as Yadavadri or Gyana mantap. After presenting the Crown to the Lord there, Garuda searched suitable place for the Vimanam. He found the temple here suitable and presented the Vimanam to the Lord Devadi Raja here and so the Vimanam here is called Gaaruda Vimanam.

In all temples Garuda sannidhi will be opposite to the Lord's sannidhi; but here it is not so. In Swami Alavandar's words, He treats His devotees as friends and so Garuda is by His side. If we fall at His feet, He does not treat us as slaves but as friends. In Krutha yug, Prahalada pointed a pillar and from that Sri Narasimha emerged. Seeing Prahalada slightly scared, the Lord took a pleasing [sowmya] form and graced the Child devotee, Prahalada. Worshiping such a form of the Lord, we can see Prahalada here. Therazhundur is the birth place of Kambar, considered in Tamil literature as the monarch among poets. In his Ramayana epic, based on Valmiki's Srimad Ramayanam, Kambar has sung the episode of Prahalada and is titled Hiranya vadai padalam [Chapter on killing of Hiranya]. Though Valmiki Ramayana does not contain Sri Narasimha avatara episode, how in Kamba Ramayana, based on Valmiki's, this episode came about? Since Kambar hailed from this place where, in the temple, Prahalada graces along with the Lord, Kambar could not sing his epic without Prahalada. Since Lord Sri Narasimha emerged from a pillar [Tamil - kambam and Sanskrit -sthamba], He is called Sri Kambar, in Tamil. Utsava moorthy is Sri Aamaruviappan, standing with a cow and calf. Thayar is Sri Senkamalavalli Nachiyar. When we see the enchanting beauty of Sri Aamaruviappan, we pray that this scene should be permanently in our memory. But we realize some obstacles preventing us from this. Arjuna asked what those obstacles were and Sri Krishna replies. We have to see the 14th sloka now:

daivi hy esa guna-mayi
mama maya duratyaya
mam eva ye prapadyante
mayam etam taranti te

"This divine creation of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it."

This prakruti with the three qualities, obstruct our vision of the Lord. To get this obstruction removed, there is no other way, but to surrender unto Him and hold on to His feet steadfastly. Thirumangai Alwar says that he was in great danger, as the five sense organs pounced on him and caused unthinkable problems. But once he surrendered to this Lord here, facing West, all his miseries vanished. In the first half of the sloka, the Lord says none can cross this samsaram with the three qualities, created by Him. But that is not the end. He gives an escape route in the next line of the sloka. Surrender unto Him will enable us to cross. Mama = My [Sri Krishna's], gunamayi = filled with [three] qualities, esa = this, maya = prakruti [Universe], duratyaya = can not be crossed. This Universe with all its contents, filled with the three qualities, is preventing from realization. From countless time, with births and taking various bodies, atman is having the karma due to papa and punya. These are all the transformations of the Moolaprakruti. Daivi = Godly [Sri Krishna], has created all these. One can not easily come out of this bond He has made. Swami Pillai Thirunaraiyur Arayar told that we can not even unwind the nest of a tailor bird; how can we unravel the Mystery of this Universe and God's creations? Maya does not mean magic or falsifying. It is called vichitra karya kari - that is we can not even imagine the complications and the mystery involved in His creations. Every happening is mysterious and mind boggling. Mysterious births and mysterious behavior of various living beings, all beyond our imagination. What we regard as permanent is changed and what we thought is always changing remains steady. Knowing very well that our body is changing, we are deluded to believe, body is permanent and we never even care about atman which is constant and everlasting. Prakruti is called maya and the Creator as Maayi. Why should He create confusion in us? Why not take all to Vaikuntam and keep us happy? Reason is not Him, but we. He has given a good body with intellect and other comforts in life; He has provided organs to acquire knowledge; He has provided Acharyas, Vedas, etc; despite all these if we go in our own way, how can He be faulted? He is trying His best to see that we eradicate our past karma and resort to His feet. To encourage Arjuna, the Lord then says there are ways by which one could cross these obstructions. By oneself, one can not cross these, but by holding on to His Divine feet, very easily, obstacles can be jumped over. Te = They , mayam = mysterious samsaram, taranti = cross. Who are they? Those blessed ones have,prabadyante = surrendered unto, mam eva = Me [Sri Krishna] and only Me [Sri Krishna]. Swami Ramanuja gives a beautiful interpretation for the word 'mam': He, Sri Krishna, as satya sankalpa [ He is the Creator and so He knows all the Mystery and He will keep up His word] , parama kaarunika [ boundless merciful], loka sharanyan [all to surrender]. Swami Vedanta Desika in his Tatparya Chandrika says He alone with the unlimited Gyana, Strength, Power and Wealth can redeem us from this samsaram. But all these qualities will be of no use to us if the Lord did not have Mercy. In Dayasathakam sthothram, Swami Desika says that, but for His quality of Mercy, all His other qualities such as Power, Strength, etc., would have been our adversaries. He has been merciful to very low flower vendor or elephant. So, surrender unto Him, will ensure crossing of the ocean of prakruti.

(continued)

GITA 7.15

Temple Entrance at Terazhundur

We are learning Bhakti yogam in the 7th Chapter. Sri Krishna has been telling His greatness and fame from sloka 4 to sloka 12. From the sloka 13, the subject changes. Let us recall the sloka on Seventh Chapter in Gitartha Sangraham of Swami Alavandar:

svay¯ath¯atmyam.prakr. ty¯asya tirodhi´s´saran.¯agatih.

bhaktabhedah.prabuddhasya ´srais.t.hyam.saptama ucyate

After hearing all about His greatness, Arjuna got a doubt; in spite of so many great qualities of the Lord, why people are refusing to understand these? Why Arjuna is not able to know it? What is it that screens off and hides these qualities from people? Sri Krishna tells that Prakruti, the Universe, which has been created out of it, karma of atman, numerous births, bad habits and traditions, ahankaram, mamakaram, kama and krodha, all these block our understanding of the Lord. From the 13th sloka we are to see what are the various screens which hide the Lord from us and how to remove them and understand the Lord clearly. We are now in Therazhundur Kshetram, where the Lord is called Sri Gosaka or Sri Aamaruviappan or Sri Devadiraja. Even Brahma suffered from this ignorance about the Lord. Similarly we also have defects that make us ignorant of the greatness of the Lord. Sri Krishna was playing with thousands of cowherds and millions of cows and calves, in Brindavan. Seeing this, Brahma got jealous and he thought Sri Krishna was a mere cowherd. He forgot that God has appeared as a Cowherd. Even now we have to respect any cowherd we see, as the Lord has brought fame by appearing in their community. Brahma took away all the cows and calves and all other cowherds, and hid them in this place, Therazhundur, thinking the Lord had not noticed. Sri Krishna came to this place in search of the lost cows and His friends. To teach a lesson to Brahma for his disrespect to the Lord, Sri Krishna, in the guise of Brahma himself, went to Satyaloka, the residence of Brahma and blocked the entry of the original Brahma into his residence! After he repented for his mistakes and pleading for pardon, Brahma was absolved and reinstated. The Lord then presented Himself as Sri Devadi Raja [ King of Devas] in this Kshetram. He appeared as Sri Gosaka [freind of cows] also. He showed He is above all and has no comparison. Gosaka when translated into Tamil, as Aa [cow] and so Sri Aamaruviappan. Thirumangai Alwar has composed 45 pasurams on this Lord here. Even the cowherd friends, the gopikas and a 'jamun' [ a berry] fruit vendor, all realized His greatness, whereas Brahma could not. Why this is so? Now the 13th sloka:

tribhir guna-mayair bhavair

ebhih sarvam idam jagat

mohitam nabhijanati

mam ebhyah param avyayam

"Deluded by the three modes [goodness, passion and ignorance], the whole world does not know Me, who am above the modes and inexhaustible."

We can easily see that this sloka is the true reflection of the Lord here. He is an ordinary Cowherd and also the Almighty Lord, as depicted by Sri Gosaka and Sri Devadiraja. What prevents this understanding, in spite of the works of Alwars and Acharyas? The Universe with the three qualities [satva, rajo and tamo gunas], associated matter, associated places, desire of people to enjoy these, all come in the way of a clear vision of the Lord. Idam = this [ what is seen], sarvam jagat = all the people of this Universe; we have to understand that when jagat is told, it means all the people in this Universe. All means whether they are satvikas or rajasas or tamasas, everyone is included. Mohitam = [they are all] in an illusion. Everyone is confused and so are not having a clear understanding of the Lord. Even Brahma suffered from ego. The Lord has to uplift us. Just like He brought out the chariot from mud, hence the name Therazhundur, He has to bring us out of samsaram. Therefore, mam = I [Sri Krishna] am, nabhijanat = not understood. Ebih = this, tribhi = three, gunai = qualities, mayair bhavai = association filled. All matters in this Universe, in association with the three qualities - satva, rajo and tamo guna- prevent by causing a delusion and confusion among people. So, He is not understood clearly. Who are You? asked Arjuna. Ebhya = from these matters with three qualities, mam = I [Sri Krishna], param = much superior, avyayam = remaining constant always. People of this Universe never understand that Sri Krishna is different from all they see and that He is much Superior and He is the One and Only One, not subject to any change and remain changeless always. Here the Lord says He is different from all the satva, rajo and tamasa matters we all see in this world. We never understand He is far superior to all these. It is okay that rajo and tamo qualities associated articles might cause delusion; but articles with satva qualities are desired for cleansing our mind. Why then Sri Krishna is despising satva articles also? Rajo and tamo qualities are to be avoided, like a branded enemy, and so we clearly avoid. But satva articles are looking friendly and so we are deceived easily. If a cup is having poison and if we know, we avoid that. But if the cup is offered saying it is fruit juice, we drink and face problems. If the world is full of evil things only, then we might avoid liking any of them. But, good things are mixed with evil things and so we think we will enjoy the good things and in the process, we associate with evil things also. It is like the desire for the eatable, a mouse gets trapped. Similarly, we think even evil things are good and get into problems. People are daily busy with their daily requirements and do not find or allocate time for atman and Paramatman. Mind goes only after all these and it is not trained to be after atman or the Lord. Matters with three qualities are liked by us. We like a sweet or other eatables for the taste. These tastes as such might not be felt by us when we worship the Lord here. Because these tastes or other worldly feelings are all transient and very cheap. Food articles can not be taken after some days. We can not sleep continuously, though sleeping may be refreshing. So the desired experiences in this world have many limitations. But these articles are seen and felt by us. Where as Sri Krishna is Permanent and He will never change or decay. He is different from this world and He is Superior to all.

GITA 7.14

We have to have Bhakti [devotion] to God and we have to nourish it so that it grows and yields fruits. To enable this, many customs, traditions, sacred rivers and ponds, Kshetrams, etc., are made available in our country, India. We have been visiting many Kshetrams and we are now in an important Kshetram - Therazhundur, an Abode of Sri Krishna with Cow and calf. It is also called Thiruvazhundur. Today's [26th March 2008] is from the Pushkarini of the temple.

Darsa Pushkarini

It is called Darsa Pushkarini. By understanding the reason for the appearance of this pond, we can know the history of this place. There was a King by name Uparisiravasu, who could ride his chariot in the sky (and, that is why the name). While flying like this, if the shadow of the chariot fell on any person below, that person would lose his strength. Once he was flying over this place. At that time Sri Krishna was playing with cows and calves here. Shadow of the chariot fell on the cows below, and all of them became weak. Seeing the plight of the cows, Sri Krishna, with His foot pressed the shadow and the flying chariot crash landed and the wheels got buried in the ground. Since the chariot was pressed into the ground, the place got the name Ther [chariot] Azhundu [pressed] Oor[place] = Therazhundur. In Sanskrit it is called Rathanabjanapuram. The spot where the chariot got stuck up is this pushkarini. Uparisiravasu could not take out the chariot and enquired the persons near by and they showed a Cowherd. The King approached the Cowherd and prayed to help to get the chariot out of mud. Cowherd agreed, but wanted to know what compensation the King would offer to Him. The King, not realizing the Lord as the Cowherd, haughtily said he would offer anything. Cowherd said that if the King could offer thousand pots of butter, got by churning in the same day, He would retrieve the chariot. King was able to bring 999 pots of butter. Since he could not get that one pot till evening, the King thought he could fill one pot with water and offer and the Cowherd might not notice. But the Lord, Who took Avatar to consume milk and butter in Gokulam, knew the trick of the King and He first opened the very same pot with water. When other pots were opened all of them were full of water only and the King got panic and apologised. When the King enquired as to Who the Cowherd was, the King of Devas - Sri Devadi Raja- graced the King. This incident took place on an Amavasya [New moon] day in the month of Thai. Amavasya is also known as Darshan and so this pond is called Darsha Pushkarini. Even today to mark this incident, 1000 pots of butter are offered and Sri Aamaruviappan [Utsavar] aka Sri Gosaka, comes out on Garuda vahanam along with Sri Govindarajan and Sri Ranganathan of nearby temples on Their Garuda vahanams , and graces the devotees, on Thai Amavasya. From this we understand that the Lord is the king, the chariot, the cows, the pots of butter and what not.

Sri Krishna has been telling Arjuna this aspect only in the last few slokas. He told in the last four slokas that He is all the desired articles in this Universe and He is the desired qualities in them. He is the desired quality of Butter and Water. When all good qualities were listed by Sri Krishna, Arjuna got doubt as who represented bad qualities like the pride of the King Uparisiravasu. We saw two qualities in the king- his pride and later his humility. If his humility, which is desired by us, was responsible for his devotion and is represented by the Lord, then who is responsible for the pride which also was possessed by the King? In reply Sri Krishna tells in 12th sloka that all the satvika, rajasa and tamasa qualities emanate from Him only:

ye caiva sattvika bhava
rajasas tamasas ca ye
matta eveti tan viddhi
na tv aham tesu te mayi

All states of being-be they of goodness, passion or ignorance-are manifested by My energy. I am, in one sense, everything-but I am independant. I am not under the modes of this material nature.

"Know that all states of being—be they of goodness, passion or ignorance—are manifested by My energy. I am, in one sense, everything, but I am independent. I am not under the modes of material nature, for they, on the contrary, are within Me."

What is the difference between the contents of the preceding four slokas and of this sloka? In the last four slokas, Sri Krishna listed all the desired good qualities of desirable objects and told He represented all of them. Strength of good persons, thermal capacity of Agni, brightness of the Sun, etc., are all He. Satvika bhava = righteous qualities, ye caiva = of all persons and objects. Normally righteous persons will prefer satva qualities only in various objects. Sri Krishna tells that He represents all those. Rajasa = [similarly] the rajo qualities and desired by persons with rajo quality or ego, tamasa = [and] tamo qualities desired by tamasa [dull] persons, tan = all these [satva, rajo and tamas], matta eva = emanate from Me [Sri Krishna], viddhi = understand. So all articles with satva, rajo and tamas qualities all, without exception, emanate or originate from Sri Krishna. Te mayi = [all these are] sustained by Me [Sri Krishna]. All these materials are Sri Krishna's body. Aham tu = while I [ Sri Krishna] am , na tesu = not dependent on nor needy of [them]. All originate from Him and all are sustained by Him; yet He is not dependent on any of them. What is satvika bhava? Clear understanding and knowledge, contentment, happiness, honesty, etc. All these qualities one gets out of satva guna and Sri Krishna already told that He represented all these. All desirous of these qualities also are represented by Him. Rajo guna is the cause for dissatisfaction, anger, intolerance, hatred, instability, etc. We can see some healthy persons gasping while conversing or unstable in their talks. Some look very hasty and we can see some dissatisfaction and they do not have peace. Some exercise like pranayamam may help them. Contentment with what we have will bring peace and happiness. Tamo guna gives raise to unclear understanding, confusion, sluggishness, etc. Sri Krishna tells that all those possessing these three - satva, rajo and tamo - qualities and the objects of such qualities, all originate from Him. We have already seen how the creation started. All persons having any or all these qualities, are all created from Him. All these three qualities and those possessing these have all originated from Him. It is just like our body is controlled and sustained by the Atman inside. Body is dependent on the soul inside. Similarly, all these qualities and the persons and matters which possess these qualities are all body for Sri Krishna. All have originated from Him. But, He also says here that He is not in them. Though He resides in every matter abstract or real, here a different interpretation is meant. Our body is dependent on the soul for its activities. We should also remember that Atman by itself can not do anything. It needs a body to do anything. Atman can not see by itself. It can not eat by itself. It needs a body. Even if body as such is jadam or without any intellect and it needs an Atman to know things, Atman also is dependent on a body for action. Body is entirely dependent on Atman and Atman requires a body for some of its activities. Now, we saw that all matters and living beings in this Universe, possessing any or all the three qualities are dependent on the Lord and they are created by Him. But He does not require or need any of these, unlike Atman which needs a body for some activities. Not even for any minutest need, the Lord is dependent on anything in this Universe. He is absolutely independent. This is what is implied when He says He is not in them, like our Atman in our body. We should remember that He pervades all matters in this Universe, and all are Body to Him, yet, He is not dependent on any of them even for a single requirement. This very important principle is announced by the Lord in this sloka.

(continued)

GITA 7.13


vaazhiparakaalan vaazhikaliganRi* 

vaazhikuRaiyaloor vaazhvEnNdhan*

vaazhiyarO maayOnai vaazvaliyaal manNdhirangkoL*

mangkaiyarkOn thooyOn sudarmaanavEl.

This is a Taniyan (hymn) in praise of Thirumangai Alwar, aka Kaliyan, who was the last among Alwars. He was born in Thirukurayalur, near Sirkazhi. He was holding a spear. He spent his early life without any objective. But, in the later years, he received the blessings of the Lord and became an Alwar and composed Six prabhandams [compilations]. Sri Thirunaraiyur Nambi, was his favorite Lord. He converted him as Alwar. They were intimately connected. Alwar in his early days, was after women, and once he came across a woman in Thiruvellakkulam, the Abode of Sri Annan Perumal. That woman was Kumudavalli, and Alwar expressed his desire to marry her. Kumudavalli also consented, but she wanted the Alwar should come with the signs of a Vaishnava. A person is considered as Vaishnava, if he approached a suitable Acharya and got the Pancha samskarams, of which the print of Discus and Conch on his shoulder, called Samasrayanam, is important. It is believed that by having the print of Discus on the right shoulder and Conch on the left one, the person was recognised as belonging to Swami Ramanuja's tradition. Alwar went in search of an Acharya , who could perform the Pancha samskarams for him. Finally, he landed in Thirunaraiyur and prayed before the Lord, Who accepted him as disciple. The Lord, with His Discus and Conch, printed the signs on Alwar's shoulders. Even now, we can see that the Lord is not holding the Discus and Conch in the normal way; but the arms will be in the front,so as to enable pressing and printing the signs on Alwar's shoulders.

Also, the Conch position would be reversed, indicating the action for printing the sign. So, here the Lord appears as He did the Pancha samskaram for the Alwar. Sri Thirunaraiyur Nambi is the Acharya for Thirumangai Alwar. It is customary in our households that we offer double to our Acharya than what we offer to others. Here also, in Periya Thirumozhi, while the Alwar composed 50 pasurams on Sri Ranganatha of Srirangam, for his Acharya, that is Sri Thirunaraiyur Nambi, he has presented 100 pasurams. Another important link between Alwar and the Lord here is Periya Thirumadal. Alwar took the guise of a woman in deep love with the Lord here. It was custom of Tamilians to write madal in ancient days. Normally, this practice was followed by male lovers only, as women lovers felt shy to publicize their love. But Alwar makes a departure from that, and as the female lover, he writes a madal to publicize his Love for Sri Nambi. Normally such madals will draw the sympathy of relatives and others, or the recommendation of the Ruler or change of hearts of the parents, and may result in marriage.

The Alwar converted his desire for women to desire for the Lord. While normally desire for worldly things are to be avoided, it is considered sacred for an Atman to have passion for the Lord. This is conveyed by Sri Krishna also in the sloka 11:

balam balavatam caham
kama-raga-vivarjitam
dharmaviruddho bhutesu
kamo ’smi bharatarsabha

I am the strength of the strong, devoid of passion and desire. I am sex life which is not contrary to religious principles, O Lord of the Bhāratas [Arjuna].

"I am the strength of the strong, devoid of passion and desire. I am sex life which is not contrary to religious principles, O lord of the Bharatas [Arjuna]."

He says He is kama or lust. In all the Four slokas so far, Sri Krishna tells He is the quality which makes people to desire any matter. Here He says He is strength and lust. Balavatam = in Strong persons, balam = strength, aham = I [Sri Krishna] am. Does it mean He is the strength in wicked persons like Ravana and Hiranyakasipu? But we never like the strength of such bad persons. Kama = passion, raga = hatred or attachment, vivarjitam = devoid of. That is He is the strength of persons, who are devoid of worldly passion or greed and hatred. That means the strength of noble persons like Sri Rama, Sri Krishna or Sri Narasimha. A social worker, if he has strength to do good things, then the Lord is that strength, as people would love that strength for the benefit of society. Bhuteshu = among all living beings, kama asmi = [I, Sri Krishna ] am lust. How is that, just in the previous line of sloka , He said He is the strength minus lust, and now He says He is lust? Dharma = righteousness, avirudha = not opposed. So, lust for doing actions which are accepted by shastras, is He. If someone is greedy to have money to do social service, it is for good cause and so He is that greed. Socially accepted desires like between husband and wife or between brother and sister or between parents and children are all not opposed to dharma. But a greed to acquire others' properties is against shastras, and is adharma. In all these four slokas [8,9, 10 and 11], He has told He is the objects of desire and the qualities which make us to desire them. Arjuna desires to regain Kingdom and that is according to Dharma and so, He is that quality. The Lord is the object of desire and He is the desired quality. We will now take leave of this Kshetram.

(continued)

GITA 7.12

bahuni me vyatitani
janmani tava carjuna
tany aham veda sarvani
na tvam vettha parantapa

As told by Sri Krishna (Gita 4.05), He knows the objective of every birth He makes. While, we do not know what we missed in our earlier birth and what we have to do in the present birth. So, it becomes necessary for us to surrender unto Him and pray for unison with Him. We travel place to place in search of Him. Similarly, He also takes lots of efforts to uplift us. One such effort is His appearance in various temples to grace us. We have now arrived at Thirunaraiyur or Nachiyarkoil and the Lord is waiting to grace us. Thirumangai Alwar has composed 100 pasurams on this Lord here. Here, festivals are galore and daily some festival can be witnessed. This is what Alwar says in his pasuram. The noise of festival never ceases. In Vasanthotsavam, the Lord is amidst gardens and groves for Nine days. This instantly comes to our mind when we think of this Kshetram, where from today's [24th March 2008] lecture is. When the Lord wanted to marry Sri Vanjulavalli Thayar, it was His vehicle or vahanam, Garuda, who identified this place. Garuda brought the Lord here and performed the Divine wedding ceremony. So, Garuda is famous here and he is called Kal [stone] Garuda.

Though, in all temples there will be stone statues of Garuda in sannidhis, nowhere the Vahanam for the Lord is of stone. Two Brahmotsavams are performed annually - one in Panguni and another in Margazhi. In both, the Lord graces on the Garuda and comes in procession. 'Vedathma vihageswara ' - Garuda is an embodiment of Vedas. Garuda will do what Vedas do. Vedas identify the Lord, as also Garuda. A divine sculptor once sculpted a Garuda. He sculpted the wings and was about to carve the eyes which is normally termed as opening of the eyes- Netronyivanam. After that the statue is supposed to have been completed. So, sincere was the sculptor, that the moment he opened the eyes of the statue, it got real life and started flying. With difficulty, the sculptor brought the statue back and made it to rest and from that time onwards, the statue is resting here. Garuda is seated majestically, with the left foot resting on ground and the right leg bent and resting on knee. With both arms stretched, Nine serpents are used as ornaments by Garuda. Serpents which are used are - Anantha on left wrist, Vasuki as Poonool [sacred thread], Takshaka as waist belt, Karkotaka as necklace, Padmam as right ear ring ,Mahapadmam as left ear ring, Sankam on the head and Gulika on the right shoulder (and another snake on his sword). By worshiping him, one is rid off sarpa dosha. On the Dwadasi following Vaikunta Ekadasi, in month of Margazhi, the Lord graces in a Float on the Manimuthaa pushkarini.

We will now see the 10th sloka:

bijam mam sarva-bhutanam
viddhi partha sanatanam
buddhir buddhimatam asmi
tejas tejasvinam aham

O son of Pṛthā, know that I am the original seed of all existences, the intelligence of the intelligent, and the prowess of all powerful men.

"O son of Pritha, know that I am the original seed of all existences, the intelligence of the intelligent, and the prowess of all powerful men."

Aham = I [Sri Krishna] am, buddhi =intelligence, buddhimatam = among intellectuals, tejas = brilliance, tejasvinam = among brilliant persons. Sarva bhuthanam = in every living being or matter, mam = I [Sri Krishna] am, sanathanam = ancient, bijam = seed or cause, viddhi = understand. Partha = Arjuna is addressed as the son of Pritha, which means he is the son of Sri Krishna's aunt. A close relative like him should understand Who Sri Krishna was. Normally, people close to a person might not know the greatness of that person. By saying bijam or seed, we might think He is like a seed which is responsible for a tree to grow. But this aspect He had already told in Chapter 4. He told He is the cause for all matters. Here, He is not to be faulted with repeating the same, but a different interpretation is to be seen. He is the cause for all changes in whatever we see in this world. As an example, we take curd, buttermilk, butter and ghee. These are not available as such; but milk has to be processed and fermented to obtain these. Milk has changed into these products. Similarly, we take different vegetables, fruits and food for nourishment of the Body. Each item has a target in the body. Some improve the calories, some for carbohydrates, some improve eye sight, etc. We can not directly take, say for example, carbohydrates or proteins. We eat a particular vegetable or fruit, which apart from the taste, has the particular need for the body. These items have to be processed and after eating, the body system assimilates and converts to the various needs like vitamins, proteins, etc and reaches the destination like blood or brain. Sri Krishna tells that He is this Agent for assimilation and conveying to various parts of the system. So, sarva bhutanam means all those matters which are subject to changes. Bijam means the Agent. He is the taste in all matters, and this was told already. But here, all processes and the Agent, Which carries such changes, is the Lord. Tejasvi means brilliant persons. It means the skills in which such persons exemplify. From this we understand that the strength of Garuda or Hanuman , is the Lord.

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GITA 7.11

SRI THAYAR AND SRI NAMBI

In the 7th Chapter, Sri Krishna tells that He represents all, and all are His belongings. In the sloka 8, He said He is the taste in water, radiation of the Sun and the Moon, Pranavam [omkaram] in Vedas, etc. So, He says that He represents all the desired objects in this Universe and He is the desired quality in all. But our requirements are many and varied, like we want house for dwelling, food for eating, family for enjoyment, etc. Sri Krishna says He is all these desired objects. How this is possible? How can we drink Him? How can we eat Him? Here only the Lord reveals an important truth to us. We drink water to quench our thirst. If water did not have that power to quench our thirst, then we will never go after water. This applies to other needs of us. If chillies do not have the spicy taste, we will never use them. We use sugar for its sweetness. So every article in the Universe has a characteristic and we seek them for those qualities. Sri Krishna tells that He is the sweetness in sugar or spicy taste in chili, etc. He represents all articles and He is the unique characteristic in each of them. Therefore, He becomes our requirement, like breathing air necessary for us. Alwar says Kannan [SriKrishna] is food for eating, water for drinking and betel leaves for enjoyment. He is water and the taste in water. He is wind and its breezy nature. He is fire and its warmth or heat. We will see 9th sloka, now:

punyo gandhah prithivyam ca
tejas casmi vibhavasau
jivanam sarva-bhutesu
tapas casmi tapasvisu

I am the original fragrance of the earth, and I am the heat in fire. I am the life of all that lives, and I am the penances of all ascetics.

"I am the original fragrance of the earth, and I am the heat in fire. I am the life of all that lives, and I am the penances of all ascetics."

Prithivyam = in Earth, punyo gandha = fragrance [agreeable smell]. Earth's characteristic is scent and Sri Krishna is that scent. We should note that He says He is the fragrance of earth, and not any smell including bad ones. Why? Actually, He represents all including bad smell and those dirty matter which give out that smell. But here, He is telling Arjuna that all seek many for some unique qualities. Today's [21st March 2008] lecture is under the Vakula tree, the Sthala tree of this Kshetram.

Sthala Vruksham - Vakula tree

Nammalwar is called Vakulabharanan, because he was wearing vakula flowers garland. These flowers have a fragrance and so people seek those flowers. But when we are near a garbage dump, we close our nostrils and avoid them. Sri Krishna replies to the query, why anyone should desire to have the Lord? He is the desired qualities in all articles we seek. Therefore, He can not tell here that He represents bad smell also, which we avoid. But it is reiterated that Sri Krishna represents all including garbage and He is the qualities in all, including the bad smell of garbage dump. Both Ravana and Vibheeshana are His bodies. So also Hiranyakasipu and Prahlada. In this context He is telling only the desired qualities and so He talks of desirable smell of Earth. Vibhavasau = in Fire, tejas = heat or thermal power, sarva-bhutesu= in all living beings, jeevanam = respiration to sustain life. Starting from Brahma to an insignificant grass, He is the respiration to sustain life. Respiration is needed for life and He is that.
We can see the Wedding pose of the Lord and Sri Thayar. Sage Medhavi gave his daughter in marriage to the Lord. In a pasuram [Periya Tirumozhi, 6.4.1] Thirumangai Alwar says He [Sri Naraiyurninra Nambi] is sky, mountain, Vedas and Yagna. Just like a calf goes in search of mother cow, Alwar says he is searching for Him everywhere. Without Him, Alwar says he can not live and He is his breath. All people scoff at him for his acts and call him insane. But he will not let Him go from his mind and the Lord is Alwar's jeevanam. Tapasvisu = in ascetics [like Rishis], tapascasmi = the meditating power or thapas in them. We respect such persons for the meditating power in them.

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