BG 11.13

We are in an important sannidhi. We are at Parameswara vinnagaram, full of sculptures of Pallava period. The Lord graces in Three tiers in Three poses. At the bottom tier He is seated, in the middle He is SriPallkonda Ranganatha, in reclining pose and in the top tier He is standing as Sri Para Vasudeva. Today's [14th October 2008] lecture is from the mid tier. The entrance to the temple is attractive. Nearby greenary, is pleasing. A very tall dwajasthambam, brilliant like the Lord, is seen. Like a king's fort guarded by trenches and compound walls, this temple is constructed. In the ground floor, the Lord is seated as Sri Vaikuntanatha Perumal. All the sculptures are made in sandstone. We see sculpture of Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu. Once sage Bharadwaja was meditating and it was disturbed by a heavenly damsel. With her, he got a son. The son in later years became King Parameswara Varma Pallava. This can be seen in the sculptures. When Bharadwaja was wondering what to do with the child, the Lord and Sri Maha Lakshmi, in the guise of a Hunter and His Wife, agreed to take care of the child. That time in the Pallava dynasty, there were no children to continue to reign. The ruling King prayed and the Lord gave this child [of Bharadwaja] and asked him to take care. All these and the way the child learnt various arts, are depicted in the sculptures. The Lord took care of the Child and went even to lord Yama to prolong the life of the child. Those times, many Chinese travllers used to visit India and one such traveller Yuvan Suang, is also depicted, including his departure by ship. As we go around, we can see a replica of Sri Para Vasudeva in the Third tier, depicted as a sculpture. We are forbidden from going to the Third tier; as it was damaged by lightning. Similarly, Sri Vaikuntanatha Perumal also is sculpted. It seems it was done to fool invaders. It is also said that there was a tunnel here but was closed later. We now climb up to the Second tier and see the Lord Sri Ranganatha gracing. Utsavar is Sri Varantharu Mamanivannan [ஸ்ரீ வரந்தரு மாமணிவண்ணன்].


On the walls we can see the paintings of Sri Varaha avatar, Sri Narasimha Avatar, fight between Vali and Sugreeva, churning of Milk ocean, etc. It is said that Parameswasa Varma Pallava ruled for 360 years and after him, 18 Pallava Kings had ruled. The Lord Himself had taught the King all arts. This temple is named after that King. We have seen other Vinnagarams earlier: Oppiliappan Koil, Arimeya Vinnagaram, Kazhi SriRama Vinnagaram and Nandipura Vinnagaram. Now we will see how the Lord Sri Parameswara was viewed by Sanjaya. In sloka 11, Sanjaya told that the Lord was beyond imagination, He was Divya [brilliant] and Anantha [endless]. To know about the brilliance, we are to see sloka 12:

divi surya-sahasrasya
bhaved yugapad utthita
yadi bhah sadrsi sa syad
bhasas tasya mahatmanah

"If hundreds of thousands of suns were to rise at once into the sky, their radiance might resemble the effulgence of the Supreme Person in that universal form."

Even though we can explain this sloka, it is very difficult to visualize. Even the brilliance of a Thousand Suns will fade before the brilliance of the Lord, seen by Sanjaya and Arjuna. It is impossible to see by our eyes; and it is beyond our imagination also. Explaining this will be therefore, difficult. But we will try. Alwar says that even the purest gold can not compare. Surya- sahasrasya = Thousand Suns, bha = brilliance, yadi = perhaps, yugapad= at the same time or simultaneously, utthita = rose up, divi = in the sky. Assuming 1000 Suns appear simultaneously on the sky, then that brilliance has to be imagined. Tasya = that, mahatmana = [image of] the Lord [Viswaroopam], bhasa = brilliance [of the image], sadrsi sa yad = might be compared [ to the 1000 Sun's brilliance]. Shastras [vedas] say that His body is like radiating dark blue rain bearing cloud, with lightning brilliance [neelathoyatha madyasta vidyulleva bhasvara....]. Same time we have to imagine brilliantly radiating dark, red, yellow, etc., colors. We should imagine dark cloud bordered brilliantly either by Sun or Moon. His eyes, palms, feet and navel are all like lotus flowers and we have to imagine a jungle of lotus flowers on a dark green mountain like body. Every radiating objects we see, borrow their radiance from the Lord. Upanishads say that in comaprison to His brilliance, the Sun, the moon and the stars are dimmed. What to speak of mere fire? This type of comparison is called abhuyopama, impossible comparison. This is being employed by Sanjaya to explain to Dridarashtra.