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Garuda Purana: Shiva's prayers to Narasimha

EXPLANATION OF THE GARUDA PURANA STOTRA BY SHIVA TO NARASIMHA

The Garuda Purana contains a stuti composed by Shiva in praise of Narasimha, invoking the latter to stop the sapta-mAtrikAs from devouring the Universe. The following things are clear at a glance, upon reading this stuti:
  1. This is a clear reference to the fact that Shiva worships Narasimha, ie, Sankarshana.
  2. The meanings of the stuti echo the Rudra Suktam of Rg Veda, Satarudriyam of Yajur Veda and Nilarudra Suktam of AtharvaNa veda, thus establishing that Narasimha is indeed the devata for the Rudram and Shiva is the Rishi.
  3. We thus have the proof from the words of Shiva himself that the devata to which all praise by the names of “Rudra”, “Shiva”, “Shambhu”, “Soma” and “Ishana” in the Veda refer to Narasimha only since this stuti matches these sections perfectly.
I have not been able to procure the Sanskrit text in its entirety. So, I will explain using the English translation of the stotra (Which in my opinion is only acceptable and not 100% accurate).
The source for this stotra (English) is as follows:
There is another site which gives a part of the Sanskrit text:
But the Sanskrit text is both incomplete and somewhat miswritten here.
Anyway, let us begin.

INNER MEANING OF THE STOTRA

Shiva invokes Narasimha to stop the mAtrgaNas, which were created by the former for the destruction of AndhakAsura, from devouring the Universe.
The inner meaning: Shiva is an upAsaka, ie, a bhakti yOgi who is attempting to conquer several vices like avidya, ruchi, vAsaNas, etc by virtue of yOgA. These vices are represented by the mAtrgaNas But no matter how great the strength of a yOgI is, the pull of samsAric attachments is so strong that it not only overwhelms him, but after succumbing to the old vices, he starts to inflict harm on himself and on others.
So, the effort taken by the yOgI to perform yOgA is similar to how Shiva endeavoured to destroy Andhaka (Note that Andhaka means ignorance or samsArA).Owing to the pitfalls and delicate as well as ardous nature of upAsaNa, certain vices (ie, the mothers) are produced in the process such as attachment, lust etc which were supposed to eradicated by the upAsaNa. Then, the grace of Hari, Parabrahman, is sought by the upAsaka for successful completion of yOgA, which will quell these vices.
The Rudram explains the same in the 4th anuvAkam, 1st and 2nd mantras as follows:
Nama avyadhinibhyo vividhyanti bhyascha vo namo |
Meaning: Salutations to One who is of the form of the objects of desire and Salutations to the One who is of the form of diseases (anubhOktavyam) that arise from them.
Nama uganabhya strumhati bhyascha vo namo |
Meaning: Salutations to the form of superior qualities like mEdhA, anasUya, vidyA, etc and salutations to (these qualities) which crush the ruchi and anubhOktavyam.
This stuti is the essence of these two mantras.
I have reproduced the text of the stuti from the previous site and will add my comments wherever necessary in bold below the text of the stuti.

SRI NARASIMHA STUTI FROM GARUDA PURANA

(The Matrgana’s mentioned in this story are eight goddesses produced from the bodies of Vishnu, Shiva and six other main deities during the killing of a powerful demon called Andhaka. Their origin is recounted in the Varaha-purana.)
1. Suta said: O Saunaka, I shall now mention the prayer to Narasimha sung by Shiva. Formerly the Mothers (matrgana) told Sankara thus:
2. “O Lord, we wish to devour the entire universe along with the deities, demons and human beings with your favour. Please permit us.”
3. Sankara said: “Certainly all these people are to be protected by you all. Therefore this ruthless mentality should be diverted.”
4. Disregarding the advice given by Sankara, the Matrgana’s began to devour the three worlds and all mobile and immobile creatures.
5. When the worlds were thus being eaten, Lord Shiva meditated on the Lord in the form of Nrsimha.
6 - 9 Lord Sankara’s meditation of Nrsimha was thus: ‘He has no beginning or death; He is the originator of all living beings; His tongue blazes like lightening; He has great curved teeth and his mane blazes like a garland; He has bracelets studded with gems; He has a brilliant crown; He is bedecked with a golden mane; with His brillaince He pervades the whole Brahmanda; the hairs on His body curl in small circles; and He is wearing a great garland consisting of many flowers of variegated colours.’
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NOTE: These aspects are mentioned in Rudra Suktam of Rg Veda, rks as follows:
ṛdūdaraḥ suhavo mā no asyai babhruḥ suśipro rīradhan manāyai ~ Narasimha has a pleasing nature, who is the supporter of the worlds (and hence the protector from tApatrayam), with beautiful jaws and possessing teeth to chew the asurAs as Narasimha, not give us unto the ego or attachments arising from the wayward mind, ie, may you destroy such ego and attachments.
śukrebhiḥ pipiśehiraṇyaiḥ ~ He has a shining form with golden ornaments and makes others shine as well.
niṣkaṃ yajataṃ viśvarūpam ~ He has a necklace, ie, the vaijyanti garland studded with 5 gems representing the tanmAtrAs and has the Universe as his body.
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10. As soon as He was meditated upon, the Lord appeared before Sankara assuming the form as was conceived by Rudra with great devotion.
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Note: This shows Rudra is an upAsaka of Sankarshana and hence, the form conceived by him was that of Narasimha, who is sAkshAt Sankarshana.
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11. In the same dazzling form, unperceivable by the devas, the Lord stood there. Sankara then knelt before the Lord and prayed.
12. Sankara said: “Obeisance to You, Lord of the universe, having the body of a man-lion, shining with claws resembling an oyster shell with which the lord of demons (Hiranyakashipu) was killed.
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Note: The Rudra Suktam praises his body as very evenly proportioned and firm-limbed by saying “sthirebhiraṅghaiḥ”.
The nIlarudra suktam of the AtharvaNa veda praises his wrath, his arms and his nails as such:
namaste bhava bhāmāya namaste bhava manyave .
namaste astu bāhubhyāma uto ta iṣave namaḥ
Salutations to him who came into being, ie, manifested out of wrath (bhava bhAmAya). Salutations to One who exists as sacrifice, ie, he is the upAyam (bhava manyavE). Salutations to your sturdy arms and also to your arrow or arrow like nails (which destroy our obstacles to knowledge).
Manyu Suktam refers to his nails as “tigmEshavaH” (sharpened arrow like nails).
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13. You have the golden and tawny coloured body of that demon clinging to Your lotus-like nails. Obeisances to Padmanabha, obeisances to the preceptor of the world. You roar like the rumbling cloud at the end of the kalpa, O Deity, shining with the lustre of ten million suns.
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His roar is referenced in the Satarudriyam, 2nd anuvAka as “Nama ucchair ghoshaya”.
Why is he called PadmanAbha here? The name signifies that he is the creator of Brahma, who came out of his navel. This is an anubhavam of Shiva, saying that Narasimha is that very PadmanAbha who created Brahma. But there is more to it.
The narasimha tApanIya Upanishad declares that when Brahma was born, he learned the vedas from nArAyaNa. And he particularly learned the narasimha gAyatri. Even the mantra rAja pada stOtra has been linked to the vishvarUpa.
Furthermore, this anubhavam of Shiva, ie, equating Narasimha to PadmanAbha comes directly from the SvetAsvatArA Upanishad which says the following:
yo devaanaaM prabhavashchodbhavashcha vishvaadhipo rudro maharshhiH |
hiraNyagarbha.n janayaamaasa puurva.n sa no buddhyaa shubhayaa sa.nyunaktu ||
Meaning: May that Rudra, who is the cause of the origination of gods, who is the cause of their glory, who transcends this entire world, who is a great seer (ie, omniscient) and who created Hiranyagarbha first, unite us with an auspicious mind.
Note that the Upanishad addresses paramAtma (nArAyaNa) as Rudra. Since Rudra is always a monopoly of Narasimha avatArA in the Upanishad, the rishi svetAsvatAra is simply enjoying the experience of equating Narasimha to the form of BhagavAn who created Brahma, ie, PadmanAbha.
That this mantra refers only to nArAyaNa is proven in the “Rudra in the Upanishads” article. “rudrO bahushirA babhru” in the sahasranAma shows that Rudra is a name of nArAyaNa and simply means he is the destroyer of samsAra dukham.
And that is exactly what Shiva intends here, as he too equates Narasimha with PadmanAbha in the same way as the Upanishad.
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14. O Deity, terrifying like a thousand Yama’s, valorous like a thousand Indras, affluent like a thousand Kuveras, O Deity with a thousand lotus-like feet.
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“Sahasra” must be interpreted as infinite here and not merely a thousand.
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15. O Deity resembling a thousand moons, a thousand rayed, moving like a lion, resplendent like a thousand Rudras, sung in praise by a thousand Brahmas.
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Note: He moves like a lion. This is very similar to the mantra found in both the Satarudriyam and Rudra Suktam of Rg Veda:
Stuhi shrutam garta sadam yuvanam mrugannabhima mupahat numugram, mruda jaritre Rudra Satvano anyante asmanniva pantu senaha |
Meaning: Praise the famous (ie, well known by the narasimha tApanIya Upanishad or well known in shruti) Rudra (the destroyer of the disease of samsArA) who dwells in the cave of the heart, who is eternally young, and who is fierce like a lion. O Rudra (One who makes us shed tears on enjoying your kalyAna guNams)! Being praised by our words, confer happiness to us who have been afflicted by having a body subjected to old age and death. Let Your forces annihilate others who are Your enemies and spare us.
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16. Remembered in japa by a thousand Rudras, endowed with a thousand all protecting eyes, progenitor and destroyer of thousands, untier of thousands of bondages.
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Note: Once again, “thousands” must be taken as infinite. There are an infinite number of universes with a brahma and rudra each, and all these brahmas and rudras worship that One, nArAyaNa, who is praised in the mahAbhArata as the Lord of infinite universes.
“Remembered in japa by infinite number of Rudras” highlights that the upAsya devata for Shiva is Sankarshana-Narasimha only.
“Untier of thousands of bondages” finds its counterpart in the 11th anuvAkam of the Satarudriyam as follows:
Yo te sahasramayutam pasha mrityo martyaya hantave Tanyagyasya mayaya sarvanava yajamahe
O Narasimha, who is death to samsArA! You possess prakrti, which is of myriad forms and is like a thousand nooses for trapping the chEtanas in samsArA. Please remove this mAya by accepting my self-surrender.
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17. O fierce deity, having the velocity of a thousand winds, O compassionate One!’ Having sung the hymn to the Lord of Lords, Hari in the form of Narasimha, Shiva spoke in all humility thus:
18. “I had created the matrganas for the destruction of the demon Andhaka. Disregarding my advice they are now devouring the wonderful created beings of the universe.
19. Having created them, I am unable to kill them although I am undefeated elsewhere. Having first created them, how can I wish for their annihilation?
20-21. Thus addressed by Rudra, Hari in the form of a man-lion, created a thousand goddesses from the tip of his tongue. Hari the Vagisvara (Lord of speech) subdued the mothers and protected the devas. He accorded peace and happiness to the world and vanished.
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Note: Hari (meaning, destroyer of our pApa karmAs; thus relating it to upAsaNa) appears in the form of a man lion as per the 1st mantra of Rudra Suktam in the Rg Veda:
śreṣṭho jātasya rudra śhariyāsi tavastamastavasāṃ vajrabāho ~ Rudra (Destroyer of the Disease of SamsArA)! You, the most praiseworthy of all the Gods who are born such as Brahma, etc., who are stronger than the strongest, have appeared in the form of a ferocious lion with arms resembling thunderbolts
vAgIsvara” – the 1st anuvAkam of Satarudriyam refers to Bhagavan as “adhyavOchadadhivaktA” (Rudram, Anuvakam 1, rk 6).
The inner meaning of bhagavAn producing superior goddesses was explained in the beginning.
Hari produced the goddesses from his tongue. Similarly, he propounds Brahma vidya to the devas, rishis and manushyas. He also taught the pAncharAtra directly and the Gita as  well. This tallies with the name of narasimha as “IshAnas sarvavidyAnAm”. The goddesses represent several brahma vidyas and superior qualities to overcome the vices.
He gives peace and happiness to the world by protecting devas and destroying obstacles. Thus, he is known as Shankara – “namas shankarAya ca” – says the Satarudriyam, 8th anuvAkam.
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22. He who recites this Narasimha prayer in all purity and restraint of the sense organs shall be blessed with the realisation of all his desires, as was Rudra. There is no doubt in this.
23. One shall meditate on the deity Narasimha with eyes shining like the midday sun (for evil doers) and like a white lotus (for devotees), with his face beaming like a blazing fire, having neither beginning or end, the eternal, unborn, Lord of the great and small, the receptacle of the universe.
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Note: One eye is like a white lotus and the other is like a midday sun. This is as per the 5th anuvAkam of Satarudriyam which says:
Nama urmyaya chavas vanyaya cha |
Salutations to One who is calm (grace) and who is turbulent (anger).
He is the Lord of the great and the small as per the Satarudriyam, anuvAkam 6:
Namo jaghanyaya cha, budhniyaya cha |
Salutations to He who is the lowest and the base or root (of the great).
As he is sarvAntaryAmin, he is the inner self of the lowest and the greatest (and hence their lord).
He is the receptacle of the Universe as per the 4th anuvAkam of the Satarudriyam:
Namo virupebhyo vishvarupe bhyascha vo namo |
Meaning: Double namaskArams to One who is of manifold forms (due to) the universe being his body.

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24. If anyone recites this prayer it dispells all miseries like the sun dispelling snow. When he [Shiva] wants to perform worship of the Lord in the form of Narasimha, Lord Shiva prepares his deity along with the mothers. Then the Lord appears before him and stands near him. [final sentence of translation unclear.]
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This concludes the stuti. As one can see, it clearly proves that the Being praised by the Vedas is Sri Lakshmi Narasimha only.

32 comments :

  1. Very interesting, honest and illuminating, Swami. It would be great if Devareer can write about the Devata of Mrtyunjaya Mantra.

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    1. Thank you for your comments.

      The commentary for the Mahamrityunjaya Mantra is already given in the 11th anuvAka of Sri Rudram commentary. Please access it here:

      http://narayanastra.blogspot.in/p/sri-rudram-vaishnava-commentary.html

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    2. Dhanyosmi Swami. If Devareer can write an article showing the reflection of Sri Rudram and Shatharudriyam in Sri Mantraraja Padha Stotram, i feel it would benefit the neutral and objective jivatmas who visit this blog seeking true knowledge.

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    3. We have already covered the Satarudriyam exhaustively. There is really nothing more on that subject.

      The Mantra Raja Pâda stotram is a simple condensation of the 11 anuvakas that expresses the essence of the Rudram and has been commented on extensively in the sri vaishnava sampradaya. No need for us to do it as well.

      There is also no need to address us as "swami" or "devareer". We are neither that old nor that wise; we are as much in a learning process as you are, following the footsteps of pUrvAcAryas.

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  2. Sir,
    A wonderful explanation of the Narasimhastuti by Rudra. I have a question about the Padma Purana. I have read that there are 4 recensions of the Padma Purana. I wish you to tell me which recension of those 4 are accepted by the Ramanujiya and Madhvite schools as the authentic text that Vedavyasa composed. Surely those readings must be better that the Venkateshvara Steam Press or the Nag Publishers editions. I would also like to know of any Vaishnava commentaries on the Adhyatmapatala of the Apastambadharmasutra. There are the Advaita commentaries of Sankara and Haradatta, but that is old news.
    Harisevaka

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    1. Thank you, but I'd like to clarify that this is a rather old article of ours and not completely error free.

      Regarding your question about Padma Purana, its' hard to say since nobody has commented on it in full and some quotations of Acharyas from the Purana are missing entirely in all the recensions.

      One thing that can be said is that sections of the Purana not in agreement with the Vedas are interpolations. These include the Shaiva material in the patala-khanda, and the Shiva Gita in particular, which even erroneously incorporates in it's description of Brahman, the mantras from the Kaivalya Upanishad referring to the JivAtma! It exposes the ignorance of the interpolator who couldn't comprehend the true intent of the Upanishad and assumed it was describing Brahman.

      I reckon the shlokas talking about mAyavAda and Shiva as Adi Shankara are also pretty much interpolations. Puttur swami quotes them in Sri Vishnu Citta Vijayam, but I personally don't think they are authentic. In any case, thos is a method to gauge authenticity of certain sections of the Purana. Always easy to spot spurious sections as they make basic errors in metaphysical descriptions that are absent in genuine sections.

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  3. This blog was informative. Had a question on people who were reaching kaivalyam having to be advaitins though. Nowadays, we have seen that saints like Ramana Maharshi was very much experiencing atma sakshatkaram and felt himself in pAramArthika state of mukti. Even though 'maha periyava' had maligned vaishnava practices, it seemed that he also had reached that state of liberation as "his face smiled while he departed from his body at his chosen time" (read that in an article somewhere, can find the reference if needed). Doesn't this go against the idea that only Sriman Narayana can grant advaitins moksha?

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    1. Dear Reader,

      Thank you for your comments. Anecdotes, hagiographies, and 'experiences' are not pramANa though these are what most Hindus today are attracted to rather than diligent study.

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  4. Dear Anonymous, Things can seem as what the followers want to see them. For example, there is a concerted effort to even show Kanchi periyavar as avatar of Shiva these days. Every week new stories get published, encouraging people to take up even worshipping him as God... why, they even call him as "walking god", for whatever reason and are now even putting up sites like mahaperiyavapuranam even! Do those gain more credence over and above well established vedantic interpretations of past acharyas? Anyway, I am sure the authors of this blog would also agree when I say this: nothing can or will go against the idea of what is vedantic truth.

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  5. Thank you Ambi and HBB. I more or less can agree with MahaPeriyava but I have yet to see any political agendas with Ramana Maharshi. Moreover, he seems to have never openly start teaching or advertising himself until people pressed him for questions and his descriptions of the Self align with Sri Sankara's teachings even though he had no formal training in the sastras. I always assumed he was in a state of kaivalya due to past vasanas but it confused me as to how he got there while praying to arunachala siva.

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    1. Dear Anonymous reader,

      There is always some grudge against Vaishnavism that cannot be taken lightly. Look at Ramana Maharishi's words below (or at least, his words according to some devotees):

      "I used to ask them, ‘Show me even one person who has gone
      to Vaikuntam with his body.’ According to their traditions,
      they do not accept Sayujyam (absorption into the deity). They
      say, ‘Sri Maha Vishnu is in heaven, Vaikuntam. Released souls
      sit around him and serve him.’ How will all find
      accommodation there? Perhaps they sit close together
      shoulder to shoulder? "

      "In this
      Thiruvaimozhi itself there are some songs in the Advaitic
      cult sung by some devotees after attaining Self-realisation.
      Nammalwar is one such devotee."

      "When some devotees sang in terms of Advaita, some
      commentators twisted the meaning, interpreting it in terms
      of Visishtadvaita. That is all; it is nothing else."

      Personally, this is why I am wary of any such modern-day heterodox fake "gurus" even if they are maunis and appear to be calm and smiling. I reject them wholesale as they serve no purpose to us. We have our pUrvAcAryas' works to guide us and their true modern day followers however small in number to look up to.

      Source: http://www.ramana-talk-mailer.appspot.com/read?post_name=Letter&index=67

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    2. Dear Anonymous, even the assumption he was in kaivalya, we will have to see through the lens of shastra to decide if that is correct or worth emulating, like so many people do these days. The odd thing is there are so many "disciples" of RM even though he didn't take one such. After reading HBB's comment above, I have to say this: modern day advaita, in its current form, morphed by absorption/intermixing of so many non-vedantic stuff, has become a breeding ground for every possible corruption, which have distorted even the basic teachings of Shankaracharya and cast him as many things he was not. So, if RM's answers align with Shankara's teachings, we need to first ask on which teaching and more importantly according to whom. Shankaracharya accepted Narayana as the only worshippable saguna Brahman in his bhasyas, and if RM disagreed, then we need nothing more to politely and respectfully set his teachings aside. Those topics have been discussed by the blog authors in detail already.

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  6. Dear Anonymous, I too had many questions along the same line as you have expressed here until I found a reconciliation of these seeming contradictions. I felt like sharing my views in this matter. I see these modern day personalities of the likes of Rama Krishna Paramahamsa, Ramana Maharshi, Vivekananda, Yogananda and such others as yogis who were ascetic and who transcended the base human desires. They could have attained few siddhis and even experienced the self in some degree (Atma-Sakshatkaram) by the virtue of their sadhana from several life times. But, it doesn't necessarily mean that their knowledge is complete and perfect or they are unbound by karma or they are devoid of rajo and tamo guna. I believe such personalities owing to their inherent nature and karma are devoid of the true essence of Vedas and are not inclined towards Sriman Narayana who is proclaimed as the Paramātman in all of Vedanta. However, such Jivatmans after many life times of austerities and sadhana may resort to the true Vedic path of Vaishnavism by causeless and boundless mercy of Paramatman. Ultimately, it is Sriman Narayana who has to break their karmic bonds and grant them moksha, be it Kaivalyam or Sayujyam based on their tendencies and desire. Also, their teachings and philosophy doesn’t serve much purpose, since they are based upon their limited knowledge, understanding and experiences. The eternal Vedas alone are the source of perfect knowledge, the means for understanding the ultimate nature of reality and attaining it. When we have access to the great works of our rishis and purvacharyas, where they have expounded the Vedic philosophy, why does anyone want to resort to these so-called gurus and their teachings!

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  7. [I see these modern day personalities of the likes of Rama Krishna Paramahamsa, Ramana Maharshi, Vivekananda, Yogananda and such others as yogis who were ascetic and who transcended the base human desires. They could have attained few siddhis and even experienced the self in some degree (Atma-Sakshatkaram) by the virtue of their sadhana from several life times]

    Why go to these new age gurus like Vivekananda with puny knowledge? Their so called experiences pale in comparison to the Nayanmars themselves, who are probably the best example of devotees outside the vedic fold who attained a reasonably high degree of Atma-guNAs. Yet, these Nayanmars are not regarded as the pinnacle of knowledge since their experience of Shiva is Veda-bAhya, and the Mahabharata declares that what they experienced was due to Sriman Narayana staying as the indweller of Shiva and allowing such realizations!

    Sri Ramanuja's remarks regarding the pAshupata system apply to all such divergent paths in general - Whatever good exists in Non-Vedic paths, is not unique to it (as the Vedic path would contain such good). Whatever unique exists in Non-Vedic paths, is not good (as it is contrary to the Vedas).

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    1. “Yet, these Nayanmars are not regarded as the pinnacle of knowledge since their experience of Shiva is Veda-bAhya, and the Mahabharata declares that what they experienced was due to Sriman Narayana staying as the indweller of Shiva and allowing such realizations!” Are you saying that the Mahabharata mentions the Nayanmars? Or does it just discuss the realizations of devotees of Shiva in general and how it arises from Vishnu?

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    2. Shri Keshav, it is the latter. Of course the Mahabharata does not talk about Nayanmars specifically.

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  8. LOL, you probably won't publish this because it will scare you and is dear to your vaishnava religion, but vaishnavas are so casteist. look what you do to your own people, they are told they are filthy sudras. wonder how that must feel for them, knowing that they will never be respected just because of their birth even though they become doctors and engineers and the greates devotees of your "God", Vishnu. the true vedic religion and the true God Sivan does not tell his devotees to split themselves up based on birth, His definition of a Brahmin comes from character not birth. Just another reason why you Vaishnavas are wrong. I just feel bad for all the white devotees who join Isckon and the "sudras" who think they are from a "low birth". That itself shows that your krishna isnt fair to all his devotees. Sivan is fair to all His children, all that is needed is Love.

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    1. Do yourself a favour. Either join DK and be a full-time numbskull instead of being a part-time Shaiva and a part-time moron.

      Or better, find a large stone wall to bang your own head against.

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  9. oh and forgot to add to my last comment- you probably won't publish this either- but nowadays we have so many fake "gods", people who were spiritual or good leaders. all of a sudden, you have people making mortal men like sai baba and jesus as "gods". The mahabharatha happened 5000 years ago, who knows which cult overtook and wrote beautiful dravida poems about a influential and well-loved sage named krishna that later influenced the srimad bhagavatham (alwars's prabhandhams). None of the stories are scientific or make sense and we see such fake things like "the 11th avatara coming down on a horse". we have cars now guys. get with it, the cosmic consciousness described in the Vedas doesn't come as a human, even if some scholars interpret the sri rudram the wrong way. sanskrit is a beautiful language that has many meanings for one word and if you look at it through one spectacle then everything appears in just one way. If anyone is reading this please don't get fooled by these vaishnavas. they are obsessed with brahmin hood and treat those without the sacred thread like bugs.

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    1. Seeing a dravidian numbskull grace our blog with its foul smelling presence is indeed quite a comical relief to the sane.

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    2. These last 2 comments from Anonymous sound almost like that filthy troll SK who has the habit of posting rude and disrespectful comments on youtube videos from Srivaishnava scholars. But it doesn't matter. Dear Anon, if you think "Sivan" is the one true god, that is your belief, you are free to believe in whatever you want. Just don't come here and make a fool of yourself by making statements like "the cosmic consciousness described in the Vedas doesn't come as a human". Ignorance is bliss, mostly. But this level of ignorance must be unbridled rapture indeed, since it makes someone write what they did so boldly on a blog dedicated to the authentic explanations of Vedanta.

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    3. Hahahahaahah "the cosmic consciousness doesn't come as human." That exactly is ANOTHER reason why Sri Krishna/NarayaNa is God. The "cosmic consciousness" that is within and without is not limited to sitting above the brahmNda in some cosmic yoga pose watching as we suffer. He is God because he takes the trouble to manifest Himself for the sake of His jeevAs, who compose His very own sharIra. Not just a human, but a boar, lion, maybe a bacteria. Who knows exactly how many times He has descending into His own leela vibhuthi? But that accessability and compassion, namely sousIlyam and soulabhyam, make Him God. He does not need you to pluck your own eye in devotion or slay your son. Just try yelling his name in desperation and He will forget His Ownself for your sake. I am getting tears in my eyes as I recollect His grace. But even if you insult Him, He will not get preturbed, at least you say His name over and over. So be it.

      Secondly, you talk of the Vedas. It is said in the Vedas that God is the one who unborn but also takes birth many times. How are you to reconcile these two statements? You may be cherry-picking your verses and giving the "popular" opinion to them; it is not HBB or aryamaa that is doing so. Even if you were familiar with certain Vedic verses, it may be the abhEda sruti that forces you to believe that the cosmic consioussness is all around us and does not manifest as we are non different to it...but what about the bhEda sruti? what about the ghatakA sruti that allows us to incorporate every bit of sruti without doing injustice to any parts? I do not know Vedic verses as I am not trained in them but from what I have researched/found out, I am speaking from that. My sincerest apologies if I have misspoken.

      Lastly, do not try dividing us BhAgavathAs. There are stupid people everywhere and I too have faced discrimination in certain circumstances. But that is not the true spirit of Vaishnavam or the Vedic Sastras. We are all one kulam and our happiness is derived from the Lord's name. We are not polluted in our mind to identify ourselves solely with this body. We may have different vocations ascribed to us as a result of our past karmas but as jeevatmas we have realized that we are a part of Vishnu, thereby making us Vaishnavas. The day (or lifetime) you realize that, you will be one too.

      The only reason I took the time to type all this out is because I know how it feels to be a confused teenager who may get swayed by seemingly "logical" statements that Anonymous has made. To someone unfamiliar with Sastra and Sanathana Dharma, this modern secularist mystic approach is all nice for dinner discussions, but will not progress us anywhere spiritually. If anyone has read the stupid comments made by Anonymous, please go through the entire blog first that Aryamaa and HBB have so painstakingly took their time to write out. Find out your questions from true AchAryas and seek truly with an open mind; not with this mindset with which we are swayed and influenced with today. Jai Srimannaryana!

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  10. Swamis,

    If I may offer my two cents to Anonymous' highly erroneous thinking...I know that I may not be as qualified or suited for rebuttal as HBB or Aryamaa, but I would like to try my best because comments like these could influence other highly confused teenagers (as I was) to sink into further confusion.

    To Anonymous:

    Swami (I call you Swami because my Lord Sri Hari is within you as well and I am addressing Him inadvertently when I address you), you are mixing up a lot of things. Let me offer my perspective as a non-Brahmin (it is sad that we have to classify us as such but
    I guess the circumstances provoke it). First off, no where in this blogspot, do the owners use the words "filthy sudras". In fact, they use great respect when discussing BhAgavathAs of "sudra birth" such as Sri Nammazhwar. By using the word "filthy sudras", I am starting to wonder who really is hateful and discriminatory. Secondly, you seem to have fully bought in to the colonial mindset and brainwashing of the Aryan-Dravidian Theory. Let me tell you, me and my family members (who are all non-Brahmins) have many many people who are fair and tall. We know Brahmins who are dark. So, please stop being racist as I know that is probably why you have said such horrible things. Next, you said "they will never be respected just because of their birth because...blah blah blah". Firstly, that is false. The world today may be moving into the age of engineers and doctors and what not, and I admit that the lines of deciding who belongs to which varna may be blurry, as in it differs from a sampradaya like the gaudiyas vs Sri Vaishnavas. BUT the majority of the world are sudras. It does not matter if we all become super rich; that necessarily sanction respect, but the knowledge and devotion to the Supreme Lord are the only deciding factors. Any Brahmanas that discriminate (note that differentiation of vocations exist and it is a must), are not true Vaishnavas, and based on the scriptures it is easy to deducea true Brahmin must necessarily be a Vaishnava. There may or may not be some idiots here and there who think they are superior because of their ancestry even though they themselves do not uphold their dharma, but our fight is not with them. Moreover, you talk of "the true Vedic religion" and the "true God Sivan". Please tell me; did you read the Vedas? Have you learned Sanskrit. Being a "Sudra", I am being trained in Sanskrit...and have been verifying each and every gem of translations posted by HBB and Aryamaa. If you have another perspective on these translations, please educate us. Else, best to close your mouth. You feel bad for all the white Isckon devotees; my friend, the fact that you see Vaishnavas as white or black or brown or sudra defines the pollution in your mind. We BhAgavathAs do not ask or enquire about birth status or caste/creed as doing so is equivalent to asking about your own mother's genitals. Maybe try chanting the Lord's name as the "white devotees" do, and you will experience the magic yourself!
    (continued...)

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  11. (continued from previous post...)

    Lastly, you talk about Krishna not being "fair". This is the biggest load of bull I have ever come across, my friend. Krishna does NOT ask his devotees to rip out their eye to offer to them, nor does he order his devotees to slay their son or give their wife to Him (I think you understand who I am referring to). All he asks for is Love, which is in our inherent nature and will only benefit us. All he asks is for us to surrender, and He will take care of the rest. There is no bias with Him, He is eternally independent and He is only shackled by Love. Not some dangerous and harmful feats to prove your servitude toward Him. That is pure love that the "real God" only is capable of, and even a toddler would understand that.

    In fact, the proof that He is God lies in the fact that in due time, He will bring even you (a Vaishnava dweshi) back to Him. As Swami Velukkudi Krishnan so eloquently puts it, there are only two groups of people: current BhAgavathAs and future BhAgavathAs. The testimony of Krishna's greatness lies in the fact that He requests me to respect even you since you (in I can only imagine how many lifetimes) are a future BhAgavathA. I don't know any other devatha who espouses that kind of love and compassion. I am unable to quote verses from the Vedas as HBB and Aryamaa are, but I am speaking from a purely emotional/logical perspective. Anything that I spoke wrong is purely my fault, anything that I may have spoken right is my Acharya's doing. I apologize to the Vaishnavas if I have spoken out of term or wrong. Jai Srimannarayana!
    I rest my case.

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  12. Thank you for your comments, Ambi and Govindh.

    Nobody should confuse this Anonymous person as a Shaiva as that would be an injustice to Shaivas in all honesty. They aren't this stupid or possess the hatred for Vishnu that this person has. As HBB said, treat him as another Dravidian lemur, that seems to be his true calling.

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  13. Swamis,

    I actually did have a question regarding Kashmir Saivism. I have been reading the BG commentaries on bhagavadgita.us (highly recommend as it has all the AchArya's commentaries), and find it interesting that the Kashmiri Shaiva Acharya Abhinavagupta did not comment on the verses where Arjuna asks Krishna to show his personal form with the sankhu, chakra, etc. When I looked up the roots of Kashmiri Saivism, I saw that it was there in the 800s and there were "Saiva Vedantins" (such as Abhinavagupta) well established in the early 1000s who commented on the Bhagavad Gita. Just to play devil's advocate- didn't we conclude that Saivism hacked Vedanta in the 1600s with the likes of Appayya Dikshitar? How were Saiva Vedantins prevalent that early on then?

    also interesting to note that Adi Sankaracharya was older than Abhinavagupta and he had commented on the verses depicting the four armed form of the Lord so it is evident that these verses are NOT interpolations "made by vaishnavas" as (some, not all) advaitins like to claim today. It seems that the latter just decided not to comment on them.

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    Replies
    1. Firstly, I would advise against bhagavadgita.us as the translations are not entirely accurate.

      Secondly, a vedAntin is one who has commented on the entire prasthana-traya and proven his philosophy using those texts as the basis. Merely commenting on one of those texts, such as the gita, does not make one a vedAntin- just as how Shaiva Siddhantins claim to accept the Veda but aren't called Vaidikas nonetheless.

      Also, Abhinava Gupta does not prove Shiva paratvam using the Gita, but merely assumes that every reference to Brahman spoken by Krishna refers to Shiva without basis. This is not the Vedantic way of accepting tattvas.

      To my knowledge, no true advaitin, even the Shaiva ones, claim any verses of Gita are interpolated, but maybe you know some kudRshtis.

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    2. Oh wow haha here i was thinking I'd found a great resource.
      And that makes sense, thank you!

      Does anyone know of any books/pdfs with a proper translation of Sri Ramanujacharya's commentary on BG and Sri Bhasya?

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    3. Thirukallam Narasimharaghavachariar's 3 part series on Gita Bhashya (Gita Saram) is what I'd recommend. Available at Haristore.com.

      No great translations of Acharya's other works. Best would be tamil publications by ancient vidwans in all honesty, no English equivalent does Sri Bhashya or Vedartha Sangraha proper justice.

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    4. Dear Shri Govind,

      You can check gitasupersite for the original commentaries in Sanskrit. But please do not use the English translations of these commentaries as they are not good.

      Delete
  14. Jai Sri Hari,
    These are the Sanskrit verses related to that stotra/section of Garuda puranam:

    Failing to perform the upasamhāra of such a huge magnitude of śaktis, Rudra meditated on Mahānr̥simha thus:

    anādinidhanaṁ dēvaṁ sarvalōkabhavōdbhavam |
    daityēndravakṣōrudhiraprōkṣitōrumahānakham ||
    vidyujjihvaṁ mahādaṁṣṭraṁ sphuṭakēsarasaṅkaṭam |
    kalpāntamārutakṣubdhasaptārṇavamahāsvanam ||
    vajrāṅjatīkṣṇanakharamākarṇāddāritānanam |
    mēruśailapratīkāśamudayārkasamēkṣaṇam ||
    himādriśikharākārāṁ cārudaṁṣṭrōjjvalānanam |
    khavinisr̥tarōmāgniṁ jvālākēsaramālinam ||
    baddhāṅgadaṁ sumukuṭaṁ cārukēyūrabhūṣaṇam |
    śrōṇīsūtrēṇa mahatā kāncanēna virājitam ||
    nīlōtpaladalaśyāmaṁ vāsōyugavibhūṣitam |
    tējasā’krāntasakalabrahmāṇḍāntaramaṇḍapam ||
    āvartaiḥ sadr̥śākāraiḥ saṁyuktaṁ dēhalōmajaiḥ |
    sarvapuṣpavicitrāṁ ca dhārayānaṁ mahāsrajam ||

    Immediately, Lord Nr̥kēsarī appeared in front of Mahādēva who offered a stotra to him thus:

    namastubhyaṁ jagannātha narasiṁhavapurdhara |
    daityanāthāsthisaṁpūrṇanakhaśuktivirājita ||
    tadasrakaṇasaṁlagnahēmapiṅgalavigraha |
    mērōḥ sapadmarāgasya śōbhāṁ dhatsē jagadgurō ||
    kalpāntāmbōdhanirghōṣa sūryakōṭisamaprabha |
    sahasrayamasaṁkrōdha sahasrēnduparākrama ||
    sahasradhanadasphīta sahasravaruṇātmaka |
    sahasrakālacarita sahasraniyatēndriya ||
    sahasrabhūmisaddhairya sahasrānantamūrtimat |
    sahasracandrapratima sahasraharivikrama ||
    sahasrarudratējaska sahasrabrahmasaṁstuta |
    sahasravāyuvēgōgra sahasrajyōtirīkṣaṇa ||
    sahasrayantramathana sahasrābādhamōcana ||

    Source: http://www.kamakotimandali.com/blog/index.php?p=1634&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1

    ReplyDelete

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