Sri Raamanuja And Oupanishada-Parama Purushan
SRIMAN NARAYANAA OF MAHA NARAYANOPANISHAD
by Sri Nrusimha Seva Rasikan,
Oppiliappan Koil Sri.VaradAchAri SaThakOpan
I will conclude with select manthrams of MahA nArAyaNOPanishad.
This Upanishad has moving revelatory passages on the identity of
The ParamAthMan (Paramapurushan).
In the very first manthram, which has profound meanings, the role of the Lord of creation is saluted.
अम्भस्य पारे भुवनस्य मध्ये नाकस्य पृष्ठे महतो महीयान् ।
शुक्रेण ज्योतीगुंषि समनुप्रविष्टः प्रजापतिश्चरति गर्भे अन्तः । ।
ambhasya pAre bhuvanasya madhye nAkasya pRRiShThe mahato mahIyAn |
shukreNa jyotIguMShi samanupraviShTaH prajApatishcharati garbhe antaH | |
MEANING: “The Lord of Creation, who is present in the shore less waters, on the Earth and above the Heaven and who is greater than the great, having entered the shining intelligence of creatures in seed form, acts in fetus (which grows into the living being that is born)”.
This Lord of Creation and the antharyAmi Brahman is recognized in the next manthram as the source of power by which all Gods remain enjoying their respective powers (Sarvam yasmin dEvA adhi visvE nishEdhu:).
The Upanishad goes onto declare that certainly has been true in the past and will be true in the future (tadhrEva bhUtam tadu bhavyamA).
In section 12, the 17th manthram of this Upanishad we come across the connection of the Lord to PraNavam:
यो वेदादौ स्वरः प्रोक्तो वेदान्ते च प्रतिष्ठितः ।
तस्य प्रकृतिलीनस्य यः परः स महेश्वरः । ।
yo vedAdau svaraH prokto vedAnte cha pratiShThitaH |
tasya prakRRitilInasya yaH paraH sa maheshvaraH | |
This manthram asserts that this Lord of Creation is the supreme Lord, who transcends the syllable OM, which is invoked at the commencement of the recital of the VedAs, which is well established in Upanishads and which is dissolved in the primal cause during contemplation.
The next few manthrams identify this supreme Lord as Sriman nArAyaNaa:
नारायणं महज्ञेयं विश्वात्मानं परायणम्
nArAyaNaM mahaj~neyaM vishvAtmAnaM parAyaNam
This Supreme Lord, Sriman nArAyaNaa is declared as the One, who is supremely worthy of being known by the Jeevans and recognized as the supreme goal.
The thundering statements that follow are:
नारायणः परं ब्रह्म तत्त्वं नारायणः परः ।
नारायणः परो ज्योतिरात्मा नारायणः परः । ।
नारायणः परो ध्याता ध्यानं नारायणः परः ।
nArAyaNaH paraM brahma tattvaM nArAyaNaH paraH |
nArAyaNaH paro jyotirAtmA nArAyaNaH paraH | |
nArAyaNaH paro dhyAtA dhyAnaM nArAyaNaH paraH |
MEANING: "nArAyaNaa is the supreme reality designated as Brahmman. nArAyaNaa is the loftiest of all principles. nArAyaNaa is the supreme effulgence described by Upanishads. nArAyaNaa is THE INFINITE SELF. He is the most outstanding mediator and meditation".
यच्च किञ्चिज्जगत्यस्मिन् दृश्यते श्रूयतेऽपिवा वा ।
अन्तर्बहिश्च तत्सर्वं व्याप्य नारायणः स्थितः । ।
yachcha ki~nchijjagatyasmin dRRishyate shrUyate.apivA vA |
antarbahishcha tatsarvaM vyApya nArAyaNaH sthitaH | |
MEANING: "Whatsoever that is comprehended through perception or known through hearing, all that is pervaded by nArAyaNaa within (indweller) and outside".
A CONCLUDING SALUTATION TO THE SAKALA UPANISHAD SVARUPAN
This Lord of Srirangam, who has been saluted as mahat yasa: (the great glory). He is the web and woof of creation saluted by the Upanishads.
He reclines under PraNavAkruthi VimAnam and glorifies the meaning of PraNavam (PraNavArtha PrakAsakan).
He is the Para Vaasudevan of Parama Padam. He is RangEsan.
He has Srirangam as His temple by the side of KaavEri River and His other home is by the side of VirajA River in Sri Vaikuntam.
That Sri RangasAyee is saluted by this famous slOkam:
कावेरी विरजाशेयं वैकुण्ठं रङ्गमन्दिरं
स वासुदेवो रङ्गेशः प्रत्यक्षं परमं पदम् ।
विमानं प्रणवाकारं वेदश्रुङ्गं महद्धुतं
श्रीरङ्गशायी भगवान् प्रणवार्थ प्रकाशकः । ।
kAverI virajAsheyaM vaikuNThaM ra~NgamandiraM
sa vAsudevo ra~NgeshaH pratyakShaM paramaM padam |
vimAnaM praNavAkAraM vedashru~NgaM mahaddhutaM
shrIra~NgashAyI bhagavAn praNavArtha prakAshakaH | |
It is this Sri RangasAyee saluted by Upanishads that Saint ThyagarAjA implored to come to him at Srirangam in his celebrated KaambhOji Raaga Krtihi:
Oh RangasAyee! PilachitE-Oh yanuchu raa raadhAA? (Oh Rangasaayee! When I implore you to come to me, why should you not respond?).
Saint Thyagaraja composed the Sriranga Pancharathna krithis on this Lord reclining on Adhi SEshA at Srirangam.
Sriranga KshEthram is the puNya BhUmi.
Like in VaraNAsi, anyone who breathes their last here reaches Parama Padam.
The great Vedantin, Appayaa Dikshithar, who wrote the commentary for Swami Desikan’s YadhavAbhudhayam pointed out the significance of this Mukthi KshEthram this way:
इदं च रङ्गं त्यजतामिहाङ्गं
न विद्यतेऽङ्गं यदिजातुचाङ्गम् ।
पणौ रथाङ्गं शयने भुजङ्गं
याने विहङ्गं चरणेम्भु गाङ्गम् । ।
idaM cha ra~NgaM tyajatAmihA~NgaM
na vidyate.a~NgaM yadijAtuchA~Ngam |
paNau rathA~NgaM shayane bhuja~NgaM
yAne viha~NgaM charaNembhu gA~Ngam | |
This is Sriranga KshEthram. There is no rebirth for those, who shake off their mortal coils here.
If they perchance take up a body again, it will return to this earth as the ONE with Sudarsanam in its hand, resting on Adhi SEshA, riding on Garudan and having the sacred feet from which the holy Ganga River flows.
That body will return with Suddha Satthvamaya Bhagavadh SaarUpyam.
Subamasthu!
Sarva MangaLAni santhu ithi mahAntO anugrhaNNanthu!
Sri RanganAtha charanou SaraNam prapadhyE
Anantha kOti PraNAmams to Sri Rangapura VihAran
Oppiliappan Sannidhi VaradAchAri SaThakOpan
Cited from
AV021 - Ranganatha mahimai v2
