Obeisance to Vyasa

Obeisance to Vyasa / with Notes by Sri Anand Swarup Gupta / 203-206 / 203-206

vyasa-vandana vijnanarocih paripuritantarbahyanda kosam haritosalabham | tarkabhayetam vidhisa rvapurvagirvanavijnana damanato'smi || 1 || namami nilambudakantikantam vyasam nirastakhiladosaduram | jnanadidam brahmasivadikebhyah satarkamudrabhayayuktahastam || 2 || purnabodhaka ra sevitapadam sajjanestadamanantasadgunam | vasavihrdayanandanam harim badarayanamaham bhaje'nisam || 3 || vyasam sarvagunavasam vasavinandanam prabhum | gurvaradhitapadabjam vandeham madhvavallabham || 4 || vande satyavatisunum saccidanandavigraham | srimadhvamunisamsevyapadapanka namanvaham || 5|| anandadigunodriktam svasritanandadayakam | anandatmakasadeham bhaje'ham badarayanam || 6 || ( sradyopavena pam0 madhvacaryena samkalitam ) 1. anandatirthiye tantrasare | 2 . sranandatirthiye bhagavatatatparyanirnaye 3 . pranandatirthakrtasyopadhikhandanasya srinivasatirtha krta tippanyam | 4 . srinivasatirthakrtapramanalaksanatippanyam | 5 . srinivasatirthakrtattattva samkhyanatippanyam | 6 . srinivasatirthasya tattvaviveka tippanyam |

A NOTE ON THE VYASA-VANDANA These verses of the Vyasa-vandana (adoration of Vyasa) have been taken from some of the works of Madhva-Acarya (also called Ananda-tirtha, b. 1119-d. 1199) who was the founder of the dvaita philosophy of Vaisnavism, and also from the works of Srinivasacarya (or Srinivasatirtha) of the Madhva-sect. Sri MadhvaAcarya and the Acaryas and followers of his sect were the great devotees and admirers of Veda-Vyasa and regarded him not only as an avatara of Visnu, but Visnu himself who incarnated into various avataras, from Matsya to Kalki, as is clear from the Karavalambana-stotra of Veda-Vyasa composed by Yadupati or Yadavacarya (c. 1400 A.D.). These verses describe the physical form and some of the prominent virtues of Vyasa and pay homage to him as follows: "I bow to him (i.e. to Vyasa) who has filled the whole internal and the external universe with the light of knowledge, who is dark like an emerald, who keeps his hands in the position of the tarka-mudra and the abhaya-mudra, and who has imparted knowledge to Brahma, Siva and other gods.-(1) "I bow to Vyasa whose body is lustrous like the lustre of dark blue clouds, who has cast away (or driven away) all the evils, who imparts knowledge to Brahma, Siva and others, and whose hands are in the sat-tarka-mudra and abhaya-mudra. - (2) "I incessantly adore Hari in the form of Badarayana-Vyasa who gladdens the heart of his mother Vasavi (Satyavati), who fulfills the desires of good persons, who has endless good virtues, and whose feet have been served by the hands of Ananda-tirtha endowed with full knowledge.-(3) "I adore Vyasa who is the abode of all the virtues, who is the son of Vasavi (Satyavati, the daughter of king Vasu Uparicara), whose lotus-like feet are worshipped by my teacher, and who is dear to Madhva -(4) "I daily adore the son of Satyavati, who has the form of sat (existence), cit (consciousness), and ananda (happiness) and whose lotus-like feet are worthy to be served by Sri Madhva Muni (5) .

July, 1969] A NOTE ON THE VYASA-VANDANA 205 "I adore Badarayana (Vyasa) who is prominent in the virtues like happiness, who gives happiness to his dependants, and whose body is made of happiness."-(6). Vyasa is represented here as keeping his hands in the position of the tarka and the abhaya-mudras. It has a great significance here. A mudra is formed by keeping the fingers in a certain position according to the rules prescribed in the Tantras. The tarka-mudra is also called the jnana-mudra and is formed by joining the index finger with the thumb and spreading out the other fingers jointly (see the footnote of the Hindi translation of VI. 6. 38 of the Bhag.-P., Gita Press edn.). This mudra is formed when expounding the philosophical and religious truths. By the mention of this mudra Vyasa is represented here as a great expounder of dharma through his works-Mahabharata, Puranas and the Brahma-sutra. Vyasa's tarka-mudra symbolises sat-tarka (good and proper reasoning) and not ku-tarka (bad and fallacious reasoning). By his abhaya-mudra Vyasa assures security and freedom from fear through his exposition of dharma which protects one who protects or follows it ('dharmo raksati raksitah '). The tarka-(jnana-) mudra is one of the nineteen mudras sacred to Visnu and the abhaya-mudra is one of the ten mudras sacred to Siva (cf. Kalika Purana, Adh. 65, as quoted in the Sabda-Kalpa-druma). The mention of these two mudras together, therefore, may also be taken to signify a synthesis of Vaisnavism and Saivism in Vyasa and his works. Vyasa is considered as an avatara of Visnu; cf. Sloka 3 above in the Vyasa-vandana and also the following: dvapare dvapare visnurvyasarupi mahamune | vedamekam subahudha kurute jagato hitam || (Vis.-P. III. 3. 5) krsnadvaipayano vyaso visnurnarayanah svayam | apantaratamah purvam svecchaya hyabhavaddharih || (Kur.-P. I. 51. 48)

206 puranam - PURANA [Vol. XI, No. 2 In the Siva-Purana (Sata rudriya Samhita, 37. 22f.) Vyasa is mentioned as a great devotee of Siva : etasmin samaye vyaso bhasmabhusitamastakah | rudraksabharanascayat jatajutavibhusitah || pancaksaram japan mantri sivapremasamakulah | tejasam ca svayam rasih saksaddharma ivaparah || In the Kurma-Purana Vyasa is said to have seen and praised three-eyed Siva before arranging the Vedas: parasaryo mahayogi krsnadvaipayano harih | aradhya devamisanam drstva stutva trilocanam || tatprasadadasau vyasam vedanamakarot prabhuh | (Kurma-P. I. 52. 11f). His works, both Mahabharata and the Puranas, are permeated with a spirit of great tolerance and with the ideas of the unity of the two great gods-Visnu and Siva. -ANAND SWARUP GUPTA