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Puranic encyclopaedia

by Vettam Mani | 1975 | 609,556 words | ISBN-10: 0842608222

This page describes the Story of Bhagavati included the Puranic encyclopaedia by Vettam Mani that was translated into English in 1975. The Puranas have for centuries profoundly influenced Indian life and Culture and are defined by their characteristic features (panca-lakshana, literally, ‘the five characteristics of a Purana�).

Story of 󲹲ī

The words 󲹲 and 󲹲ī mean ʲٳ (universal self) and ʰṛt (Nature and its modifications) respectively. ʰṛt is also called by the name Śپ. The following elucidation once given by Ѳ屹ṣṇ about 󲹲 and 󲹲ī is greatly illuminating.

Time, space, atmosphere and the universe (ṇḍam) are, just like ʲٳ, eternal. This is the truth and reality. Below this eternal Gokula exists Vaikuṇṭhaloka, which also is, like the former, eternal. Just like this, ʰṛt, which is a sport to and is also without beginning or end (Sanātanī) too is eternal. In the same manner as flame exists in fire inseparable from it, moonlight in moon, beauty in the lotus flower and brightness in the sun, so does nature exist in soul inseparable therefrom. In the same way as the goldsmith cannot make gold ornaments without gold and the potter cannot make pots without clay, the ʲٳ will not in the least be able to function unaided by ʰṛt. ʰṛt (Nature, ٱī) is all powerful. 'Para' becomes powerful enough to do everything when he joins the ٱī.

The sound 'Śa' means welfare and good fortune, and the sound 'kti' means prowess. Hence "Śپ" means the embodiment of welfare and prowess or she, who is the giver of welfare and prowess. 󲹲ī combines in herself knowledge, affluence, riches, fame and strength. As the ʲٳ is always with and inseparable from such 󲹲ī he is called 󲹲 also. When ʰṛt and ʲٳ remain combined it is called Parabrahma, which possesses neither form nor attributes. And, when ʰṛt and ʳܰṣa separate, of their own accord, they assume forms and attributes.

The above is Ś doctrine in a nut-shell. The ղṣṇ do not accept this position. They ask, "How is it possible to have brightness or effulgence without there being an effulgent one?" Therefore, the ղṣṇ believe in the existence, at the centre of an effulgent sphere, of a thing possessing the utmost effulgence and brightness equal to that of . This 'thing'-Deva—is very efficient and effective to remedy sorrows due to birth, death, disease etc. and to him the lifetime of Brahma is just one minute only. This Deva is called ʲٳ, Parabrahma and ṛṣṇa by the ղṣṇ. 'Kṛṣ' means maximum devotion (love) towards ʲٳ, and 'ṇa' means he who becomes slave to such devotion. Hence ṛṣṇa means he who becomes a slave to the love of his devotees. There is another meaning also for the word ṛṣṇa. Kṛṣ means all and 'ṇa' means seed or root; and thus ṛṣṇa means he, who is the root of everything. In the very beginning there was only this ṛṣṇa; and this Lord, subject only to his own will and pleasure, divided himself into two, the left side becoming woman and the right side man. (ٱī Bhāgavata, Navama Skandha).

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