ds-11

- NAPS Rao on Dvaita List

dwAdash stOtra - 11

This sthothra and the next, emphasise the attribute Ananda or Bliss of the Supreme Being - as he is source-giver of all bliss of all souls (the infinite souls already in Mukthi, and the infinite ones who will follow them in future. He is thus called Ananda - the very personification of Bliss itself - eternal, complete, matchless and flawless, without a trace of sorrow. unlike earlier stothras, where the different incarnations of the Supreme Being are mentioned, here the emphasis is on the Redeeming form of Vishnu which is worshipped by all great gods themselves. There is an implied reference to the first Brahma suthra - Om AthAthO BrahmajijnAsA - where the word Athah (the second) is interpreted as Hethvartha - indicating the reason for one to carry out Brahma JijnAsA. While different Acharyas have interpreted the meaning of this simple word differently, Acharya Madhva has interpreted it as the attainment of the state of Bliss and being freed from the sorrows of samsara. He quotes :

"Thamevam vidvAnamrutha iva bhavathi" -

only be knowing Him, will one obtain Mukthi in this world.(Upanishad)

"Priyohi jnAninOthvartham aham sacha mama priyah" -

I am dearest to the learned person and he is dearest to me.(Geetha)

"Yamevaisha vrunuthe thEna labhyah" -

He is attained only by him (soul) whom He chooses. (Upanishad)

"AthmA vA arE drastavyah shrOthavyah manthavyO nidhidhyAsithavyah" -

He should be the object of listening, contemplated, meditated and finally "seen".(Upanishad)

Thus the attainment of Mukthi, which is of the nature of complete freedom from obscuring beginningless Ajnana, realisation up the limits of one's capacity of the true nature of the Supreme Being, himself and the fundamental relationship between each other, which is one of Giver and Taker, Independent and totally dependent etc., unfettered and eternal enjoyment of Bliss which constitutes the soul's own nature, being freed from the external envelopes of the three Gunas which are truly responsible for bondage in Samsara, which should be the objective of all, can only be achieved by the grace of the Supreme Being, Narayana. An important element of this is the worship of the Supreme Being by His four attributes - Sath, Chith, Aathma and Ananda. The repeated use of Ananda in this shloka is a directive to the devotee to contantly remember Him by these attributes - specially Ananda or Bliss, also simultaneously reminding him of the fact that He is the only giver of Bliss, which is the only goal worth going to the Supreme Being for and the soul itself is of the nature of Bliss, which is obscured in Samsara.

One is also reminded of the shloka in Sumadhvavijaya -

"AnandarUpasya parasya pAthradhI

AnandasandAyisushAsthrakruthsa yath

AnadathIrthethipadam gurUditham

babhUva thasyAthyanurUparUpakam?

Simple translation - Sri Achyutha Prajna named his new disciple AnandatIrtha. the latter was always having his mind fixed on the Supreme Being of the nature of bliss, and has composed the Shasthra (Tatvavada) which gives Ananda or bliss, to the seeker. One is also tempted to conclude that the very use of the words Ananda - in each shloka to describe the Supreme being, followed by the last shloka where he has used his name Ananda TIrtha, with the appelation Muni attached is indicative as very brief paraphrasing of the shloka in Sumadhvavijaya. The Phala shruthi in the last shloka confirms this view, as he says, that the devotee (who is totally immersed in God) and recites this stothra will attain Mukthi of the nature of innate Bliss.

A few comments may be in order here. One should always go to a person who is in a position to give gifts of the kind one seeks. Bliss can only be given one who is Himself full of unlimited bliss, rather than one, who is provided with limited stocks of it or who himself has to get it from another. Except a few die-hards who want to limit Mukthi to a negative connotation of freedom from sorrow or freedom from all feelings (both bliss and sorrow), one should like to have unlimited bliss after working hard for it to secure Mukthi. Similarly one should approach the person responsible for one's bondage for freedom, rather than an underling, who can at best pass on the request of the prisoner. The Vedas proclaim from housetops that Vishnu alone is the giver of Mukthi and none other. Similarly when one approaches the emperor one does not waste such a chance by asking for a small impermanent favour, but should ask for some thing lasting, appropriate for oneself and which enables him to please the emperor always in future. Thus, any shasthra which would be worth persuing would show us the way to permanent freedom from the travails of samsara. Bliss up the limit of one's capacity and a true devotional relationship with the Supreme Being, based on the fundamental realities of the essence of the entities. This is Tatvavada.

The aptness of worshipping the Lord named Ananda for obtaining final redemption from Samsara, which is also of the form of Ananda (bliss) in the manner taught by Ananda Tirtha was briefly discussed in the first part. Before going into the meanings of the stanzas, I would like to mention a few more interesting facets of this stothra. Though the name Ananda mentioned here as referring to the Supreme Being is actually symbolic of His countless, beginningless, eternal, and matchless auspicious qualities, it is really very appropriate to worship Him through the one quality - Ananda (bliss), which becomes most significant to the souls. For instance, when discussing the creation of the world of matter and the souls, a question is raised by Acharya Madhva in Anuvyakhyana (as explained in Nyaya Sudha)when explaining the meaning of the Suthra - Aum Na praypjanavathvAth. This question is fundamental and has to answered by any one postulating a theory of Creation by a Creator.

Does God have any benefit out of such creation or not?. If He secures some benefit from it, obviously He lacks it before and hence is Apoorna or incomplete without it. If He gets no benefit from such creation, it is clear that He is doing an aimless act, which can not be accepted from a Sarvajna. Hence, it will have to be concluded that He is not the Creator at all. Upanishad passages extol Him as Ananda, Niranishta and Parama - being of the form of Bliss, who is free from all sorrow and blemish and is Supreme. The Suthra Na prayojanavathvAth answers the question - God does not secure any benefit from all these activities for HIMSELF. "Lokavatthu LIlAkaivalyam" answers the point as to why He does some thing which is basically useless inspite of His being Independent, All knowing and Supreme. God carries out all these acts - like Creation, Sustenance and Destruction etc as a Sport, in the same manner as an Intoxicated person dances and moves his limbs etc wantonly. Narayana samhitha explains thus - Hari does not have any benefit from Creation etc , but does it only as an expression of His unbounded, matchless Bliss (Ananda), in the same manner as an Intoxicated person dances. As even the Mukthas who have secured His grace obtain all that they want or desire just by desiring it, the Supreme Being who gives them Mukthi, obviously can not ever need anything for which He has to perform any actions. Acharya Madhva explains further that it is the Svabhava (Innate nature) of the Supreme Being to perform these actions.

There is an interesting passage in MAndUkya Upanishad which Madhva quotes in Anuvyakhyana :

"VibhUthim prasavam thvanyE manyanthE srushtichinthakAh svapnamAyAsarUpEthi srushtiranyairvikalpithA icchAmAthram prabhOh srushtirithi srushtau vinischithah kAlAth prasUthim bhUthAnAm manyanthe kAlachinthakAh bhogartham srushtirithyanyE krIdArthamithi chAparE devasyaisha svabhAvOyam ApthakAmasya kA spruhEthi"

Simplified transaltion:

Those who think about creation hold that Creation is the modification of Brahman Himself as the world (of matter and souls). Some imagine that Creation is like a that of a Dream projection or magic. Some think that Creation is born of Time. Those who know the position correctly hold that Creation is due to the Will of the Lord. Some think that Creation is for the purpose of enjoyment of God. Others think that it for sport. How ever, it is due to the very nature of God to create, as He has already all His desires fulfilled.

While it is true that He has no desire of His own to be fulfilled, it is also true that in the infinite mercy and love that God really has for the souls, who are totally depnedent on Him, he engages is the activities of Creation etc for their benefit.

It would thus be seen that the quality of Infinite Bliss in the Supreme Being also necessitates His total independence from every one, every thing and every need. This quality which is His essence itself, expresses itself in the manner of redeeming all the souls depending on Him, by giving them all opportunities of securing Jnana, Bhakthi etc, finally leading to emancipation. Thus God performs the extremely massive and complex actions involved in Creation etc of the world out of the fullness of His Bliss for the benefit of the souls. Thus when Acharya Madhva asks us in Anubhashya -

"SacchidAnanda AthmEthi mAnushaih" -

to understand the Supreme being as Athman (inner controller), Sath (Creator and the most Real of all the Reals), Ananda (bliss) and Chith (only of the essence of Chethana and being totally free from the actions of jada entities - such as Sathva, Rajas and Thamas) - He would be expecting us to understand the implications of the four words, as explaining His nature. It is therefore very pertinent that an aspirant for Mukthi, who has seen beyond the worldly pleasures, which are transient, combined with misery and sorrow and which usually lead to further bondage, must worship the Supreme Being as the very embodiment or ocean of true Bliss, which he seeks.

In the earlier parts, the aptness of Ananda Tirtha extolling the Ananda form of the Supreme Being by a sthothra which when recited with full understanding of the meanings gives Ananda in Mukthi was briefly described. Also, the meaning of the word Ananda when applied as a name of the Supreme Being was briefly discussed. Before getting into the actual verses themselves, it is necessary to go into the nature of Ananda in Mukthi as well as the difference in Ananda or Bliss between the Supreme Being and the souls as determined by Ananda Tirtha..

There are usually three expressive words in english language to describe the mental states agreeable to us - Pleasure, Happiness and Bliss. Some times they are used interchangeably. My intention here is not to discuss their derivation or usage practices of the words. Broadly, the word pleasure is used to describe the agreeable sensations obtained through the senses, Happiness is considered as a state of mind and Bliss is considered as a state of the deepest portions of the mind or Spirit. Pleasure requires the meeting of the objects, the appropriate sense in fit condition, and their coming together in a fashion leading to the feelings originated in the body by it, giving us a sense of agreeableness of the experience in the mind. The limitations of pleasure as a source of continued agreeable experience are well known as arising out of its nature - the inescapable necessity of the object, Law of diminishing returns, Satiety and needs of variety, invariable accompaniment with some pain, before, during and after the experience, limitations of the senses themselves etc. The hidden penalty that Nature imposes such as concomitant bondage of the mind and body to the object of pleasure (Abhimana) leading to suffering and pain when separated from it, transient nature of the experience, inaccurate estimation of the merits of the pleasure-object when the mind is clouded in its judgement when efforts are made to obtain it leading to misery and even hatred towards the same object later etc are not realised by superficial thinking. It is a fact that all of us are built in a such a way as to strive for pleasure always, and it is a great thing involving excellent self-control if we can stop our minds to go after it, even when it is really not in our interest to do so. All these thoughts are well expressed by Krishna when he says in the Geetha -

"YathathO hyapi kaunthEya purushasya vipashchithah

indriyAni pramatheeni haranthi prasabham manah" - 2.60

The overpowering and turbulent senses forcibly carry away the mind of even the wise man striving hard (to control them).

"IndriyAnAm hi charathAm yanmanO anu vidheeyathE

thadasya harathi prajnAm vayurnAvamivambhasi" - 2.67

When the mind goes after the senses that wander amongst objects, his proper understanding and conclusions are lost, like a ship being carried away in the seas by a wind.

"IndriyasyendriyasArthE rAgadveshau vyavasthithau

thayOna vashamAgacchEth thau hyasya paripanthinau" - 3.35

In respect of the specific object of each sense, likes and dislikes necessarily rise up. Let no one come under their sway, as they are surely his enemies.

" YE hi samsparshajA bhogA dukhayOnaya yEva thE

Adyanthavanthah kaunthEya na thEshu ramathE budhaH" - 5.22

When pleasures result from the contact of senses, they are only sources of misery. They have a beginning and an end. No wise man delights in them. Happiness on the other hand is usually considered as a state of the mind, which is thus a product of an internal sense of validity, acceptability, values etc along with an agreeable state of external environment. The senses may not be involved directly, though the mind will get disturbed from its equanimity by disagreeable sensations. Happiness of the mind necessitates some achievement of internal goals such as success in competition, power or position, fraternal feelings and companionship with agreeable persons etc. A little thought will show that even here, to the extent that our feeling of Happiness is dependent on externals which are not in our control, the possibility of misery can not be ruled out. Further many of the causes of Happiness have in-built limiting or destroying features - as one gets jaded quickly and looks for more such or other means for being happy. But unlike the purely body-limited type of sensual pleasures, Happiness is more refined and can be sublimated by training and practice into higher selfless goals, not likely to lead to misery and sorrow.

Bliss is considered to be the deepest spiritual experience where one is virtually free from the effects of environment and externals and the cause is considered as pertaining to the deepest core of the personality. Now let us look at the description of Bliss in the Geetha-

"SarvakarmAni manasA sanyasthAsthe sukham vashee

navadvArE purE dEhE naiva kurvannakArayan" 5.13

The soul, who is the dweller in the body with nine doors, who dedicates all his actions to God and having control over the senses remains happy, neither acting himself nor causing others to act. (as he understands that God is the Doer and not himself).

"bAhyasparshEshvasakthAthmA vindanthyAthmani yathsukham

sa brahmayOgayukthAthmA sukhamakshayamashnuthE" 5.21

He whose mind is unattached to the external objects with which the senses come into contact like a sannyasi and feels internal joy in himself, will secure imperishable bliss with his mind devoted to meditation of Brahman.

"yOnthah sukhOantharArAmasthathAntharjyothireva yah

sa yOgee brahmanirvAnam brahmabhutho adhigacchathi" 5.24

He who enjoys happiness within (which is manifested when the torments of desire, anger etc are eradicated), whose pleasures all lie within himself, and to whom God has revealed His splendid form, is a Yogi and goes to Brahman who has no material body, being totally devoted to Him.

"YathrOparamathE chittham niruddham yOgasEvayA

yathra chaivAthmanAthmanam pashyannAthmani thushyathi"

With the practice of Yoga and mind arrested withdrawing itself from external objects and activities, the Yogi sees the Lord through his mind and rejoices. 6.20

"SukhamAthyanthikam yatthathbuddhigrAhyam atheendriyam

vEtthi yathra na chaivAyam sthithaschalathi thathvathah" 6.21

That state in which he finds supreme bliss, which is realised directly by the self and is beyond ordinary sense experience and where his mind is not disturbed or diverted from the divine form.

These quotes are illustrative and not exhaustive. It can therefore be concluded that Ananda being described here is not sensual or mental, but is one of the Spirit. Its is centered on the realisation of the Supreme Being in himself as his AathmA (inner controller), source of innumerable auspicious qualities and his greatest benefactor. All others pleasures and sources of mental happiness are rejected as they are like the glowworm in front of the Sun.

Now let us look at what the Taittirya Upanishad described as the Ananda of the Supreme Being and Muktha souls.

In 2.7, the shruthi says : "KO hyEvyAnyAth kah prAnyAth yadEsha

Akasha AnandO na syAth". -

If Vishnu is not full of infinite bliss (Ananda Paripoorna), Who else (other than Vishnu) could create, control and activate the world?

Acharya Madhva/Sri Jayatirtha explain the text thus: If one has to strive and perform actions, one has to have one of the following four reasons - i. When he is full of Bliss (happiness, pleasure) - as when he dances, ii. When afflicted with great sorrow - when he cries uncontrollably - In these cases, the reactions are not identified as productive of any benefit, but are spontaneous reactions to the bliss/sorrow. iii. To secure freedom from sorrow, iv. To secure happiness, pleasure etc. - In such cases, there is a directed effort at getting what one wants and getting rid of what he does not want.

In the case of the Supreme Being, the two reasons (ii. And iii. do not exist, as being a Sarva Shaktha/Karthru (All powerful/All Doer), He is never going to be afflicted with sorrow.

Similarly, He does not have the last reason, as He is the only Doer and Independent entity in the world and thus can not secure any thing that He does not have already.

This leaves only the first reason, that He acts out of His Infinite and matchless Bliss, in the same manner as an intoxicated person dances with sheer happiness. Considering the immense magnitude of the creation, maintenance etc of the Universe, it is clear that the Supreme Being with His infinite capacities must also have Infinite Bliss to match. The very existence of the world and activities of living beings etc is thus proof that God is full of Infinite Bliss. Unlike the bliss of all others including Lakshmi, His Bliss is untramelled by any one else. Lakshmi bliss is superior to all others as she is Nithya-muktha and has never been subject to ignorance which acts as a veil on her true essence, like all other souls. In the manthras 2- (17-28), the Upanishad describes the gradation of Bliss (Ananda) in the liberated souls. In the present context, it is not appropriate to go into this subject - but the nature of the bliss is also described, which will be mentioned here:

The lowest level of Bliss mentioned in the Upanishad is that of the World-emperor, who is Shrothriya (one who has realised the full results of study of scriptures and has become Muktha) and akAmahatha (one who has no desires to fulfill - as he has attained all his desires). Such a person who owns the entire earth with all its gifts of wealth, who has no abnormalities, who is all powerful etc is considered to have ONE unit of Bliss.

The gradation of bliss given thereafter in the Upanishad is -

Manushya-gandharva, Deva-gandharva, Chira-Pithrus, AjAnaja-devatha, Karma-deva, Thathvika-devatha, Daksha, Indra, Rudra, Brahma (Chathurmukha). Each succeding one has 100 times (Shatha) the bliss of the prvious class.

The actual enjoyment may be even 1000 or infinite times more because in addition to the bliss being quantitatively more by a hundred times, it is Sphuta (clearer and more enjoyable) by the possessor. An example is given here of the Sun in comparison to an equally big fire (the context is that of brilliance). Each person has clearer appreciation of their essence (Swaroopa) of Jnana, Devotion to Vishnu, Strength etc. Desires in the Muktha souls are not external to them due to the action of the three gunas etc as in samsara, but are in the nature of their essence itself. Thus all their desires are instantly attained. The gradation of Bliss is to be understood as indicative of the infinite bliss of the Supreme Being and of the great bliss of superior souls who have their attributes far greater than us. The bliss of good Manusha souls inferior to that of manushya-emperors is to be considered as a hundredth in the same manner.

The Bliss of the Mukthas is therefore to be understood as being of the essence of the soul itself and is attained always. All their desires are realised instantly due to the ever-present grace of the Almighty. Being totally free from the effects of the three gunas, it is unmixed with sorrow in the least and is dependent on no one else except God.

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad also upholds and supports the same concepts of Taratamya or gradation of the Muktha souls. It also makes the point that God denies no request of the Muktha souls and their combined bliss is like a drop in the ocean of Bliss that Sri Hari is. Though their swaroopa is intrinsically one of knowledge and bliss, their actual enjoyment of bliss is with the will of the Supreme Being even in Moksha. All these pramanas indicate the mental perspective one should have when he worships God as Ananda with a correct understanding of His nature, whereby he secures the state of complete bliss, up to the limits of his innate capacity.

There is one more aspect of understanding the use of the word Ananda in this context. The Muktha souls have a body made of pure Chethana, which is of their essence and their enjoyment of bliss is compared to the enjoyment which one has in dreams,where even though there is no awareness of his body, he still experiences pleasure etc. But, at his own will, he can also take a body made of pure sathva guna, which is then used as a means for enjoyment. But just like a lamp uses the oil in it leaving out all others like wick, impurities etc, his enjoyment will be pure and unaffected by the entry of Sathva guna and will on no account have any sorrow mixed with it. He will never have to submit as in Samsara to the control of inferior souls, but will be part of a natural order of gradation, where he will offer his respects to superior souls who had helped him in his Sadhana period. Chapter 11 of Sumadhvavijaya also describes poetically the bliss of Mukthas living in the glorious Vaikunta Loka, where worldly pleasures like Love are also enjoyed without any admixture of sorrow or baseness. There is no prescription of duties or controls on the Mukthas, but some of them may continue to do many of the Pre-Mukthi activities like worship, Yajnas etc in the fullness of their bliss. They may adore the majesty of God and worship Him in a thousand ways. Some of them may go all round the world, even in Lokas which are resided by souls awaiting liberation. Mukthi is thus complete self-expression, self-manifestation and self-realisation. Some of the Mukthas enjoy their bliss through the limbs of God Himself.

Though the introduction to this sthothra was rather long, I have felt that it is fully justified as it is important to have the mental background of the nature of the Supreme Being being termed Ananda here and the Phala sthuthi in the end which indicates that the final fruit of this sthothra is the Swaroopa-ananda of Mukthi. Now let us go into each sthothra shloka -

udIrNamajaraM divyaM amRutasyaMdyadhIshituH |

AnaMdasya padaM vaMde brahmEMdrAdi abhivaMditaM || 1||

I offer my prostrations with great devotion to the feet (or Swaroopa) of Sri Hari, the Supreme Being, who is the master of the Universe, whose essence is of the nature of Bliss, which is respectfully prostrated to by Gods headed by Brahma (Chathurmukha), Indra etc. His form is the greatest (superlative in all respects), indestructible, and beyond the constraints imposed by nature and It sprinkles the divine nectar of Bliss of the Moksha (on souls which attain liberation).

sarvavEdapadOdgItaM iMdirAvAsamuttamaM |

AnaMdasya padaM vaMde brahmEMdrAdi abhivaMditaM || 2||

I offer .. Indra etc. His form (Ananda) is extolled as the most superior by all the Vedas, superior to all else and is the place where Mahalaskhmi resides.

sarvadEvAdidEvasya vidAritamahattamaH |

AnaMdasya padaM vaMde brahmEMdrAdi abhivaMditaM || 3||

I offer .. Indra etc. He is the primal cause of all the Gods (being their creator and inner controller) and He destroys the primordial sin (Ajnana), which is otherwise impossible to overcome.

udAramAdarAnnityaM aniMdyaM suMdarIpateH |

AnaMdasya padaM vaMde brahmEMdrAdi abhivaMditaM || 4||

I offer .. Indra etc. He is the Lord of Mahalakshmi, the personification of beauty (Sundari). He is eternal (Nithya) being unchanged in any manner in space, time or qualities. He is beyond reproach. He is the greatest.

iMdIvarOdaranibhaM supUrNaM vAdimOhanaM |

AnaMdasya padaM vaMde brahmEMdrAdi abhivaMditaM || 5||

I offer .. Indra etc. He is of the colour of the interior of the Blue Lotus (Nilothpala), He is full of auspicious qualities and He gives Mithya Jnana (wrong knowledge) to evil persons (who argue for untrue philosophical systems). (The souls get knowledge only with the will and pleasure of the Inner controller, God, through the Tatvabhimani devathas according to their innate worth and past deeds. Thus our getting true knowledge is also by the grace of God).

dAtRusarvAmaraishvaryavimuktyAdErahO paraM |

AnaMdasya padaM vaMde brahmEMdrAdi abhivaMditaM || 6||

I offer .. Indra etc. He is the greatest and the giver of all Aishwarya (all attributes of enjoyment like wealth, power, etc) and final release from Samsara and all such gifts to all the gods. The poet exclaims Aho! - what a wonder, at this. (Though only Aishwarya and Vimukthi are specfically mentioned here all other attributes and gifts to the souls such as their very existence, creation, knowledge, devotion and liberation etc are exclusively by God). The exclamation is indicative of admiration and devotion.

dUrAddurataraM yattu tadEvAMtikamaMtikAt |

AnaMdasya padaM vaMde brahmEMdrAdi abhivaMditaM || 7||

I offer .. Indra etc. His Feet (Swaroopa) are farther than the most far off object to those who are not His devotees, but they are the nearer than the most near object to His devotees. (He is attainable only by His own will - Yenam mochayami - I will redeem this one, and only devotion is the means for attaining His lotus feet).

pUrNasarvaguNairkArNamanAdyaMtaM surEshituH |

AnaMdasya padaM vaMde brahmEMdrAdi abhivaMditaM || 8||

I offer .. Indra etc. He is complete (lacking nothing in all respects). He is the main repository of all auspicious qualities like Jnana, Ananda etc, He is the Lord of all gods and is without beginning or end.

Sri Vishvapathi Tirtha shows that the words Sarvagunaikarnam - can be interpreted to mean the only main repository, or ocean of all auspicious qualities.

AnaMdatIrthamuninA harErAnaMdarUpiNaH |

kRutaM stOtramidaM puNyaM paThannAnaMdamApnuyAt || 9||

The devotee who recites this auspicious sthothra of Sri Hari, who is Himself of the nature of Bliss, composed by Ananda Tirtha Muni will attain Mukthi, which is an expression of innate Bliss of his own self.

I am completing my attempts to give the total meanings of Dvadasha sthothra by the posting. For convenience, I have reproduced below refrences to my earlier postings, which will be found in the Archives. This deos not include some useful points made by me and others in discussions. I would like to apologise for my being very irregular and tardy in completing my work. But, I hope that it will be accepted as a sincere attempt made at a difficult subject.