thathva thrayam

thathva thrayam Understanding the chith (Athma) thathvam through the teachings of the wise men

Azhwar, emperumAnAr, piLLai lOkAchAryar, jIyar

thathva thrayam

Preface
For every mumukshu (one who is desiring mOksham), knowledge about chith (soul), achith (matter) and Ishwara (god) is of paramount importance. srI krishNa bhagavAn gave this knowledge to every one through his bhagavath gIthA. Our AzhwArs and AchAryas have explained this in great detail. piLLai lOkAchAryar, following in the foot steps of our pUrvAchAryas, out of his causeless mercy, blessed us with a divine grantham named "thathva thrayam (tattva trayam)". The subject matter of this grantham involves in-depth analysis of the three entities - chith (soul), achith (matter) and Iswara (God). This grantham is called as kutti bhAshyam (mini srI bhAshyam) where the essence of sanAthana dharmam is explained. maNavALa mAmunigaL mercifully wrote a detailed vyAkyAnam (commentary) for this grantham which adds even more value to this grantham. Meditating on the lotus feet of asmadhAchAryan srImath paramahamsa ithyAdhi pattarpirAn rAmAnuja jIyar (29th pattam, vAnamAmalai mutt), adiyen is humbly attempting to translate this great work. adiyen have been fortunate enough to learn the text and the meanings of this grantham from Sri U.Ve. P B Sampath swamy. No other grantham has brought out the indepth meanings of the three entities (chith, achith and Iswara) in such great detail. This grantham is in maNipravALa style (a mixture of tamizh and samskritha words) and as in many other pUrvAchArya granthams, has long sentences, phrases that are difficult to translate directly, etc. adiyen will attempt to present the essence of each section/paragraph as close as possible to the original text. The purpose of these artilces is to create/enhance interest in the subject matter to the readers. adiyens humble request to the readers is to hear this grantham as grantha kAlakshEpam under an AchAryan to acquire in-depth knowledge in the subject matter. adiyen is very thankful to many srivaishnavas who encouraged me and continues to encourage me in writing such articles. With the blessings of such srivaishnavas, our pUrvAchAryas, AzhwArs and sri-bhUmi-nILa samEtha emperumAn, adiyen is presenting this book to the larger srivaishnava community. Keeping them in mind adiyen submit this small work at the thiruvadis of Srimath paramahamsa ithyAdhi kaliyan rAmAnuja jeeyar swAmy (30th pattam, varthamAna swAmy, vAnamAmalai mutt). adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan Email: [email protected] Web: http://ponnadi.blogspot.com , http://guruparamparai.wordpress.com Nandhana - mAsi pUrattAdhi (Mar 13th, 2013) -

thathva thrayam

asmadhAchAryan

Srimath paramhamsa ithyAdhi pattarbhirAn rAmAnuja jeeyar (29th pattam, vAnamAmalai mutt)

varthmAna swAmy

Srimath paramhamsa ithyAdhi kaliyan rAmAnuja jeeyar (30th pattam, vAnamAmalai mutt)

thathva thrayam

Table of Contents
thathva thrayam - chith - Who am I? ................................................................................................................... 5 thathva thrayam - achith - What is matter? ........................................................................................................14 thathva thrayam - Iswara - Who is God? .............................................................................................................21

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thathva thrayam - chith - Who am I?

This article can be viewed as a presentation by clicking https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/10BxoIyZJnpfN4HWRjNaiqkWqa7WvWYc55rmp0kxVf M4/present#slide=id.p. Introduction

Everyone is curious to understand the true nature of the soul, matter and God. Across many civilizations, the quest to understand the these three entities is seen as the common thread amongst the intellectuals. sanAthana dharmam, which is based on vEdham, vEdhAntham, smruthis, purANams and ithihAsams, beautifully explains the true knowledge about jIvAthmA (the soul), prakruthi (matter) and Iswara (God). srIman nArAyaNan (as gIthAchAryan), nammAzhwAr, emperumAnAr, piLLai lOkAchAryar and maNavALa mAmunigaL have all explained the nature of these three entities through their divine words in various granthams. Introduction Specifically, piLLai lOkAchAryar's thathva thrayam and mAmunigaL's excellent commentary for that is a crystal clear exposition of all the three thathvams namely chith (soul), achith (matter) and Ishwara (God). Without understanding the true nature of the Soul/Self, one's spiritual progress will be very limited. Only with the proper understanding of the self, one can act accordingly to make progress in spiritual life. Let us start with having a deep understanding of the Soul first.

bhagavAn's direct instructions to arjunan

thathva thrayam

Azhwar, emperumAnAr, piLLai lOkAchAryar, jIyar

True nature of soul (AthmA)

The soul is different from body, senses, mind, vital air and intellect. By nature, the soul is o animate/luminous - one that realises its own existence and self-effulgent o blissful - naturally joyful o eternal - neither created nor destroyed o unmanifest - invisible to external eyes o atomic - most miniscule o incomprehensible - beyond the comprehension of our senses o indivisible - not consisting of any parts o unchangeable - does not undergo any change o abode of knowledge o Controlled by bhagavAn o Up-held by bhagavAn o subservient to bhagavAn

Differences between the soul and body, senses, mind, vital air, etc.

Since body, etc are seen different as "my body", "my senses", "my mind", etc., indicating "my" as the soul. The soul is referred to as "I" while the body, mind, etc are referred to as "mine". While soul is always perceived, body, etc., are sometimes perceived and other times not. For example, when we are sleeping, the soul is still conscious but the body is not perceived at that state. And, when we wake up, being the consciousness, we fully realise who we are immediately, due to the continuous perception of the soul. Differences between the soul and body, senses, mind, vital air, etc. - Continued In an individual's case, the soul is one, but the combination of body, senses, mind, etc., are many. With the above, we can easily understand the difference between the soul and body, etc.

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But even if there is any doubt in these logical explanations which can be understood by anyone, since sAsthram says that soul is different from body, etc., we have to accept that. Since sAsthram is eternal, not created by any individual and defectless, the principles established by sAsthram need to be accepted fully.

Differences between the soul and body - practical examples

Similarly, "I", the soul, has a body. The Soul and body are different from each other but are connected. When we clearly understand that we are the Soul, we can avoid acting on the bodily platform always.

The changing nature of body and the transmigration of the soul

bhagavAn explains the nature of soul and the body in the second chapter of bhagavath gIthA in great detail. In the 13th slOkam, he says "Just like the embodied soul, goes through the different stages of body like infanthood, childhood, manhood, etc., at the time of death, the soul acquires another body. The one who has understood the nature of soul is not bewildered by this change". In the 22nd slOkam, he says "Just like we get new clothes when the old clothes are worn out, the soul accepts a new body after the death".

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Soul going through different stages of body and accepting another body at the end of that body.

Knower, Doer and Enjoyer

Being the abode of knowledge, soul is called the knower. AthmA is not just knowledge, he is knower, since sAsthram declares as such. Knowledge automatically leads to action and enjoying the result of the action since doing and enjoying the results are different manifestations of knowledge. The soul is influenced by the three modes of material nature (sathvam, rajas, thamas goodness, passion, ignorance) in this material world and acts accordingly. The souls are given independence by bhagavAn to choose their own path. But bhagavAn being the ultimate authority, without his approval nothing happens. In every action, the soul is given the choice of selecting the course of action. bhagavAn first stays as witness, and then allows the particular choice of the soul. Subsequently, depending on the choice (the action being in accordance with sAsthram or against sAsthram), bhagavAn assists the soul to proceed with the action. Thus bhagavAn is the ultimate authority of any action by the soul but lets the soul decide the course of action to ensure that each soul becomes responsible for its action. There are special cases when bhagavAn fully takes control of the soul's life and actions for specific reasons.

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Controlled, up-held by bhagavAn and being subservient to him

The soul is fully controlled by bhagavAn. This means all actions of the soul are to be sanctioned by bhagavAn. Just like all actions of the body are controlled by the soul, all actions of the soul are controlled by the in-dwelling super-soul which is bhagavAn. Still, bhagavAn gives independence to the soul to choose the course of action since soul has knowledge which can be used in decision making. Otherwise, sAsthram will become meaningless. Controlled, up-held by bhagavAn and being subservient to him sAsthram is meant for the soul to learn, understand and distinguish between different actions and their merits and demerits and follow the best course of action. So, for a soul's actions, Bhagavan remains in the following states o Witness - Being passive when soul takes the first attempt in all actions o Allower - permits soul's actions after the soul decides on a particular course o Inducer - Once soul starts an action, BhagavAn induces further actions based on this first attempt (in this particular action) The soul is up-help by bhagavAn. Up-held by him means, the soul loses its identity/purpose of existence, when it lacks proper understanding of: the connection between the self and bhagavAn the divine nature of bhagavAn the divine qualities of bhagavAn The soul is always subservient to bhagavAn who is the focus of everything. This means the soul is suppose to always look out to please bhagavAn without any personal interests like sandalwood, flowers, etc which exist purely for the pleasure of the consumer. Finally, AthmA (soul) is never separated from bhagavAn.

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Three types of souls

Souls are innumerable. There are three types of souls namely bhadhdha AthmAs o These are the bound souls who have been in samsAram (material world) since time immemorial o They are going through the cycle of birth and death due to ignorance which leads to virtues/vices. o All souls who have not realized their real nature come under this category. o They lack the understanding of soul and most often consider themselves to be the body, senses, etc. o There are also the other badhdhas who consider the self as fully independent and act accordingly.

muktha AthmAs o These are the ones who were once in samsAram (material world) but are now in paramapadham (spiritual world) o They reach paramapadham either by their own efforts (karma, gyAna, bhakthi yOgams) or by the causeless mercy of bhagavAn himself. o After being relieved from samsAram, the mukthAthmAs generally go through the archirAdhi gathi, take a dip in the virajA river and come out with a divine spiritual body. o They are welcomed by the nithyasUris and existing mukthAtmAs, reach srI vaikuntanAtthan and serve him eternally along with the others.

AzhwArs ascended to paramapadham by the causeless mercy of srIman nArAyaNan

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nithya AthmAs o These are the ones who are never bound in samsAram. o They are constantly engaged in serving bhagavAn in paramapadham and wherever bhagavAn is. o The most commonly known nithyasUris who constantly serve bhagavAn are AdhisEshan garudAzhwAr vishwaksEnar, etc

ParamapadhanAthan being served by nithyasUris constantly in parampadham. Innumerable souls

Just like water (which is naturally cool) when comes in contact with a container which is heated by fire, becomes hot, bhadhdha AthmAs who are in contact with matter, are covered by ignorance, karma, etc. When the attachment to matter is given up, ignorance, etc are gone. Each of the 3 types of souls namely bhadhdha, muktha and nithya, are innumerable in count. Some (who misunderstand the principle of adhvaitham that is found in sAsthram) preach the concept of a single soul which confuses itself to be many due to being covered by ignorance. But this is against plain logic and sAsthram. If there is only one soul, when one person is happy, another person should not be sad. Since, both are opposite to each other and cannot exist in the same person at the same time. Also, since sAsthram says that some have become mukthas and some are still samsAris, some are AchAryan and others are sishyas, there must be many AthmAs.

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It will also contradict with the statements in sAshtram which discuss existence of many AthmAs. Even in the state of mOksham, there are innumerable souls. Now, we may have a doubt - if AthmAs in paramapadam will be different, since they do not have different levels like anger, jealousy etc, as we see in this material world. Though qualitatively all AthmAs will be the same in that state, just like multiple pots which have the exact measurement and weight will still be different from each other, AthmAs that are qualitatively the same in paramapadham will still be different from each other. Thus, it is understood clearly that, there exist innumerable souls both in this material world and the spiritual world.

dharmi gyAnam and dharma bhUtha gyAnam

Let us understand the two types of gyAnam o dharmi gyAnam - the consciousness o dharma bhUtha gyAnam - knowledge. The true (unique) nature of an AthmA (irrespective of bhadhdha, muktha, nithya) is o sEshathvam - being the one who is secondary (subservient) to bhagavAn and o gyAthruthvam - being knowledgable. Both are essential qualities. Being knowledgable differentiates it from achith (matter). Being subservient to bhagavAn differentiates it from bhagavAn (God). While AthmA itself is a product of knowledge (dharmi gyAnam - svarUpam/nature), AthmA also has knowledge (dharma bhUtha gyAnam - guNam/attribute). dharmi gyAnam and dharma bhUtha gyAnam - Continued The difference is - the dharmi gyAnam is the consciousness that constantly indicates the existence to self (atomic - never changing). The dharma bhUtha gyAnam is the one that enlightens the Soul with external objects (all pervading - constantly changing due to contraction and expansion of knowledge). For the nithyas, their knowledge is fully expanded. For mukthas, their knowledge was once limited but now fully expanded. For bhadhdhas who are in material world, their knowledge is limited. Even though knowledge is eternal quality of the Soul, the contraction and expansion of knowledge is due to the fact that knowledge is received through senses. Senses are at times active and at times inactive. So, dharma bhUtha gyAnam (knowledge) can increase or decrease accordingly.

Conclusion

The naturally blissful state of AthmA is discussed here. When knowledge fully expands, that leads to the blissful state of AthmA. When we are faced with poison or weapons (anything perceived as unfavourable to body, mind, etc), that leads to sorrow. But that is because

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we are confusing the Soul with the body - if we understood that the weapon can only affect the body, we will not feel any sorrow. o our own karma which leads us to be fearful o we do not have the full understanding that everything is pervaded by bhagavAn (even those weapons) - prahlAdhAzhwAn was fully realized that bhagavAn is every where and did not protest when he was threatened by snakes, elephant or fire. He was unaffected by any of them.
o

Since everything is pervaded by god, everything is favourable only. The unfavourable nature is seen only because of our own misunderstandings. If there is any other reason for some thing being favourable, for the same person, the same material will not be favourable some time and unfavourable some other time. For example, hot water is favourable in cold weather but unfavourable in hot weather so hot water is not naturally good or bad - it is the perception of the consumer and the environment which are all based on bodily thoughts. Once we see everything in relationship with God, we will naturally feel blissful.

While this gives a good introduction to the chith prakaraNam (section) of the divine grantham named thathva thrayam, it is highly recommended to the readers to hear kAlakshEpam of this grantham under an AchAryan, which will be truly enlightening.

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thathva thrayam - achith - What is matter?

This article can be viewed as a presentation by clicking https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/188gzTl_qZKtyIxiwKguIjBSkxH9t9zUw_U98YJGbkk/present#slide=id.p. We are continuing our journey in understanding the three entities (chith, achith, Iswara) through the divine grantham "thathva thrayam" (tattva trayam) of piLLai lOkAchAryar with the help of maNavALa mAmunigaL's beautiful commentary. Introduction

achith (insentient) is devoid of knowledge and is abode for change/transformation. Since, achith is devoid of knowledge, it purely exists for the enjoyment of others. Unlike chith (sentient - Soul), which is unchangeable (does not change its nature), achith undergoes changes. There are three types of achith, namely o sudhdha sathvam - pure goodness devoid of any rajas (passion) and thamas (ignorance) o misra sathvam - combination of sathvam (goodness), rajas (passion) and thamas (ignorance) o sathva sUnyam (kAlam) - The principle of time which is devoid of any guNam (sathvam, rajas, thamas)

sudhdha sathvam (pure goodness)

paramapadham - spiritual abode of srIman nArAyaNan which is full of mandapams, gardens, etc., which are made of divine matter

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This is pure goodness devoid of any rajas and thamas. This is mainly focussed on all achith (insentients) in paramapadham. By nature, this is eternal is source of knowledge and joy manifests as vimAnams/gOpurams (towers), mandapams (halls), etc by the divine desire of bhagavAn instead of being created by the desire of a jIvAthmA induced by his karmA. o is in an unlimited brilliantly shining form o cannot be quantified/fully comprehended by nithyas (eternally free from samsAram), mukthas (one who became free from samsAram) and bhagavAn himself. mAmunigaL raises a doubt and clarifies it himself - if bhagavAn cannot quantify/fully comprehend this, would it not affect his sarvagyathvam omniscience (knower of everything)? He beautifully explains that knower of everything means knowing the true nature of everything - so, bhagavAn knows that sudhdha sathvam is unlimited which is its true nature and that is true omniscience. o is exceedingly marvellous Some say that, this is luminous and others say that is this is non-luminous. There are two opinions about it. But there is more weightage for the view that it is luminous. In such case, it will reveal itself to nithyas, mukthas and bhagavAn. But samsAris will be unable to perceive it. It is different from the soul since o it does not realize itself o it transforms into many forms It is different from knowledge since o it manifests into different forms (knowledge does not take any gross form) without the help of others o unlike knowledge which grasps thanmAthras (objects of senses - sound, touch, form, taste and smell), this is abode of the subtle elements.
o o o

misra sathvam (impure goodness)

By nature, this is o a mixture of sathvam, rajas and thamas o a veil which blocks the jIvAthmA from realising full knowledge and bliss o the source of perverse knowledge for the jIvAthmAs o eternal o an instrument for Ishwaran in his pastimes o at times indifferent from each other and at other times different from each other depending on state (avyaktha - unmanifested state vs vyaktha - manifested state) and time (srushti - creation vs samhAram - destruction time) o popularly known as prakruthi - since it is the source of all changes avidhya - since it is tangential to true knowledge mAyA - since the outcome of it is marvellous and full of different varieties

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As identified by nammAzhwAr in thiruvAimozhi 10.7.10, there are 24 elements of matter, namely o pancha thanmAthras - 5 objects of senses - shabdha (sound), sparsa (touch), rUpa (form), rasa (taste), gandha (smell) o pancha gyAnEndhriyas - 5 sense organs of knowledge -srOthra (ears), thvak (skin), chakshur (eyes), jihvA (tongue), grAhNa (nose) o pancha karmEndhriyas - 5 sense organs of actions - vAk (mouth), pANi (hands), pAdha (legs), pAyu (excretory organs), upastha (organs for procreation) o pancha bhUthas - 5 great elements - AkAsa (ether), vAyu(air), agni (fire), Apa/jala (water), prthvi (earth) o manas - mind o ahankAram - ego o mahAn - manifested state of matter o mUla prakruthi - unmanifested state of matter

Of these, mUla prakruthi is the primordial matter which manifests itself into various states due to the mixture of guNams (attributes) guNams are of three categories - sathvam (goodness), rajas (passion) and thamas (ignorance) sathvam is the inducer/source of happiness and pleasure rajas is the inducer/source of attachment and thirst for material aspirations thamas is the inducer/source of perverse knowledge, forgetfulness, lethargy/laziness and sleep When the 3 guNams are equally distributed, that results in unmanifested state of matter. When they are inequally distributed, that results in manifested state of matter. mahAn is the first state of manifested matter. ahankAram comes into existence from mahAn. Subsequently all the other elements (thanmAthras, gyAna indhriyas, karma indhriyas, etc) manifest from mahAn and ahankAram. pancha thanmAthras (objects of senses) are the subtle state of pancha bhUthas (gross elements) bhagavAn creates the manifested universes by mixing these different elements. bhagavAn creates the universes (effect) and their cause. i.e.,transforms the unmanifested mUla prakruthi into the manifested state of elements by his sankalpam (effortlessly). All entities which live in the universes are created by bhagavAn through other living entities such as brahmA, prajApathi, etc (by guiding them being their antharyAmi - indwelling super-soul) Innumerable universes exist.

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They are created simultaneously and effortlessly by bhagavAn just by his sankalpam. Each universe has 14 layers. mAmunigaL explains in great detail about the structure of the universe based on various pramANams.

Structure of leela vibhUthi (samsAram - material world)

7 bottom layers o From the top, they are named - athalam, vithalam, nithalam, kapasthimath (thalAthalam), mahAthalam, suthalam and pAthALam

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o o

these are occupied by demoniac people, snakes, birds, etc there are many beautiful towers, palaces, etc which are more enjoyable than even svarga lOkam

7 top layers o bhU lOkam - where humans, animals, birds, etc live. Split into 7 large dhvIpams (islands). We are living in jambhUdhvIpam. o bhuvar lOkam - where gandharvas (celestial singers) live o svarga lOkam - where indhran (a post which is to manage the activities of bhUlOkam, bhuvar lOkam and svarga lOkam) and his associates live o mahar lOkam - where the retired indhrans and the ones who desire/waiting to be indhran live o janar lOkam - where many great sages like brahmA's 4 sons sanaka, sanakAdhika, sanAthana and sanandhana, etc live o thapa lOkam - where prajApathis (primordial progenitors) live o sathya lOkam - where brahmA, vishNu and shiva and their devotees live Each universe (made of 14 layers) is surrounded by 7 layers of protection - water, fire, air, ether, ahankAram, mahAn and finally by mUla prakruthi. gyAnEndhriyas acquire knowledge about subtle and gross elements. karmEndhriyas are used in performing various physical actions. Mind is common to all and helps in every aspect.

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panchIkaraNam is the process by which bhagavAn mixes the various elements and leads to the manifestation of the universe as we see it now.

sathva sUnyam - kAlam (time)

By nature, time o acts like a catalyst in the tranformation of matter (from unmanifested state to manifested state and subsequently as well). o manifests in different scales of measurement (like day, week, fortnight, etc). o is eternal - meaning there is no beginning or end for time o helps Ishwaran in his pastimes o is also a form (body) of emperumAn himself mAmunigaL quotes naduvil thiruvEdhip piLLai bhattar who explained classification of time into many parts. o nimEsham (moment, winking of the eye - equal to a second) is the lowest unit of time o 15 nimEshams = 1 kAshta o 30 kAshta = 1 kalai o 30 kalais = 1 muhurtham o 30 muhurthams = 1 dhivasam (1 day) o 30 dhivasams = 2 pakshams (fortnights) = 1 mAsam (month) o 2 mAsams = 1 ruthu (season) o 3 ruthus = 1 ayanam (6 months - uttarAyaNam and dhakshiNAyaNam) o 2 ayanams = 1 samvathsaram (year) o 360 human samvathsaram = 1 dhEva samvathsaram Other two achith thathvams (sudhdha sathvam and misra sathvam) are the enjoyable items, abode of enjoyment and instrument of enjoyment. sudhdha sathvam (divine matter) is boundless at the top/sides and bounded at the bottom (it is fully present in paramapadham - the higher/spiritual universes)

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misra sathvam (matter) is boundless at the bottom/sides and bounded at the top (it is fully present in samsAram - the lower/material universes) kAla thathvam is present everywhere (both in paramapadham and samsAram). It is said that time is permanent/eternal in paramapadham and temporary/transient in samsAram. mAmunigaL quotes periyavAchAn piLLai's explaination - "time is of uniform (eternal) nature in both paramapadham and samsAram" in his thathva thraya vivaraNam (a grantham which is not to be found these days). So, that is considered as the ultimate authority. But since some AchAryas have explained the difference in nature of time between paramapadham and samsAram - it has to be understood that because of its ever changing nature in samsAram, it is considered as temporary here. Some say time does not exist. But since it defies logic and sAsthram, that cannot be accepted.

Conclusion Thus we have seen a bit about the achith (matter) thathvam which falls under 3 categories (sudhdha sathvam - divine matter in paramapadham, misra sathvam - matter in this samsAram and sathva sUnyam - time). As said before, this subject matter is very complex and this article is aimed at creating interest to hear this subject matter under an AchAryan in the form of kAlakshEpam. While this gives a good introduction to the achith prakaraNam (section) of the divine grantham named thathva thrayam, it is highly recommended to the readers to hear kAlakshEpam of this grantham under an AchAryan, which will be truly enlightening.

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thathva thrayam - Iswara - Who is God?

This article can be viewed as a presentation by clicking https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Q6qEuvsuGTv4z_5-HYzlLfRFkdprThj3xmqWoyqKCQ/present#slide=id.p. We are continuing our journey in understanding the three entities (chith, achith, Iswara) through the divine grantham "thathva thrayam" (tattva trayam) of piLLai lOkAchAryar with the help of maNavALa mAmunigaL's beautiful commentary. Introduction

First emperumAn's svarUpam (distinct nature) is explained in detail. That, he is completely different from all other entities, is established right upfront. svarUpam - true nature

By nature, Iswaran is o not the abode for any inauspicious qualities (meaning abode for all auspicious qualities) o unbounded by time - existence in past, present and future, place - everywhere in both spiritual and material worlds - all pervading nature and object - he is the in-dwelling soul of all objects o abode of full knowledge and unlimited bliss o abode of many auspicious qualities such as knowledge, strength, etc

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the one who fully manages creation, sustenance and dissolution the one who is the refuge for the 4 types of seekers (as identified in bhagavath gIthai 7.16 by kaNNan emperumAn himself) Artha: - the distressed arthArthi - the one who is looking for new wealth jigyAsur - the one who is looking for kaivalyam gyAni - the true devotee o the who can bestow the four purushArthams (goals) - dharma, artha, kAma, mOksha o the one who has many divine forms o the one who is the dear lord of srI mahAlakshmi, bhUdhEvi and neeLA dhEvi Him being the in-dwelling (controlling) soul of all entities does not affect him in any way, just like jIvAthmA (soul) does not get affected by the changing bodies.
o o

His Auspicious qualities

His most divine auspicious qualities are o eternal - they always exist o countless - there are so many auspicious qualities o boundless - even one of the qualities cannot be comprehended fully o causeless - his divine qualities does not manifest due to external inducing, they naturally exist o defectless o unparallel - since emperumAn does not have any one equal or greater, his qualities also does not have anything equal or greater Three categories of his auspicious qualities o Focussed on the ones who are favourable towards him and his devotees vAthsalyam - motherly forbearance

thiruvEnkatamudaiyAn is often glorified for his vAthsalyam

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sauseelyam - magnanimity

srI rAman is glorified for his sauseelyam - for mixing freely with guha, hanumAn, etc saulabhyam - easy accessibility

kaNNan emperumAn is glorified for his saulabhyam mArdhavam - tenderness (of heart and body) Arjavam - honesty, etc
o

Focussed on the ones who are unfavourable towards him and his devotees sauryam - valour/bravery

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vIrya - strength/power, etc Common for everyone gyAna - knowing about everything fully shakthi - strength bala - ability to support everything Iswarya - controlling capacity vIrya - Even while managing everything, having no change in self (avikAra) thEjas - ability to handle everything individually Auspicious Qualities and the target of those qualities o His gyAnam (knowledge) is to help the ones who consider themselves to be ignorant o His shakthi (strength) is to help the ones who consider themselves to be meek/humble o His kshamai (forgiveness) is to help the ones who consider themselves to be commiting offenses o His krupai (mercy) is to help the ones who consider themselves to be suffering o His vAthsalyam (motherly forbearance) is to help the ones who consider themselves to to at fault o His seelam (magnanimity) is to help the ones who consider themselves to be downtrodden o His Arjavam (honesty) is to help the ones who consider themselves to be dishonest o His sauhArdham (good-heartedness) is to help the ones who consider themselves to be not so good o His mArdhavam (tender-heartedness) is to help the ones who cannot bear the separation from bhagavAn o His saulabhyam (easy accessibility) is to help the ones who desire to see him o and so on Manifestation of his qualities o He shows great concern towards the suffering jIvAthmAs (souls) and is constantly looking for the well-being of them. o He constantly tries to help them when they are in distress. o For the ones who surrender unto him, He does not look at their defects which arise out of their birth, knowledge, actions, etc. He protects them when neither they themselves cannot protect them nor others can protect them. He performs miraculous activities to please them as he (kaNNan emperumAn) did in the case of sAndhIpani muni (bringing back his dead son) and the brAhmaNa (bring back his sons who were taken away by srI mahAlakshmi to paramapadham to have the divine vision of krishNan in paramapadham). He makes himself fully available for them. He feels self satisfied after helping them as if his own personal task was accomplished. Without considering the favours done by him, he looks out for the minimum virtues done by the surrendered ones and helps them forget the taste for material aspirations that is present in them since time immemorial.
o

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He ignores their mistakes like a man who ignores the mistakes of his dear wife and children. Even if srI mahAlakshmi points out the defects of the surrendered person, he simply diregards them. He consumes their defects with great love, just like a man in love would like the sweat, etc., of his woman. In separation, he feels greater distress compared to the surrendered ones. Just like a cow that kicks out and pushes away the older calves when a new calf is born out of great attachment and concern, emperumAn pushes away srI mahAlakshmi and nithyasUris when a new jIvAthmA (soul) surrenders to him. His kAraNathvam - Him being the primordial cause

brahmA (the first progenitor) being born from the navel of srI mahAvishNu

bhagavAn is the cause of all the worlds. Some say that atom (lowest particle) is the primordial cause. Since this is contradictory to plain perception and sAsthram, they cannot be accepted as the primordial cause. Others say matter is the primordial cause. Since matter does not have knowledge and does not transform on its own without the intervention of bhagavAn, matter cannot be the primordial cause. badhdha chEthanas (jIvAthmA- individual soul) like brahmA, rudhran, etc cannot be the primordial cause. Since they are bound by karmA and go through sufferings, they cannot be the primordial cause. Thus Iswaran is the only primordial cause. He is being the cause not due to ignorance, karmA, others orders, etc but out of his own desire and will. Since creation, sustenance and dissolution happen out of his own desire, there is no suffering in these for him. The whole process is only for his pastime.

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But would his pastime be interrupted in samhAram (dissolution)? Since samhAram is also part of his pastime, there is no interruption. mAmunigaL beautifully shows a practical example - When children play with sand castles, at the end of their play they knock down the castle as a part of the pastime with full joy. Similarly, dissolution is also a pastime in bhagavAn's activities. Since he transforms his own body into this material world, he is the material cause. Note: There are 3 causes: upAdhAna kAraNam (material cause), nimiththa kAraNam (instrumental cause) and sahakAri kAraNam (supporting cause). For example, in making a pot, sand and clay are the material cause, the potter is the instrumental cause, his stick and wheel are the supporting cause. But since there is no changes to his svarUpam he is called nirvikAra (unchangeable). It is only his body (chith and achith) that gets transformed. Spider makes a web from its own saliva and then it consumes it again. If a spider can do this, why cant Iswaran who is omnipotent (capable of doing anything) do the same.

srushti, sthithi, samhAram He is the full controller of all these activities. samashti srushti (upto the creation of pancha bhUthas) are done by bhagavAn himself directly and vyashti srushti (various beings, manifestations, etc) are done indirectly by bhagavAn being the antharyAmi of other beings.

srushti (creation)

srushti involves o transforming subtle matter into gross matter o providing body and senses to jIvAthmAs o expanding the knowledge of jIvAthmA srushti is done through brahmA, prajApathis, time and all beings by being present as their in-dwelling soul. sruhti is done in rajO guNam (the mode of passion).

sthithi (sustenance)

sthithi involves o Just like water sustaining the crop in a rice/paddy field, he sustains jIvAthmAs by being present within them with favourable intentions and help them in all different situations. sthithi is done by o descending as many incarnations starting with vishNu (which is the first incarnation in the material world) o establishing sAsthram by manu, rishis, etc o guiding the jIvAthmAs in good path o being antharyAmi of time and all beings sthithi is done in sathva guNam (the mode of goodness).

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samhAram (dissolution)

samhAram involves o pulling back the jIvAthmAs into a subtle state to minimize their attachment to material aspirations. This is similar to keeping ones own uncontrollable son under arrest for the well-being of the son. samhAram is done by being the antharyAmi of rudhran, agni, time and all beings. samhAram is done in thamO guNam (the mode of ignorance).

bhagavAn's supreme quality during srushti

If some are joyful and others are in distress, would that not reflect partiality and cruelty in bhagavAn's part? Not at all - since everyone gets their body based on their karmA, and all actions are done to reform/uplift the jIvAthmA slowly into a higher state, there is no partiality or cruelty in bhagavAn's part. bhagavAn performs srushti, sthithi, samhAram with a divine form as said by nammAzhwAr in 3.2.1.

bhagavAn's various forms

emperumAn's forms are o more enjoyable than in his svarUpam (nature), guNam (quality), etc. o eternal - always with a form o Uniform - without the effects of old age, etc o made of auspicious matter which is in the mode of pure goodness o Unlike material body which covers the soul's knowledge, his divine forms fully reveal his true nature. o Eternally glowing o abode of all divine qualities like beauty, softness, etc o one that is meditated upon by all yOgis o that which will cease our attachment to everything else o that is enjoyed by nithyasUris and mukthAthmAs o that which remove all pains o source of all incarnations o refuge for everyone o abode for everything o decorated with divine weapons (conch, discus, etc) and ornaments (garlands, necklaces, etc) bhagavAn's svarUpam is attached with 5 different categories of forms namely o parathvam - form in paramapadham o vyUham - forms in vyUha state which is primarily focussed on the material worlds o vibhavam - innumerable incarnations of emperumAn o antharyAmi - in-dwelling soul in all jIvAthmAs (souls) and achEthanams (matter) o archai - innumerable deity forms which are worshipped at temples, mutts, homes, etc

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These are briefly discussed at http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2012/10/archavatharaanubhavam-parathvadhi.html.

parathvam

paramapadham is described as the place of endless bliss and innumerable auspicious qualities and where kAlam (time) is not the controller. In samsAram time is the controller - whether we want or not, time automatically transforms every thing. everything is spiritual in paramapadham. He along with his divine consorts srI mahAlakshmi, bhU dhEvi and neeLA dhEvi are the prime focus. He exists there for the full enjoyment of nithya sUris (eternally free souls) and mukthAthmAs (the souls who were bound in samsAram before but free now in paramapadham). His auspicious qualities such as knowledge, strength, etc are fully manifested in paramapadham.

vyUham

kShirAbdhi nAthan is a representative of vyUha forms

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forms that are accepted by bhagavAn o for the purpose of maintaining order (thru srushti, sthithi, samhAram) in the material worlds, o to guide/nourish the jIvAthmAs in samsAram and o to be the object of meditation for the meditators. para vAsudhEvan first expands himself in to vyUha vAsudhEvan. vyUha vAsudhEvan expands himself in to 3 more forms - sankarshaNa, pradhuymna and anirudhdha. sankarshaNa o gyAnam (knowlege), balam (ability to support everything) are predominant in him. o He presides over the jIva thathvam (soul) and distinguishes between soul and matter, and initiates the process of giving names and forms to them. o He is responsible for establishing sAsthram (vEdham, vEdhAntham, etc) and samhAram (dissolution). o He subsequently expands into pradhyumna form. pradhyumna o Ishwarya (controlling ability/wealth), vIrya (power) are predominant in him. o He presides over the manas thathvam (mind). o He is responsible for instructing on the righteous principles, the creation of human beings and cAthur varNams (four categories brAmaNa, kshathriya, vaisya, shUdhra) the creation of all who are situated in the mode of goodness (which ultimately leads to bhagavAn) anirudhdha o shakthi (strength) and thEjas (ability to handle anything individually) are predominant in him. o He is responsible for giving true knowledge creation of time and all entities that in the mixed mode of goodness, passion and ignorance.

vibhavam

dhasAvathAram - the 10 main incarnations

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there are innumerable incarnations of bhagavAn. his incarnations are categorised into o mukya avathArams these are considered most important and worshippable for mumukshus (one who desires for mOksham) bhagavAn himself descends in many divine forms such as mathsya, kUrma, varAha, etc the forms are made of divine matter (just like in paramapadham). he carries all his auspicious qualities in full into these forms just like in paramapadham. just like a lamp which is lit with a match stick glows more than the match stick, his incarnations glow more than his form in paramapadham. o gauNa avathArams gauNam means giving his svarUpam (nature) or shakthi (strength) to jIvAthmAs to fulfill specific goals. these are considered less important and not worshippable for mumukshus, because the purpose of these avathArams is to fulfill specific tasks only. two categories svarUpa AvEsam - bhagavAn giving his divine svarUpam (nature) to jIvAthmAs and descend with his divine form. Examples: parasurAma, etc. shakthi AvEsam - bhagavAn giving his powers alone to jIvAthmAs for specific purpose. Examples: brahmA, rudhran, vyAsa, etc. he descends into various incarnations purely by his divine desire. the goal of these incarnations is explained by bhagavAn himself in bhagavath gIthai 4.8 as o parithrANAya sAdhUnAm - protecting his devotees (the virtuous) o vinAsAya cha dhushkruthAm - annihilating the evil-minded o dharma samsthApanArtham - establishing the righteous principles Though at times it is said that bhagavAn incarnates due to rishi's curse, etc, those are only pretext (false reason) and the real reason is his desire only.

antharyAmi

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antharyAmi means being all pervaded and fully controlling all entities from within. Wherever jIvAthmAs go bhagavAn also accompanies them to guide them. For the ones who want to meditate on bhagavAn, he mercifully appears with a divine form and his divine consorts within their hearts. He is constantly protecting the jIvAthmAs by being with them within their heart.

archai

108 dhivya dhEsams - the ones that are glorified by AzhwArs

this is explained as the epitome of all the different forms of bhagavAn. As poigai AzhwAr identified in mudhal thiruvanthAdhi 44th pAsuram, emperumAn happily accepts the form that is desired by his devotees. archAvathAram is present at all places and at all times to everyone unlike other forms (param, vyUham, etc) which are limited to o certain dhEsam (place like paramapadham, kshIrAbdhi, etc) o certain kAlam (time like thrEthA yugam, dhvApara yugam, etc), o certain adhikAris (persons like dhasrathan during rAmAvathAram, etc) He ignores the faults/mistakes of his worshippers due to his causeless mercy. He fully depends on his worshippers for all of his actvities (like bathing, eating, sleeping, etc). He descends into many temples (dhivya dhEsams, abhimAna kshEthrams, village temples, etc - everywhere irrespective of city, country, continent, planet, etc), mutts and our own homes. Complete nature of archAvathAram o He creates the taste and attachment towards him through his archAvathAram. o He is the abode of all auspicious qualities - all his qualities such as sauseelyam (magnanimity), saulabhyam (easy accessibility), vAthsalyam (motherly forbearance), etc are fully manifested and visible here. These qualities are subdued in paramapadham, since everyone is pure and fully realised in paramapadham. o He is the refuge for everyone irrespective of their birth, knowledge, etc.

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He is the most enjoyable as explained fully by AzhwArs and AchAryas. We have already enjoyed AzhwAr/AchAryas archAvathAra anubhavam in http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/p/archavathara-anubhavam.html. His magnanimous nature in archAvathAram o Even though he is the master and everyone else are dependent on him, he manifests himself as the dependent and fully depend on his devotees. o Being in a deity form, he presents himself to be ignorant - since he understands everything through his devotees incapable - since he waits for his devotees for all of his actions like bathing, eating, dressing, sleeping, etc fully dependent on his devotees as explained above o Still, out of his causeless and unlimted mercy, attachment and compassion towards his devotees, he fulfills all their desires without expecting anything back, thus manifesting his great quality called vAthsalyam (motherly forbearance)
o

Conclusion Thus we have seen the 3 entities namely chith, achith and Iswara in good detail. This is one of the most difficult subject matters since it involves many technical and in-depth aspects. We have seen the tip of the iceberg - there is so much more relishable explanations in mAmunigaL's vyAkyAnam for this divine grantham thathva thrayam of piLLai lOkAchAryar which is called kutti bhAshyam (the essence of emperumAnAr's srI bhAshyam). Let us glorify our srIman nArAyaNan, AzhwArs and AchAryas for providing us with these great literatures which are more valuable than anything else for us. rahasya thathvathrayathaya vivruthyA lOkarakshinE vAkbOshA kalparachanA prakalpAyAsthu mangaLam srImathE ramyajAmAthru munIndhrAya mahAthmanE srIrangavAsinE bhUyAth nithyasrI nithya mangaLAm mangaLAsAsana parair madhAchArya purOgamai sarvaischa pUrvair AchAryai satkruthAyAsthu AzhwAr emperumAnAr jIyar thiruvadigaLE charaNam jIyar thiruvadigaLE charaNam AchAryan thiruvadigaLE charaNam

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