॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
Srimad Bhagavatam - Skandha XII.11 Part A Tuesday, 22 August 2023 - The significance of Bhagavan's physical form that is worshipped.
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Worship of the Lord with Form
Sage Shaunaka now asks a question that is on the minds of all readers of Srimad Bhagavatam. We have repeatedly stated that Paramatma Parabrahman is Avyakta Nirguna and without any material bondages. Then why do we worship Bhagavan with form, with ornaments and weapons and so on? This process of worship is called Tantra and Kriya. So the question is
तान्त्रिका: परिचर्यायां केवलस्य श्रिय: पते: । अङ्गोपाङ्गायुधाकल्पं कल्पयन्ति यथा च यै: ॥
Why do Tantrikas and Kriya-exponents worship the essentially Singular, non-attribute-filled Lord of Devi Sri (even here, Shaunaka cannot escape the reference to Lakshmi!) as in a form with limbs, ornaments, adornments, dresses, weapons and so on? Why do they make up all these?
Why do Tantrikas and Kriya-exponents worship the essentially Singular, non-attribute-filled Lord of Devi Sri (even here, Shaunaka cannot escape the reference to Lakshmi!) as in a form with limbs, ornaments, adornments, dresses, weapons and so on? Why do they make up all these?
Shaunaka says this Suta is the most learned and accomplished Guru to enlighten the sages on this aspect!
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सूत उवाच
नमस्कृत्य गुरून् वक्ष्ये विभूतीर्वैष्णवीरपि । या: प्रोक्ता वेदतन्त्राभ्यामाचार्यै: पद्मजादिभि: ॥
The Suta replied:
Indeed, glad am I to recount what the Tantra and Veda authorities say
Beginning with Lord Brahma. But before that, I offer
My humble obeisances to the great Gurus who have taught me this.
मायाद्यैर्नवभिस्तत्त्वै: स विकारमयो विराट् । निर्मितो दृश्यते यत्र सचित्के भुवनत्रयम् ॥
The Supreme Lord first manifests as Virat,
Made of the nine basic elements of creation, beginning with the yet-unmanifest Prakriti!
Whatever worlds we see and experience subsequently emanate from Virat.
सूत उवाच
नमस्कृत्य गुरून् वक्ष्ये विभूतीर्वैष्णवीरपि । या: प्रोक्ता वेदतन्त्राभ्यामाचार्यै: पद्मजादिभि: ॥
The Suta replied:
Indeed, glad am I to recount what the Tantra and Veda authorities say
Beginning with Lord Brahma. But before that, I offer
My humble obeisances to the great Gurus who have taught me this.
मायाद्यैर्नवभिस्तत्त्वै: स विकारमयो विराट् । निर्मितो दृश्यते यत्र सचित्के भुवनत्रयम् ॥
The Supreme Lord first manifests as Virat,
Made of the nine basic elements of creation, beginning with the yet-unmanifest Prakriti!
Whatever worlds we see and experience subsequently emanate from Virat.
एतद् वै पौरुषं रूपं भू: पादौ द्यौ: शिरो नभ: । नाभि: सूर्योऽक्षिणी नासे वायु: कर्णौ दिश: प्रभो: ॥
प्रजापति: प्रजननमपानो मृत्युरीशितु: । तद्बाहवो लोकपाला मनश्चन्द्रो भ्रुवौ यम: ॥
लज्जोत्तरोऽधरो लोभो दन्ता ज्योत्स्ना स्मयो भ्रम: । रोमाणि भूरुहा भूम्नो मेघा: पुरुषमूर्धजा: ॥
यावानयं वै पुरुषो यावत्या संस्थया मित: । तावानसावपि महापुरुषो लोकसंस्थया ॥
Behold the Virat Purusha, the first form we see of the Supreme!
The earth his feet, the sky his navel, the sun his eyes, the airs his nostrils,
The Prajapati (progenitor) his reproductive organ, Death his evacuatory passage.
The moon his mind, the heavenly constellation his head,
The directions his ears, the guardians of space his arms.
We measure a man by his limbs. We can estimate the Lord’s dimensions by knowing the galaxy!
कौस्तुभव्यपदेशेन स्वात्मज्योतिर्बिभर्त्यज: । तत्प्रभा व्यापिनी साक्षात् श्रीवत्समुरसा विभु: ॥
स्वमायां वनमालाख्यां नानागुणमयीं दधत् । वासश्छन्दोमयं पीतं ब्रह्मसूत्रं त्रिवृत् स्वरम् ॥
बिभर्ति साङ्ख्यं योगं च देवो मकरकुण्डले । मौलिं पदं पारमेष्ठ्यं सर्वलोकाभयङ्करम् ॥
अव्याकृतमनन्ताख्यमासनं यदधिष्ठित: । धर्मज्ञानादिभिर्युक्तं सत्त्वं पद्ममिहोच्यते ॥
ओज:सहोबलयुतं मुख्यतत्त्वं गदां दधत् । अपां तत्त्वं दरवरं तेजस्तत्त्वं सुदर्शनम् ॥
नभोनिभं नभस्तत्त्वमसिं चर्म तमोमयम् । कालरूपं धनु: शार्ङ्गं तथा कर्ममयेषुधिम् ॥
इन्द्रियाणि शरानाहुराकूतीरस्य स्यन्दनम् । तन्मात्राण्यस्याभिव्यक्तिं मुद्रयार्थक्रियात्मताम् ॥
The Lord sports the Kaustubha on his chest – the gem of a pure soul!
The Srivatsa is the innate effulgence of the soul and thus shines on the Lord’s chest.
Know his garland to be his Prakriti Shakti, all variegated Gunas together!
His golden garment is the Vedic metres, weaving in the Eternal Truth.
His sacred thread too is nothing but the primordial A-U-M!
His two earrings are but Sankhya/Jnana and Yoga/Kriya,
And the crown that rests on the Lord’s head is Brahmaloka conferring protection on all creation.
The Lord lies on Ananta representing the Unmanifest/Inestimable, and his lotus seat is but
Embodied Sattva Guna that helps us acquire Dharma and Jnana.
The gada that Vishnu holds is Prana SHAKTI, the root of mental and physical energies.
His shankha is the waters of the world, his Sudarshana Chakra is fire eternal!
His sword that swishes the entire sky is ether (Akasha). His shield represents Tamas.
His famed bow Sharnga is Kaala personified, and the quiver holds arrows that are the senses.
The Lord’s chariot is a wilful mind. His appearance thus is the subtle objects we need to perceive,
His hands confer all purposeful activity on creation!
मण्डलं देवयजनं दीक्षा संस्कार आत्मन: । परिचर्या भगवत आत्मनो दुरितक्षय: ॥
Begin worship of the Lord in the sun! You qualify when the Guru initiates you into the Mantra.
Serve the Lord as it surely wipes out accumulated sins of past Karmas.
भगवान् भगशब्दार्थं लीलाकमलमुद्वहन् । धर्मं यशश्च भगवांश्चामरव्यजनेऽभजत् ॥
आतपत्रं तु वैकुण्ठं द्विजा धामाकुतोभयम् । त्रिवृद्वेद: सुपर्णाख्यो यज्ञं वहति पूरुषम् ॥
The lotus in the Lord’s hand is the symbol of his Bhagavan nature, with manifold opulences.
The two fans we can fan him with are the practice of Dharma and singing his glories.
See that golden umbrella on the Lord’s form? It is Vaikuntha, the land of the fearless!
Garuda at the Lord’s feet is the symbol of the three Vedas in worship.
नपायिनी भगवती श्री: साक्षादात्मनो हरे: ।
विष्वक्सेनस्तन्त्रमूर्तिर्विदित: पार्षदाधिप: ।
नन्दादयोऽष्टौ द्वा:स्थाश्च तेऽणिमाद्या हरेर्गुणा: ॥
Devi Lakshmi, also called Sri, is all great fortune that never leaves Bhagavan and confers all plenitude through his Shakti in the world.
Vishwaksena is the Lord’s guard attendant, holding the entire Pancharatras (rules of worship).
The eight attendants like Nanda serve the Lord, representing the eight Siddhis we spoke earlier about.
वासुदेव: सङ्कर्षण: प्रद्युम्न: पुरुष: स्वयम् । अनिरुद्ध इति ब्रह्मन् मूर्तिव्यूहोऽभिधीयते ॥
स विश्वस्तैजस: प्राज्ञस्तुरीय इति वृत्तिभि: । अर्थेन्द्रियाशयज्ञानैर्भगवान् परिभाव्यते ॥
When we chant Vasudeva! Sankarshana! Pradyumna! Aniruddha!, we are directly addressing the Supreme through these manifestations. Know that the Lord is our waking, dreaming and deep sleep states, of mind and body too, in these forms, as well as that fourth dimension known as pure consciousness. The various expansions of Bhagavan Sri Hari, with various physical attributes like limbs, weapons and ornaments, are his way of conveying to us the principles of these four states.
We are perhaps beginning to see that the entire iconography and Puranic paradigm is personifying the Eternal Parabrahman as a most loving and worshippable Bhagavan with nothing lost in translation! Remember how the Vedas worshipped Bhagavan earlier?
The Suta's narrative continues tomorrow.
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